Measuring local and global vibration modes in model plants

Model plants are extensively used in biological studies, and their mechanical behaviour needs to be better understood, in relation to studies in mechanoperception for instance. We present here the first approach to derive experimentally the modal parameters of two of these plants, Arabidopsis thaliana and Populus tremula × alba. A classical sinusoidal sweep excitation is used, with a measurement of displacements based on LKT optical flow tracking, followed by a bi-orthogonal decomposition (BOD). This allows us to estimate several modal frequencies for each plant, as well as the corresponding spatial localizations of deformation. Analyzing the modal frequencies, we show that global and local modes correspond to distinct ranges of frequencies and depend differently on plant size. Possible phenotyping applications are then discussed.     

Nanofiber Configuration of Electrospun Scaffolds Dictating Cell Behaviors and Cell-scaffold Interactions

Electrospun nanofibers are of the same length scale as the native extracellular matrix and have been extensively reported to facilitate adhesion and proliferation of cells and to promote tissue repair and regeneration. With a primary focus on tissue repair and regeneration using electrospun scaffolds, only a few studies involved electrospun nanofiber scaffolds directing cell behaviors have been reported. In this study, we prepared electrospun nanofiber scaffolds with distinct fiber configurations, namely, random and aligned orientations of nanofibers, as well as oriented yarns, and investigated their effects on cell behaviors. Our results showed that these scaffolds supported good proliferation and viability of murine fibroblasts. Fiber configuration profoundly influenced cell morpho-logy and orientation but showed no effects on cell proliferation rate. The yarn scaffold had comparable total protein accumulation with the random and aligned scaffolds, but it supported a greater pro-liferation rate of fibroblasts with significantly elevated collagen de-position due to its porous fibrous configuration. Cell-seeded yarn scaffolds showed a greater Young's modulus compared with cell-free controls as early as 1 week. Together with its unique fiber configuration similar to the native extracellular matrix of the myocardium, the yarn scaffold might be a suitable matrix material for modeling cardiac fibrotic disorders.     

Limiting speed for jumping

General mechanical considerations provide an upper bound for the take-off velocity of any jumper, animate or inanimate, rigid or soft body, animal or vegetal. The take-off velocity is driven by the ratio of released energy to body mass. Further, the mean reaction force on a rigid platform during push-off is inversely proportional to the characteristic size of the jumper. These general considerations are illustrated in the context of Alexander's jumper model, which can be solved exactly and which shows an excellent agreement with the mechanical results.     

Phenomenological models for nitrogen transport in tissues

Summary Transfer mechanisms and critical pressures are essential elements in decompression calculations and staged procedures. By coupling a multitissue transfer model to fitted critical pressures, decompression data can be synthesized for rapid numerical implementation in applications. Parametric fits to the critical nitrogen pressures are generated for the six tissue compartments (5, 10, 20, 40, 80, 120 min) at seal-evel with both linear and constant-pressure ratio extrapolations to altitude conveniently effected with the barometer equation. The macroscopic model used to transfer nitrogen in tissues is described and functional forms of the fit equations are motivated. Accurate exponential representations for mantle pressures and the well-known Cross altitude factors are also generated. Fitted critical tensions vary inversely as the approximate fourth root of the tissue half-life and increase linearly with depth. Air mantle pressures decrease exponentially with altitude and inverse temperature. Using bounce dive constraints, a set of single-tissue decay coefficients, which increase logarithmically with depth, are extracted from depth-dependent decompression criteria and contrasted with corresponding multitissue decay parameters. Bend statistics and a decompression titration experiment, which predicts decreasing critical ratios at depth, are discussed. Overlapping predictions of the models and correlations with experiment are identified.

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Riassunto I meccanismi di trasferimento e le pressioni critiche sono elementi essenziali nei calcoli della decompressione e nelle procedure a stadi. Accoppiando un modello di trasferimento a molti tessuti e pressioni critiche adattate, i dati di decompressione possono essere sintetizzati per un rapido incremento numerico nelle applicazioni. Approssimazioni parametriche alle pressioni critiche dell'azoto sono generate per sei componenti del tessuto (5, 10, 20, 40, 80, 120 min) a livello del mare con estrapolazioni sia lineari che a pressione costante del rapporto ad un'altitudine convenientemente ottenuta con l'equazione barometro. Si descrive il modello macroscopico per trasferire azoto nei tessuti e si forniscono le motivazioni delle forme funzionali delle equazioni di approssimazione. Sono anche prodotte accurate rappresentazioni esponenziali per pressioni mantello ed i ben noti fattori di altitudine di Cross. Le tensioni critiche approssimate variano inversamente come la radice quarta approssimata della vita media del tessuto ed aumentano in maniera lineare con la profondità. Le pressioni del mantello d'aria diminuiscono esponenzialmente con l'altitudine e la temperatura inverse. Usando costanti di immersione di rimbalzo, un gruppo di coefficienti di decadimento di singoli tessuti, che aumentano logaritmicamente con la profondità, è estratto dai criteri di decompressione dipendenti dalla profondità ed è in contrasto con il parametro di decadimento a molti tessuti. La statistica dei piegamenti ed un esperimento di titolazione della decompressione, che prevede rapporti critici decrescenti in profondità, sono discussi. Si identificano le previsioni sovrapposte dei modelli e correlazioni con l'esperimento.

