Mathematics Unit, WPI Advanced Institute for Materials Research (WPI-AIMR),
Tohoku University Katahira 2-1-1, Aoba-Ku,
Sendai 9808577, Japan
Room No.3C, WPI-AIMR main building
Tel: +81-(0)22-217-6334
Fax: +81-(0)22-217- 6335
E-mail address: yoshinaga@wpi-aimr.tohoku.ac.jp
Web page: http://www.wpi-aimr.tohoku.ac.jp/~yoshinaga/
My research area is the physics of "active" soft condensed materials. Soft materials contain various length and time scales correlating in a complicated manner. The importance of this field is that such systems are closely related to biological phenomena, which give us unlimited imagination and intuition. In addition, they are found in most of industrial products sustaining our comfortable lives.
Active Matter -- Self-propelled particles and drops Biological systems consume energy and exhibit their functions. Among the variety of phenomena, we are particularly interested in cell motility. Interestingly, cells can move without any external force. This is achieved by active force (stress) generation using energy of ATP. The goal of this study is to understand the mechanism of self-propulsion. As a first step, we are now investigating model chemical systems in which particles and drops move spontaneously. Deformation induced spontaneous motion Drift instability of a drop driven by Marangoni flow |
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Biophysics -- Stress Fibers Stress fibres are key elements of mechanical aspects of cells. Main ingredients are actin filaments, myosin II, and a-actinin. Many other proteins have also been found and considered to function. Our purpose in this study is to model stress fibres as assemble of filaments in nonequilibrium systems. |
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Polymers in Nonequilibrium Systems Kinetics in soft matter is of importance for understanding of natural phenomena in biological systems and in daily lives. We know empirically shaving gel makes a transition into bubbles by rubbing with our hands. This shear-induced nonequilibrium phase transition involves highly nonlinear and far-from equilibrium equations in physical points of view. Solving these equations and even constituting model equations are accordingly difficult task. It is thus significant challenge as a physicist to work in problems of kinetics in soft materials. In living systems, biopolymers such as proteins are, in general, heteropolymers with complicated sequences of amino acids.
It is often mentioned that sequences within proteins are relevant for
their conformations in the folded states. Therefore, most of studies heretofore conducted have dealt with sequences in
heteropolymers which lead to diversity
in conformations. |
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2013Ken H. Nagai, Fumi Takabatake, Yutaka Sumino, Hiroyuki Kitahata, Masatoshi Ichikawa, and Natsuhiko Yoshinaga, 2012Natsuhiko Yoshinaga, Ken H. Nagai, Yutaka Sumino, Hiroyuki Kitahata Natsuhiko Yoshinaga and Philippe Marcq Shunsuke Yabunaka, Takao Ohta, and Natsuhiko Yoshinaga Hiroyuki Kitahata, Natsuhiko Yoshinaga, Ken H. Nagai, Yutaka Sumino 2011Hiroyuki Kitahata, Natsuhiko Yoshinaga, Ken H. Nagai, and Yutaka Sumino Philippe Marcq, Natsuhiko Yoshinaga, and Jacques Prost 2010Hong-Ren Jiang, Natsuhiko Yoshinaga, and Masaki Sano Natsuhiko Yoshinaga, Jean-Francois Joanny, Jacques Prost and Pilippe Marcq 2009 Takahiro Sakaue and Natsuhiko Yoshinaga Hong-Ren Jiang, Hirofumi Wada, Natsuhiko Yoshinaga, and Masaki Sano 2008Natsuhiko Yoshinaga, E.I. Kats and A. Halperin Natsuhiko Yoshinaga 2007Natsuhiko Yoshinaga and Kenichi Yoshikawa |
2006N. Yoshinaga |
2005 N. Yoshinaga, K. Yoshikawa and T. Ohta |
2002 N. Yoshinaga, K. Yoshikawa and S. Kidoaki |
2001N. Yoshinaga, T. Akitaya and K. Yoshikawa |
