Book Description

All living things rely on the efficient storage, transduction, and use of energy. For example, all free energy used by biological systems originates from solar energy stored by photosynthesis and its effective use relies on its transformation from one form to the other. In this volume, leaders in the fields of computational modeling of electron transfer, proton transfer, proton-couples electron transfer, and energy transduction present new methods for simulating bioenergetic processes and summarize applications to proteins, including the photosynthetic reaction center, bacteriorhodopsin, and cytochrome c. ... Read more

Book Description

Bioenergetics is a topic which impinges on a wide range of fundamental problems in biology. The movement of electrons and ions across and through membranes is important in fields such as energy transduction, cell biology, and cell signalling. The maturation of bioenergetics has led to cross-fertilization with other fields and this has led to both the necessity for scientists in other areas, such as clinical scientists, to learn the classical bioenergetic techniques, and the application of foreign techniques to bioenergetics, like molecular biology and electrophysiology.

This book describes the core bioenergetic techniques required in the analysis of membrane-translocating events. Topics covered include the measurement of the main fluxes and stoichiometries, membrane transport, redox states and potentials, the isolation of bioenergetic preparations for mitochondria and mitochondrial subcomponents and chloroplast subcomponents, and the reconstitution and characterization of proteins in proteoliposomes. Both established and new techniques are fully described. The book will be a valuable guide for research scientists working in the areas of mammalian and plant biochemistry and cell biology. ... Read more

Book Description

Among all the fields in solid mechanics the methodologies associated to multibody dynamics are probably those that provide a better framework to aggregate different disciplines. This idea is clearly reflected in the multidisciplinary applications in biomechanics that use multibody dynamics to describe the motion of the biological entities, or in finite elements where the multibody dynamics provides powerful tools to describe large motion and kinematic restrictions between system components, or in system control for which multibody dynamics are the prime form of describing the systems under analysis, or even in applications with fluid-structures interaction or aeroelasticity. This book contains revised and enlarged versions of selected communications presented at the ECCOMAS Thematic Conference in Multibody Dynamics 2003 that took place in Lisbon, Portugal, which have been enhanced in their self-containment and tutorial aspects by the authors. The result is a comprehensive text that constitutes a valuable reference for researchers and design engineers and helps to appraise the potential of application of multibody dynamics to a wide range of scientific and engineering areas of relevance. ... Read more

Book Description

This book provides a clear, concise introduction to both nuclear and particle physics. Assuming no prior knowledge of the area, the authorconveys a sound physical understanding of the structures andprocesses encountered in nuclear and particle physics. ... Read more

Book Description

The critically acclaimed laboratory standard for more than forty years, Methods in Enzymology is one of the most highly respected publications in the field of biochemistry. Since 1955, each volume has been eagerly awaited, frequently consulted, and praised by researchers and reviewers alike. Now with more than 300 volumes (all of them still in print), the series contains much material still relevant today—truly an essential publication for researchers in all fields of life sciences.

Key Features
* Spectroscopic Detection of Reaction Intermediates
* Isotopic and Kenetic Detection of Reaction Intermediates
* Chemical Trapping and Inhibitor Methods for Detecting Reaction Intermediates ... Read more

Book Description

This proceedings focuses on the emergent properties of complex systems as a whole, looking for self-organization, conformational transitions, patterns, and complexities. ... Read more

Book Description

Survival rates in cases of uveal melanoma and retinoblastoma—the leading intraocular malignancies in adults and children—may be high, but means of earlier diagnosis and improved treatment options are needed to preserve vision and prevent metastasis. A timely volume with a unique scientific focus, Ocular Oncology is the only reference to deal principally with the molecular biology and genetic factors triggering and promoting the two most common ocular tumors. ... Read more

