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Mathematical and Computer Simulation Models:
Theory & Application
Attempts to understand aging processes often involve life-span measurements from
which a survival curve is constructed and model parameters estimated. The
parameter estimates are then compared, and conclusions concerning the underlying
biological processes are subsequently deduced, based upon the magnitude
of the parameter differences. Many fundamental biological
discussions and conclusions
are highly dependent upon accurate estimates
of these survival parameters (this has historically been the case in
the study of genetic and environmental effects on longevity and the evolutionary
biology of aging). One way to address this problem is to use large-scale
simulation techniques to generate samples and to use statistical techniques to
estimate the model parameters for those samples. Consider the following two
illustrations below and on the next page. 
In the first illustration (above) we generated 1000 experiments using 10
rats. Observe the wide dispersion in the survival curves for both groups. What
other features do you observe about these curves? What might you conclude with
respect to your experiment based upon these results?
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