Stochastic phonological grammars and acceptability

In foundational works of generative phonology it is claimed that subjects can reliably discriminate between possible but non-occurring words and words that could not be English. In this paper we examine the use of a probabilistic phonological parser for words to model experimentally-obtained judgements of the acceptability of a set of nonsense words. We compared various methods of scoring the goodness of the parse as a predictor of acceptability. We found that the probability of the worst part is not the best score of acceptability, indicating that classical generative phonology and Optimality Theory miss an important fact, as these approaches do not recognise a mechanism by which the frequency of well-formed parts may ameliorate the unacceptability of low-frequency parts. We argue that probabilistic generative grammars are demonstrably a more psychologically realistic model of phonological competence than standard generative phonology or Optimality Theory.Comment: compressed postscript, 8 pages, 1 figur

Native Plants: The Preservation and Restoration of Native Plants in Designed Landscapes in Northwest Arkansas

A decline in Northwest Arkansas\u27s native plant population has occurred over the past 50 years, as documented by the U.S. Forest Service in the Ozark-Ouachita Highlands Assessment. This decline has been caused by increased human development in natural areas and the replacement of native plants with exotic, non-native plants. As a result, a generation has grown up not knowing what an Ozark wake Robin trillium (Trillium pusillum var. ozarkanum) or Blood root (Sanguinaria canadensis) Look like, because these plants are difficult to find in nature, are not commonly grown in designed landscapes, and are Largely unavailable in garden centers. The loss of Arkansas\u27s native plants has led to a second problem: the loss of the region\u27s landscape identity. A proposed solution focuses on restoring the region\u27s landscape identity by landscaping with native plants. The benefits of native plants include the following: the creation of native habitats, an increase in biodiversity, the conservation of natural resources, a reduction in long-term landscape costs and a decrease in landscape maintenance requirements and costs. Interviews with regional suppliers and users of native plants identified sources of information and methods of growing these plants. As a result, guidelines on how to incorporate native plants into designed landscapes were developed and are presented with a listing of native plant experts and nurseries, a partial listing of plants for Northwest Arkansas (organized by site conditions), a suggested reading and reference list, and a listing of public gardens that emphasize native plant

EL CONCEPTO DE REPUBLICA. CINTINUIDAD MITICA Y CONTINUIDAD REAL

(…)Este ensayo intenta revelar lo que considero una confusión en el uso del término república, tanto en la teoría política normativa contemporánea, la vigente en el mundo anglo-americano, como en una amplia variedad de explicaciones históricas sobre la evolución de este concepto y sobre sus realizaciones prácticas en la historia europea (…

Sovereignty and power relations in the thought of Marsilius of Padua and William of Ockham a comparison.

pp. 229-253This paper attempts te demensfrate twe thèses: the mere explicit thesis is that beth MarsiUus of Padua and WUUam ef Ockham, come te thefr conclusiens about the reason fer, the nature ef, and the extent ef legitimate seciUar power fri men's Uves frem the same premise: that men's sensual experience ef Uvfrig life is the necessary first cenditien frem which aU subsequent ratienal conclusiens about pelitics emerge. Secendly, this paper attempts te compare and centiast seme ef the fundamental tenets ef MarsUius and Ockham en severeign power and its source, with an eye frained on the contfriuity ef politicai disceurse frem the late middle ages imtil the seventeenth century and beyend. EspeciaUy in the Anglo-American werld, medievalists tend te talk only te ene another. Early moderrrists have long resisted, imtU quite recentìy, any suggestien that what medieval politicai theorists had te say about legitimate sovereignty, its source and extent, dfrectìy fed inte these 17th and 18th century peUtical thèeries which are taken te be new beginnings of our ewn modem ideas ef the legitimate state. Hence, the secend, mere mipUcit thesis ef this paper is that a knewledge ef Ockham prepares a leader for Hobbes, and a knewledge ef MarsiUus ef Padua prepares a reader fer certam preminent aspects of the thèeries ef Locke and Rousseau

Criminal Law - A New Means to Combat Child Abuse?

This note will examine State v. Walden in light of prior North Carolina law, in relation to the new law it creates, as well as the policy interests involved in this area of criminal liability

Criminal Law - A New Means to Combat Child Abuse?

