Semantic transfer and contradictory evidence in intuitionistic fuzzy sets

The relationship between object level intuitionistic fuzzy sets and predicate based intuitionistic fuzzy sets is explored. Mass assignment uses a process called semantic unification to evaluate the degree to which one set supports another, the inverse function is semantic separation. Intuitionistic fuzzy sets are mapped onto a mass assignment framework and the semantic unification operator is generalised to support both mass assignment and intuitionistic fuzzy sets, as is semantic separation. Transfer of inconsistent and contradictory evidence are also dealt with

Managing contradictory evidence

The paper draws on the theory of mass assignment to refine the underlying semantics of intuitionistic fuzzy sets. Inconsistency can arise from several sources and it is dealt with in different ways. All the representations of inconsistency and contradiction in this paper arise from considering restricting and positive evidence lattices. In particular this paper formally addresses the operators, intersection and conjunction in detail. Because union and disjunction are required to compute the values for intersection and conjunction these are also covered as part of the analysis

Reasoning consistently about inconsistency

Patching et al. and Hinde et al. in their work on truth-space mass assignments, presented a semantic unification function and a semantic separation function for mass assignment logic that dealt with inconsistency. This paper takes these two functions and while preserving the outside inconsistencies shows how inconsistency can be reasoned about in a consistent manner. This means that inconsistency that arises outside the system need not enter the system, but needs to be represented within the system, and can therefore be extracted appropriately as output from the system to emerge as inconsistency on the outside. The internal reasoning system need therefore only concern itself with belief in truth, falsity and uncertainty

Managing contradictory evidence

The paper draws on the theory of mass assignment to refine the underlying semantics of intuitionistic fuzzy sets. Inconsistency can arise from several sources and it is dealt with in different ways. All the representations of inconsistency and contradiction in this paper arise from considering restricting and positive evidence lattices. In particular this paper formally addresses the operators, intersection and conjunction in detail. Because union and disjunction are required to compute the values for intersection and conjunction these are also covered as part of the analysis

Reasoning Consistently about Inconsistency

Patching et al. and Hinde et al. in their work on truth-space mass assignments, presented a semantic unification function and a semantic separation function for mass assignment logic that dealt with inconsistency. This paper takes these two functions and while preserving the outside inconsistencies shows how inconsistency can be reasoned about in a consistent manner. This means that inconsistency that arises outside the system need not enter the system, but needs to be represented within the system, and can therefore be extracted appropriately as output from the system to emerge as inconsistency on the outside. The internal reasoning system need therefore only concern itself with belief in truth, falsity and uncertainty

A Lagerstätte from Australia provides insight into the nature of Miocene mesic ecosystems

Reduced precipitation in the Miocene triggered the geographic contraction of rainforest ecosystems around the world. In Australia, this change was particularly pronounced; mesic rainforest ecosystems that once dominated the landscape transformed into the shrublands, grasslands, and deserts of today. A lack of well-preserved fossils has made it difficult to understand the nature of Australian ecosystems before the aridification. Here, we report on an exceptionally well-preserved rainforest biota from New South Wales, Australia. This Konservat-Lagerstätte hosts a rich diversity of microfossils, plants, insects, spiders, and vertebrate remains preserved in goethite. We document evidence for several species interactions including predation, parasitism, and pollination. The fossils are indicative of an oxbow lake in a mesic rainforest and suggest that rainforest distributions have shifted since the Miocene. The variety of fossils preserved, together with high fidelity of preservation, allows for unprecedented insights into the mesic ecosystems that dominated Australia during the Miocene

Paternity alone does not predict long-term investment in juveniles by male baboons

Adult male chacma baboons (Papio hamadryas ursinus) form preferential associations, or friendships, with particular lactating females. Males exhibit high levels of affiliative contact with their friends’ infants and defend them from potentially infanticidal attacks (Palombit et al. 1997). Little is known about males’ associations with juveniles once they have passed the period of infanticidal risk. We conducted an observational, experimental, and genetic study of adult male and juvenile chacma baboons in the Moremi Reserve, Botswana. We identified preferential associations between males and juveniles and used behavioral data and a playback experiment to explore whether those associations have potential fitness benefits for juveniles. We determined whether males preferentially invest in care of their own offspring. We also determined how often males invest in care of their former friends’ offspring. The majority of juveniles exhibited preferential associations with one or two males, who had almost always been their mother’s friend during infancy. However, in only a subset of these relationships was the male the actual father, in part because many fathers died or disappeared before their offspring were weaned. Male caretakers intervened on behalf of their juvenile associates in social conflicts more often than they intervened on behalf of unconnected juveniles, and they did not appear to differentiate between genetic offspring and unrelated associates. Playbacks of juveniles’ distress calls elicited a stronger response from their caretakers than from control males. Chacma males may provide care to unrelated offspring of former friends because the costs associated with such care are low compared with the potentially high fitness costs of refusing aid to a juvenile who is a possible offspring

Social preferences and network structure in a population of reef manta rays

Understanding how individual behavior shapes the structure and ecology ofpopulations is key to species conservation and management. Like manyelasmobranchs, manta rays are highly mobile and wide ranging species threatened byanthropogenic impacts. In shallow-water environments these pelagic rays often formgroups, and perform several apparently socially-mediated behaviors. Group structuresmay result from active choices of individual rays to interact, or passive processes.Social behavior is known to affect spatial ecology in other elasmobranchs, but this isthe first study providing quantitative evidence for structured social relationships inmanta rays. To construct social networks, we collected data from more than 500groups of reef manta rays over five years, in the Raja Ampat Regency of West Papua.We used generalized affiliation indices to isolate social preferences from non-socialassociations, the first study on elasmobranchs to use this method. Longer lastingsocial preferences were detected mostly between female rays. We detectedassortment of social relations by phenotype and variation in social strategies, with theoverall social network divided into two main communities. Overall network structurewas characteristic of a dynamic fission-fusion society, with differentiated relationshipslinked to strong fidelity to cleaning station sites. Our results suggest that fine-scaleconservation measures will be useful in protecting social groups of M. alfredi in theirnatural habitats, and that a more complete understanding of the social nature of mantarays will help predict population response

Report on the In-vehicle Auditory Interactions Workshop: Taxonomy, Challenges, and Approaches

Jeon M, Hermann T, Bazilinskyy P, et al. Report on the In-vehicle Auditory Interactions Workshop: Taxonomy, Challenges, and Approaches. In: Proceedings of the 7th International Conference on Automotive User Interfaces and Interactive Vehicular Applications - Automotive'UI 15. 2015: 1-5.As driving is mainly a visual task, auditory displays play a critical role for in-vehicle interactions.To improve in-vehicle auditory interactions to the advanced level, auditory display researchers and automotive user interface researchers came together to discuss this timely topic at an in-vehicle auditory interactions workshop at the International Conference on Auditory Display (ICAD).The present paper reports discussion outcomes from the workshop for more discussions at the AutoUI conference