A mathematical study of fuzzy logic; an algebraic approach

Fuzzy set theory and Fuzzy logic is studied from a mathematical point of view. The main goal is to investigatecommon mathematical structures in various fuzzy logical inference systems and to establish a general mathematical basis for fuzzy logic when considered as multi-valued logic. The study is composed of six distinct publications. The first paper deals with Mattila'sLPC+Ch Calculus. THis fuzzy inference system is an attempt to introduce linguistic objects to mathematical logic without defining these objects mathematically.LPC+Ch Calculus is analyzed from algebraic point of view and it is demonstratedthat suitable factorization of the set of well formed formulae (in fact, Lindenbaum algebra) leads to a structure called ET-algebra and introduced in the beginning of the paper. On its basis, all the theorems presented by Mattila and many others can be proved in a simple way which is demonstrated in the Lemmas 1 and 2and Propositions 1-3. The conclusion critically discusses some other issues of LPC+Ch Calculus, specially that no formal semantics for it is given.In the second paper the characterization of solvability of the relational equation RoX=T, where R, X, T are fuzzy relations, X the unknown one, and o the minimum-induced composition by Sanchez, is extended to compositions induced by more general products in the general value lattice. Moreover, the procedure also applies to systemsof equations. In the third publication common features in various fuzzy logicalsystems are investigated. It turns out that adjoint couples and residuated lattices are very often present, though not always explicitly expressed. Some minor new results are also proved.The fourth study concerns Novak's paper, in which Novak introduced first-order fuzzy logic and proved, among other things, the semantico-syntactical completeness of this logic. He also demonstrated that the algebra of his logic is a generalized residuated lattice. In proving that the examination of Novak's logic can be reduced to the examination of locally finite MV-algebras.In the fifth paper a multi-valued sentential logic with values of truth in an injective MV-algebra is introduced and the axiomatizability of this logic is proved. The paper developes some ideas of Goguen and generalizes the results of Pavelka on the unit interval. Our proof for the completeness is purely algebraic. A corollary of the Completeness Theorem is that fuzzy logic on the unit interval is semantically complete if, and only if the algebra of the valuesof truth is a complete MV-algebra. The Compactness Theorem holds in our well-defined fuzzy sentential logic, while the Deduction Theorem and the Finiteness Theorem do not. Because of its generality and good-behaviour, MV-valued logic can be regarded as a mathematical basis of fuzzy reasoning. The last paper is a continuation of the fifth study. The semantics and syntax of fuzzy predicate logic with values of truth in ana injective MV-algerba are introduced, and a list of universally valid sentences is established. The system is proved to be semanticallycomplete. This proof is based on an idea utilizing some elementary properties of injective MV-algebras and MV-homomorphisms, and is purely algebraic.

Hablando de emociones fingidas: la relación entre la sintaxis de la complementación y la comprensión de la simulación emocional

Este trabajo se centra en investigar la relación entre el uso de la sintaxis de la complementación y la capacidad infantil para comprender la simulación emocional. Un total de 337 niñas y niños de cuatro a doce años realizaron cuatro tareas en las cuales los personajes fingían una emoción, para jugar o para engañar a un observador. Se preguntó a los participantes por la emoción externa e interna del protagonista, y también por las creen-cias del observador, solicitando la justificación de sus respuestas. Se analiza-ron tanto la capacidad para comprender las emociones fingidas como el uso de distintos tipos de oraciones completivas en las justificaciones de las res-puestas. Los resultados mostraron una contingencia significativa entre la comprensión de la simulación emocional y la utilización de oraciones com-pletivas con verbos cognitivos o comunicativos, aunque el uso de este tipo de oraciones no se mostró necesario ni suficiente para esta comprensión. Finalmente, se discute el alcance de la relación entre la comprensión de la simulación emocional y la utilización de oraciones completivas con verbos comunicativos o cognitivos

Validation study of the Spanish Version of the Work-Family Conflict Questionnaire (CCTF)

In this study, a brief Work-Family Conflict (WFC) Questionnaire in the Spanish language is proposed that takes into account the two directions commonly reported in the literature: work interference with family (WIF), and family interference with work (FIW). The results obtained through exploratory factor analyses (EFA) and confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) with two independent samples, carried out for women and men, showed acceptable validity and reliability. A copy of the instrument in Spanish language is provided, together with the Amos 4 syntax to perform the factor invariance analysis for women and men. The suggested Work-Family Conflict Questionnaire (in Spanish, abbreviated as CCTF) may be useful in studies performed in the work setting, considering the special relevance of the concept in this line of research.

