Discrete dynamics of contagious social diseases: Example of obesity.

Modeling contagious diseases needs to incorporate information about social networks through which the disease spreads as well as data about demographic and genetic changes in the susceptible population. In this paper, we propose a theoretical framework (conceptualization and formalization) which seeks to model obesity as a process of transformation of one's own body determined by individual (physical and psychological), inter-individual (relational, i.e.

Evolution of social networks: the example of obesity.

The present paper deals with the effect of the social transmission of nutrition habits in a social and biological age-dependent context on obesity, and accordingly on type II diabetes and among its complications, the neurodegenerative diseases. The evolution of social networks and inside a network the healthy weight of a person are depending on the context in which this person has contacts and exchanges concerning his alimentation, physical activity and sedentary habits, inside the dominant social network in which the person lives (e.g.

Effects of mirror feedback on upright stance control in elderly transfemoral amputees.

Objective: To investigate the effects of mirror feedback on upright stance control in elderly transfemoral amputees.

Design: Before and after intervention trials.

Setting: University medical bioengineering laboratory.

Application of interval iterations to the entrainment problem in respiratory physiology.

We present here some theoretical and numerical results about interval iterations. We consider first an application of the interval iterations theory to the problem of entrainment in respiratory physiology for which the classical point iterations theory fails. Then, after a brief review of some of the main aspects of point iterations, we explain what is meant by the term 'interval iterations'.

Understanding physiological and degenerative natural vision mechanisms to define contrast and contour operators.

Background: Dynamical systems like neural networks based on lateral inhibition have a large field of applications in image processing, robotics and morphogenesis modeling. In this paper, we will propose some examples of dynamical flows used in image contrasting and contouring.

Methodology: First we present the physiological basis of the retina function by showing the role of the lateral inhibition in the optical illusions and pathologic processes generation.

"Dynamical confinement" in neural networks and cell cycle.

In this paper randomization of well-known former mathematical models is proposed (i.e., the Hopfield model for neural networks and the Hahn model for the cell cycle) in order to facilitate the study of their asymptotic behavior: in fact, we replace the determination of the stability basins for attractors and boundaries by the study of a unique (or a small number of) invariant measure(s), whose distribution function maxima (or, respectively, percentile contour lines) correspond to the location of the attractors (or, respectively, boundaries of their stability basins).