Sample records for services description language

  1. BioSWR – Semantic Web Services Registry for Bioinformatics

    PubMed Central

    Repchevsky, Dmitry; Gelpi, Josep Ll.

    2014-01-01

    Despite of the variety of available Web services registries specially aimed at Life Sciences, their scope is usually restricted to a limited set of well-defined types of services. While dedicated registries are generally tied to a particular format, general-purpose ones are more adherent to standards and usually rely on Web Service Definition Language (WSDL). Although WSDL is quite flexible to support common Web services types, its lack of semantic expressiveness led to various initiatives to describe Web services via ontology languages. Nevertheless, WSDL 2.0 descriptions gained a standard representation based on Web Ontology Language (OWL). BioSWR is a novel Web services registry that provides standard Resource Description Framework (RDF) based Web services descriptions along with the traditional WSDL based ones. The registry provides Web-based interface for Web services registration, querying and annotation, and is also accessible programmatically via Representational State Transfer (REST) API or using a SPARQL Protocol and RDF Query Language. BioSWR server is located at http://inb.bsc.es/BioSWR/and its code is available at https://sourceforge.net/projects/bioswr/under the LGPL license. PMID:25233118

  2. BioSWR--semantic web services registry for bioinformatics.

    PubMed

    Repchevsky, Dmitry; Gelpi, Josep Ll

    2014-01-01

    Despite of the variety of available Web services registries specially aimed at Life Sciences, their scope is usually restricted to a limited set of well-defined types of services. While dedicated registries are generally tied to a particular format, general-purpose ones are more adherent to standards and usually rely on Web Service Definition Language (WSDL). Although WSDL is quite flexible to support common Web services types, its lack of semantic expressiveness led to various initiatives to describe Web services via ontology languages. Nevertheless, WSDL 2.0 descriptions gained a standard representation based on Web Ontology Language (OWL). BioSWR is a novel Web services registry that provides standard Resource Description Framework (RDF) based Web services descriptions along with the traditional WSDL based ones. The registry provides Web-based interface for Web services registration, querying and annotation, and is also accessible programmatically via Representational State Transfer (REST) API or using a SPARQL Protocol and RDF Query Language. BioSWR server is located at http://inb.bsc.es/BioSWR/and its code is available at https://sourceforge.net/projects/bioswr/under the LGPL license.

  3. Investigation of Pre-Service Teachers' Communication Skills

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kana, Fatih

    2015-01-01

    The purpose of this study is to determine the levels of Turkish language pre-service teachers' communication skills. Descriptive survey model was used in this study. 218 pre-service Turkish language teachers, who are studying at Department of Turkish Language Teaching at a university in the west of Turkey, participated in the study. Criterion…

  4. Caught in the Middle: Child Language Brokering as a Form of Unrecognised Language Service

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Antonini, Rachele

    2016-01-01

    This paper will present the findings of a wide-scale research aimed at studying the phenomenon of Child Language Brokering (henceforth CLB) in Italy. After providing a description of recent immigration patterns and the provision of language services in Italy, and an overview of current research in this field, this study will discuss narrative data…

  5. Critical Thinking Dispositions of Pre-Service Turkish Language Teachers and Primary Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Maltepe, Sadet

    2016-01-01

    The present study aimed to determine critical thinking dispositions of pre-service Turkish language and primary teachers in terms of several variables by employing descriptive survey design. The study group consisted of 215 senior students attending Turkish Language Teaching and Primary Education Departments of Necatibey Faculty of Education at…

  6. Providing written language services in the schools: the time is now.

    PubMed

    Fallon, Karen A; Katz, Lauren A

    2011-01-01

    The current study was conducted to investigate the provision of written language services by school-based speech-language pathologists (SLPs). Specifically, the study examined SLPs' knowledge, attitudes, and collaborative practices in the area of written language services as well as the variables that impact provision of these services. Public school-based SLPs from across the country were solicited for participation in an online, Web-based survey. Data from 645 full-time SLPs from 49 states were evaluated using descriptive statistics and logistic regression. Many school-based SLPs reported not providing any services in the area of written language to students with written language weaknesses. Knowledge, attitudes, and collaborative practices were mixed. A logistic regression revealed three variables likely to predict high levels of service provision in the area of written language. Data from the current study revealed that many struggling readers and writers on school-based SLPs' caseloads are not receiving services from their SLPs. Implications for SLPs' preservice preparation, continuing education, and doctoral preparation are discussed.

  7. Classroom Management: A Persistent Challenge for Pre-Service Foreign Language Teachers (Manejo del salón de clase: un reto persistente para docentes practicantes de lenguas extranjeras)

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Macías, Diego Fernando; Sánchez, Jesús Ariel

    2015-01-01

    This qualitative descriptive study aimed to ascertain the extent to which classroom management constituted a problem among pre-service foreign language teachers in a teacher education program at a public university in Colombia. The study also sought to identify classroom management challenges, the approaches to confronting them, and the…

  8. Problem-Based Learning: An Experiential Strategy for English Language Teacher Education in Chile

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Muñoz Campos, Diego

    2017-01-01

    The Chilean education system requires English language teachers to be equipped with non-conventional teaching strategies that can foster meaningful learning and assure successful learners' performances in diverse and complex settings. This exploratory, descriptive, research study aimed at discovering the perceptions of 54 pre-service teachers…

  9. Communication rehabilitation in sub-Saharan Africa: The role of speech and language therapists.

    PubMed

    Wylie, Karen; McAllister, Lindy; Davidson, Bronwyn; Marshall, Julie

    2018-01-01

    Workforce factors present a significant barrier to the development of rehabilitation services for people with communication disabilities in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Exploring how the work of speech and language therapists (SLTs) in the region is organised and delivered can provide insight into existing services, areas for future workforce development and improved rehabilitation access for people with communication disability. This paper describes the employment and service provision patterns and work roles of a sample of SLTs in SSA. A broad, purpose-designed, mixed-methods survey was designed to collect data from SLTs living in Anglophone countries of SSA. Descriptive statistics and qualitative content analysis were undertaken. This paper reports on a subset of data from the wider survey. A description of the employment and work roles of the 33 respondents to the survey and characteristics of their service users is presented. SLTs were commonly employed within private and not-for-profit sectors and frequently worked in temporary jobs. SLTs engaged in a range of work roles, including capacity building and training others. Services were provided by SLTs across age ranges, health conditions and settings, with paediatric, urban services commonly reported. Costs for service users and urban-centred services give indications of barriers to service access. Knowledge of the way in which speech and language therapy services are organised and provided has the potential to shape the development of communication disability rehabilitation in SSA. This research has identified a range of issues requiring consideration as the profession develops and grows.

  10. Pre-Service Teachers' Beliefs about Language Teaching and Learning: A Longitudinal Study (Creencias de profesores principiantes acerca de la enseñanza y aprendizaje de lengua: un estudio longitudinal)

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cota Grijalva, Sofía D.; Ruiz-Esparza Barajas, Elizabeth

    2013-01-01

    This paper contains the description of a research project that was carried out in the Bachelor of Arts in English Language Teaching program at a Mexican university. The study was longitudinal and it tracked fourteen students for four semesters of the eight semester program. The aim was to identify pre-service teachers' beliefs about English…

  11. Communication rehabilitation in sub-Saharan Africa: The role of speech and language therapists

    PubMed Central

    2018-01-01

    Background Workforce factors present a significant barrier to the development of rehabilitation services for people with communication disabilities in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Exploring how the work of speech and language therapists (SLTs) in the region is organised and delivered can provide insight into existing services, areas for future workforce development and improved rehabilitation access for people with communication disability. Objectives This paper describes the employment and service provision patterns and work roles of a sample of SLTs in SSA. Method A broad, purpose-designed, mixed-methods survey was designed to collect data from SLTs living in Anglophone countries of SSA. Descriptive statistics and qualitative content analysis were undertaken. This paper reports on a subset of data from the wider survey. Results A description of the employment and work roles of the 33 respondents to the survey and characteristics of their service users is presented. SLTs were commonly employed within private and not-for-profit sectors and frequently worked in temporary jobs. SLTs engaged in a range of work roles, including capacity building and training others. Services were provided by SLTs across age ranges, health conditions and settings, with paediatric, urban services commonly reported. Costs for service users and urban-centred services give indications of barriers to service access. Conclusion Knowledge of the way in which speech and language therapy services are organised and provided has the potential to shape the development of communication disability rehabilitation in SSA. This research has identified a range of issues requiring consideration as the profession develops and grows. PMID:29707516

  12. A Framework for Building and Reasoning with Adaptive and Interoperable PMESII Models

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2007-11-01

    Description Logic SOA Service Oriented Architecture SPARQL Simple Protocol And RDF Query Language SQL Standard Query Language SROM Stability and...another by providing a more expressive ontological structure for one of the models, e.g., semantic networks can be mapped to first- order logical...Pellet is an open-source reasoner that works with OWL-DL. It accepts the SPARQL protocol and RDF query language ( SPARQL ) and provides a Java API to

  13. Sign Language as Medium of Instruction in Botswana Primary Schools: Voices from the Field

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mpuang, Kerileng D.; Mukhopadhyay, Sourav; Malatsi, Nelly

    2015-01-01

    This descriptive phenomenological study investigates teachers' experiences of using sign language for learners who are deaf in the primary schools in Botswana. Eight in-service teachers who have had more than ten years of teaching deaf or hard of hearing (DHH) learners were purposively selected for this study. Data were collected using multiple…

  14. Academic Motivations of Pre-Service English Language Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ariogul, Sibel

    2009-01-01

    This study examines the academic motivation, in a Turkish context, of Turkish pre-service English teachers to contribute field research. Students (n=287) completed the Academic Motivation Scale (AMS) and a demographic questionnaire. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, a one-way ANOVA, independent sample t-test, and Pearson product…

  15. ASON: An OWL-S based ontology for astrophysical services

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Louge, T.; Karray, M. H.; Archimède, B.; Knödlseder, J.

    2018-07-01

    Modern astrophysics heavily relies on Web services to expose most of the data coming from many different instruments and researches worldwide. The virtual observatory (VO) has been designed to allow scientists to locate, retrieve and analyze useful information among those heterogeneous data. The use of ontologies has been studied in the VO context for astrophysical concerns like object types or astrophysical services subjects. On the operative point of view, ontological description of astrophysical services for interoperability and querying still has to be considered. In this paper, we design a global ontology (Astrophysical Services ONtology, ASON) based on web Ontology Language for Services (OWL-S) to enhance existing astrophysical services description. By expressing together VO specific and non-VO specific services design, it will improve the automation of services queries and allow automatic composition of heterogeneous astrophysical services.

  16. Conceptual and Psychometric Properties of a Self-Efficacy Perception Scale Based on Teaching Turkish as a Foreign Language

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sahin, Cavus; Eryaman, Mustafa Yunus; Kocer, Tugba; Kocer, Omer

    2013-01-01

    The main purpose of this descriptive research study is to investigate the conceptual and psychometric properties of a self-efficacy perception scale developed for determining self-efficacy perception of 3rd and 4th grade Turkish pre-service teachers, who took Turkish as a Foreign Language (TFL) course theoretically in undergraduate level, towards…

  17. Library Programs. Library Services for Individuals with Limited English Proficiency. Fiscal Year 1987.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Neff, Evaline B.

    Libraries have played an important role in developing and operating programs which enhance English-language skills and ease assimilation into U.S. society. This report presents descriptions of the Library Services and Construction Act (LSCA) grants which funded library programs and projects benefitting individuals with limited English-speaking…

  18. [Research on tumor information grid framework].

    PubMed

    Zhang, Haowei; Qin, Zhu; Liu, Ying; Tan, Jianghao; Cao, Haitao; Chen, Youping; Zhang, Ke; Ding, Yuqing

    2013-10-01

    In order to realize tumor disease information sharing and unified management, we utilized grid technology to make the data and software resources which distributed in various medical institutions for effective integration so that we could make the heterogeneous resources consistent and interoperable in both semantics and syntax aspects. This article describes the tumor grid framework, the type of the service being packaged in Web Service Description Language (WSDL) and extensible markup language schemas definition (XSD), the client use the serialized document to operate the distributed resources. The service objects could be built by Unified Modeling Language (UML) as middle ware to create application programming interface. All of the grid resources are registered in the index and released in the form of Web Services based on Web Services Resource Framework (WSRF). Using the system we can build a multi-center, large sample and networking tumor disease resource sharing framework to improve the level of development in medical scientific research institutions and the patient's quality of life.

  19. Space Physics Data Facility Web Services

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Candey, Robert M.; Harris, Bernard T.; Chimiak, Reine A.

    2005-01-01

    The Space Physics Data Facility (SPDF) Web services provides a distributed programming interface to a portion of the SPDF software. (A general description of Web services is available at http://www.w3.org/ and in many current software-engineering texts and articles focused on distributed programming.) The SPDF Web services distributed programming interface enables additional collaboration and integration of the SPDF software system with other software systems, in furtherance of the SPDF mission to lead collaborative efforts in the collection and utilization of space physics data and mathematical models. This programming interface conforms to all applicable Web services specifications of the World Wide Web Consortium. The interface is specified by a Web Services Description Language (WSDL) file. The SPDF Web services software consists of the following components: 1) A server program for implementation of the Web services; and 2) A software developer s kit that consists of a WSDL file, a less formal description of the interface, a Java class library (which further eases development of Java-based client software), and Java source code for an example client program that illustrates the use of the interface.

  20. Advancing description and explanation in clinical linguistics: a legacy of Martin J. Ball.

    PubMed

    Damico, Jack S; Damico, Holly L; Nelson, Ryan L

    2011-11-01

    This article asserts the importance of explication of order and disorder in language as a privileged objective of clinical linguistics and service delivery and reviews the contributions of Martin Ball in advancing this agenda.

  1. A Descriptive Study of Enrollment in Supplemental Educational Services in the Four RRE Appalachia Region States. REL 2012-No.109

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ford, James; Harrison, Lynn; Mokher, Christine; Franceschini, Louis; Zoblotsky, Todd

    2012-01-01

    The supplemental educational services program is a core provision of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001. The program offers free tutoring in reading/language arts and math from state-approved providers outside of regular school hours. This report explores differences across states and school urban and rural locales in providing…

  2. Model Driven Development of Web Services and Dynamic Web Services Composition

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2005-01-01

    27 2.4.1 Feature-Oriented Domain Analysis ( FODA ).......................................27 2.4.2 The need of automation for Feature-Oriented...Diagram Algebra FDL Feature Description Language FODA Feature-Oriented Domain Analysis FSM Finite State Machine GDM Generative Domain...Oriented Domain Analysis ( FODA ) in Section 2.4 and Aspect-Oriented Generative Do- main Modeling (AOGDM) in Section 2.5, which not only represent two

  3. International Education Programs: Access to the World and Its Languages

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Office of Postsecondary Education, US Department of Education, 2012

    2012-01-01

    The International Education Programs Service (IEPS) administers 14 education programs. These programs are complementary in nature and designed to benefit a variety of audiences through training programs, research, start-up or enhancement projects, and fellowships. This paper provides brief descriptions of these programs.

  4. Corpus-Based Approaches to Language Description for Specialized Academic Writing

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Flowerdew, John

    2017-01-01

    Language description is a fundamental requirement for second language (L2) syllabus design. The greatest advances in language description in recent decades have been done with the help of electronic corpora. Such language description is the theme of this article. The article first introduces some basic concepts and principles in corpus research.…

  5. [Perception of the linguistic and cultural context minority on the lived experiences of pregnancy].

    PubMed

    Lacaze-Masmonteil, Thierry; Leis, Anne; Lauriol, Emmanuelle; Normandeau, Joane; Moreau, Denise; Bouchard, Louise; Vaillancourt, Cathy

    2013-06-07

    From a public health perspective, the follow-up of women during pregnancy and the perinatal period requires quality communication and health services that take into account the context in which these women live. However, challenges related to access to health services in French in a minority situation have been documented in recent research. The objective of this pilot study is to better understand the perceptions, the lived experiences and the needs of pregnant Francophone women living in Canada within a linguistic minority context. Given the exploratory nature of the inquiry, a mixed method descriptive study was conducted in Alberta and New Brunswick, whose populations are 2% and 33% Francophone, respectively. Two semi-structured interviews and a series of validated questionnaires were administered to 21 pregnant women during the third trimester of pregnancy and at six weeks postnatal. Based on the questionnaires, a descriptive analysis documented participants' characteristics, and qualitative interviews were transcribed, coded and analyzed through an inductive process by four independent readers to uncover key themes related to the participants' experiences. Most of the women were bilingual and language in which health services were received did not appear to be a major issue for them, except during times of stress and at critical periods of the pregnancy. In contrast, almost one third of the women reported being unsatisfied with services they had received and attributed this dissatisfaction to gaps in French language services. Women prefer to receive health services in their mother tongue, however services are delivered in English most of the time. Participants report that during times of stress and emergency, communication in French is essential to a quality follow-up of patients. Linguistic and cultural congruence seems to be a key factor for quality care during pregnancy. A comparative study would assist in better ascertaining the relative impact of language on Francophone women's lived experiences during pregnancy.

  6. Encouraging Agitation: Teaching Teacher Candidates to Confront Words that Wound

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Staples, Jeanine M.

    2010-01-01

    In this analytic conceptual essay, and from her standpoint as an African American woman teacher/researcher, the author presents a rich description of a personal sensibility and promising professional practice for literacy educators and those who prepare Reading/English/Language Arts teacher candidates for service among students who are…

  7. Communication rehabilitation in sub-Saharan Africa: A workforce profile of speech and language therapists

    PubMed Central

    McAllister, Lindy; Davidson, Bronwyn; Marshall, Julie

    2016-01-01

    Background There is an urgent global need to strengthen rehabilitation services for people with disabilities. In sub-Saharan Africa, rehabilitation services for people with communication disabilities continue to be underdeveloped. A first step in strengthening services for people with a communication disabilities is to understand the composition and conditions of the current workforce. Objectives This research describes a sample of the speech and language therapists (SLTs) working in SSA (excluding South Africa). This study explores the characteristics of this workforce, including their demographics, education, experience and geographical stability. Method A mixed-methods survey was used to collect data from SLTs within Anglophone countries of SSA. Completed surveys were received from 33 respondents working in 44 jobs across nine countries. Analysis included descriptive and non-parametric inferential statistics. This study reports on a subset of descriptive and quantitative data from the wider survey. Results A background profile of SLTs across the region is presented. Results indicated that the workforce of SLTs comprised a mix of local and international SLTs, with university-level education. Local SLTs were educated both within and outside of Africa, with more recent graduates trained in Africa. These data reflected the local emergence of speech and language therapy training in SSA. Conclusion This sample comprised a mix of African and international SLTs, with indications of growing localisation of the workforce. Workforce localisation offers potential advantages of linguistic diversity and stability. Challenges including workforce support and developing culturally and contextually relevant SLT practices are discussed. PMID:28730052

  8. Other Defense Organizations and Defense Finance and Accounting Service Controls Over High-Risk Transactions Were Not Effective

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2016-03-28

    Management (DHA- CRM ), agreed with Recommendations 1 and 2. The Chief stated that the service-level agreements should be updated to provide...descriptive language on the defined roles and responsibilities. In some instances, DHA- CRM personnel find it difficult to identify responsible parties at...that it maintains a universe of all accounting transactions processed daily to include disbursements. Additionally, DHA- CRM personnel perform a

  9. Alternating-Offers Protocol for Multi-issue Bilateral Negotiation in Semantic-Enabled Marketplaces

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ragone, Azzurra; di Noia, Tommaso; di Sciascio, Eugenio; Donini, Francesco M.

    We present a semantic-based approach to multi-issue bilateral negotiation for e-commerce. We use Description Logics to model advertisements, and relations among issues as axioms in a TBox. We then introduce a logic-based alternating-offers protocol, able to handle conflicting information, that merges non-standard reasoning services in Description Logics with utility thoery to find the most suitable agreements. We illustrate and motivate the theoretical framework, the logical language, and the negotiation protocol.

  10. Hardware description languages

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Tucker, Jerry H.

    1994-01-01

    Hardware description languages are special purpose programming languages. They are primarily used to specify the behavior of digital systems and are rapidly replacing traditional digital system design techniques. This is because they allow the designer to concentrate on how the system should operate rather than on implementation details. Hardware description languages allow a digital system to be described with a wide range of abstraction, and they support top down design techniques. A key feature of any hardware description language environment is its ability to simulate the modeled system. The two most important hardware description languages are Verilog and VHDL. Verilog has been the dominant language for the design of application specific integrated circuits (ASIC's). However, VHDL is rapidly gaining in popularity.

  11. BioServices: a common Python package to access biological Web Services programmatically.

    PubMed

    Cokelaer, Thomas; Pultz, Dennis; Harder, Lea M; Serra-Musach, Jordi; Saez-Rodriguez, Julio

    2013-12-15

    Web interfaces provide access to numerous biological databases. Many can be accessed to in a programmatic way thanks to Web Services. Building applications that combine several of them would benefit from a single framework. BioServices is a comprehensive Python framework that provides programmatic access to major bioinformatics Web Services (e.g. KEGG, UniProt, BioModels, ChEMBLdb). Wrapping additional Web Services based either on Representational State Transfer or Simple Object Access Protocol/Web Services Description Language technologies is eased by the usage of object-oriented programming. BioServices releases and documentation are available at http://pypi.python.org/pypi/bioservices under a GPL-v3 license.

  12. Culturally and linguistically diverse students in speech-language pathology courses: A platform for culturally responsive services.

    PubMed

    Attrill, Stacie; Lincoln, Michelle; McAllister, Sue

    2017-06-01

    Increasing the proportion of culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) students and providing intercultural learning opportunities for all students are two strategies identified to facilitate greater access to culturally responsive speech-language pathology services. To enact these strategies, more information is needed about student diversity. This study collected descriptive information about CALD speech-language pathology students in Australia. Cultural and linguistic background information was collected through surveying 854 domestic and international speech-language pathology students from three Australian universities. Students were categorised according to defined or perceived CALD status, international student status, speaking English as an Additional Language (EAL), or speaking a Language Other than English at Home (LOTEH). Overall, 32.1% of students were either defined or perceived CALD. A total of 14.9% spoke EAL and 25.7% identified speaking a LOTEH. CALD students were more likely to speak EAL or a LOTEH than non-CALD students, were prominently from Southern and South-Eastern Asian backgrounds and spoke related languages. Many students reported direct or indirect connections with their cultural heritage and/or contributed linguistic diversity. These students may represent broader acculturative experiences in communities. The sociocultural knowledge and experience of these students may provide intercultural learning opportunities for all students and promote culturally responsive practices.

  13. Networking observers and observatories with remote telescope markup language

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hessman, Frederic V.; Tuparev, Georg; Allan, Alasdair

    2006-06-01

    Remote Telescope Markup Language (RTML) is an XML-based protocol for the transport of the high-level description of a set of observations to be carried out on a remote, robotic or service telescope. We describe how RTML is being used in a wide variety of contexts: the transport of service and robotic observing requests in the Hands-On Universe TM, ACP, eSTAR, and MONET networks; how RTML is easily combined with other XML protocols for more localized control of telescopes; RTML as a secondary observation report format for the IVOA's VOEvent protocol; the input format for a general-purpose observation simulator; and the observatory-independent means for carrying out request transactions for the international Heterogeneous Telescope Network (HTN).

  14. A National Asian-Language Smokers' Quitline--United States, 2012-2014.

    PubMed

    Kuiper, Nicole; Zhang, Lei; Lee, Joann; Babb, Stephen D; Anderson, Christopher M; Shannon, Curt; Welton, MaryBeth; Lew, Rod; Zhu, Shu-Hong

    2015-06-25

    Until recently, in-language telephone quitline services for smokers who speak Asian languages were available only in California. In 2012, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) funded the national Asian Smokers' Quitline (ASQ) to expand this service to all states. The objective of this study was to examine characteristics of ASQ callers, how they heard about the quitline, and their use of the service. Characteristics of callers from August 2012 through July 2014 were examined by using descriptive statistics. We examined demographics, cigarette smoking status, time to first cigarette, how callers heard about the quitline, and service use (receipt of counseling and medication) by using ASQ intake and administrative data. We analyzed these data by language and state. In 2 years, 5,771 callers from 48 states completed intake; 31% were Chinese (Cantonese or Mandarin), 38% were Korean, and 31% were Vietnamese. More than 95% of all callers who used tobacco were current daily cigarette smokers at intake. About 87% of ASQ callers were male, 57% were aged 45 to 64 years, 48% were uninsured, and educational attainment varied. Most callers (54%) were referred by newspapers or magazines. Nearly all eligible callers (99%) received nicotine patches. About 85% of smokers enrolled in counseling; counseled smokers completed an average of 4 sessions. ASQ reached Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese speakers nationwide. Callers were referred by the promotional avenues employed by ASQ, and most received services (medication, counseling, or both). State quitlines and local organizations should consider transferring callers and promoting ASQ to increase access to cessation services.

  15. A National Asian-Language Smokers’ Quitline — United States, 2012–2014

    PubMed Central

    Zhang, Lei; Lee, Joann; Babb, Stephen D.; Anderson, Christopher M.; Shannon, Curt; Welton, MaryBeth; Lew, Rod; Zhu, Shu-Hong

    2015-01-01

    Introduction Until recently, in-language telephone quitline services for smokers who speak Asian languages were available only in California. In 2012, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) funded the national Asian Smokers’ Quitline (ASQ) to expand this service to all states. The objective of this study was to examine characteristics of ASQ callers, how they heard about the quitline, and their use of the service. Methods Characteristics of callers from August 2012 through July 2014 were examined by using descriptive statistics. We examined demographics, cigarette smoking status, time to first cigarette, how callers heard about the quitline, and service use (receipt of counseling and medication) by using ASQ intake and administrative data. We analyzed these data by language and state. Results In 2 years, 5,771 callers from 48 states completed intake; 31% were Chinese (Cantonese or Mandarin), 38% were Korean, and 31% were Vietnamese. More than 95% of all callers who used tobacco were current daily cigarette smokers at intake. About 87% of ASQ callers were male, 57% were aged 45 to 64 years, 48% were uninsured, and educational attainment varied. Most callers (54%) were referred by newspapers or magazines. Nearly all eligible callers (99%) received nicotine patches. About 85% of smokers enrolled in counseling; counseled smokers completed an average of 4 sessions. Conclusion ASQ reached Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese speakers nationwide. Callers were referred by the promotional avenues employed by ASQ, and most received services (medication, counseling, or both). State quitlines and local organizations should consider transferring callers and promoting ASQ to increase access to cessation services. PMID:26111159

  16. Structured Natural-Language Descriptions for Semantic Content Retrieval of Visual Materials.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tam, A. M.; Leung, C. H. C.

    2001-01-01

    Proposes a structure for natural language descriptions of the semantic content of visual materials that requires descriptions to be (modified) keywords, phrases, or simple sentences, with components that are grammatical relations common to many languages. This structure makes it easy to implement a collection's descriptions as a relational…

  17. Architecting Multimodal Spaces for Hard Talk in a Graduate Course on Adolescent Literacy Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Buckley-Marudas, Mary Frances; Hobson, Sarah R.; Riley, Kathleen

    2017-01-01

    This inquiry into a course on adolescent literacy education uses a case-study and descriptive review analysis to understand how multimodal spaces engage preservice and in-service teachers' sense making around concepts of race, language, and culture. Drawing on critical feminist and practitioner inquiry frameworks, this article presents what a…

  18. A Course in English for Air Traffic Controllers.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McCann, Paul; Thompson, Lesley

    A description is provided of a course, developed by the British Council in Madrid, Spain, to improve the English language training for trainee air traffic services personnel as a result of an increased demand for trained controllers over the next few years. The course aims to teach students in the areas of standard radiotelephony, non-routine…

  19. Buen Comienzo, Buen Futuro: El Bebe de Cinco Meses (Healthy Start, Grow Smart: Your Five-Month Old).

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Department of Agriculture, Washington, DC.

    Distributed by the U.S. Departments of Agriculture, Education, and Health and Human Services, this Spanish-language pamphlet provides parents with information and advice about their infants in the fifth month of life. Following a brief description of developmental characteristics at this age, the pamphlet offers information on topics including…

  20. EVALUATION OF E.S.E.A. PROGRAMS AND SERVICES FOR THE EDUCATIONALLY DISADVANTAGED, 1966-67.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sacramento City Unified School District, CA.

    Along with general information on the 1966-67 Title I compensatory education programs in the Sacramento City Unified School District and on the instruments used in evaluation the effectiveness of these programs, this report contains descriptions of individual activities: (1) language arts development and reading remediation (also information on…

  1. What Is Grammar and Why Teach It?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Greenbaum, Sidney

    The word "grammar" can be used in many ways: a general theory of language description; a theory for describing one language; a description of a particular language, either in the form of a book (an "English grammar") or the contents of that book; an ideal as opposed to actual description of a language; the properties and processes of a language…

  2. Management of swallowing and communication difficulties in Down syndrome: A survey of speech-language pathologists.

    PubMed

    Meyer, Carly; Theodoros, Deborah; Hickson, Louise

    2017-02-01

    To explore speech pathology services for people with Down syndrome across the lifespan. Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) working in Australia were invited to complete an online survey, which enquired about the speech pathology services they had provided to client/s with Down syndrome in the past 12 months. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics. A total of 390 SLPs completed the survey; 62% reported seeing a client with Down syndrome in the past 12 months. Most commonly, SLPs provided assessment and individual intervention for communication with varying levels of family involvement. The areas of dysphagia and/or communication addressed by SLPs, or in need of more services differed according to the age of the person with Down syndrome. SLPs reported a number of reasons why services were restricted. There is a need to re-assess the way that SLPs currently provide services to people with Down syndrome. More research is needed to develop and evaluate treatment approaches that can be used to better address the needs of this population.

  3. Semantics-enabled service discovery framework in the SIMDAT pharma grid.

    PubMed

    Qu, Cangtao; Zimmermann, Falk; Kumpf, Kai; Kamuzinzi, Richard; Ledent, Valérie; Herzog, Robert

    2008-03-01

    We present the design and implementation of a semantics-enabled service discovery framework in the data Grids for process and product development using numerical simulation and knowledge discovery (SIMDAT) Pharma Grid, an industry-oriented Grid environment for integrating thousands of Grid-enabled biological data services and analysis services. The framework consists of three major components: the Web ontology language (OWL)-description logic (DL)-based biological domain ontology, OWL Web service ontology (OWL-S)-based service annotation, and semantic matchmaker based on the ontology reasoning. Built upon the framework, workflow technologies are extensively exploited in the SIMDAT to assist biologists in (semi)automatically performing in silico experiments. We present a typical usage scenario through the case study of a biological workflow: IXodus.

  4. Buen Comienzo, Buen Futuro: El Bebe de Ocho Meses. (Healthy Start, Grow Smart: Your Eight-Month-Old).

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Department of Agriculture, Washington, DC.

    Distributed by the U.S. Departments of Agriculture, Education, and Health and Human Services, this Spanish-language pamphlet provides parents with information and advice about their infants in the eighth month of life. Following a brief description of developmental characteristics at this age, the pamphlet offers advice on a variety of topics,…

  5. An Interface Transformation Strategy for AF-IPPS

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2012-12-01

    Representational State Transfer (REST) and Java Enterprise Edition ( Java EE) to implement a reusable “translation service.” For SOAP and REST protocols, XML and...of best-of-breed open source software. The product baseline is summarized in the following table: Product Function Description Java Language...Compiler & Runtime JBoss Application Server Applications, Messaging, Translation Java EE Application Server Ruby on Rails Applications Ruby Web

  6. Buen Comienzo, Buen Futuro: El Bebe de Siete Meses (Healthy Start, Grow Smart: Your Seven-Month-Old).

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Department of Agriculture, Washington, DC.

    Distributed by the U.S. Departments of Agriculture, Education, and Health and Human Services, this Spanish-language pamphlet provides parents with information and advice about their infants in the seventh month of life. Following a brief description of developmental characteristics at this age, the pamphlet offers advice on a variety of topics,…

  7. Buen Comienzo, Buen Futuro: El Bebe de Diez Meses (Healthy Start, Grow Smart: Your Ten-Month-Old).

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Landry, Susan, H.; Ramey, Craig T.

    Distributed by the U.S. Departments of Agriculture, Education, and Health and Human Services, this Spanish-language pamphlet provides parents with information and advice about their infants in the tenth month of life. Following a brief description of developmental characteristics at this age, the pamphlet offers advice on a variety of topics,…

  8. Collaboratively Conceived, Designed and Implemented: Matching Visualization Tools with Geoscience Data Collections and Geoscience Data Collections with Visualization Tools via the ToolMatch Service.

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hoebelheinrich, N. J.; Lynnes, C.; West, P.; Ferritto, M.

    2014-12-01

    Two problems common to many geoscience domains are the difficulties in finding tools to work with a given dataset collection, and conversely, the difficulties in finding data for a known tool. A collaborative team from the Earth Science Information Partnership (ESIP) has gotten together to design and create a web service, called ToolMatch, to address these problems. The team began their efforts by defining an initial, relatively simple conceptual model that addressed the two uses cases briefly described above. The conceptual model is expressed as an ontology using OWL (Web Ontology Language) and DCterms (Dublin Core Terms), and utilizing standard ontologies such as DOAP (Description of a Project), FOAF (Friend of a Friend), SKOS (Simple Knowledge Organization System) and DCAT (Data Catalog Vocabulary). The ToolMatch service will be taking advantage of various Semantic Web and Web standards, such as OpenSearch, RESTful web services, SWRL (Semantic Web Rule Language) and SPARQL (Simple Protocol and RDF Query Language). The first version of the ToolMatch service was deployed in early fall 2014. While more complete testing is required, a number of communities besides ESIP member organizations have expressed interest in collaborating to create, test and use the service and incorporate it into their own web pages, tools and / or services including the USGS Data Catalog service, DataONE, the Deep Carbon Observatory, Virtual Solar Terrestrial Observatory (VSTO), and the U.S. Global Change Research Program. In this session, presenters will discuss the inception and development of the ToolMatch service, the collaborative process used to design, refine, and test the service, and future plans for the service.

  9. Pre-Hospital Emergency in Iran: A Systematic Review.

    PubMed

    Bahadori, Mohammadkarim; Ghardashi, Fatemeh; Izadi, Ahmad Reza; Ravangard, Ramin; Mirhashemi, Sedigheh; Hosseini, Seyed Mojtaba

    2016-05-01

    Pre-hospital care plays a vital role in saving trauma patients. This study aims to review studies conducted on the pre-hospital emergency status in Iran. Data were sourced from Iranian electronic databases, including SID, IranMedex, IranDoc, Magiran, and non-Iranian electronic databases, such as Medline, Embase, Cochrane Library, Scopus, and Google Scholar. In addition, available data and statistics for the country were used. All Persian-language articles published in Iranian scientific journals and related English-language articles published in Iranian and non-Iranian journals indexed on valid sites for September 2005 - 2014 were systematically reviewed. To review the selected articles, a data extraction form developed by the researchers as per the study's objective was adopted. The articles were examined under two categories: structure and function of pre-hospital emergency. A total of 19 articles were selected, including six descriptive studies (42%), four descriptive-analytical studies (21%), five review articles (16%), two qualitative studies (10.5%), and two interventional (experimental) studies (10.5%). In addition, of these, 14 articles (73.5%) had been published in the English language. The focus of these selected articles were experts (31.5%), bases of emergency medical services (26%), injured (16%), data reviews (16%), and employees (10.5%). A majority of the studies (68%) investigated pre-hospital emergency functions and 32% reviewed the pre-hospital emergency structure. The number of studies conducted on pre-hospital emergency services in Iran is limited. To promote public health, consideration of prevention areas, processes to provide pre-hospital emergency services, policymaking, foresight, systemic view, comprehensive research programs and roadmaps, and assessments of research needs in pre-hospital emergency seem necessary.

  10. Process model-based atomic service discovery and composition of composite semantic web services using web ontology language for services (OWL-S)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Paulraj, D.; Swamynathan, S.; Madhaiyan, M.

    2012-11-01

    Web Service composition has become indispensable as a single web service cannot satisfy complex functional requirements. Composition of services has received much interest to support business-to-business (B2B) or enterprise application integration. An important component of the service composition is the discovery of relevant services. In Semantic Web Services (SWS), service discovery is generally achieved by using service profile of Ontology Web Languages for Services (OWL-S). The profile of the service is a derived and concise description but not a functional part of the service. The information contained in the service profile is sufficient for atomic service discovery, but it is not sufficient for the discovery of composite semantic web services (CSWS). The purpose of this article is two-fold: first to prove that the process model is a better choice than the service profile for service discovery. Second, to facilitate the composition of inter-organisational CSWS by proposing a new composition method which uses process ontology. The proposed service composition approach uses an algorithm which performs a fine grained match at the level of atomic process rather than at the level of the entire service in a composite semantic web service. Many works carried out in this area have proposed solutions only for the composition of atomic services and this article proposes a solution for the composition of composite semantic web services.

  11. The language parallel Pascal and other aspects of the massively parallel processor

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Reeves, A. P.; Bruner, J. D.

    1982-01-01

    A high level language for the Massively Parallel Processor (MPP) was designed. This language, called Parallel Pascal, is described in detail. A description of the language design, a description of the intermediate language, Parallel P-Code, and details for the MPP implementation are included. Formal descriptions of Parallel Pascal and Parallel P-Code are given. A compiler was developed which converts programs in Parallel Pascal into the intermediate Parallel P-Code language. The code generator to complete the compiler for the MPP is being developed independently. A Parallel Pascal to Pascal translator was also developed. The architecture design for a VLSI version of the MPP was completed with a description of fault tolerant interconnection networks. The memory arrangement aspects of the MPP are discussed and a survey of other high level languages is given.

  12. A Formal Semantics for the WS-BPEL Recovery Framework

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dragoni, Nicola; Mazzara, Manuel

    While current studies on Web services composition are mostly focused - from the technical viewpoint - on standards and protocols, this work investigates the adoption of formal methods for dependable composition. The Web Services Business Process Execution Language (WS-BPEL) - an OASIS standard widely adopted both in academic and industrial environments - is considered as a touchstone for concrete composition languages and an analysis of its ambiguous Recovery Framework specification is offered. In order to show the use of formal methods, a precise and unambiguous description of its (simplified) mechanisms is provided by means of a conservative extension of the π-calculus. This has to be intended as a well known case study providing methodological arguments for the adoption of formal methods in software specification. The aspect of verification is not the main topic of the paper but some hints are given.

  13. Digital systems design language

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Shiva, S. G.

    1979-01-01

    Digital Systems Design Language (DDL) is implemented on the SEL-32 Computer Systems. The detaileds of the language, the translator, and the simulator, and the smulator programs are given. Several example descriptions and a tutorial on hardware description languages are provided, to guide the user.

  14. Enterprise Pattern: integrating the business process into a unified enterprise model of modern service company

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Li, Ying; Luo, Zhiling; Yin, Jianwei; Xu, Lida; Yin, Yuyu; Wu, Zhaohui

    2017-01-01

    Modern service company (MSC), the enterprise involving special domains, such as the financial industry, information service industry and technology development industry, depends heavily on information technology. Modelling of such enterprise has attracted much research attention because it promises to help enterprise managers to analyse basic business strategies (e.g. the pricing strategy) and even optimise the business process (BP) to gain benefits. While the existing models proposed by economists cover the economic elements, they fail to address the basic BP and its relationship with the economic characteristics. Those proposed in computer science regardless of achieving great success in BP modelling perform poorly in supporting the economic analysis. Therefore, the existing approaches fail to satisfy the requirement of enterprise modelling for MSC, which demands simultaneous consideration of both economic analysing and business processing. In this article, we provide a unified enterprise modelling approach named Enterprise Pattern (EP) which bridges the gap between the BP model and the enterprise economic model of MSC. Proposing a language named Enterprise Pattern Description Language (EPDL) covering all the basic language elements of EP, we formulate the language syntaxes and two basic extraction rules assisting economic analysis. Furthermore, we extend Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN) to support EPDL, named BPMN for Enterprise Pattern (BPMN4EP). The example of mobile application platform is studied in detail for a better understanding of EPDL.

  15. A taxonomy for education and training in professional psychology health service specialties: evolution and implementation of new guidelines for a common language.

    PubMed

    Rozensky, Ronald H; Grus, Catherine L; Nutt, Roberta L; Carlson, Cindy I; Eisman, Elena J; Nelson, Paul D

    2015-01-01

    The Education and Training Guidelines: A Taxonomy for Education and Training in Professional Psychology Health Service Specialties was endorsed as a policy of the American Psychological Association in 2012. These Guidelines have the potential for broad impact on the field by providing both a structure and recommendations for the consistent usage of language--definitions and terminology--to reduce current descriptive inconsistencies across education and training programs in professional psychology. The Guidelines are not designed to define specifics of the training or practice of individual psychologists; they are to be used only to describe programmatic structure in a consistent manner. This article details the developmental history of these Guidelines and highlights the strong alliance between the leaders of the various recognized specialties in professional psychology and the education and training community in health service psychology. The content, application, future dissemination and impact of the Guidelines are presented. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved.

  16. Digital systems design language. Design synthesis of digital systems

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Shiva, S. G.

    1979-01-01

    The Digital Systems Design Language (DDL) is implemented on the SEL-32 computer systems. The details of the language, translator and simulator programs are included. Several example descriptions and a tutorial on hardware description languages are provided, to guide the user.

  17. The Loyal Opposition Comments on Plan Domain Description Languages

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Frank, Jeremy; Golden, Keith; Jonsson, Ari

    2003-01-01

    In this paper we take a critical look at PDDL 2.1 as designers and users of plan domain description languages. We describe planning domains that have features which are hard to model using PDDL 2.1. We then offer some suggestions on domain description language design, and describe how these suggestions make modeling our chosen domains easier.

  18. The Manu-Facturing of a Language.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Washabaugh, William

    1980-01-01

    Discusses Providence Island Sign Language (PSL), an autochthonous and relatively immature language of about 20 speakers. It is a nascent and evolving language whose description can produce rich results for linguistic theory. Such a description will also be an explanation of the phylogeny of a linguistic system. (Author/PJM)

  19. Pursuing Precision Speech-Language Therapy Services for Children with Down Syndrome.

    PubMed

    McDaniel, Jena; Yoder, Paul J

    2016-11-01

    The behavioral phenotype of individuals with Down syndrome (DS) offers one avenue for developing speech-language therapy services that are tailored to the individual's characteristics that affect treatment response. Behavioral phenotypes are patterns of behavioral strengths and weaknesses for specific genetic disorders that can help guide the development and implementation of effective interventions. Nonetheless, individual differences within children with DS must be acknowledged and addressed because behavioral phenotypes are probabilistic, not deterministic. Developing precision speech-language therapy services to maximize learning opportunities and outcomes for children with DS calls for increased collaboration among clinicians and researchers to address the needs, challenges, and opportunities on three interconnected themes: (1) moving effective interventions from research to practice, (2) making evidence-based, child-specific treatment intensity decisions, and (3) considering child motivation and temperament characteristics. Increased availability of intervention materials and resources as well as more specific recommendations that acknowledge individual differences could help narrow the research-practice gap. Clear descriptions of disciplined manipulations of treatment intensity components could lead to more effective intervention services. Last, addressing motivation and temperament characteristics, such as the personality-motivation orientation, in children with DS may help maximize learning opportunities. Focused attention and collaboration on these key themes could produce substantial, positive changes for children with DS and their families in the coming decade. Thieme Medical Publishers 333 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001, USA.

