Decomposing Swedish Compounds Using Memory-Based Learning

Proceedings of the 16th Nordic Conference of Computational Linguistics NODALIDA-2007. Editors: Joakim Nivre, Heiki-Jaan Kaalep, Kadri Muischnek and Mare Koit. University of Tartu, Tartu, 2007. ISBN 978-9985-4-0513-0 (online) ISBN 978-9985-4-0514-7 (CD-ROM) pp. 224-230

Conference Program

Proceedings of the 16th Nordic Conference of Computational Linguistics NODALIDA-2007. Editors: Joakim Nivre, Heiki-Jaan Kaalep, Kadri Muischnek and Mare Koit. University of Tartu, Tartu, 2007. ISBN 978-9985-4-0513-0 (online) ISBN 978-9985-4-0514-7 (CD-ROM) pp. xiii-xviii

Contents

Proceedings of the 16th Nordic Conference of Computational Linguistics NODALIDA-2007. Editors: Joakim Nivre, Heiki-Jaan Kaalep, Kadri Muischnek and Mare Koit. University of Tartu, Tartu, 2007. ISBN 978-9985-4-0513-0 (online) ISBN 978-9985-4-0514-7 (CD-ROM) pp. iii-viii

The chemical ecology of armyworms

Moths of the genus Spodoptera are economically important pest insects. The necessity to develop novel control strategies which may be included in integrated pest management schemes has led to the study of chemical communication in several species within the genus. The polyphagous nature of most Spodoptera species makes it an interesting model to study the way in which different odor profiles are processed and interpreted by the insect brain and how this reflects upon the behavior and ecological interactions which may be of importance in agricultural systems. As such, armyworms have become a model organism in olfactory insect chemical ecology. Here, I attempt to give an overview of what is known about Spodptera chemical ecology to date and present perspectives and directions for future research

Cadaver dogs and the deathly hallows—a survey and literature review on selection and training procedure

Human remains detection dogs (HRDDs) are powerful police assets to locate a corpse. However, the methods used to select and train them are as diverse as the number of countries with such a canine brigade. First, a survey sent to human remains searching brigades (Ncountries = 10; NBrigades = 16; NHandlers = 50; Nquestions = 9), to collect their working habits confirmed the lack of optimized selection and training procedures. Second, a literature review was performed in order to outline the strengths and shortcomings of HRDDs training. A comparison between the scientific knowledge and the common practices used by HRDDs brigade was then conducted focusing on HRDDs selection and training procedures. We highlighted that HRDD handlers select their dogs by focusing on behavioral traits while neglecting anatomical features, which have been shown to be important. Most HRDD handlers reported to use a reward-based training, which is in accordance with training literature for dogs. Training aids should be representative of the odor target to allow a dog to reach optimal performances. The survey highlighted the wide diversity of homemade training aids, and the need to optimize their composition. In the present document, key research topics to improve HRDD works are also provided.Peer reviewe

English compound word processing: Evidence from Mandarin Chinese-English bilinguals

Much research has focused on the how monolinguals process morphologically complex words. However, there has been less research that focuses on how bilinguals process morphologically complex words in their L2. This study investigated how bilinguals process English noun-noun compound words. Processing was investigated using a masked priming word recognition task in high-proficiency Mandarin Chinese-English bilinguals (Chinese is their native language and English is their second language). Participants made visual lexical decisions to compound word targets preceded by masked primes which were second constituents of the compounds, sharing either 1) a semantically transparent morphological relationship with the target (e.g. bone-cheekbone), which is called the transparent condition; 2) an apparent morphological relationship, but no semantic relationship with the target (e.g., moon-honeymoon), which is called the opaque condition; 3) an orthographic relationship with the target (e.g., plate-birthplace) , which is called the orthographic condition; 4) a direct translation in Chinese of the second constituent of the target (e.g., 纸(paper)-newspaper), which is called the Chinese condition. The results showed that the transparent and Chinese conditions produced significant priming effects, but the opaque condition and orthographic condition did not. Regarding the processing of morphologically complex words, this study provides some evidence that Mandarin Chinese-English bilinguals used a decompositional route for transparent compound words, but whole word processing for opaque compound words. The priming effects found in the Chinese condition suggest that when Mandarin Chinese-English bilinguals process their second language, their first language is also activated

