On the Persuasiveness of Visual Arguments in Mathematics

Two experiments are reported which investigate the factors that influence how persuaded mathematicians are by visual arguments. We demonstrate that if a visual argument is accompanied by a passage of text which describes the image, both research-active mathematicians and successful undergraduate mathematics students perceive it to be significantly more persuasive than if no text is given. We suggest that mathematicians’ epistemological concerns about supporting a claim using visual images are less prominent when the image is described in words. Finally we suggest that empirical studies can make a useful contribution to our understanding of mathematical practice.     

Postembryonic sensory axon guidance in Drosophila

The peripheral sensory system of the Drosophila adult has been used for the genetic analysis of axon guidance because of its accessibility for experimental manipulation and mutant screens. Wing, leg, antenna, or eye sensory axons are able to pathfind normally under different perturbations, indicating that sensory axon guidance is a highly canalized process. Similarly to other model systems, sensory growth cones seem to use multiple, simultaneous cues for guidance. In addition, sensory axons from peripheral structures seem to be capable of using alternative substrates for pathfinding. Developmental regulation could account for the high stability of axon guidance under experimental and natural perturbation conditions. Despite this flexibility, functional characterization of genes involved in sensory axon guidance is being carried out in situations where there appears to be less system redundancy.     

Investigation of Phase Inversion of Liquid-Liquid Dispersions in Agitated Vessels

Introduction Liquid-liquid dispersions in agitated vessels are fre-quently used in the chemical industry for conducting operations such as solvent extraction and heterogene-ous reactions. In liquid-liquid two-phase flow systems, usually consisting of an a…     

Separation of specific fractions of synaptosomes by affinity chromatography

Summary The authors describe a new technique for isolation of specific fractions of synaptosomes, on the basis of their surface glycoproteins, by affinity chromatography using lectin-Sepharose columns.     

Alteration in the SAT-chromosome ofAllium cepa affecting the size of the nucleolus

Resumen Se describe el hallazgo de un bulbo deAllium cepa en el cual los dos nucleolos de cada nÚcleo muestran una clara diferencia de tamaño. El nucleolo menor posee aproximadamente la mitad del diámetro del nucleolo normal. Esta alteración de la morfología nucleolar se correlaciona con la ausencia de satélite en uno de los dos cromosomas normalmente satelizados.

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The work reported in this paper was undertaken during the tenure of a Research Training Fellowship awarded by the International Agency for Research on Cancer.