QLS

Europe/Rome 2019-11-27 11:00:00 2019-11-27 12:00:00 Microtubule pivoting driven by cross-linking proteins leads to spindle assembly During mitosis, microtubules form a spindle, which is responsible for the segregation of chromosomes. In yeast cells, the spindle has a rod-like structure and is made of microtubules emanating from two poles connected by cross-linking proteins. Microtubules self-organize into parallel or antiparallel bundles, depending on whether they grow from the same or two different poles and our goal here is understanding how such structures form. Our model includes thermally driven angular pivoting of microtubules around the poles and elastic forces between them mediated by cross-linking proteins, which can detach to and detach from microtubules, as well as move along them. The solutions of our model imply that the random motion of the microtubules allows them to find their pair, while the short-range interactions caused by the cross-linking proteins align them into bundles. Parallel bundling can occur in the presence of either passive crosslinkers or plus-end directed motors, while the formation of antiparallel bundles requires minus-end directed motors. The model predicts the average bundling time, which is in agreement with our experimental measurements. Additionally, for the case of antiparallel bundle formation, the model predicts that the velocity of the microtubules gliding along each other is the same as the velocity at which the motors move along the microtubules, and this was also confirmed experimentally. In conclusion, the main contributors to the formation of microtubule bundles are angular diffusion of microtubules around the poles allowing them to come into contact and short-range forces caused by cross-linking proteins that align them. ICTP ICTP pio@ictp.it 27 Nov 2019

Europe/Rome 2019-12-09 07:00:00 2019-12-20 21:00:00 ICTP-ICTS Winter School on Quantitative Systems Biology 2019 | (smr 3338) The International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) and the International Centre for Theoretical Sciences (ICTS) are organizing a joint winter school on quantitative systems biology. This is the 8th school in the series and will be held at ICTS, Bengaluru, India.   https://www.icts.res.in/program/qsb2019   QSB2019 is an advanced school aimed at graduate students and postdocs working in quantitative systems biology. The focus this year is on 'morphogenesis'. The main school will be held between December 9-20, 2019 and will be preceded by a pedagogic and intensive ‘Pre-School’ between December 3-6, 2019. The Pre-School will cover the basic concepts in cell and developmental biology and will have short modules on mathematical modelling and physical approaches to biology.     The deadline for applications is 1 September 2019.   The development of an organism from a single-celled zygote to an embryo involves a tight integration between gene expression, signaling and mechanochemical processes. In recent years, there has been an explosion in studies that attempt to unravel the physical principles behind how organisms self-organize to generate their three-dimensional shape and functional form. Novel microscopy techniques are giving unprecedented views into the processes of development at very high spatiotemporal resolution. This deluge of data necessitates a larger scale systems-level understanding how organisms build themselves. The eighth edition of the ICTP - ICTS winter school on quantitative systems biology is focussed on Morphogenesis and will allow students from different backgrounds to become familiar with exciting developments at the interface of Physics and Developmental Biology. The participants of the school will be exposed to contemporary research areas, covering a large variety of topics, including mechanochemical pattern formation, regeneration and growth regulation, evolutionary-developmental biology. The school will emphasize how major questions in developmental biology such as stem cell differentiation, morphogenesis, tissue patterning, and tissue mechanics, can be asked with the help of quantification and physical theory. INVITED SPEAKERS INCLUDE Karen Alim Bill Bialek Fernando Cesares Suzanne Eaton Frank Jülicher Mounia Lagha Yasmine Meroz Matteo Rauzi Jochen Rink Tim Saunders Bengaluru - India ICTP pio@ictp.it 9 Dec 2019 - 20 Dec 2019

Europe/Rome 2020-02-24 07:00:00 2020-03-06 21:00:00 School and Workshop on Plasmids as Vehicles of Antimicrobial Resistance Spread | (smr 3425) SCHOOL AND WORKSHOP   Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) represents a major challenge to public health worldwide. Mobile elements such as plasmids play a crucial role in Horizontal Gene Transfer (HGT) and AMR spread. Understanding plasmid evolution and mobility is fundamental to unravel the population genetics of plasmid-encoded genes, especially antibiotic genes. The combination of breakthroughs in sequencing and computational approaches has led to a new vision of the eco-evolutionary processes involved in HGT dynamics of pathogens. The School and Workshop will focus on modelling efforts to integrate genomic, experimental and computational results, to build a unified framework to tackle the expansion of plasmid-borne AMR.   The Workshop will be preceded by the one-week introductory School on bacterial evolution, population genetics and epidemiology. The School introduces general concepts in those disciplines and focuses on their applications to AMR and plasmids. State-of-the-art methods used in genetic research on plasmids will be covered. Invited Speakers and Lecturers include: Stephanie Bedhomme, CEFE/CNRS, Montpellier Sebastian Bonhoeffer, ETH Zurich Alessandra Carattoli, Sapienza University, Rome Trinad Chakraborty, JLU Gießen Teresa Coque, Hospital Universitario Ramón y Cajal Marco Cosentino Lagomarsino, IFOM and University of Milan Alejandro Couce, Imperial College London Luca Ferretti, Big Data Institute, Oxford Jacopo Grilli, ICTP Lars Hansen, University of Copenhagen Michael Lässig, University of Cologne Bruce Levin, Emory University James McInerney, University of Manchester Itzik Mizrahi, Ben-Gurion University Romualdo Pastor-Satorras, Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya Chiara Poletto, INSERM - Sorbonne University Adam Roberts, LSTM, Liverpool Alvaro San Millan, IRYCIS, Madrid Kornelia Smalla, Julius Kühn-Institut, Braunschweig Willem Van Schaik, University of Birmingham Arjan de Visser, Wageningen University Rob Willems, UMC Utrecht   Applications for the Workshop ONLY can be submitted here Applications for both the School and the Workshop can be submitted here       ICTP ICTP pio@ictp.it 24 Feb 2020 - 6 Mar 2020

