In the state-of-the-art of structural engineering the actions for design or assessment of bridges should derive from a probabilistic (i.e., frequentist) characterization of the loads.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe ability of cells to sense and respond to the mechanical stiffness of the surrounding matrix is important to support normal cell function, wound healing, and development. Central to the process of durosensing is the cytoskeleton composed of three classes of filaments: F-actin, microtubules, and intermediate filaments (IFs). Vimentin is an IF protein that contributes significantly to cell mechanics and cell traction force, which is required to probe extracellular matrix.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe purpose of this study was to analyze futsal players' organization on the court in different categories while attacking and defending, in interception and shot to goal situations. We obtained the trajectories of 89 players from the under-15 category, 102 players from the under-18 category, and 110 professional players, during official matches. The spread, surface area, and Euclidian distances between the teams' centroids were measured to represent the distribution of the futsal players on the court.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBasic fibroblast growth factor (FGF2) is a highly pleiotropic member of a large family of growth factors with a broad range of activities, including mitogenesis and angiogenesis (Ornitz et al., 1996; Zhang et al., 2006), and it is known to be essential for maintenance of balance between survival, proliferation, and self-renewal in human pluripotent stem cells (Eiselleova et al.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDeposition of collagen-based extracellular matrix by fibroblasts during wound healing leads to scar formation--a typical outcome of the healing process in soft tissue wounds. The process can, however, be skewed in favor of tissue regeneration by manipulation of wound environment. Low oxygen conditions and supplementation with FGF2 provide extracellular cues that drive wound fibroblasts towards a pro-regenerative phenotype.
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