The Doyen of Dixie: A Survey of the Banjo Stylings of Uncle Dave Macon

David Harrison Macon (1870-1952) is often memorialized for his showmanship rather than his banjo playing. To compartmentalize such a significant American musician yields a wide gap within scholarship about Macon, country music history and the banjo. Macon’s banjo playing, documented through over two-hundred and fifty recordings made between the 1920s and 1950s, represents an array of cultures, eras, ethnicities, and styles all preserved in the repertoire of one of the most prolific country musicians of the 20th century. This study reveals Macon’s playing by considering such factors as influences that preceded his professional tenure, identifying elements within his playing from specific stylistic origins, and by technically notating selections from Macon’s canon that represent those influences. To understand the instrumental playing of one of early country music’s most important figures broadens understanding of banjo influences from the nineteenth century which laid the foundation for the instrument’s renaissance in the twentieth century

High Frequency Direction Finding Using Structurally Integrated Antennas on a Large Airborne Platform

Estimating the angle of arrival (AOA) of a high frequency (HF) signal, 2-32 MHz, is challenging, especially if the antenna array is installed on a platform with dimensions on the order of one wavelength. Accurate AOA estimates are necessary for search and rescue operations and geolocating RF emitters of interest. This research examines the performance of a direction finding (DF) system using structurally integrated (SI) antennas installed on an airborne platform which allows the aircraft structure to become the receiving element. Two simulated DF systems are analyzed at 4 and 11 MHz. The relationship between the number of SI antennas used and the AOA accuracy is examined by simulating systems using 4, 8, and 16 antennas. Simulations are also performed using the SI array to synthesize the pattern of a 3-loop cube, or vector, antenna. The maximum likelihood algorithm is used to produce AOA estimates. An array of SI antennas, with a dedicated receiver channel for each antenna, produce more accurate AOA estimates at 11 MHz than at 4 MHz. The accuracy improves when more antennas are included, regardless of frequency. Synthesizing a pattern to perform AOA estimation is an unnecessary step resulting in a suboptimal array for HFDF purposes

NASA/RAE collaboration on nonlinear control using the F-8C digital fly-by-wire aircraft

Design procedures are reviewed for variable integral control to optimize response (VICTOR) algorithms and results of preliminary flight tests are presented. The F-8C aircraft is operated in the remotely augmented vehicle (RAV) mode, with the control laws implemented as FORTRAN programs on a ground-based computer. Pilot commands and sensor information are telemetered to the ground, where the data are processed to form surface commands which are then telemetered back to the aircraft. The RAV mode represents a singlestring (simplex) system and is therefore vulnerable to a hardover since comparison monitoring is not possible. Hence, extensive error checking is conducted on both the ground and airborne computers to prevent the development of potentially hazardous situations. Experience with the RAV monitoring and validation procedures is described

Teaching Counseling Skills in Audiology Graduate Programs: Clinical Supervisors’ Perceptions and Practices

Background: Counseling is a critical component within audiological service delivery. Partnering with patients to support them in learning to effectively cope with their hearing challenges is a key component in achieving desired outcomes. Even though there is agreement on the foundational role counseling plays in audiology service delivery, counseling instruction varies among audiology training programs. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the perspectives and practices of supervisors in audiology graduate training programs related to mentoring students in the acquisition of counseling skills. Research Design: A cross-sectional design was used; participants completed a self-report survey. Study Sample: The survey was sent to 323 clinical supervisors in AuD graduate programs in the United States. Data Collection and Analysis: Completed surveys were received from 205 supervisors. Responses were analyzed using descriptive statistics to identify practice trends. Results: Participants reported their perceptions about importance of teaching counseling skills to audiology students, their confidence in teaching skills, their self-efficacy for supporting student learning, how they provide feedback to students, and challenges they encounter. Most participants reported their program requires a counseling course (88%; n=176). The majority of participants reported confidence in teaching counseling skills; however, fewer reported being very or extremely confident in teaching students how to talk with clients about their emotions (53%; n=109), and explaining the rationale behind specific counseling strategies (47%; n=97). Participants with more years of supervisory experience had statistically significantly higher self- ratings for teaching confidence and self-efficacy for supporting student learning in counseling than those with fewer years of experience. Conclusions: Audiology supervisors in AuD programs believe counseling is important to teach to students; however, they report variability in use of methods for providing feedback, evaluating student performance, and in their self-efficacy for supporting student learning. Future audiologists would benefit from a more systematic approach within graduate training for teaching counseling skills

cAMP-dependent Protein Kinase Activation Lowers Hepatocyte cAMP

Rat hepatocyte protein kinase was activated by incubating the cells with various cAMP analogs. Boiled extracts were then prepared and Sephadex G-25 chromatography was carried out. The G-25 procedure separated the analogs from cAMP since the resin had the unexpected property of binding cyclic nucleotides with differing affinities. Separation was necessary because the analogs would otherwise interfere with the sensitive protein kinase activation method developed for assay of cAMP. The cAMP analogs, but not 5\u27-AMP, lowered basal cAMP by 50-70%. The effect was rapid, analog concentration-dependent, and occurred parallel with phosphorylase activation, suggesting that the cAMP analogs act through cAMP-dependent protein kinase activation. A cAMP analog completely blocked the cAMP elevation produced by relatively low concentrations of glucagon, but did not block the phosphorylase response, indicating that the cAMP analog substitutes for cAMP as the intracellular activator of protein kinase. One implication of the results is that elevation of cAMP and protein kinase activity by hormones has a negative feedback effect on the cellular cAMP level