Modeling of Biological Materials

One of the primary purposes and obligations of science, in addition to - derstandingnatureingeneralandlifeinparticular, istoassistinenhancing the quality and longevity of life, indeed a most daunting challenge. To be able to meaningfully meet the last of the above expectations, it is nec- sary to provide the practitioner of medicine with diagnostic and predictive capabilities that science will accord when its seemingly disparate parts are melded together and brought to bear on the problems that they face. The development of interdisciplinary activities involving the various basic sciences-biology, physics, chemistry, and mathematics, and their applied counterparts, engineering and technology-is a necessary key to unlocking the mysteries of medicine, which at the moment is a curious admixture of art, craft, and science. Signi?cant strides have been taken during the past decades for putting intoplaceamethodologythattakesintoaccounttheinterplayofthevarious basic sciences. Considerable progress has been made in understanding the role that mechanics has to play in the development of medical procedures. Thiscollectionofsurveyarticlesaddressestheroleofmechanicswithregard to advances in the medical sciences. In particular, these survey articles bring to one's attention the central role played by mathematical modeling in general and the modeling of mechanical issues in particular that have a bearing on the biology, chemistry, and physics of living matter.

This unique collection highlights the central role played by modeling in general, and the modeling of mechanical considerations that have an effect on living matter. Survey papers by active specialists, deal with some of the most important problems in biomechanics.

This interdisciplinary collection of surveys highlights the central role played by the mathematical modeling of mechanical properties having an effect on the living matter. The book presents in a single, self-contained resource topics that are widely scattered across the literature in a variety of journals having mutually nonintersecting communities of readers, such as applied mathematicians, engineers, biologists, and physicians.

Rheology of Living Materials.- Biochemical and Biomechanical Aspects of Blood Flow.- Theoretical Modeling of Enlarging Intracranial Aneurysms.- Theoretical Modeling of Cyclically Loaded, Biodegradable Cylinders.- Regulation of Hemostatic System Function by Biochemical and Mechanical Factors.- Mechanical Properties of Human Mineralized Connective Tissues.- Mechanics in Tumor Growth.- Inhomogeneities in Biological Membranes.