We demonstrate a novel approach for the production of tunable quantities of elastic fibers. We also show that exogenous tropoelastin is rate-limiting for elastin synthesis regardless of the age of the dermal fibroblast donor. Additionally, we provide a strategy to further enhance synthesis by older cells through the application of conditioned media. We show that this approach delivers an elasti...

The dynamic response of a transversely isotropic, linearly elastic layer bonded to the surface of a half-space of a different transversely isotropic material under arbitrary shape surface loads is considered. With the help of displacements and stresses Green’s functions, an analytical formulation is presented for the determination of the displacements and stresses at any point in both surface l...

The behavior of an exponentially graded hybrid cylindrical shell subjected to an axisymmetric thermo-electro-mechanical loading placed in a constant magnetic field is investigated. The hybrid shell is consisted of a functionally graded host layer  embedded with pyroelectric layers as sensor and/or actuator  that can be imperfectly bonded to the inner and the outer surfaces of a shell. The shell...

effective elastic properties for carbon nanotube reinforced composites are obtained through a variety of micromechanics techniques. an embedded carbon nanotube  in  a  polymer  matrix  and  its surrounding  interphase  is  replaced with an equivalent fiber for  predicting  the  mechanical  properties of  the  carbon  nanotube/polymer composite. the effects of an interphase layer between the nan...

Necrotizing enterocolitis is the leading cause of death from gastrointestinal disease in preterm infants. It results from an injury to the mucosal lining of the intestine, leading to translocation of bacteria and endotoxin into the circulation. Intestinal mucosal defects are repaired by the process of intestinal restitution, during which enterocytes migrate from healthy areas to sites of injury...

A thin metallic film deposited on a compliant polymeric substrate begins to wrinkle under compression induced in curing process and afterwards cooling of the system. The wrinkle mode depends upon the thin film elasticity, thickness, compressive strain, as well as mechanical properties of the compliant substrate. This paper presents a simple model to study the modulation of the wrinkle mode of t...

Article history: Received 17 March 2014 Received in revised form 10 July 2014 Accepted 29 July 2014

We report an X-ray study of the order in a ‘side-on’ smectic-A elastomer in which both the polymer backbone and the mesogenic side groups are, on average, parallel to the smectic layer normal. The present system shows in all phases locally correlated structures as evidenced by systematic diffuse scattering at small angles, attributed to the fluorinated end groups of the mesogens. The elastomer ...

A model is described for creating three-dimensional animated characters. In this new type of layered construction technique, called the elastic surface layer model, a simulated elastically deformable skin surface is wrapped around a traditional kinematic articulated figure. Unlike previous layered models, the skin is free to slide along the underlying surface layers constrained by reaction forc...