arXiv subjects

Anotida Madzvamuse

Publications and source records attributed to Anotida Madzvamuse.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

A Predictive Model for Synergistic Oncolytic Virotherapy: Unveiling the Ping-Pong Mechanism and Optimal Timing of Combined Vesicular Stomatitis and Vaccinia Viruses

We present a mathematical model that describes the synergistic mechanism of combined Vesicular Stomatitis Virus (VSV) and Vaccinia Virus (VV). The model captures the dynamic interplay between tumor cells, viral replication, and the interferon-mediated immune response, revealing a `ping-pong' synergy where VV-infected cells produce B18R protein that neutralizes interferon-$α$, thereby enhancing VSV replication within the tumor. Numerical simulations demonstrate that this combination achieves complete tumor clearance in approximately 50 days, representing an 11\% acceleration compared to VV monotherapy (56 days), while VSV alone fails to eradicate tumors. Through bifurcation analysis, we identify critical thresholds for viral burst size and B18R inhibition, while sensitivity analysis highlights infection rates and burst sizes as the most influential parameters for treatment efficacy. Temporal optimization reveals that therapeutic outcomes are maximized through immediate VSV administration followed by delayed VV injection within a 1-19 day window, offering a strategic approach to overcome the timing and dosing challenges inherent in OVT.

q-bio.QM↗

arXiv2025

The evolving surface morphochemical reaction-diffusion system for battery modeling

It is well known that phase formation by electrodeposition yields films of poorly controllable morphology. This typically leads to a range of technological issues in many fields of electrochemical technology. Presently, a particularly relevant case is that of high-energy density next-generation batteries with metal anodes, that cannot yet reach practical cyclability targets, owing to uncontrolled elelctrode shape evolution. In this scenario, mathematical modelling is a key tool to lay the knowledge-base for materials-science advancements liable to lead to concretely stable battery material architectures. In this work, we introduce the Evolving Surface DIB (ESDIB) model, a reaction-diffusion system posed on a dynamically evolving electrode surface. Unlike previous fixed-surface formulations, the ESDIB model couples surface evolution to the local concentration of electrochemical species, allowing the geometry of the electrode itself to adapt in response to deposition. To handle the challenges related to the coupling between surface motion and species transport, we numerically solve the system by proposing an extension of the Lumped Evolving Surface Finite Element Method (LESFEM) for spatial discretisation, combined with an IMEX Euler scheme for time integration. The model is validated through six numerical experiments, each compared with laboratory images of electrodeposition. Results demonstrate that the ESDIB framework accurately captures branching and dendritic growth, providing a predictive and physically consistent tool for studying metal deposition phenomena in energy storage devices.

math.NA↗

arXiv2025

Pattern formation of bulk-surface reaction-diffusion systems in a ball

Weakly nonlinear amplitude equations are derived for the onset of spatially extended patterns on a general class of n-component bulk-surface reaction-diffusion systems in a ball, under the assumption of linear kinetics in the bulk and coupling Robin-type boundary conditions. Linear analysis shows conditions under which various pattern modes can become unstable to either generalised pitchfork or transcritical bifurcations depending on the parity of the spatial wavenumber. Weakly nonlinear analysis is used to derive general expressions for the multi-component amplitude equations of different patterned states. These reduced-order systems are found to agree with prior normal forms for pattern formation bifurcations with O(3) symmetry and they provide information on the stability of bifurcating patterns of different symmetry types. The analysis is complemented with numerical results using a dedicated bulk-surface finite-element method. The theory is illustrated in two examples: a bulk-surface version of the Brusselator and a four-component bulk-surface cell-polarity model.

nlin.PS↗

arXiv2024

Parameter spaces for cross-diffusive-driven instability in a reaction-diffusion system on an annular domain

