Incorporating linguistic expertise using ILP for named entity recognition in data hungry Indian languages

Developing linguistically sound and data-compliant rules for named entity annotation is usually an intensive and time consuming process for any developer or linguist. In this work, we present the use of two Inductive Logic Programming (ILP) techniques to construct rules for extracting instances of various named entity classes thereby reducing the efforts of a linguist/developer. Using ILP for rule development not only reduces the amount of effort required but also provides an interactive framework wherein a linguist can incorporate his intuition about named entities such as in form of mode declarations for refinements (suitably exposed for ease of use by the linguist) and the background knowledge (in the form of linguistic resources). We have a small amount of tagged data - approximately 3884 sentences for Marathi and 22748 sentences in Hindi. The paucity of tagged data for Indian languages makes manual development of rules more challenging, However, the ability to fold in background knowledge and domain expertise in ILP techniques comes to our rescue and we have been able to develop rules that are mostly linguistically sound that yield results comparable to rules hand-crafted by linguists. The ILP approach has two advantages over the approach of hand-crafting all rules: (i) the development time reduces by a factor of 240 when ILP is used instead of involving a linguist for the entire rule development and (ii) the ILP technique has the computational edge that it has a complete and consistent view of all significant patterns in the data at the level of abstraction specified through the mode declarations. The point (ii) enables the discovery of rules that could be missed by the linguist and also makes it possible to scale the rule development to a larger training dataset. The rules thus developed could be optionally edited by linguistic experts and consolidated either (a) through default ordering (as in TILDE[1]) or (b) with an ordering induced using [2] or (c) by using the rules as features in a statistical graphical model such a conditional random field (CRF) [3]. We report results using WARMR [4] and TILDE to learn rules for named entities of Indian languages namely Hindi and Marathi

Mobilising for group-specific norms: Reshaping the international protection regime for minorities.

This thesis examines the agency of minority groups and their international allies in reshaping the international protection regime for national, ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities to include new group-specific norms. The practices of "norm entrepreneurship" by two groups, Dalits and Afro-descendants, are considered in detail and contrasted with the experiences of similar norm entrepreneurship by indigenous peoples and Roma. Dalit and Afro-descendant activists have pursued norm emergence to establish group-specific recognition, standards and mechanisms at the international level. This thesis examines three key factors that have been instrumental to this group- specific norm emergence: the establishment of strategic frames and stronger forms of transnational mobilisation by each group; the supportive engagement of international actors; and the emergence of new political opportunity structures at the international level, in particular the 2001 UN World Conference Against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance (WCAR). The findings of the thesis provide insight into macro-level changes to international minority protection. By concentrating on the agency of minority groups, the thesis adds to the largely state-centred literature on minority protection. By critically assessing the role of international actors in aiding this norm entrepreneurship, the thesis helps to uncover their limitations, interests and ideational commitments. The findings contribute to norm entrepreneurship studies by considering a unique kind of transnational non-state actor, one that possesses the latent capacity for statehood. The capacity of weak nonstate actors to achieve norm emergence even without state support is demonstrated but the deep challenges they face in securing group-specific norms are exposed. On a normative level, the findings give a glimpse of how emerging norms for transnational minority groups could alter conventions of representation in international society, creating post-Westphalian forms of political community. On a policy level, the findings provide some useful inputs on how to strengthen these new forms of political community and how to enable adherence to emerging group-specific norms

Combining SOA and BPM Technologies for Cross-System Process Automation

This paper summarizes the results of an industry case study that introduced a cross-system business process automation solution based on a combination of SOA and BPM standard technologies (i.e., BPMN, BPEL, WSDL). Besides discussing major weaknesses of the existing, custom-built, solution and comparing them against experiences with the developed prototype, the paper presents a course of action for transforming the current solution into the proposed solution. This includes a general approach, consisting of four distinct steps, as well as specific action items that are to be performed for every step. The discussion also covers language and tool support and challenges arising from the transformation

Reports to the President

A compilation of annual reports for the 1981-1982 academic year, including a report from the President of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, as well as reports from the academic and administrative units of the Institute. The reports outline the year's goals, accomplishments, honors and awards, and future plans