     

Smoothed particle hydrodynamics formulation for penetrating impacts on ballistic gelatine

A particle method is applied to the investigation of impact biomechanics in the case of penetrating ballistic. A three dimensional model is proposed using the Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) method combined with Finite Elements (FE) method. The problem consists in the violent impact of a steel sphere on soft tissues, simulated by 20% ballistic gelatine (BG) material which is considered as a very interesting human tissue surrogate. Comparisons with experimental data are established to validate the proposed model. The results, in terms of penetrating curves, show very promising results. The use of particle methods appears to be an interesting way to model high speed loading, especially penetrating ballistic impact whose classical FE modelling can bring some important limitations in terms of mesh and element distortions.     

Cylindre transverse isotrope poroélastique chargé cycliquement : application à un ostéonCyclic loading of a transverse isotropic poroelastic cylinder: a model for the osteon

The poroelastic problem associated with a hollow cylinder under cyclic loading is solved. Both fluid and solid phases are supposed compressible. Solid matrix is modeled as an elastic transverse isotropic material. An explicit close-form solution for the steady state is obtained. This cylinder is considered as a model for an osteon, the basic unit of cortical bone. The fluid flow distribution as a function of poroelastic properties and cyclic loading is discussed, as this could influence bone remodeling. To cite this article: A. Rémond, S. Naili, C. R. Mecanique 332 (2004).     

The Role of the Cricothyroid Joint Anatomy in Cricothyroid Approximation Surgery

Objectives/Hypothesis

Cricothyroid approximation (CTA) surgery aims at raising the voice pitch in male-to-female transsexuals. However, 30% of the patients are not satisfied with the result. The purpose of our study was to examine the cricothyroid joint (CTJ) biomechanics and to analyze if (and how) the CTJ anatomy influences the movement of the cricoid and, consequently, the elongation of the vocal fold and the voice pitch after CTA.

Methods

Twenty-four cadaver larynges were examined with high-resolution computerized tomography and MIMICS three-dimensional imaging software (Materialise Interactive Medical Image Control System, Leuven, Belgium). After superimposing the two scans taken in “neutral” and in “CTA” positions, vector geometrical analysis was used to determine the effective rotation axis of the CTJ and to calculate the elongation of the vocal folds after CTA.

Results

Our results showed that the cricoid rotates around an axis, the position of which depends on the anatomical structure of the CTJ. Based on the location of this effective rotation axis, we could distinguish three groups. In group I (N = 13), the rotation axis was located in the lower third; in group II (N = 5), it was located in the middle third; and in group III (N = 6), it was located in the upper third of the cricoid. The elongations of the vocal fold were 12%, 8%, and 3%, in groups I, II, and III, respectively.

Conclusions

The anatomical structure of the CTJ influences directly (1) the position of the effective rotation axis and (2) the elongation of the vocal folds.     

A constructive approach of invariants of behavior laws with respect to an infinite symmetry group – Application to a biological anisotropic hyperelastic material with one fiber family

In this paper, six new invariants associated with an anisotropic material made of one fiber family are calculated by presenting a systematic constructive and original approach. This approach is based on the development of mathematical techniques from the theory of invariants:

• •Definition of the material symmetry group.
• •Definition of the generalized Reynolds Operator.
• •Calculation of an integrity basis for invariant polynomials.
• •Comparison between the new (constructed) invariants and the classical ones.

     

The biomechanics of the medialization laryngoplasty(thyroplasty type 1) in an ex vivo canine model

The biomechanics of medialization laryngoplasty are not well understood. An excised canine larynx model was used to test the effects of various sized silicon implants. The vocal fold length, position, and tension were measured. Medialization laryngoplasty did not affect vocal fold length. At the mid-membranous vocal fold, larger shims resulted in greater medialization and tension. Medialization laryngoplasty neither medialized nor stiffened the vocal process to resist lateralizing forces. We conclude that medialization laryngoplasty provides bulk and support for defects of the membranous region of the vocal fold, but does not appear to close a posterior glottal gap. The selection of a surgical procedure to treat glottal incompetence should take into account the unique biomechanical properties of the anterior (membranous vocal folds) and posterior (cartilaginous portion) glottis.