Multi-state metastability in neuroimaging signals reflects the brain's flexibility to transition between network configurations in response to changing environments or tasks. We modeled these dynamics with a Kuramoto network of 90 nodes oscillating at an intrinsic frequency of 40 Hz, interconnected using human brain structural connectivity strengths and delays. We simulated this model for 30 min to generate multi-state metastability.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFScaffolds resembling the extracellular matrix (ECM) provide structural support for cells in the engineering of tissue constructs. Various material sources and fabrication techniques have been employed in scaffold production. Cellulose-based matrices are of interest due to their abundant supply, hydrophilicity, mechanical strength, and biological inertness.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn this study, we tested a method for long-term storage of oral mucosal epithelial cells (OMECs) so that the cells could be expanded in vitro after cryopreservation and used for the treatment of bilateral limbal stem cell deficiency. The ability of suspended primary OMECs to proliferate in vitro after cryopreservation was compared to that of OMEC cultures that had undergone the same process. Both were preserved in standard complex medium (COM) with or without cryoprotective agents (CPAs) (gly-cerol at 5 % or 10 % or dimethyl sulphoxide at 10 %).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHealthy brain function depends on balancing stable integration between brain areas for effective coordinated functioning, with coexisting segregation that allows subsystems to express their functional specialization. Metastability, a concept from the dynamical systems literature, has been proposed as a key signature that characterizes this balance. Building on this principle, the neuroscience literature has leveraged the phenomenon of metastability to investigate various aspects of brain function in health and disease.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe report a facile approach to suppress intrinsic crack formation during wrinkling of plasma-oxidized polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) films, removing a major hindrance in the practical use of these ubiquitous, functional surface patterns. A combination of high heat transfer coefficient (HTC) of the film substrate and low PDMS thickness is shown to consistently yield crack-free wrinkling of glassy skin and PDMS bilayers. Employing optical and atomic force microscopy, light scattering, thermal measurements, and heat transport and stress calculations, we demonstrate that our findings hold for a range of glass, plastic, metal, and layered support materials and plasma processing conditions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF