Józef Ignaczak and Martin Ostoja‐Starzewski
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- February 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199541645
- eISBN:
- 9780191716164
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199541645.003.0012
- Subject:
- Mathematics, Applied Mathematics, Mathematical Physics
This chapter first provides a brief review of several other theories, all classified as generalized thermoelasticity and due to Green and Naghdi. Next follows a justification of the presence of a ...
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This chapter first provides a brief review of several other theories, all classified as generalized thermoelasticity and due to Green and Naghdi. Next follows a justification of the presence of a material time derivative rather than a partial time derivative in the Maxwell‐Cattaneo equation. Another way to see this is to take the continuum thermodynamics as a starting point for the derivation of constitutive laws. However, the partial time derivative may be employed in a theory focused on solid mechanics in infinitesimal strains. In the sequel, some applications of the L‐S and G‐L theories are given: helices and chiral media, both with homogeneous as well as composite structures; surface waves; and thermoelastic damping in nanomechanical resonators. The chapter culminates with a thermoelasticity with anomalous heat conduction treated via fractional calculus, and a formulation of thermoelasticity of fractal media in the vein of dimensional regularization.Less
This chapter first provides a brief review of several other theories, all classified as generalized thermoelasticity and due to Green and Naghdi. Next follows a justification of the presence of a material time derivative rather than a partial time derivative in the Maxwell‐Cattaneo equation. Another way to see this is to take the continuum thermodynamics as a starting point for the derivation of constitutive laws. However, the partial time derivative may be employed in a theory focused on solid mechanics in infinitesimal strains. In the sequel, some applications of the L‐S and G‐L theories are given: helices and chiral media, both with homogeneous as well as composite structures; surface waves; and thermoelastic damping in nanomechanical resonators. The chapter culminates with a thermoelasticity with anomalous heat conduction treated via fractional calculus, and a formulation of thermoelasticity of fractal media in the vein of dimensional regularization.
Mark D. LeBlanc and Betsey Dexter Dyer
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- April 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195305890
- eISBN:
- 9780199773862
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195305890.001.0001
- Subject:
- Biology, Biomathematics / Statistics and Data Analysis / Complexity Studies
The book presents a hands-on introductory guide to DNA sequence analysis. This can be depicted as a linear map of As, Cs, Gs, and Ts; however, such a map only hints at the varied contours and ...
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The book presents a hands-on introductory guide to DNA sequence analysis. This can be depicted as a linear map of As, Cs, Gs, and Ts; however, such a map only hints at the varied contours and crevices, twists, kinks, loops, and nodes of the extraordinary double helix. The book uncovers why Perl is the language of choice when identifying patterns in strings of text. It offers a simplified approach to programming that is applicable to biological sequence analysis, especially geared to those who do not have prior programming experience. Concepts include good programming practices, creative approaches to teaching and working with strings and files of sequence data, and sequence related applications of regular expressions, control structures, arrays, and hash tables. A linguistic metaphor is used throughout the text to complement an exceptionally friendly and pedagogically sound introduction to sequence analysis via Perl programming.Less
The book presents a hands-on introductory guide to DNA sequence analysis. This can be depicted as a linear map of As, Cs, Gs, and Ts; however, such a map only hints at the varied contours and crevices, twists, kinks, loops, and nodes of the extraordinary double helix. The book uncovers why Perl is the language of choice when identifying patterns in strings of text. It offers a simplified approach to programming that is applicable to biological sequence analysis, especially geared to those who do not have prior programming experience. Concepts include good programming practices, creative approaches to teaching and working with strings and files of sequence data, and sequence related applications of regular expressions, control structures, arrays, and hash tables. A linguistic metaphor is used throughout the text to complement an exceptionally friendly and pedagogically sound introduction to sequence analysis via Perl programming.
Thomas Albert Howard
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- May 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199565511
- eISBN:
- 9780191725654
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199565511.003.0006
- Subject:
- Religion, History of Christianity
This concluding chapter summarizes the arguments of the book and places them in a broader historical perspective: the disparate trajectories of modernity (vis-à-vis religion) set in motion by the ...
