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Book Arterial Wall Mechanics in Vascular Diseases

Download or read book Arterial Wall Mechanics in Vascular Diseases written by and published by . This book was released on 2003 with total page 482 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Book Blood Pressure and Arterial Wall Mechanics in Cardiovascular Diseases

Download or read book Blood Pressure and Arterial Wall Mechanics in Cardiovascular Diseases written by Michel E. Safar and published by Springer. This book was released on 2014-07-30 with total page 563 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In cardiovascular prevention, there is classically a small number of cardiovascular risk factors to treat, such as hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia and smoking excess, which are widely detected and treated. Recently, it has been widely recognized that new mechanical factors should be detected and treated and involves specifically pulsatile arterial hemodynamic (PAH) parameters such as: arterial stiffness, pulse pressure, and, to a lesser extent, augmentation index and pulse pressure amplification. The pedagogic aspect of this new CV specialty involves 3 principal parts: a. –Basic concepts and pathophysiological mechanisms of PAHb. –Clinical aspects and end-organ damage in PAHc. – Clinical pharmacology and therapeutics of PAH This book represents the first that spans basic science and clinical management of this new CV subspecialty. Much has been learned regarding the management of these patients in recent years and this book presents extensive data on the techniques needed to maximize outcomes.​

Book Pan Vascular Medicine

    Book Details:
  • Author : Peter Lanzer
  • Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media
  • Release : 2002-06-18
  • ISBN : 9783540414841
  • Pages : 1976 pages

Download or read book Pan Vascular Medicine written by Peter Lanzer and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2002-06-18 with total page 1976 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The textbook provides an interdisciplinary and integrated perspective of modern vascular cure. Written by experts the text proceeds from fundamental principles to advanced concepts. The book is divided into four parts, each focusing on different basic concepts of vascular cure. All fundamental principles of the area are clearly explained to facilitate vascular diagnostics and treatment in clinical practice. It is aimed at junior practitioners and experts.

Book Diseases of the Arterial Wall

    Book Details:
  • Author : Jean-Pierre Camilleri
  • Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media
  • Release : 2012-12-06
  • ISBN : 1447114647
  • Pages : 1094 pages

Download or read book Diseases of the Arterial Wall written by Jean-Pierre Camilleri and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2012-12-06 with total page 1094 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This text combines extensive coverage of normal structure and function of the arterial wall with detailed accounts of the changes that occur in disease. These data are presented in a comprehensive way not found elsewhere; they are essential for the proper understanding of arterial disease and for its investigation using modern methodology. Development and the factors controlling vessel form and structure are first discussed; and the normal cellular populations, functions and interactions are then considered. Particular topics, such as pulmonary hypertension, the effects of trauma on vessels, and diabetic vascular disease, are reviewed in detail. This book will be of interest to all involved in the management of vascular disease.

Book Mechanisms of Vascular Disease

Download or read book Mechanisms of Vascular Disease written by Robert Fitridge and published by University of Adelaide Press. This book was released on 2011 with total page 589 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: New updated edition first published with Cambridge University Press. This new edition includes 29 chapters on topics as diverse as pathophysiology of atherosclerosis, vascular haemodynamics, haemostasis, thrombophilia and post-amputation pain syndromes.

Book Biology of the Arterial Wall

    Book Details:
  • Author : Bernard I. Levy
  • Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media
  • Release : 2007-11-23
  • ISBN : 0585381461
  • Pages : 284 pages