  20. A New Approach for Semantic Web Matching

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zamanifar, Kamran; Heidary, Golsa; Nematbakhsh, Naser; Mardukhi, Farhad

    In this work we propose a new approach for semantic web matching to improve the performance of Web Service replacement. Because in automatic systems we should ensure the self-healing, self-configuration, self-optimization and self-management, all services should be always available and if one of them crashes, it should be replaced with the most similar one. Candidate services are advertised in Universal Description, Discovery and Integration (UDDI) all in Web Ontology Language (OWL). By the help of bipartite graph, we did the matching between the crashed service and a Candidate one. Then we chose the best service, which had the maximum rate of matching. In fact we compare two services' functionalities and capabilities to see how much they match. We found that the best way for matching two web services, is comparing the functionalities of them.

  1. 106-17 Telemetry Standards Metadata Configuration Chapter 23

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2017-07-01

    23-1 23.2 Metadata Description Language ...Chapter 23, July 2017 iii Acronyms HTML Hypertext Markup Language MDL Metadata Description Language PCM pulse code modulation TMATS Telemetry...Attributes Transfer Standard W3C World Wide Web Consortium XML eXtensible Markup Language XSD XML schema document Telemetry Network Standard

  2. Truth and probability in evolutionary games

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Barrett, Jeffrey A.

    2017-01-01

    This paper concerns two composite Lewis-Skyrms signalling games. Each consists in a base game that evolves a language descriptive of nature and a metagame that coevolves a language descriptive of the base game and its evolving language. The first composite game shows how a pragmatic notion of truth might coevolve with a simple descriptive language. The second shows how a pragmatic notion of probability might similarly coevolve. Each of these pragmatic notions is characterised by the particular game and role that it comes to play in the game.

  3. Resource Provisioning in Large-Scale Self-Organizing Distributed Systems

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2012-06-01

    using the Provisioning Norm (α=0.99999) and the modified Kullback - Leibler . Figure 15 is the plot of how many services and nodes each method included in...Problem,” European Journal of Operational Research, vol. 174, issue 1, pp. 54-68, 2006. [64] S. Kullback , R.A. Leibler , “On Information and Sufficiency...Description Language KB Kilobytes KL Kullback - Leibler xvii KLD Kullback - Leibler Distance LRU Least Recently Used Mb

  4. DEVSML 2.0: The Language and the Stack

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2012-03-01

    problems outside it. For example, HTML for web pages, Verilog and VHDL for hardware description, etc. are DSLs for very specific domains. A DSL can be...Engineering ( MDE ) paradigm where meta-modeling allows such transformations. The metamodeling approach to Model Integrated Computing (MIC) brings...University of Arizona, 2007 [5] Mittal, S, Martin, JLR, Zeigler, BP, "DEVS-Based Web Services for Net-centric T&E", Summer Computer Simulation

  5. A Domain Description Language for Data Processing

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Golden, Keith

    2003-01-01

    We discuss an application of planning to data processing, a planning problem which poses unique challenges for domain description languages. We discuss these challenges and why the current PDDL standard does not meet them. We discuss DPADL (Data Processing Action Description Language), a language for describing planning domains that involve data processing. DPADL is a declarative, object-oriented language that supports constraints and embedded Java code, object creation and copying, explicit inputs and outputs for actions, and metadata descriptions of existing and desired data. DPADL is supported by the IMAGEbot system, which we are using to provide automation for an ecological forecasting application. We compare DPADL to PDDL and discuss changes that could be made to PDDL to make it more suitable for representing planning domains that involve data processing actions.

  6. Vocal effectiveness of speech-language pathology students: Before and after voice use during service delivery.

    PubMed

    Couch, Stephanie; Zieba, Dominique; Van der Linde, Jeannie; Van der Merwe, Anita

    2015-03-26

    As a professional voice user, it is imperative that a speech-language pathologist's(SLP) vocal effectiveness remain consistent throughout the day. Many factors may contribute to reduced vocal effectiveness, including prolonged voice use, vocally abusive behaviours,poor vocal hygiene and environmental factors. To determine the effect of service delivery on the perceptual and acoustic features of voice. A quasi-experimental., pre-test-post-test research design was used. Participants included third- and final-year speech-language pathology students at the University of Pretoria(South Africa). Voice parameters were evaluated in a pre-test measurement, after which the participants provided two consecutive hours of therapy. A post-test measurement was then completed. Data analysis consisted of an instrumental analysis in which the multidimensional voice programme (MDVP) and the voice range profile (VRP) were used to measure vocal parameters and then calculate the dysphonia severity index (DSI). The GRBASI scale was used to conduct a perceptual analysis of voice quality. Data were processed using descriptive statistics to determine change in each measured parameter after service delivery. A change of clinical significance was observed in the acoustic and perceptual parameters of voice. Guidelines for SLPs in order to maintain optimal vocal effectiveness were suggested.

  7. Vocal effectiveness of speech-language pathology students: Before and after voice use during service delivery

    PubMed Central

    Couch, Stephanie; Zieba, Dominique; van der Merwe, Anita

    2015-01-01

    Background As a professional voice user, it is imperative that a speech-language pathologist's (SLP) vocal effectiveness remain consistent throughout the day. Many factors may contribute to reduced vocal effectiveness, including prolonged voice use, vocally abusive behaviours, poor vocal hygiene and environmental factors. Objectives To determine the effect of service delivery on the perceptual and acoustic features of voice. Method A quasi-experimental., pre-test–post-test research design was used. Participants included third- and final-year speech-language pathology students at the University of Pretoria (South Africa). Voice parameters were evaluated in a pre-test measurement, after which the participants provided two consecutive hours of therapy. A post-test measurement was then completed. Data analysis consisted of an instrumental analysis in which the multidimensional voice programme (MDVP) and the voice range profile (VRP) were used to measure vocal parameters and then calculate the dysphonia severity index (DSI). The GRBASI scale was used to conduct a perceptual analysis of voice quality. Data were processed using descriptive statistics to determine change in each measured parameter after service delivery. Results A change of clinical significance was observed in the acoustic and perceptual parameters of voice. Conclusion Guidelines for SLPs in order to maintain optimal vocal effectiveness were suggested. PMID:26304213

  8. Descriptive Metadata: Emerging Standards.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ahronheim, Judith R.

    1998-01-01

    Discusses metadata, digital resources, cross-disciplinary activity, and standards. Highlights include Standard Generalized Markup Language (SGML); Extensible Markup Language (XML); Dublin Core; Resource Description Framework (RDF); Text Encoding Initiative (TEI); Encoded Archival Description (EAD); art and cultural-heritage metadata initiatives;…

  9. EO Domain Specific Knowledge Enabled Services (KES-B)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Varas, J.; Busto, J.; Torguet, R.

    2004-09-01

    This paper recovers and describes a number of major statements with respect to the vision, mission and technological approaches of the Technological Research Project (TRP) "EO Domain Specific Knowledge Enabled Services" (project acronym KES-B), which is currently under development at the European Space Research Institute (ESRIN) under contract "16397/02/I- SB". Resulting from the on-going R&D activities, the KES-B project aims are to demonstrate with a prototype system the feasibility of the application of innovative knowledge-based technologies to provide services for easy, scheduled and controlled exploitation of EO resources (e.g.: data, algorithms, procedures, storage, processors, ...), to automate the generation of products, and to support users in easily identifying and accessing the required information or products by using their own vocabulary, domain knowledge and preferences. The ultimate goals of KES-B are summarized in the provision of the two main types of KES services: 1st the Search service (also referred to as Product Exploitation or Information Retrieval; and 2nd the Production service (also referred to as Information Extraction), with the strategic advantage that they are enabled by Knowledge consolidated (formalized) within the system. The KES-B system technical solution approach is driven by a strong commitment for the adoption of industry (XML-based) language standards, aiming to have an interoperable, scalable and flexible operational prototype. In that sense, the Search KES services builds on the basis of the adoption of consolidated and/or emergent W3C semantic-web standards. Remarkably the languages/models Dublin Core (DC), Universal Resource Identifier (URI), Resource Description Framework (RDF) and Ontology Web Language (OWL), and COTS like Protege [1] and JENA [2] are being integrated in the system as building bricks for the construction of the KES based Search services. On the other hand, the Production KES services builds on top of workflow management standards and tools. In this side, the Business Process Execution Language (BPEL), the Web Services Definition Language (WSDL), and the Collaxa [3] COTS tool for workflow management are being integrated for the construction of the KES-B Production Services. The KES-B platform (web portal and web-server) architecture is build on the basis of the J2EE reference architecture. These languages represent the mean for the codification of the different types of knowledge that are to be formalized in the system. This representing the ontological architecture of the system. This shall enable in fact the interoperability with other KES-based systems committing as well to those standards. The motivation behind this vision is pointing towards the construction of the Semantic-web based GRID supply- chain infrastructure for EO-services, in line with the INSPIRE initiative suggestions.

  10. Ukrainian-Speaking Migrants’ Concerning the Use of Interpreters in Healthcare Service: A Pilot Study

    PubMed Central

    Hadziabdic, Emina

    2016-01-01

    The aim of this pilot study was to investigate Ukrainian-speaking migrants’ attitudes to the use of interpreters in healthcare service in order to test a developed questionnaire and recruitment strategy. A descriptive survey using a 51-item structured self-administered questionnaire of 12 Ukrainian-speaking migrants’ and analyzed by the descriptive statistics. The findings were to have an interpreter as an objective communication and practical aid with personal qualities such as a good knowledge of languages and translation ability. In contrast, the clothes worn by the interpreter and the interpreter’s religion were not viewed as important aspects. The findings support the method of a developed questionnaire and recruitment strategy, which in turn can be used in a larger planned investigation of the same topic in order to arrange a good interpretation situation in accordance with persons’ desire irrespective of countries’ different rules in healthcare policies regarding interpretation. PMID:27014391

  11. Establishing a culturally specific nursing home for Finnish-speaking older persons in Sweden: A case study.

    PubMed

    Hadziabdic, Emina; Hjelm, Katarina

    2018-04-01

    The study aims to describe the establishment of a culturally specific nursing home for Finnish-speaking older persons in Sweden. A descriptive qualitative study. A descriptive case study based on a review of 14 public documents and individual interviews with two experts in the area, analysed with qualitative content analysis. This study found that shared language, preservation of customs and habits and collaboration between the representatives of the municipality, Finnish-speaking migrant associations and staff at the nursing home influenced the development of the culturally specific nursing home for older Finnish-speaking people intended to avoid loneliness, isolation and misunderstandings among older Finnish-speaking. Collaboration between healthcare service for older persons and minority people resulted in an optimal culturally specific nursing home, simultaneously encountering the majority culture. Nursing and healthcare services need to be aware of positive effects of collaboration with stakeholders to achieve optimal culturally specific nursing homes.

  12. Profile and predictors of service needs for families of children with autism spectrum disorders

    PubMed Central

    Zwaigenbaum, Lonnie; Nicholas, David

    2015-01-01

    Purpose: Increasing demand for autism services is straining service systems. Tailoring services to best meet families’ needs could improve their quality of life and decrease burden on the system. We explored overall, best, and worst met service needs, and predictors of those needs, for families of children with autism spectrum disorders. Methods: Parents of 143 children with autism spectrum disorders (2–18 years) completed a survey including demographic and descriptive information, the Family Needs Survey–Revised, and an open-ended question about service needs. Descriptive statistics characterize the sample and determine the degree to which items were identified and met as needs. Predictors of total and unmet needs were modeled with regression or generalized linear model. Qualitative responses were thematically analyzed. Results: The most frequently identified overall and unmet service needs were information on services, family support, and respite care. The funding and quality of professional support available were viewed positively. Decreased child’s age and income and being an older mother predicted more total needs. Having an older child or mother, lower income, and disruptive behaviors predicted more total unmet needs, yet only disruptive behaviors predicted proportional unmet need. Child’s language or intellectual abilities did not predict needs. Conclusion: Findings can help professionals, funders, and policy-makers tailor services to best meet families’ needs. PMID:25073749

  13. Instrumentation Hardware Abstraction Language (IHAL) Handbook

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2017-01-01

    1-1 1.1 The Range Commanders Council (RCC) and IHAL ....................................................... 1-1 1.2 Problem Description ...1-5 1.3.1 IHAL as a Description Language...Figure 2-6. Generic IHAL Device Schema Diagram ............................................................. 2-7 Figure 2-7. Device Description Schema

  14. Full-body gestures and movements recognition: user descriptive and unsupervised learning approaches in GDL classifier

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hachaj, Tomasz; Ogiela, Marek R.

    2014-09-01

    Gesture Description Language (GDL) is a classifier that enables syntactic description and real time recognition of full-body gestures and movements. Gestures are described in dedicated computer language named Gesture Description Language script (GDLs). In this paper we will introduce new GDLs formalisms that enable recognition of selected classes of movement trajectories. The second novelty is new unsupervised learning method with which it is possible to automatically generate GDLs descriptions. We have initially evaluated both proposed extensions of GDL and we have obtained very promising results. Both the novel methodology and evaluation results will be described in this paper.

  15. Numerical aerodynamic simulation facility. Preliminary study extension

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1978-01-01

    The production of an optimized design of key elements of the candidate facility was the primary objective of this report. This was accomplished by effort in the following tasks: (1) to further develop, optimize and describe the function description of the custom hardware; (2) to delineate trade off areas between performance, reliability, availability, serviceability, and programmability; (3) to develop metrics and models for validation of the candidate systems performance; (4) to conduct a functional simulation of the system design; (5) to perform a reliability analysis of the system design; and (6) to develop the software specifications to include a user level high level programming language, a correspondence between the programming language and instruction set and outline the operation system requirements.

  16. SBMLmod: a Python-based web application and web service for efficient data integration and model simulation.

    PubMed

    Schäuble, Sascha; Stavrum, Anne-Kristin; Bockwoldt, Mathias; Puntervoll, Pål; Heiland, Ines

    2017-06-24

    Systems Biology Markup Language (SBML) is the standard model representation and description language in systems biology. Enriching and analysing systems biology models by integrating the multitude of available data, increases the predictive power of these models. This may be a daunting task, which commonly requires bioinformatic competence and scripting. We present SBMLmod, a Python-based web application and service, that automates integration of high throughput data into SBML models. Subsequent steady state analysis is readily accessible via the web service COPASIWS. We illustrate the utility of SBMLmod by integrating gene expression data from different healthy tissues as well as from a cancer dataset into a previously published model of mammalian tryptophan metabolism. SBMLmod is a user-friendly platform for model modification and simulation. The web application is available at http://sbmlmod.uit.no , whereas the WSDL definition file for the web service is accessible via http://sbmlmod.uit.no/SBMLmod.wsdl . Furthermore, the entire package can be downloaded from https://github.com/MolecularBioinformatics/sbml-mod-ws . We envision that SBMLmod will make automated model modification and simulation available to a broader research community.

  17. Working with culturally and linguistically diverse students and their families: perceptions and practices of school speech-language therapists in the United States.

    PubMed

    Maul, Christine A

    2015-01-01

    Speech and language therapists (SLTs) working in schools worldwide strive to deliver evidence-based services to diverse populations of students. Many suggestions have been made in the international professional literature regarding culturally competent delivery of speech and language services, but there has been limited qualitative investigation of practices school SLTs find to be most useful when modifying their approaches to meet the needs of culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) students. To examine perceptions of nine school SLTs regarding modifications of usual practices when interacting with CLD students and their families; to compare reported practices with those suggested in professional literature; to draw clinical implications regarding the results; and to suggest future research to build a more extensive evidence base for culturally competent service delivery. For this qualitative research study, nine school SLTs in a diverse region of the USA were recruited to participate in a semi-structured interview designed to answer the question: What dominant themes, if any, can be found in SLTs' descriptions of how they modify their approaches, if at all, when interacting with CLD students and their family members? Analysis of data revealed the following themes: (1) language-a barrier and a bridge, (2) communicating through interpreters, (3) respect for cultural differences, and (4) positive experiences interacting with CLD family members. Participants reported making many modifications to their usual approaches that have been recommended as best practices in the international literature. However, some practices the SLTs reported to be effective were not emphasized or were not addressed at all in the literature. Practical implications of results are drawn and future research is suggested. © 2015 Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists.

  18. The Subsystem of Numerals in Catalan Sign Language: Description and Examples from a Psycholinguistic Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fuentes, Mariana; Tolchinsky, Liliana

    2004-01-01

    Linguistic descriptions of sign languages are important to the recognition of their linguistic status. These languages are an essential part of the cultural heritage of the communities that create and use them and vital in the education of deaf children. They are also the reference point in language acquisition studies. Ours is exploratory…

  19. LAnd surface remote sensing Products VAlidation System (LAPVAS) and its preliminary application

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lin, Xingwen; Wen, Jianguang; Tang, Yong; Ma, Mingguo; Dou, Baocheng; Wu, Xiaodan; Meng, Lumin

    2014-11-01

    The long term record of remote sensing product shows the land surface parameters with spatial and temporal change to support regional and global scientific research widely. Remote sensing product with different sensors and different algorithms is necessary to be validated to ensure the high quality remote sensing product. Investigation about the remote sensing product validation shows that it is a complex processing both the quality of in-situ data requirement and method of precision assessment. A comprehensive validation should be needed with long time series and multiple land surface types. So a system named as land surface remote sensing product is designed in this paper to assess the uncertainty information of the remote sensing products based on a amount of in situ data and the validation techniques. The designed validation system platform consists of three parts: Validation databases Precision analysis subsystem, Inter-external interface of system. These three parts are built by some essential service modules, such as Data-Read service modules, Data-Insert service modules, Data-Associated service modules, Precision-Analysis service modules, Scale-Change service modules and so on. To run the validation system platform, users could order these service modules and choreograph them by the user interactive and then compete the validation tasks of remote sensing products (such as LAI ,ALBEDO ,VI etc.) . Taking SOA-based architecture as the framework of this system. The benefit of this architecture is the good service modules which could be independent of any development environment by standards such as the Web-Service Description Language(WSDL). The standard language: C++ and java will used as the primary programming language to create service modules. One of the key land surface parameter, albedo, is selected as an example of the system application. It is illustrated that the LAPVAS has a good performance to implement the land surface remote sensing product validation.

  20. Variation and Linguistic Theory.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bailey, Charles-James N.

    This volume presents principles and models for describing language variation, and introduces a time-based, dynamic framework for linguistic description. The book first summarizes some of the problems of grammatical description encountered from Saussure through the present and then outlines possibilities for new descriptions of language which take…

  1. Linguistic Corpora and Language Teaching.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Murison-Bowie, Simon

    1996-01-01

    Examines issues raised by corpus linguistics concerning the description of language. The article argues that it is necessary to start from correct descriptions of linguistic units and the contexts in which they occur. Corpus linguistics has joined with language teaching by sharing a recognition of the importance of a larger, schematic view of…

  2. A comparison of hardware description languages. [describing digital systems structure and behavior to a computer

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Shiva, S. G.

    1978-01-01

    Several high level languages which evolved over the past few years for describing and simulating the structure and behavior of digital systems, on digital computers are assessed. The characteristics of the four prominent languages (CDL, DDL, AHPL, ISP) are summarized. A criterion for selecting a suitable hardware description language for use in an automatic integrated circuit design environment is provided.

  3. La Description des langues naturelles en vue d'applications linguistiques: Actes du colloque (The Description of Natural Languages with a View to Linguistic Applications: Conference Papers). Publication K-10.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ouellon, Conrad, Comp.

    Presentations from a colloquium on applications of research on natural languages to computer science address the following topics: (1) analysis of complex adverbs; (2) parser use in computerized text analysis; (3) French language utilities; (4) lexicographic mapping of official language notices; (5) phonographic codification of Spanish; (6)…

  4. DPADL: An Action Language for Data Processing Domains

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Golden, Keith; Clancy, Daniel (Technical Monitor)

    2002-01-01

    This paper presents DPADL (Data Processing Action Description Language), a language for describing planning domains that involve data processing. DPADL is a declarative object-oriented language that supports constraints and embedded Java code, object creation and copying, explicit inputs and outputs for actions, and metadata descriptions of existing and desired data. DPADL is supported by the IMAGEbot system, which will provide automation for an ecosystem forecasting system called TOPS.

  5. EDAC Test Collection Catalogue: A Description of Tests for Use in Bilingual Education Programs.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wolfsfeld, Lynn

    The descriptions of 200 tests for a variety of language groups are designed for use with the test file maintained by the Evaluation, Dissemination, and Assessment Center for Bilingual Education (EDAC). The content areas covered include reading, mathematics, self-concept, language dominance, language proficiency, and intelligence. Tests are…

  6. How the Potawatomi Language Lives: A Grammar of Potawatomi

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lockwood, Hunter Thompson

    2017-01-01

    This dissertation is a descriptive grammar of Potawatomi, a critically endangered Algonquian language now only spoken as a first language by a handful of elders in northern Wisconsin. Throughout, the goal is to present an authoritative linguistic description of Potawatomi by drawing on direct elicitation, a corpus of new texts gathered in close…

  7. Language assessment of children with severe liver disease in a public service in Brazil

    PubMed Central

    de-Paula, Erica Macêdo; Porta, Gilda; Tannuri, Ana Cristina Aoun; Tannuri, Uenis; Befi-Lopes, Debora Maria

    2017-01-01

    OBJECTIVE: The aim of this research was to compare language development (expressive and receptive skills) in children awaiting liver transplantation with that of children who have already undergone the surgical procedure. METHODS: An observational, descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted with 76 children divided into groups, as follows: 31 children who were candidates for liver transplantation (Group 1; G1), 45 children who had already undergone liver transplantation (Group 2; G2), and a control group (CG) of 60 healthy, normally developing children. Health status information was gathered, and the Test of Early Language Development (TELD)-3 was used to assess language skills. Family household monthly income data were also gathered using a specific questionnaire. RESULTS: G1 had poorer language performance compared with G2 and the CG. G2 had lower language performance when compared with the CG. However, when considering the TELD-3 standard scores, G2 had scores within normal limits. The regression analysis indicated age as a risk factor for language deficits in Group 1 and family income as a risk factor for language deficits in G2. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggested that children with chronic liver disease have delays in language development. Transplanted children have linguistic performance within normal limits, but their scores tended to be lower than the CG. PMID:28658434

  8. An Architecture for Autonomic Web Service Process Planning

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Moore, Colm; Xue Wang, Ming; Pahl, Claus

    Web service composition is a technology that has received considerable attention in the last number of years. Languages and tools to aid in the process of creating composite Web services have been received specific attention. Web service composition is the process of linking single Web services together in order to accomplish more complex tasks. One area of Web service composition that has not received as much attention is the area of dynamic error handling and re-planning, enabling autonomic composition. Given a repository of service descriptions and a task to complete, it is possible for AI planners to automatically create a plan that will achieve this goal. If however a service in the plan is unavailable or erroneous the plan will fail. Motivated by this problem, this paper suggests autonomous re-planning as a means to overcome dynamic problems. Our solution involves automatically recovering from faults and creating a context-dependent alternate plan. We present an architecture that serves as a basis for the central activities autonomous composition, monitoring and fault handling.

  9. Semantic biomedical resource discovery: a Natural Language Processing framework.

    PubMed

    Sfakianaki, Pepi; Koumakis, Lefteris; Sfakianakis, Stelios; Iatraki, Galatia; Zacharioudakis, Giorgos; Graf, Norbert; Marias, Kostas; Tsiknakis, Manolis

    2015-09-30

    A plethora of publicly available biomedical resources do currently exist and are constantly increasing at a fast rate. In parallel, specialized repositories are been developed, indexing numerous clinical and biomedical tools. The main drawback of such repositories is the difficulty in locating appropriate resources for a clinical or biomedical decision task, especially for non-Information Technology expert users. In parallel, although NLP research in the clinical domain has been active since the 1960s, progress in the development of NLP applications has been slow and lags behind progress in the general NLP domain. The aim of the present study is to investigate the use of semantics for biomedical resources annotation with domain specific ontologies and exploit Natural Language Processing methods in empowering the non-Information Technology expert users to efficiently search for biomedical resources using natural language. A Natural Language Processing engine which can "translate" free text into targeted queries, automatically transforming a clinical research question into a request description that contains only terms of ontologies, has been implemented. The implementation is based on information extraction techniques for text in natural language, guided by integrated ontologies. Furthermore, knowledge from robust text mining methods has been incorporated to map descriptions into suitable domain ontologies in order to ensure that the biomedical resources descriptions are domain oriented and enhance the accuracy of services discovery. The framework is freely available as a web application at ( http://calchas.ics.forth.gr/ ). For our experiments, a range of clinical questions were established based on descriptions of clinical trials from the ClinicalTrials.gov registry as well as recommendations from clinicians. Domain experts manually identified the available tools in a tools repository which are suitable for addressing the clinical questions at hand, either individually or as a set of tools forming a computational pipeline. The results were compared with those obtained from an automated discovery of candidate biomedical tools. For the evaluation of the results, precision and recall measurements were used. Our results indicate that the proposed framework has a high precision and low recall, implying that the system returns essentially more relevant results than irrelevant. There are adequate biomedical ontologies already available, sufficiency of existing NLP tools and quality of biomedical annotation systems for the implementation of a biomedical resources discovery framework, based on the semantic annotation of resources and the use on NLP techniques. The results of the present study demonstrate the clinical utility of the application of the proposed framework which aims to bridge the gap between clinical question in natural language and efficient dynamic biomedical resources discovery.

  10. Comparative-Descriptive Study of Academic Vocabulary Specific Instruction on 3rd Grade English Language Learner Reading Scores

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ward, Shelley

    2017-01-01

    Language must be taught with academic vocabulary that is meaningful and that can be transferred between content and context. This comparative-descriptive research study examines how academic specific instruction increases students' learning of a second language acquisition (i.e., English). The conceptual framework of the study drew research…

  11. Putting Practice into Words: The State of Data and Methods Transparency in Grammatical Descriptions

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gawne, Lauren; Kelly, Barbara F.; Berez-Kroeker, Andrea L.; Heston, Tyler

    2017-01-01

    Language documentation and description are closely related practices, often performed as part of the same fieldwork project on an un(der)-studied language. Research trends in recent decades have seen a great volume of publishing in regards to the methods of language documentation, however, it is not clear that linguists' awareness of the…

  12. Chomsky's Universal Grammar and Halliday's Systemic Functional Linguistics: An Appraisal and a Compromise

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bavali, Mohammad; Sadighi, Firooz

    2008-01-01

    Recent developments in theories of language (grammars) seem to share a number of tenets which mark a drastic shift from traditional disentangled descriptions of language: emphasis on a big number of discrete grammatical rules or a corpus of structure patterns has given way to a more unitary, explanatory powerful description of language informed by…

  13. Research: Research in Language Arts Education: Notes on How It Works.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dilworth, Collett B., Jr.

    1980-01-01

    Provides an overview of different types of educational research in language arts, including the quasi-experiment, the controlled methodological experiment, the controlled descriptive experiment, the non-controlled description, and textual analysis. (RL)

  14. The Experience of Teaching of Descriptive Geometry and Engineering Graphics in Russian Language as a Foreign Language

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Voronina, Marianna V.; Tretyakova, Zlata O.

    2017-01-01

    The article considers the peculiarities of training foreign students subject "Descriptive geometry and Engineering Graphics" in a modern engineering university of Russia. The relevance of the problem conditioned by the fact that virtually there are no special studies of teaching Descriptive Geometry and Engineering Graphics in Russian…

  15. On the System of Person-Denoting Signs in Estonian Sign Language: Estonian Name Signs

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Paales, Liina

    2010-01-01

    This article discusses Estonian personal name signs. According to study there are four personal name sign categories in Estonian Sign Language: (1) arbitrary name signs; (2) descriptive name signs; (3) initialized-descriptive name signs; (4) loan/borrowed name signs. Mostly there are represented descriptive and borrowed personal name signs among…

  16. Using Open Geographic Data to Generate Natural Language Descriptions for Hydrological Sensor Networks.

    PubMed

    Molina, Martin; Sanchez-Soriano, Javier; Corcho, Oscar

    2015-07-03

    Providing descriptions of isolated sensors and sensor networks in natural language, understandable by the general public, is useful to help users find relevant sensors and analyze sensor data. In this paper, we discuss the feasibility of using geographic knowledge from public databases available on the Web (such as OpenStreetMap, Geonames, or DBpedia) to automatically construct such descriptions. We present a general method that uses such information to generate sensor descriptions in natural language. The results of the evaluation of our method in a hydrologic national sensor network showed that this approach is feasible and capable of generating adequate sensor descriptions with a lower development effort compared to other approaches. In the paper we also analyze certain problems that we found in public databases (e.g., heterogeneity, non-standard use of labels, or rigid search methods) and their impact in the generation of sensor descriptions.

  17. Using Open Geographic Data to Generate Natural Language Descriptions for Hydrological Sensor Networks

    PubMed Central

    Molina, Martin; Sanchez-Soriano, Javier; Corcho, Oscar

    2015-01-01

    Providing descriptions of isolated sensors and sensor networks in natural language, understandable by the general public, is useful to help users find relevant sensors and analyze sensor data. In this paper, we discuss the feasibility of using geographic knowledge from public databases available on the Web (such as OpenStreetMap, Geonames, or DBpedia) to automatically construct such descriptions. We present a general method that uses such information to generate sensor descriptions in natural language. The results of the evaluation of our method in a hydrologic national sensor network showed that this approach is feasible and capable of generating adequate sensor descriptions with a lower development effort compared to other approaches. In the paper we also analyze certain problems that we found in public databases (e.g., heterogeneity, non-standard use of labels, or rigid search methods) and their impact in the generation of sensor descriptions. PMID:26151211

  18. Does it matter what you call it? A randomized trial of language used to describe palliative care services.

    PubMed

    Maciasz, R M; Arnold, R M; Chu, E; Park, S Y; White, D B; Vater, L B; Schenker, Y

    2013-12-01

    Integration of palliative care into oncology practice remains suboptimal. Misperceptions about the meaning of palliative care may negatively impact utilization. We assessed whether the term and/or description of palliative care services affected patient views. 2x2 between-subject randomized factorial telephone survey of 169 patients with advanced cancer. Patients were randomized into one of four groups that differed by name (supportive care vs. palliative care) and description (patient-centered vs. traditional). Main outcomes (0-10 Likert scale) were patient understanding, impressions, perceived need, and intended use of services. When compared to palliative care, the term supportive care was associated with better understanding (7.7 vs. 6.8; p = 0.021), more favorable impressions (8.4 vs. 7.3; p = 0.002), and higher future perceived need (8.6 vs. 7.7; p = 0.017). There was no difference in outcomes between traditional and patient-centered descriptions. In adjusted linear regression models, the term supportive care remained associated with more favorable impressions (p = 0.003) and higher future perceived need (p = 0.022) when compared to palliative care. Patients with advanced cancer view the name supportive care more favorably than palliative care. Future efforts to integrate principles of palliative medicine into oncology may require changing impressions of palliative care or substituting the term supportive care.

  19. The Immersion Effect

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2016-12-01

    C.   METHODOLOGY ....................................................................................4 D.   LITERATURE REVIEW... Descriptions ................................................10 Table 3.   Interagency Language Roundtable Language Skill Level Table 4. Descriptions ...and cultural acquisition. METHODOLOGY D. In this project the author analyzed official documents associated with Military Information Support

  20. FRED user's manual

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Shilling, J.

    1984-02-01

    FRED, the friendly editor, is a screen-based structured editor. This manual is intended to serve the needs of a wide range of users of the FRED text editor. Most users will find it sufficient to read the introductory material in section 2, supplemented with the full command set description in section 3. Advanced users may wish to change the keystroke sequences which invoke editor commands. Section 4 describes how to change key bindings and how to define command macros. Some users may need to modify a language description or create an entirely new language description for use with FRED. Sectionmore » 5 describes the format of the language descriptions used by the editor, and describes how to construct a language grammar. Section 6 describes known portability problems of the FRED editor and should concern only system installation personnel. The editor points out syntax errors in the file being edited and does automatic pretty printing.« less

  1. Choguita Rarámuri (Tarahumara) Language Description and Documentation: A Guide to the Deposited Collection and Associated Materials

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Caballero, Gabriela

    2017-01-01

    Choguita Rarámuri (Tarahumara) is a Uto-Aztecan language spoken in Northern Mexico of great typological, theoretical, and historical significance. This paper presents an overview and background of the Choguita Rarámuri language description and documentation project and provides a guide to the documentary collection emerging from this project. This…

  2. Automatic Requirements Specification Extraction from Natural Language (ARSENAL)

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2014-10-01

    designers, implementers) involved in the design of software systems. However, natural language descriptions can be informal, incomplete, imprecise...communication of technical descriptions between the various stakeholders (e.g., customers, designers, imple- menters) involved in the design of software systems...the accuracy of the natural language processing stage, the degree of automation, and robustness to noise. 1 2 Introduction Software systems operate in

  3. Putting the Plain into Pain Language in English for Medical Purposes: Learner Inquiry into Patients' Online Descriptive Accounts

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Plastina, Anna Franca

    2016-01-01

    The need to teach medical students plain language for their future engagement in pain communication can no longer be underestimated. Pain education has traditionally neglected the teaching of pain language, yet patients' descriptive accounts have been acknowledged as the standard in medical care. English for Medical Purposes (EMP) can make its…

  4. A Proposed Pattern of Enterprise Architecture

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2013-02-01

    consistent architecture descriptions. UPDM comprises extensions to both OMG’s Unified Modelling Language (UML) and Systems Modelling Language ( SysML ...those who use UML and SysML . These represent significant advancements that enable architecture trade-off analyses, architecture model execution...Language ( SysML ), and thus provides for architectural descriptions that contain a rich set of (formally) connected DoDAF/MoDAF viewpoints expressed

  5. Practices in habilitation of pediatric recipients of cochlear implants in India: A survey.

    PubMed

    Jeyaraman, Janani

    2013-01-01

    Cochlear implant (CI) (re)habilitation programs are long-term processes, with many factors contributing to the overall success. The clinics in India that are working toward pediatric CI habilitation vary in their team philosophy, clinical practices, and service delivery. It is important to explore their clinical perspectives and practices to appreciate their current state and suggest directions for improvement in the future. The objective of the study was to characterize the current status and clinical practices of the pediatric CI programs in India. Twenty-two clinics involved in the pediatric CI habilitation program across India participated in the survey. The heads of the CI teams of the participant clinics completed a validated survey questionnaire containing multiple-choice and open-ended questions on the details of the CI habilitation team, assessment and therapy protocols used, and other related clinical services. The categorical data obtained were analyzed using descriptive statistical measures. The interpretation of results indicated a need to focus future discussions on early identification and management of hearing impairment, funding for CIs, continuing education programs for professionals, decision processes for providing CIs for children with multiple concerns, choice of language(s) of instruction, assessment protocols used, and outreach/consultation services.

  6. Changes in research on language barriers in health care since 2003: A cross-sectional review study.

    PubMed

    Schwei, Rebecca J; Del Pozo, Sam; Agger-Gupta, Niels; Alvarado-Little, Wilma; Bagchi, Ann; Chen, Alice Hm; Diamond, Lisa; Gany, Francesca; Wong, Doreena; Jacobs, Elizabeth A

    2016-02-01

    Understanding how to mitigate language barriers is becoming increasingly important for health care providers around the world. Language barriers adversely affect patients in their access to health services; comprehension and adherence; quality of care; and patient and provider satisfaction. In 2003, the United States (US) government made a major change in national policy guidance that significantly affected limited English proficient patients' ability to access language services. The objectives of this paper are to describe the state of the language barriers literature inside and outside the US since 2003 and to compare the research that was conducted before and after a national policy change occurred in the US. We hypothesize that language barrier research would increase inside and outside the US but that the increase in research would be larger inside the US in response to this national policy change. We reviewed the research literature on language barriers in health care and conducted a cross sectional analysis by tabulating frequencies for geographic location, language group, methodology, research focus and specialty and compared the literature before and after 2003. Our sample included 136 studies prior to 2003 and 426 studies from 2003 to 2010. In the 2003-2010 time period there was a new interest in studying the providers' perspective instead of or in addition to the patients' perspective. The methods remained similar between periods with greater than 60% of studies being descriptive and 12% being interventions. There was an increase in research on language barriers inside and outside the US and we believe this was larger due to the change in the national policy. We suggest that researchers worldwide should move away from simply documenting the existence of language barriers and should begin to focus their research on documenting how language concordant care influences patient outcomes, providing evidence for interventions that mitigate language barriers, and evaluating the cost effectiveness of providing language concordant care to patients with language barriers. We think this is possible if funding agencies around the world begin to request proposals for these types of research studies. Together, we can begin document meaningful ways to provide high quality health care to patients with language barriers. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. Information governance in NHS's NPfIT: a case for policy specification.

    PubMed

    Becker, Moritz Y

    2007-01-01

    The National Health Service's (NHS's) National Programme for Information Technology (NPfIT) in the UK with its proposed nation-wide online health record service poses serious technical challenges, especially with regard to access control and patient confidentiality. The complexity of the confidentiality requirements and their constantly evolving nature (due to changes in law, guidelines and ethical consensus) make traditional technologies such as role-based access control (RBAC) unsuitable. Furthermore, a more formal approach is also needed for debating about and communicating on information governance, as natural-language descriptions of security policies are inherently ambiguous and incomplete. Our main goal is to convince the reader of the strong benefits of employing formal policy specification in nation-wide electronic health record (EHR) projects. Many difficulties could be alleviated by specifying the requirements in a formal authorisation policy language such as Cassandra. The language is unambiguous, declarative and machine-enforceable, and is based on distributed constrained Datalog. Cassandra is interpreted within a distributed Trust Management environment, where digital credentials are used for establishing mutual trust between strangers. To demonstrate how policy specification can be applied to NPfIT, we translate a fragment of natural-language NHS specification into formal Cassandra rules. In particular, we present policy rules pertaining to the management of Clinician Sealed Envelopes, the mechanism by which clinical patient data can be concealed in the nation-wide EHR service. Our case study exposes ambiguities and incompletenesses in the informal NHS documents. We strongly recommend the use of trust management and policy specification technology for the implementation of nation-wide EHR infrastructures. Formal policies can be used for automatically enforcing confidentiality requirements, but also for specification and communication purposes. Formalising the requirements also reveals ambiguities and missing details in the currently used informal specification documents.

  8. Health care system accessibility. Experiences and perceptions of deaf people.

    PubMed

    Steinberg, Annie G; Barnett, Steven; Meador, Helen E; Wiggins, Erin A; Zazove, Philip

    2006-03-01

    People who are deaf use health care services differently than the general population; little research has been carried out to understand the reasons. To better understand the health care experiences of deaf people who communicate in American Sign Language. Qualitative analyses of focus group discussions in 3 U.S. cities. Ninety-one deaf adults who communicate primarily in American Sign Language. We collected information about health care communication and perceptions of clinicians' attitudes. We elicited stories of both positive and negative encounters, as well as recommendations for improving health care. Communication difficulties were ubiquitous. Fear, mistrust, and frustration were prominent in participants' descriptions of health care encounters. Positive experiences were characterized by the presence of medically experienced certified interpreters, health care practitioners with sign language skills, and practitioners who made an effort to improve communication. Many participants acknowledged limited knowledge of their legal rights and did not advocate for themselves. Some participants believed that health care practitioners should learn more about sociocultural aspects of deafness. Deaf people report difficulties using health care services. Physicians can facilitate change to improve this. Future research should explore the perspective of clinicians when working with deaf people, ways to improve communication, and the impact of programs that teach deaf people self-advocacy skills and about their legal rights.

  9. SSWAP: A Simple Semantic Web Architecture and Protocol for semantic web services

    PubMed Central

    Gessler, Damian DG; Schiltz, Gary S; May, Greg D; Avraham, Shulamit; Town, Christopher D; Grant, David; Nelson, Rex T

    2009-01-01

    Background SSWAP (Simple Semantic Web Architecture and Protocol; pronounced "swap") is an architecture, protocol, and platform for using reasoning to semantically integrate heterogeneous disparate data and services on the web. SSWAP was developed as a hybrid semantic web services technology to overcome limitations found in both pure web service technologies and pure semantic web technologies. Results There are currently over 2400 resources published in SSWAP. Approximately two dozen are custom-written services for QTL (Quantitative Trait Loci) and mapping data for legumes and grasses (grains). The remaining are wrappers to Nucleic Acids Research Database and Web Server entries. As an architecture, SSWAP establishes how clients (users of data, services, and ontologies), providers (suppliers of data, services, and ontologies), and discovery servers (semantic search engines) interact to allow for the description, querying, discovery, invocation, and response of semantic web services. As a protocol, SSWAP provides the vocabulary and semantics to allow clients, providers, and discovery servers to engage in semantic web services. The protocol is based on the W3C-sanctioned first-order description logic language OWL DL. As an open source platform, a discovery server running at (as in to "swap info") uses the description logic reasoner Pellet to integrate semantic resources. The platform hosts an interactive guide to the protocol at , developer tools at , and a portal to third-party ontologies at (a "swap meet"). Conclusion SSWAP addresses the three basic requirements of a semantic web services architecture (i.e., a common syntax, shared semantic, and semantic discovery) while addressing three technology limitations common in distributed service systems: i.e., i) the fatal mutability of traditional interfaces, ii) the rigidity and fragility of static subsumption hierarchies, and iii) the confounding of content, structure, and presentation. SSWAP is novel by establishing the concept of a canonical yet mutable OWL DL graph that allows data and service providers to describe their resources, to allow discovery servers to offer semantically rich search engines, to allow clients to discover and invoke those resources, and to allow providers to respond with semantically tagged data. SSWAP allows for a mix-and-match of terms from both new and legacy third-party ontologies in these graphs. PMID:19775460

  10. 42 CFR 409.23 - Physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech-language pathology services.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-10-01

    ...-language pathology services. 409.23 Section 409.23 Public Health CENTERS FOR MEDICARE & MEDICAID SERVICES... § 409.23 Physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech-language pathology services. Medicare pays for physical therapy, occupational therapy, or speech-language pathology services as posthospital SNF...

  11. 42 CFR 409.23 - Physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech-language pathology services.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-10-01

    ...-language pathology services. 409.23 Section 409.23 Public Health CENTERS FOR MEDICARE & MEDICAID SERVICES... § 409.23 Physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech-language pathology services. Medicare pays for physical therapy, occupational therapy, or speech-language pathology services as posthospital SNF...

  12. 42 CFR 409.23 - Physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech-language pathology services.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-10-01

    ...-language pathology services. 409.23 Section 409.23 Public Health CENTERS FOR MEDICARE & MEDICAID SERVICES... § 409.23 Physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech-language pathology services. Medicare pays for physical therapy, occupational therapy, or speech-language pathology services as posthospital SNF...

  13. 42 CFR 409.23 - Physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech-language pathology services.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-10-01

    ...-language pathology services. 409.23 Section 409.23 Public Health CENTERS FOR MEDICARE & MEDICAID SERVICES... § 409.23 Physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech-language pathology services. Medicare pays for physical therapy, occupational therapy, or speech-language pathology services as posthospital SNF...

