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Given a phenomenon described by a self-similar fragmentation equation, how to infer the fragmentation kernel from experimental measurements of the solution ? To answer this question at the basis of our work, a formal asymptotic expansion suggested us that using short-time observations and initial data close to a Dirac measure should be a well-adapted strategy. As a necessary preliminary step, we study the direct problem, i.e. we prove existence, uniqueness and stability with respect to the initial data of non negative measure-valued solutions when the initial data is a compactly supported, bounded, non negative measure. A representation of the solution as a power series in the space of Radon measures is also shown. This representation is used to propose a reconstruction formula for the fragmentation kernel, using short-time experimental measurements when the initial data is close to a Dirac measure. We prove error estimates in TotalVariation and Bounded Lipshitz norms; this gives a quantitative meaning to what a ”short” time observation is. For general initial data in the space of compactly supported measures, we provide estimates on how the short-time measurements approximate the convolution of the fragmentation kernel with a suitably-scaled version of the initial data. The series representation also yields a reconstruction formula for the Mellin transform of the fragmentation kernel κ and an errorestimate for such an approximation. Our analysis is complemented by a numerical investigation.

The goal of the present paper is to explore the long-time behavior of the growth-fragmentation equation formulated in the case of equal mitosis and variability in growth rate, under fairly general assumptions on the coefficients. The first results concern the monotonicity of the Malthus parameter with respect to the coefficients. Existence of a solution to the associated eigenproblem is then stated in the case of a finite set of growth rates thanks to Kreȋn-Rutman theorem and a series of estimates on moments. Afterwards, adapting the classical general relative entropy (GRE) method enables us to ensure uniqueness of the eigenelements and derive the long-time asymptotics of the Cauchy problem. We prove convergence towards the steady state including in the case of individual exponential growth known to exhibit oscillations at large times in absence of variability. A few numerical simulations are eventually performed in the case of linear growth rate to illustrate our monotonicity results and the fact that variability, providing enough mixing in the heterogeneous population, is sufficient to re-establish asynchronicity.

We introduce the optimal transportation interpretation of the Kantorovich norm on the space of signed Radon measures with finite mass, based on a generalized Wasserstein distance for measures with different masses. With the formulation and the new topological properties we obtain for this norm, we prove existence and uniqueness for solutions to non-local transport equations with source terms, when the initial condition is a signed measure.

The division of amyloid protein fibrils is required for the propagation of the amyloid state, and is an important contributor to their stability, pathogenicity and normal function. Here, we combine kinetic nano-scale imaging experiments with analysis of a mathematical model to resolve and compare the division of amyloid fibrils. Our theoretical results show that the division of any type of filament is uniquely described by a set of three characteristic properties, resulting in self-similar length distributions distinct to each fibril type and conditions applied. By applying these results to profile the dynamical stability towards breakage for four different amyloid types, we reveal particular differences in the division properties of disease-and non-disease related amyloid, the former showing lowered intrinsic stability towards breakage and increased likelihood of shedding smaller particles. Our results enable the comparison of protein filaments’ intrinsic dynamic stabilities, which are key to unravelling their toxic and infectious potentials.

We provide a norm on the space of signed Radon measures with finite mass, based on the generalized Wasserstein distance for measures of different mass. We explain precisely what is a converging sequence for this norm, in particular, it may be not uniformly bounded and not uniformly tight. This norm enables us to obtain existence and uniqueness of non local and non linear transport equations with source term when initial condition is a signed measure, as the unique limit of a convergent scheme.

