scholarly journals Adding an Extra Dimension to What Students See through the Light Microscope: A Lab Exercise Demonstrating Critical Analysis for Microscopy Students

2011 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 430-435
Author(s):  
Ashley Garrill

This article describes an undergraduate lab exercise that demonstrates the importance of students thinking critically about what they see through a microscope. The students are given growth data from tip-growing organisms that suggest the cells grow in a pulsatile manner. The students then critique this data in several exercises that incorporate aspects of a problem-based learning approach, envisaging growth not just in two dimensions, but in three dimensions. For some cells, what appears to be pulsatile growth could also be explained by growth at a constant rate up and down in the z-axis. Depending on the diffraction pattern generated by the tip of the cell, this movement in the z-axis could go undetected. This raises the possibility that pulsatile growth seen in some species may be an artifact generated by the limitations of the light microscope. Students were subsequently asked to rate their awareness of the need to think critically about what they see through a microscope, using a scale of 1 (unaware) to 5 (very much aware). Prior to doing the lab exercise, the mean rating was 2.7; this increased to 4.4 after the lab. The students also indicated a likelihood of being more critical in their thinking in other aspects of their biology curriculum.

2018 ◽  
Vol 479 (1) ◽  
pp. 973-993 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandrine Codis ◽  
Dmitri Pogosyan ◽  
Christophe Pichon

ABSTRACT Cosmic connectivity and multiplicity, i.e. the number of filaments globally or locally connected to a given cluster is a natural probe of the growth of structure and in particular of the nature of dark energy. It is also a critical ingredient driving the assembly history of galaxies as it controls mass and angular momentum accretion. The connectivity of the cosmic web is investigated here via the persistent skeleton. This tool identifies topologically the ridges of the cosmic landscape which allows us to investigate how the nodes of the cosmic web are connected together. When applied to Gaussian random fields corresponding to the high-redshift universe, it is found that on average the nodes are connected to exactly κ = 4 neighbours in two dimensions and ∼6.1 in three dimensions. Investigating spatial dimensions up to d = 6, typical departures from a cubic lattice κ = 2d are shown to scale like the power 7/4 of the dimension. These numbers strongly depend on the height of the peaks: the higher the peak the larger the connectivity. Predictions from first principles based on peak theory are shown to reproduce well the connectivity and multiplicity of Gaussian random fields and cosmological simulations. As an illustration, connectivity is quantified in galaxy lensing convergence maps and large dark haloes catalogues. As a function of redshift and scale the mean connectivity decreases in a cosmology-dependent way. As a function of halo mass, it scales like 10/3 times the log of the mass. Implications on galactic scales are discussed.


2012 ◽  
Vol 90 (9) ◽  
pp. 889-893
Author(s):  
F. Marsiglio ◽  
K.S.D. Beach ◽  
R.J. Gooding

The superconducting pairing instability — as determined by a divergence of the two-particle susceptibility — is obtained in the mean field (BCS) approximation in the thermodynamic limit. The usual practice is to examine this property for a finite lattice. We illustrate that, while the conclusions remain unchanged, the technical features are very different in the thermodynamic limit and conform more closely with the usual treatment of phase transitions encountered in, for example, the mean-field paramagnetic–ferromagnetic transition. Furthermore, by going to the extreme dilute limit, one can distinguish three dimensions from one and two dimensions, in which a pairing instability occurs even for two particles.


1994 ◽  
Vol 59 (6) ◽  
pp. 1301-1304
Author(s):  
Jaroslav Nývlt ◽  
Stanislav Žáček

Lead iodide was precipitated by a procedure in which an aqueous solution of potassium iodide at a concentration of 0.03, 0.10 or 0.20 mol l-1 was stirred while an aqueous solution of lead nitrate at one-half concentration was added at a constant rate. The mean size of the PbI2 crystals was determined by evaluating the particle size distribution, which was measured sedimentometrically. The dependence of the mean crystal size on the duration of the experiment exhibited a minimum for any of the concentrations applied. The reason for this is discussed.


Data ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 27
Author(s):  
Domingo Villavicencio-Aguilar ◽  
Edgardo René Chacón-Andrade ◽  
Maria Fernanda Durón-Ramos

Happiness-oriented people are vital in every society; this is a construct formed by three different types of happiness: pleasure, meaning, and engagement, and it is considered as an indicator of mental health. This study aims to provide data on the levels of orientation to happiness in higher-education teachers and students. The present paper contains data about the perception of this positive aspect in two Latin American countries, Mexico and El Salvador. Structure instruments to measure the orientation to happiness were administrated to 397 teachers and 260 students. This data descriptor presents descriptive statistics (mean, standard deviation), internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha), and differences (Student’s t-test) presented by country, population (teacher/student), and gender of their orientation to happiness and its three dimensions: meaning, pleasure, and engagement. Stepwise-multiple-regression-analysis results are also presented. Results indicated that participants from both countries reported medium–high levels of meaning and engagement happiness; teachers reported higher levels than those of students in these two dimensions. Happiness resulting from pleasure activities was the least reported in general. Males and females presented very similar levels of orientation to happiness. Only the population (teacher/student) showed a predictive relationship with orientation to happiness; however, the model explained a small portion of variance in this variable, which indicated that other factors are more critical when promoting orientation to happiness in higher-education institutions.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nima Afkhami-Jeddi ◽  
Henry Cohn ◽  
Thomas Hartman ◽  
Amirhossein Tajdini

Abstract We study the torus partition functions of free bosonic CFTs in two dimensions. Integrating over Narain moduli defines an ensemble-averaged free CFT. We calculate the averaged partition function and show that it can be reinterpreted as a sum over topologies in three dimensions. This result leads us to conjecture that an averaged free CFT in two dimensions is holographically dual to an exotic theory of three-dimensional gravity with U(1)c×U(1)c symmetry and a composite boundary graviton. Additionally, for small central charge c, we obtain general constraints on the spectral gap of free CFTs using the spinning modular bootstrap, construct examples of Narain compactifications with a large gap, and find an analytic bootstrap functional corresponding to a single self-dual boson.


2012 ◽  
Vol 696 ◽  
pp. 228-262 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Kourmatzis ◽  
J. S. Shrimpton

AbstractThe fundamental mechanisms responsible for the creation of electrohydrodynamically driven roll structures in free electroconvection between two plates are analysed with reference to traditional Rayleigh–Bénard convection (RBC). Previously available knowledge limited to two dimensions is extended to three-dimensions, and a wide range of electric Reynolds numbers is analysed, extending into a fully inherently three-dimensional turbulent regime. Results reveal that structures appearing in three-dimensional electrohydrodynamics (EHD) are similar to those observed for RBC, and while two-dimensional EHD results bear some similarities with the three-dimensional results there are distinct differences. Analysis of two-point correlations and integral length scales show that full three-dimensional electroconvection is more chaotic than in two dimensions and this is also noted by qualitatively observing the roll structures that arise for both low (${\mathit{Re}}_{E} = 1$) and high electric Reynolds numbers (up to ${\mathit{Re}}_{E} = 120$). Furthermore, calculations of mean profiles and second-order moments along with energy budgets and spectra have examined the validity of neglecting the fluctuating electric field ${ E}_{i}^{\ensuremath{\prime} } $ in the Reynolds-averaged EHD equations and provide insight into the generation and transport mechanisms of turbulent EHD. Spectral and spatial data clearly indicate how fluctuating energy is transferred from electrical to hydrodynamic forms, on moving through the domain away from the charging electrode. It is shown that ${ E}_{i}^{\ensuremath{\prime} } $ is not negligible close to the walls and terms acting as sources and sinks in the turbulent kinetic energy, turbulent scalar flux and turbulent scalar variance equations are examined. Profiles of hydrodynamic terms in the budgets resemble those in the literature for RBC; however there are terms specific to EHD that are significant, indicating that the transfer of energy in EHD is also attributed to further electrodynamic terms and a strong coupling exists between the charge flux and variance, due to the ionic drift term.


