Inertial effect on evasion and pursuit dynamics of prey swarms: the emergence of a favourable mass ratio for the predator-prey arms race.

We show, based on a theoretical model, how inertia plays a pivotal role in the survival dynamics of a prey swarm while chased by a predator. With the varying mass of the prey and predator, diverse escape patterns emerge, such as circling, chasing, maneuvering, dividing into subgroups, and merging into a unitary group, similar to the escape trajectories observed in nature. Moreover, we find a transition from non-survival to survival of the prey swarm with increasing predator mass.

Persistence of an active asymmetric rigid Brownian particle in two dimensions.

We have studied the persistence probability p(t) of an active Brownian particle with shape asymmetry in two dimensions. The persistence probability is defined as the probability of a stochastic variable that has not changed its sign in a given fixed time interval. We have investigated two cases: (1) diffusion of a free active particle and (2) that of a harmonically trapped particle.

Collective motion: Influence of local behavioural interactions among individuals.

Fascinating patterns are displayed in nature due to the collective coherent motion of many living organisms. The origin of collective behaviours is diverse as the group members benefit in various ways: large resources of food, mating choices, nesting, and protection from predators, to name a few. It is still not well understood how complex behaviours emerge from a collective group that are otherwise not displayed at the level of solitary individuals.

Retrospective analysis of 34 febrile neutropenia episodes - therapeutic implication of multiplex polymerase chain reaction in infection diagnosis.

Background: Hemato-oncologic patients on chemotherapy or undergoing bone marrow transplantation are susceptible to infections due to neutropenia. Incidences of febrile neutropenia (FN) in these patients are common, contributing to high mortality and morbidity. Lack of diagnosis of pathogens responsible for infections in these patients is a major healthcare challenge.

Two-step melting of the Weeks-Chandler-Anderson system in two dimensions.

We present a detailed numerical simulation study of a two-dimensional system of particles interacting via the Weeks-Chandler-Anderson potential, the repulsive part of the Lennard-Jones potential. With the reduction of density, the system shows a two-step melting: a continuous melting of solid to hexatic phase, followed by a first-order melting of hexatic to liquid. The solid-hexatic melting is consistent with the Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless-Halperin-Nelson-Young (BKTHNY) scenario and shows dislocation unbinding.

Survival chances of a prey swarm: how the cooperative interaction range affects the outcome.

A swarm of prey, when attacked by a predator, is known to rely on their cooperative interactions to escape. Understanding such interactions of collectively moving prey and the emerging patterns of their escape trajectories still remain elusive. In this paper, we investigate how the range of cooperative interactions within a prey group affects the survival chances of the group while chased by a predator.

Persistence in Brownian motion of an ellipsoidal particle in two dimensions.

We investigate the persistence probability p(t) of the position of a Brownian particle with shape asymmetry in two dimensions. The persistence probability is defined as the probability that a stochastic variable has not changed its sign in the given time interval. We explicitly consider two cases-diffusion of a free particle and that of a harmonically trapped particle.

A structure-dynamics relationship in ratcheted colloids: resonance melting, dislocations, and defect clusters.

We consider a two dimensional colloidal dispersion of soft-core particles driven by a one dimensional stochastic flashing ratchet that induces a time averaged directed particle current through the system. It undergoes a non-equilibrium melting transition as the directed current approaches a maximum associated with a resonance of the ratcheting frequency with the relaxation frequency of the system. We use extensive molecular dynamics simulations to present a detailed phase diagram in the ratcheting rate-mean density plane.

Orientational dynamics of a heated Janus particle.

Using large scale molecular dynamics simulations, we study the orientational dynamics of a heated Janus particle which exhibits self-propulsion. The asymmetry in the microscopic interaction of the colloid with the solvent is implemented by choosing different wetting parameters for the two halves of the sphere. This choice leads to a different microscopic Kapitza resistance across the solid-fluid boundary of the two halves of the sphere, and consequently a gradient in temperature is created across the poles of the sphere.

The effective temperature for the thermal fluctuations in hot Brownian motion.

We revisit the effective parameter description of hot Brownian motion-a scenario where a colloidal particle is kept at an elevated temperature than the ambient fluid. Due to the time scale separation between heat diffusion and particle motion, a stationary halo of hot fluid is carried along with the particle resulting in a spatially varying comoving temperature and viscosity profile. The resultant Brownian motion in the overdamped limit can be well described by a Langevin equation with effective parameters such as effective temperature T and friction coefficient ζ that quantifies the thermal fluctuations and the diffusivity of the particle.

Scale-dependent diffusion anisotropy in nanoporous silicon.

Nanoporous silicon produced by electrochemical etching of highly B-doped p-type silicon wafers can be prepared with tubular pores imbedded in a silicon matrix. Such materials have found many technological applications and provide a useful model system for studying phase transitions under confinement. This paper reports a joint experimental and simulation study of diffusion in such materials, covering displacements from molecular dimensions up to tens of micrometers with carefully selected probe molecules.

Retrospective analysis of multiplex polymerase chain reaction-based molecular diagnostics (SES) in 70 patients with suspected central nervous system infections: A single-center study.

Background: Central nervous system (CNS) infections present a grave health care challenge due to high morbidity and mortality. Clinical findings and conventional laboratory assessments are not sufficiently distinct for specific etiologic diagnosis. Identification of pathogens is a key to appropriate therapy.

Stochastic ratcheting of two-dimensional colloids: Directed current and dynamical transitions.

We present results of molecular dynamics simulations for two-dimensional repulsively interacting colloids driven by a one-dimensional asymmetric and commensurate ratchet potential, switching on and off stochastically. This drives a time-averaged directed current of colloids, exhibiting resonance with change in ratcheting frequency, where the resonance frequency itself depends nonmonotonically on density. Using scaling arguments, we obtain analytic results that show good agreement with numerical simulations.

Geometry-induced superdiffusion in driven crowded systems.

Recent molecular dynamics simulations of glass-forming liquids revealed superdiffusive fluctuations associated with the position of a tracer particle (TP) driven by an external force. Such an anomalous response, whose mechanism remains elusive, has been observed up to now only in systems close to their glass transition, suggesting that this could be one of its hallmarks. Here, we show that the presence of superdiffusion is in actual fact much more general, provided that the system is crowded and geometrically confined.