A mitochondrial import receptor for the ADP/ATP carrier

We have identified a mitochondrial outer membrane protein of 72 kd (MOM72) that exhibits the properties of an import receptor for the ADP/ATP carrier (AAC), the most abundant mitochondrial protein. Monospecific antibodies and Fab fragments against MOM72 selectively inhibit import of AAC at the level of specific binding to the mitochondria. AAC bound to the mitochondrial surface is coprecipitated with antibodies against MOM72 after lysis of mitochondria with detergent. MOM72 thus has a complementary function to that of MOM19, which acts as an import receptor for the majority of mitochondrial proteins studied so far but not for the AAC. The import pathway of the precursor of MOM72 appears to involve MOM19 as receptor

The Alternate Arm Converter: A New Hybrid Multilevel Converter With DC-Fault Blocking Capability

This paper explains the working principles, supported by simulation results, of a new converter topology intended for HVDC applications, called the alternate arm converter (AAC). It is a hybrid between the modular multilevel converter, because of the presence of H-bridge cells, and the two-level converter, in the form of director switches in each arm. This converter is able to generate a multilevel ac voltage and since its stacks of cells consist of H-bridge cells instead of half-bridge cells, they are able to generate higher ac voltage than the dc terminal voltage. This allows the AAC to operate at an optimal point, called the “sweet spot,” where the ac and dc energy flows equal. The director switches in the AAC are responsible for alternating the conduction period of each arm, leading to a significant reduction in the number of cells in the stacks. Furthermore, the AAC can keep control of the current in the phase reactor even in case of a dc-side fault and support the ac grid, through a STATCOM mode. Simulation results and loss calculations are presented in this paper in order to support the claimed features of the AAC

Augmentative and alternative communication in intensive care units in New Zealand : experiences of healthcare professionals : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Speech Language Therapy at Massey University, Albany, New Zealand

Research shows that communication between patients and healthcare professionals (HCPs) in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) is often fraught with difficulty. Communication problems increase the risk of adverse events and psychological distress. Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) tools are useful for enabling communication with patients in the ICU. To date, all of the research about communication and AAC use in the ICU has been completed outside of New Zealand. Five nurses and three speech and language therapists (SLTs) working in ICUs in five District Health Boards (DHBs) were interviewed to explore their experiences communicating with patients who were conscious but unable to speak. Seven key findings emerged: 1) Nurses reported experiencing communication breakdown with patients; 2) HCPs reported that communication attempts were limited for patients; 3) HCPs reported using unaided and low-tech AAC tools and strategies. High-tech AAC tools were relatively uncommon; 4) Alternative access options were rarely used; 5) The greatest barriers to effective communication were time and workload (including prioritization of dysphagia management) and patients’ limb weakness, cognitive deficits and sedation; 6) In three DHBs, ICU staff regularly referred patients to SLT and in two they did not; 7) Training in AAC for both professions was limited, and nurses wanted more information about options for communicating with their patients. The interviews showed that New Zealand nurses’ perceptions about communicating with patients were similar to reports from international studies. AAC tools and SLT services should be provided in ICUs across the country. Additionally, AAC training is needed for nurses and SLTs

Ambiguous keyboards for AAC

Purpose – “Ambiguous keyboards” and “disambiguation processes” are becoming universally recognised through the popularisation of “predictive text messaging” on mobile phones. As this paper shows, although originating in the AT and AAC fields, these terms and techniques no longer appear to be widely understood or adopted by practitioners or users. The purpose of this paper is to introduce these techniques, discussing the research and theory around them, and to suggest them as AT and AAC strategies to be considered by practitioners and users. Design/methodology/approach – This is a conceptual paper that describes the use of ambiguous keyboards and disambiguation. The hypothesis of the paper is that ambiguous keyboards and disambiguation processes offer potential to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of AAC and should thus be considered further in research and practice. Findings – The two broad methods for removing the ambiguity from the output of an ambiguous keyboard are presented. A summary of the literature around the use of disambiguation processes provided and the use of disambiguation processes for AAC discussed. Originality/value – This paper suggests that ambiguity should be adopted as a characteristic of an AAC keyboard as should the method of removing ambiguity – namely either coding or a disambiguation process

