A FORMAL MODEL FOR THE SIMULATION AND ANALYSIS OF EARLY BIOFILM FORMATION
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Date
2021-03-05
Authors
Cerone, Antonio
Marsili, Enrico
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
From Data to Models and Back
Abstract
Biofilms are structured communities of bacterial cells adherent to a surface. This bacterial state is called sessile.
This paper focuses on the modelling of the transition between planktonic and sessile state using Real-time Maude as the modelling language. With more and more bacteria joining the sessile community, the likelihood of producing a biofilm increases. Once the percentage of bacterial cells that adheres to the surface reaches a threshold, which is specific for the considered bacterium species, a permanent biofilm is formed. An important challenge is to predict the time needed for the formation of a biofilm on a specific surface, in order to plan when the material infrastructure that comprises such a surface needs to be cleaned or replaced. We exploit the model-checking features of Real-time Maude to formally prove that a regular cleaning or replacement of the infrastructure prevents the biofilm formation.
Description
Keywords
Type of access: Open Access, Biofilms, Formal methods, Rewriting logic, Real-Time Maude
Citation
Carroli, L. (2021c). Participatory research and planning in practice. Urban Research & Practice, 14(1), 107–109. https://doi.org/10.1080/17535069.2020.1868249