336 research outputs found

    Spinning around or stagnation - what do osteoblasts and chondroblasts really like?

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    <p>Abstract</p> <p>Objective</p> <p>The influcence of cytomechanical forces in cellular migration, proliferation and differentation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) is still poorly understood in detail.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Human MSCs were isolated and cultivated onto the surface of a 3 Ă— 3 mm porcine collagen I/III carrier. After incubation, cell cultures were transfered to the different cutures systems: regular static tissue flasks (group I), spinner flasks (group II) and rotating wall vessels (group III). Following standard protocols cells were stimulated lineage specific towards the osteogenic and chondrogenic lines. To evaluate the effects of applied cytomechanical forces towards cellular differentiation distinct parameters were measured (morphology, antigen and antigen expression) after a total cultivation period of 21 days in vitro.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Depending on the cultivation technique we found significant differences in both gen and protein expression.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Cytomechanical forces with rotational components strongly influence the osteogenic and chondrogenic differentiation.</p

    (Broken) Gauge Symmetries and Constraints in Regge Calculus

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    We will examine the issue of diffeomorphism symmetry in simplicial models of (quantum) gravity, in particular for Regge calculus. We find that for a solution with curvature there do not exist exact gauge symmetries on the discrete level. Furthermore we derive a canonical formulation that exactly matches the dynamics and hence symmetries of the covariant picture. In this canonical formulation broken symmetries lead to the replacements of constraints by so--called pseudo constraints. These considerations should be taken into account in attempts to connect spin foam models, based on the Regge action, with canonical loop quantum gravity, which aims at implementing proper constraints. We will argue that the long standing problem of finding a consistent constraint algebra for discretized gravity theories is equivalent to the problem of finding an action with exact diffeomorphism symmetries. Finally we will analyze different limits in which the pseudo constraints might turn into proper constraints. This could be helpful to infer alternative discretization schemes in which the symmetries are not broken.Comment: 32 pages, 15 figure

    Interfering Doorway States and Giant Resonances. I: Resonance Spectrum and Multipole Strengths

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    A phenomenological schematic model of multipole giant resonances (GR) is considered which treats the external interaction via common decay channels on the same footing as the coherent part of the internal residual interaction. The damping due to the coupling to the sea of complicated states is neglected. As a result, the formation of GR is governed by the interplay and competition of two kinds of collectivity, the internal and the external one. The mixing of the doorway components of a GR due to the external interaction influences significantly their multipole strengths, widths and positions in energy. In particular, a narrow resonance state with an appreciable multipole strength is formed when the doorway components strongly overlap.Comment: 20 pages, LaTeX, 3 ps-figures, to appear in PRC (July 1997

    Multifunctional Nanoparticles by Coordinative Self-Assembly of His-Tagged Units with Metal–Organic Frameworks

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    Self-assembly of individual units into multicomponent complexes is a powerful approach for the generation of functional superstructures. We present the coordinative interaction of oligohistidine-tags (His-tags) with metal-organic framework nanoparticles (MOF NPs). By this novel concept, different molecular units can be anchored on the outer surface of MOF NPs in a self-assembly process generating multifunctional nanosystems. The article focuses on two main objectives: first, the detailed investigation of the assembly process and fundamental establishment of the novel functionalization concept; and second, its subsequent use for the development of biomacromolecule (e.g., peptides and proteins) delivery vehicles. Three exemplary MOF structures, MIL-88A, HKUST-1, and Zr-fum, based on different metal components, were selected for the external binding of various His-tagged synthetic peptides and recombinant or chemically H6-modified proteins. Evidence for simultaneous assembly of different functional units with Zr-fum MOF NPs as well as their successful transport into living cells illustrate the promising potential of the self-assembly approach for the generation of multifunctional NPs and future biological applications. Taking the high number of possible MOF NPs and different functional units into account, the reported functionalization approach opens great flexibility for the targeted synthesis of multifunctional NPs for specific purposes

    Singularity resolution depends on the clock

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    We study the quantum cosmology of a flat Friedmann–Lemaître–Robertson–Walker Universe filled with a (free) massless scalar field and a perfect fluid that represents radiation or a cosmological constant whose value is not fixed by the action, as in unimodular gravity. We study two versions of the quantum theory: the first is based on a time coordinate conjugate to the radiation/dark energy matter component, i.e., conformal time (for radiation) or unimodular time. As shown by Gryb and Thébault, this quantum theory achieves a type of singularity resolution; we illustrate this and other properties of this theory. The theory is then contrasted with a second type of quantisation in which the logarithm of the scale factor serves as time, which has been studied in the context of the 'perfect bounce' for quantum cosmology. Unlike the first quantum theory, the second one contains semiclassical states that follow classical trajectories and evolve into the singularity without obstruction, thus showing no singularity resolution. We discuss how a complex scale factor best describes the semiclassical dynamics. This cosmological model serves as an illustration of the problem of time in quantum cosmology

    Author Correction: Cross-ancestry genome-wide association analysis of corneal thickness strengthens link between complex and Mendelian eye diseases.

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    Emmanuelle Souzeau, who contributed to analysis of data, was inadvertently omitted from the author list in the originally published version of this Article. This has now been corrected in both the PDF and HTML versions of the Article
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