BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//SoPA UoE//Event Calendar//EN X-WR-CALNAME:Condensed Matter Lunchtime Seminars X-WR-CALDESC:Condensed Matter Lunchtime Seminars X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT12H CALSCALE:GREGORIAN METHOD:PUBLISH BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:Europe/London X-LIC-LOCATION:Europe/London BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:+0000 TZOFFSETTO:+0100 DTSTART:19810329T010000 RRULE:FREQ=YEARLY;BYMONTH=3;BYDAY=-1SU TZNAME:BST END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:+0100 TZOFFSETTO:+0000 DTSTART:19961027T020000 RRULE:FREQ=YEARLY;BYMONTH=10;BYDAY=-1SU TZNAME:GMT END:STANDARD END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC UID:EVENT-85480@www.ph.ed.ac.uk DTSTAMP:20260419T085946 CREATED:20250225T095733 LAST-MODIFIED:20250424T170856 STATUS:CONFIRMED DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20250428T160000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20250428T170000 SUMMARY:ICMCS Seminar - Bacterial swarming through the lens of length scal es DESCRIPTION:Title: Bacterial swarming through the lens of length scales\n\ nAbstract: \n\nCollective swarming of bacterial swimmers is a complex beha viour\, often-seen in experiments. It consists of organisms moving rapidly in a thin film while creating flow structures on a scale much larger than individual cells. While computational models have been successful at mode lling dilute suspensions of swimming bacteria\, they have struggled to rep roduce swarming.\n\nTo tackle this complexity\, we introduce a new minimal model composed of three distinct length scales: the bacterial body length \, the flagella length\, and the screening length scale coming from the so lid surface over which they swarm. This model is embedded in a thermalised hydrodynamic solver and validated through single swimmer experiments. We demonstrate that this numerical approach exhibits swarming behaviour. Our results are consistent with experiments\, and the relatively low computati onal costs of this approach will allow future studies to probe more comple x systems than previously considered\, such as swarming in the vicinity of large obstacles or in porous media.\n\n\n\nJoin Zoom Meeting\n https://ed -ac-uk.zoom.us/j/81211470751\n\nMeeting ID: 812 1147 0751\n Passcode: ICMC S123\n ---\n Join by SIP\n • 81211470751 [at] zoomcrc.com\n ---\n Join b y H.323\n • 144.195.19.161 (US West)\n • 206.247.11.121 (US East)\n • 159.124.15.191 (Amsterdam Netherlands)\n • 159.124.47.249 (Germany)\ n\nMeeting ID: 812 1147 0751\n Passcode: 25173582\n ─────── ───\n\nSpeaker:\n* Mr Francois De Tournemire (School of Physics & As tronomy\, University of Edinburgh) LOCATION:JCMB 2511 URL:https://www.ph.ed.ac.uk/events/2025/85480-icmcs-seminar-bacterial-swar ming-through-the-lens-of-length-scales END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC UID:EVENT-85483@www.ph.ed.ac.uk DTSTAMP:20260419T085946 CREATED:20250225T100348 LAST-MODIFIED:20250501T135010 STATUS:CONFIRMED DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20250512T160000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20250512T170000 SUMMARY:ICMCS Seminar - Impact of particle-size polydispersity on colloida l crystallization and thin-film structures DESCRIPTION:Title: Impact of particle-size polydispersity on colloidal cry stallization and thin-film structures\n\nAbstract: The synthesis of collo ids is frequently challenged by the difficulty of producing monodisperse p articles. Size disparity in colloidal particles can disrupt order in their assemblies\, ultimately leading to a complete suppression of crystallizat ion. In this talk\, I will present a systematic experimental investigation into how size polydispersity affects the 2D and 3D structures of colloida l crystals grown as thin films through vertical drying. Surprisingly\, we do not observe a gradual decline in 2D local order but two sharp drops at 8% and 12% polydispersity\, indicating the presence of both 2D and 3D crys tallization regimes in the system. By showing that assembly quality improv es from the bottom up\, we suggest that 3D crystallization our system rese mbles epitaxial growth. We also examine whether this crystallization proce ss involves size fractionation. To broaden the picture\, we explore how po lydispersity influences crystallization in bulk samples. Lastly\, I will d iscuss a second form of polydispersity-driven structural evolution: the em ergence of distinct cracking patterns in the dried films. These insights h elp define the limits for achieving ordered colloidal crystals and shed li ght on assembly mechanisms in vertical drying\, where direct observation o f the crystallization process is experimentally challenging.\n\nJoin Zoom Meeting\n https://ed-ac-uk.zoom.us/j/81211470751\n\nMeeting ID: 812 1147 0 751\n Passcode: ICMCS123\n ---\n Join by SIP\n • 81211470751 [at] zoomcr c.com\n ---\n Join by H.323\n • 144.195.19.161 (US West)\n • 206.247.1 1.121 (US East)\n • 159.124.15.191 (Amsterdam Netherlands)\n • 159.124 .47.249 (Germany)\n\nMeeting ID: 812 1147 0751\n Passcode: 25173582\n ─ ─────────\n\nSpeaker:\n* Ms Mariam Arif (School of Physi cs & Astronomy) LOCATION:JCMB 2511 URL:https://www.ph.ed.ac.uk/events/2025/85483-icmcs-seminar-impact-of-part icle-size-polydispersity-on-colloidal-crystallization-and-thin-film END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC UID:EVENT-85635@www.ph.ed.ac.uk DTSTAMP:20260419T085946 CREATED:20250411T145911 LAST-MODIFIED:20250519T091739 STATUS:CONFIRMED DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20250519T160000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20250519T170000 SUMMARY:ICMCS Seminar - Solubility in Ouzo and Metallic Hydrogen DESCRIPTION:Solubility in Ouzo and Metallic Hydrogen\n\nWikipedia\, in one of its less helpful moments\, defines solubility as “the ability of a s ubstance\, the solute\, to form a solution”.   What this actually mean s in practice is whether a system separates into two (or more) regions wit h different compositions.  For example\, the cream on the top of milk\, o r iron in the Earth’s core.   In equilibrium thermodynamics\, the syst em does this to minimise its free energy\, with entropy encouraging mixing \, gravity encouraging separation and chemistry doing whatever chemistry d oes.\n\nOne unspoken issue\, which doesn’t play nicely with the maths\, is what comprises a “substance”.  e.g. is carbon soluble in water.  Not as a diamond\, but yes if the carbon is in glucose (C6H12O6).  ?    Try dropping an engagement ring and a spoon of sugar in your tea.\n\nIn th is talk I will discuss how complex objects can form in solution: in ouzo s uch objects are at the micron scale\, whereas in metallic hydrogen atomic impurities acquire a halo of hydrogen forming composite “hypermolecules ” such as CH6\, H3O and CH4OH which make chemists sad.  The consequence of this is that your ouzo goes cloudy\, and astronomers can’t find the core of Jupiter.