David Rumschitzki

B.S. (Ch.E. and Math.), Cooper Union
M.S.(Ch.E.), Ph.D.(Ch.E.), University of California at Berkeley
NSF Presidential Young Investigator

Undergraduate:
Transport I: Fluid Mechanics - ChE 34100
Transport II: Heat and Mass Transfer – ChE 34200
Chemical Reaction Engineering - ChE 43200
Thermodynamics for Electrical Engineers - ME 43500

Graduate:
Statistical Mechanics I: Equilibrium Statistical Mechanics - ENGR 5732
Statistical Mechanics II: The Liquid State and Non-Equilibrium Phenomena - ENGR 5831
Engineering Analysis I: Mathematical Methods for Engineers - ENGR 5711
Engineering Analysis II: Complex Variables - ENGR 5712
Applied Algebra - ENGR 5706
Graduate Fluid Mechanics - ENGR 5708

Reaction engineering; transport and reaction aspects of artery disease; hydrodynamics of two phase flow in tubes

A chemical engineer's perspective, considering chemical and biological changes as kinetic reactions and focusing on transport, can often offer a fresh approach to problems in biology. Our group has been studying the initiation of arterial disease. We have developed kinetic models from the extensive historic data of Brown and Goldstein for the processes by which many human cells take up and process blood-borne cholesterol and for how they maintain cholesterol homeostasis. In addition, together with Professor Shu Chien (University of California, San Diego ) and S. Weinbaum, we have been developing very successful models to decipher the earliest stages of arterial (intimal) cholesterol lesion formation. These models, in conjunction with animal experiments at UCSD, explain the transendothelial transport of lipoprotein cholesterol and subsequent spread within the artery wall. Current work is linking this transport to the kinetics of formation and growth of subendothelial extracellular lipid liposomes and to the cellular processes discussed above for dissipating them. The aim is to show how these steps comprise the earliest steps and how they can lead to lesion formation.

Another area that our group has focused on is the stability, both linear and nonlinear, of two-phase core-annular flows. The geometric distribution of two fluids in a conduit or pore is crucial to problems as diverse as recovering oil from rock pores to low cost pipe-transport of heavy crudes to the plugging of alveoli that hampers breathing in premature babies. In the absence of flow, we have shown that if one fluid is electrolytic, double layers at the wall and at the fluid-fluidinterfacecan stabilize the capillary instability. For situations with flow, we have developed methods for asymptotically thin films that clearly separate out the physical effect that compete to determine the interface's stability. Combination with Bretherton's theory gives a stability relation for liquid-liquid displacements. Asymptotic nonlinear results show how a base flow can interact both linearly and nonlinearly to stabilize other linearly destabilizing mechanisms and can mitigrate the tendency in the absence of a second fluid for the interface to lapse into chaotic motions. Current boundary-integral calculations hope to follow growing instabilities to break up. In addition we are investigating the effects of pore corrugation and other nonidealities.

Finally, recent work with Dr. Lee Walters at the Scripps Research Institute is aimed at developing new experimental techniques for increasing the time-resolution of FTIR spectroscopy by at least an order of magnitude to the sub-millisecond regime. The goal is to observe early time intermediates in protein refolding.

Selected Recent Publications

Chauhan, A. Maldarelli, C., Papageorgiou, D. and Rumschitzki, D., “The temporal
instability of a compound thread,” Journal of Fluid Mechanics, 420, 1-25 (2000).

Wei, H. H. and Rumschitzki, D., “The linear stability of a core annular flow in
a corrugated tube,” IUTAM Symposium on nonlinear wave behavior in multi-phase
flows, Kluwer, 57, 127-138 (2000).

Liu, K., Fung, S.C., Ho, T.C. and Rumschitzki, D., "Heptane reforming over
Pt-Re/Al2O3: Reaction network, kinetics and apparent selective catalyst
deactivation ;" J. Catalysis, 206, 188-201 March (2002).

