Information theory and representation in associative word learning

A significant portion of early language learning can be viewed as an associative learning problem. We investigate the use of associative language learning based on the principle that words convey Shannon information about the environment. We discuss the shortcomings in representation used by previous associative word learners and propose a functional representation that not only denotes environmental categories, but serves as the basis for activities and interaction with the environment. We present experimental results with an autonomous agent acquiring language

Micromechanical Modeling of Shear Banding in Granular Media

Shear banding is a commonly observed yet complex form of instability in granular media by which the deformation is localized in a narrow zone along a certain path. The aim of this study is to investigate the micromechanics of shear banding using the discrete element method (DEM). For this purpose, a model was developed and calibrated to simulate the macroscale behavior of sand under plane strain conditions. Upon validation against laboratory experiments, two types of confining boundaries, displacement- and force-controlled, were examined to study the kinematics of shear bands. A constant volume test was then used to investigate the evolution of antisymmetric stresses before, during, and after shear band formation. The results indicate that the antisymmetric stresses significantly increase within the shear band throughout the loading history, but may not describe the precursory shear band conditions. The DEM model is shown to properly capture the micromechanics of shear bands

Light thrown by archaeology upon the religion of Canaan

This item was digitized by the Internet Archive. Thesis (M.A.)--Boston Universityhttps://archive.org/details/lightthrownbyarc00adk

Cycling and behaviour change: Using games to improve the experience for families

Digital games and media are being harnessed for educational purposes, with some now being used to promote sustainable behaviour. Such approaches exploit current trends in technology use and the popularity of digital gaming to encourage new activities or to change people’s behaviour. Mission:Explore is a project that taps into this new area, and is focussed on encouraging children and young people to get out and explore their local area through posting online challenges – which participants take part in to score points, earn rewards, and unlock achievements. The innovation was driven by a pro-social motivation to get people engaging with ‘geography’ in its widest sense, and to encourage local community participation as a way of addressing contemporary social issues. The social diffusion of Mission:Explore is based around developing a user community of participants.This research has focussed upon the potential of expanding the locations of the challenges posed by Mission:Explore to incorporate parts of the National Cycle Network (NCN), with the rationale being that this could be a motivating factor in encouraging greater use of the network, and consequently help in promoting cycling and active travel more generally. The aim of this research has been to explore the different ways in which families engage in game-playing, understand their current cycling behaviours, and explain how bringing the two together might be a motivating factor in encouraging them to cycle more and make greater use of the NCN routes in their area.The findings from the study show that in line with existing research, there are two main motivations for families to play games together: the first (and strongest) is simply for fun; the second is that playing games together gives them time together as a family, which can sometimes be difficult to find when different family members have busy and varied activity schedules and diverse interests. When asked about the notion of setting challenges along the national cycle network, there were several interesting suggestions of what families would like:i)Challenges structured around the activity of cycling itself (i.e. instructional activities related to skills riding the bike, using gears, etc...). This was suggested as a way of increasing both adults and children’s confidence in using the bike, which was suggested as a significant barrier to families cycling more.ii)Areas of cycle track engineered to be more physically exciting. Children and adults enjoyed the simple feeling of being on their bike, and the suggestion was that at points along a stretch of the route there could be the option to divert from the main, direct path and explore areas with ramps, berms, banked corners, chicanes, and other additions to make the experience more fun.iii)Attractively landscaped areas at which to stop, rest, and explore along the route. Some of the participants enjoyed taking new routes for the adventure, however said that some structure to this would improve the experience. Areas that provide information about the route and challenges tailored to the local area would be welcomed. These should not be far off the track and should be clearly marked. The key message to be taken from this research is that whilst playing games together was always seen as an enjoyable part of family life, there is a question as to how motivational adding a gaming element to the NCN would be in the context of encouraging greater use. The key barriers to greater use of the network identified were: I)A lack of confidence on bikes (amongst adults, which could be passed to the children); II)Concerns for safety linked to the fragmented nature of the network, and the need to cycle for a distance on-road to access car-free portions of the NCN (related to the previous point); III)A lack of knowledge about how and where to cycle in the local area.As such, it is unlikely that providing challenges alone will encourage families that do not cycle much (or at all) to get out there and use the NCN, because such an approach does not address these deeper-seated barriers.However, for families that are already experienced and confident in cycling together, it was seen as a welcome addition to their more routine experiences of the NCN routes in the area. All parents that were interviewed were extremely enthusiastic about any efforts made to provide activities for them to do with their children, and from this perspective there is merit in improving NCN in the ways described above. To summarise: Improving NCN routes through the addition of challenges or games en-route is not a quick-fix cure-all, however it could fit well into the current toolkit of approaches to improving cycling infrastructure, and further contribute to the NCN providing a more engaging, fun, and desirable cycling experience for users

