Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Annotation automatique des types de discours dans des livres audio en vue d’une oralisation par un système de synthèse (Automatic annotation of discourse types in audio-books)

Pour synthétiser automatiquement et de manière expressive des livres audio, il est nécessaire de connaître le type des discours à oraliser. Ceci étant, dans un roman ou une nouvelle, les perspectives narratives et les types de discours évoluent souvent entre de la narration, du récitatif, du discours direct, du discours rapporté, voire des dialogues. Dans ce travail, nous allons présenter un outil qui a été développé à partir de l’analyse d’un corpus de livres audio (extraits de Madame Bovary et des Mystères de Paris) et qui prend comme unité de base pour l’analyse le paragraphe. Cet outil permet donc non seulement de déterminer automatiquement les types de discours (narration, discours direct, dialogue), et donc de savoir qui parle, mais également d’annoter l’extension des modifications discursives. Ce dernier point est important, notamment dans le cas d’incises de citation où le narrateur reprend la parole dans une séquence au discours direct. Dans sa forme actuelle, l’outil atteint un taux de 89 % de bonne détection.
Lexical Ambiguity Resolution in Children: Frequency and Context Effects

Larry H. Small, Advisor The processes by which spoken language is comprehended are extremely complex, and the development of these processes is not fully understood. The comprehension of language is a difficult process that involves decoding the incoming signal, accessing stored semantic information in the mental lexicon (i.e., lexical access), and integrating that information into the overall context of the sentence, paragraph, or conversation. Several cues may be used to access semantic information in the mental lexicon, including sentential context and frequency information. Use of these cues can provide evidence for either an interactive or modular process of lexical access. Based on research with homophones, it appears that adults are able to use sentential context, in an interactive fashion, to aid in lexical access. Preschool children, however, are unable to use context in this way. It is unclear as to when children begin to use contextual cues in an interactive manner to facilitate lexical access. The purpose of this research was to investigate sixth-grade children’s use of context and frequency cues to resolve lexical ambiguities encountered in spoken language. Seventy-five sixth grade children participated in a lexical ambiguity resolution task in order to determine whether frequency information or sentential context aided in lexical access. The participants heard a sentence (spoken by a man) that ended in a homophone. The context of this sentence was biased toward the subordinate sense of the homophone. Immediately following the sentence, participants heard a word (spoken by a female). The participants were instructed to repeat the word spoken by the female as quickly as possible. The time to repeat this word was recorded.
Next generation privacy policy

Privacy policies are commonly used by service providers to notify users what information is collected, how it will be used and with whom it will be shared. These policies are however known to be notoriously long and hard to understand, and several studies have shown that very few users actually read them. Alternative solutions that accurately communicates the most important parts of the policy in a way that is more enjoyable to read, is therefore needed to aid the users in making informed decisions on whether or not to share information with a provider. By following a design science strategy we first explore current solutions, and based on an initial evaluation we find the Nutrition Label to be the current approach best suited to base further work on. Through an assess and refine cycle we first evaluate the Nutrition Label based on usability literature, and propose a set of design criteria which is used as a basis for developing an alternative solution, entitled the Privacy Table. By following an iterative design process, we evaluate the Privacy Table in terms of accuracy, time-to-response and likeability through a pre-test, a laboratory experiment with 15 participants, and finally through an Internet experiment with 24 participants, where each iteration results in a re-designed version of the Privacy Table. While we don't find clear evidence for any difference between the formats, we find indications for that they perform similarly in terms of accuracy and enjoyability. We discover several issues regarding the Nutrition Label where some are related to the terminology used, which could indicate that it would need modifications in order to be usable among non-native English speakers. We also suggest that future research on the Nutrition Label should focus on its usability rather than further expansion, and that it should be considered to base it on a more simplified underlying technology than the P3P language. Finally we find that a merged version of the Privacy Table and the Nutrition Label could be advantageous to use in relation with current and future privacy enhancing technologies, as a top layer to communicate the most important privacy practices.
Method to Select Technical Terms for Glossaries in Support of Joint Task Force Operations

Abstract : Our technique for selecting foreign-language technical terms for human-use glossaries and automatic processor lexicons offers a customized solution based on sound principles that has resulted in an effectiveness breakthrough for the Army. Prepared in support of a single Joint Task Force (JTF), its principle-based underpinnings justify its use in similar applications for various JTFs involved in strategic operations. Language induces expectations from its community of use that can be exploited to provide more effective machine translation (MT). Entries in finely tuned glossaries and lexicons, which are devoid of ambiguity, carry a valence that activates readers' associated world knowledge. The clarity of the entry builds reader confidence while the activated semantic fields permit readers a higher likelihood of accurate context interpretation than would otherwise be possible. A glossary prepared for one document in particular serves to illustrate the method employed throughout the project for glossary development. This document and a human translation are freely available at http://alep.stanford. edu/.
Vision-based rendering: using computational stereo to actualize ibr view synthesis

