Abstract
A model of a freely rotating exended 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.
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The contents were presented in part at the 9th International Biophysics Congress in Jerusalem, Israel, August 23–28, 1987
Offprint requests to: P. Thyberg
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Thyberg, P., Rigler, R., Svartengren, K. et al. Biophysical models of ciliary activity: Gaussian frequency distributions. Eur Biophys J 18, 85–91 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00183267
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00183267