The series Topics in Current Chemistry presents critical reviews of the present and future trends in modern chemical research. 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. Review articles for the individual volumes are invited by the volume editors. Readership: research chemists at universities or in industry, graduate students.

Physics, mathematics and chemistry all play a vital role in understanding the true nature and functioning of biological membranes, key elements of living processes. Besides simple spectroscopic observations and electrical measurements of membranes we address in this book the phenomena of coexistence and independent existence of different membrane components using various theoretical approaches. This treatment will be helpful for readers who want to understand biological processes by applying both simple observations and fundamental scientific analysis. It provides a deep understanding of the causes and effects of processes inside membranes, and will thus eventually open new doors for high-level pharmaceutical approaches towards fighting membrane- and cell-related diseases.

From quantum theory to statistical mechanics, the methodologies of physics are often used to explain some of life's most complex biological problems. Exploring this challenging yet fascinating area of study, Molecular and Cellular Biophysics covers both molecular and cellular structures as well as the biophysical processes that occur in these structures. Designed for advanced undergraduate and beginning graduate students in biophysics courses, this textbook features a quantitative approach that avoids being too abstract in its presentation. Logically organized from small-scale (molecular) to large-scale (cellular) systems, the text first defines life, discussing the scientific controversies between mechanists and vitalists, the characteristics of living things, and the evolution of life. It then delves into molecular structures, including nucleic acids, DNA, RNA, interatomic interactions, and hydrogen bonds. After looking at these smaller systems, the author probes the larger cellular structures. He examines the cytoplasm, the cytoskeleton, chromosomes, mitochondria, motor proteins, and more. The book concludes with discussions on biophysical processes, including oxidative phosphorylation, diffusion, bioenergetics, conformational transitions in proteins, vesicle transport, subcellular structure formation, and cell division.

A concise introduction to the physics of charged macromolecules, from the basics of electrostatics to cutting-edge modern research developments. This accessible book provides a clear and intuitive view of concepts and theory, and features appendices detailing mathematical methodology. Supported by results from real-world experiments and simulations, this book equips the reader with a vital foundation for performing experimental research. Topics include living matter and synthetic materials including polyelectrolytes, polyzwitterions, polyampholytes, proteins, intrinsically disordered proteins, and DNA/RNA. Serving as a gateway to the growing field of charged macromolecules and their applications, this concept-driven book is a perfect guide for students beginning their studies in charged macromolecules, providing new opportunities for research and discovery.

In the last decade, fluorescence microscopy has evolved from a classical "retrospective" microscopy approach into an advanced imaging technique that allows the observation of cellular activities in living cells with increased resolution and dimensions. A bright new future has arrived as the nano era has placed a whole new array of tools in the hands of biophysicists who are keen to go deeper into the intricacies of how biological systems work. Following an introduction to the complex world of optical microscopy, this book covers topics such as the concept of white confocal, nonlinear optical microscopy, fluctuation spectroscopies, site-specific labeling of proteins in living cells, imaging molecular physiology using nanosensors, measuring molecular dynamics, muscle braking and stem cell differentiation. Content Level Research

Why are we alive? Most things in the universe aren't. And if you trace the evolutionary history of plants and animals back far enough, you will find that, at some point, neither were we. Scientists have wrestled with this problem for centuries, and no one has been able to offer a credible theory. But in 2013, at just 30 years old, biophysicist Jeremy England published a paper that has utterly upended the ongoing study of life's origins. In Every Life Is on Fire, he describes, for the first time, his highly publicized theory known as dissipative adaptation. In any disordered system, matter clumps together and breaks apart, mostly randomly, without consequence. But some of the clumps that form are momentarily better at doing one specific job: dissipating energy. These structures are less likely to fall apart. Over time, they become better at both withstanding the disorder surrounding them and creating copies of themselves. From this deep insight, grounded in thermodynamics, England is able to isolate the emergence of the first life-like behaviors. Scientists have always thought that life began as a stroke of spectacular luck. But in fact, life may be inevitable, a product of the iron physical laws of the universe. England is both a world-class physicist and an ordained rabbi, and so his enquiry doesn't end with the physics of life. We ask questions like "How did life begin?" not just for the fun of scientific inquiry, but because we want a deeper understanding of who we are and why we're here. Even if physics can explain how life-like behaviors emerged, England doubts that reducing life down to the energy flows of a bunch of microscopic particles can ever give us a satisfying answer to what it means to be alive?. He believes that life is fundamentally a philosophical distinction, not a natural one. So before we can seriously look for life's physical origins, we must first make basic choices about what we think life means. This is something researchers often fail to recognize, and it is why, throughout In Every Life Is on Fire, England informs the premises of his theory with a careful exploration of what life is for. For anyone who reads this book, no matter their creed, In Every Life Is On Fire offers a rare work of popular science that explores not just what science does, but how it imbues our lives with meaning.

