5,585 research outputs found
Computing in the field: language modeling for elicitation and documentation of Shughni
No full textWe propose a way of enhancing computer-based approaches to language documentation by making use not only of the engineering capability of computing but also its modeling capacity. Our proposal arises from a documentation pilot project where we used computational modeling as an elicitation tool for documenting the complex verbal morphology of the underdocumented East Iranian Pamir language Shughni. Using the computable lexical knowledge representation language DATR (Evans & Gazdar 1996) and its variant KATR (Author et al. 2002), we wrote a theory of a fragment of the Shughni verb system based on what little we knew about the language. We then presented its theorem to our group of Shughni consultants, and based on their responses refined the model, and then consulted them on the new theorem, and so on to the next refinement. Cycling through these steps allowed us to refine our model and so lead to a more accurate account of the data. Equally importantly, this method gave us an automated ‘questionnaire generator’, i.e. the model's theorem. This provided not only elicitation queries that, given enough time, we may have thought of ourselves but those which may never have occurred to us. Both types of query were available to us precisely because our understanding of the grammar was formal and computationally implemented, and could thereby automatically generate theorems. Computing plays a key language engineering role in language documentation and its accessibility to the wider audience, from standard mark-up of data to its storage in a relational database for query-based retrieval. But computing serves a second purpose for linguists, that of language modeling: this is “the instrumental use of computation in the pursuit of linguistic goals” (Thompson 1983: 23). As we develop new methods for documentation, we need to explore the possibility of harnessing this other language modeling capacity of computing. We demonstrate through our work on Shughni that computer modeling can be a means of furnishing the field-worker with elicitation tasks whose results feed into an enhanced understanding of the data, which in turn show the path to the next stage of elicitation, ultimately leading to a well-informed and robust account of the data which is already digitized and therefore exchangeable. Advances in technology, such as palm-held computers, mean that an automated model-theorem-refinement method is both a practical and potentially highly valuable addition to the field-worker’s toolkit, both while in the field and back in the lab
Establishment of Heterobasidion annosum s.l. infections in young Norway spruce dominated stands
No full textOne of the worst pathogens on Norway spruce, Heterobasidion annosum s.l., can establish in previously healthy trees by spores landing on freshly made stumps from where mycelia can grow via root grafts and contacts to the adjacent tree. The risk of spore infection as well as disease transfer has been considered to be negligible in young stands due to the small target size of stumps and their small root systems. Consequently, small stumps created during precommercial thinning and late precommercial thinning are usually not treated with protective agents against spore infections as is commonly done during commercial thinnings. The objective of this thesis was to increase the knowledge regarding establishment of H. annosum s.l. infections in young Norway spruce dominated stands, in order to provide a renewed knowledge-base for forest management decisions.
The results from field studies showed that although the risk of spore infections increased with increasing stump size more than half of small Norway spruce stumps created during precommercial thinning and late precommercial thinning were infected with H. annosum s.l. (Paper I, II). Of the two Heterobasidion species present in Sweden H. parviporum had a competitive advantage over H. annosum s.s. during colonization of Norway spruce wood (III). Norway spruce stumps as small as 2.5 cm in diameter could transfer infection to trees and the risk of transfer increased with increasing stump size (IV). Stump treatment with the biocontrol agent Phlebiopsis gigantea decreased the amount of spore infections on small stumps (I). The reduction was within the lower range reported from commercial thinning stumps. Simulations of decay development after late precommercial thinning indicated that a substantial amount of the decay at final felling could be attributed to late precommercial thinning. Further, the simulations indicated that stump treatment could reduce the decay at final felling if removal intensities were high. However, the economic outcome of stump treatment varied (II).
