Characterising the mechanics of cell-cell adhesion in plants.

Cell-cell adhesion is a fundamental feature of multicellular organisms. To ensure multicellular integrity, adhesion needs to be tightly controlled and maintained. In plants, cell-cell adhesion remains poorly understood.

Influence of cross-linking and retrograde flow on formation and dynamics of lamellipodium.

The forces that arise from the actin cortex play a crucial role in determining the membrane deformation. These include protrusive forces due to actin polymerization, pulling forces due to transient attachment of actin filaments to the membrane, retrograde flow powered by contraction of actomyosin network, and adhesion to the extracellular matrix. Here we present a theoretical model for membrane deformation resulting from the feedback between the membrane shape and the forces acting on the membrane.

Electro-osmotic flow in disordered porous and fractured media.

Electro-osmosis phenomena are studied in a two-dimensional (2D) model disordered porous medium. The flow passages are represented by a network of spatially distributed rectangular channels with random orientations. The channels may represent microfractures in fractured porous media or in a network of interconnected microfractures, pores in a porous medium, or fibers in a fibrous porous material.