Models of polymer solutions in electrified jets and solution blowing

Fluid flows hosting electrical phenomena are the subject of a fascinating and highly interdisciplinary scientific field. In recent years, the extraordinary success of electrospinning and solution-blowing technologies for the generation of polymer nanofibers has motivated vibrant research aiming at rationalizing the behavior of viscoelastic jets under applied electric fields or other stretching fields including gas streams.

SUNBIM evolution: new tools for a reliable (GI)SAXS/(GI)WAXS data reduction

SUNBIM (Supramolecular and sUbmolecular Nano- and Biomaterials X-ray IMaging) is a computer suite of integrated programs which, through a user-friendly graphical interface, is able to perform a number of functions for (GI)SAXS-(GI)WAXS data analysis [1] such as: centering, q-scale calibration, two-dimensional to one-dimensional folding of small- and wide-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS/WAXS) data, also in grazing-incidence (GISAXS/GIWAXS); indexing of two-dimensional GISAXS frames and extraction of one-dimensional GISAXS profiles along specific cuts; quantitative scanning microscopy in absorption

A HYPERBOLIC SYSTEM OF CHEMOTAXIS ON NETWORK MODELING PHYSARUM DYNAMICS

Many studies have shown that Physarum polycephalum slime mold is able to find the shortest path in a maze. Here we study this behavior in a network, using a hyperbolic model of chemotaxis [1]. Suitable transmission and boundary conditions at each node are considered to mimic the behavior of such an organism in the feeding process. Several numerical tests are presented for special network geometries to show the qualitative agreement between our model and the observed behavior of the mold.

Network and Systems Medicine: Position Paper of the European Collaboration on Science and Technology Action on Open Multiscale Systems Medicine

Introduction: Network and systems medicine has rapidly evolved over the past decade, thanks to computational and integrative tools, which stem in part from systems biology. However, major challenges and hurdles are still present regarding validation and translation into clinical application and decision making for precision medicine.

Designing a Network Proximity-Based Drug Repurposing Strategy for COVID-19

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic still requires fast and effective efforts from all fronts, including epidemiology, clinical practice, molecular medicine, and pharmacology. A comprehensive molecular framework of the disease is needed to better understand its pathological mechanisms, and to design successful treatments able to slow down and stop the impressive pace of the outbreak and harsh clinical symptomatology, possibly via the use of readily available, off-the-shelf drugs.

Penetration of the blood-brain barrier and the anti-tumour effect of a novel PLGA-lysoGM1/DOX micelle drug delivery system

Effective treatment of glioma and other central nervous system (CNS) diseases is hindered by the presence of the blood-brain barrier (BBB). A novel nano-delivery vehicle system composed of PLGA-lysoGM1/DOX micelles was developed to cross the BBB for CNS treatment. We have shown that doxorubicin (DOX) as a model drug encapsulated in PLGA-lysoGM1 micelles can achieve up to 3.8% loading efficiency and 61.6% encapsulation efficiency by the orthogonal test design.

A Langevin dynamics approach for multi-layer mass transfer problems

We use Langevin dynamics simulations to study the mass diffusion problem across two adjacent porous layers of different transport properties. At the interface between the layers, we impose the Kedem-Katchalsky (KK) interfacial boundary condition that is well suited in a general situation. A detailed algorithm for the implementation of the KK interfacial condition in the Langevin dynamics framework is presented. As a case study, we consider a two-layer diffusion model of a drug-eluting stent.

Relative entropy in diffusive relaxation for a class of discrete velocities BGK models

We provide a framework to extend the relative entropy method to a class of diffusive relaxation systems with discrete velocities. The methodology is detailed in the toy case of the 1D Jin-Xin model under the diffusive scaling, and provides a direct proof of convergence to the limit parabolic equation in any interval of time, in the regime where the solutions are smooth. Recently, the same approach has been successfully used to show the strong convergence of a vector-BGK model to the 2D incompressible Navier-Stokes equations.