Inspired by the Research Collaboration Workshop for Women in Mathematical Biology, this volume contains research and review articles that cover topics ranging from models of animal movement to the flow of blood cells in the embryonic heart. Hosted by the National Institute for Mathematics and Biological Synthesis (NIMBioS), the workshop brought together women working in biology and mathematics to form four research groups that encouraged multidisciplinary collaboration and lifetime connections in the STEM field. This volume introduces many of the topics from the workshop, including the aerodynamics of spider ballooning; sleep, circadian rhythms, and pain; blood flow regulation in the kidney; and the effects of antimicrobial therapy on gut microbiota and microbiota and Clostridium difficile. Perfect for students and researchers in mathematics and biology, the papers included in this volume offer an introductory glimpse at recent research in mathematical biology.

With the availability of high speed computers and advances in computational techniques, the application of mathematical modeling to biological systems is expanding. This comprehensive and richly illustrated volume provides up-to-date, wide-ranging material on the mathematical modeling of kidney physiology, including clinical data analysis and practice exercises. Basic concepts and modeling techniques introduced in this volume can be applied to other areas (or organs) of physiology.

The models presented describe the main homeostatic functions performed by the kidney, including blood filtration, excretion of water and salt, maintenance of electrolyte balance and regulation of blood pressure. Each chapter includes an introduction to the basic relevant physiology, a derivation of the essential conservation equations and then a discussion of a series of mathematical models, with increasing level of complexity.

This volume will be of interest to biological and mathematical scientists, as well as physiologists and nephrologists, who would like an introduction to mathematical techniques that can be applied to renal transport and function. The material is written for students who have had college-level calculus, but can be used in modeling courses in applied mathematics at all levels through early graduate courses.