32,201 research outputs found
Simulating Vocal Imitation in Infants, using a Growth Articulatory Model and Speech Robotics
In order to shed lights on the cognitive representations
likely to underlie early vocal imitation, we tried to simulate
Kuhl and Meltzoff's experiment (1996), using Bayesian
robotics and a statistical model of the vocal tract that had
been fitted to pre-babblers' actual vocalizations. It was
shown that audition is compulsory to account for infants'
early vocal imitation performance, inasmuch as the
simulation of purely visual imitation failed to reproduce
infants' score and pattern of imitation. Further, a small
number of vocalizations (less than 100!) appeared to be
enough for a learning process to provide scores at least as
high as those of pre-babblers. Thus, early vocal imitation
lies in the reach of a baby robot, with only a few
assumptions about learning and imitation
From manuscript catalogues to a handbook of Syriac literature: Modeling an infrastructure for Syriaca.org
Despite increasing interest in Syriac studies and growing digital
availability of Syriac texts, there is currently no up-to-date infrastructure
for discovering, identifying, classifying, and referencing works of Syriac
literature. The standard reference work (Baumstark's Geschichte) is over ninety
years old, and the perhaps 20,000 Syriac manuscripts extant worldwide can be
accessed only through disparate catalogues and databases. The present article
proposes a tentative data model for Syriaca.org's New Handbook of Syriac
Literature, an open-access digital publication that will serve as both an
authority file for Syriac works and a guide to accessing their manuscript
representations, editions, and translations. The authors hope that by
publishing a draft data model they can receive feedback and incorporate
suggestions into the next stage of the project.Comment: Part of special issue: Computer-Aided Processing of Intertextuality
in Ancient Languages. 15 pages, 4 figure
Excess mortality during heat waves in Ireland
Ireland is not known for having extreme high temperatures, with values above 30C uncommon. Ireland has significant excess winter mortality compared to summer. The objective of this study is to estimate the impact of nation-wide heat waves on the total, cardiovascular and respiratory relationship, for the period 1981–2003, to determine if there are any periods of excess summer mortality
Fault tolerant architectures for integrated aircraft electronics systems
Work into possible architectures for future flight control computer systems is described. Ada for Fault-Tolerant Systems, the NETS Network Error-Tolerant System architecture, and voting in asynchronous systems are covered
Fault tolerant architectures for integrated aircraft electronics systems, task 2
The architectural basis for an advanced fault tolerant on-board computer to succeed the current generation of fault tolerant computers is examined. The network error tolerant system architecture is studied with particular attention to intercluster configurations and communication protocols, and to refined reliability estimates. The diagnosis of faults, so that appropriate choices for reconfiguration can be made is discussed. The analysis relates particularly to the recognition of transient faults in a system with tasks at many levels of priority. The demand driven data-flow architecture, which appears to have possible application in fault tolerant systems is described and work investigating the feasibility of automatic generation of aircraft flight control programs from abstract specifications is reported
SCD Patterns Have Singular Diffraction
Among the many families of nonperiodic tilings known so far, SCD tilings are
still a bit mysterious. Here, we determine the diffraction spectra of point
sets derived from SCD tilings and show that they have no absolutely continuous
part, that they have a uniformly discrete pure point part on the z-axis, and
that they are otherwise supported on a set of concentric cylinder surfaces
around this axis. For SCD tilings with additional properties, more detailed
results are given.Comment: 11 pages, 2 figures; Accepted for Journal of Mathematical Physic
Random field Ising systems on a general hierarchical lattice: Rigorous inequalities
Random Ising systems on a general hierarchical lattice with both, random
fields and random bonds, are considered. Rigorous inequalities between
eigenvalues of the Jacobian renormalization matrix at the pure fixed point are
obtained. These inequalities lead to upper bounds on the crossover exponents
.Comment: LaTeX, 13 pages, figs. 1a,1b,2. To be published in PR
An interval logic for higher-level temporal reasoning
Prior work explored temporal logics, based on classical modal logics, as a framework for specifying and reasoning about concurrent programs, distributed systems, and communications protocols, and reported on efforts using temporal reasoning primitives to express very high level abstract requirements that a program or system is to satisfy. Based on experience with those primitives, this report describes an Interval Logic that is more suitable for expressing such higher level temporal properties. The report provides a formal semantics for the Interval Logic, and several examples of its use. A description of decision procedures for the logic is also included
Rhythm and Vowel Quality in Accents of English
In a sample of 27 speakers of Scottish Standard English two notoriously variable consonantal features are investigated: the contrast of /m/ and /w/ and non-prevocalic /r/, the latter both in terms of its presence or absence and the phonetic form it takes, if present. The pattern of realisation of non-prevocalic /r/ largely confirms previously reported findings. But there are a number of surprising results regarding the merger of /m/ and /w/ and the loss of non-prevocalic /r/: While the former is more likely to happen in younger speakers and females, the latter seems more likely in older speakers and males. This is suggestive of change in progress leading to a loss of the /m/ - /w/ contrast, while the variation found in non-prevocalic /r/ follows an almost inverse sociolinguistic pattern that does not suggest any such change and is additionally largely explicable in language-internal terms. One phenomenon requiring further investigation is the curious effect direct contact with Southern English accents seems to have on non-prevocalic /r/: innovation on the structural level (i.e. loss) and conservatism on the realisational level (i.e. increased incidence of [r] and [r]) appear to be conditioned by the same sociolinguistic factors
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