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Massive stars usually form groups such as OB associations. Their fast stellar winds sweep up collectively the surrounding insterstellar medium (ISM) to generate superbubbles. Observations suggest that superbubble evolution on the surrounding ISM can be very irregular. Numerical simulations considering these conditions could help to understand the evolution of these superbubbles and to clarify the dynamics of these objects as well as the difference between observed X-ray luminosities and the predicted ones by the standard model (Weaver et al. 1977).
We propose a paraconsistent declarative semantics of possibly inconsistent generalized logic programs which allows for arbitrary formulas in the body and in the head of a rule (i.e. does not depend on the presence of any specific connective, such as negation(-as-failure), nor on any specific syntax of rules). For consistent generalized logic programs this semantics coincides with the stable generated models introduced in [HW97], and for normal logic programs it yields the stable models in the sense of [GL88].
A deterministic cycle scheduling of partitions at the operating system level is supposed for a multiprocessor system. In this paper, we propose a tool for generating such schedules. We use constraint based programming and develop methods and concepts for a combined interactive and automatic partition scheduling system. This paper is also devoted to basic methods and techniques for modeling and solving this partition scheduling problem. Initial application of our partition scheduling tool has proved successful and demonstrated the suitability of the methods used.
How does a shared lexicon arise in population of agents with differing lexicons, and how can this shared lexicon be maintained over multiple generations? In order to get some insight into these questions we present an ALife model in which the lexicon dynamics of populations that possess and lack metacommunicative interaction (MCI) capabilities are compared. We ran a series of experiments on multi-generational populations whose initial state involved agents possessing distinct lexicons. These experiments reveal some clear differences in the lexicon dynamics of populations that acquire words solely by introspection contrasted with populations that learn using MCI or using a mixed strategy of introspection and MCI. The lexicon diverges at a faster rate for an introspective population, eventually collapsing to one single form which is associated with all meanings. This contrasts sharply with MCI capable populations in which a lexicon is maintained, where every meaning is associated with a unique word. We also investigated the effect of increasing the meaning space and showed that it speeds up the lexicon divergence for all populations irrespective of their acquisition method.
We present the results of Monte Carlo mass-loss predictions for massive stars covering a wide range of stellar parameters. We critically test our predictions against a range of observed massloss rates – in light of the recent discussions on wind clumping. We also present a model to compute the clumping-induced polarimetric variability of hot stars and we compare this with observations of Luminous Blue Variables, for which polarimetric variability is larger than for O and Wolf-Rayet stars. Luminous Blue Variables comprise an ideal testbed for studies of wind clumping and wind geometry, as well as for wind strength calculations, and we propose they may be direct supernova progenitors.
We describe a framework to support the implementation of web-based systems to manipulate data stored in relational databases. Since the conceptual model of a relational database is often specified as an entity-relationship (ER) model, we propose to use the ER model to generate a complete implementation in the declarative programming language Curry. This implementation contains operations to create and manipulate entities of the data model, supports authentication, authorization, session handling, and the composition of individual operations to user processes. Furthermore and most important, the implementation ensures the consistency of the database w.r.t. the data dependencies specified in the ER model, i.e., updates initiated by the user cannot lead to an inconsistent state of the database. In order to generate a high-level declarative implementation that can be easily adapted to individual customer requirements, the framework exploits previous works on declarative database programming and web user interface construction in Curry.
Nested complementation plays an important role in expressing counter- i.e. star-free and first-order definable languages and their hierarchies. In addition, methods that compile phonological rules into finite-state networks use double-nested complementation or “double negation”. This paper reviews how the double-nested complementation extends to a relatively new operation, generalized restriction (GR), coined by the author (Yli-Jyrä and Koskenniemi 2004). This operation encapsulates a double-nested complementation and elimination of a concatenation marker, diamond, whose finite occurrences align concatenations in the arguments of the operation. The paper demonstrates that the GR operation has an interesting potential in expressing regular languages, various kinds of grammars, bimorphisms and relations. This motivates a further study of optimized implementation of the operator.
This article describes a HMM-based word-alignment method that can selectively enforce a contiguity constraint. This method has a direct application in the extraction of a bilingual terminological lexicon from a parallel corpus, but can also be used as a preliminary step for the extraction of phrase pairs in a Phrase-Based Statistical Machine Translation system. Contiguous source words composing terms are aligned to contiguous target language words. The HMM is transformed into a Weighted Finite State Transducer (WFST) and contiguity constraints are enforced by specific multi-tape WFSTs. The proposed method is especially suited when basic linguistic resources (morphological analyzer, part-of-speech taggers and term extractors) are available for the source language only.
Interdisziplinäres Zentrum für Musterdynamik und Angewandte Fernerkundung Workshop vom 9. - 10. Februar 2006
A key problem for models of dialogue is to explain the mechanisms involved in generating and responding to clarification requests. We report a 'Maze task' experiment that investigates the effect of 'spoof' clarification requests on the development of semantic co-ordination. The results provide evidence of both local and global semantic co-ordination phenomena that are not captured by existing dialogue co-ordination models.
Observational evidence exists that winds of massive stars are clumped. Many massive star systems are known as non-thermal particle production sites, as indicated by their synchrotron emission in the radio band. As a consequence they are also considered as candidate sites for non-thermal high-energy photon production up to gamma-ray energies. The present work considers the effects of wind clumpiness expected on the emitting relativistic particle spectrum in colliding wind systems, built up from the pool of thermal wind particles through diffusive particle acceleration, and taking into account inverse Compton and synchrotron losses. In comparison to a homogeneous wind, a clumpy wind causes flux variations of the emitting particle spectrum when the clump enters the wind collision region. It is found that the spectral features associated with this variability moves temporally from low to high energy bands with the time shift between any two spectral bands being dependent on clump size, filling factor, and the energy-dependence of particle energy gains and losses.
Clumping in Galactic WN stars : a comparison of mass loss rates from UV/optical & radio diagnostics
(2007)
The mass loss rates and other parameters for a large sample of Galactic WN stars have been revised by Hamann et al. (2006), using the most up-to date Potsdam Wolf-Rayet (PoWR) model atmospheres. For a sub-sample of these stars exist measurements of their radio free-free emission. After harmonizing the adopted distance and terminal wind velocities, we compare the mass loss rates obtained from the two diagnostics. The differences are discussed as a possible consequence of different clumping contrast in the line-forming and radio-emitting regions.
