Trends In Biophysics

This title includes a number of Open Access chapters. This book covers a wide scope of biological approaches to such biological phenomena as cell division, motility, collective cell behavior, multicellular structures, morphogenesis, and tumor development. Over the past two decades, biologists have generated large sets of experimental data and discovered a lot of facts that need explanation. This biological boom attracts physicists who believe they can help to develop a theoretical framework in biology and explain complete biological phenomena using basic principles. This is the first book to present recent advances in biophysical studies of the different aspects of cell life. This book presents recent advances in biophysical studies of living cells and gives the impression that a combination of quantitative live cell observations, detailed biochemical and biophysical data, and mathematical modeling are capable to answer many important biological questions and to achieve a more complete understanding of such complex phenomena.

This book covers a wide scope of biological approaches to such biological phenomena as cell division, motility, collective cell behavior, multicellular structures, morphogenesis, and tumor development. Over the past two decades, biologists have generated large sets of experimental data and discovered a lot of facts that need explanation. This biological boom attracts physicists who believe they can help to develop a theoretical framework in biology and explain complete biological phenomena using basic principles. This is the first book to present recent advances in biophysical studies of the different aspects of cell life. This book presents recent advances in biophysical studies of living cells and gives the impression that a combination of quantitative live cell observations, detailed biochemical and biophysical data, and mathematical modeling are capable to answer many important biological questions and to achieve a more complete understanding of such complex phenomena.

Biophysics studies the methods and approaches of physics in relation to biological systems. Scientists and researchers related to the field of biophysics study the connections between DNA, RNA and protein biosynthesis. Some of the fields that converge with the field of biophysics are biology, biochemistry, computer science, computational chemistry, mathematics, etc. This book is a compilation of chapters that discuss the most vital concepts and emerging trends in the field of biophysics. This book, with its detailed analyses and data, will prove immensely beneficial to professionals and students involved in this area at various levels.

The first systematic summary of biophysical mass spectrometrytechniques Recent advances in mass spectrometry (MS) have pushed the frontiersof analytical chemistry into the biophysical laboratory. As aresult, the biophysical community's acceptance of MS-based methods,used to study protein higher-order structure and dynamics, hasaccelerated the expansion of biophysical MS. Despite this growing trend, until now no single text has presentedthe full array of MS-based experimental techniques and strategiesfor biophysics. Mass Spectrometry in Biophysics expertly closesthis gap in the literature. Covering the theoretical background and technical aspects of eachmethod, this much-needed reference offers an unparalleled overviewof the current state of biophysical MS. Mass Spectrometry inBiophysics begins with a helpful discussion of general biophysicalconcepts and MS-related techniques. Subsequent chaptersaddress: * Modern spectrometric hardware * High-order structure and dynamics as probed by various MS-basedmethods * Techniques used to study structure and behavior of non-nativeprotein states that become populated under denaturingconditions * Kinetic aspects of protein folding and enzyme catalysis * MS-based methods used to extract quantitative information onprotein-ligand interactions * Relation of MS-based techniques to other experimental tools * Biomolecular properties in the gas phase Fully referenced and containing a helpful appendix on the physicsof electrospray mass spectrometry, Mass Spectrometry in Biophysicsalso offers a compelling look at the current challenges facingbiomolecular MS and the potential applications that will likelyshape its future.

This book presents recent research in chemical and biochemical physics. Chemical physics addresses a large range of problems. An effective chemical physicist is a "jack-of-all-trades", able to apply the principles and techniques of the field to everything from high-tech materials to biology. Just as the fields of chemistry and physics have expanded, so have chemical physics subject areas, which include polymers, materials, surfaces/interfaces, and biological macromolecules, along with the traditional small molecule and condensed phase systems. Biochemical physics is a science that joins the three natural sciences (biology, chemistry and physics) into one comprehensive study. N.M. Emanuel pioneered this science over fifty years ago. This book brings together papers written by Emanuel's students, which reveal recent developments in this interesting field.

Interactions between the fields of physics and biology reach back over a century, and some of the most significant developments in biology--from the discovery of DNA's structure to imaging of the human brain--have involved collaboration across this disciplinary boundary. For a new generation of physicists, the phenomena of life pose exciting challenges to physics itself, and biophysics has emerged as an important subfield of this discipline. Here, William Bialek provides the first graduate-level introduction to biophysics aimed at physics students. Bialek begins by exploring how photon counting in vision offers important lessons about the opportunities for quantitative, physics-style experiments on diverse biological phenomena. He draws from these lessons three general physical principles--the importance of noise, the need to understand the extraordinary performance of living systems without appealing to finely tuned parameters, and the critical role of the representation and flow of information in the business of life. Bialek then applies these principles to a broad range of phenomena, including the control of gene expression, perception and memory, protein folding, the mechanics of the inner ear, the dynamics of biochemical reactions, and pattern formation in developing embryos. Featuring numerous problems and exercises throughout, Biophysics emphasizes the unifying power of abstract physical principles to motivate new and novel experiments on biological systems. Covers a range of biological phenomena from the physicist's perspective Features 200 problems Draws on statistical mechanics, quantum mechanics, and related mathematical concepts Includes an annotated bibliography and detailed appendixes Instructor's manual (available only to teachers)

Biochemistry, Biophysics, and Molecular Chemistry: Applied Research and Interactions provides the background needed in biophysics and molecular chemistry and offers a great deal of advanced biophysical knowledge. It emphasizes the growing interrelatedness of molecular chemistry and biochemistry, and acquaints one with experimental methods of both disciplines. This book addresses some of the enormous advances in biochemistry, particularly in the areas of structural biology and bioinformatics, by providing a solid biochemical foundation that is rooted in chemistry. Topics include scientific integrity and ethics in the field; clinical translational research in cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease; emerging drugs to treat neurodegenerative diseases; swine, avian, and human flu; the use of big data in artificial knowledge in the field; bioinformatic insights on molecular chemistry; and much more.

During the last decade, national and international scientific organizations have become increasingly engaged in considering how to respond to the biosecurity implications of developments in the life sciences and in assessing trends in science and technology (S&T) relevant to biological and chemical weapons nonproliferation. The latest example is an international workshop, Trends in Science and Technology Relevant to the Biological Weapons Convention, held October 31 - November 3, 2010 at the Institute of Biophysics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing. Life Sciences and Related Fields summarizes the workshop, plenary, and breakout discussion sessions held during this convention. Given the immense diversity of current research and development, the report is only able to provide an overview of the areas of science and technology the committee believes are potentially relevant to the future of the Biological and Toxic Weapons Convention (BWC), although there is an effort to identify areas that seemed particularly ripe for further exploration and analysis. The report offers findings and conclusions organized around three fundamental and frequently cited trends in S&T that affect the scope and operation of the convention: The rapid pace of change in the life sciences and related fields; The increasing diffusion of life sciences research capacity and its applications, both internationally and beyond traditional research institutions; and The extent to which additional scientific and technical disciplines beyond biology are increasingly involved in life sciences research. The report does not make recommendations about policy options to respond to the implications of the identified trends. The choice of such responses rests with the 164 States Parties to the Convention, who must take into account multiple factors beyond the project's focus on the state of the science.