arXiv subjects

Roberto Natalini

Publications and source records attributed to Roberto Natalini.

35 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2016

Local existence of smooth solutions to multiphase models in two space dimensions

In this paper, we consider a class of models for multiphase fluids, in the framework of mixture theory. The considered system, in its more general form, contains both the gradient of a hydrostatic pressure, generated by an incompressibility constraint, and the gradient of a compressible pressure depending on the volume fractions of some of the different phases. To approach these systems, we define an approximation based on the \emph{Leray} projection, which involves the use of the \emph{Lax} symbolic symmetrizer for hyperbolic systems and paradifferential techniques. In two space dimensions, we prove its well-posedness and convergence to the unique classical solution to the original system. In the last part, we shortly discuss the difficulties in the three dimensional case.

math.AP↗

arXiv2016

A Macroscopic Mathematical Model For Cell Migration Assays Using A Real-Time Cell Analysis

Experiments of cell migration and chemotaxis assays have been classically performed in the so-called Boyden Chambers. A recent technology, xCELLigence Real Time Cell Analysis, is now allowing to monitor the cell migration in real time. This technology measures impedance changes caused by the gradual increase of electrode surface occupation by cells during the course of time and provide a Cell Index which is proportional to cellular morphology, spreading, ruffling and adhesion quality as well as cell number. In this paper we propose a macroscopic mathematical model, based on \emph{advection-reaction-diffusion} partial differential equations, describing the cell migration assay using the real-time technology. We carried out numerical simulations to compare simulated model dynamics with data of observed biological experiments on three different cell lines and in two experimental settings: absence of chemotactic signals (basal migration) and presence of a chemoattractant. Overall we conclude that our minimal mathematical model is able to describe the phenomenon in the real time scale and numerical results show a good agreement with the experimental evidences.

q-bio.CB↗

arXiv2016

Well-posedness of a model of nonhomogeneous compressible-incompressible fluids

We propose a model of a density-dependent compressible-incompressible fluid, which is intended as a simplified version of models based on mixture theory as, for instance, those arising in the study of biofilms, tumor growth and vasculogenesis. Though our model is, in some sense, close to the density-dependent incompressible Euler equations, it presents some differences that require a different approach from an analytical point of view. In this paper, we establish a result of local existence and uniqueness of solutions in Sobolev spaces to our model, using paradifferential techniques. Besides, we show the convergence of both a continuous version of the Chorin-Temam projection method, viewed as a singular perturbation type approximation, and the 'artificial compressibility method'.

math.AP↗

arXiv2016

On modeling Maze solving ability of slime mold via a hyperbolic model of chemotaxis

Many studies have shown that Physarum polycephalum slime mold is able to find the shortest path in a maze. In this paper we study this behavior in a network, using a hyperbolic model of chemotaxis. Suitable transmission and boundary conditions at each node are considered to mimic the behavior of such an organism in the feeding process. Several numerical tests are presented for special network geometries to show the qualitative agreement between our model and the observed behavior of the mold.

math.NA↗

arXiv2015

A discrete in continuous mathematical model of cardiac progenitor cells formation and growth as spheroid clusters (Cardiospheres)

We propose a discrete in continuous mathematical model describing the in vitro growth process of biophsy-derived mammalian cardiac progenitor cells growing as clusters in the form of spheres (Cardiospheres). The approach is hybrid: discrete at cellular scale and continuous at molecular level. In the present model cells are subject to the self-organizing collective dynamics mechanism and, additionally, they can proliferate and differentiate, also depending on stochastic processes. The two latter processes are triggered and regulated by chemical signals present in the environment. Numerical simulations show the structure and the development of the clustered progenitors and are in a good agreement with the results obtained from in vitro experiments.

q-bio.CB↗

arXiv2015

Global existence and asymptotic stability of smooth solutions to a fluid dynamics model of biofilms in one space dimension

In this paper, we present an analytical study, in the one space dimensional case, of the fluid dynamics system proposed in [4] to model the formation of biofilms. After showing the hyperbolicity of the system, we show that, in a open neighborhood of the physical parameters, the system is totally dissipative near its unique non vanishing equilibrium point. Using this property, we are able to prove existence and uniqueness of global smooth solutions to the Cauchy problem on the whole line for small perturbations of this equilibrium point and the solutions are shown to converge exponentially in time at the equilibrium state.

math.AP↗

arXiv2014

Global smooth solutions for a hyperbolic chemotaxis model on a network

In this paper we study a semilinear hyperbolic-parabolic system modeling biological phenomena evolving on a network composed by oriented arcs. We prove the existence of global (in time) smooth solutions to this problem. The result is obtained by using energy estimates with suitable transmission conditions at nodes.

math.AP↗

arXiv2014

A fluid dynamics multidimensional model of biofilm growth: stability, influence of environment and sensitivity

In this article, we study in details the fluid dynamics system proposed in Clarelli et al (2013) to model the formation of cyanobacteria biofilms. After analyzing the linear stability of the unique non trivial equilibrium of the system, we introduce in the model the influence of light and temperature, which are two important factors for the development of cyanobacteria biofilm. Since the values of the coefficients we use for our simulations are estimated through information found in the literature, some sensitivity and robustness analyses on these parameters are performed. All these elements enable us to control and to validate the model we have already derived and to present some numerical simulations in the 2D and the 3D cases.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2014

