Product Description
This book describes the physical microenvironment of living organisms. It presents a simplified discussion of heat and mass transfer models and applies them to exchange processes between organisms and their surroundings. Emphasis is placed on teaching the student how to calculate actual transfer rates, rather than just studying the principles involved. Numerous examples are provided to illustrate many of the principles, and problems are included at the end of each chapter to help the student develop skills in using the equations and to gain an understanding of modern environmental biophysics. The book is an engineering approach to environmental biology. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

An excellent introductory text or quick reference
Campbell's text is a classic. It stands up as well today as when it was first published. The book provides a thoughtful and clear introduction to biophysics and its many practical applications. While this book may not have the depth of information on specific topics as some others, it provides a thorough foundation for those interested in the field and is an the perfect springboard to more advanced text. It is also and excellent quick reference for those who study land-atmosphere processes on a daily basis. It is replete with the equations and tables of physical parameters that are commonly used and give clear instructions on their proper application. I would strongly recommend this book as a classic in the field.

A dense book for a complex topic
Campbell is thorough in his approach to biophysical analysis of multiple environmental scenarios.As a text book, it is fairly dense and provides hints on how to solve specific problems throughout the text.However, finding those hints is sometimes fairly tricky.The equations presented are the latest version of the equations, but some may produce skewed answers in extreme condtions.Living in interior Alaska, some of Campbell's formulas and tables just don't cut it for winter and high-latitude conditions.All in all a solid book though, despite it's initial density and sometimes insufficient clarity.

excellent and unique update in the subject
This text is an excellent companion for anybody dealing with transfers of energy and water in the biosphere, particularly at the plant-canopy level. Badly needed since the only comparable textbook is Monteith & Unsworth- a little outdated and more physically based than this one, which is morebio-oriented and includes current remote sensing use. Excellent reference,and well organized course textbook. There are some mistakes but I know of asecond edition appearing this year which will correct them. ... Read more

Product Description
Dr. Lo brings together massive scientific evidence from Japan, US, China, UK, Sweden and Germany about meridians and acupuncture. He puts it together with quantum field theory to present a unified molecular biological and quantum physical view. Lo proposes that meridians are made of a polarized media, which is likely to be water clusters. When they fall out of alignment, qi is blocked, and the body is in pain or becomes sick. Acupuncture, moxibustion and qigong can help align these water clusters. And when they do, qi flows and the body heals. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

A Multifaceted Perspective on Health, Energy and the Physical Environment
My Ph.D is in Research Design and Statistics, and I have been using both Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and Ayurvedic Practices for many years. I have had severe brittle juvenile diabetes for 56 years and thus have studied numerous alternative methods to enhance my health. Now, at 62, I remain quite healthy, despite the deadly illness.

This book provides a very well documented basis for understanding the what, why and how of Chi (Qi, Prana, etc) energy and its relationship with living systems. Lo, a physicist, was studying Chi Kung (Qi Gong) when his master said: "Your a physicist, explain this."

So, he began studying the scientific research conducted in many countries over the previous 15-20 years in an attempt to understand the underlying propertiesof Chi flow. He elegantly summarizes a plethora of documented studies in this work. For me, as a research design expert, perhaps the strongest evidence involved studies using plants. Both humans and animals can be influenced by emotional factors, but plants are a comparatively clean medium for study. The idea of meridians being extremely thin, transparent and charged helps explain why they have been so difficult for Western methods to find.

In addition to providing a structured environment within which to understand how the research verifies acupuncture/acupressure's effects, this is also one of the clearest treatises on Physics I have ever read (and I have studied from Feinman through Hawkings and Greene).

One very interesting phenomenon is the reduced resistance to electricity that characterizes acupuncture points.

Note that the same meridian flow and chakras are recognized in many widely separated locales ranging from East Asia, to India (Prana, Marma Therapy) to the Sioux Nations of the Pains indians.

I highly recommend this book for anyone who is interested in Health, Energy or Physics.

the biophysics basis for acupuncture and health
REVIEW OF "THE BIOPHYSICS BASIS FOR ACUPUNCTURE AND HEALTH," by Dr. Shin Yin Lo.

As a layman am not qualified to report on portions of this book, as it contains countless formulas and lab reports to back up the text, which will be helpful for technical readers. The other portionswere most readable, and made it a great discovery for me.

