Measuring the Complexity of Continuous Distributions

We extend previously proposed measures of complexity, emergence, and self-organization to continuous distributions using differential entropy. This allows us to calculate the complexity of phenomena for which distributions are known. We find that a broad range of common parameters found in Gaussian and scale-free distributions present high complexity values. We also explore the relationship between our measure of complexity and information adaptation.Comment: 21 pages, 5 Tables, 4 Figure

Emoji as a Proxy of Emotional Communication

Nowadays, emoji plays a fundamental role in human computer-mediated communications, allowing the latter to convey body language, objects, symbols, or ideas in text messages using Unicode standardized pictographs and logographs. Emoji allows people expressing more “authentically” emotions and their personalities, by increasing the semantic content of visual messages. The relationship between language, emoji, and emotions is now being studied by several disciplines such as linguistics, psychology, natural language processing (NLP), and machine learning (ML). Particularly, the last two are employed for the automatic detection of emotions and personality traits, building emoji sentiment lexicons, as well as for conveying artificial agents with the ability of expressing emotions through emoji. In this chapter, we introduce the concept of emoji and review the main challenges in using these as a proxy of language and emotions, the ML, and NLP techniques used for classification and detection of emotions using emoji, and presenting new trends for the exploitation of discovered emotional patterns for robotic emotional communication

A Learning Ecosystem for Linemen Training based on Big Data Components and Learning Analytics

Linemen training is mandatory, complex, and hazardous. Electronic technologies, such as virtual reality or learning management systems, have been used to improve such training, however these lack of interoperability, scalability, and do not exploit trace data generated by users in these systems. In this paper we present our ongoing work on developing a Learning Ecosystem for Training Linemen in Maintenance Maneuvers using the Experience API standard, Big Data components, and Learning Analytics. The paper describes the architecture of the ecosystem, elaborates on collecting learning experiences and emotional states, and applies analytics for the exploitation of both, legacy and new data. In the former, we exploit legacy e-Learning data for building a Domain model using Text Mining and unsupervised clustering algorithms. In the latter we explore self-reports capabilities for gathering educational support content, and assessing students emotional states. Results show that, a suitable domain model for personalizing maneuvers linemen training path can be built from legacy text data straightforwardly. Regarding self reports, promising results were obtained for tracking emotional states and collecting educational support material, nevertheless, more work around linemen training is required

Colonial Metaphors: Symbolic Approaches to the Chaco Tierra Adentro

La expresión tierra adentro pertenece al vocabulario de las fuentes coloniales y es también utilizada en el ámbito académico para los estudios de frontera; sin embargo, aún no hemos reflexionado sobre sus usos y sentidos. En este trabajo adopto una perspectiva etnográfica orientada a las fronteras del Chaco durante el siglo XVIII, con la intención de abordar la dimensión simbólica de tierra adentro, atendiendo a los distintos sentidos adheridos a ella durante la Colonia y a las prácticas de dominación asociadas a esas significaciones. Considero, también, su incorporación como categoría de análisis a los estudios académicos sobre los espacios de frontera. Los datos provienen de un gran número de documentos escritos durante la Colonia y fueron examinados desde la propuesta de la antropología histórica: la crítica textual y contextual, la lectura transversal y la interpretación de las situaciones sociales del pasado, entre otras. Tierra adentro condensa un amplio abanico de significados arraigados en el imaginario colonial, que condicionaron la percepción de los grupos indígenas no sometidos y de sus territorios; esos significados ?que se expresan en términos metafóricos? promovieron y habilitaron políticas de sometimiento; el uso de esta expresión en el ámbito académico va de la mano de cierta conceptualización sobre la tierra adentro sobre la que recién se ha comenzado a reflexionar. Este trabajo aporta a la desnaturalización de una expresión habitualmente utilizada, pero sobre cuyos significados intrínsecos aún no se han formulado definiciones ni debates. De esta manera, contribuye a la discusión crítica en cuanto al uso y los alcances teóricos del vocabulario heredado de las fuentes documentales para la investigación histórico-antropológica y propone algunos aspectos comunes que podrían aplicarse a otros espacios concebidos como tierra adentro durante la experiencia colonial.The expression tierra adentro belongs to the language of colonial sources and although it is also used in academia in border studies, we are yet to reflect on its uses and meanings. In this work, I adopt an ethnographic perspective focusing on the frontiers of the Chaco province during the 18th century, in order to address the symbolic dimension of the tierra adentro, paying attention to the different meanings attached to it during the colonial period and the practices of domination associated with those meanings. I also consider its incorporation as a category of analysis in academic border studies. The data come from a large number of documents written during the colonial period, which I examined based on historical anthropology approach: Textual and contextual criticism, transversal reading, and interpretation of past social situations, among others. Tierra adentro condenses a wide range of meanings rooted in the colonial imaginary, which conditioned the perception of non-submissive indigenous groups and their territories; these meanings —expressed in metaphorical terms— promoted and enabled policies of submission. The use of this expression in the academic sphere goes hand in hand with a certain conceptualization of tierra adentro which has only recently begun to be addressed. This work supports the denaturalization of an expression that is commonly used but whose intrinsic meanings have not yet been properly defined or debated. Accordingly, it adds to the critical discussion regarding the use and theoretical scope of the vocabulary acquired from documentary sources for historical-anthropological research and it proposes some common aspects that could be applied to other spaces that were conceived as tierra adentro during the colonial experience.Fil: Lucaioli, Carina Paula. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Centro de Investigaciones Sociales. Instituto de Desarrollo Económico y Social. Centro de Investigaciones Sociales; Argentin

