Humans breathe air into the respiratory system through the trachea, but with all the pollutants in our environment (both outside and inside), the air we breathe may not be clean. When that is so, the respiratory system secretes mucus to trap dirt that is inhaled through the nostrils. The respiratory tract contains hair-like structures in the epithelial tissue, called cilia: These wave back and forth to help expel particles of dust, dirt, mucus, and contaminants from the body. Cilia are found in this layer (a porous medium) and the fluid in this layer is called the periciliary layer (PCL). This study aims to determine the velocity of the PCL fluid flow in motile cilia. Usually, fluids move due to pressure changes, but in this study, the velocity of solids or of the cilia moves the PCL fluid. Stokes‐Brinkman equations are used to determine the velocity of PCL fluid flow when cilia form an angle with the horizontal plane. The Beavers and Joseph boundary condition is applied in this study. The asymptotic expansion method is adapted in order to determine the velocity of PCL from the movement of the cilia.
The purpose of this study is to study the movement of the periciliary (PCL) fluid due to the ciliary locomotion. In this research, because the bundle of cilia is considered instead of a single cilium, Stokes–Brinkman equations in a macroscopic scale are employed to find the velocity of the PCL fluid. When the cilia are perpendicular to the horizontal plane, the PCL consists of only the cilia. The inclination of cilia (cilia make an angle θ θ < 90 ∘ to the horizontal plane) results in two different domains in the PCL, the regions comprising and not comprising cilia. The main objective of this study is to determine the appropriate boundary conditions of the velocity between these two regions where the PCL fluid is moved by self-propelled cilia rather than the pressure gradient. A matched asymptotic expansion method is applied to the Stokes–Brinkman equations to determine the constraints. Two boundary conditions at the interface are obtained and the velocity of the PCL fluid at the top of PCL can be used to be the boundary conditions at the bottom of the mucus layer to determine the velocity of mucus. This model can help engineers to build devices to treat patients who have problem with the respiratory system. Applications include modeling fluid flow through filters such as engine filter and rice fields.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
customersupport@researchsolutions.com
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.