I found this book to be a most comprehensive and informative revelation. It tackles subjects such as quantum mechanics, holistic health, Oriental medicine, energy medicine, and meditation, any of which had previously caused me to buy a book on that one subject alone, and thus have consumed much of my prior reading time. Here is a book that brought these concepts together in a clear and understandable process but still left room for my imagination to find things to wonder about.

This is essentially a book about what the Chinese describe as the meridian system in the human body, how it probably works, why it is fundamental to all our other systems, thus our health, and how quantum mechanics probably fits in its function.Told in the most reasonable of ways, with clear examples to explain the concepts. References to numerous experiments are given throughout, lending a concrete scientific basis for the explanations.

Dr. Shin Yin Lo is a former Professor of Physics, having lectured at leading universities. He is also an inventor with numerous patents to his credit, an international lecturer, and an accomplished Doctor of Chinese Medicine.

Keith Van Vliet
... Read more

Product Description
Neural network research often builds on the fiction that neurons are simple linear threshold units, completely neglecting the highly dynamic and complex nature of synapses, dendrites, and voltage-dependent ionic currents. Biophysics of Computation: Information Processing in Single Neurons challenges this notion, using richly detailed experimental and theoretical findings from cellular biophysics to explain the repertoire of computational functions available to single neurons. The author shows how individual nerve cells can multiply, integrate, or delay synaptic inputs and how information can be encoded in the voltage across the membrane, in the intracellular calcium concentration, or in the timing of individual spikes.

Key topics covered include the linear cable equation; cable theory as applied to passive dendritic trees and dendritic spines; chemical and electrical synapses and how to treat them from a computational point of view; nonlinear interactions of synaptic input in passive and active dendritic trees; the Hodgkin-Huxley model of action potential generation and propagation; phase space analysis; linking stochastic ionic channels to membrane-dependent currents; calcium and potassium currents and their role in information processing; the role of diffusion, buffering and binding of calcium, and other messenger systems in information processing and storage; short- and long-term models of synaptic plasticity; simplified models of single cells; stochastic aspects of neuronal firing; the nature of the neuronal code; and unconventional models of sub-cellular computation.

Biophysics of Computation: Information Processing in Single Neurons serves as an ideal text for advanced undergraduate and graduate courses in cellular biophysics, computational neuroscience, and neural networks, and will appeal to students and professionals in neuroscience, electrical and computer engineering, and physics. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

The Paganini of Computational Neuroscience Writes Variations on Do Re Mi
Koch's book is a tour de force - a chocolate box of biophysics with coatings of equations and melting illustrative centers. I dip into it whenever I want a sharply phrased insight, or hunger for a fact. I have only 2 quibbles. The book is unfortunately too good - the brilliance lavished on it would perhaps have been even better deployed in a frontal attack on the real problem inthe biophysics of single neuron computation: understanding how neurons can "learn" the subtle and complex higher-order correlations in their inputs. And the account of the core issue - how single synapses can be both electrically coupled to the distant spike-initiating zone (perhaps 1 mm away) and yet chemically isolated from other synapses that are less than a micron away - is oversimplified and leans too heavily on the author's own somewhat naive analyses. Koch is a genius who risks frittering away his energies on impressing his (grateful and appreciative) audience, rather than pulling the Excalibur of Mind from the Rock of Matter.

Single Neuron Computational Modeling
This is the main book, the "Bible", on single neuron and ion channel computational modeling. Plenty of theory & rigor here! Professor Koch, with CalTech, models single ion channel function, dendrite, dendrite tree function, cable theory, stocastic theories, integrate-fire model, the Poisson model, and discusses how single neurons work together inside the brain. It is worth owning both as a reference book and to use in the laboratory. Dr. Koch has written many other books, but I think this stands out as his best. Methods in Neuronal Modeling 2nd edition is also very good. Koch's writings are complementary, but are not redundant. One can read this book without a problem if you know Calculus.

