Which spring is the best? Comparison of methods for virtual stenting.

This paper presents a methodology for modeling the deployment of implantable devices used in minimally invasive vascular interventions. Motivated by the clinical need to perform preinterventional rehearsals of a stent deployment, we have developed methods enabling virtual device placement inside arteries, under the constraint of real-time application. This requirement of rapid execution narrowed down the search for a suitable method to the concept of a dynamic mesh. Inspired by the idea of a mesh of springs, we have found a novel way to apply it to stent modeling. The experiments conducted in this paper investigate properties of the stent models based on three different spring types: lineal, semitorsional, and torsional springs. Furthermore, this paper compares the results of various deployment scenarios for two different classes of devices: a stent graft and a flow diverter. The presented results can be of a high-potential clinical value, enabling the predictive evaluation of the outcome of a stent deployment treatment

Investigating biocomplexity through the agent-based paradigm.

Capturing the dynamism that pervades biological systems requires a computational approach that can accommodate both the continuous features of the system environment as well as the flexible and heterogeneous nature of component interactions. This presents a serious challenge for the more traditional mathematical approaches that assume component homogeneity to relate system observables using mathematical equations. While the homogeneity condition does not lead to loss of accuracy while simulating various continua, it fails to offer detailed solutions when applied to systems with dynamically interacting heterogeneous components. As the functionality and architecture of most biological systems is a product of multi-faceted individual interactions at the sub-system level, continuum models rarely offer much beyond qualitative similarity. Agent-based modelling is a class of algorithmic computational approaches that rely on interactions between Turing-complete finite-state machines--or agents--to simulate, from the bottom-up, macroscopic properties of a system. In recognizing the heterogeneity condition, they offer suitable ontologies to the system components being modelled, thereby succeeding where their continuum counterparts tend to struggle. Furthermore, being inherently hierarchical, they are quite amenable to coupling with other computational paradigms. The integration of any agent-based framework with continuum models is arguably the most elegant and precise way of representing biological systems. Although in its nascence, agent-based modelling has been utilized to model biological complexity across a broad range of biological scales (from cells to societies). In this article, we explore the reasons that make agent-based modelling the most precise approach to model biological systems that tend to be non-linear and complex

Nanodroplet Impact on Solid Platinum Surface: Spreading and Bouncing

Video of argon nanodroplet impacting onto wetting and non-wetting surface. This video was submitted as part of the Gallery of Fluid Motion 2009 which is showcase of fluid dynamics videos.Comment: 2 pages, 2 linked animations/video

Wing-tip vortex dynamics at moderate Reynolds numbers

The flow over a flat-tipped wing at three Reynolds numbers: Re=1×104, Re=4×104, and Re=1×105 is investigated using direct numerical simulation. A set of grid independent results are obtained which allow for the dynamics of the tip flow, trailing vortices, and their interplay with the boundary layer dynamics to be examined in detail. The results show significant changes across the Reynolds number range. At the lowest Reynolds number, a single trailing vortex forms downstream of the trailing edge, whereas multiple vortices form over the tip at higher Reynolds numbers. The tip geometry is shown to be important with regard to the development of different structures and in the transition of the flow from laminar to turbulent. This is due to unstable shear layers, with turbulent flow becoming entrained in the vortex cores at higher Reynolds numbers. These changing vortex dynamics mean that the value of the minimum vortex core pressure and its location change with Reynolds number. This has important consequences for cavitation inception and scaling for hydrodynamic applications. The influence of the tip flow on the boundary layer is further considered by comparing the flow with that of an infinite-span wing. Analysis of the two cases shows that the tip flow reduces the effective angle of attack, which prevents the flow separation at the leading edge that is responsible for the boundary layer transition for the infinite-span case. This, in turn, changes the character of the trailing edge flow which would have significant consequences on the trailing edge noise

A simple ghost fluid method for compressible multicomponent flows with capillary effects

A novel way of implementing surface tension effects in sharp-interface compressible flow models is proposed, aiming to address problems where liquid compressibility and capillarity are both important. The method is built on the principles of the grid-aligned formulation for ghost fluid techniques. In this approach, the Riemann problems at the interface are formulated along the grid rather than in a normal-to-the-interface direction; the method is thus simpler. The performance of the method is thoroughly examined following implementation in a well-established front tracking framework

The 'Sphere': A Dedicated Bifurcation Aneurysm Flow-Diverter Device.

