Information Retrieval List Digest 180 (September 20, 1993) URL = http://hegel.lib.ncsu.edu/stacks/serials/irld/irld-180 IRLIST Digest ISSN 1064-6965 September 20, 1993 Volume X, Number 36 Issue 180 ********************************************************** I. NOTICES A. Meeting Announcements/Calls for Papers 1. Robustness Conference 2. Congress: Computational Medicine and Public Health 3. ALCTS Institute on the Electronic Library: Administrative Issues II. QUERIES B. Requests for Information 1. Multimedia over Networks ********************************************************** I. NOTICES I.A.1. Fr: Onderzoeks Instituut Taal en Spraak Re: Robustness Conference PRELIMINARY PROGRAMME, September 1993 THE ROBUSTNESS OF THE LANGUAGE FACULTY: COPING WITH INCOMPLETE INFORMATION Organized by the Research Institute for Language and Speech (OTS) on the occasion of its 5th anniversary 28-30 October 1993 THEME DESCRIPTION: The human language faculty shows a remarkable robustness with respect to incomplete information. Many possible features are not realized in the signal of a normal linguistic utterance; and on the meaning side too, the interpretation is highly underdetermined by the expression itself. Yet, in the normal case, understanding is not in any way hampered by this. It may well be that the availability of knowledge from other cognitive domains contributes to the overall success, or perhaps this robustness is caused by the modular structure of the linguistic system itself. Information that disappears from one module would be compensated for via another module. The central question of this conference will be how this robustness of the language system can be explained, focusing in particular on the role of non-linguistic information and higher order redundancy. PRELIMINARY PROGRAMME THURSDAY, OCTOBER 28 1993 10.00 Welcome, S. Nooteboom (director OTS, Utrecht) 10.15-11.30 THEME: Language Acquisition How is it that the child is able to extract the necessary information from an incomplete analysis of language data to proceed successfully in the acquisition process? Speaker: K. Wexler (MIT) Comments: J. Weissenborn (MPI, Nijmegen) 11.30-12.00 Coffee 12.00-13.15 THEME: Aphasia Aphasia can be characterized by the existence of blockades in the transmittance of information between various cognitive domains. What kind of strategies are used to avoid these blockades? What role does the modular structure of the language faculty play here? Speaker: G. Dogil (Stuttgart) Comments: L. Blomert (MPI, Nijmegen) 13.15-14.30 Lunch 14.30-15.45 THEME: Language Processing Various cognitive domains, partly linguistic, partly also extra-linguistic, are involved in the interpretation of language utterances. It is often assumed that these various processes operate in parallel fashion. With such a parallel form of processing interpretation can be the result of different independently operating subprocesses; that is to say, information within one module is not accessible to the other module. This presupposes that processes act as filters on each other's output. A feasible alternative is that modules are not informationally encapsulated and that processes do affect the operation of one another. The discussion will address the question in how far models of human language processing shed light on the optimalisation of processing modals of machine languages. Speaker: M. Tanenhaus (Rochester) Comments: L. des Tombe & S. Krauwer (Utrecht) 15.45-16.15 Tea 16.15-17.30 THEME: Sign Language The development and acquisition of sign language is a typical example of the robustness of human linguistic competence. The canonical medium is not available and its role is taken over by another medium with principally other constraints. This also means that the language faculty is not bothered by such constraints in its operation. The obvious question is what compensatory mechanisms are at work, and how the activities of the various modules are influenced by the alternative medium. Speaker: D. Perlmutter (San Diego, UCSD) Comments: A. Mills (Amsterdam) 18.00- Reception FRIDAY OCTOBER 29 1993 SESSION: COMPUTATIONAL LINGUISTICS AND LOGIC SESSION THEME: Partial information In