Is there a myofascial, temporomandibular disorder personality?

It is widely accepted that abnormal personality factors play an important role in the etiology and maintenance of myofascial-type temporomandibular disorder, or M/TMD. However, the foundation on which this belief rests is based largely on clinical lore, rather than on any evidence. The continued belief in the stress theory has important implications. Clinicians continue to be trained in unproven but traditionally sanctioned treatments. Such approaches not only may lead to problems of patient care, they may forge an unstable foundation for future research. Two theories are examined in this article: the psychosomatic and psychophysiological models. The findings show that both theories lack evidence, and further research is warranted because definitive studies are unavailable. The data from this study do not support the contention that M/TMD cases are characterized by a specific premorbid personality.     

Efficient Learning of Relational Object Class Models

We present an efficient method for learning part-based object class models from unsegmented images represented as sets of salient features. A model includes parts’ appearance, as well as location and scale relations between parts. The object class is generatively modeled using a simple Bayesian network with a central hidden node containing location and scale information, and nodes describing object parts. The model’s parameters, however, are optimized to reduce a loss function of the training error, as in discriminative methods. We show how boosting techniques can be extended to optimize the relational model proposed, with complexity linear in the number of parts and the number of features per image. This efficiency allows our method to learn relational models with many parts and features. The method has an advantage over purely generative and purely discriminative approaches for learning from sets of salient features, since generative method often use a small number of parts and features, while discriminative methods tend to ignore geometrical relations between parts. Experimental results are described, using some bench-mark data sets and three sets of newly collected data, showing the relative merits of our method in recognition and localization tasks.     

Minimal Decomposition of Model-Based Invariants

Model-based invariants are relations between model parameters and image measurements, which are independent of the imaging parameters. Such relations are true for all images of the model. Here we describe an algorithm which, given L independent model-based polynomial invariants describing some shape, will provide a linear re-parameterization of the invariants. This re-parameterization has the properties that: (i) it includes the minimal number of terms, and (ii) the shape terms are the same in all the model-based invariants. This final representation has 2 main applications: (1) it gives new representations of shape in terms of hyperplanes, which are convenient for object recognition; (2) it allows the design of new linear shape from motion algorithms. In addition, we use this representation to identify object classes that have universal invariants.     

Cultural accommodation: Hybridity and the framing of social obligation.

Implications of cultural accommodation–hybridization were explored within the framework of individualism–collectivism. Individualism highlights the personal and centralizes individuals as the unit of analyses, whereas collectivism highlights the social and contextualizes individuals as parts of connected social units. In 2 experiments, the ways in which individualism, collectivism, and identity salience influence social obligation to diverse others was explored. The authors varied the personal goal interrupted (achievement–pleasure), the target (individual–group), and focus (in-group–larger society) of social obligation within subjects. The authors hypothesized that collectivism would increase obligation to the in-group when identity was made salient; that individualism alone would dampen social obligation; and that cultural accommodation–hybridization (being high in both individualism and collectivism) would increase obligation to larger society. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Multifactor,Sequentially Releasing Scaffolds for Tissue Engineering:Fabrication Using Solvent/Nonsolvent Sintering Technology

Biodegradable constructs, providing both mechanical support to growing tissues and timed release of biological agents, are highly desired in tissue engineering. This study aimed to develop a platform technology that responds to these challenges. Accordingly, we report herein on model systems in which microspheres of poly(suberic anhydride), containing all-trans retinoic acid (atRA), and poly(d,l -lactic acid-co-glycolic acid), containing bovine serum albumin (BSA), were co-sintered at room temperature, using a solvent/nonsolvent mixture. These scaffolds release about 60% of atRA and negligible amounts of BSA within the first five days, followed by slower and steady release of BSA. They have pores of 150–500 μm and a compressive modulus of 200 kPa. Myoblasts and fibroblasts were seeded on the loaded scaffolds and both showed enhanced proliferation rates. Based on sound thermodynamic principles of polymer science, this technology demonstrates an as yet unachieved degree of versatility. It allows for the tailoring of “intelligent” scaffolds that preserve the integrity of the incorporated agents and of advanced modalities to release various drugs in a scheduled manner.     

