BACKGROUND Type 2 diabetes (DM-2) and impaired glucose metabolism (IGM) are associated with an increased cardiovascular disease risk. In nondiabetic individuals, increased arterial stiffness is an important cause of cardiovascular disease. Associations between DM-2 and IGM and arterial stiffness have not been systematically investigated. METHODS AND RESULTS In a population-based cohort (n=747...

PURPOSE The Achilles tendon (AT) must adapt to meet changes in demands. This study explored AT adaptation by comparing properties within the jump and non-jump legs of jumping athletes. Non-jumping control athletes were included to control limb dominance effects. METHODS AT properties were assessed in the preferred (jump) and non-preferred (lead) jumping legs of male collegiate-level long and/...

Titanium alloys are commonly heat-treated to meet specific design requirements. In an effort to possibly create a better composite, the influence of heat treatments on the damage evolution and strength of a SiC/Ti metal matrix composite (MMC) was studied. Heat treatments of 450°C and 700°C for 24 hours were performed on axial and transverse unidirectional specimens. These specimens, in addition...

During normal weight-bearing and locomotion, the equine hoof wall deforms in a consistent pattern; the proximal dorsal wall rotates caudo-ventrally about the distal dorsal border and there is latero-medial flaring posteriorly. The aim of this study is to examine whether there are regional differences in the modulus of elasticity of hoof wall material and whether such differences correlate with ...

BACKGROUND The present article systematically reviews recent literature on the in vivo adaptation of asymptomatic human tendons following increased chronic mechanical loading, and meta-analyzes the loading conditions, intervention outcomes, as well as methodological aspects. METHODS The search was performed in the databases PubMed, Web of Knowledge, and Scopus as well as in the reference list...

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS Characterizing the vertical stiffness gradient that exists between the superior and inferior aspects of the medial surface of the vocal fold. Characterization of this stiffness gradient could elucidate the mechanism behind the divergent glottal shape observed during closing. STUDY DESIGN Basic science. METHODS Indentation testing of the folds was done in a canine model...

In industrial products, vibration and the noise it creates is often a major parameter to be taken into account. It is therefore usually very important to measure the material properties i.e. stiffness and damping, that determine how vibrations are generated, transmitted and damped. This application note describes a method developed by Mr. Fuglsang Nielsen which will allow the standard non-reson...

A micromechanical finite element (FE) framework was developed to predict the viscoelastic properties (complex modulus and creep stiffness) of the asphalt mixtures. The two-dimensional (2D) microstructure of an asphalt mixture was obtained from the scanned image. In the mixture microstructure, irregular aggregates and sand mastic were divided into different subdomains. The FE mesh was generated ...

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this article is to provide an overview of ultrasound and MR elastography, including a glossary of relevant terminology, a classification of elastography techniques, and a discussion of their respective strengths and limitations. CONCLUSION Elastography is an emerging technique for the noninvasive assessment of mechanical tissue properties. These techniques report metr...

Our goal is to describe a specific case of a general process gaining traction amongst biologists: testing biological hypotheses with biomimetic structures that operate in bioinspired robots. As an example, we present MARMT (mobile autonomous robot for mechanical testing), a surface-swimmer that undulates a submerged biomimetic tail to power cruising and accelerations. Our goal was to test the h...