Biosurfactants: Research and Development provides a thorough overview of biosurfactant research and development across a range of settings and industries, highlighting the novel use of enzymes, metabolic and genetic engineering in biosurfactant production and showcasing diverse experimental models and approaches. Sections discuss fundamental characteristics of biosurfactants, their physio-chemical properties, and their differences from chemically synthesize surfactants, different research approaches for the study of known biosurfactants, and the genetic manipulation of microorganisms to increase biosurfactant productivity, or to produce molecules with improved characteristics. Throughout the book, methods and approaches are discussed in easy-to-digest formats, with methods discussed, ranging from in silico approaches to classical biocatalysis omics analysis and metabolic engineering.

Neural field theory has a long-standing tradition in the mathematical and computational neurosciences. Beginning almost 50 years ago with seminal work by Griffiths and culminating in the 1970ties with the models of Wilson and Cowan, Nunez and Amari, this important research area experienced a renaissance during the 1990ties by the groups of Ermentrout, Robinson, Bressloff, Wright and Haken. Since then, much progress has been made in both, the development of mathematical and numerical techniques and in physiological refinement und understanding. In contrast to large-scale neural network models described by huge connectivity matrices that are computationally expensive in numerical simulations, neural field models described by connectivity kernels allow for analytical treatment by means of methods from functional analysis. Thus, a number of rigorous results on the existence of bump and wave solutions or on inverse kernel construction problems are nowadays available. Moreover, neural fields provide an important interface for the coupling of neural activity to experimentally observable data, such as the electroencephalogram (EEG) or functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). And finally, neural fields over rather abstract feature spaces, also called dynamic fields, found successful applications in the cognitive sciences and in robotics. Up to now, research results in neural field theory have been disseminated across a number of distinct journals from mathematics, computational neuroscience, biophysics, cognitive science and others. There is no comprehensive collection of results or reviews available yet. With our proposed book Neural Field Theory, we aim at filling this gap in the market. We received consent from some of the leading scientists in the field, who are willing to write contributions for the book, among them are two of the founding-fathers of neural field theory: Shun-ichi Amari and Jack Cowan.

Wearable Systems Based Gait Monitoring and Analysis provides a thorough overview of wearable gait monitoring techniques and their use in health analysis. The text starts with an examination of the relationship between the human body's physical condition and gait, and then introduces and explains nine mainstream sensing mechanisms, including piezoresistive, resistive, capacitive, piezoelectric, inductive, optical, air pressure, EMG and IMU-based architectures. Gait sensor design considerations in terms of geometry and deployment are also introduced. Diverse processing algorithms for manipulating sensors outputs to transform raw data to understandable gait features are discussed. Furthermore, gait analysis-based health monitoring demonstrations are given at the end of this book, including both medical and occupational applications. The book will enable students of biomedical engineering, electrical engineering, signal processing, and ergonomics and practitioners to understand the medical and occupational applications of engineering-based gait analysis and falling injury prevention methods.

This book has developed over the past fifteen years from a modern course on stochastic chemical kinetics for graduate students in physics, chemistry and biology. The first part presents a systematic collection of the mathematical background material needed to understand probability, statistics, and stochastic processes as a prerequisite for the increasingly challenging practical applications in chemistry and the life sciences examined in the second part. Recent advances in the development of new techniques and in the resolution of conventional experiments at nano-scales have been tremendous: today molecular spectroscopy can provide insights into processes down to scales at which current theories at the interface of physics, chemistry and the life sciences cannot be successful without a firm grasp of randomness and its sources. Routinely measured data is now sufficiently accurate to allow the direct recording of fluctuations. As a result, the sampling of data and the modeling of relevant processes are doomed to produce artifacts in interpretation unless the observer has a solid background in the mathematics of limited reproducibility. The material covered is presented in a modular approach, allowing more advanced sections to be skipped if the reader is primarily interested in applications. At the same time, most derivations of analytical solutions for the selected examples are provided in full length to guide more advanced readers in their attempts to derive solutions on their own. The book employs uniform notation throughout, and a glossary has been added to define the most important notions discussed.

