3,364 research outputs found
Observation of a nanophase segregation in LiCl aqueous solutions from Transient Grating Experiments
Transient Grating experiments performed on supercooled LiCl, RH2O solutions
with R>6 reveal the existence of a strong, short time, extra signal which
superposes to the normal signal observed for the R=6 solution and other glass
forming systems. This extra signal shows up below 190 K, its shape and the
associated timescale depend only on temperature, while its intensity increases
with R. We show that the origin of this signal is a phase separation between
clusters with a low solute concentration and the remaining, more concentrated,
solution. Our analysis demonstrates that these clusters have a nanometer size
and a composition which are rather temperature independent, while increasing R
simply increases the number of these clusters.Comment: 19 pages+ 8 figures+ 2 table
The expressive stance: intentionality, expression, and machine art
This paper proposes a new interpretive stance for interpreting artistic works and performances that is relevant to artificial intelligence research but also has broader implications. Termed the expressive stance, this stance makes intelligible a critical distinction between present-day machine art and human art, but allows for the possibility that future machine art could find a place alongside our own. The expressive stance is elaborated as a response to Daniel Dennett's notion of the intentional stance, which is critically examined with respect to his specialized concept of rationality. The paper also shows that temporal scale implicitly serves to select between different modes of explanation in prominent theories of intentionality. It also considers the implications of the phenomenological background for systems that produce art
OpenAL: Evaluation and Interpretation of Active Learning Strategies
Despite the vast body of literature on Active Learning (AL), there is no
comprehensive and open benchmark allowing for efficient and simple comparison
of proposed samplers. Additionally, the variability in experimental settings
across the literature makes it difficult to choose a sampling strategy, which
is critical due to the one-off nature of AL experiments. To address those
limitations, we introduce OpenAL, a flexible and open-source framework to
easily run and compare sampling AL strategies on a collection of realistic
tasks. The proposed benchmark is augmented with interpretability metrics and
statistical analysis methods to understand when and why some samplers
outperform others. Last but not least, practitioners can easily extend the
benchmark by submitting their own AL samplers.Comment: Published in NeurIPS 2022 Workshop on Human in the Loop Learning, 8
page
Cognition in Context: Phenomenology, Situated Robotics and the Frame Problem
The frame problem is the difficulty of explaining how non-magical systems think and act in ways that are adaptively sensitive to context-dependent relevance. Influenced centrally by Heideggerian phenomenology, Hubert Dreyfus has argued that the frame problem is, in part, a consequence of the assumption (made by mainstream cognitive science and artificial intelligence) that intelligent behaviour is representation-guided behaviour. Dreyfus’ Heideggerian analysis suggests that the frame problem dissolves if we reject representationalism about intelligence and recognize that human agents realize the property of thrownness (the property of being always already embedded in a context). I argue that this positive proposal is incomplete until we understand exactly how the properties in question may be instantiated in machines like us. So, working within a broadly Heideggerian conceptual framework, I pursue the character of a representationshunning thrown machine. As part of this analysis, I suggest that the frame problem is, in truth, a two-headed beast. The intra-context frame problem challenges us to say how a purely mechanistic system may achieve appropriate, flexible and fluid action within a context. The inter-context frame problem challenges us to say how a purely mechanistic system may achieve appropriate, flexible and fluid action in worlds in which adaptation to new contexts is open-ended and in which the number of potential contexts is indeterminate. Drawing on the field of situated robotics, I suggest that the intra-context frame problem may be neutralized by systems of special purpose adaptive couplings, while the inter-context frame problem may be neutralized by systems that exhibit the phenomenon of continuous reciprocal causation. I also defend the view that while continuous reciprocal causation is in conflict with representational explanation, special-purpose adaptive coupling, as well as its associated agential phenomenology, may feature representations. My proposal has been criticized recently by Dreyfus, who accuses me of propagating a cognitivist misreading of Heidegger, one that, because it maintains a role for representation, leads me seriously astray in my handling of the frame problem. I close by responding to Dreyfus’ concerns
NEXUS/Physics: An interdisciplinary repurposing of physics for biologists
In response to increasing calls for the reform of the undergraduate science
curriculum for life science majors and pre-medical students (Bio2010,
Scientific Foundations for Future Physicians, Vision & Change), an
interdisciplinary team has created NEXUS/Physics: a repurposing of an
introductory physics curriculum for the life sciences. The curriculum interacts
strongly and supportively with introductory biology and chemistry courses taken
by life sciences students, with the goal of helping students build general,
multi-discipline scientific competencies. In order to do this, our two-semester
NEXUS/Physics course sequence is positioned as a second year course so students
will have had some exposure to basic concepts in biology and chemistry.