  14. Pragmatic service development and customisation with the CEDA OGC Web Services framework

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pascoe, Stephen; Stephens, Ag; Lowe, Dominic

    2010-05-01

    The CEDA OGC Web Services framework (COWS) emphasises rapid service development by providing a lightweight layer of OGC web service logic on top of Pylons, a mature web application framework for the Python language. This approach gives developers a flexible web service development environment without compromising access to the full range of web application tools and patterns: Model-View-Controller paradigm, XML templating, Object-Relational-Mapper integration and authentication/authorization. We have found this approach useful for exploring evolving standards and implementing protocol extensions to meet the requirements of operational deployments. This paper outlines how COWS is being used to implement customised WMS, WCS, WFS and WPS services in a variety of web applications from experimental prototypes to load-balanced cluster deployments serving 10-100 simultaneous users. In particular we will cover 1) The use of Climate Science Modeling Language (CSML) in complex-feature aware WMS, WCS and WFS services, 2) Extending WMS to support applications with features specific to earth system science and 3) A cluster-enabled Web Processing Service (WPS) supporting asynchronous data processing. The COWS WPS underpins all backend services in the UK Climate Projections User Interface where users can extract, plot and further process outputs from a multi-dimensional probabilistic climate model dataset. The COWS WPS supports cluster job execution, result caching, execution time estimation and user management. The COWS WMS and WCS components drive the project-specific NCEO and QESDI portals developed by the British Atmospheric Data Centre. These portals use CSML as a backend description format and implement features such as multiple WMS layer dimensions and climatology axes that are beyond the scope of general purpose GIS tools and yet vital for atmospheric science applications.

  15. Harmonised information exchange between decentralised food composition database systems.

    PubMed

    Pakkala, H; Christensen, T; de Victoria, I Martínez; Presser, K; Kadvan, A

    2010-11-01

    The main aim of the European Food Information Resource (EuroFIR) project is to develop and disseminate a comprehensive, coherent and validated data bank for the distribution of food composition data (FCD). This can only be accomplished by harmonising food description and data documentation and by the use of standardised thesauri. The data bank is implemented through a network of local FCD storages (usually national) under the control and responsibility of the local (national) EuroFIR partner. The implementation of the system based on the EuroFIR specifications is under development. The data interchange happens through the EuroFIR Web Services interface, allowing the partners to implement their system using methods and software suitable for the local computer environment. The implementation uses common international standards, such as Simple Object Access Protocol, Web Service Description Language and Extensible Markup Language (XML). A specifically constructed EuroFIR search facility (eSearch) was designed for end users. The EuroFIR eSearch facility compiles queries using a specifically designed Food Data Query Language and sends a request to those network nodes linked to the EuroFIR Web Services that will most likely have the requested information. The retrieved FCD are compiled into a specifically designed data interchange format (the EuroFIR Food Data Transport Package) in XML, which is sent back to the EuroFIR eSearch facility as the query response. The same request-response operation happens in all the nodes that have been selected in the EuroFIR eSearch facility for a certain task. Finally, the FCD are combined by the EuroFIR eSearch facility and delivered to the food compiler. The implementation of FCD interchange using decentralised computer systems instead of traditional data-centre models has several advantages. First of all, the local partners have more control over their FCD, which will increase commitment and improve quality. Second, a multicentred solution is more economically viable than the creation of a centralised data bank, because of the lack of national political support for multinational systems.

  16. Use of information-retrieval languages in automated retrieval of experimental data from long-term storage

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Khovanskiy, Y. D.; Kremneva, N. I.

    1975-01-01

    Problems and methods are discussed of automating information retrieval operations in a data bank used for long term storage and retrieval of data from scientific experiments. Existing information retrieval languages are analyzed along with those being developed. The results of studies discussing the application of the descriptive 'Kristall' language used in the 'ASIOR' automated information retrieval system are presented. The development and use of a specialized language of the classification-descriptive type, using universal decimal classification indices as the main descriptors, is described.

  17. Factors determining access to oral health services among children aged less than 12 years in Peru.

    PubMed

    Azañedo, Diego; Hernández-Vásquez, Akram; Casas-Bendezú, Mixsi; Gutiérrez, César; Agudelo-Suárez, Andrés A; Cortés, Sandra

    2017-01-01

    Background: Understanding problems of access to oral health services requires knowledge of factors that determine access. This study aimed to evaluate factors that determine access to oral health services among children aged <12 years in Peru between 2014 and 2015. Methods: We performed a secondary data analysis of 71,614 Peruvian children aged <12 years and their caregivers. Data were obtained from the Survey on Demography and Family Health 2014-2015 (Encuesta Demográfica y de Salud Familiar - ENDES). Children's access to oral health services within the previous 6 months was used as the dependent variable (i.e. Yes/No), and the Andersen and col model was used to select independent variables. Predisposing (e.g., language spoken by  tutor or guardian, wealth level, caregivers' educational level, area of residence, natural region of residence, age, and sex) and enabling factors (e.g. type of health insurance) were considered. Descriptive statistics were calculated, and multivariate analysis was performed using generalized linear models (Poisson family). Results: Of all the children, 51% were males, 56% were aged <5 years, and 62.6% lived in urban areas. The most common type of health insurance was Integral Health Insurance (57.8%), and most respondents were in the first quintile of wealth (31.6%). Regarding caregivers, the most common educational level was high school (43.02%) and the most frequently spoken language was Spanish (88.4%). Univariate analysis revealed that all variables, except sex and primary educational level, were statistically significant. After adjustment, sex, area of residence, and language were insignificant, whereas the remaining variables were statistically significant. Conclusions: Wealth index, caregivers' education level, natural region of residence, age, and type of health insurance are factors that determine access to oral health services among children aged <12 years in Peru. These factors should be considered when devising strategies to mitigate against inequities in access to oral health services.

  18. Factors determining access to oral health services among children aged less than 12 years in Peru

    PubMed Central

    Azañedo, Diego; Hernández-Vásquez, Akram; Casas-Bendezú, Mixsi; Gutiérrez, César; Agudelo-Suárez, Andrés A.; Cortés, Sandra

    2017-01-01

    Background: Understanding problems of access to oral health services requires knowledge of factors that determine access. This study aimed to evaluate factors that determine access to oral health services among children aged <12 years in Peru between 2014 and 2015. Methods: We performed a secondary data analysis of 71,614 Peruvian children aged <12 years and their caregivers. Data were obtained from the Survey on Demography and Family Health 2014-2015 (Encuesta Demográfica y de Salud Familiar - ENDES). Children’s access to oral health services within the previous 6 months was used as the dependent variable (i.e. Yes/No), and the Andersen and col model was used to select independent variables. Predisposing (e.g., language spoken by  tutor or guardian, wealth level, caregivers’ educational level, area of residence, natural region of residence, age, and sex) and enabling factors (e.g. type of health insurance) were considered. Descriptive statistics were calculated, and multivariate analysis was performed using generalized linear models (Poisson family). Results: Of all the children, 51% were males, 56% were aged <5 years, and 62.6% lived in urban areas. The most common type of health insurance was Integral Health Insurance (57.8%), and most respondents were in the first quintile of wealth (31.6%). Regarding caregivers, the most common educational level was high school (43.02%) and the most frequently spoken language was Spanish (88.4%). Univariate analysis revealed that all variables, except sex and primary educational level, were statistically significant. After adjustment, sex, area of residence, and language were insignificant, whereas the remaining variables were statistically significant. Conclusions: Wealth index, caregivers’ education level, natural region of residence, age, and type of health insurance are factors that determine access to oral health services among children aged <12 years in Peru. These factors should be considered when devising strategies to mitigate against inequities in access to oral health services. PMID:29527289

  19. Sustaining and improving an international service-learning partnership: Evaluation of an evidence-based service delivery model.

    PubMed

    Hayward, Lorna M; Li, Li

    2017-06-01

    International service learning (ISL) is an instructional method used by physical therapist educators in the United States (US) to prepare students for rendering culturally competent care. ISL is a faculty led student learning opportunity that includes academic instruction and community service in an international context. Research exists that explores student experiences with ISL, but studies that evaluate ISL partnerships and include global stakeholder feedback are lacking. The purposes of this study were to: 1) integrate a partnership evaluation component into an existing curriculum-based ISL model and 2) through evaluation identify benefits, drawbacks, and suggestions for improving and sustaining the academic-community partnership. Community-based participatory research design using a mixed methods approach was used to evaluate a ISL partnership between a US-based physical therapy program and a service site in Ecuador. Participants were 31 staff working at the global service site. Over three years, 11 interviews were conducted and 26 surveys were administered to global partner staff. Data were analyzed using qualitative thematic content analysis and descriptive statistics. Partnership benefits included the following: continuity of ISL team leadership, targeted rehabilitative efforts, sensitivity to cultural norms, respectful communication, and interaction with local community. Drawbacks were as follows: deficits in cultural awareness, language barriers, and poor treatment carryover. Suggestions for sustaining the relationship incorporated: additional pre-trip communication, education of staff, and improved language skills. As more US teams deliver clinical services abroad, intentional evaluation approaches must include the global stakeholder in the planning, implementation, and evaluation phases to maximize partnerships benefits.

  20. Cohort profile of the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust Biomedical Research Centre (SLaM BRC) Case Register: current status and recent enhancement of an Electronic Mental Health Record-derived data resource.

    PubMed

    Perera, Gayan; Broadbent, Matthew; Callard, Felicity; Chang, Chin-Kuo; Downs, Johnny; Dutta, Rina; Fernandes, Andrea; Hayes, Richard D; Henderson, Max; Jackson, Richard; Jewell, Amelia; Kadra, Giouliana; Little, Ryan; Pritchard, Megan; Shetty, Hitesh; Tulloch, Alex; Stewart, Robert

    2016-03-01

    The South London and Maudsley National Health Service (NHS) Foundation Trust Biomedical Research Centre (SLaM BRC) Case Register and its Clinical Record Interactive Search (CRIS) application were developed in 2008, generating a research repository of real-time, anonymised, structured and open-text data derived from the electronic health record system used by SLaM, a large mental healthcare provider in southeast London. In this paper, we update this register's descriptive data, and describe the substantial expansion and extension of the data resource since its original development. Descriptive data were generated from the SLaM BRC Case Register on 31 December 2014. Currently, there are over 250,000 patient records accessed through CRIS. Since 2008, the most significant developments in the SLaM BRC Case Register have been the introduction of natural language processing to extract structured data from open-text fields, linkages to external sources of data, and the addition of a parallel relational database (Structured Query Language) output. Natural language processing applications to date have brought in new and hitherto inaccessible data on cognitive function, education, social care receipt, smoking, diagnostic statements and pharmacotherapy. In addition, through external data linkages, large volumes of supplementary information have been accessed on mortality, hospital attendances and cancer registrations. Coupled with robust data security and governance structures, electronic health records provide potentially transformative information on mental disorders and outcomes in routine clinical care. The SLaM BRC Case Register continues to grow as a database, with approximately 20,000 new cases added each year, in addition to extension of follow-up for existing cases. Data linkages and natural language processing present important opportunities to enhance this type of research resource further, achieving both volume and depth of data. However, research projects still need to be carefully tailored, so that they take into account the nature and quality of the source information. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/

  1. EOS situational data shared service mechanism

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lv, L.; Xu, Q.; Lan, C. Z.; Shi, Q. S.; Lu, W. J.; Wu, W. Q.

    2016-11-01

    With the rapid development of aerospace and remote sensing technology, various high-resolution Earth Observation Systems (EOS) are widely used in economic, social, military and other fields and playing an increasingly prominent role in the construction of Digital Earth and national strategic planning. The normal operation of the system is the premise of high quality data acquisition. Compared with the ground observation mode, EOS itself and the surrounding environment are more complex, and its operation control mainly depends on all kinds of Space Situational Awareness (SSA) data acquisition and analysis. SSA data has more extensive sources, larger volume, stronger time-effectiveness and more complicated structure than traditional geographical spatial data. For effective data sharing and utilization, combined with the analysis of data types and structures, a SSA data sharing identity language SSDSML is designed based on the extensible mark-up language XML, which realizes a comprehensive description of satellites and their attributes, space environment, ground stations, etc. Then EOS situational data shared service mechanism is established and provides a powerful data support for the normal operation of the system.

  2. Natural Language Description of Emotion

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kazemzadeh, Abe

    2013-01-01

    This dissertation studies how people describe emotions with language and how computers can simulate this descriptive behavior. Although many non-human animals can express their current emotions as social signals, only humans can communicate about emotions symbolically. This symbolic communication of emotion allows us to talk about emotions that we…

  3. South Korea: Language Policy and Planning in the Making

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Song, Jae Jung

    2012-01-01

    This monograph discusses South Korea's language situation in a language policy and planning context. This monograph consists of four parts. Part 1 presents a genetic, typological and sociolinguistic description of South Korea's national language, and an overview of minority languages, including English as well as other languages, recently…

  4. FLAX: Flexible and Open Corpus-Based Language Collections Development

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fitzgerald, Alannah; Wu, Shaoqun; Marín, María José

    2015-01-01

    In this case study we present innovative work in building open corpus-based language collections by focusing on a description of the opensource multilingual Flexible Language Acquisition (FLAX) language project, which is an ongoing example of open materials development practices for language teaching and learning. We present language-learning…

  5. Systems Biology Graphical Notation: Process Description language Level 1 Version 1.3.

    PubMed

    Moodie, Stuart; Le Novère, Nicolas; Demir, Emek; Mi, Huaiyu; Villéger, Alice

    2015-09-04

    The Systems Biological Graphical Notation (SBGN) is an international community effort for standardized graphical representations of biological pathways and networks. The goal of SBGN is to provide unambiguous pathway and network maps for readers with different scientific backgrounds as well as to support efficient and accurate exchange of biological knowledge between different research communities, industry, and other players in systems biology. Three SBGN languages, Process Description (PD), Entity Relationship (ER) and Activity Flow (AF), allow for the representation of different aspects of biological and biochemical systems at different levels of detail. The SBGN Process Description language represents biological entities and processes between these entities within a network. SBGN PD focuses on the mechanistic description and temporal dependencies of biological interactions and transformations. The nodes (elements) are split into entity nodes describing, e.g., metabolites, proteins, genes and complexes, and process nodes describing, e.g., reactions and associations. The edges (connections) provide descriptions of relationships (or influences) between the nodes, such as consumption, production, stimulation and inhibition. Among all three languages of SBGN, PD is the closest to metabolic and regulatory pathways in biological literature and textbooks, but its well-defined semantics offer a superior precision in expressing biological knowledge.

  6. A preliminary comparison of Cantonese and American-English as taste languages.

    PubMed

    O'Mahony, M; Tsang, T

    1980-05-01

    Groups of monolingual American-English speaking Americans of Chinese descent were compared with Cantonese/American-English bilingual Chinese living in America to examine their taste descriptions for a set of aqueous solutions. Cantonese, unlike other languages, did not appear to differ greatly from American-English in its general taste descriptive strategy and depth of vocabulary, although Cantonese speakers had a tendency to use 'glutamic' as a descriptive term for monosodium glutamate.

  7. Classification and Counter-Classification of Language on Saint Barthelemy.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pressman, Jon F.

    1998-01-01

    Analyzes the use of metapragmatic description in the ethnoclassification of language by native speakers on the Franco-Antillean island of Saint Barthelemy. A prevalent technique for metapragmatic description based on honorific pronouns that reflects the varied geolinguistic and generational attributes of the speakers is described. (Author/MSE)

  8. Computer hardware description languages - A tutorial

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Shiva, S. G.

    1979-01-01

    The paper introduces hardware description languages (HDL) as useful tools for hardware design and documentation. The capabilities and limitations of HDLs are discussed along with the guidelines needed in selecting an appropriate HDL. The directions for future work are provided and attention is given to the implementation of HDLs in microcomputers.

  9. Two Types of Definites in Natural Language

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Schwarz, Florian

    2009-01-01

    This thesis is concerned with the description and analysis of two semantically different types of definite articles in German. While the existence of distinct article paradigms in various Germanic dialects and other languages has been acknowledged in the descriptive literature for quite some time, the theoretical implications of their existence…

  10. An Introduction to the Resource Description Framework.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Miller, Eric

    1998-01-01

    Explains the Resource Description Framework (RDF), an infrastructure developed under the World Wide Web Consortium that enables the encoding, exchange, and reuse of structured metadata. It is an application of Extended Markup Language (XML), which is a subset of Standard Generalized Markup Language (SGML), and helps with expressing semantics.…

  11. Hardware acceleration and verification of systems designed with hardware description languages (HDL)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wisniewski, Remigiusz; Wegrzyn, Marek

    2005-02-01

    Hardware description languages (HDLs) allow creating bigger and bigger designs nowadays. The size of prototyped systems very often exceeds million gates. Therefore verification process of the designs takes several hours or even days. The solution for this problem can be solved by hardware acceleration of simulation.

  12. Towards a Bernsteinian Language of Description for Mathematics Classroom Discourse

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Straehler-Pohl, Hauke; Gellert, Uwe

    2013-01-01

    This article aims at developing an external language of description to investigate the problem of why particular groups of students are systematically not provided access to school mathematical knowledge. Based on Basil Bernstein's conceptualisation of power in classification, we develop a three-dimensional model that operationalises the…

  13. 77 FR 65927 - 60-Day Notice of Proposed Information Collection: Office of Language Services Contractor...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-10-31

    ... of Language Services Contractor Application Form ACTION: Notice of request for public comment... Collection: Office of Language Services Contractor Application Form. OMB Control Number: 1405-0191. Type of... become contractors for the U.S. Department of State, Office of Language Services, the information...

  14. Composing Models of Geographic Physical Processes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hofer, Barbara; Frank, Andrew U.

    Processes are central for geographic information science; yet geographic information systems (GIS) lack capabilities to represent process related information. A prerequisite to including processes in GIS software is a general method to describe geographic processes independently of application disciplines. This paper presents such a method, namely a process description language. The vocabulary of the process description language is derived formally from mathematical models. Physical processes in geography can be described in two equivalent languages: partial differential equations or partial difference equations, where the latter can be shown graphically and used as a method for application specialists to enter their process models. The vocabulary of the process description language comprises components for describing the general behavior of prototypical geographic physical processes. These process components can be composed by basic models of geographic physical processes, which is shown by means of an example.

  15. English-Language Writing Instruction in Poland

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Reichelt, Melinda

    2005-01-01

    Second language writing scholars have undertaken descriptions of English-language writing instruction in a variety of international settings, describing the role of various contextual factors in shaping English-language writing instruction. This article describes English-language writing instruction at various levels in Poland, noting how it is…

  16. Running MONET and SALT with Remote Telescope Markup Language 3.0

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hessman, F. V.; Romero, E.

    2003-05-01

    Complex robotic and service observations in heterogenous networks of telescopes require a common telescopic lingua franca for the description and transport of observing requests and results. Building upon the experience gained within the Hands-On Universe (HOU) and advanced amateur communities with Remote Telescope Markup Language (RTML) Version 2.1 (http://sunra.lbl.gov/rtml), we have implemented a revised RTML syntax (Version 3.0) which is fully capable of - running the two 1.2m MONET robotic telescopes for a very inhomogeneous clientel from 3 research institutions and high school classes all over the world; - connecting MONET to the HOU telescope network; - connecting MONET as a trigger to the 11m SALT telescope; - providing all the objects needed to perform and document internet-based user support, ranging all the way from proposal submission and time-allocation to observation reports.

  17. Modular hardware synthesis using an HDL. [Hardware Description Language

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Covington, J. A.; Shiva, S. G.

    1981-01-01

    Although hardware description languages (HDL) are becoming more and more necessary to automated design systems, their application is complicated due to the difficulty in translating the HDL description into an implementable format, nonfamiliarity of hardware designers with high-level language programming, nonuniform design methodologies and the time and costs involved in transfering HDL design software. Digital design language (DDL) suffers from all of the above problems and in addition can only by synthesized on a complete system and not on its subparts, making it unsuitable for synthesis using standard modules or prefabricated chips such as those required in LSI or VLSI circuits. The present paper presents a method by which the DDL translator can be made to generate modular equations that will allow the system to be synthesized as an interconnection of lower-level modules. The method involves the introduction of a new language construct called a Module which provides for the separate translation of all equations bounded by it.

  18. The Language Grid: supporting intercultural collaboration

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ishida, T.

    2018-03-01

    A variety of language resources already exist online. Unfortunately, since many language resources have usage restrictions, it is virtually impossible for each user to negotiate with every language resource provider when combining several resources to achieve the intended purpose. To increase the accessibility and usability of language resources (dictionaries, parallel texts, part-of-speech taggers, machine translators, etc.), we proposed the Language Grid [1]; it wraps existing language resources as atomic services and enables users to create new services by combining the atomic services, and reduces the negotiation costs related to intellectual property rights [4]. Our slogan is “language services from language resources.” We believe that modularization with recombination is the key to creating a full range of customized language environments for various user communities.

  19. The carbohydrate sequence markup language (CabosML): an XML description of carbohydrate structures.

    PubMed

    Kikuchi, Norihiro; Kameyama, Akihiko; Nakaya, Shuuichi; Ito, Hiromi; Sato, Takashi; Shikanai, Toshihide; Takahashi, Yoriko; Narimatsu, Hisashi

    2005-04-15

    Bioinformatics resources for glycomics are very poor as compared with those for genomics and proteomics. The complexity of carbohydrate sequences makes it difficult to define a common language to represent them, and the development of bioinformatics tools for glycomics has not progressed. In this study, we developed a carbohydrate sequence markup language (CabosML), an XML description of carbohydrate structures. The language definition (XML Schema) and an experimental database of carbohydrate structures using an XML database management system are available at http://www.phoenix.hydra.mki.co.jp/CabosDemo.html kikuchi@hydra.mki.co.jp.

  20. Providing Written Language Services in the Schools: The Time Is Now

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fallon, Karen A.; Katz, Lauren A.

    2011-01-01

    Purpose: The current study was conducted to investigate the provision of written language services by school-based speech-language pathologists (SLPs). Specifically, the study examined SLPs' knowledge, attitudes, and collaborative practices in the area of written language services as well as the variables that impact provision of these services.…

  1. Barrier-free communication in maternity care of allophone migrants: BRIDGE study protocol.

    PubMed

    Origlia Ikhilor, Paola; Hasenberg, Gabriele; Kurth, Elisabeth; Stocker Kalberer, Barbara; Cignacco, Eva; Pehlke-Milde, Jessica

    2018-02-01

    To describe communication and access barriers encountered by allophone women of different migration backgrounds in the Swiss maternity care services, from the perspective of users, healthcare professionals and intercultural interpreters. In addition to the challenges of maternal adjustment, pregnant migrant women must also deal with an unfamiliar health service system. Some must overcome language barriers and the stress of uncertain residence status. Limited access to maternity care increases perinatal morbidity and mortality. Almost 10% of foreigners speak none of Switzerland's official languages. Factors that facilitate or hinder communication between migrant women and perinatal healthcare professionals are under-studied and must be understood if we are to overcome those barriers in clinical practice. Qualitative exploratory study with quantitative sub-study. Participants will be drawn from German to speaking regions of Switzerland. We will conduct focus group discussions and semi-structured interviews with users in their own language (Albanian and Tigrinya) and with healthcare professionals and intercultural interpreters (March-June 2016), then perform Thematic Analysis on the data. In the sub-study, midwives will report their experience of using a telephone interpreting service during postnatal home visits in a questionnaire (October 2013-March 2016). Data will be analysed with descriptive statistics. Our study will reveal patterns in communications between allophone migrant women and healthcare providers and communication barriers. By incorporating multiple perspectives, we will describe the challenges all parties face. Our results will inform those who draft recommendations to improve provision of maternity care to allophone women and their families. ClinicalTrials.gov ID: BernUAS NCT02695316. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  2. Effects of Community Service-Learning on Heritage Language Learners' Attitudes toward Their Language and Culture

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pascual y Cabo, Diego; Prada, Josh; Lowther Pereira, Kelly

    2017-01-01

    This study examined the effects of participation in a community service-learning experience on Spanish heritage language learners' attitudes toward their heritage language and culture. Quantitative and qualitative data from heritage language learners demonstrated that engagement in community service-learning activities as part of the Spanish…

  3. A program code generator for multiphysics biological simulation using markup languages.

    PubMed

    Amano, Akira; Kawabata, Masanari; Yamashita, Yoshiharu; Rusty Punzalan, Florencio; Shimayoshi, Takao; Kuwabara, Hiroaki; Kunieda, Yoshitoshi

    2012-01-01

    To cope with the complexity of the biological function simulation models, model representation with description language is becoming popular. However, simulation software itself becomes complex in these environment, thus, it is difficult to modify the simulation conditions, target computation resources or calculation methods. In the complex biological function simulation software, there are 1) model equations, 2) boundary conditions and 3) calculation schemes. Use of description model file is useful for first point and partly second point, however, third point is difficult to handle for various calculation schemes which is required for simulation models constructed from two or more elementary models. We introduce a simulation software generation system which use description language based description of coupling calculation scheme together with cell model description file. By using this software, we can easily generate biological simulation code with variety of coupling calculation schemes. To show the efficiency of our system, example of coupling calculation scheme with three elementary models are shown.

  4. Creating Body Shapes From Verbal Descriptions by Linking Similarity Spaces.

    PubMed

    Hill, Matthew Q; Streuber, Stephan; Hahn, Carina A; Black, Michael J; O'Toole, Alice J

    2016-11-01

    Brief verbal descriptions of people's bodies (e.g., "curvy," "long-legged") can elicit vivid mental images. The ease with which these mental images are created belies the complexity of three-dimensional body shapes. We explored the relationship between body shapes and body descriptions and showed that a small number of words can be used to generate categorically accurate representations of three-dimensional bodies. The dimensions of body-shape variation that emerged in a language-based similarity space were related to major dimensions of variation computed directly from three-dimensional laser scans of 2,094 bodies. This relationship allowed us to generate three-dimensional models of people in the shape space using only their coordinates on analogous dimensions in the language-based description space. Human descriptions of photographed bodies and their corresponding models matched closely. The natural mapping between the spaces illustrates the role of language as a concise code for body shape that captures perceptually salient global and local body features. © The Author(s) 2016.

  5. Microprocessor Design Using Hardware Description Language

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mita, Rosario; Palumbo, Gaetano

    2008-01-01

    The following paper has been conceived to deal with the contents of some lectures aimed at enhancing courses on digital electronic, microelectronic or VLSI systems. Those lectures show how to use a hardware description language (HDL), such as the VHDL, to specify, design and verify a custom microprocessor. The general goal of this work is to teach…

  6. An Electronic Finding Aid Using Extensible Markup Language (XML) and Encoded Archival Description (EAD).

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chang, May

    2000-01-01

    Describes the development of electronic finding aids for archives at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign that used XML (extensible markup language) and EAD (encoded archival description) to enable more flexible information management and retrieval than using MARC or a relational database management system. EAD template is appended.…

  7. Object Language and the Language Subject: On the Mediating Role of Applied Linguistics.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Widdowson, Henry G.

    2000-01-01

    Examines the extent to which linguistic descriptions can adequately account for their reality for learners and provide a reference point for the design of language courses. Special concern is focused on second language learners as a particular kind of language user. (Author/VWL)

  8. Understanding How Babies Build Language Skills

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Honig, Alice Sterling

    2006-01-01

    Language is a great communication system. Through language, humans can express logical reasoning, grief, happiness, wishes, descriptions, and a rich array of feelings and ideas. Every baby deserves the gift of language power! In this article, the author discusses how babies build language skills and presents activities to help babies build…

  9. Research accomplished at the Knowledge Based Systems Lab: IDEF3, version 1.0

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mayer, Richard J.; Menzel, Christopher P.; Mayer, Paula S. D.

    1991-01-01

    An overview is presented of the foundations and content of the evolving IDEF3 process flow and object state description capture method. This method is currently in beta test. Ongoing efforts in the formulation of formal semantics models for descriptions captured in the outlined form and in the actual application of this method can be expected to cause an evolution in the method language. A language is described for the representation of process and object state centered system description. IDEF3 is a scenario driven process flow modeling methodology created specifically for these types of descriptive activities.

  10. Virtual Sensor Web Architecture

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bose, P.; Zimdars, A.; Hurlburt, N.; Doug, S.

    2006-12-01

    NASA envisions the development of smart sensor webs, intelligent and integrated observation network that harness distributed sensing assets, their associated continuous and complex data sets, and predictive observation processing mechanisms for timely, collaborative hazard mitigation and enhanced science productivity and reliability. This paper presents Virtual Sensor Web Infrastructure for Collaborative Science (VSICS) Architecture for sustained coordination of (numerical and distributed) model-based processing, closed-loop resource allocation, and observation planning. VSICS's key ideas include i) rich descriptions of sensors as services based on semantic markup languages like OWL and SensorML; ii) service-oriented workflow composition and repair for simple and ensemble models; event-driven workflow execution based on event-based and distributed workflow management mechanisms; and iii) development of autonomous model interaction management capabilities providing closed-loop control of collection resources driven by competing targeted observation needs. We present results from initial work on collaborative science processing involving distributed services (COSEC framework) that is being extended to create VSICS.

  11. A SOPC-BASED Evaluation of AES for 2.4 GHz Wireless Network

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ken, Cai; Xiaoying, Liang

    In modern systems, data security is needed more than ever before and many cryptographic algorithms are utilized for security services. Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN) is an example of such technologies. In this paper an innovative SOPC-based approach for the security services evaluation in WSN is proposed that addresses the issues of scalability, flexible performance, and silicon efficiency for the hardware acceleration of encryption system. The design includes a Nios II processor together with custom designed modules for the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) which has become the default choice for various security services in numerous applications. The objective of this mechanism is to present an efficient hardware realization of AES using very high speed integrated circuit hardware description language (Verilog HDL) and expand the usability for various applications. As compared to traditional customize processor design, the mechanism provides a very broad range of cost/performance points.

  12. Protein Data Bank Japan (PDBj): maintaining a structural data archive and resource description framework format

    PubMed Central

    Kinjo, Akira R.; Suzuki, Hirofumi; Yamashita, Reiko; Ikegawa, Yasuyo; Kudou, Takahiro; Igarashi, Reiko; Kengaku, Yumiko; Cho, Hasumi; Standley, Daron M.; Nakagawa, Atsushi; Nakamura, Haruki

    2012-01-01

    The Protein Data Bank Japan (PDBj, http://pdbj.org) is a member of the worldwide Protein Data Bank (wwPDB) and accepts and processes the deposited data of experimentally determined macromolecular structures. While maintaining the archive in collaboration with other wwPDB partners, PDBj also provides a wide range of services and tools for analyzing structures and functions of proteins, which are summarized in this article. To enhance the interoperability of the PDB data, we have recently developed PDB/RDF, PDB data in the Resource Description Framework (RDF) format, along with its ontology in the Web Ontology Language (OWL) based on the PDB mmCIF Exchange Dictionary. Being in the standard format for the Semantic Web, the PDB/RDF data provide a means to integrate the PDB with other biological information resources. PMID:21976737

  13. Which Methodology Works Better? English Language Teachers' Awareness of the Innovative Language Learning Methodologies

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kurt, Mustafa

    2015-01-01

    The present study investigated whether English language teachers were aware of the innovative language learning methodologies in language learning, how they made use of these methodologies and the learners' reactions to them. The descriptive survey method was employed to disclose the frequencies and percentages of 175 English language teachers'…

  14. Language Contact Means Language Conflict.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Nelde, Peter H.

    1987-01-01

    Describes the characteristics of language conflict and examines the areas of emphasis in the literature, including multilingualism and linguistic identity, glottophagia and minority/majority relations, the danger of reliance on language censuses, conflict resolution/avoidance, and the importance of ecolinguistics in conflict description and for…

  15. Improving the provision of language services at an academic medical center: ensuring high-quality health communication for limited-English-proficient patients.

    PubMed

    Standiford, Connie J; Nolan, Elizabeth; Harris, Michelle; Bernstein, Steven J

    2009-12-01

    To evaluate and improve the provision of language services at an academic medicine center caring for a diverse population including many limited-English-proficient (LEP) patients. The authors performed a prospective observational study between November 2006 and December 2008 evaluating the provision of language services at the University of Michigan Health System. The primary performance measures were (1) screening patients for their preferred language for health care, (2) assessing the proportion of LEP patients receiving language services from a qualified language services provider, and (3) assessing whether there were any disparities in diabetes care for LEP patients compared with English-speaking patients. The proportion of patients screened for preferred language increased from 59% to 96% with targeted inventions, such as training staff to capture preferred language for health care and correcting prior inaccurate primary language data entry. The proportion of LEP outpatients with a qualified language services provider increased from 19% to 83% through the use of staff and contract interpreters, over-the-phone interpreting and bilingual providers. There were no systematic differences in diabetes quality performance measures between LEP and English-proficient patients. Academic medical centers should measure their provision of language services and compare quality and safety data (e.g., performance measures and adverse events) between LEP and English-speaking patients to identify disparities in care. Leadership support and ongoing training are needed to ensure language-specific services are embedded into clinical care to meet the needs of our diverse patient populations.

  16. A geographical analysis of speech-language pathology services to support multilingual children.

    PubMed

    Verdon, Sarah; McLeod, Sharynne; McDonald, Simon

    2014-06-01

    The speech-language pathology workforce strives to provide equitable, quality services to multilingual people. However, the extent to which this is being achieved is unknown. Participants in this study were 2849 members of Speech Pathology Australia and 4386 children in the Birth cohort of the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (LSAC). Statistical and geospatial analyses were undertaken to identify the linguistic diversity and geographical distribution of Australian speech-language pathology services and Australian children. One fifth of services offered by Speech Pathology Australia members (20.2%) were available in a language other than English. Services were most commonly offered in Australian Sign Language (Auslan) (4.3%), French (3.1%), Italian (2.2%), Greek (1.6%), and Cantonese (1.5%). Among 4-5-year-old children in the nationally representative LSAC, 15.3% regularly spoke and/or understood a language other than English. The most common languages spoken by the children were Arabic (1.5%), Italian (1.2%), Greek (0.9%), Spanish (0.9%), and Vietnamese (0.9%). There was a mismatch between the location of and languages in which multilingual services were offered, and the location of and languages spoken by children. These findings highlight the need for SLPs to be culturally competent in providing equitable services to all clients, regardless of the languages they speak.

  17. The Cooperate Assistive Teamwork Environment for Software Description Languages.

    PubMed

    Groenda, Henning; Seifermann, Stephan; Müller, Karin; Jaworek, Gerhard

    2015-01-01

    Versatile description languages such as the Unified Modeling Language (UML) are commonly used in software engineering across different application domains in theory and practice. They often use graphical notations and leverage visual memory for expressing complex relations. Those notations are hard to access for people with visual impairment and impede their smooth inclusion in an engineering team. Existing approaches provide textual notations but require manual synchronization between the notations. This paper presents requirements for an accessible and language-aware team work environment as well as our plan for the assistive implementation of Cooperate. An industrial software engineering team consisting of people with and without visual impairment will evaluate the implementation.

  18. 42 CFR 440.110 - Physical therapy, occupational therapy, and services for individuals with speech, hearing, and...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... services for individuals with speech, hearing, and language disorders. 440.110 Section 440.110 Public..., occupational therapy, and services for individuals with speech, hearing, and language disorders. (a) Physical...) Services for individuals with speech, hearing, and language disorders. (1) Services for individuals with...

  19. Speech and language therapy in Sure Start Local Programmes: a survey-based analysis of practice and innovation.

    PubMed

    Fuller, Alison

    2010-01-01

    Sure Start has been a flagship policy for the UK Labour Government since 1998. Its aim was to improve the life chances of children under five years of age who live in areas of socio-economic disadvantage by means of multi-agency, multidisciplinary Sure Start Local Programmes (SSLPs). Speech and language therapists have played a key part in many SSLPs, and have had the opportunity to extend their roles. Despite the scrutiny paid to Sure Start, there has been no comprehensive analysis of speech and language therapists' contribution to date. Studies have focused on individual programmes or small samples: there has been no attempt to collate the full range of practice. As Sure Start evolved and Children's Centres emerged, it became vital to learn from the Sure Start experience and inform the mainstreaming of practice, before the window of opportunity closed. The survey aims were, firstly, to identify the range of practice amongst speech and language therapists working in SSLPs, highlighting new practice, and, secondly, to categorize the practices according to the tiered model of UK health and social services of the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists (RCSLT 2006). An online mixed-method, semi-structured survey was designed to elicit primarily quantitative and categorical data. A total of 501 Sure Start Local Programmes were invited to take part. A total of 128 speech and language therapists responded, giving a response rate of 26%. A descriptive analysis of the response data was undertaken. A total of 103 respondents (80%) reported maintaining a clinical role as well as extending their roles to include preventative services. Of those 103 respondents, 69% were able to see referred children at a younger average age and 80% saw them more quickly than before Sure Start. A wide variety of preventative practice was identified. A widening of access to speech and language therapist was reported in terms of venues used and hours offered. Respondents reported on their use of evaluation or outcome measures, which was at a higher rate for new practice than for established practice. A total of 121 respondents (95%) reported at least one example of new practice; 103 (80%) reported at least one use of evaluation or outcome measures. The tiered model of UK health and social services provided an effective way of categorizing practice. A categorized record of Sure Start speech and language therapist is presented that may contribute to establishing a broad curriculum of practice for speech and language therapist in the early years. The effectiveness of the practices is not investigated: suggestions are made for further research to develop the evidence base. 2010 Royal College of Speech & Language Therapists.

  20. Do Decision Rules Matter? A Descriptive Study of English Language Proficiency Assessment Classifications for English-Language Learners and Native English Speakers in Fifth Grade

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Carroll, Patricia E.; Bailey, Alison L.

    2016-01-01

    English language proficiency assessments (ELPA) are used in the United States to measure annually the English language progress and proficiency of English-language learners (ELLs), a subgroup of language minority students who receive language acquisition support mandated and largely funded by Title III (NCLB, 2001). ELPA proficient and…

  1. The Use of Descriptive Data from Bilingual Children to Inform Theories of Specific Language Impairment

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Weismer, Susan Ellis; Kaushanskaya, Margarita

    2010-01-01

    In her Keynote Article, Paradis reviews evidence from bilingual language development to assess the claims of two opposing theoretical views of language disorders. Specifically, she examines the evidence for similarities in language profiles of typically developing (TD) sequential bilingual (second language [L2]) children and monolingual children…

  2. Sources, Developments and Directions of Task-Based Language Teaching

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bygate, Martin

    2016-01-01

    This paper provides an outline of the origins, the current shape and the potential directions of task-based language teaching (TBLT) as an approach to language pedagogy. It first offers a brief description of TBLT and considers its origins within language teaching methodology and second language acquisition. It then summarises the current position…

  3. SSWAP: A Simple Semantic Web Architecture and Protocol for semantic web services.

    PubMed

    Gessler, Damian D G; Schiltz, Gary S; May, Greg D; Avraham, Shulamit; Town, Christopher D; Grant, David; Nelson, Rex T

    2009-09-23

    SSWAP (Simple Semantic Web Architecture and Protocol; pronounced "swap") is an architecture, protocol, and platform for using reasoning to semantically integrate heterogeneous disparate data and services on the web. SSWAP was developed as a hybrid semantic web services technology to overcome limitations found in both pure web service technologies and pure semantic web technologies. There are currently over 2400 resources published in SSWAP. Approximately two dozen are custom-written services for QTL (Quantitative Trait Loci) and mapping data for legumes and grasses (grains). The remaining are wrappers to Nucleic Acids Research Database and Web Server entries. As an architecture, SSWAP establishes how clients (users of data, services, and ontologies), providers (suppliers of data, services, and ontologies), and discovery servers (semantic search engines) interact to allow for the description, querying, discovery, invocation, and response of semantic web services. As a protocol, SSWAP provides the vocabulary and semantics to allow clients, providers, and discovery servers to engage in semantic web services. The protocol is based on the W3C-sanctioned first-order description logic language OWL DL. As an open source platform, a discovery server running at http://sswap.info (as in to "swap info") uses the description logic reasoner Pellet to integrate semantic resources. The platform hosts an interactive guide to the protocol at http://sswap.info/protocol.jsp, developer tools at http://sswap.info/developer.jsp, and a portal to third-party ontologies at http://sswapmeet.sswap.info (a "swap meet"). SSWAP addresses the three basic requirements of a semantic web services architecture (i.e., a common syntax, shared semantic, and semantic discovery) while addressing three technology limitations common in distributed service systems: i.e., i) the fatal mutability of traditional interfaces, ii) the rigidity and fragility of static subsumption hierarchies, and iii) the confounding of content, structure, and presentation. SSWAP is novel by establishing the concept of a canonical yet mutable OWL DL graph that allows data and service providers to describe their resources, to allow discovery servers to offer semantically rich search engines, to allow clients to discover and invoke those resources, and to allow providers to respond with semantically tagged data. SSWAP allows for a mix-and-match of terms from both new and legacy third-party ontologies in these graphs.

  4. 77 FR 17467 - Combined Notice of Filings #2

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-03-26

    ... Interconnection, L.L.C. Description: Admin. Filing to Re-instate Missing Language in PJM Tariff Attach Q (V-0.1.0.... Filing to Re-instate Missing Language in PJM Tariff Attach Q (V-2.1.0) to be effective 1/1/2011. Filed...-1284-002. Applicants: PJM Interconnection, L.L.C. Description: Admin. Filing to Re-instate Missing...

  5. The OGC Sensor Web Enablement framework

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cox, S. J.; Botts, M.

    2006-12-01

    Sensor observations are at the core of natural sciences. Improvements in data-sharing technologies offer the promise of much greater utilisation of observational data. A key to this is interoperable data standards. The Open Geospatial Consortium's (OGC) Sensor Web Enablement initiative (SWE) is developing open standards for web interfaces for the discovery, exchange and processing of sensor observations, and tasking of sensor systems. The goal is to support the construction of complex sensor applications through real-time composition of service chains from standard components. The framework is based around a suite of standard interfaces, and standard encodings for the message transferred between services. The SWE interfaces include: Sensor Observation Service (SOS)-parameterized observation requests (by observation time, feature of interest, property, sensor); Sensor Planning Service (SPS)-tasking a sensor- system to undertake future observations; Sensor Alert Service (SAS)-subscription to an alert, usually triggered by a sensor result exceeding some value. The interface design generally follows the pattern established in the OGC Web Map Service (WMS) and Web Feature Service (WFS) interfaces, where the interaction between a client and service follows a standard sequence of requests and responses. The first obtains a general description of the service capabilities, followed by obtaining detail required to formulate a data request, and finally a request for a data instance or stream. These may be implemented in a stateless "REST" idiom, or using conventional "web-services" (SOAP) messaging. In a deployed system, the SWE interfaces are supplemented by Catalogue, data (WFS) and portrayal (WMS) services, as well as authentication and rights management. The standard SWE data formats are Observations and Measurements (O&M) which encodes observation metadata and results, Sensor Model Language (SensorML) which describes sensor-systems, Transducer Model Language (TML) which covers low-level data streams, and domain-specific GML Application Schemas for definitions of the target feature types. The SWE framework has been demonstrated in several interoperability testbeds. These were based around emergency management, security, contamination and environmental monitoring scenarios.

  6. Making the Invisible Visible: A Responsive Evaluation Study of ESL and Spanish Language Services for Immigrants in a Small Rural County in Indiana

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pawan, Faridah; Thomalla, Therese Groff

    2005-01-01

    This article describes a responsive evaluation study of ESL services and Spanish language services for immigrants in a rural county in Indiana. An ESL specialist led the evaluation of language services in the county from the perspectives of language providers and recipients. The responsive evaluation--a form of action research that uses…

  7. 42 CFR 418.72 - Condition of participation: Physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech-language pathology.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-10-01

    ..., occupational therapy, and speech-language pathology. 418.72 Section 418.72 Public Health CENTERS FOR MEDICARE...: Physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech-language pathology. Physical therapy services, occupational therapy services, and speech-language pathology services must be available, and when provided...

  8. 42 CFR 418.72 - Condition of participation: Physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech-language pathology.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-10-01

    ..., occupational therapy, and speech-language pathology. 418.72 Section 418.72 Public Health CENTERS FOR MEDICARE...: Physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech-language pathology. Physical therapy services, occupational therapy services, and speech-language pathology services must be available, and when provided...

