@article {Garcia2011,
	title = {{Tricyclic Antidepressants-loaded Biodegradable PLGA Nanoparticles: In Vitro Characterization and In Vivo Analgesic and Anti-Allodynic Effect}},
	journal = {Current Nanoscience},
	volume = {7},
	number = {3},
	year = {2011},
	month = {jun},
	pages = {345{\textendash}353},
	abstract = {Tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) have potent local pain blockade properties that could be of interest in relieving chronic pain states as neuropathic pain. The aim of this work was to reach a persistent control of nociceptive and neuropathic pain by means of an in- jectable controlled release system using lower than usual doses of TCAs. To address this issue, amitriptyline, doxepin and imipramine were encapsulated with poly (lactic-co-glycolic) acid (PLGA) as polymer. Nanoparticles were characterized. The in vitro drug release profile and mechanism was evaluated, and the in vivo analgesic and anti-allodynic activity in front of heat-induced nociceptive pain and sciatic nerve chronic constriction injury, respectively, was tested. The mean{\textpm}SD particle size and drug loadings (\%) of the nanoparticles obtained were 420{\textpm}13, 480{\textpm}73 and 373{\textpm}25nm, and 40.46{\textpm}4.11, 31.09{\textpm}3.02 and 32.20{\textpm}3.20\% for amitriptyline, doxepin and imi- pramine, respectively. According to the Korsmeyer-Peppas model, the release mechanism of doxepin was diffusion controlled, while a combination of Fickian diffusion and polymer relaxation/erosion of the PLGA matrix was involved for amitriptyline and imipramine. Af- ter local infiltration of nanoparticles in rats, the antinociceptive and anti-allodynic activity of the encapsulated drugs were long-lasting and higher than that observed from the solutions. Amitriptyline elicited the lower analgesic effect. Doxepin showed the most outstanding results and its encapsulation led to a 62\% and 229\% increase in antinociceptive and anti-allodynic activity, respectively. So, this drug could be considered as a therapeutical alternative in pain relieving treatments.{\textcopyright} 2011 Bentham Science Publishers Ltd.},
	keywords = {Anti-allodynia, Antinociception, In vitro release, Korsmeyer-peppas, Plga nanoparticles, Tricyclic antidepressants},
	issn = {15734137},
	doi = {10.2174/157341311795542336},
	url = {http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-79956288549\&partnerID=tZOtx3y1},
	author = {Garcia, Xavier and Escribano, Elvira and Colom, Helena and Domenech, Josep and Queralt, Josep}
}
@article {Garcia2011a,
	title = {{A two-phase adaptive finite element method for solid-fluid coupling in complex geometries}},
	journal = {International Journal for Numerical Methods in Fluids},
	volume = {66},
	number = {1},
	year = {2011},
	month = {may},
	pages = {82{\textendash}96},
	abstract = {In this paper we present a method to solve the Navier-Stokes equations in complex geometries, such as porous sands, using a finite-element solver but without the complexity of meshing the porous space. The method is based on treating the solid boundaries as a second fluid and solving a set of equations similar to those used for multi-fluid flow. When combined with anisotropic mesh adaptivity, it is possible to resolve complex geometries starting with an arbitrary coarse mesh. The approach is validated by comparing simulation results with available data in three test cases. In the first we simulate the flow past a cylinder. The second test case compares the pressure drop in flow through random packs of spheres with the Ergun equation. In the last case simulation results are compared with experimental data on the flow past a simplified vehicle model (Ahmed body) at high Reynolds number using large-eddy simulation (LES). Results are in good agreement with all three reference models. {\textcopyright} 2010 John Wiley \& Sons, Ltd..},
	keywords = {Anisotropic mesh adaptivity, Ergun equation, Flow past a cylinder, Flow past sphere packs, Flow past the Ahmed body, Two-fluid approach},
	issn = {02712091},
	doi = {10.1002/fld.2249},
	url = {http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-79953156921\&partnerID=tZOtx3y1},
	author = {Garcia, Xavier and Pavlidis, Dimitrios and Gorman, Gerard J. and Gomes, Jefferson L. M. A. and Piggott, Matthew D. and Aristodemou, Elsa and Mindel, Julian and Latham, John-Paul and Pain, Christopher C. and ApSimon, Helen}
}
@article {Latham2008,
	title = {{Three-dimensional particle shape acquisition and use of shape library for DEM and FEM/DEM simulation}},
	journal = {Minerals Engineering},
	volume = {21},
	number = {11},
	year = {2008},
	month = {oct},
	pages = {797{\textendash}805},
	abstract = {Numerical simulation that will capture the complex behaviour of rock fragment systems, e.g., in mining and civil engineering, requires both the computational mechanics capability to model particle interactions between complex shapes and an associated means to represent the kind of arbitrary or angular geometry relevant to problems involving rock fragments. This paper is concerned less with the modelling and more with the representation. Here, we focus on representation geared to {\textquoteright}soft contact{\textquoteright} modelling using either combined finite-discrete element (FEM/DEM) methods, or non-spherical DEM methods such as multi-sphere approximations of irregular geometry. 3D laser ranging (LADAR) is used to capture astonishingly realistic rock aggregate geometries. We report on the work flow procedures to generate computationally meshed virtual particles for modelling. The design of a shape library and a suggested procedure for selecting virtual particles for input to FEM/DEM or DEM models is discussed together with the use of inertia moments for shape descriptors. Use of the shape library for shape descriptor analysis is also illustrated. DEM simulations of packing using irregular particles from the shape library are presented. {\textcopyright} 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.},
	keywords = {Discrete element modelling, Gravity concentration, Mineral processing, Simulation, Sorting methods},
	issn = {08926875},
	doi = {10.1016/j.mineng.2008.05.015},
	url = {http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-50149086948\&partnerID=tZOtx3y1},
	author = {Latham, John-Paul and Munjiza, Antonio and Garcia, Xavier and Xiang, Jiansheng and Guises, Romain}
}
