105 research outputs found
Observability of dynamical networks from graphic and symbolic approaches
A dynamical network, a graph whose nodes are dynamical systems, is usually
characterized by a large dimensional space which is not always accesible due to
the impossibility of measuring all the variables spanning the state space.
Therefore, it is of the utmost importance to determine a reduced set of
variables providing all the required information for non-ambiguously
distinguish its different states. Inherited from control theory, one possible
approach is based on the use of the observability matrix defined as the
Jacobian matrix of the change of coordinates between the original state space
and the space reconstructed from the measured variables. The observability of a
given system can be accurately assessed by symbolically computing the
complexity of the determinant of the observability matrix and quantified by
symbolic observability coefficients. In this work, we extend the symbolic
observability, previously developed for dynamical systems, to networks made of
coupled -dimensional node dynamics (). From the observability of the
node dynamics, the coupling function between the nodes, and the adjacency
matrix, it is indeed possible to construct the observability of a large network
with an arbitrary topology.Comment: 12 pages, 4 figures made from 12 eps file
Contextual Query Using Bell Tests
Tests are essential in Information Retrieval and Data Mining in order to
evaluate the effectiveness of a query. An automatic measure tool intended to
exhibit the meaning of words in context has been developed and linked with
Quantum Theory, particularly entanglement. "Quantum like" experiments were
undertaken on semantic space based on the Hyperspace Analogue Language (HAL)
method. A quantum HAL model was implemented using state vectors issued from the
HAL matrix and query observables, testing a wide range of windows sizes. The
Bell parameter S, associating measures on two words in a document, was derived
showing peaks for specific window sizes. The peaks show maximum quantum
violation of the Bell inequalities and are document dependent. This new
correlation measure inspired by Quantum Theory could be promising for measuring
query relevance.Comment: 12 pages, 3 figure
Node Vulnerability under Finite Perturbations in Complex Networks
A measure to quantify vulnerability under perturbations (attacks, failures, large fluctuations) in ensembles (networks) of coupled dynamical systems is proposed. Rather than addressing the issue of how the network properties change upon removal of elements of the graph (the strategy followed by most of the existing methods for studying the vulnerability of a network based on its topology), here a dynamical definition of vulnerability is introduced, referring to the robustness of a collective dynamical state to perturbing events occurring over a fixed topology. In particular, we study how the collective (synchronized) dynamics of a network of chaotic units is disrupted under the action of a finite size perturbation on one of its nodes. Illustrative examples are provided for three systems of identical chaotic oscillators coupled according to three distinct well-known network topologies. A quantitative comparison between the obtained vulnerability rankings and the classical connectivity/centrality rankings is made that yields conclusive results. Possible applications of the proposed strategy and conclusions are also discussed
The origin of large molecules in primordial autocatalytic reaction networks
Large molecules such as proteins and nucleic acids are crucial for life, yet
their primordial origin remains a major puzzle. The production of large
molecules, as we know it today, requires good catalysts, and the only good
catalysts we know that can accomplish this task consist of large molecules.
Thus the origin of large molecules is a chicken and egg problem in chemistry.
Here we present a mechanism, based on autocatalytic sets (ACSs), that is a
possible solution to this problem. We discuss a mathematical model describing
the population dynamics of molecules in a stylized but prebiotically plausible
chemistry. Large molecules can be produced in this chemistry by the coalescing
of smaller ones, with the smallest molecules, the `food set', being buffered.
Some of the reactions can be catalyzed by molecules within the chemistry with
varying catalytic strengths. Normally the concentrations of large molecules in
such a scenario are very small, diminishing exponentially with their size.
ACSs, if present in the catalytic network, can focus the resources of the
system into a sparse set of molecules. ACSs can produce a bistability in the
population dynamics and, in particular, steady states wherein the ACS molecules
dominate the population. However to reach these steady states from initial
conditions that contain only the food set typically requires very large
catalytic strengths, growing exponentially with the size of the catalyst
molecule. We present a solution to this problem by studying `nested ACSs', a
structure in which a small ACS is connected to a larger one and reinforces it.