Caciquisme rural i contrautopies pageses. Testimonis d'unes cobles de la Conca de Barberà i del Priorat

Aquest article presenta i estudia un conjunt de cobles de la tradició oral recollides a la Conca de Barberà i al Priorat. Les cançons, creades en el marc de la Restauració, denuncien un conjunt de greuges lligats al caciquisme i al desenvolupament de l’Estat i de les relacions capitalistes que aquest fomenta. Les cobles presenten dos grans registres expressius, que obeeixen a diferents perspectives dels greuges que denuncien. D’una banda tenim unes cobles caracteritzades per una sàtira violenta, dreturera, una sintaxi cantelluda, antítesis primàries, i un recurs viu a les deformacions de l’adversari. En aquests casos, les lletres obeeixen a factors percebuts en la immediatesa de la comunitat, d’acord amb una perspectiva tradicional. D’altra banda, tenim cobles que es caracteritzen per un relaxament còmic i jocós de la sàtira, per una major narrativitat o arromançament, i també per una catarsi benèfica. En aquests casos, les cançons responen a un nou ordre de factors —polítics/política de partit, representants de l’Estat, noves modes estètiques, etc.— que en la societat rural, especialment entre aquells sectors poc introduïts a la modernitat, són percebuts amb una amplitud panoràmica, d’acord amb una ingenuïtat perceptiva, amb un distanciament naïf cap a la realitat. Es tracta d’un ordre de percepcions que informen els trets expressius que hem apuntat quant a aquestes cobles. Unes manifestacions ben il·lustratives d’aquestes darreres composicions són unes contrautopies que recullen, amb voluntat de totalitat, el conjunt d’abusos que pateix la societat pagesa, general o local.

Verbs d'actitud

En aquest article es defi neix la classe dels verbs d'actitud, tant intensionalment, a partir de criteris sint àctics i sem àntics, com extensionalment. Quant a la sintaxi, s'observa que els verbs que pertanyen a aquest grup presenten almenys una estructura distintiva compartida; pel que fa a la sem àntica, a m és d'identifi car-hi els mateixos components de signifi cat, s'ha observat que presenten també el mateix tipus general d'estructura esdevenimental. La hipòtesi de treball és la de Levin [6] -els verbs que tenen el mateix signifi cat comparteixen el mateix comportament sintàctic-, encara que amb alguns matisos. El punt de partida és tamb é la classifi cació d'aquesta autora, sobre la qual es proposa una reagrupaci ó en funci ó dels criteris esmentats.

El clític 'es' i la construcció anticausativa

L'objectiu d'aquest article és defensar la responsabilitat del component lèxic pel que fa a la presència (o l'absència) del clític en la construcció anticausativa. Es presenten proves que justifiquen que les argumentacions sobre aquest fenomen des de la semàntica o l'estructura eventual, que són les més prolíferes en la bibliografia, no són vàlides per a tots els verbs que participen en l'estructura sintàctica esmentada. Es considera que ni la sintaxi ni la morfologia tampoc poden donar llum dels fets i es proposa que l'explicació de la manca d'uniformitat pel que fa a l'aparició del pronom ha de trobar-se a partir de fenòmens que no es poden discernir en observar només l'estat actual de la llengua.

