"Morphology Genetic Materials Templated from Nature Species" provides a comprehensive and up-to-date coverage of research on bio-inspired functional materials including materials science and engineering aspects of the fabrication, properties, and applications. The book discusses bio-inspired strategies integrating biotemplate, biomineralization, and biomimesis in nature, which are adopted to fabricate functional materials with hierarchical bio-architectures and interrelated outstanding performances, as well as valuable applications in photoelectricity, photonics, photocatalysis, chemical detection, bio-imaging, and photoelectron transfer components/devices.

The book is intended for researchers and graduate students in the fields of materials science, chemistry, nanotechnology, semiconductor, biotechnology, environmental engineering, etc.

Prof. Dr. Di Zhang is currently a professor at the School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, and the director of the State Key Laboratory of Metal Matrix Composites, China.

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With the aim of providing a deeper insight into possible mechanisms of biological self-organization, this thesis presents new approaches to describe the process of self-assembly and the impact of spatial organization on the function of membrane proteins, from a statistical physics point of view. It focuses on three important scenarios: the assembly of membrane proteins, the collective response of mechanosensitive channels and the function of the twin arginine translocation (Tat) system. Using methods from equilibrium and non-equilibrium statistical mechanics, general conclusions were drawn that demonstrate the importance of the protein-protein interactions. Namely, in the first part a general aggregation dynamics model is formulated, and used to show that fragmentation crucially affects the efficiency of the self-assembly process of proteins. In the second part, by mapping the membrane-mediated forces into a simplified many-body system, the dynamic and equilibrium behaviour of interacting mechanosensitive channels is derived, showing that protein agglomeration strongly impacts its desired function. The final part develops a model that incorporates both the agglomeration and transport function of the Tat system, thereby providing a comprehensive description of this self-organizing process.

Evolutionary biomechanics is the study of evolution through the analysis of biomechanical systems. Its unique advantage is the precision with which physical constraints and performance can be predicted from first principles. Instead of reviewing the entire breadth of the biomechanical literature, a few key examples are explored in depth as vehicles for discussing fundamental concepts, analytical techniques, and evolutionary theory. Each chapter develops a conceptual theme, developing the underlying theory and techniques required for analyses in evolutionary biomechanics. Examples from terrestrial biomechanics, metabolic scaling, and bird flight are used to analyse how physics constrains the design space that natural selection is free to explore, and how adaptive evolution finds solutions to the trade-offs between multiple complex conflicting performance objectives. Evolutionary Biomechanics is suitable for graduate level students and professional researchers in the fields of biomechanics, physiology, evolutionary biology and palaeontology. It will also be of relevance and use to researchers in the physical sciences and engineering.

The book is divided in 4 parts. In the first one, the importance of the analysis of the cardiac dynamics using the ambulatory monitoring technique is presented. The second part contains the description of foundations of impedance cardiography (ICG), the models used to describe the ICG technique and the description of available systems for ambulatory monitoring of cardiac hemodynamics. The third part is devoted to the validation of the ambulatory ICG method, the verification of the quality of long term ICG recordings and the discussion of the limitations of this technique. In the last part, some clinical and research applications of the ICG ambulatory monitoring are presented. The simultaneous recordings of electrocardiogram (ECG) and ICG in the transient cardiac arrhythmia events illustrate the potential applications of that method for quantitative analysis of hemodynamics when the implementation of the stationary methods would be either difficult or not possible to do. The book is followed by references, alphabetical index and appendices containing the technical data of the available systems for portable monitoring of cardiac hemodynamics.

This book reports the majority of lectures given during the NATO Advanced Study Institute ASI-982996, which was held at the European Scientific Institute of Archamps (ESI, Archamps - France) from November 15 to November 27, 2007. The ASI course was structured in two parts: the first was dedicated to what is often called "teletherapy", i. e. radiotherapy with external beams, while the second focused on internal radiotherapy, also called "brachytherapy" or "curietherapy" in honour of Madame Curie who initiated the technique about a century ago. This ASI took place after the European School of Medical Physics, which devoted a 3 week period to medical imaging, a subject complementary to the topics of this book. Courses devoted to nuclear medicine and digital imaging techniques are collected in two volumes of the NATO Science Series entitled "Physics for Medical Imaging Applications" (ISBN 978-1-4020-5650-5) and "Molecular imaging: computer reconstruction and practice" (ISBN 978-1-4020- 8751-6). Every year in autumn ESI organises the European School of Medical Physics, which covers a large spectrum of topics ranging from Medical Imaging to Radiotherapy, over a period of 5 weeks. Thanks to the Cooperative Science and Technology sub-programme of the NATO Science Division, weeks four and five were replaced this year by the ASI course dedicated to "Physics of Modern Radiotherapy & Brachytherapy". This allowed the participation of experts and students from 20 different countries, with diverse cultural background and p- fessional experience.

