cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Morphogenesis of the Na3(CO3HCO3)·2H2O Matrix-Mediated on Polyaminosiloxane

We report the matrix-mediated mineralization of Na3(CO3HCO3)·2H2O at the air interface of NaOH-containing poly(γ-aminopropyl triethoxysilane) matrixes, which are exposed to a warm and humid mixture of CO2 and air (∼37 °C; relative humidity (RH) ∼ 100%; CO2 ∼ 40 000 ppm) for <10 s followed by extended exposure to ambient conditions with RH in the range 50−60%. Scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and optical microscopy are used to characterize the surface and topology, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry and powder X-ray diffraction are used to determine the chemical composition and crystal structure. These results enable us to elucidate fundamental aspects of the mineralization process.
0317 Quantifying Hazardous Occupational Exposures and Injuries in Home Care: Results from the Safe Home Care Survey0317 Quantifying Hazardous Occupational Exposures and Injuries in Home Care: Results from the Safe Home Care Survey

Objectives In countries with ageing populations, home care (HC) aides are among the fastest growing jobs. There are few quantitative studies of HC occupational safety and health (OSH) hazards. The objectives of this study were to quantify a range of OSH exposures and injuries among HC aides and to evaluate the variability across job categories. Method HC aides were recruited for a survey via agencies that employ aides and schedule their visits with clients and through a labour union of aides employed directly by clients/families. The innovative questionnaire design included detailed questions about the most recent home visits, as well as about the individual aides’ OSH experiences. Results The final population included 1249 HC aides (634 agency-employed, 615 client-employed) contributing information on 3484 HC visits. Among aides, in the past 12 months, 2% had a needlestick or other sharps injury; 7% reported physical aggression and 19% verbal aggression; 11% had a job-related injury resulting in lost work time or need for medical care; 33% reported back pain: of these, 59% experienced pain once a week or more and 68% took medication for it. Among visits, in the past month, 62% involved patient handling while only 25% involved a patient handling device; 80% involved cleaning, 10% indoor cigarette smoke. Agency-employed versus client-employed aides differed by amount of client handling, use of sharps, and characteristics of clients. Conclusions Aides experience substantial OSH exposures and injuries. Quantification of hazards is useful to prioritise resources for the development of preventive interventions and to provide a foundation for etiologic research.
Contrasting incidence of Rocky Mountain spotted fever in ticks infesting wild birds in eastern U.S. Piedmont and coastal areas, with notes on the ecology of these ticks.

Eastern U.S. coastal and Piedmont localities were compared relative to the incidence of Rocky Mountain spotted fever rickettsiae ( Rickettsia rickettsi ) in ticks infesting birds. R. rickettsi was detected only in ticks from the coastal localities 24.8% of 125 tick pools tested); this agent was not found in any of the ticks from the Piedmont localities (47 tick pools tested). The geographic distribution of R. rickettsi in ticks on the birds examined contrasts with the geographic distribution of human cases of Rocky Mountain spotted fever in the same region where the birds were collected. Further, these birdinfesting ticks and the tick species that feed on man ( Dermacentor variabilis and Amblyomma americanum ) are rarely encountered on the same hosts in the region described in this study. Consequendy, though birds and birds ticks are involved in the dissemination of R. rickettsi in nature, their importance in contributing to human cases of RMSF may need to be reevaluated. Contrasts in the tick-host relationships between the Piedmont and coastal localities were also noted. Thrushes Turdidae), sparrows (Fringillidae), warblers (Parulidae) and mockingbirds (Mimidae) were the most important tick hosts the coastal localities, where the mean tick burden was 0.86 ticks/bird. Sparrows, warblers, wrens (Troglodytidae), tanagers Thraupidae) and Bobwhite Quail (Phasianidae) were the tick hosts in the Piedmont localities, where the mean tick burden was 0.67 ticks/bird.
Content Based Image Retrieval system using Wavelet Transformation and multiple input multiple task Deep Autoencoder

In this paper, we propose an algorithm for a Content Based Image Retrieval (CBIR) system based on Wavelet Transformation and Deep Autoencoder (DAE). For the proposed algorithm, the image is first processed by wavelet transform and decomposed into wavelet coefficients. The wavelet coefficients then become the input for a multiple input multiple task deep autoencoder (MIMT-DAE). In our design, only the approximation coefficients (CA) and diagonal detail coefficients (CD) are used. The result of retrieval performance is tested on the MNIST handwriting data base. The testing results show that the combination of wavelet transformation and MIMT-DAE increases the performance of image retrieval for shape and texture compared to a traditional single input single task deep autoencoder with far fewer training parameters required.
Abstract PR07: Disparities in time to diagnostic follow up after screening mammography