In this work, the influence of geometry and domain size on spatiotemporal pattern formation is investigated to establish parameter spaces for a cross-diffusive reaction-diffusion model on an annulus. By applying linear stability theory, we derive conditions which can give rise to Turing, Hopf and transcritical types of diffusion-driven instabilities. We explore whether selection of a sufficiently large domain size, together with the appropriate selection of parameters, can give rise to the development of patterns on non-convex geometries e.g. annulus. Hence, the key research methodology and outcomes of our studies include: a complete analytical exploration of the spatiotemporal dynamics in an activator-depleted reaction-diffusion system; a linear stability analysis to characterise the dual roles of cross-diffusion and domain size of pattern formation on an annulus region; the derivation of the instability conditions through lower and upper bounds of the domain size; the full classification of the model parameters, and a demonstration of how cross-diffusion relaxes the general conditions for the reaction-diffusion system to exhibit pattern formation. To validate theoretical findings and predictions, we employ the finite element method to reveal spatial and spatiotemporal patterns in the dynamics of the cross-diffusive reaction-diffusion system within a two-dimensional annular domain. These observed patterns resemble those found in ring-shaped cross-sectional scans of hypoxic tumours. Specifically, the cross-section of an actively invasive region in a hypoxic tumour can be effectively approximated by an annulus.

math.DS↗

arXiv2022

Numerical investigations of the bulk-surface wave pinning model

The bulk-surface wave pinning model is a reaction-diffusion system for studying cell polarisation. It is constituted by a surface reaction-diffusion equation, coupled to a bulk diffusion equation with a non-linear boundary condition. Cell polarisation arises as the surface component develops specific patterns. Since proteins diffuse much faster in the cell interior than on the membrane, in the literature, the bulk component is often assumed to be spatially homogeneous. {\re Therefore, the model can be reduced to a single surface equation}. However, {\re in real applications} a spatially non-uniform bulk component might be an important player to take into account. In this paper, we study, through numerical computations, the role of the bulk component and, more specifically, how different bulk diffusion rates might affect the polarisation response. We find that the bulk component is indeed a key factor in {\re determining the surface polarisation response}. Moreover, for certain geometries, it is the spatial heterogeneity of the bulk component that triggers the polarisation response, which might not be possible in a reduced model. Understanding how polarisation depends on bulk diffusivity might be crucial when studying models of migrating cells, which are naturally subject to domain deformation.

physics.bio-ph↗

arXiv2022

A hospital demand and capacity intervention approach for COVID-19 in the UK

The mathematical interpretation of interventions for the mitigation of epidemics and pandemics in the literature often involves finding the optimal time to initiate an intervention and/or the use of infections to manage impact. Whilst these methods may work in theory, in order to implement they may require information which is likely not available whilst one is in the midst of an epidemic, or they may require impeccable data about infection levels in the community. In practice, testing and cases data is only as good as the policy of implementation and the compliance of the individuals, which means that understanding the levels of infections becomes difficult or complicated from the data that is provided. In this paper, we aim to develop a different approach to the mathematical modelling of interventions, not based on optimality, but based on demand and capacity of local authorities who have to deal with the epidemic on a day to day basis. In particular, we use data-driven modelling to calibrate an Susceptible Exposed Infectious Recovered-Died (SEIR-D) model to infer parameters that depict the dynamics of the epidemic in a region of the UK. We use the calibrated parameters for forecasting scenarios and understand, given a maximum capacity of hospital healthcare services, how the timing of interventions, severity of interventions, and conditions for the releasing of interventions affect the overall epidemic-picture.

q-bio.PE↗

arXiv2022

Virtual element method for elliptic bulk-surface PDEs in three space dimensions

In this work we present a novel bulk-surface virtual element method (BSVEM) for the numerical approximation of elliptic bulk-surface partial differential equations (BSPDEs) in three space dimensions. The BSVEM is based on the discretisation of the bulk domain into polyhedral elements with arbitrarily many faces. The polyhedral approximation of the bulk induces a polygonal approximation of the surface. Firstly, we present a geometric error analysis of bulk-surface polyhedral meshes independent of the numerical method. Then, we show that BSVEM has optimal second-order convergence in space, provided the exact solution is $H^{2+3/4}$ in the bulk and $H^2$ on the surface, where the additional $\frac{3}{4}$ is due to the combined effect of surface curvature and polyhedral elements close to the boundary. We show that general polyhedra can be exploited to reduce the computational time of the matrix assembly. To demonstrate optimal convergence results, a numerical example is presented on the unit sphere.

