Life Sciences Commons^™

Analysis Of An Agent-Based Model For Integrated Pest Management With Periodic Control Strategies, Timothy Comar

Annual Symposium on Biomathematics and Ecology Education and Research

No abstract provided.

Qualitative Analysis Of A Modified Leslie-Gower Predator-Prey Model With Weak Allee Effect Ii, Manoj K. Singh, B. S. Bhadauria

Applications and Applied Mathematics: An International Journal (AAM)

The article aims to study a modified Leslie-Gower predator-prey model with Allee effect II, affecting the functional response with the assumption that the extent to which the environment provides protection to both predator and prey is the same. The model has been studied analytically as well as numerically, including stability and bifurcation analysis. Compared with the predator-prey model without Allee effect, it is found that the weak Allee effect II can bring rich and complicated dynamics, such as the model undergoes to a series of bifurcations (Homoclinic, Hopf, Saddle-node and Bogdanov-Takens). The existence of Hopf bifurcation has been shown for …

Do Metabolic Networks Follow A Power Law? A Psamm Analysis, Ryan Geib, Lubos Thoma, Ying Zhang

Senior Honors Projects

Inspired by the landmark paper “Emergence of Scaling in Random Networks” by Barabási and Albert, the field of network science has focused heavily on the power law distribution in recent years. This distribution has been used to model everything from the popularity of sites on the World Wide Web to the number of citations received on a scientific paper. The feature of this distribution is highlighted by the fact that many nodes (websites or papers) have few connections (internet links or citations) while few “hubs” are connected to many nodes. These properties lead to two very important observed effects: the …

Determination Of Optimal Parameter Estimates For Medical Interventions In Human Metabolism And Inflammation, Marcella Torres

Theses and Dissertations

In this work we have developed three ordinary differential equation models of biological systems: body mass change in response to exercise, immune system response to a general inflammatory stimulus, and the immune system response in atherosclerosis. The purpose of developing such computational tools is to test hypotheses about the underlying biological processes that drive system outcomes as well as possible real medical interventions. Therefore, we focus our analysis on understanding key interactions between model parameters and outcomes to deepen our understanding of these complex processes as a means to developing effective treatments in obesity, sarcopenia, and inflammatory diseases.

We develop …

Using Canalization For The Control Of Discrete Networks, David Murrugarra

Annual Symposium on Biomathematics and Ecology Education and Research

No abstract provided.

Extreme Climate Events And The Ecological Dynamics Of Plant-Herbivore Interactions, David C. Elzinga, Christopher A. Klausmeier, William C. Wetzel

Annual Symposium on Biomathematics and Ecology Education and Research

No abstract provided.

Intercropping In Semi-Arid India: An Analysis Of Risks And Trade Offs, Jack Pringle

Annual Symposium on Biomathematics and Ecology Education and Research

No abstract provided.

Parameter Sensitivity For In Vitro Anthrax Studies, Yareley Gonzalez, Maria Macias-Bedolla, Megan O. Powell

Spora: A Journal of Biomathematics

Studies done on interactions between spores and macrophages done in vitro show inconsistent results based on experimental protocol and inhibit meaningful extrapolation to in vivo. In this study, we perform a sensitivity analysis of a model representing in vitro studies of interactions between anthrax spores and macrophages to help address the effects of these inconsistencies. We perform both local and global analyses using Latin hypercube sampling and partial rank correlation coefficients. Our analysis indicates the amount of intracellular bacteria over time is most sensitive to the killing of intracellular bacteria by the macrophages and replication of the bacteria inside …

Evaluation Of Drug-Loaded Gold Nanoparticle Cytotoxicity As A Function Of Tumor Tissue Heterogeneity., Hunter Allan Miller

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The inherent heterogeneity of tumor tissue presents a major challenge to nanoparticle-medicated drug delivery. This heterogeneity spans from the molecular to the cellular (cell types) and to the tissue (vasculature, extra-cellular matrix) scales. Here we employ computational modeling to evaluate therapeutic response as a function of vascular-induced tumor tissue heterogeneity. Using data with three-layered gold nanoparticles loaded with cisplatin, nanotherapy is simulated with different levels of tissue heterogeneity, and the treatment response is measured in terms of tumor regression. The results show that tumor vascular density non-trivially influences the nanoparticle uptake and washout, and the associated tissue response. The drug …

Staged Hiv Transmission And Treatment In A Dynamic Model With Concurrency, Katharine Gurski, Kathleen Hoffman

Biology and Medicine Through Mathematics Conference

No abstract provided.

Brightness Perception Involves Local Adaptation Opposed By Lateral Interaction, Qasim Zaidi, Romain Bachy, Jose-Manuel Alonso

MODVIS Workshop

No abstract provided.

