Download or read book A Biologist s Guide to Mathematical Modeling in Ecology and Evolution written by Sarah P. Otto and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2011-09-19 with total page 745 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Thirty years ago, biologists could get by with a rudimentary grasp of mathematics and modeling. Not so today. In seeking to answer fundamental questions about how biological systems function and change over time, the modern biologist is as likely to rely on sophisticated mathematical and computer-based models as traditional fieldwork. In this book, Sarah Otto and Troy Day provide biology students with the tools necessary to both interpret models and to build their own. The book starts at an elementary level of mathematical modeling, assuming that the reader has had high school mathematics and first-year calculus. Otto and Day then gradually build in depth and complexity, from classic models in ecology and evolution to more intricate class-structured and probabilistic models. The authors provide primers with instructive exercises to introduce readers to the more advanced subjects of linear algebra and probability theory. Through examples, they describe how models have been used to understand such topics as the spread of HIV, chaos, the age structure of a country, speciation, and extinction. Ecologists and evolutionary biologists today need enough mathematical training to be able to assess the power and limits of biological models and to develop theories and models themselves. This innovative book will be an indispensable guide to the world of mathematical models for the next generation of biologists. A how-to guide for developing new mathematical models in biology Provides step-by-step recipes for constructing and analyzing models Interesting biological applications Explores classical models in ecology and evolution Questions at the end of every chapter Primers cover important mathematical topics Exercises with answers Appendixes summarize useful rules Labs and advanced material available

Download or read book Models and Methods for Biological Evolution written by Gilles Didier and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2024-04-10 with total page 340 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Biological evolution is the phenomenon concerning how species are born, are transformed or disappear over time. Its study relies on sophisticated methods that involve both mathematical modeling of the biological processes at play and the design of efficient algorithms to fit these models to genetic and morphological data. Models and Methods for Biological Evolution outlines the main methods to study evolution and provides a broad overview illustrating the variety of formal approaches used, notably including combinatorial optimization, stochastic models and statistical inference techniques. Some of the most relevant applications of these methods are detailed, concerning, for example, the study of migratory events of ancient human populations or the progression of epidemics. This book should thus be of interest to applied mathematicians interested in central problems in biology, and to biologists eager to get a deeper understanding of widely used techniques of evolutionary data analysis.

Download or read book Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace written by Mary Colson and published by Gareth Stevens Publishing LLLP. This book was released on 2014-08-01 with total page 51 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: While Charles Darwin is familiar to so many, Alfred Wallace's contribution to science and especially to the theory of evolution was invaluable. The two traveled the world separately and developed their ideas separately, but Darwin published his theory first. Rather than become enemies, they both worked to promote acceptance of the controversial ideas. Readers will be interested in the biographies of these globetrotting scientists as well as actual quotes that aid in a better understanding of the men and their motivations.

Download or read book Models of Life written by Kim Sneppen and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2014-10-02 with total page 353 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An overview of current models of biological systems, reflecting the major advances that have been made over the past decade.

Download or read book Physical Approaches to Biological Evolution written by Mikhail V. Volkenstein and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2012-12-06 with total page 410 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Mr. Wolkenstein's Physical Approaches to Biological Evolution, whether or not it proves to give the ultimate truth on the matters with which it deals, certainly deserves, by its breadth and scope and profundity, to be considered an impor tant event in the philosophical world." This is a quotation from an introduction written by Bertrand Russell for Ludwig Wittgenstein's Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus. I exchanged only name and subject. As for the rest, I could continue quoting Russell, but I would rather say something myself. As Wittgenstein did with formal logic, Wolkenstein rectifies our views on how to approach the logic of life from a formal theoretical basis. Many bio logists do not believe that their subject lends itself to the scrutiny of physical theory. They certainly admit that one can simulate biological phenomena by models that can be expressed in a mathematical form. However, they do not believe that biology can be given a theoretical foundation that is defined within the general framework of physics. Rather, they insist on a holistic approach, banning any reduction to fundamental principles subject to physical theory.

Download or read book Biological Sequence Analysis written by Richard Durbin and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 1998-04-23 with total page 372 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Probabilistic models are becoming increasingly important in analysing the huge amount of data being produced by large-scale DNA-sequencing efforts such as the Human Genome Project. For example, hidden Markov models are used for analysing biological sequences, linguistic-grammar-based probabilistic models for identifying RNA secondary structure, and probabilistic evolutionary models for inferring phylogenies of sequences from different organisms. This book gives a unified, up-to-date and self-contained account, with a Bayesian slant, of such methods, and more generally to probabilistic methods of sequence analysis. Written by an interdisciplinary team of authors, it aims to be accessible to molecular biologists, computer scientists, and mathematicians with no formal knowledge of the other fields, and at the same time present the state-of-the-art in this new and highly important field.