Background: Screening mammography has been associated with as much as a 20% reduction in breast cancer mortality among women ages 40-74 years. An understudied dimension of screening that may impact mortality is time until follow-up after a positive mammogram. The primary objective of this study is to compare by race and insurance type the time to follow up after a positive screening mammogram. Methods: We use 1995-2010 data from the Carolina Mammography Registry (CMR), a population-based registry. The data are collected from women and the radiologist interpreting the mammogram and include patient demographics, patient risk factors (breast density, family history of breast cancer, menopausal status), the imaging examination performed, the reason for the visit, the radiologists9 assessment and recommendation for follow-up. The data are linked with cancer outcomes from the North Carolina Central Cancer Registry and abstracted pathology reports. In this study we included women ages 18 and older with a positive screening mammogram. A mammogram was positive if the Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS) score was 0, 4, 5, or 3 with recommendation for biopsy evaluation. We defined time to diagnostic follow-up as number of days from the initial positive screening mammogram until the date of the first follow-up event (additional breast imaging or biopsy) before a cancer diagnosis or benign pathology result. We describe time to diagnostic follow-up for the cohort, by racial/ethnic status, and by insurance type (Medicare only, Medicaid, Medicare and Medicaid, Medicare and other insurer, all other insurers including private insurers, and No Insurance). We use Cox proportional hazards to estimate hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) to evaluate the association between insurance type and diagnostic follow-up adjusting for race, patient residence, education, and imaging practice. Results: Of 97,304 positive screening mammograms included in the study, the majority of the sample was White, non-Hispanic (80%), Black, non-Hispanic (13%), Hispanic (1%), Multi-racial/other (1%), and Native American ( Discussion: In this breast cancer screening population women reporting Medicare alone or with supplemental insurance have increased hazard of diagnostic time until follow-up after a positive mammogram when compared to other women. The study may have a positive impact on maximizing the benefits of cancer screening and reducing disparities in breast cancer care. This abstract was also presented as Poster B72. Citation Format: Danielle Durham, Whitney Robinson, Sheila Lee, Stephanie Wheeler, James Bowling, Louise Henderson. Disparities in time to diagnostic follow up after screening mammography. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Seventh AACR Conference on The Science of Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; Nov 9-12, 2014; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2015;24(10 Suppl):Abstract nr PR07.
Time-Dependent Biodistribution of BPA-F in Normal and Tumor Brain Tissues in Mice

With the completion of the fission converter epithermal neutron beam (FCB) at MIT, BNCT irradiations conducted by the Harvard-MIT BNCT program could be reduced from approximately 2 1/2 hours per beam to a few minutes.1 Therefore, the timing of the irradiation becomes important. An optimal therapeutic gain is expected to be gained when patients are irradiated during a time window which has the best tumor/normal tissue 10B concentration ratio, and the boron concentration is high. Since in the current clinical trial, blood 10B concentration is used as a surrogate for normal brain tissue 10B concentration, while the metabolism of BPA-f in tumor and normal brain tissues is not well understood, it is important to determine the biodistribution and phar-macokinetics of boron in these tissues. In addition, to be able to prescribe accurate radiation dose to radiation sensitive areas such as the optic chiasm, knowledge of the spatial biodistribution of BPA-f in these tissues is essential. A GL261 murine glioma tumor model is being used to study in detail the time-dependent biodistribution of BPA-f in tumor and several anatomic sites in the normal brain. Preliminary results indicate that there are slight differences in the temporal uptake of BPA-f in different regions of the normal brain, and that the pharmacokinetics of BPA-f in GL261 tumor and normal brain are vastly different.
In Vivo Testing for Gold Nanoparticle Toxicity

A technique for measuring the toxicity of nanomaterials using a murine model is described. Blood samples are collected via submandibular bleeding while urine samples are collected on cellophane sheets. Both biosamples are then analyzed by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) for nanotoxicity. Blood samples are further tested for immunological response using a standard Coulter counter. The major organs of interest for filtration are also digested and analyzed via ICP-OES, producing useful information regarding target specificity of the nanomaterial of interest. Collection of the biosamples and analysis afterward is detailed, and the operation of the technique is described and illustrated by analysis of the nanotoxicity of an injection of a modified tiopronin monolayer-protected cluster.
Predictability, constancy and contingency in electric load profiles

Electric load profile forecasting is among the most important tasks in power system operation. This task has been performed reasonably well with minimal disruption from renewables over the past decades. The expected high penetration of renewables in the system is challenging this classical task. Moreover, the blossom of demand side management programs warrants the necessity of load profile forecasting even for individual (residential as well as industrial) consumers. In this paper, we seek to define predictability in a rigorous way from an information theoretic perspective, which shed light on comparing the predictability between different kinds of loads. Then, we identify two separable components of predictability - constancy and contingency. We further exploit the key parameters in deciding the predictability, which challenge the commonly-held beliefs. For example, does a finer granularity imply a lower predictability? To what degree does the law of large numbers help improve the predictability?
Augmented reality crossover gamified design for sustainable engineering education

This paper captures the design of a crossover Augmented Reality (AR) gamified learning experience called GreenDesigners focused on sustainable engineering education for high school students. Located at a solar demonstration house, our design leverages the functionality of an Augmented Reality interface developed to coordinate learning of sustainable engineering design concepts and practices across real-world (informal) and classroom settings (formal). It is anticipated that such “seam-ful” crossover learning and assessment designs could enable a preparatory transition from informal, active learning activities to formal design-focused activities thus expanding learning opportunities for youth within STEM fields.
A cis-eQTL in OPRM1 is Associated with Subjective Response to Alcohol and Alcohol Use.

