Semantic Conflicts Research Articles

The Partitive Constraint in Optimality Theory

This paper discusses a case of syntax/semantics interaction of a characteristically optimality-theoretic kind. Finnish partitive constructions exhibit a case alternation that is partly semantically, partly syntactically driven. The crucial semantic condition that plays a role in case selection is quantitative determinacy, which replaces the definiteness condition familiar from the Partitive Constraint. The crucial syntactic condition is the Case-OCP, which prohibits the assignment of the same case to both the head and its sister. The syntactic and semantic constraints conflict, which leads to various kinds of outcomes, including free variation and ambiguity, as well as preferences in expression and preferences in interpretation. We develop an optimality-theoretic analysis of these facts based on partially ordered optimality-theoretic grammars. In such grammars, conflicts among semantic and syntactic constraints are resolved in terms of ranking. Partial ordering is crucial in deriving preferences in expression as well as interpretation, including blocking effects.

Improving the efficiency of automated protocol implementations using a configurable FDT compiler

The integration of efficient implementation techniques, which have been proven in manual coding, into FDT compilers is difficult because of the semantic constraints of the FDTs and the lack of language means to flexibly adapt to a given implementation context. In this paper, we discuss ways to improve the efficiency of automated protocol implementations to make them applicable to real-life implementations. For solution, we introduce the concept of a configurable FDT compiler that supports the application of different implementation techniques and the adjustment of the implementation to the given implementation context. The paper discusses the semantic conflicts to be solved when applying optimizing implementation techniques. It introduces a compile time reordering of transitions to cope with these problems. Finally we present measurements that prove a considerable efficiency gain of the generated code as well as a comparison with the Cadvanced compiler of the SDT tool set.

Context interchange

TheContext Interchange strategypresents a novel perspective for mediated data access in which semantic conflicts among heterogeneous systems are not identified a priori, but are detected and reconciled by acontext mediatorthrough comparison ofcontexts axiomscorresponding to the systems engaged in data exchange. In this article, we show that queries formulated on shared views, export schema, and shared “ontologies” can be mediated in the same way using theContext Interchange framework. The proposed framework provides a logic-based object-oriented formalsim for representing and reasoning about data semantics in disparate systems, and has been validated in a prototype implementation providing mediated data access to both traditional and web-based information sources.

A FRAME MODEL APPROACH FOR EXPERT AND DATABASE SYSTEM INTEGRATION

Expert systems (ES) and database systems (DBS) are major components of information systems and important assets to companies. The development of these systems represent users' knowledge in the application systems. As computer technologies evolve, and as users requirements change, there is a need to upgrade these system to meet the new application requirements. To preserve the knowledge of the existing information systems, a methodology for integrating ES and DBS into an expert database system (EDS) is proposed. The integrated EDS is a knowledge based system (KBS) which derives and stores knowledge in a frame model consisting of a class header, attributes, methods and constraints. It extracts the ES rules and DBS data for an application into coupling classes at run time only. The attributes of the coupling classes are matched with synonyms in a synonym table which resolves their naming and semantic conflicts with user assistance in knowledge acquisition. The resultant EDS is a KBS ready for application development.

PREPROCESSING AND INTEGRATION OF DATA FROM MULTIPLE SOURCES FOR KNOWLEDGE DISCOVERY

The explosive growth in the generation and collection of data has generated an urgent need for a new generation of techniques and tools that can assist in transforming these data intelligently and automatically into useful knowledge. Knowledge discovery is an emerging multidisciplinary field that attempts to fulfill this need. Knowledge discovery is a large process that includes data selection, cleaning, preprocessing, integration, transformation and reduction, data mining, model selection, evaluation and interpretation, and finally consolidation and use of the extracted knowledge. This paper addresses the issues of data cleaning and integration for knowledge discovery by proposing a systematic approach for resolving semantic conflicts that are encountered during the integration of data from multiple sources. Illustrated with examples derived from military databases, the paper presents a heuristics-based algorithm for identifying and resolving semantic conflicts at different levels of information granularity.

Unpacking the semantics of source and usage to perform semantic reconciliation in large-scale information systems

Semantic interoperability is a growing challenge in the United States Department of Defense (DoD). In this paper, we describe the basis of an infrastructure for the reconciliation of relevant, but semantically heterogeneous attribute values. Three types of information are described which can be used to infer the context of attributes, making explicit hidden semantic conflicts and making it possible to adjust values appropriately. Through an extended example, we show how an automated integration agent can derive the transformations necessary to perform four tasks in a simple semantic reconciliation.