  9. 42 CFR 418.72 - Condition of participation: Physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech-language pathology.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-10-01

    ..., occupational therapy, and speech-language pathology. 418.72 Section 418.72 Public Health CENTERS FOR MEDICARE...: Physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech-language pathology. Physical therapy services, occupational therapy services, and speech-language pathology services must be available, and when provided...

  10. 42 CFR 418.72 - Condition of participation: Physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech-language pathology.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-10-01

    ..., occupational therapy, and speech-language pathology. 418.72 Section 418.72 Public Health CENTERS FOR MEDICARE... therapy, occupational therapy, and speech-language pathology. Physical therapy services, occupational therapy services, and speech-language pathology services must be available, and when provided, offered in...

  11. 42 CFR 418.72 - Condition of participation: Physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech-language pathology.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ..., occupational therapy, and speech-language pathology. 418.72 Section 418.72 Public Health CENTERS FOR MEDICARE... therapy, occupational therapy, and speech-language pathology. Physical therapy services, occupational therapy services, and speech-language pathology services must be available, and when provided, offered in...

  12. Teaching EFL outside the United States.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages.

    The guide contains profiles of the linguistic situation and English language teaching conditions, in both public and private sectors, in 48 foreign countries. Descriptions include such information as official language(s), qualifications and requirements for teaching English as a Second Language (ESL), typical class sizes and hours, accessibility…

  13. Issues and solutions for storage, retrieval, and searching of MPEG-7 documents

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chang, Yuan-Chi; Lo, Ming-Ling; Smith, John R.

    2000-10-01

    The ongoing MPEG-7 standardization activity aims at creating a standard for describing multimedia content in order to facilitate the interpretation of the associated information content. Attempting to address a broad range of applications, MPEG-7 has defined a flexible framework consisting of Descriptors, Description Schemes, and Description Definition Language. Descriptors and Description Schemes describe features, structure and semantics of multimedia objects. They are written in the Description Definition Language (DDL). In the most recent revision, DDL applies XML (Extensible Markup Language) Schema with MPEG-7 extensions. DDL has constructs that support inclusion, inheritance, reference, enumeration, choice, sequence, and abstract type of Description Schemes and Descriptors. In order to enable multimedia systems to use MPEG-7, a number of important problems in storing, retrieving and searching MPEG-7 documents need to be solved. This paper reports on initial finding on issues and solutions of storing and accessing MPEG-7 documents. In particular, we discuss the benefits of using a virtual document management framework based on XML Access Server (XAS) in order to bridge the MPEG-7 multimedia applications and database systems. The need arises partly because MPEG-7 descriptions need customized storage schema, indexing and search engines. We also discuss issues arising in managing dependence and cross-description scheme search.

  14. Children's attention to task-relevant information accounts for relations between language and spatial cognition.

    PubMed

    Miller, Hilary E; Simmering, Vanessa R

    2018-08-01

    Children's spatial language reliably predicts their spatial skills, but the nature of this relation is a source of debate. This investigation examined whether the mechanisms accounting for such relations are specific to language use or reflect a domain-general mechanism of selective attention. Experiment 1 examined whether 4-year-olds' spatial skills were predicted by their selective attention or their adaptive language use. Children completed (a) an attention task assessing attention to task-relevant color, size, and location cues; (b) a description task assessing adaptive language use to describe scenes varying in color, size, and location; and (c) three spatial tasks. There was correspondence between the cue types that children attended to and produced across description and attention tasks. Adaptive language use was predicted by both children's attention and task-related language production, suggesting that selective attention underlies skills in using language adaptively. After controlling for age, gender, receptive vocabulary, and adaptive language use, spatial skills were predicted by children's selective attention. The attention score predicted variance in spatial performance previously accounted for by adaptive language use. Experiment 2 followed up on the attention task (Experiment 2a) and description task (Experiment 2b) from Experiment 1 to assess whether performance in the tasks related to selective attention or task-specific demands. Performance in Experiments 2a and 2b paralleled that in Experiment 1, suggesting that the effects in Experiment 1 reflected children's selective attention skills. These findings show that selective attention is a central factor supporting spatial skill development that could account for many effects previously attributed to children's language use. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  15. Foreign Language Training in the United States Peace Corps.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kulakow, Allan

    This document reports on the foreign language training offered in the Peace Corps. Following a brief introductory statement, a list of languages taught by the Peace Corps in the years 1961-67 is provided, as well as a brief description of Peace Corps language training methods. Guidelines for language coordinators are outlined, and the approach to…

  16. Defining English Language Proficiency for Malaysian Tertiary Education: Past, Present and Future Efforts

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Heng, Chan Swee

    2012-01-01

    Any attempt to define English language proficiency can never be divorced from the theories that describe the nature of language, language acquisition and human cognition. By virtue of such theories being socially constructed, the descriptions are necessarily value-laden. Thus, a definition of language proficiency can only, at best, be described as…

  17. A Grammar of Sierra Popoluca (Soteapanec, a Mixe-Zoquean Language)

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    de Jong Boudreault, Lynda J.

    2009-01-01

    This dissertation is a comprehensive description of the grammar of Sierra Popoluca (SP, aka Soteapanec), a Mixe-Zoquean language spoken by approximately 28,000 people in Veracruz, Mexico. This grammar begins with an introduction to the language, its language family, a typological overview of the language, a brief history of my fieldwork, and the…

  18. DRFM Cordic Processor and Sea Clutter Modeling for Enhancing Structured False Target Synthesis

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2017-09-01

    was implemented using the Verilog hardware description language. The second investigation concerns generating sea clutter to impose on the false target...to achieve accuracy at 5.625o. The resulting design was implemented using the Verilog hardware description language. The second investigation...33 3. Initialization of the Angle Accumulator ....................................34 4. Design Methodology for I/Q Phase

  19. Text-Based Argumentation with Multiple Sources: A Descriptive Study of Opportunity to Learn in Secondary English Language Arts, History, and Science

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Litman, Cindy; Marple, Stacy; Greenleaf, Cynthia; Charney-Sirott, Irisa; Bolz, Michael J.; Richardson, Lisa K.; Hall, Allison H.; George, MariAnne; Goldman, Susan R.

    2017-01-01

    This study presents a descriptive analysis of 71 videotaped lessons taught by 34 highly regarded secondary English language arts, history, and science teachers, collected to inform an intervention focused on evidence-based argumentation from multiple text sources. Studying the practices of highly regarded teachers is valuable for identifying…

  20. Development of a test and flight engineering oriented language. Phase 3: Presentation

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kamsler, W. F.; Case, C. W.; Kinney, E. L.; Gyure, J.

    1970-01-01

    The format material used in an oral presentation of the phase 3 study effort is given. The material includes a description of the language ALOFT and a terminology comparison with other test languages.

  1. BEYSIK: Language description and handbook for programmers (system for the collective use of the Institute of Space Research, Academy of Sciences USSR)

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Orlov, I. G.

    1979-01-01

    The BASIC algorithmic language is described, and a guide is presented for the programmer using the language interpreter. The high-level algorithm BASIC is a problem-oriented programming language intended for solution of computational and engineering problems.

  2. SDL: A Surface Description Language

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Maple, Raymond C.

    1992-01-01

    A new interpreted language specifically designed for surface grid generation is introduced. Many unique aspects of the language are discussed, including the farray, vector, curve, and surface data types and the operators used to manipulate them. Custom subroutine libraries written in the language are used to easily build surface grids for generic missile shapes.

  3. The Sociolinguistic Model in Speech and Language Pathology.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wolfram, Walt

    A discussion of the role of sociolinguistics in the treatment of communication disorders focuses on issues related to dialect and language variation. It begins with an examination of linguistic diversity and dynamic description of language, reporting on a study of speech and language pathologists' judgments of sentences in African American…

  4. Accurately Predicting Future Reading Difficulty for Bilingual Latino Children at Risk for Language Impairment

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Petersen, Douglas B.; Gillam, Ronald B.

    2013-01-01

    Sixty-three bilingual Latino children who were at risk for language impairment were administered reading-related measures in English and Spanish (letter identification, phonological awareness, rapid automatized naming, and sentence repetition) and descriptive measures including English language proficiency (ELP), language ability (LA),…

  5. Self-help and help-seeking for communication disability in Ghana: implications for the development of communication disability rehabilitation services.

    PubMed

    Wylie, Karen; McAllister, Lindy; Davidson, Bronwyn; Marshall, Julie; Amponsah, Clement; Bampoe, Josephine Ohenewa

    2017-12-29

    In low and middle-income countries, such as Ghana, communication disability is poorly recognised and rehabilitation services for people with communication disability are limited. As rehabilitation services for communication disability develop, and the profession of speech-language pathology grows, it is important to consider how services can most appropriately respond to the needs and preferences of the community. Understanding the ways in which people currently self-help and seek help for communication disability is central to developing services that build on existing local practices and are relevant to the community. A qualitative descriptive survey was used to explore likely self-help and help-seeking behaviours for communication disability, in Accra, Ghana. The survey required participants to describe responses to hypothetical scenarios related to communication disability. A mix of theoretical sampling and convenience sampling was used. Qualitative content analysis was used to analyse data and develop categories and subcategories of reported self-help behaviours and sources of help and advice for communication disability. One hundred and thirty-six participants completed the survey. Results indicated that community members would be likely to engage in a variety self-help strategies in response to communication disability. These included working directly with a person with a communication disability to attempt to remediate a communication impairment, altering physical and communication environments, changing attitudes or care practices, educating themselves about the communication disability, providing resources, and responding in spiritual ways. Participants indicated that they would seek help for communication disability across a range of sectors - including the Western healthcare, religious, and traditional sectors. Understanding existing community actions to self-help and help-seek may allow emerging communication rehabilitation services, including the profession of speech-language pathology, to build on existing community practices in resource-limited contexts such as Ghana.

  6. Strategies for human-driven robot comprehension of spatial descriptions by older adults in a robot fetch task.

    PubMed

    Carlson, Laura; Skubic, Marjorie; Miller, Jared; Huo, Zhiyu; Alexenko, Tatiana

    2014-07-01

    This contribution presents a corpus of spatial descriptions and describes the development of a human-driven spatial language robot system for their comprehension. The domain of application is an eldercare setting in which an assistive robot is asked to "fetch" an object for an elderly resident based on a natural language spatial description given by the resident. In Part One, we describe a corpus of naturally occurring descriptions elicited from a group of older adults within a virtual 3D home that simulates the eldercare setting. We contrast descriptions elicited when participants offered descriptions to a human versus robot avatar, and under instructions to tell the addressee how to find the target versus where the target is. We summarize the key features of the spatial descriptions, including their dynamic versus static nature and the perspective adopted by the speaker. In Part Two, we discuss critical cognitive and perceptual processing capabilities necessary for the robot to establish a common ground with the human user and perform the "fetch" task. Based on the collected corpus, we focus here on resolving the perspective ambiguity and recognizing furniture items used as landmarks in the descriptions. Taken together, the work presented here offers the key building blocks of a robust system that takes as input natural spatial language descriptions and produces commands that drive the robot to successfully fetch objects within our eldercare scenario. Copyright © 2014 Cognitive Science Society, Inc.

  7. 45 CFR 1308.9 - Eligibility criteria: Speech or language impairments.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... HUMAN DEVELOPMENT SERVICES, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES THE ADMINISTRATION FOR CHILDREN... language impairments. (a) A speech or language impairment means a communication disorder such as stuttering... language disorder may be characterized by difficulty in understanding and producing language, including...

  8. Semantic message oriented middleware for publish/subscribe networks

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Li, Han; Jiang, Guofei

    2004-09-01

    The publish/subscribe paradigm of Message Oriented Middleware provides a loosely coupled communication model between distributed applications. Traditional publish/subscribe middleware uses keywords to match advertisements and subscriptions and does not support deep semantic matching. To this end, we designed and implemented a Semantic Message Oriented Middleware system to provide such capabilities for semantic description and matching. We adopted the DARPA Agent Markup Language and Ontology Inference Layer, a formal knowledge representation language for expressing sophisticated classifications and enabling automated inference, as the topic description language in our middleware system. A simple description logic inference system was implemented to handle the matching process between the subscriptions of subscribers and the advertisements of publishers. Moreover our middleware system also has a security architecture to support secure communication and user privilege control.

  9. An amodal shared resource model of language-mediated visual attention

    PubMed Central

    Smith, Alastair C.; Monaghan, Padraic; Huettig, Falk

    2013-01-01

    Language-mediated visual attention describes the interaction of two fundamental components of the human cognitive system, language and vision. Within this paper we present an amodal shared resource model of language-mediated visual attention that offers a description of the information and processes involved in this complex multimodal behavior and a potential explanation for how this ability is acquired. We demonstrate that the model is not only sufficient to account for the experimental effects of Visual World Paradigm studies but also that these effects are emergent properties of the architecture of the model itself, rather than requiring separate information processing channels or modular processing systems. The model provides an explicit description of the connection between the modality-specific input from language and vision and the distribution of eye gaze in language-mediated visual attention. The paper concludes by discussing future applications for the model, specifically its potential for investigating the factors driving observed individual differences in language-mediated eye gaze. PMID:23966967

  10. Semantic Integration for Marine Science Interoperability Using Web Technologies

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rueda, C.; Bermudez, L.; Graybeal, J.; Isenor, A. W.

    2008-12-01

    The Marine Metadata Interoperability Project, MMI (http://marinemetadata.org) promotes the exchange, integration, and use of marine data through enhanced data publishing, discovery, documentation, and accessibility. A key effort is the definition of an Architectural Framework and Operational Concept for Semantic Interoperability (http://marinemetadata.org/sfc), which is complemented with the development of tools that realize critical use cases in semantic interoperability. In this presentation, we describe a set of such Semantic Web tools that allow performing important interoperability tasks, ranging from the creation of controlled vocabularies and the mapping of terms across multiple ontologies, to the online registration, storage, and search services needed to work with the ontologies (http://mmisw.org). This set of services uses Web standards and technologies, including Resource Description Framework (RDF), Web Ontology language (OWL), Web services, and toolkits for Rich Internet Application development. We will describe the following components: MMI Ontology Registry: The MMI Ontology Registry and Repository provides registry and storage services for ontologies. Entries in the registry are associated with projects defined by the registered users. Also, sophisticated search functions, for example according to metadata items and vocabulary terms, are provided. Client applications can submit search requests using the WC3 SPARQL Query Language for RDF. Voc2RDF: This component converts an ASCII comma-delimited set of terms and definitions into an RDF file. Voc2RDF facilitates the creation of controlled vocabularies by using a simple form-based user interface. Created vocabularies and their descriptive metadata can be submitted to the MMI Ontology Registry for versioning and community access. VINE: The Vocabulary Integration Environment component allows the user to map vocabulary terms across multiple ontologies. Various relationships can be established, for example exactMatch, narrowerThan, and subClassOf. VINE can compute inferred mappings based on the given associations. Attributes about each mapping, like comments and a confidence level, can also be included. VINE also supports registering and storing resulting mapping files in the Ontology Registry. The presentation will describe the application of semantic technologies in general, and our planned applications in particular, to solve data management problems in the marine and environmental sciences.

  11. Collaborative Research Projects in the Technology-Enhanced Language Classroom: Preservice and In-Service Teachers Exchange Knowledge about Technology

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Schmid, Euline Cutrim; Hegelheimer, Volker

    2014-01-01

    This paper presents research findings of a longitudinal empirical case study that investigated an innovative Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) professional development program for pre-service English as Foreign Language (EFL) teachers. The conceptualization of the program was based on the assumption that pre-service language teachers…

  12. Reproducible computational biology experiments with SED-ML--the Simulation Experiment Description Markup Language.

    PubMed

    Waltemath, Dagmar; Adams, Richard; Bergmann, Frank T; Hucka, Michael; Kolpakov, Fedor; Miller, Andrew K; Moraru, Ion I; Nickerson, David; Sahle, Sven; Snoep, Jacky L; Le Novère, Nicolas

    2011-12-15

    The increasing use of computational simulation experiments to inform modern biological research creates new challenges to annotate, archive, share and reproduce such experiments. The recently published Minimum Information About a Simulation Experiment (MIASE) proposes a minimal set of information that should be provided to allow the reproduction of simulation experiments among users and software tools. In this article, we present the Simulation Experiment Description Markup Language (SED-ML). SED-ML encodes in a computer-readable exchange format the information required by MIASE to enable reproduction of simulation experiments. It has been developed as a community project and it is defined in a detailed technical specification and additionally provides an XML schema. The version of SED-ML described in this publication is Level 1 Version 1. It covers the description of the most frequent type of simulation experiments in the area, namely time course simulations. SED-ML documents specify which models to use in an experiment, modifications to apply on the models before using them, which simulation procedures to run on each model, what analysis results to output, and how the results should be presented. These descriptions are independent of the underlying model implementation. SED-ML is a software-independent format for encoding the description of simulation experiments; it is not specific to particular simulation tools. Here, we demonstrate that with the growing software support for SED-ML we can effectively exchange executable simulation descriptions. With SED-ML, software can exchange simulation experiment descriptions, enabling the validation and reuse of simulation experiments in different tools. Authors of papers reporting simulation experiments can make their simulation protocols available for other scientists to reproduce the results. Because SED-ML is agnostic about exact modeling language(s) used, experiments covering models from different fields of research can be accurately described and combined.

  13. LANGUAGES OF THE WORLD--INDO-PACIFIC FASCICLE FIVE.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    VOEGELIN, C. F.; AND OTHERS

    THIS REPORT CONTAINS A HISTORY OF RESEARCH CONCERNED WITH THE AUSTRALIAN LANGUAGES, AND DESCRIPTIONS OF THE 228 LANGUAGES IN THE AUSTRALIAN MACRO-PHYLUM. (THE REPORT IS PART OF A SERIES, ED 010 350 TO ED 010 367.) (JK)

  14. Studies in the Major Modern Languages (English, German, French) at University Level in Denmark by 1980/81.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dollerup, Cay

    This is a descriptive outline of the language situation in the Danish education system. The introductory material discusses the reason for foreign language study. A major reason is that Denmark is a small country with a difficult native language for speakers of other languages to learn. Therefore, the Danish population is exposed to foreign…

  15. Effects of Sound, Vocabulary, and Grammar Learning Aptitude on Adult Second Language Speech Attainment in Foreign Language Classrooms

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Saito, Kazuya

    2017-01-01

    This study examines the relationship between different types of language learning aptitude (measured via the LLAMA test) and adult second language (L2) learners' attainment in speech production in English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) classrooms. Picture descriptions elicited from 50 Japanese EFL learners from varied proficiency levels were analyzed…

  16. Thick Descriptions: A Language for Articulating Ethnographic Media Technology.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Goldman-Segall, Ricki

    "Thick descriptions" are descriptions that are layered enough to draw conclusions and uncover the intentions of a given act, event, or process. In a video environment, thick descriptions are images, gestures, or sequences that convey meaning. Neither the quantity nor the resolution of the images makes the descriptions thick. Thickness is…

  17. TATAR MANUAL, DESCRIPTIVE GRAMMAR AND TEXTS WITH A TATAR-ENGLISH GLOSSARY. URALIC AND ALTAIC SERIES, VOLUME 25.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    POPPE, NICHOLAS

    THIS MANUAL PRESENTS A COMPREHENSIVE GRAMMAR OF TATAR, ONE OF THE TURKIC LANGUAGES BELONGING TO THE NORTH-WESTERN (KIPCHAK) BRANCH. IT IS SPOKEN BY NEARLY FIVE MILLION PEOPLE IN THE AUTONOMOUS TATAR SOVIET REPUBLIC OF THE USSR. A BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE LANGUAGE AND ITS MAIN DIALECTS IS GIVEN IN THE INTRODUCTION, WHICH ALSO INCLUDES A SELECTED…

  18. A UML model for the description of different brain-computer interface systems.

    PubMed

    Quitadamo, Lucia Rita; Abbafati, Manuel; Saggio, Giovanni; Marciani, Maria Grazia; Cardarilli, Gian Carlo; Bianchi, Luigi

    2008-01-01

    BCI research lacks a universal descriptive language among labs and a unique standard model for the description of BCI systems. This results in a serious problem in comparing performances of different BCI processes and in unifying tools and resources. In such a view we implemented a Unified Modeling Language (UML) model for the description virtually of any BCI protocol and we demonstrated that it can be successfully applied to the most common ones such as P300, mu-rhythms, SCP, SSVEP, fMRI. Finally we illustrated the advantages in utilizing a standard terminology for BCIs and how the same basic structure can be successfully adopted for the implementation of new systems.

  19. How the linguistic intergroup bias affects group perception: effects of language abstraction on generalization to the group.

    PubMed

    Assilaméhou, Yvette; Lepastourel, Nadia; Testé, Benoit

    2013-01-01

    The present research investigated whether the impact of the Linguistic Intergroup Bias (LIB; Maass, 1999) is related to the effects of linguistic abstraction on social attribution (Yzerbyt & Rogier, 2001). We did this by assessing the impact of abstract descriptions versus concrete descriptions on the generalization of a group member's behaviors to the whole group. A target's behaviors were more attributed to the group when the description was abstract than when it was concrete, and this effect of language abstraction was stronger when the description was positive than when it was negative. Our results provide an insight into how the LIB is involved in the perpetuation of intergroup bias.

  20. Berber Dialects. Materials Status Report.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Center for Applied Linguistics, Washington, DC. Language/Area Reference Center.

    The materials status report for the Berber languages, minority languages spoken in northern Africa, is one of a series intended to provide the nonspecialist with a picture of the availability and quality of texts for teaching various languages to English speakers. The report consists of: (1) a brief narrative description of the Berber language,…

  1. Language and Ageing--Exploring Propositional Density in Written Language--Stability over Time

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Spencer, Elizabeth; Craig, Hugh; Ferguson, Alison; Colyvas, Kim

    2012-01-01

    This study investigated the stability of propositional density (PD) in written texts, as this aspect of language shows promise as an indicator and as a predictor of language decline with ageing. This descriptive longitudinal study analysed written texts obtained from the Australian Longitudinal Study of Women's Health in which participants were…

  2. What Is a Language?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Le Page, R. B.

    A discussion on the nature of language argues the following: (1) the concept of a closed and finite rule system is inadequate for the description of natural languages; (2) as a consequence, the writing of variable rules to modify such rule systems so as to accommodate the properties of natural language is inappropriate; (3) the concept of such…

  3. Legal Language: What Is It and What Can We Do About It?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Charrow, Veda R.; Crandall, Jo Ann

    The simplification of legal language is required by President Carter's Executive Order requiring "clear and simple English" in government regulations. A major problem in the simplification process is the absence of any adequate description or classification of legal language. This paper defines some specific features of legal language,…

  4. Curriculum Guide, English as a Second Language, Kindergarten through Grade Twelve.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Berrios, Ana Teresa; And Others

    This curriculum guide provides a detailed description of the program in English as a second language (ESL) in the Newark Public Schools. After an introduction that describes the audiolingual method of teaching foreign languages and that defines briefly the cognitive approach to language instruction and the "silent way," the guide…

  5. Anthropology and Language Science in Educational Development Newsletter, No. 2/3.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, Paris (France). Div. of Structures and Content of Life-Long Education.

    This issue of the ALSED newsletter contains: (1) a description of the Anthropology and Language Science in Educational Development (ALSED) program; (2) information on the meeting of experts on diversification of methods and techniques for teaching a second language or foreign languages (Paris, Unesco, 15-20 September, 1975), which discussed such…

  6. Classroom Management in Foreign Language Education: An Exploratory Review

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Macías, Diego Fernando

    2018-01-01

    This review examines studies in the area of classroom management in foreign language education. It is organized into three large areas: The first area focuses on the distinctive characteristics of foreign language instruction that are more likely to impact classroom management in foreign language classes. The second area provides a description of…

  7. Foreign Language Week: A Successful Public Relations Model.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Reschke, Claus

    A detailed description is presented of a foreign language (FL) week project that was organized and executed by the Houston Area Teachers of Foreign Languages (HATFL) during the 1979-80 academic year. The document describes the preparation activities of the organizing committee, the pre-foreign language week advertising campaigns, the design of…

  8. Improving Language Learning Strategies and Performance of Pre-Service Language Teachers through a CALLA-TBLT Model

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Guapacha Chamorro, Maria Eugenia; Benavidez Paz, Luis Humberto

    2017-01-01

    This paper reports an action-research study on language learning strategies in tertiary education at a Colombian university. The study aimed at improving the English language performance and language learning strategies use of 33 first-year pre-service language teachers by combining elements from two models: the cognitive academic language…

  9. Student Centered WebCT Instruction for African Language.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Moshi, Lioba; Ojo, Akinloye

    2000-01-01

    Explores theoretical issues concerning instructional technology for African language instruction, gives a brief description of WebCT (a web-based instruction framework), and describes its practicality in the instruction of African languages with special focus on Swahili and Yoruba. (Author/VWL)

  10. Nursing Unit Environment Associated with Provision of Language Services in Pediatric Hospices.

    PubMed

    Lindley, Lisa C; Held, Mary L; Henley, Kristen M; Miller, Kathryn A; Pedziwol, Katherine E; Rumley, Laurie E

    2017-04-01

    Provision of language services in pediatric hospice enables nurses to communicate effectively with patients who have limited English proficiency. Language barriers contribute to ethnic disparities in health care. While language service use corresponds with improved patient comprehension of illness and care options, we lack an understanding of how the nurse work environment affects the provision of these services. Data were obtained from the 2007 National Home and Hospice Care Survey and included a study sample of 1251 pediatric hospice agencies. Variable selection was guided by structural contingency theory, which posits that organizational effectiveness is dependent upon how well an organization's structure relates to its context. Using multivariate logistic regression, we analyzed the extent to which nursing unit environment predicted provision of translation services and interpreter services. The majority of hospices provided translation services (74.9 %) and interpreter services (87.1 %). Four variables predicted translation services: registered nurse (RN) unit size, RN leadership, RN medical expertise, and for-profit status. RN medical expertise and having a safety climate within the hospice corresponded with provision of interpreter services. Findings indicate that nursing unit environment predicts provision of language services. Hospices with more specialized RNs and a stronger safety climate might include staffs who are dedicated to best care provision, including language services. This study provides valuable data on the nurse work environment as a predictor of language services provision, which can better serve patients with limited English proficiency and ultimately reduce ethnic disparities in end-of-life care for children and their families.

  11. Nursing unit environment associated with provision of language services in pediatric hospices

    PubMed Central

    Lindley, Lisa C.; Held, Mary L.; Henley, Kristen M.; Miller, Kathryn A.; Pedziwol, Katherine E.; Rumley, Laurie E.

    2016-01-01

    Background Provision of language services in pediatric hospice enables nurses to communicate effectively with patients who have limited English proficiency. Language barriers contribute to ethnic disparities in health care. While language service use corresponds with improved patient comprehension of illness and care options, we lack an understanding of how the nurse work environment affects the provision of these services. Methods Data were obtained from the 2007 National Home and Hospice Care Survey and included a study sample of 1,251 pediatric hospice agencies. Variable selection was guided by Structural Contingency Theory, which posits that organizational effectiveness is dependent upon how well an organization’s structure relates to its context. Using multivariate logistic regression, we analyzed the extent to which nursing unit environment predicted provision of translation services and interpreter services. Results The majority of hospices provided translation services (74.9%) and interpreter services (87.1%). Four variables predicted translation services: registered nurse (RN) unit size, RN leadership, RN medical expertise, and for-profit status. RN medical expertise and having a safety climate within the hospice corresponded with provision of interpreter services. Conclusions Findings indicate that nursing unit environment predict provision of language services. Hospices with more specialized RNs and a stronger safety climate might include staff who are dedicated to best care provision, including language services. This study provides valuable data on the nurse work environment as a predictor of language services provision, which can better serve patients with limited English proficiency, and ultimately reduce ethnic disparities in end-of-life care for children and their families. PMID:27059050

  12. 29 CFR 37.35 - What are a recipient's responsibilities to provide services and information in languages other...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... and information in languages other than English? 37.35 Section 37.35 Labor Office of the Secretary of... Communication § 37.35 What are a recipient's responsibilities to provide services and information in languages... services or information in a language other than English in order to be effectively informed about, or able...

  13. Impacts of an In-Service Education Program on Promoting Language Development in Young Children: A Pilot Study with Early Childhood Educators

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Scarinci, Nerina; Rose, Tanya; Pee, Jerrine; Webb, Kylie

    2015-01-01

    Early childhood educators (ECEs) play an important role in fostering language development in young children. In-service education, led by speech-language pathologists (SLPs), has a potential role in educating ECEs about language development. In this pilot study, 42 ECEs attended an in-service education program and completed pre- and…

  14. Hadl: HUMS Architectural Description Language

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mukkamala, R.; Adavi, V.; Agarwal, N.; Gullapalli, S.; Kumar, P.; Sundaram, P.

    2004-01-01

    Specification of architectures is an important prerequisite for evaluation of architectures. With the increase m the growth of health usage and monitoring systems (HUMS) in commercial and military domains, the need far the design and evaluation of HUMS architectures has also been on the increase. In this paper, we describe HADL, HUMS Architectural Description Language, that we have designed for this purpose. In particular, we describe the features of the language, illustrate them with examples, and show how we use it in designing domain-specific HUMS architectures. A companion paper contains details on our design methodology of HUMS architectures.

  15. Hardware synthesis from DDL. [Digital Design Language for computer aided design and test of LSI

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Shah, A. M.; Shiva, S. G.

    1981-01-01

    The details of the digital systems can be conveniently input into the design automation system by means of Hardware Description Languages (HDL). The Computer Aided Design and Test (CADAT) system at NASA MSFC is used for the LSI design. The Digital Design Language (DDL) has been selected as HDL for the CADAT System. DDL translator output can be used for the hardware implementation of the digital design. This paper addresses problems of selecting the standard cells from the CADAT standard cell library to realize the logic implied by the DDL description of the system.

  16. Selecting the Best Mobile Information Service with Natural Language User Input

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Feng, Qiangze; Qi, Hongwei; Fukushima, Toshikazu

    Information services accessed via mobile phones provide information directly relevant to subscribers’ daily lives and are an area of dynamic market growth worldwide. Although many information services are currently offered by mobile operators, many of the existing solutions require a unique gateway for each service, and it is inconvenient for users to have to remember a large number of such gateways. Furthermore, the Short Message Service (SMS) is very popular in China and Chinese users would prefer to access these services in natural language via SMS. This chapter describes a Natural Language Based Service Selection System (NL3S) for use with a large number of mobile information services. The system can accept user queries in natural language and navigate it to the required service. Since it is difficult for existing methods to achieve high accuracy and high coverage and anticipate which other services a user might want to query, the NL3S is developed based on a Multi-service Ontology (MO) and Multi-service Query Language (MQL). The MO and MQL provide semantic and linguistic knowledge, respectively, to facilitate service selection for a user query and to provide adaptive service recommendations. Experiments show that the NL3S can achieve 75-95% accuracies and 85-95% satisfactions for processing various styles of natural language queries. A trial involving navigation of 30 different mobile services shows that the NL3S can provide a viable commercial solution for mobile operators.

  17. Integrating Music Therapy Services and Speech-Language Therapy Services for Children with Severe Communication Impairments: A Co-Treatment Model

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Geist, Kamile; McCarthy, John; Rodgers-Smith, Amy; Porter, Jessica

    2008-01-01

    Documenting how music therapy can be integrated with speech-language therapy services for children with communication delay is not evident in the literature. In this article, a collaborative model with procedures, experiences, and communication outcomes of integrating music therapy with the existing speech-language services is given. Using…

  18. The Relationship between Anxiety and Attitude of Students Learning Turkish as a Foreign Language and Their Achievement on Target Language

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gocer, Ali

    2014-01-01

    The purpose of this study is to assess the anxiety connected with target language of the high school students learning Turkish as a foreign language. In this study, descriptive relational screening model was used. Two scales were used for collecting data. First scale was FLCAS-Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale; it was developed by Horwitz…

  19. Does language guide event perception? Evidence from eye movements

    PubMed Central

    Papafragou, Anna; Hulbert, Justin; Trueswell, John

    2008-01-01

    Languages differ in how they encode motion. When describing bounded motion, English speakers typically use verbs that convey information about manner (e.g., slide, skip, walk) rather than path (e.g., approach, ascend), whereas Greek speakers do the opposite. We investigated whether this strong cross-language difference influences how people allocate attention during motion perception. We compared eye movements from Greek and English speakers as they viewed motion events while (a) preparing verbal descriptions, or (b) memorizing the events. During the verbal description task, speakers’ eyes rapidly focused on the event components typically encoded in their native language, generating significant cross-language differences even during the first second of motion onset. However, when freely inspecting ongoing events, as in the memorization task, people allocated attention similarly regardless of the language they speak. Differences between language groups arose only after the motion stopped, such that participants spontaneously studied those aspects of the scene that their language does not routinely encode in verbs. These findings offer a novel perspective on the relation between language and perceptual/cognitive processes. They indicate that attention allocation during event perception is not affected by the perceiver’s native language; effects of language arise only when linguistic forms are recruited to achieve the task, such as when committing facts to memory. PMID:18395705

  20. Design Language for Digital Systems

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Shiva, S. G.

    1985-01-01

    Digital Systems Design Language (DDL) is convenient hardware description language for developing and testing digital designs and for inputting design details into design automation system. Describes digital systems at gate, register transfer, and combinational block levels. DDL-based programs written in FORTRAN IV for batch execution.

  1. The Effects of Service Learning Participation in Foreign Language Classes on Students' Attitudes towards the Spanish Language and Culture and Their Language Proficiency

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Malkin, Fran

    2010-01-01

    This dissertation examines the effects of service learning experiences on participants' attitudes towards the Spanish language and culture and their language proficiency. It was hypothesized that using the Spanish language outside the confines of the academic environment would affect participants' attitudes and have an impact on their language…

  2. Hardware synthesis from DDL description. [simulating a digital system for computerized design of large scale integrated circuits

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Shiva, S. G.; Shah, A. M.

    1980-01-01

    The details of digital systems can be conveniently input into the design automation system by means of hardware description language (HDL). The computer aided design and test (CADAT) system at NASA MSFC is used for the LSI design. The digital design language (DDL) was selected as HDL for the CADAT System. DDL translator output can be used for the hardware implementation of the digital design. Problems of selecting the standard cells from the CADAT standard cell library to realize the logic implied by the DDL description of the system are addressed.

  3. The Study of the Use of Picture Descriptions in Enhancing Communication Skills among the 8th- Grade Students--Learners of English as a Foreign Language

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lavalle, Pamela I.; Briesmaster, Mark

    2017-01-01

    Teachers of English as a foreign language (EFL) encourage students to take a more active role in the oral activities in the classroom through different strategies. This study examines the use of picture descriptions as a strategy to develop and enhance communication skills among the eighth-grade students attending a private English school in…

  4. Automatic Digital Hardware Synthesis

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1990-09-01

    VHDL to PALASM, a hardware synthesis language. The PALASM description is then directly implemented into a field programmable gate array (FPGAI using...process of translating VHDL to PALASM, a hardware synthesis language. The PALASM description is then directly implemented into a field programmable gate...allows the engineer to use VHDL to create and validate a design, and then to implement it in a gate array. The development of software o translate VHDL

  5. From a concept to a word in a syntactically complete sentence: an fMRI study on spontaneous language production in an overt picture description task.

    PubMed

    Grande, Marion; Meffert, Elisabeth; Schoenberger, Eva; Jung, Stefanie; Frauenrath, Tobias; Huber, Walter; Hussmann, Katja; Moormann, Mareike; Heim, Stefan

    2012-07-02

    Spontaneous language has rarely been subjected to neuroimaging studies. This study therefore introduces a newly developed method for the analysis of linguistic phenomena observed in continuous language production during fMRI. Most neuroimaging studies investigating language have so far focussed on single word or - to a smaller extent - sentence processing, mostly due to methodological considerations. Natural language production, however, is far more than the mere combination of words to larger units. Therefore, the present study aimed at relating brain activation to linguistic phenomena like word-finding difficulties or syntactic completeness in a continuous language fMRI paradigm. A picture description task with special constraints was used to provoke hesitation phenomena and speech errors. The transcribed speech sample was segmented into events of one second and each event was assigned to one category of a complex schema especially developed for this purpose. The main results were: conceptual planning engages bilateral activation of the precuneus. Successful lexical retrieval is accompanied - particularly in comparison to unsolved word-finding difficulties - by the left middle and superior temporal gyrus. Syntactic completeness is reflected in activation of the left inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) (area 44). In sum, the method has proven to be useful for investigating the neural correlates of lexical and syntactic phenomena in an overt picture description task. This opens up new prospects for the analysis of spontaneous language production during fMRI. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  6. Language Learning Strategies and Language Self-Efficacy: Investigating the Relationship in Malaysia

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wong, Mary Siew-Lian

    2005-01-01

    This study explored graduate pre-service teachers' language learning strategies and language self-efficacy and the relationship between these two constructs. Seventy-four graduate English-as-a-second-language (ESL) pre-service teachers (13 males, 61 females) from a teachers' college in Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia, participated in this study. These…

  7. An Alignment of the Canadian Language Benchmarks to the BC ESL Articulation Levels. Final Report - January 2007

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Barbour, Ross; Ostler, Catherine; Templeman, Elizabeth; West, Elizabeth

    2007-01-01

    The British Columbia (BC) English as a Second Language (ESL) Articulation Committee's Canadian Language Benchmarks project was precipitated by ESL instructors' desire to address transfer difficulties of ESL students within the BC transfer system and to respond to the recognition that the Canadian Language Benchmarks, a descriptive scale of ESL…

  8. Moving beyond Communicative Language Teaching: A Situated Pedagogy for Japanese EFL Classrooms

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lochland, Paul W.

    2013-01-01

    This article questions the appropriateness of communicative language teaching (CLT) in classrooms teaching English as a foreign language (EFL) to Japanese students. The four main criticisms of CLT are the ambiguity of its description, the benefits of CLT for language learning, the amalgamation of CLT methods with local classroom practices, and the…

  9. Effect of Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety on Turkish University Students' Academic Achievement in Foreign Language Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tuncer, Murat; Dogan, Yunus

    2015-01-01

    This study was carried out in order to identify to what extent the Turkish students' English classroom anxiety affects their academic achievement in English language. In this quantitative descriptive study, a correlational survey model was employed, and the convenience sampling was done. In order to collect data, the Foreign Language Classroom…

  10. Learning Through Survival: An Approach to Foreign Language Teaching. A Program Description and Evaluation.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Travers, Claudia S.; Reilly, Joseph T. M.

    A foreign travel program for eighth grade French language students from Shoreham, New York was developed to provide language speaking practice in Quebec, Canada. The program was designed to allow students to spend as much time as possible speaking the language and interacting with the people. The following "survival through speaking"…

  11. Interagency Language Roundtable Invitational Symposium on Language Aptitude Testing (Rosslyn, Virginia, September 14-16, 1988).

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Stansfield, Charles W.; Kenyon, Dorry Mann

    The report of the Interagency Language Roundtable's invitational symposium on language aptitude testing consists of a description of the project and appendixes which include the following: (1) the symposium program and abstracts of papers; (2) a list of participants; and (3) summaries of the discussions of three working groups (on applications,…

  12. First Steps to Endangered Language Documentation: The Kalasha Language, a Case Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mela-Athanasopoulou, Elizabeth

    2011-01-01

    The present paper based on extensive fieldwork D conducted on Kalasha, an endangered language spoken in the three small valleys in Chitral District of Northwestern Pakistan, exposes a spontaneous dialogue-based elicitation of linguistic material used for the description and documentation of the language. After a brief display of the basic typology…

  13. Philippine and North Bornean Languages: Issues in Description, Subgrouping, and Reconstruction

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lobel, Jason William

    2013-01-01

    The Philippines, northern Sulawesi, and northern Borneo are home to two or three hundred languages that can be described as Philippine-type. In spite of nearly five hundred years of language documentation in the Philippines, and at least a century of work in Borneo and Sulawesi, the majority of these languages remain grossly underdocumented, and…

  14. Challenges of Implementing a Top-Down Curriculum Innovation in English Language Teaching: Perspectives of Form Iii English Language Teachers in Kenya

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Okoth, Teresa A.

    2016-01-01

    This study investigated the challenges Form III English language teachers face when implementing the revised integrated English language curriculum. A mixed-method descriptive design was used in Eldoret East SubCounty in Kenya. Data was collected through questionnaires, interviews and reflective conversations. Cluster, purposive and random…

  15. Issues of Identity in Minority Language Media Production in Colombia and Wales

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Uribe-Jongbloed, Enrique

    2016-01-01

    This paper addresses how different media production teams negotiate the use of their minority languages in their practice. After a brief discussion of the concepts of language and description of a linguistic minority, a short review of similar research in the area of Minority Language Media is presented. Within this area, radio producers from…

  16. Teacher Language Competence Description: Towards a New Framework of Evaluation

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sokolova, Nataliya

    2012-01-01

    The article is centred around the concept of "language competence of a foreign language (FL) teacher" and the ways it can be evaluated. Though the definition of teacher language competence might sound obvious it has not yet been clearly structured and, therefore, no component has been thoroughly described. I use this fact as a starting…

  17. The Multifaceted Ecology of Language Play in an Elementary School EFL Classroom

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kang, Dae-Min

    2017-01-01

    Language play (LP) in second language (L2) classrooms has attracted increasing attention in recent years, but descriptions and explanations of LP construction in English as a foreign language (EFL) settings remain insufficient. This paper reports the discursive processes of LP construction in an elementary school EFL classroom in Korea. I found…

  18. Who Receives Speech/Language Services by 5 Years of Age in the United States?

    PubMed Central

    Hammer, Carol Scheffner; Farkas, George; Hillemeier, Marianne M.; Maczuga, Steve; Cook, Michael; Morano, Stephanie

    2016-01-01

    Purpose We sought to identify factors predictive of or associated with receipt of speech/language services during early childhood. We did so by analyzing data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study–Birth Cohort (ECLS-B; Andreassen & Fletcher, 2005), a nationally representative data set maintained by the U.S. Department of Education. We addressed two research questions of particular importance to speech-language pathology practice and policy. First, do early vocabulary delays increase children's likelihood of receiving speech/language services? Second, are minority children systematically less likely to receive these services than otherwise similar White children? Method Multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed for a population-based sample of 9,600 children and families participating in the ECLS-B. Results Expressive vocabulary delays by 24 months of age were strongly associated with and predictive of children's receipt of speech/language services at 24, 48, and 60 months of age (adjusted odds ratio range = 4.32–16.60). Black children were less likely to receive speech/language services than otherwise similar White children at 24, 48, and 60 months of age (adjusted odds ratio range = 0.42–0.55). Lower socioeconomic status children and those whose parental primary language was other than English were also less likely to receive services. Being born with very low birth weight also significantly increased children's receipt of services at 24, 48, and 60 months of age. Conclusion Expressive vocabulary delays at 24 months of age increase children’s risk for later speech/language services. Increased use of culturally and linguistically sensitive practices may help racial/ethnic minority children access needed services. PMID:26579989

  19. SWAHILI LANGUAGE HANDBOOK.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    POLOME, EDGAR C.

    THIS INTRODUCTION TO THE STRUCTURE AND BACKGROUND OF THE SWAHILI LANGUAGE WAS WRITTEN FOR THE NON-SPECIALIST. ALTHOUGH THE LINGUISTIC TERMINOLOGY USED IN THE DESCRIPTION OF THE LANGUAGE ASSUMES THE READER HAS HAD SOME TRAINING IN LINGUISTICS, THIS HANDBOOK PROVIDES BASIC LINGUISTIC AND SOCIOLINGUISTIC INFORMATION FOR STUDENTS OF AFRICAN CULTURE…

  20. The Language of Qualitative Issues. AIR Forum 1982 Paper.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Duckwall, Julia M.; Johnson, F. Craig

    The communication of research findings among collegiate institutional researchers is considered in relation to the contribution of qualitative language in general, and catastrophe theory in particular. The qualitative language of catastrophe theory may help reduce the arbitrariness of description, through identification of qualitative features…

  1. Descriptions of Selected Career-Related College Language Courses

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Knodel, Arthur J.; And Others

    1977-01-01

    Seven courses or programs at different colleges emphasizing specific career applications of languages are described. They include: Technical French; Spanish for Law Enforcement and Correctional Personnel; Executive German; Proyecto Desarrollo Economico; Spanish for Medical Professions; Elements of Foreign Language, and Business French and Business…

  2. LANGUAGES OF THE WORLD--INDO-PACIFIC FASCICLE FOUR.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    VOEGELIN, C. F.; VOEGELIN, FLORENCE M.