Download or read book Biology of the Arterial Wall written by Bernard I. Levy and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2007-11-23 with total page 284 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Biology of the Arterial Wall is intended as a general reference text concerned with the biology of the vascular cells and the blood vessel wall under physiological and pathological conditions. One of the major functions of the arteries is to maintain a continuous blood flow to the organs whatever the pressure conditions, thanks to the vasomotor tone of the smooth muscle cells. Great advances have been made over the last decade in the understanding of the endothelial cells as integrators and transducers of signals originating from the blood stream. The pluripotent control functions of the endothelial cells in the vessel wall are now well recognized. A review of endothelial functions and dysfunctions is presented. Cell biology and molecular genetic studies have now identified an array of molecules elaborated by endothelial cells and vascular smooth muscle cells and by the blood-borne elements which interact with artery cells, defending the artery against injury and modulating evolving abnormal processes. Molecules which induce or inhibit endothelial and/or smooth muscle cells are currently under great scrutiny. Angiogenesis, which plays a major role in tumor growth, but may also be beneficial as a healing process in muscle ischemia, is discussed. Apoptosis, or programmed cell death, has only recently been recognized as an essential process in blood vessel modeling and remodeling. An overview of apoptosis in the vascular system is presented. It is increasingly evident that the adjustments of the blood vessel wall are made in the presence of deforming disease processes such as hypertension and atherosclerosis. The second part of the book is concerned with the blood vessel wall in disease conditions. Several chapters review the role of the vessel and vascular cells in inflammation, and vascular remodeling during arterial hypertension and aging. One chapter is devoted to atherogenesis, atheroma and plaque instability, followed by the pathophysiology of post-angioplasty restenosis, which is a crucial issue in modern interventional cardiology.

Book Biofluid Mechanics

    Book Details:
  • Author : Dieter W. Liepsch
  • Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media
  • Release : 2013-11-11
  • ISBN : 3642523382
  • Pages : 546 pages

Download or read book Biofluid Mechanics written by Dieter W. Liepsch and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2013-11-11 with total page 546 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Proceedings of the 2nd International Symposium Biofluid Mechanics and Biorheology. June 25-28, 1989, Munich

Book Autonomous Effects of Shear and Stretch on the Arterial Wall

Download or read book Autonomous Effects of Shear and Stretch on the Arterial Wall written by Tyler Thacher and published by LAP Lambert Academic Publishing. This book was released on 2010-05 with total page 108 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Due to the pulsatile nature of blood flow, arteries are constantly exposed to dynamic mechanical forces; the pulsatility continuously stretches the vessel wall and the flow creates a frictional force on the interior surface. These stresses, referred to as cyclic circumferential stretch and shear stress, are known to determine arterial structure and morphology; modulation of which leads to the progression of vascular diseases such as hypertension and atherosclerosis. Yet the individual contributions of cyclic stretch and shear stress, with regards to vascular disease, have yet to be revealed. In this book I wish to identify the role of reduced cyclic stretch in the development of endothelial dysfunction and vascular remodeling, develop an experimental model for studying the autonomous effects of shear stress and cyclic stretch and how these two stimuli individually modulate markers of vascular disease in different regions of the vascular wall.

Book Dynamics of Arterial Flow

    Book Details:
  • Author : Stewart Wolf
  • Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media
  • Release : 2013-03-09
  • ISBN : 1468475088
  • Pages : 476 pages

Download or read book Dynamics of Arterial Flow written by Stewart Wolf and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2013-03-09 with total page 476 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume contains the edited transcript of the Second Topical Colloquium based on leads developed at the original conference on the artery and the process of arteriosclerosis (the Lindau Conference of 1970). The first follow-up colloquium on "The Smooth Muscle of the Artery" was held in Heidelberg in 1973. Planning for the present one was undertaken by the editors with Dr. C. Forbes Dewey, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts. The meeting itself was held June, 1976 at the Delaware Water Gap, Pennsy1vani~, under the joint sponsorship of Totts Gap Institute and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with financial support from the American Heart Association, the Office of Naval Research, and the Smith, Kline and French Company. The objective of the series of meetings, beginning at Lindau has been to examine from an interdisciplinary and international point of view the fundamental physiologic and pathophysiologic processes pertinent to the development of arteriosclerosis. This colloquium sought to examine critically the evidence relating hemodynamic forces to atherogenesis, to reconcile disparate findings and interpretations in so far as possible; and to make a synthesis of the present state of knowledge of the dynamics of arterial flow. Grateful acknowledgement is made for the valuable assistance of Joan Martin and Helen Goodell in the entire editorial process. The editors acknowledge with thanks the secretarial assistance of Moira Martin, Colleen Nagle, Cindy Carter and Pat Ide. Special thanks are due Joy Lowe who executed the entire final manuscript.

