Publications by authors named "Marianna Pepona"

Three constitutive laws, that is the Skalak, neo-Hookean and Yeoh laws, commonly employed for describing the erythrocyte membrane mechanics are theoretically analyzed and numerically investigated to assess their accuracy for capturing erythrocyte deformation characteristics and morphology. Particular emphasis is given to the nonlinear deformation regime, where it is known that the discrepancies between constitutive laws are most prominent. Hence, the experiments of optical tweezers and micropipette aspiration are considered here, for which relationships between the individual shear elastic moduli of the constitutive laws can also be established through analysis of the tension-deformation relationship.

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Introduction: The biological and mechanical properties of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in combination with the hemodynamics affect the preference of metastatic sites in the vasculature. Despite the extensive literature on the effects of biological properties on cell adhesion, the effects of hydrodynamic forces on primary attachment remains an active area of research. Using simulations in conjunction with experimentation, we provide new insight into the interplay of CTCs dynamics and local hydrodynamics.

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Various types of embolization devices have been developed for the treatment of cerebral aneurysms. However, it is challenging to properly evaluate device performance and train medical personnel for device deployment without the aid of functionally relevant models. Currentaneurysm models suffer from a lack of key functional and morphological features of brain vasculature that limit their applicability for these purposes.

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Article Synopsis
  • - The study enhances a ternary free-energy lattice Boltzmann model by adding wetting boundary conditions, optimizing it for high-density contrast scenarios, specifically targeting multicomponent fluid dynamics.
  • - Various methods, including forcing and geometric schemes, are evaluated through static and dynamic tests to analyze processes like capillary filling and the motion of liquid drops.
  • - Findings indicate that the slip length is significantly influenced by equilibrium contact angles at liquid-liquid or liquid-gas interfaces, showcasing the model's capability to simulate complex interactions such as drop impacts on lubricated surfaces.
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