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This concluding chapter summarizes the arguments of the book and places them in a broader historical perspective: the disparate trajectories of modernity (vis-à-vis religion) set in motion by the American and French Revolutions. The former generally sought freedom for religion because of the religious complexity and pluralism at the time of America's founding. The latter (especially in its radical phases) sought freedom from religion because of the hostility to ecclesiastical influences during the Ancien Régime. The chapter employs the metaphors of a ‘double helix’ (religion and modernity moving in tandem) and ‘dialectic’ (a presumed zero-sum game between religion and modernity) to express the nature of transatlantic religious disparities, their respective histories, and their enduring bearing on contemporary European–American relations. A ‘dialectical’ conflict between religion and modernity, more characteristic of Old World experience, has profoundly influenced and shaped European perceptions of and attitudes toward the American ‘double helix’.Less
This concluding chapter summarizes the arguments of the book and places them in a broader historical perspective: the disparate trajectories of modernity (vis-à-vis religion) set in motion by the American and French Revolutions. The former generally sought freedom for religion because of the religious complexity and pluralism at the time of America's founding. The latter (especially in its radical phases) sought freedom from religion because of the hostility to ecclesiastical influences during the Ancien Régime. The chapter employs the metaphors of a ‘double helix’ (religion and modernity moving in tandem) and ‘dialectic’ (a presumed zero-sum game between religion and modernity) to express the nature of transatlantic religious disparities, their respective histories, and their enduring bearing on contemporary European–American relations. A ‘dialectical’ conflict between religion and modernity, more characteristic of Old World experience, has profoundly influenced and shaped European perceptions of and attitudes toward the American ‘double helix’.
Gastone Gilli and Paola Gilli
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- September 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780199558964
- eISBN:
- 9780191720949
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199558964.003.0009
- Subject:
- Physics, Crystallography: Physics
Functional H-bonds are H-bonds which are significantly stronger than the surrounding ones and, for this reason, can play a specific role in the mechanism of action of important chemical or ...
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Functional H-bonds are H-bonds which are significantly stronger than the surrounding ones and, for this reason, can play a specific role in the mechanism of action of important chemical or biochemical processes. This chapter reports a preliminary collection of these bonds organized in a graphic gallery of cases with little discussion, a collection of themes which have already been, or deserve to be, investigated to unravel the true role played by the H-bond in natural systems. Themes treated include: RAHB-driven processes (prototropic tautomerism in heteroconjugated systems, secondary structure of proteins, and DNA base pairing); H-bond-controlled crystal packing; bistable H-bonds in functional molecular materials (ferro/antiferroelectric crystals, excited-state proton transfer); low-barrier charge-assisted H-bonds in enzymatic catalysis (the catalytic triad of serine proteases; and proton transmission in water chains (Grotthuss mechanism, gramicidine A channel, aquaporin channels).Less
Functional H-bonds are H-bonds which are significantly stronger than the surrounding ones and, for this reason, can play a specific role in the mechanism of action of important chemical or biochemical processes. This chapter reports a preliminary collection of these bonds organized in a graphic gallery of cases with little discussion, a collection of themes which have already been, or deserve to be, investigated to unravel the true role played by the H-bond in natural systems. Themes treated include: RAHB-driven processes (prototropic tautomerism in heteroconjugated systems, secondary structure of proteins, and DNA base pairing); H-bond-controlled crystal packing; bistable H-bonds in functional molecular materials (ferro/antiferroelectric crystals, excited-state proton transfer); low-barrier charge-assisted H-bonds in enzymatic catalysis (the catalytic triad of serine proteases; and proton transmission in water chains (Grotthuss mechanism, gramicidine A channel, aquaporin channels).
Alan J. McComas
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- September 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199751754
- eISBN:
- 9780199897094
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199751754.003.0001
- Subject:
- Neuroscience, History of Neuroscience, Sensory and Motor Systems
Nerve impulses traversing the brain were likened by Sherrington to points of light in an enchanted loom. The electrochemical nature of the nerve impulse was largely elucidated by Hodgkin and Huxley ...
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Nerve impulses traversing the brain were likened by Sherrington to points of light in an enchanted loom. The electrochemical nature of the nerve impulse was largely elucidated by Hodgkin and Huxley in their studies of the squid giant axon in the years immediately before and after the 1939–45 war. Although the impact of this work within the neuroscience community was immense, it was overshadowed elsewhere by the discovery of the helical structure of DNA by Watson and Crick at about the same time. Both types of work had involved complex mathematics and deep insights, but the Hodgkin-Huxley studies had included a series of brilliant experiments and had been the climax of almost two centuries of nerve impulse research.Less
Nerve impulses traversing the brain were likened by Sherrington to points of light in an enchanted loom. The electrochemical nature of the nerve impulse was largely elucidated by Hodgkin and Huxley in their studies of the squid giant axon in the years immediately before and after the 1939–45 war. Although the impact of this work within the neuroscience community was immense, it was overshadowed elsewhere by the discovery of the helical structure of DNA by Watson and Crick at about the same time. Both types of work had involved complex mathematics and deep insights, but the Hodgkin-Huxley studies had included a series of brilliant experiments and had been the climax of almost two centuries of nerve impulse research.
Howard Marchitello
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- September 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199608058
- eISBN:
- 9780191729492
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199608058.003.0007
- Subject:
- Literature, 16th-century and Renaissance Literature, Shakespeare Studies
This chapter returns to a series of challenges posed famously in C. P. Snow's The Two Cultures and the Scientific Revolution, particularly Snow's assessment of the science-literature agon and his ...
