Nian Li^*

Structural Durability & Health Monitoring, Vol.13, No.4, pp. 331-346, 2019, DOI:10.32604/sdhm.2019.07521

Abstract The investigation focusing on the mechanical behaviors at the microstructural level in composite materials can provide valuable insight into the failure mechanisms at larger scales. A micromechanics damage model which comprises the coupling of the matrix constitutive model and the cohesive zone (CZM) model at fiber-matrix interfaces is presented to evaluate the transverse tensile damage behaviors of unidirectional (UD) fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites. For the polymeric matrix that exhibits highly non-linear mechanical responses, special focus is paid on the formulation of the constitutive model, which characterizes a mixture of elasticity, plasticity as well as damage.… More >

Tiangen WU¹, Tianhao BAO^2,3, Daoming LIANG^1,*, Lin WANG^4,*

BIOCELL, Vol.43, No.4, pp. 293-298, 2019, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2019.07841

Abstract Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are crucial to tumor metastasis, and they usually undergo epithelial– mesenchymal transition (EMT) in order to disseminate from the primary tumor. However, very little is currently known about the relationship between EMT and malignant phenotypes of CTCs in the context of gastric cancer. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the contribution of EMT to malignant phenotypes of CTCs derived from gastric cancer cells. We xenografted MKN28 gastric cancer cells pretreated with transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGFβ-1) into nude mice by intravenous injection. Next, we isolated CTCs from the blood of nude… More >

Heya QIAN^1,§, Yan YAN^2,§, Zhengjie SHEN¹, Lixian XU¹, Yun ZUO¹, Tao ZHU^3,*, Yanan CHEN^1,*

BIOCELL, Vol.43, No.4, pp. 321-326, 2019, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2019.07992

Abstract The present study aims to explore the effects of p53 and its target gene Rap2B on the autophagy of U2OS cells. U2OS cells were treated with siRNA against p53, Rap2B, and PLCε. Relative expressions of p53, Rap2B, and PLCε were determined using quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and Western blotting, respectively. Levels of IP3 in the cells were determined using Enzyme-linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA). Levels of Ca²⁺ were detected using Flow cytometry. Fluorescence microscopy was used to observe the autophagy of cells. Knockdown of p53 significantly decreased the expressions of Rap2B protein. Additionally, knockdown of p53 More >

Denis BARANENKO¹, Julia FEDOTOVA^{1, 2, *}, Annemieke Johanna Maria VAN DEN TOL³

BIOCELL, Vol.43, No.4, pp. 299-311, 2019, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2019.08407

Abstract The impact of various vitamin D3 (VD3) doses (1.0, 2.5, or 5 mg/kg, s.c.) in mitigating the negative consequences of chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) was investigated. Adult female rats with long-term estrogen deficiency were assessed using the sucrose preference test (SPT), the elevated plus-maze (EPM), the light/dark test (LDT), and the open-field test (OFT) to measure anhedonia-like and anxiety-like behavior. The corticosterone (CS) and adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH) concentrations in blood serum and the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) expression in the hippocampus of long-term ovariectomized (OVX) rats were measured by ELISA kits and/ or western… More >

Jianjun Gan^1,2, Y. X. Zhang^2,*

CMES-Computer Modeling in Engineering & Sciences, Vol.121, No.3, pp. 981-1009, 2019, DOI:10.32604/cmes.2019.07337

Abstract This study proposes a comprehensive method, which consists of field investigation, flume test and numerical simulation, to predict the velocity and sediment thickness of debris flow. The velocity and sediment thickness of the debris flow in mountainous areas can provide critical data to evaluate the geohazard, which will in turn help to understand the debris runout. The flume test of this debris prototype can provide friction coefficient and viscosity coefficient which are important for numerical simulation of debris flow. The relation between the key parameters in the numerical modelling using the Voellmy model and debris-flow More >

Tingting Wu¹, Yunwei Dong^1,*

CMES-Computer Modeling in Engineering & Sciences, Vol.121, No.3, pp. 909-928, 2019, DOI:10.32604/cmes.2019.07809

