Nonequilibrium thermodynamic approach to biological energy-conversion systems
This work describes the behavior of assemblies of individual energy converting subunits. The linear phenomenological laws of nonequilibrium thermodynamics are used as constitutional equations that describe the relationship between the forces and flows of a subunit. These relationships along with the restrictions imposed because of the organization of the system are used to derive equations relating the overall flows and forces. Two types of systems are considered: where the total input flow is the sum of the individual input flows, and the output flow is either also the sum of the subunit flows or is the same as each subunit flow. Most of the effort was directed toward describing systems in which the subunits are not all phenomenologically identical and the fractions of subunit types vary. Systems containing two distinct types of subunit were studied. Several properties are investigated, including limiting operating states and the input flows needed to support these states. As an example, muscle contraction is considered as a system where the output flow is the same for each subunit. Unfortunately, because it is not yet possible to measure the number of active subunits in muscle, applications of the theory is limited to describing properties that do not depend on the number of subunits.
- Research Organization:
- Iowa State Univ. of Science and Technology, Ames (USA)
- OSTI ID:
- 5851412
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: Thesis (Ph. D.)
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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