Key features: Organised and centred around analysis techniques, not traditional Mechanics and E&M. Presents a unified approach, in a different order, meaning that the same laboratories, equipment, and demonstrations can be used when teaching the course. Demonstrates to students that the analysis and concepts they are learning are critical to the understanding of biological systems.

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 book provides an introduction to the significant role of physics in evolution, based on the ideas of matter and energy resource flow, organism self-copying, and ecological change. The text employs these ideas to create quantitative models for important evolutionary processes. Many fields of science and engineering have come up against the problem of complex design-when details become so numerous that computer power alone cannot make progress. Nature solved the complex-design problem using evolution, yet how it did so has been a mystery. Both laboratory experiments and computer-simulation attempts eventually stopped evolving. Something more than Darwin's ideas of heredity, variation, and selection was needed. The solution is that there is a fourth element to evolution: ecological change. When a new variation is selected, this can change the ecology, and the new ecology can create new opportunities for even more new variations to be selected. Through this endless cycle, complexity can grow automatically. This book uses the physics of resource flow to describe this process in detail, developing quantitative models for many evolutionary processes, including selection, multicellularity, coevolution, sexual reproduction, and the Serengeti Rules. The text demonstrates that these models are in conceptual agreement with numerous examples of biological phenomena, and reveals, through physics, how complex design can arise naturally. This will serve as a key text on the part physics plays in evolution, and will be of great interest to students at the university level and above studying biophysics, physics, systems biology, and related fields.

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 II starts with ion channel taxonomy and features coverage of major ion channel families and describes the physiological role, structural components, gating mechanisms and biophysics, permeation and selectivity, regulation, pharmacology and roles in disease mechanisms. Channels in this volume include voltage-activated sodium, calcium and potassium channels, inward-rectifier and two-pore domain potassium channels, calcium-activated potassium channels, cyclic-nucleotide gated channels, pacemaker ion channels, chloride channels, the ligand-gated receptors activated by acetylcholine, glutamate, 5-HT3, GABA and glycine, acid-sensing channels, P2X receptors, TRP channels, store-operated channels, pressure-activated piezo channels, ryanodine receptors and proton channels. 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.

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.

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.

Key features: Organised and centred around analysis techniques, not traditional Mechanics and E&M. Presents a unified approach, in a different order, meaning that the same laboratories, equipment, and demonstrations can be used when teaching the course. Demonstrates to students that the analysis and concepts they are learning are critical to the understanding of biological systems.

Key features: Organised and centred around analysis techniques, not traditional Mechanics and E&M. Presents a unified approach, in a different order, meaning that the same laboratories, equipment, and demonstrations can be used when teaching the course. Demonstrates to students that the analysis and concepts they are learning are critical to the understanding of biological systems.

This book highlights the state-of-the-art research and discovery in the use of chitosan-based nanocomposites in biomedical applications, including the scope to which these novel materials have been incorporated by the community. It provides an exceptional insight into the strategies for the synthesis and chemical modifications of chitosan, characterization techniques, their use as anticancer agents, antimicrobial, antiviral, and antifungal agents, their role in the biomedical field, and applications in drug delivery, gene therapy, dentistry, orthopedics, etc. This book will also emphasize the challenges with previous signs of progress and way for further research, details relating to the current pioneering technology, and future perspectives with a multidisciplinary approach. Furthermore, it presents up-to-date information on the economics, toxicity, and regulations related to these novel materials.

This book describes new theories and applications of artificial neural networks, with a special focus on neural computation, cognitive science and machine learning. It discusses cutting-edge research at the intersection between different fields, from topics such as cognition and behavior, motivation and emotions, to neurocomputing, deep learning, classification and clustering. Further topics include signal processing methods, robotics and neurobionics, and computer vision alike. The book includes selected papers from the XIX International Conference on Neuroinformatics, held on October 2-6, 2017, in Moscow, Russia.

This book presents and discusses recent scientific progress on Cell and Stem Cell Engineering. It predominantly focuses on Biological, Physical and Technical Basics, and features new trends of research reaching far into the 21st century.

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.

Provides derivation of the models used for calculating the risk and hazard of central oxygen toxicity Improves oxygen diving procedures described in the US Navy Diving Manual Includes procedures applicable to undertaking nitrox dives in combination with oxygen dives Pitches the material at highest technology readiness levels i.e. 9 TRL Aims to increase tactical capabilities of conducting diving special operations

To understand the structures and dynamics of DNA and its interactions with ligands, a complete analysis of its confirmational flexibility is required. This volume and its companion, Volume 212 of Methods in Enzymology, collate in one source all the methods and approaches needed to achieve this goal.