Stellar winds play an important role for the evolution of massive stars and their cosmic environment. Multiple lines of evidence, coming from spectroscopy, polarimetry, variability, stellar ejecta, and hydrodynamic modeling, suggest that stellar winds are non-stationary and inhomogeneous. This is referred to as 'wind clumping'. The urgent need to understand this phenomenon is boosted by its far-reaching implications. Most importantly, all techniques to derive empirical mass-loss rates are more or less corrupted by wind clumping. Consequently, mass-loss rates are extremely uncertain. Within their range of uncertainty, completely different scenarios for the evolution of massive stars are obtained. Settling these questions for Galactic OB, LBV and Wolf-Rayet stars is prerequisite to understanding stellar clusters and galaxies, or predicting the properties of first-generation stars. In order to develop a consistent picture and understanding of clumped stellar winds, an international workshop on 'Clumping in Hot Star Winds' was held in Potsdam, Germany, from 18. - 22. June 2007. About 60 participants, comprising almost all leading experts in the field, gathered for one week of extensive exchange and discussion. The Scientific Organizing Committee (SOC) included John Brown (Glasgow), Joseph Cassinelli (Madison), Paul Crowther (Sheffield), Alex Fullerton (Baltimore), Wolf-Rainer Hamann (Potsdam, chair), Anthony Moffat (Montreal), Stan Owocki (Newark), and Joachim Puls (Munich). These proceedings contain the invited and contributed talks presented at the workshop, and document the extensive discussions.
Clumping in O-star winds
(2007)
We have analyzed the spectra of seven Galactic O4 supergiants, with the NLTE wind code CMFGEN. For all stars, we have found that clumped wind models match well lines from different species spanning a wavelength range from FUV to optical, and remain consistent with Hα data. We have achieved an excellent match of the P V λλ1118, 1128 resonance doublet and N IV λ1718, as well as He II λ4686 suggesting that our physical description of clumping is adequate. We find very small volume filling factors and that clumping starts deep in the wind, near the sonic point. The most crucial consequence of our analysis is that the mass loss rates of O stars need to be revised downward significantly, by a factor of 3 and more compared to those obtained from smooth-wind models.
Recent studies of massive O-type stars present clear evidences of inhomogeneous and clumped winds. O-type (H-rich) central stars of planetary nebulae (CSPNs) are in some ways the low mass–low luminosity analogous of those massive stars. In this contribution, we present preliminary results of our on-going multi-wavelength (FUV, UV and optical) study of the winds of Galactic CSPNs. Particular emphasis will be given to the clumping factors derived by means of optical lines (Hα and Heii 4686) and “classic” FUV (and UV) lines.
Abstract interpretation-based model checking provides an approach to verifying properties of infinite-state systems. In practice, most previous work on abstract model checking is either restricted to verifying universal properties, or develops special techniques for temporal logics such as modal transition systems or other dual transition systems. By contrast we apply completely standard techniques for constructing abstract interpretations to the abstraction of a CTL semantic function, without restricting the kind of properties that can be verified. Furthermore we show that this leads directly to implementation of abstract model checking algorithms for abstract domains based on constraints, making use of an SMT solver.
We present the latest results on the observational dependence of the mass-loss rate in stellar winds of O and early-B stars on the metal content of their atmospheres, and compare these with predictions. Absolute empirical rates for the mass loss of stars brighter than 10$^{5.2} L_{\odot}$, based on H$\alpha$ and ultraviolet (UV) wind lines, are found to be about a factor of two higher than predictions. If this difference is attributed to inhomogeneities in the wind this would imply that luminous O and early-B stars have clumping factors in their H$\alpha$ and UV line forming regime of about a factor of 3--5. The investigated stars cover a metallicity range $Z$ from 0.2 to 1 $Z_{\odot}$. We find a hint towards smaller clumping factors for lower $Z$. The derived clumping factors, however, presuppose that clumping does not impact the predictions of the mass-loss rate. We discuss this assumption and explain how we intend to investigate its validity in more detail.
An account is presented of the focus properties, common ground effect and dialogue behaviour of the accented German discourse marker "doch" and the accented sentence negation "nicht". It is argued that "doch" and "nicht" evoke as a focus alternative the logical complement of the proposition expressed by the sentence in which they occur, and that an analysis in terms of contrastive focus accounts for their effect on the common ground and their function in dialogue.
A new method is used in an eye-tracking pilot experiment which shows that it is possible to detect differences in common ground associated with the use of minimally different types of indefinite anaphora. Following Richardson and Dale (2005), cross recurrence quantification analysis (CRQA) was used to show that the tandem eye movements of two Swedish-speaking interlocutors are slightly more coupled when they are using fully anaphoric indefinite expressions than when they are using less anaphoric indefinites. This shows the potential of CRQA to detect even subtle processing differences in ongoing discourse.
Fluvial systems are one of the major features shaping a landscape. They adjust to the prevailing tectonic and climatic setting and therefore are very sensitive markers of changes in these systems. If their response to tectonic and climatic forcing is quantified and if the climatic signal is excluded, it is possible to derive a local deformation history. Here, we investigate fluvial terraces and erosional surfaces in the southern Chilean forearc to assess a long-term geomorphic and hence tectonic evolution. Remote sensing and field studies of the Nahuelbuta Range show that the long-term deformation of the Chilean forearc is manifested by breaks in topography, sequences of differentially uplifted marine, alluvial and strath terraces as well as tectonically modified river courses and drainage basins. We used SRTM-90-data as basic elevation information for extracting and delineating drainage networks. We calculated hypsometric curves as an indicator for basin uplift, stream-length gradient indices to identify stream segments with anomalous slopes, and longitudinal river profiles as well as DS-plots to identify knickpoints and other anomalies. In addition, we investigated topography with elevation-slope graphs, profiles, and DEMs to reveal erosional surfaces. During the first field trip we already measured palaeoflow directions, performed pebble counting and sampled the fluvial terraces in order to apply cosmogenic nuclide dating (<sup>10Be, <sup>26Al) as well as provenance analyses. Our preliminary analysis of the Coastal Cordillera indicates a clear segmentation between the northern and southern parts of the Nahuelbuta Range. The Lanalhue Fault, a NW-SE striking fault zone oblique to the plate boundary, defines the segment boundary. Furthermore, we find a complex drainage re-organisation including a drainage reversal and wind gap on the divide between the Tirúa and Pellahuén basins east of the town Tirúa. The coastal basins lost most of their Andean sediment supply areas that existed in Tertiary and in part during early Pleistocene time. Between the Bío-Bío and Imperial rivers no Andean river is recently capable to traverse the Coastal Cordillera, suggesting ongoing Quaternary uplift of the entire range. From the spatial distribution of geomorphic surfaces in this region two uplift signals may be derived: (1) a long-term differential uplift process, active since the Miocene and possibly caused by underplating of subducted trench sediments, (2) a younger, local uplift affecting only the northern part of the Nahuelbuta Range that may be caused by the interaction of the forearc with the subduction of the Mocha Fracture Zone at the latitude of the Arauco peninsula. Our approach thus provides results in our attempt to decipher the characteristics of forearc development of active convergent margins using long-term geomorphic indicators. Furthermore, it is expected that our ongoing assessment will constrain repeatedly active zones of deformation. <hr> Interdisziplinäres Zentrum für Musterdynamik und Angewandte Fernerkundung Workshop vom 9. - 10. Februar 2006
We introduce and discuss a number of issues that arise in the process of building a finite-state morphological analyzer for Urdu, in particular issues with potential ambiguity and non-concatenative morphology. Our approach allows for an underlyingly similar treatment of both Urdu and Hindi via a cascade of finite-state transducers that transliterates the very different scripts into a common ASCII transcription system. As this transliteration system is based on the XFST tools that the Urdu/Hindi common morphological analyzer is also implemented in, no compatibility problems arise.
