Development of a Web-Based Service to Transcribe Between Multiple Orthographies of the Iu Mien Language

Thesis (M.S.)--Indiana University South Bend, 2011.The goal of this study was to explore the use of machine learning techniques in the development of a web-based application that transcribes between multiple orthographies of the same language. To this end, source text files used in the publishing of the Iu Mien Bible translation in 4 scripts were merged into a single textbase that served as a text corpus for this study. All syllables in the corpus were combined into a list of parallel renderings which were subjected to ID3 and neural networks with the back propagation in an attempt to achieve machine learning of transcription between the different Iu Mien orthographies. The most effective set of neural net transcription rules were captured and incorporated into a web-based service where visitors could submit text in one writing system and receive a webpage containing the corresponding text rendered in the other writing systems of this language. Transcriptions that are in excess of 90% correct were achieved between a Roman script and another Roman script or between a non-Roman script and another non-Roman script. Transcriptions between a Roman script and a non-Roman yield output that were only 50% correct. This system is still being tested and improved by linguists and volunteers from various organizations associated with the target community within Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and the USA. This study demonstrates the potential of this approach for developing written materials in languages with multiple scripts. This study also provides useful insights on how this technology might be improved

Modelling a cave rescue

Using random networks to simulate the complexity of underwater cave recuses

Multiparameter Ultrasonic Evaluation of Thick Composite Materials

Traditional pulse-echo ultrasonic NDE techniques are useful in the evaluation for structural flaws in components manufactured from homogeneous materials (i.e. most metals). However, composite materials are often neither homogeneous nor isotropic which decreases the sensitivity of traditional techniques by making the resultant data difficult to interpret. Composite materials also tend to attenuate the ultrasonic energy to a greater degree than metals decreasing the signal-to-noise ratio needed for confident flaw detection. The attenuation is attributed to the absorption of energy by the matrix and the scattering of energy due to the inherent scatterers in the system such as fibers and small voids or porosity. For very thick composites these difficulties are amplified. In addition, a component of the attenuation due to ultrasonic beam spreading increases with thickness. As the beam spreads, spatial resolution is lost as well.</p

A Comparison of the Efficiencies of Code Inspections in Software Development and Maintenance

Inspection is one of the most common sorts of review practices in software projects. However, there are some controversial reports about the efficiencies of software inspections. In this paper, we perform an empirical study to analyze the efficiencies of code inspections in both software development and software maintenance. The study is performed on 650 NASA SEL inspection records. Similar results are found for both the inspections of the original code in software development and the modified code in software maintenance: (1) the efficiency of an inspection meeting is not linearly dependent on the number of inspectors; (2) preparation time and inspection time play critical roles in determining the efficiency of an inspection meeting. 1

Porosity Measurement in Composites Using Ultrasonic Attenuation Methods

The measurement of porosity content in composites has been an area of interest to the NDE community. Theoretical and experimental work have related ultrasonic scattering to the amount of porosity in composites and metals [1]. By monitoring the frequency dependence of the ultrasonic scattering, information concerning the amount of porosity in the material can be determined. The scattering of ultrasonic waves can be measured by monitoring the attenuation of the waves as they travel through a material. To accurately measure the attenuation associated with material properties such as porosity scattering, corrections must be made to the ultrasonic amplitude data. These corrections concern other ultrasonic loss mechanisms that are attributed to the measurement process such as surface or boundary effects and transducer focus effects.</p

Thailand Vegetable Marketing Project : phase 1, fresh and processed vegetable market survey

Project no. represents IDRC's support for the commercial reprinting of the project final repor

Thailand Vegetable Marketing Project : Phase 1, Fresh and Processed Vegetable Market Survey

Project no. represents IDRC's support for the commercial reprinting of the project final repor