\n\n\n\nJoin Zoom Meeting\n https://ed-ac-uk.zoom.us/j/812 11470751\n \n Meeting ID: 812 1147 0751\n Passcode: ICMCS123\n\nSpeaker:\n * Professor Graeme Ackland FRSE (School of Physics & Astronomy\, Universit y of Edinburgh) LOCATION:JCMB 2511 URL:https://www.ph.ed.ac.uk/events/2025/85635-icmcs-seminar-solubility-in- ouzo-and-metallic-hydrogen END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC UID:EVENT-85485@www.ph.ed.ac.uk DTSTAMP:20260419T085946 CREATED:20250225T100556 LAST-MODIFIED:20250417T171745 STATUS:CANCELLED DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20250526T160000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20250526T170000 SUMMARY:[CANCELLED] ICMCS Seminar - Abby Hellman (title tbc) DESCRIPTION:Abstract tbc \n\nJoin Zoom Meeting\n https://ed-ac-uk.zoom.us /j/81211470751\n\nMeeting ID: 812 1147 0751\n Passcode: ICMCS123\n ---\n J oin by SIP\n • 81211470751 [at] zoomcrc.com\n ---\n Join by H.323\n • 144.195.19.161 (US West)\n • 206.247.11.121 (US East)\n • 159.124.15.1 91 (Amsterdam Netherlands)\n • 159.124.47.249 (Germany)\n\nMeeting ID: 8 12 1147 0751\n Passcode: 25173582\n ──────────\n\nSpea ker:\n* Ms Abby Hellman (School of Physics & Astronomy ) LOCATION:JCMB 2511 URL:https://www.ph.ed.ac.uk/events/2025/85485-icmcs-seminar-abby-hellman-t itle-tbc END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC UID:EVENT-85753@www.ph.ed.ac.uk DTSTAMP:20260419T085946 CREATED:20250602T101707 LAST-MODIFIED:20250602T101707 STATUS:CONFIRMED DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20250602T160000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20250602T170000 SUMMARY:ICMCS Seminar - Adsorption of complexes of bio(based) polycations and the biosurfactant rhamnolipid onto model DESCRIPTION:Title: Adsorption of complexes of bio(based) polycations and t he biosurfactant rhamnolipid onto model\n\nAbstract: Mixtures of cationic ally modified polymers and anionic surfactants are of great industrial in terest and are present in products of our daily use. For example\, soil r elease polymers in laundry detergents adsorb onto textiles to prevent reso iling. In shampoos\, care polymers are used for conditioning effects. Th e interactions between conventional polycations and anionic surfactants\, which are mostly made of fossil feedstock\, are investigated intensively over the last decades.[1\,2\,3] In the context of climate change and its associated challenges\, the imperative for the development of sustainable alternatives is paramount. The different properties of bio(based) polyel ectrolytes and biosurfactants necessitate\, however\, a comprehensive inv estigation and understanding of their interactions. In this work\, we stu died the bulk as well as the interfacial properties of the bio(based) pol yelectrolytes hydroxypropyl guar hydroxypropyltrimonium chloride and ε-P oly-L-Lysine and the biosurfactant rhamnolipid. Among other techniques\, l ight-scattering based microrheology and quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation were used to probe the bulk and interfacial properties\, resp ectively. It was found that the adsorption of the complexes could be enha nced by adjusting the polyelectrolyte-biosurfactant ratio close to the ph ase separation boundaries. This could\, particularly in the case of guar -rhamnolipid complexes\, be observed far from the theoretical charge-match ing point.\n\nReferences\n\n[1]   G. Nizzri\, S. Magdassi\, J. Schmidt\, Y. Cohen\, Y. Talmon\, Langmuir 20\, (2004)\, 4380–4385.\n\n[2] F. Fe rnandez-Peña\, E. Guzmán\, C. Fernández-Pérez\, I. Barba-Nieto\, F. Or tega\, F.\n\nLeonforte\, R. Rubio\, G. Luengo\, Polymers\, 14(7)\, (202 2)\, 1335.\n\n[3] N. Khan\, B. Brettmann\, Polymers\, ()\, (201 8)\, 11(1)\, 51.\n\n\n\nJoey Kilbride is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.\n\nJoin Zoom Meeting\n https://ed-ac-uk.zoom.us/j/81211470751\n\ nMeeting ID: 812 1147 0751\n Passcode: ICMCS123\n\n---\n\nJoin by SIP\n • 81211470751 [at] zoomcrc.com\n\n---\n\nJoin by H.323\n • 144.195.19. 161 (US West)\n • 206.247.11.121 (US East)\n • 159.124.15.191 (Amsterd am Netherlands)\n • 159.124.47.249 (Germany)\n\nMeeting ID: 812 1147 075 1\n Passcode: 04534385\n\nSpeaker:\n* Mr Jörn Optatzi (TH Köln - Univers ity of Applied Sciences) LOCATION:JCMB 2511 URL:https://www.ph.ed.ac.uk/events/2025/85753-icmcs-seminar-adsorption-of- complexes-of-biobased-polycations-and-the-biosurfactant-rhamnolipid-onto END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC UID:EVENT-85798@www.ph.ed.ac.uk DTSTAMP:20260419T085946 CREATED:20250612T161137 LAST-MODIFIED:20250612T161137 STATUS:CONFIRMED DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20250616T160000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20250616T170000 SUMMARY:ICMCS seminar - Axisymmetric membranes under external force: buckl ing\, minimal surfaces\, and tethers DESCRIPTION:Title: Axisymmetric membranes under external force: buckling\, minimal surfaces\, and\n\ntethers\n\nAbstract: Motivated by deformations of artificial fluid membranes consisting of rod-like colloidal particles\, we use theory and numerical computation to determine the shape of an axi symmetric membrane with constant area and a resistance to bending. The mem brane connects two rings in the classic geometry that produces a catenoida l shape in a soap film. In our problem\, we find infinitely many branches of solutions for the shape and external force as functions of the separat ion of the rings\, analogous to the infinite family of eigenmodes for the Euler buckling of a slender rod. Special attention is paid to the cateno id\, which emerges as the shape of maximal allowable separation when the a rea is less than a critical area equal to the planar area enclosed by the two rings. A perturbation theory argument directly relates the tension o f catenoidal membranes to the stability of catenoidal soap films in this regime. When the membrane area is larger than the critical area\, we find additional cylindrical tether solutions to the shape equations at large r ing separation\, and that arbitrarily large ring separations are possible. \n\n\n\nZoom:\n\n──────────\n Joey Kilbride is invitin g you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.\n Join Zoom Meeting\n https://ed-ac-uk. zoom.us/j/81211470751\n \n Meeting ID: 812 1147 0751\n Passcode: ICMCS123\ n\nSpeaker:\n* Prof Thomas Powers (Brown University) LOCATION:JCMB 2511 URL:https://www.ph.ed.ac.uk/events/2025/85798-icmcs-seminar-axisymmetric-m embranes-under-external-force-buckling-minimal-surfaces-and-tethers END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC UID:EVENT-86086@www.ph.ed.ac.uk DTSTAMP:20260419T085946 CREATED:20250903T163130 LAST-MODIFIED:20250903T163130 STATUS:CONFIRMED DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20250908T160000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20250908T170000 SUMMARY:Network analysis for systems biology using whole-body PET DESCRIPTION:Title: Network analysis for systems biology using whole-body P ET\n\nAbstract: Network analysis is a well-established method in neuroimag ing\, used to assess how different regions of the brain interact. This can be done with positron emission tomography (PET)\, a method of molecular i maging which targets physiological phenomenon within the body\, such as me tabolism or drug uptake. Traditional PET scanners image only one part of t he body at a time – which is why network analysis with PET has largely b een applied exclusively in the brain. However\, recent developments have l ed to whole-body scanning\, opening the opportunity for systems biology re search with PET. Systems biology is the study of complex interactions betw een different components of the body - something network analysis is parti cularly useful for. Here\, we propose and examine three methods of network analysis with whole-body PET to evaluate the effort\, efficacy\, and pote ntial applications for clinical and research use.