45,483 research outputs found
Recognizing Speech in a Novel Accent: The Motor Theory of Speech Perception Reframed
The motor theory of speech perception holds that we perceive the speech of
another in terms of a motor representation of that speech. However, when we
have learned to recognize a foreign accent, it seems plausible that recognition
of a word rarely involves reconstruction of the speech gestures of the speaker
rather than the listener. To better assess the motor theory and this
observation, we proceed in three stages. Part 1 places the motor theory of
speech perception in a larger framework based on our earlier models of the
adaptive formation of mirror neurons for grasping, and for viewing extensions
of that mirror system as part of a larger system for neuro-linguistic
processing, augmented by the present consideration of recognizing speech in a
novel accent. Part 2 then offers a novel computational model of how a listener
comes to understand the speech of someone speaking the listener's native
language with a foreign accent. The core tenet of the model is that the
listener uses hypotheses about the word the speaker is currently uttering to
update probabilities linking the sound produced by the speaker to phonemes in
the native language repertoire of the listener. This, on average, improves the
recognition of later words. This model is neutral regarding the nature of the
representations it uses (motor vs. auditory). It serve as a reference point for
the discussion in Part 3, which proposes a dual-stream neuro-linguistic
architecture to revisits claims for and against the motor theory of speech
perception and the relevance of mirror neurons, and extracts some implications
for the reframing of the motor theory
Characterizing Phishing Threats with Natural Language Processing
Spear phishing is a widespread concern in the modern network security
landscape, but there are few metrics that measure the extent to which
reconnaissance is performed on phishing targets. Spear phishing emails closely
match the expectations of the recipient, based on details of their experiences
and interests, making them a popular propagation vector for harmful malware. In
this work we use Natural Language Processing techniques to investigate a
specific real-world phishing campaign and quantify attributes that indicate a
targeted spear phishing attack. Our phishing campaign data sample comprises 596
emails - all containing a web bug and a Curriculum Vitae (CV) PDF attachment -
sent to our institution by a foreign IP space. The campaign was found to
exclusively target specific demographics within our institution. Performing a
semantic similarity analysis between the senders' CV attachments and the
recipients' LinkedIn profiles, we conclude with high statistical certainty (p
) that the attachments contain targeted rather than randomly
selected material. Latent Semantic Analysis further demonstrates that
individuals who were a primary focus of the campaign received CVs that are
highly topically clustered. These findings differentiate this campaign from one
that leverages random spam.Comment: This paper has been accepted for publication by the IEEE Conference
on Communications and Network Security in September 2015 at Florence, Italy.
Copyright may be transferred without notice, after which this version may no
longer be accessibl
The acquisition of English L2 prosody by Italian native speakers: experimental data and pedagogical implications
This paper investigates Yes-No question intonation patterns in English L2, Italian L1, and
English L1. The aim is to test the hypothesis that L2 learners may show different
acquisition strategies for different dimensions of intonation, and particularly the
phonological and phonetic components. The study analyses the nuclear intonation
contours of 4 target English words and 4 comparable Italian words consisting of sonorant
segments, stressed on the semi-final or final syllable, and occurring in Yes-No questions
in sentence-final position (e.g., Will you attend the memorial?, Hai sentito la Melania?).
The words were contained in mini-dialogues of question-answer pairs, and read 5 times
by 4 Italian speakers (Padova area, North-East Italy) and 3 English female speakers
(London area, UK). The results show that: 1) different intonation patterns may be used to
realize the same grammatical function; 2) different developmental processes are at work,
including transfer of L1 categories and the acquisition of L2 phonological categories.
These results suggest that the phonetic dimension of L2 intonation may be more difficult
to learn than the phonological one
From Frequency to Meaning: Vector Space Models of Semantics
Computers understand very little of the meaning of human language. This
profoundly limits our ability to give instructions to computers, the ability of
computers to explain their actions to us, and the ability of computers to
analyse and process text. Vector space models (VSMs) of semantics are beginning
to address these limits. This paper surveys the use of VSMs for semantic
processing of text. We organize the literature on VSMs according to the
structure of the matrix in a VSM. There are currently three broad classes of
VSMs, based on term-document, word-context, and pair-pattern matrices, yielding
three classes of applications. We survey a broad range of applications in these
three categories and we take a detailed look at a specific open source project
in each category. Our goal in this survey is to show the breadth of
applications of VSMs for semantics, to provide a new perspective on VSMs for
those who are already familiar with the area, and to provide pointers into the
literature for those who are less familiar with the field
Impact of target site distribution for Type I restriction enzymes on the evolution of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) populations.
