Digital Commons Network^™

A Robust System For Natural Spoken Dialogue, Eric K. Ringger, James F. Allen, Bradford W. Miller, Teresa Sikorski

Faculty Publications

This paper describes a system that leads us to believe in the feasibility of constructing natural spoken dialogue systems in task-oriented domains. It specifically addresses the issue of robust interpretation of speech in the presence of recognition errors. Robustness is achieved by a combination of statistical error post-correction, syntactically- and semantically-driven robust parsing, and extensive use of the dialogue context. We present an evaluation of the system using time-to-completion and the quality of the final solution that suggests that most native speakers of English can use the system successfully with virtually no training.

Increasing Husbands' Involvement In Domestic Labor: Issues For Therapists, Kipling S. Rasmussen, Alan J. Hawkins, Kenneth P. Schwab

Faculty Publications

As a result of the dramatic increase in women's participation in the work force, more relationship therapists are seeing couples who are dissatisfied with how domestic labor is divided in their homes. Although, this issue may seem therapeutically straightforward, there are many aspects which make its renegotiation surprisingly problematic and complex. This article is an effort to delineate some of these issues such as engaging men in therapy, exploring emotional issues connected with housework, and the mechanism of gatekeeping. Also included is a therapeutic framework for addressing client concerns about domestic responsibilities.

Smith On Krauss, 'The Physics Of Star Trek', Anne Collins Smith

Faculty Publications

Review of Lawrence M. Krauss.The Physics of Star Trek. New York: Basic Books, 1995. xvi + 188 pp. $20.00(cloth), ISBN 978-0-465-00559-8.

Reviewed by Anne Collins Smith (Austin Community College) Published on H-PCAACA (May, 1996)

The Expression And Regulation Of Stats During 3t3-L1 Adipocyte Differentiation, Jacqueline M. Stephens, Ron F. Morrison, Paul F. Pilch

Faculty Publications

STATs (Signal Transducers and Activators of Transcription) comprise a family of transcription factors that reside in the cytoplasm of resting cells. In response to a variety of stimuli, STATs become tyrosine- phosphorylated and translocate to the nucleus where they mediate transcriptional regulation. We have used the 3T3-L1 murine cell line to examine the expression of STAT proteins as a function of their differentiation into adipocytes. The expression of STATs 1, 3, and 5, but not of STAT 6, is markedly elevated in adipocytes as compared with their fibroblast precursors. Exposure of 3T3-L1 preadipocytes to tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα) blocks …

Role Of The Environment In Chaotic Quantum Dynamics, B. S. Helmkamp, D. A. Browne

Faculty Publications

We study how the interaction with an external incoherent environment induces a crossover from quantum to classical behavior for a particle whose classical motion is chaotic. Posing the problem in the semiclassical regime for weak bath coupling, we find that noise rather than dissipation is primarily responsible for the dephasing that leads to the quantum inhibition of mixing. However, the noise is also shown to inhibit the mixing by enhancing paths that interfere coherently. © 1996 The American Physical Society.

Impact Of The Soft-Shell Clam Mya Arenaria On Sulfate Reduction In An Intertidal Sediment, Kim Hansen, Gary M. King, Erik Kristensen

Faculty Publications

Sulfate reduction and various parameters related to the sulfur cycle were examined at mm to cm scales around burrows of the soft-shell clam Mya arenaria in an intertidal sediment (Lowes Cove, Maine, USA). Sulfate reduction rates were 1.5 to 2 times higher in the inner 1 to 5 mm region surrounding the burrow than in ambient sediment In contrast, pools of reduced sulfur increased with the distance from the burrow wall to values ≈1.5 times higher in ambient sediment. The highest numbers of sulfate-reducing bacteria (estimated using a most-probable-number technique) and microbial biomass (estimated from phospholipid phosphorous content) relative to …

Urea Production And Turnover Following The Addition Of Amp, Cmp, Rna And A Protein Mixture To A Marine Sediment, Mette S. Therkildsen, Gary M. King, Bente Aa Lomstein

