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On the theory of cell division from the point of view of the principle of maximum energy exchange

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Abstract

An analysis is made of the equation of cellular elongation during division, which was derived by N. Rashevsky from the principle of maximum energy exchange. The method used is the same as that employed by H. D. Landahl in discussing a similar equation deduced from the theory of diffusion drag forces. The differential equation is expanded in a power series of the relative elongation, and in this way is reduced to the form studied by H. D. Landahl, which has been shown to agree very well with experimental data. An estimate of the order of magnitude of the universal constant τ, which appears in the generalized Hamiltonian principle, is made, and τ is found to be of the order of 10−4 sec.

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Literature

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Stanton, H.E. On the theory of cell division from the point of view of the principle of maximum energy exchange. Bulletin of Mathematical Biophysics 6, 71–76 (1944). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02478484

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