Ontologies are not the Panacea in Data Integration: A FlexibleCoordinator to Mediate Context Construction

Shared ontologies describe concepts and relationships to resolve semantic conflicts amongst users accessing multiple autonomous and heterogeneous information sources. We contend that while ontologies are useful in semantic reconciliation, they do not guarantee correct classification of semantic conflicts, nor do they provide the capability to handle evolving semantics or a mechanism to support a dynamic reconciliation process. Their limitations are illustrated through a conceptual analysis of several prominent examples used in heterogeneous database systems and in natural language processing. We view semantic reconciliation as a nonmonotonic query-dependent process that requires flexible interpretation of query context, and as a mechanism to coordinate knowledge elicitation while constructing the query context. We propose a system that is based on these characteristics, namely the SCOPES (Semantic Coordinator Over Parallel Exploration Spaces) system. SCOPES takes advantage of ontologies to constrain exploration of a remote database during the incremental discovery and refinement of the context within which a query can be answered. It uses an Assumption-based Truth Maintenance System (ATMS) to manage the multiple plausible contexts which coexist while the semantic reconciliation process is unfolding, and the Dempster-Shafer (DS) theory of belief to model the likelihood of these plausible contexts.

The Context Interchange mediator prototype

The Context Interchange strategy presents a novel approach for mediated data access in which semantic conflicts among heterogeneous systems are not identified a priori, but are detected and reconciled by a context mediator through comparison of contexts . This paper reports on the implementation of a Context Interchange Prototype which provides a concrete demonstration of the features and benefits of this integration strategy.

Influence of perceptual and semantic conflicts between the two halves of chimeric stimuli on the expression of visuo-spatial neglect

We investigated how perceptual and semantic relationships between the left and right half of chimeric stimuli influence overt and covert visual processing by asking eight right brain damaged (RBD) patients with hemispatial neglect to identify complete, half-, and chimeric drawings. Chimeric stimuli belonged in one of four categories defined according to the perceptual and semantic relatedness between the two compounding hemi-figures. Thus, the hemi-figures could be related both perceptually and semantically, only perceptually, only semantically, or neither perceptually nor semantically. Although patients often appeared to base their report on the right part of the chimerics, the number of errors was minimal when conflicts between the two hemi-figures were maximal. Moreover, perceptual conflicts, which mainly affect the perception of the shape, appeared to influence the performance more than semantic conflicts. Since the analysis of shape incongruency is probably accomplished at early levels of information processing, the result suggests that preattentive analysis is largely spared in the experimental patients and that, in our task, bottom-up factors more than top-down factors modulate the expression of left neglect.

An algebraic transformation framework for multidatabase queries

Existence of semantic conflicts between component databases severely impacts query processing in a multidatabase system. In this paper, we describe two types of semantic conflicts that have to be dealt with in the integration of databases modeling information about related sets of real-world entities. These are the entityidentification problem and theattribute value conflict problem. While thetwo-way outerjoin operation has been commonly used for resolving entity identification problem between two component relations, outerjoins using regular equality comparisons between component relation keys is shown to produce counter-intuitive entity identification result. We remedy this by defining a newkey-equality comparator in place of regular equality comparator, for outerjoins. For the attribute value conflict problem, we define aGeneralized Attribute Derivation (GAD) operation which allows user-defined attribute derivation functions to be used to compute new attributes from the component relations' attributes. By adding two-way outerjoin andGAD to the set of relational operations, the traditional algebraic transformation framework for relational queries is no longer adequate for multidatabase query processing and optimization. As a result, we introduceconstrained query tree as the multidatabase query representation. We show that some knowledge about query predicates and attribute derivation functions can be used to simplify queries. Such knowledge is modeled as an outerjoin graph attached to every outerjoin operation in the query tree. Based on this, we further extend the traditional algebraic transformation framework to include two-way outerjoins andGAD operations. Our framework demonstrates that properties of selection/join predicates and attribute derivation functions can be used to provide interesting transformation alternatives. This framework also serves as a formal ground for developing optimization strategies for multidatabase queries.

