Cyclic Breathing Simulations in Large Scale Models of the Lung Airway From the Oronasal Opening to the Terminal Bronchioles

Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations were performed for unsteady periodic breathing conditions, using large-scale models of the human lung airway. The computational domain included fully coupled representations of the orotracheal region and large conducting zone up to generation four (G4) obtained from patient-specific CT data, and the small conducting zone (to G16) obtained from a stochastically generated airway tree with statistically realistic geometrical characteristics. A reduced-order geometry was used, in which several airway branches in each generation were truncated, and only select flow paths were retained to G16. The inlet and outlet flow boundaries corresponded to the oronasal opening (superior), the inlet/outlet planes in terminal bronchioles (distal), and the unresolved airway boundaries arising from the truncation procedure (intermediate). The cyclic flow was specified according to the predicted ventilation patterns for a healthy adult male at three different activity levels, supplied by the whole-body modeling software HumMod. The CFD simulations were performed using Ansys FLUENT. The mass flow distribution at the distal boundaries was prescribed using a previously documented methodology, in which the percentage of the total flow for each boundary was first determined from a steady-state simulation with an applied flow rate equal to the average during the inhalation phase of the breathing cycle. The distal pressure boundary conditions for the steady-state simulation were set using a stochastic coupling procedure to ensure physiologically realistic flow conditions. The results show that: 1) physiologically realistic flow is obtained in the model, in terms of cyclic mass conservation and approximately uniform pressure distribution in the distal airways; 2) the predicted alveolar pressure is in good agreement with previously documented values; and 3) the use of reduced-order geometry modeling allows accurate and efficient simulation of large-scale breathing lung flow, provided care is taken to use a physiologically realistic geometry and to properly address the unsteady boundary conditions.

Reverse Engineering the Structure and Function of the Allegheny Mound Ant Neck (Insecta, Hymenoptera, Formica, Exsectoides)

Insects as mechanical systems have been optimized for form and function over millions of years. Ants, in particular, can lift and carry extremely heavy loads relative to their body mass. Loads are lifted with the mouthparts, transferred through the neck joint to the thorax, and distributed over six legs and feet that anchor to the supporting surface. While previous research efforts have explored attachment mechanisms of the feet, little is known about the mechanical design of the neck — the single joint that connects the load path from the thorax to the head. This work combines mechanical testing, computed tomography (CT) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) imaging, and computational modeling to better understand the mechanical structure-function relation of the ant neck joint.

Transport and Deposition of Ellipsoidal Fibers in Subject-Specific Lung Airways

Fine to ultrafine materials, such as spherical particles and fibers with their diverse applications ranging from cosmetics, cleaners and composites to nanomedicine are increasingly ubiquitous in the air we breathe. For example, the unique lung deposition patterns of nanoparticles and their ease-of-migration into the blood stream may cause severe health problems, as discussed by Oberdoerster et al. (2005). In contrast, multifunctional nanoparticles as well as micron fibers are also being used as drug carriers for cancer treatment (Zhang et al., 2011). While the transport and deposition of spherical nanoparticles has been analyzed (Kleinstreuer and Zhang, 2010; among others), the fate of ellipsoidal particles in subject-specific lung airways has hardly been addressed. In this study, the Euler-Lagrange fluid-particle modeling approach (i.e., the Discrete Phase Method solver) has been employed in Fluent 13.0 (ANSYS, Canonsburg, PA). User-supplied C-programs have been added to simulate ellipsoidal fibers transport and orientation effects. The computer simulation model has been validated for fiber transport and deposition in a circular tube (Tian et al., 2012). Additionally, transitional airflow patterns were analyzed and local deposition efficiencies compared for spherical particles and fibers in a realistic human respiratory system. The capability of ellipsoidal fibers migrating into deeper lung regions was indicated and fiber deposition “hot spots” were discussed. The numerical results expand the basic understanding of the dynamics of non-spherical particles in realistic shear flows, and can be used to investigate the fate of inhaled toxic or therapeutic materials.