A limited number of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) clones are responsible for MRSA infections worldwide, and those of different lineages carry unique Type I restriction-modification (RM) variants. We have identified the specific DNA sequence targets for the dominant MRSA lineages CC1, CC5, CC8 and ST239. We experimentally demonstrate that this RM system is sufficient to block horizontal gene transfer between clinically important MRSA, confirming the bioinformatic evidence that each lineage is evolving independently. Target sites are distributed randomly in S. aureus genomes, except in a set of large conjugative plasmids encoding resistance genes that show evidence of spreading between two successful MRSA lineages. This analysis of the identification and distribution of target sites explains evolutionary patterns in a pathogenic bacterium. We show that a lack of specific target sites enables plasmids to evade the Type I RM system thereby contributing to the evolution of increasingly resistant community and hospital MRSA
Infants segment words from songs - an EEG study
Childrenâs songs are omnipresent and highly attractive stimuli in infantsâ input. Previous work suggests that infants process linguisticâphonetic information from simplified sung melodies. The present study investigated whether infants learn words from ecologically valid childrenâs songs. Testing 40 Dutch-learning 10-month-olds in a familiarization-then-test electroencephalography (EEG) paradigm, this study asked whether infants can segment repeated target words embedded in songs during familiarization and subsequently recognize those words in continuous speech in the test phase. To replicate previous speech work and compare segmentation across modalities, infants participated in both song and speech sessions. Results showed a positive event-related potential (ERP) familiarity effect to the final compared to the first target occurrences during both song and speech familiarization. No evidence was found for word recognition in the test phase following either song or speech. Comparisons across the stimuli of the present and a comparable previous study suggested that acoustic prominence and speech rate may have contributed to the polarity of the ERP familiarity effect and its absence in the test phase. Overall, the present study provides evidence that 10-month-old infants can segment words embedded in songs, and it raises questions about the acoustic and other factors that enable or hinder infant word segmentation from songs and speech
Word reading and translation in bilinguals: the impact of formal and informal translation expertise
Studies on bilingual word reading and translation have examined the effects of lexical variables (e.g., concreteness, cognate status) by comparing groups of non-translators with varying levels of L2 proficiency. However, little attention has been paid to another relevant factor: translation expertise (TI). To explore this issue, we administered word reading and translation tasks to two groups of non-translators possessing different levels of informal TI (Experiment 1), and to three groups of bilinguals possessing different levels of translation training (Experiment 2). Reaction-time recordings showed that in all groups reading was faster than translation and unaffected by concreteness and cognate effects. Conversely, in both experiments, all groups translated concrete and cognate words faster than abstract and non-cognate words, respectively. Notably, an advantage of backward over forward translation was observed only for low-proficiency non-translators (in Experiment 1). Also, in Experiment 2, the modifications induced by translation expertise were more marked in the early than in the late stages of training and practice. The results suggest that TI contributes to modulating inter-equivalent connections in bilingual memory.Fil: GarcĂa, Adolfo MartĂn. Universidad Nacional de CĂłrdoba; Argentina. Universidad Diego Portales; Chile. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones CientĂficas y TĂ©cnicas. Oficina de CoordinaciĂłn Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Neurociencia Cognitiva. FundaciĂłn Favaloro. Instituto de Neurociencia Cognitiva; ArgentinaFil: Ibåñez Barassi, AgustĂn Mariano. Universidad Diego Portales; Chile. Universidad AutĂłnoma del Caribe; Colombia. Australian Research Council; Australia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones CientĂficas y TĂ©cnicas. Oficina de CoordinaciĂłn Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Neurociencia Cognitiva. FundaciĂłn Favaloro. Instituto de Neurociencia Cognitiva; ArgentinaFil: Huepe, David. Universidad Diego Portales; ChileFil: Houck, Alexander L.. University of Tennessee; Estados UnidosFil: Michon, Maeva. Universidad Diego Portales; ChileFil: Gelormini Lezama, Carlos. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones CientĂficas y TĂ©cnicas. Oficina de CoordinaciĂłn Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Neurociencia Cognitiva. FundaciĂłn Favaloro. Instituto de Neurociencia Cognitiva; ArgentinaFil: Chadha, Sumeer. Universidad Diego Portales; ChileFil: Rivera Rei, Ălvaro. Universidad Diego Portales; Chil
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