Graph-regularized 3D shape reconstruction from highly anisotropic and noisy images

Analysis of microscopy images can provide insight into many biological processes. One particularly challenging problem is cellular nuclear segmentation in highly anisotropic and noisy 3D image data. Manually localizing and segmenting each and every cellular nucleus is very time-consuming, which remains a bottleneck in large-scale biological experiments. In this work, we present a tool for automated segmentation of cellular nuclei from 3D fluorescent microscopic data. Our tool is based on state-of-the-art image processing and machine learning techniques and provides a user-friendly graphical user interface. We show that our tool is as accurate as manual annotation and greatly reduces the time for the registration.     

Droplet Microfluidics XRD Identifies Effective Nucleating Agents for Calcium Carbonate

The ability to control crystallization reactions is required in a vast range of processes including the production of functional inorganic materials and pharmaceuticals and the prevention of scale. However, it is currently limited by a lack of understanding of the mechanisms underlying crystal nucleation and growth. To address this challenge, it is necessary to carry out crystallization reactions in well‐defined environments, and ideally to perform in situ measurements. Here, a versatile microfluidic synchrotron‐based technique is presented to meet these demands. Droplet microfluidic‐coupled X‐ray diffraction (DMC‐XRD) enables the collection of time‐resolved, serial diffraction patterns from a stream of flowing droplets containing growing crystals. The droplets offer reproducible reaction environments, and radiation damage is effectively eliminated by the short residence time of each droplet in the beam. DMC‐XRD is then used to identify effective particulate nucleating agents for calcium carbonate and to study their influence on the crystallization pathway. Bioactive glasses and a model material for mineral dust are shown to significantly lower the induction time, highlighting the importance of both surface chemistry and topography on the nucleating efficiency of a surface. This technology is also extremely versatile, and could be used to study dynamic reactions with a wide range of synchrotron‐based techniques.     

Bringing Technological Frames to Work: How Previous Experience with Social Media Shapes the Technology's Meaning in an Organization

This study examines the expectations that workers have regarding enterprise social media (ESM). Using interviews with 58 employees at an organization implementing an ESM platform, we compare workers' views of the technology with those of existing workplace communication technologies and publicly available social media. We find individuals' frames regarding expectations and assumptions of social media are established through activities outside work settings and influence employees' views about the usefulness of ESM. Differences in technological frames regarding ESM were related to workers' age and level of personal social media use, but in directions contrary to expectations expressed in the literature. Findings emphasize how interpretations of technology may shift over time and across contexts in unique ways for different individuals.     

Microribbon‐Like Elastomers for Fabricating Macroporous and Highly Flexible Scaffolds that Support Cell Proliferation in 3D

Hydrogel‐based scaffolds are widely used for culturing cells in three dimensions due to their tissue‐like water content and tunable biochemical and physical properties. Most conventional hydrogels lack the macroporosity desirable for efficient cell proliferation and migration and have limited flexibility when subject to mechanical load. Here microribbon‐like elastomers that, when photocrosslinked, can form macroporous and highly flexible scaffolds that support cell proliferation in 3D are developed. These microribbons are produced by wet‐spinning gelatin solution into microfibers, followed by drying in acetone, which causes asymmetrical collapse of microfibers to form microribbon‐like structures. Gelatin microribbons are then modified using methacrylate anhydride to allow further photocrosslinking into 3D scaffolds. The macroporosity and mechanical properties of the microribbon‐based scaffold may be tuned by varying wet‐spinning rate, drying temperature, choice of drying agent, level of glutaraldehyde crosslinking, and microribbon density. When encapsulated in the microribbon‐based scaffold, human adipose‐derived stromal cells proliferated up to 30‐fold within 3 weeks. Furthermore, microribbons‐based scaffold demonstrate great flexibility and can sustain up to 90% strain and 3 MPa stress without failing. The unique mechanical properties of microribbon‐based scaffolds make them promising tools for engineering shock‐absorbing tissues such as cartilage and intervertebral discs.     