Contrast : a concept in language and its development in Medieval Spanish

The purpose of this PhD thesis is to investigate a semantic relation present in the connection of sentences (more specifically: propositional units). This relation, which we refer to as contrast, includes the traditional categories of adversatives - predominantly represented by the connector but in English and pero in Modern Spanish - and concessives, prototypically verbalised through although / aunque. The aim is to describe, analyse and - as far as possible - to explain the emergence and evolution of different syntactic schemes marking contrast during the first three centuries of Spanish (also referred to as Castilian) as a literary language, i.e., from the 13th to the 15th century. The starting point of this question is a commonplace in syntax, whereby the semantic and syntactic complexity of clause linkage correlates with the degree of textual elaboration. In historical linguistics, i.e., applied to the phylogeny of a language, it is commonly referred to as the parataxis hypothesis A crucial part of the thesis is dedicated by the definition of contrast as a semantic relation. Although the label contrast has been used in this sense, mainly in functional grammar and text linguistics, mainstream grammaticography and linguistics remain attached to the traditional categories adversatives and concessives. In opposition to this traditional view, we present our own model of contrast, based on a pragma-semantic description proposed for the analysis of adversatives by Oswald Ducrot and subsequently adopted by Ekkehard König for the analysis of concessives. We refine and further develop this model in order for it to accommodate all, not just the prototypical instances of contrast in Spanish, arguing that the relationship between adversatives and concessives is a marked opposition, i.e., that the higher degree of semantic and syntactic integration of concessives restricts some possible readings that the adversatives may have, but that this difference is almost systematically neutralised by contextual factors, thus justifying the assumption of contrast as a comprehensive onomasiological category. This theoretical focus is completed by a state-of-the-question overview attempting to account for all relevant forms in which contrast is expressed in Medieval Spanish, with the aid of lexicographic and grammaticographical sources, and an empirical study investigating the expression of corpus in a corpus study on the textual functions of contrast in nine Medieval Spanish texts: Cantar de Mio Cid, Libro de Alexandre, Milagros de Nuestra Sehora, Estoria de Espana, Primera Partida, Lapidario, Libro de buen amor, Conde Lucanor, and Corbacho. This corpus is analysed using quantitative and qualitative tools, and the study is accompanied by a series of methodological remarks on how to investigate a pragma-semantic category in historical linguistics. The corpus study shows that the parataxis hypothesis fails to prove from a statistical viewpoint, although a qualitative analysis shows that the use of subordination does increase over time in some particular contexts.

A Dependency Parsing Approach to Biomedical Text Mining

Biomedical research is currently facing a new type of challenge: an excess of information, both in terms of raw data from experiments and in the number of scientific publications describing their results. Mirroring the focus on data mining techniques to address the issues of structured data, there has recently been great interest in the development and application of text mining techniques to make more effective use of the knowledge contained in biomedical scientific publications, accessible only in the form of natural human language. This thesis describes research done in the broader scope of projects aiming to develop methods, tools and techniques for text mining tasks in general and for the biomedical domain in particular. The work described here involves more specifically the goal of extracting information from statements concerning relations of biomedical entities, such as protein-protein interactions. The approach taken is one using full parsing—syntactic analysis of the entire structure of sentences—and machine learning, aiming to develop reliable methods that can further be generalized to apply also to other domains. The five papers at the core of this thesis describe research on a number of distinct but related topics in text mining. In the first of these studies, we assessed the applicability of two popular general English parsers to biomedical text mining and, finding their performance limited, identified several specific challenges to accurate parsing of domain text. In a follow-up study focusing on parsing issues related to specialized domain terminology, we evaluated three lexical adaptation methods. We found that the accurate resolution of unknown words can considerably improve parsing performance and introduced a domain-adapted parser that reduced the error rate of theoriginal by 10% while also roughly halving parsing time. To establish the relative merits of parsers that differ in the applied formalisms and the representation given to their syntactic analyses, we have also developed evaluation methodology, considering different approaches to establishing comparable dependency-based evaluation results. We introduced a methodology for creating highly accurate conversions between different parse representations, demonstrating the feasibility of unification of idiverse syntactic schemes under a shared, application-oriented representation. In addition to allowing formalism-neutral evaluation, we argue that such unification can also increase the value of parsers for domain text mining. As a further step in this direction, we analysed the characteristics of publicly available biomedical corpora annotated for protein-protein interactions and created tools for converting them into a shared form, thus contributing also to the unification of text mining resources. The introduced unified corpora allowed us to perform a task-oriented comparative evaluation of biomedical text mining corpora. This evaluation established clear limits on the comparability of results for text mining methods evaluated on different resources, prompting further efforts toward standardization. To support this and other research, we have also designed and annotated BioInfer, the first domain corpus of its size combining annotation of syntax and biomedical entities with a detailed annotation of their relationships. The corpus represents a major design and development effort of the research group, with manual annotation that identifies over 6000 entities, 2500 relationships and 28,000 syntactic dependencies in 1100 sentences. In addition to combining these key annotations for a single set of sentences, BioInfer was also the first domain resource to introduce a representation of entity relations that is supported by ontologies and able to capture complex, structured relationships. Part I of this thesis presents a summary of this research in the broader context of a text mining system, and Part II contains reprints of the five included publications.