Methods in bioinspiration and biomimicking have been around for a long time. However, due to current advances in modern physical, biological sciences, and technologies, our understanding of the methods have evolved to a new level. This is due not only to the identification of mysterious and fascinating phenomena but also to the understandings of the correlation between the structural factors and the performance based on the latest theoretical, modeling, and experimental technologies. Bioinspiration: From Nano to Micro Scale provides readers with a broad view of the frontiers of research in the area of bioinspiration from the nano to macroscopic scales, particularly in the areas of biomineralization, antifreeze protein, and antifreeze effect. It also covers such methods as the lotus effect and superhydrophobicity, structural colors in animal kingdom and beyond, as well as behavior in ion channels. A number of international experts in related fields have contributed to this book, which offers a comprehensive and synergistic look into challenging issues such as theoretical modeling, advanced surface probing, and fabrication. The book also provides a link to the engineering of novel advanced materials playing an important role in advancing technologies in various fields.

This book provides the basis for understanding the elastic properties of nucleic acids (DNA, RNA), the methods used to manipulate them (e.g. optical, magnetic and acoustic tweezers and traps), and how to observe their interactions with proteins (e.g. fluorescence microscopy, FCS, FRET, etc.). It then exemplifies the use of these various methods in the study of three families of DNA enzymes: polymerases, helicases and topoisomerases. The book aims not to be exhaustive, but rather to stimulate the imagination of readers in the application of these single molecule approaches to the study of DNA/RNA and their interactions.

A best-selling resource now in its fifth edition, Paul Davidovits' Physics in Biology and Medicine provides a high-quality and highly relevant physics grounding for students working toward careers in the medical and related professions. The text does not assume a prior background in physics, but provides it as required. It discusses biological systems that can be analyzed quantitatively and demonstrates how advances in the life sciences have been aided by the knowledge of physical or engineering analysis techniques, with applications, practice, and illustrations throughout. Physics in Biology and Medicine, Fifth Edition, includes new material and corresponding exercises on many exciting developments in the field since the prior edition, including biomechanics of joint replacement; biotribology and frictional properties of biological materials such as saliva, hair, and skin; 3-D printing and its use in medicine; new materials in dentistry; microfluidics and its applications to medicine; health, fractals, and the second law of thermodynamics; bioelectronic medicine; microsensors in medicine; role of myelin in learning, cryoelectron microscopy; clinical uses of sound; health impact of nanoparticle in polluted air. This revised edition delivers a concise and engaging introduction to the role and importance of physics in biology and medicine. It is ideal for courses in biophysics, medical physics, and related subjects.

Molecular biophysics is a rapidly growing field of research that plays an important role in elucidating the mysteries of life's molecules and their assemblies, as well as the relationship between their structure and function. Introduction to Molecular Biophysics fills a an urgent need for a text that provides students with the modern theoretical tools they need to understand life processes from a physical viewpoint.

The authors use a combination of biological information with physical models and theories to provide a rigorous description of biological structures. The theme throughout Introduction to Molecular Biophysics is the hierarchical organization of all living systems starting with single cells and building up to systems and organisms. The text begins by presenting the structural, biochemical, and biophysical properties of the building blocks of all living systems, along with their functions in living cells. The authors also review the structure and function of the living cell with emphasis on its organization and functional interdependence of the subcellular structures, along with the examination of the role of diffusion processes in cell functions. Following the discussion of single cell organization and function, the text covers the biophysics of tissues, organs, organisms, and viruses.

The text reviews numerous topics of relevance to the field of biophysics, ranging from peptide chains to DNA structure and function, cytoplasm, membranes, and motor proteins. In addition, since nonlinear physicists have developed new physical concepts that have been evaluated as a possible theoretical framework within which living systems can be better understood, the authors have provided three appendices that summarize the most important ideas and results involved in nonlinear physics, phase transitions, and diffusion. Introduction to Molecular Biophysics is richly illustrated and includes numerous examples, references, and experimental tools that make the book an outstanding text for upper-level and graduate students in biophysics, biology, and biochemistry.

The volumes in this authoritative series present a multidisciplinary approach to modeling and simulation of flows in the cardiovascular and ventilatory systems, especially multiscale modeling and coupled simulations. The cardiovascular and respiratory systems are tightly coupled, as their primary function is to supply oxygen to and remove carbon dioxide from the body's cells. Because physiological conduits have deformable and reactive walls, macroscopic flow behavior and prediction must be coupled to nano- and microscopic events in a corrector scheme of regulated mechanisms. Therefore, investigation of flows of blood and air in physiological conduits requires an understanding of the biology, chemistry, and physics of these systems together with the mathematical tools to describe their functioning.