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This chapter returns to a series of challenges posed famously in C. P. Snow's The Two Cultures and the Scientific Revolution, particularly Snow's assessment of the science-literature agon and his perceived privileging of science. Less a contribution to the so-called Culture Wars than an attempt to understand Snow's arguments about culture and history, this chapter is especially concerned to rethink his later rejection of thermodynamics as the model for intellectual inquiry. In its place Snow identifies molecular biology and the new science of DNA as the ideal measures of scientific literacy and the ideal intellectual model for both cultures. In the figure of the double helix, Snow finds evidence that at the molecular level the material world is a work of art. From this new perspective on the “two cultures,” the chapter returns to the art–nature debate that was central to the literary and scientific works under consideration throughout this book.Less
This chapter returns to a series of challenges posed famously in C. P. Snow's The Two Cultures and the Scientific Revolution, particularly Snow's assessment of the science-literature agon and his perceived privileging of science. Less a contribution to the so-called Culture Wars than an attempt to understand Snow's arguments about culture and history, this chapter is especially concerned to rethink his later rejection of thermodynamics as the model for intellectual inquiry. In its place Snow identifies molecular biology and the new science of DNA as the ideal measures of scientific literacy and the ideal intellectual model for both cultures. In the figure of the double helix, Snow finds evidence that at the molecular level the material world is a work of art. From this new perspective on the “two cultures,” the chapter returns to the art–nature debate that was central to the literary and scientific works under consideration throughout this book.
Alison Hill, Siân Griffiths, and Stephen Gillam
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- September 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780198508533
- eISBN:
- 9780191723780
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198508533.003.03
- Subject:
- Public Health and Epidemiology, Public Health, Epidemiology
This chapter describes the public health process, referred to as the public health helix. It identifies eight steps in the process and describes their application in primary care. The helix puts ...
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This chapter describes the public health process, referred to as the public health helix. It identifies eight steps in the process and describes their application in primary care. The helix puts people and their communities at its heart, influencing all its component steps. The process can be applied at any population level; neighbourhoods, primary care organizations (PCOs), or even at national and international level.Less
This chapter describes the public health process, referred to as the public health helix. It identifies eight steps in the process and describes their application in primary care. The helix puts people and their communities at its heart, influencing all its component steps. The process can be applied at any population level; neighbourhoods, primary care organizations (PCOs), or even at national and international level.
Rasmus Gjedssø Bertelsen and Klaus Georg Hansen
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- May 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780300205169
- eISBN:
- 9780300210385
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Yale University Press
- DOI:
- 10.12987/yale/9780300205169.003.0007
- Subject:
- Political Science, Environmental Politics
Iceland and Greenland share historical and socioeconomic and political conditions as former or present North Atlantic autonomies of the Kingdom of Denmark. As very small natural resource-based ...
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Iceland and Greenland share historical and socioeconomic and political conditions as former or present North Atlantic autonomies of the Kingdom of Denmark. As very small natural resource-based economies, they strive to develop and diversify their economies. Hydropower potential has played a large role in Icelandic economic development, and may do so in Greenland. Literature has overlooked the knowledge economy of hydropower in Iceland and Greenland. Large-scale hydropower projects rest on knowledge in geology, glaciology, hydrology, biology, surveying, engineering, law, finance, planning, and more. This chapter focuses on the experiences and prospects of creating globally connected, domestic knowledge-based hydropower sectors in Iceland and Greenland. Iceland has through strong domestic education and brain circulation domesticized this knowledge and reaped more benefits from its hydropower. Greenland with a smaller and less educated workforce is facing significant challenges to fill the knowledge jobs in a hydropower sector.Less
Iceland and Greenland share historical and socioeconomic and political conditions as former or present North Atlantic autonomies of the Kingdom of Denmark. As very small natural resource-based economies, they strive to develop and diversify their economies. Hydropower potential has played a large role in Icelandic economic development, and may do so in Greenland. Literature has overlooked the knowledge economy of hydropower in Iceland and Greenland. Large-scale hydropower projects rest on knowledge in geology, glaciology, hydrology, biology, surveying, engineering, law, finance, planning, and more. This chapter focuses on the experiences and prospects of creating globally connected, domestic knowledge-based hydropower sectors in Iceland and Greenland. Iceland has through strong domestic education and brain circulation domesticized this knowledge and reaped more benefits from its hydropower. Greenland with a smaller and less educated workforce is facing significant challenges to fill the knowledge jobs in a hydropower sector.
Alan McHughen
- Published in print:
- 2020
- Published Online:
- July 2020
- ISBN:
- 9780190092962
- eISBN:
- 9780190092993
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780190092962.001.0001
- Subject:
- Biology, Bioethics
DNA, once the exclusive domain of scientists in research labs, is now the darling of popular and social media. With personal genetic testing kits in homes and genetically modified organism (GMO) ...
