Expression of the cell surface proteoglycan syndecan-1 (Sdc1) is frequently induced in stromal fibroblasts of invasive breast carcinomas. We have recently identified a correlation between stromal Sdc1 expression and extracellular matrix (ECM) fiber alignment, both in vitro and in vivo. ECMs derived from Sdc1-positive human mammary fibroblasts (HMF) showed an aligned fiber architecture, which co...

Experiments and simulations reveal that rigid fibers suspended at high concentration in a viscous fluid can be aligned the vorticity direction using shearing flow. Creating alignment requires an oscillatory shear over limited range of strain amplitudes. The suspension must also confined, as only those particles near bounding walls align.

Coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) microscopy is combined with spontaneous Raman scattering microspectroscopy and second harmonic generation (SHG) microscopy to interrogate the molecular alignment in dry and hydrated cellulose fibers. Two types of cellulose were investigated: natural cellulose I in cotton fibers and regenerated cellulose II in rayon fibers. On the basis of the orienta...

In vivo, cells respond to a host of physical cues ranging from substrate stiffness to the organization of micro- and nanoscale fibrous networks. We show that macroscale substrates with radii of curvature from tens to hundreds of micrometers influence cell alignment. In a model system of fibroblasts, isolated cells aligned strongly in the axial direction on cylinders with radii similar to the ce...

Interstitial flow is an important regulator of various cell behaviors both in vitro and in vivo, yet the forces that fluid flow imposes on cells embedded in a 3D extracellular matrix (ECM), and the effects of matrix architecture on those forces, are not well understood. Here, we demonstrate how fiber alignment can affect the shear and pressure forces on the cell and ECM. Using computational flu...

Current trends in vehicular technology reflect an increase in the number of electronic modules, leading to more complicated and expensive wiring. The use of optic fibers offers a low-cost alternative to traditional copper-wire harnesses. This paper presents a bidirectional, alignment-tolerant optoelectronic interconnect for automotive applications. The proposed interconnect offers a low manufac...

Analog Gradient Search This analog phase demodulation hill-climbing technique works for clean, quasi-Gaussian couplings already near optimal alignment. However it will lock-in on local maxima and “flat spots” which occur in multimode couplings, with imperfect devices, or far from optimum alignment. Nevertheless, instrumentation based on this principle was popular, though bulky and providing too...

Statement of Purpose: Abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs) cause 16,000 deaths in the USA annually. AAAs are typically caused by the release of proteolytic enzymes by recruited inflammatory cells that accelerate degradation of the elastic matrix in inflamed vessel walls. Elastic fibers are critical to vessel elasticity and the maintenance of a healthy vascular smooth muscle cell (SMC) phenotype; t...