    THIS REPORT CONTAINS A LIST AND DESCRIPTIONS OF THE AUSTRONESIAN FAMILY OF LANGUAGES WHICH INCLUDE THE LANGUAGES OF INDONESIA, FORMOSA, MADAGASCAR, THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS, AND PART OF SOUTHEAST ASIA. (THE REPORT IS PART OF A SERIES, ED 010 350 TO ED 010 367.) (JK)

  3. A Grammar of Kurtop

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hyslop, Gwendolyn

    2011-01-01

    Kurtop is a Tibeto-Burman language spoken by approximately 15,000 people in Northeastern Bhutan. This dissertation is the first descriptive grammar of the language, based on extensive fieldwork and community-driven language documentation in Bhutan. When possible, analyses are presented in typological and historical/comparative perspectives and…

  4. The Sizing and Optimization Language, (SOL): Computer language for design problems

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Lucas, Stephen H.; Scotti, Stephen J.

    1988-01-01

    The Sizing and Optimization Language, (SOL), a new high level, special purpose computer language was developed to expedite application of numerical optimization to design problems and to make the process less error prone. SOL utilizes the ADS optimization software and provides a clear, concise syntax for describing an optimization problem, the OPTIMIZE description, which closely parallels the mathematical description of the problem. SOL offers language statements which can be used to model a design mathematically, with subroutines or code logic, and with existing FORTRAN routines. In addition, SOL provides error checking and clear output of the optimization results. Because of these language features, SOL is best suited to model and optimize a design concept when the model consits of mathematical expressions written in SOL. For such cases, SOL's unique syntax and error checking can be fully utilized. SOL is presently available for DEC VAX/VMS systems. A SOL package is available which includes the SOL compiler, runtime library routines, and a SOL reference manual.

  5. Extraction of phenotypic traits from taxonomic descriptions for the tree of life using natural language processing.

    PubMed

    Endara, Lorena; Cui, Hong; Burleigh, J Gordon

    2018-03-01

    Phenotypic data sets are necessary to elucidate the genealogy of life, but assembling phenotypic data for taxa across the tree of life can be technically challenging and prohibitively time consuming. We describe a semi-automated protocol to facilitate and expedite the assembly of phenotypic character matrices of plants from formal taxonomic descriptions. This pipeline uses new natural language processing (NLP) techniques and a glossary of over 9000 botanical terms. Our protocol includes the Explorer of Taxon Concepts (ETC), an online application that assembles taxon-by-character matrices from taxonomic descriptions, and MatrixConverter, a Java application that enables users to evaluate and discretize the characters extracted by ETC. We demonstrate this protocol using descriptions from Araucariaceae. The NLP pipeline unlocks the phenotypic data found in taxonomic descriptions and makes them usable for evolutionary analyses.

  6. Subject descriptions, control groups, and research designs in published studies of language-impaired children.

    PubMed

    Schmitt, J F; Meline, T J

    1990-12-01

    We reviewed the 1983-1988 issues of six journals that frequently publish papers including specifically language-impaired (LI) subjects. A total of 92 research reports provided data for our review. The research reports included experimental studies, ex post facto studies, and intervention studies. These studies represent a broad spectrum of the theoretical and empirical foundations of knowledge regarding LI children. The analysis of the published research centered on subject descriptions and the use of control groups. A descriptive analysis of the data showed few consistent trends among the studies with respect to subject selection, subject description, and the number and types of control groups. We discuss the importance of more complete subject descriptions in studies of LI children as well as the importance of the choice of matching criteria for control groups in between-subjects designs.

  7. Can Nomenclature for the Body be Explained by Embodiment Theories?

    PubMed

    Majid, Asifa; van Staden, Miriam

    2015-10-01

    According to widespread opinion, the meaning of body part terms is determined by salient discontinuities in the visual image; such that hands, feet, arms, and legs, are natural parts. If so, one would expect these parts to have distinct names which correspond in meaning across languages. To test this proposal, we compared three unrelated languages-Dutch, Japanese, and Indonesian-and found both naming systems and boundaries of even basic body part terms display variation across languages. Bottom-up cues alone cannot explain natural language semantic systems; there simply is not a one-to-one mapping of the body semantic system to the body structural description. Although body parts are flexibly construed across languages, body parts semantics are, nevertheless, constrained by non-linguistic representations in the body structural description, suggesting these are necessary, although not sufficient, in accounting for aspects of the body lexicon. Copyright © 2015 Cognitive Science Society, Inc.

  8. Just a preference: racialised language in the sex-seeking profiles of gay and bisexual men.

    PubMed

    Callander, Denton; Holt, Martin; Newman, Christy E

    2012-10-01

    Racialised language is a salient and contested aspect of contemporary sexual cultures, particularly in the online domain. This paper explores the ways in which gay men in Australia employ race-related language when using online sex/dating websites. Using inductive content analysis, descriptive categories were developed to identify recurrent patterns in the racialised language employed by website users. A coding framework was then constructed to identify the 'subject' (self, other or concept) of each piece of race-related content, its 'purpose' (marketing, negative or positive discrimination, commentary) and the 'position' adopted (defensive, normalised or critical). Descriptive and comparative analyses revealed differences in the ways in which members of racial groups employed racialised language online. These differences are reviewed in relation to broader discourses on Whiteness and race in Australia, as well as recent community-produced anti-racism campaigns.

  9. Modern design of a fast front-end computer

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Šoštarić, Z.; Anic̈ić, D.; Sekolec, L.; Su, J.

    1994-12-01

    Front-end computers (FEC) at Paul Scherrer Institut provide access to accelerator CAMAC-based sensors and actuators by way of a local area network. In the scope of the new generation FEC project, a front-end is regarded as a collection of services. The functionality of one such service is described in terms of Yourdon's environment, behaviour, processor and task models. The computational model (software representation of the environment) of the service is defined separately, using the information model of the Shlaer-Mellor method, and Sather OO language. In parallel with the analysis and later with the design, a suite of test programmes was developed to evaluate the feasibility of different computing platforms for the project and a set of rapid prototypes was produced to resolve different implementation issues. The past and future aspects of the project and its driving forces are presented. Justification of the choice of methodology, platform and requirement, is given. We conclude with a description of the present state, priorities and limitations of our project.

  10. Data Integration Using SOAP in the VSO

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tian, K. Q.; Bogart, R. S.; Davey, A.; Dimitoglou, G.; Gurman, J. B.; Hill, F.; Martens, P. C.; Wampler, S.

    2003-05-01

    The Virtual Solar Observatory (VSO) project has implemented a time interval search for all four participating data archives. The back-end query services are implemented as web services, and are accessible via SOAP. SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol) defines an RPC (Remote Procedure Call) mechanism that employs HTTP as its transport and encodes the client-server interactions (request and response messages) in XML (eXtensible Markup Language) documents. In addition to its core function of identifying relevant datasets in the local archive, the SOAP server at each data provider acts as a "wrapper" that maps descriptions in an abstract data model to those in the provider-specific data model, and vice versa. It is in this way that VSO integrates heterogeneous data services and allows access to them using a common interface. Our experience with SOAP has been fruitful. It has proven to be a better alternative to traditional web access methods, namely POST and GET, because of its flexibility and interoperability.

  11. TTCN-3 Based Conformance Testing of Mobile Broadcast Business Management System in 3G Networks

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Zhiliang; Yin, Xia; Xiang, Yang; Zhu, Ruiping; Gao, Shirui; Wu, Xin; Liu, Shijian; Gao, Song; Zhou, Li; Li, Peng

    Mobile broadcast service is one of the emerging most important new services in 3G networks. To better operate and manage mobile broadcast services, mobile broadcast business management system (MBBMS) should be designed and developed. Such a system, with its distributed nature, complicated XML data and security mechanism, faces many challenges in testing technology. In this paper, we study the conformance testing methodology of MBBMS, and design and implement a MBBMS protocol conformance testing tool based on TTCN-3, a standardized test description language that can be used in black-box testing of reactive and distributed system. In this methodology and testing tool, we present a semi-automatic XML test data generation method of TTCN-3 test suite and use HMSC model to help the design of test suite. In addition, we also propose an integrated testing method for hierarchical MBBMS security architecture. This testing tool has been used in industrial level’s testing.

  12. Summary report for the Engineering Script Language (ESL)

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1990-01-01

    The following subject areas are covered: ESL methodology concept; ESL specification; user interface description; engineering scripting language command statements specification; and recommendations for further research and development.

  13. 78 FR 13394 - 30-Day Notice of Proposed Information Collection: Office of Language Services Contractor...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-02-27

    ... of Language Services Contractor Application Form ACTION: Notice of request for public comment and...: Title of Information Collection: Office of Language Services Contractor Application Form. OMB Control... States. If candidates successfully become contractors for the U.S. Department of State, Office of...

  14. A Counterexample Guided Abstraction Refinement Framework for Verifying Concurrent C Programs

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2005-05-24

    source code are routinely executed. The source code is written in languages ranging from C/C++/Java to ML/ Ocaml . These languages differ not only in...from the difficulty to model computer programs—due to the complexity of programming languages as compared to hardware description languages —to...intermediate specification language lying between high-level Statechart- like formalisms and transition systems. Actions are encoded as changes in

  15. Applications of Quality Management in Language Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Heyworth, Frank

    2013-01-01

    This review examines applications of quality management (QM) in language education. QM approaches have been adapted from methodologies developed in industrial and commercial settings, and these are briefly described. Key aspects of QM in language education are the definition of purpose, descriptions of principles and practice, including various…

  16. LANGUAGES OF THE WORLD--SINO-TIBETAN FASCICLE THREE.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    VOEGELIN, C. F.; VOEGELIN, FLORENCE M.

    THIS REPORT CONTAINS A LIST AND DESCRIPTION OF THE LANGUAGES OF THE CHINA-TIBET-BURMA REGION OF ASIA, WITH PARTICULAR REFERENCE TO THE MIAO-YAO LANGUAGE FAMILY AND THE CHINESE DIALECTS. (THE REPORT IS PART OF A SERIES, ED 010 350 TO ED 010 367.) (JK)

  17. TESOL Technology Standards: Description, Implementation, Integration

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages, Inc. (TESOL), 2011

    2011-01-01

    The "TESOL Technology Standards" are applicable in a wide range of contexts: foreign language, second language, child, teen, adult, higher education, vocational education, language for specific purposes, and fully online programs; and in settings with low, medium, or high resources and access to communication technologies. Students, teachers,…

  18. Syntactic Markedness and Language Acquisition.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mazurkewich, Irene

    1985-01-01

    Argues that Chomsky's theory of generative grammar provides a model for second language acquisition that meets the criteria of descriptive and exploratory adequacy in accounting for the language learning process. Illustrates this by presenting data on the acquisition of dative complements and dative questions in a passive context by second…

  19. Britain's South Asian Languages.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mobbs, Michael

    This book focuses on the languages spoken by people of South Asian origin living in Britain and is intended to assist individuals in Britain whose work involves them with speakers of these languages. The approach taken is descriptive and practical, offering linguistic, geographic, and historical background information leading to appreciation of…

  20. Urban Elementary Teachers' Perspectives on Teaching Science to English Language Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lee, Okhee; Maerten-Rivera, Jaime; Buxton, Cory; Penfield, Randall; Secada, Walter G.

    2009-01-01

    This descriptive study examined urban elementary school teachers' perceptions of their science content knowledge, science teaching practices, and support for language development of English language learners. Also examined were teachers' perceptions of organizational supports and barriers associated with teaching science to nonmainstream students.…

  1. Denials of Racism in Canadian English Language Textbooks

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gulliver, Trevor; Thurrell, Kristy

    2016-01-01

    This critical discourse analysis examines denials of racism in descriptions of Canada and Canadians from English language textbooks. Denials of racism often accompany racist and nationalist discourse, preempting observations of racism. The study finds that in representations of Canada or Canadians, English language texts minimize and downplay…

  2. A Grammar of Bih

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Nguyen, Tam Thi Minh

    2013-01-01

    Bih is a Chamic (Austronesian) language spoken by approximately 500 people in the Southern highlands of Vietnam. This dissertation is the first descriptive grammar of the language, based on extensive fieldwork and community-based language documentation in Vietnam and written from a functional/typological perspective. The analysis in this work is…

  3. [The language disorders in schizophrenia in neurolinguistic and psycholinguistic perspectives].

    PubMed

    Piovan, Cristiano

    2012-01-01

    The descriptive psychopathology has classically equated the language with the formal aspects of thought. Recent developments in experimental and clinical research have emphasized the study of the language as a specific communicative ability. Within the framework of cognitive neuropsychology, the development of innovative research models, such as those based on the mentalizing ability, has allowed to formulate new hypotheses on the pathogenetic aspects of schizophrenia. Furthermore, mentalizing ability appears to be a basic skill for the pragmatic dimension of language. The author, after a brief description of the methods of investigation of neurolinguistics and psycholinguistics, presents a review of recent studies obtained by consulting the PubMed and PsycINFO databases. Finally, he focuses on the relationship between research findings and issues related to clinical practice.

  4. Task Description Language

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Simmons, Reid; Apfelbaum, David

    2005-01-01

    Task Description Language (TDL) is an extension of the C++ programming language that enables programmers to quickly and easily write complex, concurrent computer programs for controlling real-time autonomous systems, including robots and spacecraft. TDL is based on earlier work (circa 1984 through 1989) on the Task Control Architecture (TCA). TDL provides syntactic support for hierarchical task-level control functions, including task decomposition, synchronization, execution monitoring, and exception handling. A Java-language-based compiler transforms TDL programs into pure C++ code that includes calls to a platform-independent task-control-management (TCM) library. TDL has been used to control and coordinate multiple heterogeneous robots in projects sponsored by NASA and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). It has also been used in Brazil to control an autonomous airship and in Canada to control a robotic manipulator.

  5. Evaluating Pragmatic Competence in Nigerian Undergraduates' Language Errors within Descriptive ESL Writing

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Muhammad, Anas Sa'idu; Nair, Subadrah Madhawa

    2017-01-01

    This study investigates the level of pragmatic competence for ESL writing skills among Nigerian undergraduates. Methodologically, it adopts descriptive research design within the explanatory framework of the QUAN-Qual model. The instruments used are descriptive essay text and focus group interview questions. In writing the descriptive essays, a…

  6. A verification strategy for web services composition using enhanced stacked automata model.

    PubMed

    Nagamouttou, Danapaquiame; Egambaram, Ilavarasan; Krishnan, Muthumanickam; Narasingam, Poonkuzhali

    2015-01-01

    Currently, Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) is becoming the most popular software architecture of contemporary enterprise applications, and one crucial technique of its implementation is web services. Individual service offered by some service providers may symbolize limited business functionality; however, by composing individual services from different service providers, a composite service describing the intact business process of an enterprise can be made. Many new standards have been defined to decipher web service composition problem namely Business Process Execution Language (BPEL). BPEL provides an initial work for forming an Extended Markup Language (XML) specification language for defining and implementing business practice workflows for web services. The problems with most realistic approaches to service composition are the verification of composed web services. It has to depend on formal verification method to ensure the correctness of composed services. A few research works has been carried out in the literature survey for verification of web services for deterministic system. Moreover the existing models did not address the verification properties like dead transition, deadlock, reachability and safetyness. In this paper, a new model to verify the composed web services using Enhanced Stacked Automata Model (ESAM) has been proposed. The correctness properties of the non-deterministic system have been evaluated based on the properties like dead transition, deadlock, safetyness, liveness and reachability. Initially web services are composed using Business Process Execution Language for Web Service (BPEL4WS) and it is converted into ESAM (combination of Muller Automata (MA) and Push Down Automata (PDA)) and it is transformed into Promela language, an input language for Simple ProMeLa Interpreter (SPIN) tool. The model is verified using SPIN tool and the results revealed better recital in terms of finding dead transition and deadlock in contrast to the existing models.

  7. On the Semantics of SPARQL

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Arenas, Marcelo; Gutierrez, Claudio; Pérez, Jorge

    The Resource Description Framework (RDF) is the standard data model for representing information about World Wide Web resources. In January 2008, it was released the recommendation of the W3C for querying RDF data, a query language called SPARQL. In this chapter, we give a detailed description of the semantics of this language. We start by focusing on the definition of a formal semantics for the core part of SPARQL, and then move to the definition for the entire language, including all the features in the specification of SPARQL by the W3C such as blank nodes in graph patterns and bag semantics for solutions.

  8. A Kurdish Grammar: Descriptive Analysis of the Kurdish of Sulaimaniya, Iraq. American Council of Learned Societies Program in Oriental Languages, Publications Series B - Aids - Number 10.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McCarus, Ernest N.

    This study is a description of the Kurdish of the city of Sulaimaniya, Iraq. Kurdish dialects cover an area embracing parts of eastern Turkey, Soviet Armenia, northern Syria, western Iran, and Khorasan in Iran. The language is described in terms of (1) phonology, (2) morphology, (3) morphophonemics, (4) word formation, and (5) syntax. An appendix,…

  9. A comparison of English and Japanese taste languages: taste descriptive methodology, codability and the umami taste.

    PubMed

    O'Mahony, M; Ishii, R

    1986-05-01

    Everyday taste descriptions for a range of stimuli were obtained from selected groups of American and Japanese subjects, using a variety of stimuli, stimulus presentation procedures and response conditions. In English there was a tendency to use a quadrapartite classification system: 'sweet', 'sour', 'salty' and 'bitter'. The Japanese had a different strategy, adding a fifth label: 'Ajinomoto', referring to the taste of monosodium glutamate. This label was generally replaced by umami--the scientific term--by Japanese who were workers or trained tasters involved with glutamate manufacture. Cultural differences in taste language have consequences for taste psychophysicists who impose a quadrapartite restriction on allowable taste descriptions. Stimulus presentation by filter-paper or aqueous solution elicited the same response trends. Language codability was only an indicator of degree of taste mixedness/singularity if used statistically with samples of sufficient size; it had little value as an indicator for individual subjects.

  10. The Possible Contribution of Social Grammar of Language Analysis to Inter-Cultural Communication and the Avoidance of Misunderstanding.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Grayshon, Matthew C.

    Different languages code messages in different ways and use different channels for sending messages; thus there are many places for misinterpreting and mishearing messages in an intercultural context. To move from one language to another requires a description of the total language communication system, one that has its universals in social and…

  11. Linguistic Theory and the Study of Legal and Bureaucratic Language. Document Design Project, Technical Report No. 16.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Charrow, Veda R.

    This paper studies legal language from three perspectives. First, legal language is defined as the variety of English that lawyers, judges, and other members of the legal community use in the course of their work. In a second section, it reviews descriptions of legal language by lawyers, linguists, and social scientists. These studies indicate…

  12. Dialogue as a Constituent Resource for Dramatic Discourse: Language, Person and Culture

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Zheltukhina, Marina R.; Zinkovskaya, Anastasia V.; Katermina, Veronika V.; Shershneva, Natalia B.

    2016-01-01

    The article is devoted to the description of peculiarities of a person, language and culture. The offered approach of studying the human factor in the language singles out implicit connotations and makes it possible to see the differences in the perception of the reality by the members of the nation. The idea of the language as an environment of…

  13. The Neural Correlates of Highly Iconic Structures and Topographic Discourse in French Sign Language as Observed in Six Hearing Native Signers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Courtin, C.; Herve, P. -Y.; Petit, L.; Zago, L.; Vigneau, M.; Beaucousin, V.; Jobard, G.; Mazoyer, B.; Mellet, E.; Tzourio-Mazoyer, N.

    2010-01-01

    "Highly iconic" structures in Sign Language enable a narrator to act, switch characters, describe objects, or report actions in four-dimensions. This group of linguistic structures has no real spoken-language equivalent. Topographical descriptions are also achieved in a sign-language specific manner via the use of signing-space and…

  14. 42 CFR 409.23 - Physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech-language pathology.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ...-language pathology. 409.23 Section 409.23 Public Health CENTERS FOR MEDICARE & MEDICAID SERVICES... § 409.23 Physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech-language pathology. Medicare pays for... therapy or speech-language pathology services must be furnished— (1) By qualified physical therapists...

  15. Data-driven approach to human motion modeling with Lua and gesture description language

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hachaj, Tomasz; Koptyra, Katarzyna; Ogiela, Marek R.

    2017-03-01

    The aim of this paper is to present the novel proposition of the human motion modelling and recognition approach that enables real time MoCap signal evaluation. By motions (actions) recognition we mean classification. The role of this approach is to propose the syntactic description procedure that can be easily understood, learnt and used in various motion modelling and recognition tasks in all MoCap systems no matter if they are vision or wearable sensor based. To do so we have prepared extension of Gesture Description Language (GDL) methodology that enables movements description and real-time recognition so that it can use not only positional coordinates of body joints but virtually any type of discreetly measured output MoCap signals like accelerometer, magnetometer or gyroscope. We have also prepared and evaluated the cross-platform implementation of this approach using Lua scripting language and JAVA technology. This implementation is called Data Driven GDL (DD-GDL). In tested scenarios the average execution speed is above 100 frames per second which is an acquisition time of many popular MoCap solutions.

  16. A Survey of Speech and Language Pathology Services for Down's Syndrome: State of the Art.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kumin, Libby

    1986-01-01

    This article summarizes current trends in speech and language pathology services to individuals with Down's syndrome. Speech and language pathologists (N=112) responded to a survey identifying widely used assessment instruments, therapy materials, sources of information, and needs in relation to services at five age levels. (Author/DB)

  17. Language Workbook for Food Service.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mankoski, Linda C.

    This workbook parallels the manual, "Food Service" (see related note), and is designed to assist the language arts or foods service teacher in helping deaf students cope with problems of reading the parallel text. The language system used in this text is based upon the Roberts English Series, which uses a linguistic approach to teaching language…

  18. Pre-Service English as a Foreign Language Teachers' Perceptions of the Relationship between Multiple Intelligences and Foreign Language Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Savas, Perihan

    2012-01-01

    The relationship between intelligence, language, and learning is a challenging field of study. One way to study how this relationship occurs and works is to investigate the perceptions of advanced language learners. Therefore, this paper reports a study that was conducted to explore 160 pre-service English language teachers' perceptions about…

  19. Perceptions about Representative English-Language Accents from Prospective and Practicing Providers of Business-Related Language Services in Argentina

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Scott, James Calvert; Green, Diana J.; Rosewarne, David D.

    2004-01-01

    The purposes of the study were (a) to identify perceptions about representative English-language accents from prospective and practicing providers of business-related language services residing in Argentina and (b) to examine the differences in their perceptions of these English-language accents. The respondents ranked the accents in this order:…

  20. A brief description and comparison of programming languages FORTRAN, ALGOL, COBOL, PL/1, and LISP 1.5 from a critical standpoint

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mathur, F. P.

    1972-01-01

    Several common higher level program languages are described. FORTRAN, ALGOL, COBOL, PL/1, and LISP 1.5 are summarized and compared. FORTRAN is the most widely used scientific programming language. ALGOL is a more powerful language for scientific programming. COBOL is used for most commercial programming applications. LISP 1.5 is primarily a list-processing language. PL/1 attempts to combine the desirable features of FORTRAN, ALGOL, and COBOL into a single language.

  1. Understanding and Forecasting Ethnolinguistic Vitality

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Karan, Mark E.

    2011-01-01

    Forecasting of ethnolinguistic vitality can only be done within a well-functioning descriptive and explanatory model of the dynamics of language stability and shift. It is proposed that the Perceived Benefit Model of Language Shift, used with a taxonomy of language shift motivations, provides that model. The model, based on individual language…

  2. Child Language Research: Building on the Past, Looking to the Future.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Perera, Katharine

    1994-01-01

    Outlines descriptive, theoretical, and methodological advances in child language research since the first volume of the "Journal of Child Language" was published. Papers in this volume build on earlier research, point the way to new research avenues, and open new lines of inquiry. (Contains 36 references.) (JP)

  3. Information Retrieval and the Philosophy of Language.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Blair, David C.

    2003-01-01

    Provides an overview of some of the main ideas in the philosophy of language that have relevance to the issues of information retrieval, focusing on the description of the intellectual content. Highlights include retrieval problems; recall and precision; words and meanings; context; externalism and the philosophy of language; and scaffolding and…

  4. Task-Induced Variability in FL Composition: Language-Specific Perspectives.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Koda, Keiko

    1993-01-01

    Investigated ways in which different writing tasks influence quality and quantity of foreign language composition, as well as writing strategies used by American college students when composing in Japanese as a foreign language. Study proposed to compare qualitative and quantitative differences between descriptive and narrative writing tasks; to…

  5. DESIGN FOR THINKING, A FIRST BOOK IN SEMANTICS.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    UPTON, ALBERT

    THIS BOOK ABOUT THE FUNCTIONS OF LANGUAGE IN HUMAN LIFE EMPHASIZES LEARNING HOW TO CLASSIFY, DEFINE, AND ANALYZE. FOLLOWING AN EXPLANATION OF THE PHYSIOLOGICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL ROOTS OF LANGUAGE, CHAPTERS ON ANALYSIS, MEANING, SIGNS, AMBIGUITY, SEMANTIC GROWTH, AND METAPHOR LEAD TO A DESCRIPTION OF THE COMMUNICATIVE FUNCTION OF LANGUAGE,…

  6. End-User Use of Data Base Query Language: Pros and Cons.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Nicholes, Walter

    1988-01-01

    Man-machine interface, the concept of a computer "query," a review of database technology, and a description of the use of query languages at Brigham Young University are discussed. The pros and cons of end-user use of database query languages are explored. (Author/MLW)

  7. Across the Threshold: A Call for ILR Proficiency Descriptor Banks

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Holman, Don

    2017-01-01

    Whereas the Interagency Language Roundtable Language Skill Level Descriptions broke new ground for assessing proficiency in foreign languages, the need for user-oriented (rather than assessment-oriented) proficiency scales has led, especially in Europe, to the creation of scales consisting of positively formulated "can-do" statements,…

  8. Mississippi Language Arts Framework with the Process of Instructional Intervention, 2000.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mississippi State Dept. of Education, Jackson.

    This Language Arts Framework provides a description of what students should know and do in English, language arts, and reading classrooms, kindergarten through twelfth grade. The framework addresses the interrelatedness of reading, writing, speaking, listening, and viewing. The intent is to raise expectations for student performance, provide…

  9. Pronouns in Akebu

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Koffi, Yao

    2010-01-01

    (Purpose) The purpose of this article is to provide a detailed description of the pronouns in Akebu. Akebu is a language spoken in South-West Togo and in the neighboring towns in Ghana. Akebu belongs to a group of languages formerly called "Togo Remnant Languages", now (Ghana Togo Mountains, GTM). The native Akebu speakers call their…

  10. Competency: The Language of the Behavioral Objectives Movement.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Craig, Samuel B., Jr.

    Several external and internal factors combine to hinder optimal communication in "Competency," the language of behavior modification. As a language, Competency a) is spoken with varying degrees of fluency and facility, b) is difficult to translate into English because the common vocabulary is used descriptively in English while it is…

  11. A Strategy for Language Assessment of Young Children: A Combination of Two Approaches.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kelly, Donna J.; Rice, Mabel L.

    1986-01-01

    A proposed strategy for language assessment advocates a combination of descriptive and formal assessment measures. This approach involves a parent-clinician interview, parent-child observations, clinician-directed formal and nonformal assessment procedures, and a parent-clinician interpretation. An elaborated sample of language assessment is…

  12. Parents' and speech and language therapists' explanatory models of language development, language delay and intervention.

    PubMed

    Marshall, Julie; Goldbart, Juliet; Phillips, Julie

    2007-01-01

    Parental and speech and language therapist (SLT) explanatory models may affect engagement with speech and language therapy, but there has been dearth of research in this area. This study investigated parents' and SLTs' views about language development, delay and intervention in pre-school children with language delay. The aims were to describe, explore and explain the thoughts, understandings, perceptions, beliefs, knowledge and feelings held by: a group of parents from East Manchester, UK, whose pre-school children had been referred with suspected language delay; and SLTs working in the same area, in relation to language development, language delay and language intervention. A total of 24 unstructured interviews were carried out: 15 with parents whose children had been referred for speech and language therapy and nine with SLTs who worked with pre-school children. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and coded using Atlas/ti. The data were analysed, subjected to respondent validation, and grounded theories and principled descriptions developed to explain and describe parents' and SLTs' beliefs and views. Parent and SLT data are presented separately. There are commonalities and differences between the parents and the SLTs. Both groups believe that language development and delay are influenced by both external and internal factors. Parents give more weight to the role of gender, imitation and personality and value television and videos, whereas the SLTs value the 'right environment' and listening skills and consider that health/disability and socio-economic factors are important. Parents see themselves as experts on their child and have varied ideas about the role of SLTs, which do not always accord with SLTs' views. The parents and SLTs differ in their views of the roles of imitation and play in intervention. Parents typically try strategies before seeing an SLT. These data suggest that parents' ideas vary and that, although parents and SLTs may share some views, there are some important differences. These views have implications for the provision of appropriate services. Although this is a small sample from one group in the UK, the results indicate the need to investigate the views of other groups of parents.

  13. Creating a Professional Ladder for Interpreters for Improvement of Care.

    PubMed

    Marshall, Lori; Fischer, Anna; Noyes Soeller, Allison; Cordova, Richard; Gutierrez, Yvonne R; Alford, Luis

    2016-01-01

    Children's Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA), a metropolitan academic medical center, recognized limitations in how the professional interpreters from the Diversity Services Department were used to support effective patient-provider communication across the organization. Given the importance of mitigating language and communication barriers, CHLA sought to minimize clinical and structural barriers to health care for limited English proficiency populations through a comprehensive restructuring of the Diversity Services Department. This approach entailed a new delivery model for hospital language assistance and cultural consultancy resources. The intervention focused on restructuring the Diversity Services Department, redefining priorities, reallocating resources, and redefining the roles of the language staff positions in the department. The language staff role was redesigned to fit a four-level professional career ladder modeled after the professional career ladders commonly used in hospitals for the RN role and other professional disciplines. The approach involved creating new levels of language specialist, each with progressive requirements for performance, leadership, and accountability for patient care outcomes. Language staff in the inpatient, clinic, and emergency department settings worked alongside nurses, physicians, and other disciplines to care for a specific set of patients. The result of this work was a positive culture change resulting in service efficiencies, care improvements, and improved access to language services. A professional career ladder for language staff contributed to improving the quality and access of language services and advancing the interpreting profession by incorporating care coordination support, vital document translation, and cultural consultancy.

  14. Speech-Language Pathologists' Comfort Levels in English Language Learner Service Delivery

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kimble, Carlotta

    2013-01-01

    This study examined speech-language pathologists' (SLPs) comfort levels in providing service delivery to English language learners (ELLs) and limited English proficient (LEP) students. Participants included 192 SLPs from the United States and Guam. Participants completed a brief, six-item questionnaire that investigated their perceptions regarding…

  15. An Empirical Study of the Dominating Predictive Features of Spoken Language in a Representative Sample of School Pupils: A Multivariate Description and Analysis of Oral Language Development.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Marascuilo, Leonard A.; Loban, Walter

    To determine whether language behavior represents an early conditioned verbal response or whether it changes with age and experience was the purpose of this study which attempted to define unique isolates of language on the basis of actual language produced by young children. Tape recorded data were collected for 12 years from 211 children in…

  16. Functional test generation for digital circuits described with a declarative language: LUSTRE

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Almahrous, Mazen

    1990-08-01

    A functional approach to the test generation problem starting from a high level description is proposed. The circuit tested is modeled, using the LUSTRE high level data flow description language. The different LUSTRE primitives are translated to a SATAN format graph in order to evaluate the testability of the circuit and to generate test sequences. Another method of testing the complex circuits comprising an operative part and a control part is defined. It consists of checking experiments for the control part observed through the operative part. It was applied to the automata generated from a LUSTRE description of the circuit.

  17. Clinician Descriptions of Communication Strategies to Improve Treatment Engagement by Racial/Ethnic Minorities in Mental Health Services: A Systematic Review

    PubMed Central

    Aggarwal, Neil Krishan; Pieh, Matthew C.; Dixon, Lisa; Guarnaccia, Peter; Alegría, Margarita; Lewis-Fernández, Roberto

    2015-01-01

    Objective To describe studies on clinician communication and the engagement of racial/ethnic minority patients in mental health treatment. Methods Authors conducted electronic searches of published and grey literature databases from inception to November 2014, forward citation analyses, and backward bibliographic sampling of included articles. Included studies reported original data on clinician communication strategies to improve minority treatment engagement, defined as initiating, participating, and continuing services. Results Twenty-three studies met inclusion criteria. Low treatment initiation and high treatment discontinuation were related to patient views that the mental health system did not address their understandings of illness, care or stigma. Treatment participation was based more on clinician language use, communication style, and discussions of patient-clinician differences. Conclusion Clinicians may improve treatment initiation and continuation by incorporating patient views of illness into treatment and targeting stigma. Clinicians may improve treatment participation by using simple language, tailoring communication to patient preferences, discussing differences, and demonstrating positive affect. Practice implications Lack of knowledge about the mental health system and somatic symptoms may delay treatment initiation. Discussions of clinician backgrounds, power, and communication style may improve treatment participation. Treatment continuation may improve if clinicians tailor communication and treatment plans congruent with patient expectations. PMID:26365436

  18. Clinician descriptions of communication strategies to improve treatment engagement by racial/ethnic minorities in mental health services: A systematic review.

    PubMed

    Aggarwal, Neil Krishan; Pieh, Matthew C; Dixon, Lisa; Guarnaccia, Peter; Alegría, Margarita; Lewis-Fernández, Roberto

    2016-02-01

    To describe studies on clinician communication and the engagement of racial/ethnic minority patients in mental health treatment. Authors conducted electronic searches of published and grey literature databases from inception to November 2014, forward citation analyses, and backward bibliographic sampling of included articles. Included studies reported original data on clinician communication strategies to improve minority treatment engagement, defined as initiating, participating, and continuing services. Twenty-three studies met inclusion criteria. Low treatment initiation and high treatment discontinuation were related to patient views that the mental health system did not address their understandings of illness, care or stigma. Treatment participation was based more on clinician language use, communication style, and discussions of patient-clinician differences. Clinicians may improve treatment initiation and continuation by incorporating patient views of illness into treatment and targeting stigma. Clinicians may improve treatment participation by using simple language, tailoring communication to patient preferences, discussing differences, and demonstrating positive affect. Lack of knowledge about the mental health system and somatic symptoms may delay treatment initiation. Discussions of clinician backgrounds, power, and communication style may improve treatment participation. Treatment continuation may improve if clinicians tailor communication and treatment plans congruent with patient expectations. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  19. Presentation planning using an integrated knowledge base

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Arens, Yigal; Miller, Lawrence; Sondheimer, Norman

    1988-01-01

    A description is given of user interface research aimed at bringing together multiple input and output modes in a way that handles mixed mode input (commands, menus, forms, natural language), interacts with a diverse collection of underlying software utilities in a uniform way, and presents the results through a combination of output modes including natural language text, maps, charts and graphs. The system, Integrated Interfaces, derives much of its ability to interact uniformly with the user and the underlying services and to build its presentations, from the information present in a central knowledge base. This knowledge base integrates models of the application domain (Navy ships in the Pacific region, in the current demonstration version); the structure of visual displays and their graphical features; the underlying services (data bases and expert systems); and interface functions. The emphasis is on a presentation planner that uses the knowledge base to produce multi-modal output. There has been a flurry of recent work in user interface management systems. (Several recent examples are listed in the references). Existing work is characterized by an attempt to relieve the software designer of the burden of handcrafting an interface for each application. The work has generally focused on intelligently handling input. This paper deals with the other end of the pipeline - presentations.

  20. Reproducible computational biology experiments with SED-ML - The Simulation Experiment Description Markup Language

    PubMed Central

    2011-01-01

    Background The increasing use of computational simulation experiments to inform modern biological research creates new challenges to annotate, archive, share and reproduce such experiments. The recently published Minimum Information About a Simulation Experiment (MIASE) proposes a minimal set of information that should be provided to allow the reproduction of simulation experiments among users and software tools. Results In this article, we present the Simulation Experiment Description Markup Language (SED-ML). SED-ML encodes in a computer-readable exchange format the information required by MIASE to enable reproduction of simulation experiments. It has been developed as a community project and it is defined in a detailed technical specification and additionally provides an XML schema. The version of SED-ML described in this publication is Level 1 Version 1. It covers the description of the most frequent type of simulation experiments in the area, namely time course simulations. SED-ML documents specify which models to use in an experiment, modifications to apply on the models before using them, which simulation procedures to run on each model, what analysis results to output, and how the results should be presented. These descriptions are independent of the underlying model implementation. SED-ML is a software-independent format for encoding the description of simulation experiments; it is not specific to particular simulation tools. Here, we demonstrate that with the growing software support for SED-ML we can effectively exchange executable simulation descriptions. Conclusions With SED-ML, software can exchange simulation experiment descriptions, enabling the validation and reuse of simulation experiments in different tools. Authors of papers reporting simulation experiments can make their simulation protocols available for other scientists to reproduce the results. Because SED-ML is agnostic about exact modeling language(s) used, experiments covering models from different fields of research can be accurately described and combined. PMID:22172142

  1. Exploring the Impact of Language Services on Utilization and Clinical Outcomes for Diabetics

    PubMed Central

    Hacker, Karen; Choi, Yoon Susan; Trebino, Lisa; Hicks, LeRoi; Friedman, Elisa; Blanchfield, Bonnie; Gazelle, G. Scott

    2012-01-01

    Background Significant health disparities exist between limited English proficient and English-proficient patients. Little is known about the impact of language services on chronic disease outcomes such as for diabetes. Methods/Principal Findings To determine whether the amount and type of language services received during primary care visits had an impact on diabetes-related outcomes (hospitalization, emergency room utilization, glycemic control) in limited English proficient patients, a retrospective cohort design was utilized. Hospital and medical record data was examined for 1425 limited English proficient patients in the Cambridge Health Alliance diabetes registry. We categorized patients receiving usual care into 7 groups based on the amount and combination of language services (language concordant providers, formal interpretation and nothing) received at primary care visits during a 9 month period. Bivariate analyses and multiple logistic regression were used to determine relationships between language service categories and outcomes in the subsequent 6 months. Thirty-one percent of patients (445) had no documentation of interpreter use or seeing a language concordant provider in any visits. Patients who received 100% of their primary care visits with language concordant providers were least likely to have diabetes-related emergency department visits compared to other groups (p<0001) in the following 6 months. Patients with higher numbers of co-morbidities were more likely to receive formal interpretation. Conclusions/Significance Language concordant providers may help reduce health care utilization for limited English proficient patients with diabetes. However, given the lack of such providers in sufficient numbers to meet patients' communication needs, strategies are needed to both increase their numbers and ensure that the highest risk patients receive the most appropriate language services. In addition, systems serving diverse populations must clarify why some limited English proficient patients do not receive language services at some or all of their visits and whether this has an impact on quality of care. PMID:22675571

  2. Providing Geographic Datasets as Linked Data in Sdi

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hietanen, E.; Lehto, L.; Latvala, P.

    2016-06-01

    In this study, a prototype service to provide data from Web Feature Service (WFS) as linked data is implemented. At first, persistent and unique Uniform Resource Identifiers (URI) are created to all spatial objects in the dataset. The objects are available from those URIs in Resource Description Framework (RDF) data format. Next, a Web Ontology Language (OWL) ontology is created to describe the dataset information content using the Open Geospatial Consortium's (OGC) GeoSPARQL vocabulary. The existing data model is modified in order to take into account the linked data principles. The implemented service produces an HTTP response dynamically. The data for the response is first fetched from existing WFS. Then the Geographic Markup Language (GML) format output of the WFS is transformed on-the-fly to the RDF format. Content Negotiation is used to serve the data in different RDF serialization formats. This solution facilitates the use of a dataset in different applications without replicating the whole dataset. In addition, individual spatial objects in the dataset can be referred with URIs. Furthermore, the needed information content of the objects can be easily extracted from the RDF serializations available from those URIs. A solution for linking data objects to the dataset URI is also introduced by using the Vocabulary of Interlinked Datasets (VoID). The dataset is divided to the subsets and each subset is given its persistent and unique URI. This enables the whole dataset to be explored with a web browser and all individual objects to be indexed by search engines.

  3. Development of XML Schema for Broadband Digital Seismograms and Data Center Portal

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Takeuchi, N.; Tsuboi, S.; Ishihara, Y.; Nagao, H.; Yamagishi, Y.; Watanabe, T.; Yanaka, H.; Yamaji, H.

    2008-12-01

    There are a number of data centers around the globe, where the digital broadband seismograms are opened to researchers. Those centers use their own user interfaces and there are no standard to access and retrieve seismograms from different data centers using unified interface. One of the emergent technologies to realize unified user interface for different data centers is the concept of WebService and WebService portal. Here we have developed a prototype of data center portal for digital broadband seismograms. This WebService portal uses WSDL (Web Services Description Language) to accommodate differences among the different data centers. By using the WSDL, alteration and addition of data center user interfaces can be easily managed. This portal, called NINJA Portal, assumes three WebServices: (1) database Query service, (2) Seismic event data request service, and (3) Seismic continuous data request service. Current system supports both station search of database Query service and seismic continuous data request service. Data centers supported by this NINJA portal will be OHP data center in ERI and Pacific21 data center in IFREE/JAMSTEC in the beginning. We have developed metadata standard for seismological data based on QuakeML for parametric data, which has been developed by ETH Zurich, and XML-SEED for waveform data, which was developed by IFREE/JAMSTEC. The prototype of NINJA portal is now released through IFREE web page (http://www.jamstec.go.jp/pacific21/).

  4. Health education needs of intimate partner violence survivors: Perspectives from female survivors and social service providers.

