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    Transmission protocols for instruction streams

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    Threads as considered in thread algebra model behaviours to be controlled by some execution environment: upon each action performed by a thread, a reply from its execution environment -- which takes the action as an instruction to be processed -- determines how the thread proceeds. In this paper, we are concerned with the case where the execution environment is remote: we describe and analyse some transmission protocols for passing instructions from a thread to a remote execution environment.Comment: 13 page

    Robot control with biological cells

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    At present there exists a large gap in size, performance, adaptability and robustness between natural and artificial information processors for performing coherent perception-action tasks under real-time constraints. Even the simplest organisms have an enviable capability of coping with an unknown dynamic environment. Robots, in contrast, are still clumsy if confronted with such complexity. This paper presents a bio-hybrid architecture developed for exploring an alternate approach to the control of autonomous robots. Circuits prepared from amoeboid plasmodia of the slime mold Physarum polycephalum are interfaced with an omnidirectional hexapod robot. Sensory signals from the macro-physical environment of the robot are transduced to cellular scale and processed using the unique micro-physical features of intracellular information processing. Conversely, the response form the cellular computation is amplified to yield a macroscopic output action in the environment mediated through the robotā€™s actuators

    Isaac Newton on the action at a distance in gravity: With or without God?

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    The interpretation of Isaac Newton's texts has sparked controversy to this day. One of the most heated debates relates to the action between two bodies distant from each other (the gravitational attraction), and to what extent Newton involved God in this case. Practically, most of the papers discuss four types of gravitational attractions in the case of remote bodies: direct distance action as intrinsic property of bodies in epicurean sense; direct remote action divinely mediated by God; remote action mediated by a material ether; or remote action mediated by an immaterial ether. The purpose of this paper is to argue that Newton categorically rejected the types of direct action as the intrinsic property of bodies, and remote action mediated by a material ether. Concerning the other two types of action, direct through divine intervention and mediated through an immaterial environment, Newton has repeatedly stated that he does not know the exact cause of gravity, but in both cases, he has directly involved God, directly in the first case and as the primary cause (the environment/ether being the secondary cause) in immaterial mediated action. But since recognition of direct distance action could have given some credit to those who thought gravity could be essential to matter, and hence to atheism, Newton never openly acknowledged the possibility of such an idea. Keywords: Isaac Newton, action at a distance, God, gravity, gravity law, gravitation CONTENTS Abstract Introduction Principia Correspondence with Richard Bentley Queries in Opticks Conclusions Bibliography DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.25823.9232

    Disentangling the Sources of Pro-social Behavior in the Workplace: A Field Experiment

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    This paper presents evidence from a field experiment, which aims to identify the two sources of workersā€™ pro-social motivation that have been considered in the literature: action-oriented altruism and output-oriented altruism. To this end we employ an experimental design that first measures the level of effort exerted by student workers on a data entry task in an environment that elicits purely selfish behavior and we compare it to effort exerted in an environment that also induces action-oriented altruism. We then compare the latter to effort exerted in an environment where both types of altruistic preferences are elicited. We find that action-oriented altruism accounts for a significant increase in effort, while there is no additional impact due to output-oriented altruism. We also find significant gender-related differences in the treatment effect: women are very responsive to the treatment condition eliciting action-oriented altruism, while menā€™s behavior is not affected by any of the treatments.pro-social behavior, field experiment, effort, charitable donations

    Enhancing learning with authoritative actions: Reflective practice of positive power

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    Drawing from classic power perspective, my reflective practice illuminates how power action, traditionally recognized as negative and detrimental to teaching process and learning outcomes, could be shaped in a positive way to enhance learning. Insights gained from this action research set in a politically charged and culturally homogenous environment provide critical perspective to the research community and challenge traditional practices of teaching and learning. Implications gained call for attention to critical perspective of empirical studies that could provide lessons for educators and researchers to create a more effective teaching and learning environment with authoritative power. An action framework is created in the end to illustrate how the positive authoritative process can be achieved

    Learning action-oriented models through active inference

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    Converging theories suggest that organisms learn and exploit probabilistic models of their environment. However, it remains unclear how such models can be learned in practice. The open-ended complexity of natural environments means that it is generally infeasible for organisms to model their environment comprehensively. Alternatively, action-oriented models attempt to encode a parsimonious representation of adaptive agent-environment interactions. One approach to learning action-oriented models is to learn online in the presence of goal-directed behaviours. This constrains an agent to behaviourally relevant trajectories, reducing the diversity of the data a model need account for. Unfortunately, this approach can cause models to prematurely converge to sub-optimal solutions, through a process we refer to as a bad-bootstrap. Here, we exploit the normative framework of active inference to show that efficient action-oriented models can be learned by balancing goal-oriented and epistemic (information-seeking) behaviours in a principled manner. We illustrate our approach using a simple agent-based model of bacterial chemotaxis. We first demonstrate that learning via goal-directed behaviour indeed constrains models to behaviorally relevant aspects of the environment, but that this approach is prone to sub-optimal convergence. We then demonstrate that epistemic behaviours facilitate the construction of accurate and comprehensive models, but that these models are not tailored to any specific behavioural niche and are therefore less efficient in their use of data. Finally, we show that active inference agents learn models that are parsimonious, tailored to action, and which avoid bad bootstraps and sub-optimal convergence. Critically, our results indicate that models learned through active inference can support adaptive behaviour in spite of, and indeed because of, their departure from veridical representations of the environment. Our approach provides a principled method for learning adaptive models from limited interactions with an environment, highlighting a route to sample efficient learning algorithms

    THE ENVIRONMENT POLICY IN THE POST-ADHERING COUNTRIES

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    The paper deals with the impact of the European environment policy on the Member States. For the beginning, we analysed this policy as a horizontal one under the sustainable development. The next step was to present the new approach for the European environment policy including the 6th Environment Action Program. Some specific institutional actors support the synergetic character of the environment policy and insure the achieving of its objectives under the European Commission and the Environment General Direction. The European environment policy is use as a success example. The latest enlargements of the E.U. represent an example of good environment management, as well. Nowadays, the environment protection becomes one of the most important challenges to the world.Environment Action Program, environment policyā€™s instruments, environment strategy
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