Are Deep Learning Approaches Suitable for Natural Language Processing?

In recent years, Deep Learning (DL) techniques have gained much at-tention from Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Natural Language Processing (NLP) research communities because these approaches can often learn features from data without the need for human design or engineering interventions. In addition, DL approaches have achieved some remarkable results. In this paper, we have surveyed major recent contributions that use DL techniques for NLP tasks. All these reviewed topics have been limited to show contributions to text understand-ing, such as sentence modelling, sentiment classification, semantic role labelling, question answering, etc. We provide an overview of deep learning architectures based on Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs), Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs), Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM), and Recursive Neural Networks (RNNs).

Banca de cozinha: projeto de design universal

Mais do que uma dissertação sobre o envelhecimento da população e o impacto que ela tem na sociedade, a presente tese visa documentar todo o processo projetual desenvolvido para a criação de uma banca de cozinha. Para tal foram tidas em conta, não apenas o tipo de tarefas desenvolvidas nesta zona da habitação como também os índices de fragilidade e de debilidade que os utilizadores mais envelhecidos apresentam. O facto da população envelhecida estar cada vez mais a aumentar, atingindo em alguns países valores preocupantes, associados ao facto de esses mesmos idosos atingirem cada vez mais idades mais avançadas, faz com que haja um aumento do número de pessoas incapacitadas. Assim sendo, o principal objectivo será o desenvolvimento de um projeto assente nas premissas defendidas pelo design universal. Tal projeto tentará encontrar as respostas que melhor respondam às necessidades e problemáticas, não apenas dos utilizadores mais idosos, mas do resto da população, independentemente da sua idade, estatura e condição física.

The rebirth of an old language: issues of gender equality in Kazakhsstan

The existing language situation in Kazakhstan, while peaceful, is not without some tension. We propose to analyze here some questions we consider relevant in the frame of cultural globalization and gender equality, such as: free from Russian imperialism, could Kazakhstan become an easy prey of Turkey’s “imperialist dream”? Could these traditionally Muslim people be soon facing the end of religious tolerance and gender equality, becoming this new old language an easy instrument for the infiltration in the country of fundamentalism (it has already crossed the boarders of Uzbekistan), leading to a gradual deterioration of its rich multicultural relations? The present structure of the language is still very fragile: there are three main dialects and many academics defend the re-introduction of the Latin alphabet, thus enlarging the possibility of cultural “contamination” by making the transmission of fundamentalist ideas still easier through neighbour countries like Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan (their languages belong to the same sub-group of Common Turkic), where the Latin alphabet is already in use, and where the ground for such ideas shown itself very fruitful.

Phonological and articulation treatment approaches in Portuguese children with speech and language impairments: a randomized controlled intervention study

Background: In Portugal, the routine clinical practice of speech and language therapists (SLTs) in treating children with all types of speech sound disorder (SSD) continues to be articulation therapy (AT). There is limited use of phonological therapy (PT) or phonological awareness training in Portugal. Additionally, at an international level there is a focus on collecting information on and differentiating between the effectiveness of PT and AT for children with different types of phonologically based SSD, as well as on the role of phonological awareness in remediating SSD. It is important to collect more evidence for the most effective and efficient type of intervention approach for different SSDs and for these data to be collected from diverse linguistic and cultural perspectives. Aims: To evaluate the effectiveness of a PT and AT approach for treatment of 14 Portuguese children, aged 4.0–6.7 years, with a phonologically based SSD. Methods & Procedures: The children were randomly assigned to one of the two treatment approaches (seven children in each group). All children were treated by the same SLT, blind to the aims of the study, over three blocks of a total of 25 weekly sessions of intervention. Outcome measures of phonological ability (percentage of consonants correct (PCC), percentage occurrence of different phonological processes and phonetic inventory) were taken before and after intervention. A qualitative assessment of intervention effectiveness from the perspective of the parents of participants was included. Outcomes & Results: Both treatments were effective in improving the participants’ speech, with the children receiving PT showing a more significant improvement in PCC score than those receiving the AT. Children in the PT group also showed greater generalization to untreated words than those receiving AT. Parents reported both intervention approaches to be as effective in improving their children’s speech. Conclusions & Implications: The PT (combination of expressive phonological tasks, phonological awareness, listening and discrimination activities) proved to be an effective integrated method of improving phonological SSD in children. These findings provide some evidence for Portuguese SLTs to employ PT with children with phonologically based SSD

