This paper reports the results of a laboratory experiment investigating sidepayment games represented in normal form. Attempts to predict payoff allocations via the application of solution concepts (such as the Shapley value or the nucleolus) encounter a problem in games of this form, because the game must first be transformed into some other form. Commonly, this other form is a set function defined over coalitions, such as the von Neumann-Morgenstern characteristic function. Because there are numerous possible transformations, (...) the question arises as to which one provides the most accurate basis for prediction of payoffs.The laboratory experiment tested three such transformations - the mixed strategy characteristic function, the pure strategy characteristic function, and the Harsanyi threat function. Payoff predictions from two solution concepts (Shapley value, nucleolus) were computed on the basis of each of these transformations, making a total of six theories under test.Results of the study show, in general, that payoff predictions based on the Harsanyi threat function and on the mixed strategy characteristic function were more accurate than those based on the pure strategy characteristic function. The most accurate theories were the Shapley value computed from the Harsanyi function, the nucleolus computed from the Harsanyi function, and the Shapley value computed from the mixed strategy characteristic function. Less accurate were the nucleolus computed from the mixed strategy characteristic function and both the nucleolus and the Shapley value computed from the pure strategy characteristic function. (shrink)

Functions of type n are characteristic functions on n-ary relations. Keenan [5] established their importance for natural language semantics, by showing that natural language has many examples of irreducible type n functions, i.e., functions of type n that cannot be represented as compositions of unary functions. Keenan proposed some tests for reducibility, and Dekker [3] improved on these by proposing an invariance condition that characterizes the functions with a reducible counterpart with the same behaviour on product relations. The present (...) paper generalizes the notion of reducibility (a quantifier is reducible if it can be represented as a composition of quantifiers of lesser, but not necessarily unary, types), proposes a direct criterion for reducibility, and establishes a diamond theorem and a normal form theorem for reduction. These results are then used to show that every positive n function has a unique representation as a composition of positive irreducible functions, and to give an algorithm for finding this representation. With these formal tools it can be established that natural language has examples of n-ary quantificational expressions that cannot be reduced to any composition of quantifiers of lesser degree. (shrink)

This article reports an experimental study of decision-making outcomes in cooperative non-sidepayment games. The objective of this test was to determine which characteristic function, Vα(S) or Vβ(S), provides the most accurate basis for payoff predictions from solution concepts. The experiment tested three solution concepts (core, stable set, imputation set) in the context of 5-person, 2-strategy non-sidepayment games. Predictions from each of the three solution concepts were computed on the basis of both Vα(S) and Vβ(S), making a total of (...) six predictive theories under test. Consistent with earlier studies (Michener et al., 1984a; Michener et al., 1985), two basic findings emerged. First, the data show that for each of the solutions tested, the prediction from any solution concept computed from Vβ(S) was more accurate than the prediction from the same solution concept computed from Vα(S). Second, the β-core was the most accurate of the six theories tested. Overall, these results support the view that Vβ(S) is superior to Vα(S) as a basis for payoff predictions in cooperative non-sidepayment games. (shrink)

The mathematical theory of n-person games is comprised of two major elements. A descriptive theory models or represents structural properties of a game, while a solution theory predicts the final outcome (i.e., distribution of payoffs). The purpose of this study is to competitively evaluate the representational adequacy of three descriptive theories which include the characteristic function, power function, and Shapley value based function. Subjects were 60 undergraduate males who participated in twenty 3-person experimental groups. Results disclose (...) the power function theory to be significantly and consistently superior to both the characteristic function and Shapely value based function in terms of descriptive accuracy (p < 0.01). (shrink)

This paper explores undecidability in theories of positive characteristic function fields in the “geometric” language of rings $$\mathcal {L}_F = \{0,1,+,\times,F\}$$, where _F_ is a unary predicate for the subset of nonconstant elements of the field. We are motivated by the (still open) question of the decidability of the existential fragment of the $$\mathcal {L}_F$$-theory of $$\mathbb {F}_p(t)$$: a variant on Hilbert’s Tenth Problem for $$\mathbb {F}_p(t)$$. If _K_ denotes the function field of a curve, and has (...) as a constant subfield _C_ an algebraic extension of an odd characteristic finite field (not algebraically closed), we prove the $$\forall ^1\exists$$-fragment of the $$\mathcal {L}_F$$-theory of _K_ is undecidable. We identify an algebraic condition on elements of _K_ that allows existing machinery of Eisenträger and Shlapentokh (used to conclude undecidability of the existential fragment of the theory of _K_ in the language of rings with some constant symbols for elements of $$K \setminus C$$) to apply to our setting. This work is drawn from the author’s PhD thesis [as reported by Tyrrell (Undecidability in some Field Theories, University of Oxford, Oxford, 2023. https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:3f8d7c47-a54a-4f27-b156-d1116b11b92f )]. (shrink)