We present flow-based results from the early stage design cycle, based on computational modeling, of a prototype flow-diverter device, known as the 'Sphere', intended to treat bifurcation aneurysms of the cerebral vasculature. The device is available in a range of diameters and geometries and is constructed from a single loop of NITINOL(®) wire. The 'Sphere' reduces aneurysm inflow by means of a high-density, patterned, elliptical surface that partially occludes the aneurysm neck. The device is secured in the healthy parent vessel by two armatures in the shape of open loops, resulting in negligible disruption of parent or daughter vessel flow. The device is virtually deployed in six anatomically accurate bifurcation aneurysms: three located at the Basilar tip and three located at the terminus bifurcation of the Internal Carotid artery (at the meeting of the middle cerebral and anterior cerebral arteries). Both steady state and transient flow simulations reveal that the device presents with a range of aneurysm inflow reductions, with mean flow reductions falling in the range of 30.6-71.8% across the different geometries. A significant difference is noted between steady state and transient simulations in one geometry, where a zone of flow recirculation is not captured in the steady state simulation. Across all six aneurysms, the device reduces the WSS magnitude within the aneurysm sac, resulting in a hemodynamic environment closer to that of a healthy vessel. We conclude from extensive CFD analysis that the 'Sphere' device offers very significant levels of flow reduction in a number of anatomically accurate aneurysm sizes and locations, with many advantages compared to current clinical cylindrical flow-diverter designs. Analysis of the device's mechanical properties and deployability will follow in future publications

Shock/gas bubble interactions in infinite and finite volumes of liquid

This paper was presented at the 2nd Micro and Nano Flows Conference (MNF2009), which was held at Brunel University, West London, UK. The conference was organised by Brunel University and supported by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, IPEM, the Italian Union of Thermofluid dynamics, the Process Intensification Network, HEXAG - the Heat Exchange Action Group and the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications.This paper examines the dynamics of shock induced collapse of an air bubble in water and discusses the resulting collapse geometry, pressure and temperature. FronTier, a front tracking algorithm, is used to resolve the motion of the air/water interface. A series of plane shock intensities and bubble sizes are compared and the collapse geometry is found to be independent of these variations. The pressure and temperature are found to be greater for a smaller bubble and for a more intense shock. High speed droplet impact with an enclosed bubble is also examined. The impact creates a shock wave that is found to interact with the bubble in a way largely similar to the plane shock case

Modeling asymmetric cavity collapse with plasma equations of state

We explore the effect that equation of state (EOS) thermodynamics has on shock-driven cavity-collapse processes. We account for full, multidimensional, unsteady hydrodynamics and incorporate a range of relevant EOSs (polytropic, QEOS-type, and SESAME). In doing so, we show that simplified analytic EOSs, like ideal gas, capture certain critical parameters of the collapse such as velocity of the main transverse jet and pressure at jet strike, while also providing a good representation of overall trends. However, more sophisticated EOSs yield different and more relevant estimates of temperature and density, especially for higher incident shock strengths. We model incident shocks ranging from 0.1 to 1000 GPa, the latter being of interest in investigating the warm dense matter regime for which experimental and theoretical EOS data are difficult to obtain. At certain shock strengths, there is a factor of two difference in predicted density between QEOS-type and SESAME EOS, indicating cavity collapse as an experimental method for exploring EOS in this range

Understanding the Role of Endothelial Glycocalyx in Mechanotransduction via Computational Simulation: A Mini Review

Endothelial glycocalyx (EG) is a forest-like structure, covering the lumen side of blood vessel walls. EG is exposed to the mechanical forces of blood flow, mainly shear, and closely associated with vascular regulation, health, diseases, and therapies. One hallmark function of the EG is mechanotransduction, which means the EG senses the mechanical signals from the blood flow and then transmits the signals into the cells. Using numerical modelling methods or in silico experiments to investigate EG-related topics has gained increasing momentum in recent years, thanks to tremendous progress in supercomputing. Numerical modelling and simulation allows certain very specific or even extreme conditions to be fulfilled, which provides new insights and complements experimental observations. This mini review examines the application of numerical methods in EG-related studies, focusing on how computer simulation contributes to the understanding of EG as a mechanotransducer. The numerical methods covered in this review include macroscopic (i.e., continuum-based), mesoscopic [e.g., lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) and dissipative particle dynamics (DPD)] and microscopic [e.g., molecular dynamics (MD) and Monte Carlo (MC) methods]. Accounting for the emerging trends in artificial intelligence and the advent of exascale computing, the future of numerical simulation for EG-related problems is also contemplated