Automatização de sistemas de inspeção COGNEX

Com um mercado automóvel cada vez mais competitivo e com os construtores automóveis à procura de atingir os zero defeitos nos seus produtos, a Bosch Car Multimédia Portugal S.A, fabricante de sistemas multimédia para o mercado automóvel, tem como objetivo a qualidade perfeita dos seus produtos. Tal perfeição exige processos de fabrico cada vez mais evoluídos e com melhores sistemas de auxílio à montagem. Nesse sentido, a incorporação de sistemas de visão artificial para verificação da montagem correta dos componentes em sistemas multimédia tem vindo a crescer largamente. Os sistemas de inspeção visual da Cognex tornaram-se o standard da Bosch para a verifi-cação da montagem de componentes por serem sistemas bastante completos, fáceis de con-figurar e com um suporte técnico bastante completo. Estes sistemas têm vindo a ser inte-grados em diversas máquinas (postos) de montagem e nunca foi desenvolvida uma ferra-menta normalizada para integração destes sistemas com as máquinas. A ideia principal deste projeto passou por desenvolver um sistema (uma aplicação informá-tica) que permita controlar os indicadores de qualidade destes sistemas de visão, garantir o seguimento dos produtos montados e, ao mesmo tempo, efetuar cópias de segurança de todo o sistema para utilização em caso de avaria ou de troca de equipamento. Tal sistema foi desenvolvido recorrendo à programação de uma Dynamic Link Library (DLL), através da linguagem VisualBasic.NET, que permite às aplicações dos equipamen-tos (máquinas) da Bosch Car Multimédia comunicarem de uma forma universal e transpa-rente com os sistemas de inspeção visual da marca Cognex. Os objetivos a que o autor se propôs no desenvolvimento deste sistema foram na sua maioria alcançados e o projeto encontra-se atualmente implementado e em execução nas linhas de produção da Bosch Car Multimédia.

Tradução comentada do livro de Abel Salazar "A Crise da Europa"

Este trabalho de projeto do Mestrado em Tradução e Interpretação Especializadas consiste na tradução, para inglês, do livro A Crise da Europa, de Abel Salazar. O protocolo celebrado entre a Casa-Museu Abel Salazar e o ISCAP deu o mote a esta colaboração que tem como objectivo final a edição da obra traduzida, possibilitando que o legado de Abel Salazar esteja cada vez mais acessível a um número crescente de pessoas. Este trabalho pretende, não só, tornar disponível a obra do autor a novos públicos através da sua publicação na que é hoje a língua universal – o inglês –, mas também dar conta de quem foi Abel Salazar em toda a sua soberba pluralidade. Para além da tradução, o presente trabalho leva a cabo uma análise da metodologia utilizada no processo tradutivo e das opções que foram tomadas na produção do texto de chegada. Finalmente, o desfasamento temporal entre o autor/texto fonte e o tradutor/texto de chegada é ilustrado, com recurso a exemplos que o demonstram e clarificam a postura metodológica da tradutora. A tradução desta obra é a primeira alguma vez feita de um livro de Abel Salazar para inglês e considero que será a primeira de muitas que poderão surgir da parceria com a Casa-Museu Abel Salazar.

Making connections: engineering and language issues in teaching english for specific purposes

Tese apresentada para cumprimento dos requisitos necessários à obtenção do grau de Doutor em Línguas, Literaturas e Culturas

English Language Learning Inside and Outside the Classroom in Portugal

This study investigates the way of learning the English language in Portugal. First-year students of the faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities of New University of Lisbon were selected as participants in the case study. As data collection tools a questionnaire and focus-groups were used. 115 students completed the designed questionnaire and after that 12 students were selected for the more detailed focus-group discussions. Results of the research show that most part of the students´ English knowledge is received from outside the classroom by means of movies, songs, computer games, the Internet, communication with friends and other sources. Also, the results show that motivation is very important in language learning process and motivated students acquire the language faster and easier.

Improving Learners’ Motivation through Feedback in English Language Teaching and Learning at Polytechnic School in Benguela, Angola

Currently, it is widely perceived among the English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teaching professionals, that motivation is a central factor for success in language learning. This work aims to examine and raise teachers’ awareness about the role of assessment and feedback in the process of language teaching and learning at polytechnic school in Benguela to develop and/or enhance their students’ motivation for learning. Hence the paper defines and discusses the key terms and, the techniques and strategies for an effective feedback provision in the context under study. It also collects data through the use of interview and questionnaire methods, and suggests the assessment and feedback types to be implemented at polytechnic school in Benguela

Validity, reliability and responsiveness of the French language translation of the Western Ontario Shoulder Instability Index (WOSI).