    PubMed

    Ferranti, Dina; Lorenzo, Dalia; Munoz-Rojas, Derby; Gonzalez-Guarda, Rosa M

    2018-03-01

    To explore the health education needs and learning preferences of female intimate partner violence (IPV) survivors in a social service agency located in South Florida, United States. An exploratory two-phase sequential mixed-methods study was completed through semistructured interviews with social service providers (n = 10), followed by a survey with predominately female IPV survivors (n = 122, 98.4%). Data obtained from interviews with social service providers were analyzed through conventional thematic content analysis. Data from interviews were used in developing a health survey completed by IPV survivors and analyzed utilizing descriptive statistics, chi-square tests and t tests. Three themes emerged from interviews including multidimensional health needs, navigating barriers to health care, and self-improvement specific to survivors of intimate partner violence. Survey results indicated that depression and self-esteem were the health education needs of highest priority. Demographic characteristics, including age and language use, were significantly associated to preferred methods of learning, p < .05. IPV survivors present with various health education needs. Current study findings can inform public health nurses in developing interventions or health-based programs for female IPV survivors in social service agency settings. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  5. A Production-Quality Unix Very High Speed Integrated Circuit (VHSIC) Hardware Description Language (VHDL) Subset Analyzer.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1987-12-01

    1985:55; Nash, 1984:18). Because of this, the Department of Defense began a program , VHDL, to standardize a hardware description language for VHSIC... Deitel , 1984:507-508). This operating system (or environment) is in general use in the commercial world. Universities, given the responsibility to ...though not necessarily exhaustive) test suite designed to exercise each VHDL grammar rule and associated program modules as thor- oughly as possible. The

  6. Pre-Service English Language Teachers' Perceptions of Computer Self-Efficacy and General Self-Efficacy

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Topkaya, Ece Zehir

    2010-01-01

    The primary aim of this study is to investigate pre-service English language teachers' perceptions of computer self-efficacy in relation to different variables. Secondarily, the study also explores the relationship between pre-service English language teachers' perceptions of computer self-efficacy and their perceptions of general self-efficacy.…

  7. Examination of Sign Language Education According to the Opinions of Members from a Basic Sign Language Certification Program

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Akmese, Pelin Pistav

    2016-01-01

    Being hearing impaired limits one's ability to communicate in that it affects all areas of development, particularly speech. One of the methods the hearing impaired use to communicate is sign language. This study, a descriptive study, intends to examine the opinions of individuals who had enrolled in a sign language certification program by using…

  8. Linguistic and Cultural Variations as Barriers to the TEFL Settings in Papua

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Yembise, Yohana Susana

    2011-01-01

    The article aims at presenting a description of languages and cultures and the effect on the teaching of English as a Foreign Language in schools in Papua. It starts with a general picture of the uniqueness of languages and cultures in Papua: its geography, the originality of the people, and the languages and cultures of both NAN and AN. The word…

  9. Talking about Poetry--Using the Model of Language in Systemic Functional Linguistics to Talk about Poetic Texts

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Huisman, Rosemary

    2016-01-01

    Poetry is the art shaped through language; to talk about a poem we need at least to talk about its language--but what can be said will depend on the particular linguistic theory, with its particular modelling of language, which we bring to the description. This paper outlines the approach of SFL (Systemic Functional Linguistics), describing in…

  10. Pyomo v5.0

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Woodruff, David; Hackebeil, Gabe; Laird, Carl Damon

    Pyomo supports the formulation and analysis of mathematical models for complex optimization applications. This capability is commonly associated with algebraic modeling languages (AMLs), which support the description and analysis of mathematical models with a high-level language. Although most AMLs are implemented in custom modeling languages, Pyomo's modeling objects are embedded within Python, a full- featured high-level programming language that contains a rich set of supporting libraries.

  11. Using Internet-Based Language Testing Capacity to the Private Sector

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Garcia Laborda, Jesus

    2009-01-01

    Language testing has a large number of commercial applications in both the institutional and the private sectors. Some jobs in the health services sector or the public services sector require foreign language skills and these skills require continuous and efficient language assessments. Based on an experience developed through the cooperation of…

  12. Who Needs Linguistics? Service-Learning and Linguistics for Spanish Heritage Language Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Llombart-Huesca, Amàlia; Pulido, Alejandra

    2017-01-01

    In recent years, the World Languages field has witnessed an increased interest in service-learning (SL) initiatives. Many SL projects focus on the potential that Spanish-speaking communities offer students of Spanish, as a foreign language, to increase their language skills and cultural understanding of these communities. Some authors, however,…

  13. Psycholinguistic Descriptions and Their Relevance to Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Vejleskov, Hans

    1976-01-01

    Article deals with the Osgood model of sign learning...and the Chomskian approach. Both...approaches are discussed in terms of their appropriateness with respect to teachers' questions about language development and language stimulation. (Author)

  14. A survey of North Carolina safety-net dental clinics' methods for communicating with patients of limited english proficiency (LEP).

    PubMed

    Hammersmith, Kimberly J; Lee, Jessica Y

    2009-01-01

    Dental providers are increasingly challenged in communicating with patients with limited English proficiency (LEP). Accordingly, the purpose of the study was to examine methods of communicating with patients with LEP in North Carolina (NC) safety-net dental clinics as perceived by dental staff. An anonymous, 36-item, cross-sectional survey was distributed to representatives of 68 NC safety-net dental clinics. Question domains included: a) a perceived need for language services; b) methods of language services provided; c) perceptions of dental staff about dental care experiences for patients with LEP; and d) perceived legal and financial roles in providing language services. Of the 68 clinics, 55 responded (81 percent). All clinics reported treating patients with LEP, and 93 percent of clinics reported a need for providing language services. Many clinics used multiple methods to provide language services. Some clinics reported differences in treatment recommendations (13 percent), treatment provided (19 percent), and visit length (61 percent) for patients with LEP. All responded that additional costs are incurred to treat patients with LEP, and only 69 percent of responding clinics recognized legal obligations of treating patients with LEP. There is a reported need for language services in NC safety-net dental clinics. These services often resulted in additional costs to the dental clinic. To maintain the quality of care and to comply with legal requirements related to dental patients with LEP, additional funding sources might be required to recruit multilingual staff, support language services in dental clinics, and provide language skills training for practicing dentists. Additionally, studies are suggested to measure the perception of the effectiveness of communication methods of patients with LEP.

  15. Time is of the Essence: A Review of Electroencephalography (EEG) and Event-Related Brain Potentials (ERPs) in Language Research.

    PubMed

    Beres, Anna M

    2017-12-01

    The discovery of electroencephalography (EEG) over a century ago has changed the way we understand brain structure and function, in terms of both clinical and research applications. This paper starts with a short description of EEG and then focuses on the event-related brain potentials (ERPs), and their use in experimental settings. It describes the typical set-up of an ERP experiment. A description of a number of ERP components typically involved in language research is presented. Finally, the advantages and disadvantages of using ERPs in language research are discussed. EEG has an extensive use in today's world, including medical, psychology, or linguistic research. The excellent temporal resolution of EEG information allows one to track a brain response in milliseconds and therefore makes it uniquely suited to research concerning language processing.

  16. Using bio.tools to generate and annotate workbench tool descriptions

    PubMed Central

    Hillion, Kenzo-Hugo; Kuzmin, Ivan; Khodak, Anton; Rasche, Eric; Crusoe, Michael; Peterson, Hedi; Ison, Jon; Ménager, Hervé

    2017-01-01

    Workbench and workflow systems such as Galaxy, Taverna, Chipster, or Common Workflow Language (CWL)-based frameworks, facilitate the access to bioinformatics tools in a user-friendly, scalable and reproducible way. Still, the integration of tools in such environments remains a cumbersome, time consuming and error-prone process. A major consequence is the incomplete or outdated description of tools that are often missing important information, including parameters and metadata such as publication or links to documentation. ToolDog (Tool DescriptiOn Generator) facilitates the integration of tools - which have been registered in the ELIXIR tools registry (https://bio.tools) - into workbench environments by generating tool description templates. ToolDog includes two modules. The first module analyses the source code of the bioinformatics software with language-specific plugins, and generates a skeleton for a Galaxy XML or CWL tool description. The second module is dedicated to the enrichment of the generated tool description, using metadata provided by bio.tools. This last module can also be used on its own to complete or correct existing tool descriptions with missing metadata. PMID:29333231

  17. NOW: A Workflow Language for Orchestration in Nomadic Networks

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Philips, Eline; van der Straeten, Ragnhild; Jonckers, Viviane

    Existing workflow languages for nomadic or mobile ad hoc networks do not offer adequate support for dealing with the volatile connections inherent to these environments. Services residing on mobile devices are exposed to (temporary) network failures, which should be considered the rule rather than the exception. This paper proposes a nomadic workflow language built on top of an ambient-oriented programming language which supports dynamic service discovery and communication primitives resilient to network failures. Our proposed language provides high level workflow abstractions for control flow and supports rich network and service failure detection and handling through compensating actions. Moreover, we introduce a powerful variable binding mechanism which enables dynamic data flow between services in a nomadic environment. By adding this extra layer of abstraction on top of an ambient-oriented programming language, the application programmer is offered a flexible way to develop applications for nomadic networks.

  18. Paradigms of Evaluation in Natural Language Processing: Field Linguistics for Glass Box Testing

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cohen, Kevin Bretonnel

    2010-01-01

    Although software testing has been well-studied in computer science, it has received little attention in natural language processing. Nonetheless, a fully developed methodology for glass box evaluation and testing of language processing applications already exists in the field methods of descriptive linguistics. This work lays out a number of…

  19. Organizations of Language among Adolescents in Superdiverse Copenhagen

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Møller, Janus Spindler; Jørgensen, Jens Normann

    2013-01-01

    In this paper we analyze how adolescents in a Copenhagen school classify and systematically organize the different types of language they come across in their linguistic everyday. Furthermore, we analyse descriptions of how this metapragmatic system affect the adolescents' language use in their daily life. Our primary data consist of 74 essays on…

  20. Indigenous Minority Languages of Russia: A Bibliographical Guide.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Matsumura, Kazuto, Ed.

    This publication is a printed version of 54 Web documents as they were at the end of March 2002. It includes selected lists of school textbooks, dictionaries, grammars, grammatical descriptions, and folklore collections in and on 54 indigenous minority languages of Russia, many of which are endangered. The 54 languages are arranged in the…

  1. Great-Grandfather, Please Teach Me My Language!

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ka'ai, Tania M.

    2017-01-01

    Inspired by Joshua Fishman's lifetime dedication to the revitalisation of minority languages, especially Yiddish, this paper presents my personal story of the loss of the Maori language in my family in New Zealand/Aotearoa and our attempts to reverse this decline over several generations. The paper includes a description of several policy reforms…

  2. "Scissors, Paper, Stone": Perceptual Foundations of Noun Classifier Systems.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Erbaugh, Mary S.

    While all languages use shape to classify unfamiliar objects, some languages as diverse as Mandarin, Thai, Japanese, Mohawk, and American Sign Language lexicalize these and other types of description as noun classifiers. Classification does not develop from a fixed set of features in the object, but is discourse-sensitive and invoked when it would…

  3. Lexical Properties of Slovene Sign Language: A Corpus-Based Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Vintar, Špela

    2015-01-01

    Slovene Sign Language (SZJ) has as yet received little attention from linguists. This article presents some basic facts about SZJ, its history, current status, and a description of the Slovene Sign Language Corpus and Pilot Grammar (SIGNOR) project, which compiled and annotated a representative corpus of SZJ. Finally, selected quantitative data…

  4. A Comparison of Verbal and Written Language in Alzheimer's Disease

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Groves-Wright, Kathy; Neils-Strunjas, Jean; Burnett, Rebecca; O'Neill, Mary Jane

    2004-01-01

    Few studies have examined characteristics of both verbal and written language of individuals with Alzheimer's disease (AD). This study used parallel measures (picture description, word fluency, spelling to dictation, and confrontational naming) to compare verbal and written language of individuals with mild AD, moderate AD, and normal controls (14…

  5. Innovative Methods in Language Intervention: Treatment Outcome Measures--Can the Data Support the Claims?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Szabo Wankoff, Lorain

    2005-01-01

    This much-needed text presents detailed descriptions of current treatment methodologies for children with language impairments. Professionals in the fields of special education, speech language pathology, psychology, psychiatry, and occupational therapy as well as audiologists who deal with central auditory processing disorders will find this book…

  6. Research on the Language of the English Classroom: A Disconnected Dream.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kluwin, Thomas N.

    Methods used in studies of the classroom language of the English teacher are described in this paper and some results of the research are reported. The paper first describes three methods traditionally employed in the description of the language of the English classroom--live observation systems, coding systems based on transcripts, and…

  7. A Computer Assisted Language Analysis System.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rush, J. E.; And Others

    A description is presented of a computer-assisted language analysis system (CALAS) which can serve as a method for isolating and displaying language utterances found in conversation. The purpose of CALAS is stated as being to deal with the question of whether it is possible to detect, isolate, and display information indicative of what is…

  8. A Descriptive Study on EFL Learners' Perceptions of Facebook

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Aydin, Selami

    2017-01-01

    There is a strong need to investigate English as a foreign language (EFL) learners' perceptions of Facebook as a language-learning environment, as their perceptions that directly influence their language development and achievement have not been examined within the EFL learning context. Thus, this study aims to investigate EFL learners'…

  9. Spatial Language, Visual Attention, and Perceptual Simulation

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Coventry, Kenny R.; Lynott, Dermot; Cangelosi, Angelo; Monrouxe, Lynn; Joyce, Dan; Richardson, Daniel C.

    2010-01-01

    Spatial language descriptions, such as "The bottle is over the glass", direct the attention of the hearer to particular aspects of the visual world. This paper asks how they do so, and what brain mechanisms underlie this process. In two experiments employing behavioural and eye tracking methodologies we examined the effects of spatial language on…

  10. A Study of Learning Strategies in Foreign Language Instruction: Findings of the Longitudinal Study.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chamot, Anna Uhl; And Others

    Part of a larger research project, this longitudinal study analyzed differences between effective and ineffective high school and college language learners and changes in strategy uses over time. Related studies include a descriptive study, which identified learning strategies used in studying foreign languages, and a course development study, in…

  11. The Production of Complement Clauses in Children with Language Impairment

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Steel, Gillian; Rose, Miranda; Eadie, Patricia

    2016-01-01

    Purpose: The purpose of this research was to provide a comprehensive description of complement-clause production in children with language impairment. Complement clauses were examined with respect to types of complement structure produced, verb use, and both semantic and syntactic accuracy. Method: A group of 17 children with language impairment…

  12. Sex Differences in L2 Vocabulary Learning Strategies.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Catalan, Rosa Maria Jimenez

    2003-01-01

    Reports the results of a descriptive study on sex differences in the use of a second language. A questionnaire was administered to 581 Spanish-speaking students learning Basque and English as second language to answer the following question: Do male and female second language learners differ in the number and the range of vocabulary strategies…

  13. REPORT ON THE INTENSIVE LANGUAGE COURSES FOR THE BLIND, 1960-1966.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    MACDONALD, R. ROSS

    A DETAILED DESCRIPTION IS GIVEN OF AN EXPERIMENT CONDUCTED AT GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY FROM 1960 TO 1966 IN WHICH SELECTED BLIND STUDENTS, THROUGH INTENSIVE AUDIOLINGUAL LANGUAGE INSTRUCTION, WERE TRAINED TO BROADEN THEIR EMPLOYMENT POTENTIAL. ALTHOUGH ONLY RUSSIAN AND THE TRANSCRIPTION OF ORAL FOREIGN LANGUAGE MATERIALS WERE TAUGHT IN THE PILOT…

  14. Automated database design from natural language input

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Gomez, Fernando; Segami, Carlos; Delaune, Carl

    1995-01-01

    Users and programmers of small systems typically do not have the skills needed to design a database schema from an English description of a problem. This paper describes a system that automatically designs databases for such small applications from English descriptions provided by end-users. Although the system has been motivated by the space applications at Kennedy Space Center, and portions of it have been designed with that idea in mind, it can be applied to different situations. The system consists of two major components: a natural language understander and a problem-solver. The paper describes briefly the knowledge representation structures constructed by the natural language understander, and, then, explains the problem-solver in detail.

  15. Symbiotic symbolization by hand and mouth in sign language*

    PubMed Central

    Sandler, Wendy

    2010-01-01

    Current conceptions of human language include a gestural component in the communicative event. However, determining how the linguistic and gestural signals are distinguished, how each is structured, and how they interact still poses a challenge for the construction of a comprehensive model of language. This study attempts to advance our understanding of these issues with evidence from sign language. The study adopts McNeill’s criteria for distinguishing gestures from the linguistically organized signal, and provides a brief description of the linguistic organization of sign languages. Focusing on the subcategory of iconic gestures, the paper shows that signers create iconic gestures with the mouth, an articulator that acts symbiotically with the hands to complement the linguistic description of objects and events. A new distinction between the mimetic replica and the iconic symbol accounts for the nature and distribution of iconic mouth gestures and distinguishes them from mimetic uses of the mouth. Symbiotic symbolization by hand and mouth is a salient feature of human language, regardless of whether the primary linguistic modality is oral or manual. Speakers gesture with their hands, and signers gesture with their mouths. PMID:20445832

  16. What can we talk about, in which language, in what way and with whom? Sami patients' experiences of language choice and cultural norms in mental health treatment.

    PubMed

    Dagsvold, Inger; Møllersen, Snefrid; Stordahl, Vigdis

    2015-01-01

    The Sami in Norway have a legal right to receive health services adapted to Sami language and culture. This calls for a study of the significance of language choice and cultural norms in Sami patients' encounters with mental health services. To explore the significance of language and cultural norms in communication about mental health topics experienced by Sami patients receiving mental health treatment to enhance our understanding of linguistic and cultural adaptation of health services. Data were collected through individual interviews with 4 Sami patients receiving mental health treatment in Northern Norway. A systematic text reduction and a thematic analysis were employed. Two themes were identified:(I) Language choice is influenced by language competence, with whom one talks and what one talks about.Bilingualism was a resource and natural part of the participants' lives, but there were limited possibilities to speak Sami in encounters with health services. A professional working relationship was placed on an equal footing with the possibility to speak Sami. Sami patients' language choice in different communication situations is influenced by a complexity of social and cultural factors. Sami patients have varying opinions about and preferences for what they can talk about, in which language, in what way and with whom. Bilingualism and knowledge about both Sami and Norwegian culture provide latitude and enhanced possibilities for both patients and the health services. The challenge for the health services is to allow for and safeguard such individual variations within the cultural framework of the patients.

  17. 15 CFR 230.7 - Description of services and list of fees, incorporation by reference.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... STANDARD REFERENCE MATERIALS STANDARD REFERENCE MATERIALS Description of Services and List of Fees § 230.7 Description of services and list of fees, incorporation by reference. (a) The text of NIST Special Publication... 15 Commerce and Foreign Trade 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Description of services and list of...

  18. Effectiveness of service linkages in primary mental health care: a narrative review part 1

    PubMed Central

    2011-01-01

    Background With the move to community care and increased involvement of generalist health care providers in mental health, the need for health service partnerships has been emphasised in mental health policy. Within existing health system structures the active strategies that facilitate effective partnership linkages are not clear. The objective of this study was to examine the evidence from peer reviewed literature regarding the effectiveness of service linkages in primary mental health care. Methods A narrative and thematic review of English language papers published between 1998 and 2009. Studies of analytic, descriptive and qualitative designs from Australia, New Zealand, UK, Europe, USA and Canada were included. Data were extracted to examine what service linkages have been used in studies of collaboration in primary mental health care. Findings from the randomised trials were tabulated to show the proportion that demonstrated clinical, service delivery and economic benefits. Results A review of 119 studies found ten linkage types. Most studies used a combination of linkage types and so the 42 RCTs were grouped into four broad linkage categories for meaningful descriptive analysis of outcomes. Studies that used multiple linkage strategies from the suite of "direct collaborative activities" plus "agreed guidelines" plus "communication systems" showed positive clinical (81%), service (78%) and economic (75%) outcomes. Most evidence of effectiveness came from studies of depression. Long term benefits were attributed to medication concordance and the use of case managers with a professional background who received expert supervision. There were fewer randomised trials related to collaborative care of people with psychosis and there were almost none related to collaboration with the wider human service sectors. Because of the variability of study types we did not exclude on quality or attempt to weight findings according to power or effect size. Conclusion There is strong evidence to support collaborative primary mental health care for people with depression when linkages involve "direct collaborative activity", plus "agreed guidelines" and "communication systems". PMID:21481236

  19. Child speech, language and communication need re-examined in a public health context: a new direction for the speech and language therapy profession.

    PubMed

    Law, James; Reilly, Sheena; Snow, Pamela C

    2013-01-01

    Historically speech and language therapy services for children have been framed within a rehabilitative framework with explicit assumptions made about providing therapy to individuals. While this is clearly important in many cases, we argue that this model needs revisiting for a number of reasons. First, our understanding of the nature of disability, and therefore communication disabilities, has changed over the past century. Second, there is an increasing understanding of the impact that the social gradient has on early communication difficulties. Finally, understanding how these factors interact with one other and have an impact across the life course remains poorly understood. To describe the public health paradigm and explore its implications for speech and language therapy with children. We test the application of public health methodologies to speech and language therapy services by looking at four dimensions of service delivery: (1) the uptake of services and whether those children who need services receive them; (2) the development of universal prevention services in relation to social disadvantage; (3) the risk of over-interpreting co-morbidity from clinical samples; and (4) the overlap between communicative competence and mental health. It is concluded that there is a strong case for speech and language therapy services to be reconceptualized to respond to the needs of the whole population and according to socially determined needs, focusing on primary prevention. This is not to disregard individual need, but to highlight the needs of the population as a whole. Although the socio-political context is different between countries, we maintain that this is relevant wherever speech and language therapists have a responsibility for covering whole populations. Finally, we recommend that speech and language therapy services be conceptualized within the framework laid down in The Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion. © 2013 Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists.

  20. Learning about Literacy outside the Classroom: Pre-Service Teachers Reflect on Learning a Second Language through Cultural Immersion

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gutierrez, A. Renee; Hunter, Cheryl A.

    2012-01-01

    This qualitative case study examined the perceived impact of immersion language study for pre-service teachers. The focus of the case was a month-long exploratory language and cultural immersion project in Costa Rica. The guiding questions were: what knowledge of teaching literacy do pre-service teachers reflect upon during a linguistic and…

  1. A Data Definition Language for GLAD (Graphic Language for Databases).

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1986-06-20

    basic premises. These principles state that a DBMS interface must be descriptive, powerful, easy-to use and easy to learn . This thesis proposes a data...basic premises. These principles state that a DBMS interface must be descriptive, powerful, easy to use and easy to learn . This thesis proposes a data...criteria will be the most successful. 9 If a system is hard to learn , of those capable of mastering the system few may be willing to expend the time and

  2. Use of Unified Modeling Language (UML) in Model-Based Development (MBD) For Safety-Critical Applications

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2014-12-01

    appears that UML is becoming the de facto MBD language. OMG® states the following on the MDA® FAQ page: “Although not formally required [for MBD], UML...a known limitation [42], so UML users should plan accordingly, especially for safety-critical programs. For example, “models are not used to...description of the MBD tool chain can be produced. That description could be resident in a Plan for Software Aspects of Certification (PSAC) or Software

  3. A Note on Intelligence Assessment within Studies of Specific Language Impairment.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Camarata, Stephen; Swisher, Linda

    1990-01-01

    Research procedures used to evaluate the intelligence of children with specific language impairment are reviewed. Almost half of the 167 studies did not include adequate descriptions of intelligence assessment. (Author/JDD)

  4. The Arizona Home Language Survey: The Identification of Students for ELL Services

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Goldenberg, Claude; Rutherford-Quach, Sara

    2010-01-01

    Assuring that English language learners (ELLs) receive the services to which they have a right requires accurately identifying those students. Virtually all states identify ELLs in a two-step process. First, parents fill out a home language survey. Second, students in whose homes a language other than English is spoken and who therefore might…

  5. Profiles of Turkish Pre-Service Teachers of English in Terms of Language Learning Background

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Uztosun, Mehmet Sercan

    2017-01-01

    This study aims to describe the language learning backgrounds of Turkish pre-service teachers of English as a foreign language (EFL) with reference to their perceived language competence and satisfaction with perceived speaking ability. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected through a questionnaire that was administered to 365 first-year…

  6. Embedded-explicit emergent literacy intervention I: Background and description of approach.

    PubMed

    Justice, Laura M; Kaderavek, Joan N

    2004-07-01

    This article, the first of a two-part series, provides background information and a general description of an emergent literacy intervention model for at-risk preschoolers and kindergartners. The embedded-explicit intervention model emphasizes the dual importance of providing young children with socially embedded opportunities for meaningful, naturalistic literacy experiences throughout the day, in addition to regular structured therapeutic interactions that explicitly target critical emergent literacy goals. The role of the speech-language pathologist (SLP) in the embedded-explicit model encompasses both indirect and direct service delivery: The SLP consults and collaborates with teachers and parents to ensure the highest quality and quantity of socially embedded literacy-focused experiences and serves as a direct provider of explicit interventions using structured curricula and/or lesson plans. The goal of this integrated model is to provide comprehensive emergent literacy interventions across a spectrum of early literacy skills to ensure the successful transition of at-risk children from prereaders to readers.

  7. New graduates’ perceptions of preparedness to provide speech-language therapy services in general and dysphagia services in particular

    PubMed Central

    Booth, Alannah; Choto, Fadziso; Gotlieb, Jessica; Robertson, Rebecca; Morris, Gabriella; Stockley, Nicola; Mauff, Katya

    2015-01-01

    Background Upon graduation, newly qualified speech-language therapists are expected to provide services independently. This study describes new graduates’ perceptions of their preparedness to provide services across the scope of the profession and explores associations between perceptions of dysphagia theory and clinical learning curricula with preparedness for adult and paediatric dysphagia service delivery. Methods New graduates of six South African universities were recruited to participate in a survey by completing an electronic questionnaire exploring their perceptions of the dysphagia curricula and their preparedness to practise across the scope of the profession of speech-language therapy. Results Eighty graduates participated in the study yielding a response rate of 63.49%. Participants perceived themselves to be well prepared in some areas (e.g. child language: 100%; articulation and phonology: 97.26%), but less prepared in other areas (e.g. adult dysphagia: 50.70%; paediatric dysarthria: 46.58%; paediatric dysphagia: 38.36%) and most unprepared to provide services requiring sign language (23.61%) and African languages (20.55%). There was a significant relationship between perceptions of adequate theory and clinical learning opportunities with assessment and management of dysphagia and perceptions of preparedness to provide dysphagia services. Conclusion There is a need for review of existing curricula and consideration of developing a standard speech-language therapy curriculum across universities, particularly in service provision to a multilingual population, and in both the theory and clinical learning of the assessment and management of adult and paediatric dysphagia, to better equip graduates for practice. PMID:26304217

  8. The Hmong Language: Sounds and Alphabets. General Information Series, No. 14. Indochinese Refugee Education Guides.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Center for Applied Linguistics, Arlington, VA.

    The purpose of this guide is to provide Americans working with the Hmongs with: (1) some practical information on the Hmongs, their origins and language; (2) a detailed description of the sounds of the Hmong language; and (3) a discussion on Hmong as an unwritten language. This is the first of three guides to be published on the Hmongs, a people…

  9. Use of data description languages in the interchange of data

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Pignede, M.; Real-Planells, B.; Smith, S. R.

    1994-01-01

    The Consultative Committee for Space Data Systems (CCSDS) is developing Standards for the interchange of information between systems, including those operating under different environments. The objective is to perform the interchange automatically, i.e. in a computer interpretable manner. One aspect of the concept developed by CCSDS is the use of a separate data description to specify the data being transferred. Using the description, data can then be automatically parsed by the receiving computer. With a suitably expressive Data Description Language (DDL), data formats of arbitrary complexity can be handled. The advantages of this approach are: (1) that the description need only be written and distributed once to all users, and (2) new software does not need to be written for each new format, provided generic tools are available to support writing and interpretation of descriptions and the associated data instances. Consequently, the effort of 'hard coding' each new format is avoided and problems of integrating multiple implementations of a given format by different users are avoided. The approach is applicable in any context where computer parsable description of data could enhance efficiency (e.g. within a spacecraft control system, a data delivery system or an archive). The CCSDS have identified several candidate DDL's: EAST (Extended Ada Subset), TSDN (Transfer Syntax Data Notation) and MADEL (Modified ASN.1 as a Data Description Language -- a DDL based on the Abstract Syntax Notation One - ASN.1 - specified in the ISO/IEC 8824). This paper concentrates on ESA's development of MADEL. ESA have also developed a 'proof of concept' prototype of the required support tools, implemented on a PC under MS-DOS, which has successfully demonstrated the feasibility of the approach, including the capability within an application of retrieving and displaying particular data elements, given its MADEL description (i.e. a data description written in MADEL). This paper outlines the work done to date and assesses the applicability of this modified ASN.1 as a DDL. The feasibility of the approach is illustrated with several examples.

  10. A flexible geospatial sensor observation service for diverse sensor data based on Web service

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chen, Nengcheng; Di, Liping; Yu, Genong; Min, Min

    Achieving a flexible and efficient geospatial Sensor Observation Service (SOS) is difficult, given the diversity of sensor networks, the heterogeneity of sensor data storage, and the differing requirements of users. This paper describes development of a service-oriented multi-purpose SOS framework. The goal is to create a single method of access to the data by integrating the sensor observation service with other Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) services — Catalogue Service for the Web (CSW), Transactional Web Feature Service (WFS-T) and Transactional Web Coverage Service (WCS-T). The framework includes an extensible sensor data adapter, an OGC-compliant geospatial SOS, a geospatial catalogue service, a WFS-T, and a WCS-T for the SOS, and a geospatial sensor client. The extensible sensor data adapter finds, stores, and manages sensor data from live sensors, sensor models, and simulation systems. Abstract factory design patterns are used during design and implementation. A sensor observation service compatible with the SWE is designed, following the OGC "core" and "transaction" specifications. It is implemented using Java servlet technology. It can be easily deployed in any Java servlet container and automatically exposed for discovery using Web Service Description Language (WSDL). Interaction sequences between a Sensor Web data consumer and an SOS, between a producer and an SOS, and between an SOS and a CSW are described in detail. The framework has been successfully demonstrated in application scenarios for EO-1 observations, weather observations, and water height gauge observations.

  11. Dynamic mapping of EDDL device descriptions to OPC UA

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Atta Nsiah, Kofi; Schappacher, Manuel; Sikora, Axel

    2017-07-01

    OPC UA (Open Platform Communications Unified Architecture) is already a well-known concept used widely in the automation industry. In the area of factory automation, OPC UA models the underlying field devices such as sensors and actuators in an OPC UA server to allow connecting OPC UA clients to access device-specific information via a standardized information model. One of the requirements of the OPC UA server to represent field device data using its information model is to have advanced knowledge about the properties of the field devices in the form of device descriptions. The international standard IEC 61804 specifies EDDL (Electronic Device Description Language) as a generic language for describing the properties of field devices. In this paper, the authors describe a possibility to dynamically map and integrate field device descriptions based on EDDL into OPCUA.

  12. Neural systems language: a formal modeling language for the systematic description, unambiguous communication, and automated digital curation of neural connectivity.

    PubMed

    Brown, Ramsay A; Swanson, Larry W

    2013-09-01

    Systematic description and the unambiguous communication of findings and models remain among the unresolved fundamental challenges in systems neuroscience. No common descriptive frameworks exist to describe systematically the connective architecture of the nervous system, even at the grossest level of observation. Furthermore, the accelerating volume of novel data generated on neural connectivity outpaces the rate at which this data is curated into neuroinformatics databases to synthesize digitally systems-level insights from disjointed reports and observations. To help address these challenges, we propose the Neural Systems Language (NSyL). NSyL is a modeling language to be used by investigators to encode and communicate systematically reports of neural connectivity from neuroanatomy and brain imaging. NSyL engenders systematic description and communication of connectivity irrespective of the animal taxon described, experimental or observational technique implemented, or nomenclature referenced. As a language, NSyL is internally consistent, concise, and comprehensible to both humans and computers. NSyL is a promising development for systematizing the representation of neural architecture, effectively managing the increasing volume of data on neural connectivity and streamlining systems neuroscience research. Here we present similar precedent systems, how NSyL extends existing frameworks, and the reasoning behind NSyL's development. We explore NSyL's potential for balancing robustness and consistency in representation by encoding previously reported assertions of connectivity from the literature as examples. Finally, we propose and discuss the implications of a framework for how NSyL will be digitally implemented in the future to streamline curation of experimental results and bridge the gaps among anatomists, imagers, and neuroinformatics databases. Copyright © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  13. An Evaluation of an Integrated Model of Speech and Language Therapy in Public Health Practice for Early Language Development

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Smith, Clare; Gibbard, Deborah; Higgins, Louise

    2017-01-01

    Speech and language therapists (SLT) frequently operate in an integrated manner, working with other professionals in the delivery of services to children. Since the end of the 1990s within the UK SLTs have developed integrated services within the field of public health. This study reports an evaluation of an integrated model of service delivery…

  14. Access to and utilisation of GP services among Burmese migrants in London: a cross-sectional descriptive study.

    PubMed

    Aung, Nyein Chan; Rechel, Bernd; Odermatt, Peter

    2010-10-12

    An estimated 10,000 Burmese migrants are currently living in London. No studies have been conducted on their access to health services. Furthermore, most studies on migrants in the United Kingdom (UK) have been conducted at the point of service provision, carrying the risk of selection bias. Our cross-sectional study explored access to and utilisation of General Practice (GP) services by Burmese migrants residing in London. We used a mixed-method approach: a quantitative survey using self-administered questionnaires was complemented by qualitative in-depth interviews for developing the questionnaire and triangulating the findings of the survey. Overall, 137 questionnaires were received (a response rate of 57%) and 11 in-depth interviews conducted. The main outcome variables of the study included GP registration, barriers towards registration, GP consultations, barriers towards consultations, and knowledge on entitlements to health care. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics, association tests, and a multivariate analysis using logistic regression. The qualitative information was analysed using content analysis. The respondents were young, of roughly equal gender (51.5% female), well educated, and had a fair level of knowledge on health services in the UK. Although the GP registration rate was relatively high (80%, 109 out of 136), GP service utilisation during the last episode of illness, at 56.8% (54 out of 95), was low. The statistical analysis showed that age being younger than 35 years, lacking prior overseas experience, having an unstable immigration status, having a shorter duration of stay, and resorting to self-medication were the main barriers hindering Burmese migrants from accessing primary health care services. These findings were corroborated by the in-depth interviews. Our study found that having formal access to primary health care was not sufficient to ensure GP registration and health care utilisation. Some respondents faced difficulties in registering with GP practices. Many of those who have registered prefer to forego GP services in favour of self-medication, partly due to long waiting times and language barriers. To ensure that migrants enjoy the health services they need and to which they are entitled, more proactive steps are required, including those that make health services culturally responsive.

  15. Teaching Computer Languages and Elementary Theory for Mixed Audiences at University Level

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Christiansen, Henning

    2004-09-01

    Theoretical issues of computer science are traditionally taught in a way that presupposes a solid mathematical background and are usually considered more or less inaccessible for students without this. An effective methodology is described which has been developed for a target group of university students with different backgrounds such as natural science or humanities. It has been developed for a course that integrates theoretical material on computer languages and abstract machines with practical programming techniques. Prolog used as meta-language for describing language issues is the central instrument in the approach: Formal descriptions become running prototypes that are easy and appealing to test and modify, and can be extended into analyzers, interpreters, and tools such as tracers and debuggers. Experience shows a high learning curve, especially when the principles are extended into a learning-by-doing approach having the students to develop such descriptions themselves from an informal introduction.

  16. 47 CFR 73.4165 - Obscene language.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-10-01

    ... 47 Telecommunication 4 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Obscene language. 73.4165 Section 73.4165 Telecommunication FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION (CONTINUED) BROADCAST RADIO SERVICES RADIO BROADCAST SERVICES Rules Applicable to All Broadcast Stations § 73.4165 Obscene language. (a) See FCC v. Pacifica...

  17. 47 CFR 73.4165 - Obscene language.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... 47 Telecommunication 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Obscene language. 73.4165 Section 73.4165 Telecommunication FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION (CONTINUED) BROADCAST RADIO SERVICES RADIO BROADCAST SERVICES Rules Applicable to All Broadcast Stations § 73.4165 Obscene language. (a) See FCC v. Pacifica...

  18. "Review of English Language Proficiency Tests," J. Alderson, K. Krahnke & C. Stanfield, Eds. Book Review.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mills, Nancy; Ovando, Carlos, Ed.

    1988-01-01

    Reviews a volume of descriptive and evaluative information on 47 commercially available English language proficiency tests used in North America, Great Britain, and Australia. The book includes discussions of uses and misuses of tests, and overviews of English as second language testing in North America and Great Britain. (SV)

  19. Second-Language Composition Instruction, Computers and First-Language Pedagogy: A Descriptive Survey.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Harvey, T. Edward

    1987-01-01

    A national survey of full-time instructional faculty (N=208) at universities, 2-year colleges, and high schools regarding attitudes toward using computers in second-language composition instruction revealed a predomination of Apple and IBM-PC computers used, a major frustration in lack of foreign character support, and mixed opinions about real…

  20. A Study of English Language Learning Beliefs, Strategies, and English Academic Achievement of the ESP Students of STIENAS Samarinda

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hayati, Noor

    2015-01-01

    This research aimed to investigate; students' English academic achievement, beliefs about English language learning, English language learning strategies, and the relationship of them. Descriptive and correlational design, quantitative methods were applied in this research. The students' final English scores of the first year, BALLI, and SILL were…

  1. English as a Second Language (ESL) in Alberta Schools. Parent Handbook.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Alberta Dept. of Education, Edmonton.

    Schools in Alberta provide English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) program support to immigrant students while they are adjusting to Canadian culture and learning the English language. This booklet is for parents who are new to Alberta, whose children are learning ESL and/or who need more information about ESL program support. A description of the…

  2. THE GBAYA LANGUAGE, GRAMMAR, TEXTS, AND VOCABULARIES.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    SAMARIN, WILLIAM J.

    A DESCRIPTION OF THE GBAYA PEOPLES LIVING IN THE DISTRICT OF BOSSANGOA IN THE NORTHWESTERN PART OF THE CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC IS PRESENTED IN THE INTRODUCTION TO THIS COMPREHENSIVE STUDY OF THE GBAYA LANGUAGE. (THE LANGUAGE IS SPELLED VARIOUSLY BEA, GBEA, AND GBAYA.) IN THREE SECTIONS, THE FIRST PART OF THE TEXT DEALS WITH THE PHONOLOGY AND…

  3. Unlocking Australia's Language Potential. Profiles of 9 Key Languages in Australia. Volume 6: Italian.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Di Biase, Bruno; And Others

    The status of the Italian language in Australia, particularly in the educational system at all levels, in Australian society in general, and in trade, technology, and tourism is discussed in this report. It begins with a description of the teaching of Italian in elementary, secondary, higher, adult/continuing, and teacher education. Trends are…

  4. An Insight into Secondary School Students' Beliefs Regarding Learning English Language

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Aziz, Fakhra; Quraishi, Uzma

    2017-01-01

    The present descriptive study aimed to get an insight into secondary school students' beliefs regarding English language learning. The survey method was employed for obtaining data from the secondary school students (N = 664). A modified version of "beliefs about language learning inventory" was used to collect data. Five out of nine…

  5. The Impact of Task Type on Oral Performance of English Language Preparatory School Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Baturay, Meltem Huri; Sancar Tokmak, Hatice; Dogusoy, Berrin; Daloglu, Aysegul

    2011-01-01

    In this study, the effects of narrative, descriptive and prediction-personal reaction task types with visuals on the oral performance of intermediate level English language learners were compared. The study was carried out at Gazi University Preparatory School, Research and Application Center for the Instruction of Foreign Languages with the…

  6. Practices and Strategies of Self-Initiated Language Learning in an Online Social Network Discussion Forum: A Descriptive Case Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hsieh, Hsiu-Wei

    2012-01-01

    The proliferation of information and communication technologies and the prevalence of online social networks have facilitated the opportunities for informal learning of foreign languages. However, little educational research has been conducted on how individuals utilize those social networks to take part in self-initiated language learning without…

  7. Inferring heuristic classification hierarchies from natural language input

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hull, Richard; Gomez, Fernando

    1993-01-01

    A methodology for inferring hierarchies representing heuristic knowledge about the check out, control, and monitoring sub-system (CCMS) of the space shuttle launch processing system from natural language input is explained. Our method identifies failures explicitly and implicitly described in natural language by domain experts and uses those descriptions to recommend classifications for inclusion in the experts' heuristic hierarchies.

