M.A. Argenta¹, A.P. Gebert², E.S. Filho³, B.A. Felizari⁴, M.B. Hecke⁵

CMES-Computer Modeling in Engineering & Sciences, Vol.79, No.3&4, pp. 159-182, 2011, DOI:10.3970/cmes.2011.079.159

Abstract Various methods in the literature proposesequations to calculate the stiffness as a function of density of bone tissue such as apparent density and ash density among others[Helgason, Perilli, Schileo, Taddei, Brynjolfsson and Viceconti, 2008]. Other ones present a value of an equivalent elasticity modulus, obtained by statistical adjustments of curves generated through mechanical compression tests over various specimens[Chevalier, Pahr, Allmer, Charlebois and Zysset, 2007; Cuppone, Seedhom, Berry and Ostell, 2004]. Bone tissue is a material withdifferent behaviors according to the scale of observation. It has a complex composite hierarchical structure, which is responsible for assign More >

Hernández LF

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.79, pp. 109-115, 2010, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2010.79.109

Abstract The relationships between (1) leaf biomass and morphology (lamina area and petiole and lamina inclination), (2) petiole’s mechanical and structural properties, and (3) the vertical light gradient inside the crop’s canopy were studied in field grown sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) plants, maintained at optimum soil water and mineral levels. At flowering, incident photosynthetic active radiation (PAR) was measured at the top of the canopy and on individual leaves using a quantum sensor. The fraction of direct incident radiation which passed through the canopy reaching each individual leaf was then calculated. Individual petiole and lamina inclination angles (ia_Petiole… More >

Chao EYS^∗, Volokh KY^†, Yoshida H^‡, Shiba N^§, Ide T^¶

Molecular & Cellular Biomechanics, Vol.7, No.3, pp. 175-192, 2010, DOI:10.3970/mcb.2010.007.175

Abstract This paper is written to honor Professor Y. C. Fung, the applied mechanician who has made seminal contributions in biomechanics. His work has generated great spin-off utility in the field of musculoskeletal biomechanics. Following the concept of the Rigid Body-Spring Model theory by T. Kawai (1978) for non-linear analysis of beam, plate, and shell structures and the soil-gravel mixture foundation, we have derived a generalized Discrete Element Analysis (DEA) method to determine human articular joint contact pressure, constraining ligament tension and bone-implant interface stresses. The basic formulation of DEA to solve linear problems is reviewed.… More >

Q Wang^*, YP Zheng^∗,†, HJ Niu^∗,‡

Molecular & Cellular Biomechanics, Vol.7, No.1, pp. 45-58, 2010, DOI:10.3970/mcb.2010.007.045

Abstract This study aims to obtain osmosis-induced swelling strains of normal and proteoglycan (PG) depleted articular cartilage using an ultrasound system and to investigate the changes in its mechanical properties due to the PG depletion using a layered triphasic model. The swelling strains of 20 cylindrical cartilage-bone samples collected from different bovine patellae were induced by decreasing the concentration of bath saline and monitored by the ultrasound system. The samples were subsequently digested by a trypsin solution for approximately 20 min to deplete proteoglycans, and the swelling behaviors of the digested samples were measured again. The… More >

Kyousuke Yamaguchi¹, Nao-Aki Noda², Ker-Kong Chen³, Kiyoshi Tajima³, Seiji Harada¹, Xin Lan¹

Structural Durability & Health Monitoring, Vol.5, No.3, pp. 191-200, 2009, DOI:10.3970/sdhm.2009.005.191

Abstract Wedge-shaped defects are frequently observed on the cervical region of the human tooth. Previously, most studies explained that improper tooth-brushing causes such defects. However, recent clinical observation suggested that the repeated stress due to occlusal force may induce the formation of these wedge-shaped defects. In this study, a two-dimensional human tooth model after a wedge-shaped defect is restored with the composite resin is analyzed by using the finite element method. To obtain the intensity of the singular stress accurately, a method of analysis is discussed for calculating generalized stress intensity factors, which control the singular More >