This note will examine State v. Walden in light of prior North Carolina law, in relation to the new law it creates, as well as the policy interests involved in this area of criminal liability

Building bridges? An evaluation of the costs and effectiveness of the separated parents information programme (PIP)

The Separated Parent Information Programme (PIP) is the first nationally available parent education programme for parents involved in litigation over contact and residence in England. The programme is a Contact Activity, introduced by the Children and Adoption Act 2006 as an additional tool for courts to facilitate contact. PIP is a four hour group programme for parents referred by the court. Both parties, i.e. the applicant and respondent, are required to attend the programme, but former couples attend separate groups. The groups are designed to include both men and women. The aim of the programme is to encourage parents to focus on children’s needs and perspectives. The programme is delivered by trained providers from mediation, counselling or contact services backgrounds

EL CONCEPTO DE REPUBLICA. CINTINUIDAD MITICA Y CONTINUIDAD REAL

(…)Este ensayo intenta revelar lo que considero una confusión en el uso del término república, tanto en la teoría política normativa contemporánea, la vigente en el mundo anglo-americano, como en una amplia variedad de explicaciones históricas sobre la evolución de este concepto y sobre sus realizaciones prácticas en la historia europea (…

Who is Helping Our Children? Development of a Model for the Training of Tutors for America Reads

The purpose of this research study was to examine the effectiveness of training for college work study students who participated in an America Reads program, which was designed to help at-risk children struggling with reading. Two groups participated in this research study. One group of college tutors had minimal training in reading strategies at the beginning of the study and the other group of college tutors had continuous training and feedback throughout the study. The research study sought to answer the following questions: 1) Will training for college student tutors in the area of reading, more specifically in the strategies and skills, help improve their comprehension and vocabulary? And 2) Will training for college student tutors in the area of reading, more specifically in strategies and skills, significantly improve the comprehension and vocabulary scores of the children being tutored? This was a quasi-experimental research design, used to examine the effectiveness of training college students participating in the America Reads program. The tutors were pre-and post-tested, measuring both their vocabulary and comprehension knowledge at the beginning and the end of the study. The children being tutored were also pre- and post-tested, measuring both their vocabulary and comprehension knowledge at the beginning and the end of the study. The statistical analysis for this design was the analysis of covariance (ANCOVA). The ANCOVA was used to handle the main threat to the internal validity of this research design, due to the fact that the tutors for the control and experimental group were not selected randomly. The tutors and the children were randomly assigned to two groups. The control group of tutors received minimal training (11 hours) and the experimental group received the same minimal training with extra (21 hours) weekly training added. The study began in October 1999 and ended in December 1999. The tutoring sessions were 1 ½ hours long, three days a week. The training for the experimental group was for 1 ½ to 2 hours weekly. The results from this study found no significant difference between the control and experimental groups on comprehension, as measured by the assessment instruments. The results from this study did find, however, a significant difference between the control and the experimental groups on vocabulary, as measured by the assessment instruments

SMonitoring the operational impact of insecticide usage for malaria control on Anopheles funestus from Mozambique

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Indoor residual spraying (IRS) has again become popular for malaria control in Africa. This combined with the affirmation by WHO that DDT is appropriate for use in the absence of longer lasting insecticide formulations in some malaria endemic settings, has resulted in an increase in IRS with DDT as a major malaria vector control intervention in Africa. DDT was re-introduced into Mozambique's IRS programme in 2005 and is increasingly becoming the main insecticide used for malaria vector control in Mozambique. The selection of DDT as the insecticide of choice in Mozambique is evidence-based, taking account of the susceptibility of <it>Anopheles funestus </it>to all available insecticide choices, as well as operational costs of spraying.</p> <p>Previously lambda cyhalothrin had replaced DDT in Mozambique in 1993. However, resistance appeared quickly to this insecticide and, in 2000, the pyrethroid was phased out and the carbamate bendiocarb introduced. Low level resistance was detected by biochemical assay to bendiocarb in 1999 in both <it>An. funestus </it>and <it>Anopheles arabiensis</it>, although this was not evident in WHO bioassays of the same population.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Sentinel sites were established and monitored for insecticide resistance using WHO bioassays. These assays were conducted on 1–3 day old F1 offspring of field collected adult caught <it>An. funestus </it>females to determine levels of insecticide resistance in the malaria vector population. WHO biochemical assays were carried out to determine the frequency of insecticide resistance genes within the same population.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In surveys conducted between 2002 and 2006, low levels of bendiocarb resistance were detected in <it>An. funestus</it>, populations using WHO bioassays. This is probably due to significantly elevated levels of Acetylcholinesterase levels found in the same populations. Pyrethroid resistance was also detected in populations and linked to elevated levels of p450 monooxygenase activity. One site had shown reduction in pyrethroid resistance since the base line in 1999.</p