Stratification of centrifuged amoeba nuclei investigated by electron microscopy

Study establishes a relationship between radioresistance and the nucleolar stratification characteristics of various amoeba species. Two species of fresh water amoeba are studied with the electron microscope. The report discusses the nature of nucleolar layers and their possible relationship to the differences in radiosensitivity of the two amoeba species

A Multicenter, Prospective, Randomized, Contralateral Study of Tissue Liquefaction Liposuction vs Suction-Assisted Liposuction

Tissue liquefaction liposuction (TLL) deploys a novel energy source utilizing a stream of warmed, low-pressurized, and pulsed saline to extract fat tissue. Objectives: Compare TLL to suction-assisted liposuction (SAL) to determine which device is more efficient for surgeons and provides better recovery for patients. Methods: Thirty-one adult female patients were followed prospectively in a contralateral study design comparing differences in bruising, swelling, tenderness, and incision appearance ratings between TLL and SAL procedures. Surgical efficiency and appearance of the lipoaspirate were also compared. Results: All 31 patients successfully completed the study. For TLL and SAL procedures, the average volumes of infusion (1.242 vs 1.276 L) and aspirated supernatant fat (704 vs 649 mL) were statistically similar. TLL median fat extraction rate was faster than SAL (35.6 vs 25 mL/min; P < 0.0001), and stroke rate was reduced in TLL vs SAL procedures (48 vs 120 strokes/min; P < 0.0001), and both were statistically significant. The mean total scores for bruising, swelling, treatment site tenderness, and incision appearance were lower, indicating improved patient recovery on the TLL side. Conclusions: TLL and SAL techniques produced comparable volume of fat aspirate. TLL demonstrated a 42% faster fat extraction rate and a 68% reduction in arm movements needed to complete the procedure compared to SAL, both of these differences are statistically significant. The TLL side was noted to have reduced bruising and swelling and improved incision site appearance with less tenderness compared to the SAL side

Spatio-temporal patterns in inclined layer convection

This paper reports on a theoretical analysis of the rich variety of spatio-temporal patterns observed recently in inclined layer convection at medium Prandtl number when varying the inclination angle γ and the Rayleigh number R. The present numerical investigation of the inclined layer convection system is based on the standard Oberbeck–Boussinesq equations. The patterns are shown to originate from a complicated competition of buoyancy driven and shear-flow driven pattern forming mechanisms. The former are expressed as longitudinal convection rolls with their axes oriented parallel to the incline, the latter as perpendicular transverse rolls. Along with conventional methods to study roll patterns and their stability, we employ direct numerical simulations in large spatial domains, comparable with the experimental ones. As a result, we determine the phase diagram of the characteristic complex 3-D convection patterns above onset of convection in the γ–R plane, and find that it compares very well with the experiments. In particular we demonstrate that interactions of specific Fourier modes, characterized by a resonant interaction of their wavevectors in the layer plane, are key to understanding the pattern morphologies

Improvements to the Indiana Geological Survey’s Petroleum Database Management System

This poster was presented at the 2011 Annual Meeting of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists, Eastern Section, in Arlington, Virginia, in September 2011.The Indiana Geological Survey’s Petroleum Database Management System (PDMS) is a web application that provides online access to petroleum-related geological information. Since its debut in 2004, the application has been widely used by the petroleum industry, academia, government agencies, and the general public. On June 6, 2011, a significantly enhanced version of the PDMS went online. New features include a robust search menu that permits elaborate queries of more than 74,000 petroleum wells, rapid and convenient online viewing and downloading of PDF-file well reports and both PDF- and TIFF-file geophysical and other well logs, and streamlined menus for easily accessing extensive well data. An interactive, context-driven web help explains every concept or term used. The PDMS is organized in three main sections. The Well Tables Section includes such information as well location descriptions, completion zones, logs, operators, lease names, tests, reports, hydrocarbon shows, samples, cores, geologic formations and tops, and directional survey data. The Map Viewer Section contains many user-selectable layer options for showing well locations, petroleum fields, producing formations, aerial photographs, and topographic maps. Wells shown in the Map Viewer are hyperlinked to the Well Tables for easy access to the well data. The Fields and Production Section summarizes oil, natural gas, and gas storage field data, including historical oil production volumes in both tables and charts

Spicules and the effect of rigid rods on enclosing membrane tubes

Membrane tubes (spicules) arise in cells, or artificial membranes, in the nonlinear deformation regime due to, e.g. the growth of microtubules, actin filaments or sickle hemoglobin fibers towards a membrane. We calculate the axial force exerted by the cylindrical membrane tube, and its average radius, by taking into account steric interactions between the fluctuating membrane and the enclosed rod. The force required to confine a fluctuating membrane near the surface of the enclosed rod diverges as the separation approaches zero. This results in a smooth crossover of the axial force between a square root and a linear dependence on the membrane tension as the tension increases and the tube radius shrinks. This crossover can occur at the most physiologically relevant membrane tensions. Our work may be important in (i) interpreting experiments in which axial force is related to the tube radius or membrane tension (ii) dynamical theories for biopolymer growth in narrow tubes where these fluctuation effects control the tube radius.Comment: 10 pages, 1 figur

Cloaked Facebook pages: Exploring fake Islamist propaganda in social media

This research analyses cloaked Facebook pages that are created to spread political propaganda by cloaking a user profile and imitating the identity of a political opponent in order to spark hateful and aggressive reactions. This inquiry is pursued through a multi-sited online ethnographic case study of Danish Facebook pages disguised as radical Islamist pages, which provoked racist and anti-Muslim reactions as well as negative sentiments towards refugees and immigrants in Denmark in general. Drawing on Jessie Daniels’ critical insights into cloaked websites, this research furthermore analyses the epistemological, methodological and conceptual challenges of online propaganda. It enhances our understanding of disinformation and propaganda in an increasingly interactive social media environment and contributes to a critical inquiry into social media and subversive politics

Probabilistic Approach to Time-Dependent Load-Transfer Models of Fracture

A probabilistic method for solving time-dependent load-transfer models of fracture is developed. It is applicable to any rule of load redistribution, i.e, local, hierarchical, etc. In the new method, the fluctuations are generated during the breaking process (annealed randomness) while in the usual method, the random lifetimes are fixed at the beginning (quenched disorder). Both approaches are equivalent.Comment: 13 pages, 4 figures. To appear in Phys.Rev.