The Grammaticalization of "Say" and "Do" : An Areal Phenomenon in the Horn of Africa

The grammaticalization of verbs meaning ‘say' and ‘do', in periphrastic constructions traditionnally named ‘descriptive compounds' allows transcategorial and intracategorial derivation, leading to more or less deep reorganizations of the verbal systems. This is a recurring phenomenon, attested over a period of five milleniums, in Afroasiatic languages. The issue is dealt with from a syntactic, morphological, semantic, diachronic, typological and areal perspective in dead and living languages of North-East Africa, genetically linked or not (Cushitic, Omotic, Afro-Semitic, Egyptian, Coptic, a Nilo-Saharan language and Nubian). The study in then extended to some Saharan and Chadic languages spoken further in Central Africa where the phenomenon has not always been recognized as such. A typological classification is proposed. The sudy shows that the use of descriptive compounds is linked to inter-subjective modalities but not to any TAM value, and that it is possible to find synchronically all the stages of the grammaticalization process.La grammaticalisation des verbes ‘dire' et ‘faire', dans les constructions périphrastiques traditionnellement dénommées ‘composés descriptifs' permet une dérivation transcatégorielle et intracatégorielle, entraînant une réorganisation des systèmes verbaux plus ou moins radicale, un phénomène récurrent et attesté sur cinq millénaires en chamito-sémitique. Elle est abordée sur les plans syntaxique, morphologique, sémantique, diachronique, typologique et aréal, dans des langues vivantes et éteintes d'Afrique du nord-est, apparentées ou non (langues couchitiques, omotiques, afro-sémitiques, égyptien et copte, une langue nilo-saharienne, le nubien). L'étude est ensuite étendu à quelques langues sahariennes et tchadiques situées plus au centre du continent africain et qui présentent un phénomène similaire, mais non toujours reconnu comme tel. Tout en proposant une classification typologique des constructions, nous avons montré que l'utilisation des composés descriptifs relèvent du domaine de la modalité inter-subjective et non des TAM, et que l'on trouve, en synchronie, toutes les étapes de la grammaticalisation du procédé

Robust PACm^m: Training Ensemble Models Under Model Misspecification and Outliers

Standard Bayesian learning is known to have suboptimal generalization capabilities under model misspecification and in the presence of outliers. PAC-Bayes theory demonstrates that the free energy criterion minimized by Bayesian learning is a bound on the generalization error for Gibbs predictors (i.e., for single models drawn at random from the posterior) under the assumption of sampling distributions uncontaminated by outliers. This viewpoint provides a justification for the limitations of Bayesian learning when the model is misspecified, requiring ensembling, and when data is affected by outliers. In recent work, PAC-Bayes bounds - referred to as PAC$^m$ - were derived to introduce free energy metrics that account for the performance of ensemble predictors, obtaining enhanced performance under misspecification. This work presents a novel robust free energy criterion that combines the generalized logarithm score function with PAC$^m$ ensemble bounds. The proposed free energy training criterion produces predictive distributions that are able to concurrently counteract the detrimental effects of model misspecification and outliers.Comment: Submitted to IEEE Transactions on Neural Networks and Learning System

Robust Bayesian Learning for Reliable Wireless AI: Framework and Applications

This work takes a critical look at the application of conventional machine learning methods to wireless communication problems through the lens of reliability and robustness. Deep learning techniques adopt a frequentist framework, and are known to provide poorly calibrated decisions that do not reproduce the true uncertainty caused by limitations in the size of the training data. Bayesian learning, while in principle capable of addressing this shortcoming, is in practice impaired by model misspecification and by the presence of outliers. Both problems are pervasive in wireless communication settings, in which the capacity of machine learning models is subject to resource constraints and training data is affected by noise and interference. In this context, we explore the application of the framework of robust Bayesian learning. After a tutorial-style introduction to robust Bayesian learning, we showcase the merits of robust Bayesian learning on several important wireless communication problems in terms of accuracy, calibration, and robustness to outliers and misspecification.Comment: Submitted for publicatio

Applying Theory of Change to strategy articulation cycles in design projects: Potentials and shortcomings through the Designscapes case study

Since the 1990s, the framework of Theory of Change has been used to address complex contexts of intervention especially in relation to planning and evaluating social practice. Theory of Change can be defined as the systematic and cumulative study of the links between the activities, outcomes, and context of an intervention. The aim of this paper is to explore through a case study whether Theory of Change can support more strategic approaches in design. In particular, the paper examines how Theory of Change was applied to DESIGNSCAPES - a project oriented, among other things, toward offering a supporting service for all those city actors interested in using design to develop urban innovation initiatives that tackle complex issues of broad concern

Mating-induced transient inhibition of responses to sex pheromone in a male moth is not mediated by octopamine or serotonin

