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Popularisation of the key scientific problems occupied a significant place in D. I. Trubetskov’s work. In memory of this fact, the problem of electromagnetic field affecting biological objects is discussed in a popular manner in this article. This problem has more than a century in it’s history, but still being far from the final solution. Objectives. Analyze the problem of the interaction of electromagnetic fields with biological objects and social structures as complex multielement systems, and assess the possibility of identifying new effects in their behavior. Methods. As a result of many studies in different countries, by the mid-60s of the twentieth century, an idea was formed about the complex and systemic nature of the influence of electromagnetic fields on biological objects. Therefore, the interaction of electromagnetic fields with biological objects and social environments is considered in the work as a problem of external influence on complex multielement interconnected systems, using conceptual approaches of nonlinear dynamics. Results. It is shown that along with the effects of EMF on individual biological objects, there are effects of the influence of the information component of EMF on social systems, the elements of which are people considering as biological objects. The threshold power flux density where the influence effects on the social systems begin to manifest is significantly lower than the one for biological objects. Conclusion. Effective approaches aimed to reduce the negative impact of microwave radiation on humans can be implemented using personal means for monitoring the level and the received dose of radiation – electromagnetic radiation dosimeters, which are actually analogous to thermometers for measuring body temperature.

Modifying pair-specific Lennard-Jones parameters through the nonbonded FIX (NBFIX) feature of the CHARMM36 force field has proven cost-effective for improving the description of cation-π interactions in biological objects by means of pairwise additive potential energy functions. Here, two sets of newly optimized CHARMM36 force-field parameters including NBFIX corrections, coined CHARMM36m-NBF and CHARMM36-WYF, and the original force fields, namely CHARMM36m and Amber ff14SB, are used to determine the standard binding free energies of seven protein-ligand complexes containing cation-π interactions. Compared with precise experimental measurements, our results indicate that the uncorrected, original force fields significantly underestimate the binding free energies, with a mean error of 5.3 kcal/mol, while the mean errors of CHARMM36m-NBF and CHARMM36-WYF amount to 0.8 and 2.1 kcal/mol, respectively. The present study cogently demonstrates that the use of modified parameters jointly with NBFIX corrections dramatically increases the accuracy of the standard binding free energy of protein-ligand complexes dominated by cation-π interactions, most notably with CHARMM36m-NBF.

The work is devoted to the development of medical systems for monitoring biomedical indicators. The problem of developing a universal hardware software-controlled control system for the diagnosis of biological objects is solved. The main requirements for such a system are a wide range of functionality for combining different methods of measurement transformation and compliance with modern trends in the development of microelectronic sensors. Given the requirements for modern microcircuitry, in particular for sensing devices of the Internet of Things, the signal path of the sensors is implemented on the basis of PSoC family 5LP Family Cypress. Approbation of the developed system is carried out in the course of research of the character of optical radiation in the course of measurement of biomedical indicators.

Ways of making precise magnetic measurements and the corresponding magnetometric equipment are promising for practical use in studying electromagnetic processes that occur in biological objects. Analysis of the magnetic component of the electromagnetic activity of different human organs using superconducting quantum magnetometers can be used to develop new medical technologies for the early diagnosis and effective treatment of cardiovascular, oncological, and other major diseases.

The work with the biological objects has been carried out on the basis of a previously developed methodology for the study of the hydration properties of various molecular groups in solutions containing organic components. The nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) method has become the main experimental method, with the help of which it has become possible to detect and theoretically describe the temperature effect of changing the hydration properties of certain anions in water-salt and multicomponent solutions. This effect has also been recorded for the anions of chlorine, one of the most common chemical elements in the bodies of the living tissue. This work is a continuation of a series of works on the study of the possible influence of this effect on the thermoregulation of living tissue. This work is carried out at the confluence of physics, chemistry and biology, taking into account the knowledge accumulated in the world on the physical and chemical description of the systems under study to obtain an explanation of a biologically significant result. For the first time, such a study was carried out with biological objects characteristic of the human body - with blood and saliva. This effect should work throughout the whole body, given the presence of blood in all its structures. In the study of saliva which has been carried out, this effect was found as well. The results of the work expand and clarify the previously proposed hypothesis of thermoregulation of warm-blooded living tissue. The proposed feedback in the energy processes control system should work with different biological solutions characteristic of living objects. The work implements an approach notable for its logical simplicity, but at the same time this approach allows to connect the latest possibilities of modern science in the field of interdisciplinary research.

