This volume presents the growth of macrostructures in first-order nonequilibrium phase transitions in physical, chemical and biological multicomponent systems. Nonequilibrium thermodynamics and modern problems of crystallization synergetics are discussed. An introduction to computer physics of dendrites is also given. Wonderful variety in growth structures appears to be the consequence of different nonequilibrium alloy crystallization conditions and concerns problems of crystallization synergetics. This book has computer simulation results of the origin and development of the observed variety of primary macroscopic growth structures — cells, dendrites and grains should be regarded as one of the fundamental problems of alloy crystallization. Special attention is paid to the physical nature of phenomena of dendrite formation in alloys.

This volume presents the growth of macrostructures in first-order nonequilibrium phase transitions in physical, chemical and biological multicomponent systems. Nonequilibrium thermodynamics and modern problems of crystallization synergetics are discussed. An introduction to computer physics of dendrites is also given. Wonderful variety in growth structures appears to be the consequence of different nonequilibrium alloy crystallization conditions and concerns problems of crystallization synergetics. This book has computer simulation results of the origin and development of the observed variety of primary macroscopic growth structures ? cells, dendrites and grains should be regarded as one of the fundamental problems of alloy crystallization. Special attention is paid to the physical nature of phenomena of dendrite formation in alloys.

This is a collection of papers on Fragmentation Phenomena. It includes reviews and reports on the latest developments in fragmentation of soft matter and materials (polymers, colloids, cells, droplets and rocks), fragmentation of microscopic objects (atomic clusters and nuclei), general topics and theoretical approaches. The book addresses students and young scientists as well as researchers in theoretical and experimental aspects of fragmentation phenomena.

This monograph describes mathematical models that enable prediction of phase compositions for various technological processes, as developed on the base of a complex physico-chemical analysis of reaction. It studies thermodynamics and kinetics of specific stages of complex pyrometallurgical processes involving boron, carbon, sulfur, tungsten, phosphorus, and many more, as well as their exposure to all sorts of factors. First and foremost, this enables to optimize processes and technologies at the stage of design, while traditional empirical means of development of new technologies are basically incapable of providing an optimal solution. Simulation results of metals and alloys production, welding and coating technologies allow obtaining materials with pre-given composition, structure and properties in a cost-saving and conscious manner. Moreover, a so-called "inverse problem", i.e., selecting source materials which would ensure the required results, cannot be solved by any other means.

Advances in Low-Temperature Biology

Dendrites form the major receiving part of neurons. This text presents a survey of knowledge on dendrites, from their morphology and development, through to their electrical chemical, and computational properties.

Neural network research often builds on the fiction that neurons are simple linear threshold units, completely neglecting the highly dynamic and complex nature of synapses, dendrites, and voltage-dependent ionic currents. Biophysics of Computation: Information Processing in Single Neurons challenges this notion, using richly detailed experimental and theoretical findings from cellular biophysics to explain the repertoire of computational functions available to single neurons. The author shows how individual nerve cells can multiply, integrate, or delay synaptic inputs and how information can be encoded in the voltage across the membrane, in the intracellular calcium concentration, or in the timing of individual spikes.Key topics covered include the linear cable equation; cable theory as applied to passive dendritic trees and dendritic spines; chemical and electrical synapses and how to treat them from a computational point of view; nonlinear interactions of synaptic input in passive and active dendritic trees; the Hodgkin-Huxley model of action potential generation and propagation; phase space analysis; linking stochastic ionic channels to membrane-dependent currents; calcium and potassium currents and their role in information processing; the role of diffusion, buffering and binding of calcium, and other messenger systems in information processing and storage; short- and long-term models of synaptic plasticity; simplified models of single cells; stochastic aspects of neuronal firing; the nature of the neuronal code; and unconventional models of sub-cellular computation.Biophysics of Computation: Information Processing in Single Neurons serves as an ideal text for advanced undergraduate and graduate courses in cellular biophysics, computational neuroscience, and neural networks, and will appeal to students and professionals in neuroscience, electrical and computer engineering, and physics.