How smart is a neuron?
For young scientists who are interested in understanding the dynamics of the human brain this change in collective attitude is of profound significance, to which Koch's book provides an ideal introduction.Written in a precise yet easy style, the 21 chapters of Biophysics of Computation begin at the beginning, introducing the reader to elementary electrical properties of membrane patches, linear cable theory and the properties of passive dendritic trees. These introductory chapters are followed by two on the properties of synapses and the various ways that synapses can interact to perform logic on passive dendritic trees. Then the Hodgkin-Huxley formulation for impulse propagation on a single fibre is discussed in detail, and various simplifying models are presented. As a basis for the Hodgkin-Huxley description the present
understanding of ionic channels is reviewed, emphasizing the importance of calcium currents. Further chapters discuss linearization of the H-H equations for small amplitude behavior; present a careful examination of ionic diffusion processes; and describe electrochemical properties of dendritic spines, synaptic plasticity, simple neural models, stochastic neural models and the properties of bursting cells. Just about every facet of currently available neural knowledge is touched upon, with appropriate references to a carefully selected bibliography that will help the diligent novice delve deeply into whatever aspect of neural information processing he or she chooses.

All of the above comprises an extended introduction to Chapters 17 to 19, which: `synthesize the previously learned lessons into a complete account of the events occurring in realistic dendritic trees with all of their attendant nonlinearities'. `We will see', the author writes, `that dendrites can indeed be very powerful, nontraditional computational devices, implementing a number of continuous operations.' Thus Biophysics of Computation offers a definitive statement for the direction in which the neural research of the new century should go. Chapter 20, the penultimate, discusses several speculations for non-neural computation in the brain, ranging from molecular computing below the level of a single neuron to the effects of chemical diffusants (nitric oxide, calcium ions, carbon monoxide, etc.) on large numbers of neurons. Although this entire area has been neglected by most of the neuroscience community, Koch points out that there are no good reasons for doing so. As we enter the new century, neuroscientists should keep their minds open. Finally, in the summary of Chapter 21, seven problems for future research projects are listed, emphasizing that the investigation of information processing in single neurons is very much a work in progress. It is of interest to examine these `strategic questions' as they reveal the author's intuitions about possible directions of future developments. (Note that these are not direct quotes, as I have taken the liberty of summarizing Koch's questions.)

(1) How can the operation of multiplication be implemented at the level of a single neuron?
(2) What are the sources of noise in a neural system and how does this noise influence the logical operation of a single neuron?
(3) How is the style of neural computation influenced by metabolic considerations?
(4) What is the function of the apical dendrite, which is a typical cortical structure?
(5) How and where does learning actually take place in a neural system?
(6) What are the functions of the dendritic trees, the forms of which vary so widely from neuron to neuron?
(7) How can we construct neural models that are sufficiently realistic to capture the essential functions of real neurons yet simple enough to allow large-scale computations of brain dynamics?

As these questions indicate, Koch is not merely concerned with understanding
what unusual behaviours the neuron does or might exhibit. His broad aim is to comprehend the relation between this behavioural ability and the computational tasks that the neuron is called upon to perform. In his words:

``Thinking about brain style computation requires a certain frame of mind, related to but distinctly different from that of the biophysicist. For instance, how should we think of a chemical synapse? In terms of complicated pre- and post-synaptic elements? Ionic channels? Calcium binding proteins? Or as a non-reciprocal and stochastic switching device that transmits a binary signal rapidly between two neurons and remembers its history of usage? The answer is that we must be concerned with both aspects, with biophysics as well as computation.''

This excellent book is evidently a labour of love, stemming from the author's 1982 doctoral thesis on information processing in dendritic trees. As far as I can tell all relevant aspects of neural processing are considered, with what seem to me to be just the proper amounts of emphasis. The writing style is precise and rigorous without being stuffy, and the many references to a fifty-page bibliography will be of enormous value to young researchers starting out in this field.

In addition to its obvious value for those engaged in experimental, theoretical or numerical studies of neuronal behaviour Biophysics of Computation would also work well as the text for an introductory course in neural dynamics, perhaps as part of a neuroscience program.

Alwyn Scott
http://personal.riverusers.com/~rover/

brief & comprehensive
This book attempts to integrate bits from papers & other textbooks. Incorporated in the book are all but the most oft-discussed topics in neurophysics.

We don't know much about biological neurons. We don't really understand how they perform computation. Yet we have some models, approximations of the models, and theories of how the model neurons get organized to do computation. These are summarized in this book in a breif & comprehensive manner.

Some notes: 1) Portions of the book may be found in greater detail elsewhere. 2) The book is more about biophysics than compuation.

Excellent, a good place to start
This is a fine comprehensive book.However, it might be helpful to bear in mind, as you study it, that although it was published in late 1998, a few fundamental principles presented in the early chapters were originallydeveloped a long time ago. In particular, the Hodgkin Huxley Katz pictureof the neuron was developed in the heroic period of the 1950s after theintroduction of the voltage clamp.It is a good model but it may not bethe whole story, and could change in important ways as we learn more aboutthe molecular structure of ion channels.

