Predicting the elastic properties and deformability of red blood cell membrane using an atomistic-continuum approach

This paper employs the gradient theory to study the elastic properties and deformability of red blood cell (RBC) membrane using the first-order Cauchy-Born rule as an atomistic-continuum hyperelastic constitutive model that directly incorporates the microstructure of the spectrin network. The well-known Cauchy-Born rule is extended to account for a three-dimensional (3D) reference configuration. Using the strain energy density function and the deformation gradient tensor, the elastic properties of the RBC membrane were predicted by minimizing the potential energy in the representative cell. This extended formulation was then coupled with the meshfree method for numerical modeling of the finite deformation of the RBC membrane by simulating the optical tweezer experiment using a self-written MATLAB code. The results obtained provide new insight into the elastic properties and deformability of RBC membrane. In addition, the proposed method performs better when compared with those found in literature in terms of prediction accuracy and computation efficiency

A new shell formulation for graphene structures based on existing ab-initio data

An existing hyperelastic membrane model for graphene calibrated from ab-initio data (Kumar and Parks, 2014) is adapted to curvilinear coordinates and extended to a rotation-free shell formulation based on isogeometric finite elements. Therefore, the membrane model is extended by a hyperelastic bending model that reflects the ab-inito data of Kudin et al. (2001). The proposed formulation can be implemented straight-forwardly into an existing finite element package, since it does not require the description of molecular interactions. It thus circumvents the use of interatomic potentials that tend to be less accurate than ab-initio data. The proposed shell formulation is verified and analyzed by a set of simple test cases. The results are in agreement to analytical solutions and satisfy the FE patch test. The performance of the shell formulation for graphene structures is illustrated by several numerical examples. The considered examples are indentation and peeling of graphene and torsion, bending and axial stretch of carbon nanotubes. Adhesive substrates are modeled by the Lennard-Jones potential and a coarse grained contact model. In principle, the proposed formulation can be extended to other 2D materials.Comment: New examples are added and some typos are removed. The previous results are unchanged, International Journal of Solids and Structures (2017

How biomechanical properties of red blood cells change with temperature

In recent decades, the biomechanical properties of human red blood cells (RBCs) have been greatly explored by numerous researchers for diverse reasons. In normal physiological conditions, RBCs undergoes large deformation when traversing thin microcapillaries, however, upon infection by different blood-related diseases such as malaria, they experience impaired deformability. This paper examines how biomechanical properties of RBCs change with temperature using a multiscale meshfree method. The multiscale meshfree method offers improved accuracy and better computational efficiency as it incorporates RBC membrane microstructural configuration into its constitutive formulation, thereby providing better insights into the changes on the atomistic level

Element-free multiscale modeling of large deformation behavior of red blood cell membrane with malaria infection

In normal physiological and healthy conditions, red blood cells (RBCs) deform readily as they passthrough the microcapillaries and the spleen. In this paper, we examine the effects of Plasmodiumfalciparum infection and maturation on the large deformation behavior of malaria-infected redblood cells (iRBCs) by means of a three-dimensional (3D) multiscale meshfree method. Wenumerically simulated the optical tweezers experiment and observed the force-displacementresponse of the iRBC membrane as malaria infection progresses. Our simulation results agree well with experimental data and confirm that the deformability of malaria-infected cells decreasessignificantly as malaria infection progresses

A new efficient hyperelastic finite element model for graphene and its application to carbon nanotubes and nanocones

A new hyperelastic material model is proposed for graphene-based structures, such as graphene, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and carbon nanocones (CNC). The proposed model is based on a set of invariants obtained from the right surface Cauchy-Green strain tensor and a structural tensor. The model is fully nonlinear and can simulate buckling and postbuckling behavior. It is calibrated from existing quantum data. It is implemented within a rotation-free isogeometric shell formulation. The speedup of the model is 1.5 relative to the finite element model of Ghaffari et al. [1], which is based on the logarithmic strain formulation of Kumar and Parks [2]. The material behavior is verified by testing uniaxial tension and pure shear. The performance of the material model is illustrated by several numerical examples. The examples include bending, twisting, and wall contact of CNTs and CNCs. The wall contact is modeled with a coarse grained contact model based on the Lennard-Jones potential. The buckling and post-buckling behavior is captured in the examples. The results are compared with reference results from the literature and there is good agreement

Meshfree and Particle Methods in Biomechanics: Prospects and Challenges

The use of meshfree and particle methods in the field of bioengineering and biomechanics has significantly increased. This may be attributed to their unique abilities to overcome most of the inherent limitations of mesh-based methods in dealing with problems involving large deformation and complex geometry that are common in bioengineering and computational biomechanics in particular. This review article is intended to identify, highlight and summarize research works on topics that are of substantial interest in the field of computational biomechanics in which meshfree or particle methods have been employed for analysis, simulation or/and modeling of biological systems such as soft matters, cells, biological soft and hard tissues and organs. We also anticipate that this review will serve as a useful resource and guide to researchers who intend to extend their work into these research areas. This review article includes 333 references

Advances in saccular aneurysm biomechanics : enlargement via rate-sensitive inelastic growth, bio-mathematical stages of aneurysm disease, and initiation profiles.