On the basis of the Dynamic Syntax framework, this paper argues that the production pressures in dialogue determining alignment effects and given versus new informational effects also drive the shift from case-rich free word order systems without clitic pronouns into systems with clitic pronouns with rigid relative ordering. The paper introduces assumptions of Dynamic Syntax, in particular the building up of interpretation through structural underspecification and update, sketches the attendant account of production with close coordination of parsing and production strategies, and shows how what was at the Latin stage a purely pragmatic, production-driven decision about linear ordering becomes encoded in the clitics in theMedieval Spanish system which then through successive steps of routinization yield the modern systems with immediately pre-verbal fixed clitic templates.
Discussion : X-rays
(2007)
We report on new mass-loss rate estimates for O stars in six massive binaries using the amplitude of orbital-phase dependent, linear-polarimetric variability caused by electron scattering off free electrons in the winds. Our estimated mass-loss rates for luminous O stars are independent of clumping. They suggest similar clumping corrections as for WR stars and do not support the recently proposed reduction in mass-loss rates of O stars by one or two orders of magnitude.
Dynamical simulation of the “velocity-porosity” reduction in observed strength of stellar wind lines
(2007)
I use dynamical simulations of the line-driven instability to examine the potential role of the resulting flow structure in reducing the observed strength of wind absorption lines. Instead of the porosity length formalism used to model effects on continuum absorption, I suggest reductions in line strength can be better characterized in terms of a velocity clumping factor that is insensitive to spatial scales. Examples of dynamic spectra computed directly from instability simulations do exhibit a net reduction in absorption, but only at a modest 10-20% level that is well short of the ca. factor 10 required by recent analyses of PV lines.
The spatially-resolved winds of the massive binary, Eta Carinae, extend an arcsecond on the sky, well beyond the 10 to 20 milliarcsecond binary orbital dimension. Stellar wind line profiles, observed at very different angular resolutions of VLTI/AMBER, HST/STIS and VLT/UVES, provide spatial information on the extended wind interaction structure as it changes with orbital phase. These same wind lines, observable in the starlight scattered off the foreground lobe of the dusty Homunculus, provide time-variant line profiles viewed from significantly different angles. Comparisons of direct and scattered wind profiles observed in the same epoch and at different orbital phases provide insight on the extended wind structure and promise the potential for three-dimensional imaging of the outer wind structures. Massive, long-lasting clumps, including the nebularWeigelt blobs, originated during the two historical ejection events. Wind interactions with these clumps are quite noticeable in spatially-resolved spectroscopy. As the 2009.0 minimum approaches, analysis of existing spectra and 3-D modeling are providing bases for key observations to gain further understanding of this complex massive binary.
In this paper we consider a simple syntactic extension of Answer Set Programming (ASP) for dealing with (nested) existential quantifiers and double negation in the rule bodies, in a close way to the recent proposal RASPL-1. The semantics for this extension just resorts to Equilibrium Logic (or, equivalently, to the General Theory of Stable Models), which provides a logic-programming interpretation for any arbitrary theory in the syntax of Predicate Calculus. We present a translation of this syntactic class into standard logic programs with variables (either disjunctive or normal, depending on the input rule heads), as those allowed by current ASP solvers. The translation relies on the introduction of auxiliary predicates and the main result shows that it preserves strong equivalence modulo the original signature.
The emergence of information extraction (IE) oriented pattern engines has been observed during the last decade. Most of them exploit heavily finite-state devices. This paper introduces ExPRESS – a new extraction pattern engine, whose rules are regular expressions over flat feature structures. The underlying pattern language is a blend of two previously introduced IE oriented pattern formalisms, namely, JAPE, used in the widely known GATE system, and the unificationbased XTDL formalism used in SProUT. A brief and technical overview of ExPRESS, its pattern language and the pool of its native linguistic components is given. Furthermore, the implementation of the grammar interpreter is addressed too.
We report FUSE observations in 2005–2006 of three O-type, double-lined spectroscopic binaries in the Magellanic Clouds. The systems have very short periods (1.4–2.25 d), represent rare, young evolutionary stages of massive stars and binaries, and provide a unique glimpse at some of the most massive systems that form in dense clusters of massive stars. Improved orbit parameters, including revised masses, for LH54-425 are derived from new ctio spectroscopy. The systems are: LH54-425 in the LMC (O3V + O5V, P=2.25d, 62+37M⊙), J053441-693139 in the LMC (O2-3If+O6V, P=1.4 d, 41+27M⊙), and Hodge 53-47 in the SMC (O6V + O4-5IIIf, P=2.2 d, 24+14M⊙, where the O4 star appears to be less massive than the O6 star). Their short periods indicates that wind interaction and mass transfer are likely important factors in their evolution. The spectra provide quantitative and systematic studies of phase-dependent stellar wind properties, wind collision effects in O+O binaries at lower metallicities, improved radial velocity curves, and FUV spectro-photometric changes as a function of orbital phase.
This paper describes a two-level formalism where feature structures are used in contextual rules. Whereas usual two-level grammars describe rational sets over symbol pairs, this new formalism uses tree structured regular expressions. They allow an explicit and precise definition of the scope of feature structures. A given surface form may be described using several feature structures. Feature unification is expressed in contextual rules using variables, like in a unification grammar. Grammars are compiled in finite state multi-tape transducers.
In this paper, we present a finite-state approach to constituency and therewith an analysis of coordination phenomena involving so-called non-constituents. We show that non-constituents can be seen as parts of fully-fledged constituents and therefore be coordinated in the same way. We have implemented an algorithm based on finite state automata that generates an LFG grammar assigning valid analyses to non-constituent coordination structures in the German language.
We present a formal analysis of iconic coverbal gesture. Our model describes the incomplete meaning of gesture that’s derivable from its form, and the pragmatic reasoning that yields a more specific interpretation. Our formalism builds on established models of discourse interpretation to capture key insights from the descriptive literature on gesture: synchronous speech and gesture express a single thought, but while the form of iconic gesture is an important clue to its interpretation, the content of gesture can be resolved only by linking it to its context.
