MATH 336 Calendar

Spring 2016


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Homework sets will be uploaded here, together with due dates (typically one week after uploading). Solutions will appear on Sakai . Exam dates will also be posted.

ES denotes Prof. Sontag's notes.


Lecture Date Topics Reading and homework assignments
Week 1
1 Tue 01/19 Introduction to course, single difference equations, advantages/disadvantages of framework, exponential (Malthusian) equation

Section 1.1 in ES

Review homework (due 01/26)

2 Thu 01/21 Derivation of logisitic difference equation, cobwebbing, steady states, stability, and linearization about steady states Sections 1.2 and 1.3 (beginning) in ES
Week 2
3 Tue 01/26 Linearized stability of steady states, systems of difference equations

Finished Section 1.3 in ES, Systems example (please read)

Homework 1 (due 02/02)

4 Thu 01/28 Studied dynamical behavior of (non-dimensionalized) logistic equation as parameter "r" varied. Periodic orbits (calculating and stability), bifurcation diagrams, period doubling, chaos. Section 1.4 in ES
Week 3
5 Tue 02/02 Introduction to ODEs, exponential and logistic growth derivation

Sections 2.1.1-2.1.4 in ES

Homework 2 (due 02/09)

6 Thu 02/04 Properties of logistic growth, alternate derivation based on nutrients, non-dimensionalization, introduction to the chemostat Sections 2.1.3-2.1.5, beginning 2.1.6 in ES
Week 4
7 Tue 02/09 Finished chemostat derivation, Michaelis-Menten kinetics, Lineweaver-Burk plot, non-dimensionalization of chemostat

Sections 2.1.6-2.1.10 in ES

Homework 3 (due 02/16)

8 Thu 02/11 Review of steady states for systems of ODEs, steady states of chemostat, conditions for steady states to exist in first quadrant, review of linearization, Hartman-Grobman Theorem Sections 2.2.1, beginning 2.2.2 in ES
Week 5
9 Tue 02/16 Review of linear system phase portraits, trace-determinant plane to determine type of origin, began example of local phase portraits for nonlinear system

Sections 2.2.2, 2.2.3 in ES (covered more in-depth though)

Homework 4 (due 02/23)

10 Thu 02/18 Finished local phase portrait example, analyzed phase portrait of chemostat, began nullclines Sections 2.2.4, 2.4.1, 2.4.2, beginning 2.4.3 in ES
Week 6
Remember: Exam 1 is on Tuesday, March 1
11 Tue 02/23 Finished nullclines of chemostat, proof of global convergence to X 2 , macrophage dynamics nullcline example

Sections 2.2.3, 2.2.4 in ES

Homework 5 (due 03/01)

12 Thu 02/25 Started epidemiology, SIR and SIRS models, derivation of infection rate terms, reduction from 3 equations to 2 Section 2.5 in ES (beginning)
Week 7
13 Tue 03/01 Exam 1, in class Exam 1 information
14 Thu 03/03 Finished epidemiology: analysis of steady states and nullclines of reduced system, interpretation of R 0 , extensions to vaccines and other epidemiology models

Section 2.5 in ES (end)

Homework 6 (due 03/10)

Week 8
15 Tue 03/08 Exam 1 discussion, introduction to chemical kinetics, motivation for law of mass action, writing ODEs for systems of chemical reactions Section 2.6.1 in ES
16 Thu 03/10 Formalizing system of reactions as a chemical reaction network (CRN), reaction vector and stoichiometry matrix, introduction to conservation laws and method find them

Section 2.6.2 in ES (end)

Homework 7 (due 03/24)

Week 9
Spring break!
Week 10
17 Tue 03/22 Finished calculation of conservation laws from CRN formulation, introduction to enzymatic reactions Sections 2.6.3, 2.6.4 in ES
18 Thu 03/24 Quasi-steady state approximation for enzyme reactions (i.e. Michaelis-Menten kinetics), formulation, intuitive justification via nullclines

Sections 2.6.5, 2.6.6 in ES

Homework 8 (due 04/05)

Week 11
Exam II announced: Thursday, April 14
19 Tue 03/29 Methods of enzyme inhibition (competitive and allosteric), simple model of gene expression, began sigmoidal kinetics Sections 2.6.9, 2.6.10, 2.6.11, 2.6.12 (begin) in ES
20 Thu 03/31 Cooperativity and sigmoidal kinetics, hyperbolic vs. sigmoidal response, fast-binding derivation Section 2.6.12 (finish) in ES
Week 12
21 Tue 4/5 Multi-stability and cooperative reactions, hyperbolic and sigmoidal responses in relation to decision making and binary responses, introduction to periodic behavior

Sections 2.7.1, 2.7.2, 2.8 (beginning) in ES

Homework 9 (due 04/12)

22 Thu 4/7 Continue with periodic behavior and limit cycles, example of an explicit limit cycle, Poincare-Bendixson Theorem and the existence of periodic solutions, Van der Pol oscillator example Sections 2.8.1-2.8.4 in ES
Week 13
23 Tue 04/12 Recap of Poincare-Bendixson Theorem, example usage for circle region D, Bendixson's criterion for the nonexistence of periodic orbits Sections 2.8.3 and 2.8.5 in ES
24 Thu 04/14 Exam 2, in class Exam 2 information
Week 14
25 Tue 04/19 Exam II recap, begin partial differential equation material, motivation for spatial variables, conservation of mass equation, flux vector J, 3 main types of fluxes: advection (transport), chemotaxis, and diffusion, begin transport equation

Sections 3.1.1-3.1.6 (beginning of 3.1.6 only) in ES

Homework 10 (due 04/26)

26 Thu 04/21 Finish transport equation solution characterization (constant velocity and exponential growth only), introduction to chemotaxis, PDEs resulting from a combination of fluxes (e.g. transport and chemotactic motion) Sections 3.1.6, 3.1.7 in ES
Week 15
27 Tue 04/26 Chemotaxis qualitative analysis, introduction to diffusion equation, solution via separation of variables

Sections 3.2, 3.2.3, 3.2.4 (beginning) in ES

Extra Credit homework 11 (due Monday 05/02)

28 Thu 04/28 Finish diffusion equation, i.e. separable solutions via separation of variables, determining separation constant from boundary conditions, determining constants from linearity (superposition) and initial conditions, no flux (i.e. closed endpoint) boundary conditions, general flux and relation to boundary conditions

Sections 3.2.4 (finish), 3.2.5 in ES

Review problems for Exam 3