Dynamics Of Flowing Polymer Solutions Under Confinement

Polymers are essential to biology because they can have enough stable degrees of freedom to store the molecular code of heredity and to express the sequences needed to manufacture new molecules. Through these they perform or control virtually every function in life. Although some biopolymers are created and spend their entire career in the relatively large free space inside cells or organelles, many biopolymers must migrate through a narrow passageway to get to their targeted destination. This suggests the questions: How does confining a polymer affect its behavior and function? What does that tell us about the interactions between the monomers that comprise the polymer and the molecules that confine it? Can we design and build devices that mimic the functions of these nanoscale systems? The NATO Advanced Research Workshop brought together for four days in Bikal, Hungary over forty experts in experimental and theoretical biophysics, molecular biology, biophysical chemistry, and biochemistry interested in these questions. Their papers collected in this book provide insight on biological processes involving confinement and form a basis for new biotechnological applications using polymers. In his paper Edmund DiMarzio asks: What is so special about polymers? Why are polymers so prevalent in living things? The chemist says the reason is that a protein made of N amino acids can have any of 20 different kinds at each position along the chain, resulting in 20 N different polymers, and that the complexity of life lies in this variety.

Blood microcirculation is essential to our bodies for the successful supply of nutrients, waste removal, oxygen delivery, homeostasis, controlling temperature, wound healing, and active immune surveillance. This book provides a physical introduction to the subject and explores how researchers can successfully describe, understand, and predict behaviours of blood flow and blood cells that are directly linked to these important physiological functions. Using practical examples, this book explains how the key concepts of physics are related to blood microcirculation and underlie the dynamic behavior of red blood cells, leukocytes, and platelets. This interdisciplinary book will be a valuable reference for researchers and graduate students in biomechanics, fluid mechanics, biomedical engineering, biological physics, and medicine. Features: The first book to provide a physical perspective of blood microcirculation Draws attention to the potential of this physical approach for novel applications in medicine Edited by specialists in this field, with chapter contributions from subject area specialists

This is an introduction to the dynamics of fluids at small scales, the physical and mathematical underpinnings of Brownian motion, and the application of these subjects to the dynamics and flow of complex fluids such as colloidal suspensions and polymer solutions. It brings together continuum mechanics, statistical mechanics, polymer and colloid science, and various branches of applied mathematics, in a self-contained and integrated treatment that provides a foundation for understanding complex fluids, with a strong emphasis on fluid dynamics. Students and researchers will find that this book is extensively cross-referenced to illustrate connections between different aspects of the field. Its focus on fundamental principles and theoretical approaches provides the necessary groundwork for research in the dynamics of flowing complex fluids.

This comprehensive handbook presents fundamental aspects, fabrication techniques, introductory materials on microbiology and chemistry, measurement techniques, and applications of microfluidics and nanofluidics. The first volume of the handbook focuses on physics and transport phenomena along with life sciences and related applications. It provides newcomers with the fundamental science background required for the study of microfluidics and nanofluidics. In addition, the advanced techniques and concepts described in the text will benefit experienced researchers and professionals.