A compartment model of alveolar–capillary oxygen diffusion with ventilation–perfusion gradient and dynamics of air transport through the respiratory tract

Numerical assessment of recellularization conditions to vessel occlusion

To ensure the functional properties of an organ generated by the process of decellularization and recellularization, the initial density and distribution of seeding cells in the parenchymal space should be maximized. However, achieving a uniform distribution of cells across the entire organ is not straightforward because of vessel occlusion. This study assessed vessel occlusion during recellularization under different conditions. A combination of the electrical analog permeability (EPA) model, computational fluid dynamics (CFD), and discrete element method (DEM) was employed to describe the vessel occlusion phenomenon. In particular, realistic flow distributions in vascular trees of the decellularized organ were indicated by the EPA model. The cell suspension flow was modeled by a coupled CFD-DEM model, whereby living cells were presented as a discrete phase (solved by the DEM solver), and the culture medium was modeled as the fluid phase (solved by CFD solver). The cell suspension velocity was reduced up to 47% after decellularization, which directly affected cell movement. Simulation results also indicate that the occurrence of vessel occlusion was promoted by gravity direction in the asymmetric bifurcation and increased as the cell concentration increased. The assessment of vessel occlusion under different conditions was quantitatively investigated. The model provides insights into the dynamics of cells in the vessel compartment, allowing for the selection of optimum seeding parameters for the recellularization process.

Performance analysis of human respiratory system based on the second law of thermodynamics

The purpose of this study is to develop a comprehensive thermodynamic model of the human respiratory system and quantify the effects of inspiratory air temperature, relative humidity (RH), lung capacity and O₂ fluctuation in metabolic reaction on the human respiratory system under three different physiological conditions, i.e. rest, moderate level of physical activity and extreme level of physical activity. Therefore, a second law-based analysis has carried out for the human respiratory system. It is observed that exergetic efficiency decreases by 21% and 16.5% during moderate and extreme level of activity respectively as compared to the physical condition of rest. The respiratory efficiency also increases with the increase in inspiratory air temperature and RH. For a given inspiratory air temperature, an increase in lung volume leads to a reduction in the efficiency. Increase in TV with a high airflow rate gives a higher magnitude of efficiency, such a situation appearing when a person's lung compliance harmed due to diseases. The respiratory efficiency decreases up to 2% with the increase in O₂ percentage. The efficiency of the respiratory system is in maximum during rest followed by an extreme and moderate level of activity. However, with the controlled supply of O₂, the efficiency of the human respiratory performance increases with the decrease in O₂ percentage. Due to partial oxidation of glucose at a reduced O₂ level, exergy input from the metabolic reaction is less leading to increased exergetic efficiency.

Selection of C-Type Filters for Reactive Power Compensation and Filtration of Higher Harmonics Injected into the Transmission System by Arc Furnaces

This article presents a method for selecting the elements of a C-type filter working with a conventional LC-type filter for compensating reactive power and filtering out higher harmonics generated by arc furnaces and ladle furnaces. The study was conducted in a steel mill supplied by a 110 kV transmission system, where higher harmonic currents and nonlinear loads were measured. A series of computer simulations were performed under various operating conditions, and an algorithm for selecting the parameters of a third-order C-type filter (for suppressing the second harmonic) and two second-order LC-type filters (for suppressing the third harmonic) was proposed. The filtering system was tested in an arc furnace with the highest rated power, and harmonics in the current spectrum were evaluated. The results of the measurements were used to analyze the effectiveness of the compensation system comprising two passive C-type and LC-type filters at different system configurations. C-type filters significantly influenced current harmonics. The influence of the changes in the number of arc furnace transformers on the true Root Mean Square (RMS) of the currents injected into the 110 kV transmission system and on the voltages of the 110 kV busbars was discussed.

Entropy generation in the human lung due to effect of psychrometric condition and friction in the respiratory tract

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

Entropy generation is associated with the irreversibility of any thermodynamic system. It provides an indication of lost energy and hence the efficiency of a system. In this paper, an attempt has been made to study the effects of specific humidity, relative humidity, ambient temperature change, breathing air friction with the respiratory tract on the entropy generation during the respiration process at different physiological conditions.

METHODS

To address the above issues, a human respiratory tract model with realistic length to diameter ratio at different branches has been considered. The analysis examines air flow rates of 6 lpm and 60 lpm during rest and exercise condition respectively; corresponding to breathing rates of 30 and 60 per minute, respectively. The body temperature has been considered at 36°C, and ambient condition of air has been taken at 25°C DBT and 50% RH. The respiratory tract geometry has been modelled on the basis of Weibel's experimental results.

