S.R.K. Vedula¹, T.S. Lim², P.J. Kausalya³, W. Hunziker³, G. Rajagopal², C.T. Lim^1,4

Molecular & Cellular Biomechanics, Vol.2, No.3, pp. 105-124, 2005, DOI:10.3970/mcb.2005.002.105

Abstract Cell-cell adhesion is an extremely important phenomenon as it influences several biologically important processes such as inflammation, cell migration, proliferation, differentiation and even cancer metastasis. Furthermore, proteins involved in cell-cell adhesion are also important from the perspective of facilitating better drug delivery across epithelia. The adhesion forces imparted by proteins involved in cell-cell adhesion have been the focus of research for sometime. However, with the advent of nanotechnological techniques such as the atomic force microscopy (AFM), we can now quantitatively probe these adhesion forces not only at the cellular but also molecular level. Here, we More >

C. Tapp¹, W. Hansel, C. Mittelstedt, W. Becker²

CMES-Computer Modeling in Engineering & Sciences, Vol.5, No.6, pp. 563-574, 2004, DOI:10.3970/cmes.2004.005.563

Abstract A heuristic algorithm for the weight minimization of sandwich plates is presented. The method is based on a preexisting algorithm for the layerwise topology optimization of symmetric laminates under in-plane loads. The presented algorithm uses structural analyses based on finite elements and explicitly accounts for the special sandwich situation. During the optimization procedure the algorithm adds or subtracts material from the layers of the face sheets and the core of the sandwich plate in regions of high or low stresses respectively. The orientation angles of the layers of the sandwich facings are not varied inorder More >

Youssef F. Rashed¹

CMC-Computers, Materials & Continua, Vol.1, No.4, pp. 319-326, 2004, DOI:10.3970/cmc.2004.001.319

Abstract The present paper develops a new technique for treatment of self-weight for building slabs in the boundary element method (BEM). Due to the use of BEM in the analysis, all defined variables are presented on the slab boundary (mesh is defined only along the slab boundary). Self-weight, however, is usually defined over slab domain, hence domain discretisation is required, which spoils the main advantage of the BEM. In this paper a new method is presented to transform self-weight domain integrals to the boundary for such slabs. The proposed method is based on using the so-called More >

J. Qiu¹, T. Hayase¹, T. Okutani¹

CMC-Computers, Materials & Continua, Vol.1, No.4, pp. 301-308, 2004, DOI:10.3970/cmc.2004.001.301

Abstract In this study, three types of surface motion of wall motion actuators were proposed and used to control the Tollmien-Schlichting (T-S) wave in the laminar boundary layer of a plate. These three types of motion are standing transverse wave (with out-of-plane displacement), traveling transverse wave (with out-of-plane displacement) and standing longitudinal wave (with in-plane displacement). The length of a wall motion actuator was set to 1, 2 or 3 cycles of waveform. Numerical simulation was performed on the generation of T-S wave and its suppression with the three types of surface motion of the wall More >

Todd M. Webster, Ronald G. Gerridzen

Canadian Journal of Urology, Vol.10, No.3, pp. 1905-1909, 2003

Abstract Introduction: Numerous management strategies are available for stress urinary incontinence, a significant problem for many women. The pubovaginal sling (PVS) with rectus fascia has proven efficacy with minimal morbidity. Historically, patients were admitted for an average of 4 days at the Ottawa Hospital. Since November 2001, patients have spent one night in hospital thereby cutting their total length of stay to less than 24 hours. This study assesses the feasibility of this approach.
Materials and methods: Ethics approval was obtained. All patient charts were reviewed retrospectively. Exclusion criteria included women booked for combined procedures or patient refusal.… More >

Marcelo de Castro Pazos*, Cristina Pacheco-Soares*, Newton Soares da Silva*, R.A. DaMatta**, M.T.T. Pacheco*

BIOCELL, Vol.27, No.3, pp. 301-309, 2003, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2003.27.301

