132 research outputs found
Is the development of falciparum malaria in the human host limited by the availability of uninfected erythrocytes?
BACKGROUND: The development and propagation of malaria parasites in their vertebrate host is a complex process in which various host and parasite factors are involved. Sometimes the evolution of parasitaemia seems to be quelled by parasite load. In order to understand the typical dynamics of evolution of parasitaemia, various mathematical models have been developed. The basic premise ingrained in most models is that the availability of uninfected red blood cells (RBC) in which the parasite develops is a limiting factor in the propagation of the parasite population. PRESENTATION OF THE HYPOTHESIS: We would like to propose that except in extreme cases of severe malaria, there is no limitation in the supply of uninfected RBC for the increase of parasite population. TESTING THE HYPOTHESIS: In this analysis we examine the biological attributes of the parasite-infected RBC such as cytoadherence and rosette formation, and the rheological properties of infected RBC, and evaluate their effects on blood flow and clogging of capillaries. We argue that there should be no restriction in the availability of uninfected RBC in patients. IMPLICATION OF THE HYPOTHESIS: There is no justification for the insertion of RBC supply as a factor in mathematical models that describe the evolution of parasitaemia in the infected host. Indeed, more recent models, that have not inserted this factor, successfully describe the evolution of parasitaemia in the infected host
PCN6 Obesity & Cancer are Independently Associated with Increased Comorbid Risk in Distinct 2013 Data Sources: Clalit Israel Emr & United States National Health and Wellness Survey (Nhws)
On the Aizenman exponent in critical percolation
The probabilities of clusters spanning a hypercube of dimensions two to seven
along one axis of a percolation system under criticality were investigated
numerically. We used a modified Hoshen--Kopelman algorithm combined with
Grassberger's "go with the winner" strategy for the site percolation. We
carried out a finite-size analysis of the data and found that the probabilities
confirm Aizenman's proposal of the multiplicity exponent for dimensions three
to five. A crossover to the mean-field behavior around the upper critical
dimension is also discussed.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, 4 table
Precise determination of the bond percolation thresholds and finite-size scaling corrections for the s.c., f.c.c., and b.c.c. lattices
Extensive Monte-Carlo simulations were performed to study bond percolation on
the simple cubic (s.c.), face-centered cubic (f.c.c.), and body-centered cubic
(b.c.c.) lattices, using an epidemic kind of approach. These simulations
provide very precise values of the critical thresholds for each of the
lattices: pc(s.c.) = 0.248 812 6(5), pc(f.c.c.) = 0.120 163 5(10), and
pc(b.c.c.) = 0.180 287 5(10). For p close to pc, the results follow the
expected finite-size and scaling behavior, with values for the Fisher exponent
(2.189(2)), the finite-size correction exponent (0.64(2)), and
the scaling function exponent (0.445(1)) confirmed to be universal.Comment: 16 pgs, 7 figures, LaTeX, to be published in Phys. Rev.
Efficient Monte Carlo algorithm and high-precision results for percolation
We present a new Monte Carlo algorithm for studying site or bond percolation
on any lattice. The algorithm allows us to calculate quantities such as the
cluster size distribution or spanning probability over the entire range of site
or bond occupation probabilities from zero to one in a single run which takes
an amount of time scaling linearly with the number of sites on the lattice. We
use our algorithm to determine that the percolation transition occurs at
occupation probability 0.59274621(13) for site percolation on the square
lattice and to provide clear numerical confirmation of the conjectured
4/3-power stretched-exponential tails in the spanning probability functions.Comment: 8 pages, including 3 postscript figures, minor corrections in this
version, plus updated figures for the position of the percolation transitio
An algorithm to calculate the transport exponent in strip geometries
An algorithm for solving the random resistor problem by means of the
transfer-matrix approach is presented. Preconditioning by spanning clusters
extraction both reduces the size of the conductivity matrix and speed up the
calculations.Comment: 17 pages, RevTeX2.1, HLRZ - 97/9
Scaling behavior of self-avoiding walks on percolation clusters
The scaling behavior of self-avoiding walks (SAWs) on the backbone of
percolation clusters in two, three and four dimensions is studied by Monte
Carlo simulations. We apply the pruned-enriched Rosenbluth chain-growth method
(PERM). Our numerical results bring about the estimates of critical exponents,
governing the scaling laws of disorder averages of the end-to-end distance of
SAW configurations. The effects of finite-size scaling are discussed as well.Comment: 6 page
Direct sampling of complex landscapes at low temperatures: the three-dimensional +/-J Ising spin glass
A method is presented, which allows to sample directly low-temperature
configurations of glassy systems, like spin glasses. The basic idea is to
generate ground states and low lying excited configurations using a heuristic
algorithm. Then, with the help of microcanonical Monte Carlo simulations, more
configurations are found, clusters of configurations are determined and
entropies evaluated. Finally equilibrium configuration are randomly sampled
with proper Gibbs-Boltzmann weights.
The method is applied to three-dimensional Ising spin glasses with +- J
interactions and temperatures T<=0.5. The low-temperature behavior of this
model is characterized by evaluating different overlap quantities, exhibiting a
complex low-energy landscape for T>0, while the T=0 behavior appears to be less
complex.Comment: 9 pages, 7 figures, revtex (one sentence changed compared to v2
Interface pinning and slow ordering kinetics on infinitely ramified fractal structures
We investigate the time dependent Ginzburg-Landau (TDGL) equation for a non
conserved order parameter on an infinitely ramified (deterministic) fractal
lattice employing two alternative methods: the auxiliary field approach and a
numerical method of integration of the equations of evolution. In the first
case the domain size evolves with time as , where is
the anomalous random walk exponent associated with the fractal and differs from
the normal value 2, which characterizes all Euclidean lattices. Such a power
law growth is identical to the one observed in the study of the spherical model
on the same lattice, but fails to describe the asymptotic behavior of the
numerical solutions of the TDGL equation for a scalar order parameter. In fact,
the simulations performed on a two dimensional Sierpinski Carpet indicate that,
after an initial stage dominated by a curvature reduction mechanism \`a la
Allen-Cahn, the system enters in a regime where the domain walls between
competing phases are pinned by lattice defects.
The lack of translational invariance determines a rough free energy
landscape, the existence of many metastable minima and the suppression of the
marginally stable modes, which in translationally invariant systems lead to
power law growth and self similar patterns. On fractal structures as the
temperature vanishes the evolution is frozen, since only thermally activated
processes can sustain the growth of pinned domains.Comment: 16 pages+14 figure
The role of the alloy structure in the magnetic behavior of granular systems
The effect of grain size, easy magnetization axis and anisotropy constant
distributions in the irreversible magnetic behavior of granular alloys is
considered. A simulated granular alloy is used to provide a realistic grain
structure for the Monte Carlo simulation of the ZFC-FC curves. The effect of
annealing and external field is also studied. The simulation curves are in good
agreement with the FC and ZFC magnetization curves measured on melt spun Cu-Co
ribbons.Comment: 13 pages, 10 figures, submitted to PR
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