Review: Surface Relations: Queer Forms of Asian American Inscrutability

Book review of Surface Relations: Queer Forms of Asian American Inscrutability by Vivian L. Huang. Duke University Press, November 2022. 240 p. ill. ISBN 978-1-4780-1635-9 (pbk.), $25.95. https://dukeupress.edu/surface-relations. Reviewed July 2023 by Shandy Frey, Research and Instruction Librarian, Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), [email protected]

Factors Affecting Successful Adoption of Connectivity Devices by Hearing Aid Users

Purpose or Research Questions * To investigate factors that affect the choice to purchase the HACD and the successful adoption of the device. * To evaluate patients’ views regarding use, benefit, and satisfaction with connectivity devices. Background Hearing aid connectivity devices - referred to as HACDs in this poster - are widely marketed to both consumers and professionals in the field of Audiology as devices that can be used to improve communication. However, studies have shown that sales and acceptance of assistive devices is variable (Cranmer, 1991). Becoming informed about device capabilities, and properly learning - and retaining - such information can be difficult for older adults (Hartley, 2010). While major manufacturers advertise multiple capabilities for such devices, there is limited literature regarding patients’ perceived benefit of the devices, and whether patients’ needs are met (Lesner, 2003). Methods/Proposed Methods Adult patients who had purchased a connectivity device within the past 5 years (from 5 major manufacturers), excluding patients with known cognitive impairment. All participants had followed the UNC Hearing and Communication Center (UNC-HCC) fitting protocol for HACDs. Subjects were contacted via telephone or in person in conjunction with a previously scheduled appointment. Once the subjects had given consent to participate, they verbally answered survey questions related to the HACDs. Surveys were completed by 30 (15 male, 15 female) out of 95 possible participants. The study was approved by the UNC Office of Human Research Ethics and was not funded. Results/Anticipated Results * No age effect was found in the study cohort: some older users use the device as frequently as younger users. * Outside recommendations for the device and personal research may be indicators of HACD success. * Subjects who reported using their HACDs 7 out of the last 7 days were more likely to use their device in a variety of ways compared to subjects who reported less than 7 days/week use. * Common complaints/reasons for limited use included: not liking the HACD design, poor quality of connectivity, and lack of benefit. * Overall, subjects, even those who use HACDs daily, were critical of aspects of their devices. Discussion (e.g., interpretation of results; potential contribution of anticipated results) * Additional scheduled support after the initial fitting may be essential for some users. * Identification of possible predictors of successful use of HACDs such as: personal research before device purchase, spousal support, comfort with technology, may improve fitting success. * The rise of tech savvy older adults, and increase in direct Bluetooth capability, may alter HACD fitting in the near future

Interventions for Speech and Language Outcomes for Children with ANSD: A Systematic Review

Purpose or Research Questions: In children with ANSD, how does amplification compared to cochlear implantation affect speech and language outcomes? Background: Auditory Neuropathy Spectrum Disorder, or ANSD is a sensorineural hearing loss characterized by an impairment of the auditory nerve. This generally means that while sound is able to travel through the outer, middle, and inner ear, it is unable to successfully reach the brain. Cochlear Implants (CIs) and hearing aids have both become common interventions for children with ANSD. The purpose of this systematic review is to investigate differences in speech and language outcomes between the two interventions. Methods/Proposed Methods: A literature search was conducted using the following search string: (ANSD OR CND OR Auditory Neuropathy OR Cochlear Nerve Deficiency) AND (children OR pediatric OR school) AND (amplification OR Hearing aids OR hearing amplification OR acoustic stimulation) AND (cochlear implant* OR electric stimulation). Three major databases were searched; PubMed, Ovid, and MedlinePlus. Studies including speech and language outcomes of this population of children were included. Exclusion criteria included children with comorbities, non-English speaking populations, and studies that only considered academic achievement outcomes. 12 studies met the inclusion criteria by addressing one or more of the aspects of our research questions. Eleven of the 12 studies addressed the use of cochlear implantation, and 5 addressed the use of hearing aids. Studies were evaluated for quality using the Cincinnati Children’s LEGEND Appraisal Forms. Data regarding participant, intervention, and outcome variables are reported. Results/Anticipated Results: All studies included were observational in design, including cohort studies and comparisons between children with ANSD and SNHL. The literature supports both hearing aids and CIs as acceptable intervention measures for ANSD. Evidence of favorable outcomes were demonstrated for both types of intervention in children with ANSD. Speech and language outcomes for both the hearing aid subjects and cochlear implant subjects were similar. All participants showed an improved auditory performance to some degree, yet all 12 studies were considered exploratory with methodological limitations and confounding issues. Discussion (e.g., interpretation of results; potential contribution of anticipated results) Due to the wide variety of outcomes for children with ANSD, it is important to identify children who will benefit from amplification and those who are appropriate candidates for cochlear implantation. The clinical evidence determining the differences in speech and language outcomes between CI and HA interventions in the ANSD population is limited. Stronger evidence is needed to demonstrate any important differences in cochlear implant benefit compared to hearing aid benefit as it pertains to speech and language outcomes in children with ANSD

