We propose an approach to the numerical simulation of thin-film flows based on the lattice Boltzmann method. We outline the basic features of the method, show in which limits the expected thin-film equations are recovered, and perform validation tests. The numerical scheme is applied to the viscous Rayleigh-Taylor instability of a thin film and to the spreading of a sessile drop toward its equilibrium contact angle configuration. We show that the Cox-Voinov law is satisfied and that the effect of a tunable slip length on the substrate is correctly captured.

Marine species reproduce and compete while being advected by turbulent flows. It is largely unknown, both theoretically and experimentally, how population dynamics and genetics are changed by the presence of fluid flows. Discrete agent-based simulations in continuous space allow for accurate treatment of advection and number fluctuations, but can be computationally expensive for even modest organism densities. In this report, we propose an algorithm to overcome some of these challenges. We first provide a thorough validation of the algorithm in one and two dimensions without flow.

Competition between biological species in marine environments is affected by the motion of the surrounding fluid. An effective 2D compressibility can arise, for example, from the convergence and divergence of water masses at the depth at which passively traveling photosynthetic organisms are restricted to live. In this report, we seek to quantitatively study genetics under flow. To this end, we couple an off-lattice agent-based simulation of two populations in 1D to a weakly compressible velocity field--first a sine wave and then a shell model of turbulence.

In Rayleigh-Bénard convection (RBC) for fluids with Prandtl number Pr1, rotation beyond a critical (small) rotation rate is known to cause a sudden enhancement of heat transfer, which can be explained by a change in the character of the boundary layer (BL) dynamics near the top and bottom plates of the convection cell. Namely, with increasing rotation rate, the BL signature suddenly changes from Prandtl-Blasius type to Ekman type.

We present an analytical derivation of the transport coefficients of a relativistic gas in (2 + 1) dimensions for both Chapman-Enskog (CE) asymptotics and Grad's expansion methods. We further develop a systematic calibration method, connecting the relaxation time of relativistic kinetic theory to the transport parameters of the associated dissipative hydrodynamic equations.

GOLIAT is an offshore production field that spans from the subsea wells up to a complete process plant installed on a FPSO. Due to the comprehensive instrumentation installed on the plant, it is the perfect case study to test an innovative agent based software architecture able to support production management. The modularity and the scalability provided by the agent based architecture guarantees the applicability of the method to any part of the plant. Each agent is in charge of supervising a specific or a group of equipment and is fed by the real-time data coming from the field.

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of mortality worldwide. Atherosclerosis, one of the most common forms of the disease, is characterized by a gradual formation of atherosclerotic plaque, hardening, and narrowing of the arteries. Nanomaterials can serve as powerful delivery platforms for atherosclerosis treatment. However, their therapeutic efficacy is substantially limited in vivo due to nonspecific clearance by the mononuclear phagocytic system.