285 research outputs found
Development and Implementation of the C-Print Speech-to-Text Support Service
In this chapter we provide an overview of the growth of this system from an idea to a system that hundreds of deaf and hard of hearing students depend on everyday for communication access and learning. This chapter addresses the following questions regarding the development and implementation of C-Print. Why is there a need for the system? How does C-Print work? What have been the phases in creating the current system? What is the research evidence regarding its effectiveness and limitations? How might the system change in the future as new technologies emerge
Divergence or convergence? Health inequalities and policy in a devolved Britain
Since the advent of political devolution in the UK, it has been widely reported that markedly different health policies have emerged. However, most of these analyses are based on a comparison of health care policies and, as such, only tell part of a complex and evolving story. This paper
considers official responses to a shared public health policy aim, the reduction of health inequalities, through an examination of national policy statements produced in England, Scotland and Wales respectively since 1997. The analysis suggests that the relatively consistent manner in
which the ‘policy problem’ of health inequalities has been framed combined with the dominance of a medical model of health have constrained policy responses. Our findings differ from existing analyses, raising some important questions about the actuality of, and scope for, policy divergence since devolution
The United Nations Basic Space Science Initiative: The TRIPOD concept
Since 1990, the United Nations is annually holding a workshop on basic space
science for the benefit of the worldwide development of astronomy. Additional
to the scientific benefits of the workshops and the strengthening of
international cooperation, the workshops lead to the establishment of
astronomical telescope facilities through the Official Development Assistance
(ODA) of Japan. Teaching material, hands-on astrophysics material, and variable
star observing programmes had been developed for the operation of such
astronomical telescope facilities in an university environment. This approach
to astronomical telescope facility, observing programme, and teaching astronomy
has become known as the basic space science TRIPOD concept. Currently, a
similar TRIPOD concept is being developed for the International Heliophysical
Year 2007, consisting of an instrument array, data taking and analysis, and
teaching space science.Comment: 8 pages, LaTe
A Massive Protostar Forming by Ordered Collapse of a Dense, Massive Core
We present 30 and 40 micron imaging of the massive protostar G35.20-0.74 with
SOFIA-FORCAST. The high surface density of the natal core around the protostar
leads to high extinction, even at these relatively long wavelengths, causing
the observed flux to be dominated by that emerging from the near-facing outflow
cavity. However, emission from the far-facing cavity is still clearly detected.
We combine these results with fluxes from the near-infrared to mm to construct
a spectral energy distribution (SED). For isotropic emission the bolometric
luminosity would be 3.3x10^4 Lsun. We perform radiative transfer modeling of a
protostar forming by ordered, symmetric collapse from a massive core bounded by
a clump with high mass surface density, Sigma_cl. To fit the SED requires
protostellar masses ~20-34 Msun depending on the outflow cavity opening angle
(35 - 50 degrees), and Sigma_cl ~ 0.4-1 g cm-2. After accounting for the
foreground extinction and the flashlight effect, the true bolometric luminosity
is ~ (0.7-2.2)x10^5 Lsun. One of these models also has excellent agreement with
the observed intensity profiles along the outflow axis at 10, 18, 31 and 37
microns. Overall our results support a model of massive star formation
involving the relatively ordered, symmetric collapse of a massive, dense core
and the launching bipolar outflows that clear low density cavities. Thus a
unified model may apply for the formation of both low and high mass stars.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures, 1 table, accepted to Ap
College Students’ Perceptions of the C-Print Speech-to-Text Transcription System
C-Print is a real-time speech-to-text transcription system used as a support service with deaf students in mainstreamed classes. Questionnaires were administered to 36 college students in 32 courses in which the C-Print system was used in addition to interpreting and notetaking. Twenty-two of these students were also interviewed. Questionnaire items included student ratings of lecture comprehension. Student ratings indicated good comprehension with C-Print, and the mean rating was significantly higher than that for understanding of the interpreter. Students also rated the hard-copy printout provided by C-Print as helpful, and they reported that they used these notes more frequently than the handwritten notes from a paid student notetaker. Interview results were consistent with those for the questionnaire. Questionnaire and interview responses regarding use of C-Print as the only support service indicated that this arrangement would be acceptable to many students, but that it would not be to others. Communication characteristics were related to responses to the questionnaire. Students who were relatively proficient in reading and writing English, and in speech-reading, responded more favorably to C-Print
Inner city housing study : interim report
Report : vii, 78, [42] leaves : ill., maps.
"August 18, 1978".
Study team: Lloyd Axworthy, Project Director; Christine McKee, Project Manager; Jackie DeRoo, Sybil Frenette, Barbara Hanks.
"In association with Frank W. Fedoruk"
Propranolol, a β-adrenoceptor antagonist, worsens liver injury in a model of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis
AbstractPrazosin an α1-adrenoceptor (AR) antagonist has been shown to reduce liver injury in a mouse model of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and is suggested as a potential treatment of NASH especially given its concomitant anti-fibrotic properties. The effect however, of β-AR blockade in non-cirrhotic NASH is unknown and is as such investigated here. In the presence of the β-blocker propranolol (PRL), mice fed normal chow or a half methionine and choline deficient diet, supplemented with ethionine (HMCDE), to induce NASH, showed significantly enhanced liver injury, as evidenced by higher hepatic necrosis scores and elevated serum aminotransferases (ALT). Mechanistically, we showed that murine hepatocytes express α and β adrenoceptors; that PRL directly induces hepatocyte injury and death as evidenced by increased release of lactate dehydrogenase, FASL and TNF-α from hepatocytes in the presence of PRL; and that PRL activated the apoptotic pathway in primary hepatocyte cultures, as indicated by upregulation of Fas receptor and caspase-8 proteins. The β-AR antagonist PRL therefore appears to enhance liver injury through induction of hepatocyte death via the death pathway. Further studies are now required to extrapolate these findings to humans but meanwhile, β-AR antagonists should be avoided or used with caution in patients with non-cirrhotic NASH as they may worsen liver injury
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