Network thermodynamics: a candidate for a common language for theoretical and experimental biology

1983 ◽  
Vol 245 (1) ◽  
pp. R1-R9 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. C. Mikulecky
Keyword(s):  
Scientific Community ◽  
Nonequilibrium Thermodynamics ◽  
Effective Interaction ◽  
Quantitative Description ◽  
Experimental Biology ◽  
Living Systems ◽  
Common Language ◽  
Diagrammatic Method ◽  
Direct Use ◽  
Natural Way

Effective interaction between theory and experimentation in biology requires that there be a common language, which workers in both areas understand. Because the backgrounds of biomedical researchers are often more descriptive than quantitative, it would be useful to have a diagrammatic method for defining models of systems that would easily translate into a rigorous quantitative description susceptible to computer simulation. Network thermodynamics is the next logical step in the evolution of thermodynamic thinking and meets these criteria. Network thermodynamics has already begun to be used in a variety of areas in experimental biology and is accessible to direct use by the experimenter. Network thermodynamics is not restricted by the traditional constraints on classical and nonequilibrium thermodynamics, such as reversibility, linearity, nearness to equilibrium, etc. Since living systems are inherently hierarchical in their nature, the network approach incorporates this feature in a natural way and, in a sense, supplies the "missing link" between traditional physics and chemistry and the vitalists' concern for the complexity of living systems. In the future, the use of a common language for theoretical and experimental biology should result in an increased understanding of human biology by the scientific community.

scholarly journals Reporting on Glucose Control Metrics in the Intensive Care Unit

2015 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 75 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rafael Machado Tironi ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Quantitative Description ◽  
Time Interval ◽  
Common Language ◽  
Glycaemic Variability ◽  
Therapeutic Algorithms ◽  
Future Challenges ◽  
Initial Injury ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Technological Improvements ◽  
Current Guidelines

The ‘diabetes of injury’ typically associated with critical illness has recently been thoroughly revisited and much better characterised following major therapeutic advances. The occurrence of severe hyperglycaemia, moderate hypoglycaemia or high glycaemic variability has been associated with an increased mortality and rate of complications in large independent cohorts of acutely ill patients. Hence, current guidelines advocate the prevention and avoidance of each of these three dysglycaemic domains, and the use of a common metrics for a quantitative description of dysglycaemic events, such as the proportion of time spent in the target glycaemic range as a unifying variable. Using a common language will help to face the future challenges, including the definition of the most appropriate blood glucose (BG) target according to the category of admission, the time interval from the initial injury and the medical history. The clinical testing of technological improvements in the monitoring systems and the therapeutic algorithms should be assessed using the same metrics.

scholarly journals Eurocentrism and International Thinking - a brief introduction

2006 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
pp. 15-17
Author(s):  
Thomas M. Fesich
Keyword(s):  
Scientific Community ◽  
A Priori ◽  
Western Culture ◽  
Common Language ◽  
Islamic Culture ◽  
Important Phenomenon ◽  
New Development ◽  
The World ◽  
European Values ◽  
The Common

International thinking – a nice expression, widely used by political and economical leaders and easily found on all major newspapers nowadays. But has it been always like that? Globalisation is considered to be a rather new development in history. On the contrary, the term eurocentrism is not spread so widely in the common language (not taking into consideration the so-called scientific community). However, eurocentrism has been an important phenomenon during the development of Europe in the world. Eurocentrism, as a variant of ethnocentrism, describes the way of emphasising European values and culture (often also described as the Western culture, contrasting with the Islamic culture – which actually compares a geographical character with a religious one and therefore, a priori, leads to confusion and unfair comparisons!) i compared to other cultures.

Nonequilibrium Thermodynamics in Cell Biology: Extending Equilibrium Formalism to Cover Living Systems

2020 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
pp. 227-246 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaona Fang ◽  
Jin Wang
Keyword(s):  
Cell Cycle ◽  
Cell Biology ◽  
Nonequilibrium Thermodynamics ◽  
Driving Forces ◽  
Nonequilibrium Thermodynamic ◽  
Living Systems ◽  
Nonequilibrium Dynamics ◽  
Enzyme Dynamics ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Speed Accuracy

We discuss new developments in the nonequilibrium dynamics and thermodynamics of living systems, giving a few examples to demonstrate the importance of nonequilibrium thermodynamics for understanding biological dynamics and functions. We study single-molecule enzyme dynamics, in which the nonequilibrium thermodynamic and dynamic driving forces of chemical potential and flux are crucial for the emergence of non-Michaelis-Menten kinetics. We explore single-gene expression dynamics, in which nonequilibrium dissipation can suppress fluctuations. We investigate the cell cycle and identify the nutrition supply as the energy input that sustains the stability, speed, and coherence of cell cycle oscillation, from which the different vital phases of the cell cycle emerge. We examine neural decision-making processes and find the trade-offs among speed, accuracy, and thermodynamic costs that are important for neural function. Lastly, we consider the thermodynamic cost for specificity in cellular signaling and adaptation.

scholarly journals Fractional Dynamics in Bioscience and Biomedicine and the Physics of Cancer

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hosein Nasrolahpour
Keyword(s):  
Fractional Calculus ◽  
Fractal Theory ◽  
Memory Effects ◽  
Living Systems ◽  
Fractional Dynamics ◽  
Biological Structures ◽  
Almost All ◽  
Natural Way