This thesis of applied mathematics deals with theoretical, numerical and asymptotic questions in transport, motivated by the renal physiology. More specifically, the purpose is to understand and quantify solute exchanges in physiological and pathological cases and to explain why nephrocalcinosis, i.e. the deposition of calcium salts in kidney tissue, arise. The manuscript is divided in two parts. The first part describes the development and the mathematical analysis of a simplified kidney model. It is a system of $3$ hyperbolic PDE's with constant velocities, coupled by a non-linear source term and with specific boundary conditions. This model can be considered in the framework of kinetic models with a finite number of velocities and reflexion boundary conditions. We prove that the system is well posed and that it relaxes toward the unique stationary state for large time with an exponential rate of convergence. Thanks to a spectral analysis, we prove that the rate of convergence is exponential. We study the role of two parameters through an asymptotic analysis. One of these analyses is formulated in the framework of hyperbolic relaxation toward a scalar conservation law with an heterogeneous flux on a bounded domain. The second part describes the development and the numerical analysis of a realistic kidney model. It is an hyperbolic system of 27 hyperbolic partial differential equations whose velocities are solutions to 8 non linear differential equations, all coupled by their source term. The boundary conditions are also very specific. We then interpret the results from a physiological point of view, by predicting calcium concentration profiles in the kidney, under normal conditions and in some specific pathological cases., Cette thèse de mathématiques appliquées traite de problèmes théoriques, numériques et asymptotiques en transport motivés par la physiologie rénale. Plus précisément, elle vise à comprendre et quantifier les échanges de solutés qui peuvent mener dans des cas pathologiques à des néphrocalcinoses, qui se caractérisent par des dépôts calciques dans le parenchyme rénal. Le manuscrit est constitué de deux parties. La première partie concerne le développement et l'analyse mathématique d'un modèle simplifié du rein. Il s'agit d'un système de 3 EDP hyperboliques à vitesses constantes, couplées par leur terme source non linéaire et assorti de conditions aux bords spécifiques. Le modèle rentre dans le cadre des modèles cinétiques avec un nombre fini de vitesses et des conditions aux bords de type réflexion. Nous montrons que ce système est bien posé, qu'il tend en temps grand vers un état stationnaire. On montre que le taux de convergence est exponentiel avec des éléments spectraux. Nous proposons l'étude du rôle de deux paramètres à travers une analyse asymptotique. L'une d'entre elles nous place dans le cadre de la relaxation hyperbolique vers une loi de conservation scalaire avec un flux hétérogène en espace sur un domaine borné. La deuxième partie concerne le développement et l'analyse numérique d'un modèle réaliste du rein. Il s'agit d'un système de 27 équations aux dérivées partielles de type hyperboliques dont les vitesses sont les solutions de 8 équations différentielles non linéaires, et toutes ces équations sont couplées par leur terme source. Les conditions aux bords sont là aussi spécifiques au modèle. Nous interprétons ensuite les résultats obtenus d'un point de vue physiologique, en proposant des prédictions de profils de concentration calciques dans le rein, dans le cas normal et dans certains cas pathologiques.

We present a finite volume type scheme to solve a transport nephron model. The model consists in a system of transport equations with specific boundary conditions. The transport velocity is driven by another equation that can undergo sign changes during the transient regime. This is the main difficulty for the numerical resolution. The scheme we propose is based on an explicit resolution and is stable under a CFL condition which does not depend on the stiffness of source terms. Nous présentons un schéma numérique de type volume fini que l’on applique à un modèle de transport dans le néphron. Ce modèle consiste en un système d’équations de transport, avec des conditions aux bords spécifiques. La vitesse du transport est la solution d’un autre système d’équation et peut changer de signe au cours du régime transitoire. Ceci constitue la principale difficulté pour la résolution numérique. Le schéma proposé, basé sur une résolution explicite, est stable sous une condition CFL non restrictive.

Many bacteria use rotating helical flagella in swimming motility. In the search for food or migration towards a new habitat, bacteria occasionally unbundle their flagellar filaments and tumble, leading to an abrupt change in direction. Flexible flagella can also be easily deformed by external shear flow, leading to complex bacterial trajectories. Here, we examine the effects of flagella flexibility on the navigation of bacteria in two fundamental shear flows: planar shear and Poiseuille flow realized in long channels. On the basis of slender body elastodynamics and numerical analysis, we discovered a variety of non-trivial effects stemming from the interplay of self-propulsion, elasticity and shear-induced flagellar bending. We show that in planar shear flow the bacteria execute periodic motion, whereas in Poiseuille flow, they migrate towards the centre of the channel or converge towards a limit cycle. We also find that even a small amount of random reorientation can induce a strong response of bacteria, leading to overall non-periodic trajectories. Our findings exemplify the sensitive role of flagellar flexibility and shed new light on the navigation of bacteria in complex shear flows.

International audience; We study a solute concentrating mechanism that can be represented by coupled transport equations with specific boundary conditions. Our motivation for considering this system is urine concentrating mechanism in nephrons. The model consists in 3 tubes arranged in a countercurrent manner. Our equations describe a countercurrent exchanger, with a parameter $V$ which quantifies the active transport. In order to understand the role of active transport in the mechanism, we consider the limit V --> \infty. We prove that when $V$ goes to infinity, the system converges to a profile which stays uniformly bounded in $V$ and which presents a boundary layer at the border of the domain. The effect is that the solute is concentrated at a specific point in the tubes. When considering urine concentration, this is physilogically optimal because the composition of final urine is determined at this point.