Rong-gang Zhang^1,2, Hong-tao Zhang³ , Yu-xing Bai³, Jian-ling Gao³, Lai-yong Zhang² , Bing-ye Xu¹

CMC-Computers, Materials & Continua, Vol.20, No.3, pp. 243-250, 2010, DOI:10.3970/cmc.2010.020.243

Abstract Based on the upper bound theorem, the fire resistance is studied using the combination of element collapse mechanisms of steel frames, where the element collapse mechanisms are automatically determined from independent mechanisms. The fire limit load is calculated by solving a nonlinear mathematical programming. The computing procedure is programmed by FORTRAN language. Results show that this method is useful to find the collapse mechanism with the lowest fire limit load, which can provide a theoretical and practical way for the fire design of steel frame structure. More >

Lei Bao^1,2, Christophe Schuman¹, Jean-sébastien Lecomte¹, Marie-Jeanne Philippe¹, Xiang Zhao², Liang Zuo², Claude Esling¹

CMC-Computers, Materials & Continua, Vol.15, No.2, pp. 113-128, 2010, DOI:10.3970/cmc.2010.015.113

Abstract The mechanisms of small plastic deformation of titanium (T40) during cold rolling and channel die compression by means of "interrupted in situ" EBSD orientation measurements were studied. These interrupted EBSD orientation measurements allow to determine the rotation flow field which leads to the development of the crystallographic texture during the plastic deformation. Results show that during rolling, tension twins and compression twins occur and various glide systems are activated, the number of grains being larger with twins than with slip traces. In channel die compression, only tension twins are observed in some grains, whereas slip More >

Muriel Tahtouh, Françoise Croq, Christophe Lefebvre, Joël Pestel

European Cytokine Network, Vol.20, No.3, pp. 95-100, 2009, DOI:10.1684/ecn.2009.0157

Abstract The complement system is well known as an enzyme cascade that helps to defend against infec-tions. Indeed, this ancestral system bridges innate and adaptive immunity. Its implication in diseases of the cen-tral nervous system (CNS), has led to an increased number of studies. Complement activation in the CNS has been generally considered to contribute to tissue damage. However, recent studies suggest that complement may be neuroprotective, and can participate in maintenance and repair of the adult brain. Here, we will review this dual role of complement proteins and some of their functional interactions with part More >

A. LÓPEZ-HERRERA^1*, J. RUIZ-SÁENZ², Y.P. GÓEZ³, W. ZAPATA³, P.A. VELILLA³, A.E. ARANGO³, S. URCUQUI-INCHIMA³

BIOCELL, Vol.33, No.2, pp. 121-132, 2009, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2009.33.121

Abstract To determine whether fibroblasts from Blanco Orejinegro cattle, exhibit any level of resistance to infection against vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) serotypes Indiana (VSV-I) or New Jersey (VSVNJ), 30 fibroblast cultures were phenotyped to evaluate their resistance/susceptibility. Thirty three % of Blanco Orejinegro fibroblast cultures were classified as very resistant, 50% as resistant, and 17% as susceptible to VSV-I infection, whereas 20% were classified as very resistant, 50% as resistant and 30% as susceptible to VSV-NJ infection. Therefore, there appears to be a large variation in phenotypic polymorphism among the fibroblasts to infection by VSV. To More >

I. Benedetti¹, A. Milazzo¹, M.H. Aliabadi²

Structural Durability & Health Monitoring, Vol.5, No.3, pp. 251-274, 2009, DOI:10.3970/sdhm.2009.005.251

Abstract In this work a three-dimensional BEM model is used for the analysis of structures with cracks and surface bonded piezoelectric PZT patches used as strain sensors. The cracked structure is modelled by the dual boundary element method, which allows for accurate and reliable crack analysis, while the piezoelectric patch is analyzed by a finite element state-space approach, that embodies both the full electro-mechanical coupling and the suitable sensor's boundary conditions. The model is used to investigate the strain-transfer mechanism from an host elastic structure to the piezoelectric layer, taking into account the effect of the More >