Roars, groans and moans: anatomical correlates of vocal diversity in polygynous deer

Eurasian deer are characterized by the extraordinary diversity of their vocal repertoires. Male sexual calls range from roars with relatively low fundamental frequency (hereafter fo) in red deer Cervus elaphus, to moans with extremely high fo in sika deer Cervus nippon, and almost infrasonic groans with exceptionally low fo in fallow deer Dama dama. Moreover, while both red and fallow males are capable of lowering their formant frequencies during their calls, sika males appear to lack this ability. Female contact calls are also characterized by relatively less pronounced, yet strong interspecific differences. The aim of this study is to examine the anatomical bases of these inter-specific and inter-sexual differences by identifying if the acoustic variation is reflected in corresponding anatomical variation. To do this, we investigated the vocal anatomy of male and female specimens of each of these three species. Across species and sexes, we find that the observed acoustic variability is indeed related to expected corresponding anatomical differences, based on the source-filter theory of vocal production. At the source level, low fo is associated with larger vocal folds, whereas high fo is associated with smaller vocal folds: sika deer have the smallest vocal folds and male fallow deer the largest. Red and sika deer vocal folds do not appear to be sexually dimorphic, while fallow deer exhibit strong sexual dimorphism (after correcting for body size differences). At the filter level, the variability in formants is related to the configuration of the vocal tract: in fallow and red deer, both sexes have evolved a permanently descended larynx (with a resting position of the larynx much lower in males than in females). Both sexes also have the potential for momentary, call-synchronous vocal tract elongation, again more pronounced in males than in females. In contrast, the resting position of the larynx is high in both sexes of sika deer and the potential for further active vocal tract elongation is virtually absent in both sexes. Anatomical evidence suggests an evolutionary reversal in larynx position within sika deer, that is, a secondary larynx ascent. Together, our observations confirm that the observed diversity of vocal behaviour in polygynous deer is supported by strong anatomical differences, highlighting the importance of anatomical specializations in shaping mammalian vocal repertoires. Sexual selection is discussed as a potential evolutionary driver of the observed vocal diversity and sexual dimorphisms

Obesity-associated microglial inflammatory activation paradoxically improves glucose tolerance.

Hypothalamic gliosis associated with high-fat diet (HFD) feeding increases susceptibility to hyperphagia and weight gain. However, the body-weight-independent contribution of microglia to glucose regulation has not been determined. Here, we show that reducing microglial nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) signaling via cell-specific IKKβ deletion exacerbates HFD-induced glucose intolerance despite reducing body weight and adiposity. Conversely, two genetic approaches to increase microglial pro-inflammatory signaling (deletion of an NF-κB pathway inhibitor and chemogenetic activation through a modified Gq-coupled muscarinic receptor) improved glucose tolerance independently of diet in both lean and obese rodents. Microglial regulation of glucose homeostasis involves a tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α)-dependent mechanism that increases activation of pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) and other hypothalamic glucose-sensing neurons, ultimately leading to a marked amplification of first-phase insulin secretion via a parasympathetic pathway. Overall, these data indicate that microglia regulate glucose homeostasis in a body-weight-independent manner, an unexpected mechanism that limits the deterioration of glucose tolerance associated with obesity

Trends in Causes and Distribution, and Effects of Whitebark Pine Decline on Grizzly Bear Mortality in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem

Documented grizzly bear (Ursus arctos) mortalities have been increasing in recent years in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE), due, in part, to increases in bear numbers and range expansion. Previous research has documented that variable seed production of whitebark pine (WBP; Pinus albicaulis), an important fall food, is inversely related to grizzly bear fall mortality.  However, WBP has experienced widespread mortality during the last decade because of mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae) infestations. We investigated trends in causes and distribution of human-caused mortalities for independent-aged (? 2 yrs old) grizzly bears in the GYE during 1975–2012, and the effect of WBP cone production on numbers of fall (> 1 August) mortalities (n = 172) during the period of WBP decline (2000-2012) using Poisson regression. During 1975–1982, 91 percent of mortalities occurred within the Grizzly Bear Recovery Zone and primary causes were poaching/malicious killings and losses related to conflicts with livestock. During the two most recent decades most mortalities were associated with ungulate hunting, usually involving self-defense kills, or anthropogenic sites, and an increasing percentage of mortalities occurred outside the recovery zone. Using predictor variables of cone production, sex, location in or out of the Recovery Zone, and year suggests: 1) annual cone production was still predictive of human-caused fall mortalities, 2) no evidence of a difference in annual numbers of fall mortalities between males and females, and 3) an increase in annual mortalities over the study period, with most of this increase outside the Recovery Zone

Skunk River Review 2012, vol 24

https://openspace.dmacc.edu/skunkriver/1015/thumbnail.jp

Documenting ---- in Bloomington-Normal: A Community Report on Intolerance, Segregation, Accessibility, Inclusion, and Progress, and Improvement

For the local chapter of Not In Our Town, we document intolerance, discrimination, segregation, disparities of access, and disparities in the criminal justice system in Bloomington-Normal, IL. Using archival material, secondary data, and primary data, we examine these issues from the mid-1990s to the present. We also assess the position of the organization in the community and provide strategies for future success. In sum, Bloomington-Normal was and is intolerant; discrimination did and does take place in this community; there are disparities of access and in the criminal justice system; we are segregated. The community is also less of these things than it used to be and is less of these things than other places. Fifteen undergraduate students in Sociology 300, twelve graduate students in Sociology 477, a teaching assistant, and an instructor conducted this study in spring 2017

Estimating Impact Forces of Tail Club Strikes by Ankylosaurid Dinosaurs

BACKGROUND: It has been assumed that the unusual tail club of ankylosaurid dinosaurs was used actively as a weapon, but the biological feasibility of this behaviour has not been examined in detail. Ankylosaurid tail clubs are composed of interlocking vertebrae, which form the handle, and large terminal osteoderms, which form the knob. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Computed tomographic (CT) scans of several ankylosaurid tail clubs referred to Dyoplosaurus and Euoplocephalus, combined with measurements of free caudal vertebrae, provide information used to estimate the impact force of tail clubs of various sizes. Ankylosaurid tails are modeled as a series of segments for which mass, muscle cross-sectional area, torque, and angular acceleration are calculated. Free caudal vertebrae segments had limited vertical flexibility, but the tail could have swung through approximately 100 degrees laterally. Muscle scars on the pelvis record the presence of a large M. longissimus caudae, and ossified tendons alongside the handle represent M. spinalis. CT scans showed that knob osteoderms were predominantly cancellous, which would have lowered the rotational inertia of the tail club and made it easier to wield as a weapon. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Large knobs could generate sufficient force to break bone during impacts, but average and small knobs could not. Tail swinging behaviour is feasible in ankylosaurids, but it remains unknown whether the tail was used for interspecific defense, intraspecific combat, or both

Untangling the influence of Antarctic and Southern Ocean life on clouds

Polar environments are among the fastest changing regions on the planet. It is a crucial time to make significant improvements in our understanding of how ocean and ice biogeochemical processes are linked with the atmosphere. This is especially true over Antarctica and the Southern Ocean where observations are severely limited and the environment is far from anthropogenic influences. In this commentary, we outline major gaps in our knowledge, emerging research priorities, and upcoming opportunities and needs. We then give an overview of the large-scale measurement campaigns planned across Antarctica and the Southern Ocean in the next 5 years that will address the key issues. Until we do this, climate models will likely continue to exhibit biases in the simulated energy balance over this delicate region. Addressing these issues will require an international and interdisciplinary approach which we hope to foster and facilitate with ongoing community activities and collaborations