The possibility exists thatthe neuron is a multichannel device, a cable rather than a wire. The modelis attractive because a multichannel nerve would enable us to think as fastas we do.Because nerve impulses are so very slow moving, each successiveimpulse might,(contrary to everything we thought we knew)be rich ininformation.A multichannel neuron has the power to convey, with eachsingle all-or-nothing impulse,graded information.For example, to 20discrete channels, one can assign 20 distinct tiers of meaning, and eachchannel can thus "mean" a level of intensity between 1 and 20. The phenomenon can easily escape detection because such a neuron appears,to conventional instruments,to convey only the classically blank,binaryimpulse that is so confidently presented to us on the first page of everyneurobiology text, and in summary in this book as well.

To create acontinuous longitudinal information channel running the full length of anaxon membrane,one would simply link each ion portal to its next doorneighbor. A conformation change in one portal induces a conformation changein the next in line.A domino effect more intuitively satisfying, perhaps,than the familiar waveguide or cable models of membrane depolarizationreiterated here.

One can visualize many parallel tracks, a corduroymembrane. Possibly linear, possibly helical.Linked receptors arecommonplace. The molecular structure of the potassium channel has beenpublished recently, and so we are now finally working at the level where amultichannel membrane can be detected.It is a theoretical construct butif each single impulse carries information, then the computational burdenon the nervous system is vastly reduced, and the physiological meaning ofintensively studied structures like the synapse suddenly changes. Themeaning of several of the models presented in this book also changes, oftenin quite intriguing ways. ... Read more

Product Description
This is a concise balanced introductin to this subject. Written in an accessible and readable style, the book takes a fresh, modern approach with the author successfully combining key concepts and theory with relevant applications and examples drawn from the field as a whole.

• A carefully structured introduction to biophysics and medical physics
• Combines coverage of the basic concepts and ideas along with the more cutting edge developments
• Assumes little biological or medical knowledge
• Includes a supplementary website which will include animations, simulations, colour images, additional content, solutions and links to other sites

Customer Reviews (1)

complete and formal introduction
it is really a well written and upto date book, with perhaps the widest coverage. ... Read more

Product Description
Our knowledge of biological macromolecules and their interactions is based on the application of physical methods, ranging from classical thermodynamics to recently developed techniques for the detection and manipulation of single molecules. These methods, which include mass spectrometry, hydrodynamics, microscopy, diffraction and crystallography, electron microscopy, molecular dynamics simulations, and nuclear magnetic resonance, are complementary; each has its specific advantages and limitations. Organised by method, this textbook provides descriptions and examples of applications for the key physical methods in modern biology. It is an invaluable resource for undergraduate and graduate students of molecular biophysics in science and medical schools, as well as research scientists looking for an introduction to techniques beyond their specialty. As appropriate for this interdisciplinary field, the book includes short asides to explain physics aspects to biologists and biology aspects to physicists. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

In very good shape~
The book is good and it is like as said, almost new~ I am satisfied for this book~

Great coverage, needs work though
This is an excellent text in terms of covering the various techniques used in the field. Compared with other similar texts, this one includes mostly everything you'd ever want to know about and goes into good depth on its topics.

That being said, much like other books covering the same subject, this just doesn't feel finished. The book is sometimes brief when it should be explanatory and precise, and its explanations of the science behind the techniques sometimes leave out key logical steps. In its rush to get to complexities in the techniques, it neglects to give concrete examples of the basics. The thermodynamics sub-chapters covering ITC and DSC, for instance, do not spend enough time explaining the basics of how these instruments actually translate their raw data, in the form of graphs, into thermodynamic values. With the relative vacuum of books on these topics, these sorts of things become important - adding a well-labeled diagram and a paragraph or so would not bloat the book too much.

