IRList Digest Monday, 29 June 1987 Volume 3 : Issue 17 Today's Topics: Query - Conceptual information research Discussion - Conceptual information research Abstracts - Tech. report on user models and electronic newspapers Announcement - Database system for tree structures Call for Papers - Workshop on Architectures for Intelligent Interfaces News addresses are ARPANET: fox@vtopus.cs.vt.edu BITNET: foxea@vtvax3.bitnet CSNET: fox@vt UUCPNET: seismo!vtisr1!irlistrq ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 25 May 87 12:51 EDT From: Walter Bunch Subject: Conceptual Information Research [From NL-KR Digest (5/28/87 17:33:56) Volume 2 Number 44 - Ed] I'm interested in researching knowledge representation as part of a PhD program. What universities are supporting research in the use and properties of conceptual information, e.g. in light of Sowa's "Conceptual Structures" (1984)? I've read about some work going on at RMIT (Royal Melbourne Inst Tech). I suppose that anyone grappling with frames/schemas/etc. could say they are exploring the use of conceptual information, in a broad sense. My interest is less in the application of schema-like data structures to specific problems than in the manipulation of the structures themselves, e.g. in generic conceptual recognition and generalization. As an aside: Is there anyone working with conceptual structures on connectionist machines? Thanks in advance, Walt -- Walter Bunch, Scottish HCI Centre, Ben Line Building, Edinburgh, EH1 1TN UUCP: walt@uk.ac.hw.aimmi ARPA: walt%aimmi.hw.ac.uk@cs.ucl.ac.uk JANET: walt@uk.ac.hw.aimmi "Is that you, Dave?" ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 10 Jun 87 14:00 EDT From: William J. Rapaport Subject: Re: Conceptual Information Research [ From NL-KR Digest (6/16/87 19:14:20) Volume 2 Number 55 - Ed] In article <33@aimmi.UUCP> walt@hci.hw.ac.uk (Walter Bunch) writes: > >I'm interested in researching knowledge representation as part of a PhD >program. > >What universities are supporting research in the use and properties of >conceptual information, e.g. in light of Sowa's "Conceptual Structures" >(1984)? >Walter Bunch, Scottish HCI Centre, Ben Line Building, Edinburgh, EH1 1TN >UUCP: walt@uk.ac.hw.aimmi >ARPA: walt%aimmi.hw.ac.uk@cs.ucl.ac.uk >JANET: walt@uk.ac.hw.aimmi "Is that you, Dave?" There is an active research group looking at knowledge representation issues in the Dept. of Computer Science at SUNY Buffalo. The group is the SNePS Research Group, directed by Stuart C. Shapiro (I'm its associate director). You can get more complete information on our graduate program by writing to: Mrs. Eloise Benzel Department of Computer Science SUNY Buffalo Buffalo, NY 14260 USA or contacting me electronically for specific questions: William J. Rapaport Assistant Professor Dept. of Computer Science, SUNY Buffalo, Buffalo, NY 14260 (716) 636-3193, 3180 uucp: ..!{allegra,decvax,watmath,rocksanne}!sunybcs!rapaport csnet: rapaport@buffalo.csnet bitnet: rapaport@sunybcs.bitnet ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 12 Jun 87 10:27:42 edt From: "Robert B. Allen" Subject: technical report on electronic newspapers and user models Technical report available: Selecting Articles from an Electronic Newspaper: Some Limitations of User Models Robert B. Allen 2A-367 Bell Communications Research Morristown, NJ 07960 rba@bellcore.com While the technology of new information services is rapidly advancing, it is not entirely clear how this technology can be best adapted to people's needs and interests. One often-mentioned proposal is that user models may be developed to select and filter information sources. This paper examines the possibilities and implications for automatic filtering of information, and focuses on predicting preferences for news articles presented electronically. In the studies reported here, prediction of preferences appears straightforward when general categories are used; however, it is relatively difficult for specific news reports. Beyond the specific results, fundamental issues about user models are raised such as appropriate standards and techniques for applying them, what are their essential components, and what are the limits of using them to predict user behavior. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 16 Jun 87 16:20 N From: Subject: database for syntax analysis (or other) trees Below you find a copy of an information folder about a database system for tree structures. The pictures have lost some of their attractiveness in the translation from graphics to characters, but I hope they still give a reasonable impression of the system at work. Hans van Halteren (COR_HVH@HNYKUN52.BITNET) ______________________________________________________________________ The LDB (Linguistic DataBase) project is concerned with the construction and maintenance of a computer system for the exploitation of analyzed corpus material. To make possible a widespread use by linguists, the system is designed without the need for specialized hardware and without the need for computer expertise on the part of the user. The first complete version features a menu system for overall control, a sub-system for the examination of analysis trees on standard terminal screens and a query language in which the linguist can specify database actions in his own terminology. The database has already been in use at 20 universities throughout the world in its mainframe (VM/CMS) and supermini (VAX with VMS or UNIX) versions. Now the availability of the database has been improved even further with the completion of a version for PC/AT (with the same possibilities and user-interface as the other versions). Packaged