This explanation of "biological clocks" includes discussions of "jet lag", how birds navigate, and why plants fruit and flower at certain times of the year.
An up-to-date list of terms currently in use in biotechnology, genetic engineering and allied fields. The terms in the glossary have been selected from books, dictionaries, journals and abstracts. Terms are included that are important for FAO's intergovernmental activities, especially in the areas of plant and animal genetic resources, food quality and plant protection.
This textbook describes the biomechanics of bone, cartilage, tendons and ligaments. It is rigorous in its approach to the mechanical properties of the skeleton yet it does not neglect the biological properties of skeletal tissue or require mathematics beyond calculus. Time is taken to introduce basic mechanical and biological concepts, and the approaches used for some of the engineering analyses are purposefully limited. The book is an effective bridge between engineering, veterinary, biological and medical disciplines and will be welcomed by students and researchers in biomechanics, orthopedics, physical anthropology, zoology and veterinary science. This book also: Maximizes reader insights into the mechanical properties of bone, fatigue and fracture resistance of bone and mechanical adaptability of the skeleton Illustrates synovial joint mechanics and mechanical properties of ligaments and tendons in an easy-to-understand way Provides exercises at the end of each chapter
Recent years have witnessed an increasing number of theoretical and experimental contributions to cancer research from different fields of physics, from biomechanics and soft-condensed matter physics to the statistical mechanics of complex systems. Reviewing these contributions and providing a sophisticated overview of the topic, this is the first book devoted to the emerging interdisciplinary field of cancer physics. Systematically integrating approaches from physics and biology, it includes topics such as cancer initiation and progression, metastasis, angiogenesis, cancer stem cells, tumor immunology, cancer cell mechanics and migration. Biological hallmarks of cancer are presented in an intuitive yet comprehensive way, providing graduate-level students and researchers in physics with a thorough introduction to this important subject. The impact of the physical mechanisms of cancer are explained through analytical and computational models, making this an essential reference for cancer biologists interested in cutting-edge quantitative tools and approaches coming from physics.
Bacterial Physiology focuses on the physiology and chemistry of microorganisms and the value of bacterial physiology in the other fields of biology. The selection first underscores the chemistry and structure of bacterial cells, including the chemical composition of cells, direct and indirect methods of cytology, vegetative multiplication, spores of bacteria, and cell structure. The text then elaborates on inheritance, variation, and adaptation and growth of bacteria. The publication reviews the physical and chemical factors affecting growth and death. Topics include hydrogen ion concentration and osmotic pressure; surface and other forces determining the distribution of bacteria in their environment; dynamics of disinfection and bacteriostasis; bacterial resistance; and types of antibacterial agents. The text also ponders on the anaerobic dissimilation of carbohydrates, bacterial oxidations, and autotrophic assimilation of carbon dioxide. The selection is a dependable reference for readers interested in bacterial physiology.
Developmental biology is at the core of all biology. This text emphasizes the principles and key developments in order to provide an approach and style that will appeal to students at all levels.
The motivation for writing aseries ofbooks on biomechanics is to bring this rapidly developing subject to students of bioengineering, physiology, and mechanics. In the last decade biomechanics has become a recognized disci pline offered in virtually all universities. Yet there is no adequate textbook for instruction; neither is there a treatise with sufficiently broad coverage. A few books bearing the title of biomechanics are too elementary, others are too specialized. I have long feIt a need for a set of books that will inform students of the physiological and medical applications of biomechanics, and at the same time develop their training in mechanics. We cannot assume that all students come to biomechanics already fully trained in fluid and solid mechanics; their knowledge in these subjects has to be developed as the course proceeds. The scheme adopted in the present series is as follows. First, some basic training in mechanics, to a level about equivalent to the first seven chapters of the author's A First Course in Continuum Mechanics (Prentice-Hall,lnc. 1977), is assumed. We then present some essential parts of biomechanics from the point of view of bioengineering, physiology, and medical applications. In the meantime, mechanics is developed through a sequence of problems and examples. The main text reads like physiology, while the exercises are planned like a mechanics textbook. The instructor may fil1 a dual role: teaching an essential branch of life science, and gradually developing the student's knowledge in mechanics.