Biophysics

Balls, bags and pouches

February 4, 2011.

Lecturer

Prof. Dr. Sc. ANA SUNČANA SMITH
Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Cluster of Excellence Engineering of Advanced Materials Erlangen, Germany

Date and time

Monday, February 14, 2011, at 2:30 p.m.

Location

Lecture hall in the Mladen Paić building, Institute of Physics, Bijenička cesta 46, Zagreb

Abstract

The role of physics in describing biological systems is discussed through three examples. The first concerns the problem of hydration of hydrophobic objects. In this case, we determined only the arrangement of water using the method of molecular dynamics simulations, and additional results were derived within the framework of continuum theory. In the second example, which concerns the problem of the early stage of the cell recognition process using artificial biological membranes, the problem of nucleation and stability of nanoaggregates is addressed. In this section, recently obtained experimental results will be presented, which are interpreted by models with analytical solutions and with the help of Langevin simulations. The last example concerns the description of the propulsive motion of simple microswimmers, as a model of the motion of bacteria and other microorganisms.

*Joint seminar of the Croatian Biophysical Society and the Institute of Physics

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