Background A functional polymorphism within the μ-opioid receptor (OPRM1) gene, rs1799971 (A118G), previously has been associated with measures of alcohol use and sensitivity to its effects, but findings have been inconclusive. A recent study suggested that a second nearby variant within OPRM1, rs3778150, is robustly associated with heroin dependence and fully explained a smaller observed association with rs1799971. Given evidence that the rs3778150-C allele is associated with decreased OPRM1 expression levels in the human brain, the current study sought to test the hypothesis that rs3778150 represents a causal variant within OPRM1 that increases risk for a variety of alcohol use phenotypes. Methods Participants with genotype and phenotype data from a larger experimental study (N = 152) were assessed on measures of subjective response to alcohol and alcohol use. Measures included (i) the Self-Rating of the Effects of Alcohol and the Alcohol Sensitivity Questionnaire, (ii) the Biphasic Alcohol Effects Scale (BAES) and ratings of subjective intoxication, and (iii) average number of drinks per week in the past month. Results Compared to rs3778150-T homozygous individuals, carriers of the rs3778150-C allele exhibited significantly lower retrospective self-report levels of alcohol sensitivity. Carriers of the rs3778150-C allele also exhibited lower levels of BAES alcohol-related stimulation during an alcohol challenge and reported higher levels of drinking in the last 30 days. With the exception of lower levels of BAES alcohol-related sedation, the rs1799971 variant did not show consistent significant association with any of the alcohol phenotypes in the presence of rs3778150. Conclusions Results suggest that rs3778150 may be causally related to alcohol use phenotypes, and could potentially account for previously observed associations of rs1799971 with substance use phenotypes. Future studies may investigate potential causal relations among genetic variants in OPRM1, subjective response to alcohol, and drinking phenotypes to further delineate the effects of rs3778150.
Exploring the Dyad: The Relationship Establishment Between a Novice Physical Education Teacher and His Mentor

AbstractThe retention of new teachers is a noteworthy issue among physical education teachers. One way to combat attrition is with the implementation of induction programs that have a strong emphasis on mentoring. Mentoring creates a growth-in-connection for the novice physical education teacher as well as the mentor. The relational cultural theory (RCT) develops relationships based in situational boundaries between the mentor and the mentee. RCT explores the nature of human development based on the individuals involved in these relationships. The purpose of the study was to explore the perception of the relationship between a novice physical education teacher and his mentor and to determine if the mentoring relationship between the participants reflected the RCT model. Observations, interviews, and the researcher’s journal were used as a means for data collection. In this study, meaningful relationships occurred in the working relationship, as well as the personal relationship. It was indicated that when...
Approximating a Retarded-Advanced Differential Equation Using Radial Basis Functions

In last years we have got the approximation of the solution of a linear mixed type functional differential equation, considering the autonomous and non-autonomous case by collocation, least squares and finite element methods considering a polynomial basis. The present work introduces a numerical scheme using collocation and radial basis functions to solve numerically the non-linear mixed type equation with symmetric delay and advance. The results are similar using collocation, B-splines and exponential radial functions. The preliminary results are promising, but more simulations using different basis of radial functions are needed.
Penalty, Multiplier, and Newton Methods for a Class of Nonlinear Optimal Control Problems

The optimal control problem to be considered in this work is $$\begin{gathered} \varphi \left( {x\left( {{t_0}} \right),x\left( {{t_1}} \right)} \right) + \int_{{t_0}}^{{t_1}} {{f_0}\left( {t,x\left( t \right),u\left( t \right)} \right)dt} \hfill \\\dot x = f\left( {t,x\left( t \right),u\left( t \right)} \right) \hfill \\{\psi _0}\left( {x\left( {{t_0}} \right)} \right) = 0 \hfill \\ {\psi _1}\left( {x\left( {{t_1}} \right)} \right) = 0 \hfill \\\left( {x,u} \right) \in {W^{1,\infty }}\left( {\left[ {{t_0},{t_1}} \right],{\mathbb{R}^n}} \right) \times {L^\infty }\left( {\left[ {{t_0},{t_1}} \right],{\mathbb{R}^m}} \right) \hfill \\\end{gathered} $$ (1.1) where x is an n-vector, u is an m-vector, yio: IR’ —+ IRk° 1,sl: IR,n —> IRk1 with 0 < k o , k 1 < n, and W’“P([to, t1], IRn) is the usual Sobolev space [1]. A function x E W’”P([to,t1],IR’’) can be characterized via the Sobolev imbedding theorem as being absoLutely continuous with its first derivative being in LP([to,t1],lKn). Our attention shall be confined to the case 2 < p < oo, and frequently we shall omit the arguments of W1,P and L°°. The functions fo, f, 0,1ii0 and 1,i1 are assumed to be at least C2 with respect to their arguments, and for Newton’s method the second derivatives are assumed to be Lipschitz continuous. Finally, it is assumed that the end points to and t1 are fixed; however, we stress that the more general problem in which so = co(t o , x(to),ti, x(ti)) and the end points (ti, x(ti)) are allowed to vary along a manifold Oi(ti, x(t,)) = 0 for i = 1, 2 can be Transformed into this problem by a standard Transformation that introduces two new state variables [3, pp 27-28].
Efficient Approximation Algorithms for Minimum Dominating Sets in Social Networks

