MATHEMATICAL AND STATISTICAL MODELS FOR ANIMAL SCIENCE

Single discipline educational activity

Course Sheet

Academic Year of enrolment:

2015/2016

Type of Course:

Characterising

Optional/Mandatory:

Compulsory

Degree:

Master's Degree Programme in ANIMAL PRODUCTIONS SCIENCES

Disciplinary Sector:

General Techniques for Zoology and Genetic Improvement

Credits:

Programme Year:

Professor and Collaborators:

DIMAURO Corrado

Hours of classroom activity:

Prerequisites:

Students should have been previously enrolled in a graduate level course in mathematical analysis. In particular the theories of differentiation and integration of the real functions should be known.

AF code:

40002772

Assessment Methods

Verification of learning:

practical exam regarding the development of mechanistic models and oral discussion of the results.

Teaching period

Second semester

Objectives

The objective of the course is to teach students of animal science how to express ideas mathematically and solve the resulting mathematical problem. Students should be able to solve simple differential equations, to develop mechanistic mathematical models also by using an analogical software. Moreover, students should be able to use suitable statistical techniques to give sense to the experimental data.

Contents

Role of mathematical models in animal science and model concept.
Basic statistics: data description by using tables and graphs; measures of central tendency and of variability; probability and probability distributions; the normal distribution; the t-student distribution; confidence interval of mean; statistical test for the mean. Linear regression and correlation; inferences related to linear regression. Analysis of the residuals.
Mechanistic models: exponential growth; monomolecular growth; logistic growth. The Gompertz’s model; the Richards’ model; the Von Bertalanffy’s model; the Michaelis-Menten kinetics. The assessment of adequacy of mathematical models.

Recommended Bibliography

I modelli matematici per le scienze animali [available as PDF file on the department website]. Appunti di statistica (G. Pulina) [available as PDF file on the department website].

Teaching Methods

Data processing laboratory by using the analogical software Stella and the statistical software Excel and Minitab.

MATHEMATICAL AND STATISTICAL MODELS FOR ANIMAL SCIENCE

Course year: 1

Course year: 2

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MATHEMATICAL AND STATISTICAL MODELS FOR ANIMAL SCIENCE