Inspired by massive intermediate filament (IF) reorganization in superstretched epithelia, we examine computationally the principles controlling mechanics of a set entangled filaments whose ends slide on cell boundary. We identify an entanglement metric and threshold beyond which random loose networks respond non-affinely nonlinearly to stretch self-organizing into structurally optimal star-sha...

objective: the development of combining mesenchymal stem cells (mscs) with surface modified three-dimensional (3d) biomaterial scaffold provides a desirable alternative for replacement of damaged and diseased tissue. nanofibrous scaffolds serve as suitable environment for cell attachment and proliferation due to their similarity to the physical dimension of the natural extracellular matrix. in ...

Despite early detection through the use of mammograms and aggressive intervention, breast cancer (BC) remains a clinical dilemma. BC can resurge after >10 years of remission. Studies indicate that BC cells (BCCs) with self-renewal and chemoresistance could be involved in dormancy. The majority of studies use in vitro, two-dimensional (2-D) monolayer cultures, which do not recapitulate the in vi...

Three-dimensional (3D) fibrous hydrogels were fabricated by blending two photoactive polymers, poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate (PEGDA) and poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA), and the resulting solution was electrospun. PEGDA is a commonly used hydrogel material for tissue engineering applications since its interaction with cells can be tuned by crosslinking in a variety of bioactive molecules including...

In this study, poly (L-lactic acid) (PLLA)/trifluoroethanol (TFE) solution was electrospun to fabricate fibrous scaffolds with different fiber orientations. Random and parallel PLLA nanofiber alignments were achieved by using a metal plate and a rolling rod as the receiver, respectively. The parallel PLLA fibrous scaffolds were further hot-stretched to obtain hyperparallel PLLA fibrous scaffold...

About a century ago, Knudsen derived the groundbreaking theory of gas diffusion through straight pipes and holes, which since then found widespread application in innumerable fields science inspired development vacuum related coating technologies, from academic research to numerous industrial sectors. Knudsen's can be straightforwardly applied filter membranes with arrays extended holes for exa...