math.NA↗

arXiv2021

Reformulating the SIR model in terms of the number of COVID-19 detected cases: well-posedness of the observational model

Compartmental models are popular in the mathematics of epidemiology for their simplicity and wide range of applications. Although they are typically solved as initial value problems for a system of ordinary differential equations, the observed data is typically akin of a boundary value type problem: we observe some of the dependent variables at given times, but we do not know the initial conditions. In this paper, we reformulate the classical Susceptible-Infectious-Recovered system in terms of the number of detected positive infected cases at different times, we then prove the existence and uniqueness of a solution to the derived boundary value problem and then present a numerical algorithm to approximate the solution.

q-bio.PE↗

arXiv2021

Bulk-surface virtual element method for systems of PDEs in two-space dimension

In this paper we consider a coupled bulk-surface PDE in two space dimensions. The model consists of a PDE in the bulk that is coupled to another PDE on the surface through general nonlinear boundary conditions. For such a system we propose a novel method, based on coupling a virtual element method [Beirão da Veiga et al., 2013] in the bulk domain to a surface finite element method [Dziuk & Elliott, 2013] on the surface. The proposed method, which we coin the Bulk-Surface Virtual Element Method (BSVEM) includes, as a special case, the bulk-surface finite element method (BSFEM) on triangular meshes [Madzvamuse & Chung, 2016]. The method exhibits second-order convergence in space, provided the exact solution is $H^{2+1/4}$ in the bulk and $H^2$ on the surface, where the additional $\frac{1}{4}$ is required only in the simultaneous presence of surface curvature and non-triangular elements. Two novel techniques introduced in our analysis are (i) an $L^2$-preserving inverse trace operator for the analysis of boundary conditions and (ii) the Sobolev extension as a replacement of the lifting operator [Elliott & Ranner, 2013] for sufficiently smooth exact solutions. The generality of the polygonal mesh can be exploited to optimize the computational time of matrix assembly. The method takes an optimised matrix-vector form that also simplifies the known special case of BSFEM on triangular meshes [Madzvamuse & Chung, 2016]. Three numerical examples illustrate our findings.

math.NA↗

arXiv2019

Dynamics of shadow system of a singular Gierer-Meinhardt system on an evolving domain

The main purpose of the current paper is to contribute towards the comprehension of the dynamics of the shadow system of a singular Gierer-Meinhardt model on an isotropically evolving domain. In the case where the inhibitor's response to the activator's growth is rather weak, then the shadow system of the Gierer-Meinhardt model is reduced to a single though non-local equation whose dynamics is thoroughly investigated throughout the manuscript. The main focus is on the derivation of blow-up results for this non-local equation, which can be interpreted as instability patterns of the shadow system. In particular, a {\it diffusion-driven instability (DDI)}, or {\it Turing instability}, in the neighbourhood of a constant stationary solution, which then is destabilised via diffusion-driven blow-up, is observed. The latter indicates the formation of some unstable patterns, whilst some stability results of global-in-time solutions towards non-constant steady states guarantee the occurrence of some stable patterns. Most of the derived results are confirmed numerically and also compared with the ones in the case of a stationary domain.

math.AP↗

arXiv2019

A moving grid finite element method applied to a mechanobiochemical model for 3D cell migration

This work presents the development, analysis and numerical simulations of a biophysical model for 3D cell deformation and movement, which couples biochemical reactions and biomechanical forces. We propose a mechanobiochemical model which considers the actin filament network as a viscoelastic and contractile gel. The mechanical properties are modelled by a force balancing equation for the displacements, the pressure and concentration forces are driven by actin and myosin dynamics, and these are in turn modelled by a system of reaction-diffusion equations on a moving cell domain. The biophysical model consists of highly non-linear partial differential equations whose analytical solutions are intractable. To obtain approximate solutions to the model system, we employ the moving grid finite element method. The numerical results are supported by linear stability theoretical results close to bifurcation points during the early stages of cell migration. Numerical simulations exhibited show both simple and complex cell deformations in 3-dimensions that include cell expansion, cell protrusion and cell contraction. The computational framework presented here sets a strong foundation that allows to study more complex and experimentally driven reaction-kinetics involving actin, myosin and other molecular species that play an important role in cell movement and deformation.

