Xue-Qian Fang^1,2, Xiao-Hua Wang¹, Le-Le Zhang³

CMC-Computers, Materials & Continua, Vol.16, No.3, pp. 229-246, 2010, DOI:10.3970/cmc.2010.016.229

Abstract In the design of advanced micro- and nanosized materials and devices containing inclusions, the effects of surfaces/interfaces on the stress concentration become prominent. In this paper, based on the surface/interface elasticity theory, a two-dimensional problem of an elliptical nano-inhomogeneity under anti-plane shear waves is considered. The conformal mapping method is then applied to solve the formulated boundary value problem. The analytical solutions of displacement fields are expressed by employing wave function expansion method, the expanded mode coefficients are determined by satisfying the boundary conditions at the interfaces of the nano-inhomogeneity. Analyses show that the effect More >

M. Vogler¹, G. Ernst¹, R. Rolfes¹

CMC-Computers, Materials & Continua, Vol.16, No.1, pp. 25-50, 2010, DOI:10.3970/cmc.2010.016.025

Abstract In this article, a constitutive formulation of a transversely-isotropic material and failure model for fiber-reinforced polymers is presented comprising pre-failure material nonlinearities, a novel invariant based quadratic failure criterion (IQC) as well as post failure material softening. The failure surface of the IQ criterion is assumed to take the influence of triaxiality on fracture into account. Further, a distinction between fiber failure and inter-fiber failure is conducted. Material softening is governed by a fracture energy formulation and the introduction of an internal length. The constitutive model is implemented into a programming user interface of the More >

J. Sladek¹, V. Sladek¹, P. Stanak¹, Ch. Zhang²

CMC-Computers, Materials & Continua, Vol.15, No.1, pp. 1-26, 2010, DOI:10.3970/cmc.2010.015.001

Abstract A meshless local Petrov-Galerkin (MLPG) method is applied to solve laminate plate problems described by the Reissner-Mindlin theory. Both stationary and transient dynamic loads are analyzed here. The bending moment and the shear force expressions are obtained by integration through the laminated plate for the considered constitutive equations in each lamina. The Reissner-Mindlin theory reduces the original three-dimensional (3-D) thick plate problem to a two-dimensional (2-D) problem. Nodal points are randomly distributed over the mean surface of the considered plate. Each node is the center of a circle surrounding this node. The weak-form on small More >

ANNIE JOUBERT^1*, HERMIA VAN ZYL¹, JOHANNES LAURENS², MONA-LIZA LOTTERING¹

BIOCELL, Vol.33, No.3, pp. 137-140, 2009, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2009.33.137

Abstract C2- and C4-position 17β-estradiol metabolites play an important role in breast carcinogenesis. 2-Hydroxyestradiol and 4-hydroxyestradiol are implicated in tumorigenesis via two pathways. These pathways entail increased cell proliferation and the formation of reactive oxygen species that trigger an increase in the likelihood of deoxyribonucleic acid mutations.
2-Methoxyestradiol, a 17β-estradiol metabolite, however, causes induction of apoptosis in transformed and tumor cells; thus exhibiting an antiproliferative effect on tumor growth. The 4-hydroxyestradiol:2- methoxyestradiol and 2-hydroxyestradiol:2-methoxyestradiolratios therefore ought to be taken into account as possible indicators of carcinogenesis. More >

VÍCTOR PANZA^1,2, DARIO PIGHIN³, VERÓNICA LÁINEZ², RICARDO J. POLLERO⁴, SARA MALDONADO^1,2,*

BIOCELL, Vol.33, No.2, pp. 99-106, 2009, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2009.33.099

Abstract Comparative studies on fatty acid and protein composition of the endosperm and embryo of palmito (Euterpe edulis Martius) were conducted using gas-liquid chromatography and sodium dodecyl sulfate–polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. On a dry weight basis, the embryo contained extremely lower amounts of lipids and proteins than did the endosperm, which was associated with the scarce lipid and protein bodies previously reported in axis and cotyledon. The fatty acid composition also exhibited differences between both tissues: (I) the fatty acid diversity was greater in embryo than in endosperm; (II) embryo and endosperm contained predominantly linoleic, palmitic, oleic and More >

