An important cognitive feature –shared only by humans and a few other species– is self-consciousness. It has been defined as “the possession of the concept of the self and the ability to use this concept in thinking about oneself”. Self-consciousness undoubtedly depends on some kind of self-representation, although the nature of this self-representation in intelligent beings is still unknown. In recent years, several cognitive scientists have proposed self-representation models. Nevertheless, usually these models only represent the current state of consciousness. In this paper, we introduce the time dimension to extend self-representation models in order to represent the development of individual self-representation over time.
Another important cognitive feature of both humans and animals is that they have a sense of belonging. It has been defined as “the process by which an individual understands that other beings are like himself (herself)”. We focus on the social side of self-consciousness and self-representation by defining self-consciousness as a specialization of the sense of belonging.
In this paper, we use modular artificial neural networks for implementation. To test models, we implemented a simulator with modular neural networks composed of self-organized maps (SOM) and time delayed neural networks (TDNN). In this multi-agent system, agents were equipped with a simplified model of sensory perception, personality, sense of belonging and self-consciousness. Agent interaction is tested in different hypothetical social scenarios. The simulator structure and its MANN components are described in detail. The relation between a sense of belonging and self-consciousness is also discussed. Quantitative results are analyzed and conclusions stated.
All representations of the Other, adopt similar strategies, which emphasize the difference between the Other and Self, and are recognized as symbolic expressions of supposed superiority of Self over the Other, thus serving to legitimize any attempts to civilize or rule the Other. Such strategies, often applied by the West to describe the uneven East- West relations in the colonial literary discourse, can also be found in contemporary Chinese literary representations of “minority nationalities.” Representations of landscape are among the most important symbols that are used in the process of “othering” of the non-Self, and are especially relevant for Chinese representations of Tibet. The article examines the representation of Tibetan landscape in Chinese and Tibetan literatures, from the 1980s, written by both Han and Tibetan authors. Han writers have used the Tibetan landscape as a symbolic expression of the imaginary distance between themselves and Tibetans, while Tibetan authors stress the aspects that can help in an identification with the environment. The analysis reveals the symbolic function of landscape in relation to the newly (re)constructed Tibetan identity within the context of the multiethnic China at the end of the 20th century.
The paper deals with the experimental and numerical research of flows through prismatic turbine cascade in transonic regimes. The primary goal is to evaluate the influence of the non-uniformity of the inlet velocity profile to the span-wise distribution of energy losses. The numerical simulation with inlet velocity profile corresponding to the parameters of the flow in high speed wind tunnel in Nový Knín is compared with the experimental data. and Obsahuje seznam literatury
In this paper, the general ordinary quasi-differential expression $M_p$ of $n$-th order with complex coefficients and its formal adjoint $M_p^+$ on any finite number of intervals $I_p=(a_p,b_p)$, $p=1,\dots ,N$, are considered in the setting of the direct sums of $L_{w_p}^2(a_p,b_p)$-spaces of functions defined on each of the separate intervals, and a number of results concerning the location of the point spectra and the regularity fields of general differential operators generated by such expressions are obtained. Some of these are extensions or generalizations of those in a symmetric case in [1], [14], [15], [16], [17] and of a general case with one interval in [2], [11], [12], whilst others are new.
The first chronologically comprehensive and conceptually sound view of conversion to Islam was that offered by R. W. Bulliet. His Conversion to Islam in the Medieval Period, published in 1979, is of great importance to the study of the conversion process and its ethno-religious and social consequences. Qualifying R. W. Bulliet’s method as “an original, bold and provocative work worthy of attention,” it should be mentioned that his study has been criticized on many grounds. Some historians conceive it, above all, as “food for thought,” its conclusions being reliable primarily with respect to medieval Iran only, due to the great limitations of the source base. I would maintain, however, that given the sufficient amounts of available empirical data, R. W. Bulliet’s research technique is reliable and meaningful. In my paper I have attempted to show through the results of my research that his quantitative model and timetable of conversion to Islam are valid in relation to the investigation of the dynamics of ethno-religious processes in the Ottoman Balkans. The similar results revealed in both this researcher’s theoretically drawn model and the curve of conversion that I obtained when using a sufficient quantity of numerical data from the Balkans, prove that Bulliet’s method is applicable in investigating the diffusion of Islam in its broadest chronological and territorial scope.
The paper deals with a difference equation arising from the scalar pantograph equation via the backward Euler discretization. A case when the solution tends to zero but after reaching a certain index it loses this tendency is discussed. We analyse this problem and estimate the value of such an index. Furthermore, we show that the utilized proof technique enables us to investigate some other numerical formulae, too.
Recently, the parameter estimations for normal fuzzy variables in the Nahmias' sense was studied by Cai [4]. These estimates were also studied for general T-related, but not necessarily normal fuzzy variables by Hong [10] In this paper, we report on some properties of estimators that would appear to be desirable, including unbiasedness. We also consider asymptotic or "large-sample" properties of a particular type of estimator.
Possibility of substituting the affected hip joint with endoprothesis is - for many people all over the world - the only way for returning to the normal life without pains and significant motion limitations. But the age limit requiring the application of replacement becomes lower and lower. The endoprothesis applied to young patients must be replaced several times during their lives and the application and repeated replacements affect the bone so that it may happen that the next application may not be possible any more. For such cases the surface replacement the propose of which is to postpone the need of the first application of the classic total endoprothesis, has been invented. So that the objective of the contribution consists in creating a computing model of the healthy hip joint and the hip joint with the classic total hip replacement and with the surface replacement, in carrying out the stress-strain analyses, and in mutually confronting the results obtained. The problem has been solved as a direct task by means of computational modelling, by the method of finite elements in the ANSYS. The computational model consists of these components: sacral, pelvic and femoral bone, muscles, cup, and femoral compponent. and Obsahuje seznam literatury