The Bertrand oligopoly situation with Shubik’s demand functions is modeled as a cooperative transferable utility game in $$\beta$$ -characteristic function form. To achieve this, two sequential optimization problems are solved to describe the worth of each coalition in the associated Bertrand oligopoly transferable utility game. First, we show that these games are convex, indicating strong incentives for large-scale cooperation between firms. Second, the Shapley value of these games is fully determined by applying the linearity to a decomposition that (...) involves the difference between two convex games and two non-essential games. (shrink)

Kahan and Rapoport (1977) investigated the effects of guaranteed payoffs on bargaining in three-person cooperative games by systematically varying different sources of power: the power arising from the 1-person values, the power emerging from the pair coalitions as reflected by the quotas of the non-normalized game, and the grand coalition value. In the present paper it is suggested that one additionally take into account the assumption of strategic equivalence and that one analyze games with v(i)>0 in terms of the quotas (...) of the zero-normalized game. Ostmann's (1984) rather sophisticated game theoretic framework, permitting the standardization of all three-person games, is introduced. A reanalysis of Kahan and Rapoport's data employing this perspective yields results which can be interpreted more easily than those of the original study. Moreover, they are consistent with the findings of almost all studies on 3-person characteristic-function games. It is argued that one could use the introduced analytical framework to investigate the range of empirical validity of the mathematical assumption of invariance under strategic equivalence. (shrink)

The purpose of this paper is to introduce and study the characteristic function of a neutrosophic set. After given the fundamental definitions of neutrosophic set operations generated by the characteristic function of a neutrosophic set ( Ng for short), we obtain several properties, and discussed the relationship between neutrosophic sets generated by Ng and others. Finally, we introduce the neutrosophic topological spaces generated by Ng . Possible application to GIS topology rules are touched upon.

Previous research has found a rich lexicon of shame and guilt terms in Chinese, but how comparable these terms are to “shame” or “guilt” in English remains a question. We identified eight commonly used Chinese terms translated as “shame” and “guilt”. Study 1 assessed the Chinese terms’ intensities, social characteristics, and action tendencies among 40 Chinese speakers. Testing term production in the reverse direction, Study 2 asked another Chinese-speaking sample (N = 85) to endorse emotion terms in response to eight (...) eliciting scenarios generated using each term’s social characteristics from Study 1. A native English-speaking sample (N = 83) was also included to examine the production of English emotion terms and compare motivational tendencies cross-culturally. Using this cross-referencing method, we found that some of the Chinese terms shared similar social-functional characteristics to their English translation, but some had distinct profiles. The two large shame-like and guilt-like term categories yielded in Study 1 were replicated in Study 2’s Chinese term-production task where larger-scale correspondences between categorised elicitors and term clusters were found. Meanwhile, English speakers’ term use provided further evidence for the equivalence between some Chinese terms and “shame” or “guilt” both in terms of their social and motivational characteristics. (shrink)

The characteristics of the meaning of inexpressible is given in the article. It is shown that in the Russian language semantics of inexpressible is represented as a binary functional-semantic category. It was determined that the nuances of semantics of inexpressible can be represented in the form of a gradational scale on which they are distributed within the opposition ‘complete inexpressibleness - complete expressibility‘. The components of the situation of inexpressibleness inherent the means of transference of the value of inexpressible are (...) described. It is shown that the definition of the components of situation of inexpressible contribute to the modeling of the field of semantics of inexpressible: what the concept of inexpressible means, in which situations semantics of inexpressible manifests itself; for whom this situation arises, how it is solved, can it be solved; by what means of language, speech and other semiotic systems it is expressed. It is determined that the situation of inexpressible includes seven components: the subject of speech inexpressibleness; an action that is impossible to express the statement; inexpressibility result of the process; objectivity of the situation described; reasons of inexpressibleness; the object of this situation; spatial area of the situation of inexpressibleness. It is shown that the central part of the functional-semantic field model components number 2, 3 and 4. The private values of the field of semantics of inexpressible were described for the first time. The definition of gradation nuances of inexpressibleness considering the paradigmatic and syntagmatic aspects of the study of the semantics were carried out for the first time. (shrink)

