236 research outputs found
Remodeling of Fibrous Extracellular Matrices by Contractile Cells: Predictions from Discrete Fiber Network Simulations
Contractile forces exerted on the surrounding extracellular matrix (ECM) lead
to the alignment and stretching of constituent fibers within the vicinity of
cells. As a consequence, the matrix reorganizes to form thick bundles of
aligned fibers that enable force transmission over distances larger than the
size of the cells. Contractile force-mediated remodeling of ECM fibers has
bearing on a number of physiologic and pathophysiologic phenomena. In this
work, we present a computational model to capture cell-mediated remodeling
within fibrous matrices using finite element based discrete fiber network
simulations. The model is shown to accurately capture collagen alignment,
heterogeneous deformations, and long-range force transmission observed
experimentally. The zone of mechanical influence surrounding a single
contractile cell and the interaction between two cells are predicted from the
strain-induced alignment of fibers. Through parametric studies, the effect of
cell contractility and cell shape anisotropy on matrix remodeling and force
transmission are quantified and summarized in a phase diagram. For highly
contractile and elongated cells, we find a sensing distance that is ten times
the cell size, in agreement with experimental observations.Comment: Accepted for publication in the Biophysical Journa
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A Study of Assimilation Bias in Name-Based Sampling of Migrants
The use of personal names for screening is an increasingly popular sampling technique for migrant populations. Although this is often an effective sampling procedure, very little is known about the properties of this method. Based on a large German survey, this article compares characteristics of respondents whose names have been correctly classified as belonging to a migrant population with respondentswho aremigrants and whose names have not been classified as belonging to a migrant population. Although significant differences were found for some variables even with some large effect sizes, the overall bias introduced by name-based sampling (NBS) is small as long as procedures with small false-negative rates are employed
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Ein neues Verfahren für namensbasierte Zufallsstichproben von Migranten
The set of best methods for sampling mi- grant populations includes name-based sampling. So far this is done using either ad-hoc lists or onomastic dictionaries for the classi cation of names. This paper pro- poses a new name-based procedure, which uses a Bayes-classi er for the n-grams of the name. The new procedure is fault-tol- erant of alternate spellings, and also allows the classi cation of names that are not found in dictionaries. It was tested using the names of about 1.600 foreigners in the PASS panel. Finally, a CATI survey based on the new method in Hesse is described
Overcoming Postcommunist Labour Weakness: Attritional and Enabling Effects of MNCs in Central and Eastern Europe
Based on micro-level analysis of the developments in the steel sector in Poland, Romania and Slovakia, this paper examines the effects of multinational corporations (MNCs) on labour unions in Central and Eastern Europe. It makes a three-fold argument. First, it shows that union weakness can be attributed to unions’ strategies during the restructuring and privatization processes of postcommunist transition. Consequently, tactics used for union regeneration in the West are less applicable to CEE. Rather, the overcoming of postcommunist legacy is linked to the power of transnational capital. Through attritional and enabling effects, ownership by MNCs forces the unions to focus their efforts on articulating workers’ interests. The paper examines the emerging system of industrial relations in the sector and explores the development of the capabilities needed to overcome postcommunist legacies
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Micropatterned Multicolor Dynamically Adhesive Substrates to Control Cell Adhesion and Multicellular Organization
We present a novel technique to examine cell–cell interactions and directed cell migration using micropatterned substrates of three distinct regions: an adhesive region, a nonadhesive region, and a dynamically adhesive region switched by addition of a soluble factor to the medium. Combining microcontact printing with avidin–biotin capture chemistry, we pattern nonadhesive regions of avidin that become adhesive through the capture of biotinylated fibronectin. Our strategy overcomes several limitations of current two-color dynamically adhesive substrates by incorporating a third, permanently nonadhesive region. Having three spatially and functionally distinct regions allows for the realization of more complex configurations of cellular cocultures as well as intricate interface geometries between two cell populations for diverse heterotypic cell–cell interaction studies. We can now achieve spatial control over the path and direction of migration in addition to temporal control of the onset of migration, enabling studies that better recapitulate coordinated multicellular migration and organization in vitro. We confirm that cellular behavior is unaltered on captured biotinylated fibronectin as compared to printed fibronectin by examining the cells’ ability to spread, form adhesions, and migrate. We demonstrate the versatility of this approach in studies of migration and cellular cocultures, and further highlight its utility by probing Notch–Delta juxtacrine signaling at a patterned interface
Investigation of Single Boron Acceptors at the Cleaved Si:B (111) Surface
The cleaved and (2 x 1) reconstructed (111) surface of p-type Si is
investigated by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). Single B acceptors are
identified due to their characteristic voltage-dependent contrast which is
explained by a local energetic shift of the electronic density of states caused
by the Coulomb potential of the negatively charged acceptor. In addition,
detailed analysis of the STM images shows that apparently one orbital is
missing at the B site at sample voltages of 0.4 - 0.6 V, corresponding to the
absence of a localized dangling-bond state. Scanning tunneling spectroscopy
confirms a strongly altered density of states at the B atom due to the
different electronic structure of B compared to Si.Comment: 6 pages, 7 figure
The pre-WDVV ring of physics and its topology
We show how a simplicial complex arising from the WDVV
(Witten-Dijkgraaf-Verlinde-Verlinde) equations of string theory is the
Whitehouse complex. Using discrete Morse theory, we give an elementary proof
that the Whitehouse complex is homotopy equivalent to a wedge of
spheres of dimension . We also verify the Cohen-Macaulay
property. Additionally, recurrences are given for the face enumeration of the
complex and the Hilbert series of the associated pre-WDVV ring.Comment: 13 pages, 4 figures, 2 table
Critical Behavior of the Conductivity of Si:P at the Metal-Insulator Transition under Uniaxial Stress
We report new measurements of the electrical conductivity sigma of the
canonical three-dimensional metal-insulator system Si:P under uniaxial stress
S. The zero-temperature extrapolation of sigma(S,T -> 0) ~\S - S_c\^mu shows an
unprecidentedly sharp onset of finite conductivity at S_c with an exponent mu =
1. The value of mu differs significantly from that of earlier stress-tuning
results. Our data show dynamical sigma(S,T) scaling on both metallic and
insulating sides, viz. sigma(S,T) = sigma_c(T) F(\S - S_cT^y) where sigma_c(T)
is the conductivity at the critical stress S_c. We find y = 1/znu = 0.34 where
nu is the correlation-length exponent and z the dynamic critical exponent.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure
Effects of Magnetic Order on the Upper Critical Field of UPt
I present a Ginzburg-Landau theory for hexagonal oscillations of the upper
critical field of UPt near . The model is based on a
representation for the superconducting order parameter,
, coupled to an in-plane AFM order parameter,
. Hexagonal anisotropy of arises from the weak in-plane
anisotropy energy of the AFM state and the coupling of the superconducting
order parameter to the staggered field. The model explains the important
features of the observed hexagonal anisotropy [N. Keller, {\it et al.}, Phys.
Rev. Lett. {\bf 73}, 2364 (1994).] including: (i) the small magnitude, (ii)
persistence of the oscillations for , and (iii) the change in
sign of the oscillations for and (the temperature at the
tetracritical point). I also show that there is a low-field crossover
(observable only very near ) below which the oscillations should vanish.Comment: 9 pages in a RevTex (3.0) file plus 2 postscript figures (uuencoded).
Submitted to Physical Review B (December 20, 1994)
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