Protein Physics: A Course of Lectures covers the most general problems of protein structure, folding and function. It describes key experimental facts and introduces concepts and theories, dealing with fibrous, membrane, and water-soluble globular proteins, in both their native and denatured states. The book systematically summarizes and presents the results of several decades of worldwide fundamental research on protein physics, structure, and folding, describing many physical models that help readers make estimates and predictions of physical processes that occur in proteins. New to this revised edition is the inclusion of novel information on amyloid aggregation, natively disordered proteins, protein folding in vivo, protein motors, misfolding, chameleon proteins, advances in protein engineering & design, and advances in the modeling of protein folding. Further, the book provides problems with solutions, many new and updated references, and physical and mathematical appendices. In addition, new figures (including stereo drawings, with a special appendix showing how to use them) are added, making this an ideal resource for graduate and advanced undergraduate students and researchers in academia in the fields of biophysics, physics, biochemistry, biologists, biotechnology, and chemistry.

This highly interdisciplinary thesis reports on two innovative photonic biosensors that combine multiple simultaneous measurements to provide unique insights into the activity and structure of surface immobilized biological molecules. In addition, it presents a new silicon photonic biosensor that exploits two cascaded resonant sensors to provide two independent measurements of a biological layer immobilized on the surface. By combining these two measurements, it is possible to unambiguously quantify the density and thickness of the molecular layer; here, the approach's ability to study molecular conformation and conformational changes in real time is demonstrated. The electrophotonic biosensor integrates silicon photonics with electrochemistry into a single technology. This multi-modal biosensor provides a number of unique capabilities that extend the functionality of conventional silicon photonics. For example, by combining the complementary information revealed by simultaneous electrochemical and photonic measurements, it is possible to provide unique insights into on-surface electrochemical processes. Furthermore, the ability to create electrochemical reactions directly on the silicon surface provides a novel approach for engineering the chemical functionality of the photonic sensors. The electrophotonic biosensor thus represents a critical advance towards the development of very high-density photonic sensor arrays for multiplexed diagnostics.

This book describes fundamental physical principles, together with their mathematical formulations, for modelling the propagation of signals in nerve fibres. Above all, it focuses on the complex electro-mechano-thermal process that produces an ensemble of waves composed of several components, besides the action potential. These components include mechanical waves in the biomembrane and axoplasm, together with the temperature change. Pursuing a step-by-step approach, the content moves from physics and mathematics, to describing the physiological effects, and finally to modelling the coupling effects. The assumptions and hypotheses used for modelling, as well as selected helpful concepts from continuum mechanics, are systematically explained, and the modelling is illustrated using the outcomes of numerical simulation. The book is chiefly intended for researchers and graduate students, providing them with a detailed description of how to model the complex physiological processes in nerve fibres.

Macroscopic cellular structures and functions are generally investigated using biological and biochemical approaches. But these methods are no longer adequate when one needs to penetrate deep into the small-scale structures and understand their functions. The cell is found to hold various physical structures, molecular machines, and processes that require physical and mathematical approaches to understand and indeed manipulate them. Disorders in general cellular compartments, perturbations in single molecular structures, drug distribution therein, and target specific drug-binding, etc. are mostly physical phenomena. This book will show how biophysics has revolutionized our way of addressing the science and technology of nanoscale structures of cells, and also describes the potential for manipulating the events that occur in them.

The interplay between synchronization and spatio-temporal pattern formation is central for a broad variety of phenomena in nature, such as the coordinated contraction of heart tissue, associative memory and learning in neural networks, and pathological synchronization during Parkinson disease or epilepsy. In this thesis, three open puzzles of fundametal research in Nonlinear Dynamics are tackled: How does spatial confinement affect the dynamics of three-dimensional vortex rings? What role do permutation symmetries play in the spreading of excitation waves on networks? Does the spiral wave chimera state really exist? All investigations combine a theoretical approach and experimental verification, which exploit an oscillatory chemical reaction. A novel experimental setup is developed that allows for studying networks with N > 1000 neuromorphic relaxation oscillators. It facilitates the free choice of network topology, coupling function as well as its strength, range and time delay, which can even be chosen as time-dependent. These experimental capabilities open the door to a broad range of future experimental inquiries into pattern formation and synchronization on large networks, which were previously out of reach.