computational studies of linguistic competence the notion of "information" is an important one, in particular partialness of linguistic information, and the dynamics of reasoning with respect to this partial information. In feature grammars unification is the central operation for combining partially specified linguistic descriptions. In categorial frameworks unification is enriched by a dimension of type inference. The general research goal in these computational models of linguistic competence is the characterization of what one might call "linguistic inference": a theory of reasoning by means of linguistic objects. It has proven fruitful not to separate linguistic inference from other modes of inference which play a role in broader cognitive frameworks. Linguistic inference is sensitive to the structure of linguistic constructs in the form and meaning dimensions. Current developments in logic offer an excellent starting-point for the systematic study of such a structure-sensitive inference. 9.00-12.30 Invited speakers are: I. Sag (Stanford), R. Kempson (SOAS, London), H. Verkuyl (Utrecht), J. van Benthem (Amsterdam) 12.30-14.00 Lunch SESSION: PHONOLOGY THEME: Overdetermination and underspecification in phonology In phonology the problem of robustness takes the form of constraints on the distance between lexical and phonetic representations. Such constraints can be sought in lexical representations (the theory of underspecification), or in rule application (theory of lexical phonology). In addition, the robustness of lexical representation can perhaps also be explained by means of overdetermination in prosodic structure (syllable structure, metrical structure). Central research questions associated with robustness are the following. Are lexical phonological representations maximally underspecified, or only partially? What is the role of prosodic structure in the characterization of lexical representation? Which constraints are the null positions in phonological representation (empty syllables, onsets) subject to? 14.00-17.30 Invited speakers are: P. Kiparsky (Stanford), R. Kager (Utrecht), K.P. Mohanan (Singapore), S. Anderson (Johns Hopkins) Evening lecture 20.00-21.00 D. Lightfoot (Maryland) 21.00- Drinks SATURDAY, OCTOBER 30 SESSION: PHONETICS THEME: Phonetic Underspecification In natural speech many features of speech sounds are not always realized. In producing artificial speech it can be observed that realization of all features leads to an unnatural result. It seems that the human perceptual mechanism is so specifically designed for under-information that is caused by natural sloppiness that complete information is perceived as over-information. In light of this fact the question arises what the rules are for realizing the features of speech sounds. What are the thresholds of tolerance, and what are these determined by? What is acceptable sloppiness? To what extent are these determined by the nature of the production and perception processes, and to what extent by formal and substantive properties of the utterance itself? Are there parallels to be drawn with demands for underspecification in syntax? 9.00-12.30 Invited speakers are: B. Lindblom (Austin), C. Darwin (Sussex), L. Pols (Amsterdam), S. Anderson (Johns Hopkins) 12.30-14.00 Lunch SESSION: SYNTAX AND SEMANTICS THEME: Contextual vs Grammatical Conditions on Interpretation In addition to elements which can independently have a referential function (such as common nouns and pronominals) the language system also has elements which do not have such a function. Anaphors form a large group of the latter class, their interpretation being dependent on other elements. In principle, anaphors are underspecified for one or more grammatical properties. A fundamental question in this regard is what is the connection between the syntactic/lexical property of the absence of features, and the semantic property that independent interpretation is impossible. Under strict conditions on the non- linguistic context, however, certain types of anaphors can get an interpretation without having a linguistic antecedent. These then occur as logophors. This leads to two fundamental questions: 1. What intrinsic properties of anaphors determine their ability to show up as logophors? 