LiDAR-Based SLAM under Semantic Constraints in Dynamic Environments

Facing the realistic demands of the application environment of robots, the application of simultaneous localisation and mapping (SLAM) has gradually moved from static environments to complex dynamic environments, while traditional SLAM methods usually result in pose estimation deviations caused by errors in data association due to the interference of dynamic elements in the environment. This problem is effectively solved in the present study by proposing a SLAM approach based on light detection and ranging (LiDAR) under semantic constraints in dynamic environments. Four main modules are used for the projection of point cloud data, semantic segmentation, dynamic element screening, and semantic map construction. A LiDAR point cloud semantic segmentation network SANet based on a spatial attention mechanism is proposed, which significantly improves the real-time performance and accuracy of point cloud semantic segmentation. A dynamic element selection algorithm is designed and used with prior knowledge to significantly reduce the pose estimation deviations caused by SLAM dynamic elements. The results of experiments conducted on the public datasets SemanticKITTI, KITTI, and SemanticPOSS show that the accuracy and robustness of the proposed approach are significantly improved.

Inhibition Effect of Audio-visual Semantic Interference in Chinese Interface: An ERP Study of Concrete Icons and Chinese Characters

In this study, event-related potential (ERP) was used to examine whether the brain has an inhibition effect on the interference of audio-visual information in the Chinese interface. Concrete icons (flame and snowflake) or Chinese characters ([Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text]) with opposite semantics were used as target carriers, and colors (red and blue) and speeches ([Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text]) were used as audio-visual intervention stimuli. In the experiment, target carrier and audio-visual intervention were presented in a random combination, and the subjects needed to determine whether the semantics of the two matched quickly. By comparing the overall cognitive performance of two carriers, it was found that the brain had a more significant inhibition effect on audio-visual intervention stimuli with different semantics (SBH/LBH and SRC/LRC) relative to the same semantics (SRH/LRH). The semantic mismatch caused significant N400, indicating that semantic interference in the interface information would trigger the brain’s inhibition effect. Therefore, the more complex the semantic matching of interface information was, the higher the amplitude of N400 became. The results confirmed that the semantic relationship between target carrier and audio-visual intervention was the key factor affecting the cognitive inhibition effect. Moreover, under different intervention stimuli, the ERP’s negative activity caused by Chinese characters in frontal and parietal-occipital regions was more evident than that by concrete icons, indicating that concrete icons had a lower inhibition effect than Chinese characters. Therefore, we considered that this inhibition effect was based on the semantic constraints of the target carrier itself, which might come from the knowledge learning and intuitive experience stored in the human brain.

Constraints of Attaining Pragmatic Relevance from English into Selected Luhya Varieties in Interpreter-mediated Sermons

Interpretation is an ultimate bridge among people who speak more than one language. In the case where the audience fails to understand the source language (SL), it is necessary to get the message to communicate with the target language (TL) speaker through an interpreter. This paper aims to evaluate the possible constraints of attaining pragmatic relevance during the delivery of interpreter-mediated sermons from English into selected Luhya varieties. The rationale for this position is that since English and Luhya belong to different language families, rendering information between these two languages can be very challenging. The Relevance Theory by Sperber and Wilson (1986) provided the background for discussing the data. Data was collected through Key-Informant Interviews for the interpreters, Focus Group Discussions for the congregants and the researcher’s non-participant observation during church services. The audio recording was used to collect corpus for analysis. The following constraints were revealed; grammatic and structural constraints, time lag, idiomatic expressions in the SL, lack of compatible hyponyms, phonological and prosodic constraints, semantic constraints, lack of lexicalized TL versions, culture-specific words in the SL and polysemous words. The findings also revealed that interpreters need to be aware of the constraints they face in interpreting sermons to determine the appropriate strategies to counteract the constraints.