Volumes1 and 2are devoted to cell organization and fate, as well as activities that are autoregulated and/or controlled by the cell environment.Volume 1examined cellular features that allow adaptation to environmental conditions.Volume 2begins with a survey of the cell types of the nervous and endocrine systems involved in the regulation of the vasculature and respiratory tract and growth factors. It then describes major cell events in the circulatory and ventilatory systems, such as cell growth, proliferation, migration, and death. Circadian cycles that drive rhythmic gene transcription are also covered."

The mechanical properties of cells can be used to distinguish pathological from normal cells and tissues in many diseases. This book will outline the physics behind cell and tissue mechanics, describe the methods which can be used to determine their mechanical properties, and present various diseases in which a mechanical fingerprint could be established. The book is designed to not require a background in either Physics or Life Sciences.

Does eating more carbohydrates, or fats, cause one to put on more weight? Are ketone bodies toxins or vital products that keep us alive during starvation? Does the concept of 'fat-burning exercise' hold true? In this game-changing book, Keith Frayn, an international expert in human metabolism and nutrition, dispels common misconceptions about human metabolism, explaining in everyday language the important metabolic processes that underlie all aspects of our daily lives. Illustrated throughout with clear diagrams of metabolic processes, Frayn describes the communication systems that enable our different organs and tissues to cooperate, for instance in providing fuel to our muscles when we exercise, and in preserving our tissues during fasting. He explores the impressive adaptability of human metabolism and discusses the metabolic disorders that can arise when metabolism 'goes wrong'. For anyone sceptical of information about diet and lifestyle, this concise book guides the reader through what metabolism really involves.

Physiology is a set of processes that maintain homeostasis, and physiological measurement is a means of observing these processes. Systems theory and signal processing offer formal tools for the study of processes and measured quantities. This book shows that systems modeling can be used to develop simulations of physiological systems, which use formal relations between the underlying processes and the observed measurements. The inverse of such relations suggest signal processing tools that can be applied to interpret experimental data. Both signal processing and systems modeling are invaluable in the study of human physiology. Discussing signal processing techniques ranging from filtering and spectrum analysis to wavelet analysis, the book uses graphs and analogies to supplement the mathematics and make the book more accessible to physiologists and more interesting to engineers. Physiological systems modeling helps in both gaining insight and generating methods of analysis. This book shows how numerical computation with graphical display, haptics and multimedia can be used to simulate physiological systems. In this third edition the simulations are more closely related to clinical examination and experimental physiology than in previous editions. Detailed models of nerve and muscle at the cellular and systemic levels, and simplified models of cardiovascular blood flow provide examples for the mathematical methods and computer simulations. Several of the models are sufficiently sophisticated to be of value in understanding real world issues like neuromuscular disease. The book features expanded problem sets and a link to extra downloadable material containing simulation programs that are solutions to the theory developed in the text.

Standing as the first unified textbook on the subject, Liquid Crystals and Their Computer Simulations provides a comprehensive and up-to-date treatment of liquid crystals and of their Monte Carlo and molecular dynamics computer simulations. Liquid crystals have a complex physical nature, and, therefore, computer simulations are a key element of research in this field. This modern text develops a uniform formalism for addressing various spectroscopic techniques and other experimental methods for studying phase transitions of liquid crystals, and emphasises the links between their molecular organisation and observable static and dynamic properties. Aided by the inclusion of a set of Appendices containing detailed mathematical background and derivations, this book is accessible to a broad and multidisciplinary audience. Primarily intended for graduate students and academic researchers, it is also an invaluable reference for industrial researchers working on the development of liquid crystal display technology.

A unique look at some of the hottest topics in photophysics and photochemistry today

The study of molecules in excited states has exploded over the past decade, providing new insights into conformational changes in organic molecules and opening up research opportunities for scientists and professionals in chemistry, physics, biology, medicine, and materials engineering.

