Embodied cognition through cultural interaction

In this short paper we describe a robotic setup to study the self-organization of conceptualisation and language. What distinguishes this project from others is that we envision a robot with specic cognitive capacities, but without resorting to any pre-programmed representations or conceptualisations. The key to this all is self-organization and enculturation. We report preliminary results on learning motor behaviours through imitation, and sketch how the language plays a pivoting role in constructing world representations

Localized Innovation, Localized Diffusion and the Environment: An Analysis of CO2 Emission Reductions by Passenger Cars, 2000-2007

We investigate technological change with regard to CO2 emissions by passenger cars, using a Free Disposal Hull methodology to estimate technological frontiers. We have a sample of cars available in the UK market in the period 2000 – 2007. Our results show that the rates of technological change (frontier movement) and diffusion (distance to frontier at the car brand level) differ substantial between segments of the car market. We conclude that successful policies should be aimed at diffusion of best-practice technology, and take account of the different potential for further progress between different segments of the market (e.g., diesel and gasoline engines, and small vs. large engines).

Localized Innovation, Localized Diffusion and the Environment: An Analysis of CO2 Emission Reductions by Passenger Cars, 2000-2007

We investigate technological change with regard to CO2 emissions by passenger cars, using a Free Disposal Hull methodology to estimate technological frontiers. We have a sample of cars available in the UK market in the period 2000 – 2007. Our results show that the rates of technological change (frontier movement) and diffusion (distance to frontier at the car brand level) differ substantial between segments of the car market. We conclude that successful policies should be aimed at diffusion of best-practice technology, and take account of the different potential for further progress between different segments of the market (e.g., diesel and gasoline engines, and small vs. large engines).CO2 emissions by cars, technological change, diffusion of innovations

Zeta functions and Bernstein-Sato polynomials for ideals in dimension two

For a nonzero ideal I of C[x_1,...,x_n], with 0 in supp I, a generalization of a conjecture of Igusa - Denef - Loeser predicts that every pole of its topological zeta function is a root of its Bernstein-Sato polynomial. However, typically only a few roots are obtained this way. Following ideas of Veys, we study the following question. Is it possible to find a collection G of polynomials g in C[x_1,...,x_n], such that, for all g in G, every pole of the topological zeta function associated to I and the volume form gdx on the affine n-space, is a root of the Bernstein-Sato polynomial of I, and such that all roots are realized in this way. We obtain a negative answer to this question, providing counterexamples for monomial and principal ideals in dimension two, and give a partial positive result as well.Comment: 19 pages, 8 figure

Search for New Physics at {\surd}s = 7 TeV in Hadronic Final States with Missing Transverse Energy and Heavy Flavor

A search for supersymmetric particles in events with large missing transverse momentum, heavy flavor jet candidates and no leptons (e,\mu) in {\surd}s = 7 TeV proton-proton collisions is presented. In a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 0.83 fb^-1 recorded by the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider, no significant excess is observed with respect to the prediction for Standard Model processes. Model-independent production cross section upper limits are provided in the context of simplified models as well as conventional limits.Comment: 10 pages, 5 figures, Proceedings of the DPF-2011 Conference, Providence, RI, August 8-13, 201

Specifics

In all these examples there appears to be mismatch between the position at which an indefinite appears and its preferred interpretation. Following many of the more recent contributions to the literature, I will assume that this is the hallmark of specificity (e.g. Ahusch 1994, Reinhart 1997, Winter 1997, van Geenhoven 1998). Such mismatches are not the norm: indefinites are often interpreted in situ, and there is some reason for taking this to be the default option. The reason is that comparatively 'neutral', i.e. semantically attenuate, indefinites have a preference for in situ readings [...]