Quorum sensing (QS) describes a chemical communication behavior that is nearly universal among bacteria. Individual cells release a diffusible small molecule (an autoinducer) into their environment. A high concentration of this autoinducer serves as a signal of high population density, triggering new patterns of gene expression throughout the population. However QS is often much more complex than this simple census-taking behavior. Many QS bacteria produce and detect multiple autoinducers, which generate quorum signal cross talk with each other and with other bacterial species. QS gene regulatory networks respond to a range of physiological and environmental inputs in addition to autoinducer signals. While a host of individual QS systems have been characterized in great molecular and chemical detail, quorum communication raises many fundamental quantitative problems which are increasingly attracting the attention of physical scientists and mathematicians. Key questions include: What kinds of information can a bacterium gather about its environment through QS? What physical principles ultimately constrain the efficacy of diffusion-based communication? How do QS regulatory networks maximize information throughput while minimizing undesirable noise and cross talk? How does QS function in complex, spatially structured environments such as biofilms? Previous books and reviews have focused on the microbiology and biochemistry of QS. With contributions by leading scientists and mathematicians working in the field of physical biology, this volume examines the interplay of diffusion and signaling, collective and coupled dynamics of gene regulation, and spatiotemporal QS phenomena. Chapters will describe experimental studies of QS in natural and engineered or microfabricated bacterial environments, as well as modeling of QS on length scales spanning from the molecular to macroscopic. The book aims to educate physical scientists and quantitative-oriented biologists on the application of physics-based experiment and analysis, together with appropriate modeling, in the understanding and interpretation of the pervasive phenomenon of microbial quorum communication."

Introduces a new way of looking at various important and fundamental phenomena in condensed matter from the perspective of microscopic theory Explores a new interface of quantum condensed matter physics and molecular biophysics, highlighting research potentialities Addresses the crucial questions surrounding these phenomena when they are mutually coexisting or competing in real condensed matter systems or materials, from both theoretical and experimental angles Deals with biological molecules and some of their properties and processes and discusses the modeling of these with the help of condensed matter physics and statistical physics Emphasizes fundamental concepts, particularly in condensed matter physics and making proper use of them

Dynamic light scattering is a new method for investigating macromolecular systems. The importance of the technique lies in its non-invasive character. It can be employed on extremely small fluid volumes, the instrumentation is relatively inexpensive and allows the rapid determination of diffusion coefficients as well as providing information on relaxation time distributions for the macromolecular components of complex systems. This volume is directed in part to the philosophy and current practice in dynamic light scattering. Single photon correlation techniques are introduced; a discussion of noise on photon correlation functions is given and data analysis in dynamic light scattering to polymer structure analysis is presented; and a comprehensive introduction to diffusing wave spectroscopy is given. Theoretical developments relating dynamic light scattering to the viscoelasticity of polymers in solution and in the bulk are described. A secondary aim of the work is to illustrate the widely varying fields in which the technique finds application. Chapters address multicomponent mixtures, polyelectrolytes, dense polymer systems, gels, rigid rods, micellar systems and the application of dynamic light scattering to biological systems.

This work studies the relaxation dynamics of molecules in both the gas and liquid phases after strong field ionization, using transient absorption in the soft X-rays. In particular, the thesis presents the first realization of time-resolved X-ray absorption spectroscopy in the spectral water window with a laser-based HHG source. These remarkable experiments were not only performed for isolated molecules, but also in liquids, for which the spectral coverage of the K-edges of C, N, and O are of primary importance for investigating biological molecules. The technique relies on the generation of high-order harmonics to further probe the electronic structure of molecules. Using the atomic selectivity of high energies and the temporal coherence of laser technology, we demonstrate the observation of the first stages of chemical transformation of matter in the gas and liquid phases.

Features * The first collective book combining accumulated knowledge and experience in the field of diabetes research using biophotonics. * Contributions from leading experts in the field. * Combines the theoretical base of the described methods and approaches, as well as providing valuable practical guidance and the latest research from experimental studies.

Biophysics is a rapidly-evolving interdisciplinary science that applies theories and methods of the physical sciences to questions of biology. Biophysics encompasses many disciplines, including physics, chemistry, mathematics, biology, biochemistry, medicine, pharmacology, physiology, and neuroscience, and it is essential that scientists working in these varied fields are able to understand each other's research. "Comprehensive Biophysics "will help bridge that communication gap.

Written by a team of researchers at the forefront of their respective fields, under the guidance of Chief Editor Edward Egelman, "Comprehensive Biophysics" provides definitive introductions to a broad array of topics, uniting different areas of biophysics research - from the physical techniques for studying macromolecular structure to protein folding, muscle and molecular motors, cell biophysics, bioenergetics and more. The result is this comprehensive scientific resource - a valuable tool both for helping researchers come to grips quickly with material from related biophysics fields outside their areas of expertise, and for reinforcing their existing knowledge.

