171 research outputs found
G3-homogeneous gravitational instantons
We provide an exhaustive classification of self-dual four-dimensional
gravitational instantons foliated with three-dimensional homogeneous spaces,
i.e. homogeneous self-dual metrics on four-dimensional Euclidean spaces
admitting a Bianchi simply transitive isometry group. The classification
pattern is based on the algebra homomorphisms relating the Bianchi group and
the duality group SO(3). New and general solutions are found for Bianchi III.Comment: 24 pages, few correction
Projective dynamics and classical gravitation
Given a real vector space V of finite dimension, together with a particular
homogeneous field of bivectors that we call a "field of projective forces", we
define a law of dynamics such that the position of the particle is a "ray" i.e.
a half-line drawn from the origin of V. The impulsion is a bivector whose
support is a 2-plane containing the ray. Throwing the particle with a given
initial impulsion defines a projective trajectory. It is a curve in the space
of rays S(V), together with an impulsion attached to each ray. In the simplest
example where the force is identically zero, the curve is a straight line and
the impulsion a constant bivector. A striking feature of projective dynamics
appears: the trajectories are not parameterized.
Among the projective force fields corresponding to a central force, the one
defining the Kepler problem is simpler than those corresponding to other
homogeneities. Here the thrown ray describes a quadratic cone whose section by
a hyperplane corresponds to a Keplerian conic. An original point of view on the
hidden symmetries of the Kepler problem emerges, and clarifies some remarks due
to Halphen and Appell. We also get the unexpected conclusion that there exists
a notion of divergence-free field of projective forces if and only if dim V=4.
No metric is involved in the axioms of projective dynamics.Comment: 20 pages, 4 figure
Colloquium: Mechanical formalisms for tissue dynamics
The understanding of morphogenesis in living organisms has been renewed by
tremendous progressin experimental techniques that provide access to
cell-scale, quantitative information both on theshapes of cells within tissues
and on the genes being expressed. This information suggests that
ourunderstanding of the respective contributions of gene expression and
mechanics, and of their crucialentanglement, will soon leap forward.
Biomechanics increasingly benefits from models, which assistthe design and
interpretation of experiments, point out the main ingredients and assumptions,
andultimately lead to predictions. The newly accessible local information thus
calls for a reflectionon how to select suitable classes of mechanical models.
We review both mechanical ingredientssuggested by the current knowledge of
tissue behaviour, and modelling methods that can helpgenerate a rheological
diagram or a constitutive equation. We distinguish cell scale ("intra-cell")and
tissue scale ("inter-cell") contributions. We recall the mathematical framework
developpedfor continuum materials and explain how to transform a constitutive
equation into a set of partialdifferential equations amenable to numerical
resolution. We show that when plastic behaviour isrelevant, the dissipation
function formalism appears appropriate to generate constitutive equations;its
variational nature facilitates numerical implementation, and we discuss
adaptations needed in thecase of large deformations. The present article
gathers theoretical methods that can readily enhancethe significance of the
data to be extracted from recent or future high throughput
biomechanicalexperiments.Comment: 33 pages, 20 figures. This version (26 Sept. 2015) contains a few
corrections to the published version, all in Appendix D.2 devoted to large
deformation
The \u3cem\u3eChlamydomonas\u3c/em\u3e Genome Reveals the Evolution of Key Animal and Plant Functions
Chlamydomonas reinhardtii is a unicellular green alga whose lineage diverged from land plants over 1 billion years ago. It is a model system for studying chloroplast-based photosynthesis, as well as the structure, assembly, and function of eukaryotic flagella (cilia), which were inherited from the common ancestor of plants and animals, but lost in land plants. We sequenced the ∼120-megabase nuclear genome of Chlamydomonas and performed comparative phylogenomic analyses, identifying genes encoding uncharacterized proteins that are likely associated with the function and biogenesis of chloroplasts or eukaryotic flagella. Analyses of the Chlamydomonas genome advance our understanding of the ancestral eukaryotic cell, reveal previously unknown genes associated with photosynthetic and flagellar functions, and establish links between ciliopathy and the composition and function of flagella
A comparison of delamination models: Modeling, properties, and applications
This contribution presents recent results in the modeling and the analysis of delamination problems. It addresses adhesive contact, brittle, and cohesive zone models both in a quasistatic and a viscous, dynamic setting for the bulk part. Also different evolution laws for the delaminating surface are discussed
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