NEXUS/Physics stresses interdisciplinary examples and the content differs
markedly from traditional introductory physics to facilitate this. It extends
the discussion of energy to include interatomic potentials and chemical
reactions, the discussion of thermodynamics to include enthalpy and Gibbs free
energy, and includes a serious discussion of random vs. coherent motion
including diffusion. The development of instructional materials is coordinated
with careful education research. Both the new content and the results of the
research are described in a series of papers for which this paper serves as an
overview and context.Comment: 12 page
Reorientational relaxation of a linear probe molecule in a simple glassy liquid
Within the mode-coupling theory (MCT) for the evolution of structural
relaxation in glass-forming liquids, correlation functions and susceptibility
spectra are calculated characterizing the rotational dynamics of a top-down
symmetric dumbbell molecule, consisting of two fused hard spheres immersed in a
hard-sphere system. It is found that for sufficiently large dumbbell
elongations, the dynamics of the probe molecule follows the same universal
glass-transition scenario as known from the MCT results of simple liquids. The
-relaxation process of the angular-index-j=1 response is stronger,
slower and less stretched than the one for j=2, in qualitative agreement with
results found by dielectric-loss and depolarized-light-scattering spectroscopy
for some supercooled liquids. For sufficiently small elongations, the
reorientational relaxation occurs via large-angle flips, and the standard
scenario for the glass-transition dynamics is modified for odd-j responses due
to precursor phenomena of a nearby type-A MCT transition. In this case, a major
part of the relaxation outside the transient regime is described qualitatively
by the -relaxation scaling laws, while the -relaxation scaling
law is strongly disturbed.Comment: 40 pages. 10 figures as GIF-files, to be published in Phys. Rev.
Light scattering spectra of supercooled molecular liquids
The light scattering spectra of molecular liquids are derived within a
generalized hydrodynamics. The wave vector and scattering angle dependences are
given in the most general case and the change of the spectral features from
liquid to solidlike is discussed without phenomenological model assumptions for
(general) dielectric systems without long-ranged order. Exact microscopic
expressions are derived for the frequency-dependent transport kernels,
generalized thermodynamic derivatives and the background spectra.Comment: 12 page
Role of Mentorship, Career Conceptualization, and Leadership in Developing Women's Physics Identity and Belonging
The percentage of women receiving bachelors degrees in physics in the U.S.
lags well behind that of men, and women leave the major at higher rates.
Achieving equity in physics will mean that women stay in physics at the same
rates as men, but this will require changes in the culture and support
structures. A strong sense of belonging can lead to higher retention rates so
interventions meant to increase dimensions of physics identity (interest,
recognition, performance, and competence) may increase persistence overall and
increase women's retention differentially. We describe our model in which
mentorship, an understanding of career options (career conceptualization), and
leadership are inputs into the development of these dimensions of physics
identity. This paper includes preliminary results from a qualitative study that
aims to better understand how career conceptualization, leadership, and
mentorship contribute to the development of physics identity and belonging. We
report results from a survey of 15 undergraduate physics students which was
followed up by interviews with 5 of those students. The students were from a
small private liberal arts college in the midwest region of the U.S. and a
large public university in the southeast region of the U.S. classified as a
Hispanic-serving institution (HSI). With respect to mentorship, we found that
it could provide critical support for students' engagement in the physics
community. Leadership experiences have not previously been positioned as an
important input into identity, yet we found that they helped women in physics
feel more confident, contributing to their recognition of themselves as physics
people. While the data on how career conceptualization contributed to the
building of identity is limited, there are some connections to recognition and
competence, and it will be an interesting avenue of future exploration.Comment: 15 pages, 1 figure, Physical Review Physics Education Research, in
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