Indentation as a technique to assess the mechanical properties of fallback foods

A number of living primates feed part-year on seemingly hard food objects as a fallback. We ask here how hardness can be quantified and how this can help understand primate feeding ecology. We report a simple indentation methodology for quantifying hardness, elastic modulus, and toughness in the sense that materials scientists would define them. Suggested categories of fallback foods—nuts, seeds, and root vegetables—were tested, with accuracy checked on standard materials with known properties by the same means. Results were generally consistent, but the moduli of root vegetables were overestimated here. All these properties are important components of what fieldworkers mean by hardness and help understand how food properties influence primate behavior. Hardness sensu stricto determines whether foods leave permanent marks on tooth tissues when they are bitten on. The force at which a food plastically deforms can be estimated from hardness and modulus. When fallback foods are bilayered, consisting of a nutritious core protected by a hard outer coat, it is possible to predict their failure force from the toughness and modulus of the outer coat, and the modulus of the enclosed core. These forces can be high and bite forces may be maximized in fallback food consumption. Expanding the context, the same equation for the failure force for a bilayered solid can be applied to teeth. This analysis predicts that blunt cusps and thick enamel will indeed help to sustain the integrity of teeth against contacts with these foods up to high loads. Am J Phys Anthropol 140:643–652, 2009. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Interpreting changes in stem diameter in rose plants

Sixteen adult rose plants ( Rosa hybrida cv. Sweet Promise) were grown in rockwool in a phytotron. Water uptake was estimated by computing the difference between the rate of nutrient solution supply and the rate of leaching, continuously measured using a high-precision flowmeter. Transpiration was measured using a balance continuously recording the loss of weight in the entire system. Changes in stem diameter were recorded using linear variable differential transducers placed at the base of four developing shoots and on their corresponding basal stems. Changes in stem diameter were related to changes in the water content of 16 plants. The amplitude of shrinkage in daytime stem diameter and daily increase in stem diameter was lower in basal stems. Radial hydraulic resistance to water diffusion in stems seems to be very low and stem reservoirs appear to be very early sensors of water depletion. When the nutrient solution supply was suppressed, the amplitude of the daily increase in stem diameter and transpiration rates were reduced one and one-and-a-half days later, respectively. When water depletion became more severe, stem diameter decreased from one day to another. The amplitude of daily stem shrinkage increased sharply for 6 days after watering was stopped, while the bulk modulus of elasticity of leaves decreased, probably as a result of damage to the cell wall.     

Changes in the stiffness of human mesenchymal stem cells with the progress of cell death as measured by atomic force microscopy

This note reports observations of the change of stiffness of human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) with the progress of cell death as measured by AFM. hMSC with impaired membrane, dead and viable cells were labelled with Annexin V and Propidium Iodide after 24 h cold storage, followed by AFM measurement and Young's modulus of cells was derived. Viable hMSCs have a Young's modulus (E) in the range of 0.81–1.13 kPa and consistent measurement was observed when different measurement locations were chosen. E of cells with partially impaired membrane was 0.69±0.17 kPa or in the range of 2.04–4.74 kPa, depending upon the measurement locations. With the loss of membrane integrity, though there was no variation on measured E between different locations, a mixed picture of cell stiffness was observed as indicated by cells with E as low as 0.09±0.03 kPa, in a mid-range of 4.62±0.67 kPa, and the highest of up to 48.98±19.80 kPa. With the progress of cell death, the highest stiffness was noticed for cells showing a more granular appearance; also the lowest stiffness for cells with vacuole appearance. Findings from this study indicate that cell stiffness is significantly altered with the progress of cell death.     

Influence of resin cement rigidity on the stress distribution of resin-bonded fixed partial dentures

The mechanical properties of the adhesive cement used in resin-bonded fixed partial dentures (RBFPD) can modify the clinical performance of the rehabilitation. The goal of this study was to evaluate the influence of the elastic modulus of different cements on the stress distribution in RBFPD using finite element analysis. For that an anterior 3-unit prosthesis was modeled based in a stereolithography file. The model was meshed with tetrahedral elements and materials considered isotropic, linearly elastic and homogeneous. The force applied to the palatal area of the lateral incisor (pontic) at 45° was 100?N. The cements used presented 7 different elastic modulus (E): 2, 6, 10, 14, 18, 22 or 26?GPa. The total deformation, von-Mises stress and maximum principal stress criteria were used to calculate the results. The lower tensile stress occurred in the cement layer with E?=?2?GPa [25.6 (canine) and 16.32?MPa (incisor)]. For the prosthesis, the model with the lower tensile stress [287 (canine) and 248?MPa (incisor)] occurred when the cement presented E?=?26?GPa.

