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Full-Text Articles in Mathematics

Optimal Treatments For Photodynamic Therapy, Allen G. Holder, D Llagostera Jun 2008

Optimal Treatments For Photodynamic Therapy, Allen G. Holder, D Llagostera

Mathematics Faculty Research

Photodynamic therapy is a complex treatment for neoplastic diseases that uses the light-harvesting properties of a photosensitizer. The treatment depends on the amount of photosensitizer in the tissue and on the amount of light that is focused on the targeted area. We use a pharmacokinetic model to represent a photosensitizer's movement through the anatomy and design treatments with a linear program. This technique allows us to investigate how a treatment's success varies over time.


Beam Selection In Radiotherapy Design, M Ehrgott, Allen G. Holder, Josh Reese Mar 2008

Beam Selection In Radiotherapy Design, M Ehrgott, Allen G. Holder, Josh Reese

Mathematics Faculty Research

The optimal design of a radiotherapy treatment depends on the collection of directions from which radiation is focused on the patient. These directions are manually selected by a physician and are typically based on the physician's previous experiences. Once the angles are chosen, there are numerous optimization models that decide a fluency pattern (exposure times) that best treats a patient. So, while optimization techniques are often used to decide the length of time a patient is exposed to a high-energy particle beam, the directions themselves are not optimized. The problem with optimally selecting directions is that the underlying mixed integer …


On The Stochastic Beverton-Holt Equation With Survival Rates, Paul H. Bezandry, Toka Diagana, Saber Elaydi Feb 2008

On The Stochastic Beverton-Holt Equation With Survival Rates, Paul H. Bezandry, Toka Diagana, Saber Elaydi

Mathematics Faculty Research

The paper studies a Beverton-Holt difference equation, in which both the recruitment function and the survival rate vary randomly. It is then shown that there is a unique invariant density, which is asymptotically stable. Moreover, a basic theory for random mean almost periodic sequence on Z+ is given. Then, some suffcient conditions for the existence of a mean almost periodic solution to the stochastic Beverton-Holt equation are given.


The Influence Of Dose Grid Resolution On Beam Selection Strategies In Radiotherapy Treatment Design, Ryan Acosta, Matthias Ehrgott, Allen G. Holder, Daniel Nevin, Josh Reese, Bill Salter Jan 2008

The Influence Of Dose Grid Resolution On Beam Selection Strategies In Radiotherapy Treatment Design, Ryan Acosta, Matthias Ehrgott, Allen G. Holder, Daniel Nevin, Josh Reese, Bill Salter

Mathematics Faculty Research

The design of a radiotherapy treatment includes the selection of beam angles (geometry problem), the computation of a fluence pattern for each selected beam angle (intensity problem), and finding a sequence of configurations of a multilef collimator to deliver the treatment (realization problem). While many mathematical optimization models and algorithms have been proposed for the intensity problem and (to a lesser extent) the realization problem, this is not the case for the geometry problem. In clinical practice, beam directions are manually selected by a clinician and are typically based on the clinician’s experience. Solving the beam selection problem optimally is …


Existence And Stability Of Periodic Orbits Of Periodic Difference Equations With Delays, Ziyad Alsharawi, James Angelos, Saber Elaydi Jan 2008

Existence And Stability Of Periodic Orbits Of Periodic Difference Equations With Delays, Ziyad Alsharawi, James Angelos, Saber Elaydi

Mathematics Faculty Research

In this paper, we investigate the existence and stability of periodic orbits of the p-periodic difference equation with delays xn = ƒ(n−1, xn−k). We show that the periodic orbits of this equation depend on the periodic orbits of p autonomous equations when p divides k. When p is not a divisor of k, the periodic orbits depend on the periodic orbits of gcd(p, k) nonautonomous p/gcd(p,k) - periodic difference equations. We give formulas for calculating the number of different periodic orbits under …


An Introduction To Systems Biology For Mathematical Programmers, Evind Almaas, Allen G. Holder, Kevin D. Livingstone Jan 2008

An Introduction To Systems Biology For Mathematical Programmers, Evind Almaas, Allen G. Holder, Kevin D. Livingstone

Mathematics Faculty Research

Many recent advances in biology, medicine and health care are due to computational efforts that rely on new mathematical results. These mathematical tools lie in discrete mathematics, statistics & probability, and optimization, and when combined with savvy computational tools and an understanding of cellular biology they are capable of remarkable results. One of the most significant areas of growth is in the field of systems biology, where we are using detailed biological information to construct models that describe larger entities. This chapter is designed to be an introduction to systems biology for individuals in Operations Research (OR) and mathematical programming …