Biophysical research today encompasses many areas of biology. These studies do not necessarily share a unique identifying factor. This work unites the different areas of research and allows users, regardless of their background, to navigate through the most essential concepts with ease, saving them time and vastly improving their understanding.The field of biophysics counts several journals that are directly and indirectly concerned with the field. There is no reference work that encompasses the entire field and unites the different areas of research through deep foundational reviews. Comprehensive Biophysics fills this vacuum, being a definitive work on biophysics. It will help users apply context to the diverse journal literature offering, and aid them in identifying areas for further research.Chief Editor Edward Egelman (E-I-C, Biophysical Journal) has assembled an impressive, world-class team of Volume Editors and Contributing Authors. Each chapter has been painstakingly reviewed and checked for consistent high quality. The result is an authoritative overview which ties the literature together and provides the user with a reliable background information and citation resource.

The most up to date book on the topic Suitable for use as a textbook Contains a systematic description of each technique it describes Covers a broad readership, including nanotechnology, biotechnology, biophysics, analytical chemistry, and chemical biology Provides a highly simplified tutorial protocol at the end of each chapter to help readers obtain hands-on experience

Electrophysiological methods are used at nearly all levels of biological research today. From basic science investigation to bringing new drugs to market, electrophysiology is an indispensable research technique that provides essential insights into cellular and molecular functions. This work is intended to be a practical guide for understanding and using contemporary electrophysiological manipulations and assays in brain research. New researchers attempting to learn electrophysiological techniques are confronted with a lack of adequate guiding resources. Currently, most electrophysiology-based research knowledge is passed on by experienced individuals to others within the same laboratory. But, this master-apprentice scenario has many inherent difficulties, as it is both a time intensive process and also leads to incomplete knowledge transfer, or even superstitious and maladaptive practices. Few external guiding resources exist for a budding researcher who wishes to gain the skills necessary to conduct responsible and competent electrophysiology research. Dr. Yan Dong, an expert in utilizing electrophysiological techniques for brain research with fifteen years of experience, and Peter Neumann hope this work can act as a concise and practical aid to remedy the current situation. This book will cover both basic methods and advanced techniques clearly and in depth, as well as the essential background and theory necessary to understand the methods. Additionally, this book also covers conventional and contemporary patch-clamp methods, experimental design, data collection and analysis, common pitfalls to avoid, important nuances, technical concerns, practical applications, and advice for teaching new researchers. Together, this represents a contemporary best-practices guide for collecting and interpreting electrophysiological data for brain research.

This book introduces recent progress in biological energetics from ATP hydrolysis to molecular machineries. The role of water is now recognized to be essential in biological molecular energetics. Although energetics is a rather distant field to many biologists, any working models for protein machineries such as protein motors, transporters, and other enzymes must be consistent with their energetics. Therefore, the book is intended to help scientists build systematic models of biomolecular functions based on three categories: (1) ATP hydrolysis reactions including ionic hydration and protonation-deprotonation of biomolecules, (2) protein-ligand/protein-protein interactions including hydration-dehydration processes, and (3) functioning mechanisms of protein machineries based on water functions.

Documents the confused early history of DNA, RNA and proteins - a transformative history of molecular biology like no other. Integrates the influences of biochemistry and genetics on the landscape of molecular biology. Chronicles the important discoveries, preconceptions and misconceptions that retarded or misdirected progress. Highlights major pioneers and contributors to molecular biology, with a focus on RNA and noncoding DNA. Summarizes the mounting evidence for the central roles of non-protein-coding RNA in cell and developmental biology. Provides a thought-provoking retrospective and forward-looking perspective for advanced students and professional researchers.

What do bird flocks, bacterial swarms, cell tissues, and cytoskeletal fluids have in common? They are all examples of active matter. This book explores how scientists in various disciplines, from physics to biology, have collated a solid corpus of experimental designs and theories during the last two decades to decipher active systems. The book addresses, from a multidisciplinary viewpoint, the field of active matter at a colloidal scale. Concepts, experiments, and theoretical models are put side by side to fully illuminate the subtilities of active systems. A large variety of subjects, from microswimmers or driven colloids to self-organized active fluids, are analysed within a unified perspective. Generic collective effects of self-propelled or driven colloids, such as motility-induced flocking, and new paradigms, such as the celebrated concept of active nematics in reconstituted protein-based fluids, are discussed using well-known experimental scenarios and recognized theories. Topics are covered with rigor and in a self-consistent way, reaching both practitioners and newcomers to the field. The diversity of topics and conceptual challenges in active matter have long hampered the chance to explore the field with a general perspective. This monograph, the first single-authored title on active matter, is intended to fill this gap by bridging disparate experimental and theoretical interests from colloidal soft matter to cell biophysics.

