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75 results in Physiology and biological physics

Page 1 of 4

Nonequilibrium Statistical Physics
  • A Modern Perspective
  • 2nd edition
  • Roberto Livi, Paolo Politi
  • Published online:
    19 June 2025
    Print publication:
    03 July 2025
  • Statistical mechanics is hugely successful when applied to physical systems at thermodynamic equilibrium; however, most natural phenomena occur in nonequilibrium conditions and more sophisticated techniques are required to address this increased complexity. This second edition presents a comprehensive overview of nonequilibrium statistical physics, covering essential topics such as Langevin equations, Lévy processes, fluctuation relations, transport theory, directed percolation, kinetic roughening, and pattern formation. The first part of the book introduces the underlying theory of nonequilibrium physics, the second part develops key aspects of nonequilibrium phase transitions, and the final part covers modern applications. A pedagogical approach has been adopted for the benefit of graduate students and instructors, with clear language and detailed figures used to explain the relevant models and experimental results. With the inclusion of original material and organizational changes throughout the book, this updated edition will be an essential guide for graduate students and researchers in nonequilibrium thermodynamics.

The Physics of Bacteria
  • From Cells to Biofilms
  • Thomas Andrew Waigh
  • Published online:
    12 December 2024
    Print publication:
    19 December 2024
  • Bacteria are the most ubiquitous life-forms on Earth, and are studied extensively to gain insight into their function and understand how they interact with their environment. In recent years, bacterial biophysics has added a new dimension to this research by using the tools of physics to investigate the quantitative principles that underpin these cellular systems. This book provides a modern and cohesive introduction to bacterial biophysics, with a focus on biofilms, slimes and capsules. In the first of three sections, key techniques and models from the physical sciences that can be applied to bacterial problems are presented. Section 2 then provides a bacterial microbiology primer for physical scientists and an examination of single-cell phenomena. The final section explores interacting bacteria and biofilms from a physical perspective. Ideal for physics graduates interested in this important field, this book is also relevant for researchers in physical chemistry, bioengineering, mathematics and microbiology.

Electric Brain Signals
  • Foundations and Applications of Biophysical Modeling
  • Geir Halnes, Torbjørn V. Ness, Solveig Næss, Espen Hagen, Klas H. Pettersen, Gaute T. Einevoll
  • Published online:
    30 May 2024
    Print publication:
    06 June 2024
  • It is common to study the electric activity of neurons by measuring the electric potential in the extracellular space of the brain. However, interpreting such measurements requires knowledge of the biophysics underlying the electric signals. Written by leading experts in the field, this volume presents the biophysical foundations of the signals as well as results from long-term research into biophysics-based forward-modeling of extracellular brain signals. This includes applications using the open-source simulation tool LFPy, developed and provided by the authors. Starting with the physical theory of electricity in the brain, this book explains how this theory is used to simulate neuronal activity and the resulting extracellular potentials. Example applications of the theory to model representations of real neural systems are included throughout, making this an invaluable resource for students and scientists who wish to understand the brain through analysis of electric brain signals, using biophysics-based modeling.

Single-Molecule Science
  • From Super-Resolution Microscopy to DNA Mapping and Diagnostics
  • Edited by Krishnarao Appasani, Raghu Kiran Appasani
  • Published online:
    05 May 2022
    Print publication:
    26 May 2022
  • 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.

Keynes & Aidley's Nerve and Muscle
  • 5th edition
  • Christopher L.-H. Huang
  • Published online:
    07 November 2020
    Print publication:
    19 November 2020
  • This well-established and acclaimed textbook introducing the rapidly growing field of nerve and muscle function has been completely revised and updated. Written with undergraduate students in mind, it begins with the fundamental principles demonstrated by the pioneering electrophysiological experiments on cell excitability. This leads to more challenging material recounting recent discoveries from applying modern biochemical, genetic, physiological and biophysical, experimental and mathematical analysis. The resulting interdisciplinary approach conveys a unified contemporary understanding of nerve and skeletal, cardiac and smooth muscle function at the molecular, cellular and systems levels. Emphasis on important strategic experiments throughout clarifies the basis for our current scientific views, highlights the excitement and challenge of biomedical discovery, and suggests directions for future advances. These fundamental ideas are then translated into discussions of related disease conditions and their clinical management. Now including colour illustrations, it is an invaluable text for students of physiology, neuroscience, cell biology and biophysics.