These problems, however, are a common occurrence in textbooks in this field. The competition is not very competitive. In the end, the respectable scope and depth of this book brings it to the front of its rather lackluster pack. Recommended, but I wish there was something better. ... Read more

Product Description
Cellular Biophysics is a quantitatively oriented basic physiologytext for senior undergraduate and graduate students in bioengineering,biophysics, physiology, and neuroscience programs. It will also serve asa major reference work for biophysicists. Developed from the author'snotes for a course that he has taught at MIT for many years, these booksprovide a clear and logical explanation of the foundations of cellbiophysics, teaching transport and the electrical properties of cellsfrom a combined biological, physical, and engineering viewpoint. Eachvolume contains introductory chapters that motivate the material andpresent it in a broad historical context. Important experimental resultsand methods are described. Theories are derived almost always from firstprinciples so that students develop an understanding of not only thepredictions of the theory but also its limitations. Theoretical resultsare compared carefully with experimental findings and new results appearthroughout. There are many time-tested exercises and problems as well asextensive lists of references. The volume on transport is unique in thatno other text on this important topic develops it clearly andsystematically at the student level. It explains all the principalmechanisms by which matter is transported across cellular membranes anddescribes the homeostatic mechanisms that allow cells to maintain theirconcentrations of solutes, their volume, and the potential across themembrane. Chapters are organized by individual transport mechanisms --diffusion, osmosis, coupled solute and solvent transport,carrier-mediated transport, and ion transport (both passive and active).A final chapter discusses the interplay of all these mechanisms incellular homeostasis. The volume on the electrical properties of cellscovers both electrically inexcitable cells as well as electricallyexcitable cells such as neurons and muscle cells. Included are chapterson lumped-parameter and distributed-parameter models of cells, linearelectric properties of cells, the Hodgkin-Huxley model of the giant axonof the squid, saltatory conduction in myelinated nerve fibers, andvoltage-gated ion channels. Solutions manual, errata and updates forboth volumes ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Wonderful
These texts are comprehensive and definitive. No question is left unanswered. New concepts are introduced in a clear, concise manner and all equations are derived from first principles. They are truly a pleasure to use as a student and as a teacher. ... Read more

Product Description
Providing advanced undergraduate and graduate students with a foundation in the basic concepts of biophysics, students who have taken physical chemistry and calculus courses will find this book an accessible and valuable aid in learning how these concepts can be used in biological research. The text provides a rigorous treatment of the fundamental theories in biophysics and illustrates their application with examples including protein folding, enzyme catalysis and ion channel permeation.Through these examples, students will gain an understanding of the general importance and broad applicability of biophysical principles to biological problems. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Great book to use on your own
I am doing research in biophysics and wanted a book that I could use as a review in my spare time.The book refreshed me on topics outside my immediate research area.This is useful because sometimes ideas for my research come from other sources.I enjoyed reviewing topics I already saw in my graduate classes years ago.I also learned a few new things as this book went into greater detail.I liked how it has problems at the end of each chapter.However I could not check my progress as there is no answer key.I think it would make a good senior level undergraduate text or a first year graduate text.

Biophysics
This is a well written text book for students and researchers teaching basic concepts of biophysics. Especially biological membranes are dealed with comprehensively. The figures are easy to understand and the price is rather low. Actually it is the best book of this kind I encountered. It can be highly recommended.

Very inclusive graduate level text
This book is aimed at providing the advanced undergraduate student or beginning graduate student a solid foundation in the basic concepts of molecular and cellular biophysics. I would suggest that this course be given prerequisites in physical chemistry and a very solid math background.

To cover the math background the author has added six appendicies to the book covering: expansions and series, matrix algebra, Fourier analysis, gaussian integrals, hyperbolic functions, polar and spherical coordinates. All of this is covered in only 16 pages. You would have to be a lot better than I was to learn Fourier analysis in only four pages. In undergraduate school I had full semester course in Fourier analysis, and it was by no means the first math class that I took. Perhaps I was just slower than today's students. But in my mind learning all this math from the appendicies while studing the rest of the material in this book would be asking a lot of an undergraduate student.

More important than the math, the author says, is having some knowledge of physical chemistry to include thermodynamics, kinetics, and statistical mechanics. And finally he assumes that the student has had some exposure to biochemistry.

