Computing phonological generalization over real speech exemplars

Though it has attracted growing attention from phonologists and phoneticians Exemplar Theory (e g Bybee 2001) has hitherto lacked an explicit production model that can apply to speech signals An adequate model must be able to generalize but this presents the problem of how to generate an output that generalizes over a collection of unique variable-length signals Rather than resorting to a priori phonological units such as phones we adopt a dynamic programming approach using an optimization criterion that is sensitive to the frequency of similar subsequences within other exemplars the Phonological Exemplar-Based Learning System We show that PEBLS displays pattern-entrenchment behaviour central to Exemplar Theory s account of phonologization (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd All rights reserve

An extended abstract of "Metamorphic testing: testing the untestable"

This document is an extended abstract of an IEEE Software paper, "Metamorphic Testing: Testing the Untestable," presented as a J1C2 (Journal publication first, Conference presentation following) at the IEEE Computer Society signature conference on Computers, Software and Applications (COMPSAC 2019), hosted by Marquette University, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA. © 2019 IEEE

Pallet Management System: A Study of the Implementation of UID/RFID Technology for Tracking Shipping Materials within the Department of Defense Distribution Network

Sponsored Report (for Acquisition Research Program)The purpose of this MBA project is to identify the typical pallet utilization for the Defense Distribution Depot San Joaquin (DDJC) shipments to the Defense Distribution Depot San Diego (DDDC). That information will be used as the basis for suggesting a standardized reutilization management system for wood and non-wood pallets. This project will analyze the inclusion of Radio Frequency Identification and Unique Item Identification in conjunction with bar code technology for the improvement of asset visibility within the Department of Defense''s supply network.Naval Postgraduate School Acquisition Research ProgramApproved for public release; distribution is unlimited

Real-time 4D Tumor Tracking and Modeling From Internal and External Fiducials in Fluoroscopy

Fluoroscopy is currently used in treatment planning for patients undergoing radiation therapy. Radiation oncologists would like to maximize the amount of dose the tumor receives and minimize the amount delivered to the surrounding tissues. During treatment, patients breathe freely and so the tumor location will not be fixed. This makes calculating the amount of dose delivered to the tumor, and verifying that the tumor actually receives that dose, difficult. We describe a correlation- based method of tracking the two-dimensional (2D) motion of internal markers (surgical clips) placed around the tumor. We established ground truth and evaluated the accuracy of the tracker for 10 data sets of 5 patients. The root mean squared error in estimating 2D marker position was 0.47 mm on average. We also developed a method to model the average and maximum three-dimensional (3D) motion of the clips given two orthogonal fluoroscopy videos of the same patients that were taken sequentially. On average, the error was 3.0 mm for four pairs of trajectories. If imaging is possible during treatment, such motion models may be used for beam guided radiation; otherwise, they may be correlated to a set of external markers for use in respiratory gating

Effects of wood particle size and mixing ratios of HDPE on the properties of the composites

The main goal of this research is to innovate wood-plastic composites by using various wood particle sizes and different mixture ratios (weight ratio) of HDPE. (High Density Polyethylene). After mixing the wood particles (recycled wood waste) and the plastic powder, we use a molding and pressing process to make composites with a thickness of 12 mm. By doing so, the wood particle content can be increased to 75%. This kind of composite provides excellent dimensional stability, its moisture content is under 2.5%, and the thickness swelling rate after 24 hr water absorption is under 7.5%. The maximum static bending strength of this composite reaches 20.7 N/mm(2), and is better than that of general commercial particleboards. The composite made of larger sized wood particles has better strength properties. In addition, when the plastic content ratio increases, the dimensional stability of the composite will increase as well. After the soaking process in boiling water, the static bending strength of wet composite remained at 50%; this shows the good weather resistance of the composite. The surface veneer overlaid peeling strength of the composite showed 1.02-1.63 N/mm. After the evaluation of processing, cost of material and strength properties of the composite, we would suggest that the use of 70% of wood particles and 30% of plastic powder is practical to produce proper sized composites

Shear behaviour and design of diagonally stiffened stainless steel plate girders

The shear behaviour of stainless steel plate girders investigated in this study is related to the introduction of diagonal stiffeners. Four plate girders with or without diagonal stiffeners were fabricated by welding hot-rolled stainless steel plates of different thicknesses. All the plate girders were tested to failure subject to shear loading. The critical shear buckling stress, ultimate resistance and post-peak response were recorded and carefully analysed. Elaborate finite element (FE) models were developed by means of the FE software package ABAQUS and were validated against the test results. A comprehensive parametric analysis of key parameters including the web aspect ratio and slenderness, the flexural stiffness of diagonal stiffeners and the material properties was further conducted, reflecting the influence of these parameters on structural responses. The critical shear buckling stresses obtained from eigenvalue buckling analysis were compared with theoretical predictions of the elastic buckling stress, and a new calculation approach for the shear buckling coefficient of diagonally stiffened web panel that can account for the flexural stiffness of diagonal stiffeners and the effective restraint from flanges was proposed. Based on the obtained ultimate shear resistances, the existing design methods were assessed; and a new design proposal within the framework of EN 1993-1-4+A1 for predicting the shear resistance of diagonally stiffened stainless steel plate girders was developed. In this novel method, the shear contributions from diagonal stiffeners and the shear buckling coefficients for diagonally stiffened web panels were revised. The reliability of the new proposal was also confirmed by further statistical analysis

The Correlation Between Internal & External Markers for Abdominal Tumors: Implications for Respiratory Gating

Purpose: The correlation of the respiratory motion of external patient markers and abdominal tumors was examined. Data of this type are important for image-guided therapy techniques, such as respiratory gating, that monitor the movement of external fiducials. Methods and Materials: Fluoroscopy sessions for 4 patients with internal, radiopaque tumor fiducial clips were analyzed by computer vision techniques. The motion of the internal clips and the external markers placed on the patient’s abdominal skin surface were quantified and correlated. Results: In general, the motion of the tumor and external markers were well correlated. The maximum amount of peak-to-peak craniocaudal tumor motion was 2.5 cm. The ratio of tumor motion to external-marker motion ranged from 0.85 to 7.1. The variation in tumor position for a given external-marker position ranged from 2 to 9 mm. The period of the breathing cycle ranged from 2.7 to 4.5 seconds, and the frequency patterns for both the tumor and the external markers were similar. Conclusions: Although tumor motion generally correlated well with external fiducial marker motion, relatively large underlying tumor motion can occur compared with external-marker motion and variations in the tumor position for a given marker position. Treatment margins should be determined on the basis of a detailed understanding of tumor motion, as opposed to relying only on external-marker information

Nanoelectromechanics of Piezoresponse Force Microscopy

To achieve quantitative interpretation of Piezoresponse Force Microscopy (PFM), including resolution limits, tip bias- and strain-induced phenomena and spectroscopy, analytical representations for tip-induced electroelastic fields inside the material are derived for the cases of weak and strong indentation. In the weak indentation case, electrostatic field distribution is calculated using image charge model. In the strong indentation case, the solution of the coupled electroelastic problem for piezoelectric indentation is used to obtain the electric field and strain distribution in the ferroelectric material. This establishes a complete continuum mechanics description of the PFM contact mechanics and imaging mechanism. The electroelastic field distribution allows signal generation volume in PFM to be determined. These rigorous solutions are compared with the electrostatic point charge and sphere-plane models, and the applicability limits for asymptotic point charge and point force models are established. The implications of these results for ferroelectric polarization switching processes are analyzed.Comment: 81 pages, 19 figures, to be published in Phys. Rev.