Enhanced mechanical heterogeneity of cell collectives due to temporal fluctuations in cell elasticity.

Cells are dynamic systems characterized by temporal variations in biophysical properties such as stiffness and contractility. Recent studies show that the recruitment and release of actin filaments into and out of the cell cortex-a network of proteins underneath the cell membrane-leads to cell stiffening prior to division and softening immediately afterward. In three-dimensional (3D) cell collectives, it is unclear whether the stiffness change during division at the single-cell scale controls the spatial structure and dynamics at the multicellular scale. This is an important question to understand because cell stiffness variations impact cell spatial organization and cancer progression. Using a minimal 3D model incorporating cell birth, death, and cell-to-cell elastic and adhesive interactions, we investigate the effect of mechanical heterogeneity-variations in individual cell stiffnesses that make up the cell collective-on tumor spatial organization and cell dynamics. We discover that spatial mechanical heterogeneity characterized by a spheroid core composed of stiffer cells and softer cells in the periphery emerges within dense 3D cell collectives, which may be a general feature of multicellular tumor growth. We show that heightened spatial mechanical heterogeneity enhances single-cell dynamics and volumetric tumor growth driven by fluctuations in cell elasticity. Our results could have important implications in understanding how spatiotemporal variations in single-cell stiffness determine tumor growth and spread.

Detecting Crystallographic Lattice Chirality using Resonant Inelastic X-ray Scattering.

The control and detection of crystallographic chirality is an important and challenging scientific problem. Chirality has wide ranging implications from medical physics to cosmology including an intimate but subtle connection in magnetic systems, for example Mn1-xFexSi. X-ray diffraction techniques with resonant or polarized variations of the experimental setup are currently utilized to characterize lattice chirality. We demonstrate using theoretical calculations the feasibility of indirect K -edge bimagnon resonant inelastic X-ray scattering (RIXS) spectrum as a viable experimental technique to distinguish crystallographic handedness. We apply spin wave theory to the recently discovered √5 × âˆš5 vacancy ordered chalcogenide Rb0.89Fe1.58Se2 for realistic X-ray experimental set up parameters (incoming energy, polarization, Bragg angle, and experimental resolution) to show that the computed RIXS spectrum is sensitive to the underlying handedness (right or left) of the lattice. A Flack parameter definition that incorporates the right- and left- chiral lattice RIXS response is introduced. It is shown that the RIXS response of the multiband magnon system RbFeSe arises both from inter- and intra- band scattering processes. The extinction or survival of these RIXS peaks are sensitive to the underlying chiral lattice orientation. This in turn allows for the identification of the two chiral lattice orientations.

Indirect K-edge bimagnon resonant inelastic x-ray scattering spectrum of α-FeTe.

We calculate the K-edge indirect bimagnon resonant inelastic x-ray scattering (RIXS) intensity spectra of the bicollinear antiferromagnetic order known to occur in the α-FeTe chalcogenide system. Utilizing linear spin wave theory for this large-S spin system we find that the bimagnon spectrum contains four scattering channels (two intraband and two interband). We find from our calculations that for suitable energy-momentum combination the RIXS spectra can exhibit a one-, two- or three- peak structure. The number of peaks provides a clue on the various bimagnon excitation processes that can be supported both in and within the acoustic and optical magnon branches of the bicollinear antiferromagnet. Unlike the RIXS response of the antiferromagnetic or the collinear antiferromagnetic spin ordering, the RIXS intensity spectrum of the bicollinear antiferromagnet does not vanish at the magnetic ordering wave vector [Formula: see text]. It is also sensitive to next-next nearest neighbor and biquadratic coupling interactions. Our predicted RIXS spectrum can be utilized to understand the role of multi-channel bimagnon spin excitations present in the α-FeTe chalcogenide.

Exact solution and high-temperature series expansion study of the one-fifth-depleted square-lattice Ising model.

The critical behavior of the one-fifth-depleted square-lattice Ising model with nearest-neighbor ferromagnetic interaction has been investigated by means of both an exact solution and a high-temperature series expansion study of the zero-field susceptibility. For the exact solution we employ a decoration transformation followed by a mapping to a staggered eight-vertex model. This yields a quartic equation for the critical coupling giving K(c)(≡ßJ(c))=0.695. The series expansion for the susceptibility, to O(K(18)), when analyzed via standard Padé approximant methods gives an estimate of K(c), consistent with the exact solution result to at least four significant figures. The series expansion is also analyzed for the leading amplitude and subdominant terms.

Non-linear spin wave theory results for the frustrated [Formula: see text] Heisenberg antiferromagnet on a body-centered cubic lattice.

At zero temperature the sublattice magnetization of the quantum spin- 1/2 Heisenberg antiferromagnet on a body-centered cubic lattice with competing first and second neighbor exchange (J(1) and J(2)) is investigated using the non-linear spin wave theory. The zero temperature phases of the model consist of a two sublattice Néel phase for small J(2) (AF(1)) and a collinear phase at large J(2) (AF(2)). We show that quartic corrections due to spin wave interactions enhance the sublattice magnetization in both the AF(1) and the AF(2) phase. The magnetization corrections are prominent near the classical transition point of the model and in the J(2)>J(1) regime. The ground state energy with quartic interactions is also calculated. It is found that up to quartic corrections the first order phase transition (previously observed in this model) between the AF(1) and the AF(2) phase survives.