Social networks are increasingly becoming an outlet that is more and more powerful in spreading news and influence individuals. Compared with other traditional media outlets such as newspaper, radi...
How Big Are My Effects? Examining the Magnitude of Effect Sizes in Studies of Measurement Equivalence:

Recently, an effect size measure, known as d MACS, was developed for confirmatory factor analytic (CFA) studies of measurement equivalence. Although this index has several advantages over tradition...
High power surface emitting terahertz laser with hybrid second- and fourth-order Bragg gratings

A surface-emitting distributed feedback (DFB) laser with second-order gratings typically excites an antisymmetric mode that has low radiative efficiency and a double-lobed far-field beam. The radiative efficiency could be increased by using curved and chirped gratings for infrared diode lasers, plasmon-assisted mode selection for mid-infrared quantum cascade lasers (QCLs), and graded photonic structures for terahertz QCLs. Here, we demonstrate a new hybrid grating scheme that uses a superposition of second and fourth-order Bragg gratings that excite a symmetric mode with much greater radiative efficiency. The scheme is implemented for terahertz QCLs with metallic waveguides. Peak power output of 170 mW with a slope-efficiency of 993 mW A−1 is detected with robust single-mode single-lobed emission for a 3.4 THz QCL operating at 62 K. The hybrid grating scheme is arguably simpler to implement than aforementioned DFB schemes and could be used to increase power output for surface-emitting DFB lasers at any wavelength. Proper design of the gratings can enhance the efficiency of distributed-feedback and quantum cascade lasers. Here, Jin et al. use a hybrid grating system that superposes second- and fourth-order Bragg gratings and achieve high radiative efficiency and a single-lobe radiation pattern.
Text Mining and Network Analysis of Digital Libraries in R

With the availability of open and structured data, digital libraries become an important source of data in recent data mining techniques. The inherent structure of digital libraries comes with information about date, authorship, involved institutions, geographic context, and large volumes of text. As an illustration of digital libraries analysis, we will focus on a space of scientific publications related to some science discipline and extract patterns and text-related information from the dataset. Text mining techniques offer a reliable and efficient way to quantify many aspects of digital libraries, as well as methods to cluster and regroup digital content in relation to topical content. This chapter will discuss text preparation techniques in R, the use of the latent Dirichlet allocation to classify content, and the analysis of text features, like co-occurrence matrices. Simple similarity measures between authors and between papers will be used to illustrate cluster cohesion within the dataset.
Stability of dimeric retroviral proteases.

Abstract The determination of dimer stabilities for the retroviral proteases has proved more challenging than anticipated, but it is a tractable problem when careful attention is made to potential interferences. For investigations of retroviral proteases not yet characterized, the fundamentally rigorous sedimentation equilibrium and other biophysical techniques may yet provide useful K d values. They are preferable to the indirect methods emphasized in this chapter but nevertheless should be coupled with basic considerations such as recovery of activity at the end of an experiment and the relevance of values obtained to other situations.
The relationship of perceptual discrimination to neural mechanisms of fear generalization.

Abstract The generalization of conditioned fear responses has been shown to decrease as a function of perceptual similarity. However, generalization may also extend beyond the perceptual discrimination threshold, ostensibly due to contributions from processes other than perception. Currently the neural mechanisms that mediate perceptual and non-perceptual aspects of fear generalization are unclear. To investigate this question, we conducted a Pavlovian fear conditioning and generalization experiment, collecting functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), skin conductance and explicit shock likelihood ratings, in 37 healthy subjects. Face stimuli were initially paired (CS+) or not paired (CS ) with an electrical shock. During the generalization phase, responses were measured to the CS+, CS and a range of CS + -to CS morphs (generalization stimuli), selected for each participant based on that participant's discrimination ability. Across multiple measurements, we found that fear generalization responses were limited to stimuli that could not be distinguished from the CS + stimulus, thus following a gradient closely linked to perceptual discriminability. These measurements, which were correlated with one another, included skin conductance responses, behavioral ratings, and fMRI responses of anterior insula and superior frontal gyrus. In contrast, responses in areas of the default network, including the posterior cingulate gyrus, angular gyrus and hippocampus, showed a negative generalization function extending to stimuli that were more likely to be distinguished from the CS+. In addition, the generalization gradients of the anterior insula and the behavioral ratings showed some evidence for extension beyond perceptual limits. Taken together, these results suggest that distinct brain areas are involved in perceptual and non-perceptual components of fear generalization.
Intracellular Sensors and Cellular Metabolism in Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation

Abstract Living cells utilize several mechanisms to “sense” and “respond” to changes in external and internal environment that elicit or modulate inflammation and immunity. Immune responses are induced by moieties with certain molecular patterns from either endogenous or exogenous sources or through metabolic perturbation (Iwasaki and Medzhitov, 2010; Beutler, 2009; Akira et al., 2006) [1] , [2] , [3] . The inducers that are sensed and lead to a functional immune response have been variously characterized as “danger” or “damage” or “nonself” from promiscuous but biologically distinct molecular patterns (Medzhito, 2007) [4] . They include damaged tissues, chemicals, metabolites, non–self-antigens from microbes, and allogeneic tissues (Seong and Matzinger, 2004) [5] . In this chapter, the general biology and specific role of “sensors” and the perturbation of metabolic pathways in immune cells will be discussed, as well as their impact on allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation and graft versus host disease. The first part of the chapter is focused on the sensors while the second is on the metabolic alterations.
Intestinal Epithelium Modulates Macrophage Response to Gliadin in Celiac Disease

Celiac disease is an immune-mediated enteropathy triggered by ingestion of gluten. Although its pathogenesis has been extensively studied and the contribution from both innate and adaptive immune responses has been reported, little is still known about the contribution of macrophages to the onset or maintenance of the disease. Macrophages are extremely plastic immune cells that can be directed toward a pro- or anti-inflammatory phenotype by the surrounding microenvironment. Of note, gliadin, the most prominent causative agent of the disease, has been reported to trigger the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines in this cell population. In the present study, we aimed at investigating how the intestinal milieu and more specifically the epithelium can shape the macrophage response to gliadin. Using patient-derived organoids we showed that the intestinal epithelium derived from celiac disease donors releases anti-inflammatory factors that curb the macrophage response to gliadin. Furthermore, we uncovered that the celiac macrophages were better responders than macrophages derived from non-celiac controls. Finally, we demonstrated that IFNγ released by the epithelium is in part responsible of the observed anti-inflammatory effect. Our data shed light on the cross-talk between the immune system and the epithelium and its critical role in the intestinal homeostasis. Furthermore, we provide more evidence how alterations in the innate immune machinery in celiac patients may contribute to the onset of the disease.
Fluids and Electrolytes

Fluid and electrolyte derangements are commonly encountered in all pediatric settings; however, due to changes in body composition and electrolyte needs as the child grows from the neonatal period to adolescence, their management is often challenging. This chapter aims to summarize the information that the pediatrician needs to have in order to adequately address all fluid and electrolyte imbalances at any given age, as well as provide the necessary calculations to accomplish that goal.
A Two-Moment Bulk Parameterization of the Drop Collection Growth in Warm Clouds

AbstractTo improve the modeling of warm rain initiation, a two-moment bulk parameterization of the drop collection growth in warm clouds is developed by two steps: (i) its prototype is first derive...
A Dataset and Evaluation Framework for Complex Geographical Description Parsing.

Much previous work on geoparsing has focused on identifying and resolving individual toponyms in text like Adrano, S.Maria di Licodia or Catania. However, geographical locations occur not only as individual toponyms, but also as compositions of reference geolocations joined and modified by connectives, e.g., “. . . between the towns of Adrano and S.Maria di Licodia, 32 kilometres northwest of Catania”. Ideally, a geoparser should be able to take such text, and the geographical shapes of the toponyms referenced within it, and parse these into a geographical shape, formed by a set of coordinates, that represents the location described. But creating a dataset for this complex geoparsing task is difficult and, if done manually, would require a huge amount of effort to annotate the geographical shapes of not only the geolocation described but also the reference toponyms. We present an approach that automates most of the process by combining Wikipedia and OpenStreetMap. As a result, we have gathered a collection of 360,187 uncurated complex geolocation descriptions, from which we have manually curated 1,000 examples intended to be used as a test set. To accompany the data, we define a new geoparsing evaluation framework along with a scoring methodology and a set of baselines.
Pituitary apoplexy

Pituitary apoplexyis a potentially fatal neuroendocrinologic emergency that requires early clinical recognition, confirmation with specialized CT or MR imaging, and early medical and surgical intervention.
Using California's Farmland Preservation Programs to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions

California has long tried to preserve land devoted to agricultural production. Recently it became the leader in creating a statewide policy to reduce greenhouse gases. The State’s policy choices regarding farmland preservation and reducing greenhouse gas emissions are interrelated. California’s environmental and agricultural stakeholders point to the presence of three farmland conservation programs (and other programs and multiple policies throughout different codes) as encouraging the retention of agricultural land and thus resulting in less urban sprawl, less vehicle miles travelled, and less green house gases generated in the state. The purpose of this paper is to examine this claim and to tender an opinion on its validity. Offered also are suggestions on how to tie together better the dual goals of farmland preservation and greenhouse gas reduction in California. *The California Department of Conservation commissioned the production of this paper. The opinions expressed here are only my own and in no way represent the opinions of the California Department of Conservation. Al Sokolow, Larelle Burkham-Greydanus, Peter Detwiler, Fielding Greaves, Brian Leahy, Scott Limpach, and Charles Tyson offered helpful comments on an earlier draft. Any errors that remain are my own. This is a condensed version of Wassmer (2009).
Volcanic Materials in Commerce and Industry

Abstract The products of volcanic eruptions have provided useful raw materials for man throughout history. In many regions of the world volcanic rock is ubiquitous, and the inhabitants of these regions have developed ingenious uses for this natural resource. Ranging from early weapons and implements to building materials, volcanic rocks have been sought out because of their physical properties for use in manufacturing processes, as insulators, absorbents , or abrasives. Volcanic materials play an important role in our lives, regardless of whether or not we live near volcanoes, although most of us do not realize their wide variety and applications.
The effect of intranasal steroid budesonide on sleep disturbance and daytime somnolence in patients with perennial allergic rhinitis

Abstract Rationale The objective of this study was to determine whether intranasal corticosteroid budesonide reduced complaints of nasal congestion, poor sleep, daytime fatigue, and somnolence in patients with perennial allergic rhinitis (PAR). Methods Following IRB approval, twenty-six subjects were enrolled in a double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study using Balaam's design. Patients were treated with intranasal steroid spray budesonide or placebo. Epworth Sleepiness Scale, daily diary, and questionnaires were used as tools for subjective data analysis, which focused on nasal symptoms, sleep quality, daytime somnolence, and fatigue. The results were summarized and compared by PROC MIXED in SAS. Results The daily diary data showed significant improvement in nasal congestion (p=0.04) and daytime sleepiness (p=0.01), and marginally significant reduction in daytime fatigue (p=0.08) in the budesonide group compared to the placebo group. The sleep measures demonstrated statistically significant improvement in total sleep measures score (p=0.04), "sleep compared with absolute" (p=0.01), and "refreshing and restorative" sleep (p=0.04) in the active group. Conclusions Nasal corticosteroid budesonide is effective in reducing nasal congestion, daytime somnolence, and daytime fatigue, and improving sleep quality and the PAR patients' quality of life.
On-glass diversity tire pressure monitoring and FM antenna systems

A diversity TPM receiving antenna system based on signal strength is described in this study. Two distinct antennas, located on the side windows of the vehicle are utilized in a diversity setting. Typically, the signals form the most distant sensor to the receiving antenna degrades most and becomes problematic for further processing. The proposed scheme overcomes poor signal reception in such cases and can be implemented in a cost-effective way if combined in an FM diversity system
Chemical characterization of basil (Ocimum spp.) found in the markets and used in traditional medicine in Brazil.

Ocimum species are used both in Brazilian traditional medicine against bronchitis, coughs, and sorethroat, and in foods and flavorings. The traditional uses of basil in Brazil are reviewed and fourteen accessions of basil, O. americanum (1), O. basilicum (3), O. campechianum (3), O. gratissimum (5), and O. selloi (2) were collected and brought from Brazil to the USA and grown at Purdue University. Upon flowering, the volatile oils were extracted by hydrodistillation and chemically analyzed by GC/ MS. Accessions ofO. gratissimum showed high eugenol (40-66%) and high thymol (31%), as a relative percentage of total volatile oil. Ocimum campechianum accessions showed high 1,8-cineole (62%) and s-caryophyllene (78.7%). Accessions of O. basilicum were found to be rich in 1,8-cineole (22%), linalool (49.7%), methyl chavicol (47%) or methyl (E)-cinnamate (65.5%). An O. americanum var. americanum accession showed high methyl (E)-cinnamate (>90%). Volatile oils of O. basilicum and O. gratissimum naturalized in Brazil reflected the range of chemotypes found in their country of origin. Unusual basils from other Ocimum species were identified that can serve as genetic sources of aroma chemicals for crop improvement.
Hand-eye coordination of a robot manipulator based on fuzzy logic

Hand-eye coordination of a robot system is a classical problem which mathematically can be described as an ill-posed inverse mapping problem. Different techniques have been developed to solve this inverse mapping problem. But most of the reported work has a common limitation that is the relative position between the camera and the robot must be fixed once the calibration is done. However, very often in real-world applications this may not be realistic either due to the random disturbances to the system or due to the need of repositioning the camera or moving the robot base to perform different task. In this case, usually a lengthy re-calibration process has to be carried out. In this paper, we briefly describe our technique which eliminates the need of re-calibration for the vertical position change of the camera. Our technique is based on the integration of the utilization of a close form mathematical formulation and fuzzy logic. An algorithm has been developed, an experiment has been performed on a 6-degree-of-freedom robot, and testing data has confirmed our design. >
IMPACT OF A YOUTH SERVICE CENTER

