This book covers the theoretical basis and practical aspects of the study of dielectric properties of biological systems, such as water, electrolyte and polyelectrolytes, solutions of biological macromolecules, cells suspensions and cellular systems.

This book covers the recently developed understanding of Electro-Mechano-Biology (EMB) in which the focus is primarily on the couplings between the electric and mechanical fields. The emphasis lies on the analytical and computational aspects of EMB at the cellular level. The book is divided into two parts. In the first part, the author starts by defining and discussing the relevant basic aspects of the electrical and mechanical properties of cell membranes. He provides an overview of some of the ways analytical modelling of cell membrane electrodeformation (ED) and electroporation (EP) appears in a variety of contexts as well as a contemporary account of recent developments in computational approaches that can feature in the theory initiative, particularly in its attempt to describe the cohort of activities currently underway. Intended to serve as an introductory text and aiming to facilitate the understanding of the field to non-experts, this part does not dwell on the set of topics, such as cellular mechanosensing and mechanotransduction, irreversible EP, and atomistic molecular dynamics modelling of membrane EP. The second (and larger) part of the book is devoted to a presentation of the necessary analytical and computational tools to illustrate the ideas behind EMB and illuminate physical insights. Brief notes on the history of EMB and its many applications describing the variety of ideas and approaches are also included. In this part, the background of the first principles and practical calculation methods are discussed to highlight aspects that cannot be found in a single volume.

This book presents a comprehensive study covering the design and application of microwave sensors for glucose concentration detection, with a special focus on glucose concentration tracking in watery and biological solutions. This book is based on the idea that changes in the glucose concentration provoke variations in the dielectric permittivity of the medium. Sensors whose electrical response is sensitive to the dielectric permittivity of the surrounding media should be able to perform as glucose concentration trackers. At first, this book offers an in-depth study of the dielectric permittivity of water–glucose solutions at concentrations relevant for diabetes purposes; in turn, it presents guidelines for designing suitable microwave resonators, which are then tested in both water–glucose solutions and multi-component human blood plasma solutions for their detection ability and sensitivities. Finally, a portable version is developed and tested on a large number of individuals in a real clinical scenario. All in all, the book reports on a comprehensive study on glucose monitoring devices based on microwave sensors. It covers in depth the theoretical background, provides extensive design guidelines to maximize sensitivity, and validates a portable device for applications in clinical settings.

This volume considers experimental and theoretical dielectric studies of the structure and dynamics of complex systems. Complex systems constitute an almost universal class of materials including associated liquids, polymers, biomolecules, colloids, porous materials, doped ferroelectric crystals, nanomaterials, etc. These systems are characterized by a new "mesoscopic" length scale, intermediate between molecular and macroscopic. The mesoscopic structures of complex systems typically arise from fluctuations or competing interactions and exhibit a rich variety of static and dynamic behaviour. This growing field is interdisciplinary; it complements solid state and statistical physics, and overlaps considerably with chemistry, chemical engineering, materials science, and biology. A common theme in complex systems is that while such materials are disordered on the molecular scale and homogeneous on the macroscopic scale, they usually possess a certain degree of order on an intermediate, or mesoscopic, scale due to the delicate balance of interaction and thermal effects. In the present Volume it is shown how the dielectric spectroscopy studies of complex systems can be applied to determine both their structures and dynamics.

As the First International Conference on Water and Ions in Biological Systems (Bucharest, June 25-27, 1980) was appreciated as a success, a second one was organized in the fall of the year 1982 under the sponsorship of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the Romanian Academy of Medical Sciences, the Romanian Biophysical Society (Union of Societies for Medical Sciences in the Socialist Republic of Romania) and in co operation with the International Union for Pure and Applied Bio physics (IUPAB). The responsibility for the scientific program and organization of the Second Conference on Water fell on an International Scientific Committee which included Prof. J. Tigyi (Pees), President of the UNESCO Expert Committee on Biophysics, Prof. K. Wuthrich, Secretary General of IUPAB and Prof. H. Eisenberg, (member of the IUPAB Council) under the guidance of an Executive Board whose members were Prof. J. Jaz (representative of UNESCO), Prof. B. Pullman (Vice President of IUPAB) and Prof. V. Vasilescu (President of the Romanian Biophysical Society). The Meeting was attended by more than 250 specialists including 150 Romanian participants and others from Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, England, the Federal Republic of Germany, the German Democratic Republic, Greece, Hungary, India, Israel, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Nigeria, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland, USSR, USA, Venezuela, Yugoslavia. The proceedings of the Conference took place in the Medical Faculty of Bucharest. The theoretical and practical importance of the Meeting was pointed out by the speakers, among whom were Prof.

Preface. Introduction. Electrolytics. Dielectrics. Electrical properties of tissue. Geometrical analysis. Instrumentation and measurement. Data and models. Selected applications. History of bioimpedance and bioelectricity. Appendix. References and further reading. Index.

This reference, written by leading authorities in the field, gives basic theory, implementation details, advanced research, and applications of RF and microwave in healthcare and biosensing. It first provides a solid understanding of the fundamentals with coverage of the basics of microwave engineering and the interaction between electromagnetic waves and biomaterials. It then presents the state-of-the-art development in microwave biosensing, implantable devices -including applications of microwave technology for sensing biological tissues – and medical diagnosis, along with applications involving remote patient monitoring. this book is an ideal reference for RF and microwave engineer working on, or thinking of working on, the applications of RF and Microwave technology in medicine and biology. Learn: - The fundamentals of RF and microwave engineering in healthcare and biosensing - How to combine biological and medical aspects of the field with underlying engineering concepts - How to implement microwave biosensing for material characterization and cancer diagnosis - Applications and functioning of wireless implantable biomedical devices and microwave non-contact biomedical radars - How to combine devices, systems, and methods for new practical applications - The first book to review the fundamentals, latest developments, and future trends in this important emerging field with emphasis on engineering aspects of sensing, monitoring, and diagnosis using RF and Microwave - Extensive coverage of biosensing applications are included - Written by leaders in the field, including members of the Technical Coordinating Committee of the Biological Effects and Medical Applications of the IEEE Microwave Theory and Techniques Society

This volume contains the collected works of the eminent chemist and physicist Lars Onsager, one of the most influential scientists of the 20th Century.The volume includes Onsager's previously unpublished PhD thesis, a biography by H C Longuet-Higgins and M E Fisher, an autobiographical commentary, selected photographs, and a list of Onsager discussion remarks in print.Onsager's scientific achievements were characterized by deep insights into the natural sciences. His two best-known accomplishments are his reciprocal relations for irreversible processes, for which he received the 1968 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, and his explicit solution of the two-dimensional Ising model, a mathematical tour de force that created a sensation when it appeared. In addition, he made significant theoretical contributions to other fields, including electrolytes, colloids, superconductivity, turbulence, ice, electrons in metals, and dielectrics.In this volume, Onsager's contributions are divided into the following fields: irreversible processes; the Ising model; electrolytes; colloids; helium II and vortex quantization; off-diagonal long-range order and flux quantization; electrons in metal; turbulence; ion recombination; fluctuation theory; dielectrics; ice and water; biology; Mathieu functions. The different fields are evaluated by leading experts. The commentators are P W Anderson, R Askey, A Chorin, C Domb, R J Donnelly, W Ebeling, J-C Justice, H N W Lekkerkerker, P Mazur, H P McKean, J F Nagle, T Odijk, A B Pippard, G Stell, G H Weiss, and C N Yang.