Determination of benchmarking parameters for assessing the mechanical robustness of articular cartilage: a joint mathematical and experimental investigation. Osteoarthritis associated with the deterioration of the articular cartilage affects about 12% of Australian adults. This project will use an integrated approach combining novel mathematical modelling and an extensive experimental program to establish critical mechanical parameters, in particular, the fracture toughness of articular cartilag ....Determination of benchmarking parameters for assessing the mechanical robustness of articular cartilage: a joint mathematical and experimental investigation. Osteoarthritis associated with the deterioration of the articular cartilage affects about 12% of Australian adults. This project will use an integrated approach combining novel mathematical modelling and an extensive experimental program to establish critical mechanical parameters, in particular, the fracture toughness of articular cartilage and will incorporate the unique structure of the dissimilar layers in articular cartilage. It will be used to study how these resist the propagation of an initiated crack and will offer significant insight into the desirable fracture properties of any replacement material for articular cartilage and will provide a basis for assessing replacement biomaterials.Read moreRead less
Determination of Conductivity Values for Anisotropic Tissue. Well established mathematical models governing the electrical potential in biological tissue can be combined with measurements of the electric potential on the surface of the tissue to provide insight into subsurface tissue damage. However, before such observations can be convincingly accepted, reliable values for the tissue conductivity must be obtained. The aim of this project is to develop mathematical techniques to calculate the co ....Determination of Conductivity Values for Anisotropic Tissue. Well established mathematical models governing the electrical potential in biological tissue can be combined with measurements of the electric potential on the surface of the tissue to provide insight into subsurface tissue damage. However, before such observations can be convincingly accepted, reliable values for the tissue conductivity must be obtained. The aim of this project is to develop mathematical techniques to calculate the conductivity values so that one can apply the equations to solve problems of potential distribution and proceed to accurately simulate electrical potential distributions in damaged tissue. More accurate and reliable conductivity values will allow a better understanding of the way electric current moves through the heart which, in turn, will result in more efficient defibrillators and better diagnosis of abnormal function.Read moreRead less
Mathematical Modelling of the Mechanobiology of Arterial Plaque Growth. Plaque growth is a chronic inflammatory response induced by the interactions between endothelial cells, lipids, monocytes/macrophages, smooth muscle cells and platelets in the arteries. It involves many different biological processes, such as lipid deposition, inflammation and angiogenesis, and their interactions with the microcirculation. To understand the underlying mechanobiology, we propose to develop a mathematical mode ....Mathematical Modelling of the Mechanobiology of Arterial Plaque Growth. Plaque growth is a chronic inflammatory response induced by the interactions between endothelial cells, lipids, monocytes/macrophages, smooth muscle cells and platelets in the arteries. It involves many different biological processes, such as lipid deposition, inflammation and angiogenesis, and their interactions with the microcirculation. To understand the underlying mechanobiology, we propose to develop a mathematical model to interpret plaque growth by integrating these dynamic biological processes. It will offer a systematic rational understanding of plaque growth. New models will be provided to better interpret biological data and contribute to our knowledge in quantifying complex biological mechanisms during growth and development.Read moreRead less