Psycholinguistic speech processing assessment for adults: Development and case series

In educational institutions there are a significant number of young adults with speech, language and literacy problems. Nevertheless, due to a lack of assessment tools, difficulties are often not recognised which in turn limits access to possible supports. The specific objective of this study was to develop a comprehensive speech processing skills assessment battery for native English-speaking adults, taking psycholinguistics into account. The assessment tool consists of subtests that assess auditory discrimination of non-words and non-word repetition, reading and spelling of non-words, and spoonerisms with non- and real words. Normative data from 101 English-speaking adults (age 18-35 years) were collected and analysed in terms of general psychometric properties. Further in depth analyses look at the nature of mistakes and reaction time of participants. Moreover, a case series of participants who stammer (N=6) was conducted to test the speech processing assessment in regards to profiling existing speech difficulties and comparing these profiles to norm data. Results support the establishment of objectivity, validity and reliability of the assessment tool, but also highlight important factors which need to be investigated in more detail. Results concerning the case studies showed individual differences of performances compared to the norm data which can be explained by theoretical knowledge about stammering. Outcomes encourage the usage of the assessment tool for research (e.g. comparison of speech processing profiles in adults with speech disorders) as well as the possibility of further development for clinical and educational settings (e.g. the development of specific disability support). A next step of this programme of work could be to modify the assessment tool based on analysed outcomes. Moreover, deeper investigation of people experiencing speech difficulties could follow to support the profiling of adults with persistent developmental speech difficulties in, for example, higher education

Numerical modelling and validation of thermally-induced spalling

In order to reduce the silicon consumption in the production of crystalline silicon solar cells, the improvement of sawing techniques or the use of a kerf-less process are possible solutions. This study focuses on a particular kerf-less technique based on thermally-induced spalling of thin silicon layers joined to aluminum. Via a controlled temperature variation we demonstrate that it is possible to drive an initially sharp crack, introduced by laser, into the silicon substrate and obtain the detachment of ultra-thin silicon layers. A numerical approach based on the finite element method (FEM) and Linear Elastic Fracture Mechanics (LEFM) is herein proposed to compute the Stress Intensity Factors (SIFs) that characterize the stress field at the crack tip and predict crack propagation of an initial notch, depending on the geometry of the specimen and on the boundary conditions. We propose a parametric study to evaluate the dependence of the crack path on the following parameters: (i) the distance between the notch and the aluminum-silicon interface, (ii) the thickness of the stressor (aluminum) layer, and (iii) the applied load. The results for the cooling process here analyzed show that ΔT >43 K and a ratio λ=0.65 between the thickness of the stressor layer and the distance of the initial notch from the interface are suitable values to achieve a steady-state propagation in case of a ratio λ0=0.115 between the in plane thickness of the silicon substrate and the aluminum thickness, a value typically used in applications

DNA hybridization assay at individual, biofunctionalized zinc oxide nanowires

Reliable and efficient identification of DNA is a major goal in on-site diagnostics. One dimensional nanostructures like nanowires (NW) represent potential sensor structures due to their extreme surface-to-bulk ratio, enabling enhanced biomolecule binding which results in optimal signals. While silicon NW are already well studied, NW made from other materials with promising properties like ZnO are not yet established as NW sensor material for bioanalytics. Here we demonstrate the DNA functionalization of ZnO NW even at the single NW level and their successful application in a DNA hybridization assay. ((c) 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim

Moritzplatz 1. Staedtebauliche Bestandsaufnahme. WS 1982/83

TIB: AC 7693 (1) / FIZ - Fachinformationszzentrum Karlsruhe / TIB - Technische InformationsbibliothekSIGLEDEGerman

Staedtebaulicher Entwurf mit Umsetzung in den Bebauungsplan Dokumentation von Studentenarbeiten der Oberstufe Architektur an der Technischen Universitaet Berlin

SIGLEDEGerman

Monetary Policy Under a Fiscal Theory of Sovereign Default

This paper examines equilibrium determination under different monetary policy regimes when the government might default on its debt. We apply a cash-in-advance model where the government does not have access to non-distortionary taxation and does not account for initial outstanding debt when it sets the income tax rate. Solvency is then not guaranteed and sovereign default can affect the return on public debt. If the central bank sets the interest rate in a conventional way, the equilibrium allocation cannot be determined. If, instead, money supply is controlled, the equilibrium allocation can uniquely be determined

Is Numérairology the Future of Monetary Economics?

The paper discusses some fundamental problems in monetary economics associated with the determination and role of the numéraire. The issues are introduced by formalising a proposal, attributed to Eisler, to remove the zero lower bound on nominal interest rates by unbundling the numéraire and medium of exchange/means of payment functions of money. The monetary authorities manage the exchange rate between the numéraire (‘sterling’) and the means of payment (‘drachma’). The short nominal interest rate on sterling bonds can then be used to target stability for the sterling price level. The paper puts question marks behind two key bits of conventional wisdom in contemporary monetary economics. The first is the assumption that the monetary authorities define and determine the numéraire used in private transactions. The second is the proposition that price stability in terms of that numéraire is the appropriate objective of monetary policy. The paper also discusses the merits of the next step following the decoupling of the numéraire from the currency: doing away with currency altogether—the cashless economy. Because the unit of account plays such a central role in New-Keynesian models with nominal rigidities, monetary economics needs to devote more attention to numérairology—the study of the individual and collective choice processes that govern the adoption of a unit of account and its role in economic behaviour. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2007Zero lower bound, Cashless economy, Price level determinacy, Optimal inflation, E3, E4, E5, E6,