A recursive phonology interface for WH-F alternative semantics

Slides and poster from Semantics and Linguistic Theory 21, Rutgers University, May 20-22, 2011.The presentation presents an analysis of intonational focus and focused in-situ WH phrases that couples the projection of alternatives in alternative semantics for focus with phonological prominence in a stress-F account of the phonology interface for focus.NSF BCS 103515

Self-Paced Multi-Task Learning

In this paper, we propose a novel multi-task learning (MTL) framework, called Self-Paced Multi-Task Learning (SPMTL). Different from previous works treating all tasks and instances equally when training, SPMTL attempts to jointly learn the tasks by taking into consideration the complexities of both tasks and instances. This is inspired by the cognitive process of human brain that often learns from the easy to the hard. We construct a compact SPMTL formulation by proposing a new task-oriented regularizer that can jointly prioritize the tasks and the instances. Thus it can be interpreted as a self-paced learner for MTL. A simple yet effective algorithm is designed for optimizing the proposed objective function. An error bound for a simplified formulation is also analyzed theoretically. Experimental results on toy and real-world datasets demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach, compared to the state-of-the-art methods

An LFG analysis of pronominal binding in Mandarin Chinese

Pronominal binding in Mandarin Chinese can be affected by different embedding verbs. For example, verbs like gǎnxiè ('to thank') impose a negative constraint that requires the embedded subject pronoun not to be bound by the matrix subject DP. On the other hand verbs like zhīdào ('to know') do not have such a requirement, thus conforming to the Binding Principle B. Importantly, binding relations of pronouns in sentences with verbs like gǎnxiè ('to thank') cannot be accounted for within the framework of the standard Binding Theory. It cannot be explained by the control theory that involves PRO, either, although there is indeed some similarity between such negative constraints and control structures. Therefore I propose to add a negative constraint in the lexical entries of such verbs, based on how control is handled in LFG. This proposal has both theoretical and application advantages

Combat molten aluminum corrosion of AISI H13 steel by lowtemperature liquid nitrocarburizing

Possibility of improving the resistance of AISI H13 steel to molten aluminum corrosion by liquid nitrocarburizing (LNC) was explored. The effects of the LNC parameters in terms of temperatures (703/723/743K) and soaking time (4/8/12h) on phase transformation, microstructure, and resistance to molten aluminum were fully studied. The surface phase compositions and the cross-sectional phase distribution of the LNC treated specimens were studied by implementable X-ray diffraction analysis. Microstructure, element distribution, microhardness, and the kinetics of the nitrocarburized case formation were fully researched. Immersion test of corrosion resistance to molten aluminum was carried out at 1023K for 30min. It is observed that an oxide layer can be produced on the top of the nitrocarburized case during LNC treatment, which cannot be regularly produced by other nitriding methods. The nitrocarburized case consists of a compound layer, a diffusion layer, and a transition layer. The growth of the nitrocarburized case is proportional to the squared treatment time and follows the Arrhenius law for the treatment temperature. The activation energy is estimated to be 195.4 kJ·mol−1. While the nitrocarburized case provided limited resistance to molten aluminum, the oxide layer formed on the top of the nitrocarburized case conferred significantly improved molten aluminum corrosion resistance, especially a duplex oxide layer produced at 743

Greenhouse gas emissions from U.S. crude oil pipeline accidents:1968 to 2020

Abstract Crude oil pipelines are considered as the lifelines of energy industry. However, accidents of the pipelines can lead to severe public health and environmental concerns, in which greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, primarily methane, are frequently overlooked. While previous studies examined fugitive emissions in normal operation of crude oil pipelines, emissions resulting from accidents were typically managed separately and were therefore not included in the emission account of oil systems. To bridge this knowledge gap, we employed a bottom-up approach to conducted the first-ever inventory of GHG emissions resulting from crude oil pipeline accidents in the United States at the state level from 1968 to 2020, and leveraged Monte Carlo simulation to estimate the associated uncertainties. Our results reveal that GHG emissions from accidents in gathering pipelines (~720,000 tCO2e) exceed those from transmission pipelines (~290,000 tCO2e), although significantly more accidents have occurred in transmission pipelines (6883 cases) than gathering pipelines (773 cases). Texas accounted for over 40% of total accident-related GHG emissions nationwide. Our study contributes to enhanced accuracy of the GHG account associated with crude oil transport and implementing the data-driven climate mitigation strategies