Task-Based MoE for Multitask Multilingual Machine Translation

Mixture-of-experts (MoE) architecture has been proven a powerful method for diverse tasks in training deep models in many applications. However, current MoE implementations are task agnostic, treating all tokens from different tasks in the same manner. In this work, we instead design a novel method that incorporates task information into MoE models at different granular levels with shared dynamic task-based adapters. Our experiments and analysis show the advantages of our approaches over the dense and canonical MoE models on multi-task multilingual machine translations. With task-specific adapters, our models can additionally generalize to new tasks efficiently

Regulating Data as Property: A New Construct for Moving Forward

The global community urgently needs precise, clear rules that define ownership of data and express the attendant rights to license, transfer, use, modify, and destroy digital information assets. In response, this article proposes a new approach for regulating data as an entirely new class of property. Recently, European and Asian public officials and industries have called for data ownership principles to be developed, above and beyond current privacy and data protection laws. In addition, official policy guidances and legal proposals have been published that offer to accelerate realization of a property rights structure for digital information. But how can ownership of digital information be achieved? How can those rights be transferred and enforced? Those calls for data ownership emphasize the impact of ownership on the automotive industry and the vast quantities of operational data which smart automobiles and self-driving vehicles will produce. We looked at how, if at all, the issue was being considered in consumer-facing statements addressing the data being collected by their vehicles. To formulate our proposal, we also considered continued advances in scientific research, quantum mechanics, and quantum computing which confirm that information in any digital or electronic medium is, and always has been, physical, tangible matter. Yet, to date, data regulation has sought to adapt legal constructs for “intangible” intellectual property or to express a series of permissions and constraints tied to specific classifications of data (such as personally identifiable information). We examined legal reforms that were recently approved by the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law to enable transactions involving electronic transferable records, as well as prior reforms adopted in the United States Uniform Commercial Code and Federal law to enable similar transactions involving digital records that were, historically, physical assets (such as promissory notes or chattel paper). Finally, we surveyed prior academic scholarship in the U.S. and Europe to determine if the physical attributes of digital data had been previously considered in the vigorous debates on how to regulate personal information or the extent, if at all, that the solutions developed for transferable records had been considered for larger classes of digital assets. Based on the preceding, we propose that regulation of digital information assets, and clear concepts of ownership, can be built on existing legal constructs that have enabled electronic commercial practices. We propose a property rules construct that clearly defines a right to own digital information arises upon creation (whether by keystroke or machine), and suggest when and how that right attaches to specific data though the exercise of technological controls. This construct will enable faster, better adaptations of new rules for the ever-evolving portfolio of data assets being created around the world. This approach will also create more predictable, scalable, and extensible mechanisms for regulating data and is consistent with, and may improve the exercise and enforcement of, rights regarding personal information. We conclude by highlighting existing technologies and their potential to support this construct and begin an inventory of the steps necessary to further proceed with this process

