nl-kr-request@CS.ROCHESTER.EDU (NL-KR Moderator Brad Miller) (12/16/88)
NL-KR Digest (12/15/88 19:45:54) Volume 5 Number 39 Today's Topics: neural networks training program at UCSD Research Post at Edinburgh position available NMSU seeks graduate students Opportunities for Linguists at the Univ of Delaware From CSLI Calendar, 1 December, 4:10 Second European Natural Language Generation Workshop BBN AI Seminar: Dean Pomerleau Workshop on Formal Aspects of Semantic Networks BBN AI Seminar -- Stanley Letovsky Call for Papers BBN AI Seminar -- Igal Golan BBN AI Seminar -- David Israel Harvard AI Colloquim - Drew McDermott Submissions: NL-KR@CS.ROCHESTER.EDU Requests, policy: NL-KR-REQUEST@CS.ROCHESTER.EDU ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 1 Dec 88 13:45 EST From: Jeff Elman <elman%sdcsvax@ucsd.edu> Subject: neural networks training program at UCSD RESEARCH AND TRAINING PROGRAM IN NEURAL MODELLING FOR DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGISTS Center for Research in Language University of California, San Diego La Jolla, California 92093 The Center for Research in Language at UCSD has just obtained a pilot grant from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, to provide 5 - 10 developmental psychologists at any level (dissertation students through senior investigators) with short-term training in neural computation. The program has two goals: (1) To encourage developmental psychologists in target interest areas (speech, language, early visual-motor and cognitive development, future oriented processes) to begin making use of connectionist modelling as a tool for evaluating theories of learning and change; (2) To encourage greater use of realistic developmental data in the connectionist enterprise. Our experience at UCSD suggests that a well-prepared and computer literate developmental psychologist can learn to make productive use of neural modelling techniques in a relatively short period of time, i.e. 2 weeks to 3 months, depending on level of interest and prior experience. Appli- cants may request training periods in this range at any point from 9/89 through 8/90. Depending on the trainee's needs and resources, we will provide (1) lodging at UCSD, (2) travel (in some cases), (3) access to SUN and VAX works- tations with all necessary software, and (4) hourly services of an individual programmer/tutor who will supervise the trainee's progress through self-paced learning materials while assisting in the implementation of the trainee's pro- posed developmental project. Trainees are also welcome to attend seminars and workshops, and to consult with the rela- tively large number of faculty involved in connectionist modelling at UCSD. Applicants are asked to submit 5 - 10 page proposals outlining a specific modelling project in a well-defined domain of developmental psychology. Criteria for evaluating proposals will include (1) the scientific merit and feasi- bility of the project itself (2) the applicant's computer sophistication and probability of success with short term training, (3) the probability that the applicant can and will continue working at the interface between neural model- ling and developmental psychology (including access to ade- quate computer facilities at the applicant's home site). Applicants should indicate the preferred duration and start- ing date for the training program. Applications should be submitted to Jeff Elman, Direc- tor, Center for Research on Language, University of Califor- nia, San Diego, La Jolla, Ca. 92093. For further informa- tion, contact Jeff Elman (619-534-1147) or Elizabeth Bates (619-534-3007). Email inquiries may be sent to elman@amos.ling.ucsd.edu or bates@amos.ling.ucsd.edu. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 2 Dec 88 09:41 EST From: Alan Bundy <bundy%aiva.edinburgh.ac.uk@NSS.Cs.Ucl.AC.UK> Subject: Research Post at Edinburgh Alan Bundy Department of Artificial Intelligence University of Edinburgh RESEARCH ASSOCIATE (Mathematical Reasoning) Applications are invited for an SERC supported post, tenable, as soon as possible, on a mutually agreed date. Appointment will be to September 30 1989, initially, but with a strong possibility of renewal to at least September 30 1991. The research is to develop proof plans, a technique for guiding the search for a proof in automatic theorem proving. The main application is to the automatic synthesis, verification and transformation of logic programs using constructive logic. The project is led by Professor Alan Bundy and Dr Alan Smaill. Candidates should possess a PhD or have equivalent research or industrial