arXiv subjects

Ewa Gudowska-Nowak

Publications and source records attributed to Ewa Gudowska-Nowak.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2015

How we move is universal: scaling in the average shape of human activity

Human motor activity is constrained by the rhythmicity of the 24 hours circadian cycle, including the usual 12-15 hours sleep-wake cycle. However, activity fluctuations also appear over a wide range of temporal scales, from days to a few seconds, resulting from the concatenation of a myriad of individual smaller motor events. Furthermore, individuals present different propensity to wakefulness and thus to motor activity throughout the circadian cycle. Are activity fluctuations across temporal scales intrinsically different, or is there a universal description encompassing them? Is this description also universal across individuals, considering the aforementioned variability? Here we establish the presence of universality in motor activity fluctuations based on the empirical study of a month of continuous wristwatch accelerometer recordings. We study the scaling of average fluctuations across temporal scales and determine a universal law characterized by critical exponents $α$, $τ$ and $1/μ$. Results are highly reminiscent of the universality described for the average shape of avalanches in systems exhibiting crackling noise. Beyond its theoretical relevance, the present results can be important for developing objective markers of healthy as well as pathological human motor behavior.

q-bio.NC↗

arXiv2015

Optimal first arrival times in Lévy flights with resetting

We consider diffusive motion of a particle performing a random walk with Lévy distributed jump lengths and subject to resetting mechanism bringing the walker to an initial position at uniformly distributed times. In the limit of infinite number of steps and for long times, the process converges to a super-diffusive motion with replenishment. We derive formula for a mean first arrival time (MFAT) to a predefined target position reached by a meandering particle and analyze efficiency of the proposed searching strategy by investigating criteria for an optimal (a shortest possible) MFAT.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2014

Taming Lévy flights in confined crowded geometries

We study a two-dimensional diffusive motion of a tracer particle in restricted, crowded anisotropic geometries. The underlying medium is the same as in our previous work [J. Chem. Phys. 140, 044706 (2014)] in which standard, gaussian diffusion was studied. Here, a tracer is allowed to perform Cauchy random walk with uncorrelated steps. Our analysis shows that presence of obstacles significantly influences motion, which in an obstacle-free space would be of a superdiffusive type. At the same time, the selfdiffusive process reveals different anomalous properties, both at the level of a single trajectory realization and after the ensemble averaging. In particular, due to obstacles, the sample mean squared displacement asymptotically grows sublinearly in time, suggesting non-Markov character of motion. Closer inspection of survival probabilities indicates however that underlying diffusion is memoryless over long time scales despite strong inhomogeneity of motion induced by orientational ordering.

physics.chem-ph↗

arXiv2014

Tracer diffusion inside fibrinogen layers

We investigate the obstructed motion of tracer (test) particles in crowded environments by carrying simulations of two-dimensional Gaussian random walk in model fibrinogen monolayers of different orientational ordering. The fibrinogen molecules are significantly anisotropic and therefore they can form structures where orientational ordering, similar to the one observed in nematic liquid crystals, appears. The work focuses on the dependence between level of the orientational order (degree of environmental crowding) of fibrinogen molecules inside a layer and non-Fickian character of the diffusion process of spherical tracer particles moving within the domain. It is shown that in general particles motion is subdiffusive and strongly anisotropic, and its characteristic features significantly change with the orientational order parameter, concentration of fibrinogens and radius of a diffusing probe.

physics.chem-ph↗

arXiv2012

Fluctuation-dissipation relations under Levy noises

For systems close to equilibrium, the relaxation properties of measurable physical quantities are described by the linear response theory and the fluctuation-dissipation theorem (FDT). Accordingly, the response or the generalized susceptibility, which is a function of the unperturbed equilibrium system, can be related to the correlation between spontaneous fluctuations of a given conjugate variable. There have been several attempts to extend the FDT far from equilibrium, introducing new terms or using effective temperatures. Recently, Prost, Joanny, and Parrondo [Phys. Rev. Lett. 103, 090601 (2009)] have shown that the FDT can be restored far from equilibrium by choosing the appropriate variables conjugate to the external perturbations. Here, we apply the generalized FDT to a system perturbed by time-dependent deterministic forces and acting under the influence of white alpha-stable noises.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2011

Understanding disease control: influence of epidemiological and economic factors

We present a local spread model of disease transmission on a regular network and compare different control options ranging from treating the whole population to local control in a well-defined neighborhood of an infectious individual. Comparison is based on a total cost of epidemic, including cost of palliative treatment of ill individuals and preventive cost aimed at vaccination or culling of susceptible individuals. Disease is characterized by pre- symptomatic phase which makes detection and control difficult. Three general strategies emerge, global preventive treatment, local treatment within a neighborhood of certain size and only palliative treatment with no prevention. The choice between the strategies depends on relative costs of palliative and preventive treatment. The details of the local strategy and in particular the size of the optimal treatment neighborhood weakly depends on disease infectivity but strongly depends on other epidemiological factors. The required extend of prevention is proportional to the size of the infection neighborhood, but this relationship depends on time till detection and time till treatment in a non-nonlinear (power) law. In addition, we show that the optimal size of control neighborhood is highly sensitive to the relative cost, particularly for inefficient detection and control application. These results have important consequences for design of prevention strategies aiming at emerging diseases for which parameters are not known in advance.

