H.J. Bohm¨ ¹, W. Han^1,2, A. Eckschlager^1,3

CMES-Computer Modeling in Engineering & Sciences, Vol.5, No.1, pp. 5-20, 2004, DOI:10.3970/cmes.2004.005.005

Abstract Three-dimensional periodic micromechanical models are used for studying the mechanical behavior of discontinuously reinforced ductile matrix composites. The models are based on unit cells that contain a number of randomly positioned and, where applicable, randomly oriented spherical, spheroidal or cylindrical reinforcements. The Finite Element method is used to resolve the microscale stress and strain fields and to predict the homogenized responses under overall uniaxial tensile loading in the elastic and elastoplastic regimes. Periodicity boundary conditions are employed in the analyses.\\ The main emphasis of the contribution is put on studying the microscale stresses in the More >

T. Tsangaris¹, Y.–S. Smyrlis^{1, 2}, A. Karageorghis^{1, 2}

CMC-Computers, Materials & Continua, Vol.1, No.3, pp. 245-258, 2004, DOI:10.3970/cmc.2004.001.245

Abstract The Method of Fundamental Solutions (MFS) is a boundary-type method for the solution of certain elliptic boundary value problems. In this work, we develop an efficient matrix decomposition MFS algorithm for the solution of biharmonic problems in annular domains. The circulant structure of the matrices involved in the MFS discretization is exploited by using Fast Fourier Transforms. The algorithm is tested numerically on several examples. More >

Séverine Froget¹, Emmanuelle Barthelemy², François Guillot¹, Christophe Soler¹, Marie-Claude Coudert², Marc Benbunan², Christine Dosquet^2,3

European Cytokine Network, Vol.14, No.1, pp. 60-64, 2003

Abstract Cell and tissue therapy applications in humans are being used increasingly, particularly for tissue repair. Several reconstructed skin models have been proposed. Wound healing involves overlapping steps of inflammation, cell migration and proliferation, neovascularisation, extracellular matrix production and remo-delling. This is regulated by numerous cytokines and other soluble mediators. We have prepared dermal substitutes (DS) consisting of a collagen-GAG, three-dimensional matrix colonized by human dermal fibroblasts (HDF), isolated by skin explant or enzymatic digestion of the skin for potential therapeutic use in humans. To test the functionality of these DS, we measured (ELISA) the stimulatory… More >

Norma Risler, Claudia Castro, Montserrat Cruzado, Susana González, Roberto Miatello

BIOCELL, Vol.27, No.2, pp. 189-196, 2003, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2003.27.189

Abstract Remodeling of large and small arteries contributes to the development and complications of hypertension. Artery structural changes in chronic sustained hypertension include vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) proliferation and extracellular matrix (ECM) modifications. Extracellular constituents such as proteoglycans (PGs), may modulate vascular stiffness and VSMC growth and differentiation. We examined the effect of growth factors on secreted and membrane-bound PGs synthesis by cultured aortic smooth muscle cells (SMC) from 12- to 14- week-old spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and age-matched Wistar rats. After stimulation with platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF-BB), 10% fetal calf serum (FCS) or 0.1%… More >

Gerhard Klimeck^1,2, Fabiano Oyafuso², Timothy B. Boykin³, R. Chris Bowen², Paul von Allmen⁴

CMES-Computer Modeling in Engineering & Sciences, Vol.3, No.5, pp. 601-642, 2002, DOI:10.3970/cmes.2002.003.601

Abstract Material layers with a thickness of a few nanometers are common-place in today's semiconductor devices. Before long, device fabrication methods will reach a point at which the other two device dimensions are scaled down to few tens of nanometers. The total atom count in such deca-nano devices is reduced to a few million. Only a small finite number of "free'' electrons will operate such nano-scale devices due to quantized electron energies and electron charge. This work demonstrates that the simulation of electronic structure and electron transport on these length scales must not only be fundamentally… More >