A logical approach to multicut problems

Multicut problems are well-studied NP-complete problems in the field of network theory. Previously, by using graph theoretic methods, they have been shown to be fixed parameter tractable for different combinations of parameters, but not for any single parameter. In this paper different versions of the multicut problem are expressed in Monadic Second Order Logic (MSO) and an extended version of Courcelle's Theorem due to Arnborg, Lagergren and Seese is used to demonstrate that these problems are fixed parameter tractable with respect to the parameter ω^∗, the treewidth of the input structure. Here, the input structure consists of a set V of vertices with two relations, the edge relation E of the input graph G=(V,E), and a relation H encoding all pairs of vertices to be disconnected. The contribution of this paper is two-fold: to introduce a single parameter for which the major variants of the multicut problem are fixed parameter tractable, and to use multicut problems as examples for demonstrating fruitful practical applications of logical properties and results in network theory.     

Social role and birth cohort influences on gender-linked personality traits in women: A 20-year longitudinal analysis.

Growth curve modeling was used to examine the impact of social role experiences (e.g., marital support, occupational prestige) and birth cohort on mean-level differences and age-related changes in positive personality traits indicative of either femininity or masculinity in 758 mothers heterogeneous in age, assessed 4 times over 2 decades. Both femininity and masculinity increased significantly from mean ages 39 through 59; each was predictive of an age change in the other. Low masculinity was associated with a more rapid increase in femininity, whereas high occupational prestige decreased the magnitude of association between masculinity and femininity. Femininity increased with more marital support but decreased with unmarried status, more children at home, and working full or part time; among full-time workers, that effect was modified by marital support. Masculinity increased with full-time work and high occupational prestige. A trend for differing levels of femininity, and contrasting associations of masculinity with femininity and marital conflict in women born after 1944 compared with those born earlier, suggests shifting social norms and gender relations in the marital role. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Early Childhood Intervention Project: Building capacity for service delivery.

Presents the evaluation design and case study outcomes for 28 children (aged 3–5 yrs) from the 1st 3 yrs of the Ohio Early Childhood Intervention (ECI) project. The ECI project was designed to help build the capacity of professionals for intervention design. Capacity building refers to preparing educational systems for change and, specific to this report, providing valid conceptual and procedural guidelines for early intervention. The foundations of the ECI project are ecobehavioral analysis, ecological consultation, and naturalistic intervention design. The acronym PASSKey (Planned Activity, Strategic Sampling, Keystone behavior) describes 3 major aspects of the assessment-intervention guidelines. Validity evidence for the guidelines is based on single case quasi-experimental (accountability and case study) designs documented by comprehensive early childhood case portfolios. In addition, estimates were obtained of the consultants' time spent in problem solving. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Attracting Middle‐Income Families in the Hope VI Public Housing Revitalization Program

Abstract: While the growing literature on HOPE VI emphasizes the presumed benefits of income mixing these benefits are most likely to occur if middle‐income families with children are drawn to these sites. But is this feasible? Our comparative case study analysis of four HOPE VI sites in Cincinnati, Louisville, Baltimore, and Washington, DC, suggests that it will be difficult to achieve the mixing of lower‐ and middle‐income families with children. None of the four developments explicitly sought middle‐income families with children as part of their marketing. Louisville's HOPE VI site was the only one involving close collaboration between the school district, the housing authority, and city government from the beginning of the HOPE VI process. Moreover, the Louisville site was the only one successful in attracting middle‐income (and not simply subsidized moderate‐income) families with children. Strategies for making inner‐city HOPE VI sites more attractive for middle‐income families are discussed.     

Anti-GM-CSF monoclonal antibody therapy for refractory acute leukemia

Several phase I trials and pilot studies using Monoclonal Antibody (MoAb) have been performed in B-cell neoplasms, but this approach has not until now been extensively tested in myeloid leukemias. Recently, we evaluated the use of anti-Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor MoAb (Anti-GM-CSF MoAb) in acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Eight patients fulfilled inclusion criteria and received a single course of Anti-GM-CSF MoAb infusion during 5 to 15 days. Anti-GM-CSF MoAb was well tolerated and was detectable in pharmacokinetics studies. Using Human Anti-Rat Antibodies (HARA), we also observed an immunological response to the MoAb. Despite sufficient levels detected in the serum and biological activity of Anti-GM-CSF MoAb in vivo, no anti-leukemic effect was noted, except for one patient who had a decrease of 50% in the marrow blast cell mass. These observations indicate that leukemic proliferation in vivo involves a complex network spanning many mechanisms, and inhibition of leukemia is not effective if only one of these key targets is attacked. The development of these new approaches may be more effective in the future.