Book Dynamics Of The Vascular System  Interaction With The Heart  Second Edition

Download or read book Dynamics Of The Vascular System Interaction With The Heart Second Edition written by Li John K-j and published by World Scientific. This book was released on 2018-09-05 with total page 296 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The first edition of the book was written employing mathematical techniques to formulate the physical principles involved in the structural and functional correlates of the underlying physiology.This current and self-contained second edition updates many of the new findings since its first edition a decade ago. It also includes a new chapter on the 'Interaction with the Heart'. The dynamics of the arterial system, the venous system, the microcirculation and their interaction with the heart are quantitatively described in terms of their structures and functions. Clinical measurements, applications to the cardiovascular field and physiological mechanisms are clearly identified throughout the text. Most importantly, worked examples are provided, such that the readers can appreciate the application aspects of the underlying formulation.

Book Mechanical Properties of Arteries

    Book Details:
  • Author : Jan-Lucas Gade
  • Publisher : Linköping University Electronic Press
  • Release : 2021-01-27
  • ISBN : 9179297188
  • Pages : 86 pages

Download or read book Mechanical Properties of Arteries written by Jan-Lucas Gade and published by Linköping University Electronic Press. This book was released on 2021-01-27 with total page 86 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this dissertation, a method is proposed that identifies the mechanical properties of arteries in vivo. The mechanical properties of an artery are linked to the development of cardiovascular diseases. The possibility to identify the mechanical properties of an artery inside the human body could, thus, facilitate disease diagnostization, treatment and monitoring. Supplied with information obtainable in the clinic, typically limited to time-resolved pressure-radius measurement pairs, the proposed in vivo parameter identification method solves a non-convex minimization problem to determine parameters related to the mechanical properties of the blood vessel. The artery is treated as a homogeneous, incompressible, residual stress-free, thin-walled tube consisting of an elastin dominated matrix with embedded collagen fibers. To validate the in vivo parameter identification method, in silico arteries in the form of finite element models are created using published data for the human abdominal aorta. With these in silico arteries which serve as mock experiments with pre-defined material parameters and boundary conditions, in vivo-like pressure-radius data sets are generated. The mechanical properties of the in silico arteries are then determined using the proposed parameter identification method. By comparing the identified and the pre-defined parameters, the identification method is quantitatively validated and it is shown that the parameters agree well for healthy arteries. Furthermore, the identified parameters are used to compare the stress state in the arterial model and in the in silico arteries. The stress state is thereby decomposed into an isotropic and an anisotropic component which are primarily associated with the elastin dominated matrix and the collagen fibers, respectively. The comparison of the decomposed stress states shows a close agreement for arteries exhibiting a physiological stress gradient. Another important aspect is the identification of parameters by solving a non-convex minimization problem. The non-convexity of the problem implies that incorrect parameter values, corresponding to local minima, may be found when common gradient-based solution techniques are employed. A problem-specific global algorithm based on the branch-and-bound method is, therefore, created which ensures that the global minimum and accordingly the correct parameters are obtained. It turns out that the gradient-based solution technique identifies the correct parameters if certain requirements are met, among others the use of the heuristic multi-start method. In a last step, the in vivo parameter identification method is extended to also identify parameters related to smooth muscle contraction. To prevent an overparameterization caused by the increased number of model parameters, the model is simultaneously fit to clinical data measured during three different arterial conditions: basal; constricted; and dilated. Despite the simple contraction model the extended method fits the clinical data well. Finally, in this dissertation it is shown that the proposed in vivo parameter identification method identifies the mechanical properties of arteries well. An open question for future research is how this method can be applied in a clinical setting to facilitate cardiovascular disease diagnostization, treatment and monitoring.

Book Biomechanics of Soft Tissue in Cardiovascular Systems

Download or read book Biomechanics of Soft Tissue in Cardiovascular Systems written by Gerhard A. Holzapfel and published by Springer. This book was released on 2014-05-04 with total page 348 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The book is written by leading experts in the field presenting an up-to-date view of the subject matter in a didactically sound manner. It presents a review of the current knowledge of the behaviour of soft tissues in the cardiovascular system under mechanical loads, and the importance of constitutive laws in understanding the underlying mechanics is highlighted. Cells are also described together with arteries, tendons and ligaments, heart, and other biological tissues of current research interest in biomechanics. This includes experimental, continuum mechanical and computational perspectives, with the emphasis on nonlinear behaviour, and the simulation of mechanical procedures such as balloon angioplasty.

