A Finite State and Data-Oriented Method for Grapheme to Phoneme Conversion

A finite-state method, based on leftmost longest-match replacement, is presented for segmenting words into graphemes, and for converting graphemes into phonemes. A small set of hand-crafted conversion rules for Dutch achieves a phoneme accuracy of over 93%. The accuracy of the system is further improved by using transformation-based learning. The phoneme accuracy of the best system (using a large set of rule templates and a `lazy' variant of Brill's algoritm), trained on only 40K words, reaches 99% accuracy.Comment: 8 page

Resolution of the finite Markov moment problem

We expose in full detail a constructive procedure to invert the so--called "finite Markov moment problem". The proofs rely on the general theory of Toeplitz matrices together with the classical Newton's relations

Computerised ACER advanced test BL : analysis of equivalency, test anxiety, and the effects of input device using New Zealand university participants : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Psychology at Massey University

Study I examined the effects of the computerised format of the ACER Advanced Test BL (ACER-BL) on the test scores and anxiety of undergraduate participants, compared with the traditional paper-and-pencil format. Forty-one students were assigned to either a computer or paper-and-pencil treatment group using a stratified random design. Participants sequentially completed a general background questionnaire, the ACER-BL, an anxiety questionnaire, the ACER-BL, and a final anxiety questionnaire, with a 10 minute test-retest period between the ACER-BL administrations. There were no significant differences in ACER-BL score, and subsection scores, between the 2 treatment groups on either administration. The internal consistency reliability of each formats was moderate to high, and there was a high test-retest reliability for each format. While the mean scores for each treatment group were higher for the second test administration compared with the first, this result only reached significance for the computerised group. Gender, Undergraduate Year, and Typing Ability significantly influenced test score, although these failed to remain significant when treatment group was included in each analysis. These results suggest that the computerised version of the ACER-BL is equivalent to the paper-and-pencil version. Generally, there was no significant difference in reported test anxiety measures between the treatment groups, with mean reported anxiety indicating "slight anxiety." These anxiety results suggest little influence of test format on test anxiety. Study 2 examined the influence of input device (keyboard, numeric pad, and mouse) on ACER-BL scores and test anxiety of undergraduate participants. Using stratified random assignment, 90 subjects were tested on all three input devices using a one factor repeated measures design. Each participant sequentially completed a general background questionnaire, the ACER-BL, an anxiety questionnaire, the ACER-BL, an anxiety questionnaire, the ACER-BL, and a final anxiety questionnaire, with a 10 minute delay between each ACER-BL administration. There was no significant main effect of input device on test score, and there was no significant order effect for input device. Between- subjects analyses indicated a significant increase in mean test score across administrations for the keyboard and numeric pad, but no significant change in mean scores with the mouse. These results were also reflected in the analyses of mean input response time. While there was no significant effect of any measured participant characteristic on input device scores, mathematical ability and undergraduate year each had a significant influence on mean scores in the first ACER-BL administration. Participants with higher mathematical ability or more years at university had significantly higher mean test scores than participants with less mathematical ability or first year undergraduates respectively. While mean reported anxiety on all test anxiety measures decreased over the ACER-BL administrations, all mean reported anxiety indicated "slight anxiety." These anxiety results suggest little influence of input device on test anxiety. The lack of test-retest comparisons between the computerised and paper-and-pencil formats of a test was discussed along with the need for future computerised testing research to use participants from the general population

Constraint-Based Categorial Grammar

We propose a generalization of Categorial Grammar in which lexical categories are defined by means of recursive constraints. In particular, the introduction of relational constraints allows one to capture the effects of (recursive) lexical rules in a computationally attractive manner. We illustrate the linguistic merits of the new approach by showing how it accounts for the syntax of Dutch cross-serial dependencies and the position and scope of adjuncts in such constructions. Delayed evaluation is used to process grammars containing recursive constraints.Comment: 8 pages, LaTe

Existence, uniqueness and a constructive solution algorithm for a class of finite Markov moment problems

We consider a class of finite Markov moment problems with arbitrary number of positive and negative branches. We show criteria for the existence and uniqueness of solutions, and we characterize in detail the non-unique solution families. Moreover, we present a constructive algorithm to solve the moment problems numerically and prove that the algorithm computes the right solution.Inverse problems, finite Markov moment problem, exponential transform.

Children’s Use of a ‘Time Line’ to Indicate When Events Occurred

Children who allege abuse are often asked to provide temporal information such as when the events occurred. Yet, young children often have difficulty recalling temporal information due to their limited knowledge of temporal patterns and linguistic capabilities. As time is an abstract concept (we cannot see it), some investigators have begun to use ‘time-lines’ or pictorial representations of time to aid children. Yet, there is no published research testing whether children are able to use time-lines and whether they can provide adequate temporal information using them. We tested whether children could indicate the time-of-day of events using a pictorial time-line and then compared their responses to their parents’. Seven- to 8-year-olds were most consistent with parental estimates while 4-year-olds were least consistent. Responses from the 5- to 6-year-olds depended on the temporal task. Guessing and using general knowledge to estimate the time-of-day were ruled out, and so children were genuinely drawing on episodic memory when making time-line judgments. Thus, there was a developmental progression in children’s use of physical representations to communicate abstract information. These results are promising for the use of the time-line in forensic settings but much more research is needed

Existence, uniqueness and a constructive solution algorithm for a class of finite Markov moment problems

We consider a class of finite Markov moment problems with arbitrary number of positive and negative branches. We show criteria for the existence and uniqueness of solutions, and we characterize in detail the non-unique solution families. Moreover, we present a constructive algorithm to solve the moment problems numerically and prove that the algorithm computes the right solution

Chirplet approximation of band-limited, real signals made easy

In this paper we present algorithms for approximating real band-limited signals by multiple Gaussian Chirps. These algorithms do not rely on matching pursuit ideas. They are hierarchial and, at each stage, the number of terms in a given approximation depends only on the number of positive-valued maxima and negative-valued minima of a signed amplitude function characterizing part of the signal. Like the algorithms used in \cite{gre2} and unlike previous methods, our chirplet approximations require neither a complete dictionary of chirps nor complicated multi-dimensional searches to obtain suitable choices of chirp parameters