Faculty Publications

The potential of adenosine 5′-monophosphate (AMP), cytidine 5′-monophosphate (CMP), 16S ribosomal RNA, and a protein (bovine serum albumin) to serve as substrates for bacterial urea production was evaluated in a defaunated, anoxic marine sediment. AMP, CMP and RNA stimulated urea production and urea turnover, but CMP to a lesser degree than AMP and RNA. The increase in urea production and turnover rates took place immediately after AMP, CMP, and RNA were added to the sediment. The rapid response in urea production and turnover rates suggests that the necessary uptake mechanisms and enzymes to utilize the substrates were present constitutively. Addition …

A Brief Introduction To Formal Methods, Paul E. Black, Kelly M. Hall, Michael D. Jones, Trent N. Larson, Phillip J. Windley

Faculty Publications

As hardware designs grow in size and complexity, current design methods are proving less adequate. Current methods for specification, design, and test are typically empirical or informal, that is, they are based on experience and argument. Formal methods are solidly based on mathematical logic systems and precise rules of inference. Formal methods offer a discipline which complements current methods so designers can successfully meet the demand for high performance systems. Formal methods covers a broad and diverse set of techniques aimed at improving computer correctness. This paper explains the role of specifications and implementation models in formal methods, and different …

Low-Frequency Noise In 4h-Silicon Carbide Junction Field Effect Transistors, J. W. Palmour, M. E. Levinshtein, S. L. Rumyantsev, Grigory Simin

Faculty Publications

Low frequency noise in 4H‐silicon carbide junction field effect transistors (JFETs) has been investigated. JFETs with a buried p ⁺ n junction gate were manufactured by CREE Research Inc. Very low noise level has been observed in the JFETs. At 300 K the value of Hooge constant α is as small as α∼10⁻⁵ and the α value can be decreased by an appropriate annealing to α∼2×10⁻⁶. It has been shown that even these extremely low noise values are determined not by the volume noise sources but by the noise at the SiC–SiO₂ interface.

Dependence Of The Normalized Radar Cross Section Of Water Waves On Bragg Wavelength-Wind Speed Sensitivity, David G. Long, R. Scott Collyer, David V. Arnold

Faculty Publications

Measurements of the normalized radar cross section (O) made by the YSCAT ultrawideband scatterometer during an extended deployment on the Canada Centre for Inland Waters (CCIW) Research Tower located at Lake Ontario are analyzed and compared with anemometer wind measurements to study the sensitivity of O to the wind speed as a function of the Bragg wavelength. This paper concentrates on upwind and downwind azimuth angles in the wind speed range of 4.5-12 m/s. While YSCAT collected measurements of O at a variety of frequencies and incidence angles, this paper focuses on frequencies of 2.0, 3.05, 5.30, 10.02, and 14.0 …

Simulations Of Electrostatic Modes Of Non-Neutral Plasmas With Small Aspect Ratio In A Penning Trap, Grant W. Mason, Ross L. Spencer, Jonathan A. Bennett

Faculty Publications

The dependence on induced charge, experimental geometry, and temperature of electrostatic modes in very low aspect ratio non-neutral plasmas in a Penning trap is considered. The modes are of interest as non-destructive diagnostics of the shape of the plasmas. These investigations include equilibrium calculations of plasma shapes and profiles at finite temperature and particle-in-cell simulations of axisymmetric modes. The results of the simulations are compared to the zero-temperature theory by Dubin [Phys. Rev. Lett. 66, 2076 (1991)] taken to first-order in the aspect ratio and to experimental measurements by Weimer et al. [Phys. Rev. A 49, 3842 (1994)]. In general, …

Error Correction Via A Post-Processor For Continuous Speech Recognition, Eric K. Ringger, James F. Allen

Faculty Publications

This paper presents a new technique for overcoming several types of speech recognition errors by post-processing the output of a continuous speech recognizer. The post-processor output contains fewer errors, thereby making interpretation by higher-level modules, such as a parser, in a speech understanding system more reliable. The primary advantage to the post-processing approach over existing approaches for overcoming SR errors lies in its abilityto introduce options that are not available in the SR module’s output. This work provides evidence for the claim that a modern continuous speech recognizer can be used successfully in “black-box” fashion for robustly interpreting spontaneous utterances …