Download or read book Modern Phylogenetic Comparative Methods and Their Application in Evolutionary Biology written by László Zsolt Garamszegi and published by Springer. This book was released on 2014-07-29 with total page 553 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Phylogenetic comparative approaches are powerful analytical tools for making evolutionary inferences from interspecific data and phylogenies. The phylogenetic toolkit available to evolutionary biologists is currently growing at an incredible speed, but most methodological papers are published in the specialized statistical literature and many are incomprehensible for the user community. This textbook provides an overview of several newly developed phylogenetic comparative methods that allow to investigate a broad array of questions on how phenotypic characters evolve along the branches of phylogeny and how such mechanisms shape complex animal communities and interspecific interactions. The individual chapters were written by the leading experts in the field and using a language that is accessible for practicing evolutionary biologists. The authors carefully explain the philosophy behind different methodologies and provide pointers – mostly using a dynamically developing online interface – on how these methods can be implemented in practice. These “conceptual” and “practical” materials are essential for expanding the qualification of both students and scientists, but also offer a valuable resource for educators. Another value of the book are the accompanying online resources (available at: http://www.mpcm-evolution.com), where the authors post and permanently update practical materials to help embed methods into practice.

Download or read book Computational Molecular Evolution written by Ziheng Yang and published by Oxford University Press, USA. This book was released on 2006-10-05 with total page 374 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book describes the models, methods and algorithms that are most useful for analysing the ever-increasing supply of molecular sequence data, with a view to furthering our understanding of the evolution of genes and genomes.

Download or read book Atlas of Protein Sequence and Structure written by and published by . This book was released on 1973 with total page 132 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Teaching About Evolution and the Nature of Science written by National Academy of Sciences and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 1998-05-06 with total page 150 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Today many school students are shielded from one of the most important concepts in modern science: evolution. In engaging and conversational style, Teaching About Evolution and the Nature of Science provides a well-structured framework for understanding and teaching evolution. Written for teachers, parents, and community officials as well as scientists and educators, this book describes how evolution reveals both the great diversity and similarity among the Earth's organisms; it explores how scientists approach the question of evolution; and it illustrates the nature of science as a way of knowing about the natural world. In addition, the book provides answers to frequently asked questions to help readers understand many of the issues and misconceptions about evolution. The book includes sample activities for teaching about evolution and the nature of science. For example, the book includes activities that investigate fossil footprints and population growth that teachers of science can use to introduce principles of evolution. Background information, materials, and step-by-step presentations are provided for each activity. In addition, this volume: Presents the evidence for evolution, including how evolution can be observed today. Explains the nature of science through a variety of examples. Describes how science differs from other human endeavors and why evolution is one of the best avenues for helping students understand this distinction. Answers frequently asked questions about evolution. Teaching About Evolution and the Nature of Science builds on the 1996 National Science Education Standards released by the National Research Councilâ€"and offers detailed guidance on how to evaluate and choose instructional materials that support the standards. Comprehensive and practical, this book brings one of today's educational challenges into focus in a balanced and reasoned discussion. It will be of special interest to teachers of science, school administrators, and interested members of the community.

Download or read book Dynamical Models in Biology written by Miklós Farkas and published by Academic Press. This book was released on 2001-06-15 with total page 199 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Dynamic Models in Biology offers an introduction to modern mathematical biology. This book provides a short introduction to modern mathematical methods in modeling dynamical phenomena and treats the broad topics of population dynamics, epidemiology, evolution, immunology, morphogenesis, and pattern formation. Primarily employing differential equations, the author presents accessible descriptions of difficult mathematical models. Recent mathematical results are included, but the author's presentation gives intuitive meaning to all the main formulae. Besides mathematicians who want to get acquainted with this relatively new field of applications, this book is useful for physicians, biologists, agricultural engineers, and environmentalists. Key Topics Include: - Chaotic dynamics of populations - The spread of sexually transmitted diseases - Problems of the origin of life - Models of immunology - Formation of animal hide patterns - The intuitive meaning of mathematical formulae explained with many figures - Applying new mathematical results in modeling biological phenomena Miklos Farkas is a professor at Budapest University of Technology where he has researched and instructed mathematics for over thirty years. He has taught at universities in the former Soviet Union, Canada, Australia, Venezuela, Nigeria, India, and Columbia. Prof. Farkas received the 1999 Bolyai Award of the Hungarian Academy of Science and the 2001 Albert Szentgyorgyi Award of the Hungarian Ministry of Education. - A 'down-to-earth' introduction to the growing field of modern mathematical biology - Also includes appendices which provide background material that goes beyond advanced calculus and linear algebra

