X575: writing rengas with web services

Our software system simulates the classical collaborative Japanese poetry form, renga, made of linked haikus. We used NLP methods wrapped up as web services. Our experiments were only a partial success, since results fail to satisfy classical constraints. To gather ideas for future work, we examine related research in semiotics, linguistics, and computing.Comment: 4 pages; submitted to CC-NLG - Computational Creativity in Natural Language Generatio

Using Diagrammatic Reasoning for Theorem Proving in a Continuous Domain

Centre for Intelligent Systems and their ApplicationsThis project looks at using diagrammatic reasoning to prove mathematical theorems. The work is motivated by a need for theorem provers whose reasoning is readily intelligible to human beings. It should also have practical applications in mathematics teaching. We focus on the continuous domain of analysis - a geometric subject, but one which is taught using a dry algebraic formalism which many students find hard. The geometric nature of the domain makes it suitable for a diagram-based approach. However it is a difficult domain, and there are several problems, including handling alternating quantifiers, sequences and generalisation. We developed representations and reasoning methods to solve these. Our diagram logic isn't complete, but does cover a reasonable range of theorems. It utilises computers to extend diagrammatic reasoning in new directions – including using animation. This work is tested for soundness, and evaluated empirically for ease of use. We demonstrate that computerised diagrammatic theorem proving is not only possible in the domain of real analysis, but that students perform better using it than with an equivalent algebraic computer system

Digitalisation of the Individual: A Systematic Review from an Affordances-Use-Outcomes Perspective

Digital technology affords individuals to transform several aspects of their everyday lives, leading to different usage patterns with positive and negative outcomes for individuals. While digitalisation is discussed in detail from an organizational perspective, a comprehensive review on outcomes of digitalisation from an individual perspective is currently missing. Therefore, this paper aims to summarize and classify outcomes in lives of individuals that are caused by digitalisation. A structured literature review is conducted. The search string includes the digital individual itself and the digital individual as social being. We discuss the findings of 23 papers on the digitalisation of the individual and present the results in a concept matrix. We identify five types of affordances and differentiate four types of technology use. 25 positive and 31 negative outcomes were reported by existing literature. We contribute a more nuanced understanding of affordances, usage patterns and their outcomes which hold valuable insights for both research and practice

Encountering #Feminism on Twitter:Reflections on a research collaboration between social scientists and computer scientists

The growth of social media presents an unparalleled opportunity for the study of social change. However, the speed and scale of this growth presents challenges for social scientists, particularly those whose methodologies tend to rely on the qualitative analysis of data that are gathered firsthand. Alongside the growth of social media, companies have emerged which have developed tools for interrogating ‘big data’, although often unconnected from social scientists. It is self-evident that collaboration between social scientists and social media analysis companies offers the potential for developing methods for analysing social change on large scales, bringing together their respective expertise in technological innovations and knowledge of social science. What is less well known is how such a partnership might work in practice. This article presents an example of such a collaboration, highlighting the opportunities and challenges that arose in the context of an exploration of feminism on Twitter. As will be shown, machine-learning technologies allow the analysis of data on a scale that would be impossible for human analysts, yet such approaches also heighten challenges regarding the study of social change and communication. </jats:p

Proof General / Eclipse: A generic interface for interactive proof

Abstract. This paper introduces PG/Eclipse; a sophisticated new interface for interactive theorem provers, offering users a rich set of proof development tools. It is based upon two complementary frameworks. The first is PG/Kit, a generic communication framework for connecting theorem provers and interfaces. PG/Kit should allow straightforward adaptation to most interactive theorem provers. Moreover, by separating interface development from proof engine development, this framework should facilitate the development of both. The second is Eclipse, a sophisticated open source framework for building IDEs. Eclipse is highly modular and extensible, making it a good platform for interface research. Using it has allowed us to provide a rich range of interface features. These frameworks correspond to the twin goals of this project: to define a clear separation between provers and interfaces, and to translate programming development tools to a theorem proving environment