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DNA, once the exclusive domain of scientists in research labs, is now the darling of popular and social media. With personal genetic testing kits in homes and genetically modified organism (GMO) foods in stores, DNA is an increasingly familiar term. Unfortunately, what people know, or think they know, about DNA and genetics is often confused or incorrect. Contrary to popular belief, for instance, genes don’t “skip a generation” and, no, human DNA is not “different” from DNA of other species. With such popular misconceptions proliferating in the news and on the internet, how can anyone sort fact from fiction? DNA Demystified satisfies the public appetite for and curiosity about DNA and genetics. Alan McHughen, an accomplished academic and public science advocate, brings the reader up-to-speed on what we know, what we don’t, and where genetic technologies are taking us. The book begins with the basic groundwork and a brief history of DNA and genetics. Chapters then cover newsworthy topics, including DNA fingerprinting, using DNA in forensic analyses, and identifying cold-case criminals. For readers intrigued by the proliferation of at-home DNA tests, the text includes fascinating explorations of genetic genealogy and family tree construction—crucial for people seeking their biological ancestry. Other chapters describe genetic engineering in medicine and pharmaceuticals, and the use of those same technologies in creating the far more controversial GMOs in food and agriculture. Throughout, the book raises provocative ethical and privacy issues arising from DNA and genetic technologies.Less
DNA, once the exclusive domain of scientists in research labs, is now the darling of popular and social media. With personal genetic testing kits in homes and genetically modified organism (GMO) foods in stores, DNA is an increasingly familiar term. Unfortunately, what people know, or think they know, about DNA and genetics is often confused or incorrect. Contrary to popular belief, for instance, genes don’t “skip a generation” and, no, human DNA is not “different” from DNA of other species. With such popular misconceptions proliferating in the news and on the internet, how can anyone sort fact from fiction? DNA Demystified satisfies the public appetite for and curiosity about DNA and genetics. Alan McHughen, an accomplished academic and public science advocate, brings the reader up-to-speed on what we know, what we don’t, and where genetic technologies are taking us. The book begins with the basic groundwork and a brief history of DNA and genetics. Chapters then cover newsworthy topics, including DNA fingerprinting, using DNA in forensic analyses, and identifying cold-case criminals. For readers intrigued by the proliferation of at-home DNA tests, the text includes fascinating explorations of genetic genealogy and family tree construction—crucial for people seeking their biological ancestry. Other chapters describe genetic engineering in medicine and pharmaceuticals, and the use of those same technologies in creating the far more controversial GMOs in food and agriculture. Throughout, the book raises provocative ethical and privacy issues arising from DNA and genetic technologies.
Rose Gilroy, Dominic Aitken, and Philip Miller
- Published in print:
- 2021
- Published Online:
- January 2022
- ISBN:
- 9781447356820
- eISBN:
- 9781447356868
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Policy Press
- DOI:
- 10.1332/policypress/9781447356820.003.0014
- Subject:
- Political Science, Comparative Politics
This chapter charts the emergence of the Future Homes Alliance, a community interest company of which Newcastle University is a partner, formed to develop new models of housing. Against a background ...
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This chapter charts the emergence of the Future Homes Alliance, a community interest company of which Newcastle University is a partner, formed to develop new models of housing. Against a background of diminishing power at the sub-national government level, the privatisation of public services and public finance cutbacks there is a growing discourse around what has been termed the 2.0 business landscape characterised by participation, co-creation and collectivism. In this new place-based leadership model, universities have emerged as key institutions who can identify evidence gaps, undertake research, facilitate knowledge transfer partnerships and create places of trust for exchanging ideas. It is in this context that the first author brought together a group of named individuals spanning the quadruple helix (academia, business/industry, the local municipality and the voluntary/community sector) to create new housing that responds to demographic change and sustainability. Planning permission has been granted in 2020 for the construction of 66 dwellings.Less
This chapter charts the emergence of the Future Homes Alliance, a community interest company of which Newcastle University is a partner, formed to develop new models of housing. Against a background of diminishing power at the sub-national government level, the privatisation of public services and public finance cutbacks there is a growing discourse around what has been termed the 2.0 business landscape characterised by participation, co-creation and collectivism. In this new place-based leadership model, universities have emerged as key institutions who can identify evidence gaps, undertake research, facilitate knowledge transfer partnerships and create places of trust for exchanging ideas. It is in this context that the first author brought together a group of named individuals spanning the quadruple helix (academia, business/industry, the local municipality and the voluntary/community sector) to create new housing that responds to demographic change and sustainability. Planning permission has been granted in 2020 for the construction of 66 dwellings.
