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 Announcements
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Biointerphases Announces New Publishing Partnership with Springer Verlag
Biointerphases
is now
published
through
SpringerOpen,
Springer
Verlag's
suite of
open access
journals. We
and Springer
are
committed to
fostering
and growing
the open
access
model. For
more
information,
visit our submission site.
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| Research Highlights |
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Using a Vacuum to Study Collagen Matrices? Carry On: Commonly used high vacuum techniques do not significantly affect the protein scaffolding on which tissue cells grow
For the cells that comprise our tissue, the extracellular matrix (ECM) - a collection of fibers made of the protein collagen, each about 150-200 micrometers thick and lying together like spaghetti on a plate - is more than a home. This collagen matrix acts as a scaffold on which cells grow and thrive, but it also tells them how to live. Read more
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New Technique Allows Fluorescence Monitoring of Biochemical Interactions without Analyte Tagging
IA major mechanism by which a cell interacts with its environment is the binding of a substance, known as a ligand, to a receptor protein within the cell membrane. The ligand can be a small molecule, a protein or even a structure as large as a virus or bacterium. This binding alters the conformation of the receptor and triggers some type of change. . Read more
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Mutability and the Edible Urchin: Sea Urchin Ligaments Provide Fare for Tissue Regeneration Studies
Its slimy orange-brown ovaries have been called "the liver of the sea" and are a popular food in sushi bars and Mediterranean countries. But Paracentrotus lividus, the common purple sea urchin, has more to offer than its ovaries as a culinary delicacy. As a member of the echinoderm group, this sea urchin is an ideal animal model for a "peculiar and important biological phenomenon" called mutability. Read more
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Medicine On Demand: Stimuli Responsive 'Smart Systems' Promise More Control Over Treatment and Diagnosis
Chemical compounds that target wounds to be healed, or tumors to be eradicated, could give doctors more control over the treatment of a range of conditions, such as cancer, degenerative diseases, and HIV. Chemists and biologists are currently working to make these compounds, or "smart systems," a clinical reality with stimuli-responsive (SR) polymers. What is so exciting about these SR polymers is that they can promote specific activities "on demand.....Read more
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Patterned After Nature: A Conversation with Peter Fratzl on New Frontiers in Materials Science, and the Quest to Understand—and Mimic—Nature's Unusual Engineering Solutions
Grass, bones, and sea shells may appear to have little in common. But to scientists like Peter Fratzl, they share the promise of providing information that could revolutionize engineering and medicine. Fratzl, director at the Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces in Potsdam, Germany, studies the relationship between structure and mechanical behavior of biological materials. We asked Dr. Fratzl a few questions about his work and the field of what he calls "biological materials science," the subject of his plenary lecture at the International Conference on Metallurgical Coatings and Thin Films (ICMCTF) this month in San Diego, Calif. Read more
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Hanging Tight: Researchers Test How Much Force is Required to Wash Away Unwanted Films of Marine Bacteria
Seawater teems with bacteria that readily latch on to submerged surfaces. Thick, slimy mats of bacteria can cover the undersides of ships and gum up the works of ocean sensors and other underwater equipment. The bacteria often pave the way for other unwanted colonizers such as barnacles, algae, and tubeworms. On just one class of U.S. Navy destroyer, biological build-up, called biofouling, is estimated to cost more than $50 million a year, mostly in extra fuel, according to a 2010 study performed by researchers from the U.S. Naval Academy and Naval Surface Warfare Center in Maryland. Read more |
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| Meeting Announcements |
- FEBS Workshop: Biological Surfaces and Interfaces
June 30-July 5, 2013
Sant Feliu de Guixols, Catalonia, Spain
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- 19th International Vacuum Congress (IVC)
September 9-13, 2013
Paris, France
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| Recent Meeting Highlights |
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Biointerphases is a peer-reviewed open access journal published under the brand SpringerOpen. It is an interdisciplinary journal which explores all aspects of quantitative soft matter interfaces: chemistry, physics, engineering, theory and modeling. Topics covered include interface spectroscopy, in vivo and in vitro mechanisms, interface modeling, adhesion phenomena, protein-surface interactions, biomembranes on a chip, cell-surface interactions, biosensors/biodiagnostics, bio-surface modification, the nano-bio interface, biotribology/biorheology, molecular recognition, cell patterning for function, polyelectrolyte surfaces, and ambient diagnostic methods. In addition to regular submissions, the journal includes the In Focus section of features, examining specific topics and edited by experts in the field.