Progress in the field of information technology and global wireless communications leads to changes in the natural electromagnetic background of the Earth and affects living organisms. Therefore, it is relevant to investigate the influence of technogenic and natural electromagnetic fields using model biological objects, including a honeybee, which is particularly sensitive to electromagnetic radiation (EMR). Current EMR protection systems that change the characteristics of electromagnetic radiation can also cause specific magneto-biological reactions in living systems. In this study we used the honeybee (Apis mellifera L.) to assess the effect of devices on the innate and cognitive components of the honeybee behavior. The devices included EMR resonators working in isolation and together with a WiFi router. We also changed (weakened/enhanced) the magnetic field relative to the Earth’s magnetic field at the experiment location. The experiments found that all the factors under study, except for the enhanced magnetic field that produced a stimulating effect, have an inhibitory effect on the memory formation. Besides, both weakening and enhancement of the magnetic field significantly inhibits long-term memory. The observed changes in memory formation will inevitably affect the flight patterns and food-finding mechanisms in bees and, in general, the productivity of honeybee colonies.

Earlier it was noted that the functioning of biological systems is accompanied by a very low level of energy dissipation, and it was assumed that a physical mechanism similar to that which works in superconductivity can operate here. The paper proposes a hypothesis that the phenomenon of life is not based on superconductivity, but on some so far unexplored macroscopic quantum state of organic structures making up the cell. It is assumed that this state is also characterized by the presence of an energy gap in the electronic spectrum, which makes the state stable and provides a low level of energy dissipation. The possibility of using optical spectroscopy methods for identifying the energy gap in biological objects is analyzed. It is assumed that the virus is alive inside the host cell, but not alive outside the host cell. It is proposed to use Raman spectroscopy of the process of bacterial infection with phages to search for the energy gap. This should confirm or refute the main hypothesis, as well as provide an opportunity to answer the question: “Are viruses alive?”

The distribution of free water and water associated with molecules of biological matter determines its state. The electrophysical properties of free and bound water are significantly different, and the relaxation frequency of molecules lies in the microwave range. Therefore, microwave methods of measurement are effective. The microwave sensor circuit is analyzed, for which it is possible to create a rigorous analytical model. The results of calculations of the electromagnetic field components and the transfer function of the sensor are discussed, and the dimensions of its working area are estimated.

This article discusses the possibility of applying the principles of Fourier polarimetry to the study of optically anisotropic networks of biological objects. The possibility of using statistical analysis to study the coordinate distributions of polarization states in the Fourier plane, the field of scattered laser radiation by virtual polycrystalline networks is demonstrated. The polarization-inhomogeneous structure of the Fourier transform of laser images of ensembles of optical-anisotropic biproenescent crystals has been revealed.

A new nanobiotechnological approach for the detection of extraterrestrial Earth-like biological forms is proposed. The approach is based on the ability of microbial cells to reduce artificially added cations with the generation of crystalline nanoparticles (NPs) from zero-valent atoms. The method is named DBNG (Detection of Biogenic Nanoparticles Generation). The subglacial low-temperature oligotrophic Lake Untersee in Antarctica was used as a model of putative extraterrestrial water environments inhabited by Earth-like type microorganisms. The DBNG protocol for the comparative study of microbial communities of low-temperature oligotrophic environments was optimized on the base of experiments with the pure culture of psychroactive bacterium Cryobacterium sp. 1639 isolated earlier from Lake Untersee. The formation of silver nanoparticles (Ag°NPs) has been conducted in natural water samples of three horizons at low temperature (+5°C), which was in the temperature range registered in the Lake Untersee. The generation of biogenic Ag°NPs was detected only at the presence of indigenous microorganisms in all studied samples. No Ag°NPs generation was observed in the lake water samples artificially free of cells or exposed to pasteurization (two types of controls). The miniature microfluidic chip for an automated version of the device, based on using different analytical methods for recording in situ-formed biogenic nanoparticles, is proposed. The device allows the detection of the biological objects directly at the sampling site.

