PURPOSE Scleral stiffening has been proposed as a treatment for glaucoma to protect the lamina cribrosa (LC) from excessive intraocular pressure-induced deformation. Here we experimentally evaluated the effects of moderate stiffening of the peripapillary sclera on the deformation of the LC. METHODS An annular sponge, saturated with 1.25% glutaraldehyde, was applied to the external surface of ...

We investigate the cyclic mechanical behavior in uniaxial tension of three different commercial thermoplastic polyurethane elastomers (TPU) often considered as a sustainable replacement for common filled elastomers. All TPU have similar hard segment contents and linear moduli but sensibly large strain properties shown by X-Ray analysis. Despite these differences, we found stiffening effect afte...

Distinct jumps from the yield strain to at onset of hardening occur in bare reinforcing bar exhibiting a plateau once limit is reached. These discountinuities known as Lüders bands nucleate single locations and travel along axis constant load. In contrast, no such were observed recent experiments with bars embedded concrete instrumented using distributed fibre optical sensing (DFOS). Instead, i...

Industrial use of composite materials requires an increasingly advanced knowledge technical textiles mechanical properties to control the manufacturing process and guarantee performances finished products. Among qualities that influence greatly shaping process, theshear deformability is key for forming complex parts with double curves geometries. On other hand, stiffening behavior as shearing r...

The effect of ac electric fields on the elasticity of supported lipid bilayers is investigated at the microscopic level using grazing incidence synchrotron x-ray scattering. A strong decrease in the membrane tension up to 1  mN/m and a dramatic increase of its effective rigidity up to 300  k_{B}T are observed for local electric potentials seen by the membrane ≲1  V. The experimental results are...

Arterial stiffening is related to an intricate interplay between aging and other cardiovascular risk factors. The aortic arch accounts for most of the vascular buffering function and is primarily involved in arterial stiffening. MRI has been used to noninvasively measure strain, distensibility, and pulse wave velocity of the ascending aorta. We report aortic size and stiffness changes over mid ...

BACKGROUND Leukocyte-mediated pulmonary inflammation is a key pathophysiological mechanism involved in acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Massive sequestration of leukocytes in the pulmonary microvasculature is a major triggering event of the syndrome. We therefore investigated the potential role of leukocyte stiffness and adhesiveness in the sequestration of leukocytes in microvessels...