A novel assessment of the quality of immunohistostaining overcomes the limitations of current methods

Quality assurance has become an integral part of surgical pathology. Despite the development of interdisciplinary quality systems, however, the means for objective analysis in surgical pathology are limited. Immunohistostaining is a multi-factorial procedure that depends on the quality of reagents and antibodies employed in the process and on technical methodology. In the present study, we aim to establish a straightforward procedure for objective quality evaluation of the components involved in immunohistostaining. The quality of two of these components, the primary antibody and the automated staining device, was assessed by employing each component from two different sources, one serving as the test substance and the second as the reference. Assessment was performed by at least two pathologists in a blinded fashion using pre-established quality criteria and scores. The quality analysis of two automated devices revealed a significant difference between the reference and tested devices (3.5+/-1.7 and 4.2+/-1.5, respectively, P>0.05), while the analysis of two selected antibodies did not reveal any statistical difference. The described method provided objective quality assessment of selected components affecting immunohistostaining by elaborating numeric values that enabled statistical analysis. This approach is applicable to any given component in various surgical pathology procedures.     

Optimality versus variability: effect of fatigue in multi-finger redundant tasks

We used two methods to address two aspects of multi-finger synergies and their changes after fatigue of the index finger. Analytical inverse optimization (ANIO) was used to identify cost functions and corresponding spaces of optimal solutions over a broad range of task parameters. Analysis within the uncontrolled manifold (UCM) hypothesis was used to quantify co-variation of finger forces across repetitive trials that helped reduce variability of (stabilized) performance variables produced by all the fingers together. Subjects produced steady-state levels of total force and moment of force simultaneously as accurately as possible by pressing with the four fingers of the right hand. Both before and during fatigue, the subjects performed single trials for many force–moment combinations covering a broad range; the data were used for the ANIO analysis. Multiple trials were performed at two force–moment combinations; these data were used for analysis within the UCM hypothesis. Fatigue was induced by 1-min maximal voluntary contraction exercise by the index finger. Principal component (PC) analysis showed that the first two PCs explained over 90% of the total variance both before and during fatigue. Hence, experimental observations formed a plane in the four-dimensional finger force space both before and during fatigue conditions. Based on this finding, quadratic cost functions with linear terms were estimated from the experimental data. The dihedral angle between the plane of optimal solutions and the plane of experimental observations (D _ANGLE) was very small (a few degrees); it increased during fatigue. There was an increase in fatigue of the coefficient at the quadratic term for the index finger force balanced by a drop in the coefficients for the ring and middle fingers. Within each finger pair (index–middle and ring–little), the contribution of the “central” fingers to moment production increased during fatigue. An index of antagonist moment production dropped with fatigue. Fatigue led to higher co-variation indices during pronation tasks (index finger is an agonist) but opposite effects during supination tasks. The results suggest that adaptive changes in co-variation indices that help stabilize performance may depend on the role of the fatigued element, agonist or antagonist.     

基于脉搏传感测值和主成分分析对精神疲劳状态的识别

背景：随着科技的进步,研究疲劳的客观手段越来越多,生理指标的介入使其成为医学、认知科学和心理学的研究热点。然而,对精神疲劳的检测目前仍缺乏客观的生理指标。 目的：为了评估精神疲劳状态,提出一种基于脉搏信号的精神疲劳状态识别新方法。 方法：用小波变换对脉搏信号消噪处理,提取脉搏信号功率谱峰值及对应频率、功率谱重心及重心频率特征量,对提取的特征量进行主成分分析,最后用改进的线性判别式分析法分类识别,主成分识别率达100%。 结果与结论：用脉搏信号特征的主成分进行精神疲劳状态识别,获得了满意的分类识别效果,该方法计算简单,稳定性好,识别率高,对精神疲劳状态的评估具有一定的可行性。     

Statistical Study of the Fisher-Race Model for Human Rh Genetics

The technique of chromosomal positioning of inheritable traits (C.P.I.T.) to project relative positions of two or more traits at more than one gene locus was employed to test the validity of the Fisher-Race model of Rh structure. The results of statistical analysis of two large samples of Rh phenotype distributions suggest that all models based on vertically related, linked alleles are invalid. On the basis of further analysis, Wiener's concept of the structure of the human Rh-Hr gene locus appears most valid among current hypotheses.     