BACKGROUND: The WOSI (Western Ontario Shoulder Instability Index) is a self-administered quality of life questionnaire designed to be used as a primary outcome measure in clinical trials on shoulder instability, as well as to measure the effect of an intervention on any particular patient. It is validated and is reliable and sensitive. As it is designed to measure subjective outcome, it is important that translation should be methodologically rigorous, as it is subject to both linguistic and cultural interpretation. OBJECTIVE: To produce a French language version of the WOSI that is culturally adapted to both European and North American French-speaking populations. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A validated protocol was used to create a French language WOSI questionnaire (WOSI-Fr) that would be culturally acceptable for both European and North American French-speaking populations. Reliability and responsiveness analyses were carried out, and the WOSI-Fr was compared to the F-QuickDASH-D/S (Disability of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand-French translation), and Walch-Duplay scores. RESULTS: A French language version of the WOSI (WOSI-Fr) was accepted by a multinational committee. The WOSI-Fr was then validated using a total of 144 native French-speaking subjects from Canada and Switzerland. Comparison of results on two WOSI-Fr questionnaires completed at a mean interval of 16 days showed that the WOSI-Fr had strong reliability, with a Pearson and interclass correlation of r=0.85 (P=0.01) and ICC=0.84 [95% CI=0.78-0.88]. Responsiveness, at a mean 378.9 days after surgical intervention, showed strong correlation with that of the F-QuickDASH-D/S, with r=0.67 (P<0.01). Moreover, a standardized response means analysis to calculate effect size for both the WOSI-Fr and the F-QuickDASH-D/S showed that the WOSI-Fr had a significantly greater ability to detect change (SRM 1.55 versus 0.87 for the WOSI-Fr and F-QuickDASH-D/S respectively, P<0.01). The WOSI-Fr showed fair correlation with the Walch-Duplay. DISCUSSION: A French-language translation of the WOSI questionnaire was created and validated for use in both Canadian and Swiss French-speaking populations. This questionnaire will facilitate outcome assessment in French-speaking settings, collaboration in multinational studies and comparison between studies performed in different countries. TYPE OF STUDY: Multicenter cohort study. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: II.

Neurophysiological origin of human brain asymmetry for speech and language.

The physiological basis of human cerebral asymmetry for language remains mysterious. We have used simultaneous physiological and anatomical measurements to investigate the issue. Concentrating on neural oscillatory activity in speech-specific frequency bands and exploring interactions between gestural (motor) and auditory-evoked activity, we find, in the absence of language-related processing, that left auditory, somatosensory, articulatory motor, and inferior parietal cortices show specific, lateralized, speech-related physiological properties. With the addition of ecologically valid audiovisual stimulation, activity in auditory cortex synchronizes with left-dominant input from the motor cortex at frequencies corresponding to syllabic, but not phonemic, speech rhythms. Our results support theories of language lateralization that posit a major role for intrinsic, hardwired perceptuomotor processing in syllabic parsing and are compatible both with the evolutionary view that speech arose from a combination of syllable-sized vocalizations and meaningful hand gestures and with developmental observations suggesting phonemic analysis is a developmentally acquired process.

Psychometrics of the Dyadic Coping Inventory in three language groups

This article introduces the Dyadic Coping Inventory (DCI; Bodenmann, 2008) and aims (1) to investigate the reliability and aspects of the validity of the Italian and French versions of the DCI, and (2) to replicate its factor structure and reliabilities using a new Swiss German sample. Based on 216 German-, 378 Italian-, and 198 French-speaking participants, the factor structure of the original German inventory was able to be replicated by using principal components analysis in all three groups after excluding two items in the Italian and French versions. The latter were shown to be as reliable as the German version with the exception of the low reliabilities of negative dyadic coping in the French group. Confirmatory factor analyses provided additional support for delegated dyadic coping and evaluation of dyadic coping. Intercorrelations among scales were similar across all three languages groups with a few exceptions. Previous findings could be replicated in all three groups, showing that aspects of dyadic coping were more strongly related to marital quality than to dyadic communication. The use of the dyadic coping scales in the actor-partner interdependence model, the common fate model, and the mutual influence model is discussed.

Impact of relative size and language on the attitudes between nations and linguistic groups : The case of Switzerland

This study explores the impact of relative size on the intra- and intergroup attitudes of groups who either share a language or have a different language. For that purpose, we examined international attitudes, comparing a small nation, Switzerland, and two larger nations, Germany and France. We found support for the assumption that large neighbouring nations pose a threat to the smaller nation's identity, especially when they are linguistically similar. Consequently, in line with Tajfel's Social Identity Theory (1978), the smaller nation's inhabitants evaluate those of the larger nation less positively, liking them less and perceiving them to be more arrogant than vice versa. By investigating the special case of the French-speaking and the German-speaking Swiss as linguistic groups within their own nation we were able to demonstrate that these groups seek support with the larger-linguistically-similar nation to defend themselves against the more direct in-country threat to their identity. They acknowledge the similarity with the larger nation, yet keep defending their social identity by expressing a dislike for this perceived similarity.