Abstract The effects of Photodynamic Therapy using 2^nd generation photosensitizers have been widely investigated aiming clinical application treatment of solid neoplasms. In this work, ultrastructure changes caused by the action of two 2^nd generation photosensitizers and laser irradiation on CHO-K1 and HeLa (neoplastic) cells were analyzed by transmission electron microscopy. Aluminum phthalocyanine chloride, aluminum phthalocyanine tetrasulfonate chloride and radiation from a semiconductor laser at a fluency of 0.5 J/ cm² (Power=26mW; λ=670nm) were used. The results showed induction of apoptosis. Such alterations where observed in HeLa but not in CHO-K1 cells after Aluminum phthalocyanine tetrasulfonate chloride (AlPcS₄) photodynamic More >

Lidia M. Lopez*, Marta Dubin**, Patricia H. Carrizo**, Mario H. Burgos***, Amanda Pellegrino De Iraldi*, Andrés O. M. Stoppani**

BIOCELL, Vol.27, No.2, pp. 213-224, 2003, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2003.27.213

Abstract CG 10-248 (3,4-dihydro-2,2-dimethyl-9-chloro-2H-naphtho[1,2b]pyran- 5,6-dione; CG-NQ), a β-lapachone analogue, modified the ultrastructure of rat hepatocytes, as demonstrated by light and electron microscopy. After 4 h incubation with 100 µM CG-NQ, the following effects were observed: (a) nuclear chromatin condensation; (b) chromatin fragmentation; (c) displacement of mitochondria, concentrated around the nucleus; (d) disruption or expansion of mitochondrial outer or inner membranes, respectively; (e) displacement and alteration of endoplasmic reticulum (rough and smooth); (f) decrease of microvilli; (g) blebbing of plasma membrane and production of apoptotic bodies formed by folding of plasma membrane fragments around mitochondria or peroxysomes; More >

Humihiko Gotou¹, Takashi Kuwataka¹, Terumasa Nishihara¹, Tetsuo Iwakuma¹

CMES-Computer Modeling in Engineering & Sciences, Vol.4, No.2, pp. 319-328, 2003, DOI:10.3970/cmes.2003.004.319

Abstract The stiffness equation in finite displacement problems is often derived from the virtual work equation, partly in order to avoid the complicated formulation based on the potential functional. Describing the virtual rotational angles by infinitesimal rotational angles about three axes of the right-angled Cartesian coordinate system, we formulate tangent stiffness equations whose rotational degrees of freedom are described by rotational angles about the three axes. The rotational degrees of freedom are useful to treat three rotational components in nodal displacement vectors as vector components for coordinate transformation, when non-vector components like Euler's angles are used More >

R.Kanapady¹, K.K.Tamma²

CMES-Computer Modeling in Engineering & Sciences, Vol.4, No.1, pp. 103-118, 2003, DOI:10.3970/cmes.2003.004.103

Abstract Of general interest here is the time dimension aspect wherein discretized operators in time may be continuous or discontinuous; and of particular interest and focus here is the design of time discretized operators in the context of discontinuous state-phase for computational dynamics applications. Based on a generalized bi-discontinuous time weighted residual formulation, the design leading to a new unified set of hierarchical energy conserving and energy dissipating time discretized operators are developed for the first time that are fundamentally useful for time adaptive computations for dynamic problems. Unlike time discontinuous Galerkin approaches, the design is… More >

LIDIA M. LOPEZ^*, AMANDA PELLEGRINO DE IRALDI^*, PATRICIA H. CARRIZO^**, MARTA DUBIN^**, ANDRÉS O.M. STOPPANI^**

BIOCELL, Vol.26, No.2, pp. 237-245, 2002, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2002.26.237

Abstract CG 10-248 (3,4-dihydro-2,2 dimethyl-9-chloro-2H-naphtho[1,2b]pyran-5,6-dione), a ß-lapachone analogue, modified the ultrastructure of rat liver mitochondria in vitro, in the absence of added oxidizable substrates. The condensed mitochondrial state was replaced by the orthodox or swollen state to a significant degree. The number of modified mitochondria depended on incubation time and quinone concentration, in the 25-100 µM range. Under the same experimental conditions, mitochondrial respiration was uncoupled as indicated by the increase in the rate of succinate oxidation by controlled mitochondria in metabolic state “4” (not in state “3”), and by the activation of latent F₀ F₁ -ATP synthase. More >