A syntactic-semantic optimality theoretic model on Hakka topic-comment construction

The purpose of this paper is to show how the basic Topic-Comment ordering pattern of the Hakka can be accounted for by the constraint-based optimality theory. Part of the linguistic data used in this paper is adopted from Xu (2002), while those examples presented to show syntactic tests are created by the author. These sentences have been further checked and confirmed by a native speaker of Hakka. This paper proposes an Optimality Theoretic (OT) model that takes into account both syntactic and semantic considerations. It shows that semantic information comes into play successively at different points of OT grammar. First, integrating semantic information into the schema of OT syntax works precisely to describe the Hakka topic-initial sentence pattern. The alignment constraints incorporate information about the semantically defined topic and comment constructions into the constraint design, which interacts with other markedness constraints to filter linguistic constructions during production. Second, semantic constraints are formed to further evaluate form-meaning pairs during the process of interpretation. In this aspect, semantic notions including contrastiveness and markedness are incorporated into the theoretical plan with the purpose of pairing syntactically well-formed sentences with appropriate meaning. The paper successfully presents an optimization model illustrating how syntax and semantics cooperate to pair meanings with linguistic constructions in forming linguistic expressions.

A Sociolinguistic Study of Linguistic Taboos in Send My Roots Rain by Ibis Gomes Vega

A few issues are acknowledged and admitted for every public, while others are not considered appropriate at any point verbally expressed on open occasions. When used in correspondence, taboo words are appropriately interpreted as silly, appalling, or revolting. These are the words "limitations." The current study looks into all of the notable collections of English Linguistic taboos, such as genuine releases, end and illness, sex, four-letter words, security, and harsh language, which are independently described and given strong models. To deal with the conditions, abnormal and indirect strategies for avoiding using unapproachable words are proposed. Being a sociolinguistic report, the current research thesis aims to research the Linguistic Taboos in the novel "Send My Roots Rain" by Ibis Gomez Vega. The focal point of the novel is lesbianism. The protagonist of the novel goes under the attack of the previously described subject. The topic of lesbianism was discussed where the Theory of Bad Language by Batistella was used as a hypothetical framework. A Library summary was used to collect secondary data. The study investigated the kinds of semantic constraints and profane and forbidden body movements that permeated in the novel in the novel. At any rate, these Linguistic Taboos are forbidden in public, but in the event that somebody like Carol, the hero of the novel, goes under an assault of the illicit and restricted crime, it is not just a Spanish individual’s calamity; it can immerse various social orders moreover. As these kinds of limitations are once penetrated, none can stop and annihilate except drastic devastations. A pilot study was done for the data mining.

Online processing of the grammatical aspect marker by L2 Chinese learners

The perfective aspect marker in Chinese is partly functionally similar to inflectional suffixes in Indo-European languages, but is non-inflectional and lexical in nature, lying thus at the semantics–syntax interface. This provides us with the opportunity to compare directly the syntactic and semantic constraints during second language (L2) sentence processing. The present study explored how L2 Chinese learners with Indo-European languages as their first languages (L1s) process the Chinese perfective marker. The Competition Model prioritizes syntactic processes entailed by cross-linguistic transfer from the participants’ L1s, but this prediction might be challenged by the concurrent functioning of semantic processes. In an event-related potentials (ERP) experiment, 22 European language-speaking L2 Chinese learners with low to intermediate proficiency level and 20 native Chinese speakers (i.e. the control group) participated. An aspectual agreement paradigm was used for materials. Results showed that in the aspect marker mismatch condition, L2 Chinese learners with a shorter learning experience were more likely to show a P600-like component, indicating a morpho-syntactic routine, supporting thus the predictions of cross-linguistic transfer based on the Competition Model. Those with a longer L2 learning experience were more likely to show a N400-like component similar to native Chinese speakers. This shift from P600 to N400 for more advanced learners suggest that L1–L2 syntactic similarity may exert much stronger influence than semantic constraints for learners with shorter L2 experience.