Biophysics, being an interdisciplinary topic, is of great importance in modern biology. This book addresses the needs of biologists, biochemists, and medical biophysicists for an introduction to the subject. The text is based on a one-semester course offered to graduate students of life sciences, and covers a wide range of topics from quantum mechanics to pre-biotic evolution. To understand the topics, only basic school level mathematics is required.

The first chapter introduces and refreshes the reader's knowledge of physics and chemistry. The next chapters cover various physico-chemical techniques used to study biomolecular structures, followed by treatments of spectroscopy, microscopy, diffraction, and computational techniques.

X-ray crystallography and NMR are dealt with in greater detail. The latter half of the book covers results obtained from applications of the above techniques. Some of the other topics dealt with are energy pathways, biomechanics, and neuro-biophysics.

This book focuses on energy metabolism and brain functions related to Cortical Spreading Depression of Leao (CSD), an important issue in brain pathophysiology. The first part of the book offers a comprehensive overview of the history and early research on CSD, and then discusses the recent advances in the technology used to map and monitor brain mitochondrial NADH redox state and other physiological functions during CSD. The chapters explore the connection between CSD and mitochondrial function under hypoxia, Ischemia and various drugs treatment, and provide a resource to scientists researching the development of CSD during various brain pathophysiological conditions. This book is essential to scientists and students working in the field of bioenergetics of the brain and various organs and tissues in the body. The use of this technology is also crucial and applicable in the neuroscience field.

Photonics of biopolymers discusses the processes of energy transformation in photoexcited proteins, nucleic acids, membranes and model systems. The author addresses, among other topics: Light absorption, screening and reabsorption; photometric studies of protein; energy transfer mechanics; fluorescent probes; photomodulation of enzymes, and photoactiviation. Much of the information stems from the author's own wide experience in the field.

This book basically involves the study of flight parameters, wing beat frequency, moment of inertia, and wing movements for developing various aerodynamic forces which have been calculated. The book is intended for biologists, physicists, nanotechnologists, and aerospace engineers. Resilin, an elastic polymer (4 ) which is present at the base of insect, plays a major role in Neurogenic and Myogenic insect flyers and influences the physiology of flight muscles. Leading edge vortex (LEV) is a special feature of insect flight. Insect wings have stalling angle above 60 degrees as compared to a man-made aeroplane stalling angle which is 16 degree. Reynolds number, the knowledge of LEV, and detailed study of moment of inertia help in developing flapping flexible wings for micro-aerial-vehicles. This book serves as an interface between biologists and engineers interested to develop biomimicking micro-aerial-vehicles. The contents of this book is useful to researchers and professionals alike.

This book provides a comprehensive overview of the structural, nanotribological and nanomechanical properties of skin with and without cream treatment as a function of operating environment. The biophysics of skin as the outer layer covering human or animal body is discussed as a complex biological structure. Skin cream is used to improve skin health and create a smooth, soft, and flexible surface with moist perception by altering the surface roughness, friction, adhesion, elastic modulus, and surface charge of the skin surface.

This book summarizes the recent advancements for biomechanics of injury and prevention in mechanism, application and developing frontiers. Biomechanics plays an important role in achieving safety, health, comfort, and a high quality of life by revealing injury mechanism and providing prevention methods. The book covers injury and prevention to the entire human body, from head to toe, including injury and prevention in sports, traffic, accident, clinic and so on. In addition, bionics prevention method inspired by woodpecker is also introduced. The book provides the reader with not only the mechanism of injury but also the advanced injury diagnosis, treatment, and prevention devices based on biomechanics.

The series Topics in Current Chemistry Collections presents critical reviews from the journal Topics in Current Chemistry organized in topical volumes. The scope of coverage is all areas of chemical science including the interfaces with related disciplines such as biology, medicine and materials science. The goal of each thematic volume is to give the non-specialist reader, whether in academia or industry, a comprehensive insight into an area where new research is emerging which is of interest to a larger scientific audience.Each review within the volume critically surveys one aspect of that topic and places it within the context of the volume as a whole. The most significant developments of the last 5 to 10 years are presented using selected examples to illustrate the principles discussed. The coverage is not intended to be an exhaustive summary of the field or include large quantities of data, but should rather be conceptual, concentrating on the methodological thinking that will allow the non-specialist reader to understand the information presented. Contributions also offer an outlook on potential future developments in the field.Chapters "Metal Peptide Conjugates in Cell and Tissue Imaging and Biosensing", "Luminescent Metal Complexes as Emerging Tools for Lipid Imaging" and "Determination and Imaging of Small Biomolecules and Ions Using Ruthenium(II) Complex-Based Chemosensors" are available open access under a CC BY 4.0 License via link.springer.com.

