We carried out pointwise local velocity measurements on 40 mM cetylpyridinium chloride-sodium salicylate (CPyCl-NaSal) wormlike micellar solution using high-frequency ultrasound velocimetry in a Couette shear cell. The studied wormlike solution exhibits Newtonian, shear-thinning and shear-thickening rheological behavior in a stress-controlled environment. Previous rheology, flow visualization a...

The effect of shear stress on the viability of Chaetoceros muelleri was studied using a combination of a rheometer and dedicated shearing devices. Different levels of shear stress were applied by varying the shear rates and the medium viscosities. It was possible to quantify the effect of shear stress over a wide range, whilst preserving laminar flow conditions through the use of a thickening a...

In vitro investigations of the responses of vascular endothelium to fluid shear stress have typically been conducted under conditions where the time-mean shear stress is uniform. In contrast, the in vitro experiments reported here have re-created the large gradients in surface fluid shear stress found near arterial branches in vivo; specifically, we have produced a disturbed-flow region that in...

We have investigated the structural change of an immiscible polymer blend in shear flow when subjected to a step electric field. During the process three-dimensional images were successfully constructed with a confocal scanning laser microscope and at the same time the transient shear stress was also measured. The interface tensor was calculated from the images. Several factors are incorporated...

We previously reported that shear stress induces phosphorylation and disassembly of keratin intermediate filaments (IFs). Shear stress also induces a time- and strain-dependent degradation of keratin IFs, and the current study examines the mechanisms involved in degradation of keratin proteins in human A549 cells exposed to 0-24 h of shear stress (7.5-30 dynes/cm(2)). Ubiquitin was found to be ...

This study was undertaken to examine the influence of temperature on physical properties of red cell membranes. Red cells adhering to cover slips were subjected to fluid shear stress in a rotating disc apparatus for 1 min or for 10 min at temperatures ranging from 2 degrees to 50 degress C. They were fixed while subject to shear stress by addition of glutaraldehyde and then processed for examin...

The present study describes entrainment characteristics of bed material into debris flow, based on flume tests, numerical and dimensional analyses. Flume tests are conducted to investigate influences of bed sediment size on erosion rate by supplying debris flows having unsaturated sediment concentration over erodible beds. Experimental results show that the erosion rate decreases monotonically ...

During cancer metastasis, circulating tumor cells constantly experience hemodynamic shear stress in the circulation. Cellular responses to shear stress including cell viability and proliferation thus play critical roles in cancer metastasis. Here, we developed a microfluidic approach to establish a circulatory microenvironment and studied circulating human colon cancer HCT116 cells in response ...

Biofilm detachment under a dynamic change in shear stress was monitored using Focused Beam Reflectance Measurements (FBRM, LASENTEC®) and mass fractionation. An annular reactor was used to grow biofilm with glucose as substrate. Changing the rotational speed on the inner cylinder of the annular reactor from 150 RPM to 420 RPM induced a step increase in shear stress. It was observed that the rat...

Blood vessels are subject to fluid shear stress, a hemodynamic factor that inhibits the mitogenic activities of vascular cells. The presence of nonuniform shear stress has been shown to exert graded suppression of cell proliferation and induces the formation of cell density gradients, which in turn regulates the direction of SMC migration and alignment. Here, we investigate the role of platelet...