Faithful (meta-)encodings of programmable strategies into term rewriting systems

Rewriting is a formalism widely used in computer science and mathematical logic. When using rewriting as a programming or modeling paradigm, the rewrite rules describe the transformations one wants to operate and rewriting strategies are used to con- trol their application. The operational semantics of these strategies are generally accepted and approaches for analyzing the termination of specific strategies have been studied. We propose in this paper a generic encoding of classic control and traversal strategies used in rewrite based languages such as Maude, Stratego and Tom into a plain term rewriting system. The encoding is proven sound and complete and, as a direct consequence, estab- lished termination methods used for term rewriting systems can be applied to analyze the termination of strategy controlled term rewriting systems. We show that the encoding of strategies into term rewriting systems can be easily adapted to handle many-sorted signa- tures and we use a meta-level representation of terms to reduce the size of the encodings. The corresponding implementation in Tom generates term rewriting systems compatible with the syntax of termination tools such as AProVE and TTT2, tools which turned out to be very effective in (dis)proving the termination of the generated term rewriting systems. The approach can also be seen as a generic strategy compiler which can be integrated into languages providing pattern matching primitives; experiments in Tom show that applying our encoding leads to performances comparable to the native Tom strategies

Norms in face-threatening instances of simultaneous conference interpreting: results from a questionnaire

Conference interpreters are expected to act like neutral spokespersons and expert communicators at the same time. To achieve this, they abide by translational norms. These norms can be elicited from the discourse on interpreting, field observation and corpus data. They might also overlap with assessment norms. Anecdotes from the booth and field observations indicate that interpreters sometimes modify the speaker’s positions and shape the meaning of the target text. One translational norm could be that face-threatening acts (FTAs) in the source text cause interpreters to deviate from the spokesperson’s role and adopt face-saving strategies. This paper explores reactions to FTAs in interpreting through assessment norms. Professional interpreters, interpreting students and academics answered a questionnaire which presented interpreting situations involving an FTA. The respondents had to select the most appropriate reaction(s). No significant inter-group difference was found. A majority of respondents considered deviations from the spokesperson’s role to be legitimate in instances of FTAs. This might suggest a link between common face-saving strategies and translational norms in interpreting.Se espera de los intérpretes de conferencia que actúen a la vez como portavoces neutrales y expertos en comunicación. Para ello se ciñen a normas de traducción. Éstas se pueden extraer del discurso sobre la interpretación, de la observación sobre el terreno y de los corpus. Además, estas normas pueden coincidir con las normas de evaluación. Diversas anécdotas y observaciones indican que a veces los intérpretes modifican las posiciones del locutor y el sentido del texto meta. Una norma de traducción podría consistir en que los actos amenazantes para la imagen (FTA) del texto original llevan a los intérpretes a desviarse del papel de portavoz y a adoptar estrategias para salvaguardar la imagen. El artículo explora las reacciones ante los FTA en interpretación a través de las normas de evaluación. Varios intérpretes profesionales, estudiantes y académicos completaron un cuestionario que presentaba situaciones de interpretación con un FTA. Tenían que seleccionar la reacción más apropiada. No encontramos una diferencia significativa entre los grupos. La mayoría de los encuestados consideraron que las desviaciones del papel de portavoz son legítimas en casos de FTA. Esto podría indicar la existencia de una relación entre las estrategias comunes para salvaguardar la imagen y las normas de traducción aplicadas a la interpretación

The compliance function in banks. Une lecture du document consultatif publié par le Comité de Bâle

L'article présente le document publié par le Comité de Bâle, redéfinissant le champ de la fonction complianc

Proving termination of evaluation for System F with control operators

We present new proofs of termination of evaluation in reduction semantics (i.e., a small-step operational semantics with explicit representation of evaluation contexts) for System F with control operators. We introduce a modified version of Girard's proof method based on reducibility candidates, where the reducibility predicates are defined on values and on evaluation contexts as prescribed by the reduction semantics format. We address both abortive control operators (callcc) and delimited-control operators (shift and reset) for which we introduce novel polymorphic type systems, and we consider both the call-by-value and call-by-name evaluation strategies.Comment: In Proceedings COS 2013, arXiv:1309.092

Sigtuna Think Piece 9: Climate Change Education Research: What It Could Be and Why It Matters

