Space–time fluid mechanics computation of heart valve models

Fluid mechanics computation of heart valves with an interface-tracking (moving-mesh) method was one of the classes of computations targeted in introducing the space–time (ST) interface tracking method with topology change (ST-TC). The ST-TC method is a new version of the Deforming-Spatial-Domain/Stabilized ST (DSD/SST) method. It can deal with an actual contact between solid surfaces in flow problems with moving interfaces, while still possessing the desirable features of interface-tracking methods, such as better resolution of the boundary layers. The DSD/SST method with effective mesh update can already handle moving-interface problems when the solid surfaces are in near contact or create near TC, if the “nearness” is sufficiently “near” for the purpose of solving the problem. That, however, is not the case in fluid mechanics of heart valves, as the solid surfaces need to be brought into an actual contact when the flow has to be completely blocked. Here we extend the ST-TC method to 3D fluid mechanics computation of heart valve models. We present computations for two models: an aortic valve with coronary arteries and a mechanical aortic valve. These computations demonstrate that the ST-TC method can bring interface-tracking accuracy to fluid mechanics of heart valves, and can do that with computational practicality.     

Application of Fuzzy Genetic Algorithm to the Problem of Synthesizing Circular Microstrip Antenna Elements with Thick Substrates

Fuzzy genetic algorithm (FGA) is applied to the problem of synthesizing a probe-fed circular microstrip antenna element with thick substrate taking resonant frequency, gain, bandwidth and input impedance of the antenna element into consideration simultaneously. The results obtained by FGA are compared with the results obtained by classical genetic algorithm (CGA).     

Solution‐processed Cu(In,Ga)(S,Se)2 absorber yielding a 15.2% efficient solar cell

The remarkable potential for inexpensive upscale of solution processing technologies is expected to enable chalcogenide‐based photovoltaic systems to become more widely adopted to meet worldwide energy needs. Here, we report a thin‐film solar cell with solution‐processed Cu(In,Ga)(S,Se)₂ (CIGS) absorber. The power conversion efficiency of 15.2% is the highest published value for a pure solution deposition technique for any photovoltaic absorber material and is on par with the best nonvacuum‐processed CIGS devices. We compare the performance of our cell with a world champion vacuum‐deposited CIGS cell and perform detailed characterization, such as biased quantum efficiency, temperature‐dependent electrical measurement, time‐resolved photoluminescence, and capacitance spectroscopy. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

SUPG and discontinuity-capturing methods for coupled fluid mechanics and electrochemical transport problems

Electrophoresis is the motion of charged particles relative to the surrounding liquid under the influence of an external electric field. This electrochemical transport process is used in many scientific and technological areas to separate chemical species. Modeling and simulation of electrophoretic transport enables a better understanding of the physicochemical processes developed during the electrophoretic separations and the optimization of various parameters of the electrophoresis devices and their performance. Electrophoretic transport is a multiphysics and multiscale problem. Mass transport, fluid mechanics, electric problems, and their interactions have to be solved in domains with length scales ranging from nanometers to centimeters. We use a finite element method for the computations. Without proper numerical stabilization, computation of coupled fluid mechanics, electrophoretic transport, and electric problems would suffer from spurious oscillations that are related to the high values of the local Péclet and Reynolds numbers and the nonzero divergence of the migration field. To overcome these computational challenges, we propose a stabilized finite element method based on the Streamline-Upwind/Petrov-Galerkin (SUPG) formulation and discontinuity-capturing techniques. To demonstrate the effectiveness of the stabilized formulation, we present test computations with 1D, 2D, and 3D electrophoretic transport problems of technological interest.     

Compressible Flow SUPG Stabilization Parameters Computed from Degree-of-freedom Submatrices

We present, for the SUPG formulation of inviscid compressible flows, stabilization parameters defined based on the degree-of-freedom submatrices of the element-level matrices. With 2D steady-state test problems involving supersonic flows and shocks, we compare these stabilization parameters with the ones defined based on the full element-level matrices. We also compare them to the stabilization parameters introduced in the earlier development stages of the SUPG formulation of compressible flows. In all cases the formulation includes a shock-capturing term involving a shock-capturing parameter. We investigate the difference between updating the stabilization and shock-capturing parameters at the end of every time step and at the end of every nonlinear iteration within a time step. The formulation includes, as an option, an algorithmic feature that is based on freezing the shock-capturing parameter at its current value when a convergence stagnation is detected.     

Computation of flow problems with the Mixed Interface-Tracking/Interface-Capturing Technique (MITICT)

In computation of flow problems with fluid-solid interfaces, an interface-tracking technique, where the fluid mesh moves to track the interface, would allow us to have full control of the resolution of the fluid mesh in the boundary layers. With an interface-capturing technique (or an interface locator technique in the more general case), on the other hand, independent of how accurately the interface geometry is represented, the resolution of the fluid mesh in the boundary layer will be limited by the resolution of the fluid mesh at the interface. In computation of flow problems with fluid-fluid interfaces where the interface is too complex or unsteady to track while keeping the remeshing frequency under control, interface-capturing techniques, with enhanced-discretization as needed, could be used as more flexible alternatives. Sometimes we may need to solve flow problems with both fluid-solid interfaces and complex or unsteady fluid-fluid interfaces. The Mixed Interface-Tracking/Interface-Capturing Technique (MITICT) was introduced for computation of flow problems that involve both interfaces that can be accurately tracked with a moving mesh method and interfaces that are too complex or unsteady to be tracked and therefore require an interface-capturing technique. As the interface-tracking technique, we use the Deforming-Spatial-Domain/Stabilized Space-Time (DSD/SST) formulation. The interface-capturing technique rides on this, and is based on solving over a moving mesh, in addition to the Navier-Stokes equations, the advection equation governing the time-evolution of the interface function. For the computations reported in this paper, as interface-capturing technique we are using one of the versions of the Edge-Tracked Interface Locator Technique (ETILT).     

Prophylactic vasopressin during laparoscopic salpingotomy for ectopic pregnancy

Monoamine oxidase (MAO) released from the rat liver into plasma and the activity levels of lipid peroxide (LPO) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) in liver tissue were investigated after pretreatment of rats with the perilobular hepatotoxin allyl formate (AF). When 3H-pargyline was given to AF-pretreated rats, the levels of 3H-pargyline labelled MAO in rat plasma were increased to 38% (p < 0.01 vs control), but the radioactivity was decreased to 35% (p < 0.05 vs control). The molecular weight of MAO subunits in plasma was similar to that of MAO subunits in liver (about 60,000) as determined by SDS electrophoresis. Liver tissue LPO levels in these rats were increased, whereas SOD activity was decreased. These results suggest that MAO in liver mitochondria was released into plasma as a consequence of membrane disorder.