scholarly journals Mechanical Behavior of Collagen-Fibrin Co-Gels Reflects Transition From Series to Parallel Interactions With Increasing Collagen Content

2012 ◽  
Vol 134 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Victor K. Lai ◽  
Spencer P. Lake ◽  
Christina R. Frey ◽  
Robert T. Tranquillo ◽  
Victor H. Barocas

Fibrin and collagen, biopolymers occurring naturally in the body, are biomaterials commonly-used as scaffolds for tissue engineering. How collagen and fibrin interact to confer macroscopic mechanical properties in collagen-fibrin composite systems remains poorly understood. In this study, we formulated collagen-fibrin co-gels at different collagen-to-fibrin ratios to observe changes in the overall mechanical behavior and microstructure. A modeling framework of a two-network system was developed by modifying our micro-scale model, considering two forms of interaction between the networks: (a) two interpenetrating but noninteracting networks (“parallel”), and (b) a single network consisting of randomly alternating collagen and fibrin fibrils (“series”). Mechanical testing of our gels show that collagen-fibrin co-gels exhibit intermediate properties (UTS, strain at failure, tangent modulus) compared to those of pure collagen and fibrin. The comparison with model predictions show that the parallel and series model cases provide upper and lower bounds, respectively, for the experimental data, suggesting that a combination of such interactions exists between the collagen and fibrin in co-gels. A transition from the series model to the parallel model occurs with increasing collagen content, with the series model best describing predominantly fibrin co-gels, and the parallel model best describing predominantly collagen co-gels.

2019 ◽  
Vol 125 (23) ◽  
pp. 235104 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sangyup Lee ◽  
Oishik Sen ◽  
Nirmal Kumar Rai ◽  
Nicholas J. Gaul ◽  
K. K. Choi ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (8) ◽  
pp. 206
Author(s):  
Piconi Corrado ◽  
Sprio Simone

Ceramic composites based on alumina and zirconia have found a wide field of application in the present century in orthopedic joint replacements, and their use in dentistry is spreading. The development of this class of bioceramic composites was started in the 1980s, but the first clinical applications of the total hip replacement joint were introduced in the market only in the early 2000s. Since then, several composite systems were introduced in joint replacements. These materials are classified as Zirconia-Toughened Alumina if alumina is the main component or as Alumina-Toughened Zirconia when zirconia is the main component. In addition, some of them may contain a third phase based on strontium exa-aluminate. The flexibility in device design due to the excellent mechanical behavior of this class of bioceramics results in a number of innovative devices for joint replacements in the hip, the knee, and the shoulder, as well in dental implants. This paper gives an overview of the different materials available and on orthopedic and dental devices made out of oxide bioceramic composites today on the market or under development.


2008 ◽  
Vol 190 (8) ◽  
pp. 2790-2803 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew A. Oberhardt ◽  
Jacek Puchałka ◽  
Kimberly E. Fryer ◽  
Vítor A. P. Martins dos Santos ◽  
Jason A. Papin

ABSTRACT Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a major life-threatening opportunistic pathogen that commonly infects immunocompromised patients. This bacterium owes its success as a pathogen largely to its metabolic versatility and flexibility. A thorough understanding of P. aeruginosa's metabolism is thus pivotal for the design of effective intervention strategies. Here we aim to provide, through systems analysis, a basis for the characterization of the genome-scale properties of this pathogen's versatile metabolic network. To this end, we reconstructed a genome-scale metabolic network of Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1. This reconstruction accounts for 1,056 genes (19% of the genome), 1,030 proteins, and 883 reactions. Flux balance analysis was used to identify key features of P. aeruginosa metabolism, such as growth yield, under defined conditions and with defined knowledge gaps within the network. BIOLOG substrate oxidation data were used in model expansion, and a genome-scale transposon knockout set was compared against in silico knockout predictions to validate the model. Ultimately, this genome-scale model provides a basic modeling framework with which to explore the metabolism of P. aeruginosa in the context of its environmental and genetic constraints, thereby contributing to a more thorough understanding of the genotype-phenotype relationships in this resourceful and dangerous pathogen.


2021 ◽  
pp. 105678952110339
Author(s):  
Hongyong Jiang ◽  
Yiru Ren ◽  
Qiduo Jin

A novel synergistic multi-scale modeling framework with a coupling of micro- and meso-scale is proposed to predict damage behaviors of 2D-triaxially braided composite (2DTBC). Based on the Bridge model, the internal stress and micro damage of constituent materials are respectively coupled with the stress and damage of tow. The initial effective elastic properties of tow (IEEP) used as the predefined data are estimated by micro-mechanics models. Due to in-situ effects, stress concentration factor (SCF) is considered in the micro matrix, exhibiting progressive damage accumulation. Comparisons of IEEP and strengths between the Bridge and Chamis’ theory are conducted to validate the values of IEEP and SCF. Based on the representative volume element (RVE), the macro properties and damage modes of 2DTBC are predicted to be consistent with available experiments and meso-scale simulation. Both axial and transverse damage mechanisms of 2DTBC under tensile or compressive load are revealed. Micro fiber and matrix damage accumulations have significant effects on the meso-scale axial and transverse damage of tows due to multi-scale coupling effects. Different from existing meso-/multi-scale models, the proposed multi-scale model can capture a crucial phenomenon that the transverse damage of tow is vulnerable to micro fiber fracture. The proposed multi-scale framework provides a robust tool for future systematic studies on constituent materials level to larger-scale aeronautical materials.


