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In Fall 2003, Mantler conducted background research on combinatorial rigidity, allostery, and glycogen phosphorylase (GP). GP is a protein that appears to be better suited to rigidity analysis than phosphofructokinase (PFK), which involves a water zipper in the allosteric transition.
In March 2004, Mantler received permission from MSU to use the patented “FIRST” algorithm (a “pebble game'' for rigidity analysis) for research purposes. She has modified her version of FIRST to run as a plug-in for KiNG (Kinemage Next Generation), which is protein visualization software created by Ian Davis in the Richardson's lab. Mantler is currently improving her implementation to detect rigidity transmission cores. We are submitting a PSB'05 in July 04, with Walter Whitely, Leslie Kuhn, Ileana Streinu and others, on applying the theory of rigidity transmission cores to protein allostery.
In May 2004, Mantler and Snoeyink submitted a paper on connectivity in combinatorial rigidity to CCCG. In this paper, we prove that vertex connectivity cannot be used to assist in determining whether a framework is combinatorially rigid in three dimensions. We give examples of 5-vertex-connected, flexible frameworks; 5-vertex connectivity is the maximum possible for minimally rigid frameworks that satisfy Laman's condition in 3D.