This book provides wide-ranging coverage of current developments in biomedical sensing based on photonic techniques. Biomedical sensing is a dynamic topic that promises to deliver much in the future evolution of medical diagnostics, delivering advanced tools for fundamental research in biology at the micrometre and nanometre scales. The book explores a variety of alternative physical and biological methodologies that have become available for application, such as plasmonic sensors and photonic crystal biosensors. At the same time, it addresses issues that potentially limit the capability of biomedical optical sensing techniques, while reviewing the state-of-the-art in biomedical optical sensing for the future work that will lead to near-universal applications of such techniques. Edited and written by leading experts in this domain, this book is ideal as a comprehensive manual for researchers and graduate students.

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 summarizes 20 years of work on the kinetics of blood-brain transfer and metabolism mechanisms in mammalian brain. The substances affiliated with these mechanisms include glucose, amino acids, monocarboxylic acids, and oxygen. These substances are important to energy metabolism and neurotransmission in the mammalian brain at rest and during activation.

To understand the processes addressed by these mechanisms, the book examines the kinetics of compartmentation and compartmental analysis, particularly as they relate to transporter, enzyme, and receptor function. Compartments are subsets of substances separated by transporters and receptors in membranes, and enzymes in cells.

This book is divided in six major chapters covering compartmental analysis, kinetic analysis of transport and metabolism, blood-brain transfer and metabolism of glucose, amino acids, and oxygen, and amino acid metabolism and interaction of amino acid metabolites with receptors.

This book relates to the analysis and the development of methods to for a nerve-machine interface. Peripheral nerves, both somatic and autonomic, carry signals related to control and the status of the organs. Nerves are made up of many fascicles, each surrounded by protective membranes. The goal is to provide a theoretical and experimental understanding of how one can recover neural signals from the various fascicles or selectively control the activation of these fascicles.

This book highlights the synthesis/fabrication of novel materials for different kinds of optical applications. It covers all aspects of optical applications starting from LED/Lasers, SERS, bio-sensing, bio-imaging and non-linear optical applications such as optical limiting, saturable absorbers etc. The book describes the development of novel materials and geometry as well as engineering of their size and shape for harvesting better optical properties. Nonconventional plasmonic materials and their fabrication are discussed apart from the conventionally employed noble metal based nanosystems. In addition, development of Novel materials/structures for biosensing /bioimaging /optical limiting are also covered.

Tens of thousands of different animal species live on this planet, having survived for millions of years through adaptation and evolution, which has given them a vast variety of structures and functions. Biomechanical studies of animals swimming and flying can aid understanding of the mechanisms that enable them to move effectively and efficiently in fluids . Based on such understandings and analyses, we can aim to develop environmentally friendly machines that emulate these natu ral movements. The Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992 agreed major treaties on biological diversity, addressing the comb ined issues of environmental protection and fair and equitable economic development. With regard to coastal environments, increasing biological diversity has begun to play an important role in reestablishing stable and sustainable ecosystems. This approach has begun to influence research into the behavior of aquatic species, as an understanding of the history of an individual aquatic species is indispensable in constructing an environmental assessment mod el that includes the physical, chemical, and biological effects of that species . From an engineering viewpoint, studying nature's biological diversity is an opportunity to reconsider mechanical systems that were systematically constructed in the wake of the Industrial Revolution. We have been accumulating knowledge of the sys tems inherent in biological creatures and using that knowledge to create new, envi ronmentally friendly technologies.

The development of a bio-engineered pacemaker is of substantial clinical and also scientific interest because it promises to overcome several limitations of electronic pacemakers. Moreover it may answer the longstanding question of whether the complex structure of the sinus node is indeed a prerequisite for reliable pacemaking, or simpler structures might work as well.

This book gives an overview of the current state-of-the-art of creating a bio-engineered pacemaker. It shows the approaches to develop of genetic and cell-based engineering methods suitable to implement them with safety and stability. It also illuminates the problems that need to be solved before bio-pacemaking can be considered for clinical use.

