From csbi-events at mit.edu Mon May 2 12:18:35 2005 From: csbi-events at mit.edu (csbi-events@mit.edu) Date: Mon, 02 May 2005 12:18:35 -0400 Subject: [CSBi-events] Reminder: "Rational Design of DNA Machines" Message-ID: <5.2.1.1.2.20050502121650.01a778e8@po14.mit.edu> "Rational Design of DNA Machines" Dr. Niles A. Pierce California Institute of Technology Friday, May 6, 2005 3-270 3:30-4:30 p.m. Abstract Single-stranded DNA is a versatile construction material that can be programmed to self-assemble into nanoscale devices driven by the free energy of base pair formation. Rational sequence design methods based on efficient partition function algorithms permit simultaneous optimization of affinity and specificity for target secondary structures that define the function of a device. These methods have been used to engineer a synthetic DNA walker that mimics the gait of kinesin and a class of biosensors based on the mechanism of hybridization chain reaction. Host: Bruce Tidor Contact: Brenda Pepe, 2-3885 http://csbi.mit.edu Sponsored by CSBi Annual CSBi Seminar Series in Computational and Systems Biology Dawn Davis Loring Communications Coordinator Computational and Systems Biology (CSBi) Phone: (617) 324-0150 Fax: (617) 324-0081 Massachusetts Institute of Technology 77 Massachusetts Avenue Building 68 - Room 459 Cambridge, MA 02139 From csbi-events at mit.edu Wed May 4 09:54:11 2005 From: csbi-events at mit.edu (csbi-events@mit.edu) Date: Wed, 04 May 2005 09:54:11 -0400 Subject: [CSBi-events] Seminar - Monday, May 9th Message-ID: <5.2.1.1.2.20050504095254.01a77a98@po14.mit.edu> Professor MERCEDES PASCUAL Problems of scale in disease population dynamics: cholera, climate, and Ro. Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology The University of Michigan (see http://www.eeb.lsa.umich.edu/eebfacultydetails.asp?ID=60) Seminar: MAY 9, 4PM, 1-350 Host: Martin Polz Population cycles of periods longer than seasonal are common in the temporal patterns of many infectious diseases, including endemic cholera. Evidence that environmental factors, particularly climatic ones, drive these cycles has been highly controversial because of the difficulty in isolating their contribution while also taking into account the nonlinear population dynamics of the disease. I present a nonlinear time series model developed for this purpose, and show that cholera transmission shows remarkable correspondence to patterns of ENSO, rainfall, and river discharge for a four-decades long record from Matlab (Bangladesh). However, the analysis also shows the critical interplay of population dynamics and environmental forcing, with strain-dependent responses and the existence of periods `refractory' to climate variability. I then address the limitations of mean-field disease models that ignore the local nature of interactions and assume random mixing. With network models, I present results on scaling disease (and predator-prey) dynamics from individuals to populations via simple temporal models that parameterize the effects of local interactions. Dawn Davis Loring Communications Coordinator Computational and Systems Biology (CSBi) Phone: (617) 324-0150 Fax: (617) 324-0081 Massachusetts Institute of Technology 77 Massachusetts Avenue Building 68 - Room 459 Cambridge, MA 02139 From csbi-events at mit.edu Wed May 18 10:20:22 2005 From: csbi-events at mit.edu (csbi-events@mit.edu) Date: Wed, 18 May 2005 10:20:22 -0400 Subject: [CSBi-events] CSBi/Whitehead Seminar Message-ID: <5.2.1.1.2.20050518101830.01a89678@po14.mit.edu> Applying Automated Microscopy and Image Analysis in Cell-based Screening of RNAi Libraries Eberhard Krausz, Ph.D. Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology & Genetics 10.30am Wednesday June 8th McGovern Auditorium, Whitehead Institute Contact: James G. Evans (617 324 0300) Dawn Davis Loring Communications Coordinator Computational and Systems Biology (CSBi) Phone: (617) 324-0150 Fax: (617) 324-0081 Massachusetts Institute of Technology 77 Massachusetts Avenue Building 68 - Room 459 Cambridge, MA 02139