\n\n\n\nJoin Zoom Meeting \n https://ed-ac-uk.zoom.us/j/81211470751\n \n Meeting ID: 812 1147 0751\n Passcode: ICMCS123\n\nSpeaker:\n* Ms Abby Hellman (University of Edinburg h) LOCATION:JCMB 2511 URL:https://www.ph.ed.ac.uk/events/2025/86086-network-analysis-for-systems -biology-using-whole-body-pet END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC UID:EVENT-86087@www.ph.ed.ac.uk DTSTAMP:20260419T085946 CREATED:20250903T165648 LAST-MODIFIED:20250912T091254 STATUS:CONFIRMED DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20250915T160000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20250915T170000 SUMMARY:ICMCS seminar - Controlling Topological Spin Textures in 2D van de r Waals Magnet DESCRIPTION:Title: Controlling Topological Spin Textures in 2D van der Waa ls Magnet\n\nAbstract: Magnetic skyrmions are nanoscale\, particle-like t opological defects that are candidates for information bits ('1's and '0's ) in next-generation memory. For this to be viable\, we must be able to re liably write and erase them. This seminar explores the physics of this swi tching process in the 2D magnet Fe3GeTe2 using micromagnetic simulations. We demonstrate how an external magnetic field can drive the system through a complete reversal\, controllably annihilating a dense skyrmion state in to a uniform magnetic state. This process\, governed by a competition betw een the applied field and the intrinsic energies that stabilize the skyrmi on\, is the fundamental mechanism for writing and erasing information with topological spin defects\, a crucial step for their use in future spintro nic devices.\n\nJoin Zoom Meeting\n https://ed-ac-uk.zoom.us/j/81211470751 \n \n Meeting ID: 812 1147 0751\n Passcode: ICMCS123\n\nSpeaker:\n* Mr Pei Yu Cai (School of Physics & Astronomy\, University of Edinburgh) LOCATION:JCMB 2511 URL:https://www.ph.ed.ac.uk/events/2025/86087-icmcs-seminar-controlling-to pological-spin-textures-in-2d-van-der-waals-magnet END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC UID:EVENT-86089@www.ph.ed.ac.uk DTSTAMP:20260419T085946 CREATED:20250903T170150 LAST-MODIFIED:20250918T164535 STATUS:CONFIRMED DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20250922T160000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20250922T170000 SUMMARY:ICMCS seminar - Thermodynamic efficiency of E. coli metabolism DESCRIPTION:Title: Thermodynamic efficiency of E. coli metabolism\n\nAbs tract: Unicellular organisms such as Escherichia coli survive and thrive by breaking down high-energy molecules to drive the metabolic processes ne cessary for growth\, division and maintenance. Success in microbial ecosys tems requires cells to be able to grow quickly and efficiently on a range of possible substrates. However\, cell metabolism is constrained by mass c onservation (some of the available carbon must become waste products like CO2 instead of biomass) and the laws of thermodynamics (some of the availa ble free energy must be dissipated instead of being used to perform chemic al work). How cells adapt their metabolic processes to satisfy their biolo gical and physical demands is still not fully understood.\n\nIn this talk\ , I will present insights into the thermodynamics of E. coli metabolism fr om isothermal microcalorimetry of liquid cultures. The high-sensitivity TA M IV microcalorimeter in JCMB allows the heat flow from as little as 106 c ells (~1 μW) to be tracked over the growth cycle. Comparing the heat flow during the exponential growth phase of E. coli in different growth media reveals that the switch from aerobic to fully anaerobic respiration occurs at a constant total heat output. This heat matches the value expected for complete combustion of carbon with the available oxygen\, suggesting that virtually all the available free energy is dissipated. We also find that the heat produced per biomass created is constant and independent of growt h rate\, indicating there is a fixed “heat cost” to growth. Correlatin g the microcalorimetry data with optical density measurements also allows the efficiency of E. coli growth to be quantified\, in terms of both carbo n and energy use.\n\n\n\nDr Thomas Parton (Max Planck Institute of Colloid s and Interfaces)\n\nDr Jana Schwarz-Linek\, Prof Patrick Warren\, Dr Aida n Brown\, Prof Wilson Poon (University of Edinburgh)\n\n\n\nJoin Zoom Meet ing\n https://ed-ac-uk.zoom.us/j/81211470751\n\nMeeting ID: 812 1147 0751\ n Passcode: ICMCS123\n\nSpeaker:\n* Dr Thomas Parton (Max Plank Institute of Colloids and Interfaces) LOCATION:JCMB 2511 URL:https://www.ph.ed.ac.uk/events/2025/86089-icmcs-seminar-thermodynamic- efficiency-of-e-coli-metabolism END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC UID:EVENT-86090@www.ph.ed.ac.uk DTSTAMP:20260419T085946 CREATED:20250903T170310 LAST-MODIFIED:20250926T140834 STATUS:CONFIRMED DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20250929T160000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20250929T170000 SUMMARY:ICMCS seminar - N2O sink or source? The impact of the anoxic switc h on denitrifying bacteria. DESCRIPTION:Title: N2O sink or source? The impact of the anoxic switch on denitrifying bacteria.\n\nPenot\, Anne-Maelle1*\; Chatzisymeon\, Efthalia 2\; MacPhee\, Cait1\; Domingo-Felez\, Carlos3\; Free\, Andrew4\; Melaugh\, Gavin1\n\n1School of Physics and Astronomy\, University of Edinburgh\, Un ited Kingdom\; 2School of Engineering\, University of Edinburgh\, United K ingdom\; 3James Watt School of Engineering\, University of Glasgow\, Unite d Kingdom\; 4School of Biological Sciences\, University of Edinburgh\, Uni ted Kingdom\n\n*Presenting author email: a.m.m.penot [at] ed.ac.uk\n\n\n\n Abstract: Biological removal of nitrogen in wastewater treatment (WWT) is responsible for significant emissions of nitrous oxide (N2O) – a potent greenhouse gas – which account for up to 75% of the carbon footprint of WWT plants [1]. Aeration patterns strongly influence N₂O dynamics\, but findings are often contradictory: intermittent aeration\, for instance\, is linked to high N₂O emissions in some studies [2\, 3] but is used as a mitigation strategy in others [4\, 5]. To resolve these inconsistencies\, a deeper understanding of microbial behaviour around the aerobic-anoxic t ransition is needed—particularly regarding the denitrification pathway\, which can act as a net source or sink for N2O.\n\nIn this talk\, I will p resent results from my PhD project\, which aims to understand the N2O prod uction and consumption by the rapid denitrifier Comamonas denitrificans ar ound the aerobic-anoxic switch [6].\n\nWe first observe a large accumulati on of N₂O immediately following the onset of anoxia in batch cultures of C. denitrificans. Further investigation reveals negligible N₂O consumpt ion during the aerobic and early-anoxic phases. As anoxia persists\, N₂O consumption increases substantially\, peaking at about 6.5 pmol.h-1.cell- 1 – several orders of magnitude higher than previously reported for Para coccus denitrificans [7].\n\nWe hypothesize that delayed expression of the nosZ gene\, encoding N2O reductase\, underlies this transient N2O accumul ation in C. denitrificans – marking a key physiological difference from well-characterised denitrifiers like P. denitrificans [8]. These findings suggest that N₂O generation around the aerobic-anoxic switch is controll ed by organism-specific regulation of denitrification genes.\n\n\n\nRefere nces:\n\n[1] Daelman\, M.R.J.\, van Voorthuizen\, E.M.\, van Dongen\, L.G. J.M.\, Volcke\, E.I.P. and van Loosdrecht\, M.C.M. (2013). Methane and Nit rous Oxide Emissions from Municipal Wastewater Treatment – Results from a Long-term Study. Water Science and Technology\, 67(10)\, pp.2350–2355. \n\n[2] Dotro\, Gabriela\, et al. "A review of the impact and potential of intermittent aeration on continuous flow nitrifying activated sludge." En vironmental technology 32.15 (2011): 1685-1697.