The tight coupling between the plasma membrane and actin cortex allows cells to rapidly change shape in response to mechanical cues and during physiological processes. Mechanical properties of the membrane are critical for organizing the actin cortex, which ultimately governs the conversion of mechanical information into signaling. The cortex has been shown to rapidly remodel on timescales of s...

Teeth adopt a variety of different morphologies, each of which is presumably optimized for performing specific functions during feeding. It is generally agreed that the enamel cap is a crucial element in controlling the mechanical behavior of mammalian teeth under load. Incisors are particularly interesting in terms of structure-function relations, as their role in feeding is that of the 'first...

Beta-solenoids are a class of protein nanotube structures that are observed in virulence factors, prion proteins and amyloid fibrils. Here we investigate the compressive strength of the triple-beta-helix solenoid structure found in the cell puncture needle of the bacteriophage T4 virus. We characterize the compressive mechanical strength of this protein nanotube using full-atomistic molecular d...

Hydroxyurea (HU) is used in suppressing the bone marrow and producing fetal-like red blood cells (RBCs). These RBCs are large in size and may theoretically disturb the microcirculation. In five patients with myeloproliferative disorders (MPD), the RBC geometry and deformability were analyzed before and after 6 to 8 months of HU treatment. In untreated MPD, the RBC geometry and filterability was...

this study aims to numerically investigate on the crashworthiness of thin-walled square tubes by consideration of 3-d oblique loading. in this type of loading, direction of loading is defined by using two spatial angles relative to the position of the tube. to this aim, finite element (fe) analysis is employed to simulate the loading for 8 different numerical models with different loading orien...

Three deformation measurement experiments have been undertaken where, in each experiment, a structure was subject to controlled loading. Terrestrial laser scanners (TLSs) were used to make measurements at critical intervals during each load test. TLSs, which are a relatively recent innovation, are capable of rapidly capturing thousands of three dimensional points over the surface of an object. ...

The flow-induced deformation of a membrane in a flow is studied using experimental and computational approaches in a configuration that represents the effect of the aerodynamic load on a convertible car roof. The computational method couples a commercial computational fluid dynamics code with an in-house structural code to predict membrane deformation. A converged statically deformed state, wit...

OBJECTIVES This paper investigates the radial deformation load of an aortic endoluminal prosthesis and determines the longitudinal load required to cause migration in a human cadaveric aorta of the endoprosthesis. DESIGN AND METHODS The endovascular prosthesis under investigation was a 24 mm diameter, nitinol, self-expanding aortoaortic device (InterVascular, Clearwater, Florida, U.S.A.). Ini...

Simple three point bending tests were performed on Ni-Ti wires with three different Af points (1 degree C, 13 degrees C and 34 degrees C) to clarify the relationship between Af temperature and load changes under constant deformation. Each wire was deformed at 37 degrees C and then thermal changes were imposed by temperatures of 2 degrees C or 60 degrees C. The load changes with thermal changes ...

Orthodontic torque expression is the result of axial rotation of rectangular archwires within a rectangular bracket slot. This study investigates the effect of bracket material on torque expression. Torque exerted by a rotating archwire on each bracket will be measured as well as the relative deformation of each bracket slot. A total of 60 tests were performed where archwires were rotated withi...