Numerical and experimental analysis of Lagrangian dispersion in two-dimensional chaotic flows.

We present a review and a new assessment of the Lagrangian dispersion properties of a 2D model of chaotic advection and diffusion in a regular lattice of non stationary kinematic eddies. This model represents an ideal case for which it is possible to analyze the same system from three different perspectives: theory, modelling and experiments. At this regard, we examine absolute and relative Lagrangian dispersion for a kinematic flow, a hydrodynamic model (Delft3D), and a laboratory experiment, in terms of established dynamical system techniques, such as the measure of (Lagrangian) finite-scale Lyapunov exponents (FSLE). The new main results concern: (i) an experimental verification of the scale-dependent dispersion properties of the chaotic advection and diffusion model here considered; (ii) a qualitative and quantitative assessment of the hydro-dynamical Lagrangian simulations. The latter, even though obtained for an idealized open flow configuration, contributes to the overall validation of the computational features of the Delft3D model.

Integrated strategy for in vitro characterization of a bileaflet mechanical aortic valve.

BACKGROUND: Haemodynamic performance of heart valve prosthesis can be defined as its ability to fully open and completely close during the cardiac cycle, neither overloading heart work nor damaging blood particles when passing through the valve. In this perspective, global and local flow parameters, valve dynamics and blood damage safety of the prosthesis, as well as their mutual interactions, have all to be accounted for when assessing the device functionality. Even though all these issues have been and continue to be widely investigated, they are not usually studied through an integrated approach yet, i.e. by analyzing them simultaneously and highlighting their connections. RESULTS: An in vitro test campaign of flow through a bileaflet mechanical heart valve (Sorin Slimline 25 mm) was performed in a suitably arranged pulsatile mock loop able to reproduce human systemic pressure and flow curves. The valve was placed in an elastic, transparent, and anatomically accurate model of healthy aorta, and tested under several pulsatile flow conditions. Global and local hydrodynamics measurements and leaflet dynamics were analysed focusing on correlations between flow characteristics and valve motion. The haemolysis index due to the valve was estimated according to a literature power law model and related to hydrodynamic conditions, and a correlation between the spatial distribution of experimental shear stress and pannus/thrombotic deposits on mechanical valves was suggested. As main and general result, this study validates the potential of the integrated strategy for performance assessment of any prosthetic valve thanks to its capability of highlighting the complex interaction between the different physical mechanisms that govern transvalvular haemodynamics. CONCLUSIONS: We have defined an in vitro procedure for a comprehensive analysis of aortic valve prosthesis performance; the rationale for this study was the belief that a proper and overall characterization of the device should be based on the simultaneous measurement of all different quantities of interest for haemodynamic performance and the analysis of their mutual interactions.

TURBOGEN: Computer-controlled vertically oscillating grid system for small-scale turbulence studies on plankton.

In recent years, there has been a renewed interest in the impact of turbulence on aquatic organisms. In response to this interest, a novel instrument has been constructed, TURBOGEN, that generates turbulence in water volumes up to 13 l. TURBOGEN is fully computer controlled, thus, allowing for a high level of reproducibility and for variations of the intensity and characteristics of turbulence during the experiment. The calibration tests, carried out by particle image velocimetry, showed TURBOGEN to be successful in generating isotropic turbulence at the typical relatively low levels of the marine environment. TURBOGEN and its sizing have been devised with the long-term scope of analyzing in detail the molecular responses of plankton to different mixing regimes, which is of great importance in both environmental and biotechnological processes.

Anisotropic macroturbulence and diffusion associated with a westward zonal jet: From laboratory to planetary atmospheres and oceans.

Turbulence with inverse energy cascade and its transport properties are investigated experimentally in a flow associated with a westward propagating jet. Turbulence and the jet were produced by an electromagnetic force in a rotating tank filled with an electrolytic saline solution. The parabolic free surface emulated the topographic ß effect which evoked the zonation. The spectral and transport flow characteristics were highly anisotropic. Turbulence is diagnosed by exploring the analogy between vertical and horizontal turbulent overturns in, respectively, stably stratified and quasigeostrophic flows which gives rise to a method of potential vorticity (PV) monotonizing. The anisotropization of transport properties of the flow is investigated using the finite scale Lyapunov exponent technique. After initial exponential particle separation, radial (meridional in geophysical and planetary applications) diffusion attains a short-ranged Richardson regime which transitions to the Taylor (scale-independent diffusivity) one. The azimuthal (zonal) diffusion exhibits a double-plateau structure which attains a superdiffusive regime on large scales. The transition to the Taylor regime for the radial diffusion takes place at a scale of turbulence anisotropization. The radial eddy diffusivity in both regimes as well as the transition scale are all determined by the rate of the inverse energy cascade, ε, that can be diagnosed by the PV monotonizing. Conversely, ε can be deduced from the scale of the Richardson-Taylor regime transition in the radial eddy diffusivity which, thus, provides an additional tool of diagnosing anisotropic macroturbulence with inverse energy cascade.

Fluid dynamics of aortic root dilation in Marfan syndrome.

Aortic root dilation and propensity to dissection are typical manifestations of the Marfan Syndrome (MS), a genetic defect leading to the degeneration of the elastic fibres. Dilation affects the structure of the flow and, in turn, altered flow may play a role in vessel dilation, generation of aneurysms, and dissection. The aim of the present work is the investigation in-vitro of the fluid dynamic modifications occurring as a consequence of the morphological changes typically induced in the aortic root by MS. A mock-loop reproducing the left ventricle outflow tract and the aortic root was used to measure time resolved velocity maps on a longitudinal symmetry plane of the aortic root. Two dilated model aortas, designed to resemble morphological characteristics typically observed in MS patients, have been compared to a reference, healthy geometry. The aortic model was designed to quantitatively reproduce the change of aortic distensibility caused by MS. Results demonstrate that vorticity released from the valve leaflets, and possibly accumulating in the root, plays a fundamental role in redirecting the systolic jet issued from the aortic valve. The altered systolic flow also determines a different residual flow during the diastole.