In this project, we studied a key autoregulatory mechanism, the myogenic response, used by the kidney to control blood flow. In particular, we were interested in the mechanisms that lead to stable kidney filtration rate through a decrease (increase) in the diameter of kidney vessels when subjected to increased (decreased) blood pressure. We extended a comprehensive model of differential equations to model the response of a multi-cell kidney vessel to different inflow blood pressures and perturbations. This research started during the Research Collaboration Workshop for Women in Mathematical Biology at NIMBioS.

Collaborators: Aurélie Edwards (Boston University), Anita Layton (University of Waterloo), Ioannis Sgouralis (ASU), Tracy Stepien (University of Arizona).
Publications:

1. MV Ciocanel, TL Stepien, A Edwards, and AT Layton. Modeling Autoregulation of the Afferent Arteriole of the Rat Kidney. Women in Mathematical Biology Springer (2017) 75-100. DOI
2. MV Ciocanel, TL Stepien, I Sgouralis, and AT Layton. A Multicellular Vascular Model of the Renal Myogenic Response. Processes (Systems Biomedicine) 6 (2018), 89.

With collaborators from the Mathematics Research Communities workshop in summer 2016, we are investigating mechanisms through which the cardiovascular system regulates pressure and volume following successive blood loss. Using differential equations models coupled with sensitivity analysis and parameter identifiability, we determined parameters that vary significantly throughout blood withdrawals and inferred mechanisms that may regulate pressure and volume given the dynamics of these new variables.

Collaborators: Mette Olufsen (NCSU), Brian Carlson (University of Michigan), Steffen Docken (Kirby Institute, UNSW), Rebecca Gasper (Creighton University).
Publications:

1. MV Ciocanel, SS Docken, RE Gasper, C Dean, BE Carlson, and MS Olufsen. Cardiovascular regulation in response to multiple hemorrhages: Analysis and parameter estimation. Biological Cybernetics (2018). DOI, Supplementary Material.

With collaborators from the Mathematics Research Communities workshop in summer 2018, I am studying complex behavior of pedestrian crowds using social force agent-based models. We are particularly motivated by the dynamics of students accessing large classrooms on university campuses. We are developing realistic models of classroom entrance and evacuation.
Our group was awarded a Collaborate@ICERM travel grant (postponed to summer 2021) to pursue this collaboration.

Collaborators: Joseph Benson (Macalester College), Mariya Bessonov (CUNY), Korana Burke (UC Davis), Simone Cassani (University of Buffalo), Daniel Cooney (Princeton University), Alexandria Volkening (Northwestern University).