Download or read book Evolution of Translational Omics written by Institute of Medicine and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2012-09-13 with total page 354 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Technologies collectively called omics enable simultaneous measurement of an enormous number of biomolecules; for example, genomics investigates thousands of DNA sequences, and proteomics examines large numbers of proteins. Scientists are using these technologies to develop innovative tests to detect disease and to predict a patient's likelihood of responding to specific drugs. Following a recent case involving premature use of omics-based tests in cancer clinical trials at Duke University, the NCI requested that the IOM establish a committee to recommend ways to strengthen omics-based test development and evaluation. This report identifies best practices to enhance development, evaluation, and translation of omics-based tests while simultaneously reinforcing steps to ensure that these tests are appropriately assessed for scientific validity before they are used to guide patient treatment in clinical trials.

Download or read book Physical Models of Living Systems written by Philip Nelson and published by Macmillan Higher Education. This book was released on 2014-12-20 with total page 365 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Written for intermediate-level undergraduates pursuing any science or engineering major, Physical Models of Living Systems helps students develop many of the competencies that form the basis of the new MCAT2015. The only prerequisite is first-year physics. With the more advanced "Track-2" sections at the end of each chapter, the book can be used in graduate-level courses as well.

Download or read book Social Learning written by William Hoppitt and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2013-07-21 with total page 320 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Many animals, including humans, acquire valuable skills and knowledge by copying others. Scientists refer to this as social learning. It is one of the most exciting and rapidly developing areas of behavioral research and sits at the interface of many academic disciplines, including biology, experimental psychology, economics, and cognitive neuroscience. Social Learning provides a comprehensive, practical guide to the research methods of this important emerging field. William Hoppitt and Kevin N. Lala define the mechanisms thought to underlie social learning and demonstrate how to distinguish them experimentally in the laboratory. They present techniques for detecting and quantifying social learning in nature, including statistical modeling of the spatial distribution of behavior traits. They also describe the latest theory and empirical findings on social learning strategies, and introduce readers to mathematical methods and models used in the study of cultural evolution. This book is an indispensable tool for researchers and an essential primer for students. Provides a comprehensive, practical guide to social learning research Combines theoretical and empirical approaches Describes techniques for the laboratory and the field Covers social learning mechanisms and strategies, statistical modeling techniques for field data, mathematical modeling of cultural evolution, and more

Download or read book Methods and Models in Artificial and Natural Computation A Homage to Professor Mira s Scientific Legacy written by Jose Mira and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2009-06-12 with total page 550 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The two-volume set LNCS 5601 and LNCS 5602 constitutes the refereed proceedings of the Third International Work-Conference on the Interplay between Natural and Artificial Computation, IWINAC 2009, held in Santiago de Compostela, Spain, in June 2009. The 108 revised papers presented are thematically divided into two volumes. The first volume includes papers relating the most recent collaborations with Professor Mira and contributions mainly related with theoretical, conceptual and methodological aspects linking AI and knowledge engineering with neurophysiology, clinics and cognition. The second volume contains all the contributions connected with biologically inspired methods and techniques for solving AI and knowledge engineering problems in different application domains.

Download or read book Culture and the Evolutionary Process written by Robert Boyd and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 1988-06-15 with total page 339 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: How do biological, psychological, sociological, and cultural factors combine to change societies over the long run? Boyd and Richerson explore how genetic and cultural factors interact, under the influence of evolutionary forces, to produce the diversity we see in human cultures. Using methods developed by population biologists, they propose a theory of cultural evolution that is an original and fair-minded alternative to the sociobiology debate.

Download or read book Models and Methods for Management Science written by Hao Zhang and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2022-08-18 with total page 426 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This textbook introduces systems science as an entry point to present a basic introduction to research models and methods in management science (operation research). This textbook selects the classic quantitative models and methods as well as rich cases and detailed examples, which are suitable for students with a certain management and economics knowledge for further study, and helps to develop the abilities of using the basic models in real life.