We present a new analysis of illocutionary forces in dialogue. We analyze them as complex conversational moves involving two dimensions: what Speaker commits herself to and what she calls on Addressee to perform. We start from the analysis of speech acts such as confirmation requests or whimperatives, and extend the analysis to seemingly simple speech acts, such as statements and queries. Then, we show how to integrate our proposal in the framework of the Grammar for Conversation (Ginzburg, to app.), which is adequate for modelling agents' information states and how they get updated.
Decisions for the conservation of biodiversity and sustainable management of natural resources are typically related to large scales, i.e. the landscape level. However, understanding and predicting the effects of land use and climate change on scales relevant for decision-making requires to include both, large scale vegetation dynamics and small scale processes, such as soil-plant interactions. Integrating the results of multiple BIOTA subprojects enabled us to include necessary data of soil science, botany, socio-economics and remote sensing into a high resolution, process-based and spatially-explicit model. Using an example from a sustainably-used research farm and a communally used and degraded farming area in semiarid southern Namibia we show the power of simulation models as a tool to integrate processes across disciplines and scales.
General Discussion
(2007)
Interdisziplinäres Zentrum für Musterdynamik und Angewandte Fernerkundung Workshop vom 9. - 10. Februar 2006
Goal-oriented dialog as a collaborative subordinated activity involving collective acceptance
(2006)
Modeling dialog as a collaborative activity consists notably in specifying the contain of the Conversational Common Ground and the kind of social mental state involved. In previous work (Saget, 2006), we claim that Collective Acceptance is the proper social attitude for modeling Conversational Common Ground in the particular case of goal-oriented dialog. We provide a formalization of Collective Acceptance, besides elements in order to integrate this attitude in a rational model of dialog are provided; and finally, a model of referential acts as being part of a collaborative activity is provided. The particular case of reference has been chosen in order to exemplify our claims.
We present one-dimensional, time-dependent models of the clumps generated by the linedeshadowing instability. In order to follow the clumps out to distances of more than 1000 R∗, we use an efficient moving-box technique. We show that, within the approximations, the wind can remain clumped well into the formation region of the radio continuum.
Hα observations of Rigel obtained on 184 nights during the past ten years with the 1-m telescope and ´echelle spectrograph of Ritter Observatory are surveyed. The line profiles were classified in terms of morphology. About 1/4 of them are of P Cygni type, about 15% inverse P Cygni, about 25% double-peaked, about 1/3 pure absorption, and a few are single emission lines. Transformation of the profile from one type to another typically takes a few days. Although the line stays in absorption for extended intervals, only one high-velocity absorption event of the intensity reported by Kaufer et al. (1996a) was observed, in late 2006. Late in this event, Hα absorption occurred farther to the red than the red wing of a plausible photospheric absorption component, an indication of infalling material. In general, as the absorption events come to an end, the emission typically returns with an inverse P Cygni profile. The Hα profile class shows no obvious correlation with the radial velocity of C II λ6578, a photospheric absorption line.
In two experiments, many annotators marked antecedents for discourse deixis as unconstrained regions of text. The experiments show that annotators do converge on the identity of these text regions, though much of what they do can be captured by a simple model. Demonstrative pronouns are more likely than definite descriptions to be marked with discourse antecedents. We suggest that our methodology is suitable for the systematic study of discourse deixis.
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is a large, infrared-optimized space telescope scheduled for launch in 2013. JWST will find the first stars and galaxies that formed in the early universe, connecting the Big Bang to our own Milky Way galaxy. JWST will peer through dusty clouds to see stars forming planetary systems, connecting the MilkyWay to our own Solar System. JWST’s instruments are designed to work primarily in the infrared range of 1 - 28 μm, with some capability in the visible range. JWST will have a large mirror, 6.5 m in diameter, and will be diffraction-limited at 2 μm (0.1 arcsec resolution). JWST will be placed in an L2 orbit about 1.5 million km from the Earth. The instruments will provide imaging, coronography, and multi-object and integral-field spectroscopy across the 1 - 28 μm wavelength range. The breakthrough capabilities of JWST will enable new studies of massive star winds from the Milky Way to the early universe.
I discuss observational evidence – independent of the direct spectral diagnostics of stellar winds themselves – suggesting that mass-loss rates for O stars need to be revised downward by roughly a factor of three or more, in line with recent observed mass-loss rates for clumped winds. These independent constraints include the large observed mass-loss rates in LBV eruptions, the large masses of evolved massive stars like LBVs and WNH stars, WR stars in lower metallicity environments, observed rotation rates of massive stars at different metallicity, supernovae that seem to defy expectations of high mass-loss rates in stellar evolution, and other clues. I pay particular attention to the role of feedback that would result from higher mass-loss rates, driving the star to the Eddington limit too soon, and therefore making higher rates appear highly implausible. Some of these arguments by themselves may have more than one interpretation, but together they paint a consistent picture that steady line-driven winds of O-type stars have lower mass-loss rates and are significantly clumped.
The International Conference on Informatics in Schools: Situation, Evolution and Perspectives – ISSEP – is a forum for researchers and practitioners in the area of Informatics education, both in primary and secondary schools. It provides an opportunity for educators to reflect upon the goals and objectives of this subject, its curricula and various teaching/learning paradigms and topics, possible connections to everyday life and various ways of establishing Informatics Education in schools. This conference also cares about teaching/learning materials, various forms of assessment, traditional and innovative educational research designs, Informatics’ contribution to the preparation of children for the 21st century, motivating competitions, projects and activities supporting informatics education in school.
Integration of digital elevation models and satellite images to investigate geological processes.