The purpose of this think piece is to situate climate change education research in the context of research traditions, approaches and methods that are common to the social sciences, education being part thereof. At the same time it is meant to give elements for exploring the ways in which climate change education research may be identical to or different from them. This paper deliberates what climate change education research could be and why it matters. The paper argues that for climate change education research within the wider context of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) to have effect, a research programme should build on the best of different research traditions, while avoiding the pitfalls associated with each of them. In this respect the paper argues for methodological innovation and expansion of existing forms of research. It also sees a research programme in this area has having potential to expand both research and climate change education paradigms and create opportunities for discussion, debate and continuous learning

The compliance function in banks. Une lecture du document consultatif publié par le Comité de Bâle

L'article présente le document publié par le Comité de Bâle, redéfinissant le champ de la fonction complianceCompliance ; conformité ; déontologie ; éthique ; contrôle ; réputation ; finance ; banques

Towards a Theory-Based Framework for Assessing the Mainstreaming of Education for Sustainable Development: A Case Study of Teacher Education Institutions in Botswana

This article presents the development of a theory-based framework for exploring the ways in which different teacher education institutions in Botswana have worked towards the infusion of education for sustainable development (ESD) in the curriculum and the practice of pre-service teacher education. The framework combines a theory of change, a theory of education for sustainable human development and a theory of transformative learning. The objective of this paper is to understand how this theoretical framework can help the analysis and understanding of critical features of ESD pedagogy and projects. The research results  obtained in the framework’s application highlight key elements enabling the successful implementation of ESD in two specific  teacher education institutions, namely: the educators’ capacity to foster transformational pedagogies in the classroom, their capacity to strategically plan and implement their change projects, and the wider institutional and administrative context

Howe's Method for Contextual Semantics

International audienceWe show how to use Howe's method to prove that context bisimilarity is a congruence for process calculi equipped with their usual semantics. We apply the method to two extensions of HOπ, with passivation and with join patterns, illustrating different proof techniques

Diffusion Tensor Magnetic Resonance Imaging : Brain Connectivity Mapping

Diffusion tensor MRI probes and quantifies the anisotropic diffusion of water molecules in biological tissues, making it possible to non-invasively infer the architecture of the underlying structures. We introduce a novel approach to the cerebral white matter connectivity mapping from diffusion tensor MRI. We address the problem of consistent neural fibers reconstruction in areas of complex diffusion profiles with potentially multiple fibers orientations. Our method relies on a global modelization of the acquired MRI volume as a Riemannian manifold M and proceeds in 4 majors steps:1. We establish the link between Brownian motion and diffusion MRI by using the Laplace-Beltrami operator on M.2. We then expose how the sole knowledge of the diffusion properties of water molecules on M is sufficient to infer its geometry. There exists a direct mapping between the diffusion tensor and the metric of M.3. Having access to that metric, we propose a novel level set formulation to approximate the distance function related to a radial Brownian motion on M.4. On that basis, a rigorous numerical scheme using the exponential map is derived to estimate the geodesics of M, seen as the diffusion paths of water molecules.Numerical experimentations conducted on synthetic and real diffusion MRI datasets illustrate the potentialities of this global approach

Imaginary failure:RegTech in finance

The notion of ‘RegTech’ has become a buzzword for applications of emergent technologies to regulatory activities. This paper contextualises and interrogates the novelty of the RegTech phenomenon as expounded in recent years by industry practitioners, regulators and a growing chorus of scholars. Harnessing the notion of ‘imaginary’ from Science and Technology Studies, we identify a particular solutionist vision materialising across public documents from national and international financial regulators, industry organisations, as well as RegTech and consulting firms. We identify two failures of an emerging RegTech imaginary. First, is a dynamism failure in the way RegTech materialises static visions of regulation. Second, is a systems failure as the solutionist RegTech imaginary focuses on narrower, individual problems in finance at the expense of wider changes occurring since the 2007–8 global financial crisis. RegTech, we conclude, reflects continuities with a pre-crisis era and fails to tackle key market and regulatory changes occurring since. Our analysis holds implications for the turn to technological solutions in addressing persistent issues of instability in global financial governance. We point to the need for developing wider imaginaries of technological possibilities for regulation in an increasingly digital world