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Events

Andrea Arnold, NC State, “Bayesian filtering for time-varying parameter estimation in biological models”

Cox 306

Many applications in the life sciences involve unknown system parameters that must be estimated using little to no prior information. In addition, these parameters may be time-varying and possibly subject to structural characteristics such as periodicity. We show how nonlinear Bayesian filtering techniques can be employed in this setting to estimate unknown, time-varying parameters, while…

Boris Gutkin, École Normale Supérieure, Paris, “Dynamics of dopamine neuron firing in normal and drug-modulated conditions”

Cox 306

Dopaminergic neurons in the ventral tegmental area play a key role in signalling motivational information. Modulation of this signalling by drugs is also key to the development of addiction. These neurons have several firing modes ranging from periodic low frequency activity to higher frequency bursts. In vitro, intrinsically generated bursts are seen, while in vivo…

Laura Storch, University of New Hampshire, “Chaos in ecology: A theoretical approach and a direct application using examples from fisheries”

Cox 306

Part 1: A theoretical approachChaotic dynamics have been directly detected in ocean dwelling species, and asymmetrical advective dispersal is the dominant dispersal mechanism in the ocean. Therefore, we must better our understanding of chaotic population dynamics under the influence of a unidirectional current. Here, we examine a spatially explicit, density-dependent population in a unidirectional current,…

Nick Hill and Xiaoyu Luo, University of Glasgow, “Aspects of the cardiovascular system”

Cox 306

Aspects of the cardiovascular system:(i) coupling between the left ventricle and systemic arteries, and (ii) arterial dissection. Two topics in mathematical and computational modelling of the systemic arterial circulation will be discussed. First, an immersed boundary model of the left ventricle (LV) is coupled to a structured tree model of the systemic arteries. There is…

Garrett Nieddu, Montclair State University, Rare Events in Stochastic Population Models

Cox 306

Noise can play a critical role in a wide array of physical and biological dynamical systems. The noise may be internal or external to the system. Internal noise is intrinsic to the system itself, and in stochastic population models, arises due to the random interactions of discrete agents in the system. On the other hand,…

Tim David, University of Canterbury, NZ, The Dynamics of Coupled Cells: From the Discrete to the Continuous

Cox 306

Why do atherosclerotic plaques only occur at specific sites in the arteries? Does the surface geometry of the brain affect the way waves move through the cortex? These questions and many others in the physiological sphere contain implicitly a real difficulty for modellers. How do we contend with the multiple scale lengths. Plaques are quite large compared to cells making…

Casey Diekman, New Jersey Inst. Tech., Circadian regulation of gene expression and electrical activity in neurons and cardiomyocytes

Cox 306

Circadian (~24-hour) rhythms offer one of the clearest examples of the interplay between different levels of nervous system organization, with dynamic changes in gene expression leading to daily rhythms in neural activity, physiology, and behavior. The main output signal of the master circadian clock in mammals has long been believed to be a simple day/night…