Название: Getting Started in Mathematical Life Sciences: From MATLAB Programming to Computer Simulations
Автор: Makoto Sato
Издательство: Springer
Год: 2023
Страниц: 211
Язык: английский
Формат: pdf (true), epub
Размер: 40.2 MB

This book helps the reader make use of the mathematical models of biological phenomena starting from the basics of programming and computer simulation. Computer simulations based on a mathematical model enable us to find a novel biological mechanism and predict an unknown biological phenomenon. Mathematical biology could further expand the progress of modern life sciences. Although many biologists are interested in mathematical biology, they do not have experience in mathematics and Computer Science. An educational course that combines biology, mathematics, and Computer Science is very rare to date. Published books for mathematical biology usually explain the theories of established mathematical models, but they do not provide a practical explanation for how to solve the differential equations included in the models, or to establish such a model that fits with a phenomenon of interest.

MATLAB is an ideal programming platform for the beginners of Computer Science. This book starts from the very basics about how to write a programming code for MATLAB (or Octave), explains how to solve ordinary and partial differential equations, and how to apply mathematical models to various biological phenomena such as diabetes, infectious diseases, and heartbeats. Some of them are original models, newly developed for this book. Because MATLAB codes are embedded and explained throughout the book, it will be easy to catch up with the text. In the final chapter, the book focuses on the mathematical model of the proneural wave, a phenomenon that guarantees the sequential differentiation of neurons in the brain.

There are many programming languages in the world, and this book deals with MATLAB, which is sold by MathWorks. Of course, each language has its own characteristics, and in the case of MATLAB, one of its major advantages is that it is good at handling matrices. Graphing data is easy, so you can create nice looking graphs with just one line of instructions. The problem is that MATLAB requires a fee, and even if you have created a program, you cannot use it unless you have a computer with MATLAB installed. MATLAB is available at academic and student prices, and there is also an inexpensive home license called MATLAB Home. You can also use a free trial version for one month or use GNU Octave (called Octave from now on), a free programming language compatible with MATLAB.

If you are interested, why don’t you install MATLAB or Octave on your PC and start right away? It may seem a little difficult, but if you find it surprisingly simple, that alone is a big step forward. You may be able to understand the contents of mathematical presentations without being afraid of them. Although the scope of this book is limited, we hope that this book will help you acquire more specialized skills, which will lead to the advancement of life science in the near future. We hope that you will take up the challenge.