ANNIE JOUBERT^1*, SUMARI MARAIS¹, CHRISTINE MARITZ²

BIOCELL, Vol.33, No.1, pp. 67-70, 2009, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2009.33.067

Abstract Proteins of the B-cell lymphoma 2 family are crucial for the regulation of apoptosis. B-cell lymphoma 2-associated X is a pro-apoptotic protein, while B-cell lymphoma 2 protein opposes apoptosis. The influence of 1 μM 2-methoxyestradiol was investigated on the expression levels of these two proteins in MCF-7 cells. 2-Methoxyestradiol exposure did not influence B-cell lymphoma 2 protein expression levels after 24 h of exposure. In contrast, B-cell lymphoma 2-associated X protein levels were significantly reduced. An improved differential interference contrasting technique revealed compromised cell density and the presence of a mitotic block in exposed cells. More >

ANDREA P. RODRIGUEZ, HIDETSUGU TSUJIGIWA, MEHMET GUNDUZ, BEYHAN CENGIZ, NORIYUKI NAGAI, RYO TAMAMURA, SILVIA S. BORKOSKY, TOHRU TAKAGI, MIHO INOUE, HITOSHI NAGATSUKA*

BIOCELL, Vol.33, No.1, pp. 39-47, 2009, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2009.33.039

Abstract Progenitor cells play an important biological role in tooth and bone formation, and previous analyses during bone and dentine induction have indicated that they may be a good alternative for tissue engineering. Thus, to clarify the influence of the microenvironment on protein and gene expression, MDPC23 cells (mouse dental papilla cell line) and KUSA/A1 cells (bone marrow stromal cell line) were used, both in vitro cell culture and in intra-abdominal diffusion chambers implanted in 4-week-old male immunodefficient mice (SCID mice). Our results indicate that KUSA/A1 cells differentiated into osteoblast-like cells and induced bone tissue inside the More >

Pincheira-Ulbrich¹ J, JR Rau², F Peña-Cortés¹

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.78, pp. 121-128, 2009, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2009.78.121

Abstract The size and shape of 10 native forest patches were related to tree and shrub species richness in the pre coastal mountain range in Osorno province, southern Chile. Four regression models were adjusted (lineal, logarithm, exponential, and power regression) between patch size (area = x) and tree and shrub species richness (y). Patch shape was quantified through three indexes (Patton diversity index, compactness index and fractal dimension) which were correlated with the tree and shrub richness. Results allowed to conclude that (1) species richness tends to increase significantly with patch size; this relationship was explained More >

Smitha Gopinath¹, J. Rajasankar^1,2, Nagesh R. Iyer¹, T. S. Krishnamoorthy¹, B.H.Bharatkumar¹, N. Lakshmanan¹

Structural Durability & Health Monitoring, Vol.5, No.4, pp. 311-336, 2009, DOI:10.3970/sdhm.2009.005.311

Abstract In this paper, a two-phase strain-based constitutive model is proposed for concrete under tension. First phase deals with modelling uncracked concrete while the behaviour of concrete in cracked condition is modelled in second phase with appropriate theoretical support. A bilinear tension softening curve of concrete defined in crack width-stress space is taken as the basis to propose the model. Smeared representation of reinforcement and cracks along with multi-layered geometry definition of reinforced concrete (RC) structures is used to implement the model. Through this, it is shown that change in the orientation of tensile cracks with… More >

Sitta Aroonnual Paisan Kanthang, Wannapong Triampo¹

The International Conference on Computational & Experimental Engineering and Sciences, Vol.13, No.3, pp. 53-54, 2009, DOI:10.3970/icces.2009.013.053

Abstract How does a cell successfully divide is one of very fundamental questions in biological and medical science especially concerning mechanism. With this regards, MinE proteins are very important for Escherichia coli cell division process because it supports FtsZ proteins to form at mid-cell which lead to cell division at that region. In this work, we quantitatively studied the physical properties of MinE protein clusters including pattern formations and dynamic motions using both theoretical and experimental approach. Experimentally, through the spot tracking technique (STT) and diffusion analysis, it was found that MinE globally performed oscillatory motion from… More >