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Karagol-Ramachandran Plots: Extending Conformational Analysis Beyond the Carbon World
When carbon gives way to silicon, the classic conformational analysis tools fall silent. Here is how we adapted one of structural biology's most iconic plots for a new class of polymers — and packaged it for anyone to use. The Ramachandran plot has guided structural biology for over sixty years. By mapping the two backbone dihedral angles φ and ψ for every residue in a protein, it reveals at a glance whether a structure is sterically plausible, which secondary structures are
Alper KARAGÖL
Mar 113 min read


Molecular Mechanics Poisson–Boltzmann Surface Area (MM-PBSA): A Physics-Based Perspective on Binding Free Energy
At its core, MM-PBSA is a framework for estimating the thermodynamic potential of molecular association, grounded in the canonical ensemble of statistical mechanics. The binding of a ligand (L) to a receptor (R) to form a complex (RL) can be rigorously described by the Helmholtz free energy difference: ΔG_bind = G_RL - (G_R + G_L) = -k_B T ln(Z_RL / (Z_R Z_L)), where each Z is a configurational partition function integrating over all atomic coordinates and solvent degrees of
Alper KARAGÖL
Oct 18, 20253 min read


Timing Is Everything: How I Learned to Avoid Bench Rejection and Choose the Right Journal
When I first started submitting my research, I thought the hard part was writing the manuscript. I’d finish my draft, do a quick...
Alper KARAGÖL
Aug 16, 20253 min read


Optimizing Early Research Resource Allocation
Resource allocation in the early stages of research is a critical factor that can determine the success or failure of a project. Whether...
Alper KARAGÖL
Feb 3, 20252 min read


Observing Then Hypothesis vs. Hypothesis Then Observing: Which is Better and Less Biased?
In the world of scientific inquiry and research, one of the most fundamental questions revolves around the methodology used to explore...
Alper KARAGÖL
Jun 5, 20242 min read


Extensive Form Games of the Evolutionary Game Theory
Evolutionary game theory, where Darwinian selection meets strategic decision-making, is a powerful tool for understanding animal...
Alper KARAGÖL
May 11, 20241 min read
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