RESULTS

It has been noticed that, at a particular Lewis number entropy generation per day decreases with the increase in specific humidity, again at a particular specific humidity entropy generation increases with the decrease in Lewis number. For a particular physical condition and Lewis number entropy generation decreases with the increase in relative humidity. In this work, it has been observed that negentropy increases with the increase in ambient temperature for a constant relative humidity, however the net entropy generation is always positive. This study reports that, maximum resistance of flow occurs where duct aspect ratio (i.e. tract diameter to length) is minimal. For a typical geometry of air passage, velocity of flow increases up to 3rd generation then it is decreases gradually till 23^rd generation. Amount of entropy generation goes on reducing as the duct goes on bifurcating except for the third generation where a local peak in entropy generation is observed. This is a consequence of typical geometry of human respiratory duct. This work reveals that, at rest entropy generation due to conditioning of breathing air is higher than its frictional component and during heavy physical activity, entropy generation due to breathing air friction with the respiratory tract is higher than its air conditioning component.

CONCLUSIONS

Entropy generation is significantly higher due to conditioning of breathing air than that of frictional effect with the tract. This is a preliminary attempt in quantifying this aspect and the authors believe that, these two components of entropy generation have a probable connection with the bronchial thermoplasty, which helps to treat the asthma.

A COMPARATIVE STUDY ON THE ENTROPY GENERATION IN THE HUMAN RESPIRATORY TRACT BASED ON HESS–MURRAY LAW AND WEIBEL EXPERIMENTED RESULT

Entropy generation ([Formula: see text]) is associated with the irreversibility of any thermodynamic system. It provides an indication of lost energy of a system. The main objective of this study is to show a method for calculating entropy generation in the human respiratory tract. In this work, human respiratory tract geometries from two different approaches are considered, first one is based on Hess–Murray theory and the second one is based on Weibel’s experimented result. The entropy generation has been calculated considering duct wall friction along with effect of bifurcation and diffusion. In this study, two different physiological conditions have been contemplated, i.e., at rest and at heavy physiological activities. It has shown that [Formula: see text] of human respiratory is lowest at 23rd level of bifurcation. The outcome of the study reveals that the entropy generation rates per day based on Hess–Murray theory at rest and under heavy physiological activities are [Formula: see text][Formula: see text]kJ/K and 0.013[Formula: see text]kJ/K, whereas the same based on Weibel’s experimented result at rest and under heavy physiological activities are [Formula: see text][Formula: see text]kJ/K and 0.05[Formula: see text]kJ/K, respectively.

Sources of breathing pattern variability in the respiratory feedback control loop

The variability of the breath-to-breath breathing pattern, and its alterations in disease, may hold information of physiologic and/or diagnostic value. We hypothesized that this variability arises from the way that noise is processed within the respiratory feedback control loop, and that pathologic alterations to specific components within the system give rise to characteristic alterations in breathing pattern variability. We explored this hypothesis using a computational model of the respiratory control system that integrates mechanical factors, gas exchange processes, and chemoreceptor signals to simulate breathing patterns subject to the influences of random variability in each of the system components. We found that the greatest changes in the coefficient of variation (CV) of both breathing amplitude and timing were caused by increases in lung resistance and impairments in gas exchange, both common features of pulmonary disease. This suggests that breathing pattern variability may reflect discernible deterministic processes involved in the control of breathing.

Glucocorticoid Clearance and Metabolite Profiling in an In Vitro Human Airway Epithelium Lung Model

The emergence of microphysiologic epithelial lung models using human cells in a physiologically relevant microenvironment has the potential to be a powerful tool for preclinical drug development and to improve predictive power regarding in vivo drug clearance. In this study, an in vitro model of the airway comprising human primary lung epithelial cells cultured in a microfluidic platform was used to establish a physiologic state and to observe metabolic changes as a function of glucocorticoid exposure. Evaluation of mucus production rate and barrier function, along with lung-specific markers, demonstrated that the lungs maintained a differentiated phenotype. Initial concentrations of 100 nM hydrocortisone (HC) and 30 nM cortisone (C) were used to evaluate drug clearance and metabolite production. Measurements made using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography and high-mass-accuracy mass spectrometry indicated that HC metabolism resulted in the production of C and dihydrocortisone (diHC). When the airway model was exposed to C, diHC was identified; however, no conversion to HC was observed. Multicompartmental modeling was used to characterize the lung bioreactor data, and pharmacokinetic parameters, including elimination clearance and elimination half-life, were estimated. Polymerse chain reaction data confirmed overexpression of 11-β hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase 2 (11βHSD2) over 11βHSD1, which is biologically relevant to human lung. Faster metabolism was observed relative to a static model on elevated rates of C and diHC formation. Overall, our results demonstrate that this lung airway model has been successfully developed and could interact with other human tissues in vitro to better predict in vivo drug behavior.