Timothy J. Dixon and Mark Tewdwr-Jones
- Published in print:
- 2021
- Published Online:
- January 2022
- ISBN:
- 9781447330936
- eISBN:
- 9781447317685
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Policy Press
- DOI:
- 10.1332/policypress/9781447330936.003.0008
- Subject:
- Architecture, Architectural Theory and Criticism
This chapter focuses on a range of UK and international examples to highlight best practice in city visioning processes. To do this the chapter begins by tracing the evolution of city visions, and ...
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This chapter focuses on a range of UK and international examples to highlight best practice in city visioning processes. To do this the chapter begins by tracing the evolution of city visions, and the distinctions we should draw between them, and masterplans. The chapter also examines the evolution of city visions over time and look at some specific examples highlighting the linkages between the process of visioning and the development of strategic urban planning. The quadruple helix framework is crucial to understanding how universities, government, civil society and universities can work together to create long-term city visions. Finally, the chapter examines two very different examples of city visions where foresight has played a major role (Reading 2050 and Newcastle City Futures 2065); what makes a ‘good vision’; and the opportunities and challenges surrounding the development of city visions.Less
This chapter focuses on a range of UK and international examples to highlight best practice in city visioning processes. To do this the chapter begins by tracing the evolution of city visions, and the distinctions we should draw between them, and masterplans. The chapter also examines the evolution of city visions over time and look at some specific examples highlighting the linkages between the process of visioning and the development of strategic urban planning. The quadruple helix framework is crucial to understanding how universities, government, civil society and universities can work together to create long-term city visions. Finally, the chapter examines two very different examples of city visions where foresight has played a major role (Reading 2050 and Newcastle City Futures 2065); what makes a ‘good vision’; and the opportunities and challenges surrounding the development of city visions.
Sydney Brenner
- Published in print:
- 2003
- Published Online:
- May 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780226284132
- eISBN:
- 9780226284163
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Chicago Press
- DOI:
- 10.7208/chicago/9780226284163.003.0006
- Subject:
- History, History of Science, Technology, and Medicine
Although most of modern biology stems from this brief paper, there is also a long prehistory of thought in the subject that is now known as genetics. Morgan's research was largely responsible for ...
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Although most of modern biology stems from this brief paper, there is also a long prehistory of thought in the subject that is now known as genetics. Morgan's research was largely responsible for revealing the relationship between Mendel's findings and genes and chromosomes. Meanwhile, research on enzymes was developing in the new field of biochemistry. Genetics had arrived at the conclusion that the gene was the fundamental unit of heredity, indivisible like the atom of early physics. Biochemistry had shown that the work of cells was performed by enzymes, specialized proteins of elaborate but unknown structures, performing all the various steps of biosynthesis and energy metabolism. Each enzyme was specified by a gene, but no enzymes seemed to be concerned with specifying genes. DNA was a candidate as the genetic material. The structure of DNA greatly intensified the process, which resulted in the creation of molecular biology and the tools to study the chemistry of information in biological systems.Less
Although most of modern biology stems from this brief paper, there is also a long prehistory of thought in the subject that is now known as genetics. Morgan's research was largely responsible for revealing the relationship between Mendel's findings and genes and chromosomes. Meanwhile, research on enzymes was developing in the new field of biochemistry. Genetics had arrived at the conclusion that the gene was the fundamental unit of heredity, indivisible like the atom of early physics. Biochemistry had shown that the work of cells was performed by enzymes, specialized proteins of elaborate but unknown structures, performing all the various steps of biosynthesis and energy metabolism. Each enzyme was specified by a gene, but no enzymes seemed to be concerned with specifying genes. DNA was a candidate as the genetic material. The structure of DNA greatly intensified the process, which resulted in the creation of molecular biology and the tools to study the chemistry of information in biological systems.
Frederic Lawrence Holmes
- Published in print:
- 2001
- Published Online:
- October 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780300085402
- eISBN:
- 9780300129663
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Yale University Press
- DOI:
- 10.12987/yale/9780300085402.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, History of Science, Technology, and Medicine
In 1957, two young scientists, Matthew Meselson and Frank Stahl, produced a landmark experiment confirming that DNA replicates as predicted by the double helix structure Watson and Crick had recently ...
