GeometryandMechanicsintheOpeningofChiralSeedPods. 　　Home»LatestPubMedArticles»Science(NewYork,N.Y.)»GeometryandMechanicsintheOpeningofChiralSeedPods. 　　Summary 　　WestudiedthemechanicalprocessofseedpodsopeninginBauhiniavariegateandfoundachirality-creatingmechanism,whichturnsaninitiallyflatpodvalveintoahelix.Westudiedconï¬�gurationsofstripscutfrompodvalvetissueandfromcompositeelasticmaterialsthatmimicitsstructure.Theexperimentsrevealvarioushelicalconï¬�gurationswithsharpmorphologicaltransitionsbetweenthem.Usingthemathematicalframeworkof"incompatibleelasticity,"wemodeledthepodasathinstripwithaflatintrinsicmetricandasaddle-likeintrinsiccurvature.Ourtheoreticalanalysisquantitativelypredictsallobservedconï¬�gurations,thuslinkingthepod'smicroscopicstructureandmacroscopicconformation.Wesuggestthatthistypeofincompatiblestripislikelytoplayaroleintheself-assemblyofchiralmacromoleculesandcouldbeusedfortheengineeringofsyntheticself-shapingdevices. 　　Affiliation 　　RacahInstituteofPhysics,HebrewUniversityofJerusalem,Jerusalem91904,Israel. 　　JournalDetails 　　Name:Science(NewYork,N.Y.) 　　ISSN:1095-9203 　　Pages:1726-1730 　　Links 　　PubMedSource 　　DOILink 　　MESHDefinitions 　　Mechanics 　　Thebranchofphysicswhichdealswiththemotionsofmaterialbodies,includingkinematics,dynamics,andstatics.Whenthelawsofmechanicsareappliedtolivingstructures,astothelocomotorsystem,itisreferredtoasBIOMECHANICS.(FromDorland,28thed) 　　Papaver 　　AgenusofEurasianherbaceousplants,thepoppies(familyPAPAVERACEAEofthedicotyledonclassMagnoliopsida),thatyieldOPIUMfromthelatexoftheunripeseedpods. 　　Peas 　　Avariableannualleguminousvine(Pisumsativum)thatiscultivatedforitsroundedsmoothorwrinklededibleprotein-richseeds,theseedofthepea,andtheimmaturepodswiththeirincludedseeds.(FromWebster'sNewCollegiateDictionary,1973) 　　Thlaspi 　　AplantgenusofthefamilyBRASSICACEAEthatisgrowninrockgardens.T.arvenseisgrownforitslarge,roundornamentalseedpods.ThecommonnameofpennycressusuallyreferstothisgenusbutmayalsorefertothegenusMicrothlaspi. 　　Peptoids 　　PolymersofN-SUBSTITUTEDGLYCINEScontainingchiralcentersatthea-positionoftheirsidechains.TheseoligomerslackHYDROGENBONDINGdonors,preventingformationoftheusualintrachainhydrogenbondsbutcanformhelicesdrivenbythestericinfluenceofchiralsidechains.