What was that again? A mathematical model of language incorporates the need for repetition

Public release date: 29-Aug-2011
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Contact: Catherine Meyers
cmeyers@aip.org
301-209-3088
American Institute of Physics

As politicians know, repetition is often key to getting your message across. Now a former physicist studying linguistics at the Polish Academy of Sciences has taken this intuitive concept and incorporated it into a mathematical model of human communication. In a paper in the AIP's journal Chaos, ?ukasz D?bowski mathematically explores the idea that as humans we often repeat ourselves in an effort to get the story to stick. Using statistical observations about the frequency and patterns of word choice in natural language, D?bowski develops a model that shows repetitive patterns emerging in large chunks of speech. Previous researchers have noted that long texts have more entropy, or uncertainty, than very brief statements. This tendency to higher entropy would seem to suggest that only through brevity could humans hope to build understanding uttering short sentences that won't confuse listeners with too much information. But as long texts continue to get longer, the increase in the entropy starts to level off. D?bowski connects this power-law growth of entropy to a similar power-law growth in the number of distinct words used in a text. The two concepts entropy and vocabulary size can be related by the idea that humans describe a random world, but in a highly repetitive way. D?bowski shows this by examining a block of text as a dynamic system that moves from randomness toward order through a series of repetitive steps. He theorizes that if a text describes a given number of independent facts in a repetitive way then it must contain at least the same number of distinct words that occur in a related repetitive fashion. What this reveals is that language may be viewed as a system that fights a natural increase in entropy by slowly constructing a framework of repetitive words that enable humans to better grasp its meaning. For now the research is theoretical, but future work could experimentally test how closely it describes real texts, and maybe even candidates' stump speeches.

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Article: "Excess entropy in natural language: present state and perspectives" is accepted for publication in Chaos: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Nonlinear Science.

Author: ?ukasz D?bowski (1).

(1) Institute of Computer Science, Polish Academy of Sciences

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Public release date: 29-Aug-2011
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Catherine Meyers
cmeyers@aip.org
301-209-3088
American Institute of Physics

As politicians know, repetition is often key to getting your message across. Now a former physicist studying linguistics at the Polish Academy of Sciences has taken this intuitive concept and incorporated it into a mathematical model of human communication. In a paper in the AIP's journal Chaos, ?ukasz D?bowski mathematically explores the idea that as humans we often repeat ourselves in an effort to get the story to stick. Using statistical observations about the frequency and patterns of word choice in natural language, D?bowski develops a model that shows repetitive patterns emerging in large chunks of speech. Previous researchers have noted that long texts have more entropy, or uncertainty, than very brief statements. This tendency to higher entropy would seem to suggest that only through brevity could humans hope to build understanding uttering short sentences that won't confuse listeners with too much information. But as long texts continue to get longer, the increase in the entropy starts to level off. D?bowski connects this power-law growth of entropy to a similar power-law growth in the number of distinct words used in a text. The two concepts entropy and vocabulary size can be related by the idea that humans describe a random world, but in a highly repetitive way. D?bowski shows this by examining a block of text as a dynamic system that moves from randomness toward order through a series of repetitive steps. He theorizes that if a text describes a given number of independent facts in a repetitive way then it must contain at least the same number of distinct words that occur in a related repetitive fashion. What this reveals is that language may be viewed as a system that fights a natural increase in entropy by slowly constructing a framework of repetitive words that enable humans to better grasp its meaning. For now the research is theoretical, but future work could experimentally test how closely it describes real texts, and maybe even candidates' stump speeches.

###

Article: "Excess entropy in natural language: present state and perspectives" is accepted for publication in Chaos: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Nonlinear Science.

Author: ?ukasz D?bowski (1).

(1) Institute of Computer Science, Polish Academy of Sciences

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-08/aiop-wwt082911.php

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Robert Downey, Jr. and wife expecting first child (omg!)

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Oscar-nominated Actor Robert Downey, Jr., star of the "Iron Man" movies, and his wife Susan are expecting their first child together, his spokesman told Reuters on Wednesday.

The 46 year-old actor and his second wife met on the set of "Gothika" in 2003, and married in New York in 2005.

"Robert and Susan could not be more excited over this news. They can't wait to welcome this new baby into their wonderful family," Downey's spokesman said in People magazine.

The baby is due early 2012.

Early in his career, Downey was plagued by problems with alcohol and drug use, and he even spent time in jail. He went through rehab and managed a career comeback in the 2000s, and he has credited Susan with helping him recover.

The actor has a 17 year-old son, Indio Falconer Downey, from his previous marriage to actress Deborah Falconer, to whom he was married for 11 years. They divorced in 2004.

Downey has previously received Oscar nominations for his roles in "Chaplin" and "Tropic Thunder" and is currently reprising his "Iron Man" role for the upcoming 2012 film "The Avengers."