Identifying emotional states through keystroke dynamics

The ability to recognize emotions is an important part of building intelligent computers. Extracting the emotional aspects of a situation could provide computers with a rich context to make appropriate decisions about how to interact with the user or adapt the system response. The problem that we address in this thesis is that the current methods of determining user emotion have two issues: the equipment that is required is expensive, and the majority of these sensors are invasive to the user. These problems limit the real-world applicability of existing emotion-sensing methods because the equipment costs limit the availability of the technology, and the obtrusive nature of the sensors are not realistic in typical home or office settings. Our solution is to determine user emotions by analyzing the rhythm of an individual‘s typing patterns on a standard keyboard. Our keystroke dynamics approach would allow for the uninfluenced determination of emotion using technology that is in widespread use today. We conducted a field study where participants‘ keystrokes were collected in situ and their emotional states were recorded via self reports. Using various data mining techniques, we created models based on 15 different emotional states. With the results from our cross-validation, we identify our best-performing emotional state models as well as other emotional states that can be explored in future studies. We also provide a set of recommendations for future analysis on the existing data set as well as suggestions for future data collection and experimentation

The Identification of Extreme Asymptotic Giant Branch Stars and Red Supergiants in M33 by 24 {\mu}m Variability

We present the first detection of 24 {\mu}m variability in 24 sources in the Local Group galaxy M33. These results are based on 4 epochs of MIPS observations, which are irregularly spaced over ~750 days. We find that these sources are constrained exclusively to the Holmberg radius of the galaxy, which increases their chances of being members of M33. We have constructed spectral energy distributions (SEDs) ranging from the optical to the sub-mm to investigate the nature of these objects. We find that 23 of our objects are most likely heavily self-obscured, evolved stars; while the remaining source is the Giant HII region, NGC 604. We believe that the observed variability is the intrinsic variability of the central star reprocessed through their circumstellar dust shells. Radiative transfer modeling was carried out to determine their likely chemical composition, luminosity, and dust production rate (DPR). As a sample, our modeling has determined an average luminosity of (3.8 $\pm$ 0.9) x 10$^4$ L$_\odot$ and a total DPR of (2.3 $\pm$ 0.1) x 10$^{-5}$ M$_\odot$ yr$^{-1}$. Most of the sources, given the high DPRs and short wavelength obscuration, are likely "extreme" AGB (XAGB) stars. Five of the sources are found to have luminosities above the classical AGB limit (M$_{\rm bol}$ 54,000 L$_\odot$), which classifies them as probably red supergiants (RSGs). Almost all of the sources are classified as oxygen rich. As also seen in the LMC, a significant fraction of the dust in M33 is produced by a handful of XAGB and RSG stars.Comment: 36 pages, 14 figures, 4 tables, Accepted for publication in A

The nature of the reactions occurring in the distillation of zinc from its ores and the effect on the speed of these reactions due to certain variables

The reactions that occur in the metallurgy of zinc are in general well known as to the end results obtained. The zinc smelter desires a maximum recovery in a minimum time. There are certain factors that govern the fulfillment of this desire. The most important of these are TEMPERATURE, TIME, KIND OF REDUCTION MATERIAL, and THE NATURE OF THE ORE. There is much data available as to the temperatures at which these reactions go on and also there is obtainable some information as to the speed with which these reactions progress, particularly as to the length of time required for the commercial distillation. All of this information however is to a certain degree disconnected and to some extent contradictory. the lack of information particularly true as regards the time factor and the completeness of reaction at various temperatures under known conditions. The four points mentioned above, TIME, TEMPERATURE, KIND OF REDUCTION MATERIAL, and NATURE OF THE ORE are of vital importance to the zinc metallurgist for upon these factors hinge not only the capacity of his plant, because of the speed of distillation, but, also, the recovery of values --Statement of the Problem, page 1

Oils and flotation

We know that the sulphides, or minerals with a metallic lustre, can be floated either with or without oil and that the carbonates, silicates, etc., cannot be floated so readily. Why do certain oils have the power of selecting certain minerals? Why do certain oils produce froth? Why do certain oils give a watery froth? Why do some give an ephemeral froth and others a tough one? Of the thousands of oils known, only a few classes have found successful application in this new process...This leads us to the question, what property or combination of properties make oils valuable as flotation agents?--Introduction, page 5-6

Self and role perception of social work students during training

Thesis (M.S.)--Boston Universit