An Introduction To Mathematical Population Dynamics

This book is an introduction to mathematical biology for students with no experience in biology, but who have some mathematical background. The work is focused on population dynamics and ecology, following a tradition that goes back to Lotka and Volterra, and includes a part devoted to the spread of infectious diseases, a field where mathematical modeling is extremely popular. These themes are used as the area where to understand different types of mathematical modeling and the possible meaning of qualitative agreement of modeling with data. The book also includes a collections of problems designed to approach more advanced questions. This material has been used in the courses at the University of Trento, directed at students in their fourth year of studies in Mathematics. It can also be used as a reference as it provides up-to-date developments in several areas.

This book is an outcome of the Second International Conference on Mathematical Population Dynamics. It is intended for mathematicians, statisticians, biologists, and medical researchers who are interested in recent advances in analyzing changes in populations of genes, cells, and tumors.

As Eugene Wigner stressed, mathematics has proven unreasonably effective in the physical sciences and their technological applications. The role of mathematics in the biological, medical and social sciences has been much more modest but has recently grown thanks to the simulation capacity offered by modern computers. This book traces the history of population dynamics---a theoretical subject closely connected to genetics, ecology, epidemiology and demography---where mathematics has brought significant insights. It presents an overview of the genesis of several important themes: exponential growth, from Euler and Malthus to the Chinese one-child policy; the development of stochastic models, from Mendel's laws and the question of extinction of family names to percolation theory for the spread of epidemics, and chaotic populations, where determinism and randomness intertwine. The reader of this book will see, from a different perspective, the problems that scientists face when governments ask for reliable predictions to help control epidemics (AIDS, SARS, swine flu), manage renewable resources (fishing quotas, spread of genetically modified organisms) or anticipate demographic evolutions such as aging.

This book is a collection of works that represent the recent advancements in computational and mathematical methods applied to population dynamics. It concentrates on both development of new tools as well as on innovative use of existing tools to obtain new understanding of biological systems. The volume introduces new state-of-the-art techniques for defining and solving numerically control problems in mathematical biology in which the control appears linearly. Such problems produce simpler optimal controls that can be implemented in practice. The book further develops tools for fitting multi-scale models to multi-scale data and studying the practical identifiability of the parameters from multi-scale data. Novel model of Zika with Wolbahia infection in mosquitoes suggests that the most suitable control strategy to control Zika in the absence of Wolbahia is killing mosquitoes but the most suitable strategy when mosquitoes are Wolbahia infected is the treatment of humans.A completely novel methodology of developing discrete-continuous hybrid models of multi-species interactions is also introduced together with avantgarde techniques for discrete-continuous hybrid models analysis. A mathematical model leads to new observations of the within-host virus dynamics and its interplay with the immune responses. In particular, it is observed that the parameters promoting CTL responses need to be boosted over parameters promoting antibody production to obtain a biologically relevant steady state. A novel stochastic model of COVID-19 investigates quarantine and lock down as important strategies for control and elimination of COVID-19.

Interest in the temporal fluctuations of biological populations can be traced to the dawn of civilization. How can mathematics be used to gain an understanding of population dynamics? This monograph introduces the theory of structured population dynamics and its applications, focusing on the asymptotic dynamics of deterministic models. This theory bridges the gap between the characteristics of individual organisms in a population and the dynamics of the total population as a whole. In this monograph, many applications that illustrate both the theory and a wide variety of biological issues are given, along with an interdisciplinary case study that illustrates the connection of models with the data and the experimental documentation of model predictions. The author also discusses the use of discrete and continuous models and presents a general modeling theory for structured population dynamics. Cushing begins with an obvious point: individuals in biological populations differ with regard to their physical and behavioral characteristics and therefore in the way they interact with their environment. Studying this point effectively requires the use of structured models. Specific examples cited throughout support the valuable use of structured models. Included among these are important applications chosen to illustrate both the mathematical theories and biological problems that have received attention in recent literature.

A beginner’s guide to stochastic growth modeling The chief advantage of stochastic growth models over deterministic models is that they combine both deterministic and stochastic elements of dynamic behaviors, such as weather, natural disasters, market fluctuations, and epidemics. This makes stochastic modeling a powerful tool in the hands of practitioners in fields for which population growth is a critical determinant of outcomes. However, the background requirements for studying SDEs can be daunting for those who lack the rigorous course of study received by math majors. Designed to be accessible to readers who have had only a few courses in calculus and statistics, this book offers a comprehensive review of the mathematical essentials needed to understand and apply stochastic growth models. In addition, the book describes deterministic and stochastic applications of population growth models including logistic, generalized logistic, Gompertz, negative exponential, and linear. Ideal for students and professionals in an array of fields including economics, population studies, environmental sciences, epidemiology, engineering, finance, and the biological sciences, Stochastic Differential Equations: An Introduction with Applications in Population Dynamics Modeling: • Provides precise definitions of many important terms and concepts and provides many solved example problems • Highlights the interpretation of results and does not rely on a theorem-proof approach • Features comprehensive chapters addressing any background deficiencies readers may have and offers a comprehensive review for those who need a mathematics refresher • Emphasizes solution techniques for SDEs and their practical application to the development of stochastic population models An indispensable resource for students and practitioners with limited exposure to mathematics and statistics, Stochastic Differential Equations: An Introduction with Applications in Population Dynamics Modeling is an excellent fit for advanced undergraduates and beginning graduate students, as well as practitioners who need a gentle introduction to SDEs. Michael J. Panik, PhD, is Professor in the Department of Economics, Barney School of Business and Public Administration at the University of Hartford in Connecticut. He received his PhD in Economics from Boston College and is a member of the American Mathematical Society, The American Statistical Association, and The Econometric Society.