Theoretical Physics Seminar: Dr Enrique Alvarez-Lacalle, University of Catalonia

Dr Enrique Alvarez-Lacalle, of the Department of Physics, Polytechnic University of Catalonia, Barcelona, will be presenting a seminar on his research. All are welcome to attend.

Order-disorder transitions and global equilibrium in intracellular calcium cycling

Abstract: Calcium cycling in cardiomyocytes fixes, under broad conditions, the contraction strength in cardiac tissue. Given the complex nature of calcium intracellular dynamics it is relatively easy to find disorders in its average levels or in the regularity of its transients. This can lead to arrhythmia at the cell level that might scale up to the whole heart. l aim to discuss/ show how basic macroeconomics and Ising transitions in equilibrium are key to understand this out-of equilibrium complex system.

Host: Dr Sarah Harris