Selection-free predictions in global games with endogenous information and multiple equilibria

Global games with endogenous information often exhibit multiple equilibria. In this paper, we show how one can nevertheless identify useful predictions that are robust across all equilibria and that cannot be delivered in the common-knowledge counterparts of these games. Our analysis is conducted within a flexible family of games of regime change, which have been used to model, inter alia, speculative currency attacks, debt crises, and political change. The endogeneity of information originates in the signaling role of policy choices. A novel procedure of iterated elimination of nonequilibrium strategies is used to deliver probabilistic predictions that an outside observer—an econometrician—can form under arbitrary equilibrium selections. The sharpness of these predictions improves as the noise gets smaller, but disappears in the complete-information version of the model

An efficient easily adaptable system for interpreting natural language queries

1.40SIGLELD:3511.638(DAI-RP--155). / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreGBUnited Kingdo

A Graphical Model for Context-Free Grammar ParsingCompiler Construction

In the compiler literature, parsing algorithms for context-free grammars are presented using string rewriting systems or abstract machines such as pushdown automata. Unfortunately, the resulting descriptions can be baroque, and even a basic understanding of some parsing algorithms, such as Earley\u2019s algorithm for general context-free grammars, can be elusive. In this paper, we present a graphical representation of context-free grammars called the Grammar Flow Graph (GFG) that permits parsing problems to be phrased as path problems in graphs; intuitively, the GFG plays the same role for context-free grammars that nondeterministic finite-state automata play for regular grammars. We show that the GFG permits an elementary treatment of Earley\u2019s algorithm that is much easier to understand than previous descriptions of this algorithm. In addition, look-ahead computation can be expressed as a simple inter-procedural dataflow analysis problem, providing an unexpected link between front-end and back-end technologies in compilers. These results suggest that the GFG can be a new foundation for the study of context-free grammars

A new method for dependent parsing

Abstract. Dependent grammars extend context-free grammars by allowing semantic values to be bound to variables and used to constrain parsing. Dependent grammars can cleanly specify common features that cannot be handled by context-free grammars, such as length fields in data formats and significant indentation in programming languages. Few parser generators support dependent parsing, however. To address this we have developed a new method for implementing dependent parsers by extending existing parsing algorithms. Our method proposes a point-free language of dependent grammars, which we believe closely corresponds to existing context-free parsing algorithms, and gives a novel transformation from conventional dependent grammars to point-free ones. To validate our technique, we have specified the semantics of both source and target dependent grammar languages, and proven our transformation sound and complete with respect to those semantics. Furthermore, we have empirically validated the suitability of our point-free language by adapting four parsing engines to support it: an Earley parsing engine; a GLR parsing engine; memoizing, arrow-style parser combinators; and PEG parser combinators.