Comparing first-order microscopic and macroscopic crowd models for an increasing number of massive agents
A comparison between first-order microscopic and macroscopic differential models of crowd dynamics is established for an increasing number N of pedestrians. The novelty is the fact of considering massive agents, namely, particles whose individual mass does not become infinitesimal when N grows. This implies that the total mass of the system is not constant but grows with N. The main result is that the two types of models approach one another in the limit N -> ?, provided the strength and/or the domain of pedestrian interactions are properly modulated by N at either scale.
Coherent structures and extreme events in rotating multiphase turbulent flows
By using direct numerical simulations (DNS) at unprecedented resolution, we study turbulence under
rotation in the presence of simultaneous direct and inverse cascades. The accumulation of energy at large scale
leads to the formation of vertical coherent regions with high vorticity oriented along the rotation axis. By
seeding the flowwithmillions ofinertialparticles,wequantify
--
forthefirsttime
--
theeffects ofthose coherent
vertical structures on the preferential concentration of light and heavy particles.
A fluid dynamics multidimensional model of biofilm growth: stability, influence of environment and sensitivity
In this article, we study in detail the fluid dynamics system proposed in Clarelli et al. (2013, J. Math. Biol., 66, 1387-1408) to model the formation of cyanobacteria biofilms. After analysing the linear stability of the unique non-trivial equilibrium of the system, we introduce in the model the influence of light and temperature, which are two important factors for the development of a cyanobacteria biofilm.
From individual behaviour to an evaluation of the collective evolution of crowds along footbridges
This paper proposes a crowd dynamic macroscopic model grounded on microscopic phenomenological observations which are upscaled by means of a formal mathematical procedure. The actual applicability of the model to real-world problems is tested by considering the pedestrian traffic along footbridges, of interest for Structural and Transportation Engineering. The genuinely macroscopic quantitative description of the crowd flow directly matches the engineering need of bulk results.
On the properties of a bundle of flexible actin filaments in an optical trap
We establish the statistical mechanics framework for a bundle of N-f living and uncrosslinked actin filaments in a supercritical solution of free monomers pressing against a mobile wall. The filaments are anchored normally to a fixed planar surface at one of their ends and, because of their limited flexibility, they grow almost parallel to each other. Their growing ends hit a moving obstacle, depicted as a second planar wall, parallel to the previous one and subjected to a harmonic compressive force.
Numerical approximation of nonhomogeneous boundary conditions on networks for a hyperbolic system of chemotaxis modeling the Physarum dynamics
Many studies have shown that Physarum polycephalum slime mold is able to find the shortest path in a maze. In this paper we study this behavior in a network, using a hyperbolic model of chemotaxis. Suitable transmission and boundary conditions at each node are considered to mimic the behavior of such an organism in the feeding process. Several numerical tests are presented for special network geometries to show the qualitative agreement between our model and the observed behavior of the mold.
Beppo Levi's Mathematics Papers Return to Italy
L'articolo delinea un breve ritratto di Beppo Levi e narra di alcune vicende che lo videro protagonista prima, durante e dopo le leggi razziali fasciste quando venne costretto ad emigrare in Argentina. L'occasione è la donazione all'Archivio dell'Istituto per le Applicazioni del Calcolo "Mauro Picone" delle "carte italiane" di Beppo Levi provenienti dall'Argentina.