\n\n[3] Castro-Barros\, Cel ia Maria\, et al. "Effect of aeration regime on N2O emission from partial nitritation-anammox in a full-scale granular sludge reactor." Water Resear ch 68 (2015): 793-803.\n\n[4] Duan\, Haoran\, et al. "Mitigating nitrous o xide emissions at a full-scale wastewater treatment plant." Water research 185 (2020): 116196.\n\n[5] Blum\, Jan-Michael\, Marlene Mark Jensen\, and Barth F. Smets. "Nitrous oxide production in intermittently aerated Parti al Nitritation-Anammox reactor: oxic N2O production dominates and relates with ammonia removal rate." Chemical Engineering Journal 335 (2018): 458-4 66.\n\n[6] Gumaelius\, Lena\, et al. "Comamonas denitrificans sp. nov.\, a n efficient denitrifying bacterium isolated from activated sludge." Intern ational journal of systematic and evolutionary microbiology 51.3 (2001): 9 99-1006.\n\n[7] Suenaga\, Toshikazu\, et al. "Biokinetic characterization and activities of N2O-reducing bacteria in response to various oxygen leve ls." Frontiers in microbiology 9 (2018): 697.\n\n[8] Qu\, Zhi\, et al. "Tr anscriptional and metabolic regulation of denitrification in Paracoccus de nitrificans allows low but significant activity of nitrous oxide reductase under oxic conditions." Environmental microbiology 18.9 (2016): 2951-2963 .\n\n\n\n\n\nJoin Zoom Meeting\n https://ed-ac-uk.zoom.us/j/81211470751\n\ nMeeting ID: 812 1147 0751\n Passcode: ICMCS123\n\nSpeaker:\n* Ms Anne-Mae lle Penot (School of Physics & Astronomy\, University of Edinburgh) LOCATION:JCMB 2511 URL:https://www.ph.ed.ac.uk/events/2025/86090-icmcs-seminar-n2o-sink-or-so urce-the-impact-of-the-anoxic-switch-on-denitrifying-bacteria END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC UID:EVENT-86091@www.ph.ed.ac.uk DTSTAMP:20260419T085946 CREATED:20250903T170501 LAST-MODIFIED:20250911T141613 STATUS:CONFIRMED DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20251006T160000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20251006T170000 SUMMARY:ICMCS seminar - Purely elastic turbulence: recent advances in chan nel flows DESCRIPTION:Title: Purely elastic turbulence: recent advances in channel f lows\n\nAbstract: Flows of complex fluids (such as polymers\, colloids\, emulsions\, pastes\, etc.) are abundant in everyday life. One can think of pouring shampoo or squeezing toothpaste from a tube\, but also of fibre-s pinning and plastic extrusion. Such flows often exhibit unexpected complex ity\, with an archetypal example being elastic turbulence—chaotic motion exhibited by dilute polymer solutions. While its appearance is understood theoretically in flows with curved streamlines\, there are still many ope n points about elastic turbulence in straight pipes and channels. In this seminar\, we summarise the key aspects of the Newtonian turbulence problem . This is followed by a general overview of non-Newtonian fluids and\, in particular\, of viscoelasticity. To illustrate the most recent progress in this field\, we report simulations of elastic turbulence in a parallel fl ow geometry where we focus on the zero Reynolds number case in the well-di luted polymer regime. A systematic investigation of the dependence on the Weissenberg number shows that turbulence production is concentrated along the centre plane of the channel away from the walls. This is an opposite b ehaviour from the Newtonian counterpart in which turbulent motion is predo minantly located near the bounding walls. The analysis of the Wi dependenc e of velocity statistics and gradient dynamics reveals a degree of intermi ttency even in the present inertialess configurations.\n\nJoin Zoom Meetin g\n https://ed-ac-uk.zoom.us/j/81211470751\n\nMeeting ID: 812 1147 0751\n Passcode: ICMCS123\n\nSpeaker:\n* Dr. Damiano Capocci (School of Physics & Astronomy\, University of Edinburgh) LOCATION:JCMB 2511 URL:https://www.ph.ed.ac.uk/events/2025/86091-icmcs-seminar-purely-elastic -turbulence-recent-advances-in-channel-flows END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC UID:EVENT-86170@www.ph.ed.ac.uk DTSTAMP:20260419T085946 CREATED:20251001T122833 LAST-MODIFIED:20251010T123344 STATUS:CONFIRMED DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20251013T160000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20251013T170000 SUMMARY:The formation of functional blood vessel networks - signaling\, re silience\, flow and therapy DESCRIPTION:Angiogenesis - the growth of new blood vessels from a pre-exis ting vasculature - is key in both physiological processes and in several p athological scenarios such as cancer progression or diabetic retinopathy. For the new vascular networks to be functional\, it is required that the g rowing sprouts merge either with an existing functional mature vessel or w ith another growing sprout. This process is called anastomosis. We present a systematic 2D and 3D computational study of vessel growth in a tissue t o address the capability of angiogenic factor gradients to drive anastomos is formation. The distribution of tissue cells and the concentration of th e growth factors they produce are the major factors in determining the fin al morphology of the network. We use the model to quantitatively character ize the consequence of anti-angiogenic drugs delivery in the context of gl ioblastoma. We show that sequestration of VEGF inside glioblastoma cells can be used as a novel target for improved anti-angiogenic-based therapy.\ n\nJoin Zoom Meeting\n https://ed-ac-uk.zoom.us/j/81211470751\n \n Meeting ID: 812 1147 0751\n Passcode: ICMCS123\n  \n\nSpeaker:\n* Dr Rui Travass o (University of Coimbra) LOCATION:JCMB 2511 URL:https://www.ph.ed.ac.uk/events/2025/86170-the-formation-of-functional- blood-vessel-networks-signaling-resilience-flow-and-therapy END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC UID:EVENT-86232@www.ph.ed.ac.uk DTSTAMP:20260419T085946 CREATED:20251016T121056 LAST-MODIFIED:20251016T121056 STATUS:CONFIRMED DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20251020T160000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20251020T170000 SUMMARY:Nonmonotonic Constitutive Curves and Shear Banding in Dry and Wet Granular Flows DESCRIPTION:Title: Nonmonotonic Constitutive Curves and Shear Banding in D ry and Wet Granular Flows\n\nAbstract: Dense granular packings\, both dry and suspended in liquid\, are among the most abundant materials on Earth. They are relevant to manifold geophysical phenomena\, e.g.\, landslides an d debris flows [1\,2]\, and to industrial processes such as paste extrusio n [3\,4]. Understanding their deformation and flow properties is thus of m ajor practical importance. It is also of fundamental interest in statistic al physics\, fluid mechanics\, and rheology [5–8].\n\nFor any complex fl uid\, a key rheological fingerprint is the constitutive relation of shear stress as a function of shear rate in stationary homogeneous shear. \n\n We use particle simulations to map comprehensively the shear rheology of d ry and wet granular matter comprising particles of finite stiffness\, in b oth fixed pressure and fixed volume protocols. At fixed pressure we find n onmonotonic constitutive curves that are shear thinning\, whereas at fixed volume we find nonmonotonic constitutive curves that are shear thickening . We show that the presence of one nonmonotonicity does not imply the othe r. Instead\, there exists a signature in the volume fraction measured unde r fixed pressure that\, when present\, ensures nonmonotonic constitutive c urves at fixed volume. In the context of dry granular flow we show that gr adient and vorticity bands arise under fixed pressure and volume\, respect ively\, as implied by the constitutive curves. For wet systems our results are consistent with a recent experimental observation of shear thinning a t fixed pressure. We furthermore predict discontinuous shear thickening in the absence of critical load friction.