Distinguished EPJ Referees


EPJ E Highlight - Collagen fibres grow like a sunflower

Phyllotactic pattern with concentric circles.

A new study suggests the pattern of fibres in tissues is similar to the petals of a flower

Collagen fibrils are a major component of the connective tissues found throughout the animal kingdom. The cable-like assemblies of long biological molecules combine to form tissues as varied as skin, corneas, tendons or bones. The development of these complex tissues is the subject of a variety of research efforts, focusing on the steps involved and the respective contributions of genetics and physical chemistry to their development. Now, two researchers at the Universite Paris-sud in Orsay, France, have shed new light on how complex collagen fibrils form. In a new study published in EPJ E, the authors focus on one of the hierarchical steps, in which molecules spontaneously associate in long and dense axisymmetric fibres, known as type I collagen fibrils.


EPJ H Editor Helge Kragh receives 2019 Abraham Pais Prize for History of Physics

David Gross (left), President of APS, handing over the diploma to Helge Kragh (right)

The Abraham Pais Prize for History of Physics is given annually to recognize outstanding scholarly achievements in the history of physics.

Helge Kragh, who is an Editor of EPJ H and author of the recently published SpringerBriefs “From Transuranic to Superheavy Elements - A Story of Dispute and Creation”, received the 2019 Abraham Pais Prize for History of Physics for "influential contributions to the history of physics, especially analyses of cosmological theories and debates, the history of the quantum physics of elementary particles and the solid state, and biographical studies of Paul Dirac and Niels Bohr, and his early quantum atom".


EPJ E Highlight - How red blood cells behave in crowded vessels

Red blood cells flowing through a blood vessel. https://pixabay.com/illustrations/blood-cells-red-medical-medicine-1813410/

A new model of red blood flowing through narrow capillaries shows that the cells change shape and alignment, allowing plasma to flow down the sides

Blood consists of a suspension of cells and other components in plasma, including red blood cells, which give it its red colour. When blood flows through the narrowest vessels in the body, known as the capillaries, the interactions between the cells become much more important. In a new study published in EPJ E, a team of researchers led by Ignacio Pagonabarraga from the University of Barcelona, Spain, has now developed a mathematical model of how red blood cells flow in narrow, crowded vessels. This could help design more precise methods for intravenous drug delivery, as well as 'microfluidic chips' incorporating artificial capillaries, which could offer faster, simpler and more precise blood-based diagnoses.


EPJ Plus Managing Editor Martine Ben Amar wins Huy Duong Bui prize

Martine Ben Amar




EPJ Data Science Highlight - Offline biases in online platforms









EPJ D Highlight - Inner electrons behave differently in aromatic hydrocarbons

Coincidence spectrum for benzene and other hydrocarbons




EPJ B Highlight - Magnetic nanoparticles can 'burn' cancer cells

Stock market prediction models.






Using computational models to investigate how liquid drops behave on surfaces



EPJ D Highlight - Optimising proton beam therapy with mathematical models





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