Majorana quasiparticles and topological phases in 3D active nematics.

Quasiparticles are low-energy excitations with important roles in condensed matter physics. An intriguing example is provided by Majorana quasiparticles, which are equivalent to their antiparticles. Despite being implicated in neutrino oscillations and topological superconductivity, their experimental realizations remain very rare.

Entangled nematic disclinations using multi-particle collision dynamics.

Colloids dispersed in nematic liquid crystals form topological composites in which colloid-associated defects mediate interactions while adhering to fundamental topological constraints. Better realising the promise of such materials requires numerical methods that model nematic inclusions in dynamic and complex scenarios. We employ a mesoscale approach for simulating colloids as mobile surfaces embedded in a fluctuating nematohydrodynamic medium to study the kinetics of colloidal entanglement.

Cost-benefit analysis of 3D-printed vascular models in abdominal free flap breast reconstruction.

3D-printed vascular models can enhance flap harvesting efficiency in abdominal free flap breast reconstruction, reducing the use of operating room time. However, no economic analyses with respect to model use in this context have been conducted to date. As such, this study examines model cost-benefit tradeoffs for use in abdominal free flap breast reconstruction.

Alternative Nerve Coaptations: End-To-Side and Beyond.

Modern end-to-side (ETS) nerve transfers have undergone several permutations since the early 1990's. Preclinical data have revealed important mechanisms and patterns of donor axon outgrowth into the recipient nerves and target reinnervation. The versatility of ETS nerve transfers can also potentially address several processes that limit functional recovery after nerve injury by babysitting motor end-plates and/or supporting the regenerative environment within the denervated nerve.

Lock-key microfluidics: simulating nematic colloid advection along wavy-walled channels.

Liquid crystalline media mediate interactions between suspended particles and confining geometries, which not only has potential to guide patterning and bottom-up colloidal assembly, but can also control colloidal migration in microfluidic devices. However, simulating such dynamics is challenging because nemato-elasticity, diffusivity and hydrodynamic interactions must all be accounted for within complex boundaries. We model the advection of colloids dispersed in flowing and fluctuating nematic fluids confined within 2D wavy channels.