Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 8, 2026

Remote Magnetic Actuation of Micrometric Probes for in situ 3D Mapping of Bacterial Biofilm Physical Properties
Published on: May 2, 2014
Statistical Modeling Applied to Deformation-Relaxation Processes in a Composite Biopolymer Network Induced by
Javier Tarrío-Saavedra1, Cécilia Galindo González2, Salvador Naya1
1Department of Mathematics, EPS. University of A Coruña. Avda. Mendizábal s/n. Ferrol. Spain.
Abstract:
This study investigated a methodology based on image processing and statistics to characterize and model the deformation upon controlled and uniform magnetic field and the relaxation under zero field of droplets observed in aqueous solutions of sodium alginate incorporating magnetic maghemite nanoparticles stabilized by adsorption of citrate ions. The changes of droplet geometry were statistically analyzed using a new approach based on the data obtained from optical microscopy, image processing, nonlinear regression, evolutionary optimization, analysis of variance and resampling. Image enhancement and then image segmentation (Gaussian mixture modeling) processes were applied to extract features with reliable information of droplets dimensions from optical micrographs. The droplets deformation and relaxation trends were accurately adjusted by the Kohlrausch-Williams-Watts (KWW) function and a mean relaxation time was obtained by fitting the time evolution of geometry parameters. It was found to be proportional to the initial radius of the spherical droplets and was associated to interfacial tension.
Related Concept Videos
Temperature Dependent Deformation
Residual Stresses in Bending
Plastic Behavior
Plastic Deformations
Atomic Nuclei: Nuclear Relaxation Processes
Relation between Poisson's ratio, Modulus of Elasticity and Modulus of Rigidity