(2006)
In order to better understand the geological boundary conditions for ongoing or past surface processes geologists face two important questions: 1) How can we gain additional knowledge about geological processes by analyzing digital elevation models (DEM) and satellite images and 2) Do these efforts present a viable approach for more efficient research. Here, we will present case studies at a variety of scales and levels of resolution to illustrate how we can substantially complement and enhance classical geological approaches with remote sensing techniques. Commonly, satellite and DEM based studies are being used in a first step of assessing areas of geologic interest. While in the past the analysis of satellite imagery (e.g. Landsat TM) and aerial photographs was carried out to characterize the regional geologic characteristics, particularly structure and lithology, geologists have increasingly ventured into a process-oriented approach. This entails assessing structures and geomorphic features with a concept that includes active tectonics or tectonic activity on time scales relevant to humans. In addition, these efforts involve analyzing and quantifying the processes acting at the surface by integrating different remote sensing and topographic data (e.g. SRTM-DEM, SSM/I, GPS, Landsat 7 ETM, Aster, Ikonos…). A combined structural and geomorphic study in the hyperarid Atacama desert demonstrates the use of satellite and digital elevation data for assessing geological structures formed by long-term (millions of years) feedback mechanisms between erosion and crustal bending (Zeilinger et al., 2005). The medium-term change of landscapes during hundred thousands to millions years in a more humid setting is shown in an example from southern Chile. Based on an analysis of rivers/watersheds combined with landscapes parameterization by using digital elevation models, the geomorphic evolution and change in drainage pattern in the coastal Cordillera can be quantified and put into the context of seismotectonic segmentation of a tectonically active region. This has far-reaching implications for earthquake rupture scenarios and hazard mitigation (K. Rehak, see poster on IMAF Workshop). Two examples illustrate short-term processes on decadal, centennial and millennial time scales: One study uses orogen scale precipitation gradients derived from remotely sensed passive microwave data (Bookhagen et al., 2005a). They demonstrate how debris flows were triggered as a response of slopes to abnormally strong rainfall in the interior parts of the Himalaya during intensified monsoons. The area of the orogen that receives high amounts of precipitation during intensified monsoons also constitutes numerous landslide deposits of up to 1km<sup>3 volume that were generated during intensified monsoon phase at about 27 and 9 ka (Bookhagen et al., 2005b). Another project in the Swiss Alps compared sets of aerial photographs recorded in different years. By calculating high resolution surfaces the mass transport in a landslide could be reconstructed (M. Schwab, Universität Bern). All these examples, although representing only a short and limited selection of projects using remote sense data in geology, have as a common approach the goal to quantify geological processes. With increasing data resolution and new sensors future projects will even enable us to recognize more patterns and / or structures indicative of geological processes in tectonically active areas. This is crucial for the analysis of natural hazards like earthquakes, tsunamis and landslides, as well as those hazards that are related to climatic variability. The integration of remotely sensed data at different spatial and temporal scales with field observations becomes increasingly important. Many of presently highly populated places and increasingly utilized regions are subject to significant environmental pressure and often constitute areas of concentrated economic value. Combined remote sensing and ground-truthing in these regions is particularly important as geologic, seismicity and hydrologic data may be limited here due to the recency of infrastructural development. Monitoring ongoing processes and evaluating the remotely sensed data in terms of recurrence of events will greatly enhance our ability to assess and mitigate natural hazards. <hr> Dokument 1: Foliensatz | Dokument 2: Abstract <hr> Interdisziplinäres Zentrum für Musterdynamik und Angewandte Fernerkundung Workshop vom 9. - 10. Februar 2006
Finite state methods for natural language processing often require the construction and the intersection of several automata. In this paper, we investigate the question of determining the best order in which these intersections should be performed. We take as an example lexical disambiguation in polarity grammars. We show that there is no efficient way to minimize the state complexity of these intersections.
We present the tool Kato which is, to the best of our knowledge, the first tool for plagiarism detection that is directly tailored for answer-set programming (ASP). Kato aims at finding similarities between (segments of) logic programs to help detecting cases of plagiarism. Currently, the tool is realised for DLV programs but it is designed to handle various logic-programming syntax versions. We review basic features and the underlying methodology of the tool.
KEYCIT 2014
(2015)
In our rapidly changing world it is increasingly important not only to be an expert in a chosen field of study but also to be able to respond to developments, master new approaches to solving problems, and fulfil changing requirements in the modern world and in the job market. In response to these needs key competencies in understanding, developing and using new digital technologies are being brought into focus in school and university programmes. The IFIP TC3 conference "KEYCIT – Key Competences in Informatics and ICT (KEYCIT 2014)" was held at the University of Potsdam in Germany from July 1st to 4th, 2014 and addressed the combination of key competencies, Informatics and ICT in detail. The conference was organized into strands focusing on secondary education, university education and teacher education (organized by IFIP WGs 3.1 and 3.3) and provided a forum to present and to discuss research, case studies, positions, and national perspectives in this field.
Magnetic fields influence the dynamics of hot-star winds and create large scale structure. Based on numerical magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulations, we model the wind of θ¹ Ori C, and then use the SEI method to compute synthetic line profiles for a range of viewing angles as function of rotational phase. The resulting dynamic spectrum for a moderately strong line shows a distinct modulation, but with a phase that seems at odds with available observations.
This paper outlines a newly-developed method to include the effects of time variability in the radiative transfer code CMFGEN. It is shown that the flow timescale is often large compared to the variability timescale of LBVs. Thus, time-dependent effects significantly change the velocity law and density structure of the wind, affecting the derivation of the mass-loss rate, volume filling factor, wind terminal velocity, and luminosity. The results of this work are directly applicable to all active LBVs in the Galaxy and in the LMC, such as AG Car, HR Car, S Dor and R 127, and could result in a revision of stellar and wind parameters. The massloss rate evolution of AG Car during the last 20 years is presented, highlighting the need for time-dependent models to correctly interpret the evolution of LBVs.
In this work an extension of CSSR algorithm using Maximum Entropy Models is introduced. Preliminary experiments to perform Named Entity Recognition with this new system are presented.
We describe an experiment to gather original data on geometrical aspects of pointing. In particular, we are focusing upon the concept of the pointing cone, a geometrical model of a pointing’s extension. In our setting we employed methodological and technical procedures of a new type to integrate data from annotations as well as from tracker recordings. We combined exact information on position and orientation with rater’s classifications. Our first results seem to challenge classical linguistic and philosophical theories of demonstration in that they advise to separate pointings from reference.
The rigorous development, application and validation of distributed hydrological models obligates to evaluate data in a spatially distributed way. In particular, spatial model predictions such as the distribution of soil moisture, runoff generating areas or nutrient-contributing areas or erosion rates, are to be assessed against spatially distributed observations. Also model inputs, such as the distribution of modelling units derived by GIS and remote sensing analyses, should be evaluated against groundbased observations of landscape characteristics. So far, however, quantitative methods of spatial field comparison have rarely been used in hydrology. In this paper, we present algorithms that allow to compare observed and simulated spatial hydrological data. The methods can be applied for binary and categorical data on regular grids. They comprise cell-by-cell algorithms, cell-neighbourhood approaches that account for fuzziness of location, and multi-scale algorithms that evaluate the similarity of spatial fields with changing resolution. All methods provide a quantitative measure of the similarity of two maps. The comparison methods are applied in two mountainous catchments in southern Germany (Brugga, 40 km<sup>2) and Austria (Löhnersbach, 16 km<sup>2). As an example of binary hydrological data, the distribution of saturated areas is analyzed in both catchments. For categorical data, vegetation zones that are associated with different runoff generation mechanisms are analyzed in the Löhnersbach. Mapped spatial patterns are compared to simulated patterns from terrain index calculations and from satellite image analysis. It is discussed how particular features of visual similarity between the spatial fields are captured by the quantitative measures, leading to recommendations on suitable algorithms in the context of evaluating distributed hydrological models.
We present preliminary results of a tailored atmosphere analysis of six Galactic WC stars using UV, optical, and mid-infrared Spitzer IRS data. With these data, we are able to sample regions from 10 to 10³ stellar radii, thus to determine wind clumping in different parts of the wind. Ultimately, derived wind parameters will be used to accuratelymeasure neon abundances, and to so test predicted nuclear-reaction rates.