At this paper biological effects of influence of electromagnetic radiation and moderately low temperature to biological object are investigated. Authors propose to define a contribution of isolated influences by electromagnetic field and low temperature to its combined effect and to establish the relationship between immunological parameters and other associated processes in the body.

Plenoptic cameras use arrays of micro-lenses to capture multiple views of the same scene in a single compound image. They enable refocusing on different planes and depth estimation. However, until now, all types of plenoptic computational imaging have been limited to visible light. We demonstrate an x-ray plenoptic microscope that uses a concentrating micro-capillary array instead of a micro-lens array and can simultaneously acquire from one hundred to one thousand x-ray projections of imaged volumes that are located in the focal spot region of the micro-capillary array. Hence, tomographic slices at various depths near the focal plane can be reconstructed in a way similar to tomosynthesis, but from a single x-ray exposure. The microscope enables depth-resolved imaging of small subvolumes in large samples and can be used for imaging of weakly absorbing artificial and biological objects by means of propagation phase-contrast., Comment: The following article has been accepted by Applied Physics Letters

Solving the problem of increasing plant resistance, the development of environmentally-friendly technologies is particularly important, which also contribute to the reduction of resource costs for production and load on the environment. The research results indicate a positive effect from the treatment of plants and seeds with electrochemically activated (ECA) water, electric fields, and impulse pressure (IP). Pre-sowing treatment of seeds with ECA water increases the germination rate and seed germination energy, improves the development of plants, improves morphological parameters, etc. The reactions of economically dangerous pests and causative agents of infectious plant diseases to the use of ECA water are identified. The combination of pre-sowing seed treatment with the treatment of vegetative plants provides the highest possible result.

The aim of this review was the study of the influence of electromagnetic radiation of microwave range on biological objects. The analysis of modern materials and methods of protection of biological objects from microwave radiation is carried out. The properties of composite radioabsorbing materials based on the polymeric binding and functional fillers are analyzed. The mechanisms of influence on biological objects by the electromagnetic radiation of microwave range are analyzed. The conclusion is that the composite radioabsorbing materials and electromagnetic screens are an effective solution to the problems of electromagnetic safety and electromagnetic ecology. The most perspective among them are composite materials based on thermoplastic binding.

A device was developed for searching of optimal parameters for the treatment of biological objects by an alternating magnetic field, where the optimal parameters are determined through automated analysis of the dependencies of the physical characteristics of biological liquids obtained from those biological objects on the frequency and strength of the field.

A method for determining and correcting distortions in spectral-domain optical coherence tomography images caused by medium dispersion was developed. The method is based on analysis of the phase distribution of the interference signal recorded by an optical coherence tomography device using an iterative approach to find and compensate for the effect of a medium’s chromatic dispersion on point-spread function broadening in optical coherence tomography. This enables compensation of the impact of medium dispersion to an accuracy of a fraction of a radian (units of percent) while avoiding additional measurements and solution of the optimization problem. The robustness of the method was demonstrated experimentally using model and biological objects.

Osteoporosis is a disease characterized by the gradual deterioration of a trabecular bone, changing its density and composition. Dielectric constant of the trabecular bone, which is affected by the bone composition, changes propagation characteristics of electromagnetic (EM) waves within this medium. The goal of this work is to study the dependence of the characteristics of the EM wave propagation on the osteoporosis severity degree. A human finger is considered as the object of the study. This paper presents results of modeling the finger EM properties and propagation of the EM wave through the finger for various osteoporosis severity degree levels. Results of extensive experimental studies with EM wave propagation through the human fingers have been performed and are presented in the paper. Two different approaches to the problem of EM injection into the finger were considered: the coaxial probe method and Fabry-Perot resonator formed by the finger placed between a planar antenna and a reflecting surface. The results of the wave propagation analysis within the fingers containing healthy and diseased bones are used for estimation of the osteoporosis severity degree. A numerical criterion intended for an estimation of the osteoporosis severity degree is suggested.

The new approach for measuring deep temperature of human body is proposed based on radio-thermometry. The novel design of radio-thermometer is developed and described containing microstrip antennas as an radio-thermometer applicator/receiver with significantly reduced coefficient of standing waves. The high efficiency of radio-thermometer is clinically proved for diagnostic of inflammatory processes in human body.

