Luminescent stress-detecting polymer

Here Red particles represent Active agents and green represent  Passive  agents. The variation in density of the mixture and the strength of the self-motile agents creates vortexes in the fluid space.

Testing the stability of cylindrical tube made from 15,360 hexagonally packed magnetic balls (192 rings, each made up of 80 balls). A high-speed camera recording reveals crumpling at the base of the cylindrical tube, reminiscent of paper-like crumpling, when it loses stability from shaking.

The polymer material is stretched with an increasing force resulting in a corresponding brighter emission of light from the mechanophore (here under UV light and with false colors). The graph shows the intensity of the emitted light following punctual increases in the stretching force applied to the polymer.  

OIST scientists have gained new insight into the abnormal brain activity underlying Parkinson’s disease. In a mouse model of the disease, the scientists observed that one group of neurons in a particular brain region--the striatum–fire in sync and dominate the overall activity of that region. When striatal neurons are stimulated continuously, they exhibit this abnormal behavior. By stimulating the neurons in precise pulses, the researchers observed that the neurons returned to their normal activity pattern, with groups of cells firing in turn.    

The Micro/Bio/Nanofluidics Unit has devised a machine learning software to segment, track, and analyze the movement of migrating cells. Named Usiigaci, a Ryukyuan word that means “tracing,” the software significantly outperforms existing programs and has many applications across biology and medicine.