Detection is the central problem in real-word spelling correction

Real-word spelling correction differs from non-word spelling correction in its aims and its challenges. Here we show that the central problem in real-word spelling correction is detection. Methods from non-word spelling correction, which focus instead on selection among candidate corrections, do not address detection adequately, because detection is either assumed in advance or heavily constrained. As we demonstrate in this paper, merely discriminating between the intended word and a random close variation of it within the context of a sentence is a task that can be performed with high accuracy using straightforward models. Trigram models are sufficient in almost all cases. The difficulty comes when every word in the sentence is a potential error, with a large set of possible candidate corrections. Despite their strengths, trigram models cannot reliably find true errors without introducing many more, at least not when used in the obvious sequential way without added structure. The detection task exposes weakness not visible in the selection task

COSMICAH 2005: workshop on verification of COncurrent Systems with dynaMIC Allocated Heaps (a Satellite event of ICALP 2005) - Informal Proceedings

Lisboa Portugal, 10 July 200

A study of the variety of meanings given to a list of three hundred multi-meaning words by children in grades four, five and six.

Thesis (Ed.M.)--Boston Universit

Direct and generalized reciprocity in the cooperative exchanges of free living Rhesus macaques on Cayo Santiago

Direct reciprocity is the most cited explanation for the evolution of cooperation between unrelated individuals. Yet, few studies have examined generalized reciprocity as an alternative mechanism, despite generalized reciprocity’s minimal cognitive demands and capacity to explain the same patterns of cooperation as direct reciprocity. Studies of direct reciprocity tend to explore reciprocal exchange across either individual interactions or long periods of time, rarely studying both at once. In addition, most studies of reciprocity only account for maternal relatedness between cooperative partners, failing to rule out the effect of kin selection through paternal relatedness. In this thesis we investigated the role of direct and generalized reciprocity in female rhesus macaque cooperative exchanges. We modified a classic playback experiment and explored the effect of both recent and repeated grooming interactions on females’ willingness to provide coalitionary support to other adult females. We conducted this study using the rhesus macaques at the Cayo Santiago field station, where maternal and paternal relatedness is known for all study subjects. We found no evidence of direct or generalized reciprocity in the exchange of grooming for coalitionary support. Our results contradict the findings of similar playback experiments but are consistent with correlational studies in species that are despotic like rhesus macaques. The despotic nature of our study system, combined with our finding that females’ willingness to provide support declined as the number of infants in their matriline increased, could suggest that grooming is not a sufficient price to pay to acquire coalitionary support from unrelated rhesus macaques. We propose by-product mutualism and kin-selection may play a larger role than has been previously appreciated in decisions regarding who to support in agnostic encounters, and we highlight the importance of investigating multiple cooperative mechanisms when studying of the evolution of cooperative behaviours

Marianne Dreams, The Secret Garden and the Stifled Female Quest

See articl

Mattress

This report chronicles some of the incredible and not-so-incredible moments that happened while creating my thesis film, Mattress. The report does not conform to a rigid outline of the process, or a linear movement of time, rather it acts as a pastiche of the some of the moments that transpired throughout my journey. I have learnt a lot about myself during this journey, and these experiences do not always relate to filmmaking. I would like to use this report as an opportunity to express some of these truths, and share a few thoughts on what it requires to take a bunch of people into the desert for ten days.Radio-Television-Fil

Nutrients, chlorophyll and bacterial fecal indicators in coves and open water areas of Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri

The entire thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file; a non-technical public abstract appears in the public.pdf file.Title from PDF of title page (University of Missouri--Columbia, viewed on November 19, 2009).Thesis advisor: Dr. John R. Jones.M.S. University of Missouri--Columbia 2009.Urban development and use of septic tanks in porous soils of Lake of the Ozarks poses a threat to public health via leaching into drinking wells and coves used for swimming. During 2 summers, phosphorus (TP), nitrogen (TN), chlorophyll (Chl), fecal coliform (FC), Escherichia coli (EC), and anthropogenic indices were measured in coves and main channel sites in the Grand Glaize-Turkey Bend region. Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron (BT), an obligate human gut bacterium, was concurrently monitored to determine the specificity of conventional fecal indicators (FC and EC). Discharges 3-4 times the average were recorded for both summers. Relationships between anthropogenic indices and water quality variables (TP, TN, Chl, FC and EC) were not apparent, likely because of dilution. Among coves nutrients, Chl, FC and EC declined from up- to down-reservoir, which reflected basin sedimentary processes. In regression analysis of daily means, wind speed accounted for a large portion of variation in FC (69%) and EC (86%), and a rain event elevated site means for FC and EC. Alternatively, BT did not decline longitudinally, was not related to wind speed, and was not influenced by rain. Unlike TP, TN, Chl, and conventional fecal indicators, BT was positively related to a surrogate for anthropogenic activity among daily means. Factors disturbing FC- and EC-laden sediments and soil obscure anthropogenic influence. For BT, anthropogenic influence is not obscured by these environmental factors, which allows detection during circumstances when conventional fecal indicators represent other sources of bacteria.Includes bibliographical references