(Reporting and Writing by Piya Sinha-Roy; Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/entertainment/*http%3A//us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/external/omg_rss/rss_omg_en/http___omg_yahoo_com_news71068/42770931/*http%3A//omg.yahoo.com/news/robert-downey-jr-and-wife-expecting-first-child/71068

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Astronauts May Evacuate Space Station in November, NASA Says (SPACE.com)

This story was updated at 12:30 p.m. EDT.

The International Space Station may have to start operating without a crew in November if Russian engineers don't figure out soon what caused a recent rocket failure, NASA officials announced today (Aug. 29).

The unmanned Russian cargo ship Progress 44 crashed just after its Aug. 24 launch to deliver 2.9 tons of supplies to the orbiting lab. The failure was caused by a problem with the Progress' Soyuz rocket, which is similar to the one Russia uses to launch its crew-carrying vehicle ? also called Soyuz ? to the station.

Currently, six astronauts reside on the space station. They shouldn't be unduly affected by the Progress crash, NASA officials said, because they have enough supplies to last a while on orbit.

But three of these astronauts are due to return to Earth next month, and the rest are scheduled to come back in mid-November. At the moment, the Soyuz is the only way to get astronauts to and from the station. So if the rocket anomaly isn't identified and fixed soon, a fresh crew won't be able to reach the orbiting lab before the last three spaceflyers head for home. [Photos: Building the International Space Station]

Unmanned for the first time in a decade?

That situation would leave the $100 billion orbiting lab unmanned for the first time since 2001. Still, it wouldn't be a disaster, according to NASA officials.

"We know how to do this," NASA's space station program manager Mike Suffredini told reporters today. "Assuming the systems keep operating, like I've said, we can command the vehicle from the ground and operate it fine, and remain on orbit indefinitely."

NASA would of course prefer to keep some crew aboard the orbiting lab, Suffredini added. Leaving the station unmanned would cut back significantly on the scientific research being done 240 miles (386 kilometers) above the Earth. In the wake of the space shuttle's retirement last month, NASA has repeatedly stressed the importance of that research, and the scientific potential of the station.

But the timing just might not work out. Two Soyuz spacecraft are currently docked to the station to take its six astronauts home. The vehicles are only rated to spend about 200 days in space, so they'll have to depart soon. [How Russia's Progress Spaceships Work (Infographic)]

Light at the landing site

Lighting conditions at the Soyuz's Kazakhstan landing site are also an issue. NASA and the Russian space agency mandate that landings must occur at least one hour after dawn and one hour before dusk, to facilitate better search and rescue operations should any be required.

The lighting window closes for about five weeks on Sept. 19 for the first crew and around Nov. 19 for the second. Waiting for a new window to open would stretch the Soyuz spacecraft beyond their 200-day ratings in both cases, Suffredini said.

So all six astronauts on the space station will almost certainly have left the orbiting lab by mid-November. Russian engineers are working hard to give crewed Soyuz launches the best chance to meet that deadline; the next one is slated to blast off Sept. 21, but that's almost certainly not going to happen, Suffredini said.

Russia has formed a commission to determine the cause of the Progress crash, and to figure out how to fix it. But NASA says it won't rush anything, as astronaut safety is its chief priority.

"We'll just see how it plays out," Suffredini said.

NASA won't put any crews on a Soyuz until the rocket has had several successful unmanned launches, he added. Those could happen relatively soon. Russia plans to use Soyuz boosters to launch a commercial payload and another Progress supply ship by late October.

The Progress crash marked the latest in a string of Russian launch failures over the last 10 months. This series of mishaps has caused some concern among U.S. lawmakers and experts, since NASA will rely on Russia to loft its astronauts to orbit until private American crew-carrying spaceships come online. That could start happening by 2015, officials have said.

You can follow SPACE.com senior writer Mike Wall on Twitter: @michaeldwall. Follow SPACE.com for the latest in space science and exploration news on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/science/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/space/20110829/sc_space/astronautsmayevacuatespacestationinnovembernasasays

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MHS Cheerleading Squad Ready to Root for the Home Team ...

Posted by Ashley on Aug 29, 2011 in News | 0 comments

Marblehead High School cheerleading coach Terrie Cook is busy getting her squad ready for the fall sports season. By Scot Cooper The 18 members of Marblehead High School?s cheering squad do much more than cheerlead. Every year, during the fall sports ?
Full Story

Source: http://cheerleading-secrets.com/2011/08/mhs-cheerleading-squad-ready-to-root-for-the-home-team-video-patch-com/

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How Safe Is Your Above Ground Pool? Home And Family Advice

Copyright ? 2011 Andrew Scherer

If you own a swimming pool or are planning on having one installed at your home or business, no matter what size it is safety should be one of your prime concerns. Keep in mind that child can drown in even a small plastic pool that you can pick up at your local toy store. So drowning prevention should be included in the planning process, or if you have purchased a home that already has a pool, it should be a top priority.