The influences of a Youth Service Center are assessed in two South Philadelphia police districts and two pairs of selected comparison districts, using Uniform Crime Reports (UCR) and the Youth Center's caseload arrest data. UCR data indicate a slight change in arrest rates within the selected target districts and fluctuating rates within comparison districts. Data for Youth Center Clients show a 26% decrease in arrests during a oneyear period, particularly for white youths. but analysis of other important factors that may have an impact on arrest rates suggests thar it is impossible at this time to demonstrate that the Youth Service Center is significantly decreasing official juvenile delinquency.
On the strength of solid solution alloys

Abstract Short-range order is shown to give an important contribution to the strength of highly alloyed solid solutions. Because motion of a dislocation through a crystal with short-range order partially destroys the order and produces an interface of positive mean energy γ per unit area, an additional stress τ = γ b is required to force the dislocation along the slip plane.
Heat sensitivity and membrane properties of metastasizing and non-metastasizing rat mammary tumors.

Paired lines of metastasizing and non-metastasizing transplantable rat mammary tumors were studied for their sensitivity to hyperthermia. The metastasizing TMT-081 and SMT-2A tumors were markedly more sensitive to heat injury as measured by tumor growth delay than were their non-metastatic counterparts MT-100 and MT-W913. The metastasizing MT-081 tumor was also significantly more sensitive than the SMT-2A tumor. The differences in heat sensitivity were not the result of differences in intra-tumor temperatures attained during water bath heating. A more likely explanation for the variable response obtained with these tumors after heat treatment may be the inherent differences in stability and composition of their cellular membranes, particularly the plasma membrane.
Clinical Determination of Target Registration Error of an Image- Guided Otologic Surgical System using Patients with Bone-Anchored Hearing Aids

Image guidance in otologic surgery has been thwarted by the need for a non-invasive fiducial system with target registration error (TRE) at the inner ear below 1.5mm. We previously presented a fiducial frame for this purpose that attaches to the upper dentition via patient-specific bite blocks and demonstrated a TRE of 0.73mm (±0.23mm) on cadaveric skulls. In that study, TRE measurement depended upon placement of bone-implanted, intracranial target fiducials-clearly impossible to repeat clinically. Using cadaveric specimens, we recently presented a validation method based on an auditory implant system (BAHA System®; Cochlear Corp., Denver, CO). That system requires a skull-implanted titanium screw behind the ear upon which a bone-anchored hearing aid (BAHA) is mounted. In our validation, we replace the BAHA with a fiducial marker to permit measurement of TRE. That TRE is then used to estimate TRE at an internal point. While the method can be used to determine accuracy at any point within the head, we focus in this study on the inner ear, in particular the cochlea, and we apply the method to patients ( N =5). Physical localizations were performed after varying elapsed times since bite-block fabrication, and TRE at the cochlea was estimated. We found TRE to be 0.97mm at the cochlea within one month and 2.5mm after seven months. Thus, while accuracy deteriorates considerably with delays of seven months or more, if this frame is used within one month of the fabrication of the bite-block, it achieves the goal and in fact exhibits submillimetric accuracy.
Is shared housing a way to reduce homelessness? The effect of household arrangements on formerly homeless people

Abstract Most single adults share housing with other adults, and living alone is considerably more expensive than living with someone else. Yet policies that discourage shared housing for formerly homeless people or people at risk of becoming homeless are common, and those that encourage it are rare. This would be understandable if such housing adversely affected its users in some way. We ask whether shared housing produces adverse effects. Our provisional answer is no. For the most part, whether a person lives alone or shares housing seems to make no difference to the outcomes we studied although shared housing is associated with reduced psychotic symptomology. We use data from ACCESS, a 5-year, 18-site demonstration project with over 6000 formerly homeless individuals as participants.
Encapsidation of Nanoparticles by Red Clover Necrotic Mosaic Virus

Icosahedral virus capsids demonstrate a high degree of selectivity in packaging cognate nucleic acid genome components during virion assembly. The 36 nm icosahedral plant virus Red clover necrotic mosaic virus (RCNMV) packages its two genomic ssRNAs via a specific capsid protein (CP) genomic RNA interaction. A 20-nucleotide hairpin structure within the genomic RNA-2 hybridizes with RNA-1 to form a bimolecular complex, which is the origin of assembly (OAS) in RCNMV that selectively recruits and orients CP subunits initiating virion assembly. In this Article, an oligonucleotide mimic of the OAS sequence was attached to Au, CoFe2O4, and CdSe nanoparticles ranging from 3 to 15 nm, followed by addition of RNA-1 to form a synthetic OAS to direct the virion-like assembly by RCNMV CP. Dynamic light scattering (DLS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) measurements were consistent with the formation of virus-like particles (VLPs) comparable in size to native RCNMV. Attempts to encapsidate nanoparticles with ...
The Role of Disorder in the Magnetic Properties of Mechanically Milled Nanostructured Alloys

