1,100 research outputs found
Bildgebende Diagnostik der Hüftdysplasie
Zusammenfassung: Die detaillierte bildgebende Darstellung von Pathomorphologien des Hüftgelenks stellt einen wichtigen diagnostischen Baustein zur Bewertung und therapeutischen Entscheidungsfindung bei Hüftgelenkbeschwerden dar. Sowohl die konventionelle Röntgenbildgebung wie auch die Schnittbildgebung inklusive der Magnetresonanzarthrographie sind wertvolle Werkzeuge zur umfassenden diagnostischen Bewertung der Hüftgelenkmorphologie. Morphologische Abweichungen werden anhand der aktuell im Routinebetrieb zum Einsatz kommenden Techniken insbesondere im Hinblick auf die Ausprägung der Hüftgelenküberdachung im Spannungsfeld zwischen Dysplasie und femoroazetabulärem Impingement dargestellt und objektivierbare Parameter vorgestell
The effect of curvature and topology on membrane hydrodynamics
We study the mobility of extended objects (rods) on a spherical liquid-liquid
interface to show how this quantity is modified in a striking manner by both
the curvature and the topology of the interface. We present theoretical
calculations and experimental measurements of the interfacial fluid velocity
field around a moving rod bound to the crowded interface of a water-in-oil
droplet. By using different droplet sizes, membrane viscosities, and rod
lengths, we show that the viscosity mismatch between the interior and exterior
fluids leads to a suppression of the fluid flow on small droplets that cannot
be captured by the flat interface predictions.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure
Polyelectrolyte Bundles
Using extensive Molecular Dynamics simulations we study the behavior of
polyelectrolytes with hydrophobic side chains, which are known to form
cylindrical micelles in aqueous solution. We investigate the stability of such
bundles with respect to hydrophobicity, the strength of the electrostatic
interaction, and the bundle size. We show that for the parameter range relevant
for sulfonated poly-para-phenylenes (PPP) one finds a stable finite bundle
size. In a more generic model we also show the influence of the length of the
precursor oligomer on the stability of the bundles. We also point out that our
model has close similarities to DNA solutions with added condensing agents,
hinting to the possibility that the size of DNA aggregates is under certain
circumstances thermodynamically limited.Comment: 10 pages, 8 figure
Single vesicle imaging indicates distinct modes of rapid membrane retrieval during nerve growth
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>During nerve growth, cytoplasmic vesicles add new membrane preferentially to the growth cone located at the distal tip of extending axons. Growth cone membrane is also retrieved locally, and asymmetric retrieval facilitates membrane remodeling during growth cone repulsion by a chemorepellent gradient. Moreover, growth inhibitory factors can stimulate bulk membrane retrieval and induce growth cone collapse. Despite these functional insights, the processes mediating local membrane remodeling during axon extension remain poorly defined.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>To investigate the spatial and temporal dynamics of membrane retrieval in actively extending growth cones, we have used a transient labeling and optical recording method that can resolve single vesicle events. Live-cell confocal imaging revealed rapid membrane retrieval by distinct endocytic modes based on spatial distribution in <it>Xenopus </it>spinal neuron growth cones. These modes include endocytic "hot-spots" triggered at the base of filopodia, at the lateral margins of lamellipodia, and along dorsal ridges of the growth cone. Additionally, waves of endocytosis were induced when individual filopodia detached from the substrate and fused with the growth cone dorsal surface or with other filopodia. Vesicle formation at sites of membrane remodeling by self-contact required F-actin polymerization. Moreover, bulk membrane retrieval by macroendocytosis correlated positively with the substrate-dependent rate of axon extension and required the function of Rho-family GTPases.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>This study provides insight into the dynamic membrane remodeling processes essential for nerve growth by identifying several distinct modes of rapid membrane retrieval in the growth cone during axon extension. We found that endocytic membrane retrieval is intensified at specific subdomains and may drive the dynamic membrane ruffling and re-absorption of filopodia and lamellipodia in actively extending growth cones. The findings offer a platform for determining the molecular mechanisms of distinct endocytic processes that may remodel the surface distribution of receptors, ion channels and other membrane-associated proteins locally to drive growth cone extension and chemotactic guidance.</p
Genus expansion for real Wishart matrices
We present an exact formula for moments and cumulants of several real
compound Wishart matrices in terms of an Euler characteristic expansion,
similar to the genus expansion for complex random matrices. We consider their
asymptotic values in the large matrix limit: as in a genus expansion, the terms
which survive in the large matrix limit are those with the greatest Euler
characteristic, that is, either spheres or collections of spheres. This
topological construction motivates an algebraic expression for the moments and
cumulants in terms of the symmetric group. We examine the combinatorial
properties distinguishing the leading order terms. By considering higher
cumulants, we give a central limit-type theorem for the asymptotic distribution
around the expected value
Density-Dependence as a Size-Independent Regulatory Mechanism
The growth function of populations is central in biomathematics. The main
dogma is the existence of density dependence mechanisms, which can be modelled
with distinct functional forms that depend on the size of the population. One
important class of regulatory functions is the -logistic, which
generalises the logistic equation. Using this model as a motivation, this paper
introduces a simple dynamical reformulation that generalises many growth
functions. The reformulation consists of two equations, one for population
size, and one for the growth rate. Furthermore, the model shows that although
population is density-dependent, the dynamics of the growth rate does not
depend either on population size, nor on the carrying capacity. Actually, the
growth equation is uncoupled from the population size equation, and the model
has only two parameters, a Malthusian parameter and a competition
coefficient . Distinct sign combinations of these parameters reproduce
not only the family of -logistics, but also the van Bertalanffy,
Gompertz and Potential Growth equations, among other possibilities. It is also
shown that, except for two critical points, there is a general size-scaling
relation that includes those appearing in the most important allometric
theories, including the recently proposed Metabolic Theory of Ecology. With
this model, several issues of general interest are discussed such as the growth
of animal population, extinctions, cell growth and allometry, and the effect of
environment over a population.Comment: 41 Pages, 5 figures Submitted to JT
- …