A numerical comparison between degenerate parabolic and quasilinear hyperbolic models of cell movements under chemotaxis

We consider two models which were both designed to describe the movement of eukaryotic cells responding to chemical signals. Besides a common standard parabolic equation for the diffusion of a chemoattractant, like chemokines or growth factors, the two models differ for the equations describing the movement of cells. The first model is based on a quasilinear hyperbolic system with damping, the other one on a degenerate parabolic equation. The two models have the same stationary solutions, which may contain some regions with vacuum. We first explain in details how to discretize the quasilinear hyperbolic system through an upwinding technique, which uses an adapted reconstruction, which is able to deal with the transitions to vacuum. Then we concentrate on the analysis of asymptotic preserving properties of the scheme towards a discretization of the parabolic equation, obtained in the large time and large damping limit, in order to present a numerical comparison between the asymptotic behavior of these two models. Finally we perform an accurate numerical comparison of the two models in the time asymptotic regime, which shows that the respective solutions have a quite different behavior for large times.

math.NA↗

arXiv2013

A hybrid mathematical model for self-organizing cell migration in the zebrafish lateral line

In this paper we propose a "discrete in continuous" mathematical model for the morphogenesis of the posterior lateral line system in zebrafishes. Our model follows closely the results obtained in recent biological experiments. We rely on a hybrid description: discrete for the cellular level and continuous for the molecular level. We prove the existence of steady solutions consistent with the formation of particular biological structure, the neuromasts. Dynamical numerical simulations are performed to show the behavior of the model and its qualitative and quantitative accuracy to describe the evolution of the cell aggregate.

q-bio.CB↗

arXiv2013

Rare Mutations in Evolutionary Dynamics

In this paper we study the effect of rare mutations, driven by a marked point process, on the evolutionary behavior of a population. We derive a Kolmogorov equation describing the expected values of the different frequencies and prove some rigorous analytical results about their behavior. Finally, in a simple case of two different quasispecies, we are able to prove that the rarity of mutations increases the survival opportunity of the low fitness species.

math.DS↗

arXiv2012

A Mathematical model of copper corrosion

A new partial differential model for monitoring and detecting copper corrosion products (mainly brochantite and cuprite) is proposed to provide predictive tools suitable for describing the evolution of damage induced on bronze specimens by sulfur dioxide (SO_2) pollution. This model is characterized by the movement of a double free boundary. Numerical simulations show a nice agreement with experimental result.

math-ph↗

arXiv2012

A well-balanced numerical scheme for a one dimensional quasilinear hyperbolic model of chemotaxis

We introduce a numerical scheme to approximate a quasi-linear hyperbolic system which models the movement of cells under the influence of chemotaxis. Since we expect to find solutions which contain vacuum parts, we propose an upwinding scheme which handles properly the presence of vacuum and, besides, which gives a good approximation of the time asymptotic states of the system. For this scheme we prove some basic analytical properties and study its stability near some of the steady states of the system. Finally, we present some numerical simulations which show the dependence of the asymptotic behavior of the solutions upon the parameters of the system.

math.NA↗

arXiv2012

Time Asymptotic High Order Schemes for Dissipative BGK Hyperbolic Systems

We introduce a new class of finite differences schemes to approximate one dimensional dissipative semilinear hyperbolic systems with a BGK structure. Using precise analytical time-decay estimates of the local truncation error, it is possible to design schemes, based on the standard upwind approximation, which are increasingly accurate for large times when approximating small perturbations of constant asymptotic states. Numerical tests show their better performances with respect to those of other schemes.

math.NA↗

arXiv2012

A hyperbolic model of chemotaxis on a network: a numerical study

In this paper we deal with a semilinear hyperbolic chemotaxis model in one space dimension evolving on a network, with suitable transmission conditions at nodes. This framework is motivated by tissue-engineering scaffolds used for improving wound healing. We introduce a numerical scheme, which guarantees global mass densities conservation. Moreover our scheme is able to yield a correct approximation of the effects of the source term at equilibrium. Several numerical tests are presented to show the behavior of solutions and to discuss the stability and the accuracy of our approximation.

math.NA↗

arXiv2008

Asymptotic behavior of smooth solutions for partially dissipative hyperbolic systems with a convex entropy

We study the asymptotic time behavior of global smooth solutions to general entropy dissipative hyperbolic systems of balance law in m space dimensions, under the Shizuta-Kawashima condition. We show that these solutions approach constant equilibrium state in the Lp-norm at a rate O(t^(-m/2(1-1/p))), as t tends to $\infty$, for p in [min (m,2),+ \infty]. Moreover, we can show that we can approximate, with a faster order of convergence, theconservative part of the solution in terms of the linearized hyperbolic operator for m >= 2, and by a parabolic equation in the spirit of Chapman-Enskog expansion. The main tool is given by a detailed analysis of the Green function for the linearized problem.

math.AP↗

arXiv2007

Conservation laws with vanishing nonlinear diffusion and dispersion

We study the limiting behavior of the solutions to a class of conservation laws with vanishing nonlinear diffusion and dispersion terms. We prove the convergence to the entropy solution of the first order problem under a condition on the relative size of the diffusion and the dispersion terms. This work is motivated by the pseudo-viscosity approximation introduced by Von Neumann in the 50's.

math.AP↗