Leibniz’s universal characteristic is a fundamental aspect of his theory of cognition. Without symbols or characters it would be difficult for the human mind to define several concepts and to achieve many demonstrations. In most disciplines, and particularly in mathematics, the mind must then focus on symbols and their combinatorial rules rather than on mental contents. For Leibniz, mental perception is most of the time too confused for attaining distinct notions and valid deductions. In this paper, I argue that (...) the functions of symbolization differ depending upon the kind of concepts that are replaced with characters. In my view, most commentators did not sufficiently underline the distinction between two main functions of formal substitution in Leibniz’s characteristic: either increasing our knowledge or simply structuring it. In the first case, we complete our knowledge because formal substitution makes sensible and imaginary concepts more distinct. In the second case, symbolization helps to organize contents that are already conceived of by reason. Thus the process of substitution is not always identically applicable, for symbols replace different types of concepts. (shrink)

A decade ago I postulated that ROS formation in mitochondria was influenced by different FADH2/NADH (F/N) ratios of catabolic substrates. Thus, fatty acid oxidation (FAO) would give higher ROS formation than glucose oxidation. Both the emergence of peroxisomes and neurons not using FAO, could be explained thus. ROS formation in NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase (Complex I) comes about by reverse electron transport (RET) due to high QH2 levels, and scarcity of its electron‐acceptor (Q) during FAO. The then new, unexpected, finding of an (...) FAO enzyme, ACAD9, being involved in complex I biogenesis, hinted at connections in line with the hypothesis. Recent findings about ACAD9's role in regulation of respiration fit with predictions the model makes: cementing connections between ROS production and F/N ratios. I describe how ACAD9 might be central to reversing the oxidative damage in complex I resulting from FAO. This seems to involve two distinct, but intimately connected, ACAD9 characteristics: (i) its upregulation of complex I biogenesis, and (ii) releasing FADH2, with possible conversion into FMN, the crucial prosthetic group of complex I. Also see the video abstract here: https://youtu.be/N7AT_HBNumg. (shrink)

Self-efficacy is an important predictor of learning and achievement. By definition, self-efficacy requires a task-specific assessment, in which students are asked to evaluate whether they can solve concrete tasks. An underlying assumption in previous research into such assessments was that self-efficacy is a one-dimensional construct. However, empirical evidence for this assumption is lacking, and research on students’ performance suggests that it depends on various task characteristics. The present study explores the potential multi-dimensionality of self-efficacy in the topic of linear functions. (...) More specifically, we investigate how three task characteristics – the representational format, embedding in a real-life context, or the required operation – are related to students’ self-efficacy. We asked 8th and 9th graders to evaluate their self-efficacy on specific linear function tasks which systematically varied along the three dimensions of task characteristics. Using confirmatory factor analysis, we found that a two-dimensional model which includes the task characteristic of real-life context fitted the data better than other two-dimensional models or a one-dimensional model. These results suggest that self-efficacy with linear functions is empirically separable with respect to tasks with vs. without a real-life context. This means that in their self-evaluation of linear function tasks students particularly rely on whether or not the linear function task is embedded in a real-life context. This study highlights the fact that even within a specific content domain students’ self-efficacy can be considered a multi-dimensional construct. (shrink)

