Systems biology principles

The development and improvement of biological processes will depend on continuing research to elucidate fundamental biological principles. Future fundamental work on microbial systems related to bio-refinery should include ... 

English system measurements into metric equivalents quickly enlightens the instructor to the abhorrence that the non-scientist has towards mathematical manipulations. No prior knowledge of scientific principles can be assumed. In our opinion, those subjects which have not been found to be easily integrated with chemical and biological principles are best omitted from the first course of study. Hence, forensic photography, the polygraph, document examination and speed detection devices are topics that are not included in the curriculum. 

For linear systems, the principle of superposition applies, and different oscillatory modes can evolve independently of one another. However, biological systems in general are not linear, and separation of different regulatory mechanisms may not be justified, even when they involve different time scales. One type of phenomenon that can arise from the interaction between two oscillatory modes is modulation of the amplitude and frequency of the faster mode in dependence of the phase of the slower mode. This type of phenomenon was demonstrated in Fig. 12.2c where the frequency of the myogenic mode fjast changes in step with the amplitude of the TGF-mediated mode. Similar modulation phenomena can be expected to occur in many other biological systems such as, for instance, the interaction between the circadian and the ultradian rhythms of hormone secretion [25]. 

Simulation and analysis of biochemical systems is at the heart of computational and systems biology. This textbook covers mathematical and computational approaches to biochemical systems based on rigorous physical principles. Written with an interdisciplinary audience in mind, this book shows the natural connection between established disciplines of chemistry and physics and the emerging field of systems biology, enabling the reader to take an informed approach to quantitative biochemical systems analysis. 

Alon U. An Introduction to Systems Biology Design Principles of Biological Circuits. 2006. Chapman Hall/CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL. 

Such issues have raised heated debates at the various congresses on the origin of life that have been held over recent years. But they are debates which have been fought out within the framework laid down by physical and chemical theory and itsapplicability to complex systems. This is not to say that life reduces to mere chemistry and physics. There are biological principles which express the... 

L. Hood, Leroy Hood expounds the principles, practice and future of systems biology, Drug Discovery Today, 8 (10), 2003, 436-8. 

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