A Novel Nucleus-Based Classifier for Discrimination of Osteoclasts and Mesenchymal Precursor Cells in Mouse Bone Marrow Cultures

Bone remodeling occurs by the balanced action of bone resorbing osteoclasts (OC) and bone-building osteoblasts. Increased bone resorption by excessive OC activity contributes to malignant and non-malignant diseases including osteoporosis. To study OC differentiation and function, OC formed in in vitro cultures are currently counted manually, a tedious procedure which is prone to inter-observer differences. Aiming for an automated OC-quantification system, classification of OC and precursor cells was done on fluorescence microscope images based on the distinct appearance of fluorescent nuclei. Following ellipse fitting to nuclei, a combination of eight features enabled clustering of OC and precursor cell nuclei. After evaluating different machine-learning techniques, LOGREG achieved 74% correctly classified OC and precursor cell nuclei, outperforming human experts (best expert: 55%). In combination with the automated detection of total cell areas, this system allows to measure various cell parameters and most importantly to quantify proteins involved in osteoclastogenesis.

Perspectives on Neuropsychological Testimony

For the last decade, statistics show traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a growing concern in our legal system. In an effort to obtain data regarding the influence of neuropsychological expert witness testimony in a criminal case, this study tested three hypotheses. H1: The majority of jurors will vote not guilty, due to mild head injury. H2: The jurors will give more credence to the testimony of the neuropsychologist rather than the psychiatrist. H3: The jurors will be more lenient in their sentencing, given the testimony of the neuropsychologist-s testimony. The criterion for inclusion in the study as a participant is identical to those used for inclusion in the eligibility for jury duty in the United States. A chisquared test was performed to analyze the data for the three hypotheses. The results supported all of the hypotheses; however statistical significance was seen in H1 and H2 only.