Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2001. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 162-168). Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2001. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 162-168). Also available on the Internet.

DNA bending plays a vital role in numerous cellular activities such as transcription, viral packaging, and nucleosome formation. Therefore, understanding the physics of DNA bending at the length scales relevant to these processes is one of the main keys to the quantitative description of life. However, previous studies provide a divided picture on how DNA should be modeled in strong bending condition relevant to biology. My thesis is devoted to answering how far an elastic rod model can be applied to DNA. We consider several subtle features that could potentially lead to the break-down of the worm-like chain model, such as local bendedness of the sequence and large bending angles. We used single-molecule Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer to track looping and unlooping of single DNA molecules in real time. We compared the measured looping and unlooping rates with theoretical predictions of the worm-like chain model. We found that the intrinsic curvature of the sequence affects the looping propensity of short DNA and an extended worm-like chain model including the helical parameters of individual base pairs could adequately explain our measurements. For DNA with random sequence and negligible curvature, we discovered that the worm-like chain model could explain the stability of small DNA loops only down to a critical loop size. Below the critical loop size, the bending stress stored in the DNA loop became less sensitive to loop size, indicative of softened dsDNA. The critical loop size is sensitive to salt condition, especially to magnesium at mM concentrations. This finding enabled us to explain several contrasting results in the past and shed new light on the energetics of DNA bending.

M. Tech. Industrial Engineering / In industrial manufacturing systems, one often encounters situations in which motion in two, three or more hydraulic cylinders actuators need to be synchronized. The need for the design of a reconfigurable bending press machine (RBPM) control system prompted the research in the development of an automatic and synchronized system, suitable for the press tool operations, versatile in raising and thrusting of multiple- cylinders with odd numbers. The aim of this research is to design and develop a controller that will control all the modules of a reconfigurable bending press machine for bending box-type sheet metal components.

Tube bending is a widely used manufacturing process in the aerospace, automotive, and other industries. During tube bending, considerable in-plane distortion and thickness variation occurs. The thickness increases at the intrados (surface of tube in contact with the die) and it reduces at the extrados (outer surface of the tube). In some cases, when the bend die radius is small, wrinkling occurs at the intrados. In industry a mandrel is used to eliminate wrinkling and reduce distortion. However, in the case of a close bend die radius, use of a mandrel should be avoided as bending with the mandrel increases the thinning of the wall at the extrados, which is undesirable in the manufacturing operation. The present research focuses on additional loadings such as axial force and internal pressure which can be used to achieve better shape control and thickness distribution of the tube. Based on plasticity theories, an analytical model is developed to predict cross section distortion and thickness change of tubes under various loading conditions. Results from both the FEA and analytical model indicated that at the intrados the increase in thickness for bending with internal pressure and bending with combined axial pull and internal pressure was nearly the same. But in the case of bending with the combination of axial pull and internal pressure there was a significant reduction of thickness at the extrados. A parametric study was conducted for the case of bending with combined internal pressure and axial pull and it was seen that with proper selection of the pressure and axial pull wrinkling can be eliminated, thickness distribution around the tube can be optimized, and cross section distortion of the tube can be reduced. Predictions of the analytical model are in good agreement with finite element simulations and published experimental results. The model can be used to evaluate tooling and process design in tube bending.

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are not only fast microbe-killing molecules deployed in the host defense of living organisms but also offer valuable lessons for developing new therapeutic agents. While the mode of action of AMPs is not clearly understood yet, membrane perturbation has been recognized as a crucial step in the microbial killing mechanism of many AMPs. In this thesis, we first present a physical basis for the selective membrane-disrupting activity of cationic AMPs. To this end, we present a coarse-grained physical model that approximately captures essential molecular details such as peptide amphiphilicity and lipid composition (e.g., anionic lipids). In particular, we calculate the surface coverage of peptides embedded in the lipid headgroup-tail interface and the resulting membrane-area change, in terms of peptide and membrane parameters for varying salt concentrations. We show that the threshold peptide coverage on the membrane surface required for disruption can easily be reached for microbes, but not for the host cell -- large peptide charge (≳4) is shown to be the key ingredient for the optimal activity-selectivity of AMPs (in an ambient-salt dependent way). Intriguingly, we find that in a higher-salt environment, larger charge is required for optimal activity. Inspired by membrane softening by AMPs, we also study electrostatic modification of lipid headgroups and its effects on membrane curvature. Despite its relevance, a full theoretical description of membrane electrostatics is still lacking -- in the past, membrane bending has often been considered under a few assumptions about how bending modifies lipid arrangements and surface charges. Here, we present a unified theoretical approach to spontaneous membrane curvature, C₀, in which lipid properties (e.g., packing shape) and electrostatic effects are self-consistently integrated. Our results show that C₀ is sensitive to the way lipid rearrangements and divalent counterions are modeled. Interestingly, it can change its sign in the presence of divalent counterions, thus stabilizing reverse hexagonal (H_II) phases.

