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Fig. 4. Computer simulation of mammalian blastocyst morphology. Drawing (top
left) shows cross-sections by xz- and yz-planes of the simulated aggregate.
(A) An example of the calculation process to a stable state, viewed
from cross-sections of the yz-plane. Numbers indicate the time point of the
simulation (t). A vertex (a black circle in the sample at
t=0) is replaced by a tetrahedron (see
Fig. 1C) and is enlarged until
its volume reaches half the initial total volume (at t=500; see
Fig. 1D). The blastocyst axis
keeps changing during t=500-2000 (see text) until it is localized and
stabilized at one end of the long axis of the ellipsoidal ZP
(t=2000), when it no longer migrates (t=2000-3500). Several
cells are marked (green, red, orange and blue) to illustrate their movement.
In addition, four cells surrounding the orange cell at t=1000 are
marked by black and red squares and circles. Some of these cells are not
visible at certain time points because they are moving in 3D. (B) The
simulated blastocyst at t=2000 in cross-sectional views of xz- and
yz-planes. (C) A stereoscopic view of the blastocyst at
t=2000, in which the ZP and some of the TE cells are removed for
internal view.
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