Evolutionary Robotics: a new scientific tool for studying cognition

We survey developments in Artificial Neural Networks, in Behaviour-based Robotics and Evolutionary Algorithms that set the stage for Evolutionary Robotics in the 1990s. We examine the motivations for using ER as a scientific tool for studying minimal models of cognition, with the advantage of being capable of generating integrated sensorimotor systems with minimal (or controllable) prejudices. These systems must act as a whole in close coupling with their environments which is an essential aspect of real cognition that is often either bypassed or modelled poorly in other disciplines. We demonstrate with three example studies: homeostasis under visual inversion; the origins of learning; and the ontogenetic acquisition of entrainment

A Good SCAM for Building Connections: Scholarly Communications Activity Mapping

Are you looking for new ways to connect with faculty? Do you know how to best support faculty publishing? Grand Valley State University Libraries has developed a scholarly activity mapping template to document current scholarly and creative practices of faculty. The data gathered can be used to identify unmet faculty scholarly needs and reveal new opportunities to build relationships with faculty. Over the last several years, our liaison librarians have worked to closely integrate library instruction services into the curriculum of their liaison areas through the use of instruction plans. At the same time our research and publishing support expanded, largely driven by faculty needs in these areas. These two threads combined in 2016 as a group of librarians collaborated to develop a framework for exploring and documenting research practices across the university. By mapping current scholarly activity, we are gathering information that can strengthen library connections with faculty, identify needs our services can meet, and inform our instruction and collection development. A few liaison librarians are piloting this new scholarly activity map for the 2016-2017 school year. Challenges and lessons learned will be shared, in addition to benefits already noticed and future plans for utilizing these scholarly activity maps more broadly. In this poster presentation we will describe the process of developing our template, challenges we have encountered, and the progress of our pilot project. This poster will be of interest to academic librarians looking for new opportunities to connect with faculty, especially liaison, subject, and scholarly communications librarians. The information and resources we share will help academic libraries grow a scholarly communications program and expand support for faculty research activities. In addition to the poster, we will share copies of our current scholarly activity mapping template and the documents that inspired this project

Extracting and re-using research data from chemistry e-theses: the SPECTRa-T project

Scientific e-theses are data-rich resources, but much of the information they contain is not readily accessible. For chemistry, the SPECTRa-T project has addressed this problem by developing data-mining techniques to extract experimental data, creating RDF (Resource Description Framework) triples for exposure to sophisticated Semantic Web searches. We used OSCAR3, an Open Source chemistry text-mining tool, to parse and extract data from theses in PDF, and from theses in Office Open XML document format. Theses in PDF suffered data corruption and a loss of formatting that prevented the identification of chemical objects. Theses in .docx yielded semantically rich SciXML that enabled the additional extraction of associated data. Chemical objects were placed in a data repository, and RDF triples deposited in a triplestore. Data-mining from chemistry e-theses is both desirable and feasible; but the use of PDF, the de facto format standard for deposit in most repositories, prevents the optimal extraction of data for semantic querying. In order to facilitate this, we recommend that universities also require deposition of chemistry e-theses in an XML document format. Further work is required to clarify the complex IPR issues and ensure that they do not become an unwarranted barrier to data extraction and re-use

Contribution of seagrass blue carbon toward carbon neutral policies in a touristic and environmentally-friendly island

Estimates of organic carbon (Corg) storage by seagrass meadows which consider inter-habitat variability are essential to understand their potential to sequester carbon dioxide (CO2) and derive robust global and regional estimates of blue carbon storage. In this study, we provide baseline estimates of seagrass extent, and soil Corg stocks and accumulation rates from different seagrass habitats at Rottnest Island (in Amphibolis spp., Posidonia spp., Halophila ovalis, and mixed Posidonia/Amphibolis spp. meadows). The Corg stocks in 0.5 m thick seagrass soil deposits, derived from 24 cores, were 5.1 ± 0.7 kg Corg m–2 (mean ± SE, ranging from 0.05 to 12.9 kg Corg m–2), accumulating at 23.2 ± 3.2 g Corg m–2 year–1 (ranging from 0.22 to 58.9 g Corg m–2 year–1) over the last decades. There were significant differences in Corg content (%) and stocks (mg Corg cm–3), stable carbon isotope composition of the soil organic matter (δ13C), and soil grain size among the seagrass meadows studied, highlighting that biotic and abiotic factors influence seagrass soil Corg storage. Mixed meadows of Posidonia/Amphibolis spp. and monospecific meadows of Posidonia spp. and Amphibolis spp. had the highest Corg stocks (ranging from 6.2 to 6.4 kg Corg m–2), while Halophila spp. meadows had the lowest Corg stocks (1.2 ± 0.6 kg Corg m–2). We estimated a total soil Corg stock of 48.1 ± 8.5 Gg Corg beneath the 755 ha of Rottnest Island’s seagrasses, and a Corg sequestration capacity of 0.81 ± 0.06 Gg Corg year–1, which is equivalent to the sequestration of ∼22% of the island’s current annual CO2 emissions. Our results contribute to the existing global dataset on seagrass soil Corg storage and show a significant potential of seagrass to sequester CO2, which are particularly relevant in the context of achieving carbon neutrality through conservation actions in environmentally-marketed, tourist destinations such as Rottnest Island