This book covers the fundamental aspects of fiber lasers and fiber amplifiers, and includes a wide range of material from laser physics fundamentals to state-of-the-art topics in this rapidly growing field of quantum electronics. This expanded and updated new edition includes substantial new material on nonlinear frequency conversion and Raman fiber lasers and amplifiers, as well as an expanded list of references inclusive of the recent literature in the field. Emphasis is placed on the nonlinear processes taking place in fiber lasers and amplifiers, their similarities, differences to, and their advantages over other solid-state lasers. The reader will learn the basic principles of solid-state physics and optical spectroscopy of laser active centers in fibers, the main operational laser regimes, and will receive practical recommendations and suggestions on fiber laser research, laser applications, and laser product development. The book will be useful for students, researchers, and professional physicists and engineers who work with lasers in the optical and telecommunications field, as well as those in the chemical and biological industries.

This book brings together a selection of papers by George Gerstein, representing his long-term endeavor of making neuroscience into a more rigorous science inspired by physics, where he had his roots. Professor Gerstein was many years ahead of the field, consistently striving for quantitative analyses, mechanistic models, and conceptual clarity. In doing so, he pioneered Computational Neuroscience, many years before the term itself was born. The overarching goal of George Gerstein's research was to understand the functional organization of neuronal networks in the brain. The editors of this book have compiled a selection of George Gerstein's many seminal contributions to neuroscience--be they experimental, theoretical or computational--into a single, comprehensive volume .The aim is to provide readers with a fresh introduction of these various concepts in the original literature. The volume is organized in a series of chapters by subject, ordered in time, each one containing one or more of George Gerstein's papers.

This book includes high-quality papers presented at the Second International Symposium on Computer Vision and Machine Intelligence in Medical Image Analysis (ISCMM 2021), organized by Computer Applications Department, SMIT in collaboration with Department of Pathology, SMIMS, Sikkim, India, and funded by Indian Council of Medical Research, during 11 - 12 November 2021. It discusses common research problems and challenges in medical image analysis, such as deep learning methods. It also discusses how these theories can be applied to a broad range of application areas, including lung and chest x-ray, breast CAD, microscopy and pathology. The studies included mainly focus on the detection of events from biomedical signals.

Bioelectronics is emerging as a new area of research where electronics can selectively detect, record, and monitor physiological signals. This is a rapidly expanding area of medical research, that relies heavily on multidisciplinary technology development and cutting-edge research in chemical, biological, engineering, and physical science. This book provides extensive information on the (i) fundamental concepts of bioelectronics, (ii) materials for the developments of bioelectronics such as implantable electronics, self-powered devices, bioelectronic sensors, flexible bioelectronics, etc, and (iii) an overview of the trends and gathering of the latest bioelectronic progress. This book will broaden our knowledge about newer technologies and processes used in bioelectronics.

This book highlights the use of LEDs in biomedical photoacoustic imaging. In chapters written by key opinion leaders in the field, it covers a broad range of topics, including fundamentals, principles, instrumentation, image reconstruction and data/image processing methods, preclinical and clinical applications of LED-based photoacoustic imaging. Apart from preclinical imaging studies and early clinical pilot studies using LED-based photoacoustics, the book includes a chapter exploring the opportunities and challenges of clinical translation from an industry perspective. Given its scope, the book will appeal to scientists and engineers in academia and industry, as well as medical experts interested in the clinical applications of photoacoustic imaging.

Introduces both optical microscopy and medical imaging with an emphasis on recurring themes such as resolution and contrast to reinforce understanding. Includes many illustrations and boxed material that give more detailed explanations. Features hands-on activities and experiments. Provides end-of-chapter problems for self-study. Offers supplementary online materials including a solutions manual.

Depite the rapid expansion of the field of biophysics, there are very few books that comprehensively treat specific topics in this area. Recently, the field of single molecule biophysics has developed very quickly, and a few books specifically treating single molecule methods are beginning to appear. However, the promise of single molecule biophysics is to contribute to the understanding of specific fields of biology using new methods. This book would focus on the specific topic of the biophysics of DNA-protein interactions, and would include the use of new approaches, including both bulk methods as well as single molecule methods. This would make the book attractive to anyone working in the general area of DNA-protein interactions, which is of course a much wider market than just single molecule biophysicists or even biophysicists. The subject of the book will be the biophysics of DNA-protein interactions, and will include new methods and results that describe the physical mechanism by which proteins interact with DNA. For example, there has been much recent work on the mechanism by which proteins search for specific binding sites on DNA. A few chapters will be devoted to experiments and theory that shed light on this important problem. We will also cover proteins that alter DNA properties to facilitate interactions important for transcription or replication. Another section of the book will cover the biophysical mechanism by which motor proteins interact with DNA. Finally, we will cover larger protein-DNA complexes, such as replication forks, recombination complexes, DNA repair interactions, and their chromatin context.

