Biological Transport

We are also interested in seeking solutions to describe peristaltic and bifurcating (biological) flows. The latter orientation is shared with the Physiology Department at the Medical Hospital of Wisconsin. Collaborative work has been underway in modeling the motion of dissimilar liquids in both straight and bifurcating passages. The purpose has been to improve our understanding and interpretation of experimental tests involving a primary solution (used to perfuse organs), and a secondary fluid (a contrast medium/tracer fluid) used in laboratory studies of pulmonary hypertension. The main goal has been to complement experimental work by helping to interpret results obtained via X-ray imaging. Due to the typical reliance of imaging on cross sectional sampling of fluid opacity and gravity, the presence of two fluids with dissimilar properties requires a careful interpretation of acquired data. Characterizing the motion and behavior of two dissimilar fluids aims at improving the precision associated with several optical procedures based on indicator fluids. At present, we have adopted CFD tools to model the corresponding flow processes. We also hope to treat this problem using asymptotic tools.