This book serves as an introduction to the continuum mechanics and mathematical modeling of complex fluids in living systems. The form and function of living systems are intimately tied to the nature of surrounding fluid environments, which commonly exhibit nonlinear and history dependent responses to forces and displacements. With ever-increasing capabilities in the visualization and manipulation of biological systems, research on the fundamental phenomena, models, measurements, and analysis of complex fluids has taken a number of exciting directions. In this book, many of the world’s foremost experts explore key topics such as: Macro- and micro-rheological techniques for measuring the material properties of complex biofluids and the subtleties of data interpretation Experimental observations and rheology of complex biological materials, including mucus, cell membranes, the cytoskeleton, and blood The motility of microorganisms in complex fluids and the dynamics of active suspensions Challenges and solutions in the numerical simulation of biologically relevant complex fluid flows This volume will be accessible to advanced undergraduate and beginning graduate students in engineering, mathematics, biology, and the physical sciences, but will appeal to anyone interested in the intricate and beautiful nature of complex fluids in the context of living systems.

This book examines life not from the reductionist point of view, but rather asks the questions: what are the universal properties of living systems, and how can one construct from there a phenomenological theory of life that leads naturally to complex processes such as reproductive cellular systems, evolution and differentiation? The presentation is relatively non-technical to appeal to a broad spectrum of students and researchers.

This book describes the evolution of several socio-biological systems using mathematical kinetic theory. Specifically, it deals with modeling and simulations of biological systems whose dynamics follow the rules of mechanics as well as rules governed by their own ability to organize movement and biological functions. It proposes a new biological model focused on the analysis of competition between cells of an aggressive host and cells of a corresponding immune system. Proposed models are related to the generalized Boltzmann equation. The book may be used for advanced graduate courses and seminars in biological systems modeling.

Scientists and engineers have long been aware of the tension between narrow specialization and multidisciplinary cooperation, but now a major transformation is in process that will require technical fields to combine far more effectively than formerly in the service of human benefit. This handbook will catalog all the ways this can be accomplished and the reasons it must be. Nature is a single coherent system and diverse methods of scientific and engineering investigations should reflect this interlinked and dynamic unity. Accordingly, general concepts and ideas should be developed systematically in interdependence, with cause-and-effect pathways, for improved outcomes in knowledge, technology and applications. At the same time, industrial and social applications rely on integration of disciplines and unification of knowledge. Thus, convergence is both a fundamental principle of nature and a timely opportunity for human progress. This handbook will represent the culmination of fifteen years of workshops, conferences and publications that initially explored the connections between nanotechnology, biotechnology, information technology and new technologies based on cognitive science. A constant emphasis on human benefit then drew in the social sciences, even as shared scientific and ethical principles brought in sustainability of the Earth environment and the challenge of equitable economic advancement. The intellectual contributions of literally hundreds of scientists and engineers established a number of research methods and analytical principles that could unite disparate fields. The culmination has been called Convergence of Knowledge and Technology for the benefit of Society (CKTS), defined as the escalating and transformative interactions among seemingly different disciplines, technologies, communities and domains of human activity to achieve mutual compatibility, synergism and integration.

This book is an introduction to the mechanical properties, the force generating capacity, and the sensitivity to mechanical cues of the biological system. To understand how these qualities govern many essential biological processes, we also discuss how to measure them. However, before delving into the details and the techniques, we will first learn the operational definitions in mechanics, such as force, stress, elasticity, viscosity and so on. This book will explore the mechanics at three different length scales – molecular, cellular, and tissue levels – sequentially, and discuss the measurement techniques to quantify the intrinsic mechanical properties, force generating capacity, mechanoresponsive processes in the biological systems, and rupture forces.

This comprehensively revised second edition of Computational Systems Biology discusses the experimental and theoretical foundations of the function of biological systems at the molecular, cellular or organismal level over temporal and spatial scales, as systems biology advances to provide clinical solutions to complex medical problems. In particular the work focuses on the engineering of biological systems and network modeling. - Logical information flow aids understanding of basic building blocks of life through disease phenotypes - Evolved principles gives insight into underlying organizational principles of biological organizations, and systems processes, governing functions such as adaptation or response patterns - Coverage of technical tools and systems helps researchers to understand and resolve specific systems biology problems using advanced computation - Multi-scale modeling on disparate scales aids researchers understanding of dependencies and constraints of spatio-temporal relationships fundamental to biological organization and function.

This volume presents a timely and comprehensive overview of biological networks at all organization levels in the spirit of the complex system approach. It discusses the transversal issues and fundamental principles as well as the overall structure, dynamics, and modeling of a wide array of biological networks at the molecular, cellular, and population levels. Anchored in both empirical data and a strong theoretical background, the book therefore lends valuable credence to the complex systems approach.