It is speculated that the wasps that attack the seeds of gymnosperm trees (conifers) before they are fertilized can induce unfertilized seeds to accumulate storage material whereas those that attack after the seeds are fertilized selectively oviposit in fertilized seeds. Moreover, in the case of the wasps that oviposit after fertilization of seed, the presence of unfertilized seeds and seedless fruit may increase plant fitness via reduced parasitism of the viable seed. To determine the relationship between the two strategies, host manipulation or selective oviposition, and the time of fertilization of the seeds of angiosperm host plants, fertilized seed of Ilex integra Thunb. was dissected out of berries either immediately after the flight of the seed wasp Macrodasyceras hirsutum Kamijo in the field or the death of adults in the laboratory. The wasps oviposited mostly in fertilized seeds and rarely in unfertilized seeds. Unfertilized seeds, produced by flowers enclosed in pollen exclusion bags, and then exposed to wasps did not contain immature wasps or storage material, which indicates that the wasp did not oviposit in unfertilized seeds. These results support the above mentioned hypothesis and indicate that the substantial proportion of seedless berries do not function as an egg sink.
The architecture and working of the Artificial Neural Networks are an inspiration from the human brain. The brain due to its highly parallel nature and immense computational powers still remains the motivation for researchers. A single system-single processor approach is a highly unlikely way to model a neural network for large computational needs. Many approaches have been proposed that adopt a parallel implementation of ANNs. These methods do not consider the difference in processing powers of the constituting units and hence workload distribution among the nodes is not optimal. Human brain not always has equal processing power among the neurons. A person having disability in some part of brain may be able to perform every task with reduced capabilities. Disabilities weaken the processing of some parts. This inspires us to make a self-adaptive system of ANN that would optimally distribute computation among the nodes. The self-adaptive nature of the algorithm makes it possible for the algorithm to taper dynamic changes in node performance. We used data, node and layer partitioning in a hierarchical manner in order to evolve the most optimal architecture comprising of the best features of these partitioning techniques. The adaptive hierarchical architecture enables performance optimisation in whatever condition and problem the algorithm is used. The system was implemented and tested on 20 systems working in parallel. Besides, the computational speed-up, the algorithm was able to monitor changes in performance and adapt accordingly.
We study a particular digraph dynamical system, the so called digraph diclique operator. Dicliques have frequently appeared in the literature the last years in connection with the construction and analysis of different types of networks, for instance biochemical, neural, ecological, sociological and computer networks among others. Let D=(V,A) be a reflexive digraph (or network). Consider X and Y (not necessarily disjoint) nonempty subsets of vertices (or nodes) of D. A disimplex K(X,Y) of D is the subdigraph of D with vertex set X ∪ Y and arc set {(x,y)∶ x ∈ X, y ∈ Y\} (when X ∩ Y ≠ ∅, loops are not considered). A disimplex K(X,Y) of D is called a diclique of $D$ if $K(X,Y)$ is not a proper subdigraph of any other disimplex of D. The diclique digraph $\overrightarrow {k}(D) of a digraph $D$ is the digraph whose vertex set is the set of all dicliques of $D$ and ( K(X,Y),K(X',Y'))$ is an arc of $\overrightarrow {k}(D) if and only if Y ∩ X' ≠ ∅. We say that a digraph $D$ is self-diclique if $\overrightarrow {k}(D)$ is isomorphic to D. In this paper, we provide a characterization of the self-diclique circulant digraphs and an infinite family of non-circulant self-diclique digraphs.
According to content externalism, the content of our thought is partly determined by the linguistic environment responsible for it. However, there is growing skepticism about the compatibility of content externalism and self-knowledge. The skeptical position holds that, if content externalism is true, then we cannot know our own thought content because we would not be able to discriminate it from relevant alternative thought contents. This argument rests on the proposition that knowledge requires some type of discriminability. In this paper, I argue that this requirement does not apply to a particular type of demonstrative thoughts, more specifically, that in a typical case where we demonstratively denote an object without taking it as anything, in particular, our second-order judgment about our own thinking, whose content includes this use of a demonstrative, constitutes knowledge without due discriminability.