This book addresses the possibilities and challenges in mimicking biological membranes and creating membrane-based sensor and separation devices. Recent advances in developing biomimetic membranes for technological applications will be presented with focus on the use of integral membrane protein mediated transport for sensing and separation. It describes the fundamentals of biosensing as well as separation and shows how the two processes are working in a cooperative manner in biological systems. Biomimetics is a truly cross-disciplinary approach and this is exemplified using the process of forward osmosis will be presented as an illustration of how advances in membrane technology may be directly stimulated by an increased understanding of biological membrane transport. In the development of a biomimetic sensor/separation technology, both channels (ion and water channels) and carriers (transporters) are important. An ideal sensor/separation device requires the supporting biomimetic matrix to be virtually impermeable to anything but the solute in question. In practice, however, a biomimetic support matrix will generally have finite permeabilities to water, electrolytes, and non-electrolytes. These non-protein mediated membrane transport contributions will be presented and the implications for biomimetic device construction will be discussed. New developments in our understanding of the reciprocal coupling between the material properties of the biomimetic matrix and the embedded proteins will be presented and strategies for inducing biomimetic matrix stability will be discussed. Once reconstituted in its final host biomimetic matrix the protein stability also needs to be maintained and controlled. Beta-barrel proteins exemplified by the E. Coli outer membrane channels or small peptides are inherently more stable than alpha-helical bundle proteins which may require additional stabilizing modifications. The challenges associated with insertion and stabilization of alpha-helical bundle proteins including many carriers and ligand and voltage gated ion (and water) channels will be discussed and exemplified using the aquaporin protein. Many biomimetic membrane applications require that the final device can be used in the macroscopic realm. Thus a biomimetic separation device must have the ability to process hundred of liters of permeate in hours - effectively demanding square-meter size membranes. Scalability is a general issue for all nano-inspired technology developments and will be addressed here in the context biomimetic membrane array fabrication. Finally a robust working biomimetic device based on membrane transport must be encapsulated and protected yet allowing massive transport though the encapsulation material. This challenge will be discussed using microfluidic design strategies as examples of how to use microfluidic systems to create and encapsulate biomimetic membranes. The book provides an overview of what is known in the field, where additional research is needed, and where the field is heading.

Increasing interest in mitochondrial bioenergetics is being driven by the impact of drug and environmental chemical-induced disturbances of mitochondrial function as well as hereditary deficiencies and the progressive deterioration of bioenergetic performance with age. These initiatives have fostered the investigation of genetic and environmental influences on bioenergetics. In Mitochondrial Bioenergetics: Methods and Protocols, researchers in the field detail the practical principles and assays designed to derive quantitative assessment of each set of parameters that reflect different aspects of mitochondrial bioenergetics. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology (TM) series format, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and key tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls Authoritative and practical, Mitochondrial Bioenergetics: Methods and Protocols helps elevate the quality and rate of investigative discoveries regarding disease states associated with environmental or genetic influences on mitochondrial bioenergetics.

Together, the volumes in this series present all of the data needed at various length scales for a multidisciplinary approach to modeling and simulation of flows in the cardiovascular and ventilatory systems, especially multiscale modeling and coupled simulations. The cardiovascular and respiratory systems are tightly coupled, as their primary function is to supply oxygen to and remove carbon dioxide from the body's cells. Because physiological conduits have deformable and reactive walls, macroscopic flow behavior and prediction must be coupled to nano- and microscopic events in a corrector scheme of regulated mechanism. Therefore, investigation of flows of blood and air in anatomical conduits requires an understanding of the biology, chemistry, and physics of these systems together with the mathematical tools to describe their functioning in quantitative terms. The present volume focuses on macroscopic aspects of the cardiovascular and respiratory systems in pathological conditions, i.e., diseases of the cardiac pump, blood vessels, and airways, as well as their treatments. Only diseases that have a mechanical origin or are associated with mechanical disorders are covered. Local flow disturbances can trigger pathophysiological processes or, conversely, result from diseases of conduit walls or their environment. The ability to model these phenomena is essential to the development and manufacturing of medical devices, which incorporate a stage of numerical tests in addition to experimental procedures.