Task-dependent differences in subjective fatigue scores

The aim of the present study was to evaluate time-on-task effects on subjective fatigue in two different tasks of varying monotony during night-time testing (20:00 to 4:00 hours) in a sleep deprivation intervention. The experiment included eight test runs separated by breaks of approximately 20 min. Twenty healthy volunteers performed a driving simulator and the Mackworth clock vigilance task in four of the test runs each. Sequence of tasks was varied across subjects. Before and after each task, subjective sleepiness was assessed by means of the Karolinska sleepiness scale and subjective fatigue was rated on the Samn-Perelli checklist. Fatigue and sleepiness significantly increased over the course of the night. Both tasks led to an increase in fatigue and sleepiness across test runs. However, this time-on-task effect was larger in the vigilance than in the driving simulator task. It is important to note that fatigue and sleepiness in one test run were not influenced by the task performed in the preceding test run, that is there were no cross-over effects. The results suggest that time-on-task effects superimpose circadian and sleep-related factors affecting fatigue. They depend on the monotony of the task and can be quantified by means of a design including separate test runs divided by breaks.     

In vitro assessment of strength, fatigue durability, and disassembly of Ti6Al4V and CoCrMo necks in modular total hip replacements

Modularity in total hip replacement offers advantages with regard to biomechanical adjustments and leg lengths. Recently, modular femoral necks were introduced as an added advantage to head modularity permitting further adjustments in femoral version as well as offset and ease of revision. Currently, most necks are made of Ti6Al4V for which cases of in vivo fractures and inseparable neck-stem junctions have been reported. Therefore, we investigated CoCrMo head-Ti6Al4V stem hip replacements with necks made of CoCrMo as an alternative to Ti6Al4V. We compared the two materials with respect to (1) compressive load bearing capacity; (2) fatigue durability; and (3) component distraction. We performed in vitro fatigue-pull-off, microscopy, fatigue durability and compression investigations. The CoCrMo neck showed a load bearing capacity of 18 kN, 38% higher than 13 kN for the Ti6Al4V neck. A fatigue load of 11.2 kN for 1 million cycle failure was achieved with CoCrMo translating into nearly 1000 times longer fatigue life compared to Ti6Al4V necks. The neck-stem distraction force showed large statistical variation and was similar for both neck materials. Overall, the results suggest a superiority of CoCrMo over Ti6Al4V as neck material with regard to mechanical behavior. However, the corrosion behavior was not appropriately assessed and necessitates additional investigations.     

Fatigue of acrylic bone cement--effect of frequency and environment

This study was conducted to investigate some fundamental fatigue testing variables as they apply to the response characteristics of acrylic bone cement. Cyclic loading under load control was conducted at frequencies of 1, 2, 5, 10, and 20 Hz in air at room temperature. At a tensile stress range of 0.3-20.0 MPa the fatigue life increased linearly with logarithmic frequency. The effect of conditioning and testing in saline at both room temperature and 37 degrees C at similar stress levels and a frequency of 10 Hz were also examined. When compared to dry testing at room temperature, testing in saline at 37 degrees C resulted in a reduction in fatigue life while testing in saline at room temperature produced an increase in fatigue life. Of a number of statistical distributions considered, the Weibull was found to be the most appropriate in documenting the findings of this investigation. A companion fractographic investigation of the failure surfaces demonstrated distinct regions of crack growth and fast fracture.     

