Nominalizations and temporal prepositions

In this paper, we deal with the semantic interaction between ung-nominalizations of different event types and temporal prepositions like wiihrend 'during', vor 'before', nach 'after', bis 'until' and seit 'since'. According to the two-level-approach to selnantics (Bierwisch 1983, Bierwisch / Lang 1989), we will argue that the meaning of ten~poral prepositions is determined on the level of semantic form (SF). When combined with an event nominal, the period in time required by the preposition has to be inferred on the level of conceptual structure (CS). Very often, the exact nature of the period in time is determined by pragmatic factors. There are, however, some important restrictions to this inference procedure which rely on the event noun's Aktionsart. In Ehrich/Rapp (2000), it was claimed that eventive ungnominals inherit the Aktionsart of their base verb. This assumption receives strong support by the data presented in this paper

Developing Senior Management Teams in Schools: Can Micropolitics Help?

While there is a vast body of literature that examines the role of the principal in schools, it has been only relatively recently that attention has focused on the working practices and relationships o f members in the Senior Management Team (SMT). This paper suggests that the study of micropolitics has potential for illuminating SMTs since it provides a lens to understand the dynamics of the team and the interactions and inter-relationships between and amongst their members. This micropolitical lens is concerned with how players use a variety of strategies such as power, coercion, cooperation, cooption and influence to obtain resources and achieve goals. This paper examines some of the recent research into SMTs and micropolitics and identifies five hey issues or pointers that may be linked to either facilitating or inhibiting the effective functioning of SMTs in schools. The set of issues provides a useful framework for members of SMTs to critically reflect upon as they seek to build shared purpose, cooperation and collaboration

Heterogeneous Stochastic Interactions for Multiple Agents in a Multi-armed Bandit Problem

We define and analyze a multi-agent multi-armed bandit problem in which decision-making agents can observe the choices and rewards of their neighbors. Neighbors are defined by a network graph with heterogeneous and stochastic interconnections. These interactions are determined by the sociability of each agent, which corresponds to the probability that the agent observes its neighbors. We design an algorithm for each agent to maximize its own expected cumulative reward and prove performance bounds that depend on the sociability of the agents and the network structure. We use the bounds to predict the rank ordering of agents according to their performance and verify the accuracy analytically and computationally

Cooperative learning in multi-agent systems from intermittent measurements

Motivated by the problem of tracking a direction in a decentralized way, we consider the general problem of cooperative learning in multi-agent systems with time-varying connectivity and intermittent measurements. We propose a distributed learning protocol capable of learning an unknown vector $\mu$ from noisy measurements made independently by autonomous nodes. Our protocol is completely distributed and able to cope with the time-varying, unpredictable, and noisy nature of inter-agent communication, and intermittent noisy measurements of $\mu$. Our main result bounds the learning speed of our protocol in terms of the size and combinatorial features of the (time-varying) networks connecting the nodes

The thematic interpretation of plural nominalizations

Nominalizations, in German as well as in other languages, are systematically polysemous, a fact that has been widely discussed in the linguistic literature [...]. In this paper, I will discuss certain asymmetries concerning the interpretation of the postnominal genitive [...]

Learning New Practices in Small Business: Engagement and Localised Support

Discusses the findings of a study that investigated how the learning of innovative practices might best proceed in small businesses. The recent implementation of the Goods and Service Tax (GST) in Australia presented an opportunity for understanding how small business operatives learned to implement a new practice. The procedures comprised semi¬-structured interviews with 30 small businesses about how they had learned about and implemented the GST. A case study was written about each small business' experience that were verified for their accuracy by each small business. These case studies became the data source. It was found that the small business operatives that appeared to have learned most about the GST were those who were highly engaged in the task of learning about the GST - active learners and also accessed high levels of support from localised sources. A typology comprising dimensions of support needed and engagement by small business operatives was synthesised from the findings and is discussed