Book Mechanical Properties of Arteries

    Book Details:
  • Author : Jan-Lucas Gade
  • Publisher : Linköping University Electronic Press
  • Release : 2019-08-29
  • ISBN : 9176850110
  • Pages : 38 pages

Download or read book Mechanical Properties of Arteries written by Jan-Lucas Gade and published by Linköping University Electronic Press. This book was released on 2019-08-29 with total page 38 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this Licentiate of Engineering thesis, a method is proposed that identi?es the mechanical properties of arteries in vivo. The mechanical properties of an artery are linked to the development of cardiovascular diseases. The possibility to identify the mechanical properties of an artery inside the human body could, thus, facilitate disease diagnostization, treatment and monitoring. Supplied with information obtainable in the clinic, typically limited to time- resolved pressure-radius measurement pairs, the proposed in vivo parameter identi- ?cation method calculates six representative parameters by solving a minimization problem. The artery is treated as a homogeneous, incompressible, residual stress- free, thin-walled tube consisting of an elastin dominated matrix with embedded collagen ?bers referred to as the constitutive membrane model. To validate the in vivo parameter identi?cation method, in silico arteries in the form of ?nite element models are created using published data for the human abdominal aorta. With these in silico arteries which serve as mock experiments with pre-de?ned material parameters and boundary conditions, in vivo-like pressure-radius data sets are generated. The mechanical properties of the in silico arteries are then determined using the proposed parameter identi?cation method. By comparing the identi?ed and the pre-de?ned parameters, the identi?cation method is quantitatively validated. The parameters for the radius of the stress-free state and the material constant associated with elastin show high agreement in case of healthy arteries. Larger di?erences are obtained for the material constants associated with collagen, and the largest discrepancy occurs for the in situ axial prestretch. For arteries with a pathologically small elastin content, incorrect parameters are identi?ed but the presence of a diseased artery is revealed by the parameter identi?cation method. Furthermore, the identi?ed parameters are used in the constitutive membrane model to predict the stress state of the artery in question. The stress state is thereby decomposed into an isotropic and an anisotropic component which are primarily associated with the elastin dominated matrix and the collagen ?bers, respectively. In order to assess the accuracy of the predicted stress, it is compared to the known stress state of the in silico arteries. The comparison of the predicted and the in silico decomposed stress states show a close agreement for arteries exhibiting a low transmural stress gradient. With increasing transmural stress gradient the agreement deteriorates. The proposed in vivo parameter identi?cation method is capable of identifying adequate parameters and predicting the decomposed stress state reasonably well for healthy human abdominal aortas from in vivo-like data. In diesem Lizentiat der Ingenieurwissenschaften wird eine Methode zur Identifikation der mechanischen Eigenschaften von Arterien in vivo vorgestellt. Die mechanischen Eigenschaften einer Arterie sind mit der Ausbildung kardiovaskulärer Krankheiten verknüpft und deren Identifikation hat daher das Potenzial die Diagnose, die Behandlung und die Überwachung dieser Krankheiten zu verbessern. Basierend auf klinisch möglichen Messungen, die üblicherweise auf ein zeitaufgelöstes Druck-Radiussignal limitiert sind, werden sechs repräsentative Parameter durch Lösen eines Minimierungsproblems berechnet. Die sechs Parameter sind dabei die Eingangsparameter des zur Hilfe gezogenen konstitutiven Schalenmodells welches eine Arterie als eine homogene, inkompressible, restspannungsfreie und dünnwandige Röhre beschreibt. Weiterhin wird angenommen, dass die Arterienwand aus einer elastindominierten Matrix mit eingebetteten Kollagenfasern besteht. Um die in vivo Parameteridentifikationsmethode zu