Living bacteria rheology: Population growth, aggregation patterns, and collective behaviour under diferente shear flows

The activity of growing living bacteria was investigated using real-time and in situ rheology-in stationary and oscillatory shear. Two different strains of the human pathogen Staphylococcus aureus-strain COL and its isogenic cell wall autolysis mutant, RUSAL9-were considered in this work. For low bacteria density, strain COL forms small clusters, while the mutant, presenting deficient cell separation, forms irregular larger aggregates. In the early stages of growth, when subjected to a stationary shear, the viscosity of the cultures of both strains increases with the population of cells. As the bacteria reach the exponential phase of growth, the viscosity of the cultures of the two strains follows different and rich behaviors, with no counterpart in the optical density or in the population's colony-forming units measurements. While the viscosity of strain COL culture keeps increasing during the exponential phase and returns close to its initial value for the late phase of growth, where the population stabilizes, the viscosity of the mutant strain culture decreases steeply, still in the exponential phase, remains constant for some time, and increases again, reaching a constant plateau at a maximum value for the late phase of growth. These complex viscoelastic behaviors, which were observed to be shear-stress-dependent, are a consequence of two coupled effects: the cell density continuous increase and its changing interacting properties. The viscous and elastic moduli of strain COL culture, obtained with oscillatory shear, exhibit power-law behaviors whose exponents are dependent on the bacteria growth stage. The viscous and elastic moduli of the mutant culture have complex behaviors, emerging from the different relaxation times that are associated with the large molecules of the medium and the self-organized structures of bacteria. Nevertheless, these behaviors reflect the bacteria growth stage.

An agent based architecture for material handling systems

Dissertação para obtenção do Grau de Mestre em Engenharia Electrotécnica e de Computadores

Clustering and hot spot detection in socio-economic spatio-temporal data

Distribution of socio-economic features in urban space is an important source of information for land and transportation planning. The metropolization phenomenon has changed the distribution of types of professions in space and has given birth to different spatial patterns that the urban planner must know in order to plan a sustainable city. Such distributions can be discovered by statistical and learning algorithms through different methods. In this paper, an unsupervised classification method and a cluster detection method are discussed and applied to analyze the socio-economic structure of Switzerland. The unsupervised classification method, based on Ward's classification and self-organized maps, is used to classify the municipalities of the country and allows to reduce a highly-dimensional input information to interpret the socio-economic landscape. The cluster detection method, the spatial scan statistics, is used in a more specific manner in order to detect hot spots of certain types of service activities. The method is applied to the distribution services in the agglomeration of Lausanne. Results show the emergence of new centralities and can be analyzed in both transportation and social terms.

Hyperbolic reaction-diffusion equations for a forest fire model

Forest fire models have been widely studied from the context of self-organized criticality and from the ecological properties of the forest and combustion. On the other hand, reaction-diffusion equations have interesting applications in biology and physics. We propose here a model for fire propagation in a forest by using hyperbolic reaction-diffusion equations. The dynamical and thermodynamical aspects of the model are analyzed in detail

Spatiotemporal order out of noise

Experimental observations of self-organized behavior arising out of noise are also described, and details on the numerical algorithms needed in the computer simulation of these problems are given.

Synchronization in a lattice model of pulse-coupled oscillators

We analyze the collective behavior of a lattice model of pulse-coupled oscillators. By means of computer simulations we find the relation between the intrinsic dynamics of each member of the population and their mutual interactions that ensures, in a general context, the existence of a fully synchronized regime. This condition turns out to be the same as that obtained for the globally coupled population. When the condition is not completely satisfied we find different spatial structures. This also gives some hints about self-organized criticality.

Nonequilibrium orientational patterns in two-component Langmuir monolayers

A model of a phase-separating two-component Langmuir monolayer in the presence of a photoinduced reaction interconverting two components is formulated. An interplay between phase separation, orientational ordering, and reaction is found to lead to a variety of nonequilibrium self-organized patterns, both stationary and traveling. Examples of the patterns, observed in numerical simulations, include flowing droplets, traveling stripes, wave sources, and vortex defects.