Using conformational analysis as a unifying concept, this important new work provides readers with a cohesive and cutting–edge overview of this fascinating and challenging field. From conformational changes accompanying photoinduced electron transfer to elementary photophysical and photochemical processes in living systems, the most representative and challenging topics are carefully gleaned from the vast literature, highlighting major conceptual problems along with the relevant experimental techniques. Authoritative, detailed contributions from both experimentalists and theoreticians include coverage of:

• Conformational changes in intramolecular excited state electron transfer
• Conformational aspects of excited state proton transfer
• The novel topic of solute–solvent friction in chemical reactions
• Mechanisms and structural aspects of exciplex formations
• Conformational aspects of organic photochemistry
• Calculations of excited state conformational properties

Single Molecule Science (SMS) has emerged from developing, using and combining technologies such as super-resolution microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and optical and magnetic tweezers, alongside sophisticated computational and modelling techniques. This comprehensive, edited volume brings together authoritative overviews of these methods from a biological perspective, and highlights how they can be used to observe and track individual molecules and monitor molecular interactions in living cells. Pioneers in this fast-moving field cover topics such as single molecule optical maps, nanomachines, and protein folding and dynamics. A particular emphasis is also given to mapping DNA molecules for diagnostic purposes, and the study of gene expression. With numerous illustrations, this book reveals how SMS has presented us with a new way of understanding life processes. A must-have for researchers and graduate students, as well as those working in industry, primarily in the areas of biophysics, biological imaging, genomics and structural biology.

This book is an edited volume, the goal of which is to provide an overview of the current state-of-the-art in statistical methods applied to problems in structural bioinformatics (and in particular protein structure prediction, simulation, experimental structure determination and analysis). It focuses on statistical methods that have a clear interpretation in the framework of statistical physics, rather than ad hoc, black box methods based on neural networks or support vector machines. In addition, the emphasis is on methods that deal with biomolecular structure in atomic detail. The book is highly accessible, and only assumes background knowledge on protein structure, with a minimum of mathematical knowledge. Therefore, the book includes introductory chapters that contain a solid introduction to key topics such as Bayesian statistics and concepts in machine learning and statistical physics.

This textbook is a pedagogic introduction to a number of phenomena employing fluid mechanics. Beginning with basic concepts and conservation laws for neutral and charged fluids, the authors apply and develop them to understand aerodynamics, locomotion of micro-organisms, waves in air and water, shock waves, hydrodynamic and hydromagnetic instabilities, stars and black holes, blood flow in humans, and superfluids. The approach is to consider various striking topics on fluid mechanics, without losing necessary mathematical rigor. The book balances the qualitative explanations with formal treatment, in a compact manner. A special focus is given to the important and difficult subject of turbulence and the book ends with a discussion on turbulence in quantum fluids. The textbook is dotted by a number of illustrative examples, mostly from real life, and exercises. The textbook is designed for a one semester course and addresses students at undergraduate and graduate level in physics or engineering, who want to research in the fields as diverse as aeronautics, meteorology, cosmology, biomechanics, and mathematical physics. It is requested knowledge of an undergraduate level course on mathematical methods to better understand the topics presented here.

The modern biosciences make many new proteins available. Nevertheless the handling of these proteins is quite difficult due to problems with their stability. This collection gives - in the form of tables - protein stability data for various temperatures and solvents. These data are most useful for the development of protein folding and the improvement of biotechnological stability for applications of proteins.

This book presents concise descriptions and analysis of the classical and modern models used in mathematical biophysics. The authors ask the question "what new information can be provided by the models that cannot be obtained directly from experimental data?" Actively developing fields such as regulatory mechanisms in cells and subcellular systems and electron transport and energy transport in membranes are addressed together with more classical topics such as metabolic processes, nerve conduction and heart activity, chemical kinetics, population dynamics, and photosynthesis. The main approach is to describe biological processes using different mathematical approaches necessary to reveal characteristic features and properties of simulated systems. With the emergence of powerful mathematics software packages such as MAPLE, Mathematica, Mathcad, and MatLab, these methodologies are now accessible to a wide audience. * Provides succinct but authoritative coverage of a broad array of biophysical topics and models * Written by authors at Moscow State University with its strong tradition in mathematics and biophysics * Scope, coverage, and length make the book highly suitable for use in a one-semester course at the senior undergraduate/graduate level

Discover the fundamental principles of biomedical measurement design and performance evaluation with this hands-on guide. Whether you develop measurement instruments or use them in novel ways, this practical text will prepare you to be an effective generator and consumer of biomedical data. Designed for both classroom instruction and self-study, it explains how information is encoded into recorded data and can be extracted and displayed in an accessible manner. Describes and integrates experimental design, performance assessment, classification, and system modelling. Combines mathematical concepts with computational models, providing the tools needed to answer advanced biomedical questions. Includes MATLAB (R) scripts throughout to help readers model all types of biomedical systems, and contains numerous homework problems, with a solutions manual available online. This is an essential text for advanced undergraduate and graduate students in bioengineering, electrical and computer engineering, computer science, medical physics, and anyone preparing for a career in biomedical sciences and engineering.