Mathematical Modelling with Multidisciplinary Applications (M3A)
http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11824/13
2024-03-07T13:44:04ZWithin-host models unravelling the dynamics of dengue reinfections
http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11824/1781
Within-host models unravelling the dynamics of dengue reinfections
Anam, V.; Guerrero, B.V.; Srivastav, A.K.; Stollenwerk, N.; Aguiar, M.
Caused by four serotypes, dengue fever is a major public health concern worldwide. Current modeling efforts have mostly focused on primary and heterologous secondary infections, assuming that lifelong immunity prevents reinfections by the same serotype. However, recent findings challenge this assumption, prompting a reevaluation of dengue immunity dynamics.
In this study, we develop a within-host modeling framework to explore different scenarios of dengue infections. Unlike previous studies, we go beyond a deterministic framework, considering individual immunological variability. Both deterministic and stochastic models are calibrated using empirical data on viral load and antibody (IgM and IgG) concentrations for all dengue serotypes, incorporating confidence intervals derived from stochastic realizations.
With good agreement between the mean of the stochastic realizations and the mean field solution for each model, our approach not only successfully captures primary and heterologous secondary infection dynamics facilitated by antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE) but also provides, for the first time, insights into homotypic reinfection dynamics. Our study discusses the relevance of homotypic reinfections in dengue transmission at the population level, highlighting potential implications for disease prevention and control strategies.
2024-02-07T00:00:00ZSilionBurmuin: A Horizon Europe propelled Neurocomputing Initiative in the Basque Country
http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11824/1777
SilionBurmuin: A Horizon Europe propelled Neurocomputing Initiative in the Basque Country
Iturbe, X.; Alberdi, X.; Aramburu, A.; Astarloa, A.; Barandiaran, I.; Basterretxea, K.; Davila, A.; Erramuzpe, A.; Gabilondo, I.; Lerma-Usubiaga, G.; Monsalve, L.; Mori, L.; Navaridas, J.; Pascual, J.A.; Piriz, J.; Rodrigues, S.; Seijo, O.; Soraluze, A.; Soria, E.; Torres, I.; Uriarte, N.; Valerdi, J.L
SiliconBurmuin is aimed at creating a multi-disciplinary neurocomputing community in the Basque Country, bringing together technology and scientific research centres and industry companies. This community will: (1) identify key biological structures and mechanisms that play a major role in vision across species, and (2) transform this knowledge into novel mathematical formalisms, neuromorphic designs and algorithms to solve industry challenges and enable new experiments of interest in neuroscience and clinical research. To achieve the latter objective in a time-effective manner, SiliconBurmuin will draw strong connections with the ongoing Horizon Europe Nim-bleAI project, with which it shares coordination. This is expected to allow reinforcement of ideas, knowledge and technology via a common prototyping platform where to implement IP from both projects. In addition to describing the research objectives and direction of SiliconBurmuin, this paper posits that co-coordination and co-funding of aligned projects at EU and regional levels might well be a catalyst for raising regional self-awareness of own potential and develop it to help fulfill global challenges, such as semiconductor sovereignty.
2023-01-01T00:00:00ZThree-dimensional soliton-like distortions in flexoelectric nematic liquid crystals: modelling and linear analysis
http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11824/1776
Three-dimensional soliton-like distortions in flexoelectric nematic liquid crystals: modelling and linear analysis
Earls, A.; Calderer, M.C.
This article models experimentally observed three-dimensional particle-like waves that develop in nematic liquid crystals, with negative dielectric and conductive anisotropy, when subject to an applied alternating electric field. The liquid crystal is confined in a thin region between two plates, perpendicular to the applied field. The horizontal, uniformly aligned director field is at equilibrium due to the negative anisotropy of the media. However, such a state is unstable to perturbations that manifest themselves as confined, bullet-like, director distortions travelling up and down the sample at a speed of several hundred microns per second. It is experimentally predicted that flexoelectricity plays a key role in generating the soliton-like behaviour. We develop a variational model that accounts for ansiostropic dielectric, conductive, flexolectric, elastic and viscous forces. We perform a stability analysis of the uniformly aligned equilibrium state to determine the threshold wave numbers, size, phase-shift and speed of the soliton-like disturbance. We show that the model predictions are in very good agreement with the experimentally measured values. The work models and analyzes a three-dimensional soliton-like instability reported, for the first time in flexoelectric liquid crystals, pointing towards a potential application as a new type of nanotransport device.
2022-01-01T00:00:00ZMonitoring Alzheimer's disease via ultraweak photon emission
http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11824/1775
Monitoring Alzheimer's disease via ultraweak photon emission
Sefati, N.; Esmaeilpour, T.; Salari, V.; Zarifkar, A.; Dehghani, F.; Ghaffari, M.K.; Zadeh-Haghighi, H.; Császár, N.; Bókkon, I.; Rodrigues, S.; Oblak, D.
In an innovative experiment, we detected ultraweak photon emission (UPE) from the hippocampus of male rat brains and found significant correlations between Alzheimer's disease (AD), memory decline, oxidative stress, and UPE intensity. These findings may open up novel methods for screening, detecting, diagnosing, and classifying neurodegenerative diseases, particularly AD. The study suggests that UPE from the brain's neural tissue can serve as a valuable indicator. It also proposes the development of a minimally invasive brain-computer interface (BCI) photonic chip for monitoring and diagnosing AD, offering high spatiotemporal resolution of brain activity. The study used a rodent model of sporadic AD, demonstrating that STZ-induced sAD resulted in increased hippocampal UPE, which was associated with oxidative stress. Treatment with donepezil reduced UPE and improved oxidative stress. These findings support the potential utility of UPE as a screening and diagnostic tool for AD and other neurodegenerative diseases.
2024-01-19T00:00:00Z