experience. Knowledge of logic is essential and knowledge of artificial intelligence, formal methods in software engineering or logic programming would be an advantage. Salary is on the AR1A scale in the range 9,865 - 15,105 pounds p.a., according to age and experience. Applicants should send a CV and the names of two referees to: Prof. Alan Bundy. Department of Artificial Intelligence, University of Edinburgh, 80 South Bridge, Edinburgh, EH1 1HN, SCOTLAND. as soon as possible. The closing date for applications is 16th January 1989. Further details may be obtained from Prof. Bundy (at the above address or email to bundy@uk.ac.edinburgh or bundy@rutgers.edu) quoting reference number 5613. ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 3 Dec 88 07:52 EST From: gene_guam_bruce@cup.portal.com Subject: position available The University of Guam, a Western Association of Schools and Colleges-accredited, baccalaureate and masters degree granting institution, is recruiting instructors for reading, writing, and aural/oral ESL classes. Positions are available in both Jan. 1989 and Fall 1989. A masters in TESL or Applied Linguistics is required; a Ph.D. is preferred. Inquiries are also solicited for the teaching of freshman rhetoric. Send CV, official transcripts, and three letters of reference, and letters of inquiry to Mrs. Dee Johnson, Chair, Division Guam is a U.S. possession located 1,500 miles south of Tokyo and 1,500 miles east of Manila. The language of instruction at the University is English. I will be glad to answer email inquiries, but can't do things officially. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 5 Dec 88 17:50 EST From: sylvia@NMSU.Edu Subject: NMSU seeks graduate students New Mexico State University, Computing Research Laboratory, invites applications from excellent graduate and undergraduate students interested in Artificial Intelligence, including Expert Systems, Natural Language, Cognitive Modelling, Intelligent User-Interfaces, and interdisciplinary projects that integrate these fundamental aspects of computing science. The CRL offers fellowships of up to $15,000 per year for graduates and undergraduates. Successful applicants are expected to work 20 hours per week during the academic year, and 40 hours per week during the summer on CRL sponsored research programs, a portion of which may contribute to student originated research. Applications from postdocs would also be of interest. An initial letter of inquiry indicating your background and research goals, and request for application materials may be sent to: Dr. Yorick Wilks, Director, Computing Research Laboratory, Box 3CRL, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM 88003. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 6 Dec 88 12:15 EST From: Peter Cole <AXR00786%UDACSVM.BITNET@CUNYVM.CUNY.EDU> Subject: Opportunities for Linguists at the Univ of Delaware Department of Linguistics University of Delaware 46 E. Delaware Newark, DE 19716 U.S.A. (302) 451-6808 EMAIL: cole@vax1.acs.udel.edu, AXR00786@UDACSVM.Bitnet The following pages provide information on faculty openings and possibilities for graduate study and financial aid at the Department of Linguistics of the University of Delaware. We would appreciate your posting this information and passing it on to interested students and colleagues. With regard to graduate study, the Department encourages applications from students with backgrounds in computer science, psychology, mathmatics etc., as well as in linguistics itself. Please contact us if you desire additional information. 1) OPPORTUNITIES FOR GRADUATE STUDY IN LINGUISTICS Dear Colleague, I am writing to ask your assistance in identifying superior students with an interest in linguistics who might be appropriate candudates for financial aid in our growing doctoral program. The Department of Linguistics has been selected by the University of Delaware administration for growth and development. Over the last year, the Department faculty has grown from nine to eleven, and we anticipate expansion to sixteen or more over the next several years. The Department has traditionally been strong in a number of areas of applied linguistics, especially language acquisition, and L2/ESL pedagogy and testing. In addition to these areas, the Department is now undergoing major expansion in theoretical linguistics, especially syntax and phonology. A number of faculty members have strong interests in the application of current linguist theory to the description of less commonly taught languages like Chinese, Japanese and Quechua. There is also considerable