La dictée de français et les étudiants italophones. Analyse exploratoire des erreurs de morphologie verbale

What can we discover about verbal morphology acquisition when we look at Italian L1 learners writing under dictation? We present a preliminary analysis of a written corpus made up of 1st year undergraduate students written examinations in French L2. The nature of the dictation task, the characteristics of French verbal morphology as well as several discrepencies between both languages orthographic systems – major transparency against opacity – lead us to choose a theoretical framework that focuses on the phonic form. The concept of "supplétion" (Bonami and al., 2003), that allows to redefine regularity in terms of suppletive inflection and stem allomorphy, enables us to distinguish between three major categories of verbs based on their phonomorphological behavior. A quantitative analysis of spelling error distribution shows that the most irregular verbs generate less spelling errors in contrast to verbs presenting stem allomorphy in their inflection paradigm. As for the regular verbs, they generate 62% of spelling errors on inflection morpheme. Qualitative analysis of some verbal contexts show systematic spelling errors at various linguistic levels. We suggest that certain verbal contexts might hinder segmentation and alter verbal form recognition

Commentary: primary emotional systems and personality: an evolutionary perspective

In Primary emotional systems and personality Christian Montag and Jaak Panksepp analyze how emotional systems are involved into the development of basic personality into an evolutionary framework. They also stress the importance of such investigation for the promotion of human welfare in the context of psychiatric research and practic

Aspects of geodesical motion with Fisher-Rao metric: classical and quantum

The purpose of this article is to exploit the geometric structure of Quantum Mechanics and of statistical manifolds to study the qualitative effect that the quantum properties have in the statistical description of a system. We show that the end points of geodesics in the classical setting coincide with the probability distributions that minimise Shannon's Entropy, i.e. with distributions of zero dispersion. In the quantum setting this happens only for particular initial conditions, which in turn correspond to classical submanifolds. This result can be interpreted as a geometric manifestation of the uncertainty principle.Comment: 15 pages, 5 figure

Hamilton-Jacobi approach to Potential Functions in Information Geometry

The search for a potential function $S$ allowing to reconstruct a given metric tensor $g$ and a given symmetric covariant tensor $T$ on a manifold $\mathcal{M}$ is formulated as the Hamilton-Jacobi problem associated with a canonically defined Lagrangian on $T\mathcal{M}$. The connection between this problem, the geometric structure of the space of pure states of quantum mechanics, and the theory of contrast functions of classical information geometry is outlined.Comment: 16 pages. A discussion on the Kullback-Leibler divergence has been added. To appear in Journal of Mathematical Physic

Comparison of genetic algorithms used to evolve specialisation in groups of robots

This paper investigates the role of genetic algorithms in determining which kind of specialisation emerges in decentralised simulated teams of robots controlled by evolved neural networks. As shown in previous works, different tasks may be better solved by robots specialized in a particular manner. However it was not clarified how much the genetic algorithm used might drive the evolution of one kind of specialisation or another: this is the goal of this paper. The study is conducted by evolving teams of robots that have to solve two different tasks that are better accomplished by using different types of specialisation (innate versus situated). Results suggest that the type of genetic algorithm employed plays a major role in determining how robots specialize and in most of the cases the algorithms used tend to always yield the same specialization. Only one of the algorithms tested led to the emergence of the most suitable kind of specialisation for each one of the two tasks

Quaternary deformation in SE Sicily: Insights into the life and cycles of forebulge fault systems

Integrated geological, geomorphological, and differential interferometry synthetic aperture radar (DInSAR) data are used to constrain the timing and modes of activity of Quaternary fault systems in the Hyblean Plateau. This area, which represents a unique natural laboratory for studying surface deformation in relation to deep slab dynamics, has grown since middle Miocene times as a doubly plunging forebulge associated with slab rollback during NW-directed subduction. Bimodal extension has produced two mutually orthogonal normal fault systems. The detailed stratigraphic record provided by synrift sediments and postrift marine terraces allowed us to define the timing of activity of an early Pleistocene, flexure-related fault system, thus constraining the duration of a typical foreland extensional tectonic event to ~1.5 m.y. Subsequent late Quaternary to present deformation was dominated by strike-slip faulting associated with NW-oriented horizontal compression. During this latest stage, regional uplift progressively increased toward the thrust front to the NW and was accompanied by differential uplift accommodated by dip-slip components of motion along active NNW-trending faults. The general active tectonic setting of the study area, characterized by NW-oriented horizontal compression consistent with major plate convergence, and the regional uplift pattern can both be explained within the framework of intraplate shortening and foreland rebound following complete slab detachment, a major geodynamic event interpreted to have taken place at ca. 0.7 Ma in southern Italy

No kinematical difference between ultra-congruent and medial-congruent total knee arthroplasty when implanted with mechanical alignment: an in vivo dynamic RSA study

Purpose: To explore in vivo kinematical behavior of the same total knee arthroplasty (TKA) cruciate-retaining (CR) femoral design with either medial-congruent (MC) or ultra-congruent (UC) inlay using model-based dynamic radiostereometric analysis (RSA). The hypothesis was that there would be comparable kinematics between the two groups. Methods: A cohort of 16 randomly selected patients (8 MC Persona Zimmer, 8 UC Persona Zimmer) was evaluated through dynamic radiostereometric analysis (RSA) at a minimum of 9 months after TKA, during the execution of a sit-to-stand. The antero-posterior (AP) translation of the femoral component and the AP translation of the low point of medial and lateral femoral compartments were compared through Student's t test (p < 0.05). Results: Both groups showed a medial pivot behavior, with a significantly greater anterior translation of the Low Point of the lateral compartment with respect to the medial compartment (MC medial range: 2.4 ± 2.4 mm; MC lateral range: 7.7 ± 3.0 mm; p < 0.001 - UC medial range: 3.3 ± 3.3 mm; UC lateral range: 8.0 ± 3.2 mm; p < 0.001). A statistically significant greater degree of flexion was clinically recorded at follow-up visit in the MC group respect to the UC group (126° vs 101°-p = 0.003). Conclusion: The present study did not show difference in the medial pivot behavior between ultra-congruent and medial-congruent total knee arthroplasty when implanted with mechanical alignment; however, the MC group demonstrated a greater degree of flexion. The MC design examined is a valid alternative to the UC design, allowing to achieve a screw-home movement restoration combined with a high flexion

THE GELASIAN STAGE: A PROPOSAL OF A NEW CHRONOSTRATIGRAPHIC UNIT OF THE PLIOCENE SERIES

A new Stage, the Gelasian, is proposed as the third upper subdivision of the Pliocene Series. The GSSP of the base of the Gelasian Stage and of the Middle Pliocene-Upper Pliocene boundary is coincident with a "sapropel" level which outcrops in the Monte San Nicola section, near Gela (Southern Sicily, Italy). This level corresponds to the Mediterranean Precessional Related Sapropel 250 of Hilgen (1991)and has an astrochronological age of 2.589 Ma. It correspondes to the oxygen isotopic Stage 103 of Raymo et al.(1989) and in the boundary stratotype section it outcrops 1 meter above the Gauss-Matuyama paleomagnetic boundary. Astrochronologic, magnetostratigraphic, biostratigraphic and climatostratigraphic elements to approximate the GSSP of the Gelasian outside the stratorype section are presented