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Full-Text Articles in Engineering

Characterizing Anisotropy In Fibrous Soft Materials By Mr Elastography Of Slow And Fast Shear Waves, John Larson Schmidt Dec 2017

Characterizing Anisotropy In Fibrous Soft Materials By Mr Elastography Of Slow And Fast Shear Waves, John Larson Schmidt

McKelvey School of Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The general objective of this work was to develop experimental methods based on magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) to characterize fibrous soft materials. Mathematical models of tissue biomechanics capable of predicting injury, such as traumatic brain injury (TBI), are of great interest and potential. However, the accuracy of predictions from such models depends on accuracy of the underlying material parameters. This dissertation describes work toward three aims. First, experimental methods were designed to characterize fibrous materials based on a transversely isotropic material model. Second, these methods are applied to characterize the anisotropic properties of white matter brain tissue ex vivo. Third, …


Mechanobiology Of Epithelial Clusters In Ecms Of Diverse Mechanical Properties, Samila Nasrollahi Aug 2017

Mechanobiology Of Epithelial Clusters In Ecms Of Diverse Mechanical Properties, Samila Nasrollahi

McKelvey School of Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Cell clusters reside in complex extracellular matrices (ECMs) of varying mechanical properties. Epithelial cells sense and translate the mechanical cues presented by the surrounding ECM into biochemical signals through a process called ‘mechanotransduction’, which controls fundamental aspects of disease and development. During the course of metastasis, mechanical changes in the tumor microenvironment can lead to declustering of epithelial cells through a process called epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Throughout different steps of metastasis, escaped epithelial clusters encounter heterogeneous tissues of varying mechanical properties that ultimately influence their behavior in distant locations within the body. This dissertation investigates the mechanobiology of epithelial clusters …


Vrshape: A Virtual Reality Tool For Shaping Movement Compensation, Matthew Hale Foreman May 2017

Vrshape: A Virtual Reality Tool For Shaping Movement Compensation, Matthew Hale Foreman

Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The majority of persons living with chronic stroke experience some form of upper extremity motor impairment that affects their functional movement, performance of meaningful activities, and participation in the flow of daily life. Stroke survivors often compensate for these impairments by adapting their movement patterns to incorporate additional degrees of freedom at new joints and body segments. One of the most common compensatory movements is the recruitment of excessive trunk flexion when reaching with the affected upper extremity. Long-term use of these compensations may lead to suboptimal motor recovery and chronic pain or injury due to overuse. Rehabilitation focuses on …