This paper investigates structural properties of monotone function classes within the framework of three-valued logic (3VL), aiming to characterize dependencies and constraints that ensure structural finiteness and order-preserving properties. This research delves into characteristics of structurally finite classes of order-preserving 3VL map. Monotonicity plays a critical role in understanding functional behaviour, which is essential for structuring closed logical operations within $ P_{k} $. We define $ F $ as a closed class in $ P_{k} $, consisting only of mappings (...) that comply with specified operations and are strictly confined to $ P_{k} $. The notation $ F(n) $ represents the subset of mappings in $ F $ dependent on $ n $ variables, highlighting the limited scope of inputs and their respective outputs. Further analysis through $ CR(F) $ facilitates the identification of precursor subclasses within $ F $, which have not yet achieved closure under all necessary operations—a pivotal step in constructing intermediate mapping classes. Within the framework of 3VL, the study examines order-preserving maps $ f_{D}, f_{K}, f_{M^{(2)}}, f_{DM^{(2)}}, f_{KM^{(2)}} $, deliberately excluding the sets $ D, K, M^{(2)} $, where $ DM^{(2)} $ is defined as $ D \cap M^{(2)} $ and $ KM^{(2)} $ as $ K \cap M^{(2)} $. The lattice framework in $ P_{k}(1) $ for $ k = 3 $ systematically organizes these mapping classes based on their completeness properties, with particular emphasis on classes such as $ M $, which is characterized as a comprehensive set governed by the operations of maximum and minimum. Our theorems establish structural finiteness for classes of unary order-preserving maps, emphasizing their two-variable dependency in class construction. This study extends existing findings on single-variable monotonic functions within 3VL by integrating criteria of linear order. Key results include the classification of mapping classes $ F \subseteq M $ containing $ M^{(1)}_{3} $, categorized into distinct groups: $ M^{(1)}_{3}, KM^{(2)}, DM^{(2)}, M^{(2)}, K, D, M $. Inclusion relations are visualized diagrammatically, showing the hierarchical structure of these monotone classes, ultimately validating the structural finiteness of classes incorporating all unary order-preserving maps within the broader context of 3VL. (shrink)

Successful marketing efforts and professional sales encounters often depend on consumer involvement in the purchase decision process itself, which in turn may impact firm performance. Despite the importance of consumer involvement, research has yet to fully explain the relationship between consumer personality characteristics and the nature of consumer purchase involvement. This study explores the degree to which consumer perception of salesperson ethical treatment helps explain the relationship between consumer personality characteristics and nature of involvement. Data were collected from a large (...) sample of working adults placed in two scenario-based positive professional sales encounters featuring an important purchase decision. The results indicated that adult consumers’ personality characteristics functioned through judgment of salesperson ethical treatment to affect the nature of purchase involvement. Specifically, consumer judgment of salesperson ethical treatment fully mediated a positive relationship between internal locus of control and cognitive involvement. By comparison, consumer judgment of a salesperson ethical treatment partially mediated the positive relationship between emotional awareness and cognitive involvement. The above findings were similar for informational and relational salesperson customer-orientated scenarios. Key implications for selling professionals and sales organizations are discussed, such as augmenting consumers’ self-assessments to increase their perceptions of salesperson ethics and purchase involvement. The limitations and recommendations for future research are also presented. (shrink)

While the role, architecture, and use of the port of Candia on Crete have been extensively studied, little is known about the island’s other ports and bays. This article considers key questions to evaluate the role of Fraschia Bay in Venetian Crete’s port system and, by extension, in Venetian shipping activities in the late fifteenth century and mainly during the sixteenth. What kind of shipping activities were carried out in Fraschia Bay - commercial (legitimate and illegitimate) or/and military? What types (...) of ships docked there? And under what circumstances was the bay used, especially compared to the port of Candia? The analysis, based on unpublished archival documents of the Archivio di Stato di Venezia, aims to determine whether the activities carried out in the bay of Fraschia were part of the integrated port system of Candia, or whether Fraschia Bay served only as an occasional substitute. The analysis concludes that Fraschia served a complex purpose in Candia’s port system and as a substitute port at times when Candia was unsuitable, due to weather conditions or construction operations. Moreover, Fraschia Bay’s role went well beyond official mercantile shipping, since it also supported military activities and the movement of contraband. (shrink)

У статті розглянуті особливості становлення і діяльності західноєвропейських скрипторіїв при християнських монастирях доби Середньовіччя; окреслено деякі полемічні питання щодо тлумачення цього терміна в довідковій, навчальній і науковій літературі. Виділено процеси інституалізації та технологізації діяльності скрипторіїв і їхнє функціональне значення в історії християнської, ширше – європейської культури.

