Twist Stiffness Research Articles

Torsional Mechanics of DNA Are Regulated by Small-Molecule Intercalation

Whether the bend and twist mechanics of DNA molecules are coupled is unclear. Here, we report the direct measurement of the resistive torque of single DNA molecules to study the effect of ethidium bromide (EtBr) intercalation and pulling force on DNA twist mechanics. DNA molecules were overwound and unwound using recently developed magnetic tweezers where the molecular resistive torque was obtained from Brownian angular fluctuations. The effect of EtBr intercalation on the twist stiffness was found to be significantly different from the effect on the bend persistence length. The twist stiffness of DNA was dramatically reduced at low intercalator concentration (<10 nM); however, it did not decrease further when the intercalator concentration was increased by 3 orders of magnitude. We also determined the dependence of EtBr intercalation on the torque applied to DNA. We propose a model for the elasticity of DNA base pairs with intercalated EtBr molecules to explain the abrupt decrease of twist stiffness at low EtBr concentration. These results indicate that the bend and twist stiffnesses of DNA are independent and can be differently affected by small-molecule binding.

Curve sawing spruce sawlogs containing sweep can reduce drying distortion when compared with conventional sawing

Summary Research presented in this paper compares the drying degrade and bending stiffness of sawn timber produced from Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis (Bong.) Carr) sawlogs containing natural curvature, which were subjected to either curve or conventional straight sawing. A total of 132 square-edged battens measuring 4.8 m × 97 mm × 47 mm were produced from 44 Sitka spruce sawlogs which contained sweep. After either curve or straight sawing, all battens were measured for wet bow and spring (crook), prior to being kiln dried and then remeasured for dry bow, spring, twist and three-point bending stiffness. Significant differences existed in drying degrade between the two sawing methods. Wet and dry bow were significantly lower in the straight sawn battens but the reduction after drying was much greater for curve sawing compared with straight sawing. Wet and dry spring and dry twist were all significantly lower in the curve sawn battens. There was no significant difference between the two sets of battens when measuring three-point bending stiffness. These results provide evidence that shape distortion can be reduced in square-edged sawn timber that has been cut from spruce sawlogs containing sweep if logs are processed using curve rather than conventional straight sawing.

Fluctuating semiflexible polymer ribbon constrained to a ring

Twist stiffness and an asymmetric bending stiffness of a polymer or a polymer bundle is captured by the elastic ribbon model. We investigate the effects a ring geometry induces to a thermally fluctuating ribbon, finding bend-bend coupling in addition to twist-bend coupling. Furthermore, due to the geometric constraint the polymer's effective bending stiffness increases. A new parameter for experimental investigations of polymer bundles is proposed: the mean square diameter of a ribbonlike ring, which is determined analytically in the semiflexible limit. Monte Carlo simulations are performed which affirm the model's prediction up to high flexibility.

From rigid base pairs to semiflexible polymers: Coarse-graining DNA

The elasticity of double-helical DNA on a nm length scale is captured in detail by the rigid base-pair model, whose conformation variables are the relative positions and orientations of adjacent base pairs. Corresponding sequence-dependent elastic potentials have been obtained from all-atom MD simulation and from high-resolution structural data. On the scale of 100 nm, DNA is successfully described by a continuous wormlike chain model with homogeneous elastic properties, characterized by a set of four elastic constants which have been measured in single-molecule experiments. We present here a theory that links these experiments on different scales, by systematically coarse-graining the rigid base-pair model to an effective wormlike chain description. The average helical geometry of the molecule is accounted for exactly, and repetitive as well as random sequences are considered. Structural disorder is shown to produce a small, additive and short-range correction to thermal conformation fluctuations as well as to entropic elasticity. We also discuss the limits of applicability of the homogeneous wormlike chain on short scales, quantifying the anisotropy of bending stiffness, the non-Gaussian bend angle distribution and the variability of stiffness, all of which are noticeable below a helical turn. The coarse-grained elastic parameters show remarkable overall agreement with experimental wormlike chain stiffness. For the best-matching potential, bending persistence lengths of dinucleotide repeats span a range of 37-53 nm, with a random DNA value of 43 nm. While twist stiffness is somewhat underestimated and stretch stiffness is overestimated, the counterintuitive negative sign and the magnitude of the twist-stretch coupling agree with recent experimental findings.

Torsion Properties of High Density Polyethylene Foams

High density closed-cell HDPE foams (450–950 kg/m3) were prepared by compression molding, and torsion rectangular tests were performed to measure their shear modulus in order to study: (1) the relationship between the modulus as a function of the density, and (2) to determine the effect of thin skins. Based on the assumption that the twist stiffness (product of shear modulus and moment of inertia) of the foams is the sum of the twist stiffness of the skin layers and the core part, several structural foam models are proposed. We found that structural foam models give better results than uniform foam models, indicating that thin skins have an important effect of the shear modulus of polymer foams.

Elastic Stability and Second-Order Analysis of Three-Dimensional Frames: Effects of Column Orientation

The elastic stability and second-order analysis of three-dimensional (3D) multicolumn systems including the effects of cross-section orientation of each column are presented in a condensed manner using the classical Timoshenko’s stability functions. This formulation is an extension of an algorithm recently presented by the writer in 2002 by which the effective length K-factor for each column, the total critical load, and second-order analysis of a 3D multicolumn system can be determined directly. Extended characteristic transcendental equations corresponding to multicolumn systems with sidesway and twist uninhibited, partially inhibited, and totally inhibited with semirigid connections are derived and discussed. The proposed method is limited to 3D multicolumn systems made up with doubly symmetrical vertical columns with the principal axes of each column cross section oriented in any direction with respect to the floor global axes and with every column sharing the same interstory sidesways (i.e., two horizontal translations and a rotation about the vertical axis). Shear and axial deformations in all members are omitted. Three comprehensive examples are presented and the calculated results compared with those obtained using SAP2000 (Version 6.1, 1997) showing: (1) the effectiveness and simplicity of the proposed approach; (2) its validity to carry out stability and second-order analyses of 3D multicolumn systems; and (3) the importance of the orientation of the cross section of the columns on the lateral response of 3D multicolumn systems. Analytical results indicate that a frame reaches its maximum overall lateral stiffness and a dominant sidesway buckling (without overall frame torsional rotation or twist about its vertical axis) when all columns are oriented with their minor axis tangent to the circumscribed circle such that the multicolumn system acts as a tube offering its maximum twist stiffness.

