Calculation of the critical energy release rate Gc of the cement line in cortical bone combining experimental tests and finite element models

[EN] In this work, a procedure is proposed to estimate the critical energy release rate Gc of the so-called cement line in cortical bone tissue. Due to the difficulty of direct experimental estimations, relevant elastic and toughness material properties at bone microscale have been inferred by correlating experimental tests and finite element simulations. In particular, three-point bending tests of ovine cortical bone samples have been performed and modeled by finite elements. The initiation and growth of microcracks in the tested samples are simulated through finite elements using a damage model based on a maximum principal strain criterion, showing a good correlation with the experimental results. It is observed that microcracks evolve mainly along the cement lines and through the interstitial material but without crossing osteons. The numerical model allows the calculation of the cement line critical energy release rate Gc by approximating its definition by finite differences. This way, it is possible to estimate this property poorly documented in the literature.The authors wish to thank the Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad for the support received in the framework of the project DPI2013-46641-R and to the Generalitat Valenciana, Programme PROMETEO 2016/007. The authors also thank Dr. Jose Luis Peris, from Instituto de Biomecanica de Valencia (IBV) and Carlos Tudela Desantes for their collaboration within the context of the project.Giner Maravilla, E.; Belda, R.; Arango-Villegas, C.; Vercher Martínez, A.; Tarancón Caro, JE.; Fuenmayor Fernández, FJ. (2017). Calculation of the critical energy release rate Gc of the cement line in cortical bone combining experimental tests and finite element models. Engineering Fracture Mechanics. 184:168-182. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.engfracmech.2017.08.026S16818218

Steel and bone: Mesoscale modeling and middle-out strategies in physics and biology

Mesoscale modeling is often considered merely as a practical strategy used when information on lower-scale details is lacking, or when there is a need to make models cognitively or computationally tractable. Without dismissing the importance of practical constraints for modeling choices, we argue that mesoscale models should not just be considered as abbreviations or placeholders for more “complete” models. Because many systems exhibit different behaviors at various spatial and temporal scales, bottom-up approaches are almost always doomed to fail. Mesoscale models capture aspects of multi-scale systems that cannot be parameterized by simple averaging of lower-scale details. To understand the behavior of multi-scale systems, it is essential to identify mesoscale parameters that “code for” lower-scale details in a way that relate phenomena intermediate between microscopic and macroscopic features. We illustrate this point using examples of modeling of multi-scale systems in materials science (steel) and biology (bone), where identification of material parameters such as stiffness or strain is a central step. The examples illustrate important aspects of a so-called “middle-out” modeling strategy. Rather than attempting to model the system bottom-up, one starts at intermediate (mesoscopic) scales where systems exhibit behaviors distinct from those at the atomic and continuum scales. One then seeks to upscale and downscale to gain a more complete understanding of the multi-scale systems. The cases highlight how parameterization of lower-scale details not only enables tractable modeling but is also central to understanding functional and organizational features of multi-scale systems

Appeasing Identity Threat through Perspective-Taking

Previous research has demonstrated that increased relevant historical knowledge for White Americans leads to more accurate perceptions of racism in the United States against African Americans, but high-identifying members of the majority group (HIMG) tend to deny the presence of racism when presented with the same historical information. The present study will test the hypothesis that processing historical injustice information from a different perspective (i.e., that of the minority) will reduce identity threat for HIMG participants and lead them to more accurately perceive modern racism and be more open to the African American historical perspective