Narrow Results

The morbidity and mortality of aneurysm rupture have raised significantly in current years. In this research, numerical investigations have been performed to disclose the impacts of hemodynamic on the breach and growth of the Intracranial Aneurysms (IA) in the middle cerebral artery (MCA). To perform this research, computational fluid dynamic (CFD) methodology is employed to model the non-Newtonian blood stream through the IA. 3D model of IA is chosen for the analysis blood flow. Wall shear stress (WSS) was evaluated and compared at the high-risk region, where the probability of rupture is high. This study offers precise information and insight about the influence of blood viscosity and velocity on the danger of the aneurysm rupture in the MCA. Our outcomes show that the location and orientation of the aneurysm have direct impacts on the growth of the aneurysm. The main attention of this research is to reveal more vibrant facts about the primary reasons for the rupture of the aneurysm and present connection among the rupture points and the local hemodynamic features. This work tries to demonstrate the critical area on the aneurysm surface by analyzing the WSS and pressure distribution.

The velocity of an unsteady flow of a viscous fluid of the second-grade MHD-type enclosed between two parallel side walls perpendicular to a plate was obtained by applying the integral transformation. The fluid is required to move by the plate, which over time $t=0^{+}$ subjected the fluid to shear stress. The solutions satisfy the given equation as well as the boundary and initial conditions, and they were separated into two types: steady state and transient state. Furthermore, through $h\to \infty$, we are able to recover the results found in the literature for motion across an infinite plate. Graphs depict the effect of the side walls and the time it takes to reach the steady state. The solutions are shown in graphs and discussed physically to examine the impact of different flow parameters. It is found that the fluid velocity decreases with an increasing fractional parameter $\beta$ and second-grade parameter $\alpha$. Also, it is noticed that the fluid velocity decreases with increasing values of Reynolds number and effective permeability. Numerous industrial products, including honey, paints, varnishes, coffee, chocolate and jelly, use this type of fluid flow concept.

Neutron reflectometry (NR) was used to examine various live cells' adhesion to quartz substrates under different environmental conditions, including flow stress. To the best of our knowledge, these measurements represent the first successful visualization and quantization of the interface between live cells and a substrate with sub-nanometer resolution.

In our first experiments, we examined live mouse fibroblast cells as opposed to past experiments using supported lipids, proteins, or peptide layers with no associated cells. We continued the NR studies of cell adhesion by investigating endothelial monolayers and glioblastoma cells under dynamic flow conditions. We demonstrated that neutron reflectometry is a powerful tool to study the strength of cellular layer adhesion in living tissues, which is a key factor in understanding the physiology of cell interactions and conditions leading to abnormal or disease circumstances. Continuative measurements, such as investigating changes in tumor cell — surface contact of various glioblastomas, could impact advancements in tumor treatments. In principle, this can help us to identify changes that correlate with tumor invasiveness. Pursuit of these studies can have significant medical impact on the understanding of complex biological problems and their effective treatment, e.g. for the development of targeted anti-invasive therapies.

In order to research the dynamic recrystallization (DRX) and grain refinement mechanisms in the process of extrusion through the rotating container, hot compression experiment of AZ31 magnesium alloy was carried out. Through the combination of experimental data and Yada empirical model, the DRX model of AZ31 magnesium alloy was established. Based on this DRX model, the numerical simulation of AZ31 magnesium alloy extrusion through the rotating container process was performed. The research results indicated, with the same process parameters of conventional extrusion, the shear stress increased significantly at the same position during the process of extrusion through the rotating container. This stress change promoted the occurrence of DRX and the increased recrystallization volume fraction. The average grain size obviously decreased. The equiaxed grains increased and the distribution uniformity was improved. These characteristics provided a theoretical basis for a better understanding of the enhanced comprehensive mechanical properties during the extrusion through the rotating container.

The shear-sensitive liquid crystal coating (SSLCC) technique is investigated in the high-speed jet flow of a micro-wind-tunnel. An approach to measure surface shear stress vector distribution using the SSLCC technique is established, where six synchronous cameras are used to record the coating color at different circumferential view angles. Spatial wall shear stress vector distributions on the test surface are obtained at different velocities. The results are encouraging and demonstrate the great potential of the SSLCC technique in high-speed wind-tunnel measurement.