This paper aims at investigating the dynamic characteristics of a microring driven by dual arch electrodes because they are basic elements of microelectrostatic motors. The dual arch electrodes surround the periphery of the microring and are arranged symmetrically to the center of the ring. The electrodes are fixed while the microring is flexible. The electrostatic force will deform the microring, while the deflection of the microring changes the gap between the microring and the electrodes, thereby changing the electrostatic force. Therefore, (...) this is an electromechanical coupling effect. The nonlinear partial-differential equation that governs the motion of the microring is derived based on thin shell theory. Then, based on the assumption of small deflection, the nonlinear governing equation is linearized by truncating the higher-order terms of the Taylor series expansion of the nonlinear electrostatic force. After that, the linearized governing equation is discretized into a set of ordinary differential equations using Galerkin method in which the mode shape functions of the ring are adopted. The influences of the structural damping of the microring and the span of the arch electrodes on the forced response and dynamical stabilities of the microring are investigated. The results show that the damping ratio has a great influence on the system instability during high-frequency excitation. The unstable region of the system can increase with the increase of the electrode span; the response amplitude can also be increased within a certain range. (shrink)

This paper analyses the evolutionary characteristics of the interprovincial population mobility network structure in China and explores the roles of provinces from 2010 to 2015. By constructing the interprovincial population mobility network, we examine the provinces’ functions during periods of population mobility through population mobility diversity, population mobility, and population mobility intermediation. The results show that the coverage and tightness of the interprovincial population mobility network were influenced by national economic development, increasing steadily from 2010 to 2014 and then suddenly (...) falling in 2015. The regions that played essential roles in the province’s mobility diversity and intermediation showed a dispersion trend. In contrast, areas that played a vital role in the inflows or outflows were relatively concentrated and stable. Additionally, this work further explores how economic factors, e.g., GDP, residents’ consumption levels, total population, unemployment rate, and consumer price index, are used as independent variables to analyse the provinces’ roles in the interprovincial population mobility network. The analysis shows that the inflow or outflow volumes are easily affected by the five indices. These five indices are significantly related to network role indicators to different extents. (shrink)

The uncertainty associated with paradigmatic families has been shown to correlate with their phonetic characteristics in speech, suggesting that representations of complex sublexical relations between words are part of speaker knowledge. To better understand this, recent studies have used two-layer neural network models to examine the way paradigmatic uncertainty emerges in learning. However, to date this work has largely ignored the way choices about the representation of inflectional and grammatical functions (IFS) in models strongly influence what they subsequently learn. To (...) explore the consequences of this, we investigate how representations of IFS in the input-output structures of learning models affect the capacity of uncertainty estimates derived from them to account for phonetic variability in speech. Specifically, we examine whether IFS are best represented as outputs to neural networks (as in previous studies) or as inputs by building models that embody both choices and examining their capacity to account for uncertainty effects in the formant trajectories of word final [ɐ], which in German discriminates around sixty different IFS. Overall, we find that formants are enhanced as the uncertainty associated with IFS decreases. This result dovetails with a growing number of studies of morphological and inflectional families that have shown that enhancement is associated with lower uncertainty in context. Importantly, we also find that in models where IFS serve as inputs—as our theoretical analysis suggests they ought to—its uncertainty measures provide better fits to the empirical variance observed in [ɐ] formants than models where IFS serve as outputs. This supports our suggestion that IFS serve as cognitive cues during speech production, and should be treated as such in modeling. It is also consistent with the idea that when IFS serve as inputs to a learning network. This maintains the distinction between those parts of the network that represent message and those that represent signal. We conclude by describing how maintaining a “signal-message-uncertainty distinction” can allow us to reconcile a range of apparently contradictory findings about the relationship between articulation and uncertainty in context. (shrink)

Exceptional human experiences (EHEs) have garnered increasing research attention, particularly with regard to the characteristics and potential functional aspects of these experiences. The current study sought to replicate and expand upon previous research on EHEs by using a mixed-methods approach to examine the characteristics of EHEs in a large adult sample. The participants were 869 healthy adults who completed a survey that allowed participants to share both quantitative ratings and qualitative descriptions of EHEs. The results revealed that 96.7% of respondents (...) had experienced at least one EHE, and EHEs were generally rated as having a positive impact on the participants' lives. Participants reported a variety of EHEs, with two primary themes emerging in the qualitative analysis: perception and function of EHEs. The results suggest that EHEs may serve a positive, functional purpose in the lives of those who experience them. (shrink)