The chapter covers investigations of methods and means for the protection of biological and technical objects from the influence of electromagnetic (EM) irradiations both of the natural and artificial (anthropogenic) origin. Detailed are the theoretical and experimental data on the physical mechanisms and consequences of influences of these irradiations on the biological objects. Under consideration are the various designs of the reflective and absorbent protective screens. Special attention is attributed to the peculiarities of formation of multilayer special purpose screens for protection from the static magnetic fields, low frequency (LF) and pulse electromagnetic irradiations, as well as quasi-stationary fields.

International audience; Most mathematical modeling in biology relies either implicitly or explicitly on the epistemology of physics. The underlying conception is that the historicity of biological objects would not matter to understand a situation here and now, or, at least, historicity would not impact the method of modeling. We analyze that it is not the case with concrete examples. Historicity forces a conceptual reconfiguration where equations no longer play a central role. We argue that all observations depend on objects defined by their historical origin instead of their relations as in physics. Therefore, we propose that biological variations and historicity come first, and regularities are constraints with limited validity in biology. Their proper theoretical and empirical use requires specific rationales.

To image biological objects using coherent X-ray diffraction (CXDI), the resolution limitation is mainly resulted from insufficient photon flux at current XFEL facilities. In this report, a photon-flux master curve of particle detection is generated from single shot computer simulation of different biological particles in Protein Data Bank and EMDataBank. The master curve can be applied to estimate scatted X-ray intensity and guide the design of CXDI experiments.

Holographic tomography (HT) is an advanced label-free optical microscopic imaging method used for biological studies. HT uses digital holographic microscopy to record the complex amplitudes of a biological sample as digital holograms and then numerically reconstruct the sample’s refractive index (RI) distribution in three dimensions. The RI values are a key parameter for label-free bio-examination, which correlate with metabolic activities and spatiotemporal distribution of biophysical parameters of cells and their internal organelles, tissues, and small-scale biological objects. This article provides insight on this rapidly growing HT field of research and its applications in biology. We present a review summary of the HT principle and highlight recent technical advancement in HT and its applications.

The results of the development and testing of elements of a test bench for investigating the impact of accelerated particle beams on biological objects, electronics, and other targets are presented. The systems for beam monitoring and target positioning were tested on extracted argon beams in the framework of experiments on studying the radiation hardness of electronic components.

An original experimental stand is presented, aimed at studying the impact of high-energy protons, produced by the laser-plasma interaction at a petawatt power level, on biological objects. In the course of pilot experiments with the energy of laser-accelerated protons up to 25 MeV, the possibility is demonstrated of transferring doses up to 10 Gy to the object of study in a single shot with the magnetic separation of protons from parasitic X-ray radiation and fast electrons. The technique of irradiating the cell culture HeLa Kyoto and measuring the fraction of survived cells is developed. The ways of optimising the parameters of proton beams and the suitable methods of their separation with respect to energy and transporting to the studied living objects are discussed. The construction of the stand is intended for the improvement of laser technologies for hadron therapy of malignant neoplasms.

The problem of digital holographic imaging of optically transparent objects in arbitrary spectral intervals is discussed. An optical scheme based on Mach−Zehnder interferometer with acousto-optic filtration of broadband light is proposed, and an experimental setup is described. Digital holograms of test patterns and real biological objects are presented.

A low-coherence interference microscope arrangement based on a common path shearing interferometer is proposed to obtain differential phase patterns of biological objects. The phase stepping method is used to reconstruct such patterns. Results are presented for experiments to study human blood erythrocytes.

Optical structure disturbances localization algorithm for time-resolved diffuse optical tomography of biological objects is described. The key features of the presented algorithm are: the initial approximation for the spatial distribution of the optical characteristics based on the Homogeneity Index and the assumption that all the absorbing and scattering inhomogeneities in an investigated object are spherical and have the same absorption and scattering coefficients. The described algorithm can be used in the brain structures diagnosis, in traumatology and optical mammography.

A microwave radio thermometer for determining the temperature of local sections inside a biological medium is described. The basic operating principle is a modification of the zero-measurements method.