Influence of the sequence on elastic properties of long DNA chains.

We revisit the results of single-molecule DNA stretching experiments using a rodlike chain (RLC) model that explicitly includes some intrinsic structural disorder induced by the sequence. The investigation of artificial and real genomic sequences shows that the wormlike chain model reproduces quite well the data but with an effective bend stiffness A(eff), which underestimates the true elastic bend stiffness A, independently of the elastic twist stiffness C. Mainly dominated by the amplitude of the structural disorder, this correction seems rather insensitive to the presence of long-range correlations. This RLC model is shown to remarkably fit the experimental data for lambda-DNA when considering A approximately 70+/-10 nm (>A(eff) approximately 50 nm), in good agreement with previous experimental estimates of the "dynamic" persistent length. From the analysis of large human contigs, we speculate about the possible dependence of A(eff) and/or A upon the (G+C) content of the considered sequence.

Entropic Elasticity of Twist-Storing Polymers

We investigate the statistical mechanics of a torsionally constrained polymer. The polymer is modeled as a fluctuating rod with bend stiffness A kT and twist stiffness C kT. In such a model, thermal bend fluctuations couple geometrically to an applied torque through the relation Lk = Tw + Wr. We explore this coupling and find agreement between the predictions of our model and recent experimental results on single lambda-DNA molecules. This analysis affords an experimental determination of the microscopic twist stiffness (averaged over a helix repeat). Quantitative agreement between theory and experiment is obtained using C=109 nm. The theory further predicts a thermal reduction of the effective twist rigidity induced by bend fluctuations. Finally, we find a small reflection of molecular chirality in the experimental data and interpret it in terms of a twist-stretch coupling of the DNA duplex.

Torsional directed walks, entropic elasticity, and DNA twist stiffness.

DNA and other biopolymers differ from classical polymers because of their torsional stiffness. This property changes the statistical character of their conformations under tension from a classical random walk to a problem we call the "torsional directed walk." Motivated by a recent experiment on single lambda-DNA molecules [Strick, T. R., Allemand, J.-F., Bensimon, D., Bensimon, A. & Croquette, V. (1996) Science 271, 1835-1837], we formulate the torsional directed walk problem and solve it analytically in the appropriate force regime. Our technique affords a direct physical determination of the microscopic twist stiffness C and twist-stretch coupling D relevant for DNA functionality. The theory quantitatively fits existing experimental data for relative extension as a function of overtwist over a wide range of applied force; fitting to the experimental data yields the numerical values C = 120 nm and D = 50 nm. Future experiments will refine these values. We also predict that the phenomenon of reduction of effective twist stiffness by bend fluctuations should be testable in future single-molecule experiments, and we give its analytic form.

Measurement of torque in steam turbine-generator shafts following severe disturbances on the electrical supply system-analysis and implementation

Phenomena that affects the performance of transducers that measure torque at positions along a turbine-generator shaft are reviewed, and the design of a transducer for precise measurement of torque at positions on a steam turbine-generator shaft that results from severe disturbances of the electrical supply system is discussed. Torque at shaft couplings following severe supply system events predicted using continuum models of turbine-generator shafts are analyzed and compared with that obtained over a section of the shaft by shaft twist and overall stiffness of the section. Algorithms for processing torque deduced from twist over a section to estimate true torque at specific shaft locations are discussed. Studies are performed for severe L-L-L short circuits with clearance. The design of a transient shaft torque transducer which uses disks with slits which are secured to the rotating shaft is described.< <ETX xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">&gt;</ETX>

Thermally Induced Stresses and Deformations in Angle-Ply Composite Tubes

The effects of a uniform temperature change, from cure, on the stresses, axial expan sion, and thermally-induced twist for four specific angle-ply tube designs are considered. The study was conducted in the context of using tubes as major structural components in space structures. The four designs are: ( + Ø/ - Ø/040/ - Ø/ + Ø); (+ Ø2/040/- Ø2) ( + Ø2/ - Ø2/040); and (0 40/ + Ø2/ - Ø2). All tubes have off-axis fibers for holding the axial layers together and for providing some measure of torsional rigidity. All four designs have the same volume fraction of off-axis layers. In addition to considering smgle material tubes made of P75s/934, hybrid tubes using T300/934 in the off-axis layers and P75s/934 in the axial layers are studied. The stresses and deformations in the tubes are studied as a func tion of the four designs, the off-axis angle, and as a function of single-material and hybrid construction. The torsional and axial stiffnesses of the tubes are also computed. The study concludes that tube design has a minor influence on the stresses, axial stiffness, and axial thermal expansion. These are more a function of off-axis angle and material selection. On the other hand, because of the position of the + Ø and - Ø layers, both relative to each other and relative to the center of the tube, tube design does influence thermally-induced twist and torsional stiffness. None of the above designs is free of thermally-induced twist. In addition to tube design, the off-axis angle and material selection also influence thermally-induced twist and torsional stiffness.