6,693 research outputs found
Stability Analysis of a Hybrid Cellular Automaton Model of Cell Colony Growth
Cell colonies of bacteria, tumour cells and fungi, under nutrient limited
growth conditions, exhibit complex branched growth patterns. In order to
investigate this phenomenon we present a simple hybrid cellular automaton model
of cell colony growth. In the model the growth of the colony is limited by a
nutrient that is consumed by the cells and which inhibits cell division if it
falls below a certain threshold. Using this model we have investigated how the
nutrient consumption rate of the cells affects the growth dynamics of the
colony. We found that for low consumption rates the colony takes on a Eden-like
morphology, while for higher consumption rates the morphology of the colony is
branched with a fractal geometry. These findings are in agreement with previous
results, but the simplicity of the model presented here allows for a linear
stability analysis of the system. By observing that the local growth of the
colony is proportional to the flux of the nutrient we derive an approximate
dispersion relation for the growth of the colony interface. This dispersion
relation shows that the stability of the growth depends on how far the nutrient
penetrates into the colony. For low nutrient consumption rates the penetration
distance is large, which stabilises the growth, while for high consumption
rates the penetration distance is small, which leads to unstable branched
growth. When the penetration distance vanishes the dispersion relation is
reduced to the one describing Laplacian growth without ultra-violet
regularisation. The dispersion relation was verified by measuring how the
average branch width depends on the consumption rate of the cells and shows
good agreement between theory and simulations.Comment: 8 pages, 6 figure
Stratification of the orbit space in gauge theories. The role of nongeneric strata
Gauge theory is a theory with constraints and, for that reason, the space of
physical states is not a manifold but a stratified space (orbifold) with
singularities. The classification of strata for smooth (and generalized)
connections is reviewed as well as the formulation of the physical space as the
zero set of a momentum map. Several important features of nongeneric strata are
discussed and new results are presented suggesting an important role for these
strata as concentrators of the measure in ground state functionals and as a
source of multiple structures in low-lying excitations.Comment: 22 pages Latex, 1 figur
Geometry, stochastic calculus and quantum fields in a non-commutative space-time
The algebras of non-relativistic and of classical mechanics are unstable
algebraic structures. Their deformation towards stable structures leads,
respectively, to relativity and to quantum mechanics. Likewise, the combined
relativistic quantum mechanics algebra is also unstable. Its stabilization
requires the non-commutativity of the space-time coordinates and the existence
of a fundamental length constant. The new relativistic quantum mechanics
algebra has important consequences on the geometry of space-time, on quantum
stochastic calculus and on the construction of quantum fields. Some of these
effects are studied in this paper.Comment: 36 pages Latex, 1 eps figur
Recommended from our members
Sex-related dietary changes of Portuguese university students after migration to London, UK
Aim: To assess the changes in eating habits and food choice motives of Portuguese university students after migration to London, according to sex.
Methods: Fifty-five Portuguese university students (52.7% female) from 12 randomly selected London universities underwent a face-to-face interview. Trained interviewers administered a structured questionnaire comprising questions on socio-demographic characteristics, the frequency of consumption of selected food and beverage items, and the motives underlying food choices regarding Portugal and London practices.
Results: Some dietary changes occurred in both male and female Portuguese students such as a decrease in the intake of red meat, fish, pastries and vegetable soup, and an increase in the intake of hamburger and tea with milk. Men also reported a decrease in the intake of cheese, dairy desserts, eggs, smoked sausages, ham, sweet spreads, potatoes, rice and fresh fruit, and an increase in the intake of bacon. For women, the consumption frequency of chips and chocolate increased and of vegetables decreased. Regarding food choice, the motives related to food purchasing and preparation became more important after migration to London for both sexes. The importance of nutritional information for women and weight control for men also increased after migration.
Conclusions: A shift from a Mediterranean diet towards a more Western diet was observed after migration. Men were more likely to change their dietary habits whereas women were more likely to maintain. Food choice in London was greatly influenced by food purchasing and preparation
Reduction and approximation in gyrokinetics
The gyrokinetics formulation of plasmas in strong magnetic fields aims at the
elimination of the angle associated with the Larmor rotation of charged
particles around the magnetic field lines. In a perturbative treatment or as a
time-averaging procedure, gyrokinetics is in general an approximation to the
true dynamics. Here we discuss the conditions under which gyrokinetics is
either an approximation or an exact operation in the framework of reduction of
dynamical systems with symmetryComment: 15 pages late
- …