The aim of this paper is to extend the discussion on the free-energy principle (FEP), from the predictive coding theory, which is an explanatory theory of the brain, to the problem of autonomy of self-organizing living systems. From the point of view of self-organization of living systems, FEP implies that biological organisms, due to the systemic coupling with the world, are characterized by an ongoing flow of exchanging information and energy with the environment, which has to be controlled in order to maintain the integrity of the organism. In terms of dynamical system theory, this means that living systems have a dynamic state space, which can be configured by the way they control the free-energy. In the process of controlling their free-energy and modeling of the state space, an important role is played by the anticipatory structures of the organisms, which would reduce the external surprises and adjust the behavior of the organism by anticipating the changes in the environment. In this way, in the dynamic state space of a living system new behavioral patterns emerge enabling new degrees of freedom at the level of the whole. Thus, my aim in this article is to explain how FEP, as a principle of self-organization of living system, contributes to the configuring of the state space of an organism and the emergence of new degrees of freedom, both important in the process of gaining and maintaining the autonomy of a living organism. and Cílem tohoto příspěvku je rozšířit diskusi o principu volné energie (FEP), od teorie prediktivního kódování, která je vysvětlující teorií mozku, k problému autonomie sebeorganizujících živých systémů. Z pohledu sebeorganizace živých systémů FEP naznačuje, že biologické organismy jsou díky systémové vazbě se světem charakterizovány průběžným tokem výměny informací a energie se životním prostředím, který musí být kontrolován tak, aby k udržení integrity organismu. Z hlediska dynamické teorie systémů to znamená, že životní systémy mají dynamický stavový prostor, který může být konfigurován způsobem, jakým řídí volnou energii. V procesu řízení jejich volné energie a modelování státního prostoru, důležitou roli hrají předběžné struktury organismů, které by snížily vnější překvapení a přizpůsobily chování organismu tím, že budou předvídat změny v životním prostředí. Tímto způsobem se v dynamickém státním prostoru živého systému objevují nové vzorce chování, které umožňují nové stupně svobody na úrovni celého. Mým cílem v tomto článku je tedy vysvětlit, jak FEP, jako princip sebeorganizace živého systému, přispívá k uspořádání státního prostoru organismu a vzniku nových stupňů svobody, které jsou důležité jak v procesu získání a udržení autonomie živého organismu. v dynamickém státním prostoru živého systému se objevují nové vzorce chování, které umožňují nové stupně svobody na úrovni celého. Mým cílem v tomto článku je tedy vysvětlit, jak FEP, jako princip sebeorganizace živého systému, přispívá k uspořádání státního prostoru organismu a vzniku nových stupňů svobody, které jsou důležité jak v procesu získání a udržení autonomie živého organismu. v dynamickém státním prostoru živého systému se objevují nové vzorce chování, které umožňují nové stupně svobody na úrovni celého. Mým cílem v tomto článku je tedy vysvětlit, jak FEP, jako princip sebeorganizace živého systému, přispívá k uspořádání státního prostoru organismu a vzniku nových stupňů svobody, které jsou důležité jak v procesu získání a udržení autonomie živého
The presented study deals with an object-relation mental model of drivers reasoning. The model stands on logic positions and brings a degree of logical proving into advanced microscopic models of road traffic. The future improvement of microscopic simulation is possible only by improvement of driver's behavior models, applying mental models of human drivers. The works are based on many sources: robotics, mathematical logic, cognitive science, computer science (ontologies, object oriented representation), and psychological researches from the fields of mental capacity, human problem solving, etc.