Optical screening of excessive and potentially harmful solar radiation is an important photoprotective mechanism, though it has received much less attention in comparison with other systems preventing photooxidative damage to photoautotrophic organisms. This photoprotection in the form of screening appears to be especially important for juvenile and senescing plants as well as under environmental stresses-i.e. in situations where the efficiency of enzymatic ROS elimination, DNA repair and other classical' photoprotective systems could be impaired. This book represents an attempt to develop an integral view of optical screening-based photoprotection in microalgae and higher plants. Towards this end, the key groups of pigments involved in the screening of ultraviolet and visible components of solar radiation in microalgae and higher plants, and the patterns of their accumulation and distribution within plant cells and tissues, are described. Special attention is paid to the manifestations of screening pigment accumulation in the optical spectra of plants. It is also demonstrated that understanding these effects and their relationships to screening pigments' makeup and spectroscopy in plants provides valuable insights into the state of plants' long-term photoacclimation, as well as ample opportunities for the non-destructive quantification of screening pigments and the assessment of the efficiency of photoprotection providing by these pigments in situ.

This book serves as an introduction to the continuum mechanics and mathematical modeling of complex fluids in living systems. The form and function of living systems are intimately tied to the nature of surrounding fluid environments, which commonly exhibit nonlinear and history dependent responses to forces and displacements. With ever-increasing capabilities in the visualization and manipulation of biological systems, research on the fundamental phenomena, models, measurements, and analysis of complex fluids has taken a number of exciting directions. In this book, many of the world's foremost experts explore key topics such as: Macro- and micro-rheological techniques for measuring the material properties of complex biofluids and the subtleties of data interpretation Experimental observations and rheology of complex biological materials, including mucus, cell membranes, the cytoskeleton, and blood The motility of microorganisms in complex fluids and the dynamics of active suspensions Challenges and solutions in the numerical simulation of biologically relevant complex fluid flows This volume will be accessible to advanced undergraduate and beginning graduate students in engineering, mathematics, biology, and the physical sciences, but will appeal to anyone interested in the intricate and beautiful nature of complex fluids in the context of living systems.

This monograph describes metabolic and transport reactions of muscle cells using the laws of chemical thermodynamics. In particular, the thermodynamics of irreversible processes are used to formulate coupled reactions and their outcome on steady state cycling. The effects of ATP cycling on energy metabolism and heat production is described. The results of mathematical simulations of metabolism are used to underline theoretical approaches.

This book describes the fabrication of a frequency-based electronic tongue using a modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE), opening a new field of applying organic precursors to achieve nanostructure growth. It also presents a new approach to optimizing nanostructures by means of statistical analysis. The chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method was utilized to grow vertically aligned carbon nanotubes (CNTs) with various aspect ratios. To increase the graphitic ratio of synthesized CNTs, sequential experimental strategies based on response surface methodology were employed to investigate the crystallinity of CNTs. In the next step, glucose oxidase (GOx) was immobilized on the optimized multiwall carbon nanotubes/gelatin (MWCNTs/Gl) composite using the entrapment technique to achieve enzyme-catalyzed oxidation of glucose at anodic potentials, which was drop-casted onto the GCE. The modified GCE's performance indicates that a GOx/MWCNTs/Gl/GC electrode can be utilized as a glucose biosensor with a high direct electron transfer rate between GOx and MWCNTs/Gl. It was possible to use the fabricated biosensor as an electronic tongue thanks to a frequency-based circuit attached to the electrochemical cell. The results indicate that the modified GCE (with GOx/MWCNTs/Gl) holds promising potential for application in voltammetric electronic tongues.

In this thesis single-molecule fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) spectroscopy was used to study the folding of a protein that belongs to the large and important family of repeat proteins. Cohen shows that the dynamics of the expanded conformations is likely to be very fast, suggesting a spring-like motion of the whole chain. The findings shed new light on the elasticity of structure in repeat proteins, which is related to their function in binding multiple and disparate partners. This concise research summary provides useful insights for students beginning a PhD in this or a related area, and researchers entering this field.

"Mechanobiology of Cell-Matrix Interactions" focuses on characterization and modeling of interactions between cells and their local extracellular environment, exploring how these interactions may mediate cell behavior. Studies of cell-matrix interactions rely on integrating engineering, (molecular and cellular) biology, and imaging disciplines. Recent advances in the field have begun to unravel our understanding of how cells gather information from their surrounding environment, and how they interrogate such information during the cell fate decision making process. Topics include adhesive and integrin-ligand interactions; extracellular influences on cell biology and behavior; cooperative mechanisms of cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions; the mechanobiology of pathological processes; (multi-scale) modeling approaches to describe the complexity or cell-matrix interactions; and quantitative methods required for such experimental and modeling studies.

