2,400 research outputs found
Bridging the computational gap between mesoscopic and continuum modeling of red blood cells for fully resolved blood flow
We present a computational framework for the simulation of blood flow with
fully resolved red blood cells (RBCs) using a modular approach that consists of
a lattice Boltzmann solver for the blood plasma, a novel finite element based
solver for the deformable bodies and an immersed boundary method for the
fluid-solid interaction. For the RBCs, we propose a nodal projective FEM
(npFEM) solver which has theoretical advantages over the more commonly used
mass-spring systems (mesoscopic modeling), such as an unconditional stability,
versatile material expressivity, and one set of parameters to fully describe
the behavior of the body at any mesh resolution. At the same time, the method
is substantially faster than other FEM solvers proposed in this field, and has
an efficiency that is comparable to the one of mesoscopic models. At its core,
the solver uses specially defined potential energies, and builds upon them a
fast iterative procedure based on quasi-Newton techniques. For a known
material, our solver has only one free parameter that demands tuning, related
to the body viscoelasticity. In contrast, state-of-the-art solvers for
deformable bodies have more free parameters, and the calibration of the models
demands special assumptions regarding the mesh topology, which restrict their
generality and mesh independence. We propose as well a modification to the
potential energy proposed by Skalak et al. 1973 for the red blood cell
membrane, which enhances the strain hardening behavior at higher deformations.
Our viscoelastic model for the red blood cell, while simple enough and
applicable to any kind of solver as a post-convergence step, can capture
accurately the characteristic recovery time and tank-treading frequencies. The
framework is validated using experimental data, and it proves to be scalable
for multiple deformable bodies
Spatial Coupling of a Lattice Boltzmann fluid model with a Finite Difference Navier-Stokes solver
In multiscale, multi-physics applications, there is an increasing need for
coupling numerical solvers that are each applied to a different part of the
problem. Here we consider the case of coupling a Lattice Boltzmann fluid model
and a Finite Difference Navier-Stokes solver. The coupling is implemented so
that the entire computational domain can be divided in two regions, with the FD
solver running on one of them and the LB one on the other.
We show how the various physical quantities of the two approaches should be
related to ensure a smooth transition at the interface between the regions. We
demonstrate the feasibility of the method on the Poiseuille flow, where the LB
and FD schemes are used on adjacent sub-domains.
The same idea can be also developed to couple LB models with Finite Volumes,
or Finite Elements calculations.
The motivation for developing such a type of coupling is that, depending on
the geometry of the flow, one technique can be more efficient, less memory
consuming, or physically more appropriate than the other in some regions (e.g.
near the boundaries), whereas the converse is true for other parts of the same
system. We can also imagine that a given system solved, say by FD, can be
augmented in some spatial regions with a new physical process that is better
treated by a LB model. Our approach allows us to only modify the concerned
region without altering the rest of the computation.Comment: 10 pages, 2 figure
Executive computer program for linking independent computer programs: ODINEX
Program controls sequence of execution of network of program elements and maintains data base of common information which forms communication link among them. Approach is applicable to any multiple-program task
Repository as a service (RaaS)
In his oft-quoted seminal paper ‘Institutional Repositories: Essential Infrastructure For Scholarship In The Digital Age’ Clifford Lynch (2003) described the Institutional Repository as “a set of services that a university offers to the members of its community for the management and dissemination of digital materials created by the institution and its community members.” This paper seeks instead to define the repository service at a more primitive level, without the specialism of being an ‘Institutional Repository’, and looks at how it can viewed as providing a service within appropriate boundaries, and what that could mean for the future development of repositories, our expectations of what repositories should be, and how they could fit into the set of services required to deliver an Institutional Repository service as describe by Lynch.<br/
The Health Risk Behavior of Myanmar Migrant Workers in Mae Sot, Tak, Thailand: A Path Analysis Study of The Influences of Depression, Anxiety, Stress and Coping Styles
This study was conducted in November, 2011, to investigate the influence of Myanmar migrant workers’ level of depression, anxiety and stress on their practice of certain health risk behaviors, both directly and indirectly, being mediated by their coping styles. The sample consisted of 300 Myanmar migrant workers in Mae Sot, Tak and who volunteered to fill in the study’s questionnaire. The results obtained showed that these migrants reported (1) low level of depression, anxiety and stress (2) were more likely to employ problem-focused coping than emotion-focused coping when dealing with stressful situation in their life (3) their depression anxiety, stress were positively associated with their practice of health risk behaviors such as smoking, betel quid chewing, drug using, and suicidal ideation. The implications of the findings with regard to how Myanmar migrant workers in Mae Sot cope with their depression, anxiety, stress in their daily life is discussed
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