Conformation-based Monte Carlo

A molecular dynamics simulation samples the phase space of a molecule (defined by the position of the atoms and their velocities) by integrating Newton s equations of motion. Because MD accounts for thermal motion, the molecules simulated may possess enough thermal energy to overcome potential barriers, which makes the technique suitable in principle for conformational analysis of especially large molecules. In the case of small molecules, other techniques such as systematic, random. Genetic Algorithm-based, or Monte Carlo searches may be better suited for effectively sampling conformational space. 

Monte Carlo search methods are stochastic techniques based on the use of random numbers and probability statistics to sample conformational space. The name Monte Carlo was originally coined by Metropolis and Ulam [4] during the Manhattan Project of World War II because of the similarity of this simulation technique to games of chance. Today a variety of Monte Carlo (MC) simulation methods are routinely used in diverse fields such as atmospheric studies, nuclear physics, traffic flow, and, of course, biochemistry and biophysics. In this section we focus on the application of the Monte Carlo method for... 

To overcome the limitations of the database search methods, conformational search methods were developed [95,96,109]. There are many such methods, exploiting different protein representations, objective function tenns, and optimization or enumeration algorithms. The search algorithms include the minimum perturbation method [97], molecular dynamics simulations [92,110,111], genetic algorithms [112], Monte Carlo and simulated annealing [113,114], multiple copy simultaneous search [115-117], self-consistent field optimization [118], and an enumeration based on the graph theory [119]. 

While thin polymer films may be very smooth and homogeneous, the chain conformation may be largely distorted due to the influence of the interfaces. Since the size of the polymer molecules is comparable to the film thickness those effects may play a significant role with ultra-thin polymer films. Several recent theoretical treatments are available [136-144,127,128] based on Monte Carlo [137-141,127, 128], molecular dynamics [142], variable density [143], cooperative motion [144], and bond fluctuation [136] model calculations. The distortion of the chain conformation near the interface, the segment orientation distribution, end distribution etc. are calculated as a function of film thickness and distance from the surface. In the limit of two-dimensional systems chains segregate and specific power laws are predicted [136, 137]. In 2D-blends of polymers a particular microdomain morphology may be expected [139]. Experiments on polymers in this area are presently, however, not available on a molecular level. Indications of order on an... 

It is worth to note that the conformation model of Z-dol is speculated upon based on the observations of spreading, but detailed molecular arrangements are difficult to know owing to the limitation of instruments. Computer simulations such as the Monte Carlo (MC) and molecular dynamics (MD) were also performed in expecting to detect such infor-... 

The growing computahonal power available to researchers proves an invaluable tool to investigate the dynamic profile of molecules. Molecular dynamics (MD) and Monte Carlo (MC) simulahons have thus become pivotal techniques to explore the dynamic dimension of physicochemical properhes [1]. Furthermore, the powerful computational methods based in parhcular on MIFs [7-10] allow some physicochemical properhes to be computed for each conformer (e.g. virtual log P), suggesting that to the conformahonal space there must correspond a property space covering the ensemble of all possible conformer-dependent property values. 

Several remedies have been suggested for improving the PB based pKa prediction methods. Most of them are based on strategies that combine conformational flexibility with the PB calculation. You and Bashford included multiple conformers by systematically scanning the side chain torsion angles [107], Alexov and Gunner used Monte-Carlo protocol to sample positions of hydroxyl and other polar protons [1], This method, referred to as the multi-conformation continuum electrostatic (MCCE), was later extended to include rotamers for residues that have strong electrostatic... 

In view of latter developments (see Sections 16.4.9-16.4.11 for further details) the procedure, even with simplifications such as using a single CONCORD/ CORINA-derived 3D geometry instead of performing a Monte Carlo conformational search, is too computationally expensive to be applied to e-screening of virtual libraries. However, it may still be a useful alternative/complement for computing more detailed information about a compound, or to provide a more easily interpretable model to complement other models based on more rapidly computable parameters but which are difficult to interpret in terms of how to modify compounds in order for them to have better intestinal absorption characteristics. 

Figure 7. A "snapshot" of a typical cellulosic chain trajectory taken from a Monte Carlo sample of cellulosic chains, all based on die conformational energy map of Fig. 6. Filled circles representing glycosidic oxygens, linked by virtud bonds spanning the sugar residues (not shown), allow one to trace the instantaneous chain trajectory in a coordinate system that is rigidly fixed to the residue at one end of the chain. Projections of the chain into three mutually orthogonal planes assist in visualization of the trajectory in three dimensions.

Molecular mechanics calculations are an attempt to understand the physical properties of molecular systems based upon an assumed knowledge of the way in which the energy of such systems varies as a function of the coordinates of the component atoms. While this term is most closely associated with the conformational energy analyses of small organic molecules pioneered by Allinger (1), in their more general applications molecular mechanics calculations include energy minimization studies, normal mode calculations, molecular dynamics (MD) and Monte Carlo simulations, reaction path analysis, and a number of related techniques (2). Molecular mechanics... 

The Monte-Carlo method is utilized to investigate the conformational distribution in the central section of a PIB decamer at various temperatures. It is checked that a six-state RIS model based on the two matrices P and Pj constitutes a description of the conformational distribution in PIB. The Monte-Carlo results are in excellent agreement with the experimental data on the average dimensions of PIB chains, as well as with the molecular scattering functions of this polymer in solution and in bulk. 

The configuration-bias Monte Carlo (CB-MC) technique (112) has also been extensively applied to characterize the sorption of alkanes, principally in silicalite (111, 156, 168-171) but also in other zeolites (172-174). Smit and Siepmann (111, 168) presented a thorough study of the energetics, location, and conformations of alkanes from n-butane to n-dodecane in silicalite at room temperature. A loading of infinite dilution was simulated, based on a united-atom model of the alkanes and a zeolite simulation box of 16 unit cells. Potential parameters were very similar to those used in the MD study of June et al. (85). As expected, the static properties (heat of adsorption, Henry s law coefficient) determined from the CB-MC simulations are therefore in close agreement with the values of June et al. The... 

Entropic factors are a major problem for relatively large molecules. For organic macromolecules, the simulation of the probability W(S=k-In (W)) by molecular dynamics calculations or Monte Carlo simulations, has been used to calculate the entropy from fluctuations of the internal coordinates189"921. For simple coordination compounds the corrections based on calculated entropy differences are often negligible in comparison with the accuracy of the calculated enthalpies116,63,881. Therefore, the relatively easily available statistical term (Sstat) is usually the only one that is included in the computation of conformational equilibria (see Chapters 7 and 8). 

The flexible helix modeled here is best described by the entire array of conformations it can assume. A comprehensive picture of this array is provided by the three-dimensional spatial probability density function Wn(r) of all possible end-to-end vectors (25, 35). This function is equal to the probability per unit volume in space that the flexible chain terminates at vector position relative to the chain origin 0,as reference. An approximate picture of this distribution function is provided by the three flexible single-stranded B-DNA chains of 128 residues in Figure 5(a). The conformations of these molecules are chosen at random by Monte Carlo methods (35, 36) from the conformations accessible to the duplex model. The three molecules are drawn in a common coordinate system defined by the initial virtual bond of each strand. For clarity, the sugar and base moieties are omitted and the segments are represented by the virtual bonds connecting successive phosphorus atoms. 

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