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 volume discusses the latest analytical approaches used to sample defined molecular populations of metabolites via functional group derivatization, specialized chromatographic methods, and ionization techniques. Chapters cover key methods for sample introductions to the ion source, including direct flow, gas chromatography, liquid chromatography, and capillary electrophoresis. Chapters also explore non-targeted and targeted analyses, as well as the emerging field of metallomics. In the Neuromethods series style, chapters include the kind of detail and key advice from the specialists needed to get successful results in your laboratory. Cutting-edge and authoritative, Metabolomics is a valuable resource for students, researchers, practicing physicians and veterinarians, and administrators involved in the funding of research.

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 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.

This book provides tabular and text data relating to normal and diseased tissue materials and materials used in medical devices. Comprehensive and practical for students, researchers, engineers, and practicing physicians who use implants, this book considers the materials aspects of both implantable materials and natural tissues and fluids. Examples of materials and topics covered include titanium, elastomers, degradable biomaterials, composites, scaffold materials for tissue engineering, dental implants, sterilization effects on material properties, metallic alloys, and much more. Each chapter author considers the intrinsic and interactive properties of biomaterials, as well as their appropriate applications and historical contexts. Now in an updated second edition, this book also contains two new chapters on the cornea and on vocal folds, as well as updated insights, data, and citations for several chapters.

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 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.

This book presents state-of-the-art experimental and modelling techniques for skin biophysics that are currently used in academic and industrial research. It also identifies current and future challenges, as well as a growing number of opportunities in this exciting research field. The book covers the basics of skin physiology, biology, microstructural and material properties, and progressively introduces the reader to established experimental characterisation protocols and modelling approaches. Advanced topics in modelling theories and numerical implementation are also presented. The book focusses especially on: 1. Basic physiology, molecular biology, microstructural and material properties of the skin. 2. Experimental characterisation techniques for the skin (including imaging): in vivo and in vitro techniques and combination of those with in silico approaches. 3. State-of-the-art constitutive models of the skin: elastic, anelastic and mechanobiological formulations (e.g. growth, ageing, healing). 4. Applications: mechanics, damage, biological growth, healing, ageing and skin tribology. This book is addressed to postgraduate students in biomedical/mechanical/civil engineering, (bio)physics and applied mathematics, postdoctoral researchers, as well as scientists and engineers working in academia and industry engaged in skin research, particularly, if at the cross-roads of physical experiments, imaging and modelling. The book is also be of interest to clinicians/biologists who wish to learn about the possibilities offered by modern engineering techniques for skin science research and, by so doing, provide them with an incentive to broaden their outlook, engage more widely with the non-clinical research communities and, ultimately, help cross-fertilising new ideas that will lead to better treatment plans and engineering solutions.

This book provides an interesting snapshot of recent advances in the field of single molecule nanosensing. The ability to sense single molecules, and to precisely monitor and control their motion is crucial to build a microscopic understanding of key processes in nature, from protein folding to chemical reactions. Recently a range of new techniques have been developed that allow single molecule sensing and control without the use of fluorescent labels. This volume provides an overview of recent advances that take advantage of micro- and nanoscale sensing technologies and provide the prospect for rapid future progress. The book endeavors to provide basic introductions to key techniques, recent research highlights, and an outlook on big challenges in the field and where it will go in future. It is a valuable contribution to the field of single molecule nanosensing and it will be of great interest to graduates and researchers working in this topic.

This thorough book explores some of the most important methods and concepts affecting the quantitative analysis of the transport, targeting, and disposition of chemicals within cells, which in turn impact the macroscopic pharmacokinetics of chemical agents in the whole organism. The first half of the volume focuses on small organic molecules with drug-like characteristics, while the second half delves into the cellular pharmacokinetics of biologics and other macromolecules, including peptide therapeutics, cyclotides, antibodies, as well as nanoparticles, thus creating a comprehensive treatise that approaches cellular pharmacokinetics from the different perspectives of pharmaceutical scientists, chemical biologists, medicinal chemists, and protein engineers dealing with very different chemical agents spanning a wide range of sizes, physicochemical properties, and targeting mechanisms. Written for the Methods in Pharmacology and Toxicology series, chapters provide the kind of key detail and expert implementation advice that leads to excellent results in the lab. Synthetic biologists, biophysicists, and bioengineers are amongst the long list of scientists who could benefit from reading this book or from using it as a textbook. Authoritative and practical, Quantitative Analysis of Cellular Drug Transport, Disposition, and Delivery builds on a long history of drug development and the adding of quantitative methods at the cellular scale in order to inspire new approaches to drug development that are better able to take advantage of phenomena such as soluble-to-insoluble phase transitions or bispecific targeting, which could ultimately be exploited for the development of more effective drug delivery systems and therapeutic agents.