The book discusses the potential of higher-order interactions to model real-world relational systems. Over the last decade, networks have emerged as the paradigmatic framework to model complex systems. Yet, as simple collections of nodes and links, they are intrinsically limited to pairwise interactions, limiting our ability to describe, understand, and predict complex phenomena which arise from higher-order interactions. Here we introduce the new modeling framework of higher-order systems, where hypergraphs and simplicial complexes are used to describe complex patterns of interactions among any number of agents. This book is intended both as a first introduction and an overview of the state of the art of this rapidly emerging field, serving as a reference for network scientists interested in better modeling the interconnected world we live in.

The Pumps and Pipes collaboration and conference brings together energy, medicine, and higher education in a unique shared effort, exploring ideas and research common to these important fields and stimulating discussion and sharing technologies that can further the reach and goals of each individual area. The Proceedings explores the common attributes of oil and gas technology, computational sciences and cardiovascular medicine and probe the areas where there is room to cross-fertilize and develop research and commercial programs.

This open access book is only an introduction to show that radiation and radioisotopes (RI) are premier tools to study living plant physiology which leads to new findings. Who had ever imagined that we could see water in a plant? Who had ever imagined that we could see ions moving toward roots in solution? Who had ever imagined that we could see invisible gas (CO2) fixation and movement in a plant? These studies demonstrated for the first time that water, ions and gas can be visualized in living plants, which could be hardly seen by anyone before. This publication summarizes the results obtained by Nakanishi's lab in The Univ. of Tokyo, based on her original concept and her original tools or systems. It is useful for professional scientists, plant physiologist, and those studying plant imaging. The chapters demonstrates the innovative imaging work of the author, using radioactive tracers and neutron beam to follow the absorption and transport manner of water as well as major, minor, and trace elements in plants. Through these studies the author developed a real-time macroscopic and microscopic imaging system able to apply commercially available gamma- and beta-ray emitters. The real-time movement of the elements is now possible by using 14C, 18F, 22Na, 28Mg, 32P, 33P, 35S, 42K, 45Ca, 48V, 54Mn, 55Fe, 59Fe, 65Zn, 86Rb, 109Cd, and 137Cs. The imaging methods was applied to study the effect of 137Cs following 3/11 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant accident, which has revealed the movements of radiocesium in the contaminated sites.

This textbook explores the fundamental qualitative and quantitative aspects of human physiology. It approaches biological and physiological processes and phenomena from a quantitative perspective, revealing how physiological problems can be mathematically formulated starting from simple laws of physics. The book addresses a broad range of topics, including: the statics and dynamics of circulation; muscle and sarcomere force-length and force-velocity relations, together with their mechanisms and functional consequences; subdivisions and meaning of the heat produced by muscle; locomotion, statics and dynamics of respiration; diffusion of gases and acid base equilibrium; phonation; general functions of the kidney and of the different sections of the nephron; changes in clearance with a substance's plasmatic concentration; pH regulation and the kidney; Donnan's equilibrium and its consequences; and the Nernst equation. The book offers the ideal learning resource for students of human physiology courses in medicine and biomedicine, as well as biomedical engineering and biophysics graduate students. An elementary grasp of mathematics and physics is sufficient to understand the content.

This book reports on advanced theories and methods in three related fields of research: applied physics, system science and computers. It is organized in three parts, the first of which covers applied physics topics, including lasers and accelerators; condensed matter, soft matter and materials science; nanoscience and quantum engineering; atomic, molecular, optical and plasma physics; as well as nuclear and high-energy particle physics. It also addresses astrophysics, gravitation, earth and environmental science, as well as medical and biological physics. The second and third parts focus on advances in computers and system science, respectively, and report on automatic circuit control, power systems, computer communication, fluid mechanics, simulation and modeling, software engineering, data structures and applications of artificial intelligence among other areas. Offering a collection of contributions presented at the 2nd International Conference on Applied Physics, System Science and Computers (APSAC), held in Dubrovnik, Croatia on September 27-29, 2017, the book bridges the gap between applied physics and electrical engineering. It not only to presents new methods, but also promotes collaborations between different communities working on related topics at the interface between physics and engineering, with a special focus on communication, data modeling and visualization, quantum information, applied mechanics as well as bio and geophysics.

Imaging and Manipulating Molecular Orbitals celebrates the 60th anniversary of the first image of a single molecule by E. Muller. This book summarizes the advances in the field from various groups around the world who use a broad range of experimental techniques: scanning probe microscopy (STM and AFM), field emission microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, attosecond tomography and photoemission spectroscopy. The book is aimed at those who are interested in the field of molecular orbital imaging and manipulation. Included in the book are a variety of experimental techniques in combination with theoretical approaches which describe the spatial distribution and energies of the molecular orbitals. The goal is to provide the reader with an up-to-date summary on the latest developments in this field from various points of view.