Cultural psychology, a new look: Reply to Bond (2002), Fiske (2002), Kitayama (2002), and Miller (2002).

M. H. Bond (2002) (see record 2002-00183-002), A. P. Fiske (2002) (see record 2002-00183-003), S. Kitayama (2002) (see record 2002-00183-004), and J. G. Miller (2002) (see record 2002-00183-005) joined D. Oyserman, H. M. Coon, and M. Kemmelmeier (2002) (see record 2002-00183-001) in highlighting limitations of the individualism-collectivism model of culture. Concern is warranted; nevertheless, individualism-collectivism helps structure discourse on the influence of culture on the mind. To avoid level-of-analysis entanglements, Oyserman et al propose an integrative model that includes distal, proximal, and situated cultural features of societies and internalized models of these features, highlights the importance of subjective construal, and uses evolutionary perspectives to clarify the basic problems cultures address. Framed this way, it is clear that, depending on situational requirements, both individualism- and collectivism-focused strategies are adaptive; thus, it is likely that human minds have adapted to think both ways. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Electron-beam-induced deposition and post-treatment processes to locally generate clean titanium oxide nanostructures on Si(100)

We have investigated the lithographic generation of TiO(x) nanostructures on Si(100) via electron-beam-induced deposition (EBID) of titanium tetraisopropoxide (TTIP) in ultra-high vacuum (UHV) by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and local Auger electron spectroscopy (AES). In addition, the fabricated nanostructures were also characterized ex situ via atomic force microscopy (AFM) under ambient conditions. In EBID, a highly focused electron beam is used to locally decompose precursor molecules and thereby to generate a deposit. A drawback of this nanofabrication technique is the unintended deposition of material in the vicinity of the impact position of the primary electron beam due to so-called proximity effects. Herein, we present a post-treatment procedure to deplete the unintended deposits by moderate sputtering after the deposition process. Moreover, we were able to observe the formation of pure titanium oxide nanocrystals (<100 nm) in situ upon heating the sample in a well-defined oxygen atmosphere. While the nanocrystal growth for the as-deposited structures also occurs in the surroundings of the irradiated area due to proximity effects, it is limited to the pre-defined regions, if the sample was sputtered before heating the sample under oxygen atmosphere. The described two-step post-treatment procedure after EBID presents a new pathway for the fabrication of clean localized nanostructures.     

Fabrication of layered nanostructures by successive electron beam induced deposition with two precursors: protective capping of metallic iron structures

We report on the stepwise generation of layered nanostructures via electron beam induced deposition (EBID) using organometallic precursor molecules in ultra-high vacuum (UHV). In a first step a metallic iron line structure was produced using iron pentacarbonyl; in a second step this nanostructure was then locally capped with a 2-3 nm thin titanium oxide-containing film fabricated from titanium tetraisopropoxide. The chemical composition of the deposited layers was analyzed by spatially resolved Auger electron spectroscopy. With spatially resolved x-ray absorption spectroscopy at the Fe L? edge, it was demonstrated that the thin capping layer prevents the iron structure from oxidation upon exposure to air.     

A Content Analysis of Print News Coverage of Media Violence and Aggression Research

We conducted a content analysis of news articles (N = 540) to examine whether news coverage of media violence accurately reflects scientific knowledge about exposure to media violence and its effects on viewer aggression. The analysis revealed that over the past 30 years, news articles generally suggested that a link between media violence and aggression exists. However, the tone shifted sharply back toward a neutral conclusion since 2000. This shift may be attributable to the type of medium discussed (e.g., television vs. video games), the number of unaffiliated sources that are cited in the news article, and the sex of the journalist. Implications for how this news coverage may influence news readers are discussed.