\n\n\n\nSee references in https://d oi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.134.038201\n\n\n\nJoin Zoom Meeting\n https://e d-ac-uk.zoom.us/j/81211470751\n\nMeeting ID: 812 1147 0751\n Passcode: ICM CS123\n\nSpeaker:\n* Dr Christopher Ness (The University of Edinburgh) LOCATION:JCMB 2511 URL:https://www.ph.ed.ac.uk/events/2025/86232-nonmonotonic-constitutive-cu rves-and-shear-banding-in-dry-and-wet-granular-flows END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC UID:EVENT-86248@www.ph.ed.ac.uk DTSTAMP:20260419T085946 CREATED:20251020T122914 LAST-MODIFIED:20251020T152634 STATUS:CONFIRMED DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20251027T160000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20251027T170000 SUMMARY:Fluctuation-driven emergence of a shared communication system DESCRIPTION:Title: Fluctuation-driven emergence of a shared communication system\n\nAbstract: Establishing a communication system is hard. As a sign aller\, I do not know which signal to use to convey a novel meaning\, and as a receiver\, I don’t know which of many candidate meanings correspond s to a previously-unseen signal. Most existing models for the evolution of communication through interactions between signallers and receivers rely on explicit feedback that confirms when the intended meaning was correctly received. However\, this feedback is itself a form of communication\, so such models cannot explain the evolution of communication from a truly non -communicative state.\n\nIn this talk\, I will show that reliable communic ation can be generated by fluctuations in the behaviour of signallers who have no pre-existing ability to communicate success or failure. Simply obs erving correlations between a signaller’s behaviour and meanings that ar e slightly more likely in a given interaction is sufficient for initially random signalling behaviour to become systematic at the population scale o ver time. Despite being stochastic in origin\, the resulting instability i s deterministic\, which means that there is no limit to the size of the co mmunication system that emerges\, or the population in which it emerges.\n \nJoin Zoom Meeting\n https://ed-ac-uk.zoom.us/j/81211470751\n\nMeeting ID : 812 1147 0751\n Passcode: ICMCS123\n\nSpeaker:\n* Professor Richard Blyt he (School of Physics & Astronomy\, University of Edinburgh) LOCATION:JCMB 2511 URL:https://www.ph.ed.ac.uk/events/2025/86248-fluctuation-driven-emergence -of-a-shared-communication-system END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC UID:EVENT-86147@www.ph.ed.ac.uk DTSTAMP:20260419T085946 CREATED:20250922T141027 LAST-MODIFIED:20251107T150623 STATUS:CONFIRMED DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20251110T160000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20251110T170000 SUMMARY:ICMCS Seminar - Geometry\, Order Disorder in Chromatin DESCRIPTION:Title: Geometry\, Order Disorder in Chromatin\n \n Abstract: T he human genome comprises approximately 3×10⁹ base pairs of DNA\, encod ing for proteins essential for every function in our lives. The challenge of efficiently storing this genetic material while allowing selective acce ss by transcription machinery is a fundamental task for all living organis ms. Evolution has optimised this process across multiple length scales. At the chromatin level\, DNA is wrapped around histone proteins to form disk -like nucleosomes\, which are connected by accessible linker DNA. While re cent advances in experimental imaging have provided valuable insights into chromatin structure under controlled conditions\, the precise organisatio n and dynamics of chromatin in living systems remain poorly understood. He nce\, we introduce a polymer physics-informed model and conduct molecular dynamics simulations at the scale of individual nucleosomes. By precisely controlling input parameters\, we systematically explore chromatin's physi cal behavior across various regions of its phase space. We derive an effec tive contour of the simulated chromatin fibers\, enabling the measurement of effective persistence lengths and the calculation of a contour-space ne matic order parameter. We further show that introducing quenched noise\, i n the form of irregular nucleosome positioning\, induces a sharp order-to- disorder transition\, akin to the effect of increasing temperature. This f inding is validated through comparison with experimental data from our col laborators. We also contrast this behavior with the effects of adding quen ched noise in the form of irregular linker angles. Finally\, we discuss th e underlying geometry of chromatin and use this to provide some insight to wards explaining the behaviour observed.\n\n\n\nJoin Zoom Meeting\n https: //ed-ac-uk.zoom.us/j/81211470751\n\nMeeting ID: 812 1147 0751\n Passcode: ICMCS123\n\nSpeaker:\n* Mr Matthew Thomas (School of Physics & Astronomy\, University of Edinburgh) LOCATION:JCMB 2511 URL:https://www.ph.ed.ac.uk/events/2025/86147-icmcs-seminar-geometry-order -disorder-in-chromatin END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC UID:EVENT-86251@www.ph.ed.ac.uk DTSTAMP:20260419T085946 CREATED:20251020T123437 LAST-MODIFIED:20251113T161918 STATUS:CONFIRMED DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20251117T160000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20251117T170000 SUMMARY:ICMCS seminar - Aperiodicity and Particle Confinement DESCRIPTION:Title: Aperiodicity and Particle Confinement\n \n Abstract: Ce rtain particles\, such as quarks\, cannot appear in isolation. This\n phen omenon\, called confinement\, has proven difficult to capture\n mathematic ally: a Millennium Prize Problem asks for a proof of\n confinement in QCD. One of the few rigorous results in this area is\n Polyakov's demonstratio n that particles are always confined in compact\n 2+1D U(1) gauge theories . This result is invoked in condensed matter\n physics in the context of q uantum dimer models. Dimers are\n non-overlapping pairs of neighbouring ed ges (like dominoes on a chess\n board). On bipartite lattices quantum dime r models coarse grain to\n compact QED. Polyakov's result suggests that 'm onomer' particle\n excitations must then be confined. Microscopically\, co nfinement results\n from periodic dimer arrangements. This begs the questi on: what if\n quantum dimers are placed in aperiodic settings? If periodic \n arrangements are impossible\, can confinement occur in the emergent fie ld\n theory?\n \n In this talk I will answer these questions. After recapp ing our work on\n classical models in aperiodic tilings [1\,2] I will pres ent recent work\n in which we exactly solve the quantum dimer model on the 'Spectre'\n aperiodic monotiling. We find deconfinement across the phase diagram\n [3]. However\, the model does not admit an effective field theor y\n description. Hence\, in ongoing work\, we identify the most general\n structures that do admit such descriptions. In the classical dimer model\n we find a confinement-deconfinement phase transition tunable by graph\n g eometry\, which we argue is an example of UV-IR mixing. Remarkably\, this\ n survives to infinite temperature. We demonstrate that long-range ordered \n dimer configurations always exist\, regardless of periodicity\, giving a\n microscopic origin of confinement. Turning to quantum dimers we argue\ n that all the features present in periodic settings in fact survive to\n general graphs.