International
Tables for
Crystallography
Volume F
Crystallography of biological macromolecules
Edited by M. G. Rossmann and E. Arnold

International Tables for Crystallography (2006). Vol. F. ch. 15.2, pp. 327-328   | 1 | 2 |

Section 15.2.5.1. Model bias in figure-of-merit weighted maps

R. J. Reada*

a Department of Haematology, University of Cambridge, Wellcome Trust Centre for Molecular Mechanisms in Disease, CIMR, Wellcome Trust/MRC Building, Hills Road, Cambridge CB2 2XY, England
Correspondence e-mail: rjr27@cam.ac.uk

15.2.5.1. Model bias in figure-of-merit weighted maps

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A figure-of-merit weighted map, calculated with coefficients [m|{\bf F}_{O}|\exp(i\alpha_{C})], has the least r.m.s. error from the true map. According to the normal statistical (minimum variance) criteria, then, it is the best map. However, such a map will suffer from model bias; if its purpose is to allow the detection and repair of errors in the model, this is a serious qualitative defect. Fortunately, it is possible to predict the systematic errors leading to model bias and to make some correction for them.

Main (1979)[link] dealt with this problem in the case of a perfect partial structure. Since the relationships among structure factors are the same in the general case of a partial structure with various errors, once [D{\bf F}_{C}] is substituted for [{\bf F}_{C}], all that is required to apply Main's results more generally is a change of variables (Read, 1986[link], 1990[link]).

In Main's approach, the cosine law is used to introduce the cosine of the phase error, which is converted into a figure of merit by taking expected values. Some manipulations allow us to solve for the figure-of-merit weighted map coefficient, which is approximated as a linear combination of the true structure factor and the model structure factor (Main, 1979[link]; Read, 1986[link]). Finally, we can solve for an approximation to the true structure factor, giving map coefficients from which the systematic model bias component has been removed. [\eqalignno{&m|{\bf F}_{O}|\exp(i\alpha_{C}) = F/2 + D{\bf F}_{C}/2 + \hbox{ noise terms},\cr &F \simeq (2m|{\bf F}_{O}| - D|{\bf F}_{C}|)\exp(i\alpha_{C}).\cr}]

A similar analysis for centric structure factors shows that there is no systematic model bias in figure-of-merit weighted map coefficients, so no bias correction is needed in the centric case.

References

First citation Main, P. (1979). A theoretical comparison of the β, γ′ and 2Fo − Fc syntheses. Acta Cryst. A35, 779–785.Google Scholar
First citation Read, R. J. (1986). Improved Fourier coefficients for maps using phases from partial structures with errors. Acta Cryst. A42, 140–149.Google Scholar
First citation Read, R. J. (1990). Structure-factor probabilities for related structures. Acta Cryst. A46, 900–912.Google Scholar








































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