Recent X-ray diffraction, NMR spectroscopy and molecular mechanics results suggest that monovalent cations selectively partition into the minor groove of AT-tracts in DNA. These observations are consistent with DNA deformation by electrostatic collapse around areas of uneven cation density. This model predicts the occurrence of known DNA deformations, such as AT-tract bending and changes in the...

In a recent issue of Cell, Chiaruttini et al. (2015) reveal the mechanical properties of the mysterious spiral filaments formed by the yeast ESCRT-III protein Snf7. The spirals are shown to be springs whose bending drives membrane deformation and perhaps membrane scission.

The electro-optical properties of a fully flexible photo-aligned FLC cell are investigated. Two different methods, sticky spacers together with a photo-sensitive monomer and polymer spacers in a regular pattern formed by photo-lithography, are proposed to stabilize the structure in order to increase the bending tolerance of the FLC material during deformation of the cell.

We characterize through large-scale simulations the nonlinear elastic response of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) in torsion and bending. We identify a unified law consisting of two distinct power law regimes in the energy-deformation relation. This law encapsulates the complex mechanics of rippling and is described in terms of elastic constants, a critical length scale, and an anharmonic...

The purpose of this work is to use 3D finite element analyses to compute bending of a hard disk suspension using a laser. The pitch and roll of the suspension can be precisely adjusted by producing a controlled amount of residual strain using the laser as a heat source. In the computational model, an uncoupled thermo-mechanical analysis is applied to calculate the laser induced thermal loading ...

We present a novel and effective method for modeling a developable surface to simulate paper bending in interactive and animation applications. The method exploits the representation of a developable surface as the envelope of rectifying planes of a curve in 3D, which is therefore necessarily a geodesic on the surface. We manipulate the geodesic to provide intuitive shape control for modeling p...