Recently I saw an animation
named “The inner life of the cell”, which was made by Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Harvard University Biovision. It can be watched online only:

http://aimediaserver.com/studiodaily/harvard/harvard.swf

Dear Fellow Mechanicians,

The 5^th European Conference
on Complex System is holding in Dresden, Germany now. This is really
an emerging research area. The multiple para-sessions themselves show
how diverse and multi-disciplined it is. It includes:

• Complex system method

• Cognition

• Networks

• Social system

• Biological system

The Department of Mechanical Engineering seeks an outstanding
individual at the rank of Assistant Professor or Associate Professor
without tenure, in the area of Computational Mechanics.



Applicants must hold an earned doctorate by the time of appointment in
an appropriate field and must have a demonstrated ability to carry out
outstanding research; they must also have a strong record of, or
promise for, exceptional teaching.  Specifically, applicants must
be strong in solid mechanics, and must have demonstrated strength to

I am pleased to announce that Volume 1, Number 1 (January 2008) of the Journal of the Mechanical Behavior of Biomedical Materials is published in both print and online on ScienceDirect. This first issue contains three excellent review articles on bone and dentin, human enamel, and biocompatability of Ti-alloys as well as eight research papers.

A technique for setting up generalized continuum theories based on a balance law and nonlocal thermodynamics is suggested. The methodology does not require the introduction of gradients of the internal variable in the free energy. Elements of a generalized damage model with porosity as the internal variable are developed as an example.

A field theory of dislocation mechanics and plasticity is illustrated through new results at the nano, meso, and macro scales. Specifically, dislocation nucleation, the occurrence of wave-type response in quasi-static plasticity, and a jump condition at material interfaces and its implications for analysis of deformation localization are discussed.