Computer graphics imagery (CGI) has enabled many useful applications in training, defense, and entertainment. One such application, CGI simulation, is a real-time system that allows users to navigate through and interact with a virtual rendition of an existing environment. Creating such systems is difficult, but particularly burdensome is the task of designing and constructing the internal representation of the simulation content. Authoring this content on a computer usually requires great expertise and many man-hours of labor. Computational stereo and image-based rendering offer possibilities to automatically create simulation content without user assistance. However, these technologies have largely been limited to creating content from only a few photographs, severely limiting the simulation experience. The purpose of this dissertation is to enable the process of automated content creation for large numbers of photographs. The workflow goal consists of a user photographing any real-world environment intended for simulation, and then loading the photographs into the computer. The theoretical and algorithmic contributions of the dissertation are then used to transform the photographs into the data required for real-time exploration of the photographed locale. This permits a rich simulation experience without the laborious effort required to author the content manually. To approach this goal we make four contributions to the fields of computer vision and image-based rendering: an improved point correspondence methodology, an adjacency graph construction algorithm for unordered photographs, a pose estimation ordering for unordered image sets, and an image-based rendering algorithm that, interpolates omnidirectional images to synthesize novel views. We encapsulate our contributions into a working system that we call Vision-Based Rendering (VBR). With our VBR system we are able to automatically create simulation content from a large unordered collection of input photographs. However, there are severe restrictions in the type of image content our present system can accurately simulate. Photographs containing large regions of high frequency detail are incorporated very accurately, but images with smooth color gradations, including most indoor photographs, create distracting artifacts in the final simulation. Thus our system is a significant and functional step toward the ultimate goal of simulating any real-world environment.
GPU-based implementation of real-time system for spiking neural networks

Real-time simulations of biological neural networks (BNNs) provide a natural platform for applications in a variety of fields: data classification and pattern recognition, prediction and estimation, signal processing, control and robotics, prosthetics, neurological and neuroscientific modeling. BNNs possess inherently parallel architecture and operate in continuous signal domain. Spiking neural networks (SNNs) are type of BNNs with reduced signal dynamic range: communication between neurons occurs by means of time-stamped events (spikes). SNNs allow reduction of algorithmic complexity and communication data size at a price of little loss in accuracy. Simulation of SNNs using traditional sequential computer architectures results in significant time penalty. This penalty prohibits application of SNNs in real-time systems. Graphical processing units (GPUs) are cost effective devices specifically designed to exploit parallel shared memory-based floating point operations applied not only to computer graphics, but also to scientific computations. This makes them an attractive solution for SNN simulation compared to that of FPGA, ASIC and cluster message passing computing systems. Successful implementations of GPU-based SNN simulations have been already reported. The contribution of this thesis is the development of a scalable GPU-based realtime system that provides initial framework for design and application of SNNs in various domains. The system delivers an interface that establishes communication with neurons in the network as well as visualizes the outcome produced by the network. Accuracy of the simulation is emphasized due to its importance in the systems that exploit spike time dependent plasticity, classical conditioning and learning. As a result, a small network of 3840 Izhikevich neurons implemented as a hybrid system with ParkerSochacki numerical integration method achieves real time operation on GTX260 device. An application case study of the system modeling receptor layer of retina is reviewed.
The Tobit Kalman filter: An estimator for censored data

The Kalman Filter has become ubiquitous in tracking and estimation. Many estimation applications, especially those using low cost commercial of-the-shelf sensors (COTS), are subject to a special type of measurement nonlinearity called censoring. Censoring frequently takes the form of sensor saturation, occlusion regions, and limitof-detection. These forms of censoring are known as Tobit model Type 1 censoring. Introduction of censored measurements into the Kalman filter results in biased estimates of the underlying states. In this dissertation, we present the first formulation of the Kalman filter capable of estimating state variables from censored data without bias. We refer to this formulation as the Tobit Kalman filter. Previous work on Kalman filtering with measurement nonlinearities or sensor faults includes a Kalman filter for intermittent measurements, the particle filter, the unscented Kalman filter (UKF) and the extended Kalman filter (EKF). Intermittent measurement nonlinearity is similar to the censored measurement model; with the exception that censored data measurements are correlated with the state values. Previous work for intermittent measurements in estimation reduces the Kalman filter to a linear predictor when the measurement is missing. Use of either this formulation or a standard Kalman filter as an estimator in a censored data example will result in a biased estimate of the state. The particle filter is able to estimate the state values when the measurements are subject to censoring under certain cases, but comes with a substantial computational burden. The UKF is a less computationally expensive approach that proves to be non-robust when the measurements are near a censoring region. The EKF suffers from an undefined Jacobian at the threshold itself, and the Jacobian is zero in the censored region. On the other hand, the Tobit Kalman filter provides unbiased recursive estimates of latent state variables in or near saturated regions. This results
Neurocomputers: an overview of neural networks in VLSI