physics.bio-ph↗

arXiv2010

Subordinated diffusion and CTRW asymptotics

Anomalous transport is usually described either by models of continuous time random walks (CTRW) or, otherwise by fractional Fokker-Planck equations (FFPE). The asymptotic relation between properly scaled CTRW and fractional diffusion process has been worked out via various approaches widely discussed in literature. Here, we focus on a correspondence between CTRWs and time and space fractional diffusion equation stemming from two different methods aimed to accurately approximate anomalous diffusion processes. One of them is the Monte Carlo simulation of uncoupled CTRW with a Lévy $α$-stable distribution of jumps in space and a one-parameter Mittag-Leffler distribution of waiting times. The other is based on a discretized form of a subordinated Langevin equation in which the physical time defined via the number of subsequent steps of motion is itself a random variable. Both approaches are tested for their numerical performance and verified with known analytical solutions for the Green function of a space-time fractional diffusion equation. The comparison demonstrates trade off between precision of constructed solutions and computational costs. The method based on the subordinated Langevin equation leads to a higher accuracy of results, while the CTRW framework with a Mittag-Leffler distribution of waiting times provides efficiently an approximate fundamental solution to the FFPE and converges to the probability density function of the subordinated process in a long-time limit.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2009

Paradoxical diffusion: Discriminating between normal and anomalous random walks

Commonly, normal diffusive behavior is characterized by a linear dependence of the second central moment on time, $< x^2(t) >\propto t$, while anomalous behavior is expected to show a different time dependence, $ < x^2(t) > \propto t^δ$ with $δ<1$ for subdiffusive and $δ>1$ for superdiffusive motions. Here we demonstrate that this kind of qualification, if applied straightforwardly, may be misleading: There are anomalous transport motions revealing perfectly "normal" diffusive character ($< x^2(t) >\propto t$), yet being non-Markov and non-Gaussian in nature. We use recently developed framework \cite[Phys. Rev. E \textbf{75}, 056702 (2007)]{magdziarz2007b} of Monte Carlo simulations which incorporates anomalous diffusion statistics in time and space and creates trajectories of such an extended random walk. For special choice of stability indices describing statistics of waiting times and jump lengths, the ensemble analysis of paradoxical diffusion is shown to hide temporal memory effects which can be properly detected only by examination of formal criteria of Markovianity (fulfillment of the Chapman-Kolmogorov equation).

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2009

Anomalous diffusion and generalized Sparre-Andersen scaling

We are discussing long-time, scaling limit for the anomalous diffusion composed of the subordinated Lévy-Wiener process. The limiting anomalous diffusion is in general non-Markov, even in the regime, where ensemble averages of a mean-square displacement or quantiles representing the group spread of the distribution follow the scaling characteristic for an ordinary stochastic diffusion. To discriminate between truly memory-less process and the non-Markov one, we are analyzing deviation of the survival probability from the (standard) Sparre-Andersen scaling.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2009

Modelling radiation-induced cell cycle delays

Ionizing radiation is known to delay the cell cycle progression. In particular after particle exposure significant delays have been observed and it has been shown that the extent of delay affects the expression of damage such as chromosome aberrations. Thus, to predict how cells respond to ionizing radiation and to derive reliable estimates of radiation risks, information about radiation-induced cell cycle perturbations is required. In the present study we describe and apply a method for retrieval of information about the time-course of all cell cycle phases from experimental data on the mitotic index only. We study the progression of mammalian cells through the cell cycle after exposure. The analysis reveals a prolonged block of damaged cells in the G2 phase. Furthermore, by performing an error analysis on simulated data valuable information for the design of experimental studies has been obtained. The analysis showed that the number of cells analyzed in an experimental sample should be at least 100 to obtain a relative error less than 20%.

q-bio.CB↗

arXiv2008

Levy stable noise induced transitions: stochastic resonance, resonant activation and dynamic hysteresis

A standard approach to analysis of noise-induced effects in stochastic dynamics assumes a Gaussian character of the noise term describing interaction of the analyzed system with its complex surroundings. An additional assumption about the existence of timescale separation between the dynamics of the measured observable and the typical timescale of the noise allows external fluctuations to be modeled as temporally uncorrelated and therefore white. However, in many natural phenomena the assumptions concerning the abovementioned properties of "Gaussianity" and "whiteness" of the noise can be violated. In this context, in contrast to the spatiotemporal coupling characterizing general forms of non-Markovian or semi-Markovian Lévy walks, so called Lévy flights correspond to the class of Markov processes which still can be interpreted as white, but distributed according to a more general, infinitely divisible, stable and non-Gaussian law. Lévy noise-driven non-equilibrium systems are known to manifest interesting physical properties and have been addressed in various scenarios of physical transport exhibiting a superdiffusive behavior. Here we present a brief overview of our recent investigations aimed to understand features of stochastic dynamics under the influence of Lévy white noise perturbations. We find that the archetypal phenomena of noise-induced ordering are robust and can be detected also in systems driven by non-Gaussian, heavy-tailed fluctuations with infinite variance.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2008