There is strong evidence to support the hypothesis that vascular geometry plays an important role in the initiation and development of cerebral aneurysms (see e.g. Refs. 24, 40 and 41) as well as other vascular diseases (see e.g. Refs. 25, 31 and 35) through its influence on hemodynamics. Cerebral aneurysms are nearly always found at arterial bifurcations in and near the circle of Willis.⁴² It is commonly believed that the cause of initiation and development of cerebral aneurysms is at least indirectly related to the effect of hemodynamic wall pressure and shear stress on the arterial tissue at arterial bifurcations (see e.g. Refs. 24, 39–41 and 44). In this work, we use analytical and numerical approaches to investigate the hypothesis that local geometric factors can have a significant impact on the magnitude and spatial gradients of wall pressure and shear stress at the apex of arterial bifurcations. We consider steady flow of incompressible, Newtonian fluids. We find that sharp corners such as those at arterial bifurcations and the juncture between grafted vessels can be a source of localized high wall pressure and shear stress. In fact, it can be shown analytically that perfectly sharp corners (zero radius of curvature) will lead to unbounded magnitudes of shear stress and pressure.²⁶ Significantly, the unboundedness of the pressure and shear stress at perfectly sharp corners is unrelated to the fluid inertia. Whereas for zero radius of curvature, both the maximum pressure and shear stress occur at the apex; for nonzero radius of curvature, the pressure maximum is found at the apex, the shear stress is zero at the apex, and the shear stress maximum shifts to the lateral sides of the bifurcation. These results show that arterial bifurcations should not be idealized as perfectly sharp for studies of initiation and development of cerebral aneurysms.

We construct explicit solutions for scalar, vector and tensor perturbations in a less known setting, a flat universe filled by an isotropic elastic solid with pressure and shear modulus proportional to energy density. The solutions generalize the well-known formulas for cosmological perturbations in a universe filled by ideal fluid.

Recent elucidation of the primary VASP (vasodilator-simulated phosphoprotein) and identity of VASP binding proteins suggests that VASP is an important component of focal contacts which links signal transduction pathways and elements controlling cell motility. The aim of our study was to evaluate shear-stress-induced changes of VASP expression and localization in ECs. We showed, by western blotting measurements, that the shear stress involve some modifications on the expression of phosphorilated (50 kD) and non phosphorilated (46kD) VASP. Moreover, a fluorescence double-labeling shows the location of VASP on the actin fibers. At rest, ECs showed an array of microfilament bundles of the actin fibers and VASP were along their entire length. After exposure to shear stress, the stress fibers appeared and were oriented along with the flow. There were a thicker expression of VASP than in control, targeted to the ends of stress fibres. This seems to be an adjustment of the cells towards the mechanical stresses. These results suggest that VASP is a potential important component which participates in the regulation of cell actin remodelling induced by shear flow. VASP were involved in the mechano-transduction pathways.

To locate the maximum and mean turbulent shear stresses in both time and space, and to determine how shear stresses depend on the flow rate and downstream measuring planes of the artificial heart valves, this study was carried out. Maximum and mean turbulent shear stresses estimated at 0.5D downstream of the valves showed a direct relationship with flow rate both in the Jellyfish and St. Vincent valves. The magnitude of both mean and maximum shear stresses in the Jellyfish valve was found to be higher than that of the St. Vincent valve at 0.5 and 1D downstream of the Jellyfish valve. Maximum shear stresses were found in close vicinity to the valve where highly disturbed flow with steep velocity gradients were observed.

Blood flow in distensible arteries is nonlinear and time-dependent. The radial motion of the wall alters the dimension and geometry of the flow field. The nonlinear pulsating flow processes are successfully computed by mapping the wavy flow field to a fixed domain and by casting the geometric, kinematic and dynamic parameters of the flow into a dimensionless form of the Navier–Stokes equations. The complexity of the equations is compensated by a significant advantage in finite difference solutions. It is accomplished by using a fixed regular mesh network to model time-dependent irregular meshes in the physical domain for boundary layer development and vortices in pulsatile flows.

Vascular endothelial cells (ECs) are subjected to shear stress and cytokine stimulation. We studied the interplay between shear stress and cytokine in modulating the expression of adhesion molecule genes and the adhesive function of ECs. Shear stress (20 dynes/cm²) was applied to ECs prior to or following the addition of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α. Shear stress increased the TNF-α-induced expression of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) at both mRNA and surface protein levels, but decreased the TNF-α-induced expression of vascular adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1). The TNF-α-induced increase in EC adhesiveness for monocytic THP-1 cells was reduced by shear stress. After 24-h pre-shearing followed by 1 h of static incubation, the effect of pre-shearing on TNF-α-induced ICAM-1 mRNA expression vanished. The recovery of the TNF-α-induced VCAM-1 mRNA expression following pre-shearing, however, required a static incubation time of >6 h (completely recovery at 24 h). Pre- and post-shearing caused a reduction in the nuclear factor (NF)-κB-DNA binding activity induced by TNF-α in the EC nucleus. Our findings suggest that shear stress plays differential roles in modulating the TNF-α-induced EC expressions of ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 genes, which serve similar functions in vascular biology.

