Journal of Biological Physics最新文献

The Epstein-Barr virus affects more than 90% of the world population and, consequently, is a virus whose infection dynamics should not be overlooked. It can cause the disease infectious mononucleosis and comes with other virus-associated diseases and conditions ranging from certain cancers to episodes of fatigue and depression. While previous epidemiological and virological modeling studies have worked out the details of possible infection dynamics scenarios, the current study takes a different approach. Using a nonlinear physics perspective and a fairly general epidemiological model, we identify the essential EBV infection dynamics along its so-called infection order parameter. We demonstrate that the essential dynamics describes the initial path that EBV infections take in the multi-dimensional model space. In particular, we show that the essential dynamics predicts the initial dynamics of the relevant subpopulations and describes how the subpopulations involved in an EBV infection outbreak organize themselves during the outbreak. Intervention and prevention measures are discussed in the context of the nonlinear physics perspective. An adverse synergy effect between two infection rate parameters is identified. An early warning system based on the so-called critical slowing down phenomenon is proposed for EBV infection waves in college and university student populations, which are populations particularly vulnerable to EBV infections.

Magnesium-based implants are highly valued in the biomedical field for biocompatibility and biodegradability, though their inherent low strength in body fluids is a limitation. This study addresses this by alloying magnesium with zinc and titanium to enhance its properties. Mechanical alloying was used to synthesize binary (Mg-Zn, Mg-Ti) and ternary (Mg-Zn-Ti) alloys, which were then compacted and sintered. The alloy powders, composed of 10 wt% Zn and 5 wt% Ti, were milled at 360 rpm for 10 h. Microstructural analysis revealed uniformly dispersed particles, with SEM confirming spherical and fine particles alongside laminates. XRD identified intermetallic compound formation. The ternary alloy demonstrated superior micro-hardness and Young’s modulus similar to human bone, making it particularly promising for biomedical applications. Incorporating zinc and titanium into the magnesium matrix resulted in a ternary alloy that outperformed its binary counterparts.

This study evaluates the unsteady laminar flow and heat and mass transfer of a nanofluid in the appearance of gyrotactic microorganisms. In this analysis, using the Darcy–Forchheimer flow inside the vicinity of a nonlinearly stretched surface with Brownian motion and thermophoresis impacts. Similarity conversion is familiar with reduced governing models into dimensionless variables, and “bvp4c,” a MATLAB solver, is employed to find the computational outputs of this analysis. This analysis reports that the use of nanofluids provides better thermal characteristics which are helpful to enhance the heat transfer coefficient. Graphs for this analysis are created for distinct values of non-dimensionless parameters, whereas the coefficient of surface drag, heat flux, mass flux, and rate of microorganism density are all interpreted numerically and graphically. The high level of resistance provided by velocity slip and Forchheimer parameters leads to a decrease in velocity curves while an increment is seen in the temperature profile. It is also remarked that bioconvection Peclet number induces a decrement in the density distribution of motile microorganisms. In addition, it has been observed that the Nusselt number for a nonlinear stretching sheet is better as compared to a linear stretching sheet.

Conventional kinesin protein is a prototypical biological molecular motor that can step processively on microtubules towards the plus end by hydrolyzing ATP molecules, performing the biological function of intracellular transports. An important characteristic of the kinesin is the load dependence of its velocity, which is usually measured by using the single molecule optical trapping method with a large-sized bead attached to the motor stalk. Puzzlingly, even for the same kinesin, some experiments showed that the velocity is nearly independent of the forward load whereas others showed that the velocity decreases evidently with the increase in the magnitude of the forward load. Here, a theoretical explanation is provided of why different experiments give different dependencies of the velocity on the forward load. It is shown that both the stalk orientation and bead size play a critical role in the different dependencies. Additionally, the reason why the optical trapping experiments with the movable trap usually gave a sigmoid form of the velocity versus backward load whereas with the fixed trap gave a nearly linear form is also explained theoretically. The study is not only critical to the understanding of the response of the motor to the load but also provides strong insights into the coupling mechanism of the motor.