Outward looking eyes: visions of schooling, development and the state in Nepal

This study explores the relationship between global discourses of education and development, how those ideas are taken up and utilised in the context of national programme development and implementation, and their further reinterpretation by groups at the district and school level. I engage in an examination of development as a socio-political process in order to explore critically the tensions and paradoxes evident in the promotion of schooling in contemporary Nepal. In doing so, I challenge the depoliticised vision of schooling which underpins dominant donor discourses of education reform and highlight the political and contested nature of education administration and the everyday activities in school. I take as my starting point Nepal's Basic and Primary Education Project (BPEP), a multidonor initiative aiming to improve access to schooling, the quality of education provision and the efficiency of education administration. Developed in line with the goals of the World Conference on Education for All, the initiative starts from the assumption that the various parties involved - donors, central government officials, District Education Office staff, teachers and parents - share a common interest in and commitment to the promotion of schooling. As such, schooling is considered a clear development 'good' and the state viewed as a single entity, acting as a benign provider of this service. Through an exploration of the context into which this programme is inserted, the limitations of this dominant consensus-based model are considered. Particular focus is given to the multiple interests played out in the arena of education reform challenging the assumption of shared interests in expanding schooling opportunities. The study traverses from debates between the various donor and central government officials in Kathmandu, through the implementation of the process of District Education Planning, to an examination of the everyday practices of school life and the direct, and often violent, challenges made to the state through schools. At each level, the conflicts of interest and multiple views of the relationship between schooling, development and the state in Nepal are highlighted, challenging the idea that a consensus exists around the content and purpose of schooling. Such an analysis creates an opportunity for a more critical examination of perceptions of schooling and the link between education and development and, as such, has implications for how development practitioners view their role in processes of education reform in Nepal

The Politics of Women's Suffrage

From 1832 to the present day, from the countryside in Wales to the Comintern in Moscow, from America to Finland and Ireland to Australia, from the girls’ school to the stage, women’s suffrage was the most significant challenge to the constitution since 1832, seeking not only to settle demands for inclusion and justice but to expand and redefine definitions of citizenship. This collection advances ongoing debates within suffrage history whilst also drawing on a range of new sources, different intellectual techniques and methodological approaches, which challenge established interpretations. With its focus on politics and political activism in its broadest sense, this collection makes a timely and substantial contribution to understanding the meaning of politics and political activism across the UK (and indeed, across the world) in this period, particularly as defined and experienced by women at the grassroots. This collection is a reminder of the ways in which women have often encountered and battled a hostile political climate, but pushed forward with determination, skill, tenacity and optimism: resonating with the renewed interest in women’s history and feminist politics today

International Academic Symposium of Social Science 2022

This conference proceedings gathers work and research presented at the International Academic Symposium of Social Science 2022 (IASSC2022) held on July 3, 2022, in Kota Bharu, Kelantan, Malaysia. The conference was jointly organized by the Faculty of Information Management of Universiti Teknologi MARA Kelantan Branch, Malaysia; University of Malaya, Malaysia; Universitas Pembangunan Nasional Veteran Jakarta, Indonesia; Universitas Ngudi Waluyo, Indonesia; Camarines Sur Polytechnic Colleges, Philippines; and UCSI University, Malaysia. Featuring experienced keynote speakers from Malaysia, Australia, and England, this proceeding provides an opportunity for researchers, postgraduate students, and industry practitioners to gain knowledge and understanding of advanced topics concerning digital transformations in the perspective of the social sciences and information systems, focusing on issues, challenges, impacts, and theoretical foundations. This conference proceedings will assist in shaping the future of the academy and industry by compiling state-of-the-art works and future trends in the digital transformation of the social sciences and the field of information systems. It is also considered an interactive platform that enables academicians, practitioners and students from various institutions and industries to collaborate

Reports to the President

A compilation of annual reports for the 1988-1989 academic year, including a report from the President of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, as well as reports from the academic and administrative units of the Institute. The reports outline the year's goals, accomplishments, honors and awards, and future plans

LIPIcs, Volume 277, GIScience 2023, Complete Volume

LIPIcs, Volume 277, GIScience 2023, Complete Volum