Noxious thermal and/or mechanical stimuli applied to dentine can cause fluid flow in dentinal microtubules (DMTs). The fluid flow induces shear stress (SS) on intradental nerve endings and may excite pulpal mechanoreceptors to generate dental pain sensation. There exist numerous studies on dental thermal pain, but few are mathematical. For this, we developed a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model of dentinal fluid flow (DFF) in innervated DMTs. Based on this model, we systematically investigated the effects of various parameters (e.g., biological structure, DFF velocity, and fluid properties) on the SS experienced by intradental nerve endings and thus provide a quantitative interpretation to the hydrodynamic theory. The dimensions of biological structures, odontoblastic process (OP) movement, dentinal fluid velocity, and viscosity were found to have significant influences on the SS while dentinal fluid density showed negligible influence under conditions studied. The results indicate that: (i) dental pain study of animal models may not be directly applied to human being and the results may even vary from one person to another and (ii) OP movement caused by DFF changes the dimension of the space for the fluid flow, affecting thus the SS on nerve endings. The present work enables better understanding of the mechanisms underlying dental pain sensation and quantification of dental pain intensity resulted from clinical procedures such as dentine sensitivity testing and dental restorative processes.

Quantitative evaluation of shear stress in the vessel wall due to the presence of asymptomatic gas emboli is lacking. The goal of this work was to assess the impact of chronic asymptomatic gas emboli on the risk of atherosclerosis through a custom-built cardiovascular flow simulator. Gas bubbles were created by forced air from a syringe pump. The influences of embolism injection rate, pulse rate, and time-averaged flow rate on the wall mean shear stress were investigated at resting and elevated heart rate conditions. The recorded pressure and volumetric flow rate from 24 experimental settings with four repetitions each were used to calculate the mean wall shear stress (MWSS). A directly inverse relationship between gas embolus rate and MWSS in the vessel, particularly at low vascular flow and diminished pulse rates was subsequently found. This study established a positive correlation between gas bubbles in the bloodstream and diminished MWSS, which implied a potential onset of atherosclerosis.

Vascular physiology and disease progression, such as atherosclerosis, are mediated by hemodynamic force generated from blood flow. The hemodynamic force exerts on vascular endothelial cells (ECs), which could perceive the mechanical signals and transmit them into cell interior by multiple potential shear sensors, collectively known as mechanotransduction. However, we do not understand completely how these shear-sensitive components orchestrate physiological and atherosclerotic responses to shear stress. In this review, we provide an overview of biomechanical mechanisms underlying vascular physiology and atherosclerotic progression. Additionally, we summarize current evidences to illustrate that atherosclerotic lesions preferentially develop in arterial regions experiencing disturbance in blood flow, during which endothelial dysfunction is the initial event of atherosclerosis, inflammation plays dominant roles in atherosclerotic progression, and angiogenesis emerges as compensatory explanation for atherosclerotic plaque rupture. Especially in the presence of systemic risk factors (e.g., hyperlipidaemia, hypertension and hyperglycemia), the synergy between these systemic risk factors with hemodynamic factors aggravates atherosclerosis by co-stimulating some of these biomechanical events. Given the hemodynamic environment of vasculature, understanding how the rapid shear-mediated signaling, particularly in combination with systemic risk factors, contribute to atherosclerotic progression through endothelial dysfunction, inflammation and angiogenesis helps to elucidate the role for atherogenic shear stress in specifically localizing atherosclerotic lesions in arterial regions with disturbed flow.

