The cells and tissues that make up our body manage contradictory mechanical demands. It
is crucial for their survival to be able to withstand large mechanical loads, but it is equally …

Viscoelastic stress relaxation is a basic characteristic of soft matter systems such as colloids,
gels, and biological networks. Although the Maxwell model of linear viscoelasticity provides …

The present work focuses on geometrically exact finite elements for highly slender beams. It
aims at the proposal of novel formulations of Kirchhoff–Love type, a detailed review of …

We describe a multiscale model that incorporates force-dependent mechanical plasticity
induced by interfiber cross-link breakage and stiffness-dependent cellular contractility to …

Living soft tissues appear to promote the development and maintenance of a preferred
mechanical state within a defined tolerance around a so-called set point. This phenomenon …

Existing beam contact formulations can be categorized in point-to-point contact models that
consider a discrete contact force at the closest point of the beams, and line-to-line contact …

The objective of this work is the development of a novel finite element formulation describing
the contact interaction of slender beams in complex 3D configurations involving arbitrary …

Dynamically cross-linked semiflexible biopolymers such as the actin cytoskeleton govern the
mechanical behavior of living cells. Semiflexible biopolymers nonlinearly stiffen in response …

Living systems provide a paradigmatic example of active soft matter. Cells and tissues
comprise viscoelastic materials that exert forces and can actively change shape. This …

Molecular catch bonds are ubiquitous in biology and essential for processes like leucocyte
extravasion and cellular mechanosensing. Unlike normal (slip) bonds, catch bonds …