We analyze anaphoric phenomena in the context of building an input understanding component for a conversational system for tutoring mathematics. In this paper, we report the results of data analysis of two sets of corpora of dialogs on mathematical theorem proving. We exemplify anaphoric phenomena, identify factors relevant to anaphora resolution in our domain and extensions to the input interpretation component to support it.
We apply the 3-dimensional radiative transport codeWind3D to 3D hydrodynamic models of Corotating Interaction Regions to fit the detailed variability of Discrete Absorption Components observed in Si iv UV resonance lines of HD 64760 (B0.5 Ib). We discuss important effects of the hydrodynamic input parameters on these large-scale equatorial wind structures that determine the detailed morphology of the DACs computed with 3D transfer. The best fit model reveals that the CIR in HD 64760 is produced by a source at the base of the wind that lags behind the stellar surface rotation. The non-corotating coherent wind structure is an extended density wave produced by a local increase of only 0.6% in the smooth symmetric wind mass-loss rate.
Claiming that cross-speaker "but" can signal correction in dialogue, we start by describing the types of corrections "but" can communicate by focusing on the Speech Act (SA) communicated in the previous turn and address the ways in which "but" can correct what is communicated. We address whether "but" corrects the proposition, the direct SA or the discourse relation communicated in the previous turn. We will also briefly address other relations signalled by cross-turn "but". After presenting a typology of the situations "but" can correct, we will address how these corrections can be modelled in the Information State model of dialogue, motivating this work by showing how it can be used to potentially avoid misunderstandings. We wrap up by showing how the model presented here updates beliefs in the Information State representation of the dialogue and can be used to facilitate response deliberation.
We model the line profile variability (lpv) in spectra of clumped stellar atmospheres using the Stochastic Clump Model (SCM) of the winds of early-type stars. In this model the formation of dense inhomogeneities (clumps) in the line driven winds is considered as being a stochastic process. It is supposed that the emission due to clumps mainly contributes to the intensities of emission lines in the stellar spectra. It is shown that in the framework of the SCM it is possible to reproduce both the mean line profiles and a common pattern of the lpv.
Many hot stars exhibit stochastic polarimetric variability, thought to arise from clumping low in the wind. Here we investigate the wind properties required to reproduce this variability using analytic models, with particular emphasis on Luminous Blue Variables. We find that the winds must be highly structured, consisting of a large number of optically-thin clumps; while we find that the overall level of polarization should scale with mass-loss rate – consistent with observations of LBVs. The models also predict variability on very short timescales, which is supported by the results of a recent polarimetric monitoring campaign.
Demonstratives, in particular gestures that "only" accompany speech, are not a big issue in current theories of grammar. If we deal with gestures, fixing their function is one big problem, the other one is how to integrate the representations originating from different channels and, ultimately, how to determine their composite meanings. The growing interest in multi-modal settings, computer simulations, human-machine interfaces and VRapplications increases the need for theories ofmultimodal structures and events. In our workshopcontribution we focus on the integration of multimodal contents and investigate different approaches dealing with this problem such as Johnston et al. (1997) and Johnston (1998), Johnston and Bangalore (2000), Chierchia (1995), Asher (2005), and Rieser (2005).
In the old days (pre ∼1990) hot stellar winds were assumed to be smooth, which made life fairly easy and bothered no one. Then after suspicious behaviour had been revealed, e.g. stochastic temporal variability in broadband polarimetry of single hot stars, it took the emerging CCD technology developed in the preceding decades (∼1970-80’s) to reveal that these winds were far from smooth. It was mainly high-S/N, time-dependent spectroscopy of strong optical recombination emission lines in WR, and also a few OB and other stars with strong hot winds, that indicated all hot stellar winds likely to be pervaded by thousands of multiscale (compressible supersonic turbulent?) structures, whose driver is probably some kind of radiative instability. Quantitative estimates of clumping-independent mass-loss rates came from various fronts, mainly dependent directly on density (e.g. electron-scattering wings of emission lines, UV spectroscopy of weak resonance lines, and binary-star properties including orbital-period changes, electron-scattering, and X-ray fluxes from colliding winds) rather than the more common, easier-to-obtain but clumping-dependent density-squared diagnostics (e.g. free-free emission in the IR/radio and recombination lines, of which the favourite has always been Hα). Many big questions still remain, such as: What do the clumps really look like? Do clumping properties change as one recedes from the mother star? Is clumping universal? Does the relative clumping correction depend on $\dot{M}$ itself?
The optical spectrum of Eta Carinae (η Car) is prominent in H I, He i and Fe ii wind lines, all of which vary both in absorption and emission with phase. The phase dependance is a consequence of the interaction between the two objects in the η Car binary (η Car A & B). The binary system is enshrouded by ejecta from previous mass ejection events and consequently, η Car B is not directly observable. We have traced the He i lines over η Car’s spectroscopic period, using HST/STIS data obtained with medium spectral, but high angular, resolving power, and created a radial velocity curve for the system. The He I lines are formed in the core of the system, and appear to be a composite of multiple features formed in spatially separated regions. The sources of their irregular line profiles are still not fully understood, but can be attributed to emission/absorption near the wind-wind interface and/or a direct consequence of the η Car A’s, massive, clumpy wind. This paper will discuss the spectral variability, the narrow emission structure of the He i lines and how clumpiness of the winds may impede the construction of the reliable radial velocity curve, necessary for characterizations of especially η Car B.
Morphological analyses based on word syntax approaches can encounter difficulties with long distance dependencies. The reason is that in some cases an affix has to have access to the inner structure of the form with which it combines. One solution is the percolation of features from ther inner morphemes to the outer morphemes with some process of feature unification. However, the obstacle of percolation constraints or stipulated features has lead some linguists to argue in favour of other frameworks such as, e.g., realizational morphology or parallel approaches like optimality theory. This paper proposes a linguistic analysis of two long distance dependencies in the morphology of Russian verbs, namely secondary imperfectivization and deverbal nominalization.We show how these processes can be reanalysed as local dependencies. Although finitestate frameworks are not bound by such linguistically motivated considerations, we present an implementation of our analysis as proposed in [1] that does not complicate the grammar or enlarge the network unproportionally.
Overwhelming observational and theoretical evidence suggests that the winds of massive stars are highly clumped. We briefly discuss the influence of clumping on model diagnostics and the difficulties of allowing for the influence of clumping on model spectra. Because of its simplicity, and because of computational ease, most spectroscopic analyses incorporate clumping using the volume filling factor. The biases introduced by this approach are uncertain. To investigate alternative clumping models, and to help determine the validity of parameters derived using the volume filling factor method, we discuss results derived using an alternative model in which we assume that the wind is composed of optically thick shells.
