Multispectral tracing in densely labeled mouse brain with nTracer

Summary: This note describes nTracer, an ImageJ plug-in for user-guided, semi-automated tracing of multispectral fluorescent tissue samples. This approach allows for rapid and accurate reconstruction of whole cell morphology of large neuronal populations in densely labeled brains. Availability: nTracer was written as a plugin for the open source image processing software ImageJ. The software, instructional documentation, tutorial videos, sample image and sample tracing results are available at https://www.cai-lab.org/ntracer-tutorial. Supplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online

A study on the constitutive equation effects in the fracture initiation of AA5450 sheets

© Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2019.Determination of the fracture initiation in the sheet metal forming applications can be achieved successfully using ductile fracture criteria (DFCs) and finite element codes together. In this study three different uncoupled, energy based ductile fracture criteria have been employed to predict the onset of the fracture in the AA5450 aluminum alloy sheets. Also, two different constitutive models namely, isotropic von-Mises and anisotropic Hill, have been implemented to the finite element code ABAQUS through VUMAT subroutine to investigate the effect of constitutive equations on the applicability of the utilized DFCs. It was shown that the constitutive model has significant influence on the estimation of the time and place of the fracture initiation in the sheets

Dolomitization and burial history of lower triassic carbonate reservoir-rocks in the Persian Gulf (Salman offshore field)

International audienceShallow marine carbonate sedimentation prevailed during the Early Triassic in the northern part of the Persian Gulf (Kangan Formation; offshore Iran). Associated near surface and (to a lesser extent) burial diagenesis had significant impacts on the evolution of reservoir properties of the Kangan Formation. In some Iranian offshore fields such as Salman, pervasive, early dolomitization of the Kangan carbonate rocks is believed to have played an important role in improving the reservoir characteristics of this unit. Detailed petrographic and geochemical analyses indicate that such dolomitization could be explained by means of the sabkha/seepage-reflux model. Furthermore, three types of dolomites, found in Kangan rocks in the Salman Field, have been described: (1) fabric-retentive, (2) fabric-destructive, and (3) cement. Fabric-retentive dolomites are the most frequent commonly found in the studied field, with respect to the other types. Oxygen and carbon-stable isotopic analyses confirm that the fabric-retentive dolomites and associated anhydrites formed at surface and near-surface conditions, whereas the fabric-destructive dolomite formed at temperatures above 50 °C. The burial history of the Salman Field is divided into three major phases (tectonic quiescence and low subsidence rates, and two active phases with high subsidence rates). The fabric-retentive dolomites are mostly related to the first phase, while the fabric-destructive and dolomite cements are related to the second and third phases including shallow and deep burial, respectively