This text for students and researchers, takes an interdisciplinary approach to describing the chemistry and physics of materials, their biocompatibility, and the consequences of implantation of devices made of these materials into the human body. The reader is introduced to the principles of polymer science and the study of metals, ceramics and composites, and also to the basic biology required to understand the nature of the host-transplant interface. Topics covered in this book include the macromolecular components of cells and tissues, self-assembly processes, biological cascade systems, microscopic structure of cells and tissues, immunology, transplantation biology, and the pathobiology of wound healing. Topics covered in the materials science chapters include the structures and properties of polymers, metals, ceramics and composites, and the processes for forming materials as well as the pathobiology of devices. The final two chapters deal with tissue engineering and the relations between the biology of cells and tissue transplantation, and the engineering of tissue replacements using passaged cells.

Actin is one of the most widespread proteins in eukaryotic cells. This book and its companion ("Molecular Interactions of Actin. Actin Structure and Actin-Binding Proteins") provide an authoritative and opinionated view of the structure and function of this essential protein. Each section includes an historical perspective and a detailed commentary on actin protein chemistry, molecular and cell biology of actin. While some chapters review the body of knowledge of the subject, others contain new experimental data. This book will appeal to research scientists seeking contemporary overviews of actin-myosin interaction and actin-based regulation. Contributors include senior scientists as well as the new breed of younger scientists.

This book discusses fundamentally new biomedical imaging methods, such as holography, holographic and resonant interferometry, and speckle optics. It focuses on the development of holographic interference microscopy and its use in the study of phase objects such as nerve and muscle fibers subjected to the influence of laser radiation, magnetic fields, and hyperbaric conditions. The book shows how the myelin sheath and even the axon itself exhibit waveguide properties, enabling a fresh new look at the mechanisms of information transmission in the human body. The book presents theoretically and experimentally tested holographic and speckle-optical methods and devices used for investigating complex, diffusely scattering surfaces such as skin and muscle tissue. Additionally, it gives broad discussion of the authors' own original fundamental and applied research dedicated to helping physicians introduce new contact-less methods of diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the cardiovascular and neuromuscular systems into medical practice. The book is aimed at a broad spectrum of scientific specialists in the fields of speckle optics, holography, laser physics, morphology and cytochemistry, as well as medical professionals such as physiologists, neuropathologists, neurosurgeons, cardiologists and dentists.

This volume is compiled based on the proceedings of the 5th International Plant Cold Hardiness Seminar, which was held at Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, USA, August 5 to 8, 1996. Participants representing 16 nations and 22 U. S. states attended the seminar. Researchers came from major laboratories around the world involving plant cold hardiness research. The information compiled in this volume represents the state-of the-art research and our understanding of plant cold hardiness in terms of molecular biol ogy, biochemistry, and physiology. The 1996 International Plant Cold Hardiness Seminar was the fifth of the series; it was first held in 1977 at the University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, and since then has met every 5 years. The overall goal of this seminar series is to foster the exchange of ideas and research findings among the diverse groups of scientists studying freezing and chilling stresses from a wide variety of perspectives. This is the only international conference focus ing its programs entirely on low temperature stress in plants. In accordance with the tradi tion, the fifth conference focused on freezing and chilling stress of plants and covered various aspects of plant cold hardiness, including molecular genetics, biochemistry, physi ology, and agricultural applications. All contributors to this volume are eminent researchers who have had significant contributions to the knowledge of plant cold hardiness."