with the database system comes a 130,000 word corpus of modern English with a full syntactical analysis of each utterance (the Nijmegen corpus, analyzed in the CCPP project). In the future more corpora will become available. Furthermore, as the database system is formalism and language independent, it is possible to use it for your own analyzed corpus material. For scientific research, the system is available at a nominal fee. For information about obtaining it, write to: TOSCA Work Group Dept. of English University of Nijmegen P.O. Box 9103 6500 HD Nijmegen The Netherlands or E-mail to COR_HVH @ HNYKUN52.BITNET ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ Figure I: The tree map view in the Tree Viewer ______________________________________________________________________ MANY A DOCTOR <# WHO APPEARS HESITANT AND RESERVED IN SOCIETY #> DONS .-1- . . . . . MANY |-2- . . . . . A |-3- . . . . . DOCTOR .-1---| .-1- . . . #WHO | | |-2- . . . #APPEARS | '(4)--| .-1- . #HESITANT | |-3---+-2- . #AND | | '-3- . #RESERVED -*---| '-4-----1- . #IN | '-2- . #SOCIETY |-2- . . . . . . . DONS |-3-----1- . . . . . COMPLETE | '-2- . . . . . CONFIDENCE | .-1- . . . . . WITH '-4---| .-1- . . . HIS '-2---+-2- . . . WHITE |-3- . . . PROFESSIONAL '-4- . . . COAT. POSTMODIFIER:FINITE SENTENCE() command: scroll:YUDLR<>() focus:FS1-90PNMJ amb:CA view:V help:? exit:X ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ Figure II: A search pattern for sentences with noun phrases showing a non-initial determiner and a postmodifying finite sentence with subject WHO or THAT and a subject complement of more than one word (for an example, see figure I) ______________________________________________________________________ .--------------------. 1--|FUN = 'DET' | | |SNO > 1 | | | | | `--------------------' .--------------------. | .--------------------. |CAT = 'NP' |-2--|FUN = 'HD' | | | | | | | | | | | `--------------------' | `--------------------' | .--------------------. ###################### 3--|FUN = 'POM' |-1--#FUN = 'SU' # |CAT = 'SF' | | #WOR = 'WHO' OR WOR => | | | # # `--------------------' | ###################### | .--------------------. 2--|FUN = 'CS' | |WCT > 1 | | | `--------------------' FUN = 'SU' ; WOR = 'WHO' OR WOR = 'THAT' command: scroll:YUDLR()<> focus:FS1-90PN edit:IETCOW view:V help:? exit:X ______________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 5 Jun 87 12:42 EDT From: Sherman Tyler Subject: Conference - Architectures for Intelligent Interfaces [Excerpted from NL-KR which in turn excerpted from AIList - Ed] Call for Participation Workshop on Architectures for Intelligent Interfaces: Elements and Prototypes March 29 - April 1, 1988, Monterey, California Sponsored by AAAI Objective: The term ``Intelligent Interface'' characterizes the set of computer-human interfaces which employ AI to enhance the transactional nature of the interface. The goal of the workshop is to explore ways in which AI techniques (e.g., knowledge representation, inference mechanisms, and heuristic search) can be used to provide the adaptability and reasoning capabilities required for a more intelligent human-machine interaction. Some possible areas for focused discussions might include: * Models (user, system, task) - adapting the dialogue to the current context of the interaction, considering the particular user, the target system, and the high-level task under execution; * Channels of Communication - allowing users to communicate intentions with a minimum of learning and effort, using Natural Language, Graphics, and the integration of mixed modalities of input; * Planning - for recognizing user plans and their implied goals, generating plans to meet those goals, and planning how to best display the resulting information to communicate the result of the executed action; * Interface-Building Tools - using artificial intelligence techniques to support developers in designing and constructing interfaces. Attendance: In order to provide an intellectually stimulating environment conducive to interaction and exchange of ideas, the attendance will be limited to approximately 35 participants. The ideal participant is an individual who is actively addressing theoretical, research, and/or implementation issues relevant to Intelligent Interfaces (with a bias toward those who have dealt with implementation issues at some level). Limited financial assistance will be available for graduate students who are invited to participate. Review Process: The submitted abstracts and autobiographies will be reviewed by the program committee. Invitation will be based upon relevance of the work to the goals of the workshop, and on the basis of significance, originality, and scientific quality. Workshop Organization: The workshop organizers are J. Sullivan (Lockheed AI Center) and S. Tyler (Lockheed AI Center). The program committee consists of J. Mackinlay (Xerox PARC), R. Neches (USC Information Sciences Institute), E. Rissland (University of Massachusetts), and N. Sondheimer (USC Information Sciences Institute). Submission: A detailed eight page abstract and a one page biographical sketch (six copies of each) should be submitted by September 1, 1987. Invitations for participation will be extended by October 16, 1987, with complete papers due by December 18, 1987. Publication of the proceedings is planned, therefore the quality of the papers is important. Submit abstracts to: Joseph W. Sullivan or Sherman W. Tyler, O/90-06 B/259, Lockheed AI Center, 2710 Sand Hill Rd., Menlo Park, CA 94025, (415) 354-5200, wiley!joe@lll-lcc.arpa or wiley!sherman@lll-lcc.arpa ------------------------------ END OF IRList Digest ********************