title: Biophysical models of ciliary activity: Gaussian frequency distributions.
abstract: A model of a freely rotating extended scatterer is proposed to describe light scattering from beating cilia. Gaussian rotation frequency distributions, characterized by a mean angular frequency and a standard deviation, are introduced in order to simulate intensity autocorrelation functions and to fit the model to experimental data. Thus the ciliary beats are characterized by a mean beat frequency and a standard deviation of the beat frequency distribution. The standard deviation influences the damping of the intensity autocorrelation function of light scattered from cilia. The calculated intensity autocorrelation function shows a more prominent oscillating behaviour the smaller the standard deviation of the beat frequency. The validity of the model is supported by experimental data in two ways: 1) The model fits very well to experimental data in computer evaluations, 2) Neither the model nor information obtained from measurements are dependent on the measuring angle.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Biophysics, Karolinska Institute, Huddinge University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Thyberg
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rigler
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Svartengren
authors.forename: L G
authors.initials: LG
authors.lastname: Wiman
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D055592:Biophysical Phenomena; D001703:Biophysics; D002417:Cattle; D002923:Cilia / Q000502:physiology*; D003198:Computer Simulation; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D016011:Normal Distribution; D014132:Trachea / Q000502:physiology