Pathway to health: Cluster-randomized trail to increase fruit and vegetable consumption among smokers in public housing.

Objectives: Examine the effectiveness of an intervention to increase fruits and vegetables (FV) consumption among smokers. Design: Cluster-randomized trial of 20 public housing developments; 10 randomly assigned to an FV intervention and 10 to a smoking cessation intervention. Main outcome measures: Usual (past 7 days) and past 30 days change in daily FV intake at 8 weeks and 6 months postbaseline. Results: Greater increases were seen in the FV group. At Week 8 and Month 6, the FV group had consumed 1.58 (p = .001) and 0.78 (p = .04), respectively, more daily FV servings in the past 7 days than the cessation group. At the same time points, the FV group had consumed 3.61 (p = .01) and 3.93 (p = .01), respectively, more FV servings in the past 30 days than the cessation group. Completing more motivational interviewing sessions (p = .02) and trying more recipes (p = .02) led to significantly greater increases at Month 6 among FV participants. Conclusions: Motivational interviewing counseling and lifestyle modification through trying out healthy recipes may be effective in helping a high-risk population increase their FV intake. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Rightful ownership through image adaptive DWT-SVD watermarking algorithm and perceptual tweaking

In this paper, a tailored blended image adaptive watermarking scheme has been presented, which is based on DWT and SVD. Through this paper an attempt has been made to solve the problem of false positive while maintaining the robustness and imperceptibility with the help of principal component and perceptual tuning of the image. Perceptual tuning is a non-blind technique and based on the objective quality of image. The embedding strength is made dependent on watermark features as well as of host in wavelet domain by using tuning parameter which is user specific. The idea of embedding the principal component of intermediate frequency sub-bands of watermark image into singular values of perceptually tuned intermediate frequency sub-bands of host image have been exploited. The proposed algorithm is providing the adaptive behavior towards the image content for perceptual transparency and at the same time avoiding the possibility of false watermark extraction well supported by a private key, which is necessary at the time of extraction. Thus the proposed watermarking algorithm is a kind of non-blind, image adaptive and suitable for rightful ownership. Various comparative results make the algorithm superior in terms of intentional and non-intentional attacks. Also the algorithm is strong against the print and scan attack.     

An android for enhancing social skills and emotion recognition in people with autism.

It is well documented that the processing of social and emotional information is impaired in people with autism. Recent studies have shown that individuals, particularly those with high functioning autism, can learn to cope with common social situations if they are made to enact possible scenarios they may encounter in real life during therapy. The main aim of this work is to describe an interactive life-like facial display (FACE) and a supporting therapeutic protocol that will enable us to verify if the system can help children with autism to learn, identify, interpret, and use emotional information and extend these skills in a socially appropriate, flexible, and adaptive context. The therapeutic setup consists of a specially equipped room in which the subject, under the supervision of a therapist, can interact with FACE. The android display and associated control system has automatic facial tracking, expression recognition, and eye tracking. The treatment scheme is based on a series of therapist-guided sessions in which a patient communicates with FACE through an interactive console. Preliminary data regarding the exposure to FACE of two children are reported.     

Template synthesis of gold nanotubes in an anodic alumina membrane

Nanotube-containing membranes prepared by the template method show promise for use as highly selective filters for membrane-based chemical and biological separations. Most of the work to date has been done on gold nanotubes prepared by electroless deposition of Au within the pores of polymeric filtration membranes. These polymeric filters have very low porosities (< 1%), and, as a result, the flux through Au nanotube membranes based on these templates is very low. In contrast, the other popular template membranes-anodic aluminas-have high porosities-30% to 50%. In spite of this potential advantage of anodic alumina templates, there have been no reports of electrolessly plated Au nanotubes within the pores of these templates. This is because the electroless plating method used to deposit Au nanotubes in polymeric templates does not work in aluminas. We have developed a modified electroless plating strategy that can be used to deposit high-quality Au nanotubes within the pores of the alumina templates. We describe this new plating method here.     