q-bio.CB↗

arXiv2018

A coupled bulk-surface model for cell polarisation

Several cellular activities, such as directed cell migration, are coordinated by an intricate network of biochemical reactions which lead to a polarised state of the cell, in which cellular symmetry is broken, causing the cell to have a well defined front and back. Recent work on balancing biological complexity with mathematical tractability resulted in the proposal and formulation of a famous minimal model for cell polarisation, known as the wave pinning model. In this study, we present a three-dimensional generalisation of this mathematical framework through the maturing theory of coupled bulk-surface semilinear partial differential equations in which protein compartmentalisation becomes natural. We show how a local perturbation over the surface can trigger propagating reactions, eventually stopped in a stable profile by the interplay with the bulk component. We describe the behavior of the model through asymptotic and local perturbation analysis, in which the role of the geometry is investigated. The bulk-surface finite element method is used to generate numerical simulations over simple and complex geometries, which confirm our analysis, showing pattern formation due to propagation and pinning dynamics. The generality of our mathematical and computational framework allows to study more complex biochemical reactions and biomechanical properties associated with cell polarisation in multi-dimensions.

q-bio.CB↗

arXiv2018

Stability analysis and parameter classification of a reaction-diffusion model on non-compact circular geometries

This work explores the influence of domain size of a non-compact two dimensional annular domain on the evolution of pattern formation that is modelled by an \textit{activator-depleted} reaction-diffusion system. A closed form expression is derived for the spectrum of Laplace operator on the domain satisfying a set of homogeneous conditions of Neumann type both at inner and outer boundaries. The closed form solution is numerically verified using the spectral method on polar coordinates. The bifurcation analysis of \textit{activator-depleted} reaction-diffusion system is conducted on the admissible parameter space under the influence of two bounds on the parameter denoting the thickness of the annular region. The admissibility of Hopf and transcritical bifurcations is proven conditional on the domain size satisfying a lower bound in terms of reaction-diffusion parameters. The admissible parameter space is partitioned under the proposed conditions corresponding to each case, and in turn such conditions are numerically verified by applying a method of polynomials on a quadrilateral mesh. Finally, the full system is numerically simulated on a two dimensional annular region using the standard Galerkin finite element method to verify the influence of the analytically derived conditions on the domain size for all types of admissible bifurcations.

math.DS↗

arXiv2018

A Hybrid Multiscale Model for Cancer Invasion of the Extracellular Matrix

The ability to locally degrade the extracellular matrix (ECM) and interact with the tumour microenvironment is a key process distinguishing cancer from normal cells, and is a critical step in the metastatic spread of the tumour. The invasion of the surrounding tissue involves the coordinated action between cancer cells, the ECM, the matrix degrading enzymes, and the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT). This is a regulatory process through which epithelial cells (ECs) acquire mesenchymal characteristics and transform to mesenchymal-like cells (MCs). In this paper, we present a new mathematical model which describes the transition from a collective invasion strategy for the ECs to an individual invasion strategy for the MCs. We achieve this by formulating a coupled hybrid system consisting of partial and stochastic differential equations that describe the evolution of the ECs and the MCs, respectively. This approach allows one to reproduce in a very natural way fundamental qualitative features of the current biomedical understanding of cancer invasion that are not easily captured by classical modelling approaches, for example, the invasion of the ECM by self-generated gradients and the appearance of EC invasion islands outside of the main body of the tumour.

q-bio.CB↗

arXiv2018

Domain-dependent stability analysis and parameter classification of a reaction-diffusion model on spherical geometries

