Taming the Climate? Corpus analysis of politicians’ speech on climate change

The politics of climate change is much discussed, but there has been little investigation into how politicians themselves understand or articulate the issue. Corpus analysis, a method developed within linguistics, is used to investigate how UK politicians talk about climate change, using the example of the 2008 Climate Change Bill. Corpus techniques, including keyword analysis, collocation and semantic tagging, are used, alongside critical reading of the text. The analysis shows that politicians frame climate change as an economic and technical issue, and neglect discussion of the human and social dimensions. They are selective in their use of scientific evidence, with little mention of abrupt or irreversible change. In doing so, they attempt to ‘tame’ climate change, rather than confronting difficult realities. While this strategy has the benefit of political acceptability, it does not allow for discussion of the full political and social implications of climate change, and precludes more radical responses.     

一种HSI空间基于模糊聚类的火灾彩色图像分割算法

针对通用模糊聚类算法进行彩色图像分割存在对初值敏感,迭代过程耗时等问题,在HSI空间结合火焰图像分布特征,采用平均值法进行初值优选,构造抑制算子和抑制因数对火焰无关区域S和I分量进行有效抑制,采用直方图聚类后进行数据融合等方式,最终实现彩色火灾图像分割。实验表明,该算法提高了彩色火灾图像分割的准确性和收敛速度。     

Most Comfortable Listening Level and Speech Attenuation by Hearing Protectors

Hearing protectors attenuate both the background noise and the useful sounds embedded in noise such as the sounds of speech and warning signals. An effective hearing protector is one that attenuates background noise while leaving sufficient energy of speech and warning signals to reach the ear of the worker. At present, however, there are no established criteria for assessing effective change in speech-to-noise ratio caused by hearing protection devices (HPDs). One such criterion could be a change in most comfortable (listening) level (MCL) for speech caused by the presence of HPDs. In this study the HPD-related shift in MCL for speech presented in quiet was measured and compared with two measures of noise attenuation: Noise Reduction Rating (NRR) and high–medium–low (H–M–L). The results indicate that the MCL shift may be a sensitive measure of speech attenuation by HPDs, which together with the appropriate H–M–L may describe technical properties of HPDs.     

Effects of aircraft noise and speech on prose memory: What role for working memory capacity?

Previous research indicates that aircraft noise and meaningful background speech are particularly detrimental to school adolescents' ability to remember what they read, but until now the effects from aircraft noise and speech have never been compared directly in an experiment. Furthermore, individual differences in susceptibility to these effects are not well understood. The present investigation addressed these two issues. Adolescents attending upper secondary school were recruited as participants and the data collection was made in their ordinary classrooms. The results from two experiments revealed that speech is more detrimental to prose memory than is aircraft noise, and individual differences in working memory capacity contributes more to individual differences in susceptibility to the effects of aircraft noise on prose memory than to the effects of speech. Some applied implications of those findings to noise abatement interventions are suggested.     

基于ASR的呼叫中心系统设计与可靠性研究

本文以IT运行维护的故障申报系统为例,介绍如何利用Nuance Recognizer9.0自动语音识别系统和东进D081A模拟中继语音卡电话处理系统设计基于ASR(自动语音识别)的呼叫中心。文中不仅介绍了设计过程中的各个关键环节,而且对该系统的可靠性进行了深入讨论。其中包括如何合理设计语法文件以提高语音识别率;如何在系统运行期间进行同步保障,使系统逐步趋于完善。     

The Distracting Effects of a Ringing Cell Phone: An Investigation of the Laboratory and the Classroom Setting

The detrimental effects of a ringing phone on cognitive performance were investigated in four experiments. In Experiments 1 and 2, the effects of different types of sounds (a standard cell phone ring, irrelevant tones and an instrumental song commonly encountered by participants) on performance were examined. In Experiment 1, slower responses were observed in all auditory groups relative to a silence condition, but participants in the ring and song conditions recovered more slowly. In Experiment 2, participants who were warned about the potential for distraction recovered more quickly, suggesting a benefit of this prior knowledge. This investigation continued in a college classroom setting (Experiments 3a and 3b); students were exposed to a ringing cell phone during the lecture. Performance on a surprise quiz revealed low accuracy rates on material presented while the phone was ringing. These findings offer insight into top-down cognitive processes that moderate involuntary orienting responses associated with a common stimulus encountered in the environment.     

A Vibroacoustic Model of Selected Human Larynx Diseases

With the present development of digital registration and methods for processing speech it is possible to make effective objective acoustic diagnostics for medical purposes. These methods are useful as all pathologies and diseases of the human vocal tract influence the quality of a patient’s speech signal. Diagnostics of the voice organ can be defined as an unambiguous recognition of the current condition of a specific voice source. Such recognition is based on an evaluation of essential acoustic parameters of the speech signal. This requires creating a vibroacoustic model of selected deformations of Polish speech in relation to specific human larynx diseases. An analysis of speech and parameter mapping in 29-dimensional space is reviewed in this study. Speech parameters were extracted in time, frequency and cepstral (quefrency) domains resulting in diagrams that qualified symptoms and conditions of selected human larynx diseases. The paper presents graphically selected human larynx diseases.     

湖南人学习普通话语音难点分析

湖南人学习普通话的语音难点在于:平舌音z、c、s与翘舌音zh、ch、sh不分,鼻音n与边音l不分,唇齿音f与舌根音h不分,单韵母e、o与复韵母uo不分,前鼻韵母--n与后鼻韵母--nɡ不分,调值调类与普通话声调差异较大.本文着重从"记少不记多"、"利用声旁类推"、"利用声韵配合规律"三个方法,阐述如何快速而准确地辨正这五组难读易混的声母、韵母及声调.     

Open-plan offices: Task performance and mental workload

Open-plan offices are equipped with barriers such as panels and bookshelves to induce the perception of a private workspace. Despite perceived privacy, irrelevant speech contributes to mental workload, poor performance, stress, and fatigue. Certain dispositional variables related to sustained attention might exacerbate the effects of speech-related noise. This study used a 3 × 3 × 2 mixed factor design to determine the effects of two forms of irrelevant speech and individual differences on performance of a real-world verbal task and mental workload. The Expanded Tellegen Absorption Scale (ETAS) based upon Tellegen and Atkinson's scale was used to assess individual differences in focused attention. The NASA Task Load Index was administered to assess mental workload. Main effects of noise were found on performance and mental workload. Irrelevant speech appeared to increase false alarms and completion rates. Workload ratings were higher in the irrelevant speech conditions. Other differences found were among High and Low Task and Imaginative Absorbers, as measured by the ETAS. Recommendations to reduce the impact of irrelevant speech and future research suggestions are provided.     

家居安防远程通信系统的设计与实现

设计并实现了一种基于单片机的家居安防远程通信控制系统,主芯片采用凌阳16位单片机,利用传感器和GPRS模块技术,通过手机短信的方式了解家用电器所处环境的温度情况;采用语音识别系统和传感器实时监测家庭安全状况,若有异常,系统会及时发送短信通知主人;利用单片机控制固态继电器并通过GPRS模块远程启动家用电器。设计引入手机短信,通过短信来远程控制家用电器的使用以及自动接收来自家庭安防的各种信息,给人们的家居生活带来便利性和时效性。给出系统总体设计方案、各子系统硬件电路实现和软件设计,并对系统的关键技术进行说明。