AbstractAlmost all phenomena and structures in nature exhibit some degrees of fractionality or fractality. Fractional calculus and fractal theory are two interrelated concepts. In this article we study the memory effects in nature and particularly in biological structures. Based on this fact that natural way to incorporate memory effects in the modeling of various phenomena and dealing with complexities is using of fractional calculus, in this article we present different examples in various branch of science from cosmology to biology and we investigate this idea that are we able to describe all of such these phenomena using the well-know and powerful tool of fractional calculus. In particular we focus on fractional calculus approach as an effective tool for better understanding of physics of living systems and organism and especially physics of cancer.

scholarly journals Microscopic Calculations of Low and Medium Energy Fission with the CoMD (Constrained Molecular Dynamics) Model

2019 ◽  
Vol 22 ◽  
pp. 67
Author(s):  
N. Vonta ◽  
G. A. Souliotis ◽  
A. Bonasera ◽  
M. Veselsky
Keyword(s):  
Effective Interaction ◽  
Quantitative Description ◽  
Pauli Principle ◽  
Nuclear Fission ◽  
Intermediate Energy ◽  
Recent Experimental Data ◽  
Fission Reactions ◽  
Many Body ◽  
Time Step ◽  
Shell Effects

The investigation of the mechanism of nuclear fission is a topic of current experimental and theoretical interest. In this work, we initiated a systematic study of low and intermediate energy fission calculations using the Constrained Molecular Dynami cs (CoMD) code. The code implements an effective interaction with a soft isoscalar part and with several forms of the density dependence of the nucleon symmetry potential. In addition, CoMD imposes a constraint in the phase space occupation for each nucleon restoring the Pauli principle at each time step of the evolution of the nuclear system. Proper choice of the surface parameter of the effective interaction has been made to describe fission. In this work, we present CoMD calculations for several proton- included fission reactions at low and intermediate energy and compare them with recent experimental data. We found that the CoMD code is able to describe the complicated many-body dynamics of the fission process especially for intermediate and higher-energy fission reactions. Proper adjustment of the parameters of the effective interaction and further improvements of the code are necessary to achieve a satisfactory quantitative description of low-energy fission where shell effects play a definitive role.

A Living Systems Theory Approach to Human-Computer Interface Design

1989 ◽  
Vol 33 (4) ◽  
pp. 219-223
Author(s):  
Martin J. Abbott
Keyword(s):  
Conceptual Framework ◽  
Systems Theory ◽  
Interface Design ◽  
Systems Approach ◽  
Living Systems ◽  
Computer Interface ◽  
Theory Approach ◽  
Common Language ◽  
Human Computer Interface ◽  
Living Systems Theory

This paper presents Living Systems Theory (Miller, 1978) as a conceptual framework for human-computer interface (HCI) design. Many researchers and practitioners in the field of HCI design have used systems terms and concepts in their work; however, it is not clear that an integrated systems approach has been taken in the field of HCI design. Living Systems Theory (LST) is proposed as the means for obtaining a conceptual framework for the study of the HCI. Miller clearly defines terms and concepts that can serve as a “common language” to improve communication within and across disciplines. It is likely that a multidisciplinary field such as HCI design could benefit from LST. Specifically, by adopting this “common language”, researchers and practitioners in the field of HCI could improve communication with other disciplines which could facilitate the sharing or information across disciplines.

scholarly journals A Category Theoretical Argument against the Possibility of Artificial Life: Robert Rosen's Central Proof Revisited

2006 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 117-134 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dominique Chu ◽  
Weng Kin Ho
Keyword(s):  
In Silico ◽  
Artificial Life ◽  
Scientific Community ◽  
Theoretical Framework ◽  
Living Systems ◽  
Theoretical Argument ◽  
Life Itself

One of Robert Rosen's main contributions to the scientific community is summarized in his book Life itself. There Rosen presents a theoretical framework to define living systems; given this definition, he goes on to show that living systems are not realizable in computational universes. Despite being well known and often cited, Rosen's central proof has so far not been evaluated by the scientific community. In this article we review the essence of Rosen's ideas leading up to his rejection of the possibility of real artificial life in silico. We also evaluate his arguments and point out that some of Rosen's central notions are ill defined. The conclusion of this article is that Rosen's central proof is wrong.

scholarly journals Microscopic Calculations of Low-Energy Fission within the Constrained Molecular Dynamics (CoMD) Model: Preliminary Results

2019 ◽  
Vol 21 ◽  
pp. 174
Author(s):  
N. Vonta ◽  
G. A. Souliotis ◽  
P. N. Fountas ◽  
A. Bonasera ◽  
M. Veselsky
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Dynamics ◽  
Effective Interaction ◽  
Quantitative Description ◽  
Pauli Principle ◽  
Nuclear Fission ◽  
Intermediate Energy ◽  
Low Energy ◽  
Recent Experimental Data ◽  
Time Step ◽  
Shell Effects

The investigation of the mechanism of nuclear fission is a topic of current experimental and theoretical interest. In this work, we initiated a systematic study of low and intermediate energy fission calculations using the Constrained Molecular Dynamics (CoMD) code. The code implements an effective interaction with a soft isoscalar part and with several forms of the density dependence of the nucleon symmetry potential. In addition, CoMD imposes a constraint in the phase space occupation for each nucleon restoring the Pauli principle at each time step of the evolution of the nuclear system. In this work, we present results for the reactions p (27 MeV) + 232Th and p (63 MeV) + 232Th and compare them with recent experimental data. It appears that the CoMD code is able to describe the complicated many-body dynamics of the fission process especially for the higher-energy fission reaction. Proper adjustment of the parameters of the effective interaction and further improvements of the code are necessary to achieve a satisfactory quantitative description of low-energy fission where shell effects play a definitive role.

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