Dna Sequences Of Alu Elements Indicate A Recent Replacement Of The Human Autosomal Genetic Complement, Alec Knight, Mark A. Batzer, Mark Stoneking, Hemant K. Tiwari, W. Douglas Scheer, Rene J. Herrera, Prescott L. Deininger

Faculty Publications

DNA sequences of neutral nuclear autosomal loci, compared across diverse human populations, provide a previously untapped perspective into the mode and tempo of the emergence of modern humans and a critical comparison with published clonally inherited mitochondrial DNA and Y chromosome measurements of human diversity. We obtained over 55 kilobases of sequence from three autosomal loci encompassing Alu repeats for representatives of diverse human populations as well as orthologous sequences for other hominoid species at one of these loci. Nucleotide diversity was exceedingly low. Most individuals and populations were identical. Only a single nucleotide difference distinguished presumed ancestral alleles from …

The Advanced Glycation End Product, NE-(Carboxymethyl)Lysine, Is A Product Of Both Lipid Peroxidation And Glycoxidation Reactions, Min-Xin Fu, Jesus R. Requena, Alicia J. Jenkins, Timothy J. Lyons, John W. Baynes, Suzanne R. Thorpe

Faculty Publications

Nepsilon-(Carboxymethyl)lysine (CML) is an advanced glycation end product formed on protein by combined nonenzymatic glycation and oxidation (glycoxidation) reactions. We now report that CML is also formed during metal-catalyzed oxidation of polyunsaturated fatty acids in the presence of protein. During copper-catalyzed oxidation in vitro, the CML content of low density lipoprotein increased in concert with conjugated dienes but was independent of the presence of the Amadori compound, fructoselysine, on the protein. CML was also formed in a time-dependent manner in RNase incubated under aerobic conditions in phosphate buffer containing arachidonate or linoleate; only trace amounts of CML were formed from …

Lessons From A Church Meltdown: What Makes Religious People Give Up Their Firm Convictions?, Samuele Bacchiocchi

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Potential Atmospheric Impact Of The Toba Mega‐Eruption ∼71,000 Years Ago, Gregory A. Zielinski, Paul A. Mayewski, L. David Meeker, Sallie I. Whitlow, Mark S. Twickler, Kendrick C. Taylor

Faculty Publications

An ∼6‐year long period of volcanic sulfate recorded in the GISP2 ice core about 71,100 ± 5000 years ago may provide detailed information on the atmospheric and climatic impact of the Toba mega‐eruption. Deposition of these aerosols occur at the beginning of an ∼1000‐year long stadial event, but not immediately before the longer glacial period beginning ∼67,500 years ago. Total stratospheric loading estimates over this ∼6‐year period range from 2200 to 4400 Mt of H2SO4 aerosols. The range in values is given to compensate for uncertainties in aerosol transport. Magnitude and longevity of the atmospheric loading may have led directly …

William Campbell Preston, Student, Statesman, President, Professor, Patrick G. Scott

Faculty Publications

The life and achievements of William Campbell Preston (1794-1860), US Senator and President of South Carolina College.

Compressing Semi-Structured Text Using Hierarchical Phrase Identifications, Dan R. Olsen Jr., Craig G. Nevill-Manning, Ian H. Witten

Faculty Publications

The structure of this paper is as follows. We begin by identifying some characteristics of semi-structured text that have special relevance to data compression. We then give a brief account of a particular large textual database, and describe a compression scheme that exploits its structure. In addition to providing compression, the system gives some insight into the structure of the database. Finally we show how the hierarchical grammar can be generalized, first manually and then automatically, to yield further improvements in compression performance.

