Practical applications of interactive voice technologies: Some accomplishments and prospects

A technology assessment of the application of computers and electronics to complex systems is presented. Three existing systems which utilize voice technology (speech recognition and speech generation) are described. Future directions in voice technology are also described

Identification of the connections in biologically inspired neural networks

We developed an identification method to find the strength of the connections between neurons from their behavior in small biologically-inspired artificial neural networks. That is, given the network external inputs and the temporal firing pattern of the neurons, we can calculate a solution for the strengths of the connections between neurons and the initial neuron activations if a solution exists. The method determines directly if there is a solution to a particular neural network problem. No training of the network is required. It should be noted that this is a first pass at the solution of a difficult problem. The neuron and network models chosen are related to biology but do not contain all of its complexities, some of which we hope to add to the model in future work. A variety of new results have been obtained. First, the method has been tailored to produce connection weight matrix solutions for networks with important features of biological neural (bioneural) networks. Second, a computationally efficient method of finding a robust central solution has been developed. This later method also enables us to find the most consistent solution in the presence of noisy data. Prospects of applying our method to identify bioneural network connections are exciting because such connections are almost impossible to measure in the laboratory. Knowledge of such connections would facilitate an understanding of bioneural networks and would allow the construction of the electronic counterparts of bioneural networks on very large scale integrated (VLSI) circuits

Race, Structure, and State Governments: The Politics of Higher Education Diversity

This paper examines the politics of higher education diversity for both African Americans and Latinos, by investigating how the structure of the bureaucracy affects the relationship between descriptive and substantive representation. The key theoretical determinants of minority college enrollments are legislative representation, bureaucratic structure, university-level policies, and restrictions on affirmative action. A hierarchical linear model of 500+ universities over an 11-year period shows that each of these factors affects minority enrollments

Race, Structure, and State Governments: The Politics of Higher Education Diversity

This paper examines the politics of higher education diversity for both African Americans and Latinos, by investigating how the structure of the bureaucracy affects the relationship between descriptive and substantive representation. The key theoretical determinants of minority college enrollments are legislative representation, bureaucratic structure, university-level policies, and restrictions on affirmative action. A hierarchical linear model of 500+ universities over an 11-year period shows that each of these factors affects minority enrollments

Cliff Roosting by Migrant Semipalmated Sandpipers, Calidris pusilla, at Farrier's Cove, Shepody Bay, New Brunswick

An observation of Semipalmated Sandpipers roosting on a cliff face in Shepody Bay, New Brunswick, suggests changes from “traditional” roosting sites. Sandpipers may be altering their roosting patterns due to pressures from avian predators such as the recent, and successful, re-introduction of the Peregrine Falcon

Combining Microscopy and Physical Techniques in the Study of Cocoa Butter Polymorphs and Vegetable Fat Blends

Transmission electron microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry and X-ray diffraction have been used to study the cocoa butter polymorphs and blends of cocoa butter with a hydrogenated vegetable fat. The results indicate the presence of six polymorphs and confirm observations made by other workers. Vegetable fat addition affects both the molecular structure and the morphology of the crystals observed. After temperature cycling, a blend containing 50% vegetable fat developed two crystal types and differences in the X-ray pattern were apparent. Correlations could be made between the known molecular structure and the morphology observed in most of the polymorphs. In selected cases, and particularly the blends containing vegetable fat, knowledge of the polymorphic form did not always enable an accurate prediction of morphology