Faith in the Algorithm, Part 1: Beyond the Turing Test

Since the Turing test was first proposed by Alan Turing in 1950, the primary goal of artificial intelligence has been predicated on the ability for computers to imitate human behavior. However, the majority of uses for the computer can be said to fall outside the domain of human abilities and it is exactly outside of this domain where computers have demonstrated their greatest contribution to intelligence. Another goal for artificial intelligence is one that is not predicated on human mimicry, but instead, on human amplification. This article surveys various systems that contribute to the advancement of human and social intelligence

Optimal control theory based design of elasto-magnetic metamaterial

A method to design a new type of metamaterial is presented. A two-step strategy to define an optimal long-range force distribution embedded in an elastic support to control wave propagation is considered. The first step uses a linear quadratic regulator (LQR) to produce an optimal set of long-range interactions. In the second step, a least square passive approximation of the LQR optimal gains is determined. The paper investigates numerical solutions obtained by the previously described procedure. Finally, we discuss physical and engineering implications and practical use of the present study

A new wavelength calibration for echelle spectrographs using Fabry-Perot etalons

The study of Earth-mass extrasolar planets via the radial-velocity technique and the measurement of the potential cosmological variability of fundamental constants call for very-high-precision spectroscopy at the level of \updelta\lambda/\lambda<10^{-9}. Wavelength accuracy is obtained by providing two fundamental ingredients: 1) an absolute and information-rich wavelength source and 2) the ability of the spectrograph and its data reduction of transferring the reference scale (wavelengths) to a measurement scale (detector pixels) in a repeatable manner. The goal of this work is to improve the wavelength calibration accuracy of the HARPS spectrograph by combining the absolute spectral reference provided by the emission lines of a thorium-argon hollow-cathode lamp (HCL) with the spectrally rich and precise spectral information of a Fabry-P\'erot-based calibration source. On the basis of calibration frames acquired each night since the Fabry-P\'erot etalon was installed on HARPS in 2011, we construct a combined wavelength solution which fits simultaneously the thorium emission lines and the Fabry-P\'erot lines. The combined fit is anchored to the absolute thorium wavelengths, which provide the `zero-point' of the spectrograph, while the Fabry-P\'erot lines are used to improve the (spectrally) local precision. The obtained wavelength solution is verified for auto-consistency and tested against a solution obtained using the HARPS Laser-Frequency Comb (LFC). The combined thorium+Fabry-P\'erot wavelength solution shows significantly better performances compared to the thorium-only calibration. The presented techniques will therefore be used in the new HARPS and HARPS-N pipeline, and will be exported to the ESPRESSO spectrograph.Comment: 15 pages, 8 figure

Technological activities of Staphylococcus carnosus and Staphylococcus simulans strains isolated from fermented sausages

The aim of this study was to determine the technological properties of 2 strains of Staphylococcus simulans (Ssm12, Ssm21) and 4 strains of S. carnosus (SC28, SC31, SC54 and SC55) for the selection of a potential starter cultures to employ in the processing of dry fermented sausages. The strains were studied to evaluate nitrate reductase, proteolytic, lipolytic, decarboxylase and antioxidant activities as well as growth ability at different temperatures, pH and NaCl concentrations. Nitrate reductase activity was determined at 15, 20 and 30 degrees C. By spectrophotometric method all the strains were able to reduce nitrate to nitrite at the different temperatures but these results were not confirmed by the agar plate method. Antioxidant and lipolytic activities were evaluated by spectrophotometric assay. All the strains showed antioxidative enzymes superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase whereas all appeared unable to hydrolyse pork fat. Proteolytic activity was determined by agar plate method, spectrophotometric assay (OPA) and sodium dodecyl sulphate gel-electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and all strains appeared to be able to hydrolyse sarcoplasmic proteins but not myofibrillar proteins. Finally, all the strains grew at 15 and 20 degrees C, in presence of 10%, 15% and 20% of NaCl and at pH 5.0 and 5.5 and were unable to produce histamine, cadaverine and putrescine. The results showed that all strains studied possess useful technological activities that would make them eligible as a good starter cultures for fermented sausages

DInSAR deformation time series for monitoring urban areas: The impact of the second generation SAR systems

We investigate the capability improvement of the DInSAR techniques to map deformation phenomena affecting urban areas, by performing a comparative analysis of the deformation time series retrieved by applying the full resolution Small BAseline Subset (SBAS) DInSAR technique to selected sequences of SAR data acquired by the ENVISAT, RADARSAT-1 and COSMO-SkyMed (CSK) SAR data. The presented study, focused on the city of Napoli (Italy), allows us to quantify the dramatic increase of the DInSAR coherent pixel density achieved by exploiting the high resolution X-Band CSK SAR images with respect to the RADARSAT-1 and ENVISAT products, respectively; this permits us to analyze nearly all the structures located within the investigated urbanized area and, in many cases, also portions of a same building. © 2012 IEEE

Astrometry and Exoplanets: the Gaia Era, and Beyond

The wealth of information in the Gaia catalogue of exoplanets will constitute a fundamental contribution to several hot topics of the astrophysics of planetary systems. I briefly review the potential impact of Gaia micro-arsec astrometry in several areas of exoplanet science, discuss what key follow-up observations might be required as a complement to Gaia data, and shed some light on the role of next generation astrometric facilities in the arena of planetary systems.Comment: 6 pages, 1 figure. Proceedings of the final ELSA Conference 'Gaia: at the frontiers of astrometry', Sevres (France), 7-11 June 2010. To appear in EAS Publication Series, EDP Science

The Impact of Math Placement Guidelines on Community College Student Outcomes

For most students entering a community college, placement tests have become a high-stakes venture as it is often a placement test score alone that determines whether a student is considered college-ready (Scott-Clayton, 2012). The purpose of this study was to assess the math placement, persistence, and retention of first-time community college students from fall 2016 through fall 2019 at one community college located in the Northeast. Students in these cohorts were assigned to introductory math courses based on two different sets of placement guidelines. The first set of guidelines relied more heavily on a single test score, while newly developed guidelines incorporated high school achievement markers, such as performance in HS math courses, often instead of placement testing, for a more holistic evaluation. The new guideline criteria resulted in more students placed into college-level math with a statistically significant increase in the number of college-level credits students enrolled in their first semester (M = 11.107, SD = 4.572); t(8921) = -10.305, p = 0.00. Placement into college-level math improved across all ethnic student groups. The independent variables of age, gender, ethnicity, financial aid/SES, enrollment status and high school GPA, were included in the logistic regression analyses to evaluate dichotomous outcomes on persistence and retention. The study relied on archived data collected by the study institution, including high school transcript data and math course placements. The results were mixed and the effect sizes were small with a high power. The regression models predicted statistically significant effects on student persistence and retention between students evaluated under the two different placement criteria. Enrollment status, HSGPA, age, ethnicity and financial aid were found to have significant effects on predicting student outcomes. The new math placement guideline criteria showed promising results regarding improved access to gateway math courses and opportunities for improved student outcomes. This study supports the literature on holistic measures for assessment and placement, and recognizes placement policies as a mechanism for validating student outcomes