The Encyclopedia of Biophysics is envisioned both as an easily accessible source of information and as an introductory guide to the scientific literature. It includes entries describing both Techniques and Systems. In the Techniques entries, each of the wide range of methods which fall under the heading of Biophysics are explained in detail, together with the value and the limitations of the information each provides. Techniques covered range from diffraction (X-ray, electron and neutron) through a wide range of spectroscopic methods (X-ray, optical, EPR, NMR) to imaging (from electron microscopy to live cell imaging and MRI), as well as computational and simulation approaches. In the Systems entries, biophysical approaches to specific biological systems or problems – from protein and nucleic acid structure to membranes, ion channels and receptors – are described. These sections, which place emphasis on the integration of the different techniques, therefore provide an inroad into Biophysics from a biological more than from a technique-oriented physical/chemical perspective. Thus the Encyclopedia is intended to provide a resource both for biophysicists interested in methods beyond those used in their immediate sub-discipline and for those readers who are approaching biophysics from either a physical or biological background.

Since 1995, the noncontact atomic force microscope (NC-AFM) has achieved remarkable progress. Based on nanomechanical methods, the NC-AFM detects the weak attractive force between the tip of a cantilever and a sample surface. This method has the following characteristics: it has true atomic resolution; it can measure atomic force interactions, i.e. it can be used in so-called atomic force spectroscopy (AFS); it can also be used to study insulators; and it can measure mechanical responses such as elastic deformation. This is the first book that deals with all of the emerging NC-AFM issues.

This first book on high-speed atomic force microscopy (HS-AFM) is intended for students and biologists who want to use HS-AFM in their research. It provides straightforward explanations of the principle and techniques of AFM and HS-AFM. Numerous examples of HS-AFM studies on proteins demonstrate how to apply this new form of microscopy to specific biological problems. Several precautions for successful imaging and the preparation of cantilever tips and substrate surfaces will greatly benefit first-time users of HS-AFM. In turn, the instrumentation techniques detailed in Chapter 4 can be skipped, but will be useful for engineers and scientists who want to develop the next generation of high-speed scanning probe microscopes for biology. The book is intended to facilitate the first-time use of this new technique, and to inspire students and researchers to tackle their own specific biological problems by directly observing dynamic events occurring in the nanoscopic world. Microscopy in biology has recently entered a new era with the advent of high-speed atomic force microscopy (HS-AFM). Unlike optical microscopy, electron microscopy, and conventional slow AFM, it allows us to directly observe biological molecules in physiological environments. Molecular “movies” created using HS-AFM can directly reveal how molecules behave and operate, without the need for subsequent complex analyses and roundabout interpretations. It also allows us to directly monitor morphological change in live cells, and dynamic molecular events occurring on the surfaces of living bacteria and intracellular organelles. As HS-AFM instruments were recently commercialized, in the near future HS-AFM is expected to become a common tool in biology, and will enhance and accelerate our understanding of biological phenomena.

About 40 % of current atomic force microscopy (AFM) research is performed in liquids, making liquid-based AFM a rapidly growing and important tool for the study of biological materials. This book focuses on the underlying principles and experimental aspects of AFM under liquid, with an easy-to-follow organization intended for new AFM scientists. The book also serves as an up-to-date review of new AFM techniques developed especially for biological samples. Aimed at physicists, materials scientists, biologists, analytical chemists, and medicinal chemists. An ideal reference book for libraries. From the contents: Part I: General Atomic Force Microscopy * AFM: Basic Concepts * Carbon Nanotube Tips in Atomic Force Microscopy with * Applications to Imaging in Liquid * Force Spectroscopy * Atomic Force Microscopy in Liquid * Fundamentals of AFM Cantilever Dynamics in Liquid * Environments * Single-Molecule Force Spectroscopy * High-Speed AFM for Observing Dynamic Processes in Liquid * Integration of AFM with Optical Microscopy Techniques Part II: Biological Applications * DNA and Protein-DNA Complexes * Single-Molecule Force Microscopy of Cellular Sensors * AFM-Based Single-Cell Force Spectroscopy * Nano-Surgical Manipulation of Living Cells with the AFM

In this first comprehensive resource to cover the application of single molecule techniques to biological measurements, the pioneers in the field show how to both set up and interpret a single molecule experiment. Following an introduction to single molecule measurements and enzymology, the expert authors consider molecular motors and mechanical properties before moving on to the applications themselves. Detailed discussions of studies on protein enzymes, ribozymes and nucleic acids are also included.

This book concisely illustrates the techniques of major surface analysis and their applications to a few key examples. Surfaces play crucial roles in various interfacial processes, and their electronic/geometric structures rule the physical/chemical properties. In the last several decades, various techniques for surface analysis have been developed in conjunction with advances in optics, electronics, and quantum beams. This book provides a useful resource for a wide range of scientists and engineers from students to professionals in understanding the main points of each technique, such as principles, capabilities and requirements, at a glance. It is a contemporary encyclopedia for selecting the appropriate method depending on the reader's purpose.

About 40 % of current atomic force microscopy (AFM) research is performed in liquids, making liquid-based AFM a rapidly growing and important tool for the study of biological materials. This book focuses on the underlying principles and experimental aspects of AFM under liquid, with an easy-to-follow organization intended for new AFM scientists. The book also serves as an up-to-date review of new AFM techniques developed especially for biological samples. Aimed at physicists, materials scientists, biologists, analytical chemists, and medicinal chemists. An ideal reference book for libraries. From the contents: Part I: General Atomic Force Microscopy * AFM: Basic Concepts * Carbon Nanotube Tips in Atomic Force Microscopy with * Applications to Imaging in Liquid * Force Spectroscopy * Atomic Force Microscopy in Liquid * Fundamentals of AFM Cantilever Dynamics in Liquid * Environments * Single-Molecule Force Spectroscopy * High-Speed AFM for Observing Dynamic Processes in Liquid * Integration of AFM with Optical Microscopy Techniques Part II: Biological Applications * DNA and Protein-DNA Complexes * Single-Molecule Force Microscopy of Cellular Sensors * AFM-Based Single-Cell Force Spectroscopy * Nano-Surgical Manipulation of Living Cells with the AFM