A Robust Transformation-Based Learning Approach Using Ripple Down Rules for Part-of-Speech Tagging

In this paper, we propose a new approach to construct a system of transformation rules for the Part-of-Speech (POS) tagging task. Our approach is based on an incremental knowledge acquisition method where rules are stored in an exception structure and new rules are only added to correct the errors of existing rules; thus allowing systematic control of the interaction between the rules. Experimental results on 13 languages show that our approach is fast in terms of training time and tagging speed. Furthermore, our approach obtains very competitive accuracy in comparison to state-of-the-art POS and morphological taggers.Comment: Version 1: 13 pages. Version 2: Submitted to AI Communications - the European Journal on Artificial Intelligence. Version 3: Resubmitted after major revisions. Version 4: Resubmitted after minor revisions. Version 5: to appear in AI Communications (accepted for publication on 3/12/2015

Using optimization algorithms to detect damages on free-free beam based on dynamic results

This article describes a Modal Analysis method for detecting damage in free-free beams using natural frequency data. The method involves updating a numerical model of the beam with experimental or reference natural frequencies to determine the damage location and damage index. The accuracy of the method was verified through simulations and experiments on beams with both single and double damage zones. The results demonstrate that the method is effective in detecting the damage location for single damage zone and double damage zones with the same or different damage index. However, when the two damage zones are close together, the method that updates the model through PSO optimization algorithm using the reference frequency data may produce inaccurate results. Furthermore, when using experimental frequency data for damage beams, the results indicate that the method has a damage location error of approximately 3.5% along the entire beam length, which is considered acceptable in practical applications. The natural frequency-based damage detection method described in this article offers a useful tool for the assessment of damage in free-free beams and can be effectively combined with visual inspection techniques

Ripple Down Rules for Question Answering

Recent years have witnessed a new trend of building ontology-based question answering systems. These systems use semantic web information to produce more precise answers to users' queries. However, these systems are mostly designed for English. In this paper, we introduce an ontology-based question answering system named KbQAS which, to the best of our knowledge, is the first one made for Vietnamese. KbQAS employs our question analysis approach that systematically constructs a knowledge base of grammar rules to convert each input question into an intermediate representation element. KbQAS then takes the intermediate representation element with respect to a target ontology and applies concept-matching techniques to return an answer. On a wide range of Vietnamese questions, experimental results show that the performance of KbQAS is promising with accuracies of 84.1% and 82.4% for analyzing input questions and retrieving output answers, respectively. Furthermore, our question analysis approach can easily be applied to new domains and new languages, thus saving time and human effort.Comment: V1: 21 pages, 7 figures, 10 tables. V2: 8 figures, 10 tables; shorten section 2; change sections 4.3 and 5.1.2. V3: Accepted for publication in the Semantic Web journal. V4 (Author's manuscript): camera ready version, available from the Semantic Web journal at http://www.semantic-web-journal.ne

MOODLE QUIZ TO SUPPORT VOCABULARY RETENTION IN EFL TEACHING AND LEARNING

This paper reports on a quasi-experimental study on the effect of vocabulary practice using the Moodle Quiz module on students’ vocabulary learning. Two intact classes including 73 tenth graders were randomly assigned as the experimental group and the control group. Both groups received formal face-to-face English instruction based on an English textbook for tenth Graders. The difference is that the control group did the usual paper-based vocabulary quizzes, whereas the experimental group worked on the same quizzes which were manipulated by Moodle Quiz. Vocabulary achievement tests were administered to measure the vocabulary retention of the participants before the intervention, at the end, and after a delayed period. The results showed that the experimental group had better vocabulary retention than the control group. Cohen’s effect size test further indicated that the effect on vocabulary retention was of a large degree. Further exploration showed that the participants were engaged and motivated to practice vocabulary on Moodle. Findings of the study and confirm the effectiveness of blended learning in EFL instruction, and lend support to the use of technology to compensate limited classroom instruction, and create enhanced practice opportunities for EFL learners.  Article visualizations

Comparing the effectiveness of online and onsite learning in English proficiency classes: Learners’ perspectives

Online education has significantly gained popularity due to new technology and more importantly, the growing impact of the digitalization of the economy. Despite its prominent advantages such as accessibility, affordability and flexibility, the effectiveness of online education is still a constant debate and needs extensive investigations in different research contexts. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of online learning in comparison to traditional learning in the context of English language teaching. This descriptive study was undertaken with learners of English as a foreign language (EFL) in English proficiency preparation classes, employing an online questionnaire together with final scores of proficiency tests. The results revealed that the participants had relatively positive perceptions towards online learning in all four aspects: course content, teachers, learning environment and course supports. The significant finding was that when comparing the final results of the VSTEP exams, the online learners generally were able to perform better than the learners in traditional classrooms, though the difference was not largely remarkable. Online education in the new normal will continue to excel and the effectiveness of this learning mode certainly needs further investigation from different perspectives

Sentiment classification on polarity reviews: an empirical study using rating-based features

We present a new feature type named rating-based feature and evaluate the contribution of this feature to the task of document-level sentiment analysis. We achieve state-of-the-art results on two publicly available standard polarity movie datasets: on the dataset consisting of 2000 reviews produced by Pang and Lee (2004) we obtain an accuracy of 91.6% while it is 89.87% evaluated on the dataset of 50000 reviews created by Maas et al. (2011). We also get a performance at 93.24% on our own dataset consisting of 233600 movie reviews, and we aim to share this dataset for further research in sentiment polarity analysis task

Internationalization at Jesuit Colleges and Universities in the United States: Tensions between the Jesuit Mission and Internationalization in Strategic Plans

Thesis advisor: Johannes de WitWhile internationalization in higher education is widely documented, little research has been conducted on how internationalization efforts at the 28 Jesuit colleges and universities in the United States have been operated. Through three exploratory case studies at Boston College, Saint Louis University, and the University of San Francisco, administrators, faculty members, and students were interviewed to address questions of rationales, strategies, outcomes with respect to internationalization, in relation to the Jesuit mission. Information from institutional websites and Jesuit documents served to round out the analysis of global engagement at Jesuit higher education institutions in the United States. Informed by the literature, the study draws on data collected from the 24 semi-structured interviews including individual and focus groups of international and study-abroad students. The study employs the conceptual framework of three pillars of internationalization at home, abroad, and through partnerships, provided by De Wit, Howard, Egron-Polak, & Hunter (2015). The findings show the growth of Jesuit institutions in the United States in the number of their internationals students, more concentration on global curricula, more opportunities for study abroad, and promotion of international partnerships. However, the study illustrates that Jesuit colleges and universities in the United States are still more regional or national institutions and are involved in internationalization at a preliminary stage of the process with ad hoc and fragmented strategic plans. The thesis ends with recommendations for more global collaboration and frequent assessment among Jesuit entities in order to sustain their operation and continually pursue the international mission of their Jesuit tradition, for a more balanced approach between the business/reputation model and the mission model, for more faculty and international students support, and for more attention to international alumni.Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2018.Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education.Discipline: Educational Leadership and Higher Education