Stereofotografien lassen sich nach dem Anaglyphenprinzip mit rotem und grunem Halbbild relativ einfach herstellen. Die Stereoskopie ist in den Naturwissenschaften wertvoll, wenn anhand der zusatzlichen Tiefeninformation genauere Erkenntnisse zu Struktur und Form eines Objekts gewonnen werden konnen. Mittels verschiedener Motive aus Malakologie und Palaontologie sollen wesentliche Einsatzbereiche der Stereofotografie diskutiert werden. Fascination 3D-Photography: Stereo-photography of biological objects In this contribution a simple method for the production of stereophotographs according to the anaglyph principle with red and green stereo images is described. Additionally, the value of stereoscopy in natural sciences is presented. This is realized in all those fields, where additional spatial information provides enhanced knowledge on the structure and form of an object. By using various motifs from malacology and palaeontology the main areas of application of stereophotography will be discussed.

Two methods of using the X-pinch as a source of X-ray radiation for radiography of biological objects are presented. X-pinches are found to be a very flexible method for generation of radiation over a wide spectral range and provide a high spatial and temporal resolution.

The system that models biological objects (e.g. colloids, ensembles of protein molecules) with competing interactions is considered. Such objects attract each other on short distances and repel at larger separations. The model is the system of particles on a triangular lattice interacting via a pair potential which is attractive for the nearest neighbors and repulsive for the third ones. Monte Carlo simulation data for the chemical potential, thermodynamic factor and correlation functions indicate the possibility of order-disorder phase transitions in this system. The simulation data are compared with the analytical results on the basis of the quasichemical approximation.

This article presents estimation and simulation results of the distribution of specific absorption rate (SAR) by biological objects, which are tissues of the human body (blood, muscles, fat). TEM-cell was used as a source of excitation. The simulation was carried out using various types of excitation (Gaussian pulse, bipolar Gaussian pulse and amplitude-modulated sinusoid). It is revealed that different signals cause differences in the distribution of SAR in the biological objects under consideration.

In the work digital x-ray apparatus on the basis of the gas-discharge linear detector is considered. X-ray images of laboratory rats are presented. Application prospects of gas-discharge detectors as a solution of the up-to-date radiographic problems are deduced.

Background: In 1893 the German scientist Oskar Korschelt was granted a patent for using cavity structures (CS) for therapeutic purposes. In the end of the 20th century in Russia Victor Grebennikov also studied possibilities of using CS in curing various diseases. Korschelt used artificial CSs made of copper chains or plates. Grebennikov used mainly natural CS, e.g., empty bee combs. The main features of the CS effect are: the therapeutic efficacy of a CS depends on its orientation with respect to the biological object and on the material the CS is made of. It does not depend on the presence of acoustic or electromagnetic screens. The CS influence on the target biological object may not cease after removal of the CS, i.e. there is an after-effect. Methods: It is shown in the paper that it is possible to explain the effects of CSs on biological objects under the assumption that the physical vacuum has the properties of superfluid 3He-B. Results: The effects may be due to spin supercurrents being present in CSs. Conclusion: CSs differ from bodies of other form in that the cavity is ‘filled' with spin supercurrents. The properties of the supercurrents are like those of the spin supercurrents between spin structures in superfluid 3He-B.

The paper focuses on modeling and experimental investigations of electromagnetic waves propagating along the surface of biological objects. Wave propagation parameters such as attenuation and phase velocity are of main interest. The results of numerical simulations are compared with experimental data.

