Author : Thomas Heimburg
Publisher : John Wiley & Sons
ISBN 13 : 3527611606
Total Pages : 378 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (276 download)
Book Synopsis Thermal Biophysics of Membranes by : Thomas Heimburg
Download or read book Thermal Biophysics of Membranes written by Thomas Heimburg and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2008-02-08 with total page 378 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An overview of recent experimental and theoretical developments in the field of the physics of membranes, including new insights from the past decade. The author uses classical thermal physics and physical chemistry to explain our current understanding of the membrane. He looks at domain and 'raft' formation, and discusses it in the context of thermal fluctuations that express themselves in heat capacity and elastic constants. Further topics are lipid-protein interactions, protein binding, and the effect of sterols and anesthetics. Many seemingly unrelated properties of membranes are shown to be intimately intertwined, leading for instance to a coupling between membrane state, domain formation and vesicular shape. This also applies to non-equilibrium phenomena like the propagation of density pulses during nerve activity. Also included is a discussion of the application of computer simulations on membranes. For both students and researchers of biophysics, biochemistry, physical chemistry, and soft matter physics.