X-Ray-Electron Interactions in Fibrillar Bone Ultrastructure: A Quantitative Electrodynamics Approach

Peter Henits and Christian Hellmich

Keywords

medical physics

Abstract

Based on the general packing rule of collagen molecules and on the uniform distribution of HA minerals in the extarcollagenous space a model is proposed for the simulation of average electron densities in the fibrillar and extrafibrillar volumes of bone materials. Accordingly, a semi-analytical model is given for the simulation of x-ray diffraction patterns. This is the first model in which the role of extrafibrillar volume has been quantitative considered. For the calculations only the extracellular mass density and the lengths of gap and overlap zones are required. It is shown that the preservation of meridional reflections during mineralization is consistent with the model, i.e. spatially uniform nucleation and growth process.

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