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//
//  Title

Interactive Simulation of Cell Membranes


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// Summary

This project simulates passage of sodium and potassium
ions across cell membranes.

  http://psych.athabascau.ca/html/Psych402/Biotutorials/5/intro.shtml


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// Computational simulation

Details from Dr. Debra Fadool, Neuroscience.



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// Static scene design

Each cell body is represented by a transparent sphere.
Each ion source is represented by a sphere with a
text label texture mapped onto it. The 3D scene 
is periodic in each direction, and is contained in
a texture-mapped sphere.



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// Dynamic scene

Small texture-mapped spheres representing ions are
emitted from the ion sources into the scene. An ion
then takes a random walk. When it hits a cell membrane,
it consults the equations for permeability to decide
whether to pass through.



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// 3D interaction

The user can change speed of the ion motion (temperature)
using a 1-dimensional dragger.

The user can change the permeability of the  membrane.

The user can change the production of ions.



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// 2D interaction

The File menu lets the user open a configuration of 
cells.
A user can also save the current state of the cells.

The Help menu prints a report on the sodium-potassium
pump.


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// Documentation

A Web area documenting the project will be placed within
my course Web area.

The project Web area includes

  description of the sodium-potassium pump

  screen shots and animated gifs of my interactive simulation

  a description of how to use the 3D and 2D interactions,
  with figures to illustrate their use

  a link to my source code tarball
  
  installation instructions

  this project description

  description of file formats, with examples