REX-J: Japanese referring expression corpus of situated dialogs

Identifying objects in conversation is a fundamental human capability necessary to achieve efficient collaboration on any real world task. Hence the deepening of our understanding of human referential behaviour is indispensable for the creation of systems that collaborate with humans in a meaningful way. We present the construction of REX-J, a multi-modal Japanese corpus of referring expressions in situated dialogs, based on the collaborative task of solving the Tangram puzzle. This corpus contains 24 dialogs with over 4?h of recordings and over 1,400 referring expressions. We outline the characteristics of the collected data and point out the important differences from previous corpora. The corpus records extra-linguistic information during the interaction (e.g. the position of pieces, the actions on the pieces) in synchronization with the participants’ utterances. This in turn allows us to discuss the importance of creating a unified model of linguistic and extra-linguistic information from a new perspective. Demonstrating the potential uses of this corpus, we present the analysis of a specific type of referring expression (“action-mentioning expression”) as well as the results of research into the generation of demonstrative pronouns. Furthermore, we discuss some perspectives on potential uses of this corpus as well as our planned future work, underlining how it is a valuable addition to the existing databases in the community for the study and modeling of referring expressions in situated dialog.     

Automatically annotating a five-billion-word corpus of Japanese blogs for sentiment and affect analysis

This paper presents our research on automatic annotation of a five-billion-word corpus of Japanese blogs with information on affect and sentiment. We first perform a study in emotion blog corpora to discover that there has been no large scale emotion corpus available for the Japanese language. We choose the largest blog corpus for the language and annotate it with the use of two systems for affect analysis: ML-Ask for word- and sentence-level affect analysis and CAO for detailed analysis of emoticons. The annotated information includes affective features like sentence subjectivity (emotive/non-emotive) or emotion classes (joy, sadness, etc.), useful in affect analysis. The annotations are also generalized on a two-dimensional model of affect to obtain information on sentence valence (positive/negative), useful in sentiment analysis. The annotations are evaluated in several ways. Firstly, on a test set of a thousand sentences extracted randomly and evaluated by over forty respondents. Secondly, the statistics of annotations are compared to other existing emotion blog corpora. Finally, the corpus is applied in several tasks, such as generation of emotion object ontology or retrieval of emotional and moral consequences of actions.     

Balanced environmental games

Focus is here on coalitional games among economic agents plagued by aggregate pollutions of diverse sorts. Any contracting player presumably pollutes less than if he defects. In addition, cooperation among some parties benefits the outsiders. Then, granted convex preferences and technologies, the core is proven nonempty. Also, under natural assumptions, a specific, computable core solution comes in terms of shadow prices on the said aggregates. Such prices may, in large part, support the cooperative treaty by clearing a competitive market for emissions.     

Consumers' use of written product information

Two studies were conducted to investigate the predictive role of person-specific, product-specific, and situation-specific influences on the use of instruction manuals in the field of electrical consumer products. In a laboratory study, 42 participants were observed while putting a vacuum cleaner into operation. Situational primes (i.e., receiving a verbal cue that the packaging contains an instruction manual) increased the probability of the user manual being read. Additional verbal information that the manual contains information on energy-saving behaviours was especially motivating for persons with high environmental concern. Self-report data, collected on a wide range of products, suggest that product complexity is the best predictor of instruction manual use. In a second study with 30 participants, different positions of product labels were compared, i.e. placing the information on the packaging or directly onto the product. Information placed directly onto the product had a significantly higher influence on participants' actual behaviour than providing the same information on the packaging.     

Balanced Graph Partitioning

We consider the problem of partitioning a graph into k components of roughly equal size while minimizing the capacity of the edges between different components of the cut. In particular we require that for a parameter ν ≥ 1, no component contains more than ν · n/k of the graph vertices. For k = 2 and ν = 1 this problem is equivalent to the well-known Minimum Bisection problem for which an approximation algorithm with a polylogarithmic approximation guarantee has been presented in [FK]. For arbitrary k and ν ≥ 2 a bicriteria approximation ratio of O(log n) was obtained by Even et al. [ENRS1] using the spreading metrics technique. We present a bicriteria approximation algorithm that for any constant ν > 1 runs in polynomial time and guarantees an approximation ratio of O(log^1.5n) (for a precise statement of the main result see Theorem 6). For ν = 1 and k ≥ 3 we show that no polynomial time approximation algorithm can guarantee a finite approximation ratio unless P = NP.     

Balanced Cooperative Modeling

Machine learning techniques are often used for supporting a knowledge engineer in constructing a model of part of the world. Different learning algorithms contribute to different tasks within the modeling process. Integrating several learning algorithms into one system allows it to support several modeling tasks within the same framework. In this article, we focus on the distribution of work between several learning algorithms on the one hand and the user on the other hand. The approach followed by the MOBAL system is that ofbalanced cooperation, i.e., each modeling task can be done by the user or by a learning tool of the system. The MOBAL system is described in detail. We discuss the principle of multi-functionality of one representation for the balanced use by learning algorithms and users.     