Generating Species Assemblages For Restoration And Experimentation: A New Method That Can Simultaneously Converge On Average Trait Values And Maximize Functional Diversity, David C. Laughlin, Loïc Chalmandrier, Chaitanya Joshi, Michael Renton, John M. Dwyer, Jennifer L. Funk

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

1.Restoring resilient ecosystems in an era of rapid environmental change requires a flexible framework for selecting assemblages of species based on functional traits. However, current trait‐based models have been limited to algorithms that select species assemblages that only converge on specified average trait values, and could not accommodate the common desire among restoration ecologists to generate functionally diverse assemblages.

2.We have solved this problem by applying a nonlinear optimization algorithm to solve for the species relative abundances that maximize Rao's quadratic entropy (Q) subject to other linear constraints. Rao's Q is a closed‐form algebraic expression of functional diversity …

Effect Of Neuromodulation Of Short-Term Plasticity On Information Processing In Hippocampal Interneuron Synapses, Elham Bayat Mokhtari

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Neurons convey information about the complex dynamic environment in the form of signals. Computational neuroscience provides a theoretical foundation toward enhancing our understanding of nervous system. The aim of this dissertation is to present techniques to study the brain and how it processes information in particular neurons in hippocampus.

We begin with a brief review of the history of neuroscience and biological background of basic neurons. To appreciate the importance of information theory, familiarity with the information theoretic basics is required, these basics are presented in Chapter 2. In Chapter 3, we use information theory to estimate the amount of …

Homogenization Techniques For Population Dynamics In Strongly Heterogeneous Landscapes, Brian P. Yurk, Christina A. Cobbold

Faculty Publications

An important problem in spatial ecology is to understand how population-scale patterns emerge from individual-level birth, death, and movement processes. These processes, which depend on local landscape characteristics, vary spatially and may exhibit sharp transitions through behavioural responses to habitat edges, leading to discontinuous population densities. Such systems can be modelled using reaction–diffusion equations with interface conditions that capture local behaviour at patch boundaries. In this work we develop a novel homogenization technique to approximate the large-scale dynamics of the system. We illustrate our approach, which also generalizes to multiple species, with an example of logistic growth within a periodic …

Modeling Aggregation Of Proliferating Microglia In Response To Amyloid-Beta In Dementia, Adrienne C. Kinney, Ellen R. Swanson

Spora: A Journal of Biomathematics

Amyloid-beta plaques are prominent biological markers in dementia brains. In response to plaque formation, the brain's immune cells, microglia, become reactive. Microglia are measurable cells that surround amyloid-beta plaques, indicating their location. A system of partial differential equations describes the concentration of microglia in dementia brains by incorporating chemotactic signaling. However, this system fails to incorporate increasing numbers of reactive microglia cells in response to amyloid-beta aggregation. A system of ordinary differential equations describing the number of significant cells and proteins in the brain suggests the amount of reactive microglia increases significantly during the progression of dementia. We couple these …

Development Of Epithelial Tissues: How Are Cleavage Planes Chosen?, Ying Xin

Annual Symposium on Biomathematics and Ecology Education and Research

No abstract provided.

Mathematical Medicine: Modeling Disease And Treatment, Lisette Depillis

Annual Symposium on Biomathematics and Ecology Education and Research

No abstract provided.

Modelling Walleye Population And Its Cannibalism Effect, Quan Zhou

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Walleye is a very common recreational fish in Canada with a strong cannibalism tendency, such that walleyes with larger sizes will consume their smaller counterparts when food sources are limited or a surplus of adults is present. Cannibalism may be a factor promoting population oscillation. As fish reach a certain age or biological stage (i.e. biological maturity), the number of fish achieving that stage is known as fish recruitment. The objective of this thesis is to model the walleye population with its recruitment and cannibalism effect. A matrix population model has been introduced to characterize the walleye population into three …

On Honey Bee Colony Dynamics And Disease Transmission, Matthew I. Betti

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The work herein falls under the umbrella of mathematical modeling of disease transmission. The majority of this document focuses on the extent to which infection undermines the strength of a honey bee colony. These studies extend from simple mass-action ordinary differential equations models, to continuous age-structured partial differential equation models and finally a detailed agent-based model which accounts for vector transmission of infection between bees as well as a host of other influences and stressors on honey bee colony dynamics. These models offer a series of predictions relevant to the fate of honey bee colonies in the presence of disease …

Uncovering Functional Relationships In Leukemia, Reginald Mcgee

Biology and Medicine Through Mathematics Conference

No abstract provided.

On The Analysis Of The Sir Epidemic Model For Small Networks: An Application In Hospital Settings, Martin Lopez-Garcia

Biology and Medicine Through Mathematics Conference

No abstract provided.

