Simulating code-switching using a neural network model of bilingual sentence production

Code-switching is the alternation from one language to the other during bilingual speech. We present a novel method of researching this phenomenon using computational cognitive modeling. We trained a neural network of bilingual sentence production to simulate early balanced Spanish–English bilinguals, late speakers of English who have Spanish as a dominant native language, and late speakers of Spanish who have English as a dominant native language. The model produced code-switches even though it was not exposed to code-switched input. The simulations predicted how code-switching patterns differ between early balanced and late non-balanced bilinguals; the balanced bilingual simulation code-switches considerably more frequently, which is in line with what has been observed in human speech production. Additionally, we compared the patterns produced by the simulations with two corpora of spontaneous bilingual speech and identified noticeable commonalities and differences. To our knowledge, this is the first computational cognitive model simulating the code-switched production of non-balanced bilinguals and comparing the simulated production of balanced and non-balanced bilinguals with that of human bilinguals

Estudio preliminar de micromamíferos del Pleistoceno Superior de la cueva de Loutraki (Pella, Macedonia, Grecia)

[Abstract] The Loutraki Bear-cave (Northern Greece) yielded a rich Pleistocene fauna including mammals, amphibians and reptiles. In the present study the small mammal fauna associated with cave-bear remains is studied. The material comes from a long-time excavation project, which is still in progress. This study allows us to propose a Late Pleistocene age for the Loutraki fauna. The composition of the LAC-micromammalin fauna suggests a complex environment

PALAEOCLIMATIC EVOLUTION IN LOUTRA ARIDEAS CAVE (ALMOPIA SPELEOPARK, MACEDONIA, N. GREECE) BY STABLE ISOTOPIC ANALYSIS OF FOSSIL BEAR BONES AND TEETH

Carbon and oxygen stable isotope values (δ13C, δ18O) were obtained from structural carbonate in the bioapatite of bear bones (Ursus ingressus) from Loutra Arideas cave, Almopia Speleopark, Macedonia, N. Greece. Samples of Late Pleistocene bear bones were studied for palaeoclimatic reconstruction of the area. The age range of the fossil layers is from 32ka BP to a maximum of 38ka BP. Generally, the palaeoclimatic proxy is correlated with literature data for climatic variations in the area during Late Pleistocene, whereas dietary behavior was investigated taking into account possible diagenetic processes that may have affected the carbonate matrix of the bones

Simulating Spanish-English code-switching: El modelo está generating code-switches

Multilingual speakers are able to switch from one language to the other (“code-switch”) be- tween or within sentences. Because the under- lying cognitive mechanisms are not well un- derstood, in this study we use computational cognitive modeling to shed light on the pro- cess of code-switching. We employed the Bilingual Dual-path model, a Recurrent Neu- ral Network of bilingual sentence production (Tsoukala et al., 2017) and simulated sentence production in simultaneous Spanish-English bilinguals. Our first goal was to investigate whether the model would code-switch with- out being exposed to code-switched training input. The model indeed produced code- switches even without any exposure to such input and the patterns of code-switches are in line with earlier linguistic work (Poplack, 1980). The second goal of this study was to investigate an auxiliary phrase asymmetry that exists in Spanish-English code-switched pro- duction. Using this cognitive model, we ex- amined a possible cause for this asymmetry. To our knowledge, this is the first computa- tional cognitive model that aims to simulate code-switched sentence production

Preparation of individual magnetic sub-levels of ⁴He(2³S₁) in a supersonic beam using laser optical pumping and magnetic hexapole focusing

We compare two different experimental techniques for the magnetic-sub-level preparation of metastable 4He in the 23S1 level in a supersonic beam, namely, magnetic hexapole focusing and optical pumping by laser radiation. At a beam velocity of v = 830 m/s, we deduce from a comparison with a particle trajectory simulation that up to 99% of the metastable atoms are in the MJ″ = +1 sub-level after magnetic hexapole focusing. Using laser optical pumping via the 23P2–23S1 transition, we achieve a maximum efficiency of 94% ± 3% for the population of the MJ″ = +1 sub-level. For the first time, we show that laser optical pumping via the 23P1–23S1 transition can be used to selectively populate each of the three MJ″ sub-levels (MJ″ = −1, 0, +1). We also find that laser optical pumping leads to higher absolute atom numbers in specific MJ″ sub-levels than magnetic hexapole focusing

