Topic: phase transitions

This postdoctoral role in Hiromasa Niinomi’s group develops research on light–matter interactions and light-induced phase transitions, particularly the chirality and topology of light, or on nonequilibrium behavior at high-pressure water–ice interfaces. Researchers may contribute experience in lasers, optical microscopy, spectroscopy and nanofabrication, or develop these skills while bringing complementary expertise. WPI-SKCM² connects topology and chirality across disciplines to explore fundamental science and sustainability-related technologies. Appointment is for one year, with possible ren

When we attend a demanding task, our performance is poor at low arousal (when drowsy) or high arousal (when anxious), but we achieve optimal performance at intermediate arousal. This celebrated Yerkes-Dodson inverted-U law relating performance and arousal is colloquially referred to as being "in the zone." In this talk, I will elucidate the behavioral and neural mechanisms linking arousal and performance under the Yerkes-Dodson law in a mouse model. During decision-making tasks, mice express an array of discrete strategies, whereby the optimal strategy occurs at intermediate arousal, measured

Embryo morphogenesis is impacted by dynamic changes in tissue material properties, which have been proposed to occur via processes akin phase transitions (PTs). Here, we show that rigidity percolation provides a simple and robust theoretical framework to predict material/structural PTs of embryonic tissues from local cell connectivity. By using percolation theory, combined with directly monitoring dynamic changes in tissue rheology and cell contact mechanics, we demonstrate that the zebrafish blastoderm undergoes a genuine rigidity PT, brought about by a small reduction in adhesion-dependent c