Related papers: Physical limits to biomechanical sensing
Understanding how electric fields destabilize biological membranes is important for electroporation-based technologies and bioelectronic interfaces. However, theoretical descriptions of this phenomenon remain fragmented. Existing theories…
The initiation of directional cell motion requires symmetry breaking that can happen both with or without external stimuli. During cell crawling, forces generated by the cytoskeleton and their transmission through mechanosensitive adhesions…
A mechanism for self-organization of the degree of connectivity in model neural networks is studied. Network connectivity is regulated locally on the basis of an order parameter of the global dynamics which is estimated from an observable…
Cell-cell adhesion is one the most fundamental mechanisms regulating collective cell migration during tissue development, homeostasis and repair, allowing cell populations to self-organize and eventually form and maintain complex tissue…
This work introduces a methodology for studying synchronization in adaptive networks with heterogeneous plasticity (adaptation) rules. As a paradigmatic model, we consider a network of adaptively coupled phase oscillators with…
Reinforced elastic sheets surround us in daily life, from concrete shell buildings to biological structures such as the arthropod exoskeleton or the venation network of dicotyledonous plant leaves. Natural structures are often highly…
The mechanics of complex soft matter often cannot be understood in the classical physical frame of flexible polymers or rigid rods. The underlying constituents are semiflexible polymers, whose finite bending stiffness ($\kappa$) leads to…
The stochastic variations in the structural properties of thin fiber networks govern to a great extent their mechanical performance. To assess the influence of local structural variability on the local strain and mechanical response of the…
Recent studies in mammalian hearts show that left ventricular wall thickening is an important mechanism for systolic ejection and that during contraction the cardiac muscle develops significant stresses in the muscular cross-fiber…
Real world complex networks often exhibit multiplex structure, connecting entities from different aspects of physical systems such as social, transportation and biological networks. Little is known about general properties of such networks…
Complex networks are ubiquitous: a cell, the human brain, a group of people and the Internet are all examples of interconnected many-body systems characterized by macroscopic properties that cannot be trivially deduced from those of their…
The cytoskeleton of eukaryotic cells provides mechanical support and governs intracellular transport. These functions rely on the complex mechanical properties of networks of semiflexible protein filaments. Recent theoretical interest has…
Biopolymer networks are common in biological systems from the cytoskeleton of individual cells to collagen in the extracellular matrix. The mechanics of these systems under applied strain can be explained in some cases by a phase transition…
Cellular form and function emerge from complex mechanochemical systems within the cytoplasm. No systematic strategy currently exists to infer large-scale physical properties of a cell from its many molecular components. This is a…
Digital stiffness programmability is fulfilled with a heterogeneous mechanical metamaterial. The prototype consists of an elastomer matrix containing tessellations of diamond shaped cavities selectively confined with semi-rigid plastic beam…
Mechanical forces generated by myosin II molecular motors drive diverse cellular processes, most notably shape change, division and locomotion. These forces may be transmitted over long range through the cytoskeletal medium - a disordered,…
The electrical properties of extracellular space around neurons are important to understand the genesis of extracellular potentials, as well as for localizing neuronal activity from extracellular recordings. However, the exact nature of…
Biopolymer networks from the intracellular to tissue scale display high rigidity and tensile stress while having coordinations well below the normal threshold for mechanical rigidity. The elastic filaments in these networks are often…
Soft biological tissues exhibit a remarkable resilience to large mechanical loads, a property which is associated with the strain stiffening capability of the biopolymer networks that structurally support the tissues. Yet, recent studies…
How biological networks achieve robust control despite relying on imperfect, local information remains an important open question. Here, we identify thermodynamic constraints that can curtail non-equilibrium steady-state responses so…