This thesis describes an in-depth study of an indolizine-based fluorophore, from understanding of its structure-photophysical property relationship to its application as a useful biological reporter. Organic fluorophores have been extensively used in the field of molecular biology owing to their excellent photophysical property, suitable cell permeability, and synthetic flexibility. Understanding of the structure-photophysical property relationship of a given fluorophore often paves the road to the development of valuable molecular probes to visualize and transcribe biological networks. In this thesis, respective chapters deal with molecular design, organic synthesis, structure-property analysis, and quantum-mechanical interpretation of unexplored family of indolizine-based molecules. This systematic exploration has led to rational development of a new microalgae lipid droplet probe, colorful bioorthogonal fluorogenic probes, and a bright mitochondrial probe, working under live cell conditions. Harnessing the optical properties of a given fluorophore has been an important topic for a couple of decades, both in industry and in academia. This thesis provides useful insights for the improvement and development of unique small fluorescent materials, or optical materials.

Driven in part by the development of genomics, proteomics, and bioinformatics as new disciplines, there has been a tremendous resurgence of interest in physical methods to investigate macromolecular structure and function in the context of living cells. This volume in "Methods in Cell Biology" is devoted to biophysical techniques "in vivo" and their applications to cellular biology. The volume covers methods-oriented chapters on fundamental as well as cutting-edge techniques in molecular and cellular biophysics. This book is directed toward the broad audience of cell biologists, biophysicists, pharmacologists, and molecular biologists who employ classical and modern biophysical technologies or wish to expand their expertise to include such approaches. It will also interest the biomedical and biotechnology communities for biophysical characterization of drug formulations prior to FDA approval.
* Describes techniques in the context of important biological problems
* Delineates critical steps and potential pitfalls for each method

This book covers topics on mechanosensing, mechanotransduction, and actin cytoskeletal dynamics in cell motility. It will contribute to a better understanding of how cells functionally adapt to their mechanical environment as well as highlighting fundamental concepts for designing material niches for cell manipulation. With topics from multidisciplinary fields of the life sciences, medicine and engineering, the book is the first of its kind, providing comprehensive, integrated coverage of innovative approaches to cell biomechanics. It provides a valuable resource for seniors and graduate students studying cell biomechanics and is also suitable for researchers interested in the application of methods and strategies in connection with the innovative approaches discussed. Each section of the book has been supplemented with concrete examples and illustrations to facilitate understanding even for readers unfamiliar with cell biomechanics.

This thesis sheds new light on the worldwide first electrical manipulation of a single nuclear spin. Over the last four decades, the size of a bit, the smallest logical unit in a computer, has decreased by more than two orders of magnitude and will soon reach a limit where quantum phenomena become important. Inspired by the power of quantum mechanics, researchers have already identified pure quantum systems, having, analog to a classical bit, two controllable and readable states. In this regard, the inherent spin of electrons or nuclei with its two eigenstates, spin up and spin down, is a promising candidate. Using expertise in the field of single-molecule magnets, the author developed a molecular transistor, which allows quantum information to be written onto a single nuclear spin by means of an electric field only, and, in addition, enables the electronic read-out of this quantum state. This novel approach opens a path to addressing and manipulating individual nuclear spins within a very confined space (a single molecule), at high speed. Thus, the author was able to show that single molecule magnets are promising candidates for quantum information processing, which is triggering a new field of research towards molecular quantum electronics.

This volume is a collection of articles from the ISSBMR 7th Course: Structure and Biophysics - New Technologies for Current Challenges in Biology and Beyond. This NATO Advanced Institute (ASI) was held at the Ettore Majorana Foundation and Centre for Scientific Culture in Sicily. The ASI brought together a diverse group of experts in the fields of Structural Biology, Biophysics and Physics. Prominent lecturers, from seven different countries, and students from around the world participated. The session addressed the treatment and detection of bioterrorism agents, and focused on critical partner country priorities in biotechnology, materials and drug discovery. The range of topics represents the diversity of critical problems between structural biology, biochemistry and biophysics, in which lies the fertile ground of drug development, biotechnology and new materials.

