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Mathematical and computational methods in physiology
Book reviews
Computational lectures. For instance,
aspects of the solution
279
of the hydrodynamic
an iterative method of disturbances
equations
dominate
in the other
is described for solving systems of non-
linear difference equations; schemes are developed for the numerical integration of elliptic equations in domains with irregular boundaries; and an economic method is devised, in which the solution is first obtained
on a coarse mesh, and is then improved by means of local relaxation
on a
finer mesh. P. I. Chushkin FEDINA, L., KANYAR, B., KOCSIS, B., and KOLLAI, M. (Eds.) Mathematical Methods in Plzysioloo, THE BOOK is a collection
Akad. Kiado, Budapest,
aud Computational
198 1.
of papers of the “Mathematical
and computing
methods in physiology”
section of the 28th International Congress on Physiology,, and contains three sections. The “Modelling and simulation of physiological systems” section. like the “Experiment planning” section, contains a number of serious studies on the identification of the parameters of different types of models, including models with delays in the couplings between compartments, and with non-linear and random couplings. A familiar aspect of the identification problem is the determination of the parameters of the multi-exponential curve on the basis of “noisy” data. The topics discussed are of interest for many sciences, and not just in the field of physiological Examples of purely physiological
studies are the works on the fundamental
studies.
problem of describing
the homeostosis of the organism in the context of modern control theory, on the modelling of the mechanical properties of the aorta, and on automated determination of the parameters of the cardiovascular
system of a dog under orthostatic
excitations.
While decoding of analogue signals (electrocardiograms,
electroencephalograms.
etc.) is pure
routine for phyisologists and clinical workers. the improvement of measurement techniques and the advent of the computer are transforming this subjective and qualitative analysis into a new field of research. This forms the subject-matter
of the third section “Analysis of analogue biosignals”,
where are to be found the results of a computer-analysis obtained
from the blood circulation
of various physiological
curves (functions
model, curves of pressure in the left ventricle,
and electro-
encephalograms). Aspects of the stability of biological oscillators are studied. Experience micro-computer in various physiological laboratories is described. All in all, the book offers a very wide spectrum of the mathematical
and computing
with the
methods
used in modern biology. 1. G. Nidekker and V. G. Shabel’nikov Neural Communication and Control, eds. Gy Szekely, E. Labos and S. Damjanovich, Budapest, 198 1. THE LAST 30 years are notable for the rapid increase in the number of theoretical
Akad. Kiado,
models of
different functions of the brain (from the cellular to the behavioural level). The disturbing thing is that, on the one hand, most of these models are not popular with physiologists and experimental workers, while on the other hand, there is an ever-increasing flow of experimental data awaiting some sort of theoretical justification. It is no longer clear whether the physiologists are asking the right questions or whether the mathematicians have the right methods for answering them, and similarly, there is the problem of where and how a sufficient amount of “convincing” data can be collected for checking the theoretical models, and the problem of how to optimize the interplay between theory and practice in studies of the brain at different levels.
Computational lectures. For instance,
aspects of the solution
279
of the hydrodynamic
an iterative method of disturbances
equations
dominate
in the other
is described for solving systems of non-
linear difference equations; schemes are developed for the numerical integration of elliptic equations in domains with irregular boundaries; and an economic method is devised, in which the solution is first obtained
on a coarse mesh, and is then improved by means of local relaxation
on a
finer mesh. P. I. Chushkin FEDINA, L., KANYAR, B., KOCSIS, B., and KOLLAI, M. (Eds.) Mathematical Methods in Plzysioloo, THE BOOK is a collection
Akad. Kiado, Budapest,
aud Computational
198 1.
of papers of the “Mathematical
and computing
methods in physiology”
section of the 28th International Congress on Physiology,, and contains three sections. The “Modelling and simulation of physiological systems” section. like the “Experiment planning” section, contains a number of serious studies on the identification of the parameters of different types of models, including models with delays in the couplings between compartments, and with non-linear and random couplings. A familiar aspect of the identification problem is the determination of the parameters of the multi-exponential curve on the basis of “noisy” data. The topics discussed are of interest for many sciences, and not just in the field of physiological Examples of purely physiological
studies are the works on the fundamental
studies.
problem of describing
the homeostosis of the organism in the context of modern control theory, on the modelling of the mechanical properties of the aorta, and on automated determination of the parameters of the cardiovascular
system of a dog under orthostatic
excitations.
While decoding of analogue signals (electrocardiograms,
electroencephalograms.
etc.) is pure
routine for phyisologists and clinical workers. the improvement of measurement techniques and the advent of the computer are transforming this subjective and qualitative analysis into a new field of research. This forms the subject-matter
of the third section “Analysis of analogue biosignals”,
where are to be found the results of a computer-analysis obtained
from the blood circulation
of various physiological
curves (functions
model, curves of pressure in the left ventricle,
and electro-
encephalograms). Aspects of the stability of biological oscillators are studied. Experience micro-computer in various physiological laboratories is described. All in all, the book offers a very wide spectrum of the mathematical
and computing
with the
methods
used in modern biology. 1. G. Nidekker and V. G. Shabel’nikov Neural Communication and Control, eds. Gy Szekely, E. Labos and S. Damjanovich, Budapest, 198 1. THE LAST 30 years are notable for the rapid increase in the number of theoretical
Akad. Kiado,
models of
different functions of the brain (from the cellular to the behavioural level). The disturbing thing is that, on the one hand, most of these models are not popular with physiologists and experimental workers, while on the other hand, there is an ever-increasing flow of experimental data awaiting some sort of theoretical justification. It is no longer clear whether the physiologists are asking the right questions or whether the mathematicians have the right methods for answering them, and similarly, there is the problem of where and how a sufficient amount of “convincing” data can be collected for checking the theoretical models, and the problem of how to optimize the interplay between theory and practice in studies of the brain at different levels.