In this way, the stress concentration may have its magnitude modified depending on the stiffness of the cement. Since more flexible cements concentrate less tensile stress in its structure, but allow an increased displacement of the prosthesis, which is friable and rigid and ends up concentrating more tensile stress at its connector. In that way the clinician should avoid the use of adhesive cement with lower elastic modulus due to it increases the stress concentration in the ceramic.     

Mechanical properties of the human red blood cell membrane at −15 °C

The most common method for measuring the mechanical behavior of the human red blood cell (RBC) membrane is micropipette aspiration, because it can be used to apply both a low uniaxial stress at a small part of the membrane or high two-axial stresses to the whole membrane [E.A. Evans, R.E. Waugh, Mechano-chemical study of red cell membrane structure in situ, in: Kroc Foundation Series, vol. 13, Erythrocyte Mechanics and Blood Flow, Alan R. Liss. Inc., New York, 1980, pp. 31–56 (Chapter 3); H.J. Meiselman, Measures of blood rheology and erythrocyte mechanics, in: Kroc Foundation Series, vol. 13, Erythrocyte Mechanics and Blood Flow, Alan R. Liss. Inc., New York, 1980, pp. 75–117 (Chapter 5)]. The elastic shear moduli and area changes of the human RBC published to date were calculated by means of this technique. However, a main drawback of the method is its impracticability at subzero temperatures. Experiments at below 0 °C are of interest because it is at these temperatures that RBC lysis occurs during freezing and thawing after cryopreservation, via a mechanism that may be mechanical.A method for circumventing this limitation is deforming the cell membranes by applying an electric ac field to a supercooled suspension. In a previous study, we applied this technique to human RBCs down to −15 °C [M. Krueger, F. Thom, Deformability and stability of erythrocytes in high-frequency electric fields down to subzero temperatures, Biophys. J. 73 (1997) 2653–2666]. In this technique, the electrical dimensions must be translated into those of mechanics. We provided a formula for these calculations, which demonstrated excellent concordance with known mechanical measurements at room temperature [F. Thom, H. Gollek, Calculation of mechanical properties of human red cells based on electrically induced deformation experiments, J. Electrostat. 64 (2006) 53–61]. Using this formula, we have now calculated the shear moduli and stress–strain diagram for our deformation experiments at −15 °C and present the results below.     

Stem wood properties of mature Norway spruce after 3 years of continuous exposure to elevated [CO2] and temperature

The objective of the study was to investigate the interactive effects of elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration, [CO₂], and temperature on the wood properties of mature field-grown Norway spruce ( Picea abies (L.) Karst.) trees. Material for the study was obtained from an experiment in Flakaliden, northern Sweden, where trees were grown for 3 years in whole-tree chambers at ambient (365 μmol mol⁻¹) or elevated [CO₂] (700 μmol mol⁻¹) and ambient or elevated air temperature (ambient +5.6 °C in winter and ambient +2.8 °C in summer). Elevated temperature affected both wood chemical composition and structure, but had no effect on stem radial growth. Elevated temperature decreased the concentrations of acetone-soluble extractives and soluble sugars, while mean and earlywood (EW) cell wall thickness and wood density were increased. Elevated [CO₂] had no effect on stem wood chemistry or radial growth. In wood structure, elevated [CO₂] decreased EW cell wall thickness and increased tracheid radial diameter in latewood (LW). Some significant interactions between elevated [CO₂] and temperature were found in the anatomical and physical properties of stem wood (e.g. microfibril angle, and LW cell wall thickness and density). Our results show that the wood material properties of mature Norway spruce were altered under exposure to elevated [CO₂] and temperature, although stem radial growth was not affected by the treatments.     

Designing culture surfaces based on cell anchoring mechanisms to regulate cell morphologies and functions

This review article presents an outlook on the current strategies and existing concepts for culture surface designs to regulate cell morphologies and functions. First, cell structures and cell attachment behaviors are described in relation to the interactions between cells and their surroundings. Next, various surface designs are addressed, with a summary of the current topics of particular interest. The architectural features of substrates can be controlled to facilitate the quest for design principles including material choices and geometric modifications. In addition, various types of biomolecules, such as adhesive elements and growth factors, can be incorporated to regulate cell behaviors, including cell attachment, growth and differentiation. It is possible to manipulate these surface variables to produce desired surface designs for inducing cellular responses. In the latter part of this article, the topics discussed involve dendrimer-immobilized surfaces designed in authors' studies dealing with the in vitro culture processes of differentiated and undifferentiated cells. This article will offer novel insights into the processing of cells and tissues toward therapeutic applications in regenerative medicine.