Trematode sporocysts and rediae reproduce by parthenogenesis, forming clonal groups in the molluscan host. It has recently become popular to consider these groups as eusocial colonies, with division of labour between rediae morphs: small 'soldiers' incapable of reproduction defend the colony, while large rediae reproduce. Alternatively, clonal groups can be considered as self-sustaining infrapopulations. We tested these two hypotheses in the light of new data on rediae of Himasthla elongata (Mehlis, 1831) from snails Littorina littorea (Linnaeus) concerning ultrastructure, growth character and composition of their groups. Clonal groups under study contained rediae of different age and maturity stages: small (young) rediae, rediae with early cercarial embryos, rediae with late embryonic cercariae, rediae with fully formed motile cercariae, rediae with redial embryos and degenerating rediae. Small rediae had a reproductive organ, the germinal mass, whereas most large rediae with developing cercariae did not, which contradicts the eusocialconcept. Overall distribution of rediae by size and by gut to body length ratio was bimodal, which agrees with the eusocial concept ('soldiers' and 'reproductives' as modal size classes). On closer inspection, however, the bimodal size-frequency distributions (SFD) turned out to be the sum of unimodal SFD of rediae at various stages of maturity. The overall bimodality was determined by the character of redial growth resulting in a relatively low occurrence of intermediate morphs and by the developmental arrest in young rediae. The facts that small rediae can attack other rediae and concentrate in the anterior parts of the mollusc can be explained by age-related feeding preferences and niche segregation. They are unlikely to be associated with the 'colony' defence against invaders. To sum up, clonal groups of H. elongata rediae in our study represented self-sustaining infrapopulations., Kirill V. Galaktionov, Irina M. Podvyaznaya, Kirill E. Nikolaev, Ivan A. Levakin., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Kniha Igora Lukeše Československo nad propastí: Selhání amerických diplomatů a tajných služeb v Praze 1945-1948 (Praha, Prostor 2014) přichází podle autora s řadou nových poznatků a postřehů, ocenění zaslouží především zmapování činnosti amerických tajných služeb v poválečném Československu, založené z velké části na nevyužitých pramenech. Diskutabilní je však Lukešova teze, že poválečné Československo bylo pro Američany zkušební laboratoří budoucího evropského vývoje a hrálo v tom smyslu pro ně klíčovou roli. Jestliže to mohlo platit v roce 1945, se zhoršováním mezinárodní situace jejich zájem o Československo rychle klesal a o dva roky později už věnovali prioritní pozornost jiným evropským zemím. Autor se dále věnuje tématu americké veřejné diplomacie a propagandy v poválečném Československu, které administrativa Spojených států přes naléhání velvyslance Laurence A. Steinhradta velmi podcenila a jež Lukeš ve své práci zcela pominul. Nelze tak přiřknout veškerou zodpovědnost za americký přístup právě Steinhardtovi, jak činí Lukeš., Igor Lukeš’s On the Edge of the Cold War: American Diplomats and Spies in Postwar Prague (2012), published in Czech as Československo nad propastí: Selhání amerických diplomatů a tajných služeb v Praze 1945-1948 (Prague: Prostor, 2014), offers, according to the reviewer, a number of fresh observations and new pieces of information, and it merits praise mainly for charting out the activity of the US secret services in post-war Czechoslovakia, which the author has achieved using largely hitherto unused sources. Nevertheless, Lukeš’s claim that for the Americans post-war Czechoslovakia was a laboratory of future European developments, playing a key role for them in that sense, is highly debatable. Though that may have been true in 1945, their interest in Czechoslovakia rapidly waned with the worsening international situation, and two years later their attention was primarily turned to other European countries. The author also considers American public diplomacy and propaganda in post-war Czechoslovakia, which the US Administration, despite the urgings of Ambassador Laurence A. Steinhardt, greatly underestimated, something Lukeš has completely ignored in this work. It is therefore unfair of Lukeš to assign all of the blame for the American approach to Steinhardt., and Jan Koura.
Semantic analysis of multimedia content is an ongoing research area that has gained a lot of attention over the last few years. Additionally, machine learning techniques are widely used for multimedia analysis with great success. This work presents a combined approach aiming at the semantic adaptation of neural network classifiers in a multimedia framework. Our proposal is based on a fuzzy reasoning engine which is able to evaluate the outputs and the confidence levels of the neural network classifier, using a domain specific knowledge base. The results obtained by the fuzzy reasoning engine are used as input for the adaptation of the network classifier, further increasing its ability to provide accurate classification of the specific content. The improved performance of the adapted neural network is used by a semantic segmentation algorithm that merges neighbouring regions satisfying certain criteria. In that way, fine image segmentation and classification are established.
Contextual word prominence in a text is a consequence of the functional relationship between word frequency and text segmentation. This probabilistic function is formalized in quantitative linguistics as Menzerath-Altmann´s law. When this law is applied not only to a text as a whole, but also to individual lexical units which, within contextual boundaries, are transformed into word forms, two contextual levels are formed from each text structure: a segmental and a textual level. On these two levels, the interaction between words can be characterized as the semantic specification of the lexical units. The contextual characteristics of individual words are defined as their contextual weights. The maximum value of this variable, proper to a given frequency, belongs to a set that forms a Menzerathian curve, i.e. a curve that complies with the basic principle of text structures. This curve can be treated as a semantic attractor.