We show that when the network contains a cascade of nested ACSs with the
catalytic strengths of molecules increasing gradually with their size (e.g., as
a power law), a sparse subset of molecules including some very large molecules
can come to dominate the system.Comment: 49 pages, 17 figures including supporting informatio
Computability and dynamical systems
In this paper we explore results that establish a link between dynamical
systems and computability theory (not numerical analysis). In the last few decades,
computers have increasingly been used as simulation tools for gaining insight into
dynamical behavior. However, due to the presence of errors inherent in such numerical
simulations, with few exceptions, computers have not been used for the
nobler task of proving mathematical results. Nevertheless, there have been some recent
developments in the latter direction. Here we introduce some of the ideas and
techniques used so far, and suggest some lines of research for further work on this
fascinating topic
Strange Attractors in Dissipative Nambu Mechanics : Classical and Quantum Aspects
We extend the framework of Nambu-Hamiltonian Mechanics to include dissipation
in phase space. We demonstrate that it accommodates the phase space
dynamics of low dimensional dissipative systems such as the much studied Lorenz
and R\"{o}ssler Strange attractors, as well as the more recent constructions of
Chen and Leipnik-Newton. The rotational, volume preserving part of the flow
preserves in time a family of two intersecting surfaces, the so called {\em
Nambu Hamiltonians}. They foliate the entire phase space and are, in turn,
deformed in time by Dissipation which represents their irrotational part of the
flow. It is given by the gradient of a scalar function and is responsible for
the emergence of the Strange Attractors.
Based on our recent work on Quantum Nambu Mechanics, we provide an explicit
quantization of the Lorenz attractor through the introduction of
Non-commutative phase space coordinates as Hermitian matrices in
. They satisfy the commutation relations induced by one of the two
Nambu Hamiltonians, the second one generating a unique time evolution.
Dissipation is incorporated quantum mechanically in a self-consistent way
having the correct classical limit without the introduction of external degrees
of freedom. Due to its volume phase space contraction it violates the quantum
commutation relations. We demonstrate that the Heisenberg-Nambu evolution
equations for the Quantum Lorenz system give rise to an attracting ellipsoid in
the dimensional phase space.Comment: 35 pages, 4 figures, LaTe
Evolution as Its Own Cause and Effect
A critique of neo-Darwinism is presented, whith an emphasis on the insufficiency of external selection to explain evolution. Various forms of coevolution are discussed as possible alternatives that offer a biological genesis of evolutionary forces. Problems of self-referentiality are considered with reference to the evolution of closed causal systems. The philosophical perspective of process philosophy is reviewed an its thesis about unfinished identities is amplified in order to present a hypothetical causal mechanism for evolution while avoiding pitfalls of circularity. Key words: Evolution, coevolution, causality, emergence, self-reference, process philosoph
Unmasking Chaotic Attributes in Time Series of Living Cell Populations
. Such complicated dynamics are generally the result of a combination of stochastic events and deterministic regulation. Assessing the role, if any, of chaotic regulation is difficult. However, unmasking chaotic dynamics is essential for analysis of cellular processes related to proliferation rate, including metabolic activity, telomere homeostasis, gene expression, and tumor growth.Using a simple, original, nonlinear method based on return maps, we previously found a geometrical deterministic structure coordinating such fluctuations in populations of various cell types. However, nonlinearity and determinism are only necessary conditions for chaos; they do not by themselves constitute a proof of chaotic dynamics. Therefore, we used the same analytical method to analyze the oscillations of four well-known, low-dimensional, chaotic oscillators, originally designed in diverse settings and all possibly well-adapted to model the fluctuations of cell populations: the Lorenz, Rössler, Verhulst and Duffing oscillators. All four systems also display this geometrical structure, coordinating the oscillations of one or two variables of the oscillator. No such structure could be observed in periodic or stochastic fluctuations.Theoretical models predict various cell population dynamics, from stable through periodically oscillating to a chaotic regime. Periodic and stochastic fluctuations were first described long ago in various mammalian cells, but by contrast, chaotic regulation had not previously been evidenced. The findings with our nonlinear geometrical approach are entirely consistent with the notion that fluctuations of cell populations can be chaotically controlled
Avoiding transcription factor competition at promoter level increases the chances of obtaining oscillation
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The ultimate goal of synthetic biology is the conception and construction of genetic circuits that are reliable with respect to their designed function (e.g. oscillators, switches). This task remains still to be attained due to the inherent synergy of the biological building blocks and to an insufficient feedback between experiments and mathematical models. Nevertheless, the progress in these directions has been substantial.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>It has been emphasized in the literature that the architecture of a genetic oscillator must include positive (activating) and negative (inhibiting) genetic interactions in order to yield robust oscillations. Our results point out that the oscillatory capacity is not only affected by the interaction polarity but by how it is implemented at promoter level. For a chosen oscillator architecture, we show by means of numerical simulations that the existence or lack of competition between activator and inhibitor at promoter level affects the probability of producing oscillations and also leaves characteristic fingerprints on the associated period/amplitude features.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>In comparison with non-competitive binding at promoters, competition drastically reduces the region of the parameters space characterized by oscillatory solutions. Moreover, while competition leads to pulse-like oscillations with long-tail distribution in period and amplitude for various parameters or noisy conditions, the non-competitive scenario shows a characteristic frequency and confined amplitude values. Our study also situates the competition mechanism in the context of existing genetic oscillators, with emphasis on the Atkinson oscillator.</p
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