This book will serve as an ideal guide to the relatively new and complex field of bioelectromagnetics for students and researchers interested in the interaction of biological systems and electromagnetic fields. Coverage details:(1) biological responses of human and animals, both in vivo and in vitro methodologies, to magnetic and/or electromagnetic field exposure, (2) characteristics of effective fields, (3) hypotheses to explain possible mechanisms of interaction between the fields and cells, and (4) induced current in ELF and induced heat in RF fields as key interaction mechanisms.

This book covers some fundamental aspects and frontiers in non-equilibrium physics and soft matter research. Apart from the basic knowledge on nonlinear statistic physics, dynamics, computer simulations, and main approaches and emerging systems in soft matter research, particular attention is devoted to new conceptual flexible functional materials and the enriching areas, such as silk meso-molecular materials, molecular gels, liquid crystals, flexible electronics and new types of catalysis, etc. One of the main characteristics of this book is to start with the structure formation dynamics and the correlation between the structures and macroscopic performance. This lays down the foundation for the mesoscopic materials design and functionalization. The book is intended for upper undergraduate students, graduate students, and researchers who are interested in soft matter researches. As one of main references, the basic principles and technologies of computer simulations and experimental methods adopted in soft matter research are also explained. Illustrations and tables are included in this book to improve the readability, and examples and exercises are added to help understanding.

The book highlights recent developments in human biometrics, covering a wide range of methods based on biological signals, image processing, and measurements of human characteristics such as fingerprints and iris or medical characteristics. Human Biometrics is becoming increasingly crucial in forensics security and medicine. They provide a solid basis for identifying individuals based on unique physical characteristics or diseases based on characteristic biomedical measurements. As such, the book offers an essential reference guide about biometry methods for students, engineers, designers, and technicians.

This contributed volume reviews the latest advances in all the new technologies currently developed for MagnetoEncephaloGraphy (MEG) recordings, as well as sensor technologies and integrated sensor arrays for on-scalp MEG. The book gives an account of the first MEG imaging studies and explores the new field of feasible, experimental paradigms of on-scalp MEG. This is an ideal book for engineers, researchers, and students in the neurosciences interested in MEG imaging.

This thesis describes lyotropic chromonic liquid crystals (LCLCs) with exotic elastic and viscous properties. The first part of the thesis presents a thorough analysis of the elastic and viscous properties of LCLCs as functions of concentration, temperature and ionic contents, while the second part explores an active nematic system: living liquid crystals, which represent a combination of LCLC and living bacteria. LCLCs are an emerging class of liquid crystals that have shown profound connections to biological systems in two aspects. First, the assembly process of the chromonic aggregates is essentially the same as DNA oligomers and other super-molecular assemblies of biological origin. LCLCs thus provide an excellent model system for studying physical properties such as the elasticity and viscosity of these supramolecular assemblies. Second, LCLCs are biocompatible, thus serving as a unique anisotropic matrix to interface with living systems such as bacteria. This thesis deepens our understanding of both aspects. The noncovalent nature of chromonic aggregation produces the unique viscoelasticity to be found in LCLCs, which differs dramatically from that of traditional LCs. Anisotropic interactions between LCLCs and bacteria lead to fascinating phenomena such as the deformation of LCLCs with a characteristic wavelength determined by the elasticity of the LCLCs and the activity of the bacteria, orientationally controlled trajectories of bacteria and visualization of 24 nm flagella motion.

This third edition overviews the essential contemporary topics of neuroengineering, from basic principles to the state-of-the-art, and is written by leading scholars in the field. The book covers neural bioelectrical measurements and sensors, EEG signal processing, brain-computer interfaces, implantable and transcranial neuromodulation, peripheral neural interfacing, neuroimaging, neural modelling, neural circuits and system identification, retinal bioengineering and prosthetics, and neural tissue engineering. Each chapter is followed by homework questions intended for classroom use. This is an ideal textbook for students at the graduate and advanced undergraduate level as well as academics, biomedical engineers, neuroscientists, neurophysiologists, and industry professionals seeking to learn the latest developments in this emerging field.Advance Praise for Neural Engineering, 3rd Edition: "A comprehensive and timely contribution to the ever growing field of neural engineering. Bin He's edited volume provides chapters that cover both the fundamentals and state-of-the-art developments by the world's leading neural engineers." Dr. Paul Sajda, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Electrical Engineering and Radiology, Columbia University "Neural Engineering, edited by Prof. He, is an outstanding book for students entering into this fast evolving field as well as experienced researchers. Its didactic and comprehensive style, with each chapter authored by leading scientific authorities, provides the ultimate reference for the field." Dr. Dario Farina, Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, London, UK "Neural Engineering has come of age. Major advances have made possible prosthesis for the blind, mind control for quadraplegics and direct intervention to control seizures in epilepsy patients. Neural Engineering brings together reviews by leading researchers in this flourishing field. Dr. Terrence Sejnowski, Salk Institute for Biolgical Studies and UC San Diego

