Hair cells are transducers found found in the inner ear of vertebrates. They convert a mechanical signal, detected by the deflection of a bundle of cilia extending from their top surface, into an electrochemical signal. This dissertation studies the mechanical influence of the structure and materials on the function of the cells.
I introduce two methods to conduct the mechanical analysis. The first uses strength of materials formulae to solve the simplified hair cell bundle models. The second is a finite element analysis, used to better account for the observed complexity of the structure.
I then use these two techniques to build a fundamental understanding of the hair cell bundle structure. By first studying simplified models, then adding complexity, the effects of geometric and material variation can be deduced.
I then study three actual bundles. These are all taken from vestibular organs of turtles, two from the posterior semicircular canal and one from the utricle. I present estimations of stiffness, tip link tensions, and nonlinear response.
Finally, I investigate a single cilium forced by a fluid flow. The problem is solved by finite difference technique. Three different initial conditions are solved. / Ph. D.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:VTETD/oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/30417 |
| Date | 27 April 1998 |
| Creators | Cotton, John R. |
| Contributors | Engineering Science and Mechanics, Grant, John Wallace, Batra, Romesh C., Inman, Daniel J., Peterson, Ellengene H., Ragab, Saad A. |
| Publisher | Virginia Tech |
| Source Sets | Virginia Tech Theses and Dissertation |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Dissertation |
| Format | application/pdf, application/pdf, application/pdf, application/pdf, application/pdf, application/pdf, application/pdf, application/pdf, application/pdf, application/pdf, application/pdf, application/pdf |
| Rights | In Copyright, http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ |
| Relation | COVER.PDF, CHP1.PDF, CHP2.PDF, CHP3.PDF, CHP4.PDF, CHP5.PDF, BIB.PDF, APP_A.PDF, APP_B.PDF, APP_C.PDF, APP_D.PDF, Vita.pdf |
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