Related papers: Evaluating efficiency and robustness in cilia desi…
The possibility that evolutionary forces -- together with a few fundamental factors such as thermodynamic constraints, specific computational features enabling information processing, and ecological processes -- might constrain the logic of…
Cell division and death can be regulated by the mechanical forces within a tissue. We study the consequences for the stability and roughness of a propagating interface, by analysing a model of mechanically-regulated tissue growth in the…
When a biological system robustly corrects component-level errors, the direct pressure on component performance declines. Components may become less reliable, maintain more genetic variability, or drift neutrally in design, creating the…
Base pressure control is often employed on drag reduction design, but the interaction of the jet with the base region flow topology can generate undesired or uncontrolled flow configurations. The ejected flow can drive pressure bifurcations…
The neural network is a powerful computing framework that has been exploited by biological evolution and by humans for solving diverse problems. Although the computational capabilities of neural networks are determined by their structure,…
The present article introduces a reference framework for discussing resilience of computational systems. Rather than a property that may or may not be exhibited by a system, resilience is interpreted here as the emerging result of a dynamic…
Does the brain construct an efficient representation of the sensory world? We review progress on this question, focusing on a series of experiments in the last decade which use fly vision as a model system in which theory and experiment can…
Large arrays of active cilia coordinate their beat cycles into metachronal waves. These waves can travel in different directions with respect to the cilium's beat direction and the resulting direction of fluid propulsion. Hydrodynamic…
Cells are often considered input-output devices that maximize the transmission of information by converting extracellular stimuli (input) via signaling pathways (communication channel) to cell behavior (output). However, in biological…
The design and analysis of controllers to regulate excitation transport in quantum spin rings presents challenges in the application of classical feedback control techniques to synthesize effective control, and generates results in…
Leaf venation is a pervasive example of a complex biological network, endowing leaves with a transport system and mechanical resilience. Transport networks optimized for efficiency have been shown to be trees, i.e. loopless. However,…
Robustness, the ability of a system to maintain performance under significant and unanticipated environmental changes, is a critical property for robotic systems. While biological systems naturally exhibit robustness, there is no…
Synchronization induced by long-range hydrodynamic interactions is attracting attention as a candidate mechanism behind coordinated beating of cilia and flagella. Here we consider a minimal model of hydrodynamic synchronization in the low…
In contrast to engineering applications, in which the structure of control laws are designed to satisfy prescribed function requirements, in biology it is often necessary to infer gene-circuit function from incomplete data on gene-circuit…
Networks are designed to satisfy given objectives under specific requirements. While the static connectivity of networks is normally analyzed and corresponding design principles for static robustness are proposed, the challenge still…
In this paper, we are concerned with the resilience of locally routed network flows with finite link capacities. In this setting, an external inflow is injected to the so-called origin nodes. The total inflow arriving at each node is routed…
Optimizing the energy efficiency of driving processes provides valuable insights into the underlying physics and is of crucial importance for numerous applications, from biological processes to the design of machines and robots. Knowledge…
We know that maximal efficiency in physical systems is attained by reversible processes. It is then interesting to see how irreversibility affects efficiency in other systems, e.g., in a city. In this study, we focus on a cyclic process of…
Enhanced colloidal transport beyond the limit imposed by diffusion is usually achieved through external fields. Here, we demonstrate the ballistic transport of a colloidal sphere using internal sources of energy provided by an attached…
Engineered systems are designed to deftly operate under predetermined conditions yet are notoriously fragile when unexpected perturbations arise. In contrast, biological systems operate in a highly flexible manner; learn quickly adequate…