2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Zude Ding ◽  
Jincheng Wen ◽  
Xiafei Ji ◽  
Zhihua Ren ◽  
Sen Zhang

The presence of voids or lining thinning directly affects the mechanical behavior of linings, and these defects threaten the safety of tunnel operation. In this study, a series of 1/5-scale model tests was used to investigate the mechanical behavior of normal concrete (NC) linings in consideration of voids and combined defects. Test results showed that the void and combined defects substantially reduced the load-bearing capacity and deformation properties of the linings. The inelastic mechanical behavior of the linings was also significantly affected by the defects. The effects of lining defects located at the spandrel were slightly weaker than those of lining defects located at the crown. As the void size or degree of combined defects increased, the tensile strain at the location of the lining defects also increased. Therefore, the defect position of the linings was easily damaged. The defects considerably reduced the overall deformation of the linings but increased the local deformation. The distribution of lining cracks was concentrated at the defect position. In addition, different failure characteristics of the lining were observed due to the differences in defects.


2015 ◽  
Vol 27 (04) ◽  
pp. 1550033 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mahdi Halabian ◽  
Alireza Karimi ◽  
Borhan Beigzadeh ◽  
Mahdi Navidbakhsh

Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is a degenerative disease defined as the abnormal ballooning of the abdominal aorta (AA) wall which is usually caused by atherosclerosis. The aneurysm grows larger and eventually ruptures if it is not diagnosed and treated. Aneurysms occur mostly in the aorta, the main artery of the chest and abdomen. The aorta carries blood flow from the heart to all parts of the body, including the vital organs, the legs, and feet. The objective of the present study is to investigate the combined effects of aneurysm and curvature on flow characteristics in S-shaped bends with sweep angle of 90° at Reynolds number of 900. The fluid mechanics of blood flow in a curved artery with abnormal aortic is studied through a mathematical analysis and employing Cosmos flow simulation. Blood is modeled as an incompressible non-Newtonian fluid and the flow is assumed to be steady and laminar. Hemodynamic characteristics are analyzed. Grid independence is tested on three successively refined meshes. It is observed that the abrupt expansion induced by AAA results in an immensely disturbed regime. The results may have implications not only for understanding the mechanical behavior of the blood flow inside an aneurysm artery but also for investigating the mechanical behavior of the blood flow in different arterial diseases, such as atherosclerosis.


2017 ◽  
Vol 118 (4) ◽  
pp. 2499-2506 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Pomante ◽  
L. P. J. Selen ◽  
W. P. Medendorp

The vestibular system provides information for spatial orientation. However, this information is ambiguous: because the otoliths sense the gravitoinertial force, they cannot distinguish gravitational and inertial components. As a consequence, prolonged linear acceleration of the head can be interpreted as tilt, referred to as the somatogravic effect. Previous modeling work suggests that the brain disambiguates the otolith signal according to the rules of Bayesian inference, combining noisy canal cues with the a priori assumption that prolonged linear accelerations are unlikely. Within this modeling framework the noise of the vestibular signals affects the dynamic characteristics of the tilt percept during linear whole-body motion. To test this prediction, we devised a novel paradigm to psychometrically characterize the dynamic visual vertical—as a proxy for the tilt percept—during passive sinusoidal linear motion along the interaural axis (0.33 Hz motion frequency, 1.75 m/s2peak acceleration, 80 cm displacement). While subjects ( n=10) kept fixation on a central body-fixed light, a line was briefly flashed (5 ms) at different phases of the motion, the orientation of which had to be judged relative to gravity. Consistent with the model’s prediction, subjects showed a phase-dependent modulation of the dynamic visual vertical, with a subject-specific phase shift with respect to the imposed acceleration signal. The magnitude of this modulation was smaller than predicted, suggesting a contribution of nonvestibular signals to the dynamic visual vertical. Despite their dampening effect, our findings may point to a link between the noise components in the vestibular system and the characteristics of dynamic visual vertical.NEW & NOTEWORTHY A fundamental question in neuroscience is how the brain processes vestibular signals to infer the orientation of the body and objects in space. We show that, under sinusoidal linear motion, systematic error patterns appear in the disambiguation of linear acceleration and spatial orientation. We discuss the dynamics of these illusory percepts in terms of a dynamic Bayesian model that combines uncertainty in the vestibular signals with priors based on the natural statistics of head motion.