The outward and extensionary application and expansion of the wuxing (Five Elements) idea generated many correspondent systems that have the Five Elements as their fundamental criterion, such as the systems (or ideas) of wuse (Five Colors), wuqi (Five Breaths), wuyin (Five Tones), wushi (Five Segments of Time), wufang (Five Directions), and wuwei (Five Tastes). Later this further developed beyond the realm of general natural phenomena and entered into the human physical or physiological realm, as in the case of including and (...) involving physical organs and psychological states, such as the theories about wuzhang (Five Internal Organs), wuti (Five Extremities or Limbs), wuqiao (Five Orifices), wurong (Five Effervescent Manifestations), and wuzhi (Five Wills). These became the foundation categories of Chinese physiology and medicine. What is noteworthy is that these systems, insofar as they are correspondent and relative, are based on the fundamental criterion of the characteristics of the original Five Elements. When people began to comprehend through the characteristics of these Five Elements the objects in corresponding systems and use these to confer on those objects related significances, they began to assign to the original Five Elements system a metaphorical function, a function of explaining and accounting for meanings, and to identify or manifest qualities and essences. For example, in the Five Elements, the element of wood was assigned connections with the color black, the taste of sourness, the organ of the liver, the physiological quality of sinew or tendon, and the limb of talons. This was because it was conceived that the color black, the taste of sourness, the liver, the tendon, and the talon all possessed the nature, or quality, of wood. (shrink)

This study examines linguistic co-occurrence patterns in the discourse of individuals with communication impairments who use augmentative and alternative communication devices in the workplace by comparing them to those of non-AAC users in similar job settings. A typical workweek per focal participant was recorded and transcribed to create a specialized corpus of workplace discourse of approximately 464,000 words at the time of this analysis. A multidimensional analysis of co-occurrence patterns along functional linguistic dimensions, following Biber [Variation across Speech and Writing. (...) Cambridge: Cambridge University Press; Dimensions of Register Variation: A Cross-Linguistic Perspective. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press], reveals differences in the macro discourse characteristics of AAC vis-a-vis non-AAC texts. Results indicate that AAC texts make use of more informational, non-narrative, and explicit textual features of discourse than their non-AAC counterparts. Implications to improve the capabilities of AAC devices to produce speech that matches baseline expectations of co-workers in the workplace are discussed. (shrink)

Although emotion may subserve social function, as with anger-maintaining dominance, emotions are more than variant cognitions. Anger promotes risk-taking, attention-narrowing, and cognitive impairment. The proposition that appraised “blameworthiness” is necessary for anger excludes young children's anger as well as adults' pain-induced anger. To be complete, any systems model of anger must account for its temporal characteristics, including escalation and persistence.

In order to analyze the characteristics of airport flight delayed time series, based on the construction of flight delay time series, firstly, the K-means algorithm is used to cluster the time series of delayed departures. Secondly, combining with R/s analysis method of Fractal theory, Hurst index of the series is calculated, and Fractal characteristics of the series are analyzed. Then, the VAR (Vector Auto Regression) model is constructed, and Impulse Response Function (IRF) and Variance Decomposition are conducted to explore (...) the impact of the fluctuation of flight delay time series on the future delay. The results show that K-means algorithm divides the time series into five categories, and each category has significant characteristics. Hurst index values of different time series are in the interval of (0.5, 1), indicating that the time series have good fractal characteristics. Through the IRF and Variance Decomposition of VAR model, results show that the time series are significantly affected by random pulses, and the prediction changes of the series come from multiple time series fluctuations. The prediction results show that the flight delay time series is predictable. (shrink)

