Advancing dental biofilm models: the integral role of pH in predicting colonization.

Mathematical models can provide insights into complex interactions and dynamics within microbial communities to complement and extend experimental laboratory approaches. For dental biofilms, they can give a basis for evaluating biofilm growth or the transition from health to disease. We have developed mathematical models to simulate the transition toward a cariogenic microbial biofilm, modeled as the overgrowth of within a five-species dental community.

Modelling and experimental investigation of small-scale gasification CHP units for enhancing the use of local biowaste.

Small-scale gasification Combined Heat and Power systems, fed by biowaste resources, have the potential to enhance local renewable energy production, reduce carbon emissions and address the challenges of waste disposal. However, there is a lack of understanding on the influence of challenging feedstocks, such as, for example, digestate, poultry litter and municipal solid waste, on the syngas quality and the incidence of the drying stage in the overall process. This paper addresses this gap by analysing and comparing 40 samples of the most common biowaste feedstocks.

NUFEB: A massively parallel simulator for individual-based modelling of microbial communities.

We present NUFEB (Newcastle University Frontiers in Engineering Biology), a flexible, efficient, and open source software for simulating the 3D dynamics of microbial communities. The tool is based on the Individual-based Modelling (IbM) approach, where microbes are represented as discrete units and their behaviour changes over time due to a variety of processes. This approach allows us to study population behaviours that emerge from the interaction between individuals and their environment.

Individual Based Model Links Thermodynamics, Chemical Speciation and Environmental Conditions to Microbial Growth.

Individual based Models (IbM) must transition from research tools to engineering tools. To make the transition we must aspire to develop large, three dimensional and physically and biologically credible models. Biological credibility can be promoted by grounding, as far as possible, the biology in thermodynamics.