Multiscale modeling of skin mechanical Behavior: Effect of dehydrating agent on Collagen's mechanical properties.

The dermis, second layer of human skin, is mainly responsible for mechanical response of the skin. The unique viscoelastic nature of this layer arises from the characteristic hierarchical structure of collagen at various length scales. The effect of topical formulation on skin's mechanical properties of great importance for several personal-care applications.

Subcutaneous Drug Delivery: A Review of the State-of-the-Art Modeling and Experimental Techniques.

Delivery of drug formulations through the subcutaneous route is a widely used modality for the treatment of several diseases, such as diabetes and auto-immune conditions. Subcutaneous injections are typically used to inject low-viscosity drugs in small doses. However, for new biologics, there is a need to deliver drugs of higher viscosity in large volumes.

Numerical study of the effect of soft layer properties on bacterial electroporation.

We present a numerical model of electroporation in a gram-positive bacterium, which accounts for the presence of a negatively charged soft polyelectrolyte layer (which may include a periplasmic space, peptidoglycan layer, cilia, flagella, and other surface appendages) surrounding its plasma membrane. We model the ion transport within and outside the soft layer using the soft layer electrokinetics-based Poisson-Nernst-Planck formalism. Additionally, we model the electroporation dynamics on the plasma membrane using the pore nucleation-based electroporation formalism developed by Krassowska and Filev.

Nonlinear electrokinetic effects in insulator-based dielectrophoretic systems.

Insulator-based dielectrophoresis (iDEP) has emerged as a powerful tool for multiple biomicrofluidic operations, such as cell separation and concentration. The key feature for iDEP systems is the alteration of insulating microchannel geometries to create strong electric field gradients. Under AC electric fields, this strong electric field gradient can affect fluid flow by (at least) two nonlinear electrokinetic phenomena; (a) electrothermal flow due to Joule heating and (b) induced charge electroosmosis (ICEO) near the microchannel constrictions of small (but finite) permittivity and conductivity.

Theoretical investigation of bacteria polarizability under direct current electric fields.

We present a theoretical model to investigate the influence of soft polyelectrolyte layers on bacteria polarizability. We resolve soft-layer electrokinetics by considering the pH-dependent dissociation of ionogenic groups and specific interactions of ionogenic groups with the bulk electrolyte to go beyond approximating soft-layer electrokinetics as surface conduction. We model the electrokinetics around a soft particle by modified Poisson-Nernst-Planck equations (PNP) to account for the effects of ion transport in the soft layer and electric double layer.

Combined effects of surface roughness and wetting characteristics on the moving contact line in microchannel flows.

The present study investigates moving contact lines in microfluidic confinements with rough topographies modeled with random generating functions. Using matched asymptotic expansion, the description of the whole contact line is obtained and the dynamic contact angle is extracted by extrapolating the bulk meniscus to the channel wall. Significant variations are observed in the contact angle because of the heterogeneities of the confining walls of the microfluidic channel.