Discrete Nanoscale Transport refers to a class of transport phenomena inside cells. The word “nanoscale” refers to the nano-morphological features of the discrete entities being transported and their relevant interactions, whose length scale is from a few to several hundreds nanometers. This distinguishes nanoscale transport from transport of molecular-scale entities such as ions, solutes, metabolites, lipids, proteins, etc.
Transport of nanoscale entities is determined not only by thermal mobility, but also by their interactions with cellular structures (e.g. cytoskeletal filaments), with molecular-scale entities (e.g. motor proteins, signaling molecules), and with other nanoscale entities. In most cases, due to the discrete nature of the transport events and their strong dependence on the local structural and architectural properties of the media, it cannot be described by continuum approaches that are routinely used to describe macroscale transport.
Famous quotes containing the words discrete and/or transport:
“The mastery of one’s phonemes may be compared to the violinist’s mastery of fingering. The violin string lends itself to a continuous gradation of tones, but the musician learns the discrete intervals at which to stop the string in order to play the conventional notes. We sound our phonemes like poor violinists, approximating each time to a fancied norm, and we receive our neighbor’s renderings indulgently, mentally rectifying the more glaring inaccuracies.”
—W.V. Quine (b. 1908)
“One may disavow and disclaim vices that surprise us, and whereto our passions transport us; but those which by long habits are rooted in a strong and ... powerful will are not subject to contradiction. Repentance is but a denying of our will, and an opposition of our fantasies.”
—Michel de Montaigne (1533–1592)