Logic, self-awareness and self-improvement: The metacognitive loop and the problem of brittleness

This essay describes a general approach to building perturbation-tolerant autonomous systems, based on the conviction that artificial agents should be able notice when something is amiss, assess the anomaly, and guide a solution into place. We call this basic strategy of self-guided learning the metacognitive loop; it involves the system monitoring, reasoning about, and, when necessary, altering its own decision-making components. In this essay, we (a) argue that equipping agents with a metacognitive loop can help to overcome the brittleness problem, (b) detail the metacognitive loop and its relation to our ongoing work on time-sensitive commonsense reasoning, (c) describe specific, implemented systems whose perturbation tolerance was improved by adding a metacognitive loop, and (d) outline both short-term and long-term research agendas

The roots of self-awareness

In this paper we provide an account of the structural underpinnings of self-awareness. We offer both an abstract, logical account-by way of suggestions for how to build a genuinely self-referring artificial agent-and a biological account, via a discussion of the role of somatoception in supporting and structuring self-awareness more generally. Central to the account is a discussion of the necessary motivational properties of self-representing mental tokens, in light of which we offer a novel definition of self-representation. We also discuss the role of such tokens in organizing self-specifying information, which leads to a naturalized restatement of the guarantee that introspective awareness is immune to error due to mis-identification of the subject

Agricultural markets and risks - management of the latter, not the former

The authors review the historical relationship between the work of applied economists, and policymakers, and the institutions that came to characterize the commodity, and risk markets of the 1980s. These institutions were a response to the harmful consequences of commodity market volatility, and declining terms of trade. But the chosen policies, and instruments relied on market interventions, to directly affect prices, or the distribution of prices in domestic, and international markets. For practical, and more fundamental reasons, this approach failed. The authors next discuss how a growing body of work, contributed to a change in thinking that moved policy away from stabilization goals, toward policies that emphasized the management of risks. They distinguish between the macroeconomic effects of volatile commodity markets, and the consequences for businesses, and households. The authors argue that both sets of problems remain important development issues, but that appropriate policy instruments are largely separate. Nonetheless, because governments, households, and firms must all respond to a wide range of sources of risk, they emphasize the role for an integrated policy by government. Increasingly, alternative approaches have come to rely on market-based instruments. Such approaches accept the market view of relative prices as immutable, but address directly the negative consequences of volatility. As traditional risk markets (such as futures and insurance markets) expand, and new parametric markets emerge, the practicality of applying market-based instruments to traditional risk, and development problems increases. The authors show the change in approaches to risk, and the reliance on old, and new market instruments, with new, and sometimes experimental programs, with special emphasis on programs at the World Bank.Labor Policies,Payment Systems&Infrastructure,Health Economics&Finance,Environmental Economics&Policies,Insurance&Risk Mitigation,Environmental Economics&Policies,Insurance&Risk Mitigation,Health Economics&Finance,Banks&Banking Reform,Financial Intermediation

Corridor use, feeding ecology, and habitat relationships of black bears in a fragmented landscape in Louisiana

Twenty Louisiana black bears (Ursus americanus luteolus) were captured 23 times on a privately-owned study area (350 km2) in the Tensas River Basin in northeast Louisiana. The area consisted of 4 major isolated bottomland hardwood fragments totaling \u3c 35 km2, surrounded by extensive agricultural fields. Radio-telemetry, geographic information systems (GIS), and habitat sampling were used to determine corridor use, feeding ecology, and habitat relationships. A total of 2,417 telemetry locations were obtained from 19 radio-collared bears (13 female, 6 male). Mean annual home-range estimates were 41.6 km2 and 13.2 km2 for males and females, respectively. Seasonal home ranges were largest in summer, with males having larger home ranges than females in all seasons. Radio-collared bears were located in corridors and forested tracts more than expected in proportion to occurrence, whereas there were fewer locations than expected in agricultural fields (P \u3c 0.001). Locations in corridors were farther from forested tracts (x̄ = 1,443 m, S.D. = 913 m) than locations in fields (x̄ = 290 m, S.D. = 292 m) (P \u3c 0.001). Bears were radio-located in corridors most often during the summer months; of 115 corridor locations, 64 were in June and July. Bear sign along corridors indicated that most activity occurred in May and June. I documented radio-collared bears moving from 1 forested tract to another on 47 occasions. All males (n = 6) moved to another tract other than the tract of capture, whereas only 3 of 13 females moved to another tract other than the tract of capture. Males do not seem to be affected as much as females by the level of fragmentation on the Deltic study area. Of the 33 male tract-to-tract movements, 52% were from tracts linked with a corridor, whereas, of the 14 female tract-to-tract movements, 100% were from tracts linked with a corridor. Seasonal and annual diets of bears on the Deltic study area were determined from analysis of 249 scats. Agricultural crops (com, wheat, oats) comprised 49% of the annual diet by volume. Natural foods in the annual diet were dominated volumetrically by unknown vegetation, paw paw (Asimina triloba), and oak (Quercus spp.) mast, accounting for 12%, 11%, and 7% of the diet, respectively. An index based on 11 habitat variables was developed to determine relative habitat quality between 4 habitat fragments. The results indicated that Blue Cat contained the best bear habitat, followed by Wade Bayou, Panther Lake, and Brownie. Two indices of bear activity between the 4 habitat fragments supported the results of the habitat index. All radio-collared bears denned in bottomland hardwood habitat. Of the 9 radiocollard bears (8 females, 1 males) monitored the winter of 1994-1995,2 females denned in hollow trees and the remainder used ground dens. Of the 8 radio-collared bears (5 females, 3 males) monitored the winter of 1995-1996, one female denned in a hollow tree and the remaining females used ground dens. Mean litter size was 1.8 and ranged from 1 to 3 (n = 4). I documented no cub mortality. Two mortalities of radio-collared bears occurred during the study. One subadult female was killed in a vehicle collision, and the other was a suspected vehicle collision. No instances of bear poaching have been reported on the study area, nor in the Tensas River Basin since 1991. Prior to October 1996, there was some speculation that this bear population may be isolated. There had been no documentation of bear immigration or emigration nor of a bear crossing Interstate 20 (1-20), which bisects the Deltic bear population from the Tensas River National Wildlife Refuge (TRNWR) population. In October 1996, a subadult male bear tagged on the Deltic study area in May 1995 was captured on the TRNWR. This was the first documentation of a bear crossing 1-20 within the Tensas River Basin

