Reducing R-naught to stem the spread of Epidemics

We are reminded each year to get vaccinated against the influenza virus. The severity of the annual outbreak is not known with certainty in advance, but a major pandemic is bound to occur sooner or later. Mathematical models play an indispensable role in understanding and managing infectious diseases. Models vary in sophistication from the simple … Continue reading Reducing R-naught to stem the spread of Epidemics →

The Heart of Mathematics

At five litres per minute the average human heart pumps nearly 200 megalitres of blood through the body in a lifetime. Heart disease causes 40 percent of deaths in the EU and costs hundreds of billions of Euros every year. Mathematics can help to improve our knowledge of heart disease and our understanding of cardiac … Continue reading The Heart of Mathematics →

A Life-saving Whirligig

Modern science is big: the gravitational wave detector (LIGO) cost over a billion dollars, and the large hadron collider (LHC) in Geneva took decades to build and cost almost five billion euros. It may seem that scientific advances require enormous financial investment. So, it is refreshing to read in Nature Biomedical Engineering (Vol 1, Article … Continue reading A Life-saving Whirligig →

Digital Dentistry

That’s Maths in The Irish Times this week (TM049, or Search for “thatsmaths” at irishtimes.com) is about applications of computer aided design and computer aided manufacture to making dental crowns. Next time you spot a kid immersed in a video game, pause before uttering a condemnatory remark. The spin-offs from computer gaming are benefiting us … Continue reading Digital Dentistry →

CT Scans and the Radon Transform

Last December, Dublin's Tallaght Hosptal acquired a new CT scanner, a Toshiba Aquilon Prime, the first of its type in the country. The state-of-the-art scanner is housed in a room with a 'sky ceiling' that allows patients to enjoy an attractive outdoor image during the scanning process. This equipment, which cost €600,000 will undoubtedly result … Continue reading CT Scans and the Radon Transform →