Evaluation of arts across the curriculum

This is the final report on the evaluation of the Arts Across the Curriculum (AAC) project, prepared bythe evaluation team in the Quality in Education Centre (QIE) at the University of Strathclyde, who were commissioned by the Scottish Government (formerly Scottish Executive) Education Department.Arts Across the Curriculum is a three-year pilot project sponsored by the former Scottish Executive'sFuture Learning and Teaching (FLaT) programme1, the Scottish Arts Council, and seven localauthorities in which the initiative is being piloted. In order to be eligible to participate in AAC, localauthorities had to have a Creative Links Officer in post. The seven Creative Links Officers were responsible for the management of the AAC project in their local authority

Factors related to the rejection and/or abandonment of AAC devices

More than 3.5 million Americans have such significant communication disability that they cannot rely on their natural speech to meet their communication needs. As a result, these individuals are severely restricted in their participation in all aspects of life, including their education, employment, family, and community. Augmentative and alternative communication strategies offer great potential to enhance the communication of individuals with complex communication needs, and therefore improve their quality of life. Fifty-two ISAAC members that responded to the online survey utilized a 5 point Likert-type scale (strongly agree to strongly disagree) to rate the importance of factors as they relate to the rejection and/or abandonment. The mean values of ratings were calculated to determine which factors were cited as relevant in predicting AAC device rejection and abandonment. Additionally, an independent T-test was utilized to determine if the factors cited varied depending on the role of the person completing the survey. The results of this investigation indicate that it is imperative to consider a complex interaction of factors pertaining to the individuals who use AAC, their conversational partners, settings in which interactions occur, and devices used to interact, when designing an AAC intervention. The statistical analysis revealed no significance difference in how the respondents rated the factors based on their occupation. Based on the results of the study, a checklist of factors that an AAC practitioner might consider addressing in order to foster acceptance of AAC systems initially and later on was constructed

Systematic Review: Comparative Efficacy of the Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) to Other Augmentative Communication Systems in Increasing Social Communication Skills in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Purpose: This systematic review aims to compare the efficacy of the Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) to other forms of Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) in increasing social communication skills in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Methods: A systematic review of the literature on PECS and other forms of AAC written between 2007 and 2018 was conducted. Studies were selected based on the established inclusionary and exclusionary criteria. The inclusionary criteria incorporated subjects with a formal diagnosis of ASD under the age of 18. Exclusionary criteria included individuals with severe sensory, motor, and/or other medical conditions that may have affected their use of PECS. 25 articles of varying study designs were critically appraised for validity and reliability to minimize bias. Results: Results suggest that both PECS and other forms of AAC are conducive to improving social communication in children (\u3c18 \u3eyears) with ASD. Advancements in conversation initiation, requesting behaviors and joint attention were noted, resulting in a global increase in communication interactions. However, studies demonstrated mixed results with specific consideration of rate of acquisition, modality preference, and overall effectiveness of the system. Conclusion: Synthesis of results from the 25 studies suggest that both PECS and other AAC systems show favorable outcomes for encouraging social-communicative behavior. The clinical implications of these results suggest the implementation of an AAC system may be client dependent. Single design designs were included in this review due to the lack of research in the areas of ASD and AAC. Further research of this comparison should be conducted on larger populations of children with ASD to improve clinical decision making to target social communication and increase generalizability.https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/csdms/1000/thumbnail.jp

Surface electromyographic control of a novel phonemic interface for speech synthesis

Many individuals with minimal movement capabilities use AAC to communicate. These individuals require both an interface with which to construct a message (e.g., a grid of letters) and an input modality with which to select targets. This study evaluated the interaction of two such systems: (a) an input modality using surface electromyography (sEMG) of spared facial musculature, and (b) an onscreen interface from which users select phonemic targets. These systems were evaluated in two experiments: (a) participants without motor impairments used the systems during a series of eight training sessions, and (b) one individual who uses AAC used the systems for two sessions. Both the phonemic interface and the electromyographic cursor show promise for future AAC applications.F31 DC014872 - NIDCD NIH HHS; R01 DC002852 - NIDCD NIH HHS; R01 DC007683 - NIDCD NIH HHS; T90 DA032484 - NIDA NIH HHShttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=Surface+electromyographic+control+of+a+novel+phonemic+interface+for+speech+synthesishttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=Surface+electromyographic+control+of+a+novel+phonemic+interface+for+speech+synthesisPublished versio