Experimental Tests, FEM Constitutive Modeling and Validation of PLGA Bioresorbable Polymer for Stent Applications

The use of bioresorbable polymers such as poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) in coronary stents can hypothetically reduce the risk of complications (e.g., restenosis, thrombosis) after percutaneous coronary intervention. However, there is a need for a constitutive modeling strategy that combines the simplicity of implementation with strain rate dependency. Here, a constitutive modeling methodology for PLGA comprising numerical simulation using a finite element method is presented. First, the methodology and results of PLGA experimental tests are presented, with a focus on tension tests of tubular-type specimens with different strain rates. Subsequently, the constitutive modeling methodology is proposed and described. Material model constants are determined based on the results of the experimental tests. Finally, the developed methodology is validated by experimental and numerical comparisons of stent free compression tests with various compression speeds. The validation results show acceptable correlation in terms of both quality and quantity. The proposed and validated constitutive modeling approach for the bioresorbable polymer provides a useful tool for the design and evaluation of bioresorbable stents

Numerical and experimental analysis of balloon angioplasty impact on flow hemodynamics improvement

Purpose: The paper focuses on the numerical and experimental evaluation of the fluid flow inside chosen fragments of blood vessels. In the first stage of the study, the experimental tests were conducted using a research test stand, designed to be used in this evaluation. The study evaluated the blood flow through a silicone vessel with an implanted coronary stent. Methods: The PIV method was used in order to visualize the flow vectors inside a silicone vessel. Deformed vessel geometry implemented for computational fluid dynamics purposes was obtained owing to a non-linear simulation of the stent expansion (angioplasty process) in a silicone vessel. Additionally, a vessel model with a statistical 55% area stenosis and an irregular real vessel with an atherosclerotic plaque were also subjected to analysis from the hemodynamic flow point of view. A vessel with a statistical stenosis was also used to simulate the angioplasty process, which resulted in obtaining a flow domain for the vessel with an atherosclerotic plaque after the stent implantation. Results: For each case, distributions of parameters such as OSI or TAWSS were also analyzed and discussed. The areas of low TAWSS values appear close to the stent struts. Conclusions: Stents with increased diameters, compared to the normal vessel diameter, create a higher risk of occurrence of the areas with low WSS values. Excessive stent deformation can cause inflammation by injuring the vessel and can initiate the restenosis and thrombotic phenomena through the increased vessel diameter

3MeerLICHT and BlackGEM: custom-built telescopes to detect faint optical transients

We present the MeerLICHT and BlackGEM telescopes, which are wide-field optical telescopes that are currently being built to study transient phenomena, gravitational wave counterparts and variable stars. The telescopes have 65 cm primary mirrors and a 2.7 square degree field-of-view. The MeerLICHT and BlackGEM projects have different science goals, but will use identical telescopes. The first telescope, MeerLICHT, will be commissioned at Sutherland (South Africa) in the first quarter of 2017. It will co-point with MeerKAT to collect optical data commensurate with the radio observations. After careful analysis of MeerLICHT's performance, three telescopes of the same type will be commissioned in La Silla (Chile) in 2018 to form phase I of the BlackGEM array. BlackGEM aims at detecting and characterizing optical counterparts of gravitational wave events detected by Advanced LIGO and Virgo. In this contribution we present an overview of the science goals, the design and the status of the two projects