Skip to main content

Research Repository

Advanced Search

All Outputs (136)

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.

Validating a voxel-based finite element model of a human mandible using digital speckle pattern interferometry (2009)
Journal Article
Gröning, F., Liu, J., Fagan, M. J., & O'Higgins, P. (2009). Validating a voxel-based finite element model of a human mandible using digital speckle pattern interferometry. Journal of biomechanics, 42(9), 1224-1229. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbiomech.2009.03.025

Finite element analysis is a powerful tool for predicting the mechanical behaviour of complex biological structures like bones, but to be confident in the results of an analysis, the model should be validated against experimental data. In such valida... Read More about Validating a voxel-based finite element model of a human mandible using digital speckle pattern interferometry.

γ-Secretase-dependent cleavage of amyloid precursor protein regulates osteoblast behavior (2009)
Journal Article
McLeod, J., Curtis, N., Lewis, H. D., Good, M. A., Fagan, M. J., & Genever, P. G. (2009). γ-Secretase-dependent cleavage of amyloid precursor protein regulates osteoblast behavior. FASEB Journal, 23(9), 2942-2955. https://doi.org/10.1096/fj.08-121657

gamma-Secretase cleaves amyloid precursor protein (APP) to generate amyloid-beta (A beta) peptides, which aggregate in the brain in Alzheimer's disease (AD). gamma-Secretase also cleaves molecules that regulate osteoblast activity, such as Notch and... Read More about γ-Secretase-dependent cleavage of amyloid precursor protein regulates osteoblast behavior.

Assessment of the role of sutures in a lizard skull: a computer modelling study (2009)
Journal Article
Moazen, M., Curtis, N., O'Higgins, P., Jones, M. E., Evans, S. E., & Fagan, M. J. (2009). Assessment of the role of sutures in a lizard skull: a computer modelling study. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 276(1654), 39-46. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2008.0863

Sutures form an integral part of the functioning skull, but their role has long been debated among vertebrate morphologists and palaeontologists. Furthermore, the relationship between typical skull sutures, and those involved in cranial kinesis, is p... Read More about Assessment of the role of sutures in a lizard skull: a computer modelling study.

Masticatory loading and bone adaptation in the supraorbital torus of developing macaques (2008)
Journal Article
Kupczik, K., Dobson, C. A., Crompton, R. H., Phillips, R., Oxnard, C. E., Fagan, M. J., & O'Higgins, P. (2009). Masticatory loading and bone adaptation in the supraorbital torus of developing macaques. American journal of physical anthropology, 139(2), 193-203. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajpa.20972

Research on the evolution and adaptive significance of primate craniofacial morphologies has focused on adult, fully developed individuals. Here, we investigate the possible relationship between the local stress environment arising from masticatory l... Read More about Masticatory loading and bone adaptation in the supraorbital torus of developing macaques.

Combined finite element and multibody dynamics analysis of biting in aUromastyx hardwickiilizard skull (2008)
Journal Article
Moazen, M., Curtis, N., Evans, S. E., O’Higgins, P., & Fagan, M. J. (2008). Combined finite element and multibody dynamics analysis of biting in aUromastyx hardwickiilizard skull. Journal of anatomy, 213(5), 499-508. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-7580.2008.00980.x

Lizard skulls vary greatly in shape and construction, and radical changes in skull form during evolution have made this an intriguing subject of research. The mechanics of feeding have surely been affected by this change in skull form, but whether th... Read More about Combined finite element and multibody dynamics analysis of biting in aUromastyx hardwickiilizard skull.

A new approach to amino acid racemization in enamel: testing of a less destructive sampling methodology (2008)
Journal Article
Griffin, R. C., Moody, H., Penkman, K. E. H., Fagan, M. J., Curtis, N., & Collins, M. J. (2008). A new approach to amino acid racemization in enamel: testing of a less destructive sampling methodology. Journal of Forensic Sciences, 53(4), 910-916. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1556-4029.2008.00753.x

Aspartic acid racemization has been found to be an accurate measure of age at death for recent forensic material. This paper examines the practicality of using acid etching of the tooth surface to extract amino acids from the enamel for racemization... Read More about A new approach to amino acid racemization in enamel: testing of a less destructive sampling methodology.

Predicting skull loading: applying multibody dynamics analysis to a macaque skull (2008)
Journal Article
Curtis, N., Kupczik, K., O'Higgins, P., Moazen, M., & Fagan, M. (2008). Predicting skull loading: applying multibody dynamics analysis to a macaque skull. Anatomical Record: Advances in Integrative Anatomy and Evolutionary Biology, 291(5), 491-501. https://doi.org/10.1002/ar.20689

Evaluating stress and strain fields in anatomical structures is a way to test hypotheses that relate specific features of facial and skeletal morphology to mechanical loading. Engineering techniques such as finite element analysis are now commonly us... Read More about Predicting skull loading: applying multibody dynamics analysis to a macaque skull.

Rigid-body analysis of a lizard skull: modelling the skull of Uromastyx hardwickii (2008)
Journal Article
Moazen, M., Curtis, N., Evans, S. E., O'Higgins, P., & Fagan, M. J. (2008). Rigid-body analysis of a lizard skull: modelling the skull of Uromastyx hardwickii. Journal of biomechanics, 41(6), 1274-1280. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbiomech.2008.01.012

Lizard skulls vary greatly in their detailed morphology. Theoretical models and practical studies have posited a definite relationship between skull morphology and bite performance, but this can be difficult to demonstrate in vivo. Computer modelling... Read More about Rigid-body analysis of a lizard skull: modelling the skull of Uromastyx hardwickii.

Accurate quantification of the influence of benthic macro- and meio-fauna on the geometric properties of estuarine muds by micro computer tomography (2007)
Journal Article
Mazik, K., Curtis, N., Fagan, M. J., Taft, S., & Elliott, M. (2008). Accurate quantification of the influence of benthic macro- and meio-fauna on the geometric properties of estuarine muds by micro computer tomography. Journal of experimental marine biology and ecology, 354(2), 192-201. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jembe.2007.11.006

This paper describes the novel application of high resolution micro computer tomography (microCT) to the quantification of the properties of marine biogenic structures. CT scanning has been used to examine sediments in the past but the resolution of... Read More about Accurate quantification of the influence of benthic macro- and meio-fauna on the geometric properties of estuarine muds by micro computer tomography.

Peak wall stress measurement in elective and acute abdominal aortic aneurysms (2007)
Journal Article
Heng, M. S., Fagan, M. J., Collier, J. W., Desai, G., McCollum, P. T., & Chetter, I. C. (2008). Peak wall stress measurement in elective and acute abdominal aortic aneurysms. Journal of vascular surgery, 47(1), 17-22. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvs.2007.09.002

Background: Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) rupture occurs when wall stress exceeds wall strength. Engineering principles suggest that aneurysm diameter is only one aspect of its geometry that influences wall stress. Finite element analysis considers... Read More about Peak wall stress measurement in elective and acute abdominal aortic aneurysms.