In this work an activator-depleted reaction-diffusion system is investigated on polar coordinates with the aim of exploring the relationship and the corresponding influence of domain size on the types of possible diffusion-driven instabilities. Quantitative relationships are found in the form of necessary conditions on the area of a disk-shape domain with respect to the diffusion and reaction rates for certain types of diffusion-driven instabilities to occur. Robust analytical methods are applied to find explicit expressions for the eigenvalues and eigenfunctions of the diffusion operator on a disk-shape domain with homogenous Neumann boundary conditions in polar coordinates. Spectral methods are applied using chebyshev non-periodic grid for the radial variable and Fourier periodic grid on the angular variable to verify the nodal lines and eigen-surfaces subject to the proposed analytical findings. The full classification of the parameter space in light of the bifurcation analysis is obtained and numerically verified by finding the solutions of the partitioning curves inducing such a classification. Furthermore, analytical results are found relating the area of (disk-shape) domain with reaction-diffusion rates in the form of necessary conditions for the different types of bifurcations. These results are on one hand presented in the form of mathematical theorems with rigorous proofs, and, on the other hand using finite element method, each claim of the corresponding theorems are verified by obtaining the theoretically predicted behaviour of the dynamics in the numerical simulations.

math.DS↗

arXiv2017

Classification of parameter spaces for reaction-diffusion systems on stationary domains

This paper explores the classification of parameter spaces for reaction-diffusion systems of two chemical species on stationary domains. The dynamics of the system are explored both in the absence and presence of diffusion. The parameter space is fully classified in terms of the types and stability of the uniform steady state. In the absence of diffusion the results on the classification of parameter space are supported by simulations of the corresponding vector-field and some trajectories around the uniform steady state. In the presence of diffusion, the main findings are the quantitative analysis relating the domain-size with the reaction and diffusion rates and their corresponding influence on the dynamics of the reaction-diffusion system when perturbed in the neighbourhood of the uniform steady state. Theoretical predictions are supported by numerical simulations both in the presence as well as in the absence of diffusion. Conditions on the domain size with respect to the diffusion and reaction rates are related to the types of diffusion-driven instabilities namely Turing, Hopf and Transcritical types of bifurcations. The first condition is an upper bound on the area of a rectangular domain in terms of the diffusion and reaction rates, which forbids the existence of Hopf and Transcritical types of bifurcations, yet allowing Turing type instability to occur. The second condition (necessary) is a lower bound on the domain size in terms of the reaction and diffusion rates to give rise to Hopf and Transcritical types of bifurcations as well as Turing instability.

nlin.PS↗

arXiv2016

Lumped finite element method for reaction-diffusion systems on compact surfaces

We propose and analyse a novel surface finite element method that preserves the invariant regions of systems of semilinear parabolic equations on closed compact surfaces in $\mathbb{R}^3$ under discretisation. We also provide a fully-discrete scheme by applying the implicit-explicit (IMEX) Euler method in time. We prove the preservation of the invariant rectangles of the continuous problem under spatial and full discretizations. For scalar equations, these results reduce to the well-known discrete maximum principle. Furthermore, we prove optimal error bounds for the semi- and fully-discrete methods, that is the convergence rates are quadratic in the meshsize and linear in the timestep. Numerical experiments are provided to support the theoretical findings. In particular we provide examples in which, in the absence of lumping, the numerical solution violates the invariant region leading to blow-up due to the nature of the kinetics.

math.NA↗

arXiv2016

A Bayesian approach to parameter identification with an application to Turing systems

We present a Bayesian methodology for infinite as well as finite dimensional parameter identification for partial differential equation models. The Bayesian framework provides a rigorous mathematical framework for incorporating prior knowledge on uncertainty in the observations and the parameters themselves, resulting in an approximation of the full probability distribution for the parameters, given the data. Although the numerical approximation of the full probability distribution is computationally expensive, parallelised algorithms can make many practically relevant problems computationally feasible. The probability distribution not only provides estimates for the values of the parameters, but also provides information about the inferability of parameters and the sensitivity of the model. This information is crucial when a mathematical model is used to study the outcome of real-world experiments. Keeping in mind the applicability of our approach to tackle real-world practical problems with data from experiments, in this initial proof of concept work, we apply this theoretical and computational framework to parameter identification for a well studied semilinear reaction-diffusion system with activator-depleted reaction kinetics, posed on evolving and stationary domains.

q-bio.QM↗