Balanced input-output assignment

A method of actuator/ sensor location is presented. The state space representation obtained has assigned controllability and observability properties. The assignability conditions are defined, and algorithms for determining sensor and/or actuator locations are derived. The results are specified for systems with properties of flexible structures.     

Consumers' use of written product information

Two studies were conducted to investigate the predictive role of person-specific, product-specific, and situation-specific influences on the use of instruction manuals in the field of electrical consumer products. In a laboratory study, 42 participants were observed while putting a vacuum cleaner into operation. Situational primes (i.e., receiving a verbal cue that the packaging contains an instruction manual) increased the probability of the user manual being read. Additional verbal information that the manual contains information on energy-saving behaviours was especially motivating for persons with high environmental concern. Self-report data, collected on a wide range of products, suggest that product complexity is the best predictor of instruction manual use. In a second study with 30 participants, different positions of product labels were compared, i.e. placing the information on the packaging or directly onto the product. Information placed directly onto the product had a significantly higher influence on participants' actual behaviour than providing the same information on the packaging.     

Balanced fuzzy sets

The paper presents a new approach to fuzzy sets and uncertain information based on an observation of asymmetry of classical fuzzy operators. Parallel is drawn between symmetry and negativity of uncertain information. The hypothesis is raised that classical theory of fuzzy sets concentrates the whole negative information in the value 0 of membership function, what makes fuzzy operators asymmetrical. This hypothesis could be seen as a contribution to a broad range discussion on unification of aggregating operators and uncertain information processing rather than an opposition to other approaches. The new approach “spreads” negative information from the point 0 into the interval [−1, 0] making scale and operators symmetrical. The balanced counterparts of classical operators are introduced. Relations between classical and balanced operators are discussed and then developed to the hierarchies of balanced operators of higher ranks. The relation between balanced norms, on one hand, and uninorms and nullnorms, on the other, are quite close: balanced norms are related to equivalence classes of some equivalence relation build on linear dependency in the spaces of uninorms and nullnorms. It is worth to stress that this similarity is raised by two entirely different approaches to generalization of fuzzy operators. This observation validates the generalized hierarchy of fuzzy operators to which both approaches converge. The discussion in this paper is aimed at presenting the idea and does not aspire to detailed exploration of all related aspects of uncertainty and information processing.     

国内外隐喻知识库建设综述

就国外的几个隐喻知识库,包括Master Metaphor List、Senseframe、MetaBank、Metalude、Hamburg Metaphor Database、ATTMeta以及国内的隐喻句库的建设进行综述,并对上述隐喻知识库作了简单评述。最后提出了一种建立面向计算的大规模汉语隐喻知识库构建的设想。     

一种平衡相关免疫函数的构造

利用部分Bent函数的定义和性质,通过使用自对偶码的知识构造出平衡且具有k次扩散准则的相关免疫的函数。     

Computer assisted feedback on written reports

It can be very time consuming for educators to improve students' written communication skills. Ideally, it requires tutors to spend a considerable amount of time diagnosing and remedying individual problems. Unfortunately, this is not possible when teaching the very large classes that now seem to be the norm in higher education.This paper outlines one answer to part of the problem—how to teach the skills of report writing, using a microcomputer to generate feedback.     

Balanced timed regular expressions

Several classes of regular expressions for timed languages accepted by timed automata have been suggested in the literature. In this article we introduce balanced timed regular expressions with colored parentheses which are equivalent to timed automata, and, differently from existing definitions, do not refer to clock values, and do not use additional operations such as intersection and renaming.     

藏语语料库加工方法研究

为了使藏语语料库具有规范性、统一性和实用性,提高加工的整体水平,在藏语语料库的加工过程中首先要对五花八门的藏语语料库进行整理和统一,得到高质量的原始语料库,其次确定藏语原料库加工的切分单位,针对藏语的语法特征提出藏语语料库藏语词语类别和词类标记集,同时在对藏语词语进行归类和统计的基础上建立分词标注词典库,设计并实现藏文自动分词标注软件,利用分词标注软件对大规模藏语语料库进行切分和标注,最终实现藏语语料库的多级加工。     

Balanced realizations of singularly perturbed systems

Balanced realizations of linear time-invariant singularly perturbed systems are studied. The reduced model of a singularly perturbed system that is obtained, based on the balanced realization, is compared to that obtained by time-scale considerations. An approximate balancing transformation for singularly perturbed systems is constructed based on balancing transformations of the approximating slow and fast subsystems.     

Balanced truncation of linear time-varying systems

In this paper, balanced truncation of linear time-varying systems is studied in discrete and continuous time. Based on relatively basic calculations with time-varying Lyapunov equations/inequalities we are able to derive both upper and lower error bounds for the truncated models. These results generalize well-known time-invariant formulas. The case of time-varying state dimension is considered. Input-output stability of all truncated balanced realizations is also proven. The method is finally successfully applied to a high-order model.