Semàntica i sintaxi (aspectes de la complementació en català)

Aspectes de la complementació en català

La Relación del lenguaje con la teoría de la mente en edad escolar

In the past years a considerable amount of research has been carried out on the development of theory of mind (ToM) reporting that language and ToM performance are correlated. However it is less clear what aspect of language is related with ToM development. Some studies show a greater influence of semantics aspects, whereas others suggest that sentential complement sentences, a specific aspect of syntax, are crucial for false belief understanding (FB). Yet others argue that pragmatic abilities correlate with FB understanding. The aim of this study is investigate, on the one side, the development of ToM between the ages of 6 and 8 and on the other side, the relationship between some aspects of language and the ToM improvement. Several ToM tasks were administrated to evaluate children’s performance at two different ages (60 participants aged 6 and 8 years) and four tasks to assess language abilities. The results show a significant increase in the understanding of the mind between the ages of 6 and 8. Furthermore, results reveal a significant relationship between syntax and tasks that require FB understanding, while pragmatics is more strongly associated with tasks that involve more complex socio-cognitive understandings

Skönlitteratur – en specialsamling finlandssvensk skönlitteratur

Samlingen med signum HB IVb1 finns vid huvudbiblioteket och innehåller finlandssvensk skönlitteratur, även barnlitteratur. Samlingen tillväxer kontinuerligt. Biblioteket fick friexemplarsrätt år 1919 och har därefter erhållit ett exemplar av det mesta som utkommit på svenska i Finland. Biblioteket inköper sådant som saknas, t.ex. böcker utgivna i annat land, för att göra samlingen möjligast komplett. Dessutom görs inköp för att beståndet skall innehålla både arkivexemplar och utlåningsexemplar. Bevakningen av den finlandssvenska litteraturen hör till bibliotekets specialuppgifter. Genom målmedvetet inköpande och tack vare talrika donationer äger biblioteket en omfattande samling finlandssvensk skönlitteratur från tiden före 1919 och ofta är det fråga om första upplagor. Bland donatorerna kan nämnas Arvid Sourander, Hildur Malmberg, Hilma Nyberg, Ossian Donner, Gunnar Karlsson och Arthur Rindell. Den finlandssvenska skönlitteraturen söks i databasen Alma med sökfunktionen Signum och söktermen HB IVb1. En del litteratur tryckt före 1980 skall sökas manuellt i huvudbibliotekets systematiska kortkatalog, men retroaktiv inmatning i Alma av litteratur tryckt mellan 1830 och 1979 pågår. Skönlitterära småskrifter tryckta före 1900 med signum HB IVb1/kapsel har digitaliserats. Adressen är http://bibbild.abo.fi/diktlista.htm

Machiavelli translated into Catalan: textuals and editorials choices

This article provides an appraisal of all published and unpublished, complete and excerpted translations into Catalan of Machiavelli's works, and reconstructs the cultural circumstances around their completion as a means to determine from which editions the various translators worked. It also explains how the translators confronted and resolved issues of language and syntax in The Prince .