Having gotten that out of the way, the central theme of the book is of course what it says in the title. This is an excellent and very inclusive text. The author ranges far and wide to bring up as many different aspects of biophysics as possible. It is very current in its coverage of material on subjects not found in other texts. ... Read more

Product Description
Designed for biology, physics, and medical students, Introductory Biophysics: Perspectives on the Living State, provides a comprehensive overview of the complex subject of biological physics. The companion CD-ROM, with MATLAB examples and the student version of QuickFieldTM, allows the student to perform biophysical simulations and modify the textbook example files. Included in the text are computer simulations of thermodynamics, astrobiology, the response of living cells to external fields, chaos in population dynamics, numerical models of evolution, electrical circuit models of cell suspension, gap junctions, and neuronal action potentials. With this text students will be able to perform biophysical simulations within hours. ... Read more

Product Description
This new textbook offers a comprehensive introduction to the molecular physics of biological systems: it seeks to explain how the laws and concepts of physics apply to the living world at the molecular and subcellular level, with an emphasis on electrical and dynamical behaviour.

The book is organized into five parts:

* conformation of biopolymers

* dynamics of biopolymers

* hydration of biopolymers

* biopolymers as polyelectrolytes

*association between molecules

The author adopts a multi-disciplinary approach and limits mathematics only to what is strictly necessary for the development of the subject. The text should be suitable for students from a wide range of backgrounds in biology, physics or chemistry taking advanced courses in molecular biophysics or biophysical chemistry. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Strictly Molecular
I find this book useful from the perspective of the title of the review. It is not a general biophysics book. It even lacks to a degree in the above field, e.g., a general treatment of the biophysics of electrophoresis or centrifugation; these are very important topics that often receive scant coverage and I usually give my own coverage in the 1st general (algebra/trig) College Physics course based on treatment from my original Biophysics notes from graduate school and Barrow's Physical Chemistry text's excellent coverage (centrifugation). This would be quite appropriate in such a book which is heavily weighted toward molecular topics. I find this book quite complementary with Glaser's book "Biophysics", which is an excellent translation from the original German (Deutch) plus some new material, which also has only black and white illustrations (this is not a drawback). I do not have the privilege of teaching a course in Biophysics, but do use materials from these books in teaching General Physics to Pre-Professional and Biology Majors as well as my Special Topics Course in Neurophysics with the latter having no suitable text for its particular audience. I do, however, recommend this text to those with a good thermodynamics (chemical physics or physical chemistry) background and interest in pursuing study of the molecular biophysics of nucleic acids, in particular. Hopefully, future editions will have treatments of more proteins such as the various collagens (I specifically have looked for these) and keratin, among others.

It is a good book for a physicist to enter biophysics field.
The book almost covers all aspects in biophysics field. The description in text is very physical, and it is very suitful for researchers with physical background to enter biophysics field.

Due to its wide covering, the content of the book is not so valuable for a advanced biophysicist.

BIOPOLYMERS A' LA CARTE
This is a very comprehensive book (about 500 pages!) dealing with the molecular physics of biopolymers. It is divided in five parts, namely (I.) Conformation of biopolymers, (II.) Dynamics of biopolymers, (III.) Hydration of biopolymers, (IV.) Biopolymers as polyelectrolytes, and (V.) Association between molecules, along with a 20-pages mathematical appendix. At the end of each part you will find a 1-page conclusion and 1-2 pages of references and material for further reading. Each referenced paper is provided with its full, original title, thereby simplifying the selection process. Important topics and/or proofs of mathematical formulae and models are given in dark boxes throughout the book. This facilitates both reading and learning. A note about figures. Graphs are clear and look good but the same cannot be said about most of the figures displaying molecular structures. This, perhaps, is due to the fact that several figures have been reprinted from the original papers. Also, the book does not contain colored figures. This, in general, is not a big problem exept when a calculated property such as the electrostatic potential is being depicted (see, for example Fig. 19.7 at p. 370). For this reason I rated this book with four stars only. In summary, Professor Daune has done a good job and his book could be well used in teaching an advanced course of molecular biophysics, perhaps complemented with Dr. Glaser's "Biophysics". ... Read more

Product Description
Biophysics is the science of physical principles underlying the "phenomenon of life" on all levels of organization. This book begins by explaining molecular and ionic interactions, movements, excitation and energy transfer, and the self-organization of supramolecular structures. Then the biological organism is introduced as a non-equilibrium system. Finally, system analyses are discussed as well as environmental biophysics, ecological interactions, growth, differentiation, and evolution. A growing number of applications in biotechnology are based on these biophysical concepts. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Science
I don't believe it. This book addresses self-organization, a term the scientific community has thoroughly confused with self-ordering events. Self-organization of physicodynamics unto a formal function has never been observed. Self-ordering events occur everyday in accordance to physical laws.