Identifying, Classifying, and Resolving Semantic Conflicts in Distributed Heterogeneous Databases

During the past three decades, most medium and large organizations have seen a dramatic proliferation of databases and their associated database management systems. While these databases are useful in supporting their different activities, organizations soon discover the need to access and share data across these systems. Under current technology, this integration is usually not possible due to the heterogeneity of the database management systems, the platforms that these system reside on, and the semantics of the different databases. In this paper we address the issue of semantic conflicts identification and resolution in distributed heterogeneous databases. Using a real world example of heterogeneous databases obtained from various Department of Defense functional applications, we develop a framework for identifying and classifying semantic heterogeneity for databases represented in the Enhanced Entity Relationship Model. We also propose solutions for resolving each type of semantic conflict presented in the classification framework.

Using quiddities for detecting semantic conflicts in information systems

When multiple people are involved in designing an information systems application, there can be conflicts in terminologies used by them for various elements represented in the application. These problems are recognized in database design, federated databases, knowledge‐based systems, mathematical modeling systems, and cooperative work systems. A computer‐based method for detecting such naming conflicts, once the users have declared certain additional information for all of the represented elements, is presented. The approach extends earlier work by Bhargava, Kimbrough, and Krishnan in the context of model integration. There is a description of how this additional information (called quiddity) is to be formulated and represented, and several automated procedures are presented that detect naming conflicts on the basis of this information. The practical utility of this approach is also discussed.

A classification of semantic conflicts in heterogeneous database systems

Increasingly companies are doing business in an environment replete with heterogeneous information systems which must cooperate. Cooperation between these systems presupposes the resolution of the semantic conflicts that are bound to occur. In this article, we propose a classification of semantic conflicts which can be used as the basis for the incremental discovery and resolution of these conflicts. We classify conflicts along the two dimensions of naming and abstraction which, taken together, capture the semantic mapping of the conflict. We add a third dimension, level of heterogeneity to assist in the schematic mapping between two databases. The classification provides a systematic representation of alternative semantic interpretations of conflicts during the reconciliation process. As a result, the design of query‐directed dynamic reconciliation systems is possible. The classification is shown to be sound and minimal. Completeness is discussed.

Coordinating context building in heterogeneous information systems

We present an architecture to coordinate the construction of the context within which meaningful information between heterogeneous information systems can be exchanged. We call this coordinator SCOPES (Semantic Coordinator Over Parallel Exploration Spaces). A classification of semantic conflicts we proposed elsewhere is used to build and refine the context, by discovering the semantic mapping rules (inter-schema correspondence assertions) between corresponding elements of the communicating systems. A truth maintenance system is used to manage the multiple intermediate contexts. It provides a mechanism to infer or retract assertions on the basis of the knowledge acquired during the reconciliation process. This nonmonotonic technique is used in conjunction with the Dempster-Shafer theory of belief functions to model the likelihood of alternative contexts. Finally, we propose an algorithm which illustrates how the various components of the architecture interact with one another in order to build context.

When task demands induce “asyntactic” comprehension: A study of sentence interpretation in aphasia

Abstract We investigated sentence processing in two aphasic patients who appeared to have asyntactic comprehension when tested using sentence-picture matching. It was found that neither patient could handle the nonlinguistic cognitive demands of the original task: Specifically, processing two semantically incongruous inputs (sentence plus reverse-role picture) overloaded working memory. Their ability to deal with semantic conflict in the absence of multiple inputs was examined in an interleaved meaning-classification/actor-identification task. The patients rarely accepted misordered sentences like The cheese ate the muse as plausible, but performed poorly when asked to identify the “actors” in such sentences, often selecting the more likely alternative (the mouse). We concluded from this dissociation between tasks that semantic conflict only overtaxed their limited processing capacity when the conflicting options were explicitly available and directly relevant to the decision process. There was, therefore...

The lateralization of atypical facial pain : R.W. Lam and R.A. Remick, Can. J. Psychiat 33 (1988) 100–102