In the male moth, Agrotis ipsilon, mating induces a transient inhibition of behavioural and central nervous responses to sex pheromone. Newly mated males are not attracted to sex pheromone, and the sensitivity of their antennal lobe (AL) neurons is lower than in virgin males. This rapid transient olfactory inhibition prevents them from re-mating unsuccessfully until they have refilled their sex glands. We hypothesized that this olfactory ‘switch off’ might be controlled by neuromodulators such as biogenic amines. To test our hypothesis, we studied the effects of octopamine (OA) and serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) on the coding properties of pheromone-sensitive AL neurons in virgin and newly mated males. We show that AL neuron sensitivity increased in newly mated males after injection of OA or 5-HT, but only OA treatment affected certain response characteristics of AL neurons in virgin males. Whereas all measured AL neuron response characteristics were different between virgin and newly mated males, amine treatment in newly mated males restored only the latency and spike frequency, but not the duration of excitatory and inhibitory phases, which were initially found in virgin males. Additionally, we investigated the behavioural effects of OA and 5-HT treatments in virgin and mated males. Although OA and 5-HT enhanced the general flight activity of newly mated males, amine treatments did not restore the behavioural pheromone response of mated moths. Altogether, these results show that, although biogenic amines modulate the olfactory system in moths, OA and 5-HT are probably not involved in the post-mating inhibition of responses to sex pheromone in A. ipsilon males.Fil: Barrozo, Romina. Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique; Francia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Jarriault, David. Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique; FranciaFil: Simeone, Xenia. Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique; FranciaFil: Gaertner, Cyril. Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique; FranciaFil: Gadenne, Christophe. Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique; FranciaFil: Anton, Sylvia. Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique; Franci

Adenosine has two faces: Regionally dichotomous adenosine tone in a model of epilepsy with comorbid sleep disorders

Objective: Adenosine participates in maintaining the excitatory/inhibitory balance in neuronal circuits. Studies indicate that adenosine levels in the cortex and hippocampus increase and exert sleep pressure in sleep-deprived and control animals, whereas in epilepsy reduced adenosine tone promotes hyperexcitability. To date, the role of adenosine in pathological conditions that result in both seizures and sleep disorders is unknown. Here, we determined adenosine tone in sleep and seizure regulating brain regions of Kv1.1 knockout (KO) mice, a model of temporal epilepsy with comorbid sleep disorders. Methods: 1) Reverse phase-high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) was performed on brain tissue to determine levels of adenosine and adenine nucleotides. 2) Multi-electrode array extracellular electrophysiology was used to determine adenosine tone in the hippocampal CA1 region and the lateral hypothalamus (LH). Results: RP-HPLC indicated a non-significant decrease in adenosine (~50%, p = 0.23) in whole brain homogenates of KO mice. Regional examination of relative levels of adenine nucleotides indicated decreased ATP and increased AMP in the cortex and hippocampus and increased adenosine in cortical tissue. Using electrophysiological and pharmacological techniques, estimated adenosine levels were ~35% lower in the KO hippocampal CA1 region, and 1–2 fold higher in the KO LH. Moreover, the increased adenosine in KO LH contributed to lower spontaneous firing rates of putative wake-promoting orexin/hypocretin neurons. Interpretation: This is the first study to demonstrate a direct correlation of regionally distinct dichotomous adenosine levels in a single model with both epilepsy and comorbid sleep disorders. The weaker inhibitory tone in the dorsal hippocampus is consistent with lower seizure threshold, whereas increased adenosine in the LH is consistent with chronic partial sleep deprivation. This work furthers our understanding of how adenosine may contribute to pathological conditions that underlie sleep disorders within the epileptic brain

Automated integration of monolith-based protein separation with on-plate digestion for mass spectrometric analysis of esophageal adenocarcinoma human epithelial samples

A unique approach of automating the integration of monolithic capillary HPLC-based protein separation and on-plate digestion for subsequent MALDI-MS analysis has been developed. All liquid-handling procedures were performed using a robotic module. This automated high-throughput method minimizes the amount of time and extensive labor required for traditional in-solution digestion followed by exhaustive sample cleanup and analysis. Also, precise positioning of the droplet from the capillary HPLC separation onto the MALDI plate allows for preconcentration effects of analytes for improved sensitivity. Proteins from primary esophageal Barrett's adenocarcinoma tissue were prefractionated by chromatofocusing and analyzed successfully by this automated configuration, obtaining rapid protein identifications through PMF and sequencing analyses with high sequence coverage. Additionally, intact protein molecular weight values were obtained as a means to further confirm protein identification and also to identify potential sequence modifications of proteins. This simple and rapid method is a highly versatile and robust approach for the analysis of complex proteomes.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/55811/1/3643_ftp.pd

Étude structurale de matériaux sous forme de couches minces par diffraction des rayons X en incidence rasante

International audienceLes matériaux sous forme de couches minces sont couramment analysés par diffraction des rayons X en incidence rasante. Cependant, afin d'extraire les informations caractéristiques de ces systèmes, il est nécessaire de prendre en compte les effets d’élargissement instrumental dans les programmes d'affinement par la méthode de Rietveld utilisés pour le traitement des données. Dans cet exposé, il sera montré que cela permet d'extraire des informations quantitatives pertinentes sur la structure (contrainte et positions atomiques) et sur la microstructure (taille des cristallites et micro-contraintes) qui seront mises en relation avec la chimie des films minces. Ces points seront illustrés en prenant quelques exemples aussi bien de couches minces d'oxydes que de chalcogénures