Europe/Rome 2020-02-24 07:00:00 2020-03-20 21:00:00 Spring College on the Physics of Complex Systems | (smr 3427) ICTP and SISSA, in collaboration with the partner institutions of the International Master Course in Physics of Complex Systems, organize the Spring College on the Physics of Complex Systems from 24 February to 20 March 2020. Many complex systems in physics, biology, engineering and economics are characterized by a large number of interacting degrees of freedom giving rise to a non-trivial collective behavior. The theoretical and computational tools for a quantitative analysis of complex systems are often rooted in modern (statistical, quantum) physics. The Spring College on the Physics of Complex Systems gives students the opportunity to get in touch with a selection of topics at the forefront of research during an intensive 4-week program. It consists of 5 courses of 9 lectures each, followed by final written tests. Lecturers and Courses: Mahesh Bandi (OIST, Okinawa, Japan) Fluctuations and Information in Physical Systems Ramakrishna Ramaswamy (Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, India) Synchrony in nonlinear dynamical systems   Sidney Redner (Santa Fe Institute, New Mexico, USA) A Kinetic View of Statistical Physics Alessandro Silva (SISSA, Trieste, Italy) Quantum systems out of equilibrium Lenka Zdeborova (CNRS, Paris, France) Statistical Mechanics toolbox for Machine Learning   Students and young researchers from all countries that are members of the United Nations, UNESCO or IAEA may apply for the College. Candidates are required to solicit recommendation letters to be sent by their supervisors in support of their application. Participants should have an adequate working knowledge of English. As a rule, travel and subsistence expenses of the participants should be borne by their home institutions. However, limited funds are available to partially support some participants, who are nationals of, and working in, a developing country, and who are not more than 45 years old. Such support is limited and candidates should make every effort to secure support for their travel, at least partial. Attendance of lectures and completion of the final written tests are mandatory for those who are granted ICTP funding. There is no registration fee. RULES FOR PARTICIPATION Participants with financial support from the ICTP and Master PCS students are required to attend at least 80% of the courses. Attendance is monitored regularly. Taking the final exam for each course is mandatory for participants with financial support from the ICTP and Master PCS students. Grading system: Each course will be graded on a scale from 0 to 20. Marks higher than 10 correspond to pass. A final grade will be given for the overall Spring College with the following scale: E- Excellent - 5 exams passed A- Very Good - 4 exams passed B- Good - 3 exams passed C- Sufficient - 2 exams passed F- Fail - 1 or no exams passed Certificates of attendance will be awarded only to participants who have attended at least 80% of the courses, with no exception. DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS: 15 NOVEMBER 2019   ICTP ICTP pio@ictp.it 24 Feb 2020 - 20 Mar 2020

Europe/Rome 2020-03-02 07:00:00 2020-03-06 21:00:00 Workshop on Plasmids as Vehicles of Antimicrobial Resistance Spread | (smr 3498) Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) represents a major challenge to public health worldwide. Mobile elements such as plasmids play a crucial role in Horizontal Gene Transfer (HGT) and AMR spread. Understanding plasmid evolution and mobility is fundamental to unravel the population genetics of plasmid-encoded genes, especially antibiotic genes. The combination of breakthroughs in sequencing and computational approaches has led to a new vision of the eco-evolutionary processes involved in HGT dynamics of pathogens. The School and Workshop will focus on modelling efforts to integrate genomic, experimental and computational results, to build a unified framework to tackle the expansion of plasmid-borne AMR. The Workshop will be preceded by the one-week introductory School on bacterial evolution, population genetics and epidemiology. The School introduces general concepts in those disciplines and focuses on their applications to AMR and plasmids. State-of-the-art methods used in genetic research on plasmids will be covered. Invited Speakers and Lecturers include: Stephanie Bedhomme, CEFE/CNRS, Montpellier Sebastian Bonhoeffer, ETH Zurich Alessandra Carattoli, Sapienza University, Rome Trinad Chakraborty, JLU Gießen Teresa Coque, Hospital Universitario Ramón y Cajal Marco Cosentino Lagomarsino, IFOM and University of Milan Alejandro Couce, Imperial College London Luca Ferretti, Big Data Institute, Oxford Jacopo Grilli, ICTP Lars Hansen, University of Copenhagen Michael Lässig, University of Cologne Bruce Levin, Emory University James McInerney, University of Manchester Itzik Mizrahi, Ben-Gurion University Romualdo Pastor-Satorras, Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya Chiara Poletto, INSERM - Sorbonne University Adam Roberts, LSTM, Liverpool Alvaro San Millan, IRYCIS, Madrid Kornelia Smalla, Julius Kühn-Institut, Braunschweig Willem Van Schaik, University of Birmingham Arjan de Visser, Wageningen University Rob Willems, UMC Utrecht Applications for the Workshop ONLY can be submitted here Applications for both the School and the Workshop can be submitted here ICTP ICTP pio@ictp.it 2 Mar 2020 - 6 Mar 2020