2018 ◽  
Vol 140 (9) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dan T. Zaharie ◽  
Andrew T. M. Phillips

The pelvic construct is an important part of the body as it facilitates the transfer of upper body weight to the lower limbs and protects a number of organs and vessels in the lower abdomen. In addition, the importance of the pelvis is highlighted by the high mortality rates associated with pelvic trauma. This study presents a mesoscale structural model of the pelvic construct and the joints and ligaments associated with it. Shell elements were used to model cortical bone, while truss elements were used to model trabecular bone and the ligaments and joints. The finite element (FE) model was subjected to an iterative optimization process based on a strain-driven bone adaptation algorithm. The bone model was adapted to a number of common daily living activities (walking, stair ascent, stair descent, sit-to-stand, and stand-to-sit) by applying onto it joint and muscle loads derived using a musculoskeletal modeling framework. The cortical thickness distribution and the trabecular architecture of the adapted model were compared qualitatively with computed tomography (CT) scans and models developed in previous studies, showing good agreement. The sensitivity of the model to changes in material properties of the ligaments and joint cartilage and changes in parameters related to the adaptation algorithm was assessed. Changes to the target strain had the largest effect on predicted total bone volumes. The model showed low sensitivity to changes in all other parameters. The minimum and maximum principal strains predicted by the structural model compared to a continuum CT-derived model in response to a common test loading scenario showed good agreement with correlation coefficients of 0.813 and 0.809, respectively. The developed structural model enables a number of applications such as fracture modeling, design, and additive manufacturing of frangible surrogates.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhoujian Zhang ◽  
Michael Liu ◽  
Mark Marley ◽  
Michael Line ◽  
William Best

<p>Spectroscopic characterization of imaged exoplanets and brown dwarfs is essential for understanding their atmospheres, formation, and evolution, but such work is challenged by the unavoidably simplified model atmospheres needed to interpret spectra. While most previous work has focused on single or at most a few objects, comparing a large collection of spectra to models can uncover trends in data-model inconsistencies needed to improve model predictions, thereby leading to robust properties from exoplanet and brown dwarf spectra. Therefore, we are conducting a systematic analysis of a valuable but underutilized resource: the numerous high-quality spectra of (directly imaged and free-floating) exoplanets and brown dwarfs already accumulated by the community.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p> <p>Focusing on the cool-temperature end, we have constructed a Bayesian modeling framework using the new Sonora-Bobcat model atmospheres and have applied it to study near-infrared low-resolution spectra of >50 late-T imaged planets and brown dwarfs (≈600-1200K, ≈10-70 M<sub>Jup</sub>) and infer their physical properties (effective temperature, surface gravity, metallicity, radii, mass). By virtue of having such a large sample of high-quality spectra, our analysis identifies the systematic offsets between observed and model spectra as a function of wavelength and physical properties to pinpoint specific shortcomings in model predictions. We have also found that the spectroscopically inferred metallicities, ages, and masses of our sample all considerably deviate from expectations, suggesting the physical and chemical assumptions made within these models need to be improved to fully interpret data. Our work has established a systematic validation of cloudless model atmospheres to date and we discuss extending such analysis to wider temperature and wavelength (e.g., JWST) ranges, as well as finding new planetary-mass and brown dwarf benchmarks, in order to validate ultracool model atmospheres over larger parameter space.</p>


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Furkan Ulu ◽  
Ravi Pratap Singh Tomar ◽  
Ram Mohan

Purpose PolyJet technology allows printing complex multi-material composite configurations using Voxel digital designs' capability, thus allowing rapid prototyping of 3D printed structural parts. This paper aims to investigate the processing and mechanical characteristics of composite material configurations formed from soft and hard materials with different distributions and sizes via voxel digital print design. Design/methodology/approach Voxels are extruded representations of pixels and represent different material information similar to each pixel representing colors in digital images. Each geometric region of a digitally designed part represented by a voxel can be printed with a different material. Multi-material composite part configurations were formed and rapidly prototyped using a PolyJet printer Stratasys J750. A design of experiments composite part configuration of a soft material (Tango Plus) within a hard material matrix (Vero Black) was studied. Composite structures with different hard and soft material distributions, but at the same volume fractions of hard and soft materials, were rapidly prototyped via PolyJet printing through developed Voxel digital printing designs. The tensile behavior of these formed composite material configurations was studied. Findings Processing and mechanical behavior characteristics depend on materials in different regions and their distributions. Tensile characterization obtained the fracture energy, tensile strength, modulus and failure strength of different hard-soft composite systems. Mechanical properties and behavior of all different composite material systems are compared. Practical implications Tensile characteristics correlate to digital voxel designs that play a critical role in additive manufacturing, in addition to the formed material composition and distributions. Originality/value Results clearly indicate that multi-material composite systems with various tensile mechanical properties could be created using voxel printing by engineering the design of material distributions, and sizes. The important parameters such as inclusion size and distribution can easily be controlled within all slices via voxel digital designs in PolyJet printing. Therefore, engineers and designers can manipulate entire morphology and material at each voxel level, and different prototype morphologies can be created with the same voxel digital design. In addition, difficulties from AM process with voxel printing for such material designs is addressed, and effective digital solutions were used for successful prototypes. Some of these difficulties are extra support material or printing the part with different dimension than it designed to achieve the final part dimension fidelity. Present work addressed and resolved such issued and provided cyber based software solutions using CAD and voxel discretization. All these increase broad adaptability of PolyJet AM in industry for prototyping and end-use.


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