Hemodialysis vascular access failure is related to increased morbidity and mortality in hemodialysis patients, representing a challenging clinical problem which results in a high percentage of hospital entrance and an important economic burden on government's disbursement. In this paper, the feasibility of using the needle adapter to reduce the biomechanical risk factors within arteriovenous grafts is considered. The three-dimensional (3D) tapered 6 to 8 mm loop graft in the presence of venous and arterial needles with and without adapter was numerically simulated. Navier–Stokes equations for incompressible Newtonian fluid are the governing equation of this problem. k – ω two equations turbulence modeling were applied to capture flow features of low Reynolds turbulent flow regions in this simulation. The physiological velocity waveform was used as an arterial inlet boundary condition. The venose outlet boundary condition was a time dependent physiological pressure waveform. The results for the dialysis without the adapter demonstrated that the graft wall experiences increased hemodynamic stresses as a result of the hitting needle jet flow. The dialysis with the adapter demonstrated that the venous anastomosis experiences lower biomechanical risk factors in comparison to the dialysis without the adapter and it reduced the vascular access failure. Using adapter caused less damage to endothelial cells during hemodialysis.

Regions of the vasculature subjected to low wall shear stress and disturbed flow patterns are prone to atherosclerotic plaque formation. Pro-inflammatory conditions induced by products of protein glycation in diabetes substantially enhance this risk. One of the contributory factors is the enhanced production of ROS by advanced glycation end products (AGE) of proteins and lipids formed in chronic diabetes. In this study, we examine the interaction of oscillatory wall shear stress and glycated serum albumin (AGE-HSA) in modulating NOsynthase activity and expression of pro-inflammatory molecules such as RAGE, s-ICAM-1 and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP-9) in cultured HUVEC. Our findings indicate that orbital shear stress (OSS) up-regulates RAGE expression at low (LSS 4.5 dyn/cm²) more than at high shear stress (HSS 12 dyn/cm²) at 4 h. This effect is promoted in the AGE-HSA (2 mg/mL) in a dose-dependent manner. Augmentation of NOsynthase activity was lower at LSS and further inhibited in the presence of AGE-HSA. Expression of s-ICAM-1 was found to be shear stress modulated with additive up-regulation in combination with AGE-HSA while MMP-9 was not affected by shear stress or AGE-HSA individually but in combination caused significant up-regulation. These changes in endothelial function correlate with mechanisms that initiate atherogenic process in diabetic macrovascular pathology.

The present paper focuses on preparation and process of the magnetorheological (MR) fluid whose carrier fluid is silicone-based oil and its additive is the commercial grease with different concentration of iron particles. General properties of MR fluid are discussed and rheological properties like shear rate, shear stress, viscosity of MR fluid can be found by using cone-and-plate sensor system-type rheometer. The result shows that shear stress as a function of magnetic flux density and viscosity does not strictly scale with iron loading.

At the boundary layer's separation point, the mean of the shear stress drops to a small value while its fluctuation increases dramatically. Based on the thermal method, we can fabricate a MEMS-based shear stress sensor array to bend with the curved surface, which can measure the shear stress profile of the boundary layer. This paper presents two methods, mean and RMS of the shear stress difference max value and the second order of the array signals difference algorithm, to calculate the location of the flow separation point. Through combination of the two methods and analyzing the 2D circular column CFD simulation data, the position of the separation point can be determined accurately.

In this study, electrorheological (ER) behavior of suspensions prepared from 3.0 and 9.0 μm diatomite particulate, dispersed in insulating silicone oil (SO) medium was investigated. Sedimentation stabilities of suspensions (c = 5 wt%) prepared using these diatomite powders were determined to be 32 days (d = 3 μm) and 24 days (d = 9 μm), respectively. ER activity of all the suspensions was observed to increase with increasing electric field strength, concentration and decreasing shear rate. Shear stress of diatomite suspensions increased linearly with increasing concentrations of the particles and with the applied electric field strength. Electric field viscosity of all the suspensions decreased sharply with increasing shear rate and particle size, showing a typical shear thinning non-Newtonian visco-elastic behavior. Effects of high temperature and polar promoter onto ER activity of diatomite/SO system were also investigated.

In this study, the electrorheological (ER) behavior of suspensions prepared from d₅₀ = 2.4 μm talc powder, dispersed in insulating silicone oil (SO) medium was investigated. Sedimentation stabilities of suspensions (c = 5 wt%) prepared using these talc powder powders were determined to be 78 days. The ER activity of all the suspensions was observed to increase with increasing electric field strength, concentration and decreasing shear rate. The shear stress of talc powder suspensions increased linearly with increasing concentrations of the particles and with the applied electric field strength. Electric field viscosity of all the suspensions decreased sharply with increasing shear rate and showed a typical shear thinning non-Newtonian visco-elastic behavior. Effects of frequency on the ER activity of talc powder/SO system were also investigated.