A constraint programming system combines two essential components: a constraint solver and a search engine. The constraint solver reasons about satisfiability of conjunctions of constraints, and the search engine controls the search for solutions by iteratively exploring a disjunctive search tree defined by the constraint program. The Monadic Constraint Programming framework gives a monadic definition of constraint programming where the solver is defined as a monad threaded through the monadic search tree. Search and search strategies can then be defined as firstclass objects that can themselves be built or extended by composable search transformers. Search transformers give a powerful and unifying approach to viewing search in constraint programming, and the resulting constraint programming system is first class and extremely flexible.
We present an algorithm that computes a function that assigns consecutive integers to trees recognized by a deterministic, acyclic, finite-state, bottom-up tree automaton. Such function is called minimal perfect hashing. It can be used to identify trees recognized by the automaton. Its value may be seen as an index in some other data structures. We also present an algorithm for inverted hashing.
In the most abstract definition of its operational semantics, the declarative and concurrent programming language CHR is trivially non-terminating for a significant class of programs. Common refinements of this definition, in closing the gap to real-world implementations, compromise on declarativity and/or concurrency. Building on recent work and the notion of persistent constraints, we introduce an operational semantics avoiding trivial non-termination without compromising on its essential features.
In the last years, statistical machine translation has already demonstrated its usefulness within a wide variety of translation applications. In this line, phrase-based alignment models have become the reference to follow in order to build competitive systems. Finite state models are always an interesting framework because there are well-known efficient algorithms for their representation and manipulation. This document is a contribution to the evolution of finite state models towards a phrase-based approach. The inference of stochastic transducers that are based on bilingual phrases is carefully analysed from a finite state point of view. Indeed, the algorithmic phenomena that have to be taken into account in order to deal with such phrase-based finite state models when in decoding time are also in-depth detailed.
A wide range of additional forward chaining applications could be realized with deductive databases, if their rule formalism, their immediate consequence operator, and their fixpoint iteration process would be more flexible. Deductive databases normally represent knowledge using stratified Datalog programs with default negation. But many practical applications of forward chaining require an extensible set of user–defined built–in predicates. Moreover, they often need function symbols for building complex data structures, and the stratified fixpoint iteration has to be extended by aggregation operations. We present an new language Datalog*, which extends Datalog by stratified meta–predicates (including default negation), function symbols, and user–defined built–in predicates, which are implemented and evaluated top–down in Prolog. All predicates are subject to the same backtracking mechanism. The bottom–up fixpoint iteration can aggregate the derived facts after each iteration based on user–defined Prolog predicates.
Preface
(2010)
The workshops on (constraint) logic programming (WLP) are the annual meeting of the Society of Logic Programming (GLP e.V.) and bring together researchers interested in logic programming, constraint programming, and related areas like databases, artificial intelligence and operations research. In this decade, previous workshops took place in Dresden (2008), Würzburg (2007), Vienna (2006), Ulm (2005), Potsdam (2004), Dresden (2002), Kiel (2001), and Würzburg (2000). Contributions to workshops deal with all theoretical, experimental, and application aspects of constraint programming (CP) and logic programming (LP), including foundations of constraint/ logic programming. Some of the special topics are constraint solving and optimization, extensions of functional logic programming, deductive databases, data mining, nonmonotonic reasoning, , interaction of CP/LP with other formalisms like agents, XML, JAVA, program analysis, program transformation, program verification, meta programming, parallelism and concurrency, answer set programming, implementation and software techniques (e.g., types, modularity, design patterns), applications (e.g., in production, environment, education, internet), constraint/logic programming for semantic web systems and applications, reasoning on the semantic web, data modelling for the web, semistructured data, and web query languages.
INTEGRAL tripled the number of super-giant high-mass X-ray binaries (sgHMXB) known in the Galaxy by revealing absorbed and fast transient (SFXT) systems. Quantitative constraints on the wind clumping of massive stars can be obtained from the study of the hard X-ray variability of SFXT. A large fraction of the hard X-ray emission is emitted in the form of flares with a typical duration of 3 ksec, frequency of 7 days and luminosity of $10^{36}$ erg/s. Such flares are most probably emitted by the interaction of a compact object orbiting at $\sim10~R_*$ with wind clumps ($10^{22 ... 23}$ g) representing a large fraction of the stellar mass-loss rate. The density ratio between the clumps and the inter-clump medium is $10^{2 ... 4}$. The parameters of the clumps and of the inter-clump medium, derived from the SFXT flaring behavior, are in good agreement with macro-clumping scenario and line-driven instability simulations. SFXT are likely to have larger orbital radius than classical sgHMXB.
By quantitatively fitting simple emission line profile models that include both atomic opacity and porosity to the Chandra X-ray spectrum of ζ Pup, we are able to explore the trade-offs between reduced mass-loss rates and wind porosity. We find that reducing the mass-loss rate of ζ Pup by roughly a factor of four, to 1.5 × 10−6 M⊙ yr−1, enables simple non-porous wind models to provide good fits to the data. If, on the other hand, we take the literature mass-loss rate of 6×10−6 M⊙ yr−1, then to produce X-ray line profiles that fit the data, extreme porosity lengths – of h∞ ≈ 3 R∗ – are required. Moreover, these porous models do not provide better fits to the data than the non-porous, low optical depth models. Additionally, such huge porosity lengths do not seem realistic in light of 2-D numerical simulations of the wind instability.
Mass accretion onto compact objects through accretion disks is a common phenomenon in the universe. It is seen in all energy domains from active galactic nuclei through cataclysmic variables (CVs) to young stellar objects. Because CVs are fairly easy to observe, they provide an ideal opportunity to study accretion disks in great detail and thus help us to understand accretion also in other energy ranges. Mass accretion in these objects is often accompanied by mass outflow from the disks. This accretion disk wind, at least in CVs, is thought to be radiatively driven, similar to O star winds. WOMPAT, a 3-D Monte Carlo radiative transfer code for accretion disk winds of CVs is presented.
Deductive databases need general formulas in rule bodies, not only conjuctions of literals. This is well known since the work of Lloyd and Topor about extended logic programming. Of course, formulas must be restricted in such a way that they can be effectively evaluated in finite time, and produce only a finite number of new tuples (in each iteration of the TP-operator: the fixpoint can still be infinite). It is also necessary to respect binding restrictions of built-in predicates: many of these predicates can be executed only when certain arguments are ground. Whereas for standard logic programming rules, questions of safety, allowedness, and range-restriction are relatively easy and well understood, the situation for general formulas is a bit more complicated. We give a syntactic analysis of formulas that guarantees the necessary properties.