G. R. Liu^{1, 2}

The International Conference on Computational & Experimental Engineering and Sciences, Vol.12, No.4, pp. 113-114, 2009, DOI:10.3970/icces.2009.012.113

Abstract This paper introduces first a weakened weakform (W2) using a generalized gradient smoothing technique for an unified formulation of a wide class of compatible and incompatible displacement methods including settings of the finite element methods (FEM) and meshfree methods of special properties including the upper bound properties. A G space is first defined to include discontinuous functions allowing the use of much more types of methods/techniques to create shape functions for numerical models; Properties and a set of important inequalities for G spaces are then proven in theory and analyzed in detail. We prove that… More >

Fernanda Gentil¹, Renato Natal Jorge², António Joaquim Mendes Ferreira³, Marco Parente⁴, Pedro Martins⁵, Eurico de Almeida⁶

The International Conference on Computational & Experimental Engineering and Sciences, Vol.9, No.1, pp. 45-56, 2009, DOI:10.3970/icces.2009.009.045

Abstract The interest in finite element method (FEM) concerning biomechanics has been increasing, in particular, to analyze the mechanical behavior of the human ear. In this work, a finite element model of the middle ear was made. A dynamic study based on a structural response to harmonic vibrations, for different sound pressure levels, applied on the eardrum, is presented using the ABAQUS program. The model includes different ligaments and muscle tendons with elastic and hyperelastic behavior of these supportive structure. The non-linear behavior of the ligaments and muscle tendons was considered, being the connection between ossicles More >

T. Yamaguchi¹, T. Ishikawa², Y. Imai²

The International Conference on Computational & Experimental Engineering and Sciences, Vol.9, No.2, pp. 79-80, 2009, DOI:10.3970/icces.2009.009.079

Abstract Human cardiovascular system is always under the integrated nervous and humoral control of the whole body, i.e. in homeostasis. Multiple feedback mechanisms with mutual interactions among systems, organs, and even tissues provide integrated control of the entire body. These control mechanisms have different spatial coverages, from the micro- to macroscale, and different time constants, from nanoseconds to decades. We think that these variations in spatial as well as temporal scales should be taken into account in discussing phenomena in the cardiovascular system.
In this background,we have been investigatingthe cardiovascular system over micro to macro levels by… More >

Yoshitaka Shimada^∗,†, Taiji Adachi^∗,†,‡, Yasuhiro Inoue^∗,†, Masaki Hojo^∗

Molecular & Cellular Biomechanics, Vol.6, No.3, pp. 161-174, 2009, DOI:10.3970/mcb.2009.006.161

Abstract The actin filament, which is the most abundant component of the cytoskeleton, plays important roles in fundamental cellular activities such as shape determination, cell motility, and mechanosensing. In each activity, the actin filament dynamically changes its structure by polymerization, depolymerization, and severing. These phenomena occur on the scales ranging from the dynamics of actin molecules to filament structural changes with its deformation due to the various forces, for example, by the membrane and solvent. To better understand the actin filament dynamics, it is important to focus on these scales and develop its mathematical model. Thus,… More >

J. M. García-Aznar^1,2, M. A. Pérez^1,2, P. Moreo^1,3

CMES-Computer Modeling in Engineering & Sciences, Vol.48, No.3, pp. 271-302, 2009, DOI:10.3970/cmes.2009.048.271

Abstract There are many interfaces between biological materials with a structural functionality, where their mechanical behaviour is crucial for their own performance. Advanced tools such as cohesive surface models are being used to simulate the failure and degradation of this kind of biological interactions. The goal of this paper, in a first step, is to present some cohesive surface models that include damage and repair in interfaces and its application to different biomechanical problems. Secondly, we discuss about the main challenges that we have to improve in the modelling of interfaces for a mechanobiological approach. More >