Related papers: Tradeoffs between energy efficiency and mechanical…

The dynamics of flow within a material transport network is dependent upon the dynamics of its power source. Responding to a change of these dynamics is critical for the fitness of living flow networks, e.g. the animal vasculature, which…

Existing models of adaptation in biological flow networks consider their constituent vessels (e.g. veins and arteries) to be rigid, thus predicting a non physiological response when the drive (e.g. the heart) is dynamic. Here we show that…

Biological transport networks are highly optimized structures that ensure power-efficient distribution of fluids across various domains, including animal vasculature and plant venation. Theoretically, these networks can be described as…

Transport networks are crucial for the functioning of natural and technological systems. We study a mathematical model of vascular network adaptation, where the network structure dynamically adjusts to changes in blood flow and pressure.…

Highly-optimized complex transport networks serve crucial functions in many man-made and natural systems such as power grids and plant or animal vasculature. Often, the relevant optimization functional is non-convex and characterized by…

It was hypothesized that the structures of biological transport networks are the result of either energy consumption or adaptation dynamics. Although approaches based on these hypotheses can produce optimal network and form loop structures,…

Network remodeling, or adaptation, in the presence of periodically driven forcings has hereto remained largely unexplored, despite the fact that a broad class of biological transport networks, e.g. animal vasculature, depends on periodic…

Flows are essential to transport resources over large distances. As soon as diffusion becomes time-limiting, flows are needed. Flows are key for the function of multiple human organs, from the blood vasculature to the lungs, the digestive…

We build an evolutionary scenario that explains how some crucial physiological constraints in the arterial network of mammals - i.e. hematocrit, vessels diameters and arterial pressure drops - could have been selected by evolution. We…

Network flows often exhibit a hierarchical tree-like structure that can be attributed to the minimisation of dissipation. The common feature of such systems is a single source and multiple sinks (or vice versa). In contrast, here we study…

As nutrients travel through microcirculation and are absorbed, their availability continuously decreases. However, a uniform nutrient distribution is critical, as it prevents tissue death in poorly supplied areas. How, then, do vascular…

Viscous dissipation causes significant energy losses in fluid flows; in ducts, laminar flows provide the minimum resistance to the motion, whereas turbulent currents substantially increase the friction at the wall and the energy requirement…

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,…

Flux of rigid or soft particles (such as drops, vesicles, red blood cells, etc.) in a channel is a complex function of particle concentration, which depends on the details of induced dissipation and suspension structure due to hydrodynamic…

Active fluids operate by constantly dissipating energy at the particle level to perform a directed motion, yielding dynamics and phases without any equilibrium equivalent. The emerging behaviors have been studied extensively, yet…

Performance-based optimization of energy dissipation devices in structures necessitates massive and repetitive dynamic analyses. In the endurance time method known as a rather fast dynamic analysis procedure, structures are subjected to…

In order to transmit biochemical signals, biological regulatory systems dissipate energy with concomitant entropy production. Additionally, signaling often takes place in challenging environmental conditions. In a simple model regulatory…

Legged robots offer several advantages when navigating unstructured environments, but they often fall short of the efficiency achieved by wheeled robots. One promising strategy to improve their energy economy is to leverage their natural…

Unlike many physical nonequilibrium systems, in biological systems, the coupling to external energy sources is not a fixed parameter but adaptively controlled by the system itself. We do not have theoretical frameworks that allow for such…

Minimising the energy consumption associated with periodic motion is a priority common to a wide range of technologies and organisms - among them, many species of flying insect, for which flapping-wing flight is a life-essential mode of…