Bernard Suits on capacities: games, perfectionism, and Utopia

An essential and yet often neglected motivation of Bernard Suits’ elevation of gameplay to the ideal of human existence is his account of capacities along perfectionist lines and the function of games in eliciting them. In his work Suits treats the expression of these capacities as implicitly good and the purest expression of the human telos. Although it is a possible interpretation to take Suits’ utopian vision to mean that gameplay in his future utopia must consist of the logically inevitable replaying of activities we conduct in the present for instrumental reasons (playing games-by-default), because gameplay for Suits is identical with the expression of sets of capacities specifically elicited by game rules, it is much more likely that he intends utopian gameplay to be an endless series of carefully crafted opportunities for the elicitation of special capacities (playing games-by-design), and thus embody his ideal of existence. This article therefore provides a new lens for understanding both Suits’ definitional work on gameplay and its connection to his utopian vision in the last chapter of The Grasshopper: Games, Life, and Utopia

Conformational analysis of the Streptococcus pneumoniae hyaluronate lyase and characterization of Its hyaluronan-specific carbohydrate-binding module

For a subset of pathogenic microorganisms, including Streptococcus pneumoniae, the recognition and degradation of host hyaluronan contributes to bacterial spreading through the extracellular matrix and enhancing access to host cell surfaces. The hyaluronate lyase (Hyl) presented on the surface of S. pneumoniae performs this role. Using glycan microarray screening, affinity electrophoresis, and isothermal titration calorimetry we show that the N-terminal module of Hyl is a hyaluronan-specific carbohydrate-binding module (CBM) and the founding member of CBM family 70. The 1.2 Å resolution x-ray crystal structure of CBM70 revealed it to have a β-sandwich fold, similar to other CBMs. The electrostatic properties of the binding site, which was identified by site-directed mutagenesis, are distinct from other CBMs and complementary to its acidic ligand, hyaluronan. Dynamic light scattering and solution small angle x-ray scattering revealed the full-length Hyl protein to exist as a monomer/dimer mixture in solution. Through a detailed analysis of the small angle x-ray scattering data, we report the pseudoatomic solution structures of the monomer and dimer forms of the full-length multimodular Hyl

The Character as subjective interface

This paper re-frames virtual interactive characters as " subjective interfaces " with the purpose of highlighting original affordances for interactive story-telling through conversation. This notion is theoretically unpacked in the perspectives of narratology, interaction design and game design. Existing and imagined scenarios are presented in which subjective interfaces are elevated as core interaction mechanics. Finally, technical challenges posed by this approach are reviewed alongside relevant existing research leads.Fonds de Recherche du Québec - Société et Cultur

An Econometric Model of the Watermelon Market

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/152655/1/ajae1233923.pd

A simplified drive-reinforcement model for unsupervised learning in artificial neural networks

Partly in response to the apparent limitations of explicit symbol processing used by traditional artificial intelligence research, there has been, within the last decade, a growing interest in artificial neural networks. This thesis focuses on the development and testing of a model for describing certain kinds of biological phenomena. The many artificial neural networks available may be classified into three types: (1) self-organizing networks, which have input but no feedback; (2) unsupervised networks, requiring minimal feedback (perhaps a signal indicating success or failure); and (3) supervised models, which employ far more extensive (and, I think, biologically implausible) feedback mechanisms. In this thesis I examine only models of the second type. The Rescorla-Wagner trial-level model gives a quantitative description of what happens as a result of a conditioning trial. But that model, along with more detailed, temporal (i.e., intratrial) models, such as a traditional Hebbian model and the Sutton-Barto model, make predictions which are at odds with empirical data. Klopf\u27s drive-reinforcement model is a much more robust account, from which I develop a simplified drive-reinforcement (SDR) model. I prepare a number of experiments to test my SDR model\u27s correspondence with empirical data derived from animal learning experiments; I demonstrate that the model is capable of describing a wide variety of classical conditioning phenome na; and I 6how how the model may form the basis for instrumental conditioning as well. Finally, I add a simple motivating principle (or drive ) and show that such an addition seems to enhance the learning capabilities of the model

A NOTE ON THE THEORY OF SOCIAL CHOICE

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/73695/1/j.1467-6435.1951.tb01740.x.pd

An improved experimental test set-up to study the performance of granular columns

This paper describes an innovative design of a newly developed large test setup for testing the performance of footings supported on soft clay reinforced with granular columns. This advanced testing method is used to examine the settlement of footings supported on granular columns. Two important features of the equipment are (a) the axial loading system which allows samples to be consolidated under Ko condition while the load is applied onto a small foundation area of the sample, and (b) a relatively large sample size of 300-mm diameter and 400-mm high. The system is also equipped with pressure cells located beneath the footing and top cap to measure the pressure distribution with respect to foundation displacement and a lateral strain gage to monitor boundary effects. This paper reports on some of the early findings from the preliminary tests carried out using this equipment. Samples for testing were prepared by consolidating kaolin slurry in a large one-dimensional consolidation chamber. The granular columns were installed using the replacement method by compacting crushed basalt (uniformly graded with 90 % between 1.5–2-mm particle sizes) into a preformed hole. The preliminary tests have yielded promising results, validating the functionality of the equipment and support the prospect of increasing the knowledge with respect to settlement response and design of a footing supported on granular columns

What's wrong with the scrum laws in rugby union? - Judgment, truth and refereeing

Officiating and the role of officials in sport are crucial and often decisive factors in sports contests. Notable contributions in philosophy of sport include Collins (2012), Russell (1997; 1999), McFee (2011) & Mumford (2006) have brought a sharp philosophical focus to highlight that justice and desert of sport contests, in part, rely on officiating truths (performances) that arise from an appropriate admixture of epistemic (judgments) and metaphysical (actions) ingredients. This paper provides a rigorous and original philosophical analysis of the problems of obeying the rules and of applying the rules of sport. The paper focuses on a particular phase of play in rugby union, namely the scrum. It is fair to say that the scrum has become a focus of criticism and bewilderment. Elite televised rugby is damaged as a spectacle because too much time is wasted setting and re-setting scrums. Furthermore, our trust in the fairness of games is eroded because the scrum is a ‘lottery’ when it comes to officiating. In this paper, we identify two fundamental structural problems which contribute to the scrum controversy. First, drawing on Mumford (2006) and Collins (2012) we argue that officials cannot make reliable judgments about scrums because they cannot see what they need to see. Secondly, we argue that players cannot follow the laws of the scrum even if they have a strong desire to do so. Laws which can’t be followed are, according to Fuller (2000) defective. Consequently, the scrum is not only potentially dangerous but also flawed in terms of its capacity to actualize an intended part of the game

Slater-Pauling Behavior of the Half-Ferromagnetic Full-Heusler Alloys

Using the full-potential screened Korringa-Kohn-Rostoker method we study the full-Heusler alloys based on Co, Fe, Rh and Ru. We show that many of these compounds show a half-metallic behavior, however in contrast to the half-Heusler alloys the energy gap in the minority band is extremely small. These full-Heusler compounds show a Slater-Pauling behavior and the total spin-magnetic moment per unit cell (M_t) scales with the total number of valence electrons (Z_t) following the rule: M_t=Z_t-24. We explain why the spin-down band contains exactly 12 electrons using arguments based on the group theory and show that this rule holds also for compounds with less than 24 valence electrons. Finally we discuss the deviations from this rule and the differences compared to the half-Heusler alloys.Comment: 10 pages, 8 figures, revised figure 3, new text adde