Preface I Introduction 1.1 Why Neural Information Processing? 1.2 Dedicated Neural Network Hardware 1.3 About this Book 1.4 Source of Material 2 Categorisation 2.1 Neural Network Type 2.2 Biological Evidence 2.3 Implementation Technology 2.4 Chip Cascadability 2.5 Mapping of Network on Processing Elements 2.6 Flexibility 2.7 Summary 3 Neural Network Simulation 3.l Neural Network Basic Building Blocks 3.2 Artificial Neural Networks 3.3 Summary 4 Digital Building Blocks 4.1 Introduction 4.2 Summation 4.3 Multiplication 4.4 Nonlinearities 4.5 Storage Elements 4.6 Other Elements 4.7 Summary 5 Analog Building Blocks 5.1 Introduction 5.2 Summation 5.3 Multiplication 5.4 Analog Storage Elements 5.5 Non-linear Elements 5.6 Other Elements. 5.7 Summary 6 Optical Building Blocks 6.1 Introduction 6.2 Summation 6.3 Multiplication 6.4 Nonlinearities 6.5 Weight Storage and other Tasks 6.6 Summary 7 Digital Neurocomputers 7.1 Introduction 7.2 Sequential Computers 7.3 Digital Signal Processor Arrays 7.4 Transputer Networks 7.5 RISC Arrays 7.6 SIMD Arrays and Systolic Arrays 7.7 Slice Architectures 7.8 Weightless Neural Networks 7.9 Wafer Scale Implementations 7.10 Summary 8 Analog Neurocomputers 8.1 Introduction 8.2 Artificial Networks near to Biology 8.3 Cellular Neural Networks 8.4 Early NMOS and CMOS Hopfield Network Implementations 8.5 Network Implementations based on Amorphous Silicon 8.6 CCD and Floating-Gate Implementations 8.7 CMOS Networks with Programmable Weights 8.8 Pulse Stream Networks 8.9 Summary 9 Optical Neurocomputers 9.1 Introduction 9.2 Optoelectronic Implementations 9.3 Optical Implementations
Models for Social Networks With Statistical Applications

PREFACE 1. Introduction to Social Network Analysis 2. Introduction to Digraphs 3. Graph-Theoretic and Statistical Models 4. Validation of Statistical Models 5. Graph-theoretic and Statistical Measures and Methods 6. Graph-theoretic Case Studies 7. Sampling and Inference in a Social Network
Configural, holistic, and coordinate processing: The same or different?

Configural, coordinate, and holistic representations have all been proposed to explain why face recognition is more disrupted by inversion than other stimuli. The current study attempted to determine the nature of the representation that causes the face inversion effect. Experiments 1 and 2 compared the planar rotation functions for face, animal, and object recognition in order to determine whether the rotation function for faces was qualitatively different than the rotation functions for animals and objects. Experiment 3 examined the inversion effects produced by manipulating the number of features present in a face. Experiment 4 tested whether face like inversion effects could be found for houses that, like faces, shared the same structural description. The results of Experiments 1 and 2 showed that the planar rotation function for faces is qualitatively different (steeper) than the rotation functions for animals and objects. Experiment 3 found inversion effects for features of faces removed from the context of a whole face that grew larger as the number of features in the face increased. Experiment 4 found inversion effects for house stimuli that also increased as the number of features to be coded increased. The current set of experiments suggests that the face inversion effect is due to the precision required for the discrimination of objects, the amount of visual information to be coded by a coordinate representation, and the amount experience one has with forming a coordinate representation of an object from a particular orientation.
How paradoxical are the effects of thought suppression ? : the nature of mental control and the factors that influence it

