The Impact of Morphological Diversity in Robot Swarms

In nature, morphological diversity enhances functional diversity, however, there is little swarm (collective) robotics research on the impact of morphological and behavioral (body-brain) diversity that emerges in response to changing environments. This study investigates the impact of increasingly complex task environments on the artificial evolution of body-brain diversity in simulated robot swarms. We investigate whether increasing task environment complexity (collective behavior tasks requiring increasing degrees of cooperative behavior) mandates concurrent increases in behavioral, morphological, or coupled increases in body-brain diversity in robotic swarms. Experiments compared three variants of collective behavior evolution across increasingly complex task environments: two behavioral diversity maintenance variants and body-brain diversity maintenance. Results indicate that body-brain diversity maintenance yielded a significantly higher behavioral and morphological diversity in evolved swarms overall, which was beneficial in the most complex task environment

Research on Teaching and Learning Mathematics at the Tertiary Level:State-of-the-art and Looking Ahead

This topical survey focuses on research in tertiary mathematics education, a field that has experienced considerable growth over the last 10 years. Drawing on the most recent journal publication as well as the latest advances from recent high quality conference proceedings, our review culls out the following five emergent areas of interest: mathematics teaching at the tertiary level; the role of mathematics in other disciplines; textbooks, assessment and students’ studying practices; transition to the tertiary level; and theoretical-methodological advances. We conclude the survey with a discussion of some potential ways forward for future research in this new and rapidly developing domain of inquiry

Numerical solution of time-dependent Emden-Fowler equations using bivariate spectral collocation method on overlapping grids

In this work, we present a new modification to the bivariate spectral collocation method in solving Emden-Fowler equations. The novelty of the modified approach is the use of overlapping grids when applying the Chebyshev spectral collocation method. In the case of nonlinear partial differential equations, the quasilinearisation method is used to linearize the equation. The multi-domain technique is applied in both space and time intervals, which are both decomposed into overlapping subintervals. The spectral collocation method is then employed in the discretization of the iterative scheme to give a matrix system to be solved simultaneously across the overlapping subintervals. Several test examples are considered to demonstrate the general performance of the numerical technique in terms of efficiency and accuracy. The numerical solutions are matched against exact solutions to confirm the accuracy and convergence of the method. The error bound theorems and proofs have been considered to emphasize on the benefits of the method. The use of an overlapping grid gives a matrix system with less dense matrices that can be inverted in a computationally efficient manner. Thus, implementing the spectral collocation method on overlapping grids improves the computational time and accuracy. Furthermore, few grid points in each subinterval are required to achieve stable and accurate results. The approximate solutions are established to be in excellent agreement with the exact analytical solutions

Address by Father Smangaliso Mkhatshwa, Executive Mayor of the City of Tshwane, at the South African Society for Greek Philosophy and the Humanities Conference on "Ethics, politics, criminality : perspectives from Greek Philosophy and Africa", Tshwane, 4 May 2005

Appears in Phronimon, Volume 6 Number 1(2005)http://explore.up.ac.za/record=b141126

Reflections on the training of counsellors in motivational interviewing for programmes for the prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV in sub-Saharan Africa

Introduction: Within the Southern African prevention of mother to child transmission (PMTCT) programmes, counsellors talk with pregnant mothers about a number of interrelated decisions and behaviour changes. Current counselling has been characterised as ineffective in eliciting behaviour change and as adopting a predominantly informational and directive approach. Motivational interviewing (MI) was chosen as a more appropriate approach to guide mothers in these difficult decisions, as it is designed for conversations about behaviour change. MI has not previously been attempted in this context. This paper reflects on how MI can be incorporated successfully into PMTCT counselling and what lessons can be learnt regarding how to conduct training with counsellors. Methods: Thirty-eight lay and nurse counsellors at four sites in Southern Africa were trained in MI. After the initial training, they participated in a five-month inquiry group at each site, where an action researcher (AR) facilitated ongoing learning of new counselling skills and reflection. Transcripts of recorded counselling sessions were then analysed using the motivational interviewing treatment integrity (MITI) code to assess their skills in MI. The MITI analysis was discussed with the action researchers and a consensus was reached on how to improve training. Results: Overall, the counsellors showed a global rating score of four out of seven, a reflection-to-question ratio of 0, a 43% open question score, an 18% complex reflection score and a 58% MI-adherent score. There were significant differences between the sites and between nurses and lay counsellors (p < 0.05). The action researchers suggested that the following factors were important in enabling learning and change: assessment of the baseline level of skills and readiness to change, reflection on real consultations, differences between the ARs and counsellors, a focus on the overall spirit of MI versus technical skills, the approach to information giving, managerial support and an appreciative versus a critical facilitation style. Conclusion: Nurse counsellors in Namibia and Swaziland demonstrated beginning proficiency in MI, while lay counsellors in South Africa did not. From the dialogue with the action researchers, nine recommendations were made to guide the development of future training programmes.Articl

Season progression, ontogenesis, and environment affect Lespedeza cuneata herbage condensed tannin, fiber, and crude protein concentrations

© Crop Science Society of America. Sericea lespedeza [Lespedeza cuneata (Dumont de Courset) G. Don., SL] is a perennial, warm-season forage legume with wide adaptation, freeze tolerance, establishment ease, and persistence under grazing. It has high condensed tannin (CT) concentrations (g kg−1), which could be useful for methane mitigation and rumen bypass protein, as well as insect pest and gastro-intestinal nematode suppression. However, CT concentration is variable. Our objective was to test CT, crude protein (CP), and fiber concentrations at five locations (Georgia, Alabama, North Carolina, Louisiana, and Texas) during a growing season. Established ‘AU Grazer’ SL regrowth and accumulated herbage in separate trials was sampled starting late April 2010 every 35 d for four dates. Regrowth CP concentration ranged (P ≤ 0.05) from 127 g kg−1 in North Carolina on date 3 up to 221 g kg−1 in Alabama on date 1. Sericea lespedeza regrowth in the warmest latitude (Louisiana) consistently contained among the greatest (P ≤ 0.05) acid detergent fiber. In regrowth herbage, we recorded a wide (P ≤ 0.05) total CT range, from 133.5 mg kg−1 in Texas on date 3 to 46.1 mg kg−1 in Louisiana on date 1, reflecting variability in fiber-bound, protein-bound, and especially extractible CT. Results from accumulated herbage reflected (P ≤ 0.05) herbage ontogenesis with less CP and greater fiber concentration with maturity but showed the same lack of CT concentration pattern as the regrowth herbage. These results indicate that SL herbage nutritive value and CT concentration is variable, so that any hay or pellets sold commercially for CT content should be assayed by environment and crop maturity