In conclusion, there is a risk of new H. annosum s.l. infections establishing during silvicultural operations in young Norway spruce dominated stands. Precautionary measures to reduce the risk such as early precommercial thinnings or, where applicable, winter fellings or stump treatment could be considered
Standing tree, Carrizo Creek Wash (Photo G452)
No full textPhotograph of an upright tree stump in the petrified forest near Lithodendron Wash, Arizona, in 1913. Photo 780 from Herbert E. Gregory Book 6: Navajo, 1913
Fossil tree stump standing upright. About 1 mi. east of Tanners Crossing (foot print in foreground). In Dolores.
No full textPhotograph by K. C. Heald of a fossil tree stump about a mile east of Tanners Crossing, Coconino Co., Arizona in 1913. Photo 821 from Herbert E. Gregory Book 7: Navajo, 1913, 1914
Long and short term effects of stump harvesting on saproxylic beetles and ground flora
No full textResearch on the effects from forest management on biodiversity has been going on for decades but still there are many questions unanswered. With every introduction of a new forestry method there is risk for increased pressure on biodiversity.
The harvesting of low stumps left after final harvesting is a relatively new method used in forestry. I therefore investigated the importance of low stumps for saproxylic (wood living) species by comparing the species richness, abundance, and species assemblages of beetles in low stumps with the levels in high stumps and logs. Furthermore, I also investigated the long-term effects from stump harvesting on this group of species. I used window traps to collect beetles in young forests that had been stump harvested 25 years prior to the study and compared these stands with stands of the same age that had not been stump harvested. I also wanted to investigate the short-term effects from stump harvesting on the ground flora. This was done by comparing the plot frequency of all bryophytes and vascular plants found on stump harvested clear-cuts with clear-cuts that had not been stump harvested.
Low stumps on clear-cuts were proved to constitute important habitat for wood living beetles and they produced as many species and individuals of saproxylic beetles as logs and high stumps. Individual species showed preference for certain substrates. For example, the saproxylic fungivore Enicmus rugosus, was mostly found on low stumps. The overall impression after comparing the three substrate types was that low stumps might be an underestimated source of habitat for wood living insects. The long-term experiment indicated that effects of stump harvesting may last two and a half decades on certain groups of beetles. However, the effects from the surrounding landscape explained the patterns in beetle occurrence better than stump harvesting did. Results from the study of short-term effects on the ground flora showed that the effects from stump harvesting were limited to common species of bryophytes and vascular plants. The plot frequency of the common dwarf shrub Vaccinium vitis-idaea was, nevertheless 80% lower on the stump harvested clear-cuts, indicating that the early response of stump harvesting may be strong on individual species
The Rhetoric of Landscape in Gregory of Nyssa’s Homilies on the Song of Songs
No full textThis is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Brill via the ISBN in this recordAnalytical and Supporting Studies. Proceedings of the 13th International Colloquium on Gregory of Nyssa (Rome, 17-20 September 2014)Series:
Vigiliae Christianae, Supplements, Volume: 150In this paper I want to take you on a walk through a garden. It is, to be sure, an imaginary garden; nevertheless, it bears a significance which extends beyond itself. Some of this significance concerns words and texts: for as we shall see, the garden is, amongst other things, a ‘garden of rhetoric’. The garden in question appears in the Gregory of Nyssa’s Homilies on the Song of Songs.[...