The aim of this paper is to extend the so-called semantic Stroop paradigm (Neely & Kahan, 2001) – which already successfully distinguishes between the contribution of the semantic vs. response conflict to Stroop interference – so that it can take account of and capture the separate contribution of task conflict. In line with this idea, the Stroop interference observed using the aforementioned paradigm with both short and long RSIs (500 vs. 2000 ms) did indeed reflect the specific contribution of the task, semantic and response conflicts. However, the contribution of task conflict (as opposed to the semantic and response conflicts) failed to reach significance when the semantic Stroop paradigm was administered with manual (Experiment 1) as opposed to vocal responses (Experiment 2). These experiments further tested the extent to which the specific contribution of the different conflicts can be influenced by the increased cognitive control induced by a short (vs. long) RSI. The corresponding empirical evidence runs contrary to the assumption that the reduction of overall Stroop interference by a short (vs. long) RSI is due to the reduced contribution of the task (Parris, 2014) and/or semantic (De Jong, Berendsen, & Cools, 1999) conflicts. Indeed, in neither experiment was the contribution of these conflicts reduced by a short RSI. In both experiments, this manipulation only reduced the contribution of the response conflict to the overall Stroop interference (e.g., Augustinova & Ferrand, 2014b). Thus these different results clearly indicate that Stroop interference is a composite phenomenon involving both automatic and controlled processes. The somewhat obvious conclusion of this paper is that these processes are more successfully integrated within multi-stage accounts than within the historically favored single-stage response competition accounts that still dominate current psychological research and practice.

Femmes d'affaires et hommes de ménage

FEMMES D'AFFAIRES AND HOMMES DE MÉNAGE : UPON SOME NOTIONS IN AN ORAL CORPUS This study shows how the notions of « woman », « man », and « work » function in an oral corpus produced by speakers of both sexes. In the light of several theorectical viewpoints (linguistics of enunciative operations, sociology of dominance, natural language logic), it tries to constitute a dynamical and relational conception of the production of meaning. The linguistic analysis, both quantitative and qualitative, shows the dissymetric functioning of « woman » and « man », the semantic conflict about «work » related to the agent (female or male), and the effects induced by these dissymetries on argumentation.

Transaction management in distributed heterogeneous database management systems

Current distributed, heterogeneous database management systems (DBMSs) address the issue of distributed transaction management (DTM) in two different ways: some systems rely solely on unmodified local transaction managers (LTMs), thereby helping preserve local DBMS autonomy, but limit functionality (e.g. allow only unsynchronized retrievals, preclude distributed updates, etc.); others maintain full functionality but require the (re)design of the LTMs to enforce homogeneous DTM across all heterogeneous DBMSs, thereby giving up most of the local DBMS autonomy. The goal of the work presented here is to establish the minimum set of modifications to LTMs that allow synchronized retrievals and distributed updates (whenever semantic conflicts can be resolved), and will continue to maintain a high degree of local DBMS autonomy. The problems of: (1) distribution of responsibility between DTM and LTMs, (2) concatenation of functionally-equivalent LTM mechanisms, and (3) providing compensation mechanisms for functionally-limited LTMs are introduced. Solutions to the above problems are shown to exist. However, the interconnection of autonomous, heterogeneous DBMSs is significantly more difficult than anticipated, despite communication standardization and current optimism.

A. The blood clotting mechanism. The development of a theory of blood coagulation.

The clotting mechanism is first on the list because it has been worked on for longest and the mass of data and speculation accumulated illustrates better than any other the pitfalls which beset any intensive investigation of a biological phenomenon. The reason for this almost obsessive interest is the dramatic end point, the spontaneous change from fluid blood to solid clot, and the ease with which endless experiments can be set up in vitro . Many schools of workers have made a life study of this subject, producing as many different theories, and, worse, as many different terminologies. Probably the most important advance in this field in recent years has been the introduction of a standard nomenclature recommended by an international committee which assigns a roman numeral to any clotting factor with a good claim to reality. This has cleared away a jungle of synonyms, hypothetical factors and semantic conflict to reveal a solid basis of factual agreement. Tracing the development of current theory one starts with the observation that clotting is due to the appearance of fibrin. Fibrin is a good, solid fact and about the only entity in clotting the existence of which has not been hotly denied. The appearance of fibrin in shed blood but not in the normal circulation naturally prompted a search for the cause, and, after some wild speculation, two trigger stimuli were found. One is contact of the blood with a surface other than vascular endothelium, as demonstrated by Lister during his Croonian Lecture to the Royal Society in 1863. He showed that blood which had remained fluid in the excised jugular vein of an ox clotted when it was transferred to a glass vessel. The other trigger was the coagulant effect of tissue extracts which are capable of clotting blood in a few seconds if added to it in sufficient quantity. This reaction seemed the more important, since it was supposed that physiological clotting at an injury site was due to tissue products mixing with the issuing blood, and the intensive investigation of this effect excluded interest in contact activation until quite recently.