Book Description

The volume brings together the lectures given during the 19990101 session of the School of Pure and Applied Biophysics, which has been jointly organised in Venice since 1997 by three Italian scientific bodies: the Venetian Academy of Sciences and Humanities, IVSLA (Istituto Veneto di Scienze Lettere ed Arti), the Italian Society of Pure and Applied Biophysics, SIBPA (Società Italiana di Biofisica Pura ed Applicata) and by the biophysical section of the Italian Institute of Condensed Matter Physics, INFM (Istituto Nazionale di Fisica della Materia). The school promotes in-depth exploration of biophysical topics selected from the area of contemporary research. The subjects selected are exposed to the attention of young researchers attentive to themes of frontier knowledge which are considered of relevant scientific and educational impact. The topic selected for the 19990101 school concerns a number of different spectroscopic tools, both experimental and computational, frequently encountered in biophysical research. The chapters of the book have been compiled from the lecture notes distributed among the participants at the school. The authors are acknowledged specialists in the respective field. ... Read more

Book Description

This newly revised and updated edition of Radiation Biophysics provides an in-depth description of the physics and chemistry of radiation and its effects on biological systems. Coverage begins with fundamental concepts of the physics of radiation and radioactivity, then progresses through the chemistry and biology of the interaction of radiation with living systems. The Second Edition of this highly praised text includes major revisions which reflect the rapid advances in the field. New material covers recent developments in the fields of carcinogenesis, DNA repair, molecular genetics, and the molecular biology of oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes. The book also includes extensive discussion of the practical impact of radiation on everyday life.

Key Features
* Covers the fundamentals of radiation physics in a manner that is understandable to students and professionals with a limited physics background
* Includes problem sets and exercises to aid both teachers and students
* Discusses radioactivity, internally deposited radionuclides, and dosimetry
* Analyzes the risks for occupational and non-occupational workers exposed to radiation sources ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Inadequate "Bio" in the "Biophysics"
The major book on radiation biology / radiation biophysics has been Hall's "Radiobiology for the Radiologist" now in it's 5th edition. It would be nice to have an alternative to this, particularly since that one is so weighted toward radiation oncology and radiology. Alpen's "Radiation Biophysics" (1998, 2nd ed.) tries to be a more general alternative, but it fails because of some glaring omissions and a level of biological sophistication that is at least 15-20 years out of date. Here are a few examples.

- Although the revolutions in molecular biology and in signal transduction were late in penetrating the field of radiation biology, this kind of information has made its way into other texts but it is largely absent and mishandled in Alpen's book. While p53 is pitiably mentioned (an engineer or physicist is unlikely to understand Alpen's textual description, a diagram would have been more useful to cut through the jargon), absent are important regulators like ATM, Rb, and egr-1, and a mechanistic description of how all this fits in together.
- Woefully brief and out of date is Alpen's discussion on biological modifiers of radiation sensitivity, e.g., the chemical WR2721 is described as having "limited value," citing studies from 1980, but this drug (also known as Amifostine) is in current clinical use today (2003) for radiation therapy of head & neck cancer and other tumors. In addition, missing is a decade of work on growth factors and cytokines that act as radiation protectors and radiation sensitzers.
- While other books devote an entire chapter to the "oxygen effect," Alpen devotes only couple pages to this topic, failing to discuss how hypoxia (low dissolved oxygen concentration) in tissues makes them radioresistant.
- While other books devote entire chapters to how the cell cycle influences radiation sensitivity, Alpen devotes only one and half paragraphs to this topic.
- Discussion of the biological basis of "fractionation" is totally inadequate. This is where radiation exposure is broken up a little bit at a time, in relatively small doses spread out over a longer period, rather than at a high dose all at once. The ultimate extension of this is something called "brachytheraphy" which gives local, continuous low dosing by implanting "radioactive seeds" right into a tumor. Brachytherapy has emerged as a common treatment for prostate cancer, for example. Conceptually, brachytherapy ties in several aspects of radiation biophysics, including the use of radioactive isotopes, but it is nowhere to be found in this book.

