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Lipid membranes are complex and dynamic systems which are known to mediate signaling processes between cells and their environment. To do this multiple ion channels and pumps are involved in controlling the in- and out-flux of various ions (K+, Na+, Mg2+, ...
All organisms are made to a large extent of soft matter - macromolecules such as proteins and polysaccharides, or assemblies of small molecules such as lipids embedded in an aqueous environment. Understanding the role of order in soft matter presents a cha ...
The plasma membrane is of central importance for defining the closed volume of cells in contradistinction to the extracellular environment. The plasma membrane not only serves as a boundary, but it also mediates the exchange of physical and chemical inform ...
The formation of photoexcited states in organic semiconductors, their separation into long-lived or stable charge carriers, as well as the charge transport are critical processes relevant to several important research fields and emerging technologies. Whil ...
Magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) requires the use of contrast agents (CAs) to enable accurate diagnosis. There are currently no CAs on the market with appropriate pharmacokinetic (PK) parameters, namely long persistence in the blood, that can be easily ...
At the interface between science and engineering, there is the field of biomimicry: Innovations inspired by the observation of natural, evolutionary optimized biological structures and processes. To understand the challenges of biomimicry, the concept of â ...
The Spindle Assembly Abnormal Protein 6 (SAS-6) forms dimers, which then self-assemble into rings that are critical for the nine-fold symmetry of the centriole organelle. It has recently been shown experimentally that the self-assembly of SAS-6 rings is st ...
Cellulose nanocrystal (CNC) suspensions can self-assemble into chiral nematic films upon the slow evaporation of water. These films are brittle, as indicated by their fracturing instead of plastically deforming once they are fully elastically deformed. Thi ...
Outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) act as carriers of bacterial products such as plasmids and resistance determinants, including metallo-beta-lactamases. The lipidated, membrane-anchored metallo-beta-lactamase NDM-1 can be detected in Gram-negative OMVs. The s ...
This paper describes an alternative path towards artificial life-one by which simple modular robots with novel hybrid motion control are used to represent artificial organisms. We outline conceptually how such a system would work, and present a partial har ...