This monograph has the ambitious aim of developing a mathematical theory of complex biological systems with special attention to the phenomena of ageing, degeneration and repair of biological tissues under individual self-repair actions that may have good potential in medical therapy. The approach to mathematically modeling biological systems needs to tackle the additional difficulties generated by the peculiarities of living matter. These include the lack of invariance principles, abilities to express strategies for individual fitness, heterogeneous behaviors, competition up to proliferative and/or destructive actions, mutations, learning ability, evolution and many others. Applied mathematicians in the field of living systems, especially biological systems, will appreciate the special class of integro-differential equations offered here for modeling at the molecular, celular and tissue scales. A unique perspective is also presented with a number of case studies in biological modeling.

This monograph has the ambitious aim of developing a mathematical theory of complex biological systems with special attention to the phenomena of ageing, degeneration and repair of biological tissues under individual self-repair actions that may have good potential in medical therapy.The approach to mathematically modeling biological systems needs to tackle the additional difficulties generated by the peculiarities of living matter. These include the lack of invariance principles, abilities to express strategies for individual fitness, heterogeneous behaviors, competition up to proliferative and/or destructive actions, mutations, learning ability, evolution and many others.Applied mathematicians in the field of living systems, especially biological systems, will appreciate the special class of integro-differential equations offered here for modeling at the molecular, cellular and tissue scales. A unique perspective is also presented with a number of case studies in biological modeling.

This book describes the evolution of several socio-biological systems using mathematical kinetic theory. Specifically, it deals with modeling and simulations of biological systems whose dynamics follow the rules of mechanics as well as rules governed by their own ability to organize movement and biological functions. It proposes a new biological model focused on the analysis of competition between cells of an aggressive host and cells of a corresponding immune system. Proposed models are related to the generalized Boltzmann equation. The book may be used for advanced graduate courses and seminars in biological systems modeling.

This monograph aims to lay the groundwork for the design of a unified mathematical approach to the modeling and analysis of large, complex systems composed of interacting living things. Drawing on twenty years of research in various scientific fields, it explores how mathematical kinetic theory and evolutionary game theory can be used to understand the complex interplay between mathematical sciences and the dynamics of living systems. The authors hope this will contribute to the development of new tools and strategies, if not a new mathematical theory. The first chapter discusses the main features of living systems and outlines a strategy for their modeling. The following chapters then explore some of the methods needed to potentially achieve this in practice. Chapter Two provides a brief introduction to the mathematical kinetic theory of classical particles, with special emphasis on the Boltzmann equation; the Enskog equation, mean field models, and Monte Carlo methods are also briefly covered. Chapter Three uses concepts from evolutionary game theory to derive mathematical structures that are able to capture the complexity features of interactions within living systems. The book then shifts to exploring the relevant applications of these methods that can potentially be used to derive specific, usable models. The modeling of social systems in various contexts is the subject of Chapter Five, and an overview of modeling crowd dynamics is given in Chapter Six, demonstrating how this approach can be used to model the dynamics of multicellular systems. The final chapter considers some additional applications before presenting an overview of open problems. The authors then offer their own speculations on the conceptual paths that may lead to a mathematical theory of living systems hoping to motivate future research activity in the field. A truly unique contribution to the existing literature, A Quest Toward a Mathematical Theory of Living Systems is an important book that will no doubt have a significant influence on the future directions of the field. It will be of interest to mathematical biologists, systems biologists, biophysicists, and other researchers working on understanding the complexities of living systems.

Delay differential and difference equations serve as models for a range of processes in biology, physics, engineering and control theory. In this volume, the participants of the International Conference on Delay Differential and Difference Equations and Applications, Balatonfüred, Hungary, July 15-19, 2013 present recent research in this quickly-evolving field. The papers relate to the existence, asymptotic and oscillatory properties of the solutions; stability theory; numerical approximations; and applications to real world phenomena using deterministic and stochastic discrete and continuous dynamical systems.

This book describes the evolution of several socio-biological systems using mathematical kinetic theory. Specifically, it deals with modeling and simulations of biological systems whose dynamics follow the rules of mechanics as well as rules governed by their own ability to organize movement and biological functions. It proposes a new biological model focused on the analysis of competition between cells of an aggressive host and cells of a corresponding immune system. Proposed models are related to the generalized Boltzmann equation. The book may be used for advanced graduate courses and seminars in biological systems modeling.

This volume contains survey and research articles by some of the leading researchers in mathematical systems theory - a vibrant research area in its own right. Many authors have taken special care that their articles are self-contained and accessible also to non-specialists.