This book describes the manipulation of molecular properties, such as orientation, structure, and dynamics, of small molecules and molecular clusters isolated in cold inert matrices by using unprecedentedly strong external electrostatic fields. Manipulation of molecules with controllable external forces is a dream of chemists. Molecules are inherently quantum-mechanical systems, control of which potentially can lead to quantum technology, such as quantum sensing and computing. This book demonstrates a combination of the ice film nanocapacitor method and the matrix isolation technique enabled the application of intense external dc electric fields across the isolated molecules and molecular clusters. Changes in molecular states induced by fields were monitored by means of vibrational spectroscopy. Also, the book presents manipulations of the inversion tunneling dynamics of ammonia molecule and the dislocation of acidic proton in hydrogen chloride-water complex. The book shows that the vibrational spectroscopy with the aid of unprecedentedly strong dc electric field can provide rich information on the electrostatic behaviors of molecules and molecular clusters, which underlie the understanding of intermolecular processes and molecular manipulation.

This volume is based on the proceedings of an Advanced Study Institute (ASI) sponsored by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) held October 1987 in Corfu, Greece. The Institute received financial support from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, U.S.A. Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute, U.S.A. Department of Energy, U.S.A. Deutsche Forschungs-und Versuchanstalt fur Luft und Raumfahrt e.v., Kaln, Germany The advent of the shuttle era is providing fresh impetus for large space ventures such as communication centers, solar power stations, astronomical observatories, orbiting factories, and space based radar. Such ventures will rely heavily on an extensive and prolonged human presence in space doing in-orbit construction, maintenance, and opera tion. Among the advantages of location in space are the near zero gravity environment, commanding location, and the reception of solar energy and astronomical signals unattenuated by the atmosphere. Central to long-term manned space missions are the problems associated with the effects of exposure to ionizing radiations on humans. Manned space mis sions in the past have encountered relatively benign radiation environ ments because of their very short duration and orbit configuration. However, crew stay time of up to a year has been recently achieved by the Soviet space program; and Mars missions lasting several years are under serious consideration."

This open access book describes modern applications of computational human modelling to advance neurology, cancer treatment, and radio-frequency studies including regulatory, safety, and wireless communication fields. Readers working on any application that may expose human subjects to electromagnetic radiation will benefit from this book's coverage of the latest models and techniques available to assess a given technology's safety and efficacy in a timely and efficient manner. This is an Open Access book.

This book highlights the applications of nanotechnology in modern medicine. Today we are living in a world of fast-changing behavior and lifestyles. Despite health and wellbeing are often pronounced and enforced, the diseases and illnesses are emerging in different forms, at an alarming rate. Protecting the mankind is becoming ever more challenging. In this backdrop, medicine needs new approaches and technologies to build the defenses. Nanotechnology is successfully confronting the situation. It does so in two avenues, namely, nanomaterials, and, nanodevices. Nanomaterials possess extraordinary properties that are utilized to confront bacteria and viruses, and for targeted drug delivery. Nanodevices can be maneuvered inside the human body to reach extreme locations. This book presents the latest developments in these areas.

In this book, the major paradigm-shifting discoveries made in the past century on key cellular nanomachines are described in great detail: their complex yet precise and elegant design and function, as well as the diseases linked to their dysfunction and the therapeutic approaches to overcome them. The major focus of this book is the "porosome" nanomachine, the universal secretory portal in cells. This is an ideal book for students, researchers, and professionals in the fields of nanoscience and nanotechnology.

This book covers novel and innovative technologies used in development, modeling, chemical/physical investigation and biomedical (in-vitro and in-vivo) trials of nanomaterials and nanocomposites. Novel methods for nanoparticle development and manufacturing are presented, as well as their safety and promising applications. In addition, the book highlights new frontiers in the use of metal / metal oxide nanoparticles, hierarchical nanostructures and organic coatings as sensors for detecting gases, inorganic and organic materials, including biosensors for bacteria and cancers. Organic nanoparticle composites for medical applications (tissue engineering, tissue replacement, regeneration, etc.), including hydroxyapatite NPs, are also covered, together with related in-vitro and preclinical investigations. In closing, the book shares recent findings on orthopedic and dental implant coatings using nanoparticles, their biological efficacy and safety.