Grain-Boundary Structure Effects On Intergranular Stress Corrosion Cracking Of Alloy X-750, Brent L. Adams, Ted Olsen, N. Panayotou, Y. Pan

Faculty Publications

This work was supported by the Department of Energy under Grant No. DE-FG02-88ER 45355. TO was supported by the National Science Foundation during her 1993-94 stay at the Institute for Advanced Studies (Princeton) under grant DMS-9304580. The authors wish to acknowledge helpful discussion with Carol Nichols, John Hack, Gino Palumbo, Karl Aust, and Gary Was. It is well known that the properties and behavior of grain boundaries are strongly affected by local chemistry and atomic structure. This paper focuses on the mesoscale description of grain boundary structure (i.e. the five crystallographic degrees of freedom) and correlations with intergranular stress corrosion …

Smith On Telotte, 'Replications: A Robotic History Of The Science Fiction Film', Anne Collins Smith

Faculty Publications

Review of J. P. Telotte: Replications: A Robotic History of the Science Fiction Film. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1995. 222 pp. $37.00 (cloth), ISBN 978-0-252-02177-0; $19.00 (paper), ISBN978-0-252-06466-1.

Reviewed by Anne Collins Smith (Austin Community College, Austin, Texas) Published on H-PCAACA (April, 1996)

A Home Of Her Own: (Writing) A Family Story Of Separation And Second Chances, Lisa M. Tillmann Ph.D.

Faculty Publications

On March 16, 1996, I interviewed my mother, Beth Tillmann, about her parents' divorce and her life as a foster child. From detailed notes taken during our phone conversation and from family stories told to me throughout my life, I constructed a narrative titled "A Home of Her Own." Its structure and tone mimic the way my mother speaks about the dissolution of her family of origin and her attachments to and separations from those who tried to help her rebuild a sense of home. After the story, I discuss what narrative representations of loss offer the writer, the participant, …

The Dawn Drawings Of Anna Zemankova, Jo Farb Hernandez

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

The Revolving Door Part I: A Federal Prosecutor Returns To School, Frank O. Bowman Iii

Faculty Publications

Law teaching is hard work. To my trial lawyer friends who expressed envy at the easy life I must be enjoying, I often said they should imagine having to prepare and present five or six oral arguments a week, every week, for months on end. To the novice teacher presenting several courses for the first time, the task often feels just that daunting. As practicing lawyers, we flatter ourselves that we are "experts" in our fields, and thus that it would be a simple matter to step over to the local law school and, with minimal preparation, unburden ourselves of …

To Tell The Truth: The Problem Of Prosecutorial "Manipulation" Of Sentencing Facts, Frank O. Bowman Iii

Faculty Publications

Frank O. Bowman, III*In January of this year, Francesca Bowman, Chair of Probation Officers Advisory Group, sent a letter to Judge Richard P. Conaboy, Chairman of the Sentencing Commission, summarizing the results of a survey sent to probation officers in eighty-five districts. It expresses the concern that, in the view of some probation officers, the government usually” is cooperative in supplying information to probation officers preparing presentence investigation reports, but that there appear to be exceptions when the government wants to protect a plea agreement.”

Reply: The Need For Real Striker Replacement Reform, Rafael Gely, Leonard Bierman

Faculty Publications

Introduction In a recent article in the North Carolina Law Review, Louisiana State University Law Professor William R. Corbett proposes an innovative solution to the contentious issue of the right of employers to permanently replace economic strikers pursuant to the National Labor Relations Act (“NLRA” or “Act”). Professor Corbett's proposal is based on two arguments. First, he argues that the current legal distinction between “economic” and “unfair labor practice” strikes -- whereby employers are prevented from permanently replacing employees striking over employer unfair labor practices but may permanently replace employees striking over economic issues -- is a useful one and …

Fairness In Civil Rights Arbitration, Douglas E. Abrams

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

"The Rhythm Of Three Strands": Cultural Braiding In Dorris's A Yellow Raft In Blue Water, David Cowart

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

The Fourth Amendment Handbook, Gerald F. Uelmen

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Theory, Science, And 'Micro-Macro' Bridges In Structural Social Psychology, Barry N. Markovsky

Faculty Publications

Social psychology stands to benefit from multilevel theories that link it to both lower and higher levels of analysis. Making the link, however, requires a level of theoretical rigor heretofore relatively uncommon in the social sciences. After refuting several common objections to this brand of theorizing, I offer a rationale and a set of criteria for multilevel theory construction.

Dynamics And Conformation Of Polymer Chains In A Porous Medium, Grace M. Foo, R.B. Pandey, D. Stauffer

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.