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The European Physical Journal B
ISSN: 1434-6028 (printed version)
ISSN: 1434-6036 (electronic version)
Abstract Volume 1 Issue 1 (1998) pp 1-4
rapid note:
Local writhing dynamics
R.D. Kamien (a)
Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
Received: 12 May 1997 / Revised: 10 July 1997 / Accepted: 10 October 1997
Abstract: We present an alternative local definition of the writhe of a self-avoiding closed loop which differs from the traditional non-local definition by an integer. When studying dynamics this difference is immaterial. We employ a formula due to Aldinger, Klapper and Tabor for the change in writhe and propose a set of local, link preserving dynamics in an attempt to unravel some puzzles about actin.
PACS. 87.15.He Molecular dynamics and conformational changes - 05.40.+j Fluctuation phenomena, random processes, and Brownian motion - 61.41.+e Polymers, elastomers, and plastics
(a) e-mail: kamien@dept.physics,upenn.edu
Online publication: February 4, 1998
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