Antonio J. F. Carvalho

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.2, No.2, pp. 118-122, 2014, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2014.634108

Abstract Two nanocelluloses from eucalyptus, namely microfi brillated cellulose (MFC) and cellulose nanocrystals (CNC), were prepared and compared by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The MFC fi bers are 20–30 nm wide and are composed of very homogeneous bundles of aligned regular elementary fi brils of 3–5 nm diameter. They show long straight portions and short fl exible zones, attributed to crystalline and amorphous zones, respectively. The needle-shaped CNC was approximately 200 nm long and 10 nm wide in the wider portion. A model for the MFC structure, whose fl exible zones are formed by alignment of More >

Amar Boukerrou^*, Dalila Hammiche, Djidjelli Hocine, Hassina Aouat

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.2, No.4, pp. 249-257, 2014, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2014.634119

Abstract The lack of compatibility between cellulose fi bers and some polymers, such as thermoplastics, is due on one hand to the hydrophilic nature of the vegetable fi bers and on the other hand to the hydrophobic character of the matrix. This incompatibility induces bad dispersion of the fi bers and the formation of a heterogeneous material with mechanical properties which are not very satisfactory. The scope of this article is to describe the possibility of using Olive Husk Flour (OHF) as reinforcement in the elaboration of a composite material based on polyvinyl chloride (PVC). In More >

Hermosillo-Cereceres MA¹, E Sánchez¹, E Muñoz-Márquez¹, A Guevara-Aguilar¹, M García-Bañuelos¹, D Ojeda-Barrios²

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.83, pp. 347-352, 2014, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2014.83.347

Abstract Selenium (Se) is an essential element for many organisms, although in high concentrations it may become toxic, leading to the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). In this study, bean plants received different application rates of Se (0, 10, 20, 40, 80, and 160 µM) in the form of selenite and selenate to evaluate the activity of the detoxifying enzymes of H₂O₂. The results indicated that the activity of these enzymes in bean plants depended on the chemical form of Se: selenite at rates of 20 µM or greater diminished biomass and yield, increasing the activity More >

Galindo-Tovar ME, VS Gasperin-Sanatta, JA Alejandre-Rosas, OR Leyva-Ovalle, J Murguía-González, HE Lee-Espinosa, I L,ero-Torres

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.83, pp. 307-310, 2014, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2014.83.307

Abstract Sechium edule is an important crop in Southern Mexico and Central America, and México was the main producer, with 53% of the world production in 2012. This species presents high levels of morphological variation that have resulted in different types of varieties not clearly defined. However, morphological characteristics have not been sufficient to classify S. edule varieties, and it has been difficult to study the species genetic diversity. Because of it, there is a need to develop methods for studying the genetic diversity in S. edule. In this regard, the first step is to find a suitable DNA More >

Bouzo CA, JC Favaro

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.83, pp. 167-170, 2014, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2014.83.167

Abstract The aim of this work was to compare methods to predict the time of anthesis in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.). Two independent experiments were carried out using seeds of the Tauro commercial hybrid. Daily maximum and minimum air temperatures were measured by means of an electronic thermometer with data storage; the photoperiod was calculated using a mathematical procedure. The moment at which each inflorescence presented 50% of its flowers in anthesis was recorded. The use of calendar days (CD) had a high dispersion, which was measured with a variation coefficient (VC) higher than 3.70% for all More >

Ramos G¹, RH Lira¹, RD Peralta², GY Cortez², A Cárdenas¹

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.83, pp. 139-143, 2014, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2014.83.139

Abstract Tomato fruits are perishable products that require treatments such as coating films to extend their shelf life. Because of this and to avoid use of synthetic chemicals to prevent physical deterioration during postharvest, we evaluated the effects of an edible coating polymer latex poly (vinyl acetate-co-vinyl alcohol), P (VAc-co-VA), at three concentrations (0, 50 and 100%) in tomato fruits. The trial was conducted at room temperature conditions (31 ± 4 °C; with RH of 30 ± 5%) and temperature-controlled (12 ± 1 °C; with RH of 75 ± 5%). Fruits coated with P (VAc-co-VA) at More >

Mohammad Reza RAMEZANI¹, Hossein NADERI-MANESH^{1, *}, Hossain-Ali RAFIEEPOUR²

BIOCELL, Vol.38, No.1, pp. 11-16, 2014, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2014.38.011

Abstract Cell-based biosensors have become a research hotspot in the biosensors and bioelectronics fields. The main feature of cell-based biosensors is immobilization of living cells on the surface of transducers. Different types of polymers which are used as scaffolds for cell growth should be biocompatible and should have reactive functional groups for further attachment of biomolecules. In this work, cell attachment and proliferation on chitosan hydrogel, chitosan-gelatin and gold nanoparticle-chitosan nanocomposite membranes was studied. Characterization of the membranes was performed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Cytotoxicity assessment on HEK293 More >

D.S.Liu¹, C.L.Hsu^1,2

CMC-Computers, Materials & Continua, Vol.40, No.3, pp. 165-178, 2014, DOI:10.3970/cmc.2014.040.165

Abstract To ensure the reliability of microelectronics packages, the high strain rate deformation behavior of the solder joints must be properly understood. Accordingly, the present study proposes a hybrid experimental / numerical method for determining the optimal constants of the Johnson-Cook (J-C) constitutive model for 96.5Sn-3Ag-0.5Cu (SAC305) solder alloy. In the proposed approach, FEM simulations based on the J-C model are performed to describe the load-time response of an SAC305 ball solder joint under an impact velocity of 0.5 m/s. The optimal values of the constitutive model are then determined using an iterative Genetic Algorithm approach More >

Norizadeh Abbariki Tannaz^*,†, Shokrgozar Mohammad Ali^†,‡, Haghighipour Nooshin^*,§, Aghdami Nasser^¶, Mahdian Rezak^II, Amanzadeh Amir^*, Jazayeri Maryam^*,†

Molecular & Cellular Biomechanics, Vol.11, No.1, pp. 19-37, 2014, DOI:10.3970/mcb.2014.011.019

Abstract Background: Environmental factors affect stem cell differentiation. In addition to chemical factors, mechanical signals have been suggested to enhance myogenic differentiation of stem cells. Therefore, this study was undertaken to illustrate and compare the effect of chemical and mechanical stimuli on Myogenin (MyoG) and Myosin heavy chani 2 (Myh2) expression of mouse bone marrowderived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) and embryonic stem cells (ESCs). Methods: After isolation and expansion of BMSCs and generation of embryoid bodies and spontaneous differentiation of ESCs, cells were examined in 4 groups: (1) control group: untreated cells; (2) chemical group: cells… More >

Y. T. Wu¹, Y. F. Nie², Z. H. Yang¹

CMES-Computer Modeling in Engineering & Sciences, Vol.99, No.4, pp. 297-325, 2014, DOI:10.3970/cmes.2014.099.297

Abstract Four representative multiscale methods, namely asymptotic homogenization method (AHM), heterogeneous multiscale method (HMM), variational multiscale (VMS) method and multiscale finite element method (MsFEM), for elliptic problems with multiscale coefficients are surveyed. According to the features they possess, these methods are divided into two categories. AHM and HMM belong to the up–down framework. The feature of the framework is that the macroscopic solution is solved first with the help of effective information computed in local domains, and then the multiscale solution is resolved in local domains using the macroscopic solution when necessary. VMS method andMsFEM fall More >