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The ability to dynamically adjust the computational load of neural models during inference is crucial for on-device processing scenarios characterised by limited and time-varying computational resources. A promising solution is presented by early-exit architectures, in which additional exit branches are appended to intermediate layers of the encoder. In self-attention models for automatic speech recognition (ASR), early-exit architectures enable the development of dynamic models capable of adapting their size and architecture to varying levels of computational resources and ASR performance demands. Previous research on early-exiting ASR models has relied on pre-trained self-supervised models, fine-tuned with an early-exit loss. In this paper, we undertake an experimental comparison between fine-tuning pre-trained backbones and training models from scratch with the early-exiting objective. Experiments conducted on public datasets reveal that early-exit models trained from scratch not only preserve performance when using fewer encoder layers but also exhibit enhanced task accuracy compared to single-exit or pre-trained models. Furthermore, we explore an exit selection strategy grounded in posterior probabilities as an alternative to the conventional frame-based entropy approach. Results provide insights into the training dynamics of early-exit architectures for ASR models, particularly the efficacy of training strategies and exit selection methods., Comment: Accepted at the ICASSP Workshop Self-supervision in Audio, Speech and Beyond 2024

The unusually high rate of inflation has produced a clear demand for more vigorous government action to lower the rate of price increase, including increases for health professional schools. The concern coincides with Congressional debate surrounding the renewal of the entire structure of federal support for the education of physicians, dentists, optometrists, and others. Two issues are addressed: (1) what has been the impact of inflation on the costs of health professional education, and (2) how will schools meet the growing burden? A brief overview is presented of both the structure of school costs and estimates of how they have been changing. Attention is paid not only to what has been happening but also to what is likely to occur. These estimates are balanced by a discussion of what has been and is likely to be the school response to cost pressures. Methods of cutting costs as well as increasing revenues are examined. The discussion offers a background for analyzing the impact on school financing of anti-inflationary policies; i.e., a tight monetary policy and expenditure reducing fiscal policy which includes cuts in federal support. Emphasis throughout the paper is on medical and dental schools. (LBH)

The topics of current programs of material and structures for hypersonics are: (1) National Aero-Space Plane (NASP) supports most programs (100M + for materials); and (2) NASA generic hypersonics.

The testing of coated carbon-carbon materials at high temperature in a nonequilibrium arc-driven environment is examined. Material specimens were exposed to high energy supersonic air exhausting from the NASA-Ames Research Center's 20-MW arc-jet facility. The materials were heated to required temperatures with arc-heated air for specified lengths of time. A total of 23 models were tested in two groups. In the first group of 19 samples, there were several samples that survived low test conditions and several more that survived intermediate test conditions that provided surface temperatures up to 3850 deg Rankine, but none survived when the surface temperature exceeded 4000 deg Rankine. The last four test samples with their higher surface temperatures did not fully survive either if the survival criterion is that the material must be reusable after the test.

The thrust of this paper is to suggest that the major alternative to the present system of financing medical education is to allow tuitions to rise but to interfere in capital markets, so that students can finance their expenses. Any such system of student finance should: introduce an element of competition between schools and encourage more efficient education; ensure that all students of ability can attend medical school regardless of the ability to pay; feature income-contingent repayment so that students are not forced into high-paying practices; minimize the aversion to substantial indebtedness; and restrict the use of public subsidy to specific public goals. This paper concludes with a suggested system that builds upon the Economic Opportunity Bank proposal, giving out two classes of loans that would be repaid under different terms. To the extent the basic needs of curriculum development, financial distress, or construction support cannot be met through the bank proposal, direct aid to institutions must continue. The levels of subsidy can be substantially cut, but the strategy of multitarget public intervention will continue. (Author/PG)

This document investigates whether medical education should be subsidized by federal funds. The first chapter discusses the growing debate over medical school financing. Chapter two reviews subsidies, equity, and social welfare. Chapter three gives four rationales for public subsidies, including market structure, slipovers, inappropriate prices, and risk and imperfect information. Chapter four discusses medical education and competition. Conclusions indicate that the present level of public support for medical education is excessive. Federal subsidies should be reduced while medical students should be expected to pay a much larger proportion of their educational costs. (MJM)

This paper focuses on the efficiency of federal subsidies in meeting stated public goals and gives two reasons for doing so. First, specific data on subsidies for the education function of medical schools are available. Second, Congress is now considering the entire package of federal health manpower legislation. It is difficult to escape the conclusion that the current means of public support are both inefficient and expensive methods of meeting public needs. This paper concentrates on three objectives that constitute the most commonly stated justifications for public support: increasing the production of doctors; improving their geographic and specialty distribution; and increasing the enrollments of low-income and minority students. The estimates of the cost of subsidies to medical and dental education are both so high that they strongly indicate the present subsidy system is wasteful. At the minimum, they suggest that Congress and state legislatures should at least begin to consider other mechanisms for meeting the social goals that underlie public support for medical education. These include not only broad shifts in emphasis away from high cost manpower to lower cost mid-level health workers, but also include changes in the amounts, and more particularly, the type of subsidies granted to medical education. (Author/PG)

The crisis in primary care has long been discussed and the dismal litany of statistics is now familiar. The G.P. is vanishing from the medical scene. Over one-third of the active general practitioners are now over 60. In 1970 the U.S. Congress responded to the declining availability of primary health care by passing the Family Practice Act. The intent of the bill was to subsidize the training of family physicians and paramedical physician assistants. The 3-year appropriation was to provide funds to medical schools and hospitals to defray the expense of training a new type of specialist--a family practitioner--who was to be not only far better trained than the old G.P., but would possess new skills in counseling and managing a patient in his family and community setting. This document reviews the Family Practice Act: rationale and critique, reasons for the lack of family doctors, alternative strategies for primary care, and additional recommendations. The appendix includes the Federal Family Practice Legislation. (Author/PG)