\n \n [1] Shobhna Singh\, Jerome Lloyd\, and Felix Flicker\ n Hamiltonian cycles on Ammann-Beenker Tilings\n Physical Review X 14\, 03 1005 (2024)\n \n [2] Doruk Efe Gökmen\, Sounak Biswas\, Sebastian D. Hube r\, Zohar Ringel\,\n Felix Flicker\, and Maciej Koch-Janusz\n Compression theory for inhomogeneous systems\n Nature Communications 15\, 10214 (2024) \n \n [3] Shobhna Singh and Felix Flicker\n Exact solution to the quantum and classical dimer models on the spectre\n aperiodic monotiling\n Physica l Review B 109\, L220303 (2024)\n\nJoin Zoom Meeting\n https://ed-ac-uk.zo om.us/j/81211470751\n\nMeeting ID: 812 1147 0751\n Passcode: ICMCS123\n\nS peaker:\n* Dr Felix Flicker (University of Bristol) LOCATION:JCMB 2511 URL:https://www.ph.ed.ac.uk/events/2025/86251-icmcs-seminar-aperiodicity-a nd-particle-confinement END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC UID:EVENT-86093@www.ph.ed.ac.uk DTSTAMP:20260419T085946 CREATED:20250903T170737 LAST-MODIFIED:20251121T095927 STATUS:CONFIRMED DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20251124T160000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20251124T170000 SUMMARY:ICMCS seminar - Insertion geometry in repulsive active matter DESCRIPTION:Title: Insertion geometry in repulsive active matter\n\nAbstra ct: Living and biological systems are typically found in\, or are proximal to\, nonequilibrium environments. Indeed\, much of this nonequilibriumnes s arises from the energy conversion of individual constituents which\, whe n coupled with many-body interactions\, results in striking collective beh aviour. Such systems are the focus of a growing field of statistical physi cs called active matter. As one can imagine\, the far-from-equilibrium beh aviour of active matter presents several serious challenges to the equilib rium framework of thermodynamics. Here\, in an effort to bridge these prob lems\, we explore (for the first time) the stochastic geometry of active m atter. This stochastic geometry\, e.g.\, the averaged room to accommodate another sphere\, relates exactly to the equation of state for equilibrium hard spheres. We here extend this idea to active systems by analysing the insertion space for repulsive active particles in one and two dimensions u sing both on- and off-lattice models. In 1D we derive closed-form expressi ons for the mean insertion cavity size\, cavity number\, and total inserti on volume\, all in excellent agreement with simulations. Strikingly\, acti vity increases the total insertion volume and tends to keep the insertion space more connected. These results provide the first quantitative foundat ion for the stochastic geometry of active matter\, and opens up a new rout e to building a thermodynamics of active and living systems.\n\n\n\nRefs: Insertion space in repulsive active matter\, L. K. Davis* & K. Proesmans a rXiv 2509.08131 (2025)\n\nJoin Zoom Meeting\n https://ed-ac-uk.zoom.us/j/8 1211470751\n\nMeeting ID: 812 1147 0751\n Passcode: ICMCS123\n\nSpeaker:\n * Dr Luke Davis (School of Mathematics) LOCATION:JCMB 2511 URL:https://www.ph.ed.ac.uk/events/2025/86093-icmcs-seminar-insertion-geom etry-in-repulsive-active-matter END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC UID:EVENT-86092@www.ph.ed.ac.uk DTSTAMP:20260419T085946 CREATED:20250903T170629 LAST-MODIFIED:20251212T114615 STATUS:CONFIRMED DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20251215T160000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20251215T170000 SUMMARY:ICMCS seminar - Preservation of early eukaryotes: a spectroscopic and taphonomic approach. DESCRIPTION:Title: Preservation of early eukaryotes: a spectroscopic and t aphonomic approach.\n\n\n\nAbstract: The early diversification of eukaryot es remains one of the least understood transitions of the evolution of lif e. Precambrian organic-walled microfossils (OWM) dated ca. 1 billion years ago include candidate microfossils of early eukaryotes in a period when m ajor life innovations were occurring. Although their size and soft composi tion make them extremely cryptic\, OWM with exceptional preservation can p rovide some preservable morphological characters but lack eukaryotic-diagn ostic intracellular structures. Thereby\, the biological affinity —proka ryote or eukaryote— of many OWM remains elusive. Experimental taphonomy studies have highlighted the role of sedimentation\, mineral precipitation \, and oxygenic conditions to interpret features preserved in soft-bodied fossils\, but there has been little emphasis on micro-eukaryotes. As well\ , spectroscopic techniques such as Fourier-Transformed Infrared spectrosco py (FTIR) and Raman micro-spectroscopy have proved to be complementary to traditional fossil morphological analysis by providing molecular fingerpri nts with the potential to discriminate between morphologically similar tax a. This project aims to determine diagnostic characters of some micro-euka ryotic groups and how these are lost or acquired during the decay and pres ervation processes\, this by applying experimental taphonomy and vibration al spectroscopy techniques. Furthermore\, this project has astrobiological implications as the taxonomic identification of ambiguous microbial foss ils here on Earth allow us to correctly identify and study potential micro fossils from analogous extraterrestrial rock samples.\n\nJoin Zoom Meeting \n https://ed-ac-uk.zoom.us/j/81211470751\n\nMeeting ID: 812 1147 0751\n P asscode: ICMCS123\n\nSpeaker:\n* Mr Edwin Rodriguez Dzul (School of Physic s & Astronomy\, University of Edinburgh) LOCATION:JCMB 2511 URL:https://www.ph.ed.ac.uk/events/2025/86092-icmcs-seminar-preservation-o f-early-eukaryotes-a-spectroscopic-and-taphonomic-approach END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC UID:EVENT-86866@www.ph.ed.ac.uk DTSTAMP:20260419T085946 CREATED:20260115T141311 LAST-MODIFIED:20260115T141311 STATUS:CONFIRMED DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260119T160000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260119T170000 SUMMARY:ICMCS Seminar - Ultrafast & Sub-micrometre X-ray Studies of Elemen tal Metals at Interplanetary Conditions DESCRIPTION:Title: Ultrafast & Sub-micrometre X-ray Studies of Elemental Metals at Interplanetary Conditions\n\nAbstract: \n\nOver the past decade \, significant advances have been made in x-ray beam focusing at synchrotr on light sources\, as well as in coupling high-energy laser drives to ultr afast x-ray free-electron lasers. This talk is divided into two parts and presents angle-dispersive x-ray diffraction data on Cu\, Bi\, Nb and V fro m PETRA III\, the European XFEL and LCLS up to 366 GPa (3.66 million times atmospheric pressure) and ~8000 K.\n\nFirst\, I will discuss recent devel opments in the focusing schemes at synchrotrons that have enabled the redu ction of x-ray beam dimensions from tens of micrometres to the sub-microme tre domain. These advances have made spatial mapping of diamond anvil cell samples at multi-megabar pressures feasible\, while also revealing new fe atures in the data\, including stress variations on the micron length scal e.\n\nSecond\, I will present results from experiments using the new DiPOL E 100-X laser at the European XFEL to investigate phase transitions in Nb and V. Prior studies into the elastic constants of these metals suggest an omalous elastic behaviour on compression\, which may explain the previousl y reported phase transition series reported in literature. Here\, I examin e the phase stability regions of Nb and V under laser-driven shock compres sion\, extending previously achieved shock pressures by ~200 GPa.