2. How can contextual information show interaction with strictly grammatical conditions on interpretation? 14.00-17.30 Invited speakers are: T. Reinhart (Tel Aviv/Utrecht), M. Diesing (Cornell), J. Huang (Irvine), D. Delfitto (Utrecht) Conference sites: - Academy Building Domplein, Utrecht - CSB Building Kromme Nieuwe Gracht 39, Utrecht ACCOMMODATION: The organisation will not take care of hotel accommodation. Please contact the VVV Tourist Information Office, Utrecht VVV Tourist Information Office VVV Utrecht Vredenburg 90 Postbus 19107 3501 DC Utrecht Holland tel.: +31-6-34034085 fax: +31-30-331417 FOR COMPLETE CONFERENCE INFORMATION, CONTACT: Robustness Organizing Committee OTS Trans 10 NL-3512 JK Utrecht The Netherlands. Tel: +31-30-536006 Fax: +31-30-536000 Email: OTS@let.ruu.nl ********** I.A.2. Fr: mwitten@hermes.chpc.utexas.edu Re: Congress: Computational Medicine and Public Health For full conference information, see IR-L Digest, Vol.X, No.27, Issue 171 issued July 20, 1993.] ** NOTE CHANGES IN SUBMISSION AND REGISTRATION DEADLINES ** FIRST WORLD CONGRESS ON COMPUTATIONAL MEDICINE, PUBLIC HEALTH AND BIOTECHNOLOGY 24-28 April 1994 Hyatt Regency Hotel Austin, Texas CONFERENCE DEADLINES: The following deadlines should be noted: 1 November 1993 - Notification of intent to organize a special session 15 December 1993 - Abstracts for talks/posters/ workshops/birds of a feather sessions/demonstrations 15 January 1994 - Notification of acceptance of abstract 15 February 1994 - Application for financial aid 1 April 1994 - Registration deadline (includes payment of all fees) ********** I.A.3. Fr: Arnold Hirshon Re: ALCTS Institute on the Electronic Library: Administrative Issues THE ELECTRONIC LIBRARY: ADMINISTRATIVE ISSUES FOR ORGANIZATION & ACCESS INSTITUTE Sponsored by The Association for Library Collections & Technical Services, A Division of the American Library Association Hyatt Regency Cincinnati, OH Oct. 16-17, 1993 (Program will occur immediately prior to the EDUCOM meeting) FOR COMPLETE INFORMATION CONTACT: ALCTS/ALA, 50 E. Huron St., Chicago, IL 60611. 800-545-2433, extension 5032. OBJECTIVES: In what promises to be a watershed event in defining the future of electronic scholarly information systems, ALCTS is sponsoring this program to provide senior-level decision makers with information which they need to articulate a vision and formulate strategies for their institutions as they move from trends and concepts (like Gophers and WAIS) to the concrete reality of electronic libraries. Administrators need information about * design principles * governance issues * staffing and service concerns * potential outcome of electronic libraries. Geared specifically to the needs of senior level decision makers (such as directors and associate directors) of libraries and computing facilities, this institute will focus on administrative concerns and will be generally non-technical in nature. Participants will receive information necessary to * articulate the vision * formulate the strategies for the local institutional planning process. METHODS: Presentation of papers and case studies with live demonstrations will be among the educational techniques used. In addition, breaks will provide an opportunity to speak with vendors who are in the forefront. AUDIENCE: The institute, to be held immediately prior to the 1993 EDUCOM meeting in Cincinnati, has been designed for upper-level administrators (deans, directors, associate directors) from libraries and computer centers in academic and other institutions who are interested in providing electronic information to their users. FEES: Fees for the institute are $225 for ALCTS members; $265 for ALA members; $305 for non-ALA members. Registration fees include instructional materials, refreshment breaks, and continental breakfast and full lunch on Sunday. FACULTY: - Arnold Hirshon, University Librarian, Wright State Univ. - Jill Ellsworth, Assistant Professor, Southwest Texas State Univ. - Michael Buckland, Professor, Univ. of California at Berkeley SLIS - Brian L. Hawkins, Vice President for Academic