Re: absolute beginner

[M Lang / S Railsback]

address@hidden wrote:
> 
> Hi,
> 
> I am an anesthesiologist specialized in pain treatment, working in a hospital 
> in
> Norway. There are  alot of arguments that the sensory (pain) system acts as
> vomplex network including up to today more than 20 major and several minor
> receptor subsystems and a rather complicated network structure.
> 
> I became interested therefore in the complexity/simulation area and dream of
> models where I can simulate pain chronification and so on.
> 
> There are to points today.
> 
> First
> 
> Are there scientists who are working currently with simulations of more 
> peripheral
> nerve networks, for example in the medulla or in the dorsal horn ?

Sounds like a cool study. I cannot remember any Swarm users working
explicitly with nerve networks, however. (Except maybe Glen Ropella?)

Perhaps if you post a message to the Swarm modeling mail list
(address@hidden) you will get a reply from Gary An, another
doctor who did some agent-based simulation of Systematic Inflammatory
Response Syndrome: 
An, G. (2001). Agent-based computer simulation and SIRS: building a
bridge between basic science and clinical trials. Shock 16(4): 266-273.

Gary's experience would be valuable for you.

I have to wonder if there is not software out there someplace for nerve
networks- perhaps neural net software would be useful?
 
> Second
> 
> I am BEGINNER. Somne experience in computer programming (I am a
> Commodore PET Veteran), but wasn't active in the field since years. No
> experience with Linux and what so ever.
> 
> I was able to install the stable swarm package, but have problems to get all 
> the
> other program packages. Does anyone has a cd with all this and could  make a
> copy ? Has anyone time and interest to help (only a theoretical question) ?

I will repeat my standard advice to put a lot of effort into designing
your model on paper before worrying too much about software. Your choice
of software will depend on how your model is designed. Gary An, for
example, started with a simple simulation that he could execute using
StarLogo, a very simple agent-based simulation package. Now he wants to
do something more sophisticated that will require Swarm or RePast. 

This paper was intended to help people like you:

Railsback, S. F. (2001). Concepts from complex adaptive systems as a
framework for individual-based modelling. Ecological Modelling 139:
47-62.

Once you have at least a conceptual design of your model on paper, you
may find someone interested in helping implement it. Good luck and keep
asking questions as you proceed.

Steve R.

-- 
address@hidden
Lang, Railsback & Assoc.
250 California Ave., Arcata CA 95521
707-822-0453; Fax 822-1868

                  ==================================
   Swarm-Support is for discussion of the technical details of the day
   to day usage of Swarm.  For list administration needs (esp.
   [un]subscribing), please send a message to <address@hidden>
   with "help" in the body of the message.