Abstract The application of metamorphic testing (MT) on automatic program repair (APR-MT) is used to generate a patch without test oracles by examining whether the input metamorphic relation (MR) is satisfied or not. However, the delivered patch is plausible since it may satisfy the input MR but violate other MRs. This inspires us to propose an improved approach to enhance the effectiveness of APR-MT with metamorphic relation group. Our approach involves three major steps. First, we formally define the repair process of APR-MT by building the model of automatic program repair and metamorphic testing separately. Then, More >

Juan Isidro Sánchez-Duarte¹, David Guadalupe Reta-Sánchez^1,*, José Antonio Cueto-Wong¹, Arturo Reyes-González¹, Esmeralda Ochoa-Martínez¹

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.88, No.4, pp. 435-448, 2019, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2019.07512

Abstract Canola and oat forage potential may be affected by climatic conditions when sown early. The objective of this study was to evaluate the forage canola and oat potential in four early sowing dates (September 11 and 25; October 9 and 23) during the 2012-2013 and 2013-2014 cycles in Matamoros, Coahuila, Mexico. Growth cycle duration, chemical composition, dry matter (DM), crude protein (CP), and net energy for lactation (NE_L) yields were determined. High temperatures and long photoperiods affected crops seeded on September 11, accelerating growth and reducing canola (26.6%-31.7%) and oat (15.8%) DM yields. As of September… More >

Bengu Turkyilmaz Unal^1,*, Mustafa Bayram²

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.88, No.4, pp. 413-423, 2019, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2019.08244

Abstract In this study, we aimed to investigate the allelopathic effects of sunflower and wheat root exudates on the common weeds such as wild mustard and white mustard in our region. The root exudates which were obtained by soaking 8 weeks old sunflower and wheat seedlings (20 or 40 seedlings) in 100 mL of distilled water for 3 days were applied to the leaves of wild mustard and white mustard. In order to compare the allelopathic effect, the recommended dose (1 g.da^-1 ) and twice the recommended dose (2 g.da^-1 ) of Gromstor (Tribenuron-methyl), a herbicide preferred… More >

Narsimha Pandi¹, Shirish H. Sonawane^1,*, Sarang P. Gumfekar², Anand Kishore Kola¹, Pramod H. Borse³, Swapnil B. Ambade⁴, Sripadh Guptha¹, Muthupandian Ashokkumar⁵

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.7, No.12, pp. 1279-1293, 2019, DOI:10.32604/jrm.2019.07609

Abstract The present study deals with the intensified synthesis of starchpolyaniline (starch-PANI) nanocomposite using an ultrasound-assisted method. Starch is a key component in this nanocomposite, which acts as a backbone of the nucleation of PANI. The Electrochemical property of the nanocomposite arises due to the addition of PANI. This is one of green approach for the synthesis of bio nanocomposite using ultrasound. The crystallinity of the composite is evaluated using the Scherrer Formula. The starch-PANI nanocomposite was characterized by XRD, FT-IR, Raman, XPS and TEM. The composite nanoparticles show spherical morphology. The elemental composition of starch-PANI More >

Samsul Rizal¹, Fizree, H. M.², Chaturbhuj K. Saurabh³, Deepu A. Gopakumar², N. A. Sri Aprilia⁴, D. Hermawan⁵, A. Banerjee⁶, Fazita M. R. M², Haafiz M. K. M.², Abdul Khalil H. P. S.^2,*

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.7, No.12, pp. 1269-1278, 2019, DOI:10.32604/jrm.2019.07227

Abstract Oil palm ash (OPA) is an agro-industry waste and it has disposable problems. In the present study, an effort was made for value addition to OPA by incorporating it as a micro-filler in different concentration (0, 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50%) and sizes (100, 200, and 300 mesh size particles) in the epoxy matrix. Prepared micro OPA was having a crystallinity index of 65.4%, high inorganic elements, and smooth surface morphology. Fabricated composites had higher void content as compared to neat epoxy matrix. Mechanical properties of fabricated composites had a maximum value at 30%… More >