Effect of body tilt angle on fatigue and EMG activities in lower limbs during cycling

This study compared the rate of fatigue and lower limb EMG activities during high-intensity constant-load cycling in upright and supine postures. Eleven active males performed seven cycling exercise tests: one upright graded test, four fatigue tests (two upright, two supine) and two EMG tests (one upright, one supine). During the fatigue tests participants initially performed a 10 s all-out effort followed by a constant-load test with 10 s all-out bouts interspersed every minute. The load for the initial two fatigue tests was 80% of the peak power (PP) achieved during the graded test and these continued until failure. The remaining two fatigue tests were performed at 20% PP and were limited to the times achieved during the 80% PP tests. During the EMG tests subjects performed a 10 s all-out effort followed by a constant-load test to failure at 80% PP. Normalised EMG activities (% maximum, NEMG) were assessed in five lower limb muscles. Maximum power and maximum EMG activity prior to each fatigue and EMG test were unaffected by posture. The rate of fatigue at 80% PP was significantly higher during supine compared with upright posture (−68 ± 14 vs. −26 ± 6 W min⁻¹, respectively, P < 0.05) and the divergence of the fatigue responses occurred by the second minute of exercise. NEMG responses were significantly higher in the supine posture by 1–4 min of exercise. Results show that fatigue is significantly greater during supine compared with upright high-intensity cycling and this effect is accompanied by a reduced activation of musculature that is active during cycling.     

Estimation of the minimum number of test specimens for fatigue testing of acrylic bone cement

In the literature on fatigue testing of acrylic bone cements, data sets of various sizes have been used in different test series for the same cement formulation. There are two important consequences of this situation. First, it means that some test series last much longer than others, with all the implications for the cost of testing. Second, it makes drawing conclusions about the fatigue performance of a cement, based on the results of different literature series, a problematic issue. Clearly then, a recommendation as to what should be the minimum number of test specimens to use that would allow for confidence in the results of the statistical treatment of the test results (Gmin) would be desirable. In the present work, a method that could be used to culminate in such a recommendation is described. This method involves (i) obtaining experimental fatigue test results and (ii) analyzing those results using the Weibull probability distribution function and other statistical methods. This methodology is illustrated using fatigue life results obtained from uniaxial tension-compression fatigue tests on specimens fabricated from the polymerizing dough of one commercially available acrylic bone cement. For a tolerable error of 5%, we estimated Gmin to be either 7 (if the fatigue life results are treated using the two-parameter Weibull distribution function) or 11 (if the fatigue life results are treated using the three-parameter Weibull distribution function). To be on the conservative side, we therefore recommend that Gmin be 11. Three key limitations of the methodology presented here are discussed.     

Combining the case-control methodology with the small size transmission/disequilibrium test for multiallelic markers

Case-control studies compare marker-allele distributions in affected and unaffected individuals, and significant results may be due to linkage but can also simply reflect population structure. To test for linkage after obtaining a significant case-control finding, within-family analysis can be performed. In a transmission/disequilibrium test (TDT), genotypes of cases are compared to those of their parents to explore whether a specific allele, or marker, at a locus of interest is transmitted to a greater degree than Mendelian inheritance would warrant. For multiallelic markers, several authors have proposed extensions to the TDT. In this article, we propose a TDT test, utilizing the available information of a case-control study in the grouping of alleles for multiallelic markers, and thereby increase the statistical power of a TDT test with a small sample size.     

Isotonic and isoelectric endurance tests for the upper trapezius muscle

As an alternative to a conventional endurance electromyogram (EMG) test for assessment of muscle capacity in the upper trapezius muscle (isotonic test, IT), an isoelectric test (IE) has been investigated. Nine subjects performed the two endurance tests. The tests were performed with a straight horizontal arm in the plane of the scapula. In IE, EMG amplitude was fed back to the subject and the subject was instructed to maintain a constant EMG activity equal to the level with the arm unsupported. Subjective ratings of local fatigue were obtained during the experiments. The EMG recordings from both tests were analysed for the root mean square value as well as according to the mean power frequency (MPF) technique. All the subjects endured maximal 15?min IE while in IT the median endurance was 11.9 min. Average subjective ratings of perceived fatigue increased more in IT compared to IE. The average normalised MPF curve from IT increased while that from IE was unaffected. There was a significant difference between the MPF results at 6 and 8 min. It is noteworthy that the MPF was higher in IT in spite of a higher accumulated biomechanical load. It was concluded from these studies that the interpretation of decreased MPF as an indicator of increased local muscle fatigue is doubtful at low contraction levels. It is suggested that an IE is a more appropriate method for the functional evaluation of low threshold motor units of the upper trapezius muscle in research into occupational disorders.     

