Molecular-Dynamics Simulations of the Emergence of Surface Roughness in a Polymer under Compression

Roughness of surfaces is both surprisingly ubiquitous on all length scales and extremely relevant practically. The appearance of multi-scale roughness has been linked to avalanches and plastic deformation in metals. However, other, more-complex materials have mechanisms of plasticity that are significantly different from those of metals. We investigated the emergence of roughness in a polymer under compression. We performed molecular-dynamics simulations of a slab of solid polyvinyl alcohol that was compressed bi-axially, and we characterised the evolution of the surface roughness. We found significantly different behaviour than what was previously observed in similar simulations of metals. We investigated the differences and argue that the visco-elasticity of the material plays a crucial role.

Mechanisms of Plasticity in Subcortical Visual Areas

Visual plasticity is classically considered to occur essentially in the primary and secondary cortical areas. Subcortical visual areas such as the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus (dLGN) or the superior colliculus (SC) have long been held as basic structures responsible for a stable and defined function. In this model, the dLGN was considered as a relay of visual information travelling from the retina to cortical areas and the SC as a sensory integrator orienting body movements towards visual targets. However, recent findings suggest that both dLGN and SC neurons express functional plasticity, adding unexplored layers of complexity to their previously attributed functions. The existence of neuronal plasticity at the level of visual subcortical areas redefines our approach of the visual system. The aim of this paper is therefore to review the cellular and molecular mechanisms for activity-dependent plasticity of both synaptic transmission and cellular properties in subcortical visual areas.

Visual Plasticity in Adulthood: Perspectives from Hebbian and Homeostatic Plasticity

The visual system retains profound plastic potential in adulthood. In the current review, we summarize the evidence of preserved plasticity in the adult visual system during visual perceptual learning as well as both monocular and binocular visual deprivation. In each condition, we discuss how such evidence reflects two major cellular mechanisms of plasticity: Hebbian and homeostatic processes. We focus on how these two mechanisms work together to shape plasticity in the visual system. In addition, we discuss how these two mechanisms could be further revealed in future studies investigating cross-modal plasticity in the visual system.

Single-cell analysis reveals mechanisms of plasticity of leukemia initiating cells

ABSTRACTLeukemia initiating cells (LICs) fuel leukemic growth and spark relapse. Previously thought to be primitive and rare, the LIC state may actually be heterogeneous and dynamic, enabling evasion of therapies. Here, we use single-cell transcriptomics to dissect the ontogeny of MLL-rearranged B-lymphoblastic leukemia (MLL-r B-ALL). Although we identify rare transcriptionally and phenotypically primitive LICs, we also observe LICs emerging from more differentiated populations with the capability to replenish the full cellular diversity of MLL-r B-ALL. We find that activation of MYC-driven oxidative phosphorylation controls this process of LIC state conversion.