[...]

good introductory work
This is a very thoroughly written introductory work for biophysics, an area where it is very difficult indeed to find intro-level textbooks.

Both biologists and physicists will find many new things worth exploring, and this book will certainly provide the basics for further research and study. It isn't the ten volume all-you-will-ever-want-to-know-about-biophysics, but whichever area You are starting to work with, from membrane transport to biomechanics, have a look at this book first.

Excellent starting for Biophysics
This book is written by a biologist. However, the author discussed lots of physics topics closely related to basic biological phenomena. The most important role of this book, I believe, is making the bridge between physics and biology as well as biochemistry. Untill now, most of biophyiscs text books have been a kind of biochemsitry text book like ones. This one is distingusihed from those. This is also good for biochemistry student who wants to study physical aspects of biological system beyond the scope of biochemistry. Some parts of this book might be difficult for biology and biochemistry students but surely deserves to be read. ... Read more

Product Description
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. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Interesting topics, insufficient depth
I am a cell biologist that was looking for a comprehensive biophysics resource.The description of the book and the table of contents gave me reason to hope that this was the book I was seeking.Unfortunately, despite the book's stated aim to foster dialogue between physicists and biologists, this book assumes far too much of its readers.There is no glossary.Several terms are introduced without being defined or illustrated.Some sections are extremely short, while others spend a considerable amount of time describing examples of questionable relevance to the stated topic.That said, I did find several passages of the book stimulating and thought provoking.I very much liked the description of dead cells being "at equilibrium."This book is appropriate for graduate students and higher.I don't think this book would be very useful as a course text. ... Read more

Product Description

Incorporating recent dramatic advances, this textbook presents a fresh and timely introduction to modern biophysical methods. An array of new, faster and higher-power biophysical methods now enables scientists to examine the mysteries of life at a molecular level. This innovative text surveys and explains the ten key biophysical methods, including those related to biophysical nanotechnology, scanning probe microscopy, X-ray crystallography, ion mobility spectrometry, mass spectrometry, proteomics, and protein folding and structure. Incorporating much information previously unavailable in tutorial form, Nölting employs worked examples and about 270 illustrations to fully detail the techniques and their underlying mechanisms. Methods in Modern Biophysics is written for advanced undergraduate and graduate students, postdocs, researchers, lecturers, and professors in biophysics, biochemistry and related fields.

Special features in the 3rd edition: Introduces rapid partial protein ladder sequencing - an important method for fast and highly sensitive identification of proteins, describes the determination of interaction surfaces in protein complexes by mass spectrometric mapping of binding of chemical linkers - a method to support the high-resolution structural analysis of large macromolecular assemblies.

Customer Reviews (11)

Excellent source for latest biophysical methods
This book presents a review of various biophysical methods, most of them developed or significantly revised in recent years, for the use of studying biomolecules. The author illustrates each technique with lots of figures (makes me to remember the old phrase "one figure is worth more than thousand words") and also provides a good bibliography for each technique. The book also assembles the information that is hard to find from a single source. I enjoyed reading the book and recommend it for beginners as well as advanced users.

Highly recommended
I highly evaluate this book as an important contribution to biophysics. There are many students interested in this book.

Lots of novel methods!
The book presents a lot of novel methods, in particular those related to biophysical nanotechnology and microwave technologies, that cannot be found in other textbooks.

A necessary guide for biophysics/biochemistry students
This is an outstanding overview of the entire field of biophysics methods. The textbook presents the most important biophysics topics including fascinating biophysical nanotechnology and proteomics methods. The author uses lots of figures and does a marvelous job describing complex issues in fairly easy to comprehend terms. It is fun to read this book.

A fantastic textbook for Biophysics
This is a fantastic textbook on biophysics methods and techniques. I found it particularly useful for those who are theoreticians and computer modelers. As a theoretical biophysicist, I work on protein folding, protein structure prediction and ligand-receptor binding studies, and I was constantly looking for a book which contains all important and up-to-date experimental methods and techniques to better understand our experimental colleagues' work. Now I found it! If you are also looking for a book for introductory as well as advanced topics in biophysics methods, this book might be the one you are looking for. It essentially covers all the new and important subjects of this field. I found the chapters about proteomics, ion mobility spectrometry, and mass spectrometry, particularly interesting. I will try to include some of the material in the course "Biophysical Chemistry"(a graduate level course) that I am co-teaching, and I will strongly recommend this book to those who are interested in biophysics. ... Read more