Literary Types: How Literature Helped Inspire Healing and Joy in my Classroom and Beyond, a Narrative

This manuscript examines the role of bibliotherapy, specifically the utilization of literature in the form of books, to address and treat emotional and psychological distress. The document offers a concise historical overview of bibliotherapy, in addition to 29 chapters presenting contemporary accounts illustrating the successful application of bibliotherapy in the lives of both adolescents and adults. Extensive research supports the notion that bibliotherapy constitutes a rational and practical approach to assisting individuals of all ages, with a particular emphasis on adolescents, in overcoming emotional trauma and initiating the healing process. Specifically, a seminal study conducted in the Netherlands by Tijms, J., Stoop, M. A., & Polleck, J. N. (2018) serves as a foundation for the research presented in this manuscript. By incorporating brief narrative chapters containing practical applications, this dissertation aims to contextualize the principles derived from the research conducted in this field

Energetic Consequences for a Northern, Range-Edge Lizard Population

Lizards at the northern, cool edge of their geographic range in the northern hemisphere should encounter environmental conditions that differ from those living near the core of their range. To better understand how modest climate differences affect lizard energetics, we compared daily feeding and metabolism rates of individual Sceloporus occidentalis in two populations during mid-summer. Chuckanut Beach (CB) was a cool, maritime climate in northern Washington State, and Sondino Ranch (SR) was a warmer, drier climate in southern, inland Washington. We found no difference between populations in daily energy expenditure (DEE), as calculated from doubly labeled water estimates. The CB population, however, had significantly higher prey availability and rate of daily energy intake (DEI) as estimated from fecal pellet masses. Consequently, CB lizards had higher size-adjusted body masses than lizards from SR. Within CB, during midsummer, DEE was similar to DEI. Within the SR population, DEE trended higher than DEI during midsummer, but was not significantly different. We found no population differences in lizard activity, active body temperature, or preferred body temperature. Hence, we infer the longer activity season for the SR population may compensate for the low food availability and high daily energy cost of midsummer. Moreover, for the CB population, we infer that cooler temperatures and higher food availability allow the lizards to compensate for the shorter activity. We also suggest the CB population may benefit from the predicted warmer temperatures associated with climate change given the similar activity-period body temperatures and DEE between these lizard populations assuming food availability is sufficient

Laser diffraction particle sizing: Instrument probe volume relocation and elongation

The effective probe volume of laser diffraction particle sizing instruments depends on many instrument parameters. In particular the probe volume axial boundaries and its location along laser beam are essentially defined by the onset of a vignetting effect where light scattered at large angles from small particles misses the transform lens. This vignetting effect results in a probe volume that must be inconveniently close to the lens in order to detect smaller diameter particles (less than 100 micrometers). With the addition of an appropriately designed Keplerian telescope, the probe volume may be relocated and elongated. The theory of operation of this supplemental optical system is described. Design considerations for these supplemental optical systems are described, including recommendations for lens specifications, assembly and use. An image transfer system is described which has been designed for use on a Malvern 2600HSD instrument. Experimental validation of this image transfer system is described

Invertebrate Biomass and Richness in Various Food Plot Types in East Texas

As northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) chicks are dependent on invertebrates for food, land managers often use spring/summer food plots to meet these needs. We examined invertebrate production in native vegetation and 6 different food plot types (i.e., fallow disking only; fallow disking and fertilizing; or disking, fertilizing, and planting a single species [browntop millet, iron and clay peas, or sorghum] or a multi-species mix [browntop millet, catjang peas, iron and clay peas, Japanese millet, and pearl millet]) in the Pineywoods of east Texas. Invertebrates were collected weekly during the summers of 1997 and 1999 and for 5 weekly sampling periods during summer, 1998. For each food plot type, invertebrates were separated from debris, air dried, and weighed as a group. Bi-weekly, a 100-invertebrate sub-sample was randomly selected from each sample and sorted to order with weight and number of individuals recorded. When spring precipitation was sufficient, multi-species food plots produced greater (P \u3c 0.05) invertebrate biomass than fallow or native vegetation plots, and all cultivated plots had more (P \u3c 0.05) biomass than native vegetation. Likewise, all cultivated plots had more (P \u3c 0.05) biomass than fallow plots in early summer but not in mid- and late summer. A combination of multi-species (with legumes) food plots and fallow disking should provide bobwhite chicks with invertebrates throughout most summers