A Study of the Mechanical Role of Enamel and Dentin in Human Teeth

The dental hard tissues of a tooth are combined of enamel and dentin together. The enamel protects the dentin and comes in direct contact with food during mastication. Bite force is expressed as compression force. The purpose of this study is to identify the primary roles of enamel and dentin during mastication by analyzing their mechanical properties and hardness. Healthy human teeth (age: 19.3 ± 4.1) were used as specimens for mechanical tests. The teeth, which underwent epoxy resin molding, were machine cut to make 10 enamel specimens, 10 dentin specimens and 10 enamel–dentin composite (ED) specimens of 1.2 mm × 1.2 mm × 3.0 mm (Width × Height × Length) in size. Compression tests were conducted using a micro-load system at 0.1 mm/min test speed. Teeth surface hardness (HV) was measured by a Vickers diamond indenter with a 300g indentation load. Data were obtained from 4 points on each enamel specimen and 4 points on each dentin specimen. The strain (%), stress (MPa) and modulus of elasticity (E, MPa) of the specimens were obtained from compression tests. The MAX. strain of the enamel, dentin and ED specimens were 4.5 ± 0.8 %, 11.9 ± 0.1 % and 8.7 ± 2.7 %, respectively. The MAX. stress of the enamel, dentin and ED specimens were 62.2 ± 23.8 MPa, 193.7 ± 30.6 MPa and 126.1 ± 54.6 MPa, respectively. The E values of the enamel, dentin and ED specimens were 1338.2 ± 307.9 MPa, 1653.7 ± 277.9 MPa and 1628.6 ± 482.7 MPa, respectively. The E of the dentin specimens was the highest and the E of the enamel specimens was the lowest, but the E values of all specimens was not significantly different in the T-test (P > 0.1). The measured hardness value of the enamel specimens (HV = 274.8 ± 18.1) was about 4.2 times higher than that of the dentin specimens (HV = 65.6 ± 3.9). Because of the values of MAX. stress and MAX. strain of the enamel specimens, the enamel specimens tended to fracture earlier than the dentin and ED specimens; therefore, enamel was considered to be more brittle than dentin and ED. Enamel is a harder tissue than dentin based on their measured hardness values. Therefore, enamel has a higher wear resistance, making it suitable for grinding and crushing, whereas dentin has a higher force function, making it suitable for abutment against bite force.

Risk of Clavicle Fracture Following Coracoclavicular Ligament Reconstruction for High Grade Acromioclavicular Joint Dislocations

Finite element models are used for qualitative comparison of the risk of fracture associated with clavicle tunnels in reconstruction of the coracoclavicular ligaments for treatment of high-grade acromioclavicular joint (ACJ) injury. The two-tunnel reconstruction technique is found likely to have higher fracture risk than the less anatomic single tunnel reconstruction. The models suggest that four point bending is more likely than three point bending, cantilever bending, or axial loading to differentiate the reconstruction techniques in a laboratory experiment. The results must be narrowly interpreted only in a laboratory context due to the limitations of the study.

On the Design of a Biodegradable POC-HA Polymeric Cardiovascular Stent

The current state of the art in coronary stent technology, tubular structures used to keep the lumen open, is mainly populated by metallic stents coated with certain drugs to increase biocompatibility, even though experimental biodegradable stents have appeared in the horizon. Biodegradable polymeric stent design necessitates accurate characterization of time dependent polymer material properties and mechanical behavior for analysis and optimization. This manuscript presents the process for evaluating material properties for biodegradable biocompatible polymeric composite poly(diol citrate) hydroxyapatite (POC-HA), approaches for identifying material models and three dimensional solid models for finite element analysis and fabrication of a stent. The developed material models were utilized in a nonlinear finite element analysis to evaluate the suitability of the POC-HA material for coronary stent application. In addition, the advantages of using femtosecond laser machining to fabricate the POC-HA stent are discussed showing a machined stent. The methodology presented with additional steps can be applied in the development of a biocompatible and biodegradable polymeric stents.

Role of Plaque Morphology in Altering the Flow Characteristics in Diseased Coronary Artery

Patient specific simulations of a single patient based on an accurate representation of the plaque in a diseased coronary artery with 35% stenosis are performed to understand the effect of inlet forcing frequency and amplitude on the wall shear stress (WSS). Numerical simulations are performed with unsteady flow conditions in a laminar regime. The results have revealed that at low amplitudes, WSS is insensitive to forcing frequency and is it in phase with Q. The maximum WSS is observed at the proximal region of the stenosis, and WSS has highest negative values at the peak location of the stenosis. For higher pulsatile amplitude (a > 1.0), WSS exhibits a strong sensitivity with forcing frequencies. At higher forcing frequency the WSS exhibits nonlinear response to the inlet forcing frequency. Furthermore, significant differences in the mean velocity profile are observed during maximum and minimum volumetric flow rates.

