Gravitation at the Mesoscopic Scale

Modeling DNA beacons at the mesoscopic scale.

We report model calculations on DNA single strands which describe the equilibrium dynamics and kinetics of hairpin formation and melting. Modeling is at the level of single bases. Strand rigidity is described in terms of simple polymer models; alternative calculations performed using the freely rotating chain and the discrete Kratky-Porod models are reported. Stem formation is modeled according...

The Circuit Architecture of Whole Brains at the Mesoscopic Scale

Vertebrate brains of even moderate size are composed of astronomically large numbers of neurons and show a great degree of individual variability at the microscopic scale. This variation is presumably the result of phenotypic plasticity and individual experience. At a larger scale, however, relatively stable species-typical spatial patterns are observed in neuronal architecture, e.g., the spati...

Modular Gene Dynamics and Network Theory at Mesoscopic Scale

Complex dynamical systems are often modeled as networks, with nodes representing dynamical units which interact through the network’s links. Gene regulatory networks, responsible for the production of proteins inside a cell, are an example of system that can be described as a network of interacting genes. The behavior of a complex dynamical system is characterized by cooperativity of its units ...

Therapy modifies cystine kidney stones at the macroscopic scale. Do such alterations exist at the mesoscopic and nanometre scale?

Mesoscopic and nano-scale systems

Studying the properties of structures where at least one spatial dimension is on the nanometer scale is motivated by many factors from engineering (such as the semiconductor industry’s push towards higher density integrated circuits), chemistry (developing methods to produce particles of well controlled size and structure), biology (using DNA to control the self-assembly of small structures) an...