Fatigue behavior of a pyrolytic carbon

The test method introduced here enables the fatigue test of a brittle material at a stress level that is as high as its ultimate fracture strength. The procedural design of the test eliminates uncertainties that often make interpretation of the results difficult. The results, using a statistical analysis, demonstrate that isotropic pyrolytic carbons are fatigue-free in physiologically relevant stress regimes encountered in contemporary bi-leaflet artificial heart-valve designs. Verification tests show that the material can withstand cyclic stress of 10(9) cycles at a strain level that equals that of the mean static strength.     

Gamma-irradiation aggravates stress concentration along subsurface grain boundary of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) under sliding fatigue environment

Numerical simulations were carried out using a DEM-based model under a sliding fatigue environment to investigate the influences of differences of mechanical properties between intra-granular portions and inter-granular portions on local stress-strain fields and to determine the effect of gamma-irradiative degradation of UHMWPE components on delamination. The predicted stress fields in the gamma-irradiated UHMWPE component were highly nonuniform and were quite different from those predicted in the non-irradiated UHMWPE component. The stress distributions were intensely affected by the structural inhomogeneousness of networked grain boundaries. Marked stress concentrations were observed along subsurface grain boundaries in the gamma-irradiated UHMWPE. The gamma-irradiated UHMWPE showed a steep increase in the maximum equivalent stresses for an increase in the number of sliding. As the number of sliding increased, moreover, the region where the maximum equivalent stress was observed, moved deep into the specimen. These findings suggest that fatigue damage with plastic deformation proceeds mainly at a subsurface region in the gamma-irradiated UHMWPE and at a superficial region in the non-irradiated one. Therefore, gamma-irradiation is an important factor in accelerating fatigue crack initiation resulting in delamination.     

基于表面肌电信号和动作捕捉的上肢运动疲劳分析EI北大核心CSCD

目前,上肢运动的疲劳状态监测,一般单纯依赖表面肌电信号(sEMG)对疲劳进行识别和分类,导致结果不稳定,存在一定局限。为此,本文将sEMG信号识别与动作捕捉技术引入到疲劳状态监测过程中,提出了一种融合改进的肌电疲劳阈值算法与生物力学分析的疲劳分析方法。本研究通过右上肢负载屈肘试验,同步采集肱二头肌sEMG信号与上肢动作捕捉数据,并同时运用柏格(Borg)疲劳度主观自觉量表记录受试者疲劳感受。然后,将融合改进的肌电疲劳阈值算法和生物力学分析的疲劳分析方法与平均功率频率(MPF)、谱矩比(SMR)、模糊近似熵(fApEn)、Lempel-Ziv复杂度(LZC)四种单一评价指标疲劳评价方法的试验结果进行对比。试验结果表明,本文方法对总体疲劳状态识别率结果达到98.6%,对轻松、过渡、疲劳三种状态的识别率分别达到97%、100%、99%,较其他方法更有优势。本文研究结果证明,本文方法在上肢运动过程中能够有效预防过度训练引起的二次损伤,对于疲劳监护具有重要意义。     

