The goal of tissue engineering is to create bioartificial tissues for the replacement of failed or nonfunctional tissue. Porous tissue-engineered scaffolds may be created through a solvent-casting/porogen-leaching technique. Almost exclusively, sodium chloride (NaCl) is the porogen of choice. Previous studies have demonstrated the importance of porosity and pore size in cell adhesion and tissue development, yet the impact of porogen morphology and the chemical effect of porogen residual has not been fully explored. Poly-L-lactide (PLLA) scaffolds were manufactured by a solvent-casting, particulate-leaching method with either glucose or NaCl porogen in an effort to vary pore characteristics and, subsequently, cell adhesion and tissue development. Porogen influence on scaffold morphology and topography was compared via histological techniques and qualitative surface characteristics. Using an in vitro model, scaffolds were seeded with rat aortic smooth muscle cells (SMCs) and evaluated over a 28-day period. Cell attachment and proliferation were subsequently evaluated. Results indicate that initial SMC attachment is higher for scaffolds manufactured with NaCl rather than glucose. The proliferation of SMCs was higher for scaffolds manufactured with glucose and, by day 28, scaffolds manufactured with glucose supported a higher cell population than those processed using NaCl porogen.

Although there was no clear "most" therapeutic image, the mixed prospect and refuge image showed significant potential to reduce sensory pain. The hazard image was the most effective at distracting participants from pain, but it should not be considered a positive distraction because it also received the highest mood disturbance scores of all groups.

Injectable composite tissue-engineering scaffolds are systems that incorporate individual cell carriers within a gel delivery matrix. This study assessed low-temperature casting as a possible method to produce synthetic cell-carrier beads. Porous poly-L-lactide beads were manufactured by low-temperature casting. Two porogens, either glucose or sodium chloride, were incorporated into the beads and subsequently leached. Beads were seeded with primary culture aortic smooth muscle rat cells and were evaluated over a 13-day period using a series of chemical, biochemical, and histological assays. Results indicate that low-temperature casting is a viable technique to produce injectable beads on the order of 1.5-2.0 mm. The manufactured beads supported smooth muscle cell attachment and proliferation; where the beads formed with sodium chloride allowed enhanced proliferation. Differences in physical qualities, namely buoyancy and topography, were dependent on porogen selection and may provide a mechanism for bead and composite customization.

A study was conducted to measure the effects of human trust and to determine how it develops over time in a hybrid inspection system given different types of errors (i.e., false alarms and misses). The study also looked at which of the four dimensions of trust (competence, predictability, reliability, and faith) were the best predictors of overall trust. Results from the study showed that trust is sensitive to the type of errors made by a system. There was a significant change in overall trust between the stages for the conservative and risky systems, but no significant change in the neutral system. In regards to the best predictors of trust, faith appeared as one of the predictors in all three trial blocks for the conservative and risky systems. As time progressed, predictability emerged in the second and third trial blocks for the conservative system. Competence played an important role in the development of trust for the risky system, whereas reliability played an important role for the neutral system. These results suggest that subjective ratings of trust and the properties of the system can be used to predict the allocation of functions in hybrid inspection systems.

Various studies in inspection have demonstrated the usefulness of feedforward (FF) and feedback (FB) in improving the performance of inspectors. However, the results of these studies are not conclusive as to their effect on the sensitivity and response strategy of inspectors. Hence, this study evaluates the individual and collective effect of FF and FB on the sensitivity and response strategy of the inspectors using a computer simulation of a contact lens inspection task. Twenty‐four subjects, randomly assigned to various conditions, performed an inspection task wherein the FF and FB conditions were manipulated between the subjects. In addition, the defect probability and the discriminability were manipulated within the subjects. Subsequently, the results were interpreted using signal detection theory. Although feedback improved the sensitivity, a finding consistent with earlier studies, feedforward was more effective in assisting the inspectors in setting their response strategy closer to the optimum. Moreover, providing both FF and FB resulted in improved sensitivity as well as a more optimal response strategy. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.