Investigating the Language of Uncertainty - experimental data, formal semantics & probabilistic pragmatics

This dissertation reports a series of studies about the language of uncertainty in English. We investigate what we call “uncertainty expressions”, which include both verbal probabilities such as probable and likely and epistemic modals such as might and possible. Moreover, we look at complex, or nested, uncertainty expressions such as certainly likely and might be possible. The issues investigated in this work lie at the interface between semantics and pragmatics, and we attempt to answer questions such as: How do speakers communicate under uncertainty and about uncertainty? And what is the uncertainty intuitively expressed by uncertainty expressions? What do uncertainty expressions actually mean? And what is the role of context when we use them in a conversation? Almost as frequent as logical connectives and quantifiers, uncertainty expressions are ubiquitous in everyday conversations. Unsurprisingly, uncertainty expressions have been extensively investigated by philosophers, logicians, linguists and cognitive scientists. One of the goals of this dissertation is to bring closer together the different traditional approaches to the study of uncertainty expressions. In our investigation, we strive for interdisciplinarity. In doing so, we integrate methods coming from formal semantics and pragmatics with experimental data and computational modeling. The focal point of the dissertation is a novel data-driven probabilistic model of the use and the interpretation of simple and complex uncertainty expressions

Leadership in higher education : a study to ascertain significant events, experiences, and persons in the development of senior higher education leaders in academic and student affairs

In this study, developmental events, experiences, and people that played a significant role in the development of senior higher education leaders in academic and student affairs were identified. Five themes into which these developmental events were placed were induced. The five themes were: producing results during developmental challenges; taking risks; persisting through challenging situations; dealing with subordinates and constituents; and relating to good bosses/mentors and bad bosses. From these developmental events specific lessons of experience were extracted and themetized. The five categories of lessons of experiences that the participants learned were: Knowledge of Leadership Fundamentals; Knowledge of Others; Knowledge of Role; Knowledge of Self; and Knowledge of Leadership. This study determined that the participants learned to be leaders by being leaders. They learned by watching others, by trying and failing, by accepting challenges, by taking risks. In short, they learned by doing because there was no formal program or process to train or develop them

Record of a Journey: Mother Benedicta Riepp and Companions Travel to North America: Part I

The article presents an historical examination into the travels of the three Benedictine women Mother Benedicta Riepp, Sister Walburga Dietrich and Sister Maura Flieger from Eichstätt, Bavaria to New York City in 1852. Introductory details are given noting the significance of the three women as founderesses of Bavarian Benedictine monasticism in the United States along with the monk Boniface Wimmer. The discovery of a diary by Johann Stephan Maximilian Gärtner is then discussed, highlighting what it relates concerning the Benedictines\u27 travel plans and circumstances

Record of a Journey: Mother Benedicta Riepp and Companions Travel to North America: Part II

A series of excerpts is presented from the 19th century diary of the missionary Reverend Maximilian Gärtner, which explores the Reverend\u27s journey from Europe to the U.S., from June 24, 1852 through July 12, 1852

Transport and Noise Characteristics of Submicron High-Temperature Superconductor Grain-Boundary Junctions

We have investigated the transport and noise properties of submicron YBCO bicrystal grain-boundary junctions prepared using electron beam lithography. The junctions show an increased conductance for low voltages reminiscent of Josephson junctions having a barrier with high transmissivity. The voltage noise spectra are dominated by a few Lorentzian components. At low temperatures clear two-level random telegraph switching (RTS) signals are observable in the voltage vs time traces. We have investigated the temperature and voltage dependence of individual fluctuators both from statistical analysis of voltage vs time traces and from fits to noise spectra. A transition from tunneling to thermally activated behavior of individual fluctuators was clearly observed. The experimental results support the model of charge carrier traps in the barrier region.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, to be published in Appl. Phys. Let

Publication Culture in Computing Research

The dissemination of research results is an integral part of research and hence a crucial component for any scientific discipline. In the area of computing research, there have been raised concerns recently about its publication culture, most notably by highlighting the high priority of conferences (compared to journals in other disciplines) and -- from an economic viewpoint -- the costs of preparing and accessing research results. The Dagstuhl Perspectives Workshop 12452 “Publication Culture in Computing Research” aimed at discussing the main problems with a selected group of researchers and practitioners. The goal was to identify and classify the current problems and to suggest potential remedies. The group of participants was selected in a way such that a wide spectrum of opinions would be presented. This lead to intensive discussions. The workshop is seen as an important step in the ongoing discussion. As a main result, the main problem roots were identified and potential solutions were discussed. The insights will be part of an upcoming manifesto on Publication Culture in Computing Research