We study the time variability of emission lines in three WNE stars : WR 2 (WN2), WR 3 (WN3ha) and WR152 (WN3). While WR 2 shows no variability above the noise level, the other stars do show variation, which are like other WR stars in WR 152 but very fast in WR 3. From these motions, we deduce a value of β ∼1 for WR 3 that is like that seen in O stars and β ∼2–3 for WR 152, that is intermediate between other WR stars and WR 3.
We present XMM-Newton Reflection Grating Spectrometer observations of pairs of X-ray emission line profiles from the O star ζ Pup that originate from the same He-like ion. The two profiles in each pair have different shapes and cannot both be consistently fit by models assuming the same wind parameters. We show that the differences in profile shape can be accounted for in a model including the effects of resonance scattering, which affects the resonance line in the pair but not the intercombination line. This implies that resonance scattering is also important in single resonance lines, where its effect is difficult to distinguish from a low effective continuum optical depth in the wind. Thus, resonance scattering may help reconcile X-ray line profile shapes with literature mass-loss rates.
The P v λλ1118, 1128 resonance doublet is an extraordinarily useful diagnostic of O-star winds, because it bypasses the traditional problems associated with determining mass-loss rates from UV resonance lines. We discuss critically the assumptions and uncertainties involved with using P v to diagnose mass-loss rates, and conclude that the large discrepancies between massloss rates determined from P v and the rates determined from “density squared” emission processes pose a significant challenge to the “standard model” of hot-star winds. The disparate measurements can be reconciled if the winds of O-type stars are strongly clumped on small spatial scales, which in turn implies that mass-loss rates based on Hα or radio emission are too large by up to an order of magnitude.
In semi-arid savannas, unsustainable land use can lead to degradation of entire landscapes, e.g. in the form of shrub encroachment. This leads to habitat loss and is assumed to reduce species diversity. In BIOTA phase 1, we investigated the effects of land use on population dynamics on farm scale. In phase 2 we scale up to consider the whole regional landscape consisting of a diverse mosaic of farms with different historic and present land use intensities. This mosaic creates a heterogeneous, dynamic pattern of structural diversity at a large spatial scale. Understanding how the region-wide dynamic land use pattern affects the abundance of animal and plant species requires the integration of processes on large as well as on small spatial scales. In our multidisciplinary approach, we integrate information from remote sensing, genetic and ecological field studies as well as small scale process models in a dynamic region-wide simulation tool. <hr> Interdisziplinäres Zentrum für Musterdynamik und Angewandte Fernerkundung Workshop vom 9. - 10. Februar 2006.
Received views of utterance context in pragmatic theory characterize the occurrent subjective states of interlocutors using notions like common knowledge or mutual belief. We argue that these views are not compatible with the uncertainty and robustness of context-dependence in humanhuman dialogue. We present an alternative characterization of utterance context as objective and normative. This view reconciles the need for uncertainty with received intuitions about coordination and meaning in context, and can directly inform computational approaches to dialogue.
Classical SDRT (Asher and Lascarides, 2003) discussed essential features of dialogue like adjacency pairs or corrections and up-dating. Recent work in SDRT (Asher, 2002, 2005) aims at the description of natural dialogue. We use this work to model situated communication, i.e. dialogue, in which sub-sentential utterances and gestures (pointing and grasping) are used as conventional modes of communication. We show that in addition to cognitive modelling in SDRT, capturing mental states and speech-act related goals, special postulates are needed to extract meaning out of contexts. Gestural meaning anchors Discourse Referents in contextually given domains. Both sorts of meaning are fused with the meaning of fragments to get at fully developed dialogue moves. This task accomplished, the standard SDRT machinery, tagged SDRSs, rhetorical relations, the up-date mechanism, and the Maximize Discourse Coherence constraint generate coherent structures. In sum, meanings from different verbal and non-verbal sources are assembled using extended SDRT to form coherent wholes.
Since Harris’ parser in the late 50s, multiword units have been progressively integrated in parsers. Nevertheless, in the most part, they are still restricted to compound words, that are more stable and less numerous. Actually, language is full of semi-fixed expressions that also form basic semantic units: semi-fixed adverbial expressions (e.g. time), collocations. Like compounds, the identification of these structures limits the combinatorial complexity induced by lexical ambiguity. In this paper, we detail an experiment that largely integrates these notions in a finite-state procedure of segmentation into super-chunks, preliminary to a parser.We show that the chunker, developped for French, reaches 92.9% precision and 98.7% recall. Moreover, multiword units realize 36.6% of the attachments within nominal and prepositional phrases.
The interest in extensions of the logic programming paradigm beyond the class of normal logic programs is motivated by the need of an adequate representation and processing of knowledge. One of the most difficult problems in this area is to find an adequate declarative semantics for logic programs. In the present paper a general preference criterion is proposed that selects the ‘intended’ partial models of generalized logic programs which is a conservative extension of the stationary semantics for normal logic programs of [Prz91]. The presented preference criterion defines a partial model of a generalized logic program as intended if it is generated by a stationary chain. It turns out that the stationary generated models coincide with the stationary models on the class of normal logic programs. The general wellfounded semantics of such a program is defined as the set-theoretical intersection of its stationary generated models. For normal logic programs the general wellfounded semantics equals the wellfounded semantics.
We exploit time-series $FUSE$ spectroscopy to {\it uniquely} probe spatial structure and clumping in the fast wind of the central star of the H-rich planetary nebula NGC~6543 (HD~164963). Episodic and recurrent optical depth enhancements are discovered in the P{\sc v} absorption troughs, with some evidence for a $\sim$ 0.17-day modulation time-scale. The characteristics of these features are essentially identical to the discrete absorption components' (DACs) commonly seen in the UV lines of massive OB stars, suggesting the temporal structures seen in NGC~6543 likely have a physical origin that is similar to that operating in massive, luminous stars. The mechanism for forming coherent perturbations in the outflows is therefore apparently operating equally in the radiation-pressure-driven winds of widely differing momenta ($\mdot$$v_\infty$$R_\star^{0.5}$) and flow times, as represented by OB stars and CSPN.
This paper describes the key aspects of the system SynCoP (Syntactic Constraint Parser) developed at the Berlin-Brandenburgische Akademie der Wissenschaften. The parser allows to combine syntactic tagging and chunking by means of constraint grammar using weighted finite state transducers (WFST). Chunks are interpreted as local dependency structures within syntactic tagging. The linguistic theories are formulated by criteria which are formalized by a semiring; these criteria allow structural preferences and gradual grammaticality. The parser is essentially a cascade of WFSTs. To find the most likely syntactic readings a best-path search is used.
This paper presents a system for the detection and correction of syntactic errors. It combines a robust morphosyntactic analyser and two groups of finite-state transducers specified using the Xerox Finite State Tool (xfst). One of the groups is used for the description of syntactic error patterns while the second one is used for the correction of the detected errors. The system has been tested on a corpus of real texts, containing both correct and incorrect sentences, with good results.