Graphical Abstract

The present article focuses on the analysis of the two-phase flow of blood via a stenosed artery under the influence of a pulsatile pressure gradient. The core and plasma regions of flow are modeled using the constitutive relations of Herschel-Bulkley and the Newtonian fluids, respectively. The problem is modeled in a cylindrical coordinate system. A modest stenosis assumption is used to simplify the non-dimensional governing equations of the flow issue. An explicit finite difference approach is used to solve the resultant nonlinear system of differential equations while accounting for the provided boundary conditions. After the necessary adjustments have been made to the crucial non-dimensional parameters, an analysis of the data behind the huge image, such as axial velocity, temperature field, concentration wall shear stress, flow rate, and flow impedance, is conducted. The current study shows that the curvature of blood vessels plays a significant role in influencing blood velocity. Specifically, a unit increase in the curvature radius results in a 24% rise in blood velocity.

A underlying complex dynamical behavior of double Allee effects in predator-prey system is studied in this article to understand the predator-prey relation more intensely from different aspects. We first propose a system with the Caputo sense fractional-order predator-prey system incorporating the Allee effect in prey populations to explain how the memory effect can change the different emergent states. Local stability analysis is analyzed by applying Matignon’s condition for the FDE system. Further, we consider a discrete-time system to show the influence of double Allee effects in non-overlapping generations. For discrete-time system, different bifurcations like Neimark-Sacker, flip bifurcations, irregularity in periodic oscillations, are observed. Irregularity occurs through a period-doubling cascade which is a common route to chaos in a dynamical sense. Maximum Lyapunov exponent (MLE) is shown to illustrate the irregular behaviors of discrete-time systems. The Allee effect influences system stability where the strong Allee effect enhances system stability whereas the stability is lost for the weak Allee effect. The extinction risk of populations in the presence of the Allee effect is a concerning issue. We have insight into how all populations survive along with stable extinction equilibrium. Our proposed systems exhibit different alternative states. Multiple stable attractor basins are plotted to depict the different alternative states of the FDE system as well as the discrete-time system. Initial population densities play a key role in the coexistence of all the populations otherwise there is a risk of species extinction. Besides analytical results, numerical simulation is performed to valid our analytical findings of different dynamical states like bifurcation, stability, irregularity as well as multi-stability.

In this paper, the dynamic behaviors of tuberculosis in the context of indirect environmental transmission are discussed by establishing the SEIRB epidemic model. The basic reproduction number is computed by employing the next-generation matrix approach. The global stability of disease-free equilibrium and endemic equilibrium is proved by constructing the Lyapunov function and the application of LaSalle’s invariance principle. It shows that when the basic reproduction number is greater than 1, tuberculosis will spread among the population. When the basic reproduction number is less than 1, tuberculosis will disappear. Finally, an optimal control problem is constructed by using the extended model, which reveals the spread of tuberculosis can be effectively controlled by eliminating Mycobacterium tuberculosis in the environment and controlling tuberculosis patients at the same time. Numerical example results show the effectiveness of the optimization strategies.

Bioconvective flows over a thin needle hold significant importance in various fields, particularly in biomedical engineering, microfluidics, and environmental science. This paper examines the bioconvective flow properties of a copper and blood-based Casson nanofluid over a thin needle, accounting for gyrotactic microorganisms in the presence of a magnetic field. The two-phase nanofluid model is applied to formulate the flow problem. The system of non-dimensional ordinary differential equations is obtained by reducing the governing partial differential equations with the help of similarity variables. Further, the ODEs are numerically solved using the 4th-order Runge–Kutta method based Shooting technique. The similar solutions of the non-dimensional ODEs are represented graphically and the blood-based nanofluid’s velocity, temperature, concentration, and presence of microorganisms are examined with reference to the accompanying diagrams. A detailed analysis is provided for skin friction, Nusselt number, and microorganism density number. The primary outcomes reveal that the augmentation of the mixed convection parameter and buoyancy ratio parameter enhance the rate of heat transfer.

Cell fate decision is crucial in biological development and plays fundamental roles in normal development and functional maintenance of organisms. By identifying key regulatory interactions and molecules involved in these fate decisions, we can shed light on the intricate mechanisms underlying the cell fates. This understanding ultimately reveals the fundamental principles driving biological development and the origins of various diseases. In this study, we present an overarching framework which integrates pseudo-trajectory inference and differential analysis to determine critical regulatory interactions and molecules during cell fate transitions. To demonstrate feasibility and reliability of the approach, we employ the differentiation networks of hepatobiliary system and embryonic stem cells as representative model systems. By applying pseudo-trajectory inference to biological data, we aim to identify critical regulatory interactions and molecules during the cell fate transition processes. Consistent with experimental observations, the approach can allow us to infer dynamical cell fate decision processes and gain insights into the underlying mechanisms which govern cell state decisions.