Related papers: Cognition as least action: the Physarum Lagrangian
We consider an optimal transport problem with backward martingale constraint. The objective function is given by the scalar product of a pseudo-Euclidean space $S$. We show that the supremums over maps and plans coincide, provided that the…
We introduce a model of traveling agents ({\it e.g.} frugivorous animals) who feed on randomly located vegetation patches and disperse their seeds, thus modifying the spatial distribution of resources in the long term. It is assumed that…
Lipid bilayer membranes are the fundamental biological barriers that permit life. The bilayer dynamics largely participates in orchestrating cellular workings and is characterized by substantial stability together with extreme plasticity…
We consider a classical field theory whose equations of motion follow from the least action principle, but the class of admissible trajectories is restricted by differential equations. The key element of the proposed construction is the…
The regulation of metabolic activity by tuning enzyme expression levels is crucial to sustain cellular growth in changing environments. Metabolic networks are often studied at steady state using constraint-based models and optimization…
The present habilitation thesis in theoretical biological physics addresses two central dynamical processes in cells and organisms: (i) active motility and motility control and (ii) self-organized pattern formation. The unifying theme is…
In this work, we develop a control-theoretic framework for constrained optimization problems with composite objective functions including non-differentiable terms. Building on the proximal augmented Lagrangian formulation, we construct a…
Partial localization is the phenomenon of self-aggregation of mass into high-density structures that are thin in one direction and extended in the others. We give a detailed study of an energy functional that arises in a simplified model…
We experimentally, numerically and analytically explore the diffusive transport of active colloidal particles with sensory delay, navigating motility landscapes in which the self-propulsion speed depends on space. We show how the transport…
A system consisting of a doubly clamped beam with an attached body (slider) free to move along the beam has been studied recently by multiple research groups. Under harmonic base excitation, the system has the capacity to passively adapt…
Molecular motion through pores plays a crucial role in various natural and industrial processes. One of the most fascinating features of biological channel-facilitated transport is a stochastic gating process, when the channels dynamically…
Biological cells are the prototypical example of active matter. Cells sense and respond to mechanical, chemical and electrical environmental stimuli with a range of behaviors, including dynamic changes in morphology and mechanical…
A scheme is developed which enables one to trace backwards in time the cosmic density and velocity fields, and to determine accurately the current-epoch velocity field from the current-epoch density field, or vice versa. The scheme…
A longstanding open question in classical mechanics is to formulate the least action principle for dissipative systems. In this work, we give a general formulation of this principle by considering a whole conservative system including the…
Green algae of the $Volvocine$ lineage, spanning from unicellular $Chlamydomonas$ to vastly larger $Volvox$, are models for the study of the evolution of multicellularity, flagellar dynamics, and developmental processes. Phototactic…
The brain can be considered as a system that dynamically optimizes the structure of anatomical connections based on the efficiency requirements of functional connectivity. To illustrate the power of this principle in organizing the…
We present a simple discrete model for the non-linear spatial interaction of different kinds of ``subpopulations'' composed of identical moving entities like particles, bacteria, individuals, etc. The model allows to mimic a variety of…
Protein conformational transitions, which are essential for function, may be driven either by entropy or enthalpy when molecular systems comprising solute and solvent molecules are the focus. Revealing thermodynamic origin of a given…
The manipulation of a collection of fluid particles in a low Reynolds number environment has several important applications. As we demonstrate in this paper, this manipulation problem is related to the scientific question of how fluid flow…
In this theoretical study, we present an analytical framework to investigate the slithering motion of snakes on flat surfaces. While previous studies have predominantly relied on numerical methods to identify optimal locomotion kinematics,…