Active Brownian Motion Models and Applications to Ratchets

We give an overview over recent studies on the model of Active Brownian Motion (ABM) coupled to reservoirs providing free energy which may be converted into kinetic energy of motion. First, we present an introduction to a general concept of active Brownian particles which are capable to take up energy from the source and transform part of it in order to perform various activities. In the second part of our presentation we consider applications of ABM to ratchet systems with different forms of differentiable potentials. Both analytical and numerical evaluations are discussed for three cases of sinusoidal, staircase-like and Mateos ratchet potentials, also with the additional loads modeled by tilted potential structure. In addition, stochastic character of the kinetics is investigated by considering perturbation by Gaussian white noise which is shown to be responsible for driving the directionality of the asymptotic flux in the ratchet. This \textit{stochastically driven directionality} effect is visualized as a strong nonmonotonic dependence of the statistics of the right versus left trajectories of motion leading to a net current of particles. Possible applications of the ratchet systems to molecular motors are also briefly discussed

physics.data-an↗

arXiv2008

Monitoring noise-resonant effects in cancer growth influenced by external fluctuations and periodic treatment

In the paper we investigate a mathematical model describing the growth of tumor in the presence of immune response of a host organism. The dynamics of tumor and immune cells is based on the generic Michaelis-Menten kinetics depicting interaction and competition between the tumor and the immune system. The appropriate phenomenological equation modeling cell-mediated immune surveillance against cancer is of the predator-prey form and exhibits bistability within a given choice of the immune response-related parameters. Under the influence of weak external fluctuations, the model may be analyzed in terms of a stochastic differential equation bearing the form of an overdamped Langevin-like dynamics in the external quasi-potential represented by a double well. We analyze properties of the system within the range of parameters for which the potential wells are of the same depth and when the additional perturbation, modeling a periodic treatment, is insufficient to overcome the barrier height and to cause cancer extinction. In this case the presence of a small amount of noise can positively enhance the treatment, driving the system to a state of tumor extinction. On the other hand, however, the same noise can give rise to return effects up to a stochastic resonance behavior. This observation provides a quantitative analysis of mechanisms responsible for optimization of periodic tumor therapy in the presence of spontaneous external noise. Studying the behavior of the extinction time as a function of the treatment frequency, we have also found the typical resonant activation effect: For a certain frequency of the treatment, there exists a minimum extinction time.

physics.bio-ph↗

arXiv2007

Bimodality and hysteresis in systems driven by confined Lévy flights

We demonstrate occurrence of bimodality and dynamical hysteresis in a system describing an overdamped quartic oscillator perturbed by additive white and asymmetric Lévy noise. Investigated estimators of the stationary probability density profiles display not only a turnover from unimodal to bimodal character but also a change in a relative stability of stationary states that depends on the asymmetry parameter of the underlying noise term. When varying the asymmetry parameter cyclically, the system exhibits a hysteresis in the occupation of a chosen stationary state.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2006

Random walkers versus random crowds: diffusion of large matrices

We briefly review the random matrix theory for large N by N matrices viewed as free random variables in a context of stochastic diffusion. We establish a surprising link between the spectral properties of matrix-valued multiplicative diffusion processes for hermitian and unitary ensembles.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2006

Resonant effects in a voltage-activated channel gating

The non-selective voltage activated cation channel from the human red cells, which is activated at depolarizing potentials, has been shown to exhibit counter-clockwise gating hysteresis. We have analyzed the phenomenon with the simplest possible phenomenological models by assuming $2\times 2$ discrete states, i.e. two normal open/closed states with two different states of ``gate tension.'' Rates of transitions between the two branches of the hysteresis curve have been modeled with single-barrier kinetics by introducing a real-valued ``reaction coordinate'' parameterizing the protein's conformational change. When described in terms of the effective potential with cyclic variations of the control parameter (an activating voltage), this model exhibits typical ``resonant effects'': synchronization, resonant activation and stochastic resonance. Occurrence of the phenomena is investigated by running the stochastic dynamics of the model and analyzing statistical properties of gating trajectories.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2006

Activation process driven by strongly non-Gaussian noises

The constructive role of non-Gaussian random fluctuations is studied in the context of the passage over the dichotomously switching potential barrier. Our attention focuses on the interplay of the effects of independent sources of fluctuations: an additive stable noise representing non-equilibrium external random force acting on the system and a fluctuating barrier. In particular, the influence of the structure of stable noises on the mean escape time and on the phenomenon of resonant activation (RA) is investigated. By use of the numerical Monte Carlo method it is documented that the suitable choice of the barrier switching rate and random external fields may produce resonant phenomenon leading to the enhancement of the kinetics and the shortest, most efficient reaction time.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2004

Resonant activation driven by strongly non-Gaussian noises

cond-mat.stat-mech↗