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In 1957, two young scientists, Matthew Meselson and Frank Stahl, produced a landmark experiment confirming that DNA replicates as predicted by the double helix structure Watson and Crick had recently proposed. It also gained immediate renown as a “most beautiful” experiment whose beauty was tied to its simplicity. Yet the investigative path that led to the experiment was anything but simple. This book vividly reconstructs the complex route that led to the Meselson-Stahl experiment and provides an inside view of day-to-day scientific research—its unpredictability, excitement, intellectual challenge, and serendipitous windfalls, as well as its frustrations, unexpected diversions away from original plans, and chronic uncertainty. The text uses research logs, experimental films, correspondence, and interviews with the participants to record the history of Meselson and Stahl's research, from their first thinking about the problem through the publication of their dramatic results. It also reviews the scientific community's reception of the experiment, the experiment's influence on later investigations, and the reasons for its reputation as an exceptionally beautiful experiment.Less
In 1957, two young scientists, Matthew Meselson and Frank Stahl, produced a landmark experiment confirming that DNA replicates as predicted by the double helix structure Watson and Crick had recently proposed. It also gained immediate renown as a “most beautiful” experiment whose beauty was tied to its simplicity. Yet the investigative path that led to the experiment was anything but simple. This book vividly reconstructs the complex route that led to the Meselson-Stahl experiment and provides an inside view of day-to-day scientific research—its unpredictability, excitement, intellectual challenge, and serendipitous windfalls, as well as its frustrations, unexpected diversions away from original plans, and chronic uncertainty. The text uses research logs, experimental films, correspondence, and interviews with the participants to record the history of Meselson and Stahl's research, from their first thinking about the problem through the publication of their dramatic results. It also reviews the scientific community's reception of the experiment, the experiment's influence on later investigations, and the reasons for its reputation as an exceptionally beautiful experiment.
Frederic Lawrence Holmes
- Published in print:
- 2001
- Published Online:
- October 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780300085402
- eISBN:
- 9780300129663
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Yale University Press
- DOI:
- 10.12987/yale/9780300085402.003.0013
- Subject:
- History, History of Science, Technology, and Medicine
This chapter describes the immediate impact the publication of the Meselson-Stahl experiment in PNAS had on the circle of biologists already engaged with the replication of DNA, and how it extended ...
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This chapter describes the immediate impact the publication of the Meselson-Stahl experiment in PNAS had on the circle of biologists already engaged with the replication of DNA, and how it extended well beyond that circle. Within the group who had participated in or followed the debate over conservative, semiconservative, and dispersive replication, it was rapidly accepted that Meselson and Stahl's experiment settled the question in favor of semiconservative replication but did not immediately confirm the Watson-Crick prediction that the molecule replicated by separation of the two nucleotide strands constituted a double helix. Meselson and Stahl themselves contributed to this ambiguity in a paper on the replication of DNA that they gave at a session titled “Replication and Recombination of Genetic Material” at the Cold Spring Harbor Symposium held in June 1958.Less
This chapter describes the immediate impact the publication of the Meselson-Stahl experiment in PNAS had on the circle of biologists already engaged with the replication of DNA, and how it extended well beyond that circle. Within the group who had participated in or followed the debate over conservative, semiconservative, and dispersive replication, it was rapidly accepted that Meselson and Stahl's experiment settled the question in favor of semiconservative replication but did not immediately confirm the Watson-Crick prediction that the molecule replicated by separation of the two nucleotide strands constituted a double helix. Meselson and Stahl themselves contributed to this ambiguity in a paper on the replication of DNA that they gave at a session titled “Replication and Recombination of Genetic Material” at the Cold Spring Harbor Symposium held in June 1958.
Frederic Lawrence Holmes
- Published in print:
- 2001
- Published Online:
- October 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780300085402
- eISBN:
- 9780300129663
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Yale University Press
- DOI:
- 10.12987/yale/9780300085402.003.0002
- Subject:
- History, History of Science, Technology, and Medicine
This chapter begins with one of the most famous sentences in the literature of science—the statement near the end of the brief article in Nature made by Francis Crick and James Watson that goes thus: ...
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This chapter begins with one of the most famous sentences in the literature of science—the statement near the end of the brief article in Nature made by Francis Crick and James Watson that goes thus: “It has not escaped our notice that the specific pairing we have postulated immediately suggests a possible copying mechanism for the genetic material.” In his popular narrative The Double Helix, Watson described a difference of opinion in a contrasting tone, “For a while Francis wanted to expand our note to write at length about the biological implications, but finally he saw the point to a short remark and composed the sentence.” Retrospective explanations by these two principals must be viewed with caution because the misunderstandings that arose between Watson and Crick subsequent to the publication of their historic paper may affect the way in which each of them describes this incident.Less
This chapter begins with one of the most famous sentences in the literature of science—the statement near the end of the brief article in Nature made by Francis Crick and James Watson that goes thus: “It has not escaped our notice that the specific pairing we have postulated immediately suggests a possible copying mechanism for the genetic material.” In his popular narrative The Double Helix, Watson described a difference of opinion in a contrasting tone, “For a while Francis wanted to expand our note to write at length about the biological implications, but finally he saw the point to a short remark and composed the sentence.” Retrospective explanations by these two principals must be viewed with caution because the misunderstandings that arose between Watson and Crick subsequent to the publication of their historic paper may affect the way in which each of them describes this incident.
Frederic Lawrence Holmes
- Published in print:
- 2001
- Published Online:
- October 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780300085402
- eISBN:
- 9780300129663
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Yale University Press
- DOI:
- 10.12987/yale/9780300085402.003.0005
- Subject:
- History, History of Science, Technology, and Medicine
This chapter discusses Meselson's view that, in order to approach the design of the replication experiment of which he dreamed, he must first understand in detail the structure and chemistry of the ...