validieren, werden in silico Arterien in Form von Finite Elemente Modellen erstellt. Diese in silico Arterien beruhen auf publizierten Materialparametern der menschlichen Abdominalaorta und dienen als Pseudoexperimente mit vordefinierten mechanischen Eigenschaften und Randbedingungen. Mit diesen Arterien werden in vivo-ähnliche Druck-Radiussignale erstellt und anschliesend werden ihre mechanischen Eigenschaften mit Hilfe der Parameteridentifikationsmethode bestimmt. Der Vergleich der identifizierten und der vordefinierten Parameter ermöglicht die quantitative Validierung der Methode. Die Parameter des spannungsfreien Radius und der Materialkonstanten für Elastin weisen hohe Übereinstummung im Falle gesunder Arterien auf. Die Abweichung der Materialkonstanten für Kollagen sind etwas gröser und der gröste Unterschied tritt beim axialen in situ Stretch auf. Für Arterien mit einem pathologisch geringen Elastinbestandteil werden falsche Parameter identifiziert, wobei die Parameteridentifikationsmethode eine krankhafte Arterie offenlegt. Weiterhin werden mit Hilfe der identifizierten Parameter und des konstitutiven Schalenmodells der Spannungszustand in der Arterienwand berechnet. Dieser ist dabei aufgeteilt in einen isotropen und einen anisotropen Anteil. Der isotrope Anteil wird mit der elastindomierten Matrix und der anisotrope Anteil mit den Kollagenfasern verknüpft. Um die Genauigkeit des berechneten Spannungszustandes beurteilen zu können, wird dieser mit dem Zustand in den in silico Arterien verglichen. Im Fall von Arterien, die einen geringen transmuralen Spannungsgradienten aufweisen, entspricht der berechnete Spannungszustand dem in silico Zustand. Mit zunehmendem transmuralen Spannungsgradienten lässt die Übereinstimmung nach. Für die gesunde menschliche Abdominalaorta ist die entwickelte in vivo Parameteridentifikationsmethode in der Lage, basierend auf in vivo-ähnlichen Messsignalen, adäquate Parameter zu identifizieren und einen zufriedenstellenden Spannungszustand zu berechnen. I denna licentiatavhandling föreslås en metod för att identifiera mekaniska egenskaper hos artärer in vivo. De mekaniska egenskaperna är kopplade till utvecklingen av hjärt-kärlsjukdomar, och möjligheten att identifiera dessa egenskaper skulle således kunna underlätta diagnostisering, behandling och uppföljning av dessa sjukdomar. Den förslagna metoden använder kliniskt mätbara tryck-radie-signaler och löser ett minimeringsproblem för att bestämma sex parametrar som beskriver kärlets mekaniska egenskaper. Artären modelleras som ett homogent, inkompressibelt och spänningsfritt tunnväggigt rör där kärlväggen utgörs av en elastindominerad matris armerad med inbäddade kollagenfibrer. För att validera parameteridentifieringen skapas en uppsättning representativa, virtuella artärer med hjälp av finita element. Dessa in silico-artärer baseras på publicerade data för mänsklig bukaorta och används för att generera fiktiva tryckradie-signaler vilka sedan matas in i den förslagna modellen. Genom att parametrar och randvillkor för in silico-artärerna är kända fungerar dessa som en kontroll mot vilka resultatet från parameteridentifieringen kan jämföras. Parametrarna som beskriver den icke trycksatta radien och den elastindominerade matrisen visar god överensstämmelse med de in silico-artärerna för friska kärl. Större diskrepans erhålls för de parametrar som associeras med kollagenet, och den största avvikelsen erhålls för den parameter som beskriver den axiella försträckningen. För artärer med patologiskt lågt elastininnehåll identifieras felaktiga parametrar, men resultatet avslöjar ändå tydligt en sjuk artär. De identifierade parametrarna har också använts för att jämföra spänningstillst åndet i membranmodellen och in silico-artäreren. Spänningstillståndet har delats upp i en isotrop och en anisotrop komponent svarande mot, i huvudsak, den elastindominerade matrisen samt kollagenfibrerna. Resultatet visar en mycket god överensstämmelse för bägge komponenterna hos in silico-artärer med låg spänningsgradient genom väggen. Med ökande spänningsgradient försämras dock överensstämmelsen. Resultatet visar att den förslagna metoden är kapabel att identifiera adekvata parametrar och att förutsäga spänningskomponenterna i en frisk aorta.