Soil carbon modelling as a tool for carbon balance studies in forestry

Soils represent a remarkable stock of carbon, and forest soils are estimated to hold half of the global stock of soil carbon. Topical concern about the effects of climate change and forest management on soil carbon as well as practical reporting requirements set by climate conventions have created a need to assess soil carbon stock changes reliably and transparently. The large spatial variability of soil carbon commensurate with relatively slow changes in stocks hinders the assessment of soil carbon stocks and their changes by direct measurements. Models therefore widely serve to estimate carbon stocks and stock changes in soils. This dissertation aimed to develop the soil carbon model YASSO for upland forest soils. The model was aimed to take into account the most important processes controlling the decomposition in soils, yet remain simple enough to ensure its practical applicability in different applications. The model structure and assumptions were presented and the model parameters were defined with empirical measurements. The model was evaluated by studying the sensitivities of the model results to parameter values, by estimating the precision of the results with an uncertainty analysis, and by assessing the accuracy of the model by comparing the predictions against measured data and to the results of an alternative model. The model was applied to study the effects of intensified biomass extraction on the forest carbon balance and to estimate the effects of soil carbon deficit on net greenhouse gas emissions of energy use of forest residues. The model was also applied in an inventory based method to assess the national scale forest carbon balance for Finland’s forests from 1922 to 2004. YASSO managed to describe sufficiently the effects of both the variable litter and climatic conditions on decomposition. When combined with the stand models or other systems providing litter information, the dynamic approach of the model proved to be powerful for estimating changes in soil carbon stocks on different scales. The climate dependency of the model, the effects of nitrogen on decomposition and forest growth as well as the effects of soil texture on soil carbon stock dynamics are areas for development when considering the applicability of the model to different research questions, different land use types and wider geographic regions. Intensified biomass extraction affects soil carbon stocks, and these changes in stocks should be taken into account when considering the net effects of forest residue utilisation as energy. On a national scale, soil carbon stocks play an important role in forest carbon balances.Metsien maaperän hiilivarastolla on merkittävä rooli metsien hiilitaseessa. Hakkuutähteiden keruu hakkuiden jälkeen vähentää puustosta maaperään siirtyvää hiilen määrää ja tämä hiilivarastomuutos on merkittävä verrattuna muihin hakkuutähteiden energiakäytön aiheuttamiin kasvihuonekaasupäästöihin. Metsien maaperä on merkittävä hiilen varasto. Ilmastonmuutos ja erilaiset metsänkäsittelyt vaikuttavat paitsi puuston biomassan myös maaperän hiilivarastoon. Näitä vaikutuksia ei kuitenkaan vielä täysin tunneta. Kansainvälinen ilmastosopimus kuitenkin velvoittaa sopijamaat raportoimaan myös maaperän hiilivarastossa tapahtuvat muutokset. Maaperän hiilivaraston muutosten arviointi mittaamalla on hyvin vaikeaa ja työlästä, koska varaston spatiaalinen vaihtelu on suurta verrattuna ajallisiin muutoksiin. Tämän vuoksi hiilivaraston ja sen muutosten arvioinnissa käytetään usein malleja. Tässä väitöskirjassa kehitettiin ja testattiin kivennäismaiden metsien orgaanisen aineen hajoamista ja maaperän hiilivaraston dynamiikkaa kuvaava YASSO-malli. Mallilla pyrittiin kuvaamaan tärkeimmät hiilivaraston dynamiikkaan vaikuttavat tekijät, mutta silti pitämään malli niin yksinkertaisena, että sen toimintaperiaatteiden ymmärtäminen ja käyttö sovelluksissa olisi helppoa. Mallin toimintaa arvioitiin tarkastelemalla mallitulosten herkkyyttä mallin parametriarvojen muutoksille, tutkimalla mallitulosten tarkkuutta epävarmuusanalyysin avulla ja vertaamalla mallituloksia mitattuihin havaintoihin ja toisen maamallin antamiin tuloksiin. Epävarmuus- ja herkkyysanalyysien mukaan YASSO-mallin hiilivarastoarviot ovat epävarmoja. Hiilivarastomuutosten arviot sen sijaan ovat verrattain tarkkoja. Testit mitattuja aineistoja vastaan vastaan osoittivat, että malli onnistuu kohtalaisesti kuvaamaan erilaisten karikkeiden hajoamisen erilaisissa ilmasto-olosuhteissa ja maaperän kokonaishiilivaraston erilaisissa suomalaisissa metsiköissä. Mallilla tutkittiin hakkuutähteiden talteenoton ja energiakäytön vaikutusta maaperän hiilivarastoon ja maaperän roolia Suomen metsien hiilitaseessa. Mallin dynaaminen lähestymistapa osoittautui tehokkaaksi sovelluksissa, joissa se yhdistettiin metsikkömalliin tai inventointitietoihin ja biomassa- ja karikemalleihin

Cognitive performance in old-age depression

Study I assessed the influence of depression severity on cognitive performance, while controlling for a range of clinical and demographic factors. Individuals with moderate/severe depression exhibited deficits in multiple cognitive domains, whereas only processing speed was affected in mild depression. Study II examined the influence of combined KIBRA (CC) and CLSTN2 (TT) risk alleles on episodic memory performance. Episodic memory deficits were only observed in individuals with both depression and the disadvantageous CC/TT allelic combination. Study III investigated the role of psychiatric history on cognitive performance in acute and remitted states of depression. Currently depressed individuals with a psychiatric inpatient history and individuals with late-onset depression performed at the lowest levels, whereas cognitive performance in individuals with self-reported recurrent unipolar depression was intermediate. Individuals with remitted unipo lar depression exhibited no cognitive deficits. Physical inactivity, cumulative inpatient days, heart disease burden , and prodromal dementia modulated cognitive p erformance . Study IV assessed cognitive performance in different depression courses (depressed - remitted, remitted-depressed, and nondepressed-late-onset depression ) longitudinally over a maximum period of 6 years. Cognitive decline was observed in all groups for multiple domains, although individuals who changed their status from nondepressed to depressed showed exacerbated cognitive decline. In remitted states, only processing speed and attention were affected. However, these deficits were modulated by benzodiazepine intake. In sum, depression-related cognitive deficits were observed in processing speed, attention, executive function, verbal fluency (Studies I, III, I V), episodic memory (Studies I, II), and semantic memory ( Study I). No depression-related deficits were observed in general knowledge, short-term memory, or spatial ability. As multiple factors were found to modulate cognitive performance in dementia-free unipolar old-age depression, and consistent with the notion that depression is a heterogeneous disorder, this may explain why patterns of cognitive deficits in depression vary between studies. Recurrence rates of depression remain high, and cognitive deficits in depression are associated with a poor prognosis and take a longer time to recover than depressive symptoms. This underscores the importance of early detection of cognitive deterioration in depression. Importantly, cognitive deficits in depression seem largely reversible. Thus, they should be regarded as treatment targets rather than as stable vulnerabilities. Combined profiles of psychiatric history, cognitive performance , and health behaviors may provide important information to individualized treatment