interest in the examination of theoretical constructs from formal syntax in both first and second language acquisition. The Department is interested in recruiting a number of first-rate graduate students for the coming year. These students need not have an extensive undergraduate background in linguistics, but they should have a strong interest in natural language, and have the capability to develop into serious researchers. We expect to be in a position to offer quite a generous program of financial aid. The aid available includes fellowships, research assistantships and teaching assistantships. The stipends for financial aid range from about $7450 to $8200 plus tution waiver. A student entering the program with a B.A., will usually receive five years of financial aid if he or she is making satisfactor progress toward the Ph.D. Most students admitted to the program will be awarded financial aid. We would appreciate your help in finding truly excellent students for our program. We are in the process of arranging financing for visits to our campus of especially promising students. We hope that you will call or write to us if you have students that you would like to recommend for our program. Thank you for your assistance. If you have any questions, please let me know. Sincerely, Peter Cole Chair 2) LINGUISTICS JOB INFORMATION Dear Colleague: I am writing to tell you about the Department of Linguistics at the University of Delaware, and to ask your assistance in identifying candidates for faculty positions in our Department. The Department of Linguistics has been selected by the University of Delaware administration for growth and development. The University as a whole is undergrowing a major expansion of its graduate and research programs. Over the last year, the Department faculty has grown from nine to twelve (including one joint appointment), and we anticipate expansion to seventeen or more over the next several years. The Department has traditionally been strong in a number of areas of applied linguistics, especially language acquisition, and L2/ESL pedagogy and testing. In addition to these areas, the Department is now undergoing MAJOR expansion in theoretical linguistics, especially syntax, semantics and phonology. There are now three syntacticians teaching in the Department and one phonologist. A number of faculty members have strong interests in the application of current linguist theory to the description of less commonly taught languages like Chinese, Japanese and Quechua. There is also considerable interest in the examination of theoretical constructs from formal syntax in both first and second language acquisition. We plan to recruit one or more faculty members for September 1989. A copy of our advertisement in enclosed. The Department is interested in recruiting linguists with superlative records in both research and teaching. We will refrain from making any appointment if we cannot identify an appropriate candidate. The areas of specialization in which we have greatest interest are phonology, syntax, formal semantics and morphology. Specialization in an East Asian language is a desirable additional qualification. Applications are encouraged from both junior and senior applicants, but tenured appointments and appointment above the level of Assistant Professor will require clear justification in terms of the achievements of the candidate. Applications from minority members and women are especially welcome. I hope you assist us in identifying exceptional linguists with interests in one or more of the specializations we have advertised. For first consideration, applications should be received by January 15, 1988, and should include a C.V., a brief statement of current and projected research interests, and the names, addresses and telephone numbers of at least three referees, as well as copies of publications. Candidates should also indicate if they plan to attend the 1988 Annual Meeting of the Linguistic Society of America. Materials should be sent to Professor Peter Cole, Chair, Department of Linguistics, University of Delaware, 46 E. Delaware, Newark, D.E. 19716. Please post our advertisement and draw the attention of your colleagues to these positions. Sincerely yours, Peter Cole Professor and Chair Job Announcement The Department of Linguistics of the University of Delaware anticipates one or more tenure track openings in the following areas of specialization: phonology, formal semantics, syntax and morphology. Specialization in an East Asian language is a desirable additional qualification. The Department is interested in applicants