Relationship between Branch Length Distribution and Free Energy of a Granular Assembly Subject to Crushing

Abstract The assessment of rodent mammary gland morphology is largely used to study the molecular mechanisms driving breast development and to analyze the impact of various endocrine disruptors with putative pathological implications. In this work, we propose a methodology relying on fully automated digital image analysis methods including image processing and quantification of the whole ductal tree and of the terminal end buds as well. It allows to accurately and objectively measure both growth parameters and fine morphological glandular structures. Mammary gland elongation was characterized by 2 parameters: the length and the epithelial area of the ductal tree. Ductal tree fine structures were characterized by: 1) branch end-point density, 2) branching density, and 3) branch length distribution. The proposed methodology was compared with quantification methods classically used in the literature. This procedure can be transposed to several software and thus largely used by scientists studying rodent mammary gland morphology.

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Single-nucleotide polymorphisms in rice starch synthase IIa that alter starch gelatinisation and starch association of the enzyme

Functional Plant Biology ◽

10.1071/fp04214 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 32 (9) ◽

pp. 763 ◽

Cited By ~ 103

Author(s):

Takayuki Umemoto ◽

Noriaki Aoki

Keyword(s):

Amino Acid ◽

Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms ◽

Oryza Sativa L ◽

Length Distribution ◽

Branch Length ◽

Starch Synthase ◽

Rice Starch ◽

Nucleotide Polymorphisms ◽

Single Nucleotide ◽

Chain Length Distribution

The starch synthase IIa (SSIIa) gene of rice (Oryza sativa L.) has been shown to be the alk gene that controls alkali disintegration of rice grains, although the effects of naturally occurring alk mutant alleles on enzyme function have yet to be determined. We genotyped 60 rice cultivars for two single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in rice SSIIa, including one that results in an amino acid substitution. Incorporating data for three other SNPs previously genotyped in rice SSIIa, five haplotypes were found. We analysed the association of these SSIIa haplotypes with the chain-length distribution of amylopectin, the gelatinisation temperature of rice flour, the alkali spreading score, and the starch association of the enzyme. It was determined that two SNPs resulting in amino acid changes close to the C-terminus most likely alter SSIIa both in terms of activity and starch granule association. This in turn alters the branch-length distribution of amylopectin and the gelatinisation properties of starch.

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Encultured minds, not error reduction minds

Behavioral and Brain Sciences ◽

10.1017/s0140525x19002826 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 43 ◽

Author(s):

Robert Mirski ◽

Mark H. Bickhard ◽

David Eck ◽

Arkadiusz Gut

Keyword(s):

Free Energy ◽

Error Reduction ◽

Energy Principle ◽

Free Energy Principle ◽

Current Article

Abstract There are serious theoretical problems with the free-energy principle model, which are shown in the current article. We discuss the proposed model's inability to account for culturally emergent normativities, and point out the foundational issues that we claim this inability stems from.

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