This interdisciplinary thesis introduces a systems biology approach to study the cell fate decision mediated by autophagy. A mathematical model of interaction between Autophagy and Apoptosis in mammalian cells is proposed. In this dynamic model autophagy acts as a gradual response to stress (Rheostat) that delays the initiation of bistable switch of apoptosis to give the cells an opportunity to survive. The author shows that his dynamical model is consistent with existing quantitative measurements of time courses of autophagic responses to cisplatin treatment. To understand the function of this response in cancer cells, he has provided a systems biology experimental framework to study quantitative and dynamical aspects of autophagy in single cancer cells using live-cell imaging and quantitative fluorescence microscopy. This framework can provide new insights on function of autophagic response in cancer cells.

This book describes how biologically available free energy sources (ATP, chemical potential, and membrane potentials, among others) can be used to drive synthetic reactions, signaling in cells, and various types of motion such as membrane traffic, active transport, and cell locomotion. As such, it approaches the concept of the energy cycle of life on Earth from a physical point of view, covering topics ranging from an introduction to chemical evolution, to an examination of the catalytic activity of enzymes associated with the genome in Darwinian evolution. The author introduces the relationship between functions and physical properties in biomembranes, explaining the methods and equipment used in biophysics research to help researchers unravel the still-unsolved mysteries of life. The physical principles needed to understand the cellular functions are provided; these functions are associated with biomembranes and regulated by physical properties of the lipid bilayer such as membrane fluidity, phase transition, and phase separation, as shown in lipid rafts. Other key dynamic aspects of life (cell locomotion, cytoskeletal dynamics, and sensitivities of the cell to physical stimuli such as external forces and temperature) are also discussed. Lastly, readers will learn how life on Earth and its ecological system are maintained by solar energy, and be provided further information on the problems accompanying global warming.

The model-based investigation of motions of anthropomorphic systems is an important interdisciplinary research topic involving specialists from many fields such as Robotics, Biomechanics, Physiology, Orthopedics, Psychology, Neurosciences, Sports, Computer Graphics and Applied Mathematics. This book presents a study of basic locomotion forms such as walking and running is of particular interest due to the high demand on dynamic coordination, actuator efficiency and balance control. Mathematical models and numerical simulation and optimization techniques are explained, in combination with experimental data, which can help to better understand the basic underlying mechanisms of these motions and to improve them. Example topics treated in this book are * Modeling techniques for anthropomorphic bipedal walking systems * Optimized walking motions for different objective functions * Identification of objective functions from measurements * Simulation and optimization approaches for humanoid robots * Biologically inspired control algorithms for bipedal walking * Generation and deformation of natural walking in computer graphics * Imitation of human motions on humanoids * Emotional body language during walking * Simulation of biologically inspired actuators for bipedal walking machines * Modeling and simulation techniques for the development of prostheses * Functional electrical stimulation of walking.

Mass spectrometry is fast becoming an indispensable field for medical professionals. The mass spectrometric analysis of metabolites and proteins promises to revolutionize medical research and clinical diagnostics. As this technology rapidly enters the medical field, practicing professionals and students need to prepare to take full advantage of its capabilities.
Medical Applications of Mass Spectrometry addresses the key issues in the medical applications of mass spectrometry at the level appropriate for the intended readership. It will go a long way to help the utilization of mass spectrometry in medicine.
The book comprises five parts. A general overview is followed by a description of the basic sampling and separation methods in analytical chemistry. In the second part a solid foundation in mass spectrometry and modern techniques of data analysis is presented. The third part explains how mass spectrometry is used in exploring various classes of biomolecules, including proteins and lipids. In the fourth section mass spectrometry is introduced as a diagnostic tool in clinical treatment, infectious pathogen research, neonatal diagnostics, cancer, brain and allergy research, as well as in various fields of medicine: cardiology, pulmonology, neurology, psychiatric diseases, hemato-oncology, urologic diseases, gastrointestinal diseases, gynecology and pediatrics. The fifth part covers emerging applications in biomarker discovery and in mass spectrometric imaging.
* Provides a broad look at how the medical field is benefiting from advances in mass spectrometry.
* Guides the reader from basic principles and methods to cutting edge applications.
* There is NO comparable book on the market to fill this fast growing field.

Nanoneuroscience is the study of computationally relevant biomolecules found inside neurons. Because of recent technological advances at the nanometer scale, scientists have at their disposal increasingly better ways to study the brain and the biophysics of its molecules. This book describes how biomolecules contribute to the operations of synapses and perform other computationally relevant functions inside dendrites. These biomolecular operations considerably expand the brain-computer analogy - endowing each neuron with the processing power of a silicon-based multiprocessor. Amazingly, the brain contains hundreds of billions of neurons.