Ordinary Differential Equation (ODE), Model

Abstract

Synonyms Cost function; Criterion function; Optimality criterion Definition In the field of mathematical optimization, the objective function is the performance index which quantifies the quality of a solution defined by a set of decision variables, i.e., the function to be maximized or minimized in an optimization problem (Banga 2008). Cross-References ▶ Fitness Function ▶ Optimal Experiment Design References Banga JR (2008) Optimization in computational systems biology. BMC Syst Biol 2:47 Observable Definition An observable is an experimentally accessible quantity like the concentration of a compound. The observable o is characterized by an observational function g o (x) which relates the quantity of interest, e.g., a concentration x, with the measured quantity, e.g., the intensity y ¼ g o (x) + noise. One part of the observational function is the calibration curve which is a characteristic of the measurement device. Moreover, the observational function determines the chosen quantity of interest, e.g., which compound is evaluated, as well as the noise distribution (Kreutz and Timmer 2009).