The outward and extensionary application and expansion of the wuxing (Five Elements) idea generated many correspondent systems that have the Five Elements as their fundamental criterion, such as the systems (or ideas) of wuse (Five Colors), wuqi (Five Breaths), wuyin (Five Tones), wushi (Five Segments of Time), wufang (Five Directions), and wuwei (Five Tastes). Later this further developed beyond the realm of general natural phenomena and entered into the human physical or physiological realm, as in the case of including and (...) involving physical organs and psychological states, such as the theories about wuzhang (Five Internal Organs), wuti (Five Extremities or Limbs), wuqiao (Five Orifices), wurong (Five Effervescent Manifestations), and wuzhi (Five Wills). These became the foundation categories of Chinese physiology and medicine. What is noteworthy is that these systems, insofar as they are correspondent and relative, are based on the fundamental criterion of the characteristics of the original Five Elements. When people began to comprehend through the characteristics of these Five Elements the objects in corresponding systems and use these to confer on those objects related significances, they began to assign to the original Five Elements system a metaphorical function, a function of explaining and accounting for meanings, and to identify or manifest qualities and essences. For example, in the Five Elements, the element of wood was assigned connections with the color black, the taste of sourness, the organ of the liver, the physiological quality of sinew or tendon, and the limb of talons. This was because it was conceived that the color black, the taste of sourness, the liver, the tendon, and the talon all possessed the nature, or quality, of wood. (shrink)

The social identity approach offers a more parsimonious and more comprehensive explanation for historical myths’ assumed coalition-building function than the target article's proposed mechanism based on fitness interdependence. Target article's assertion that social identity theory cannot explain certain characteristics of historical myths is based on a narrow interpretation of the social identity approach.

This study investigated the differences in morphometry and functional plasticity characteristics of the brain after long-term training of different intensities. Results showed that an aerobic group demonstrated higher gray matter volume in the cerebellum and temporal lobe, while an anaerobic group demonstrated higher gray matter volume in the region of basal ganglia. In addition, the aerobic group also showed significantly higher fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation and degree centrality in the motor area of the frontal lobe and parietal lobe, and (...) the frontal gyrus, respectively. At the same time, the anaerobic group demonstrated higher fALFF and DC in the cerebellum posterior lobe. These findings may further prove that different brain activation modes respond to different intensities of physical activity and may help to reveal the neural mechanisms that can classify athletes from different intensity sports. (shrink)

We consider the problem of constructing first-order definitions in the language of rings of holomorphy rings of one-variable function fields of characteristic 0 in their integral closures in finite extensions of their fraction fields and in bigger holomorphy subrings of their fraction fields. This line of questions is motivated by similar existential definability results over global fields and related questions of Diophantine decidability.

In recent years, neural networks have attracted much attention in the machine learning and the deep learning technologies. Bio-inspired functions and intelligence are also expected to process efficiently and improve existing technologies. In the visual pathway, the prominent features consist of nonlinear characteristics of squaring and rectification functions observed in the retinal and visual cortex networks, respectively. Further, adaptation is an important feature to activate the biological systems, efficiently. Recently, to overcome short-comings of the deep learning techniques, orthogonality for the (...) weights in the networks has been developed for the signal propagation and the efficient optimization of the learning. In this paper, bio-inspired asymmetric networks with nonlinear characteristics are proposed, which are derived from the retinal networks in the biological visual pathway. The asymmetric network proposed here was verified to detect the movement of the object, efficiently in our previous studies. This paper shows a new characteristic of the adaptive orthogonality in the asymmetric networks. First, it is shown that the asymmetric network with nonlinear characteristics is effective for generating orthogonality. Second, the proposed asymmetric network with Gabor filters is compared with the conventional energy model from the point of the orthogonality characteristics. Finally, the asymmetric networks with nonlinear characteristics can generate the extended orthogonal bases in independent subspaces, which are useful for classification and efficient learning. (shrink)

We use an event study to capture the investor reaction to the first Newsweek Green Rankings in September 2009, a notable, multi-dimensional recent development in the rating of corporate environmental CSR performance. Drawing on stakeholder theory, we develop hypotheses about market investor reaction to the disclosure of new, relevant corporate environmental performance in both the short and longer term, whether market investors’ reaction reflects industry context, and whether firm-level contextual variables representing firm size, and market legitimacy significantly impacts the investor (...) reaction. We find that, for the sample of the largest 500 US firms ranked by Newsweek, investors react positively both to the raw and within-industry rankings of green performance in terms of both short-term and longer-term returns. Moreover, the investor reaction is significantly influenced by contextual variables such as firm size and firm market legitimacy. Our results are compatible with the inference that rating agencies like Newsweek serve a valuable information dissemination function such that investors in better ranked firms anticipate larger future cash flows due to more positive reactions from key stakeholders such as environmentally-conscious customers, employees, NGOs, regulators, and thus reward these firms with stock price increases. Finally, larger, more visible firms benefit more, while firms which have more market legitimacy benefit less. We believe these findings will be of considerable interest to scholars of environmental corporate social responsibility. (shrink)

