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Interactions Of Cardiomyocytes And Myofibroblasts: An Experimental And Theoretical Model Study, Teresa Abney
Interactions Of Cardiomyocytes And Myofibroblasts: An Experimental And Theoretical Model Study, Teresa Abney
All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)
Cardiomyocytes and fibroblasts make up the majority of cells in natural myocardium. While cardiomyocytes are primarily responsible for the mechanical contraction, fibroblasts are responsible for maintaining the extracellular matrix and tissue compliance. In response to pathologies such as hypertension or infarction, fibroblasts in the heart can convert to myofibroblasts, a larger and more contractile phenotype between a fibroblast and a smooth muscle cell. Myofibroblasts are essential to wound healing, but can change the compliance and functioning of heart tissue and can produce pathological fibrosis, formation of excess fibrous connective tissue. In developing therapeutic approaches it is essential to understand how …
Propulsion By Sinusoidal Locomotion: A Motion Inspired By Caenorhabditis Elegans, Xialing Ulrich
Propulsion By Sinusoidal Locomotion: A Motion Inspired By Caenorhabditis Elegans, Xialing Ulrich
All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)
Sinusoidal locomotion is commonly seen in snakes, fish, nematodes, or even the wings of some birds and insects. This doctoral thesis presents the study of sinusoidal locomotion of the nematode C. elegansin experiments and the application of the state-space airloads theory to the theoretical forces of sinusoidal motion. An original MATLAB program has been developed to analyze the video records of C. elegans' movement in different fluids, including Newtonian and non-Newtonian fluids. The experimental and numerical studies of swimming C. elegans has revealed three conclusions. First, though the amplitude and wavelength are varying with time, the motion of swimming C. …
Magnetic Resonance Elastography Of The Brain: From Phantom To Mouse To Man, Erik Clayton
Magnetic Resonance Elastography Of The Brain: From Phantom To Mouse To Man, Erik Clayton
All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)
The overall objective of this study is to develop magnetic resonance elastography: MRE) imaging to better understand brain deformation, brain tissue mechanical properties, and brain-skull interaction in vivo. The findings of this study provide parameters for numerical models of human head biomechanics, as well as data for validation of these models. Numerical simulations offer enormous potential to the study of traumatic brain injury: TBI) and may also contribute to the development of prophylactic devices for high-risk subjects: e.g., military personnel, first-responders, and athletes). Current numerical models have not been adequately parameterized or validated and their predictions remain controversial. This dissertation …