1 Table of Contents and Preface (TableContentsPreface+SixPapers2016.pdf) 2 G. Longo & A.M. Soto, Why do we need theories? (01_theories.pdf) 3 N. Perret & G. Longo, Reductionist perspectives and the notion of information (02_information.pdf) 5 A.M. Soto, G. Longo, M. Montévil & C. Sonnenschein, The biological default state of cell proliferation with variation and motility, a fundamental principle for a theory of organisms 6 M. Mossio, M. Montévil & G. Longo, Theoretical principles for biology: Organization 7 M. Montévil, M. Mossio, A. Pocheville & G. Longo, Theoretical principles for biology: Variation 10 A.M. Soto, G. Longo, P.-A. Miquel, M. Montévil, M. Mossio, N. Perret , A. Pocheville & C. Sonnenschein, Toward a theory of organisms: Three founding principles in search of a useful integration. In "From the century of the genome to the century of the organism: New theoretical approaches", a Special issue of Progress in Biophysics and Molecular Biology, A.M. Soto, G. Longo, D. Noble (Editors), Vol. 122, Issue 1, Elsevier, 2016. (TableContentsPreface+SixPapers2016.pdf)//Guest editors: A.M. Soto & G. Longo; International audience; Theories organize knowledge and construct objectivity by framing observations and experiments. The elaboration of theoretical principles is examined in the light of the rich interactions between physics and mathematics. These two disciplines share common principles of construction of concepts and of the proper objects of inquiry. Theory construction in physics relies on mathematical symmetries that preserve the key invariants observed and proposed by such theory; these invariants buttress the idea that the objects of physics are generic and thus interchangeable and they move along specific trajectories which are uniquely determined, in classical and relativistic physics. In contrast to physics, biology is a historical science that centers on the changes that organisms experience while undergoing ontogenesis and phylogenesis. Biological objects, namely organisms, are not generic but specific; they are individuals. The incessant changes they undergo represent the breaking of symmetries, and thus the opposite of symmetry conservation, a central component of physical theories. This instability corresponds to the changes of the environment and the phenotypes. Inspired by Galileo's principle of inertia, the " default state " of inert matter, we propose a " default state " for biological dynamics following Darwin's first principle, " descent with modification " that we transform into " proliferation with variation and motility " as a property that spans life, including cells in an organism. These dissimilarities between theories of the inert and of biology also apply to causality: biological causality is to be understood in relation to the distinctive role that constraints assume in this discipline. Consequently, the notion of cause will be reframed in a context where constraints to activity are seen as the core component of biological analyses. Finally, we assert that the radical materiality of life rules out distinctions such as " software vs. hardware. "

The promise of nanotechnology lies in the possibility of engineering matter on the nanoscale and creating technological interfaces that, because of their small scales, may directly interact with biological objects, creating new strategies for the treatment of pathologies that are otherwise beyond the reach of conventional medicine. Nanotechnology is inherently a multiscale, multiphenomena challenge. Fundamental understanding and highly accurate predictive methods are critical to successful manufacturing of nanostructured materials, bio/mechanical devices and systems. In biomedical engineering, and in the mechanical analysis of biological tissues, classical continuum approaches are routinely utilized, even if these disregard the discrete nature of tissues, that are an interpenetrating network of a matrix (the extra cellular matrix, ECM) and a generally large but finite number of cells with a size falling in the micrometer range. Here, we introduce a nano-mechanical theory that accounts for the-non continuum nature of bio systems and other discrete systems. This discrete field theory, doublet mechanics (DM), is a technique to model the mechanical behavior of materials over multiple scales, ranging from some millimeters down to few nanometers. In the paper, we use this theory to predict the response of a granular material to an external applied load. Such a representation is extremely attractive in modeling biological tissues which may be considered as a spatial set of a large number of particulate (cells) dispersed in an extracellular matrix. Possibly more important of this, using digital image correlation (DIC) optical methods, we provide an experimental verification of the model.

We succeeded in 3-D motion-picture imaging for dynamic motion of biological objects swimming at different depths by parallel phase-shifting digital holographic microscopy (PPSDHM). PPSDHM is a technique for high-quality instantaneous 3-D imaging of specimens in the microscopic field of view by single-shot recording of multiple phase-shifted holograms. We constructed a PPSDHM for recording high-speed dynamic phenomena and then motions of biological objects in water were recorded at 20 000 and 150 000 frames/s, respectively, which is the fastest among the previous reports on 3-D imaging of biological objects.

The imaging methods used at the ANKA Synchrotron Light Source (Institute for Synchrotron Radiation, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology) are briefly reviewed. Examples of recent applications of the phase-contrast imaging method using a grating interferometer and fast radiography with optic flow data analysis to study static and moving biological objects are presented.

In this paper, we present a ultraweak photon emission (UPE) measurement system to identify the biological death process. Using medical mouse, the relationship between the photon number of UPE and death process was investigated in our research work. The comparison between the normal living state and biological death process shows that there was an obvious increasing trend of the ultraweak photon emission number just before biological objects died. The results suggest that UPE may be used as a method to observe the physiology activities, and also identify the process of death and the state of living.