Spatiotemporal order out of noise

Experimental observations of self-organized behavior arising out of noise are also described, and details on the numerical algorithms needed in the computer simulation of these problems are given.

A Secure and Anonymous Cooperative Sensing Protocol for Cognitive Radio Networks

Spectrum is an essential resource for the provision of mobile services. In order to control and delimit its use, governmental agencies set up regulatory policies. Unfortunately, such policies have led to a deficiency of spectrum as only few frequency bands are left unlicensed, and these are used for the majority of new emerging wireless applications. One promising way to alleviate the spectrum shortage problem is adopting a spectrum sharing paradigm in which frequency bands are used opportunistically. Cognitive radio is the key technology to enable this shift of paradigm.Cognitive radio networks are self-organized systems in which devices cooperate to use those spectrum ranges that are not occupied by licensed users. They carry out spectrum sensing in order to detect vacant channels that can be used for communication. Even though spectrum sensing is an active area of research, an important issue remains unsolved: the secure authentication of sensing reports. Not providing security enables the input of false data in the system thus empowering false results. This paper presents a distributed protocol based on wireless physical layer security, symmetric cryptography and one-way functions that allows determining a final sensing decision from multiple sources in a quick and secure way, as well as it preserves users¿ privacy.

Spektrikuvien tiivistäminen itseorganisoituvan kartan avulla.

Vuosi vuodelta kasvava tietokoneiden prosessointikyky on mahdollistanut harmaataso- ja RGB-värikuvia tarkempien spektrikuvien käsittelyn järjellisessä ajassa ilman suuria kustannuksia. Ongelmana on kuitenkin, ettei talletus- ja tiedonsiirtomedia ole kehittynyt prosessointikyvyn vauhdissa. Ratkaisu tähän ongelmaan on spektrikuvien tiivistäminen talletuksen ja tiedonsiirron ajaksi. Tässä työssä esitellään menetelmä, jossa spektrikuva tiivistetään kahdessa vaiheessa: ensin ryhmittelemällä itseorganisoituvan kartan (SOM) avulla ja toisessa vaiheessa jatketaan tiivistämistä perinteisin menetelmin. Saadut tiivistyssuhteet ovat merkittäviä vääristymän pysyessä siedettävänä. Työ on tehty Lappeenrannan teknillisen korkeakoulun Tietotekniikan osaston Tietojenkäsittelytekniikan tutkimuslaboratoriossa osana laajempaa kuvantiivistyksen tutkimushanketta.

Flocking behaviour: Agent-based simulation and hierarchical leadership.

We have studied how leaders emerge in a group as a consequence of interactions among its members. We propose that leaders can emerge as a consequence of a self-organized process based on local rules of dyadic interactions among individuals. Flocks are an example of self-organized behaviour in a group and properties similar to those observed in flocks might also explain some of the dynamics and organization of human groups. We developed an agent-based model that generated flocks in a virtual world and implemented it in a multi-agent simulation computer program that computed indices at each time step of the simulation to quantify the degree to which a group moved in a coordinated way (index of flocking behaviour) and the degree to which specific individuals led the group (index of hierarchical leadership). We ran several series of simulations in order to test our model and determine how these indices behaved under specific agent and world conditions. We identified the agent, world property, and model parameters that made stable, compact flocks emerge, and explored possible environmental properties that predicted the probability of becoming a leader.

Cristais líquidos colestéricos: a quiralidade revela as suas cores

Chirality deeply impacts the macroscopic properties on all scales of the universe from elemental particles through biological structures up to astronomic systems. Specifically, chiral liquid crystals give rise to self-organized macrostructures with unparalleled properties. Here we present easy experiments with a special class of chiral liquid crystals that show temperature-induced selective reflection of light (thermochromic effect). Understanding this thermochromic effect allows undergraduate students better realize important properties of super and supramolecular systems.