KrioBlastTM: A Hyper-Fast Cooling and Thawing Scalable Device for Vitrification of Stem and Other Cells in Large Volumes

Kinetic (very rapid) vitrification (KVF) is a very promising approach in cryopreservation (CP) of biological materials as it is simple, avoids lethal intracellular ice formation (IIF) and minimizes damaging dehydration effects of extracellular crystallization. Moreover, achieving the ultra-high rates, which would prevent IIF during cooling and devitrification during resuscitation, and achieve KVF for practically any type of cells with one protocol of cooling and re-warming would be the “Holy Grail” of cell cryobiology [3]. However such hyperrapid rates currently require very small sample size which, however, is insufficient for many applications such as stem cells, blood or sperm. As the result, even smallest droplets of 0.25 microliters cannot be vitrified sufficiently fast to avoid the use of potentially toxic external vitrification agents such as DMSO or EG due to the Leidenfrost effect (LFE). In this presentation, we describe an entirely new system for hyperfast cooling of one-two order of magnitude larger samples that we call “KrioBlastTM”, which completely eliminates LFE. We have successfully vitrified up to 4,000 microliters of 15% glycerol solutions, which theoretically corresponds to the critical cooling rate of hundreds of thousands °C/min. We believe that such a system can revolutionize the future cryobiological paradigm.

Combustion Synthesis and Characterization of Porous NiTi Intermetallic for Structural Application

This paper describes experimental investigation of thermal and combustion phenomena as well as structure for self-propagating combustion synthesis of porous Ni–Ti intermetallic aimed for structural biomedical application. The objective is to correlate processing conditions with structure for the porous material. Ni–Ti mixture is prepared from elemental powders of Ni and Ti. The mixture is pressed into solid cylindrical samples of 1.1 cm diameter and 2–3 cm length, with initial porosity ranging from 30% to 42%. The samples are preheated to various initial temperatures and ignited from the top surface such that the flame propagates axially downwards. The flame images are recorded with a motion camera as well as the temperature profile. The samples were then cut using a diamond saw in both longitudinal and latitudinal directions. Image analysis software was then used to analyze the porosity distribution in each sample. The porosity distribution was then systematically correlated with the input processing conditions.

Experimental and Numerical Study of Soft Tissue Surrogate Behavior Under Ballistic Loading

Studying the high strain rate behavior of soft tissues and soft tissue surrogates is of interest to improve the understanding of injury mechanisms during blast and impact events. Tests such as the split Hopkinson pressure bar have been successfully used to characterize material behavior at high strain rates under simple loading conditions. However, experiments involving more complex stress states are needed for the validation of constitutive models and numerical simulation techniques for fast transient events. In particular, for the case of ballistic injuries, controlled tests that can better reflect the effects induced by a penetrating projectile are of interest. This paper presents an experiment that tries to achieve that goal. The experimental setup involves a cylindrical test sample made of a translucent soft tissue surrogate that has a small pre-made cylindrical channel along its axis. A small caliber projectile is fired through the pre-made channel at representative speeds using an air rifle. High speed video is used in conjunction with specialized software to generate data for model validation. A Lagrangian Finite Element Method (FEM) model was prepared in ABAQUS/Explicit to simulate the experiments. Different hyperelastic constitutive models were explored to represent the behavior of the soft tissue surrogate and the required material properties were obtained from high strain rate test data reported in the open literature. The simulation results corresponding to each constitutive model considered were qualitatively compared against the experimental data for a single projectile speed. The constitutive model that provided the closest match was then used to perform an additional simulation at a different projectile velocity and quantitative comparisons between numerical and experimental results were made. The comparisons showed that the Marlow hyperelastic model available in ABAQUS/Explicit was able to produce a good representation of the soft tissue surrogate behavior observed experimentally at the two projectile speeds considered.