Planning & Administration, Brown University - Jeffrey Trzeciak, Head, Automation Services, Wright State Univ. - Beth Shapiro, University Librarian, Rice Univ. - Kevin Long, Director of Educational and Research Computing, Rice Univ. - Peter Graham, Associate University Librarian for Technical and Networked Information Services, Rutgers Univ. - Malcolm Getz, Associate Provost for Information Services and Technology, Vanderbilt Univ. - David Penniman, President, Council on Library Resources - Others to be announced PROGRAM OUTLINE SATURDAY, OCT. 16 12:00-1:00 p.m. Registration 1:00-1:30 p.m. Welcome and Overview of the Institute: From Virtual Libraries to Working Reality: The Challenge to "Just Do It!" Arnold Hirshon, Wright State Univ. 1:30-2:30 p.m. Keynote Address: The Electronic Library: If You Build It, Will They Come? Jill Ellsworth, Southwest Texas State Univ. 2:30-3:15 p.m. Vendor Demonstrations and Break 3:15-4:45 p.m. Electronic Information: What Is It and How Do We Organize It?: Putting It Together: The Principles of Information Access Michael Buckland, Univ. of California at Berkeley SLIS Case Study #1: Example of an Early Implementation of an Electronic Library System Jeffrey Trzeciak, Wright State Univ.; Case Study # 2: Example of an Advanced Implementation Presenter to be Announced 5:00-6:00 p.m. Reception and Cash Bar SUNDAY, OCT. 17 8:00-9:00 a.m. Continental Breakfast 9:00-10:30 a.m. Internal Organizational Issues: Re-engineering the Organization for the Virtual Library: Staffing and Service Issues Beth Shapiro and Kevin Long, Rice Univ. Moving Beyond Traditional Electronic Services: Collection, Access and Text Management Issues Peter Graham, Rutgers Univ. 10:30-11:15 p.m. Demonstrations and Break 11:15 a.m-12:15 p.m. The Economics of Information: The Price of Doing Business in the Virtual Environment Malcolm Getz, Vanderbilt Univ. 12:15-2:00 p.m. Lunch 2:00-3:15 p.m. External Organizational Issues: The Role of the Library in the Development of the Electronic Library and The Role of Campus Computing Services in the Development of the Electronic Library - Brian L. Hawkins, Vice President for Academic Planning & Administration, Brown University - Additional Speaker to be Announced 3:15-4:00 p.m. Approaching the Future: National Trends and Local Challenge: The New Electronic World Order: Implications for Local Development David Penniman, Council on Library Resources ********************************************************** II. QUERIES II.B.1. Fr: Borcovio Re: Information Request from Argentina We are a group of students at the Buenos Aires Exact and Natural Science University in Argentina. We are preparing our thesis based on Multimedia over Networks, more precisely teleconferences. We have just started to work on it, trying to concentrate on one specific subject. If it's possible and not a lot of work for you we would appreciate any kind of information or sources of information related to this subject. Hoping to hear from you we remain yours. Claudia Tejedor, e-mail: ct2r@zorzal.edu.ar address: Claudia Tejedor Claudia Tejedor Bucarelli 2350 Piso 14 Depto. "B" C.P. 1431 - Capital Federal REPUBLICA ARGENTINA Claudio Bercovich. e-mail: cjbclau@zorzal.edu.ar address: Claudio Javier Bercovich Claudio Javier Bercovich Espinosa 1610 Piso 2 Depto. "G" C.P. 1416 - Capital Federal REPUBLICA ARGENTINA ********************************************************** IRLIST Digest is distributed from the University of California, Division of Library Automation, 300 Lakeside Drive, Oakland, CA. 94612-3550. Send subscription requests to: LISTSERV@UCCVMA.BITNET Send submissions to IRLIST to: IR-L@UCCVMA.BITNET Editorial Staff: Clifford Lynch calur@uccmvsa.ucop.edu or calur@uccmvsa.bitnet Nancy Gusack ncgur@uccmvsa.bitnet or ncgur@uccmvsa.ucop.edu Mary Engle meeur@uccmvsa.bitnet The IRLIST Archives is now set up for anonymous FTP, as well as via the LISTSERV. Using anonymous FTP via the host dla.ucop.edu, the files will be found in the directory pub/irl, stored in subdirectories by year (e.g., /pub/irl/1993). Using LISTSERV, send the message INDEX IR-L to LISTSERV@UCCVMA.BITNET. 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