  8. Historical Development of Hong Kong Sign Language

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sze, Felix; Lo, Connie; Lo, Lisa; Chu, Kenny

    2013-01-01

    This article traces the origins of Hong Kong Sign Language (hereafter HKSL) and its subsequent development in relation to the establishment of Deaf education in Hong Kong after World War II. We begin with a detailed description of the history of Deaf education with a particular focus on the role of sign language in such development. We then…

  9. The Phonology and Morphology of Kubeo: The Documentation, Theory, and Description of an Amazonian Language

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chacon, Thiago Costa

    2012-01-01

    This dissertation offers a detailed account of the phonology, morphophonology and elements of the morphosyntax of Kubeo, a language from the Eastern Tukanoan family, spoken in the Northwest Amazon. The dissertation is itself an experiment of how language documentation and empowering of the native speaker community can be combined with academic…

  10. Metacognition in Speech and Language Therapy for Children with Social (Pragmatic) Communication Disorders: Implications for a Theory of Therapy

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gaile, Jacqueline; Adams, Catherine

    2018-01-01

    Background: Metacognition is a significant component of complex interventions for children who have developmental language disorders. Research into how metacognition operates in the content or process of developmental language therapy delivery is limited. Identification and description of proposed active therapy components, such as metacognition,…

  11. Web Delivery of Adaptive and Interactive Language Tutoring: Revisited

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Heift, Trude

    2016-01-01

    This commentary reconsiders the description and assessment of the design and implementation of "German Tutor," an Intelligent Language Tutoring System (ILTS) for learners of German as a foreign language, published in 2001. Based on our experience over the past 15 years with the design and real classroom use of an ILTS, we address a…

  12. More than "Hello" and "Bye-Bye": Opening and Closing the Online Chats in Mandarin Chinese

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Zhang, De

    2014-01-01

    Reporting on a descriptive study on the first semester Chinese language learners' openings and closings in online chats with age-peer native speakers of Chinese, this paper demonstrates the great promise that telecollaboration holds for foreign language education, and argues for an increasing role of pragmatics in Chinese language instruction, and…

  13. YURAK CHRESTOMATHY. URALIC AND ALTAIC SERIES, VOLUME 50.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    DECSY, GYULA

    THE YURAK LANGUAGE, THE MOST IMPORTANT OF THE SAMOYED LANGUAGE GROUP, IS SPOKEN BY ABOUT 25,000 YURAKS IN AN AREA WHICH EXTENDS FROM ARKHANGEL TO THE YENISEY RIVER IN NORTHWESTERN SIBERIA. THIS CHRESTOMATHY PRESENTS A GENERAL INTRODUCTION TO THE LANGUAGE AND ITS MAIN DIALECTS. PART ONE, DESCRIPTIVE GRAMMAR, IS PREFACED BY AN EXPLANATION OF THE…

  14. Investigating Lifelong Learning Dispositions of Students Studying English Language and Literature in Terms of Different Variables

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Elaldi, Senel

    2015-01-01

    This study aims to determine lifelong learning dispositions of English Language and Literature students in terms of gender, grade levels, and age variables. Descriptive research design was used. The study group consisted of 402 students studying English Language and Literature at Cumhuriyet University in Sivas, Turkey. Research data were collected…

  15. A Guide to Internet Resources in Language Arts.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Homme, John, Comp.; And Others

    This paper presents a list of 154 Internet resources (listservs, freenets, telnet sites, gophers, etc.) dealing with language arts. Each entry in the list includes the name of the resource, and subscription and electronic mail addresses. Some of the entries in the list include a brief description of the resource. The paper lists 17 language arts…

  16. Task-Based Language Teaching with Smartphones: A Case Study in Pakistan

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rashid, Shaista; Cunningham, Una; Watson, Kevin

    2017-01-01

    Integration of technology in task-based language teaching (TBLT) has long been a source of attraction for language teachers (Pierson, 2015). In the case of developing countries, such as Pakistan, mobile phones are the modern form of technology commonly available at low cost to individuals as well as institutions. The present descriptive case study…

  17. Characteristics of English Language Learners in the School District of Philadelphia. PERC Research Brief

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lin, Joshua; Hughes, Rosemary; Long, Daniel; Kim, Dae

    2016-01-01

    As a group, English Language Learners (ELLs) are diverse and come from a variety of home languages, cultures, educational backgrounds, and educational needs. This brief focuses on descriptive characteristics of the ELL students served by the School District of Philadelphia in 2014-2015. Specifically, this brief highlights the diversity of the ELL…

  18. A Synthesis of Language Learning Strategies: Current Issues, Problems and Claims Made in Learner Strategy Research

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Barjesteh, Hamed; Mukundan, Jayakaran; Vaseghi, Reza

    2014-01-01

    The current paper presented theoretical assumptions behind language learning strategies (LLS) and an overview of methods used to identify learners' strategies, first, and then summarized what have been reported from large number of descriptive studies of strategies by language learners. Moreover, the paper tried to present the variety of…

  19. On Selected Morphemes in Saudi Arabian Sign Language

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Morris, Carla; Schneider, Erin

    2012-01-01

    Following a year of study of Saudi Arabian Sign Language (SASL), we are documenting our findings to provide a grammatical sketch of the language. This paper represents one part of that endeavor and focuses on a description of selected morphemes, both manual and non-manual, that have appeared in the course of data collection. While some of the…

  20. Cultural Studies and Foreign Language Teaching in Denmark. ROLIG-papir 41.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Risager, Karen

    A description is provided of foreign language and related cultural education (English, French, and German) in Denmark since the 1950s. The first section gives an overview of the development of Danish society in general since the second world war, and more specifically, of developments in foreign language teaching. The second section briefly…

  1. Pluricentric Views towards English and Implications for ELT in China

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jianli, Liang

    2015-01-01

    Descriptions of the classifications or models of English language have been proposed by a number of scholars who attempt to explain the differences in the ways English is used in different localities. This paper reviews three models of classification of English language, with an aim of drawing implications on how English Language Teaching (ELT) in…

  2. Language Assessment and the Inseparability of Lexis and Grammar: Focus on the Construct of Speaking

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Römer, Ute

    2017-01-01

    This paper aims to connect recent corpus research on phraseology with current language testing practice. It discusses how corpora and corpus-analytic techniques can illuminate central aspects of speech and help in conceptualizing the notion of lexicogrammar in second language speaking assessment. The description of speech and some of its core…

  3. The Foreign Language Classroom: Current Perspectives and Future Considerations

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Collins, Laura; Muñoz, Carmen

    2016-01-01

    "The Modern Language Journal" has long been an important venue for the publication of research and reflection on the teaching and learning of foreign languages (FL) in classroom contexts. In this article, we offer a perspective on the contemporary FL classroom, informed by a descriptive survey of all studies that took place in FL classes…

  4. Conditions Restraining the Teaching of Major Nigerian Languages in Secondary School in Ebonyi State, Nigeria

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chidi-Ehiem, Ugochi Ijeoma

    2015-01-01

    This descriptive survey was carried out in order to determine the conditions handicapping the teaching of major Nigerian languages in secondary schools in Ebonyi State, Nigeria. A random sample of 953 students and 602 language teachers completed a corresponding copies of questionnaire designed for the study. Out of 1555 copies of questionnaire…

  5. Social Positioning, Participation, and Second Language Learning: Talkative Students in an Academic ESL Classroom

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kayi-Aydar, Hayriye

    2014-01-01

    Guided by positioning theory and poststructural views of second language learning, the two descriptive case studies presented in this article explored the links between social positioning and the language learning experiences of two talkative students in an academic ESL classroom. Focusing on the macro- and micro-level contexts of communication,…

  6. Current Issues in LPP Research and Their Impact on Society

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Darquennes, Jeroen

    2013-01-01

    After a very broad description of what language policy and planning is about this paper presents an overview of some of the current preoccupations of researchers focusing on language policy and planning as one of the blooming fields of applied linguistics. The current issues in language policy and planning research that are dealt with include…

  7. What Do Learners Make of Teachers' Gestures in the Language Classroom?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sime, Daniela

    2006-01-01

    This study explores the meanings that learners of English as a foreign language give to teachers' gestures. It is a qualitative, descriptive study of the perceived functions that gestures perform in the EFL classroom, viewed mainly from the language learners' perspective. The data for the study was collected through interviews with twenty-two…

  8. Technologies and Second Language: Nigerian Students' Adaptive Strategies to Cope with Language Barrier in Northern Cyprus

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Elega, Adeola Abdulateef; Özad, Bahire Efe

    2017-01-01

    This study sought to investigate how Nigerian students in Northern Cyprus cope with language barrier and increase interactions with people of the host community beyond the classroom via utilizing technological adaptive strategies. In order to complete this study, a descriptive design based on a survey conducted among 238 Nigerian students studying…

  9. Cognitive, cultural, and linguistic sources of a handshape distinction expressing agentivity.

    PubMed

    Brentari, Diane; Di Renzo, Alessio; Keane, Jonathan; Volterra, Virginia

    2015-01-01

    In this paper the cognitive, cultural, and linguistic bases for a pattern of conventionalization of two types of iconic handshapes are described. Work on sign languages has shown that handling handshapes (H-HSs: those that represent how objects are handled or manipulated) and object handshapes (O-HSs: those that represent the class, size, or shape of objects) express an agentive/non-agentive semantic distinction in many sign languages. H-HSs are used in agentive event descriptions and O-HSs are used in non-agentive event descriptions. In this work, American Sign Language (ASL) and Italian Sign Language (LIS) productions are compared (adults and children) as well as the corresponding groups of gesturers in each country using "silent gesture." While the gesture groups, in general, did not employ an H-HS/O-HS distinction, all participants (signers and gesturers) used iconic handshapes (H-HSs and O-HSs together) more often in agentive than in no-agent event descriptions; moreover, none of the subjects produced an opposite pattern than the expected one (i.e., H-HSs associated with no-agent descriptions and O-HSs associated with agentive ones). These effects are argued to be grounded in cognition. In addition, some individual gesturers were observed to produce the H-HS/O-HS opposition for agentive and non-agentive event descriptions-that is, more Italian than American adult gesturers. This effect is argued to be grounded in culture. Finally, the agentive/non-agentive handshape opposition is confirmed for signers of ASL and LIS, but previously unreported cross-linguistic differences were also found across both adult and child sign groups. It is, therefore, concluded that cognitive, cultural, and linguistic factors contribute to the conventionalization of this distinction of handshape type. Copyright © 2014 Cognitive Science Society, Inc.

  10. The Impact of CALL Instruction on English Language Teachers' Use of Technology in Language Teaching

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kiliçkaya, Ferit; Seferoglu, Gölge

    2013-01-01

    This study investigates the impact of CALL training on in-service language teachers' use of CALL-based activities in their classrooms. The participants included 35 pre-service English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers who took an undergraduate-level elective CALL course (FLE318) offered during the 2008-2009 academic year in the Department of…

  11. Implementation of Flipped Instruction in Language Classrooms: An Alternative Way to Develop Speaking Skills of Pre-Service English Language Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Köroglu, Zeynep Çetin; Çakir, Abdulvahit

    2017-01-01

    Flipped Instruction is overemphasized in recent years that has a significant impact in language education. In this context, the current research investigates the effects of Flipped Instruction on pre-service English language teachers' speaking skills development. The research covers subskills of speaking skills. In this study quantitative data…

  12. The Arizona Home Language Survey: The Under-Identification of Students for English Language Services

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Goldenberg, Claude; Rutherford-Quach, Sara

    2012-01-01

    Assuring that English learners (ELs) receive the support services to which they are entitled requires accurately identifying students who are limited in their English proficiency. As a first step in the identification process, students' parents fill out a home language survey. If the survey indicates a language other than English is spoken in the…

  13. A Language-Based Approach to Content Instruction (LACI) for English Language Learners: Examples from Two Elementary Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    de Oliveira, Luciana C.

    2016-01-01

    The number of English language learners (ELLs) in the United States has increased dramatically. Given this increase it is vital for teacher education programs at the pre-service level and professional learning programs at eh in-service level to address the needs of ELLs. This article presents a teacher preparation model--"a language-based…

  14. Service-Learning as a Means of Vocabulary Learning for Second Language and Heritage Language Learners of Spanish

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tocaimaza-Hatch, C. Cecilia; Walls, Laura C.

    2016-01-01

    Service-Learning (SL) has been defined as an experiential teaching methodology. Through SL, students participate in activities that benefit their community and enhance their learning experience. In the current study, Spanish as a second language (L2) and heritage language learners (HLLs) engaged in a SL project in which they translated English…

  15. Measuring Digital Competence and ICT Literacy: An Exploratory Study of In-Service English Language Teachers in the Context of Saudi Arabia

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Al Khateeb, Ahmed Abdulteeef M.

    2017-01-01

    The purpose of this research is to measure in-service English language teachers' digital competence, particularly for the enhancement of teaching English as a second/foreign language in schools in Saudi Arabia. Information and communication technology (ICT) knowledge is currently considered as a vital skill for foreign language teachers in…

  16. Is Language a Barrier to the Use of Preventive Services?

    PubMed Central

    Woloshin, Steven; Schwartz, Lisa M; Katz, Steven J; Welch, H Gilbert

    1997-01-01

    OBJECTIVE To isolate the effect of spoken language from financial barriers to care, we examined the relation of language to use of preventive services in a system with universal access. DESIGN Cross-sectional survey. SETTING Household population of women living in Ontario, Canada, in 1990. PARTICIPANTS Subjects were 22,448 women completing the 1990 Ontario Health Survey, a population-based random sample of households. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS We defined language as the language spoken in the home and assessed self-reported receipt of breast examination, mammogram and Pap testing. We used logistic regression to calculate odds ratios for each service adjusting for potential sources of confounding: socioeconomic characteristics, contact with the health care system, and measures reflecting culture. Ten percent of the women spoke a non-English language at home (4% French, 6% other). After adjustment, compared with English speakers, French-speaking women were significantly less likely to receive breast exams or mammography, and other language speakers were less likely to receive Pap testing. CONCLUSIONS Women whose main spoken language was not English were less likely to receive important preventive services. Improving communication with patients with limited English may enhance participation in screening programs. PMID:9276652

  17. What can we talk about, in which language, in what way and with whom? Sami patients' experiences of language choice and cultural norms in mental health treatment

    PubMed Central

    Dagsvold, Inger; Møllersen, Snefrid; Stordahl, Vigdis

    2015-01-01

    Background The Sami in Norway have a legal right to receive health services adapted to Sami language and culture. This calls for a study of the significance of language choice and cultural norms in Sami patients’ encounters with mental health services. Objectives To explore the significance of language and cultural norms in communication about mental health topics experienced by Sami patients receiving mental health treatment to enhance our understanding of linguistic and cultural adaptation of health services. Methods Data were collected through individual interviews with 4 Sami patients receiving mental health treatment in Northern Norway. A systematic text reduction and a thematic analysis were employed. Findings Two themes were identified: (I) Language choice is influenced by language competence, with whom one talks and what one talks about. Bilingualism was a resource and natural part of the participants’ lives, but there were limited possibilities to speak Sami in encounters with health services. A professional working relationship was placed on an equal footing with the possibility to speak Sami. (II) Cultural norms influence what one talks about, in what way and to whom. However, norms could be bypassed, by talking about norm-regulated topics in Norwegian with health providers. Conclusion Sami patients’ language choice in different communication situations is influenced by a complexity of social and cultural factors. Sami patients have varying opinions about and preferences for what they can talk about, in which language, in what way and with whom. Bilingualism and knowledge about both Sami and Norwegian culture provide latitude and enhanced possibilities for both patients and the health services. The challenge for the health services is to allow for and safeguard such individual variations within the cultural framework of the patients. PMID:25976741

  18. 42 CFR 482.56 - Condition of participation: Rehabilitation services.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-10-01

    ...-language pathology or audiology services, if provided, must be provided by qualified physical therapists, physical therapist assistants, occupational therapists, occupational therapy assistants, speech-language... provides rehabilitation, physical therapy, occupational therapy, audiology, or speech pathology services...

  19. 42 CFR 482.56 - Condition of participation: Rehabilitation services.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-10-01

    ...-language pathology or audiology services, if provided, must be provided by qualified physical therapists, physical therapist assistants, occupational therapists, occupational therapy assistants, speech-language... provides rehabilitation, physical therapy, occupational therapy, audiology, or speech pathology services...

  20. 42 CFR 482.56 - Condition of participation: Rehabilitation services.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-10-01

    ...-language pathology or audiology services, if provided, must be provided by qualified physical therapists, physical therapist assistants, occupational therapists, occupational therapy assistants, speech-language... provides rehabilitation, physical therapy, occupational therapy, audiology, or speech pathology services...

  1. Social media enhances languages differentiation: a mathematical description.

    PubMed

    Vidal-Franco, Ignacio; Guiu-Souto, Jacobo; Muñuzuri, Alberto P

    2017-05-01

    Understanding and predicting the evolution of competing languages is a topic of high interest in a world with more than 6000 languages competing in a highly connected environment. We consider a reasonable mathematical model describing a situation of competition between two languages and analyse the effect of the speakers' connectivity (i.e. social networks). Surprisingly, instead of homogenizing the system, a high degree of connectivity helps to introduce differentiation for the appropriate parameters.

  2. The impact of threshold language assistance programming on the accessibility of mental health services for persons with limited English proficiency in the Medi-Cal setting.

    PubMed

    McClellan, Sean R; Wu, Frances M; Snowden, Lonnie R

    2012-06-01

    Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act prohibits federal funds recipients from providing care to limited English proficiency (LEP) persons more limited in scope or lower in quality than care provided to others. In 1999, the California Department of Mental Health implemented a "threshold language access policy" to meet its Title VI obligations. Under this policy, Medi-Cal agencies must provide language assistance programming in a non-English language where a county's Medical population contains either 3000 residents or 5% speakers of that language. We examine the impact of threshold language policy-required language assistance programming on LEP persons' access to mental health services by analyzing the county-level penetration rate of services for Russian, Spanish, and Vietnamese speakers across 34 California counties, over 10 years of quarterly data. Exploiting a time series with nonequivalent control group study design, we studied this phenomena using linear regression with random county effects to account for trends over time. Threshold language policy-required assistance programming led to an immediate and significant increase in the penetration rate of mental health services for Russian (8.2, P < 0.01) and Vietnamese (3.3, P < 0.01) language speaking persons. Threshold language assistance programming was effective in increasing mental health access for Russian and Vietnamese, but not for Spanish-speaking LEP persons.

  3. Systematic review: conservative treatments for secondary lymphedema

    PubMed Central

    2012-01-01

    Background Several conservative (i.e., nonpharmacologic, nonsurgical) treatments exist for secondary lymphedema. The optimal treatment is unknown. We examined the effectiveness of conservative treatments for secondary lymphedema, as well as harms related to these treatments. Methods We searched MEDLINE®, EMBASE®, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials®, AMED, and CINAHL from 1990 to January 19, 2010. We obtained English- and non-English-language randomized controlled trials or observational studies (with comparison groups) that reported primary effectiveness data on conservative treatments for secondary lymphedema. For English-language studies, we extracted data in tabular form and summarized the tables descriptively. For non-English-language studies, we summarized the results descriptively and discussed similarities with the English-language studies. Results Thirty-six English-language and eight non-English-language studies were included in the review. Most of these studies involved upper-limb lymphedema secondary to breast cancer. Despite lymphedema's chronicity, lengths of follow-up in most studies were under 6 months. Many trial reports contained inadequate descriptions of randomization, blinding, and methods to assess harms. Most observational studies did not control for confounding. Many studies showed that active treatments reduced the size of lymphatic limbs, although extensive between-study heterogeneity in areas such as treatment comparisons and protocols, and outcome measures, prevented us from assessing whether any one treatment was superior. This heterogeneity also precluded us from statistically pooling results. Harms were rare (< 1% incidence) and mostly minor (e.g., headache, arm pain). Conclusions The literature contains no evidence to suggest the most effective treatment for secondary lymphedema. Harms are few and unlikely to cause major clinical problems. PMID:22216837

  4. Template construction grammar: from visual scene description to language comprehension and agrammatism.

    PubMed

    Barrès, Victor; Lee, Jinyong

    2014-01-01

    How does the language system coordinate with our visual system to yield flexible integration of linguistic, perceptual, and world-knowledge information when we communicate about the world we perceive? Schema theory is a computational framework that allows the simulation of perceptuo-motor coordination programs on the basis of known brain operating principles such as cooperative computation and distributed processing. We present first its application to a model of language production, SemRep/TCG, which combines a semantic representation of visual scenes (SemRep) with Template Construction Grammar (TCG) as a means to generate verbal descriptions of a scene from its associated SemRep graph. SemRep/TCG combines the neurocomputational framework of schema theory with the representational format of construction grammar in a model linking eye-tracking data to visual scene descriptions. We then offer a conceptual extension of TCG to include language comprehension and address data on the role of both world knowledge and grammatical semantics in the comprehension performances of agrammatic aphasic patients. This extension introduces a distinction between heavy and light semantics. The TCG model of language comprehension offers a computational framework to quantitatively analyze the distributed dynamics of language processes, focusing on the interactions between grammatical, world knowledge, and visual information. In particular, it reveals interesting implications for the understanding of the various patterns of comprehension performances of agrammatic aphasics measured using sentence-picture matching tasks. This new step in the life cycle of the model serves as a basis for exploring the specific challenges that neurolinguistic computational modeling poses to the neuroinformatics community.

  5. AAC services for multilingual populations: South African service provider perspectives.

    PubMed

    Tönsing, Kerstin M; van Niekerk, Karin; Schlünz, Georg I; Wilken, Ilana

    In South Africa, many persons in need of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) come from multilingual backgrounds. There is as yet a limited evidence base (locally and internationally) for the provision of AAC services to multilingual populations. The perspectives of service providers can assist in gaining an understanding of current practices and the factors that influence these. The study aimed to obtain the perspectives of AAC service providers about practices in providing AAC systems and AAC intervention to clients from multilingual backgrounds. Fifteen AAC service providers were purposefully chosen to participate in one of three focus groups - two face-to-face and one online focus group. Data from the face-to-face focus groups was transcribed verbatim. Thematic analysis was used to identify themes and subthemes in the data. Four overarching themes were identified, namely (a) current practices, (b) factors influencing current practices, (c) service provides' orientation towards different language options in AAC intervention, and (d) needs and desired developments regarding AAC technology. This paper reports on the first three themes. Service providers reported their practices to range from a focus on L1 exclusively, L2 exclusively, to a multilingual (sequential or simultaneous) approach. The South African language context, family language preferences and choices, service provider skill and knowledge, as well as AAC technology were identified as factors influencing their practices. Although many viewed access to multiple languages through AAC as positive, they also expressed concerns and reservations about providing multilingual AAC services. Although service providers in general saw the need to give clients from multilingual backgrounds access to multiple languages using AAC, this did not always translate into multilingual AAC practices. Both extrinsic factors (e.g. the lack of appropriate AAC devices, software and apps giving access to non-English languages) and intrinsic factors (service providers' language competency and their beliefs about the cognitive demands of multilingual AAC systems) influenced their practices and choices. Appropriate AAC service delivery to multilingual populations in South Africa would require not only appropriate AAC technology developments, but also research evidence to establish the efficacy of multilingual AAC interventions for clients with a variety of characteristics. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  6. Listening to the Voices of Pre-Service Student Teachers from Teaching Practice: The Challenges of Implementing the English as a Second Language Curriculum

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ngwaru, Cathrine

    2013-01-01

    Pre-service teachers in Zimbabwe face a number of challenges on their Teaching Practice (TP) usually because a second language (English) is the language of education. Challenges and experiences articulated by pre-service student teachers on TP therefore provide a strategic window into the practices of novice teachers. This study uses a concurrent…

  7. Evaluating Rural Preschool Speech-Language Services: Consumer Satisfaction.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Grela, Bernard G.; Illerbrun, David

    1998-01-01

    A survey evaluated the satisfaction of 79 parents with the delivery of preschool speech-language services in a rural region of Canada. While parents were generally supportive of the services, they were less supportive of service convenience, parent support, and overall parent satisfaction. Intervention format received the lowest parent rating.…

  8. 42 CFR 410.61 - Plan of treatment requirements for outpatient rehabilitation services.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... the occupational therapy services. (5) A nurse practitioner, a clinical nurse specialist, or a... the speech-language pathology services. (v) A registered professional nurse or a staff physician, in...-language pathologist who furnishes the services. (vi) A nurse practitioner, a clinical nurse specialist, or...

  9. Algorithms and programming tools for image processing on the MPP

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Reeves, A. P.

    1985-01-01

    Topics addressed include: data mapping and rotational algorithms for the Massively Parallel Processor (MPP); Parallel Pascal language; documentation for the Parallel Pascal Development system; and a description of the Parallel Pascal language used on the MPP.

  10. Expectations of pregnant women of Mexican origin regarding their health care providers.

    PubMed

    Baxley, Susan M; Ibitayo, Kristina

    2015-01-01

    To explore the expectations of pregnant women of Mexican origin regarding trust and communication with their health care providers. Qualitative, descriptive inquiry. A large metropolitan area community clinic in Texas that provided services to predominately Hispanic women. The sample consisted of 13 women between ages 19 and 36 (mean = 29) who received prenatal health care at a community clinic that offers care to Hispanic women. Semistructured interviews were conducted with open-ended starter questions and follow-up questions based on the participant responses. Based on the women's language preference nine interviews were conducted in Spanish and four in English. Themes emerged from the beginning interviews, and after five interviews, saturation was reached. Data were arranged by the emerged themes of the model of trust and communication (Figure 1). The themes reflected the perception of trust, communication, patient centeredness, and satisfaction with health care providers. These women wanted their providers to provide them with "everything," to be direct, to speak their language, and to present information as friends. Health care providers need to be able to provide communication not only in the participant's preferred language, but also in a way that is culturally sensitive. © 2015 AWHONN, the Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses.

  11. [The surplus weight among the Francophones and Anglophones].

    PubMed

    Gagnon-Arpin, Isabelle; Makvandi, Ewa; Imbeault, Pascal; Batal, Malek; Bouchard, Louise

    2013-04-05

    Recent studies show a higher prevalence of being obese or overweight in Francophones living in minority settings compared to Canada's Anglophone majority. The objective of our study was to determine whether belonging to the linguistic minority constituted a social determinant of having a weight problem. Descriptive variables (n=128,986) from five cycles of the Canadian Community Health Survey were stratified by respondents' language and sex. Two logistic regression models tested the association between being overweight/obese (as defined by the measure of body mass index) and language, for men and women, while adjusting for social and behavioural determinants. Prevalence of excess weight was higher among Francophones compared to Anglophones of Ontario, although the difference was not significant after adjustment for socio-economic and behavioural determinants. However, Francophones were older, less educated and more likely to live in rural areas than their Anglophone counterparts, a situation which makes them more vulnerable. The study confirms the role of social and behavioural determinants of being obese/overweight. Although language does not have a direct influence on having a weight problem, the socio-economic reality of the Francophone minority makes them more likely than the Anglophone majority to fall in vulnerable strata of the population with regards to being overweight/obese. This situation should be considered when planning health services.

  12. TumorML: Concept and requirements of an in silico cancer modelling markup language.

    PubMed

    Johnson, David; Cooper, Jonathan; McKeever, Steve

    2011-01-01

    This paper describes the initial groundwork carried out as part of the European Commission funded Transatlantic Tumor Model Repositories project, to develop a new markup language for computational cancer modelling, TumorML. In this paper we describe the motivations for such a language, arguing that current state-of-the-art biomodelling languages are not suited to the cancer modelling domain. We go on to describe the work that needs to be done to develop TumorML, the conceptual design, and a description of what existing markup languages will be used to compose the language specification.

  13. Strategic Control Algorithm Development : Volume 3. Strategic Algorithm Report.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1974-08-01

    The strategic algorithm report presents a detailed description of the functional basic strategic control arrival algorithm. This description is independent of a particular computer or language. Contained in this discussion are the geometrical and env...

  14. Grid Technology as a Cyberinfrastructure for Delivering High-End Services to the Earth and Space Science Community

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hinke, Thomas H.

    2004-01-01

    Grid technology consists of middleware that permits distributed computations, data and sensors to be seamlessly integrated into a secure, single-sign-on processing environment. In &is environment, a user has to identify and authenticate himself once to the grid middleware, and then can utilize any of the distributed resources to which he has been,panted access. Grid technology allows resources that exist in enterprises that are under different administrative control to be securely integrated into a single processing environment The grid community has adopted commercial web services technology as a means for implementing persistent, re-usable grid services that sit on top of the basic distributed processing environment that grids provide. These grid services can then form building blocks for even more complex grid services. Each grid service is characterized using the Web Service Description Language, which provides a description of the interface and how other applications can access it. The emerging Semantic grid work seeks to associates sufficient semantic information with each grid service such that applications wii1 he able to automatically select, compose and if necessary substitute available equivalent services in order to assemble collections of services that are most appropriate for a particular application. Grid technology has been used to provide limited support to various Earth and space science applications. Looking to the future, this emerging grid service technology can provide a cyberinfrastructures for both the Earth and space science communities. Groups within these communities could transform those applications that have community-wide applicability into persistent grid services that are made widely available to their respective communities. In concert with grid-enabled data archives, users could easily create complex workflows that extract desired data from one or more archives and process it though an appropriate set of widely distributed grid services discovered using semantic grid technology. As required, high-end computational resources could be drawn from available grid resource pools. Using grid technology, this confluence of data, services and computational resources could easily be harnessed to transform data from many different sources into a desired product that is delivered to a user's workstation or to a web portal though which it could be accessed by its intended audience.

  15. Unlocking the limitations: Living with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and receiving care through telemedicine-A phenomenological study.

    PubMed

    Barken, Tina Lien; Thygesen, Elin; Söderhamn, Ulrika

    2018-01-01

    To describe the lived experiences of quality of life among a group of patients living with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease who were included in a telemedical intervention after hospitalisation for disease exacerbation. Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease have high symptom burden, poor control of symptoms and a need for greater requirements in care. Telemedicine can provide benefits for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease by improving self-management. Descriptive phenomenological approach. Ten in-depth interviews were conducted with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients participating in a telemedical intervention. The collected data were analysed using a descriptive phenomenological research method. Living with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease was experienced as creating physical and mental limitations of the diseased body and an increasing identity as a patient, which led to impaired quality of life. Being included in the telemedicine intervention increased accessibility to healthcare services and support from telemedicine nurses. Self-measurement of health data increased participants' clinical insight and created a mutual clinical language in dialogue with telemedicine nurses, which led to increased quality of life. However, receiving care through telemedicine was also experienced as a dual chore. Telemedicine can reduce the perceived limitations imposed by chronic obstructive pulmonary disease through four key elements: (i) improving accessibility to healthcare services, (ii) increasing support from health professionals, (iii) strengthening clinical insight and (iv) developing a mutual clinical language, thus increasing quality of life. The transparency facilitated through telemedicine in this healthcare context encourages open decision-making, where the participants can increase their knowledge and improve acknowledgement of and collaboration with telemedicine nurses. Telemedicine can be beneficial when rethinking care for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease by providing knowledge on how living with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease can affect the experience of receiving care through telemedicine and further determine for whom telemedicine is useful. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  16. Language-Related Criteria as Determinants of Ethnicity. Goals and Results of a Feasibility Study in the Netherlands.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Broeder, Peter; And Others

    This paper addresses the potential value of language-related criteria for use in identifying ethnic minorities in the Netherlands. A description of the way the Dutch government defines ethnic minority groups is followed by a comparative outline of the use of language-related criteria in countries with a longer tradition of immigration (Australia,…

  17. Glossary of Terms Relating to Languages of the Middle East.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ferguson, Charles A.

    This glossary gives brief, non-technical explanations of the following kinds of terms: (1) names of all important languages now spoken in the Middle East, or known to have been spoken in the area; (2) names of language families represented in the area; (3) descriptive terms used with reference to the writing systems of the area; (4) names of…

  18. The Language Development Project; A Pilot Study in Language Learning. A New York State Urban Aid Project. End-Year Report, June 30, 1969.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    New York City Board of Education, Brooklyn, NY.

    The format of this report is similar to that of other reports on The Language Development Project. See AL 002 352 and 354 for descriptions of the project and the format of the reports. [Not available in hard copy due to marginal legibility of the original document.] (DO)

  19. Effect of "Tell Me More" on EFL Undergraduate Students' English Language Achievement

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gyamfi, George; Sukseemuang, Panida

    2017-01-01

    This descriptive study aimed at finding the impact of Tell Me More (TMM), an online language-learning program, on English as a foreign language (EFL) undergraduate learners' achievement in a University in Thailand. The study also looked at whether the time of use of TMM had an effect on learners' achievement. Data was collected from the scores of…

  20. ChalkBoard: Mapping Functions to Polygons

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Matlage, Kevin; Gill, Andy

    ChalkBoard is a domain specific language for describing images. The ChalkBoard language is uncompromisingly functional and encourages the use of modern functional idioms. ChalkBoard uses off-the-shelf graphics cards to speed up rendering of functional descriptions. In this paper, we describe the design of the core ChalkBoard language, and the architecture of our static image generation accelerator.

  1. The Evolution of Foreign Language AP Exam Candidates: A 36-Year Descriptive Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Brown, Alan V.; Thompson, Gregory L.

    2016-01-01

    Using a data set exclusively prepared for and licensed to them by the College Board, the authors examined the growth of the Advanced Placement program in foreign languages and overall trends in regard to the number of candidates who sat for the foreign language exams, their gender, their scores, and their ethnicity over the 36-year period covering…

  2. Bibliography of Research in Natural Language Generation

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1993-11-01

    on 1397] Barbara J. Gross Focuing and description in Artifcial Intelligence (GWAI-88), Geseke, West natural language dialogues, In Joshi et al. (557...Proceedings of the Fifth Canadian Conference from information in a frame structure. Data and on Artificial Intelligence , pages Ŕ-24, London, Knowledge...generation workshops (IWNLGS, ENLGWS), natural language processing conferences (ANLP, TINLAP, SPEECH), artificial intelligence conferences (AAAI, SCA

  3. Peterson's Summer Study Abroad: A Guide to Summer Academic and Language Programs. First Edition.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Peterson's Guides, Inc., Princeton, NJ.

    This guide provides descriptions of over 900 summer academic and language study-abroad programs in 80 countries that range from 1-week language study courses to full-summer university programs. An introductory section provides general information on study abroad programs and the use of the guide. The bulk of the guide consists of individual…

  4. Digging for the Roots of Language Death in Eastern Indonesia: The Cases of Kayeli and Hukumina.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Grimes, Charles E.

    Looking at descriptive, comparative social and historical evidence, this study explored factors contributing to language death for two languages formerly spoken on the Indonesian island of Buru. Field data were gathered from the last remaining speaker of Hukumina and from the last four speakers of Kayeli. A significant historical event that set in…

  5. A Report on Two Views of the Deficit Theory of Language.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Yellin, David

    The views of proponents and opponents of the language deficit theory--the theory that nonstandard dialect is a deficient form of language--are presented in this paper. Following a description of the work of Basil Bernstein, a British educator who is considered the key figure among proponents of the theory, the paper presents an overview of the…

  6. A Longitudinal Study of Motivation in Foreign and Second Language Learning Context

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ordem, Eser

    2017-01-01

    Although motivation has been one of the most commonly studied subjects in second and foreign language learning in recent decades, it still remains an enigma for learners and teachers. This longitudinal study aimed to follow a student (N = 1) studying German in both second and foreign language environment for three years. The study was descriptive,…

  7. Motivation, Comprehensibility, and Accentedness in L2 Spanish: Investigating Motivation as a Time-Varying Predictor of Pronunciation Development

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Nagle, Charles

    2018-01-01

    This study examined relationships between language learning motivation and the longitudinal development of second language (L2) pronunciation. Twenty-six English-speaking learners of Spanish recorded a simplified picture description task 5 times over a year-long period spanning their 2nd, 3rd, and 4th semesters of Spanish language instruction.…

  8. How Do Utterance Measures Predict Raters' Perceptions of Fluency in French as a Second Language?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Préfontaine, Yvonne; Kormos, Judit; Johnson, Daniel Ezra

    2016-01-01

    While the research literature on second language (L2) fluency is replete with descriptions of fluency and its influence with regard to English as an additional language, little is known about what fluency features influence judgments of fluency in L2 French. This study reports the results of an investigation that analyzed the relationship between…

  9. A software framework for pipelined arithmetic algorithms in field programmable gate arrays

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kim, J. B.; Won, E.

    2018-03-01

    Pipelined algorithms implemented in field programmable gate arrays are extensively used for hardware triggers in the modern experimental high energy physics field and the complexity of such algorithms increases rapidly. For development of such hardware triggers, algorithms are developed in C++, ported to hardware description language for synthesizing firmware, and then ported back to C++ for simulating the firmware response down to the single bit level. We present a C++ software framework which automatically simulates and generates hardware description language code for pipelined arithmetic algorithms.

  10. PDDL4J: a planning domain description library for java

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pellier, D.; Fiorino, H.

    2018-01-01

    PDDL4J (Planning Domain Description Library for Java) is an open source toolkit for Java cross-platform developers meant (1) to provide state-of-the-art planners based on the Pddl language, and (2) to facilitate research works on new planners. In this article, we present an overview of the Automated Planning concepts and languages. We present some planning systems and their most significant applications. Then, we detail the Pddl4j toolkit with an emphasis on the available informative structures, heuristics and search algorithms.

  11. Adoption of Telepractice for Speech-Language Services: A Statewide Perspective

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lowman, J. Joneen; Kleinert, Harold L.

    2017-01-01

    Little information exists regarding the statewide adoption of telepractice, the delivery of speech-language services at a distance through telecommunications, for addressing the documented shortage of speech-language pathologists (SLPs) in rural communities. A statewide survey of directors of special education revealed that only two school…

  12. Providing Early Intervention Services to Diverse Populations: Are Speech-Language Pathologists Prepared?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Caesar, Lena G.

    2013-01-01

    This study used a survey approach to investigate the current state of speech-language preservice academic and clinical preparation for providing early intervention (EI) services to culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) populations. Information was obtained from speech-language pathologists (SLPs) employed in EI settings regarding their…

  13. Children with Speech and Language Disability: Caseload Characteristics

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Broomfield, Jan; Dodd, Barbara

    2004-01-01

    Background: There has been no previous incidence survey of children referred to a speech and language therapy service in the UK. Previous studies of prevalence of specific communication difficulties provide contradictory data from which it is difficult to plan speech and language therapy service provision. Reliable data are needed concerning the…

  14. Pre-Service Teachers' Perceptions of a Short-Term International Experience Programme

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Barkhuizen, Gary; Feryok, Anne

    2006-01-01

    Short-term international experiences (STIE) are becoming a regular, sometimes required, feature of pre-service language teacher education programmes. Often inappropriately termed "immersion programmes", they aim to give teachers the opportunity to improve their language proficiency in the language they will teach, to develop their…

  15. 34 CFR 303.403 - Prior notice; native language.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... services to the child and the child's family. (b) Content of notice. The notice must be in sufficient... mode of communication of the parent is not a written language, the public agency, or designated service... parent in the parent's native language or other mode of communication; (ii) The parent understands the...

  16. Foreign Languages and Careers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Honig, Lucille J.; Brod, Richard I.

    1974-01-01

    Gives employment opportunity information in the following fields where foreign language can be used as an auxiliary skill: 1) Business, Industry, Commerce; 2) Civil Service; 3) Education; 4) Law; 5) Library Science; 6) Media; 7) Science; 8) Service; 9) Social Sciences; 10) Travel, Tourism. The fields of foreign language teaching and interpretation…

  17. Analysis of the Problems in Language Teachers' Action Research

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Han, Ligang

    2017-01-01

    In-service language teachers' professional development is a crucial factor that influences the teaching and learning effectiveness. Educational action research is considered by many researchers and scholars as an effective way or approach for language teachers' professional development. This article reports a case study of in-service English…

  18. Languages and the Transfer of Skills: The Relevance of Language Learning for 21st Century Graduates in the World of Work. HEVOCAL Report.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    King, Anny, Ed.

    This book provides a description and synthesis of a range of relevant practice and offers a framework for making language learning more relevant for new generations of practice. It is intended as a contribution to the debate about the purposes of language studies in higher education in the 21st century. The book is divided into five parts and 15…

  19. The application of geography markup language (GML) to the geological sciences

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lake, Ron

    2005-11-01

    GML 3.0 became an adopted specification of the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) in January 2003, and is rapidly emerging as the world standard for the encoding, transport and storage of all forms of geographic information. This paper looks at the application of GML to one of the more challenging areas of automated geography, namely the geological sciences. Specific features of GML of interest to geologists are discussed and then illustrated through a series of geological case studies. We conclude the paper with a discussion of anticipated geological web services that GML will enable. GML is written in XML and makes use of XML Schema for extensibility. It can be used both to represent or model geographic objects and to transport them across the Internet. In this way it serves as the foundation for all manner of geographic web services. Unlike vertical application grammars such as LandXML, GML was intended to define geographic application languages, and hence is applicable to any geographic domain including forestry, environmental sciences, geology and oceanography. This paper provides a review of the basic features of GML that are fundamental to the geological sciences including geometry, coverages, observations, reference systems and temporality. These constructs are then employed in a series of simple geological case studies including structural geological description, surficial geology, representation of geological time scales, mineral occurrences, geohazards and geochemical reconnaissance.

  20. Enhancing the Metalinguistic Abilities of Pre-Service Teachers via Coursework Targeting Language Structure Knowledge

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Purvis, Caralyn J.; McNeill, Brigid C.; Everatt, John

    2016-01-01

    Low metalinguistic knowledge of pre-service and in-service teachers is likely to restrict the provision of evidence-based literacy instruction in the classroom. Despite such concerns, relatively few studies have examined the effects of teacher preparation coursework in building pre-service teachers' language structure knowledge. This study…

  1. An overview of the Opus language and runtime system

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mehrotra, Piyush; Haines, Matthew

    1994-01-01

    We have recently introduced a new language, called Opus, which provides a set of Fortran language extensions that allow for integrated support of task and data parallelism. lt also provides shared data abstractions (SDA's) as a method for communication and synchronization among these tasks. In this paper, we first provide a brief description of the language features and then focus on both the language-dependent and language-independent parts of the runtime system that support the language. The language-independent portion of the runtime system supports lightweight threads across multiple address spaces, and is built upon existing lightweight thread and communication systems. The language-dependent portion of the runtime system supports conditional invocation of SDA methods and distributed SDA argument handling.

  2. Innovative Active Networking Services

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2004-03-01

    implementation of the ML programming language and runtime system. OCaml offers a programming environment that can be formally analyzed; 3. University... language such as Java or OCaml . A typical PLANet (PLAN Active network) node would look as in Figure 1. The University of Kansas /ITTC 6 Innovative... language . Hence we will be discussing it alone. 2.1.2 OCaml OCaml provides several of the design goals required for a service level language . Some of

  3. Investigation of Pre-Service English Language Teachers' Cognitive Structures about Some Key Concepts in Approaches and Methods in Language Teaching Course through Word Association Test

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ersanli, Ceylan Yangin

    2016-01-01

    This study aims to map the cognitive structure of pre-service English language (EL) teachers about three key concepts related to approaches and methods in language teaching so as to discover their learning process and misconceptions. The study involves both qualitative and quantitative data. The researcher administrated a Word Association Test…

  4. Lesion localization of speech comprehension deficits in chronic aphasia

    PubMed Central

    Binder, Jeffrey R.; Humphries, Colin; Gross, William L.; Book, Diane S.

    2017-01-01

    Objective: Voxel-based lesion-symptom mapping (VLSM) was used to localize impairments specific to multiword (phrase and sentence) spoken language comprehension. Methods: Participants were 51 right-handed patients with chronic left hemisphere stroke. They performed an auditory description naming (ADN) task requiring comprehension of a verbal description, an auditory sentence comprehension (ASC) task, and a picture naming (PN) task. Lesions were mapped using high-resolution MRI. VLSM analyses identified the lesion correlates of ADN and ASC impairment, first with no control measures, then adding PN impairment as a covariate to control for cognitive and language processes not specific to spoken language. Results: ADN and ASC deficits were associated with lesions in a distributed frontal-temporal parietal language network. When PN impairment was included as a covariate, both ADN and ASC deficits were specifically correlated with damage localized to the mid-to-posterior portion of the middle temporal gyrus (MTG). Conclusions: Damage to the mid-to-posterior MTG is associated with an inability to integrate multiword utterances during comprehension of spoken language. Impairment of this integration process likely underlies the speech comprehension deficits characteristic of Wernicke aphasia. PMID:28179469

  5. Lesion localization of speech comprehension deficits in chronic aphasia.

    PubMed

    Pillay, Sara B; Binder, Jeffrey R; Humphries, Colin; Gross, William L; Book, Diane S

    2017-03-07

    Voxel-based lesion-symptom mapping (VLSM) was used to localize impairments specific to multiword (phrase and sentence) spoken language comprehension. Participants were 51 right-handed patients with chronic left hemisphere stroke. They performed an auditory description naming (ADN) task requiring comprehension of a verbal description, an auditory sentence comprehension (ASC) task, and a picture naming (PN) task. Lesions were mapped using high-resolution MRI. VLSM analyses identified the lesion correlates of ADN and ASC impairment, first with no control measures, then adding PN impairment as a covariate to control for cognitive and language processes not specific to spoken language. ADN and ASC deficits were associated with lesions in a distributed frontal-temporal parietal language network. When PN impairment was included as a covariate, both ADN and ASC deficits were specifically correlated with damage localized to the mid-to-posterior portion of the middle temporal gyrus (MTG). Damage to the mid-to-posterior MTG is associated with an inability to integrate multiword utterances during comprehension of spoken language. Impairment of this integration process likely underlies the speech comprehension deficits characteristic of Wernicke aphasia. © 2017 American Academy of Neurology.

  6. Towards Infusing Giovanni with a Semantic and Provenance Aware Visualization System

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Del Rio, N.; Pinheiro da Silva, P.; Leptoukh, G. G.; Lynnes, C.