I have created the first simulation of saccular aneurysm initiation and development from a healthy artery geometry. It is capable of growing saccular aneurysm geometries from patient-specific data. My model describes aneurysm behavior in a way that bridges fields. I assume arteries are made of a rate-sensitive inelastic material which produces irreversible deformation when it is overstressed. The material is assumed to consist of a 3D hyperelastic background material embedded with 1D transversely-isotropic fibers. I optionally use a Winkler foundation term to model support of external organs and distinguish healthy tissue from diseased tissue. Lesions are defined as a local degradation of artery wall structure. My work suggests passive mechanisms of growth are insufficient for predicting saccular aneurysms. Furthermore, I identify a new concept of stages of aneurysm disease. The stages connect mathematical descriptions of the simulation with clinically-relevant changes in the modeled aneurysm. They provide an evocative framework through which clinical descriptions of arteries can be neatly matched with mathematical features of the model. The framework gives a common language of concepts---e.g., collagen fiber, pseudoelastic limit, inelastic strain, and subclinical lesion---through which researchers in different fields, with different terminologies, can engage in an ongoing dialog: under the model, questions in medicine can be translated into equivalent questions in mathematics. A new stage of “subclinical lesion” has been identified, with a suggested direction for future biomechanics research into early detection and treatment of aneurysms. This stage defines a preclinical aneurysm-producing lesion which occurs before any artery dilatation. It is a stage of aneurysm development involving microstructural changes in artery wall makeup. Under the model, this stage can be identified by its reduced strength: its structural support is still within normal limits, but presumably would perform more poorly in ex vivo failure testing than healthy tissue from the same individual. I encourage clinicians and biomechanicians to measure elastin degradation, and to build detailed multiscale models of elastin degradation profiles as functions of aging and tortuosity; and similarly for basal tone. I hope such measurements will to lead to early detection and treatment of aneurysms. I give specific suggestions of biological tissue experiments to be performed for improving and reinforming constitutive modeling techniques.Mechanical Engineerin

Bridging spatiotemporal scales in biomechanical models for living tissues : from the contracting Esophagus to cardiac growth

Appropriate functioning of our body is determined by the mechanical behavior of our organs. An improved understanding of the biomechanical functioning of the soft tissues making up these organs is therefore crucial for the choice for, and development of, efficient clinical treatment strategies focused on patient-specific pathophysiology. This doctoral dissertation describes the passive and active biomechanical behavior of gastrointestinal and cardiovascular tissue, both in the short and long term, through computer models that bridge the cell, tissue and organ scale. Using histological characterization, mechanical testing and medical imaging techniques, virtual esophagus and heart models are developed that simulate the patient-specific biomechanical organ behavior as accurately as possible. In addition to the diagnostic value of these models, the developed modeling technology also allows us to predict the acute and chronic effect of various treatment techniques, through e.g. drugs, surgery and/or medical equipment. Consequently, this dissertation offers insights that will have an unmistakable impact on the personalized medicine of the future.Het correct functioneren van ons lichaam wordt bepaald door het mechanisch gedrag van onze organen. Een verbeterd inzicht in het biomechanisch functioneren van deze zachte weefsels is daarom van cruciale waarde voor de keuze voor, en ontwikkeling van, efficiënte klinische behandelingsstrategieën gefocust op de patiënt-specifieke pathofysiologie. Deze doctoraatsthesis brengt het passieve en actieve biomechanisch gedrag van gastro-intestinaal en cardiovasculair weefsel, zowel op korte als lange termijn, in kaart via computermodellen die een brug vormen tussen cel-, weefsel- en orgaanniveau. Aan de hand van histologische karakterisering, mechanische testen en medische beeldvormingstechnieken worden virtuele slokdarm- en hartmodellen ontwikkeld die het patiënt-specifieke orgaangedrag zo accuraat mogelijk simuleren. Naast de diagnostische waarde van deze modellen, laat de ontwikkelde modelleringstechnologie ook toe om het effect van verschillende behandelingstechnieken, via medicatie, chirurgie en/of medische apparatuur bijvoorbeeld, acuut en chronisch te voorspellen. Bijgevolg biedt deze doctoraatsthesis inzichten die een onmiskenbare impact zullen hebben op de gepersonaliseerde geneeskunde van de toekomst