Population-level consequences of the interaction between host stage-structure and disease Multiple life stages are a universal feature of organismal life cycles. Disease impacts life stages differently, and, in some cases, affects only a single stage in a population. Because disease outbreaks are expected to increase worldwide, understanding the population-level consequences of these stage-specific disruptions is …
Minimizing the financial cost of COVID-19 using optimal control The COVID-19 pandemic has already caused hundreds of thousands of deaths worldwide. Countries have implemented national lockdowns in an effort to curtail the loss of human life. Consequently, they have had major economic repercussions due to joblessness and other factors. In an attempt to decrease economic …
Asymptomatic transmission in COVID-19 dynamics Asymptomatic transmission has been critical to the spread of COVID-19, making the disease more difficult to control. However, the bulk of prior work assumes that asymptomatic transmission is fixed over time. Here we explore the coupling between asymptomatic incidence (at the level of individuals) with asymptomatic relevance (at the scale …
Visual models: A look at different approaches to understanding the mammalian visual system The mammalian visual system is a large, complex network of neurons composed of a number of spatially separated areas, each of which is highly recurrently connected, coupled together with feedforward and feedback connections. Here, we describe two different approaches that may provide …
Being the biologist in a world of mathematicians: Lessons learned from a decade in quant bio Communication and collaboration between the mathematical and biological sciences is paramount to the success of many interdisciplinary projects. While working in quantitative biology education, Dr. Gabriela Hamerlinck began a collaboration with a group of mathematicians to explore African Swine …
Understanding the effects of habitat loss on population persistence Habitat loss is the dominant threat to biodiversity worldwide. Habitat loss comes in the form of land conversion, where suitable habitat is changed into unsuitable space for vital life functions. The resulting landscape is a patchwork of disjoint habitat patches, varying in quality and connectedness with …
To reset, or not to reset, that is the question The first passage statistics of stochastic processes play an important role in understanding the behavior of some useful models in physical chemistry, biology, finance, computer science and other fields. Allowing the underlying stochastic process to restart or reset to its initial condition at certain intervals …
Agent-Based Modeling of Aspergillus fumigatus: parametrization and predictions Fungal infections of the respiratory system are life-threatening complications for immunocompromised patients. Invasive pulmonary aspergillosis, caused by the airborne mold Aspergillus fumigatus, has a mortality rate of up to 50% in this patient population. The lack of neutrophils, a common immunodeficiency caused by, e.g., chemotherapy, disables a …