Wei, H.H. and Rumschitzki, D., “The linear instability of a core-annular flow in
an asymptotically corrugated tube, “ Journal of Fluid Mechanics, 466, 113-147
(2002).

Wei, H.H. and Rumschitzki, D., “The weakly non-linear instability of a
core-annular flow in a corrugated tube, “ Journal of Fluid Mechanics, 466,
149-177 (2002).

Liu, K., Fung, S.C., Ho, T.C. and Rumschitzki, D., "Hydrogasification of coke in
heptane reforming over Pt-Re/Al2O3,“ I & EC Research, 42, 1543-50 (2003).

Chauhan, A., Maldarelli, C., Rumschitzki, D., and Papageorgiou, D., "An
experimental investigation of the convective instability in a jet," Chemical
Eng. Sci., 58(11), 2421-32  (2003).

Wei, H.H. and Rumschitzki, D. S., “The effect of insoluble surfactants on the
linear instability of a core-annular flow,” Journal of Fluid Mechanics,  541,
115-142  (2005).

Chauhan, A., Maldarelli, C., Papageorgiou, D. and Rumschitzki, D., "The absolute
instability of a compound, two-phase jet," Journal of Fluid Mechanics,  549,
81-98  (2006).

Vannozzi. C., Fiotentino, D., D’Amore, M., Rumschitzki, D.S., Dress, A. and
Mauri, R. Cellular automata model of phase transition in binary mixtures,”
Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Research, 45(8), 2892-2896 (2006).

Shou, Y., Jan, K.M. and Rumschitzki, D.S., “Transport in rat vessels: I. The
hydraulic conductivities of the aorta, pulmonary artery and inferior vena cava
with intact and denuded endothelia,” American J. Physiol Heart Circ. Physiol,.
291, H2758-2771  (2006).

Shou, Y., Jan, K.M. and Rumschitzki, D. S., “Transport in rat vessel walls II:
Macromolecular leakage and focal spot size growth in arteries and veins,”
American J. Physiol Heart Circ. Physiol., 292, H2881-2890 (2007).

Zeng, Z., Yin, Yongyi, Huang, Anli, Jan, K.M. and Rumschitzki, D. S.,
“Macromolecular transport in heart valves I: Studies with horseradish
peroxidase,” the American J. Physiol. Heart Circ. Physiol, 292, H2664-2670
(2007).

Zeng, Z., Yin, Yongyi,  Jan, K.M. and Rumschitzki, D. S., “Macromolecular
transport in heart valves II: Theoretical models,” American J. Physiol Heart
Circ. Physiol., 292, H2671-2686 (2007).

Zeng, Z., Yin, Yongyi,  Jan, K.M. and Rumschitzki, D. S., “Macromolecular
transport in heart valves III: Experiment and theory for the size distribution
of extracellular liposomes in hyperlipidemic rabbits,” the American J. Physiol.
Heart Circ. Physiol, 292, H2687-2697 (2007).

Russell, S., Cancel, LM, Tarbell, JM and Rumschitzki, DS, “A protein diffusion
model of the sealing effect,” Chemical Engineering Science, 64(22), 4504-4514,
(2009).

Balsam, I., Neimark, M.A. and Rumschitzki, DS, “Harmonic solutions of a mixed
boundary value problem arising in the modeling of macromolecular transport into
vessel walls, “Computers and mathematics with applications, 59, 1897-1908
(2010).

Zeng Z, Jan KM and Rumschitzki DS. Transport in rat vessel walls III: A theory
for water and macromolecular transport in the pulmonary artery compared with
the aorta. Amer. J. Physiol. in review, 2011.

Nguyen, T., Toussaint, J., Shou, Y., Russell, S., Cancel, L, Tarbell, J., Jan,
K.M. and Rumschitzki, D. S., “Aquaporin-1 facilitates pressure-driven water
flow across the aortic endothelium,” Amer. J. Physiol. in review 2011.

Sun Y, Jan KM and Rumschitzki DS. The frequency of focal endothelial HRP leaks
in rat vessels. American Journal of Physiology: in review, 2011.