Dispersal and growth of bacteria

Quantitative experiments with the ability to systematically probe the system under investigation are a key element to gain insight and understanding. We present a novel and simple technique enabling the maintenance and controlled perturbation of experimental conditions of microorganisms from bacteria to nematodes. Polyacrylamide-based devices...

Spatial organization in nano-sculptured bacteria, a tale of shape, scale, patterns, and genomes

One of the most basic features that pervade biology is the existence of boundaries that separate living cells from their outer environments. Molecules responsible for the internal organization of a living cell must adapt to its boundaries, as the cell grows, divides, and changes in shape and size. In this thesis, we aim to understand how...

Growth dynamics of single bacterial cells

Nano- and micro-fabrication for single-molecule biological studies

Heterogeneity is a general feature in biological system. In order to avoid possible misleading effects of ensemble averaging, and to ensure a correct understanding of the biological system, it is very important to look into individuals, such as a single bio-molecule or a single cell, for details. The size of a single bio-molecule/cell typically...

Formation and Transport of Bubbles in Microfluidic Systems

Precise manipulation of minute volumes of fluids is at the heart of microfluidics and opens up an exciting route to miniaturize processes in the areas of chemistry, biology and medicine. An attractive way to transport small fluid samples through the channels of microfluidic devices is by enclosing these samples inside containers in the form of...

Numerical simulations of rarefied gas flows in thin film processes

Many processes exist in which a thin film is deposited from the gas phase, e.g. Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD). These processes are operated at ever decreasing reactor operating pressures and with ever decreasing wafer feature dimensions, reaching into the rarefied flow regime. As numerical simulation tools are frequently used to design and...

Development of a miniaturized total chemical analysis system for real-time monitoring of fermentations