Tungsten (atomic number 74) and the chemically analogous and very similar metal molybdenum (atomic number 42) are minor yet equally abundant elements on this planet. The essential role of molybdenum in biology has been known for decades and molybdoenzymes are ubiquitous. Yet, it is only recently that a biological role for tungsten has been established in prokaryotes, although not as yet in euka...

Systems biology research is currently dominated by integrative, multidisciplinary approaches. Although important, these strategies lack an overarching systems perspective such as those used in engineering. We describe here the Axiomatic Design approach to system analysis and illustrate its utility in the study of biological systems. Axiomatic Design relates functions at all levels to the behavi...

The primary structure ol proteins results from the combination of amino acids in a proper sequence through peptide bonds which tire covalent bonds. Stabilization of ano-helical configuration by hydro­ gen bonding yields a secondary structure. I he spiral is stabilized by hydrogen bonding between the car­ boxyl and the imido groups of the peptide chain which appear in a regular sequence along th...

Robert S. Parker is an associate professor in the Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering at the University of Pittsburgh. His educational interests focus on the area of dynamical systems analysis and control. He is currently involved with the implementation of an integrated curriculum and the development of cross-cutting biological problems to assist students with integrating material...

What are biological systems and how do they work? Does there exist a physical explanation that captures both their complexity and their simplicity? Biological systems are, after all, just another type of physical system. It has the distinction that it is “alive” whatever this means. Otherwise, biological systems consume mass and energy like any other endothermic process requiring these to opera...

The field of control and systems has been connected to biological systems and biotechnology for many decades, going back to the work of Norbert Wiener on cybernetics in 1965, the work of Walter Cannon on homeostasis in 1929, and the early work of Claude Bernard on the milieu interieur in 1865. Nonetheless, the impact of control and systems on devices and applications in the field of biology has...

The best way to find buried ordnance (e.g., landmines) is to detect the explosive packaged inside. This expedient would eliminate detection of the ground clutter, such as shrapnel and stray metal fragments, that produce the great number of false positive signals and which slow down detection rates to unacceptable levels. The detection of the explosive is essentially what trained dogs do as they...

Abstract In their recent book, Ladyman and Wiesner (What is a complex system?, Yale University Press, 2020) delineate the bounds of exciting interdisciplinary field complexity science. this work, they provide examples generally accepted systems common features which these possess to varying degrees. paper, I plan extend list include formal study natural language, i.e. linguistics. fact, will ar...

Mobile phone use and wireless communication technology have grown explosively over the past decades. This rapid growth has caused widespread global concern about the potential detrimental effects of this technology on human health. Stem cells generate specialized cell types of the tissue in which they reside through normal differentiation pathways. Considering the undeniable importance of stem ...