Data Operations and an Application for Translating Russian Speech to French Text

In 2006, the French government discretely asked for an assessment of the highest accuracy means available at the time to translate Russian speech into French text. One of us was working with the Grenoble HP site at the time, and so promptly assessed the possibilities using existing speech-to-text and translation software (Nuance and Speechworks). This article describes the surprisingly circuitous route to maximum accuracy (90.3%), and in so doing provides an unexpected insight into discerning the native language of software designed for speech-to-text and translation applications.

The skeletal effects of congenital syphilis: the case of Parrot’s bones

We provide a brief account of the life and work of Jules Parrot, a significant figure in French paediatrics, about whom almost nothing has been written. We focus on his work relating to congenital syphilis, specifically reporting on the examination of a collection of bones taken at autopsy from children with congenital syphilis. The collection of bones was brought to London in 1879 by Parrot to illustrate a talk that he gave before the Pathological Society of London. Subsequently, it travelled a circuitous route to the Royal Free Hospital pathology collection, where it remained until we (GC and TW) ‘discovered’ it. The bones represent the largest assemblage of material from cases of congenital syphilis in the UK and they are important as they clearly demonstrate the skeletal lesions associated with congenital syphilis and are now irreplaceable. The bones have been identified to anatomical element and have come from a minimum of eight children, both foetuses and neonates covering the period 30–50 weeks post-conception. Radiological and micro computerised tomography examinations were carried out and three-dimensional models printed at twice life size. The models are durable and can be handled with impunity by students and others wishing to familiarise themselves with the skeletal changes shown.

Language nests on the move: The case of V

This article considers the circuitous route of knowledge exchange from South (New Zealand)-to North (Finland)-to regional South (Estonia) by examining the development of V

What Can Biopolitics Teach us About Democratic Representation?

My interest in biopolitics took a circuitous route. My guiding interest in studying politics is the study of democratic representation. Democracy is a special institution. It holds out the hope that we can resolve our differences in a peaceful way by letting the governed govern themselves. As a graduate student, I was immediately taken by Anthony Down’s (1957) theory of democracy. It just made so much sense. People hold preferences that are ordered and coherent. They derive utility from outcomes. Government policy should, therefore, reflect the distribution of policy preferences that maximizes the utility of the most people. Easy peasy, right?