Instruct: Identify the main and secondary category of Arxiv papers based on the titles and abstracts
Query: Theoretical studies of the kinetics of mechanical unfolding of
  cross-linked polymer chains and their implications for single molecule
  pulling experiments   We have used kinetic Monte Carlo simulations to study the kinetics of
unfolding of cross-linked polymer chains under mechanical loading. As the ends
of a chain are pulled apart, the force transmitted by each crosslink increases
until it ruptures. The stochastic crosslink rupture process is assumed to be
governed by first order kinetics with a rate that depends exponentially on the
transmitted force. We have performed random searches to identify optimal
crosslink configurations whose unfolding requires a large applied force
(measure of strength) and/or large dissipated energy (measure of toughness). We
found that such optimal chains always involve cross-links arranged to form
parallel strands. The location of those optimal strands generally depends on
the loading rate. Optimal chains with a small number of cross-links were found
to be almost as strong and tough as optimal chains with a large number of
cross-links. Furthermore, optimality of chains with a small number of
cross-links can be easily destroyed by adding cross-links at random. The
present findings are relevant for the interpretation of single molecule force
probe spectroscopy studies of the mechanical unfolding of load-bearing
proteins, whose native topology often involves parallel strand arrangements
similar to the optimal configurations identified in the study.

36
The categories of this paper are: cmp-lg
20
The categories of this paper are: acc-phys
24
The categories of this paper are: dg-ga
31
The categories of this paper are: ao-sci
25
The categories of this paper are: patt-sol
6
The categories of this paper are: astro-ph
11
The categories of this paper are: hep-lat
17
The categories of this paper are: q-fin
29
The categories of this paper are: funct-an
35
The categories of this paper are: mtrl-th
28
The categories of this paper are: alg-geom
32
The categories of this paper are: atom-ph
5
The categories of this paper are: gr-qc
9
The categories of this paper are: nlin
14
The categories of this paper are: math-ph
15
The categories of this paper are: nucl-ex