A system of state-dependent delay differential equation modelling forest growth I: semiflow properties

In this article we investigate the semiflow properties of a class of state-dependent delay differential equations which is motivated by some models describing the dynamics of the number of adult trees in forests. We investigate the existence and uniqueness of a semiflow in the space of Lipschitz and $C^1$ weighted functions. We obtain a blow-up result when the time approaches the maximal time of existence. We conclude the paper with an application of a spatially structured forest model

Projectors on the generalized eigenspaces for functional differential equations using integrated semigroups

AbstractThe aim of this article is to derive explicit formulas for the projectors on the generalized eigenspaces associated to some eigenvalues for linear functional differential equations (FDE) by using integrated semigroup theory. The idea is to formulate the FDE as a non-densely defined Cauchy problem and obtain an explicit formula for the integrated solutions of the non-densely defined Cauchy problem, from which we then derive explicit formulas for the projectors on the generalized eigenspaces associated to some eigenvalues. The results are useful in studying bifurcations in some semi-linear problems

Consequences of cell-to-cell P-glycoprotein transfer on acquired multidrug resistance in breast cancer: a cell population dynamics model

Cancer is a proliferation disease affecting a genetically unstable cell population, in which molecular alterations can be somatically inherited by genetic, epigenetic or extragenetic transmission processes, leading to a cooperation of neoplastic cells within tumoral tissue. The efflux protein P-glycoprotein (P gp) is overexpressed in many cancer cells and has known capacity to confer multidrug resistance to cytotoxic therapies. Recently, cell-to-cell P-gp transfers have been shown. Herein, we combine experimental evidence and a mathematical model to examine the consequences of an intercellular P-gp trafficking in the extragenetic transfer of multidrug resistance from resistant to sensitive cell subpopulations. We report cell-to-cell transfers of functional P-gp in co-cultures of a P-gp overexpressing human breast cancer MCF-7 cell variant, selected for its resistance towards doxorubicin, with the parental sensitive cell line. We found that P-gp as well as efflux activity distribution are progressively reorganized over time in co-cultures analyzed by flow cytometry. A mathematical model based on a Boltzmann type integro-partial differential equation structured by a continuum variable corresponding to P-gp activity describes the cell populations in co-culture. The mathematical model elucidates the population elements in the experimental data, specifically, the initial proportions, the proliferative growth rates, and the transfer rates of P-gp in the sensitive and resistant subpopulations. We confirmed cell-to-cell transfer of functional P-gp. The transfer process depends on the gradient of P-gp expression in the donor-recipient cell interactions, as they evolve over time. Extragenetically acquired drug resistance is an additional aptitude of neoplastic cells which has implications in the diagnostic value of P-gp expression and in the design of chemotherapy regimensComment: 13 pages, 8 figures, 1 tabl

On a Vector-host Epidemic Model with Spatial Structure

In this paper, we study a reaction-diffusion vector-host epidemic model. We define the basic reproduction number $R_0$ and show that $R_0$ is a threshold parameter: if $R_0\le 1$ the disease free steady state is globally stable; if $R_0>1$ the model has a unique globally stable positive steady state. We then write $R_0$ as the spectral radius of the product of one multiplicative operator $R(x)$ and two compact operators with spectral radius equalling one. Here $R(x)$ corresponds to the basic reproduction number of the model without diffusion and is thus called local basic reproduction number. We study the relationship between $R_0$ and $R(x)$ as the diffusion rates vary