This book provides a selection of recent developments in scanning ion conductance microscopy (SICM) technology and applications. In recent years, SICM has been applied in an ever-increasing number of areas in the bioanalytical sciences. SICM is based on an electrolyte-filled nanopipette with a nanometer-scale opening, over which an electric potential is applied. The induced ion current is measured, which allows to directly or indirectly quantify various physical quantities such as pipette-sample distance, ion concentration, sample elastic modulus among many others. This makes SICM well suited for applications in electrolytes - most prominently for the study of live cells. This book starts with a historic overview starting from the days of the invention of SICM by Paul Hansma at the University of California at Santa Barbara in 1989. SICM is a member of the family of scanning probe microscopies. It is related to another prominent member of the family, atomic force microscopy (AFM), which has found application in almost any field of nanoscale science. The advantages and disadvantages of SICM over AFM are also outlined. One of the most effective and break-through applications of SICM nanopipettes is in electrochemistry. The different routes and applications for doing electrochemistry using nanopipettes are also discussed. In addition the book highlights the ability of SICM for surface positioning with nanometer precision to open up new vistas in patch clamp measurements subcellular structures. Finally the book presents one research area where SICM has been making a lot of contributions, cardiac research and the endeavors to combine SICM with super-resolution optical microscopy for highest-resolution joint topography and functional imaging.

This book provides cutting-edge, up-to-date research findings on the use of bionanocomposites in biodegradable and environmental applications, while also detailing how to achieve bionanocomposites preparation, characteristics, and significant enhancements in physical, chemical, mechanical, thermal properties and applications. This book on biodegradable and environmental properties of bionanocomposites provides a comprehensive and updated review of major innovations in the field of polymer-based bionanocomposites for biodegradable and environmental applications. It covers properties and applications, including the synthesis of polymer-based bionanocomposites from different sources biomaterials-based composites and tactics on the efficacy and major challenges associated with successful scale-up fabrication on bionanocomposites. It is an essential reference for future research in bionanocomposites as topics such as sustainable, biodegradable, and environmental methods for highly innovative and applied materials are current topics of importance. The book covers a wide range of research on bionanocomposite and their biodegradable and environmental applications. Updates on the most relevant polymer-based bionanocomposite and their prodigious potential in the fields of biodegradable and the environment are presented. Leading researchers from industry, academy, government, and private research institutions across the globe contribute to this book. Scientists, engineers, and students with interest in the most important advancements in the field of bionanocomposites involving high-performance bionanocomposites will benefit from this book which is highly application-oriented.

This book describes the current state of knowledge in the field of multi-scale ECM mechanics and mechanobiology with a focus on experimental and modelling studies in biomechanical characterization, advanced optical microscopy and imaging, as well as computational modeling. This book also discusses the scale dependency of ECM mechanics, translation of mechanical forces from tissue to cellular level, and advances and challenges in improving our understanding of cellular mechanotransduction in the context of living tissues and organisms.

The Textbook of Ion Channels is a set of three volumes that provides a wide-ranging reference source on ion channels for students, instructors, and researchers. Ion channels are membrane proteins that control the electrical properties of neurons and cardiac cells, mediate the detection and response to sensory stimuli like light, sound, odor, and taste, and regulate the response to physical stimuli like temperature and pressure. In non-excitable tissues, ion channels are instrumental for the regulation of basic salt balance that is critical for homeostasis. Ion channels are located at the surface membrane of cells, giving them the unique ability to communicate with the environment, as well as the membrane of intracellular organelles, allowing them to regulate internal homeostasis. Ion channels are fundamentally important for human health and diseases, and are important targets for pharmaceuticals in mental illness, heart disease, anesthesia, pain and other clinical applications. The modern methods used in their study are powerful and diverse, ranging from single ion-channel measurement techniques to models of ion channel diseases in animals, and human clinical trials for ion channel drugs. Volume III includes coverage of key ion channel regulators and their mechanisms, the role of ion channels working in concert in selected physiological systems, and examples of ion channel mutations and dysfunction in a selection of diseases. Chapters on ion channel regulation include splice variants, calcium-calmodulin regulation, regulation by G-proteins, and lipids. A selection of ion channels in physiological systems includes ion channels of the heart, ion channels in immune cells and their role in pancreatic beta cells and regulation of insulin secretion, and the role of channels in sperm and eggs. While disease mechanisms are integrated into the chapters of Volume II, Volume III offers special consideration of ion channels in epilepsy, cystic fibrosis, and pain syndromes. All three volumes give the reader an introduction to fundamental concepts needed to understand the mechanism of ion channels, a guide to the technical aspects of ion channel research, offer a modern guide to the properties of major ion channel families, and include coverage of key examples of regulatory, physiological, and disease roles for ion channels.