Cellular Biophysics and Modeling
  • A Primer on the Computational Biology of Excitable Cells
  • Greg Conradi Smith
  • Published online:
    04 March 2019
    Print publication:
    14 March 2019
  • What every neuroscientist should know about the mathematical modeling of excitable cells. Combining empirical physiology and nonlinear dynamics, this text provides an introduction to the simulation and modeling of dynamic phenomena in cell biology and neuroscience. It introduces mathematical modeling techniques alongside cellular electrophysiology. Topics include membrane transport and diffusion, the biophysics of excitable membranes, the gating of voltage and ligand-gated ion channels, intracellular calcium signalling, and electrical bursting in neurons and other excitable cell types. It introduces mathematical modeling techniques such as ordinary differential equations, phase plane, and bifurcation analysis of single-compartment neuron models. With analytical and computational problem sets, this book is suitable for life sciences majors, in biology to neuroscience, with one year of calculus, as well as graduate students looking for a primer on membrane excitability and calcium signalling.

Introductory Physics for Biological Scientists
  • Christof M. Aegerter
  • Published online:
    19 October 2018
    Print publication:
    08 November 2018
  • Why do elephants have sturdier thigh bones than humans? Why can't ostriches fly? How do bacteria swim through fluids? With each chapter structured around relevant biological case studies and examples, this engaging, full-colour book introduces fundamental physical concepts essential in the study of biological phenomena. Optics is introduced within the context of butterfly wing colouration, electricity is explained through the propagation of nerve signals, and accelerated motion is conveniently illustrated using the example of the jumping armadillo. Other key physical concepts covered include waves, mechanical forces, thermodynamics and magnetism, and important biological techniques are also discussed within this context, such as gel electrophoresis and fluorescence microscopy. A detailed appendix provides further discussion of the mathematical concepts utilised within the book, and numerous exercises and quizzes allow readers to test their understanding of key concepts. This book is invaluable to students aiming to improve their quantitative and analytical skills and understand the deeper nature of biological phenomena.

Wilson and Walker's Principles and Techniques of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
  • 8th edition
  • Edited by Andreas Hofmann, Samuel Clokie
  • Published online:
    06 August 2018
    Print publication:
    19 April 2018
  • Bringing this best-selling textbook right up to date, the new edition uniquely integrates the theories and methods that drive the fields of biology, biotechnology and medicine, comprehensively covering both the techniques students will encounter in lab classes and those that underpin current key advances and discoveries. The contents have been updated to include both traditional and cutting-edge techniques most commonly used in current life science research. Emphasis is placed on understanding the theory behind the techniques, as well as analysis of the resulting data. New chapters cover proteomics, genomics, metabolomics, and bioinformatics, as well as data analysis and visualisation. Using accessible language to describe concepts and methods, and with a wealth of new in-text worked examples to challenge students' understanding, this textbook provides an essential guide to the key techniques used in current bioscience research.

Methods in Molecular Biophysics
  • Structure, Dynamics, Function for Biology and Medicine
  • 2nd edition
  • Nathan R. Zaccai, Igor N. Serdyuk, Joseph Zaccai
  • Published online:
    28 May 2018
    Print publication:
    18 May 2017
  • Current techniques for studying biological macromolecules and their interactions are based on the application of physical methods, ranging from classical thermodynamics to more recently developed techniques for the detection and manipulation of single molecules. Reflecting the advances made in biophysics research over the past decade, and now including a new section on medical imaging, this new edition describes the physical methods used in modern biology. All key techniques are covered, including mass spectrometry, hydrodynamics, microscopy and imaging, diffraction and spectroscopy, electron microscopy, molecular dynamics simulations and nuclear magnetic resonance. Each method is explained in detail using examples of real-world applications. Short asides are provided throughout to ensure that explanations are accessible to life scientists, physicists and those with medical backgrounds. The book remains an unparalleled and comprehensive resource for graduate students of biophysics and medical physics in science and medical schools, as well as for research scientists looking for an introduction to techniques from across this interdisciplinary field.

Brain Control of Responses to Trauma
  • Edited by Nancy J. Rothwell, Frank Berkenbosch
  • Published online:
    05 August 2016
    Print publication:
    15 September 1994
  • Originally published in 1994, this was the first volume to look in depth at the way the brain responds to trauma and subsequently integrates and influences behavioural, metabolic, neurohumoral, cardiovascular and immune functions. At the time, the role of the brain in the control and integration of the responses to injury and infection was becoming increasingly clear. It had been established that some of these responses, such as fever and neuroendocrine changes, responded to the direct influence of the central nervous system. These, and other advances, provided fresh insights into this area and formed a basis for the more effective understanding and clinical management of trauma patients. In this volume, the authors, all international authorities in their fields, discuss data from experimental and clinical studies and considered the implications of these findings for the treatment of the trauma patient.