Evaluation of fatigue monitoring technologies

The purpose of this study was to evaluate commercially available devices for driver fatigue monitoring with particular focus on the needs of the mining industry. We present an overview of fatigue monitoring technologies (FMTs) and propose means to evaluate the devices. Three video-based devices were selected and used in an overnight driving simulation study to test their accuracy. In total 14 healthy volunteers performed the driving simulation tasks in eight test runs separated by breaks of approximately 10 min. EEG and EOG were recorded during the driving periods. The output variable of the FMT devices (percentage of eye closures, PERCLOS), subjectively rated fatigue on the Karolinska sleepiness scale (KSS), and driving performance in terms of standard deviation of lateral position in lane (SDL) were also recorded throughout testing sessions. Regression analysis revealed that PERCLOS is significantly related to higher KSS scores and to SDL. Calculations at a finer temporal resolution as well as on an intra-subject level showed decreased correlation coefficients. Discriminant analysis of PERCLOS and EEG/EOG suggested that PERCLOS does not differentiate well between mild and strong fatigue. The results suggest that under laboratory conditions current FMT devices are reliable when temporal resolution is not too fine (>30 min) and data averaged across several subjects is utilized, but fail to give a valid prediction of subjective fatigue as well as of driving performance on an individual level.     

A comparison of methods of normalizing a discrete distribution

Normal distributions are the foundation of modern statistical procedures, which differ in their sensitivity to violation of the assumption of normality. This paper reports on the effectiveness of two different methods of normalizing distributions of discrete test score data. The scores of 971 Ontario high school students on the 22 scales of PRF-E (Jackson, 1974) were normalized using two variants of the cumulative proportions method and by a rank method. Neither cumulative procedure appreciably altered the modality or skewness of the distributions. The rank method succeeded in normalizing all the distributions, except for an occasional case of platykurtosis. It was concluded that normalization by ranks is to be preferred over cumulative methods for use in situations in which a statistical procedure is sensitive to violations of normality.     

A numerical approach to evaluate the fatigue life of monolimb

Monolimb refers to a transtibial prosthesis with the prosthetic socket and the shank being molded into one piece of thermoplastic material. Shank flexibility of a monolimb can improve gait and comfort. However, fatigue failure of monolimbs under cyclic walking load is an important concern. This study is to evaluate the fatigue life of a monolimb designed for a transtibial amputee, based on finite element analysis, the statistical Miner's rule and reliability analysis. Stress uncertainty due to modeling error and the scatter in fatigue test data were considered. Results indicated that the accuracy of fatigue life evaluation of monolimb depends significantly on the precision of stress estimation. In addition, relationship between fatigue failure probability and the number of walking steps was suggested providing a reference for clinicians to determine the interval of the inspection for the monolimb.     

新型双叶型肱骨近端锁定钢板的研制与生物力学研究

目的研制新型双叶型肱骨近端锁定钢板以解决复杂肱骨近端骨折大、小结节的固定问题,并通过生物力学实验评估其固定肱骨大、小结节的稳定性。方法取12具新鲜冰冻带肩袖肌的肱骨标本,编号后随机分成A、B两组,建立相同的肱骨大、小结节骨折模型。其中,A组用新型双叶型肱骨近端锁定钢板固定;B组用肱骨近端锁定钢板系统(proximal humeral internal locking system,PHILOS)、缝线缝合固定,小结节同时加用1枚3.5 mm空心螺钉固定。分别对两组标本进行肩胛下肌、冈下肌及小圆肌、冈上肌牵拉实验及大、小结节抗拉实验测试。结果肩胛下肌牵拉实验:A组在180 N拉力以及疲劳实验后位移均明显小于B组(P0.05)。冈下肌及小圆肌牵拉实验:两组在150 N拉力以及疲劳实验后位移比较差异均无统计学意义(P0.05)。冈上肌牵拉实验:两组在90 N拉力以及疲劳实验后位移比较差异均无统计学意义(P0.05)。小结节抗拉实验:A组失效载荷明显大于B组,且A组失效位移明显小于B组(P0.05)。大结节抗拉实验:两组在失效载荷、失效位移比较差异均无统计学意义(P0.05)。结论该新型双叶型肱骨近端锁定钢板对肱骨小结节的固定效果较缝线+空心钉螺钉固定更坚强,具有能同时固定大、小结节的优势。研究结果为临床治疗复杂肱骨近端骨折提供新的选择。