\n\n\n\nh ttps://ed-ac-uk.zoom.us/j/81211470751\n\nMeeting ID: 812 1147 0751\n Passc ode: ICMCS123\n\nSpeaker:\n* mr Cameron Lonsdale (School of Physics & Astr onomy\, University of Edinburgh) LOCATION:JCMB 2511 URL:https://www.ph.ed.ac.uk/events/2026/86866-icmcs-seminar-ultrafast-sub- micrometre-x-ray-studies-of-elemental-metals-at-interplanetary END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC UID:EVENT-86873@www.ph.ed.ac.uk DTSTAMP:20260419T085946 CREATED:20260122T140938 LAST-MODIFIED:20260123T102401 STATUS:CONFIRMED DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260126T160000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260126T170000 SUMMARY:ICMCS seminar - Asymmetry in the Dynamics of Topological Defects i n Active Nematics DESCRIPTION:Title: Asymmetry in the Dynamics of Topological Defects in Ac tive Nematics\n\nAbstract: In non-equilibrium active matter\, such as reco nstituted cytoskeletal networks and bacterial swarms\, turbulent flows are governed by the dynamics of topological defects. While the properties of individual ±1/2 defects are known\, the precise mechanism of their pairwi se annihilation—the key process that regulates defect density and system dynamics—remains poorly understood.  To address this\, we conducted h igh-resolution numerical experiments using a hybrid lattice Boltzmann meth od to simulate a 2D active nematic. We tracked and analyzed creation and a nnihilation events of topological defect pairs. This work examines the app roach/departure dynamics\, quantifies the surrounding flow\, and tests the validity of purely elastic interaction models against full hydrodynamic s imulations. Our simulations reveal a significant deviation from elastic th eory and a persistent asymmetric structure in the vorticity field througho ut annihilation events.  The findings establish that active defect annih ilation is fundamentally mediated by activity-generated hydrodynamics. In corporating this asymmetry into theoretical models may help to produce a b etter understanding of defect lifetimes and turbulent scaling laws. \n\nh ttps://ed-ac-uk.zoom.us/j/81211470751\n\nMeeting ID: 812 1147 0751\n Passc ode: ICMCS123\n\nSpeaker:\n* Mr Oleksandr Baziei (The University of Edinbu rgh) LOCATION:JCMB 2511 URL:https://www.ph.ed.ac.uk/events/2026/86873-icmcs-seminar-asymmetry-in-t he-dynamics-of-topological-defects-in-active-nematics END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC UID:EVENT-86898@www.ph.ed.ac.uk DTSTAMP:20260419T085946 CREATED:20260126T123214 LAST-MODIFIED:20260207T104430 STATUS:CONFIRMED DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260209T160000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260209T170000 SUMMARY:ICMCS Seminar - Cerebrospinal fluid flow around the brain DESCRIPTION:Title: Cerebrospinal fluid flow around the brain\n\nAbstract: Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is a water-like fluid that bathes the brain and spinal cord and oscillates in response to the periodic changes in brain v olume that occur during the cardiac cycle. Understanding this motion is es sential for clarifying its contribution to solute transport\, waste cleara nce\, and drug delivery. In this work\, we use mathematical modelling to s tudy the oscillatory flow of CSF in the cranial subarachnoid space that su rrounds the brain. We assume that the flow is driven by displacements of t he brain surface\, which we extract from DENSE MRI data. We find that ther e is a steady flow generated by the oscillations and investigate with a si mple two-dimensional model how it contributes to the transport of solutes.  \n\nZoom details:\n\nhttps://ed-ac-uk.zoom.us/j/81211470751\n\nMeeting I D: 812 1147 0751\n Passcode: ICMCS123\n\nSpeaker:\n* Dr Mariia Dvoriashyna LOCATION:JCMB 2511 URL:https://www.ph.ed.ac.uk/events/2026/86898-icmcs-seminar-cerebrospinal- fluid-flow-around-the-brain END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC UID:EVENT-86874@www.ph.ed.ac.uk DTSTAMP:20260419T085946 CREATED:20260122T141258 LAST-MODIFIED:20260210T103029 STATUS:CONFIRMED DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260216T160000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260216T170000 SUMMARY:ICMCS Seminar - Labyrinthula - An underwater microbial railway net work DESCRIPTION:Labyrinthula species are protistan organisms found predominan tly in coastal marine environments\, notably as residents on seagrass leav es. A fascinating characteristic of this order\, observed over a century a go but little studied since\, is the ability for cells to secrete an extra cellular ectoplasmic net. This allows colonies to form a spatial network o f interconnected extracellular filaments across a substrate. Individual L abyrinthula cells are confined within these filaments and move independen tly about this network. The collective and interconnected behaviour amongs t moving cells and the expanding network invites a physics-based approach to this biological system. In this developing project\, we describe and co ntextualise the behaviour of growing colonies as spatial networks and prob e their environmental dependence. \n\nhttps://ed-ac-uk.zoom.us/j/81211470 751\n\nMeeting ID: 812 1147 0751\n Passcode: ICMCS123\n\nSpeaker:\n* Mr Jo seph M. Knight (School of Physics & Astronomy\, University of Edinburgh) LOCATION:JCMB 2511 URL:https://www.ph.ed.ac.uk/events/2026/86874-icmcs-seminar-labyrinthula-a n-underwater-microbial-railway-network END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC UID:EVENT-86899@www.ph.ed.ac.uk DTSTAMP:20260419T085946 CREATED:20260126T123448 LAST-MODIFIED:20260219T121859 STATUS:CONFIRMED DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260223T160000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260223T170000 SUMMARY:ICMCS Seminar - Squeezing Hydrogen into Metallic Structures DESCRIPTION:Binary metal hydrides have emerged as a particularly interesti ng type of material when subjected to extreme conditions. Under high press ure\, atomic hydrogen can integrate into the metal structure\, and the res ulting compounds can exhibit extraordinary chemical\, structural and elect ronic behaviour. Most notably\, certain hydrides containing heavy metallic elements have displayed superconductivity at the highest recorded tempera tures to date. The study of these systems bears utmost importance in the q uest for synthesis of advanced materials for use in technology and industr y\, which would have potentially revolutionary applications. While theoret ical studies are increasingly turning to explore more complex systems cont aining more than two elements\, a deep understanding of binary systems rem ains crucial.\n\nIn this talk\, I will outline the dramatic and exciting h istory of high-pressure hydride research\, and present some of the key fin dings from my PhD thesis. Specifically\, I will address some key questions within the topic of binary hydrides through the exploration of four high- pressure metal hydride systems using diamond anvil cell experiments conduc ted at the Centre for Science at Extreme Conditions.