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The role of type I collagen heterotrimers and homotrimers in mechanical strength and collagen cleavage
(Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2014)
Collagen is a crucial structural protein, formed through a hierarchical assembly of molecules, arranged in collagen fibrils, which constitutes the basis for larger-scale fibers. Normal type I collagen is a heterotrimer ...
Dynamic processes on complex networks : from disease spreading to neural activity
(Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2014)
The study of dynamic processes that take place on heterogeneous networks is essential to better understand, forecast, and manage human activities in an increasingly connected world. In this Thesis, we elucidate the role ...
Multiscale modeling of clay-water systems
(Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2014)
The engineering properties of soils are highly affected by clay content and clay-water interactions. However, existing macro-scale continuum models have no length scale to describe the evolution of the clay microstructure ...
Mechanical behavior of elastic rods under constraint
(Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2014)
We present the results of an experimental investigation of the mechanics of thin elastic rods under a variety of loading conditions. Four scenarios are explored, with increasing complexity: i) the shape of a naturally ...
The eco-evolutionary dynamics of extrachromosomal elements in environmental vibrio
(Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2014)
Plasmids and other extrachromosomal elements (ECEs) are recognized as key factors mediating horizontal gene transfer; however, their diversity and dynamics among ecologically structured host populations in the wild remains ...
Demographics of lytic viral infection of coastal ocean vibrio
(Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2014)
Viral predation on bacteria in the ocean liberates carbon from the particulate fraction, where it is accessible to higher trophic levels, and redirects it to the dissolved fraction, where it supports microbial growth. ...
Host/virus interactions in the marine cyanobacterium prochlorococcus
(Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2014)
Bacterial viruses shape the diversity, metabolic function, and community dynamics of their microbial hosts. As microbes drive many major biogeochemical cycles, viral infection is therefore a phenomenon of global significance. ...
Numerical and analytical studies of single and multiphase starting jets and plumes
(Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2014)
Multiphase starting jets and plumes are widely observed in nature and engineering systems. An environmental engineering example is open-water disposal of sediments. The present study numerically simulates such starting ...
The dynamics of surface detachment and quorum sensing in spatially controlled biofilm colonies of Pseudomonas aeruginosa
(Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2014)
Biofilms represent a highly successful life strategy of bacteria in a very broad range of environments and often have negative implications for industrial and clinical applications, as their removal from surfaces and the ...
Flow through porous media : from mixing of fluids to triggering of earthquakes
(Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2014)
Enhanced oil recovery by displacing oil with solvents such as carbon dioxide requires development of miscibility between the two fluids to maximize the displacement efficiency. Prevention of inadvertent triggering of ...