    2011-12-01

    Giovanni is a Web-based application developed by GES DISC that provides simple and intuitive ways to visualize, analyze, and access vast amounts of Earth science remote sensed data. Currently, the Giovanni visualization module is only aware of the physical links (i.e., hard-coded) between data and services and consequently cannot be easily adapted to new visualization scenarios. VisKo, a semantically enabled visualization framework, can be leveraged by Giovanni as a semantic bridge between data and visualization. VisKo relates data and visualization services at conceptual (i.e., ontological) levels and relies on reasoning systems to leverage the conceptual relationships to automatically infer physical links, facilitating an adaptable environment for new visualization scenarios. This is particularly useful for Giovanni, which has been constantly retrofitted with new visualization software packages to keep up with advancement in visualization capabilities. During our prototype integration of Giovanni with VisKo, a number of future steps were identified that if implemented could cement the integration and promote our prototype to operational status. A number of integration issues arose including the mediation of different languages used by each system to characterize datasets; VisKo relies on semantic data characterization to "match-up" data with visualization processes. It was necessary to identify mappings between Giovanni XML provenance and Proof Markup Language, which is understood by VisKo. Although a translator was implemented based on identified mappings, a more elegant solution is to develop a domain data ontology specific to Giovanni and to "align" this ontology with PML, enabling VisKo to directly ingest the semantic descriptions of Giovanni data. Additionally, the relationship between dataset components (e.g., variables and attributes) and visualization plot components (e.g., geometries, axes, titles) should also be modeled. In Giovanni, meta-data descriptions are used to configure the different properties of the plots such as titles, color-tables, and variable-to-axis bindings. Giovanni services rely on a set of custom attributes and naming conventions that help identify the relationships between dataset components and plot properties. VisKo visualization services however are generic modules that do not rely on any domain specific conventions for identifying relationships between dataset attributes and plot configuration. Rather, VisKo services rely on parameters to configure specific behaviors of the generic services. The relationship between VisKo parameters and plot properties however has yet to formally documented, partly because VisKo regards plots as holistic entities without any internal structure from which to relate parameters. We understand the need for a visualization plot ontology that defines plot components, their retinal properties, such as position and color, and the relationship between the plot properties to controlling service parameter sets. The plot ontology would also be linked to our domain data ontology, providing VisKo with the comprehensive understanding about how data attributes can cue the configuration of plots, and how a specific plot configuration relates to service parameters.

  7. Language Pathology.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fletcher, Paul

    1989-01-01

    Discusses the role of linguistics in the investigation of language disorders, focusing on the application of phonetics, descriptive grammatic frameworks, grammatical theory, and concepts from semantics and pragmatics to a variety of disorders and their remediation. Some trends and examples from the field of clinical linguistics are discussed. (GLR)

  8. An Object Description Language for Distributed Discrete Event Simulations

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2001-05-24

    some tremendous improvements in simulation speed and fidelity. This dissertation describes a new programming language that is useful in creating...104 CHAPTER 8. GLUT- BASED USER INTERFACE....................................il 8. 1. OUTPUT CONCERNS...143 9.3. GLUT BASED DEMONSTRATIONS ......................................................... 145 9.3

  9. Field Programmable Gate Array Failure Rate Estimation Guidelines for Launch Vehicle Fault Tree Models

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Al Hassan, Mohammad; Britton, Paul; Hatfield, Glen Spencer; Novack, Steven D.

    2017-01-01

    Today's launch vehicles complex electronic and avionics systems heavily utilize Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) integrated circuits (IC) for their superb speed and reconfiguration capabilities. Consequently, FPGAs are prevalent ICs in communication protocols such as MILSTD- 1553B and in control signal commands such as in solenoid valve actuations. This paper will identify reliability concerns and high level guidelines to estimate FPGA total failure rates in a launch vehicle application. The paper will discuss hardware, hardware description language, and radiation induced failures. The hardware contribution of the approach accounts for physical failures of the IC. The hardware description language portion will discuss the high level FPGA programming languages and software/code reliability growth. The radiation portion will discuss FPGA susceptibility to space environment radiation.

  10. Pre-Service and In-Service Teachers' Experiences of Learning to Program in an Object-Oriented Language

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Govender, I.; Grayson, D. J.

    2008-01-01

    This paper presents the results of an investigation into the various ways in which pre-service and in-service teachers experience learning to program in an object-oriented language. Both groups of teachers were enrolled in university courses. In most cases, the pre-service teachers were learning to program for the first time, while the in-service…

  11. Unveiling Pre-Service Language Teachers' Conceptualizations of Teachers of English through Metaphors

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kavanoz, Suzan

    2016-01-01

    The present research aimed at conducting an analysis of metaphors Turkish pre-service language teachers generated about English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers. This study also examined whether and how the metaphors created by teacher candidates at different phases of their education demonstrated variation. The data gathered from 94…

  12. 20 Ways for Classroom Teachers to Collaborate with Speech-Language Pathologists

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bauer, Kellie L.; Iyer, Suneeti Nathani; Boon, Richard T.; Fore, Cecil, III

    2010-01-01

    Students with disabilities are increasingly receiving services in the general education classroom, and as a result, speech-language pathologists (SLPs) are using a variety of flexible models to meet the needs of these students. Although some schools continue to provide pullout service delivery models for speech-language therapy, many are…

  13. Quality through Networking--From Reactive Administration to Proactive Cooperation

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Karttu, Petri; Kiilunen, Liisa; Laulajainen, Tiina

    2012-01-01

    The Language Centre functions as an independent institute within the University of Helsinki. It provides services to all the faculties and units of the university by offering language services and doing its share in creating an international learning environment. Together, the Language Centre and the faculties have one goal in common, namely, a…

  14. Building Bridges against Violence: Service-Learning for Second Language Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Orban, Clara E.; Thompson, Martha E.

    2007-01-01

    In this essay, the authors argue that linking second language learners with communities that need their language skills can result in an empowering experience for students and for the communities with which they work. They describe a college-level service-learning project that was designed to help IMPACT Chicago, a women's self-defense…

  15. Service Climate in New Zealand English Language Centres

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Walker, John

    2007-01-01

    Purpose: This paper aims to report on the findings of a study into staff perceptions of service climate in New Zealand English language centres (ELCs) offering ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) courses. Design/methodology/approach: A 71-item questionnaire based on a Likert scale was used to survey non-management teaching and…

  16. Diversity among Spanish-Speaking English Language Learners: Profiles of Early Literacy Skills in Kindergarten

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ford, Karen L.; Cabell, Sonia Q.; Konold, Timothy R.; Invernizzi, Marcia; Gartland, Lauren B.

    2013-01-01

    This study explored heterogeneity in literacy development among 2,300 Hispanic children receiving English as a Second Language (ESL) services at the start of kindergarten. Two research questions guided this work: (1) Do Spanish-speaking English language learners receiving ESL services in the fall of kindergarten demonstrate homogeneous early…

  17. The Relationship among Pre-Service EFL Teachers' Beliefs about Language Learning, Pedagogical Beliefs, and Beliefs about ICT Integration

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Inayati, Dian; Emaliana, Ive

    2017-01-01

    This paper elucidates the relationship among pre-service teachers' beliefs about language learning, pedagogical beliefs, and beliefs about ICT Integration through survey methodology. This study employed a quantitative approach, particularly a correlational relationship to investigate the relationships among beliefs about language learning,…

  18. Language, Literacy, and Performance: Working Identities in the Back of the House

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hunter, Judy

    2007-01-01

    In the 21st century concerns about workplace language and literacy skills, particularly in the service and manufacturing sectors, continue to drive education and testing policy in many OECD countries. Employers tend to adopt deficit assumptions about service workers' skills, conflating social identities and language and literacy, which can blind…

  19. Developing Pre-Service English Teachers' Competencies for Integration of Technology in Language Classrooms in Kazakhstan

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Egorov, Victor V.; Jantassova, Damira D.; Churchill, Natalia

    2007-01-01

    This article discusses the implementation of the "Information and Communication Technologies in Foreign Language Teaching and Learning" course conducted as a component of the pre-service English language teacher training program in the Buketov Karaganda State University, Kazakhstan. The course was introduced in 2003. The central…

  20. Survey on Services to Multicultural Populations.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Olivier, Lee; And Others

    1994-01-01

    Reports results of a recent national survey that examined the availability and variety of services provided to multicultural populations by medium and large public libraries. Highlights include measuring multicultural activity; planning for new services; staffing; languages; literacy and English-as-a-Second-Language programs; and barriers to…

  1. 45 CFR 1308.11 - Eligibility criteria: Hearing impairment including deafness.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... hearing loss can include impaired listening skills, delayed language development, and articulation... OF HUMAN DEVELOPMENT SERVICES, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES THE ADMINISTRATION FOR... frequently, and receive speech, language or hearing services as indicated by the IEPs. As soon as special...

  2. Awareness of Christian College Professors Concerning English Language Learners in the Content-Based Classroom and Implementation of Effective Practices

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Roedding, Amy L.

    2013-01-01

    In an effort to understand Christian college professors' levels of awareness to the needs of English Language Learners (ELLs) in content-based classrooms and to identify effective practices for language learning that are being implemented, a quantitative study using descriptive research was carried out. A survey was used to collect data to…

  3. Finnish and UK English Pre-Teen Children's Text Message Language and Its Relationship with Their Literacy Skills

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Plester, B.; Lerkkanen, M.-K.; Linjama, L. J.; Rasku-Puttonen, H.; Littleton, K.

    2011-01-01

    The aim of the study was to demonstrate the style of text language used by Finnish pre-teen texters (n = 65) and determine how their text language related to their traditional literacy skills, and compare descriptively these results with earlier results from work with young English texters. Three kinds of text messages (natural texts, elicited…

  4. Clinical Markers for Specific Language Impairment in Italian: The Contribution of Clitics and Non-Word Repetition

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bortolini, Umberta; Arfe, Barbara; Caselli, Cristina M.; Degasperi, Luisa; Deevy, Patricia; Leonard, Laurence B.

    2006-01-01

    Background: The discovery of clinical markers for specific language impairment (SLI) in children can assist in the accurate identification of children with this disorder, and in a description of the disorder's phenotype for genetic study. One challenge to this type of research is the fact that languages vary in the most salient symptoms of SLI.…

  5. A Selected Bibliography on Language Input To Young Children. CAL-ERIC/CLL Series on Languages and Linguistics.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Andersen, Elaine S., Comp.

    Thirty-one papers and reports dealing with recent work on language input to children are listed in this annotated bibliography. The annotations, which are descriptive rather than evaluative, summarize the design of each study, the nature of the data, and some of the results and conclusions. Entries by P. Broen, J. Bynon, L. Cherry, J. M. Crawford,…

  6. [Aphasia--a new as well as old problem].

    PubMed

    Hadano, Kazuo

    2013-01-01

    Alajouanine (1956) established a concept of jargon as a speech symptom of aphasia and gave clinical descriptions of three types of jargon-undifferentiated, asemantic (neologistic) and paraphasic (semantic) jargon. Several case-reports of undifferentiated jargon in Japanese language have been published in clinical aphasiology. On the other hand language development of jargon-type in normal children was reprorted in developmental psychology. We point out a phenomenological similarity of clinical language symptoms of jargon with language development of jargon-type considering its neuropsychological implications.

  7. Anaphoric Descriptions

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Beller, Charley

    2013-01-01

    The study of definite descriptions has been a central part of research in linguistics and philosophy of language since Russell's seminal work "On Denoting" (Russell 1905). In that work Russell quickly dispatches analyses of denoting expressions with forms like "no man," "some man," "a man," and "every…

  8. Educational provision for children with specific speech and language difficulties: perspectives of speech and language therapy service managers.

    PubMed

    Dockrell, Julie E; Lindsay, Geoff; Letchford, Becky; Mackie, Clare

    2006-01-01

    Children with specific speech and language difficulties (SSLD) pose a challenge to the education system, and to speech and language therapists who support them, as a result of their language needs and associated educational and social-behavioural difficulties. The development of inclusion raises questions regarding appropriate provision, whether the tradition of language units or full inclusion into mainstream schools. To gather the views of speech and language therapy service managers in England and Wales regarding approaches to service delivery, terminology and decision-making for educational provision, and the use of direct and indirect (consultancy) models of intervention. The study reports on a national survey of speech and language therapy (SLT) services in England and Wales (129 respondents, 72.1% response rate) and interviews with 39 SLT service managers. Provision varied by age group with support to children in the mainstream common from pre-school to the end of Key Stage 2 (up to 11 years), and to those in designated specialist provision, common at Key Stages 1/2 (ages 5-11 years), but less prevalent at Key Stages 3/4 (11-16 years). Decision-making regarding provision was influenced by the lack of common terminology, with SSLD and specific language impairment (SLI) the most common, and criteria, including the use of the discrepancy model for defining SSLD. Practice was influenced by the difficulties in distinguishing children with SSLD from those with autistic spectrum disorder, and difficulties translating policies into practice. The implications of the study are discussed with reference to SLT practice, including consultancy models, and the increasingly prevalent policy in local education authorities of inclusion of children with special educational needs.

  9. Automatic classification of written descriptions by healthy adults: An overview of the application of natural language processing and machine learning techniques to clinical discourse analysis.

    PubMed

    Toledo, Cíntia Matsuda; Cunha, Andre; Scarton, Carolina; Aluísio, Sandra

    2014-01-01

    Discourse production is an important aspect in the evaluation of brain-injured individuals. We believe that studies comparing the performance of brain-injured subjects with that of healthy controls must use groups with compatible education. A pioneering application of machine learning methods using Brazilian Portuguese for clinical purposes is described, highlighting education as an important variable in the Brazilian scenario. The aims were to describe how to:(i) develop machine learning classifiers using features generated by natural language processing tools to distinguish descriptions produced by healthy individuals into classes based on their years of education; and(ii) automatically identify the features that best distinguish the groups. The approach proposed here extracts linguistic features automatically from the written descriptions with the aid of two Natural Language Processing tools: Coh-Metrix-Port and AIC. It also includes nine task-specific features (three new ones, two extracted manually, besides description time; type of scene described - simple or complex; presentation order - which type of picture was described first; and age). In this study, the descriptions by 144 of the subjects studied in Toledo 18 were used,which included 200 healthy Brazilians of both genders. A Support Vector Machine (SVM) with a radial basis function (RBF) kernel is the most recommended approach for the binary classification of our data, classifying three of the four initial classes. CfsSubsetEval (CFS) is a strong candidate to replace manual feature selection methods.

  10. GSFC Systems Test and Operation Language (STOL) functional requirements and language description

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Desjardins, R.; Hall, G.; Mcguire, J.; Merwarth, P.; Mocarsky, W.; Truszkowski, W.; Villasenor, A.; Brosi, F.; Burch, P.; Carey, D.

    1978-01-01

    The Systems Tests and Operation Language (STOL) provides the means for user communication with payloads, applications programs, and other ground system elements. It is a systems operation language that enables an operator or user to communicate a command to a computer system. The system interprets each high level language directive from the user and performs the indicated action, such as executing a program, printing out a snapshot, or sending a payload command. This document presents the following: (1) required language features and implementation considerations; (2) basic capabilities; (3) telemetry, command, and input/output directives; (4) procedure definition and control; (5) listing, extension, and STOL nucleus capabilities.

  11. An Abstract Plan Preparation Language

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Butler, Ricky W.; Munoz, Cesar A.

    2006-01-01

    This paper presents a new planning language that is more abstract than most existing planning languages such as the Planning Domain Definition Language (PDDL) or the New Domain Description Language (NDDL). The goal of this language is to simplify the formal analysis and specification of planning problems that are intended for safety-critical applications such as power management or automated rendezvous in future manned spacecraft. The new language has been named the Abstract Plan Preparation Language (APPL). A translator from APPL to NDDL has been developed in support of the Spacecraft Autonomy for Vehicles and Habitats Project (SAVH) sponsored by the Explorations Technology Development Program, which is seeking to mature autonomy technology for application to the new Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) that will replace the Space Shuttle.

  12. Are You Listening to Your Computer?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Shugg, Alan

    1992-01-01

    Accepting the great motivational value of computers in second-language learning, this article describes ways to use authentic language recorded on a computer with HyperCard. Graphics, sound, and hardware/software requirements are noted, along with brief descriptions of programing with sound and specific programs. (LB)

  13. Lakota Intonation and Prosody

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mirzayan, Armik

    2010-01-01

    This thesis provides a comprehensive account of the intonational phonology of Lakota, an indigenous North American language of the Siouan family. Lakota is predominantly a verb final language, characterized by complex verbal morphology. The phonological description of Lakota intonation and prosody presented here is based on acoustic analysis of…

  14. Asian-Pacific Papers. Occasional Papers Number 10.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McCarthy, Brian, Ed.

    Sixteen papers are presented. Topics covered include language teaching, discourse analysis, code switching, phonetics, language and cultural identity, and descriptive and comparative studies. All presenters were from the Asia-Pacific area of the world. Papers include: "The Baba Malay Lexicon: Hokkien Loanwords in Baba Malay" (Anne…

  15. DDL:Digital systems design language

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Shival, S. G.

    1980-01-01

    Hardware description languages are valuable tools in such applications as hardware design, system documentation, and logic design training. DDL is convenient medium for inputting design details into hardware-design automation system. It is suitable for describing digital systems at gate, register transfer, and major combinational block level.

  16. Are Prospective English Teachers Linguistically Intelligent?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tezel, Kadir Vefa

    2017-01-01

    Language is normally associated with linguistic capabilities of individuals. In the theory of multiple intelligences, language is considered to be related primarily to linguistic intelligence. Using the theory of Multiple Intelligences as its starting point, this descriptive survey study investigated to what extent prospective English teachers'…

  17. A description of the verbal behavior of students during two reading instruction methods

    PubMed Central

    Daly, Patricia M.

    1987-01-01

    The responses of students during two reading methods, the language experience approach and two Mastery Learning programs, were analyzed using verbal operants. A description of student responding was generated for these methods. The purpose of the study was to answer the questions: What are the major controlling variables determining student reading behavior during the language experience approach and two Mastery Learning programs, and how do these controlling variables change across story reading sessions and across stories in the first method? Student responses by verbal operant were compared for both reading methods. Findings indicated higher frequencies of textual operants occurred in responses during the Mastery Learning programs. A greater reliance on intraverbal control was evident in responses during the language experience approach. It is suggested that students who can generate strong intraverbal responses and who may have visual discrimination problems during early reading instruction may benefit from use of the language experience approach at this stage. ImagesFigure 2Figure 3 PMID:22477535

  18. From General Game Descriptions to a Market Specification Language for General Trading Agents

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Thielscher, Michael; Zhang, Dongmo

    The idea behind General Game Playing is to build systems that, instead of being programmed for one specific task, are intelligent and flexible enough to negotiate an unknown environment solely on the basis of the rules which govern it. In this paper, we argue that this principle has the great potential to bring to a new level artificially intelligent systems in other application areas as well. Our specific interest lies in General Trading Agents, which are able to understand the rules of unknown markets and then to actively participate in them without human intervention. To this end, we extend the general Game Description Language into a language that allows to formally describe arbitrary markets in such a way that these specifications can be automatically processed by a computer. We present both syntax and a transition-based semantics for this Market Specification Language and illustrate its expressive power by presenting axiomatizations of several well-known auction types.

  19. Applying Standard Interfaces to a Process-Control Language

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Berthold, Richard T.

    2005-01-01

    A method of applying open-operating-system standard interfaces to the NASA User Interface Language (UIL) has been devised. UIL is a computing language that can be used in monitoring and controlling automated processes: for example, the Timeliner computer program, written in UIL, is a general-purpose software system for monitoring and controlling sequences of automated tasks in a target system. In providing the major elements of connectivity between UIL and the target system, the present method offers advantages over the prior method. Most notably, unlike in the prior method, the software description of the target system can be made independent of the applicable compiler software and need not be linked to the applicable executable compiler image. Also unlike in the prior method, it is not necessary to recompile the source code and relink the source code to a new executable compiler image. Abstraction of the description of the target system to a data file can be defined easily, with intuitive syntax, and knowledge of the source-code language is not needed for the definition.

  20. Semantics of data and service registration to advance interdisciplinary information and data access.

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fox, P. P.; McGuinness, D. L.; Raskin, R.; Sinha, A. K.

    2008-12-01

    In developing an application of semantic web methods and technologies to address the integration of heterogeneous and interdisciplinary earth-science datasets, we have developed methodologies for creating rich semantic descriptions (ontologies) of the application domains. We have leveraged and extended where possible existing ontology frameworks such as SWEET. As a result of this semantic approach, we have also utilized ontologic descriptions of key enabling elements of the application, such as the registration of datasets with ontologies at several levels of granularity. This has enabled the location and usage of the data across disciplines. We are also realizing the need to develop similar semantic registration of web service data holdings as well as those provided with community and/or standard markup languages (e.g. GeoSciML). This level of semantic enablement extending beyond domain terms and relations significantly enhances our ability to provide a coherent semantic data framework for data and information systems. Much of this work is on the frontier of technology development and we will present the current and near-future capabilities we are developing. This work arises from the Semantically-Enabled Science Data Integration (SESDI) project, which is an NASA/ESTO/ACCESS-funded project involving the High Altitude Observatory at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), McGuinness Associates Consulting, NASA/JPL and Virginia Polytechnic University.

  1. Web Services Provide Access to SCEC Scientific Research Application Software

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gupta, N.; Gupta, V.; Okaya, D.; Kamb, L.; Maechling, P.

    2003-12-01

    Web services offer scientific communities a new paradigm for sharing research codes and communicating results. While there are formal technical definitions of what constitutes a web service, for a user community such as the Southern California Earthquake Center (SCEC), we may conceptually consider a web service to be functionality provided on-demand by an application which is run on a remote computer located elsewhere on the Internet. The value of a web service is that it can (1) run a scientific code without the user needing to install and learn the intricacies of running the code; (2) provide the technical framework which allows a user's computer to talk to the remote computer which performs the service; (3) provide the computational resources to run the code; and (4) bundle several analysis steps and provide the end results in digital or (post-processed) graphical form. Within an NSF-sponsored ITR project coordinated by SCEC, we are constructing web services using architectural protocols and programming languages (e.g., Java). However, because the SCEC community has a rich pool of scientific research software (written in traditional languages such as C and FORTRAN), we also emphasize making existing scientific codes available by constructing web service frameworks which wrap around and directly run these codes. In doing so we attempt to broaden community usage of these codes. Web service wrapping of a scientific code can be done using a "web servlet" construction or by using a SOAP/WSDL-based framework. This latter approach is widely adopted in IT circles although it is subject to rapid evolution. Our wrapping framework attempts to "honor" the original codes with as little modification as is possible. For versatility we identify three methods of user access: (A) a web-based GUI (written in HTML and/or Java applets); (B) a Linux/OSX/UNIX command line "initiator" utility (shell-scriptable); and (C) direct access from within any Java application (and with the correct API interface from within C++ and/or C/Fortran). This poster presentation will provide descriptions of the following selected web services and their origin as scientific application codes: 3D community velocity models for Southern California, geocoordinate conversions (latitude/longitude to UTM), execution of GMT graphical scripts, data format conversions (Gocad to Matlab format), and implementation of Seismic Hazard Analysis application programs that calculate hazard curve and hazard map data sets.

  2. Equation-oriented specification of neural models for simulations

    PubMed Central

    Stimberg, Marcel; Goodman, Dan F. M.; Benichoux, Victor; Brette, Romain

    2013-01-01

    Simulating biological neuronal networks is a core method of research in computational neuroscience. A full specification of such a network model includes a description of the dynamics and state changes of neurons and synapses, as well as the synaptic connectivity patterns and the initial values of all parameters. A standard approach in neuronal modeling software is to build network models based on a library of pre-defined components and mechanisms; if a model component does not yet exist, it has to be defined in a special-purpose or general low-level language and potentially be compiled and linked with the simulator. Here we propose an alternative approach that allows flexible definition of models by writing textual descriptions based on mathematical notation. We demonstrate that this approach allows the definition of a wide range of models with minimal syntax. Furthermore, such explicit model descriptions allow the generation of executable code for various target languages and devices, since the description is not tied to an implementation. Finally, this approach also has advantages for readability and reproducibility, because the model description is fully explicit, and because it can be automatically parsed and transformed into formatted descriptions. The presented approach has been implemented in the Brian2 simulator. PMID:24550820

  3. Active offer of health services in French in Ontario: Analysis of reorganization and management strategies of health care organizations.

    PubMed

    Farmanova, Elina; Bonneville, Luc; Bouchard, Louise

    2018-01-01

    The availability of health services in French is not only weak but also inexistent in some regions in Canada. As a result, estimated 78% of more than a million of Francophones living in a minority situation in Canada experience difficulties accessing health care in French. To promote the delivery of health services in French, publicly funded organizations are encouraged to take measures to ensure that French-language services are clearly visible, available, easily accessible, and equivalent to the quality of services offered in English. This study examines the reorganization and management strategies taken by health care organizations in Ontario that provide health services in French. Review and analysis of designation plans of a sample of health care organizations. Few health care organizations providing services in French have concrete strategies to guarantee availability, visibility, and accessibility of French-language services. Implementation of the active offer of French-language services is likely to be difficult and slow. The Ontario government must strengthen collaboration with health care organizations, Francophone communities, and other key actors participating in the designation process to help health care organizations build capacities for the effective offer of French-language services. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  4. A Method for Transforming Existing Web Service Descriptions into an Enhanced Semantic Web Service Framework

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Du, Xiaofeng; Song, William; Munro, Malcolm

    Web Services as a new distributed system technology has been widely adopted by industries in the areas, such as enterprise application integration (EAI), business process management (BPM), and virtual organisation (VO). However, lack of semantics in the current Web Service standards has been a major barrier in service discovery and composition. In this chapter, we propose an enhanced context-based semantic service description framework (CbSSDF+) that tackles the problem and improves the flexibility of service discovery and the correctness of generated composite services. We also provide an agile transformation method to demonstrate how the various formats of Web Service descriptions on the Web can be managed and renovated step by step into CbSSDF+ based service description without large amount of engineering work. At the end of the chapter, we evaluate the applicability of the transformation method and the effectiveness of CbSSDF+ through a series of experiments.

  5. A Systematic Review of the Physical, Mental, Social, and Economic Problems of Immigrant Women in the Perinatal Period in Japan.

    PubMed

    Kita, Sachiko; Minatani, Mariko; Hikita, Naoko; Matsuzaki, Masayo; Shiraishi, Mie; Haruna, Megumi

    2015-12-01

    The perinatal mortality of immigrants in Japan is higher than that of Japanese women. However, details of the problems of immigrant perinatal women that contribute to worsening of their health are still unknown. This review describes the physical, psychological, social, and economic problems of immigrant women during the perinatal period in Japan. Medline, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and Igaku-Chuo Zasshi were searched and 36 relevant articles were reviewed. The related descriptions were collected and analyzed by using content analysis. The results showed that immigrant perinatal women in Japan experienced the following problems: language barriers, a problematic relationship with a partner, illegal residency, emotional distress, physical distress, adjustment difficulties, lack of utilization of services, social isolation, lack of support, lack of information, low economic status, unsatisfactory health care, and discrimination. These results indicated that multilingual services, strengthening of social and support networks, and political action are necessary to resolve their problems.

  6. Using Ontologies to Formalize Services Specifications in Multi-Agent Systems

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Breitman, Karin Koogan; Filho, Aluizio Haendchen; Haeusler, Edward Hermann

    2004-01-01

    One key issue in multi-agent systems (MAS) is their ability to interact and exchange information autonomously across applications. To secure agent interoperability, designers must rely on a communication protocol that allows software agents to exchange meaningful information. In this paper we propose using ontologies as such communication protocol. Ontologies capture the semantics of the operations and services provided by agents, allowing interoperability and information exchange in a MAS. Ontologies are a formal, machine processable, representation that allows to capture the semantics of a domain and, to derive meaningful information by way of logical inference. In our proposal we use a formal knowledge representation language (OWL) that translates into Description Logics (a subset of first order logic), thus eliminating ambiguities and providing a solid base for machine based inference. The main contribution of this approach is to make the requirements explicit, centralize the specification in a single document (the ontology itself), at the same that it provides a formal, unambiguous representation that can be processed by automated inference machines.

  7. Moving backwards, moving forward: the experiences of older Filipino migrants adjusting to life in New Zealand.

    PubMed

    Montayre, Jed; Neville, Stephen; Holroyd, Eleanor

    2017-12-01

    To explore the experiences of older Filipino migrants adjusting to living permanently in New Zealand. The qualitative descriptive approach taken in this study involved 17 individual face-to-face interviews of older Filipino migrants in New Zealand. Three main themes emerged from the data. The first theme was "moving backwards and moving forward", which described how these older Filipino migrants adjusted to challenges they experienced with migration. The second theme was "engaging with health services" and presented challenges relating to the New Zealand healthcare system, including a lack of knowledge of the nature of health services, language barriers, and differences in cultural views. The third theme, "new-found home", highlighted establishing a Filipino identity in New Zealand and adjusting to the challenges of relocation. Adjustment to life in New Zealand for these older Filipino migrants meant starting over again by building new values through learning the basics and then moving forward from there.

  8. Models and Simulations as a Service: Exploring the Use of Galaxy for Delivering Computational Models

    PubMed Central

    Walker, Mark A.; Madduri, Ravi; Rodriguez, Alex; Greenstein, Joseph L.; Winslow, Raimond L.

    2016-01-01

    We describe the ways in which Galaxy, a web-based reproducible research platform, can be used for web-based sharing of complex computational models. Galaxy allows users to seamlessly customize and run simulations on cloud computing resources, a concept we refer to as Models and Simulations as a Service (MaSS). To illustrate this application of Galaxy, we have developed a tool suite for simulating a high spatial-resolution model of the cardiac Ca2+ spark that requires supercomputing resources for execution. We also present tools for simulating models encoded in the SBML and CellML model description languages, thus demonstrating how Galaxy’s reproducible research features can be leveraged by existing technologies. Finally, we demonstrate how the Galaxy workflow editor can be used to compose integrative models from constituent submodules. This work represents an important novel approach, to our knowledge, to making computational simulations more accessible to the broader scientific community. PMID:26958881

  9. EFL Learners' Levels of Comprehension Across Text Structures: A Comparison of Literal and Inferential Comprehension of Descriptive and Enumerative Expository Texts.

    PubMed

    Saadatnia, Mahmood; Ketabi, Saeed; Tavakoli, Mansoor

    2016-12-01

    The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between text structure and two levels of reading comprehension, namely literal and inferential, in Iranian EFL learners. Studies have generally found that learners perform differently after they have read different text structures (Amiri et al. in Proc Soc Behav Sci 66:402-409, 2012). The text structures in focus were descriptive and enumerative expository texts. One hundred eighty upper-intermediate EFL learners were assigned four reading passages, two including descriptive and the other two enumerative text structure, followed by both literal and inferential multiple-choice items. A number of paired-samples t tests were run to provide answers to the research questions of this study. The results indicated that the participants meaningfully outperformed on the descriptive texts at both levels of literal and inferential comprehension. The findings also revealed that in both text structures of description and enumeration, literal comprehension significantly outweighed inferential comprehension. Implications were made for L2 materials developers, language teachers, and language testers regarding the consideration of text typical features in their practice.

  10. Foreign Language and International Public Service at SIU-C: An Interdisciplinary B.A. Degree Program under Development.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Timpe, Eugene F.

    A model for undergraduate programs designed to integrate foreign language instruction with training for an international public service occupation is outlined. The language component and professional training, taught separately at first, are brought together at the end of the program in an internship in an international public service…

  11. Multilingual Pedagogies and Pre-Service Teachers: Implementing "Language as a Resource" Orientations in Teacher Education Programs

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Catalano, Theresa; Hamann, Edmund T.

    2016-01-01

    While Ruiz's (1984) influential work on language orientations has substantively influenced how we study and talk about language planning, few teacher education programs today actually embed his framework in the praxis of preparing pre-service and practicing teachers. Hence, the primary purpose of this article is to demonstrate new understandings…

  12. Second Language Pre-Service Teachers as Learners: The Language Portfolio Project

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Christiansen, Helen; Laplante, Bernard

    2004-01-01

    This article reports on a study of pre-service French immersion teachers who were required to compile second language (L2) portfolios as part of their professional development. Documents included a brief biography of the students' lives as speakers and learners of French; an action plan in which students assessed their L2 proficiency and set…

  13. Rates and Predictors of Professional Interpreting Provision for Patients With Limited English Proficiency in the Emergency Department and Inpatient Ward

    PubMed Central

    Ryan, Jennifer; Abbato, Samantha; Greer, Ristan; Vayne-Bossert, Petra; Good, Phillip

    2017-01-01

    The provision of professional interpreting services in the hospital setting decreases communication errors of clinical significance and improves clinical outcomes. A retrospective audit was conducted at a tertiary referral adult hospital in Brisbane, Australia. Of 20 563 admissions of patients presenting to the hospital emergency department (ED) and admitted to a ward during 2013-2014, 582 (2.8%) were identified as requiring interpreting services. In all, 19.8% of admissions were provided professional interpreting services in the ED, and 26.1% were provided on the ward. Patients were more likely to receive interpreting services in the ED if they were younger, spoke an Asian language, or used sign language. On the wards, using sign language was associated with 3 times odds of being provided an interpreter compared with other languages spoken. Characteristics of patients including their age and type of language spoken influence the clinician’s decision to engage a professional interpreter in both the ED and inpatient ward. PMID:29144184

  14. Successful communication does not drive language development: Evidence from adult homesign.

    PubMed

    Carrigan, Emily M; Coppola, Marie

    2017-01-01

    Constructivist accounts of language acquisition maintain that the language learner aims to match a target provided by mature users. Communicative problem solving in the context of social interaction and matching a linguistic target or model are presented as primary mechanisms driving the language development process. However, research on the development of homesign gesture systems by deaf individuals who have no access to a linguistic model suggests that aspects of language can develop even when typical input is unavailable. In four studies, we examined the role of communication in the genesis of homesign systems by assessing how well homesigners' family members comprehend homesign productions. In Study 1, homesigners' mothers showed poorer comprehension of homesign descriptions produced by their now-adult deaf child than of spoken Spanish descriptions of the same events produced by one of their adult hearing children. Study 2 found that the younger a family member was when they first interacted with their deaf relative, the better they understood the homesigner. Despite this, no family member comprehended homesign productions at levels that would be expected if family members co-generated homesign systems with their deaf relative via communicative interactions. Study 3 found that mothers' poor or incomplete comprehension of homesign was not a result of incomplete homesign descriptions. In Study 4 we demonstrated that Deaf native users of American Sign Language, who had no previous experience with the homesigners or their homesign systems, nevertheless comprehended homesign productions out of context better than the homesigners' mothers. This suggests that homesign has comprehensible structure, to which mothers and other family members are not fully sensitive. Taken together, these studies show that communicative problem solving is not responsible for the development of structure in homesign systems. The role of this mechanism must therefore be re-evaluated in constructivist theories of language development. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  15. Florida Journal of Communication Disorders, 2000.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rosa-Lugo, Linda I., Ed.

    2000-01-01

    This volume of the Florida Journal of Communication Disorders contains the following featured articles: (1) Using Descriptive Language Assessment Procedure with African-American English Preschool Child Speakers: Advantages and Limitations (Kenyatta O. Rivers and Linda J. Lombardino), which discusses best practices for using descriptive language…

  16. Grid-based platform for training in Earth Observation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Petcu, Dana; Zaharie, Daniela; Panica, Silviu; Frincu, Marc; Neagul, Marian; Gorgan, Dorian; Stefanut, Teodor

    2010-05-01

    GiSHEO platform [1] providing on-demand services for training and high education in Earth Observation is developed, in the frame of an ESA funded project through its PECS programme, to respond to the needs of powerful education resources in remote sensing field. It intends to be a Grid-based platform of which potential for experimentation and extensibility are the key benefits compared with a desktop software solution. Near-real time applications requiring simultaneous multiple short-time-response data-intensive tasks, as in the case of a short time training event, are the ones that are proved to be ideal for this platform. The platform is based on Globus Toolkit 4 facilities for security and process management, and on the clusters of four academic institutions involved in the project. The authorization uses a VOMS service. The main public services are the followings: the EO processing services (represented through special WSRF-type services); the workflow service exposing a particular workflow engine; the data indexing and discovery service for accessing the data management mechanisms; the processing services, a collection allowing easy access to the processing platform. The WSRF-type services for basic satellite image processing are reusing free image processing tools, OpenCV and GDAL. New algorithms and workflows were develop to tackle with challenging problems like detecting the underground remains of old fortifications, walls or houses. More details can be found in [2]. Composed services can be specified through workflows and are easy to be deployed. The workflow engine, OSyRIS (Orchestration System using a Rule based Inference Solution), is based on DROOLS, and a new rule-based workflow language, SILK (SImple Language for worKflow), has been built. Workflow creation in SILK can be done with or without a visual designing tools. The basics of SILK are the tasks and relations (rules) between them. It is similar with the SCUFL language, but not relying on XML in order to allow the introduction of more workflow specific issues. Moreover, an event-condition-action (ECA) approach allows a greater flexibility when expressing data and task dependencies, as well as the creation of adaptive workflows which can react to changes in the configuration of the Grid or in the workflow itself. Changes inside the grid are handled by creating specific rules which allow resource selection based on various task scheduling criteria. Modifications of the workflow are usually accomplished either by inserting or retracting at runtime rules belonging to it or by modifying the executor of the task in case a better one is found. The former implies changes in its structure while the latter does not necessarily mean changes of the resource but more precisely changes of the algorithm used for solving the task. More details can be found in [3]. Another important platform component is the data indexing and storage service, GDIS, providing features for data storage, indexing data using a specialized RDBMS, finding data by various conditions, querying external services and keeping track of temporary data generated by other components. The data storage component part of GDIS is responsible for storing the data by using available storage backends such as local disk file systems (ext3), local cluster storage (GFS) or distributed file systems (HDFS). A front-end GridFTP service is capable of interacting with the storage domains on behalf of the clients and in a uniform way and also enforces the security restrictions provided by other specialized services and related with data access. The data indexing is performed by PostGIS. An advanced and flexible interface for searching the project's geographical repository is built around a custom query language (LLQL - Lisp Like Query Language) designed to provide fine grained access to the data in the repository and to query external services (e.g. for exploiting the connection with GENESI-DR catalog). More details can be found in [4]. The Workload Management System (WMS) provides two types of resource managers. The first one will be based on Condor HTC and use Condor as a job manager for task dispatching and working nodes (for development purposes) while the second one will use GT4 GRAM (for production purposes). The WMS main component, the Grid Task Dispatcher (GTD), is responsible for the interaction with other internal services as the composition engine in order to facilitate access to the processing platform. Its main responsibilities are to receive tasks from the workflow engine or directly from user interface, to use a task description language (the ClassAd meta language in case of Condor HTC) for job units, to submit and check the status of jobs inside the workload management system and to retrieve job logs for debugging purposes. More details can be found in [4]. A particular component of the platform is eGLE, the eLearning environment. It provides the functionalities necessary to create the visual appearance of the lessons through the usage of visual containers like tools, patterns and templates. The teacher uses the platform for testing the already created lessons, as well as for developing new lesson resources, such as new images and workflows describing graph-based processing. The students execute the lessons or describe and experiment with new workflows or different data. The eGLE database includes several workflow-based lesson descriptions, teaching materials and lesson resources, selected satellite and spatial data. More details can be found in [5]. A first training event of using the platform was organized in September 2009 during 11th SYNASC symposium (links to the demos, testing interface, and exercises are available on project site [1]). The eGLE component was presented at 4th GPC conference in May 2009. Moreover, the functionality of the platform will be presented as demo in April 2010 at 5th EGEE User forum. References: [1] GiSHEO consortium, Project site, http://gisheo.info.uvt.ro [2] D. Petcu, D. Zaharie, M. Neagul, S. Panica, M. Frincu, D. Gorgan, T. Stefanut, V. Bacu, Remote Sensed Image Processing on Grids for Training in Earth Observation. In Image Processing, V. Kordic (ed.), In-Tech, January 2010. [3] M. Neagul, S. Panica, D. Petcu, D. Zaharie, D. Gorgan, Web and Grid Services for Training in Earth Observation, IDAACS 2009, IEEE Computer Press, 241-246 [4] M. Frincu, S. Panica, M. Neagul, D. Petcu, Gisheo: On Demand Grid Service Based Platform for EO Data Processing. HiperGrid 2009, Politehnica Press, 415-422. [5] D. Gorgan, T. Stefanut, V. Bacu, Grid Based Training Environment for Earth Observation, GPC 2009, LNCS 5529, 98-109

  17. 38 CFR 21.152 - Interpreter service for the hearing impaired.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... development and pursuit of a rehabilitation program. This service will be provided if: (1) A VA physician... determines that the veteran: (i) Can benefit from language and speech training; and (ii) Agrees to undertake language and speech training. (b) Periods during which interpreter service may be provided. Interpreter...

  18. MHDL CAD tool with fault circuit handling

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Espinosa Flores-Verdad, Guillermo; Altamirano Robles, Leopoldo; Osorio Roque, Leticia

    2003-04-01

    Behavioral modeling and simulation, with Analog Hardware and Mixed Signal Description High Level Languages (MHDLs), have generated the development of diverse simulation tools that allow handling the requirements of the modern designs. These systems have million of transistors embedded and they are radically diverse between them. This tendency of simulation tools is exemplified by the development of languages for modeling and simulation, whose applications are the re-use of complete systems, construction of virtual prototypes, realization of test and synthesis. This paper presents the general architecture of a Mixed Hardware Description Language, based on the standard 1076.1-1999 IEEE VHDL Analog and Mixed-Signal Extensions known as VHDL-AMS. This architecture is novel by consider the modeling and simulation of faults. The main modules of the CAD tool are briefly described in order to establish the information flow and its transformations, starting from the description of a circuit model, going throw the lexical analysis, mathematical models generation and the simulation core, ending at the collection of the circuit behavior as simulation"s data. In addition, the incorporated mechanisms to the simulation core are explained in order to realize the handling of faults into the circuit models. Currently, the CAD tool works with algebraic and differential descriptions for the circuit models, nevertheless the language design is open to be able to handle different model types: Fuzzy Models, Differentials Equations, Transfer Functions and Tables. This applies for fault models too, in this sense the CAD tool considers the inclusion of mutants and saboteurs. To exemplified the results obtained until now, the simulated behavior of a circuit is shown when it is fault free and when it has been modified by the inclusion of a fault as a mutant or a saboteur. The obtained results allow the realization of a virtual diagnosis for mixed circuits. This language works in a UNIX system; it was developed with an object-oriented methodology and programmed in C++.

  19. Improving accessibility to mathematical formulas: the Wikipedia Math Accessor

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fuentes Sepúlveda, J.; Ferres, L.

    2012-09-01

    Mathematics accessibility is an important topic for inclusive education. In this paper, we make Wikipedia's repository of mathematical formulas accessible by providing a natural language description of its more than 420,000 formulas using a well-researched sub-language. We also contribute by targeting Spanish speakers, for whom assistive technologies, particularly domain-specific technologies like the one described here, are scarce. Our focus on the semantics of formulas (rather than their visual appearance) allowed us to generate verbalizations with a precision of approximately 80% of understandable descriptions, as shown in an evaluation with sighted users.

  20. Perceived barriers to adopting an Asian-language quitline service: a survey of state funding agencies.

    PubMed

    Zhuang, Yue-Lin; Cummins, Sharon E; Lee, Hye-ryeon; Dearing, James; Kirby, Carrie; Zhu, Shu-Hong

    2012-10-01

    This study examined the perceived barriers to adopting an Asian-language quitline service among agencies that fund current state quitline services across the U.S. A self-administered survey on organizational readiness was sent to the funding agencies of 47 states plus Washington D.C. that currently fund state quitlines in English and Spanish, but not in Asian languages (response rate = 58%). The 2010 Census and the 2009 North American Quitline Consortium Survey were used to obtain the proportion of Asians among the state population and state quitline funding level, respectively. The most frequently cited reasons for not adopting an Asian quitline are: the Asian population in the state would be too small (71.4%), costs of service would be too high (57.1%), and the belief that using third-party translation for counseling is sufficient (39.3%). However, neither the actual proportion of Asians among the state population (range = 0.7% to 7.3%), nor the quitline funding level (range = $0.17 to $20.8 per capita) predicts the reported reasons. The results indicate that quitline funding agencies need more education on the necessity and the feasibility of an Asian-language quitline. Three states are currently participating in a multi-state Asian-language quitline in which each state promotes the service to its residents and one state (CA) provides the services for all the states. This centralized multi-state Asian-language quitline operation, which helps reduce practical barriers in adoption and disparity in access to service, could be extended.

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