\n\n\n\nhttps://ed-ac- uk.zoom.us/j/81211470751\n\nMeeting ID: 812 1147 0751\n Passcode: ICMCS12 3\n\nSpeaker:\n* Dr. Hannah Shuttleworth (School of Physics & Astronomy\, University of Edinburgh) LOCATION:JCMB 2511 URL:https://www.ph.ed.ac.uk/events/2026/86899-icmcs-seminar-squeezing-hydr ogen-into-metallic-structures END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC UID:EVENT-86902@www.ph.ed.ac.uk DTSTAMP:20260419T085946 CREATED:20260126T123836 LAST-MODIFIED:20260227T130148 STATUS:CONFIRMED DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260302T160000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260302T170000 SUMMARY:ICMCS Seminar - From local to global: magnetic buoyancy and rotati onal instabilities in the solar tachocline DESCRIPTION:The tachocline is a thin\, stably stratified shear layer in th e Sun where large-scale magnetic field is thought to be stored and amplifi ed as part of the solar dynamo. Decades of theory predict several candidat e instabilities there\, most prominently magnetic buoyancy and rotational instabilities\, but much of our existing intuition comes from local or asy mptotic analyses. In this talk I will present our recent work\, which exte nds the local stability model of Gilman (2018) to a global spherical-she ll geometry and includes viscous and magnetic diffusion.\n\nUsing a minima l magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) model with solar-like differential rotation an d imposed toroidal magnetic fields\, we solve the resulting linear stabili ty problem numerically. We show that the principal instability mechanisms identified in the local theory persist in global geometry in the presence of diffusion\, with growth rates and preferred latitudes that closely matc h local predictions. The global calculation\, however\, reveals pronounced spatial localisation in latitude and radius. These results provide a firm basis for interpreting how latitude-dependent shear and magnetic structur e regulate where the tachocline is prone to instability\, and they set the stage for future nonlinear simulations to study saturation and turbulent transport.\n\nThroughout the talk\, I will introduce essential MHD concept s as needed. Instabilities will be explained using simple fluid-parcel tho ught experiments and physics-based analogies.\n\n\n\nhttps://ed-ac-uk.zoom .us/j/81211470751\n\nMeeting ID: 812 1147 0751\n Passcode: ICMCS123\n\nSp eaker:\n* Dr Calum Skene (School of Physics & Astronomy\, University of Ed inburgh) LOCATION:JCMB 2511 URL:https://www.ph.ed.ac.uk/events/2026/86902-icmcs-seminar-from-local-to- global-magnetic-buoyancy-and-rotational-instabilities-in-the-solar END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC UID:EVENT-87105@www.ph.ed.ac.uk DTSTAMP:20260419T085946 CREATED:20260302T095051 LAST-MODIFIED:20260302T095051 STATUS:CONFIRMED DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260309T160000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260309T170000 SUMMARY:Physics of active polymers: a guide through compounding formula DESCRIPTION:Title: Physics of active polymers: a guide through compoundin g formula\n\nAbstract:  Active polymers are ubiquitous in nature\, and of ten kicked by persistent noises that break detailed balance. In order to capture the out-of-equilibrium dynamics of such active polymers\, we prop ose a simple yet reliable analytical framework based on a compounding for mula. Connecting polymeric dynamics to the isolated monomeric behavior vi a the notion of tension propagation\, the formula allows us to clarify ri ch scaling scenarios alongside corresponding intuitive physical pictures. We demonstrate distinctive transient and steady-state scalings due to th e non-Markovian nature of the active noise. Aside from a paradigmatic exa mple of an active Rouse polymer\, we expect the framework to be applicabl e to wide variety of spatially extended systems including more general po lymers (crumpled globule\, semiflexible polymers etc)\, fluctuation of gr owing interface\, and an array of particles in single-file configuration. \n\n\n Join Zoom Meeting\n https://ed-ac-uk.zoom.us/j/81211470751\n \n Mee ting ID: 812 1147 0751\n Passcode: ICMCS123\n\nSpeaker:\n* Dr Takahiro Sak aue (Aoyama Gakuin University) LOCATION:JCMB 2511 URL:https://www.ph.ed.ac.uk/events/2026/87105-physics-of-active-polymers-a -guide-through-compounding-formula END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC UID:EVENT-86903@www.ph.ed.ac.uk DTSTAMP:20260419T085946 CREATED:20260126T124055 LAST-MODIFIED:20260319T193728 STATUS:CONFIRMED DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260323T160000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260323T170000 SUMMARY:ICMCS Seminar - Unravelling Phage-Bacteria Interactions: Quantifyi ng and Predicting through Growth Kinetics and Machine Learning DESCRIPTION:Given the problems with antimicrobial resistance\, bacteriopha ges are being investigated as promising candidates for treating multidrug resistant bacteria. Because phages’ range of infection is usually at the strain level\, selecting the appropriate phage for a given bacterial infe ction is challenging. In this project\, we implement machine learning (ML) analyses to understand the biology underlying phage-bacteria interactions and to make better decisions when selecting phages for therapy. \n\n\n\n We worked with a library of 301 Uropathogenic Escherichia coli strains cha llenged against 31 phages. The bacterial growth kinetics were measured in liquid assays. Additionally\, the bacteria and phages were whole genome se quenced\, and pangenome analyses were performed [1]. The performance of ph ages infecting bacteria was measured in terms of the area under the curve. We trained ML models to predict the value of this measurement for unseen bacterium-phage pairs\, based on their genomes. In our pipeline\, a recurs ive feature elimination process is done\, from which we can obtain the mos t statistically relevant genes\, both in bacteria and phages. This can giv e valuable insights into the biological processes involved\, which is cruc ial for engineering new phages.\n\n\n\n[1] doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2313574121 \n\n\n\nJoin Zoom Meeting\n https://ed-ac-uk.zoom.us/j/81211470751(link is external)\n \n Meeting ID: 812 1147 0751\n Passcode: ICMCS123\n\nSpeaker: \n* Mr Ignacio Salinas Valdivieso (School of Physics & Astronomy\, Univers ity of Edinburgh) LOCATION:JCMB 2511 URL:https://www.ph.ed.ac.uk/events/2026/86903-icmcs-seminar-unravelling-ph age-bacteria-interactions-quantifying-and-predicting-through-growth END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC UID:EVENT-87295@www.ph.ed.ac.uk DTSTAMP:20260419T085946 CREATED:20260410T165223 LAST-MODIFIED:20260410T165547 STATUS:CONFIRMED DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260420T160000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260420T170000 SUMMARY:ICMCS seminar - Topology and Mechanics of Kinetoplast-Inspired Oly mpic Gels DESCRIPTION:Title: Topology and Mechanics of Kinetoplast-Inspired Olympic Gels\n\nAbstract: An Olympic gel is a type of material consisting of topol ogically linked ring polymers\, predicted to have interesting nonlinear me chanical properties. Kinetoplast DNA is a type of naturally occurring Olym pic gel\, best described as "molecular chainmail\," which consists of thou sands of linked circular DNA molecules and is found in the mitochondria of trypanosome parasites. Olympic gels may be assembled in the same manner a s kinetoplast DNA\, or through other synthetic means. In this talk I will discuss our computational efforts to understand the formation of Olympic g els and the relationship between their network topology and their mechanic al properties\, exploring whether these different assembly processes lead to unique topological and physical features in Olympic gel networks.\n\n\n \nJoin Zoom Meeting\n https://ed-ac-uk.zoom.us/j/81211470751\n \n Meeting ID: 812 1147 0751\n Passcode: ICMCS123\n\nSpeaker:\n* Dr Alexander Klotz ( California State University) LOCATION:JCMB 2511 URL:https://www.ph.ed.ac.uk/events/2026/87295-icmcs-seminar-topology-and-m echanics-of-kinetoplast-inspired-olympic-gels END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR