Time-lapse Motion Pictures Research Articles

The Use and Manipulation of Digital Image Files in Light Microscopy

Digital microscopy is the generation of the computer-based graphical representations of images as viewed and magnified by the microscope. Like camera lucida, photomicrography, and cinemicrography, graphic image files provide a permanent record of observations made in the microscope. When combined with a motorized microscope, a through-focus series can be captured, providing a three-dimensional view of the cell. Digital micrography can be used to represent the single images of fixed materials or to capture motion picture sequences of living cells. The ultimate expression of the medium is the presentation of the time-lapse motion picture sequences of three-dimensional reconstructions.

Sunwatchers of the American Southwest

Many rocky sites in the southwestern United States are adorned with petroglyphs, pictures scratched in the rock centuries ago by Native Americans. Some of the figures are abstractions; some are symbolic representations of human or animal figures. Archaeologically and anthropologically the usual assumption is that such pictures are not made purely for decorative or aesthetic reasons. A social function is looked for. A few years ago, an observer named Anna Sofaer found that certain petroglyphs at Fajada Butte in Chaco Canyon, N.M., seemed to be markers for important dates in the sun's annual cycle (SN: 8/ 26/78, p. 148). On the solstices or the equinoxes of sunlight formed by the shadows of adjacent rocks would fall on the centers or other prominent points of certain figures. Sofaer and collaborators found enough such instances at Fajada Butte to convince them that one of the purposes of the place was to serve as a kind of solar observatory. One such site might constitute some kind of anomaly. Now it is joined by 19 others scattered around Arizona. Eighteen of these newly found sites are, like Fajada Butte, apparently the work of the Anasazi people, who inhabited the region from about the year 700 to the year 1300. The nineteenth site, at Painted Rocks State Park near Gila Bend, in southwestern Arizona, probably belonged to the Hohokam people, who were more or less contemporary with the Anasazi. Evidence for sun-petroglyph interactions at these new sites has been gathered by a husband-and-wife team, Robert A. Preston, supervisor of the Astronomical Measurements Group of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., and Ann L. Preston of the California College of Arts and Crafts in Oakland. They have spent a good deal of their spare time in the last few years gathering data in the Arizona desert. Eighteen of their sites, all except the Painted Rocks one, are in or near the Petrified Forest National Park. The Prestons presented their findings at the meeting in Boston of the American Astronomical Society and have submitted them for publication in SCIENCE. At the meeting they showed both still pictures and time-lapse motion pictures of the sunlight-petroglyph interactions. The motion pictures are particularly dramatic, showing shadows or daggers of light sweeping across the rock figures until, on the appropriate day, they touch certain points on the figures. The figures are mostly spirals and circles. Human and lizard-like figures make up 16 percent, and four percent are crosses. In the circles, spirals and crosses, the reference points be the centers or the edges. In the lizards they are usually the tip of the tail; in the humans the tip of the penis. Tail, says Robert Preston, may be a euphemism. In addition to situations in which shadow or light moves across a figure, there are those where the observer places an eye against the figure, and then, at sunrise on the relevant day, a spot of light can be seen through a notch or hole in another rock. The dates marked are the solstices, the equinoxes and a day 45 days (one eighth of a year) before and after winter solstice. The Prestons say they were inspired to look for a multitude of sites to determine whether sunwatching was a purposeful and widespread activity of Americans of that time and place. Only when multiple occurrences of a particular solar interaction are found can one be sure the interaction is purposeful, they write. To this end we studied every principal petroglyph site of Anasazi origin we could locate or conveniently work within a specified geographical region. Using a computer they calculated precision azimuths and elevations for both the sun and the moon at the location of their base sample, an area of northeastern Arizona 10 kilometers by 25 in extent, and made plots of the sun's daily path through the sky on five relevant dates, the solstices, equinoxes and the 45th day after winter solstice. This way they could predict petroglyphs likely to have the proper interactions. Not all the drawings function as astronomical markers. Some seem to have been related to fertility ceremonies. Ann Preston says they had to be careful making pictures for public display, as -many of the solar markers are surrounded by drawings of a pronounced erotic character. Within a few years it is difficult temporally and logistically to be at so many sites on just the proper days, so certain substitutions in technique were made. Observations can be made within 3.5 days around the date of a solstice with an error of no more han 0.05? in the declination of the sun. Such observations are good enough for the purpose, since the sun's

Visual Cloud Histories Related to First Radar Echo Formation in Northeast Colorado Cumulus

Abstract Using quantitative analysis of time-lapse motion pictures from aircraft and a sensitive meteorological radar, the cloud top history is related to the early radar echo development in 12 vigorous, summer, convective cloud turrets in northeastern Colorado. At a threshold of about 5 dB(Z), the first echoes appear typically 5–10 min after the cloud top passes the -−20°C level. The first echo either appears at cloud top or reaches the top very quickly. It sometimes appears at a well-defined height, but sometimes nearly simultaneously over an altitude range of 3 km or more. Radar echo at 5 dB(Z) typically fills the visual cloud 5–10 min after first echo. In terms of overall cloud lifetime there is plenty of time for the particles responsible for the first echo to form by the ice process. A detailed model of the rates of ice particle formation by vapor growth followed by riming gives a 5 dB(Z) radar echo within 7–10 min at concentrations as low as 1 m−3, at most temperatures between −10 and −20°C and in ...

Photographic studies of quantized vortex lines

A study of the behavior of systems of quantized vortex lines in rotating superfluid4He is described. Using a photographic technique, the positions of the vortex cores at the free surface of the liquid are recorded in the form of time-lapse motion pictures. The observation of stationary arrays of vortices are discussed and a comparison with the predictions of rectilinear vortex theory is made. Discrepancies between the observations and this theoretical model are noted, and the limitations of the experimental method are described. Several distinct types of periodic array motion have been observed. A description of their analysis as well as possible theoretical and experimental interpretations are given. The final part of this study involves phenomena associated with acceleration of the vessel. The analysis of film records and light signal amplitude measurements for repeated spinups of the vessel reveals statistical trends in the rate of appearance of vortices.

Arctic sea-ice variations from time-lapse passive microwave imagery

This paper presents: (1) a short historical review of the passive microwave research on sea ice which established the observational and theoretical base permitting the interpretation of the first passive microwave images of Earth obtained by the Nimbus-5 ESMR; (2) the construction of a time-lapse motion picture film of a 16-month set of serial ESMR images to aid in the formidable data analysis task; and (3) a few of the most significant findings resulting from an early analysis of these data, using selected ESMR images to illustrate these findings.

Use of long-term automatic time-lapse photography to measure the growth of frost blisters

The use of automatic time-lapse camera systems, taking daily photographs at solar noon between 26 September 1977 and 3 May 1978, has made it possible to determine the time and rate of growth of frost blisters at Bear Rock near Fort Norman, N.W.T. The daily negatives have been printed and refilmed to produce a time-lapse motion picture covering the full 220 day observation period. The use of paired cameras allowed production and viewing of daily stereo pairs.

Computer-assisted analysis of particulate axoplasmic flow in organized CNS tissue cultures.

Using organized nervous system tissue cultures of embryonic mouse spinal cord, time-lapse motion pictures of intra-axonal particle movements were made using Nomarski optics. The paths of 272 particles were followed and analyzed using digital computer methods. Particles had a bidirectional saltatory motility with net anterograde and retrograde velocities which were shown to be the same (about 1 micron per second). When anterograde moving and retrograde moving particles were analyzed separately for anterograde and retrograde saltations, the velocities of saltation in the direction of net movement were found to be 1.5 times greater than saltations against the direction of net movement. These differences were statistically significant. In addition, it was shown that there were regions within the axon where variations in particle motion were similar from particle to particle as they passed, and that more disturbed motion was found to occur near intra-axonal objects which were judged to be mitochondria. No decrease of particle velocity was noted in regions away from mitochondria nor was in increase in velocity noted near them. Computer-drawn particle plots illustrate the various facets of particle motion.

A Tentative Mechanism for Inferior Punctate Keratopathy

We analyzed the blinking motions of ten patients with inferior punctate keratopathy and ten normal subjects by means of time-lapse motion pictures. We also determined the frequency of blinking during one-minute intervals for each individual. Four types of blinking were distinguished: complete, incomplete, twitch, and forced blink. The average blinking frequency was about the same for both groups: 16 to 17 blinks per minute. The relative proportion of complete blinks, however, was much lower in patients with inferior punctate keratopathy than in normal subjects. The impaired blinking motion may be responsible for the punctate staining of the inferior corneal epithelium by producing exposure and inadequacies in the tear film. For this reason, these patients may benefit from blink training, application of tear substitutes, or soft contact lenses more than from the customary prescription of topical cortisone eyedrops.

Grooming behavior in cats with pontile lesions and cats with tectal lesions.

Because an abnormal grooming behavior that is mediated by the superior colliculi is elicited from cats with pontile lesions, an ablation study of these structures was conducted to specify quantitatively the changes in grooming behavior. Cats that underwent the surgical procedure except for the lesion and cats with lesions of the auditory and visual cortices served as control groups. Time-lapse motion pictures of the cats in their home cages were taken, and statistical analyses of the grooming behavior shown on the films indicated that cats with pontile lesions and cats with tectal lesions spent less time grooming, had shorter grooming bouts, and failed to exhibit the normal temporal pattern of grooming behaviors. Other studies revealed that cats with pontile or tectal lesions were deficient in removing tapes stuck on their fur. A sensory-loss hypothesis appeared to account for some of the changes, but a deficit in endogenous control of the grooming behaviors also was indicated. The literature on grooming behavior related to peripheral versus endogenous control was reviewed, and the role of the superior colliculi as a higher order integrative center for complex behaviors is emphasized.

Vertical Immiscible Displacement Experiments In a Non-Homogeneous Flow Cell

Abstract Vertical two-phase displacement studies were conducted using a non-homogeneous flow cell in order to determine the reversibility of water-oil displacements in the heterogeneous Rainbow Keg River pools and to provide a better definition of the residual oil under waterflood and gas flood in these reservoirs. The non-homogeneous flow cell was constructed of fused glass beads. The maximum to minimum permeability ratio was approximately 270. The results of a waterflood upward followed by an oil flood downward over field rates of 4 to 700 fr/yr show that:displacements are stable over the velocity range studied;complete resaturation of the matrix porosity by oil will occur when the cell is connected in a manner representative of field behaviour (matrix-connected);the apparent capillary height of rise is velocity dependent; andthe oil recovery from the vugs during water displacement is a function of velocity, with more oil recovered at the higher velocities. The downward displacement of oil by gas indicates that the displacement process is essentially independent of velocity over the velocity range of 2 to 150 jt/yr. Time-lapse motion picture films were made of the displacement Experiments＿ Introduction THE RAINBOW FIELD, discovered in northwestern Alberta in 1965, now comprises some 50 separate reef reservoirs. Production is mainly from the Middle Devonian Keg River Formation, which lies at a depth of about 6000 feet. The larger reefs have high-vertical- relief (up to 600 feet) oil-bearing zones that are usually underlain by an aquifer and sometimes overlain by an initial gas cap. The production mechanisms in these reservoirs, whether it be primary depletion or pressure maintenance by gas, solvent or water inj ection, will therefore be gravity controlled, and drainage will be predominantly in a vertical direction under effective segregation of the phases in the reservoirs. Volumetric efficiencies are consequently very high, and ultimate recoveries are mainly determined by the residual oil saturation left behind by the displacing fluid. Of the various depletion methods, solvent flooding is the most efficient recovery mechanism, with a residual oil saturation of zero to a few per cent＿ Waterflooding, gas flooding and primary depletion are less efficient. Some 30 per cent of the 1150 million STB of original oil-in-place of the Rainbow Keg River reef is currently under solvent flood, and 60 per cent is being waterflooded. The remaining 10 per cent is under primary depletion. The amount of oil under solvent flood is limited by solvent and gas availability. Solvent is separated from the crude oil, and solution gas may be supplemented with gas from other sources. In each of the solvent flood pools, a solvent bank is injected to cover the oil When this solvent bank becomes large enough to provide miscibility for the lifetime of the project, it is then pushed down to displace the oil by injecting lean gas into the crest of the reef.

The effects of p-DL-fluorophenylalanine on chromosome movement and cytokinesis of human amnion cells in culture.

An analysis is presented of time lapse motion picture films showing the effects of DL-p-fluorophenylalanine (PFPA) on chromosome movement in cultured human amnion cells. The data indicate that PFPA has the unusual effect of slowing the rate at which chromosomes move in anaphases which occur after the beginning of treatment. Irrespective of treatment, cytokinesis begins when chromsome movement has progressed to a relatively fixed point. Thus, a slowdown in the rate of chromosome movement leads to a delay in initiation of cytokinesis. Cytokinesis, once it begins, is not affected by treatment with the analog.

Causal mechanisms of nuclear movement and division during early cleavage stages in the egg of a gall midge,Wachtliella persicariae L.

Between each mitotic cycle, the cleavage nuclei ofWachtliella move over long distances, thus populating the ooplasm within a short time. Besides being shifted passively by flowing pulses of the ooplasm, thenuclei are also migrating actively. The active movements are accompanied by such oscillations of yolk particles as are known from the eggs of other insects, too. For a closer analysis of these "quivering movements" the inseminated eggs werepressed, either totally or partially, reducing their smaller diameters to ooplasmic layers of 30 μm or between 12 and 4 μm, respectively. Along with the experimental reduction of the radius of the curvature at the egg surface, there is anincreased tendency of cell membrane formation, resulting in anearly total cleavage already at the 2-nuclei-stage. Furthermore, theinitial region of cleavage (= initial region of quivering movements)may be shifted to a site free from nuclei; the initial region even may becomesplit up into two, one near each of the egg's poles. Yet, in flattened eggs, division and migration activities of the nuclei are not prevented. Untreated as well as flattened eggs have been analysed by means of time-lapse motion pictures taken either by the phase contrast or by the differential interference contrast method, using apochromatic objectives of maximum resolution, combined with an inverted microscope.According to the rhythm of the cleavage divisions,waves of irregular quivering movements spread from the initial region(s) of cleavage throughout the whole egg space. They are composed of irregular oscillations of yolk particles, probably caused by the effect of actively shortening, dynamic elements irregularly spread within the ooplasm. The presence ofcleavage nuclei obviously exerts a kind ofregulative effect: Shortly before such a wave of quivering movements reaches a metaphasic cleavage energide, regular oscillations and approximations of yolk particles are visible in the surroundings of the nucleus. The movements in question are radially adjusted towards the spindle poles, starting at the one which is reached first by the wave of quivering movements. These "radial quivering movements" are caused by abig cytaster, each originating from its spindle pole and distally reaching far into the ooplasm. Synchronous with the beginning of the shortening process of the astral rays, the cleavage nucleus passes through anaphase and telophase, and the spindle poles arepulled apart. During the then following migration of each daughter nucleus, its spindle pole-the kinetocentre of the previous spindle-is preserved and becomes the centre of a "migration cytaster". Its longest rays measure up to at least 80 μm. Their distal ends temporarily insert either in motile, or in elastically suspended, or in rigid egg components.By the recurrent short-time insertions and irregular shortening processes of the astral rays,the nucleus, displaying a strong affinity to its own kinetocentre,is pulled foreward. This movement always occurs in the direction of the biggest ooplasmic region still free from nuclei and therefore permitting the greatest spacial extension of the migration cytasters. This could explain the so-called mutual "repulsion" of the energides, leading to their even dispersion all over the egg space.In some of the eggs it has been possible toseparate the cleavage nuclei from their cytaster systems experimentally. Deprived of their nuclei such migration cytasters behave autonomously, i. e. they are actively moving within the ooplasm, possibly even retaining their division power. On the other hand, thenuclei without their cytasters have lost their mobility and therefore at first remain in their sites. But they seem to be capable ofinducing new spindle poles and migration cytasters of their own and to carry out further cleavage divisions.The migration cytasters of all cleavage energides develop by division from the very cytaster whose formation had been induced by the sperm nucleus after entering the egg. On the other hand thefemale pronucleus, remainingwithout a migration cytaster and therefore lacking migration activity, ismoved towards the male nucleus, pulled by the probably permanently inserted astral rays of the latter. Thus the final act of fertilization, i.e. nuclear fusion, comes about by the affinity between the (female pro-)nucleus and the (alien) migration cytaster (of the male nucleus).Judged by their derivation from the "polar rays" of the spindle apparatus, the astral rays with high probability are built up oftubuli, the evidence being left to electron microscopical investigations. Functional structures related to the causal mechanism of the migration cytaster are suggested and their supposed derivation from the mitotic apparatus is discussed. The existence of migration cytasters might not only represent an adaptation to the specific conditions of cleavage within spacious eggs, but also could be essential for the stretching of the spindle and the separation of the daughter nuclei during the division process of many other animal cells.

Underwater time-lapse motion picture systems

Application of underwater time-lapse motion picture cameras to the study of sediment transport phenomena provides an economical and quantitative tool for the investigation of sea floor processes. Two camera systems are described, one can be operated on the ocean bottom from a pier, boat or float and the second is completely self-contained, self-powered and divorced from surface support. Time-lapse photography was used to determine growth rates of scour pit development, migration of organisms, ripple crest advance and sediment dispersal patterns. Sea floor modification over several tidal cycles also was monitored with the self-contained unit for 47 hours of continuous activity.

Salt Particles and Haze in the Indian Monsoon Air

During the International Indian Ocean Expedition, an extensive series of time-lapse motion pictures of clouds was taken from aircraft over the Arabian Sea. An unusual feature revealed by these pictures is the occurrence, during the monsoon season, of cumulus clouds immersed in a dense haze, which frequently cut down the visibility to less than 10 km. In this paper, an attempt is made to explain the occurrence of the haze, over the eastern portions of the Arabian Sea, in terms of condensation of water vapour on sea-salt particles.

Cine-Photomicrography of Low Temperature Effects on Cytoplasmic Streaming, Nucleolar Activity and Mitosis in Single Tobacco Cells in Microculture

Living, unstained, single tobacco (Nicoliana tabacum × N. glutinosa) cells (clone H-196) were grown in microcultures in liquid medium containing sucrose, mineral salts, coconut milk and 2,4-dichlorophenoxyaeetic acid. Time-lapse motion pictures were taken through interference and phase microscopes. The movement of cytoplasm and cell organelles gradually slowed and ultimately completely ceased as the cell was cooled by dry ice. The cessation of the movement of cell organelles took place between 5 and –7C. The typical cytoplasmic morphology was lost as the movement slowed. The cytoplasmic strands thinned out and numerous small vacuoles formed. During rewarming of the cell to room temperature, the vacuoles were replaced by numerous small globular masses of cytoplasm which reorganized into cytoplasmic strands. The normal movement of cytoplasmic strands and cell organelles was resumed. A number of small nucleolar vacuoles at room temperature gradually expanded and coaleseed to form a large central vacuole which underwent further expansion and then contracted rapidly. Four different concentric zones were visible across the nucleolar region. A white, highly reflecting, glossy substance appeared on the surface of the expanding vacuole. The position of the nucleus during contraction and expansion was never stationary. Some nucleolar vacuoles remained open for an indefinite period of time when the cell was cooled to 5C. No change was noticed during cooling, but during rewarming to room temperature, the nucleolar vacuole was partially closed. The pumping action of the nucleolar vacuole suggested important exchanges of metabolites between the nucleolus and the cytoplasm. A single cell of tobacco did not divide at –10C, but mitosis proceeded upon cooling the cell to – 12–15C for a brief period. Different phases of mitosis, specifically formation of the cell plate, cell wall, and separation of nuclei, were delayed by low temperature treatment.

Orientation-Dependent Dissolution of Iron Whiskers

The dissolution kinetics of iron filamentary single crystals in dilute acidic environments were shown to obey the topographical theorems proposed by Frank to describe etch-rate anisotropy. Successive dissolution profiles of iron whiskers were observed in situ. by using time-lapse motion picture photomicroscopy. Reluctance diagrams constructed from these dissolution shapes agreed very favorably with experimentally measured dissolution rates and in this way demonstrated the validity of Frank's theory to metallic substrates. A three-dimensional reluctance surface for iron whiskers having 〈111〉 growth axes inferred from the experimental data was consistent with known relative magnitudes of anisotropic dissolution rates; in fact, the reluctance plots constructed according to the kinematic theory were seen to be two-dimensional sections of this surface.

Fluorescent Tracer Study of Eolian Sand Transport: ABSTRACT

Ten pounds of eolian sand were dyed fluorescent red and released on the crest of a large shadow dune at Windy Point, San Gorgonio Pass, California. The dune surface was sampled by pressing 3×3-in. Vaseline-coated cards onto the sands at predetermined stations downwind of the tracer point source. Westerly winds blew at 15-25 m.p.h. during the test. Sample cards were examined under ultraviolet light and the number of fluorescent grains per square inch determined for elapsed times of 3, 20 and 60 min. after tracer release. Isopleths of equal tracer concentration at the three elapsed times all delineated lobate patterns presumably in response to variable wind streamlines over the dune. At 2.5 hrs. after tracer release a lag deposit of very coarse fluorescent grains remained at the point source. The lag grains formed ripples with lengths three times those of the natural ripples. This suggests that ripple length is governed primarily by grain diameter and wind velocity. Analysis of tracer distribution revealed that fluorescent sand entered and left the sample grid at a constant rate. A decay curve of tracer loss from the point source indicated extinction of the point source occurred 157 min. after release. Difference between decay value and per cent of the total tracer on the dune at any moment was equivalent to per cent of tracer loss from the sample grid at any moment. Knowing the distance of grain movement, this relationship yielded an average tracer grain velocity of 30.36 in./min. Time-lapse motion pictures established that creep velocity, assumed to be equivalent to ripple velocity, was 0.153 in./min., indicating that grains in saltation were traveling roughly 198 times faster than grains in creep. This magnitude of difference between creep and saltation velocity is physically inconsistent with Bagnold's classic division of eolian sand load. End_of_Article - Last_Page 1762------------

Ripple Marks in Motion: ABSTRACT

Ripple marks on sand dunes were observed by means of time-lapse motion picture photography as they moved with wind in their natural environment. When the film is projected the ripples appear to move rapidly. A wind-velocity meter was arranged to show in some of the pictures enabling instantaneous values to be read and correlated with ripple movement. Various modes of movement are shown including ripples reforming on areas which had been smoothed, ripples changing direction as wind direction changed, and wave lengths changing after the addition to an area of coarser sand. End_of_Article - Last_Page 1767------------

Three-Dimensional Observations of Solar Chromospheric Motions.

view Abstract Citations References Co-Reads Similar Papers Volume Content Graphics Metrics Export Citation NASA/ADS Three-Dimensional Observations of Solar Chromospheric Motions. Larmore, Lewis ; Ramsey, Harry Abstract The technique of using time-lapse photography for studying the dynamics of the solar chromosphere in two dimensions has yielded significant results for several years. However, the three-dimensional motions have been difficult to determine. A new technique for observing solar features at three wavelengths and presenting the results simultaneously yields a first step for the solution of three-dimensional measurements. The Lockheed heliograph contains a Halle filter which allows a shift of the bandpass +0.5 A from the Ha center. Radiation from solar chromospheric material recorded on the heliograms with the filter in the "off-band" position consists of both Doppler-shifted Ha emission and line-broadened emlsslon. The technique for distinguishing between Doppler shifted and line-broadened radiation involves a three-wavelength sequential photographic recording followed by the superposition and reproduction in a normal three-color printing process. Time-lapse motion pictures in color illustrate the technique by showing the three-dimensional dynamics of the chromosphere, a flare, and a prominence. Publication: The Astronomical Journal Pub Date: 1963 DOI: 10.1086/109121 Bibcode: 1963AJ.....68R.539L full text sources ADS |

Observations on microextensions from the surface of isolated vertebrate cells

Microextensions from the surface of tissue cells in vitro were examined by light and electron microscopy, and their activities were recorded by time-lapse motion pictures. Two types of these extensions were described on the basis of their structure and behavior. Those of one type are strands of cytoplasm spun out from the retreating borders of retracting cell processes. These retraction fibrils were immobile and showed no special structure in electron micrographs. Microextensions of the second type were actively projected from the surface of the cells and, during their short existence, were in constant waving motion. High resolution pictures showed these to be supported by rigid rodlike cores. The structure and behavior of these microspikes suggest their role as organelles for selective attachment to solid surfaces in the environment.