BACKGROUND Mammary gland morphogenesis involves ductal elongation, branching, and budding. All of these processes are mediated by stroma--epithelium interactions. Biomechanical factors, such as matrix stiffness, have been established as important factors in these interactions. For example, epithelial cells fail to form normal acinar structures in vitro in 3D gels that exceed the stiffness of a ...

Standard approaches to evaluate scar formation within histological sections rely on qualitative evaluations and scoring, which limits our understanding of the remodeling process. We have recently developed an image analysis technique for the rapid quantification of fiber alignment at each pixel location. The goal of this study was to evaluate its application for quantitatively mapping scar form...

bioinformatics, through the sequencing of the full genomes for many species, is increasingly relying on efficient global alignment tools exhibiting both high sensitivity and specificity. many computational algorithms have been applied for solving the sequence alignment problem. dynamic programming, statistical methods, approximation and heuristic algorithms are the most common methods applied t...

The uniform alignment of Ferroelectric LCs (FLC) on inorganic thin film surfaces can be obtained using oblique ion beam sputtering deposition on substrates. Large deposition angle from 60o to 80 o can be used for thin SiO2 alignment layer, which thickness can vary from 5nm to 40 nm. Two types of uniform alignment of “chevron” (before electrical treatment) and “quazibookshelf” (after electrical ...

In this paper, the effects of residual charges on nanofiber alignment in a gap method are studied and presented. The gap method was presented by Li and Xia (2003 Nano Lett. 3 1167); in it, a gap is introduced into a traditional collector. Due to the non-perfect conductivity of electrospun nanofibers, they carry residual charges after deposition across the gap. These residual charges will intera...

The squid mantle is a complex structure which, in conjunction with a highly sensitive sensory system, provides squid with a wide variety of highly controlled movements. This article presents a model describing systems of collagen fibers that give the mantle its shape and mechanical properties. The validity of the model is verified by comparing predicted optimal fiber angles to actual fiber angl...

Transcription of the Balbiani ring (BR) genes of the dipteran Chironomus tentans was inhibited by teh nucleoside analogue DRB (5,6-dichloro-1-beta-D-ribofuranosyl benzimidazole). The BR genes were emptied of RNA polymerases and the subsequent packing of the genes was monitored by transmission electron microscopy. The thin chromatin axis of the transcriptionally active genes condensed into a thi...

Interferometric displacement detection in a cantilever-based non-contact atomic force microscope (NC-AFM) operated in ultra-high vacuum is demonstrated for the Michelson and Fabry-Pérot modes of operation. Each mode is addressed by appropriately adjusting the distance between the fiber end delivering and collecting light and a highly reflective micro-cantilever, both together forming the interf...