We wrote a book chapter about the role of the actin cytoskeleton in mechanosensation. The book title is Mechanosensitivity and Mechanotransduction, edited by A, Kamkin and I. Kiseleva and published by Springer. It is an on-line book with free access (http://www.springerlink.com/content/m1154whn66469588/). Its official version will be available in this summer. For citation, please refer to " Luo T. and Robinson D. N. The role of the actin cytoskeleton in mechanosensation. Kamkin & Kiseleva eds, Mechanosensitivity in Cells and Tissues 4: Mechanosensitivity and Mechanotransduction, 2010; Springer-Verlag, New York.". 

We present an application of fluid-structure interaction analysis to the mechanics of red blood cells. For more information see the following link:

http://www.adina.com/newsgH60.shtml

Please recall that we offer a special academic package, for research and teaching, for university users. For more information see:

http://www.adina.com/educ.shtml

The 2009 Joint ASCE-ASME-SES Conference on Mechanics and Materials, June 24-27, 2009 · Blacksburg, VA

As the most rigid cytoskeletal filaments, microtubules bear compressive forces in living cells, balancing the tensile forces within the cytoskeleton to maintain the cell shape. It is often observed that, in living cells, microtubules under compression severely buckle into short wavelengths. By contrast, when compressed, isolated microtubules in vitro buckle into single long-wavelength arcs. The critical buckling force of the microtubules in vitro is two orders of magnitude lower than that of the microtubules in living cells.

A post doctoral position is immediately available for an individual to focus on the failure strengths of focal adhesions in smooth muscle and neurons. The goal of this project is to determine the relative vulnerabilities of vascular smooth muscle and neurons (both the soma and neurites) to explosive trauma using in vitro assays. These traumatic injuries will be simulated in vitro with specialized assays already in development. The applicant should have experience in cell and tissue culture, immunostaining, biophysical measurements of the mechanical properties of cells, and experience with traction force and high speed fluorescent microscopy.

The simulation was conducted under constant force condition. Initially, the cell had a spherical shape. After being deformed by the virtual forces that were applied on the molecules on the middle great circle, the cell underwent continuous shape changes. The virtual forces were originated from the myosin motion along the actin filaments in the contractile ring.

The simulation code is written according the article published by J. Li et al. in Biophysics Journal 2005. The force associated with the z-ring is applied in the middle of a cylindrical cell. Continuum solution of the cell division can be found in the paper published by G. Lan et al. in PNAS 2006.

In order to achieve a wide variety of biological phenomena, the abilities of cells to contact effectively and interact specifically with neighboring media play a central role. It is known that cells can sense the chemical and mechanical properties of surrounding systems and regulate their adhesion and movement through binding protein molecules within cell membrane. The kinetics of binding molecules interacting with ligands is of great interest in biophysical society. There are lots of discussions and contributions on cell mechanics from our mechanical society, e.g.

Full support is available for 2 PhD students in cellular mechanics group in Biomedical Engineering Department at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.  

The applicants should have mechanics, materials or soft matter physics background, with some experimental experience at micro-scales.  Experience with any of the following is considered a
plus: computational mechanics, cell/tissue culture, microscopy, image analysis, photonics.