Book Vascular Mechanics and Pathology

Download or read book Vascular Mechanics and Pathology written by Mano J. Thubrikar and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2007-01-06 with total page 515 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The purpose of the book is to bring the two disciplines - vascular mechanics and pathology - together. In addition, the book bridges the gap in our knowledge and enhances engineering applications in medicine. This cutting-edge work presents the use of veins as arterial grafts and discusses the role of vein valves in graft stenosis. The book illustrates aneurysm formation, growth, and rupture, using pressure vessel principles. This new work details the investigation of, amongst other topics, aortic dissection, showing for the first time that the aortic root mechanics plays a vital role in the development of this pathology.

Book Cardiovascular Fluid Mechanics

Download or read book Cardiovascular Fluid Mechanics written by Gianni Pedrizzetti and published by Springer. This book was released on 2014-05-04 with total page 277 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The book presents the state of the art in the interdisciplinary field of fluid mechanics applied to cardiovascular modelling. It is neither a monograph nor a collection of research papers, rather an extended review in the field. It is arranged in 4 scientific chapters each presenting thoroughly the approach of a leading research team; two additional chapters prepared by biomedical scientists present the topic by the applied perspective. A unique feature is a substantial (approx. one fourth of the book) medical introductory part, written by clinical researchers for scientific readers, that would require a large effort to be collected otherwise.

Book Flow Dependent Regulation of Vascular Function

Download or read book Flow Dependent Regulation of Vascular Function written by John A Bevan and published by Springer. This book was released on 2013-05-27 with total page 376 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Exactly sixty years ago Schretzenmayer provided the first experimental proof that changes in blood ftow can affect the diameter oflarge arteries. Since then, support has been growing for the idea that intraluminal blood ftow plays an important role in regulating not only the tone of blood vessels, but also their caliber and structure. Investigations of the&e phenomena have been given a strong impetus by the discovery that the endothelium can modulate the tone of underlying vascular smooth muscle via the release of a number of vasoactive substances. Investigators often diverge in their opinions regarding the nature of the vascular wall response to blood ftow and the mechanisms involved. This book is the first summary of our state of knowledge and the nature of the research carried out on ftow-related changes. Early chapters review involvement of shear-stress-dependent events in the circulation as a whole. They cover the biophysical principles of ftuid transport, the cellular signal transduction path ways, and the molecular biology and biochemistry of ftow-induced changes in endothelial cells. Later chapters provide an in-depth summary of the regula tion of vascular muscle tone by ftow. They include historical perspectives, evi dence that ftow-induced vasodilation is primarily endothelium-dependent and that it can induce constriction, and details on ftow-dependent regulation in regional vascular beds. Several chapters emphasize the endothelial activation by shear stress and its importance in the control offtow in the microcirculation.

Book Cardiovascular Soft Tissue Mechanics

Download or read book Cardiovascular Soft Tissue Mechanics written by Stephen C. Cowin and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2007-05-08 with total page 252 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This special volume of the Journal of Elasticity represents the first in a new p- gram dedicated to the occasional publication of collections of invited, reviewed papers of topical interest. The purpose of this program is to spotlight the dev- opments and applications in the mechanics of materials within specific areas that can enhance growth and provide insight for the advancement of the field as well as promote fundamental understanding and basic discovery. Soft Tissue Mechanics is an area of biomechanics that draws heavily upon f- damental ideas and material models from nonlinear elasticity and viscoelasticity. A major goal of this research is to understand those mechanics properties of heart, artery, collagen and skeletal muscle tissue that can be used for the diagnosis of health problems and the improvement of human life. This volume illustrates how experiment, modeling and computation is currently employed in this emerging field. May 2001 ROGER FOSDICK Editor-in-Chief Journal of Elasticity 61: ix–xii, 2000. ix Preface There are two primary areas for the application of elasticity in the biomechanics of tissues: hard tissue mechanics (e.g., bone, teeth, horns, etc.) and soft tissue - chanics (e.g., skin, tendons, arteries, etc.). The distinguishing feature between these tissue types is the amount of physiological “normal” deformation they experience. While “hard” tissues only experience small deformations, soft tissues typically experience large deformations. From a biomechanics viewpoint soft tissues fall within the realm of finite elasticity.