Tai stačiakampio skerspjūvio strypo ciklinio tampriai plastinio grynojo lenkimo tyrimas. Nustatant mašinų ir įrengimų patikimumą, dažniausiai atliekamas atskirų jų elementų ir mazgų statinio ir ciklinio stiprumo įvertinimas. Statinis stiprumas – tai detalių ir įrengimų elementų sugebėjimas priešintis statinėms, lėtai kintančioms arba visai nekintančioms laike apkrovoms. Statinėmis apkrovomis dažniausiai veikiamos korpusinės, tvirtinimo detalės. Jei mechanizmai eksplotuojami aukštesnių temperatūrų salygomis, dažnai įvertinamas detalių atsparumas ilgalaikėms statinėms apkrovoms (valkšnumo ir relaksacijos reiškiniai). / This work presents analytical research of ractangular cross-section bar under cyclic elastic plastic (low-cycle) pure bending. The simple power relation of stress strain response in the region of plastic deformation is used in both – static and cyclic loading analysis.

Šiame baigiamajame magistro darbe išanalizuota įstrižai lenkiamos daugiasluoksnės sijos standumo priklausomybė nuo medžiagos tamprumo modulio ir sijos stiprumas nuo sijos geometrinių parametrų. Tyrimo objektu buvo pasirinkti du nelygiašoniai kampuočiai 100x63x6, 100x63x10 ir vienas lygiašonis 100x100x6. Kampuočiai užpildomi skirtingo tamprumo modulio medžiagomis. Sijos galas apkraunamas 10 kN jėga. Sijoje įstrižas lenkimas susidaro dėl kampučio ir užpildo tamprumo modulio skirtumo, todėl sijos standumo centro koordinatės nebesutampa su geometrinio centro koordinatėmis. Užpildytas kampuotis pasirinktas dėl praktinės naudos, nes jį užpildžius kita pigesne medžiaga, padidinamas jo standumas įstrižam lenkimui. Sija tampa kvadrato ar stačiakampio formos, kas leidžia lengviau montuoti siją jai skirtoje vietoje. Tyrimui atlikti panaudojami du metodai - tai analitiniai skaičiavimai ir BEM (Baigtinių Elementų Metodas). Rezultatuose palyginami rezultatai gauti iš analitinių skaičiavimų ir iš BEM. / In this Master of Science thesis was analyzed skew bended multilayer beams stiffness dependence on material elastic modulus and strength of the beam from the beam geometrical parameters and elastic modulus. As the Objects of investigation was selected two scalene angles 100x63x6, 100x63x10, and one isosceles 100x100x6. Scalene angles were filled with different materials of different elastic modulus. End of the beam was loaded 10 kN force. Skew bend in this multilayer beam arise because the elastic modulus of angles and filled materials are different, and then the coordinate system of stiffness center do not coincident with geometrical coordinate system. Filled angle was chosen for practical use, because when we filled it with another cheaper material, it could be increased the skew bending stiffness. Beam become square or rectangular, that allows easier installation of the beam in place. Survey used two methods - the analytical calculations and FEA (Finite Element Analysis). The results were obtained from analytical calculations and the FEA, and compared.

No description available.

The McTronX Research Group at the North-West University is conducting research in the field of Active Magnetic Bearings (AMBs) with the aim of establishing a knowledge base for future industry consultation. AMBs are environmentally friendly and are a necessity in the pebble bed modular reactor (PBMR), a South-African initiated project, which is predicted to be the means of supplying Africa and many other countries with modular energy in the future. Aside from the PBMR, there are numerous other AMB industrial applications. The aim of this project is to develop a comprehensive AMB model that considers the effect that rotor dynamics has on an AMB system. This model is used to analyse a double radial AMB, capable of suspending a rigid- and flexible rotor, to explain previously noticed phenomena. Two modelling methods are focussed on namely the System Matrix Method and Transfer Matrix Method (TMM) both of which are implemented in MATLAB®. The rigid rotor model is firstly implemented as a point mass in state-space form followed by use of the TMM to analyse its bending modes. The stability and critical speeds of the system are analysed due to a change in the supports' properties along with rotor gyroscopy and its effect on the system. During analysis of the flexible rotor the TMM was used via a similar approach as was followed with the rigid rotor. The results indicate that the system is experiencing lower than expected damping due to the model that is used within the control loop. The previously assumed rotor model in the control loop is not sufficient to describe its complex behaviour. This causes the unexpected damping characteristics. This project suggests future work to be conducted in expanding the frequency domain model of the rotor within the control loop to account for its physical shape. / Thesis (M.Ing. (Computer and Electronical Engineering))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2009.