Related papers: Ion Channels, Natural Nanovalves
One of the most celebrated successes in computational biology is the Hodgkin-Huxley framework for modeling electrically active cells. This framework, expressed through a set of differential equations, synthesizes the impact of ionic…
The behaviour of a system of ion channels formed across the cell membrane is presented. The infinite number of channels with an infinite coupling is introduced first as a reference point for the detailed derivation of the…
Complex fluids flow in complex ways in complex structures. Transport of water and various organic and inorganic molecules in the central nervous system are important in a wide range of biological and medical processes [C. Nicholson, and S.…
For sufficiently short relativistic-intensity laser pulses, the disparity in time scales for electron and ion motion causes ions to behave as a fixed, neutralizing background. As the pulse duration or intensity is increased, ion motion…
For ion channel gating, the appearance of two distinct conformational states and the discrete transitions between them is essential, and therefore of crucial importance to all living organisms. We show that the physical interplay between…
The ability to induce regions of high and low ionic concentration adjacent to a permeselective membrane or nanochannel subject to an externally applied electric field (a phenomenon termed concentration-polarization) has been used for a…
Biological systems rely on autonomous modes of charge transport to transmit signals, whereas conventional artificial systems typically depend on external fields, such as voltage or pressure gradients, limiting their adaptability. Here we…
Ionic flow carries electrical signals for cells to communicate with each other. The permanent charge of an ion channel is a crucial protein structure for flow properties while boundary conditions play a role of the driving force. Their…
Ion transport in biological and synthetic nanochannels is characterized by phenomena such as ion current fluctuations and rectification. Recently, it has been demonstrated that nanofabricated synthetic pores can mimic transport properties…
I believe an atomic biology is needed to supplement present day molecular biology, if we are to design and understand proteins, as well as define, make, and use them. Topics in the paper are molecular biology and atomic biology.…
We demonstrate that two mechanisms used by biological ion channels to select particles by size are driven by entropy. With uncharged particles in an infinite cylinder, we show that a channel that attracts particles is small-particle…
The transport of fluids at the nanoscale is fundamental to manifold biological and industrial processes, ranging from neurotransmission to ultrafiltration. Yet, it is only recently that well-controlled channels with cross-sections as small…
Particle channeling in a bent crystal lattice has led to an efficient instrument for beam steering at accelerators, demonstrated from MeV to TeV energies. In particular, crystal focusing of high energy protons to micron size has been…
For the successful implementation of organic electrochemical transistors in neuromorphic computing, bioelectronics, and real-time sensing applications it is essential to understand the factors that influence device switching times. Here we…
We report Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulations of a generic hydrophobic nanopore connecting two reservoirs which are initially at different Na+ concentrations, as in a biological cell. The nanopore is impermeable to water under equilibrium…
Plasma membrane calcium influx through ion channels is crucial for many events in cellular physiology. Cell surface stimuli lead to the production of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3), which binds to IP3 receptors in the endoplasmic…
In diffusion-based molecular communication (DMC), one important functionality of a transmitter nano-machine is signal modulation. In particular, the transmitter has to be able to control the release of signaling molecules for modulation of…
Partitioning and transport of water and small solutes into and through nanopores is important to a variety of chemical and biological processes and applications. Here we study the partitioning of positive ions of increasing size into the…
Transport of ions in molecular-scale confined spaces is central to all aspects of life and technology: into a crack, it may break steel within days; through a membrane separator, it determines the efficiency of electrochemical energy…
Metal ions play numerous important roles in biological systems being central to the function of biomolecules. In this letter we show that the absorption of X-rays by these ions leads to a complicated chain of ultrafast relaxation steps…