Mikrobioomi väärtus terviseuuringutes

Väitekirja elektrooniline versioon ei sisalda publikatsiooneTehnoloogia areng on andnud inimesele võimaluse uurida ümbritsevat maailma nurkade alt, mille jaoks veel mõned kümnendid tagasi võimalused puudusid. Üks selliseid teadusvaldkondi on inimese mikrobioomi ehk meie kehal ja kehas elavate mikroorganismide nagu näiteks bakterite ja viiruste uurimine. On teada, et mikrobioomil on oluline funktsioon inimese tervisele ning mikrobioomi kooslust omakorda mõjutavad suurel määral meie elustiil, toitumisharjumused, ümbritsev keskkond ning tervislik seisund. Just seosed haigustega on tekitanud huvi mikrobioomi kasutamiseks meditsiinilistes rakendustes. Doktoritöö eesmärk oli uurida, millised faktorid lisaks teadaolevatele on seotud meie soolestiku mikrobioomi kooslusega ning kuidas on mikrobioomi andmeid võimalik kasutada haiguste diagnoosimiseks ning haigusriskide hindamiseks. Esiteks uurisime teist tüüpi diabeeti ning näitasime, et mikrobioom aitab senisest täpsemalt ennustada muutusi veresuhkru regulatsiooni kirjeldavates parameetrites, milleks olid eelkõige insuliini eritamisega seotud näitajaid. Järgmiseks eesmärgiks oli kirjeldada Eesti populatsiooni soolestiku mikrorbioomi profiiili ning tuvasatada mikrobioomi kooslust mõjutavad faktorid. Eesti Geenivaramu terviseandmestikku kasutades tuvastasime, et antibiootikumide pikaajalisel korduval kasutamisel on akkumuleeruv mõju mikrobioomi kooslusele olenemata sellest, kas antibiootikume on kasutatud viimase kuue kuu jooksul. Analüüsides pikaajalise antibiootikumide mõju arvesse võtmine võimaldas omakorda täpsustada haigusspetsiifilisi muutusi mikrobioomis. Lisaks uurisime, kas soolestiku mikrobioomi abil inimeste grupeerimine võimaldaks ka kasutust kliinilistes rakendustes. Selgus, et selliselt mikrobioomi kooslust lihtsustades on võimalik küll anda hinnang inimese üldisele elustiilile, kuid tõendid haiguste diagnoosimisel või haiguste riski hindamiseks pole piisavalt tugevad. Kokkuvõttes on mikrobioomi uurimisel meditsiinis suur potentsiaal, mis võimaldab täiendada olemasolevaid võimalusi haiguste diagnoosimiseks ning riskide hindamiseks, kuid see eeldab täiendavaid teadmisi ja uuringuid.The technological revolution allows us to study the world beyond the limits that were holding us back only a couple of decades ago. One of such fields is the study of the human microbiome. Tiny microorganisms making up the microbiome such as bacteria and viruses have been known to intervene with our health for centuries, but the whole microbial ecosystem has turned out to be more complex than previously thought. The extent of the role of the microbiome to our own functioning and well-being is just starting to unravel. Nevertheless, microbiome has been associated with a large variety of intrinsic and extrinsic factors, including various complex diseases. This evidence is leading a slow but steady progress towards clinical applications such as using microbiome for improving disease diagnostics or estimating the risk of developing a condition. This thesis aimed to expand the understanding of the factors influencing our gut microbiome composition and assess the possibility and challenges in using the microbiome composition for the clinical applications. Firstly, we identified novel microbial biomarkers for identifying the progression of type 2 diabetes (T2D), which can be used to improve the current risk estimation. Secondly, using the comprehensive health data available in the Estonian Biobank, we characterized the profile of the gut microbiome in the Estonian population and identified various factors affecting the microbiome. Our study indicated that the long-term antibiotics usage has an accumulative effect on the gut microbiome composition independent of recent usage. The novelty of this result has a significant impact on the microbiome field and the future analysis need to account for such drug effects. Lastly, we considered dividing the subjects into a few distinct clusters based on their microbiome composition and evaluated the clinical applicability of such representation. We showed that although this approach is desirable in its simplicity, it is not sufficient for clinical applications. In conclusion, the microbiome science is heading towards clinical applications, but exploratory analysis is still needed. Nevertheless, the challenges ahead do not overshadow the enthusiasm.https://www.ester.ee/record=b551831

Reflections on religion and the status of ‘the outside’ in the Lotmanian understanding of culture

The article explores the question whether the way in which Juri Lotman uses the categories of semiotic explosion and unpredictability enables and necessitates the need to give space not only to different descriptions, but also to various self-descriptions (auto-communications) of religion in culture. In other words, the question is posed whether his concept of the semiosphere aids in making sense of the synchronic and diachronic contradictions and controversies in religion – both within what is perceived as a religion and between what are understood to be religions. The focus lies especially on whether Lotman’s semiotic theory of culture has a potential of advancing mutual recognition and supportive respect, that is – solidaristic tolerance between different religious and non-religious ways of being human. The claim is made that this is indeed the case as he models the human situation so that the ‘outside of the system’ is not understood only as a continuation of reality, but visualizes and includes within the system a space for a radical intrusion of possibility – for the truly unpredictable – on the level of culture, humanity, as well as the individual. Therefore, Lotman’s theory of culture could be developed further, in the direction of a translation device between different cultures (of religion), opening up new perspectives for dealing with the challenging semiotic situation in which we all find ourselves living in today

