Lateral cell polarization drives organization of epithelia in sea anemone embryos and embryonic cell aggregates.

One of the first organizing processes during animal development is the assembly of embryonic cells into epithelia. Common features unite epithelialization across select bilaterians, however, we know less about the molecular and cellular mechanisms that drive epithelial emergence in early branching nonbilaterians. In sea anemones, epithelia emerge both during embryonic development and after cell aggregation of dissociated tissues.

Lateral cell polarization drives organization of epithelia in sea anemone embryos and embryonic cell aggregates.

One of the first organizing processes during animal development is the assembly of embryonic cells into epithelia. In certain animals, including Hydra and sea anemones, epithelia also emerge when cells from dissociated tissues are aggregated back together. Although cell adhesion is required to keep cells together, it is not clear whether cell polarization plays a role as epithelia emerge from disordered aggregates.

Wideband linear detector arrays for optoacoustic imaging based on polyvinylidene difluoride films.

We provide direct experimental comparison of the optoacoustic imaging performance of two different 64-element linear detector array (LDA) units based on polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF) films. The first LDA unit was based on traditional flexible circuit (FC) technology and consisted of an FC glued to the nonmetalized signal surface of a 28-μm-thick PVDF film providing 300  /  80-μm axial resolution/lateral resolution (AR/LR) and 0.4-kPa noise equivalent pressure of its single element.

Simultaneous photoacoustic and optically mediated ultrasound microscopy: an in vivo study.

We propose the use of thermoelastic (TE) excitation of an ultrasonic (US) detector by backscattered laser radiation as a means of upgrading a single-modality photoacoustic (PA) microscope to dual-modality PA/US imaging at minimal cost. The upgraded scanning head of our dual-modality microscope consists of a fiber bundle with 14 output arms and a 32MHz polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF) detector with a 34 MHz bandwidth (-6 dB level), 12.7 mm focal length, and a 0.