ECTS credits ECTS credits: 3
ECTS Hours Rules/Memories Student's work ECTS: 53 Hours of tutorials: 1 Expository Class: 15 Interactive Classroom: 6 Total: 75
Use languages Spanish, Galician, English
Type: Ordinary subject Master’s Degree RD 1393/2007 - 822/2021
Departments: Chemical Physics
Areas: Chemical Physics
Center Faculty of Chemistry
Call: Second Semester
Teaching: With teaching
Enrolment: Enrollable | 1st year (Yes)
This subject deals with the understanding of how applies approaches and methods traditionally used in physics to study biological phenomena. Biophysics covers all scales of biological organization, from molecular to macroscopic level. Biophysical research shares significant overlap with biochemistry, molecular biology, physical chemistry, nanotechnology, bioengineering, computational biology, biomechanics, systems biology and so on.
Objectives of the course:
– Understand the physical basis of biological processes.
– Know the role of Thermodynamics in biological processes.
– Know the most usual physical techniques in the study of biological processes.
– Understand the phenomena of transport through cell membranes.
– Obtain a comprehensive and multidisciplinary vision of this area of knowledge and its relationship with other fields of Chemistry.
1. Molecular structure and biological systems
Free energy, entropy, temperature and Boltzmann distribution as factors that determine the structure of macromolecules and processes of biological interest.
2. Energetic and Dynamics of Biological Systems
Self-assembling. Thermodynamics of Systems Far from Equilibrium
3. Physical factors of the environment
Friction processes in fluids: suspension and sedimentation. Viscosity and Reynolds number. Movement in biological systems. Diffusion: description of the simple solutions of the diffusion equation in biological systems and their consequences on molecular transport in cells.
4. The kinetics of biological systems
The kinetics of biological processes: enzymatic and polymerization reactions.
5. Transport in biological systems
Adsorption. The electric double layer model. Electric transport and membrane action potentials. Passive Transport of Substances Across Membranes. Channels and Carriers. Active Transport
1.- Fundamentals of Biophysics. Andrey B. Rubin. Scrinvener Publishing. Wiley. 2014
2.- Biophysics: an introduction. Cotterill, R. John Wiley&sons, 2003.
Basic
– CB6: Possess and understand the knowledge that provides a basis or an opportunity for being creative and unique in the development and/or implementation of ideas, often in a research context.
– CB7: Students should know how to use the knowledge acquired and their problem-solving capacity in new or little known environments within wider (or multidisciplinary) contexts related to their field of study.
– CB8: Students should be able to integrate knowledge and deal with the complexity of making judgements from information which – being incomplete or limited – includes reflections on the social and ethical responsibilities linked to the use of their knowledge or judgements.
– CB9: Students should know how to communicate their findings and the knowledge and underlying reasons underpinning them to specialised and non-specialised audiences in a clear and unambiguous way.
– CB10: Students should have the learning skills that allow them to carry on studying in such a way that should be mainly self-directed or autonomous.
General
– CG2: Know how to apply the scientific method and acquire skills for developing the necessary protocols for the design and critical assessment of chemical experiments.
– CG3: Be able to discuss and communicate ideas, in both oral and written form, to specialised and non-specialised audiences (congresses, conferences, etc.) in a clear and reasoned way.
– CG5: Have the skills that allow students to develop an autonomous method for studying and learning.
– CG7: Be capable of working in multidisciplinary teams and collaborating with other specialists, both nationally and internationally.
– CG8: Be able to use scientific literature and develop the judgement needed for its interpretation and use.
– CG11: Be able to adapt efficiently to future doctoral studies in multidisciplinary areas.
Transversal
– CT1: Develop teamwork skills: cooperation, leadership and good listening skills. Adapt to multidisciplinary teams.
– CT2: Draft scientific and technical reports and defend them publicly.
– CT4: Apply the concepts, principles, theories and models related to Biological Chemistry and Molecular Materials to new or little-known environments within multidisciplinary contexts.
– CT7: Show critical and self-critical reasoning when seeking scientific rigour and quality. Handle IT tools and information and communication technology (ICT), as well as on-line access to databases.
Specific
– CE2: Be capable of comparing experimental data and theoretical assumptions in a critical manner.
– CE4: Know and understand the chemical tools and analytical techniques used for biological chemistry and molecular materials.
– CE6: Know the physicochemical bases of biological processes.
– CE7: Students should acquire knowledge on advanced techniques for the structural characterization of macromolecules, supramolecules and colloids which are relevant in the field of biological chemistry and molecular materials.
– CE8: Gain technical skill for carrying out the structural characterization of molecules, biomolecules, supramolecules and nanoparticles and interpreting the experimental data obtained.
– Interactive classes encouraging student participation.
– Combined use of computer methods, and the blackboard.
– Use of fast and anonymous response methods in class (clickers) to evaluate the subject following-up.
– Promotion of student self-learning by proposing challenges and posing questions.
– Resolution of practical exercises (problems, tests, interpretation and information processing, evaluation of scientific publications, etc.).
– Oral presentations of previously prepared topics, including debates with their classmates and teachers.
General considerations:
–The evaluation process will be used to know if the student has acquired the scheduled skills and to review the teaching methodology.
–Written exam on theoretical and practical basic contents of the subject.
The training activities will be distributed according to:
Presential classes
Lectures and conferences 15 hours 100%
Seminars and classroom exercises 4 hours 100%
Tutorials 1 hours 100%
Practical classes 0 hours 100%
Oral presentations 2 hours 100%
Final exam 2 hours 100%
Non Presential
Preparation and study of problems 10 hours 0%
Elaboration of individual work 36 hours 0%
Literature searching and so on 5 hours 0%
TOTAL 75 hours
Attend classes and try to keep the subject up to date through continuous assessment tests
Jose Francisco Rivadulla Fernandez
- Department
- Chemical Physics
- Area
- Chemical Physics
- Phone
- 881815724
- f.rivadulla [at] usc.es
- Category
- Professor: University Professor
| Tuesday | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 17:30-19:00 | Grupo /CLE_01 | English | Mathematics Classroom (3rd floor) |
| Thursday | |||
| 17:30-19:00 | Grupo /CLE_01 | English | Mathematics Classroom (3rd floor) |
| 03.27.2025 16:00-19:00 | Grupo /CLE_01 | Mathematics Classroom (3rd floor) |