Abstract : Mechanical milling provides a unique means of studying the influence of grain size and disorder on the magnetic properties of nanostructured alloys. This paper compares the role of milling in the nanostructure evolution of two ferromagnets - SmCo5 and GdAl2 - and the subsequent impact of nanostructure on magnetic properties and phase transitions. The ferromagnetic properties of SmCo5 are enhanced by short (< 2 hours) milling times, producing up to an eight-fold increase in coercivity and high remanence ratios. The coercivity increase is attributed to defect formation and strain. Additional milling increases the disorder and produces a mix of ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic interactions that form a magnetically glassy phase. GdAl2, which changes from ferromagnetic in its crystalline form to spin-glass-like in its amorphous form, is a model system for studying the dependence of magnetically glassy behavior on grain size and disorder. Nanostructured GdAl2 with a mean grain size of 8 nm shows a combination of ferromagnetic and magnetically glassy behavior, in contrast to previous studies of nanostructured GdAl2 with a grain size of 20 nm that show only spin-glass-like behavior.
Changes in the sea surface temperature threshold for tropical convection

Deep convection in the tropics is observed generally above a threshold for sea surface temperatures of about 26–28 °C. An analysis of satellite observations of tropical rainfall shows that the threshold has varied in the past 30 years in parallel with tropical mean sea surface temperatures.
Circular dichroism of polynucleotides: A simple theory

A particularly simple theory of circular dichroism is described and applied to the polynucleotides. It works surprisingly well and predicts the conservative spectrum of DNA and the more intense nonconservative spectrum of RNA. The anomalously low intensity of the CD of the nucleic acids is shown to be a natural consequence of the cancellation of the rotational strengths of the many CD bands. The theory's many successes and predictions as well as its weaknesses are discussed.
Social signal processing in depression

As social signal processing develops as a field of enquiry and application, there is emerging focus on individual differences in social signaling. My colleagues and I have been particularly interested in social signal processing in depression. Depression has among the highest lifetime prevalence and morbidity of any psychiatric disorder [1]. An understanding of interpersonal mechanisms and accurate, efficient diagnosis and assessment of course and response to treatment are high priorities of national and international efforts. Social signal processing is primed to contribute to these tasks.I review previous efforts to characterize social signal processing in depression, the need for longitudinal designs to control for trait emotion, and recent breakthroughs in multimodal measurement of social signaling in depression. In a clinical sample undergoing treatment for depression [2], my colleagues and I used active appearance models (AAM) [3, 4] and speech recognition and prosodic measures [5, 6] to evaluate change over time between symptom severity and social signaling. I report our latest findings as well as new efforts to produce assessment measures that can be implemented efficiently in both research and clinical settings.Because AAM approaches must be specifically tuned to lighting, camera, and person characteristics prior to use, their general use is limited. Constrained local models (CLM) are a promising alternative [7, 8]. CLM require no training or adaptation for use with new persons, illumination, or cameras. When coupled with registration-invariant registrations, our initial findings suggest that they can achieve accuracy approaching that of AAMs [9].In summary, I review what is known of social signal processing in depression, recent longitudinal research using AAM and prosodic measures of depression severity and partner effects, and prospects for generic approaches using CLM that lend themselves to use in a wider range of research and clinical applications.
Aluminum-adenine nucleotides as alternate substrates for creatine kinase.

Abstract Aluminum-ATP has previously been shown to be a potent but selective inhibitor of certain kinases (N. C. Furumo and R. E. Viola (1989) Inorg. Chem. 28 , 820–823) . Because of the selective binding affinity that has been demonstrated, aluminum-ATP was examined as a potential alternate substrate for enzyme-catalyzed phosphoryl-transfer reactions. Of the kinases that have been examined only creatine kinase, which was weakly inhibited by Al-ATP, was found to utilize this metal-nucleotide complex as a substrate. The maximum velocity for this reaction is 0.6% of that observed with Mg-ATP, and a Michaelis constant of 90 μ m was measured, which is comparable to that with Mg-ATP. The equilibrium constant for the reaction, measured by phosphorus-31 NMR spectroscopy, is 0.18. This value is indistinguishable from the value determined for the reaction with Mg-ATP as the phosphoryl donor. The rate of interconversion between reactants and products at stoichiometric levels of creatine kinase was found to be quite rapid in the presence of Al 3+ , indicating that the rate-limiting step in catalytic turnover for this substrate must be a slow rate of substrate binding and/or product release.
Use of B-Proteus OX19 Agglutination in Diagnosis of Cancer.

ConclusionBy the methods used, there was no evidence that the agglutination of B-proteus OX19 antigen would be of value in determining the presence of cancer.