Biomedical subjects

Marcelo A Montemurro

Publications and source records attributed to Marcelo A Montemurro.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Long range dispersal and spatial pattern formation in biological invasions.

In this paper we explore the consequences of long distance dispersal in biological invasion processes through simulations using a recently developed cellular automaton model. We show that long distance dispersal generate characteristic spatial patterns with several stationary scale-invariant properties. In particular, the patterns display a main patch around the focus of spread, with a fractal border structure whose fractal dimension contains information about the main statistical properties of the dispersal mechanism. Our results are in agreement with field data of spread of invaders with long distance dispersal mechanisms.

Apocynaceae↗

PubMed2006

Optimal tuning widths in population coding of periodic variables.

We study the relationship between the accuracy of a large neuronal population in encoding periodic sensory stimuli and the width of the tuning curves of individual neurons in the population. By using general simple models of population activity, we show that when considering one or two periodic stimulus features, a narrow tuning width provides better population encoding accuracy. When encoding more than two periodic stimulus features, the information conveyed by the population is instead maximal for finite values of the tuning width. These optimal values are only weakly dependent on model parameters and are similar to the width of tuning to orientation or motion direction of real visual cortical neurons. A very large tuning width leads to poor encoding accuracy, whatever the number of stimulus features encoded. Thus, optimal coding of periodic stimuli is different from that of nonperiodic stimuli, which, as shown in previous studies, would require infinitely large tuning widths when coding more than two stimulus features.

Action Potentials↗

PubMed2003

Dynamics and nonequilibrium states in the Hamiltonian mean-field model: a closer look.

We critically revisit the evidence for the existence of quasistationary states in the globally coupled XY (or Hamiltonian mean-field) model. A slow-relaxation regime at long times is clearly revealed by numerical realizations of the model, but no traces of quasistationarity are found during the earlier stages of the evolution. We point out the nonergodic properties of this system in the short-time range, which makes a standard statistical description unsuitable. New aspects of the evolution during the nonergodic regime, and of the energy distribution function in the final approach to equilibrium, are disclosed.

Journal Article↗

PubMed2003

Aging in an infinite-range Hamiltonian system of coupled rotators.

We analyze numerically the out-of-equilibrium relaxation dynamics of a long-range Hamiltonian system of N fully coupled rotators. For a particular family of initial conditions, this system is known to enter a particular regime in which the dynamic behavior does not agree with thermodynamic predictions. Moreover, there is evidence that in the thermodynamic limit, when N--> infinity is taken prior to t--> infinity, the system will never attain true equilibrium. By analyzing the scaling properties of the two-time autocorrelation function we find that, in that regime, a very complex dynamics unfolds, in which aging phenomena appear. The scaling law strongly suggests that the system behaves in a complex way, relaxing towards equilibrium through intricate trajectories. The present results are obtained for conservative dynamics, where there is no thermal bath in contact with the system.

Journal Article↗