Physics of Living Processes - A Mesoscopic Approach

This full-colour undergraduate textbook, based on a two semester course, presents the fundamentals of biological physics, introducing essential modern topics that include cells, polymers, polyelectrolytes, membranes, liquid crystals, phase transitions, self-assembly, photonics, fluid mechanics, motility, chemical kinetics, enzyme kinetics, systems biology, nerves, physiology, the senses, and the brain.
The comprehensive coverage, featuring in-depth explanations of recent rapid developments, demonstrates this to be one of the most diverse of modern scientific disciplines.
 
The Physics of Living Processes: A Mesoscopic Approach is comprised of five principal sections:
 
* Building Blocks
 
* Soft Condensed Matter Techniques in Biology
 
* Experimental Techniques
 
* Systems Biology
 
* Spikes, Brains and the Senses
 
The unique focus is predominantly on the mesoscale -- structures on length scales between those of atoms and the macroscopic behaviour of whole organisms. The connections between molecules and their emergent biological phenomena provide a novel integrated perspective on biological physics, making this an important text across a variety of scientific disciplines including biophysics, physics, physical chemistry, chemical engineering and bioengineering.
 
An extensive set of worked tutorial questions are included, which will equip the reader with a range of new physical tools to approach problems in the life sciences from medicine, pharmaceutical science and agriculture.

List of contents

Preface xiii
 
Acknowledgements xvii
 
I Building Blocks 1
 
1 Molecules 3
 
1.1 Chemical Bonds and Molecular Interactions 3
 
1.2 Chirality 7
 
1.3 Proteins 7
 
1.4 Lipids 15
 
1.5 Nucleic Acids 16
 
1.6 Carbohydrates 21
 
1.7 Water 24
 
1.8 Proteoglycans and Glycoproteins 25
 
1.9 Viruses 26
 
1.10 Other Molecules 28
 
Suggested Reading 28
 
Tutorial Questions 1 29
 
2 Cells 31
 
2.1 The First Cell 32
 
2.2 Metabolism 33
 
2.3 Central Dogma of Biology 34
 
2.4 Darwin's Theory of Natural Selection 38
 
2.5 Mutations and Cancer 40
 
2.6 Prokaryotic Cells 41
 
2.7 Eukaryotic Cells 41
 
2.8 Chromosomes 44
 
2.9 Cell Cycle 45
 
2.10 Genetic Code 45
 
2.11 Genetic Networks 45
 
2.12 Human Genome Project 47
 
2.13 Genetic Fingerprinting 49
 
2.14 Genetic Engineering 50
 
2.15 Tissues 51
 
2.16 Cells as Experimental Models 51
 
2.17 Stem Cells 52
 
Suggested Reading 53
 
Tutorial Questions 2 54
 
II Soft Condensed-Matter Techniques in Biology 55
 
3 Introduction to Statistics in Biology 57
 
3.1 Statistics 57
 
3.2 Entropy 60
 
3.3 Information 61
 
3.4 Free Energy 62
 
3.5 Partition Function 63
 
3.6 Conditional Probability 65
 
3.7 Networks 66
 
Suggested Reading 67
 
Tutorial Questions 3 67
 
4 Mesoscopic Forces 69
 
4.1 Cohesive Forces 69
 
4.2 Hydrogen Bonding 71
 
4.3 Electrostatics 73
 
4.3.1 Unscreened Electrostatic Interactions 73
 
4.3.2 Screened Electrostatic Interactions 74
 
4.3.3 The Force Between Charged Aqueous Spheres 77
 
4.4 Steric and Fluctuation Forces 79
 
4.5 Depletion Forces 82
 
4.6 Hydrodynamic Interactions 84
 
4.7 Bell's Equation 84
 
4.8 Direct Experimental Measurements 86
 
Suggested Reading 89
 
Tutorial Questions 4 89
 
5 Phase Transitions 91
 
5.1 The Basics 91
 
5.2 Helix-Coil Transition 94
 
5.3 Globule-Coil Transition 98
 
5.4 Crystallisation 101
 
5.5 Liquid-Liquid Demixing (Phase Separation) 104
 
Suggested Reading 108
 
Tutorial Questions 5 109
 
6 Liquid Crystallinity 111
 
6.1 The Basics 111
 
6.2 Liquid Nematic-Smectic Transitions 123
 
6.3 Defects 125
 
6.4 More Exotic Possibilities for Liquid-Crystalline Phases 130
 
Suggested Reading 132
 
Tutorial Questions 6 132
 
7 Motility 135
 
7.1 Diffusion 135
 
7.2 Low Reynolds Number Dynamics 142
 
7.3 Motility of Cells and Micro-Organisms 144
 
7.4 First-Passage Problem 148
 
7.5 Rate Theories of Chemical Reactions 152
 
7.6 Subdiffusion 153
 
Suggested Reading 155
 
Tutorial Questions 7 155
 
8 Aggregating Self-Assembly 157
 
8.1 Surface-Active Molecules (Surfactants) 160
 
8.2 Viruses 163
 
8.3 Self-Assembly of Proteins 167
 
8.4 Polymerisation of Cytoskeletal Filaments (Motility) 167
 
Suggested Reading 172
 
Tutorial Questions 8 172
 
9 Surface Phenomena 173
 
9.1 Surface Tension 173
 
9.2 Adhesion 175
 
9.3 Wetting 177
 
9.4 Capillarity 180
 
9.5 Experimental Techniques 183
 
9.6 Friction 184
 
9.7 Adsorption Kinetics 186
 
9.8 Other Physical Surface Phenomena 18

About the author

Thomas Andrew Waigh
School of Physics and Astronomy, Photon Science Institute, University of Manchester

Summary

This full-colour undergraduate textbook, based on a two semester course, presents the fundamentals of biological physics, introducing essential modern topics that include cells, polymers, polyelectrolytes, membranes, liquid crystals, phase transitions, self-assembly, photonics, fluid mechanics, motility, chemical kinetics, enzyme kinetics, systems biology, nerves, physiology, the senses, and the brain.
The comprehensive coverage, featuring in-depth explanations of recent rapid developments, demonstrates this to be one of the most diverse of modern scientific disciplines.

The Physics of Living Processes: A Mesoscopic Approach is comprised of five principal sections:

* Building Blocks

* Soft Condensed Matter Techniques in Biology

* Experimental Techniques

* Systems Biology

* Spikes, Brains and the Senses

The unique focus is predominantly on the mesoscale -- structures on length scales between those of atoms and the macroscopic behaviour of whole organisms. The connections between molecules and their emergent biological phenomena provide a novel integrated perspective on biological physics, making this an important text across a variety of scientific disciplines including biophysics, physics, physical chemistry, chemical engineering and bioengineering.

An extensive set of worked tutorial questions are included, which will equip the reader with a range of new physical tools to approach problems in the life sciences from medicine, pharmaceutical science and agriculture.

Product details

• Authors: Ta Waigh, Thomas Andrew Waigh, Thomas Andrew (School of Physics and Astron Waigh, Thomas Andrew (School of Physics and Astronomy and Photon Science Institute Waigh, Tom Waigh
• Publisher: Wiley, John and Sons Ltd
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 17.10.2014
• EAN: 9781118449943
• ISBN: 978-1-118-44994-3
• No. of pages: 624
• Subjects: Natural sciences, medicine, IT, technology > Physics, astronomy > General, dictionaries; Physik, Biophysik, Biomedizinische Technik, Physics, Biomaterial, Biomedical engineering, Biomaterials, Biomedizintechnik, Biomaterialien, Allg. Biomedizintechnik, Physik in Medizin u. Gesundheitswesen, Medical & Health Physics