Improving the Professional Engineering Licensure Process for Construction Engineers

Professional engineering licensure is important in the career development of engineers who undertake work critical to protecting public health, safety, and welfare. The knowledge and experience of construction engineers has not previously been well represented in professional engineering licensure evaluation. The ASCE-CI Construction Engineering Education Committee identified recognition of construction engineering in the professional engineering licensure process as one of its missions when it was organized in 1995. With the support of the states and the receptiveness of the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES), improvements were gradually achieved in recognition of construction engineering experience by changes in NCEES Model Rules. In 2003, the NCEES Board decided to evaluate modification of the Civil Engineering PE exam to include a Construction Engineering module. The evaluation included a Professional Activities and Knowledge Study (PAKS) of the skills appropriate for construction engineers. Following approval of the NCEES Board in 2005, exam development has been underway with implementation planned for April 2008. An additional benefit of the PAKS is the improved understanding of knowledge needed by construction engineers in completing their work activities. These results should be valuable to construction engineering education and industry in identifying critical subject matter for inclusion in courses, curriculums, and continuing education.     

Cloning and expression of a chicken alpha-amylase gene

The effects of cabbage leaf protein concentrate (CLPC) on serum and liver lipid concentrations were determined in rats fed cholesterol-enriched and cholesterol-free diets. In rats fed the cholesterol-enriched diet with CLPC, total cholesterol, triacylglycerol and phospholipid concentrations in both the serum and liver, as well as the atherogenic index diet were significantly lower than those of the rats fed a casein diet. A supplement of methionine to the CLPC diet raised serum HDL-cholesterol and body weight gain, indicating that the addition of methionine to the CLPC diet is not only available to improve the nutritive value of CLPC but also to lower the atherogenic index. In rats fed the cholesterol-free diet, the liver total cholesterol and triacylglycerol concentrations of the CLPC-fed rats also showed lower values than those of the casein-fed rats, however, the serum total cholesterol concentration of the CLPC-fed rats did not differ from that of the casein-fed rats.     

An expert system for the design and selection of ball bearing parameters

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is an emerging technology. Research in Al is focused on developing computational approaches to intelligent behaviour.The computer programs with which AI could be associated are primarily processes associated with complexity, ambiguity, indecisiveness, and uncertainty. One of these computer programs is referred to as Knowledge-based Expert System (KBES) as it represents knowledge acquired from various experts in a particular field of interest to the user. The expert system emulates human behaviour in solving problems thought to require experts for their solution by utilizing computer programs that incorporate experts' heuristic reasoning. In this paper, the application of KBES to aid the design of ball and roller bearing is discussed. The precision rolling-element bearing of the twentieth century is a product of exacting technology and sophisticated science. A bearing supports radial and axial loads, at the same time allowing relative motion between two elements of a machine. Various requirements and steps in the design of ball and roller bearings are discussed. Equations are developed for the relevant design parameters and input into the expert system shell called VP-Expert. The expert system rules are also provided.     

Technical assessment of cryo-compressed hydrogen storage tank systems for automotive applications

On-board and off-board performance and cost of cryo-compressed hydrogen storage are assessed and compared to the targets for automotive applications. The on-board performance of the system and high-volume manufacturing cost were determined for liquid hydrogen refueling with a single-flow nozzle and a pump that delivers liquid H₂ to the insulated cryogenic tank capable of being pressurized to 272 atm. The off-board performance and cost of delivering liquid hydrogen were determined for two scenarios in which hydrogen is produced by central steam methane reforming (SMR) or by central electrolysis. The main conclusions are that the cryo-compressed storage system has the potential of meeting the ultimate target for system gravimetric capacity, mid-term target for system volumetric capacity, and the target for hydrogen loss during dormancy under certain conditions of minimum daily driving. However, the high-volume manufacturing cost and the fuel cost for the SMR hydrogen production scenario are, respectively, 2–4 and 1.6–2.4 times the current targets, and the well-to-tank efficiency is well short of the 60% target specified for off-board regenerable materials.     

Electroactive carbon nanotube actuators: Soft-lithographic fabrication and electro-chemical modelling

Carbon nanotube (NT) actuators were fabricated using the micromolding method. In order to prevent the nanotubes from aggregating, they were enclosed in a partially cross-linked polyvinylalcohol–polyallylamine matrix. A unimorph matrix bender in the form of a small multi-layered strip, 5 mm × 15 mm was fabricated. The resulting composite system: NT/PVA, solid polymer electrolyte and metal contact, was characterised using impedance analysis and cyclic voltammetry. Initial measurements on electro-mechanical transduction show a conversion efficiency of 0.2 μm/mV. An electrochemical model of the impedance of the system was then developed, with which the experimental results agree fairly well.