The good news however, is that compared to past decades, so much more is available to pool owners to make them safer. Now of course in accordance with local community codes, you will be mandated to have a fence around your swimming pool. But today more at home on a business owners are seeing a fence as but the first stage in a ?multi-layered? pool safety system.

As they have been becoming more compact and easier to use, high-tech body heat and motion sensor systems have also become incredibly more affordable. In fact you can now buy an off-the-shelf cordless system that uses sensors that cost only about $20 each. It?s almost foolproof, and believes it or not you can even buy a system now have the capacity to automatically notify you by cell phone if someone enter your yard.

Then if for some reason a child should somehow get past your fence and your motion detector system, there is still one more layer of electronic protection available. That?s a simple to operate pool float that functions to detect waves created by anyone who should enter the pool water. Now something like this can really make a difference when a child is determined enough to get past everything else.

With the market now bristling with so much high-tech gadgetry to protect you your children and their friends from the hazards of an unattended pool, they are still lots of low-tech yet highly effective accessories worth taking a good look at. Now the most sensible and easy to use of all has got to be the above ground pool fold up letter. Fold it down when you?re ready to use the pool. Then when you?re through and ready to head inside, simply fold up.

Now while all this equipment can do an amazing job of being your eyes and ears in your yard when you?re not around, you?ll still need the same standby safety gear for when you are supervising at your pool. For instance a good supply of floats comes in real handy especially for little kids, and the new style floats that are made with foam that never needs to be inflated or well worth looking at.

Want to find out more about swimming pools, then visit Dorothy Parkinson?s site on how to choose the best pools plus pool pumps.

Source: http://home-and-family.myblogzone.info/2011/08/how-safe-is-your-above-ground-pool/

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Tea ? A Miracle Worker for the Body

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It is a fact that Indians, Chinese and Japanese, who are considered to be avid tea drinkers, have longer life expectancy in comparison to others because of the fact that they consume a lot of tea. According to scientific research the reason why these ethnic groups are able to prolong their lifespan is because of high tea consumption. The discovery of tea is quite a queer one because it was made accidentally by a Chinese sage but that pertaining to how to make iced tea was more a result of ?out-of-the-box? thinking. Tea is considered to be a miraculous natural drug which provides immense health benefits to the drinker. It has been proved that tea has healing powers and because of this other countries, apart from the traditional countries have started drinking tea excessively too in order to enjoy the advantages offered by it.

You might be aware of some of the different varieties. There are flavors like black, green, oolong, Ginseng, herbal, and white. Every flavor is different and some might even be stronger than others but one thing is certain ? they all have different benefits when you drink them. The body could benefit from your tea-drinking habit in innumerable ways.

Antioxidants are present in tea and that is why drinking tea can help protect our body from physiological processes which are extremely damaging. Tea can help reduce the risk of cancer as well as lower one?s cholesterol levels and even prevent aging to a certain extent. White tea, green tea, freshly brewed hot tea, iced tea, unfermented rooibos tea are some examples of tea which are extremely rich in antioxidants.

If you want to protect yourself against heart diseases and reduce the chances of occurrence of heart stroke then it is important to reduce the level of bad cholesterol in your body by knowing how to make iced tea. The reason why you should do this is because bad cholesterol can create clots. So in order to prevent heart attacks and to keep those arteries clear and unblocked one can drink black tea daily.

It is said that drinking tea can help to reduce the chances of developing cancer. One can protect one?s body from cancer caused by smoking with the help of tea consumption too. If you want to prevent occurrence of skin cancer then sip on a cup of freshly brewed hot tea daily or alternatively you can sip on white or black tea as per your preferences. Green tea is reputed to be extremely effective in combating different kinds of cancer such as abdominal cancer, colon cancer, prostrate cancer, esophageal cancer, etc.

Nowadays we maintain a frantic and hectic lifestyle and therefore a majority of people suffer from health maladies like hypertension, high blood pressure and other similar health problems. In a situation like this, knowledge of how to make iced tea and consuming green tea or oolong tea reduces these problems significantly.

Consuming tea that is high quality can keep the body hydrated, help with the fight against AIDS, delay Alzheimer?s from setting in too quickly, and even give an added boost to your immune system. Green tea has been known to help people that have leukemia, infections that are bacterial, diabetes, and even helps to burn those calories by enhancing your metabolic rate.

So why not select a tea as per your preference and treat your body as well as taste buds to a healthy drink everyday?

For more information about tea and making your own iced tea check out how to make iced tea

Source: http://canarymagazine.net/food-drink/tea-a-miracle-worker-for-the-body/

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