Modeling systems knowledge

In control engineering, the way in which the system outputs respond in changes to the system inputs (i.e. the system response) is very important. The control system design engineer will attempt to evaluate the system response by determining a mathematical model for the system. Knowledge of the system inputs, together with the mathematical model, will allow the system outputs to be calculated. 

How relevant are these phenomena First, many oscillating reactions exist and play an important role in living matter. Biochemical oscillations and also the inorganic oscillatory Belousov-Zhabotinsky system are very complex reaction networks. Oscillating surface reactions though are much simpler and so offer convenient model systems to investigate the realm of non-equilibrium reactions on a fundamental level. Secondly, as mentioned above, the conditions under which nonlinear effects such as those caused by autocatalytic steps lead to uncontrollable situations, which should be avoided in practice. Hence, some knowledge about the subject is desired. Finally, the application of forced oscillations in some reactions may lead to better performance in favorable situations for example, when a catalytic system alternates between conditions where the catalyst deactivates due to carbon deposition and conditions where this deposit is reacted away. 

Abstract A review is provided on the contribution of modern surface-science studies to the understanding of the kinetics of DeNOx catalytic processes. A brief overview of the knowledge available on the adsorption of the nitrogen oxide reactants, with specific emphasis on NO, is provided first. A presentation of the measurements of NO, reduction kinetics carried out on well-characterized model system and on their implications on practical catalytic processes follows. Focus is placed on isothermal measurements using either molecular beams or atmospheric pressure environments. That discussion is then complemented with a review of the published research on the identification of the key reaction intermediates and on the determination of the nature of the active sites under realistic conditions. The link between surface-science studies and molecular computational modeling such as DFT calculations, and, more generally, the relevance of the studies performed under ultra-high vacuum to more realistic conditions, is also discussed. 

Our knowledge of smooth muscle contraction depends on the use of model systems including cell lines, freshly cultured cells, multicellular tissues and whole organs. It is important to consider possible artefacts and, generally, the extent to which these models accurately reproduce the behaviour of smooth muscle in vivo,... 

There has been a noticeable increase in interest in hydrophobic interactions during the last decade. This interest is mostly related to the supposed importance of the hydrophobic interactions as determinants of stability in and interactions between biological macromolecules. A relatively small part of this interest has been focused on the volume changes associated with the interactions. Most of our knowledge about these volume change comes from studies on small molecules serving as model systems for the much larger macromolecules,... 

We now have clear evidence that selenium can be introduced specifically into proteins as selenocysteine and into a subset of tRNA species as mnm Se U or Se2U. The pathways and molecular mechanisms for insertion of selenium into these molecules have been well established in several model systems, the best studied being E. coli. The role for selenium in selenoproteins (i.e., the need for selenium over sulfur) is thought to be its ability to act as a more reactive nucleophile and perhaps a more rapid catalyst. However, a void in our knowledge exists for the specific need for selenium-modified tRNAs. Mutation of either selD or ybbB did not alter the growth characteristics of E. coli- however, no thorough analysis of the bacterial stress response has been carried out in any of these mutants. Clearly, further study is needed to better define the role for selenium in wobble codon usage for a subset of tRNA species. 

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