A tabela periódica dos elementos químicos prevista por redes neurais artificiais de Kohonen

Although several chemical elements were not known by end of the 18th century, Mendeleyev came up with an astonishing achievement: the periodic table of elements. He was not only able to predict the existence of (then) new elements but also to provide accurate estimates of their chemical and physical properties. This is certainly a relevant example of the human intelligence. Here, we intend to shed some light on the following question: Can an artificial intelligence system yield a classification of the elements that resembles, in some sense, the periodic table? To achieve our goal, we have fed a self-organized map (SOM) with information available at Mendeleyev's time. Our results show that similar elements tend to form individual clusters. Thus, SOM generates clusters of halogens, alkaline metals and transition metals that show a similarity with the periodic table of elements.

A new avalanche model for solar flares

Thèse numérisée par la Division de la gestion de documents et des archives de l'Université de Montréal

Physik der Elektronen in Nanostrukturen und niedrigdimensionalen Systemen - Studie zweier Beispiele

Als Beispiele für die vielfältigen Phänomene der Physik der Elektronen in niedrigdimensionalen Systemen wurden in dieser Arbeit das Cu(110)(2x1)O-Adsorbatsystem und die violette Li0.9Mo6O17-Bronze untersucht. Das Adsorbatsystem bildet selbstorganisierte quasi-eindimensionale Nanostrukturen auf einer Kupferoberfläche. Die Li-Bronze ist ein Material, das aufgrund seiner Kristallstruktur quasi-eindimensionale elektronische Eigenschaften im Volumen aufweist. Auf der Cu(110)(2x1)O-Oberfläche kann durch Variation der Sauerstoffbedeckung die Größe der streifenartigen CuO-Domänen geändert werden und damit der Übergang von zwei Dimensionen auf eine Dimension untersucht werden. Der Einfluss der Dimensionalität wurde anhand eines unbesetzten elektronischen Oberflächenzustandes studiert. Dessen Energieposition (untere Bandkante) verschiebt mit zunehmender Einschränkung (schmalere CuO-Streifen) zu größeren Energien hin. Dies ist ein bekannter quantenmechanischer Effekt und relativ gut verstanden. Zusätzlich wurde die Lebensdauer des Zustandes auf der voll bedeckten Oberfläche (zwei Dimensionen) ermittelt und deren Veränderung mit der Breite der CuO-Streifen untersucht. Es zeigt sich, dass die Lebensdauer auf schmaleren CuO-Streifen drastisch abnimmt. Dieses Ergebnis ist neu. Es kann im Rahmen eines Fabry-Perot-Modells als Streuung in Zustände außerhalb der CuO-Streifen verstanden werden. Außer den gerade beschriebenen Effekten war es möglich die Ladungsdichte des diskutierten Zustandes orts- und energieabhängig auf den CuO-Streifen zu studieren. Die Li0.9Mo6O17-Bronze wurde im Hinblick auf das Verhalten der elektronischen Zustandsdichte an der Fermikante untersucht. Diese Fragestellung ist besonders wegen der Quasieindimensionalität des Materials interessant. Die Messungen von STS-Spektren in der Nähe der Fermienergie zeigen, dass die Elektronen in der Li0.9Mo6O17-Bronze eine sogenannte Luttingerflüssigkeit ausbilden, die anstatt einer Fermiflüssigkeit in eindimensionalen elektronischen Systemen erwartet wird. Bisher wurde Luttingerflüssigkeitsverhalten erst bei wenigen Materialien und Systemen experimentell nachgewiesen, obschon die theoretischen Voraussagen mehr als 30 Jahre zurückliegen. Ein Charakteristikum einer Luttingerflüssigkeit ist die Abnahme der Zustandsdichte an der Fermienergie mit einem Potenzgesetz. Dieses Verhalten wurde in STS-Spektren dieser Arbeit beobachtet und quantitativ im Rahmen eines Luttingerflüssigkeitsmodells beschrieben. Auch die Temperaturabhängigkeit des Phänomens im Bereich von 5K bis 55K ist konsistent mit der Beschreibung durch eine Luttingerflüssigkeit. Generell zeigen die Untersuchungen dieser Arbeit, dass die Dimensionalität, insbesondere deren Einschränkung, einen deutlichen Einfluss auf die elektronischen Eigenschaften von Systemen und Materialien haben kann.