Generally, spontaneous pattern formation phenomena are random and repetitive, whereas elaborate devices are the deterministic product of human design.
Yet, biological organisms and collective insect constructions are exceptional examples of complex systems that are both self-organized and architectural.
This book is the first initiative of its kind toward establishing a new field of research, Morphogenetic Engineering, to explore the modeling and implementation of self-architecturing systems. Particular emphasis is placed on the programmability and computational abilities of self-organization, properties that are often underappreciated in complex systems science while, conversely, the benefits of self-organization are often underappreciated in engineering methodologies.
Altogether, the aim of this work is to provide a framework for and examples of a larger class of self-architecturing systems, while addressing fundamental questions such as
> How do biological organisms carry out morphogenetic tasks so reliably?
> Can we extrapolate their self-formation capabilities to engineered systems?
> Can physical systems be endowed with information (or informational systems be embedded in physics) so as to create autonomous morphologies and functions?
> What are the core principles and best practices for the design and engineering of such morphogenetic systems?
The intended audience consists of researchers and graduate students who are working on, starting to work on, or interested in programmable self-organizing systems in a wide range of scientific fields, including computer science, robotics, bioengineering, control engineering, physics, theoretical biology, mathematics, and many others.

A general systems theory model predicts quasiperiodic Penrose tiling pattern for the nested coiled structure of the DNA molecule in the chromosome resulting in maximum packing efficiency and unified whole fuzzy logic network architecture with ordered two-way signal transmission between the coding and non-coding (junk DNA) regions.Junk DNA are not redundant. Modification of the DNA base sequence structure at any location may have significant noticeable effects on the function of the DNA molecule as a whole. This book helps us understand the cooperative existence of individual components for optimum performance of the system.

Documents the confused early history of DNA, RNA and proteins - a transformative history of molecular biology like no other. Integrates the influences of biochemistry and genetics on the landscape of molecular biology. Chronicles the important discoveries, preconceptions and misconceptions that retarded or misdirected progress. Highlights major pioneers and contributors to molecular biology, with a focus on RNA and noncoding DNA. Summarizes the mounting evidence for the central roles of non-protein-coding RNA in cell and developmental biology. Provides a thought-provoking retrospective and forward-looking perspective for advanced students and professional researchers.

Nanosensors are innovative devices that exploit the unique properties exhibited by matter at the nanoscale. A growing and exciting field, nanosensors have recently spurred considerable research endeavors across the globe, driving a need for the development of new device concepts and engineering nanostructured materials with controlled properties. Nanosensors: Physical, Chemical, and Biological, Second Edition offers a panoramic view of the field and related nanotechnologies with extraordinary clarity and depth. Presenting an interdisciplinary approach, blending physics, chemistry and biology, this new edition is broad in scope and organised into six parts; beginning with the fundamentals before moving onto nanomaterials and nanofabrication technologies in the second part. The third and fourth parts provide a critical appraisal of physical nanosensors, and explore the chemical and biological categories of nanosensors. The fifth part sheds light on the emerging applications of nanosensors in the sectors of society, industry, and defense and details the cutting-edge applications of state-of-the-art nanosensors in environmental science, food technology, medical diagnostics, and biotechnology. The final part addresses self-powering and networking issues of nanosensors, and provides glimpses of future trends. This is an ideal reference for researchers and industry professionals engaged in the frontier areas of material science and semiconductor fabrication as well as graduate students in physics and engineering pursuing electrical engineering and electronics courses with a focus on nanoscience and nanotechnology. Key features: Provides an updated, all-encompassing exploration of contemporary nanosensors and highlights the exclusive nanoscale properties on which nanosensors are designed. Presents an accessible approach with a question-and-answer format to allow an easy grasp of the intricacies involved in the complex working mechanisms of devices. Contains clear, illustrative diagrams enabling the visualization of nanosensor operations, along with worked examples, end of chapter questions, and exhaustive up-to-date bibliographies appended to each chapter.

Covers research on lipid nanosystems for use in cancer therapy and diagnostics, including aspects from physiological barriers in cancer, strategies to overcome these barriers, classical therapeutic strategies, new therapeutic options, and hyphenated approaches for synergic treatments Includes contributions from experts in different topics such as cancer pathology and treatments, triggering strategies, targeting ligands, gene therapy Contains excellent figures illustrating research highlights taken from the latest and most interesting developments in the field of functional lipid nanosystems for cancer therapy