Green Production of Anionic Surfactant Obtained from Pea Protein

A pea protein isolate was hydrolyzed by a double enzyme treatment method in order to obtain short peptide sequences used as raw materials to produce lipopeptides-based surfactants. Pea protein hydrolysates were prepared using the combination of Alcalase and Flavourzyme. The influence of the process variables was studied to optimize the proteolytic degradation to high degrees of hydrolysis. The average peptide chain lengths were obtained at 3–5 amino acid units after a hydrolysis of 30 min with the mixture of enzymes. Then, N-acylation in water, in presence of acid chloride (C12 and C16), carried out with a conversion rate of amine functions of 90%, allowed to obtain anionic surfactant mixtures (lipopeptides and sodium fatty acids). These two steps were performed in water, in continuous and did not generate any waste. This process was therefore in line with green chemistry principles. The surface activities (CMC, foaming and emulsifying properties) of these mixtures were also studied. These formulations obtained from natural renewable resources and the reactions done under environmental respect, could replace petrochemical based surfactants for some applications

Frontal sinuses and human evolution

The frontal sinuses are cavities inside the frontal bone located at the junction between the face and the cranial vault and close to the brain. Despite a long history of study, understanding of their origin and variation through evolution is limited. This work compares most hominin species? holotypes and other key individuals with extant hominids. It provides a unique and valuable perspective of the variation in sinuses position, shape, and dimensions based on a simple and reproducible methodology. We also observed a covariation between the size and shape of the sinuses and the underlying frontal lobes in hominin species from at least the appearance of Homo erectus. Our results additionally undermine hypotheses stating that hominin frontal sinuses were directly affected by biomechanical constraints resulting from either chewing or adaptation to climate. Last, we demonstrate their substantial potential for discussions of the evolutionary relationships between hominin species. Variation in frontal sinus shape and dimensions has high potential for phylogenetic discussion when studying human evolution

Interactive translation prediction versus conventional post-editing in practice: a study with the CasMaCat workbench

[EN] We conducted a field trial in computer-assisted professional translation to compare interactive translation prediction (ITP) against conventional post-editing (PE) of machine translation (MT) output. In contrast to the conventional PE set-up, where an MT system first produces a static translation hypothesis that is then edited by a professional (hence "post-editing"), ITP constantly updates the translation hypothesis in real time in response to user edits. Our study involved nine professional translators and four reviewers working with the web-based CasMaCat workbench. Various new interactive features aiming to assist the post-editor/translator were also tested in this trial. Our results show that even with little training, ITP can be as productive as conventional PE in terms of the total time required to produce the final translation. Moreover, translation editors working with ITP require fewer key strokes to arrive at the final version of their translation.This work was supported by the European Union’s 7th Framework Programme (FP7/2007–2013) under grant agreement No 287576 (CasMaCat ).Sanchis Trilles, G.; Alabau, V.; Buck, C.; Carl, M.; Casacuberta Nolla, F.; Garcia Martinez, MM.; Germann, U.... (2014). Interactive translation prediction versus conventional post-editing in practice: a study with the CasMaCat workbench. Machine Translation. 28(3-4):217-235. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10590-014-9157-9S217235283-4Alabau V, Leiva LA, Ortiz-Martínez D, Casacuberta F (2012) User evaluation of interactive machine translation systems. 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Probing the Links between Political Economy and Non-Traditional Security: Themes, Approaches, and Instruments

This is a pre-print of an article published in International Politics. The definitive publisher-authenticated version of: Hameiri, Shahar, and Lee Jones. "Probing the links between political economy and non-traditional security: Themes, approaches and instruments." International Politics (2015), is available online at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1057/ip.2015.1In recent decades, the security agenda for states and international organisations has expanded dramatically to include a range of ‘non-traditional’, transnational security issues. It is often suggested that globalisation has been a key driver for the emergence or intensification of these problems, but, surprisingly, little sustained scholarly effort has been made to examine the link between responses to the new security agenda and the changing political economy. This curious neglect largely reflects the mutual blind-spots of the sub-disciplines of International Security Studies and International Political Economy, coupled with the dominance of approaches that tend to neglect economic factors. This special issue, which this article introduces, aims to overcome this significant gap. In particular, it focuses on three key themes: the broad relationship between security and the political economy; what is being secured in the name of security, and how this has changed; and how things are being secured – what modes of governance have emerged to manage security problems. In all of these areas, the contributions point to the crucial role of the state in translating shifting state-economy relations to new security definitions and practices