with superlative records in both research and teaching. Applications are encouraged from both junior and senior applicants, but appointment above the level of Assistant Professor will require clear justification in terms of the achievements of the candidate. For first consideration, applications should be received by January 15, 1989, and should include a C.V., a brief statement of current and projected research interests, and the names, addresses and telephone numbers of at least three referees, as well as copies of publications. Candidates should also indicate if they plan to attend the 1988 Annual Meeting of the Linguistic Society of America. Materials should be sent to Professor Peter Cole, Chair, Department of Linguistics, University of Delaware, 46 E. Delaware Avenue, Newark, D.E. 19716. The University of Delaware is an equal opportunity/affirmative employer. Applications from minority candidates and women are strongly encouraged. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 30 Nov 88 18:59 EST From: Emma Pease <emma@csli.Stanford.EDU> Subject: From CSLI Calendar, 1 December, 4:10 SYMBOLIC SYSTEMS FORUM The Languages of Tarski's World Lauri Karttunen (karttunen.pa@xerox.com) Xerox PARC and Dept. of Linguistics, Stanford Friday, 2 December, 3:15, 60:62N Tarski's World is the logic teaching Macintosh game designed by Barwise and Etchemendy. In this world, two languages are spoken: English and first order logic. One of the objectives of the game is to teach how these languages are related. The next version of the program will include a translator that converts English sentences to logic formulas. My talk will be about the design of the translator, the grammar of English, and the grammar of logic. How does one get from "every cube that is not flanked by a tet is to the left of d" to "Ax ((cube(x) & ~Ey(tet(y) & flanks(y,x))) --> left-of(x,d))"? ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 5 Dec 88 15:09 EST From: Robert Dale <rda%epistemi.edinburgh.ac.uk@NSS.Cs.Ucl.AC.UK> Subject: Second European Natural Language Generation Workshop Call for Participation in The Second European Workshop on Natural Language Generation 6th-8th April 1989 University of Edinburgh Scotland PURPOSE AND SCOPE: Following on from the successful First European Workshop on Language Generation held at Abbey de Royaumont, near Paris, in January 1987, this workshop aims to bring together researchers in a rapidly growing field. Papers are invited on substantial, original and unpublished research on all aspects of natural language generation, including, but not limited to, text planning, the use of discourse and hearer models in generation, the generation of referring expressions, and the use of linguistically well-founded grammars in generation. SUBMISSIONS: Contributors interested in participating in this workshop are requested to submit three copies of an extended abstract not to exceed five double-spaced pages (exclusive of references) in a font no smaller than 10 point (elite). The title page should include the title, the name(s) of the author(s), complete addresses (including email address if available), a short (5 line) summary, and a specification of the topic area. Send to: Chris Mellish Department of Artificial Intelligence, University of Edinburgh 80 South Bridge Edinburgh EH1 1HN, Scotland (+44) 31 225 7774 ext 247 chrism%uk.ac.ed.aiva@nss.cs.ucl.ac.uk SCHEDULE: Extended abstracts should be received prior to January 31st 1989. Approximately 15 abstracts will be accepted for presentation at the workshop. Authors will be notified of acceptance by February 28th 1989. WORKSHOP INFORMATION: Attendance at the workshop will be limited to 30 people. Copies of the chosen abstracts will be sent to each participant prior to the workshop. Presenters will be encouraged to expand their abstracts for inclusion in the workshop proceedings, which will be published after the workshop. The workshop has been timed to immediately precede the European ACL meeting, being held in Manchester, England from 10th-12th April 1989. Details of the ACL conference can be obtained from Harold Somers, Centre for Computational Linguistics, UMIST, PO Box 88, Manchester M60 1QD, England; (+44) 61 236-3311 ext 2333. The cost of the workshop, including accommodation and lunches but not evening meals, is expected to be in the region of UK pounds 100 per person. The workshop is supported by the Society for the Study of Artificial Intelligence and the Simulation of Behaviour. Local arrangements are being handled by Robert Dale, Centre for Cognitive Science, University of Edinburgh, 2 Buccleuch Place, Edinburgh EH8 9LW; (+44) 31 667 1011 ext 6470; rda%uk.ac.ed.epistemi@nss.cs.ucl.ac.uk ORGANISING COMMITTEE: Chris Mellish, Robert Dale, and Michael Zock. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 6 Dec 88 13:38 EST From: Marc Vilain <MVILAIN@G.BBN.COM> Subject: BBN AI Seminar: Dean Pomerleau BBN Science Development Program AI Seminar Series Lecture ALVINN: AN AUTONOMOUS LAND VEHICLE IN A NEURAL NETWORK Dean Pomerleau Carnegie-Mellon University (Dean.Pomerleau@F.GP.CS.CMU.EDU) BBN Labs 10 Moulton Street 2nd floor large conference room 10:30 am, Tuesday December 13 In this talk I will describe my current research on autonomous navigation using neural networks. ALVINN (Autonomous Land Vehicle In a Neural Network) is a 3-layer back-propagation network designed for the navigational task of road following. Currently ALVINN is designed to take images from a camera and a laser range finder as input and produce as output the direction the vehicle should travel in order to follow the road. Training has been conducted using simulated roads. Recent successful tests on the Carnegie-Mellon NAVLAB, a vehicle designed for autonomous land vehicle research, indicate that the network can be quite effective at road following under certain field conditions. I will be showing a videotape of the network controlling the vehicle and presenting current directions and extensions I hope to make to this research. ------- ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 8 Dec 88 21:03 EST From: John Sowa <SOWA@ibm.com> Subject: Workshop on Formal Aspects of Semantic Networks WORKSHOP ON FORMAL ASPECTS OF SEMANTIC NETWORKS Dates: February 15 to 17, 1989 Location: Santa Catalina Island, California Deadline for extended abstracts: Jan. 6, 1989 (address below) Notification of acceptance: On or before January 20, 1989 A workshop to explore the foundations of semantic networks and related AI systems will be held on Catalina Island from February 15 to 17, 1989. The purpose is to analyze the structure of knowledge representation schemes in order to determine how and what various graph and network formalisms contribute to representational power, reasoning techniques, and ease of use. Attendance at the workshop will be by invitation only. Authors and coauthors of all accepted papers will be invited. Room and board at the conference will be supported by grants from the AAAI and Morgan Kaufmann Publishing Company. After the workshop, the program committee will invite the authors of the best papers to write chapters for a forthcoming book, Formal Aspects of Semantic Networks, to be published by Morgan Kaufmann. Suggested topics: - Principles underlying various graph and network representations - How various network systems are related to one another and to logic - Reasoning techniques that use graphs and networks in significant ways - Aspects of knowledge whose expression is facilitated by networks In selecting papers, the program committee will be looking for an emphasis on the underlying principles. A description of a notation, a rule of inference, or an application by itself is not especially interesting. Instead, papers should show how the structure of the formalism affects the representational or deductive power. Comparisons between various systems of networks, frames, and logic that clarify the underlying principles are encouraged. General Chairman: Norm Sondheimer, General Electric Research Program Chairman: John Sowa, IBM Systems Research Local Arrangements: Robert MacGregor, USC Information Science Institute Program Committee: Ron Brachman, AT&T Bell Laboratories Jaime Carbonell, Carnegie Mellon University Norman Foo, Sydney University Christopher Habel, Hamburg University Len Schubert, SUNY at Rochester Stuart Shapiro, SUNY at Buffalo Doug Skuce, University of Ottawa James Slagle, University of Minnesota Rich Thomason, University of Pittsburgh David Touretzky, Carnegie Mellon University Robert Wilensky, UC Berkeley Send extended abstracts to John Sowa, preferably electronically. Via Internet: sowa@ibm.com Via BITNET: sowa@yktvmx Otherwise: John F. Sowa IBM Systems Research 500 Columbus Avenue Thornwood, NY 10594 If you must submit a paper by U.S. mail, please send both a paper copy and a floppy disk in IBM PC compatible format. Just send a plain ASCII file with NO word processing marks, pointers, or formats. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 12 Dec 88 15:28 EST From: Marc Vilain <MVILAIN@G.BBN.COM> Subject: BBN AI Seminar -- Stanley Letovsky BBN Science Development Program AI Seminar Series Lecture PLAN ANALYSIS OF PROGRAMS Stanley Letovsky Department of Computer Science Yale University (LETOVSKY-STANLEY@YALE.EDU) BBN Labs 10 Moulton Street 4th floor large conference room 10:30 am, Thursday December 15 Computer programs are more than just concatenations of instructions to a machine; they are also compositions of programming plans. Conventional languages make the instructions to the machine explicit, but they often obscure the plans, causing difficulties for program maintainers, who operate mostly at the level of changing the plans in the code. Plan analysis is the task of determining what plans are implemented in a given program. Automatic plan analysis may provide the basis for intelligent documentation tools which can provide maintainers with high level summaries of programs, and answer questions about the goals and plans in the code. This talk presents an approach to automated plan analysis of programs based on program transformations. Plan recognition is modelled as program transformation within a wide-spectrum language, in which the expressions in the code that make up a plan are rewritten into a new expression describing the corresponding goal. Exhaustive application of this recognition process yields a new version of the target program from which optimizations and implementation details have been removed. This version can be used to provide summary documentation of programs. The history of transformation applications provides information about what plans were found in the program. This information can be used to answer questions about the motivation for particular pieces of code. Analysis methods are presented within the transformational framework for analyzing several problematic types of programming plans. These include imperative plans with side effects, looping plans, plans involving abstract datatypes, and plans involving conditionals. A working prototype transformational analyzer, called CPU, has been constructed and will be described in the talk. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 12 Dec 88 17:44 EST From: mitchell%community-chest.mitre.org@gateway.mitre.org Subject: Call for Papers ***** CALL FOR PAPERS AND PARTICIPATION ***** 28th Annual Technical Symposium of the Washington, D.C. Chapter of the ACM INTERFACES: Systems and People Working Together National Institute of Standards and Technology Gaithersburg, Maryland - August 24, 1989 No computer is an island. Increasingly, systems are being tied together to improve their value to the organizations they serve. This symposium will explore the theoretical and practical issues in interfacing systems and in enabling people to use them effectively. *** SOME TOPICS OF INTEREST FOR SUBMITTED PAPERS *** * HUMAN FACTORS * User interfaces Meeting the needs of handicapped users Conquering complexity Designing systems for people Intelligent assistants The human dimension of information interchange * SYSTEMS INTEGRATION * Communications networks Distributed databases Data standardization System fault tolerance Communications standards (e.g. GOSIP) * STRATEGIC SYSTEMS * Decision support systems Embedding expert systems in information systems Strategic info systems Computer Aided Logistics Support (CALS) * SYSTEM DEVELOPMENT AND OPERATION * Quality control and testing Designing a system of systems System management Conversion and implementation strategies Software tools and CASE Identifying requirements thru prototyping * ENABLING TECHNOLOGIES FOR APPLICATIONS PORTABILITY * Ada Database management Open software Open protocol technology Operating systems (e.g., POSIX) ==> DON'T BE LIMITED BY OUR SUGGESTIONS - MAKE YOUR OWN! Both experienced and first-time authors are encouraged to present their work. Papers will be refereed. A length of 10 to 20 double-spaced pages is suggested. Those presenting a paper are entitled to register for the symposium at the early advance registration rate. To propose special sessions or noncommercial demonstrations, please send three copies of an extended abstract to the Program Chairman at the address below. Note: A paper must include the name, mailing address, and telephone number of each author or other presenter. Authors of accepted papers must transfer copyright to ACM for material published in the Proceedings (excepting papers that cannot be copyrighted under Government regulations). The ACM policy on prior publication was revised in 1987. A complete statement of the policy appears in the November 1987 issue of Communications of the ACM. In part it states that "republication of a paper, possibly revised, that has been disseminated via a proceedings or newsletter is permitted