Hybrid Bone Substitute Containing Tricalcium Phosphate and Silver Modified Hydroxyapatite-Methylcellulose Granules.

Despite years of extensive research, achieving the optimal properties for calcium phosphate-based biomaterials remains an ongoing challenge. Recently, 'biomicroconcretes' systems consisting of setting-phase-forming bone cement matrix and aggregates (granules/microspheres) have been developed and studied. However, further investigations are necessary to clarify the complex interplay between the synthesis, structure, and properties of these materials.

Diophantine imaging reveals the broken symmetry of sums of integer cubes.

We introduced a novel method for visualizing large diophantine datasets and in particular found that mapping the known integer triplets [Formula: see text] solving either equations of the type [Formula: see text] or [Formula: see text] on certain proper subgroups of the circle group exposed a very clear breaking in their symmetry and a strongly non-ergodic distribution of the solutions of sums of three cubes that had never been described before. This method could be further applied to a larger diversity of diophantine problems, informing both number-theoretical conjectures and novel methods in computer sciences on the way, along with paving the road for specific uses of machine learning in exploring diophantine datasets with possible applications in cryptography among others.

Identifiability of equilibrium constants for receptors with two to five binding sites.

Ligand-gated ion channels (LGICs) are regularly oligomers containing between two and five binding sites for ligands. Neither in homomeric nor heteromeric LGICs the activation process evoked by the ligand binding is fully understood. Here, we show on theoretical grounds that for LGICs with two to five binding sites, the cooperativity upon channel activation can be determined in considerable detail.

Microfluidic-Generated Seeds for Gold Nanotriangle Synthesis in Three or Two Steps.

Nanoparticle synthesis has drawn great attention in the last decades. The study of crystal growth mechanisms and optimization of the existing methods lead to the increasing accessibility of nanomaterials, such as gold nanotriangles which have great potential in the fields of plasmonics and catalysis. To form such structures, a careful balance of reaction parameters has to be maintained.

Subunit promotion energies for channel opening in heterotetrameric olfactory CNG channels.

Cyclic nucleotide-gated (CNG) ion channels of olfactory sensory neurons contain three types of homologue subunits, two CNGA2 subunits, one CNGA4 subunit and one CNGB1b subunit. Each subunit carries an intracellular cyclic nucleotide binding domain (CNBD) whose occupation by up to four cyclic nucleotides evokes channel activation. Thereby, the subunits interact in a cooperative fashion.

A strategy for determining the equilibrium constants for heteromeric ion channels in a complex model.

Ligand-gated ion channels are oligomers containing several binding sites for the ligands. However, the signal transmission from the ligand binding site to the pore has not yet been fully elucidated for any of these channels. In heteromeric channels, the situation is even more complex than in homomeric channels.

Thermodynamic profile of mutual subunit control in a heteromeric receptor.

Cyclic nucleotide-gated (CNG) ion channels of olfactory neurons are tetrameric membrane receptors that are composed of two A2 subunits, one A4 subunit, and one B1b subunit. Each subunit carries a cyclic nucleotide-binding domain in the carboxyl terminus, and the channels are activated by the binding of cyclic nucleotides. The mechanism of cooperative channel activation is still elusive.

A Vibrissa-Inspired Highly Flexible Tactile Sensor: Scanning 3D Object Surfaces Providing Tactile Images.

Just as the sense of touch complements vision in various species, several robots could benefit from advanced tactile sensors, in particular when operating under poor visibility. A prominent tactile sense organ, frequently serving as a natural paragon for developing tactile sensors, is the vibrissae of, e.g.

Effects of Multi-Point Contacts during Object Contour Scanning Using a Biologically-Inspired Tactile Sensor.

Vibrissae are an important tactile sense organ of many mammals, in particular rodents like rats and mice. For instance, these animals use them in order to detect different object features, e.g.

An Artificial Vibrissa-Like Sensor for Detection of Flows.

In nature, there are several examples of sophisticated sensory systems to sense flows, e.g., the vibrissae of mammals.