Minsky machines and algorithmic problems

This is a survey of using Minsky machines to study algorithmic problems in semigroups, groups and other algebraic systems.Comment: 19 page

A Grammar of Elfdalian

Elfdalian is the language traditionally spoken in Övdaln (Älvdalen), central Sweden. Due to its linguistic differences to Swedish, coupled with the determination of the speech community, several attempts have been made to acquire an official recognition of Elfdalian as a minority language in Sweden. However, despite growing interest in documenting and revitalising Elfdalian, it is still regarded as a dialect. As one of the best-preserved members of a larger but lesser-known Dalecarlian (or Dalmål) sub-branch of the Scandinavian languages, Elfdalian is a unique language to study. The purpose of the grammar is to account for Late Classical, or 'Preserved', Elfdalian from linguistic, historical and sociolinguistic angles, and to make the language, including both its archaic and innovative features, accessible to a wider audience. The grammar has multiple target groups: people in Övdaln who wish to revitalise or reclaim their language in a more original form than the one it was transferred into through language decline and Swedish influence since the beginning of the twentieth century; those who wish to transmit the language to others through preschool, school or adult instruction; and likewise others who wish to study a lesser-known North Germanic language. Linguists may find Elfdalian interesting from the angles of comparative historical linguistics, language structure, as well as sociolinguistics and language planning

Classification of limit varieties of J\mathscr J-trivial monoids

A variety of algebras is called limit if it is non-finitely based but all its proper subvarieties are finitely based. We present a new pair of limit varieties of monoids and show that together with the five limit varieties of monoids previously discovered by Jackson, Zhang and Luo and the first-named author, there are exactly seven limit varieties of $\mathscr J$-trivial monoids.Comment: 26 page

New energy-transfer upconversion process in Er(3+):ZBLAN mid-infrared fiber lasers

Abstract not availableOri Henderson-Sapir, Jesper Munch, and David J. Ottawa

A European mechanism for sovereign debt crisis resolution: a proposal

This Bruegel Blueprint argues that Europe should take the lead in defining a solution to the problem of excessive public debts and create a European Crisis Resolution Mechanism (ECRM).The authors, Francois Gianviti, Anne O. Krueger, Jean Pisani-Ferry, André Sapir and Jürgen von Hagen, present the rationale for such a mechanism in the euro area and details of how an ECRM would work. The ECRM would be a permanent tool to deal with sovereign debt crises in an effective and predictable way.

Retaining Expression on De-identified Faces

© Springer International Publishing AG 2017The extensive use of video surveillance along with advances in face recognition has ignited concerns about the privacy of the people identifiable in the recorded documents. A face de-identification algorithm, named k-Same, has been proposed by prior research and guarantees to thwart face recognition software. However, like many previous attempts in face de-identification, kSame fails to preserve the utility such as gender and expression of the original data. To overcome this, a new algorithm is proposed here to preserve data utility as well as protect privacy. In terms of utility preservation, this new algorithm is capable of preserving not only the category of the facial expression (e.g., happy or sad) but also the intensity of the expression. This new algorithm for face de-identification possesses a great potential especially with real-world images and videos as each facial expression in real life is a continuous motion consisting of images of the same expression with various degrees of intensity.Peer reviewe

Numerical modeling of 3.5mu m dual-wavelength pumped erbium-doped mid-infrared fiber lasers

Date of publication September 19, 2016The performance of mid-infrared Er³+-doped fiber lasers has dramatically improved in the last few years. In this paper, we present a numerical model that provides valuable insight into the dynamics of a dual-wavelength pumped fiber laser that can operate on the 3.5- and 2.8-μm bands. This model is a much needed tool for optimizing and understanding the performance of these laser systems. Comparisons between simulation and experimental results for three different systems are presented.Andrew Malouf, Ori Henderson-Sapir, Martin Gorjan, and David J. Ottawa

The Interactome of Palmitoyl-Protein Thioesterase 1 (PPT1) Affects Neuronal Morphology and Function

Palmitoyl-protein thioesterase 1 (PPT1) is a depalmitoylation enzyme that is mutated in cases of neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis (NCL). The hallmarks of the disease include progressive neurodegeneration and blindness, as well as seizures. In the current study, we identified 62 high-confident PPT1-binding proteins. These proteins included a self-interaction of PPT1, two V-type ATPases, calcium voltage-gated channels, cytoskeletal proteins and others. Pathway analysis suggested their involvement in seizures and neuronal morphology. We then proceeded to demonstrate that hippocampal neurons from Ppt1-/- mice exhibit structural deficits, and further investigated electrophysiology parameters in the hippocampi of mutant mice, both in brain slices and dissociated postnatal primary cultures. Our studies reveal new mechanistic features involved in the pathophysiology of this devastating neurodegenerative disease

Population Frequencies Determined by Next-generation Sequencing Provide Strategies for Prospective HLA Epitope Matching for Transplantation

Compatibility for human leukocyte antigen (HLA) genes between transplant donors and recipients improves graft survival but prospective matching is rarely performed due to the vast heterogeneity of this gene complex. To reduce complexity, we have combined next-generation sequencing and in silico mapping to determine population frequencies and matching probabilities of 150 antibody-binding eplets across all 11 classical HLA genes in 2000 ethnically heterogeneous renal patients and donors. We show that eplets are more common and more uniformly distributed between donors and recipients than the respective HLA isoforms. Simulation of targeted eplet matching shows that a high degree of overall compatibility, and perfect identity at the clinically important HLA class II loci, can be obtained within a patient waiting list of approximately 250 subjects. Internal epitope-based allocation is thus feasible for most major renal transplant programs, while regional or national sharing may be required for other solid organs