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This chapter discusses Meselson's view that, in order to approach the design of the replication experiment of which he dreamed, he must first understand in detail the structure and chemistry of the deoxyribonucleic acid molecule. This was not because the success of the experiment would necessarily depend on such knowledge but because it was part of the culture of Pauling's chemistry department that one would not be taken seriously until one had mastered the structure of any molecule in which one was interested. Feeling totally ignorant of the structures and properties of the purines and pyrimidines that comprised the inner structure of the double helix, Meselson set out to acquire a basic literacy in the subject.Less
This chapter discusses Meselson's view that, in order to approach the design of the replication experiment of which he dreamed, he must first understand in detail the structure and chemistry of the deoxyribonucleic acid molecule. This was not because the success of the experiment would necessarily depend on such knowledge but because it was part of the culture of Pauling's chemistry department that one would not be taken seriously until one had mastered the structure of any molecule in which one was interested. Feeling totally ignorant of the structures and properties of the purines and pyrimidines that comprised the inner structure of the double helix, Meselson set out to acquire a basic literacy in the subject.
Brian Cantor
- Published in print:
- 2020
- Published Online:
- September 2020
- ISBN:
- 9780198851875
- eISBN:
- 9780191886683
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780198851875.003.0002
- Subject:
- Physics, Condensed Matter Physics / Materials, Theoretical, Computational, and Statistical Physics
The diffraction of X-rays is used as the main method for determining the atomic and molecular structures of inorganic and biological materials. The basic law of diffraction was discovered by Lawrence ...
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The diffraction of X-rays is used as the main method for determining the atomic and molecular structures of inorganic and biological materials. The basic law of diffraction was discovered by Lawrence Bragg when he was a student at Cambridge University and he was just 22 years old. Bragg’s law explains how the angle of a diffracted X-ray beam varies with the wavelength of the X-rays and the spacing of the atoms and molecules in the material. This chapter examines the way X-rays are generated and scattered by electrons, atoms and crystals; the use of structure factors and Fourier transforms to calculate the intensity of the scattered X-rays; and the effect of using electrons or neutrons instead of X-rays. Bragg was born and brought up in Adelaide in Australia. He discovered Bragg’s law with the help of his father, William, after they had moved to England. Lawrence was a Professor at Manchester University, Cambridge University, and the Royal Institution; contributed to the development of range-finding, asdic, and sonar during the First and Second World Wars; and supervised Crick and Watson when they discovered the structure of DNA.Less
The diffraction of X-rays is used as the main method for determining the atomic and molecular structures of inorganic and biological materials. The basic law of diffraction was discovered by Lawrence Bragg when he was a student at Cambridge University and he was just 22 years old. Bragg’s law explains how the angle of a diffracted X-ray beam varies with the wavelength of the X-rays and the spacing of the atoms and molecules in the material. This chapter examines the way X-rays are generated and scattered by electrons, atoms and crystals; the use of structure factors and Fourier transforms to calculate the intensity of the scattered X-rays; and the effect of using electrons or neutrons instead of X-rays. Bragg was born and brought up in Adelaide in Australia. He discovered Bragg’s law with the help of his father, William, after they had moved to England. Lawrence was a Professor at Manchester University, Cambridge University, and the Royal Institution; contributed to the development of range-finding, asdic, and sonar during the First and Second World Wars; and supervised Crick and Watson when they discovered the structure of DNA.
Irina Ermolina and Yuri Feldman
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- August 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780199686513
- eISBN:
- 9780191766398
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199686513.003.0009
- Subject:
- Physics, Soft Matter / Biological Physics
This chapter presents an overview of the dielectric properties of amino acids and oligopeptides in aqueous solutions. Two relaxation processes identified in the aqueous solutions of amino acids are ...
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This chapter presents an overview of the dielectric properties of amino acids and oligopeptides in aqueous solutions. Two relaxation processes identified in the aqueous solutions of amino acids are ascribed to the molecular motion of the solute and water molecules. The relaxation characteristics (i.e., the dielectric strength and relaxation time) of the process related to amino acids strongly depend on the chemical nature (polar/charged/aromatic) and size of the side groups. The dielectric properties of water are changed by the presence of solute molecules. The relaxation process for water in amino acid solutions becomes wider in comparison with pure water and is well described by the phenomenological Cole–Cole spectral function. A discussion is also presented regarding the effect of molecular mass/length of chain and composition of the polypeptide, the pH of the solution and concentration on the dielectric properties of oligopeptides and polypeptide solutions. Finally, the mechanism of triple-helix-to-single-coil transition in model collagen polypeptides is discussed.Less
This chapter presents an overview of the dielectric properties of amino acids and oligopeptides in aqueous solutions. Two relaxation processes identified in the aqueous solutions of amino acids are ascribed to the molecular motion of the solute and water molecules. The relaxation characteristics (i.e., the dielectric strength and relaxation time) of the process related to amino acids strongly depend on the chemical nature (polar/charged/aromatic) and size of the side groups. The dielectric properties of water are changed by the presence of solute molecules. The relaxation process for water in amino acid solutions becomes wider in comparison with pure water and is well described by the phenomenological Cole–Cole spectral function. A discussion is also presented regarding the effect of molecular mass/length of chain and composition of the polypeptide, the pH of the solution and concentration on the dielectric properties of oligopeptides and polypeptide solutions. Finally, the mechanism of triple-helix-to-single-coil transition in model collagen polypeptides is discussed.