Interpretation of Semen Analysis Results
  • A Practical Guide
  • Rajasingam S. Jeyendran
  • Published online:
    05 August 2016
    Print publication:
    19 October 2000
  • This practical and concise guide provides a step-by-step approach to every aspect of the interpretation of semen analysis results. While other books focus on basic semen analysis protocol and techniques, few books then go on to actually interpret these results, and provide useful guidance on the significance of different results for infertility assessment. This guide takes a systematic, hands-on approach to identification of the ranges of abnormality that contribute to male subfertility. It also defines basic concepts, provides clinically essential reference values, and elucidates the often subtle relationships between many sperm characteristics. Once conclusions are reached, the guide offers recommendations for appropriate referral and additional options. Inclusion of vignettes from a wide range of real-life case reports based on a wealth of the author's own experiences helps to illustrate key points. This practical guide is an invaluable resource for all clinicians, scientists and laboratory professionals working with infertile patients.

Biology and Pathology of the Oocyte
  • Its Role in Fertility and Reproductive Medicine
  • Edited by Alan O. Trounson, Roger G. Gosden
  • Published online:
    05 August 2016
    Print publication:
    10 July 2003
  • The human oocyte or egg is the rarest and most rapidly ageing cell in the body, and yet one that is essential for fertility. This 2003 book is about the development, biology and pathology of the oocyte, and technologies to manipulate, enhance and control fertility. These technologies are paving the way for overcoming infertility, avoiding inherited diseases and creating genetically engineered animals from embryo stem cells and cloning. This progress would have been impossible without the myriad of scientific and technical developments covered in this book, including the ability to manipulate and fertilize oocytes in vitro. World-leading experts provide contributions on basic and applied science of the egg, its clinical manipulation, and its pivotal role in reproductive medicine and biology.

Clinical Physiology
  • An Examination Primer
  • Ashis Banerjee
  • Published online:
    05 June 2016
    Print publication:
    22 September 2005
  • This is an admirably concise and clear guide to fundamental concepts in physiology relevant to clinical practice. It covers all the body systems in an accessible style of presentation. Bulleted checklists and boxed information provide an easy overview and summary of the essentials. By concentrating on the core knowledge of physiology, it will serve as a useful revision aid for all doctors striving to achieve postgraduate qualification, and for anyone needing to refresh their knowledge base in the key elements of clinical physiology. The author's own experience as an examiner at all levels has been distilled here for the benefit of postgraduate trainees and medical and nursing students.

The Neural Code of Pitch and Harmony
  • Gerald D. Langner
  • Assisted by Christina Benson
  • Published online:
    05 May 2015
    Print publication:
    23 April 2015
  • Harmony is an integral part of our auditory environment. Resonances characterised by harmonic frequency relationships are found throughout the natural world and harmonic sounds are essential elements of speech, communication and, of course, music. Providing neurophysiological data and theories that are suitable to explain the neural code of pitch and harmony, the author demonstrates that musical pitch is a temporal phenomenon and musical harmony is a mathematical necessity based on neuronal mechanisms. Moreover, he offers new evidence for the role of an auditory time constant for speech and music perception as well as for similar neuronal processing mechanisms of auditory and brain waves. Successfully relating current neurophysiological results to the ancient ideas of Pythagoras, this unique title will appeal to specialists in the fields of neurophysiology, neuroacoustics, linguistics, behavioural biology and musicology as well as to a broader audience interested in the neural basis of music perception.

Biophysics of DNA
  • Alexander Vologodskii
  • Published online:
    05 March 2015
    Print publication:
    12 March 2015
  • Surveying the last sixty years of research, this book describes the physical properties of DNA in the context of its biological functioning. It is designed to enable both students and researchers of molecular biology, biochemistry and physics to better understand the biophysics of DNA, addressing key questions and facilitating further research. The chapters integrate theoretical and experimental approaches, emphasising throughout the importance of a quantitative knowledge of physical properties in building and analysing models of DNA functioning. For example, the book shows how the relationship between DNA mechanical properties and the sequence specificity of DNA-protein binding can be analyzed quantitatively by using our current knowledge of the physical and structural properties of DNA. Theoretical models and experimental methods in the field are critically considered to enable the reader to engage effectively with the current scientific literature on the physical properties of DNA.