L. Scholtès¹, B. Chareyre², F.Nicot³, F. Darve⁴

CMES-Computer Modeling in Engineering & Sciences, Vol.52, No.3, pp. 297-318, 2009, DOI:10.3970/cmes.2009.052.297

Abstract A numerical study of multi-phase granular materials based upon micro-mechanical modelling is proposed. Discrete element simulations are used to investigate capillary induced effects on the friction properties of a granular assembly in the pendular regime. Capillary forces are described at the local scale through the Young-Laplace equation and are superimposed to the standard dry particle interaction usually well simulated through an elastic-plastic relationship. Both effects of the pressure difference between liquid and gas phases and of the surface tension at the interface are integrated into the interaction model. Hydraulic hysteresis is accounted for based on… More >

L. Dai¹, V.B.C. Tan^1,2, C.H. Sow^1,3, C.T. Lim^1,2,4, W.C.D. Cheong⁵

The International Conference on Computational & Experimental Engineering and Sciences, Vol.9, No.3, pp. 151-162, 2009, DOI:10.3970/icces.2009.009.151

Abstract The mechanisms governing the tensile response of TiO₂ nanowires were studied by molecular dynamics simulations. The free side surfaces of the nanowires were found to be undulating because atoms near the free surface were relaxed into a disordered state during thermodynamic equilibration. For wires below a threshold diameter of around 10 Å, this free surface effect extends throughout the entire wire, resulting in a complete lack of ordered structure. For thick nanowires, the core of the wire retains a crystalline structure. The thicker the wire, the larger the crystalline core and the more dominant is its More >

Chih-Wei Hsieh¹, Chien-Li Wu¹, Cheng-Kuo Sung^1,2

The International Conference on Computational & Experimental Engineering and Sciences, Vol.13, No.2, pp. 33-34, 2009, DOI:10.3970/icces.2009.013.033

Abstract Molecular dynamics (MD) simulation has been demonstrated as a promising method to analyze formation and friction mechanisms of the nanoimprint process. Especially, it provides a useful tool for investigating critical issues that are generally difficult to be examined by the experiment because of cross talks among influential factors or attainability of direct measurement. This study utilized the friction mechanism to explore the factors that would affect the quality of mold replication in the direct nanoimprint. Those factors included mechanical properties of thin films, interaction force between mold and thin-film materials, and surface roughness of the… More >

Asist. Univ. Drd. Abalasei Catalin¹

The International Conference on Computational & Experimental Engineering and Sciences, Vol.12, No.3, pp. 95-102, 2009, DOI:10.3970/icces.2009.012.095

Abstract The mechanism which is going to be made following the technical data presented in this work, represents a major step in the post-traumatic rehabilitation on the ankle articulation. The machine's support is a metallic confection of welded rectangular pipe, metallic profiles and sheet, which assures the appliance of the component parts and contains the sitting basis of the mechanism on the floor. The plaque is the element which directly sustains the person using the mechanism, and which has an oscillating movement in a vertical plane on the circumference. The plaque is turning-proof around the vertical More >

M. Sokabe^1,2,3, Sawada Y¹

The International Conference on Computational & Experimental Engineering and Sciences, Vol.12, No.2, pp. 47-48, 2009, DOI:10.3970/icces.2009.012.047

Abstract Mechanosensing is ubiquitous in our body. Not only specialized mechanoreceptors like inner ear hair cells and visceral baroreceptors, but also ordinary cells can respond to mechanical stimuli, by which cells can regulate their volume, shape and motility properly. The major biophysical issue in this field is to understand the physicochemical mechanisms of mechanotransduction based on the molecular structure of mechanosensors. To date the mechanosesnitive (MS) ion channel is the only identified molecular class of mechanosensors. Among them the bacterial MS channel MscL is the best studied one owing to the resolved 3D structure of its… More >