This thesis attempted to expand knowledge of intentional thought control in several directions. The primary aim was to provide an account of intentional thought suppression by relating the phenomenon to the methods used to assess the rebound effect, internal personality factors and psychopathology. An additional aim was to examine the rebound effect from the broader perspective of relating thought suppression to aging, the perception of volitional control and memory for future intentions. The results indicate that the method used to index the rebound effect may have a large impact on whether the effect is found or not. The rebound effect was obtained with the original method of assessment (Wegner, 1987) but not with the modified method that is currently used in the research. More importantly, the rebound effect was affected by the personality variable of state vs. action orientation (Kuhl & Beckmann, 1994b). State oriented participants demonstrated the rebound effect, whereas action oriented participants did not, irrespective of the method used to assess the effect. This finding provides support for the new intentional account of the rebound effect proposed in the thesis that is based on the Intention Superiority Effect (Kuhl, 1994) and the theory of action control (Kuhl & Beckmann, 1994b). The results also showed that suppression and expression performance in the laboratory did not have a common underlying mechanism. Successful expression performance was related to poorer suppression performance and visa versa. The results of the thesis also question the validity of the White Bear Suppression Inventory (Wegner and Zanakos, 1994) as a measure of the tendency to suppress thoughts in everyday life. In young adults, apart from thought suppression, it also appears to measure the tendency to experience thought intrusions (rumination). Moreover, there was no relationship between the use of thought suppression in everyday life and actual suppression performance in the laboratory. A different pattern of results were obtained in a group of older adults (over 65 years). In addition, older adults reported using thought
Jitblt : efficient run-time code generation for digital compositing

Digital image compositing is a fundamental operation of computer graphics. For the sake of performance, current implementations shun many important software qualities such as brevity, readability, and extensibility. This thesis presents a novel implementation that uses a powerful programming environment to maintain these software qualities while still allowing for high performance. The approach is based on run-time code generation, using a simple object pipeline architecture to manage software complexity. The resulting implementation, named Jitblt, is compared to an existing, popular compositing library. The results show that large gains in software quality can be had, but further work is necessary to make this new approach practical
Virtualized Wireless SDNs: Modelling Delay Through the Use of Stochastic Network Calculus

Software-defined networks (SDN) have attracted much attention recently because of their flexibility in terms of network management. Increasingly, SDN is being introduced into wireless networks to form wireless SDN. One enabling technology for wireless SDN is network virtualization, which logically divides one wireless network element, such as a base station, into multiple slices, and each slice serving as a standalone virtual BS. In this way, one physical mobile wireless network can be partitioned into multiple virtual networks in a software-defined manner. Wireless virtual networks comprising virtual base stations also need to provide QoS to mobile end-user services in the same context as their physical hosting networks. One key QoS parameter is delay. This paper presents a delay model for software-defined wireless virtual networks. Network calculus is used in the modelling. In particular, stochastic network calculus, which describes more realistic models than deterministic network calculus, is used. The model enables theoretical investigation of wireless SDN, which is largely dominated by either algorithms or prototype implementations.
Emission of SO2, NOx, VOC and NH3 in the Netherlands and Europe in the period 1950-2030

In het rapport wordt de emissie-module van het Nederlandse Verzuringsmodel (DAS) beschreven. Het DAS-model is ontwikkeld door het RIVM, in samenwerking met een aantal andere onderzoeksinstellingen. In het rapport wordt een beschrijving gegeven van de structuur van de emissie-module en de gebruikte data. Het gaat hierbij om data van de emissie van NOx, SO2, VOS en NH3. De emissie-data hebben betrekking op de periode 1950-1985 voor Nederland (20 gebieden) en een gedeelte van Europa (13 gebieden). Ook worden scenario's gepresenteerd voor de emissie van genoemde stoffen in de toekomst (tot 2030).
Reactor transient analyses with KIN3D/PARTISN

Efforts are going on at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) to extend the kinetics capability of the PARTISN code in order to run in parallel two- and three-dimensional transient analyses with the quasistatic method, while taking into account delayed neutrons. In the original code version, time-dependent transport problems are solved by employing a semi-implicit direct kinetics option, the delayed neutrons being not taken into account. The PARTISN 5.97 code has been extended and then coupled with KIN3D, a time-dependent model embedded in the ERANOS code system. In the coupled code, PARTISN 5.97 is used as neutron transport solver to perform transient analyses while employing direct and quasi-static kinetics options of KIN3D. The coupled code can be also applied for first-order and exact perturbation theory calculations. In the paper, the PARTISN 5.97 extensions and coupling procedure are described and the performances of the KIN3D/PARTISN coupled code are investigated by analyzing transients induced by a source-jerk in a three-dimensional ADS model driven by an external source. (authors)