Allostasis, Homeostasis, and the Costs of Physiological Adaptation
  • Edited by Jay Schulkin
  • Published online:
    05 February 2015
    Print publication:
    25 October 2004
  • The concept of homeostasis, the maintenance of the internal physiological environment of an organism within tolerable limits, is well established in medicine and physiology. In contrast, allostasis is a relatively new idea of 'viability through change'. With allostatic regulation by cephalic involvement, the body adapts to potentially diverse and dangerous situations through the activation of neural, hormonal, or immunological mechanisms. Allostasis explains how regulatory events maintain organismic viability, or not, in diverse contexts with varying set points of bodily needs and competing motivations. This 2005 book introduces the concept of allostasis and sets it alongside traditional views of homeostasis. It addresses basic regulatory systems and examines the behavior of bodily regulation under duress. The basic concepts of physiological homeostasis are integrated with disorders like depression, stress, anxiety and addiction. It will therefore appeal to graduate students, medical students and researchers working in physiology, epidemiology, endocrinology, neuroendocrinology, neuroscience, and psychology.

Philosophical Observations on the Senses of Vision and Hearing
  • To Which Are Added, a Treatise on Harmonic Sounds, and an Essay on Combustion and Animal Heat
  • John Elliott
  • Published online:
    05 December 2014
    Print publication:
    04 July 2013
    First published in:
    1780
  • Although first to suggest the possibility of light frequencies beyond the visible spectrum, the natural philosopher John Elliott (1747–87) was better known at his death for his failed suicide in front of the woman he loved. Tried for attempting to shoot her, he was acquitted but died in prison awaiting trial on the lesser charge of assault. First published in 1780, this work was his most important. Contemporary science held that vibrations of the air were directly communicated to the optic and auditory nerves and passed on to the sensorium, while Elliot proposed, through experimentation upon himself, the existence of sensory receptors, each tuned to only a limited part of the spectrum of physical frequencies. This insight led him to postulate the existence of what we now know to be ultraviolet and infrared radiation, thus paving the way for further discoveries in human sensory perception.

Models of Life
  • Dynamics and Regulation in Biological Systems
  • Kim Sneppen
  • Published online:
    05 October 2014
    Print publication:
    02 October 2014
  • Reflecting the major advances that have been made in the field over the past decade, this book provides an overview of current models of biological systems. The focus is on simple quantitative models, highlighting their role in enhancing our understanding of the strategies of gene regulation and dynamics of information transfer along signalling pathways, as well as in unravelling the interplay between function and evolution. The chapters are self-contained, each describing key methods for studying the quantitative aspects of life through the use of physical models. They focus, in particular, on connecting the dynamics of proteins and DNA with strategic decisions on the larger scale of a living cell, using E. coli and phage lambda as key examples. Encompassing fields such as quantitative molecular biology, systems biology and biophysics, this book will be a valuable tool for students from both biological and physical science backgrounds.

Quantum Effects in Biology
  • Edited by Masoud Mohseni, Yasser Omar, Gregory S. Engel, Martin B. Plenio
  • Published online:
    05 August 2014
    Print publication:
    07 August 2014
  • Quantum mechanics provides the most accurate microscopic description of the world around us, yet the interface between quantum mechanics and biology is only now being explored. This book uses a combination of experiment and theory to examine areas of biology believed to be strongly influenced by manifestly quantum phenomena. Covering subjects ranging from coherent energy transfer in photosynthetic light harvesting to spin coherence in the avian compass and the problem of molecular recognition in olfaction, the book is ideal for advanced undergraduate and graduate students in physics, biology and chemistry seeking to understand the applications of quantum mechanics to biology.

Methods of Molecular Analysis in the Life Sciences
  • Andreas Hofmann
  • With contributions by Anne Simon , Tanja Grkovic and Malcolm Jones
  • Published online:
    05 July 2014
    Print publication:
    19 June 2014
  • Delivering fundamental insights into the most popular methods of molecular analysis, this text is an invaluable resource for students and researchers. It encompasses an extensive range of spectroscopic and spectrometric techniques used for molecular analysis in the life sciences, especially in the elucidation of the structure and function of biological molecules. Covering the range of up-to-date methodologies from everyday mass spectrometry and centrifugation to the more probing X-ray crystallography and surface-sensitive techniques, the book is intended for undergraduates starting out in the laboratory and for more advanced postgraduates pursuing complex research goals. The comprehensive text provides strong emphasis on the background principles of each method, including equations where they are of integral importance to the individual techniques. With sections on all the major procedures for analysing biological molecules, this book will serve as a useful guide across a range of fields, from new drug discovery to forensics and environmental studies.

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