Efficient Evaluation and Learning in Multilevel Parallel Constraint Grammars

In multilevel parallel Optimality Theory grammars, the number of candidates (possible paths from the input to the output level) increases exponentially with the number of levels of representation. The problem with this is that with the customary strategy of listing all candidates in a tableau, the computation time for evaluation (i.e., choosing the winning candidate) and learning (i.e., reranking the constraints on the basis of language data) increases exponentially with the number of levels as well. This article proposes instead to collect the candidates in a graph in which the number of nodes and the number of connections increase only linearly with the number of levels of representation. As a result, there exist procedures for evaluation and learning that increase only linearly with the number of levels. These efficient procedures help to make multilevel parallel constraint grammars more feasible as models of human language processing. We illustrate visualization, evaluation, and learning with a toy grammar for a traditional case that has already previously been analyzed in terms of parallel evaluation, namely, French liaison

Spiritual home & pelgrimage. Twee katholieke doeloriëntaties onderzocht op hun waarde voor humanistisch levensbeschouwelijk onderwijs.

In deze scriptie heb ik onderzocht welke bijdrage de noties spiritual home en pelgrimage van de theoloog Roebben kunnen leveren aan een verdere theoretische doordenking van doeloriëntaties van humanistisch levensbeschouwelijke vorming in het voortgezet onderwijs. Na bestudering van godsdienst- en theoretisch- pedagogische literatuur over deze noties, en een vergelijking van deze noties met centrale doeloriëntaties van HVO, die afgeleid zijn en geïnterpreteerd kunnen worden vanuit de integratieve visie op onderwijs van Aloni, concludeer ik dat de noties spiritual home en pelgrimage een aanvulling kunnen bieden op doeloriëntaties van humanistisch levensbeschouwelijke vorming in het voortgezet onderwijs. Deze aanvulling ligt met name in de versterking van aandacht voor een diepere bewustwording bij de leerlingen van het vertrekpunt van hun persoonlijke ontwikkeling. Deze diepere bewustwording van het vertrekpunt van hun persoonlijke ontwikkeling stelt leerlingen vervolgens in staat om zich verder levensbeschouwelijk te ontwikkelen. Indirect, dragen de noties tevens bij aan voorwaarden voor het voeren van een levensbeschouwelijke dialoog, en het ontwikkelen van een doorleefde levensbeschouwelijke visie. Een letterlijke overname van de doeloriëntaties spiritual home en pelgrimage is niet wenselijk, aangezien de doeloriëntaties in de huidige vorm ervan uitgaan dat leerlingen opgroeien binnen een helder afgebakende traditie. Om deze noties compatibel te maken met de humanistische visie op mens en onderwijs heb ik, voortbouwend op de theorie van Aloni en de daaruit afgeleide uitgangspunten van het HVO, een alternatieve visie op spiritual home en pelgrimage geformuleerd. De doeloriëntatie spiritual home kan, wanneer humanistisch ingevuld, beschouwd worden als een zoektocht naar de van oorsprong meegekregen normen en waarden. Pelgrimage kan, voortbouwend op het spiritual home ingevuld worden als de vorming van een persoonlijke levens- en wereldbeschouwing in relatie tot anderen. Hierbij leren de leerlingen nieuw opgedane ervaringen religieus, of levensbeschouwelijk, te interpreteren vanuit hun basis van normen en waarden. Mijn scriptie levert niet alleen een bijdrage aan de doordenking van centrale doeloriëntaties van het humanistisch levensbeschouwelijke onderwijs, maar ook aan de bredere maatschappelijke en academische discussie over wenselijke doelen van het vak levensbeschouwelijke vorming in Nederland

Sediment pumping by tidal asymmetry in a partially mixed estuary

Author Posting. © American Geophysical Union, 2007. This article is posted here by permission of American Geophysical Union for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Journal of Geophysical Research 112 (2007): C07028, doi:10.1029/2006JC003784.Observations collected at two laterally adjacent locations are used to examine the processes driving sediment transport in the partially mixed York River Estuary. Estimates of sediment flux are decomposed into advective and pumping components, to evaluate the importance of tidal asymmetries in turbulent mixing. At the instrumented location in the estuarine channel, a strong asymmetry in internal mixing due to tidal straining is documented, with higher values of eddy viscosity occurring during the less-stratified flood tide. As a result of this asymmetry, more sediment is resuspended during the flood phase of the tide resulting in up-estuary pumping of sediment despite a net down-estuary advective flux. At the instrumented location on the adjacent shoal, where no pronounced tidal asymmetry in internal mixing was found, both the pumping flux and advective flux were directed down-estuary. The down-estuary pumping of sediment on the shoal appears to be driven by asymmetries in bed stress. The impact of tidal asymmetries in bed stress at the channel location was negated because the amount of sediment available for resuspension was limited. As a result, the pumping flux was dominated by the overlying asymmetries in internal mixing. The asymmetries in stratification appear to exert an important control on the vertical distribution of sediment by both impacting the eddy diffusivity as well as the fall velocity. During the more turbulent flood tide, the fall velocities are smaller suggesting the Kolmogorov microscale is setting the upper bound on floc diameter.Support for this research at VIMS was provided by the National Science Foundation Division of Ocean Sciences grants OCE-9984941 and OCE-0536572

