Proceedings: Voice Technology for Interactive Real-Time Command/Control Systems Application

Speech understanding among researchers and managers, current developments in voice technology, and an exchange of information concerning government voice technology efforts are discussed

Proximal tubular cell–specific ablation of carnitine acetyltransferase causes tubular disease and secondary glomerulosclerosis

© 2019 by the American Diabetes Association. Proximal tubular epithelial cells are highly energy demanding. Their energy need is covered mostly from mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation. Whether derailments in fatty acid metabolism and mitochondrial dysfunction are forerunners of tubular damage has been suggested but is not entirely clear. Here we modeled mitochondrial overload by creating mice lacking the enzyme carnitine acetyltransferase (CrAT) in the proximal tubules, thus limiting a primary mechanism to export carbons under conditions of substrate excess. Mice developed tubular disease and, interestingly, secondary glomerulosclerosis. This was accompanied by increased levels of apoptosis regulator and fibrosis markers, increased oxidative stress, and abnormal profiles of acylcarnitines and organic acids suggesting profound impairments in all major forms of nutrient metabolism. When mice with CrAT deletion were fed a high-fat diet, kidney disease was more severe and developed faster. Primary proximal tubular cells isolated from the knockout mice displayed energy deficit and impaired respiration before the onset of pathology, suggesting mitochondrial respiratory abnormalities as a potential underlying mechanism. Our findings support the hypothesis that derailments of mitochondrial energy metabolism may be causative to chronic kidney disease. Our results also suggest that tubular injury may be a primary event followed by secondary glomerulosclerosis, raising the possibility that focusing on normalizing tubular cell mitochondrial function and energy balance could be an important preventative strategy

Research in progress: report on the ICAIL 2017 doctoral consortium

This paper arose out of the 2017 international conference on AI and law doctoral consortium. There were five students who presented their Ph.D. work, and each of them has contributed a section to this paper. The paper offers a view of what topics are currently engaging students, and shows the diversity of their interests and influences

Pacific Fishery Management Council Salmon Methodology Review

The current Fishery Regulation Assessment Models (FRAM) used in the Pacific Fishery Management Council’s pre-season planning process to project mortalities during proposed coho and Chinook salmon fisheries underestimate the number of unmarked mortalities occurring in mark-selective fisheries and concurrent non-selective fisheries. This is a concern because all natural (wild) stocks are unmarked. The bias is caused by unmarked fish encountering fishing gear more than once in a modeled time step due to the required release of all unmarked fish and by the change in the unmarked-to-marked fish ratio resulting from the selective removal of marked salmon by the mark-selective fishery. The bias-correction methods proposed by Conrad and Yuen (2010) were applied to the 2009 and 2010 Coho FRAM final preseason runs to assess the amount of bias introduced by FRAM’s computational structure and algorithms. The model was implemented with no catch and release (CNR) mortalities, no drop-off mortalities, and no mark misidentification errors to simplify the interpretation of results. At current levels of exploitation for coho salmon, the bias in the FRAM estimate of the total exploitation rate of unmarked stocks is minimal. The mean and median differences by which FRAM underestimated the total exploitation rate for an unmarked stock were-0.003 in 2009 and-0.002 in 2010. For the 2009 and 2010 FRAM preseason runs, there was only a single instance where the difference between th

A qualitative study on the college choice process for first generation college students at a small, private, religious affiliated institution

College accessibility is a common topic amongst higher education professionals in today’s society. One specific example of an underserved population of students that can greatly benefit from the concept of college access is first generation college students. Previous research shows that first generation college students are often at a disadvantage compared to their peers in regards to college enrollment. In order for high schools teachers and guidance counselors as well as higher education administrators and admissions personnel to fully assist these students with their college enrollment, we must be knowledgeable about the factors that influence their college choice process. This qualitative research study investigated the college choice process for first generation college students at a small, private, religious affiliated institution. Using Hossler and Gallagher’s (1987) Model of College Choice, this study examined the three-stage college choice process including predisposition, search, and choice. Interviews were conducted with 31 first generation college students in the freshman class at Shorter University. Each participant was asked a series of 11 questions that coincide with the three stages of the college choice process. The data collected throughout the interviews was analyzed and coded to develop a thematic structure of the findings. The study resulted in three overarching conclusions. First, the aspiration to attend college was the first theme that was apparent during the predisposition stage of the college choice process. The majority of students revealed that they aspired to attend college at an early age in their life. Second, the theme of support from others was prominent in the research. Many of the participants revealed their appreciation for their parents, family members, teachers, and other adult figures that assisted them with their college enrollment. Finally, the obstacles that these first generation college students had to overcome was a prevalent theme in the data. These students handled many challenges throughout the college choice process from their socioeconomic status to their parents’ lack of knowledge about higher education. Though faced with adversity, the first generation college students in the freshman class at Shorter University utilized available resources to successfully enroll in post-secondary education. (Published By University of Alabama Libraries