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"Theoretical Molecular Biophysics" is an advanced study book for students, shortly before or after completing undergraduate studies, in physics, chemistry or biology. It provides the tools for an understanding of elementary processes in biology, such as photosynthesis on a molecular level. A basic knowledge in mechanics, electrostatics, quantum theory and statistical physics is desirable. The reader will be exposed to basic concepts in modern biophysics such as entropic forces, phase separation, potentials of mean force, proton and electron transfer, heterogeneous reactions coherent and incoherent energy transfer as well as molecular motors. Basic concepts such as phase transitions of biopolymers, electrostatics, protonation equilibria, ion transport, radiationless transitions as well as energy- and electron transfer are discussed within the frame of simple models. ... Read more

Product Description
The field of muscle biophysics has changed dramatically over the past years and new studies are reshaping the way we think muscles contract.Rapidly evolving techniques and advances are allowing us to understand the mechanics of individual molecules and cells as we could never do so before.This book, a contributed volume of the work of several current opinion leaders and well-known scientists in the field, will be unique for its rich list of authors as well as its updated, comprehensive inclusion of techniques in both cell and molecular biophysiology. ... Read more

Product Description
Basic Biophysics for Biology presents the fundamental physical and chemical principles required to understand much of modern biology. The author has made extensive use of illustrations rather than a mathematical approach to establish connections between macroscopic-world models and submicroscopic phenomena. Topics covered include the nucleus, atomic and molecular structure, the principles of thermodynamics, free energy, catalysis, diffusion, and heat flow. Students and professionals in general biology, physiology, genetics, and radiation biology will appreciate this carefully prepared, non-mathematical volume. ... Read more

Product Description
High Pressure Effects in Molecular Biophysics and Enzymology is designed to acquaint biochemists, biophysicists, and graduate students with advances in the application of high pressure in connection with spectroscopy as a research tool in the study of biomolecules.The 23 chapters written by leading authorities present an overview of current approaches to the use of high pressure in research on enzyme kinetics, protein folding and structure, lipid bilayer structure and organization, lipid-protein interaction, and DNA structure. This important, timely volume is the first devoted exclusively to high-pressure effects in biochemistry and will be the definitive reference in its subject for the next several years. ... Read more

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Provides an introduction to the structure and function of biomolecules --- especially proteins --- and the physical tools used to investigate them

The discussion concentrates on physical tools and properties, emphasizing techniques that are contributing to new developments and avoiding those that are already well established and whose results have already been exploited fully

New tools appear regularly - synchrotron radiation, proton radiology, holography, optical tweezers, and muon radiography, for example, have all been used to open new areas of understanding

Product Description
This book provides a detailed review of the modern theories dealing with the structure and properties of water. It also presents an analysis of the research on the effect of activated water on biological systems such as animals, microorganisms, and plants. The results of experiments on the influence of activated water on pure microbiological cultures and their natural associations are described, the studies being carried out under both aerobic and anaerobic conditions.

The results demonstrate a significant influence of activated water on higher plants (vegetable crops), sterile plants, and callus tissues. It is shown that the activation of water under definite conditions gives rise to the appearance of very strong bactericidal properties: activated water inhibits the development of pathogenic microbiological cultures by tens and hundreds of times more strongly, and can be used for sterilization. In addition, a potent positive effect of activated water on the prevention and treatment of cancer in mice has been observed, and its efficacy compared to that of chemotherapy is discussed in the book.

The information provided in this book is supported by intensive experimental data and developed theories. The research programs were conducted at the authors' laboratories in Ukraine and Russia as well as at research facilities located in the USA.

• Introduction to the Theory of Water Memory and General Principles of Water Activation
• Molecular Resonance Effect Technology as the Basic Method for Activation of Liquid Substances
• Study of the Physical Properties of MRET Activated Water
• Influence of MRET Activated Water on the Growth of Higher Plants
• Effects of MRET Activated Water on Microbial Culture and Natural Microbial Associations
• Examination of the Influence of MRET Activated Water on Prophylaxis and Treatment of Oncology
• Effect of MRET Activated Water on Staphylococcal Infection in vivo in Animal Model (on the Cells of Immune System) and in vitro on the Culture of Staphylococcus aureus Wood-46
• The Possible Mechanisms of Effects of Activated Water on Biological Systems
• Conclusions and Recommendations