Digital Public-Administration Research Drawing from Bayesian Inspiration : Latent Trait Scaling and Topic Modeling Examination of Budgetary Legislation in Thirteen Countries

This article extends the methodological and empirical scope of public administration research and applies two Bayesian-inspired computational research methods – unsupervised latent trait scaling and topic modeling. The article uses these methods to examine government budgeting in thirteen Western countries, utilizing budgetary legislation as the research material. The empirical research question is: How are legal system traditions present in the words of texts of legislation on government budgeting? According to the results, at one end of the latent trait scale we find overseas inheritors of Britain’s common law legal system, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, and at the other end two representatives of civil law of the Napoleonic subtype, Italy and Spain. The other countries situate themselves in intermediate positions between the extremes. The topic modeling indicates three reasonably homogeneous groups of countries: the three overseas inheritors of common law andmore weakly the United Kingdom, three countries representing the Napoleonic heritage, and, more weakly German-speaking and Nordic countries. In general, the article and its results emphasize the opportunities to extend Bayesian-inspired research in this research field.Peer reviewe

Intercultural theatrical encounter and the dramaturgy of surtitles

Theatre surtitles have tended to be seen as a necessary inconvenience. However, recent technological developments have streamlined the provision of translated captions and these advances are influencing awareness of and attitudes to the use of surtitles in theatre spaces. Taking the ITA’s Roman Tragedies as an illustration, this article examines the application of surtitling technology in theatre translation. The intermedial performance of surtitles positions surtitles within new media dramaturgy, creating a form of interlinear translation. The dramaturgical effect of the integration of surtitles into production demonstrates how technological intervention can operate to co-produce the humanity of intercultural theatrical encounter. / Les surtitres de théâtre ont eu tendance à être considéré inconvénients nécessaires. Cependant, les développements technologiques récents ont simplifié la fourniture de sous-titres traduits et ces progrès influent l'utilisation des surtitres dans les espaces de théâtre. En étude de cas, cet article prend l'œuvre d'Ivo van Hove, Tragédies romaines [tragedie romaine in italics, please], pour examiner l'application de la technologie surtitrage en traduction théâtrale. La performance intermédiale des surtitres résonne avec la nouvelle dramaturgie médiatique, ce qui crée une forme de traduction interlinéaire. L'effet dramaturgique de l'intégration des surtitres dans la production affiche l'interaction de l'intervention technologique avec l'humanité de la rencontre théâtrale interculturelle

The CENDARI White Book of Archives

Over the course of its four year project timeline, the CENDARI project has collected archival descriptions and metadata in various formats from a broad range of cultural heritage institutions. These data were drawn together in a single repository and are being stored there. The repository contains curated data which has been manually established by the CENDARI team as well as data acquired from small, ‘hidden’ archives in spreadsheet format or from big aggregators with advanced data exchange tools in place. While the acquisition and curation of heterogeneous data in a single repository presents a technical challenge in itself, the ingestion of data into the CENDARI repository also opens up the possibility to process and index them through data extraction, entity recognition, semantic enhancement and other transformations. In this way the CENDARI project was able to act as a bridge between cultural heritage institutions and historical researchers, insofar as it drew together holdings from a broad range of institutions and enabled the browsing of this heterogeneous content within a single search space. This paper describes a broad range of ways in which the CENDARI project acquired data from cultural heritage institutions as well as the necessary technical background. In exemplifying diverse data creation or acquisition strategies, multiple formats and technical solutions, assets and drawbacks of a repository, this “White Book” aims at providing guidance and advice as well as best practices for archivists and cultural heritage institutions collaborating or planning to collaborate with infrastructure projects. http://www.cendari.eu/thematic- research-guides/white-book-archives The CENDARI White Book of Archives. Available from: http://hdl.handle.net/2262/7568