Astro2010: State of the Profession Position Paper: The Value of Observatory-Class Missions

The dramatic success of NASA’s astrophysics science program over the past 20 years has resulted from a series of assets in space ranging from Small Explorers to Observatory-Class missions. NASA’s Observatory-Class missions, such as the Chandra X-ray Observatory (CXO), the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), and the Spitzer Space Telescope (SST), form the cornerstone of this program by providing all researchers, regardless of institutional affiliation, a spectrum of science opportunities across programs large and small. These observatories stand out in their breadth of capabilities and consequent diversity of high impact science, their reach within the scientific community, and their proven ability to inspire the nation. Each mission was designed to address specific scientific imperatives recognized by past Decadal Survey Committees, whether it was to refine the extragalactic distance scale, examine galaxies as they were in the distant past, determine the relationship between black holes and quasars, observe the ultimate fate of stars in their death throes, or reveal heavily obscured regions of star-formation. These were ambitious goals, as are those envisioned for future Observatory-Class missions, such as the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST)

The effects of creatine ethyl ester supplementation combined with heavy resistance training on body composition, muscle performance, and serum and muscle creatine levels

Numerous creatine formulations have been developed primarily to maximize creatine absorption. Creatine ethyl ester is alleged to increase creatine bio-availability. This study examined how a seven-week supplementation regimen combined with resistance training affected body composition, muscle mass, muscle strength and power, serum and muscle creatine levels, and serum creatinine levels in 30 non-resistance-trained males. In a double-blind manner, participants were randomly assigned to a maltodextrose placebo (PLA), creatine monohydrate (CRT), or creatine ethyl ester (CEE) group. The supplements were orally ingested at a dose of 0.30 g/kg fat-free body mass (approximately 20 g/day) for five days followed by ingestion at 0.075 g/kg fat free mass (approximately 5 g/day) for 42 days. Results showed significantly higher serum creatine concentrations in PLA (p = 0.007) and CRT (p = 0.005) compared to CEE. Serum creatinine was greater in CEE compared to the PLA (p = 0.001) and CRT (p = 0.001) and increased at days 6, 27, and 48. Total muscle creatine content was significantly higher in CRT (p = 0.026) and CEE (p = 0.041) compared to PLA, with no differences between CRT and CEE. Significant changes over time were observed for body composition, body water, muscle strength and power variables, but no significant differences were observed between groups. In conclusion, when compared to creatine monohydrate, creatine ethyl ester was not as effective at increasing serum and muscle creatine levels or in improving body composition, muscle mass, strength, and power. Therefore, the improvements in these variables can most likely be attributed to the training protocol itself, rather than the supplementation regimen

Evaluation of the 50+ Face-to-Face Guidance Pilot

Summary / Introduction: This report presents findings from a multi-method evaluation of the 50+ Face-to-Face Guidance Pilot (the Pilot), funded by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), whereby provider organisations delivered a guidance service to employees aged 50 and above. The service covered a range of work and retirement issues as well as directing clients to sources offering more detailed and/or more personalised information. Providers were based in five areas in England, Scotland and Wales and served rural, urban and inner-city locations. They included local branches of Age Concern Training, Shaw Trust, Life Academy, Guidance Services and Manpower. They varied in their backgrounds and organisational structure as well as in their modes of service delivery. Some providers focused predominantly on offering guidance through one-to-one meetings while others ran seminars. This variability was consistent with DWP’s interest in understanding the relative effectiveness of a range of service delivery models. The main period of operation for the Pilot was between January 2008 and December 2008. The Centre for Research in Social Policy (CRSP) at Loughborough University evaluated the Pilot using qualitative and quantitative longitudinal methods. Research with providers included focus groups and face-to-face interviews with managers and advisers as well as observations of guidance sessions. Other elements involved face-to-face interviews with selected clients and a telephone survey of clients (both with a longitudinal component) and analysis of providers’ management information. Findings from the evaluation will inform DWP’s Extending Working Life (EWL) policies and communication strategies

Passion, craving, and affect in online gaming: Predicting how gamers feel when playing and when prevented from playing

According to the Dualistic Model of Passion, two forms of passion can motivate a behavior: harmonious passion and obsessive passion. Across various life activities, studies have found that the two forms of passion show different relationships with affect, linking harmonious passion to positive affect and obsessive passion to negative affect. To investigate if this pattern also holds for online gaming, the present study investigated 160 gamers involved in playing massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMOs) and examined positive and negative affect (a) when playing and (b) when prevented from playing. In addition, the effects of general affect and craving for playing MMOs were controlled for. Results were as expected from the Dualistic Model of Passion: Harmonious passion for online gaming predicted positive affect when playing whereas obsessive passion predicted negative affect when playing and when prevented from playing. Moreover, these effects remained unchanged when general affect and craving were controlled for. With this, the present research shows that individual differences in passion for online gaming explain unique variance in gaming-related emotions. Moreover, the present findings suggests that craving is a variable that future research on positive and negative affect in online gaming should pay closer attention to