Evolution Of Influenza H3n2: A Random Walk In High Dimensions, James R. Moore

Biology and Medicine Through Mathematics Conference

No abstract provided.

Dynamics Of Fluorescent Imaging In Glob-Driven Breakup, Lan Zhong, Christiaan Ketelaar, Richard J. Braun, Carolyn G. Begley, Peter Ewen King-Smith

Biology and Medicine Through Mathematics Conference

No abstract provided.

Role Of The Cost Of Plasticity In Determining The Features Of Fast Vision In Humans., Maria M. Del Viva Phd, Renato Budinich M. Sc, Laura Palmieri M. Sc, Vladimir S Georgiev Phd, Giovanni Punzi Phd

MODVIS Workshop

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Disturbance And Species Specific Interactions On Diversity In An Agent Based Forest Simulation, Matthew E. Mills

Theses and Dissertations

In ecology literature, there is much data which suggests that conspecific negative density dependence (CNDD) and abiotic disturbances increase biodiversity in forests. This thesis elucidates the notion that not only do these two forces increase diversity, but they may also interact with one another in order to achieve higher levels of biodiversity. Abiotic disturbances, like fires and hurricanes, can indirectly impact conspecific effects because when these forces remove individuals from the landscape, the role of the conspecific effects will change. The interaction of these two factors in biodiversity are explored in an agent based forest simulation through a resource surface. …

Disease Models With Immigration, Reem Almarashi

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

In this thesis we focus first on studying the susceptible, exposed, and infected ($SEI$) disease model without immigration. We determine the basic reproduction number $\mathcal{R}_0$, which can be interpreted as the expected number of new cases that can be produced by a single infection in a completely susceptible population. Further, by using the Jacobian matrix, we determine the local stability of the disease model. Then we have the result that when $\mathcal{R}_0<1$ the DFE point is locally asymptotically stable(L.A.S). In contrast, when $\mathcal{R}_0>1$ we find that the endemic equilibrium is L.A.S. After that, we analyze the $SEI$ model with immigration of infected individuals.

Furthermore, we investigate the direction that the …

Network Analytics For The Mirna Regulome And Mirna-Disease Interactions, Joseph Jayakar Nalluri

Theses and Dissertations

miRNAs are non-coding RNAs of approx. 22 nucleotides in length that inhibit gene expression at the post-transcriptional level. By virtue of this gene regulation mechanism, miRNAs play a critical role in several biological processes and patho-physiological conditions, including cancers. miRNA behavior is a result of a multi-level complex interaction network involving miRNA-mRNA, TF-miRNA-gene, and miRNA-chemical interactions; hence the precise patterns through which a miRNA regulates a certain disease(s) are still elusive. Herein, I have developed an integrative genomics methods/pipeline to (i) build a miRNA regulomics and data analytics repository, (ii) create/model these interactions into networks and use optimization techniques, motif …

Modern Fair-Weather And Storm Sediment Transport Around Ship Island, Mississippi: Implications For Coastal Habitats And Restoration Efforts, Eve Rettew Eisemann

Master's Theses

The Mississippi – Alabama barrier island chain is experiencing accelerated sea level rise, decreased sediment supply, and frequent hurricane impacts. These three factors drive unprecedented rates of morphology change and ecosystem reduction. All islands in the chain have experienced land loss on the order of hectares per year since records began in the 1840s. In 1969, Hurricane Camille impacted as a Category 5, breaching Ship Island, and significantly reduced viable seagrass habitat. Hurricane Katrina impacted as a Category 3 in 2005, further widening Camille Cut. To better understand the sustainability of these important islands and the ecosystems they support, sediment …

Network Inference Driven Drug Discovery, Gergely Zahoránszky-Kőhalmi, Tudor I. Oprea Md, Phd, Cristian G. Bologa Phd, Subramani Mani Md, Phd, Oleg Ursu Phd

Biomedical Sciences ETDs

The application of rational drug design principles in the era of network-pharmacology requires the investigation of drug-target and target-target interactions in order to design new drugs. The presented research was aimed at developing novel computational methods that enable the efficient analysis of complex biomedical data and to promote the hypothesis generation in the context of translational research. The three chapters of the Dissertation relate to various segments of drug discovery and development process.

The first chapter introduces the integrated predictive drug discovery platform „SmartGraph”. The novel collaborative-filtering based algorithm „Target Based Recommender (TBR)” was developed in the framework of this …

General Equations For Natural Selection Under Complete Dominance, Kasthuri Kannan, Adriana Heguy

Annual Symposium on Biomathematics and Ecology Education and Research

No abstract provided.