Paul T. Callaghan
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- December 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780199556984
- eISBN:
- 9780191774928
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199556984.003.0005
- Subject:
- Physics, Condensed Matter Physics / Materials, Nuclear and Plasma Physics
This chapter discusses magnetic field gradients and spin isochromats, and introduces their phase evolution under magnetic field gradients using the ideas of the magnetization helix and k-space, thus ...
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This chapter discusses magnetic field gradients and spin isochromats, and introduces their phase evolution under magnetic field gradients using the ideas of the magnetization helix and k-space, thus leading to a description of Magnetic Resonance Imaging and selective excitation. Translational motion encoding using various echoes is covered using both the spin jump model and the magnetization diffusion equation. The Stejskal-Tanner Pulsed Gradient Spin Echo method is discussed along with the role of background gradients in finite gradient pulse rise times. Using the neutron scattering analogy, q-space, and the propagator formalism, the narrow gradient pulse approximation is explained, leading to a discussion of the multiple propagator/matrix method for handling finite width gradient pulses. Frequency Domain-modulated gradient methods are presented along with the various approximations involved. Finally, homospoiling and phase cycles, and the use of RF field gradients for the measurement of translational motion, are discussed.Less
This chapter discusses magnetic field gradients and spin isochromats, and introduces their phase evolution under magnetic field gradients using the ideas of the magnetization helix and k-space, thus leading to a description of Magnetic Resonance Imaging and selective excitation. Translational motion encoding using various echoes is covered using both the spin jump model and the magnetization diffusion equation. The Stejskal-Tanner Pulsed Gradient Spin Echo method is discussed along with the role of background gradients in finite gradient pulse rise times. Using the neutron scattering analogy, q-space, and the propagator formalism, the narrow gradient pulse approximation is explained, leading to a discussion of the multiple propagator/matrix method for handling finite width gradient pulses. Frequency Domain-modulated gradient methods are presented along with the various approximations involved. Finally, homospoiling and phase cycles, and the use of RF field gradients for the measurement of translational motion, are discussed.
John Meurig Thomas
- Published in print:
- 2020
- Published Online:
- March 2020
- ISBN:
- 9780198854500
- eISBN:
- 9780191888793
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780198854500.003.0004
- Subject:
- Physics, Crystallography: Physics, Soft Matter / Biological Physics
Bragg, Kendrew, and Perutz at the Cavendish Laboratory, Cambridge, published in 1950 proposals for the nature of the folding of the constituents (the amino acid residues) of proteins such as keratin, ...
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Bragg, Kendrew, and Perutz at the Cavendish Laboratory, Cambridge, published in 1950 proposals for the nature of the folding of the constituents (the amino acid residues) of proteins such as keratin, the constituent of hair and wool. Almost immediately, Pauling and Corey at the California Institute of Technology published a series of strong critical articles, in which they repudiated the model proposed by the Cambridge trio. Also, they proposed a new motif for the structure of proteins—the so-called alpha-helix. Its nature and importance are described herein, and its subsequent validity (demonstrated by Kendrew at the Cavendish Laboratory and Phillips et al. at the DFRL) was demonstrated by the work done in the United Kingdom on the X-ray studies of the oxygen-storage protein myoglobin and on the enzyme known as lysozyme found in egg white and in human tears.Less
Bragg, Kendrew, and Perutz at the Cavendish Laboratory, Cambridge, published in 1950 proposals for the nature of the folding of the constituents (the amino acid residues) of proteins such as keratin, the constituent of hair and wool. Almost immediately, Pauling and Corey at the California Institute of Technology published a series of strong critical articles, in which they repudiated the model proposed by the Cambridge trio. Also, they proposed a new motif for the structure of proteins—the so-called alpha-helix. Its nature and importance are described herein, and its subsequent validity (demonstrated by Kendrew at the Cavendish Laboratory and Phillips et al. at the DFRL) was demonstrated by the work done in the United Kingdom on the X-ray studies of the oxygen-storage protein myoglobin and on the enzyme known as lysozyme found in egg white and in human tears.