2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 440
Author(s):  
Guimin Zhu ◽  
Kathleen Stewart ◽  
Deb Niemeier ◽  
Junchuan Fan

As of March 2021, the State of Florida, U.S.A. had accounted for approximately 6.67% of total COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus disease) cases in the U.S. The main objective of this research is to analyze mobility patterns during a three month period in summer 2020, when COVID-19 case numbers were very high for three Florida counties, Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties. To investigate patterns, as well as drivers, related to changes in mobility across the tri-county region, a random forest regression model was built using sociodemographic, travel, and built environment factors, as well as COVID-19 positive case data. Mobility patterns declined in each county when new COVID-19 infections began to rise, beginning in mid-June 2020. While the mean number of bar and restaurant visits was lower overall due to closures, analysis showed that these visits remained a top factor that impacted mobility for all three counties, even with a rise in cases. Our modeling results suggest that there were mobility pattern differences between counties with respect to factors relating, for example, to race and ethnicity (different population groups factored differently in each county), as well as social distancing or travel-related factors (e.g., staying at home behaviors) over the two time periods prior to and after the spike of COVID-19 cases.


Author(s):  
Guy Bouchitté ◽  
Ornella Mattei ◽  
Graeme W. Milton ◽  
Pierre Seppecher

In many applications of structural engineering, the following question arises: given a set of forces f 1 ,  f 2 , …,  f N applied at prescribed points x 1 ,  x 2 , …,  x N , under what constraints on the forces does there exist a truss structure (or wire web) with all elements under tension that supports these forces? Here we provide answer to such a question for any configuration of the terminal points x 1 ,  x 2 , …,  x N in the two- and three-dimensional cases. Specifically, the existence of a web is guaranteed by a necessary and sufficient condition on the loading which corresponds to a finite dimensional linear programming problem. In two dimensions, we show that any such web can be replaced by one in which there are at most P elementary loops, where elementary means that the loop cannot be subdivided into subloops, and where P is the number of forces f 1 ,  f 2 , …,  f N applied at points strictly within the convex hull of x 1 ,  x 2 , …,  x N . In three dimensions, we show that, by slightly perturbing f 1 ,  f 2 , …,  f N , there exists a uniloadable web supporting this loading. Uniloadable means it supports this loading and all positive multiples of it, but not any other loading. Uniloadable webs provide a mechanism for channelling stress in desired ways.


Author(s):  
Qiwen Sun ◽  
Feng Jiao ◽  
Jianshe Yu

AbstractThe periodic transcription output is ubiquitously observed in an isogenic cell population. To understand mechanisms of cyclic behavior in transcription, we extend the gene activation process in the two-state model by assuming that the synthesis rate is periodic. We derive the analytical forms of the mean transcript level and the noise. The limits of them indicate that the mean level and the noise display periodic behaviors. Numerical examples strongly suggest that the transcription system with a periodic synthesis rate generates more noise than that with a constant rate but maintains transcription homeostasis in each period. It is also suggested that if the periodicity is not considered, the calculated noise may be greater than the real value.


1998 ◽  
Vol 39 (1) ◽  
pp. 64-69 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Dinç ◽  
F. Esen ◽  
A. Demirci ◽  
A. Sari ◽  
H. Resit Gümele

Purpose: Our purpose was to clarify and further characterize the changes in height, length, width, volume, and shape in the normal pituitary gland and in width in the infundibulum during pregnancy and the first 6 months post partum. Material and Methods: Cranial MR imaging was performed in 78 women who were pregnant in the second or third trimester or who were post partum, and in 18 age-matched control subjects who were not pregnant. Volume measurements were performed in 2 ways; volume 1=1/2xheightxlengthxwidth; and volume 2=area (measured by trackball)xslice thickness Results: Gland volume, height, width, length, and convexity, and infundibular width increased during pregnancy. the highest values were seen during the 3 days immediately post partum. When compared with volunteers, volumes 1 and 2 showed the largest increase (120%) among the parameters. Gland height showed the best correlation (r=0.94, p>0.00001) with gestational age. the mean height of the gland was 8.76 mm in the third trimester. None of the pregnant women had a gland height of above 10 mm during pregnancy. Only 2 subjects had gland heights of 10.04 and 10.2 mm during the 0–3 days post partum. After this first post-partum period of 3 days, the gland size, shape, and volume and the infundibular width returned to normal within 6 months Conclusion: the pituitary gland enlarges in three dimensions throughout pregnancy. During pregnancy, the volume of the gland shows the highest percentage of increase compared to its length, height, and width. the maximum height of the gland does not exceed 10 mm during pregnancy but it may exceed 10 mm during the 3 days immediately post partum.


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