An Evening with Richard Claxton “Dick” Gregory, Civil Rights Activist, Nutritionist, Comedian, and Author
No full textGregory, Richard Claxton “Dick” (Born, October 12, 1932, St. Louis, Mo.), African American comedian and civil rights activist whose social satire changed the way white Americans perceived African American comedians since he first performed in public. Gregory’s autobiography, Nigger, was published in 1963 prior to The assassination of President Kennedy, and became the number one best-selling book in America. Over the decades it has sold in excess of seven million copies. His choice for the title was explained in the forward, where Dick Gregory wrote a note to his mother. “Whenever you hear the word ‘Nigger’,” he said, “you’ll know their advertising my book.” In 1984 he founded Health Enterprises, Inc., a company that distributed weight loss products. In 1987 Gregory introduced the Slim-Safe Bahamian Diet, a powdered diet mix, which was immensely profitable. Economic losses caused in part by conflicts with his business partners led to his eviction from his home in 1992. Gregory remained active, however, and in 1996 returned to the stage in his critically acclaimed one-man show, Dick Gregory Live! The reviews of Gregory’s show compared him to the greatest stand-ups in the history of Broadway
“Judge Me Gently”: Reflections on the Religious Life of John Milton Gregory, 1822–1898
No full text John Milton Gregory is familiar to many Christian educators through his 19th-century publication, The Seven Laws of Teaching. For most readers of this important book, little is known about the author himself. This article explores the religious life and theological foundations of John Milton Gregory, who was both author of The Seven Laws of Teaching and founding president of the University of Illinois. Utilizing his spiritual diaries preserved in his daughter's biography of her father and archival sources from the University of Illinois, this essay offers a theological and spiritual understanding of this important historical figure. </jats:p
Monitoring the control methods of Heterobasidion annosum s.l. root rot
No full textThis thesis summarises the author's work on the effectiveness of two control methods against the necrotrophic fungal pathogen Heterobasidion annosum s.l. (Fr.) Bref. The studied control methods were stump treatments through the application of a fungal biocontrol agent (Phlebiopsis gigantea) and application of urea solution. An additional component to this thesis was to develop a useful Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation system for the H. annosum s.l. The potential risk for a build-up in the capacity of H. annosum s.l. to resist overgrowth by P. gigantea was investigated by utilising a P. gigantea strain used in the commercial preparation Rotstop and different strains of H. annosum s.l. The impact on intraspecific genetic diversity from the P. gigantea used in Rotstop four years after stump treatment was estimated using both microsatellite markers and AP-PCR. The long-term effect of urea treatment during first rotation thinning of Picea abies stands was evaluated 15 years post-treatment. An A. tumefaciens-mediated transformation system was developed using two different transformation plasmids and a North American H. annosum strain. The results revealed differences between H. annosum s.l. strains in their ability to resist overgrowth by P. gigantea. This trait was found to be heritable which suggests that H. annosum s.l. has the capacity to develop more tolerant strains against the biocontrol agent if the conditions are met. Also, one QTL effect associated with this trait was identified. Genetic diversity was lower within Rotstop treated plots and the resident population was more genetically similar to the applied P. gigantea strain than other populations sampled in Sweden. This effect on genetic structure was not detected 100-200 m from the treated plot which suggests that stump treatments with P. gigantea only has a local effect on genetic diversity. Urea treated plots exhibited less rot than untreated plots and the urea treatments also significantly reduced the occurrence of windthrown trees. This shows that urea treatment during thinning operations is an efficient method to reduce root rot in P. abies stands. A total of 18 H. annosum s.l. transformants were obtained from the A. tumefaciens-mediated transformation system. The transformants expressed GFP throughout the mycelia and had a normal growth rate. This system will be very useful for genomic work and interaction studies
Further Remarks on Breton Agreement
No full textBorsley and Stephens (1989/this issue) argue that the analysis of Breton agreement developed by Stump (1984) is untenable for two reasons: first, they argue that the fundamental empirical generalization which his analysis is designed to capture (the ‘Complementarity Principle’) is invalid; second, they argue that contrary to the assumptions underlying Stump\u27s analysis, S cannot be a barrier to government in Breton. Here, Borsley and Stephens\u27 claims are evaluated: it is shown that contrary to their first claim, the Complementarity Principle is a valid generalization for most if not all varieties of Breton; and while the truth of their second claim is acknowledged, it is nevertheless shown that the two principal claims embodied in the 1984 analysis can be maintained in a simple revision of that analysis. The revised account is shown to be fully consistent with the evidence cited by Borsley and Stephens, and is contrasted with the alternative analysis of Breton agreement proposed by Hendrick (1988)
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