Learning analytics for student modeling in virtual reality training systems: Lineworkers case

Live-line maintenance is a high risk activity. Hence, lineworkers require effective and safe training. Virtual Reality Training Systems (VRTS) provide an affordable and safe alternative for training in such high risk environments. However, their effectiveness relies mainly on having meaningful activities for supporting learning and on their ability to detect untrained students. This study builds a student model based on Learning Analytics (LA), using data collected from 1399 students that used a VRTS for the maintenance training of lineworkers in 329 courses carried out from 2008 to 2016. By employing several classifiers, the model allows discriminating between trained and untrained students in different maneuvers using three minimum evaluation proficiency scores. Using the best classifier, a Feature Importance Analysis is carried out to understand the impact of the variables regarding the trainees' final performances. The model also involves the exploration of the trainees' trace data through a visualization tool to pose nonobservable behavioral variables related to displayed errors. The results show that the model can discriminate between trained and untrained students, the Random Forest algorithm standing out. The feature importance analysis revealed that the most relevant features regarding the trainees' final performance were profile and course variables along with specific maneuver steps. Finally, using the visual tool, and with human expert aid, several error patterns in trace data associated with misconceptions and confusion were identified. In the light of these, LA enables disassembling the data jigsaw quandary from VRTS to enhance the human-in-the-loop evaluation.First author thanks the program Catedras-CONACYT, Mexico for funding his research. Authors also thank Lucia Barrón for hervaluable commentaries for improving the manuscript and to L.A. Domínguez for designing Fig. 1 a. Icons employed in Fig. 2 weremade by Freepik, Flat Icons, Eucalyp, and photo3idea studio which are freely available at www.flaticon.com.This work was co-founded by the Madrid Regional Government, Spain through the Project e-Madrid-CM (P2018/TCS-4307)and by the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities through Project Smartlet (TIN2017-85179-C3-1-R). These twoprojects have also been co-founded by the Structural Funds (FSE and FEDER), Spain

Sociality predicts orangutan vocal phenotype

In humans, individuals’ social setting determines which and how language is acquired. Social seclusion experiments show that sociality also guides vocal development in songbirds and marmoset monkeys, but absence of similar great ape data has been interpreted as support to saltational notions for language origin, even if such laboratorial protocols are unethical with great apes. Here we characterize the repertoire entropy of orangutan individuals and show that in the wild, different degrees of sociality across populations are associated with different ‘vocal personalities’ in the form of distinct regimes of alarm call variants. In high-density populations, individuals are vocally more original and acoustically unpredictable but new call variants are short lived, whereas individuals in low-density populations are more conformative and acoustically consistent but also exhibit more complex call repertoires. Findings provide non-invasive evidence that sociality predicts vocal phenotype in a wild great ape. They prove false hypotheses that discredit great apes as having hardwired vocal development programmes and non-plastic vocal behaviour. Social settings mould vocal output in hominids besides humans