Constitutive Models for Tumour Classification

The aim of this paper is to formulate new mathematical models that will be able to differentiate not only between normal and abnormal tissues, but, more importantly, between benign and malignant tumours. We present preliminary results of a tri-phasic model and numerical simulations of the effect of cellular adhesion forces on the mechanical properties of biological tissues. We pursued the following three approaches: (i) the simulation of the time-harmonic linear elastic models to examine coarse scale effects and adhesion properties, (ii) the investigation of a tri-phasic model, with the intent of upscaling this model to determine effects of electro-mechanical coupling between cells, and (iii) the upscaling of a simple cell model as a framework for studying interface conditions at malignant cells. Each of these approaches has opened exciting new directions of research that we plan to study in the future

An Immersed Finite Element Method Approach for Brain Biomechanics

Mechanics of Biological Systems and Materials, Volume 5: Proceedings of the 2012 Annual Conference on Experimental and Applied Mechanics, the fifth volume of seven from the Conference, brings together 31 contributions to this important area of research and engineering. The collection presents early findings and case studies on fundamental and applied aspects of Experimental and Applied Mechanics, including papers on: Biological Materials & Mechanics Cell Mechanics Mechanics of Biomimetic Materials Mechanics of Brain Tissues and Structures Mechanics of Bone and Related Materials Multi-Scale Mechanics of Natural Fibers Indentation Methods in Soft Materials Imaging Methods in Biological Systems and Materials Mechanics of Tissue Damage Mechanics of Soft Materials and Tissue

Dynamical Morphology of the Brain's Ventricular Cavities in Hydrocephalus

Although interest in the biomechanics of the brain goes back over centuries, mathematical models of hydrocephalus and other brain abnormalities are still in their infancy and a much more recent phenomenon. This is rather surprising, since hydrocephalus is still an endemic condition in the pediatric population with an incidence of approximately 1–3 per 1000 births. Treatment has dramatically improved over the last three decades, thanks to the introduction of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) shunts. Their use, however, is not without problems and the shunt failure at two years remains unacceptably high at 50%. The most common factor causing shunt failure is obstruction, especially of the proximal catheters. There is currently no agreement among neurosurgeons as to the optimal catheter tip position; however, common sense suggests that the lowest risk location is the place that remains larger after ventricular decompression drainage. Thus, success in this direction will depend on the development of a quantitative theory capable of predicting the ultimate shape of the ventricular wall. In this paper, we report on some recent progress towards the solution to this problem.Peer Reviewe