Dynamics of topological solitons describing open states in the DNA double helix are studied in the framework of a model that takes into account asymmetry of the helix. It is shown that three types of topological solitons can occur in the DNA double chain. Interaction between the solitons, their interactions with the chain inhomogeneities, and stability of the solitons with respect to thermal oscillations are investigated.

The process of heat conduction in one-dimensional lattices with on-site potential is studied by means of numerical simulation. Using the discrete Frenkel-Kontorova, ${\phi }^4,$ and sinh-Gordon models we demonstrate that contrary to previously expressed opinions the sole anharmonicity of the on-site potential is insufficient to ensure the normal heat conductivity in these systems. The character of the heat conduction is determined by the spectrum of nonlinear excitations peculiar for every given model and therefore depends on the concrete potential shape and the temperature of the lattice. The reason is that the peculiarities of the nonlinear excitations and their interactions prescribe the energy scattering mechanism in each model. For sine-Gordon and ${\phi }^4$ models, phonons are scattered at a dynamical lattice of topological solitons; for sinh-Gordon and for ${\phi }^4$ in a different parameter regime the phonons are scattered at localized high-frequency breathers (in the case of ${\phi }^4$ the scattering mechanism switches with the growth of the temperature).

We study the properties of heat conduction in chains of coupled particles subjected to different anharmonic on-site potentials. Particular emphasis is placed on the role of breathers in saturation of the thermal conductivity for chains with hard anharmonicity. When the chain particles are subject to on-site potentials with soft anharmonicity, we find a characteristic temperature, below which the conductivity decreases but while above which it increases.

We provide molecular-dynamics simulation of heat transport in one-dimensional molecular chains with different interparticle pair potentials. We show that the thermal conductivity is finite in the thermodynamic limit in chains with the potentials that allow for bond dissociation. The Lennard-Jones, Morse, and Coulomb potentials are such potentials. The convergence of the thermal conductivity is provided by phonon scattering on the locally strongly stretched loose interatomic bonds at low temperature and by the many-particle scattering at high temperature. On the other hand, chains with a confining pair potential, which does not allow for bond dissociation, possess anomalous thermal conductivity, diverging with the chain length. We emphasize that chains with a symmetric or asymmetric Fermi-Pasta-Ulam potential or with combined potentials, containing a parabolic and/or a quartic confining potential, all exhibit anomalous heat transport.

Results of extensive and accurate numerical studies on heat transfer in a system of particles with unequal masses, interacting through hard-point potentials with two types of symmetry, are reported. The particles are confined in a one-dimensional box with fixed ends coupled to heat reservoirs at different temperatures. The study aims to throw light upon recent controversial results on thermal conductivity in one-dimensional systems. When the particles interact through elastic hard-point collisions (a standard asymmetric case), the system is shown to have always infinite (anomalous) thermal conductivity as follows from the Prosen-Campbell theorem.