Trends in quality of care and dying perceived by family caregivers of nursing home residents with dementia 2005-2019

BACKGROUND: Dementia palliative care is increasingly subject of research and practice improvement initiatives. AIM: To assess any changes over time in the evaluation of quality of care and quality of dying with dementia by family caregivers. DESIGN: Combined analysis of eight studies with bereaved family caregivers’ evaluations 2005–2019. SETTING/PARTICIPANTS: Family caregivers of nursing home residents with dementia in the Netherlands (n = 1189) completed the End-of-Life in Dementia Satisfaction With Care (EOLD-SWC; quality of care) and Comfort Assessment in Dying (EOLD-CAD, four subscales; quality of dying) instruments. Changes in scores over time were analysed using mixed models with random effects for season and facility and adjustment for demographics, prospective design and urbanised region. RESULTS: The mean total EOLD-SWC score was 33.40 (SD 5.08) and increased by 0.148 points per year (95% CI, 0.052–0.244; adjusted 0.170 points 95% CI, 0.055–0.258). The mean total EOLD-CAD score was 30.80 (SD 5.76) and, unadjusted, there was a trend of decreasing quality of dying over time of −0.175 points (95% CI, −0.291 to −0.058) per year increment. With adjustment, the trend was not significant (−0.070 EOLD-CAD total score points, 95% CI, −0.205 to 0.065) and only the EOLD-CAD subscale ‘Well being’ decreased. CONCLUSION: We identified divergent trends over 14 years of increased quality of care, while quality of dying did not increase and well-being in dying decreased. Further research is needed on what well-being in dying means to family. Quality improvement requires continued efforts to treat symptoms in dying with dementia

Trends in quality of care and dying perceived by family caregivers of nursing home residents with dementia 2005-2019

Background: Dementia palliative care is increasingly subject of research and practice improvement initiatives. Aim: To assess any changes over time in the evaluation of quality of care and quality of dying with dementia by family caregivers. Design: Combined analysis of eight studies with bereaved family caregivers' evaluations 2005-2019. Setting/participants: Family caregivers of nursing home residents with dementia in the Netherlands (n = 1189) completed the End-of-Life in Dementia Satisfaction With Care (EOLD-SWC; quality of care) and Comfort Assessment in Dying (EOLD-CAD, four subscales; quality of dying) instruments. Changes in scores over time were analysed using mixed models with random effects for season and facility and adjustment for demographics, prospective design and urbanised region. Results: The mean total EOLD-SWC score was 33.40 (SD 5.08) and increased by 0.148 points per year (95% CI, 0.052-0.244; adjusted 0.170 points 95% CI, 0.055-0.258). The mean total EOLD-CAD score was 30.80 (SD 5.76) and, unadjusted, there was a trend of decreasing quality of dying over time of -0.175 points (95% CI, -0.291 to -0.058) per year increment. With adjustment, the trend was not significant (-0.070 EOLD-CAD total score points, 95% CI, -0.205 to 0.065) and only the EOLD-CAD subscale 'Well being' decreased. Conclusion: We identified divergent trends over 14 years of increased quality of care, while quality of dying did not increase and well-being in dying decreased. Further research is needed on what well-being in dying means to family. Quality improvement requires continued efforts to treat symptoms in dying with dementia.Development and application of statistical models for medical scientific researc

A review on substances and processes relevant for optical remote sensing of extremely turbid marine areas, with a focus on the Wadden Sea

The interpretation of optical remote sensing data of estuaries and tidal flat areas is hampered by optical complexity and often extreme turbidity. Extremely high concentrations of suspended matter, chlorophyll and dissolved organic matter, local differences, seasonal and tidal variations and resuspension are important factors influencing the optical properties in such areas. This review gives an overview of the processes in estuaries and tidal flat areas and the implications of these for remote sensing in such areas, using the Wadden Sea as a case study area. Results show that remote sensing research in extremely turbid estuaries and tidal areas is possible. However, this requires sensors with a large ground resolution, algorithms tuned for high concentrations of various substances and the local specific optical properties of these substances, a simultaneous detection of water colour and land-water boundaries, a very short time lag between acquisition of remote sensing and in situ data used for validation and sufficient geophysical and ecological knowledge of the area. © 2010 The Author(s)