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Functional relationship between skull form and feeding mechanics in Sphenodon, and implications for diapsid skull development (2011)
Journal Article
Curtis, N., Jones, M. E. H., Shi, J., O'Higgins, P., Evans, S. E., & Fagan, M. J. (2011). Functional relationship between skull form and feeding mechanics in Sphenodon, and implications for diapsid skull development. PLoS ONE, 6(12), Article ARTN e29804. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0029804

The vertebrate skull evolved to protect the brain and sense organs, but with the appearance of jaws and associated forces there was a remarkable structural diversification. This suggests that the evolution of skull form may be linked to these forces,... Read More about Functional relationship between skull form and feeding mechanics in Sphenodon, and implications for diapsid skull development.

The Mechanical Significance of the Temporal Fasciae in Macaca fascicularis: An Investigation Using Finite Element Analysis (2011)
Journal Article
Curtis, N., Witzel, U., Fitton, L., O'Higgins, P., & Fagan, M. (2011). The Mechanical Significance of the Temporal Fasciae in Macaca fascicularis: An Investigation Using Finite Element Analysis. Anatomical Record: Advances in Integrative Anatomy and Evolutionary Biology, 294(7), 1178-1190. https://doi.org/10.1002/ar.21415

Computational finite element analyses (FEAs) of the skull predict structural deformations under user specified loads and constraints, with results normally presented as stress and strain distributions over the skull's surface. The applied loads are g... Read More about The Mechanical Significance of the Temporal Fasciae in Macaca fascicularis: An Investigation Using Finite Element Analysis.

The application of muscle wrapping to voxel-based finite element models of skeletal structures (2011)
Journal Article
Liu, J., Shi, J., Fitton, L. C., Phillips, R., O'Higgins, P., & Fagan, M. J. (2012). The application of muscle wrapping to voxel-based finite element models of skeletal structures. Biomechanics and Modeling in Mechanobiology, 11(1-2), 35-47. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10237-011-0291-5

Finite elements analysis (FEA) is now used routinely to interpret skeletal form in terms of function in both medical and biological applications. To produce accurate predictions from FEA models, it is essential that the loading due to muscle action i... Read More about The application of muscle wrapping to voxel-based finite element models of skeletal structures.

Combining geometric morphometrics and functional simulation: an emerging toolkit for virtual functional analyses (2010)
Journal Article
O'Higgins, P., Cobb, S. N., Fitton, L. C., Gröning, F., Phillips, R., Liu, J., & Fagan, M. J. (2011). Combining geometric morphometrics and functional simulation: an emerging toolkit for virtual functional analyses. Journal of anatomy, 218(1), 3-15. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-7580.2010.01301.x

The development of virtual methods for anatomical reconstruction and functional simulation of skeletal structures offers great promise in evolutionary and ontogenetic investigations of form-function relationships. Key developments reviewed here inclu... Read More about Combining geometric morphometrics and functional simulation: an emerging toolkit for virtual functional analyses.

Feedback control from the jaw joints during biting: An investigation of the reptile Sphenodon using multibody modelling (2010)
Journal Article
Curtis, N., Jones, M. E. H., Evans, S., Evans, S. E., O'Higgins, P., & Fagan, M. J. (2010). Feedback control from the jaw joints during biting: An investigation of the reptile Sphenodon using multibody modelling. Journal of biomechanics, 43(16), 3132-3137. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbiomech.2010.08.001

Sphenodon, a lizard-like reptile, is the only living representative of a group that was once widespread at the time of the dinosaurs. Unique jaw mechanics incorporate crushing and shearing motions to breakdown food, but during this process excessive... Read More about Feedback control from the jaw joints during biting: An investigation of the reptile Sphenodon using multibody modelling.

Modeling of intraband absorption for quantum dot-in-well structures with low computational cost (2010)
Journal Article
Hong, B. H., Rybchenko, S. I., Itskevich, I. E., Haywood, S. K., Tan, C. H., Vines, P., & Hugues, M. (2010). Modeling of intraband absorption for quantum dot-in-well structures with low computational cost. Journal of Physics: Conference Series, 242(1), Article 012013. https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/242/1/012013

Much effort has been committed to development of quantum-dot-based infrared photodetectors owing to their potential for normal-incidence absorption and low dark current.Quantum-dot-in-well structures offer additional advantages, such as better wavele... Read More about Modeling of intraband absorption for quantum dot-in-well structures with low computational cost.

Comparison between in vivo and theoretical bite performance: Using multi-body modelling to predict muscle and bite forces in a reptile skull (2010)
Journal Article
Curtis, N., Jones, M. E. H., Lappin, A. K., O'Higgins, P., Evans, S. E., & Fagan, M. J. (2010). Comparison between in vivo and theoretical bite performance: Using multi-body modelling to predict muscle and bite forces in a reptile skull. Journal of biomechanics, 43(14), 2804-2809. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbiomech.2010.05.037

In biomechanical investigations, geometrically accurate computer models of anatomical structures can be created readily using computed-tomography scan images. However, representation of soft tissue structures is more challenging, relying on approxima... Read More about Comparison between in vivo and theoretical bite performance: Using multi-body modelling to predict muscle and bite forces in a reptile skull.

Visualising muscle anatomy using three-dimensional computer models - an example using the head and neck muscles of Sphenodon (2009)
Journal Article
Curtis, N., Jones, M. E., Evans, S. E., O'Higgins, P., & Fagan, M. J. (2009). Visualising muscle anatomy using three-dimensional computer models - an example using the head and neck muscles of Sphenodon. Palaeontologia electronica, 12(3), Article 12.3.7T

We demonstrate how the computer-based technique of multi-body dynamics analysis (MDA) can be used to create schematic, but informative three-dimensional (3D) representations of complex muscle anatomy. As an example we provide an overview of the head... Read More about Visualising muscle anatomy using three-dimensional computer models - an example using the head and neck muscles of Sphenodon.

Predicting muscle activation patterns from motion and anatomy: modelling the skull of Sphenodon (Diapsida: Rhynchocephalia) (2009)
Journal Article
Curtis, N., Jones, M. E., Evans, S. E., Shi, J., O'Higgins, P., & Fagan, M. J. (2010). Predicting muscle activation patterns from motion and anatomy: modelling the skull of Sphenodon (Diapsida: Rhynchocephalia). Journal of the Royal Society interface / the Royal Society, 7(42), 153-160. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsif.2009.0139

The relationship between skull shape and the forces generated during feeding is currently under widespread scrutiny and increasingly involves the use of computer simulations such as finite element analysis. The computer models used to represent skull... Read More about Predicting muscle activation patterns from motion and anatomy: modelling the skull of Sphenodon (Diapsida: Rhynchocephalia).

Biomechanical assessment of evolutionary changes in the lepidosaurian skull (2009)
Journal Article
Moazen, M., Curtis, N., O'Higgins, P., Evans, S. E., & Fagan, M. J. (2009). Biomechanical assessment of evolutionary changes in the lepidosaurian skull. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 106(20), 8273-8277. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0813156106

The lepidosaurian skull has long been of interest to functional morphologists and evolutionary biologists. Patterns of bone loss and gain, particularly in relation to bars and fenestrae, have led to a variety of hypotheses concerning skull use and ki... Read More about Biomechanical assessment of evolutionary changes in the lepidosaurian skull.