While Alpen does a reasonably good job at describing physical phenomena and at deriving equations, and the book is very well-written, the shallowness of biological information really hurts the overall effort. If one is interested in a book purely devoted to radiation physics, Khan's 1994 "The Physics of Radiation Physics" should be considered. However, anyone interested in books that REALLY cover the biological background in great detail should get Travis' 1989 "Primer of Medical Radiobiology" which is still in its 2nd edition but is nevertheless fine for it's strong, classic biomedical emphasis (the modern stuff will undoubtedly appear in the 3rd edition, which is still in the works), or again, go to Hall's very well-rounded classic.

An excellent introduction to Radiation Biophysics
This is an excellent book which everyone interested in radiation biophysics must have have read. The book has 16 chapters. In the first 6 the emphasis is on physics. In the following 10 chapters, the models for cell survival and the effect of radiation on tissue structures and organisms are discussed in great detail. A must for anyone interested in and trying to understand the "biological" background of radiation protection and radiotherapy. ... Read more

Book Description

This proceedings volume explores the pathways and mechanisms by which constituent residues interact and fold to yield native biological macromolecules (catalytic RNA and functional proteins), how ribosomes and other macromolecular complexes self-assemble, and relevant energetics considerations.

At the week-long interactive conference, some 20 leading researchers reported their most pertinent results, confronting each other and an audience of more than 150 specialists from a wide range of scientific disciplines, including structural and molecular biology, biophysics, computer science, mathematics, and theoretical physics. The fourteen papers — and audience interaction — are edited and illustrated versions of the transcribed oral presentations. ... Read more

Book Description

This book provides an introduction to localised excitations in spatially discrete systems, from the experimental, numerical and mathematical points of view. Also known as discrete breathers, nonlinear lattice excitations and intrinsic localised modes, these are spatially localised time periodic motions in networks of dynamical units. Examples of such networks are molecular crystals, biomolecules, and arrays of Josephson superconducting junctions. The book also addresses the formation of discrete breathers and their potential role in energy transfer in such systems. ... Read more

Book Description

This book shows how, by rather simple models, we can gain remarkable insights into the behavior of complex systems. It is devoted to the discussion of functional self-organization in large populations of interacting active elements. The possible forms of self-organization in such systems range from coherent collective motions in the physical coordinate space to the mutual synchronization of internal dynamics, the development of coherently operating groups, the rise of hierarchical structures, and the emergence of dynamical networks. Such processes play an important role in biological and social phenomena. The authors have chosen a series of models from physics, biochemistry, biology, sociology and economics, and will systematically discuss their general properties. The book addresses researchers and graduate students in a variety of disciplines, such as physics, chemistry, biology and the social sciences. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Cells and societies
This is an excellent introductory text to an area that post graduates often find confusing. The authors use an integrated approach to self-organisation in cell based systems using the 'informal' algebra of theoretical physics rather than the technically cluttered formal proofs in mathematical texts. In this way they review the whole world of automata work within 280 pages of a small format book. The further reading section at the end of each chapter is more of a literature review and therefore very helpful for the student wishing to progress further.

This is a work to be read carefully, Mikhailov and Calenbuhr write very precisely (e.g. maxwell's demon takes 5 pages where other authors would have needed a full chapter for a more discursive treatment)but certainly none the worse for that. ... Read more

Book Description

Half a billion years of evolution have turned the eye into an unbelievable pattern detector. Everything we perceive comes in delightful multicolored forms. Now, in the age of science, we want to comprehend what and why we see.

Two dozen outstanding biologists, chemists, physicists, psychologists, computer scientists and mathematicians met at the Institut d'Hautes Etudes Scientifiques in Bures-sur-Yvette, France. They expounded their views on the physical, biological and physiological mechanisms creating the tapestry of patterns we see in molecules, plants, insects, seashells, and even the human brain. This volume comprises surveys of different aspects of pattern formation and recognition, and is aimed at the scientifically minded reader. ... Read more