if the editor of the journal to which it has been submitted judges that there is significant additional benefit to be gained from republication." *** SCHEDULE *** March 2, 1989 Please send five copies of your paper to the Program Chairman: Dr. Milton S. Hess American Management Systems, Inc. 1525 Wilson Boulevard Arlington, VA 22209 April 13, 1989 Acceptance notification June 22, 1989 Final camera ready papers are due August 24, 1989 Presentation at the symposium If you have any questions or suggestions, please contact: Symposium General Chairman: Charles E. Youman, The MITRE Corporation, (703) 883-6349 (voice), (703) 883-6308 (FAX), or youman@mitre.org (internet). Program Chairman: Dr. Milton Hess, American Management Systems, Inc., (703) 841-5942 (voice) or (703) 841-7045 (FAX). NIST Liaison: Ms. Elizabeth Lennon, National Institute of Standards and Technology (formerly the National Bureau of Standards), (301) 975-2832 (voice) or (301) 948-1784 (FAX). ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 14 Dec 88 17:53 EST From: Marc Vilain <MVILAIN@G.BBN.COM> Subject: BBN AI Seminar -- Igal Golan BBN Science Development Program AI Seminar Series Lecture AN ACTIVE BILINGUAL LEXICON FOR MACHINE TRANSLATION Igal Golan IBM Scientific Center, Haifa, Israel (GOLAN%ISRAEARN.BITNET@CUNYVM.CUNY.EDU) BBN Labs 10 Moulton Street 2nd floor large conference room 10:30 am, Tuesday December 20 An approach to the Transfer phase of a Machine Translation system is presented, where the bilingual lexicon plays an active role, guiding Transfer by means of executable descriptions of word senses. The means for lexical sense specification are, however, general enough, and can in principle apply to other system architectures, e.g. in the Generation phase if Transfer is intentionally kept minimal. The active lexicon is the only system component which is exposed to users and can serve to linguistically control Transfer effects. A unified approach to lexicon creation and maintenance is proposed, which contains means to gradually refine sense specification and tailor the definitions to specific text domains. The underlying linguistic principles, the nature of sense distinction required for translation, and the formal structure of the lexicon are discussed. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 14 Dec 88 17:54 EST From: Marc Vilain <MVILAIN@G.BBN.COM> Subject: BBN AI Seminar -- David Israel BBN Science Development Program AI Seminar Series Lecture VARIETIES OF CONTENT: INFORMATIONAL VS. SEMANTIC; PURE VS. INCREMEMENTAL David Israel SRI International (ISRAEL@Warbucks.AI.SRI.COM) BBN Labs 10 Moulton Street 2nd floor large conference room 10:30 am, Thursday December 22 In this talk, I will present an informal exposition of a theory of information content due to John Perry and myself, and apply some of the notions and distinctions central to that theory to some issues about the semantics of singular reference in natural language. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 13 Dec 88 12:00 EST From: reiter@harvard.harvard.edu Subject: Harvard AI Colloquim - Drew McDermott A General Mechanism for Reason Maintenance Professor Drew McDermott Department of Computer Science Yale University Monday, December 19, 1988 4 PM Aiken Computation Laboratory 101 (Tea at 3:30 pm Aiken Main Lobby) Abstract Several sorts of reason-maintenance (aka ``truth'' maintenance) systems have been built, distinguished by whether negation is permitted, whether context switching requires relabeling, how contradiction is handled, and whether nonmonotonicity is allowed. Several technical and technological issues must be solved in order to combine the features of all of these systems. Here is one solution: Let dependencies be clauses (as McAllester does); allow literals of the form ``Lp'' (p is definitely true) to provide for nonmonotonicity; label literals with boolean combinations of assumptions (deKleer), allowing assumptions to be marked as absent (McDermott). The resulting system automatically mimics Doyle's mechanism for dependency-directed backtracking. If you want nogoods too, it can be shown that nonmonotonic premises never enter into them, so that nogoods correspond to classical clauses. These get added to the clause network, thus subsuming some of deKleer's special propagation rules under standard McAllester-style boolean propagation. The new clauses never add ``odd loops'' that would break the nonmonotonic mechanism. The talk will include a discussion of practical applications. Host: Prof. Barbara Grosz ------------------------------ End of NL-KR Digest *******************