In this paper I argue that Fan Ruiping’s explication of the Confucian notion of li 禮 is problematic in several ways. First, his division of human activities into “social” and “natural” is less than illuminating, as human “natural” activities are already inescapably social. Second, I question the appropriateness for him to characterize li in terms of “closed activities,” as some rituals are evidently open-ended. Third, he seems to have overemphasized the constitutive function of li and understated its regulative (...) class='Hi'>function. Fourth, contrary to Fan’s claim, Confucian li accomplishes “external goals” in human life as well as “internal goals.” Finally, Fan’s requirement for being a Confucian with respect to the observance of li is unrealistically high and makes it difficult for people to qualify as Confucian. (shrink)

A mass problem is a set of functions$\omega \to \omega $. For mass problems${\mathcal {C}}, {\mathcal {D}}$, one says that${\mathcal {C}}$is Muchnik reducible to${\mathcal {D}}$if each function in${\mathcal {C}}$is computed by a function in${\mathcal {D}}$. In this paper we study some highness properties of Turing oracles, which we view as mass problems. We compare them with respect to Muchnik reducibility and its uniform strengthening, Medvedev reducibility.For$p \in [0,1]$let${\mathcal {D}}(p)$be the mass problem of infinite bit sequencesy(i.e.,$\{0,1\}$-valued functions) such that (...) for each computable bit sequencex, the bit sequence$ x {\,\leftrightarrow\,} y$has asymptotic lower density at mostp(where$x {\,\leftrightarrow\,} y$has a$1$in positionniff$x(n) = y(n)$). We show that all members of this family of mass problems parameterized by a realpwith$0 p$for each computable setx. We prove that the Medvedev (and hence Muchnik) complexity of the mass problems${\mathcal {B}}(p)$is the same for all$p \in (0, 1/2)$, by showing that they are Medvedev equivalent to the mass problem of functions bounded by${2^{2}}^{n}$that are almost everywhere different from each computable function.Next, together with Joseph Miller, we obtain a proper hierarchy of the mass problems of type$\text {IOE}$: we show that for any order functiongthere exists a faster growing order function$h $such that$\text {IOE}(h)$is strictly above$\text {IOE}(g)$in the sense of Muchnik reducibility.We study cardinal characteristics in the sense of set theory that are analogous to the highness properties above. For instance,${\mathfrak {d}} (p)$is the least size of a setGof bit sequences such that for each bit sequencexthere is a bit sequenceyinGso that$\underline \rho (x {\,\leftrightarrow\,} y)>p$. We prove within ZFC all the coincidences of cardinal characteristics that are the analogs of the results above. (shrink)

Spatial facilitation has been observed with luminance-defined, achromatic stimuli on achromatic backgrounds as well as with targets and inducers defined by colour contrast. This paper reviews psychophysical results from detection experiments with human observers showing the conditions under which spatially separated contour inducers facilitate the detection of simultaneously presented target stimuli. The findings point towards two types of spatial mechanisms: (i) Short-range mechanisms that are sensitive to narrowly spaced stimuli of small size and, at distinct target locations, selective to the (...) contrast polarity of targets and inducers. (ii) Long-range mechanisms that are triggered by longer stimuli, generate facilitation across wider spatial gaps between targets and inducers, and are insensitive to their contrast polarity. Spatial facilitation with chromatic stimuli requires a longer inducer exposure than spatial facilitation with achromatic stimuli, which is already fully effective at inducer exposures of 30 ms. This difference in temporal dynamics indicates some functional segregation between mechanisms for colour and luminance contrast in the perception of space. (shrink)

The study aimed to investigate the functional-pragmatic and communicative-pragmatic use of morphological and syntactic diminutive resources of Kazakh and English in the example of artistic contexts. The following methods were used: comparative-comparative, morphological-syntactic, communicative-pragmatic, analytical-synthetic, and contextual. This paper analysed the main morphological and syntactic resources used for word formation of diminutive adjectives in Kazakh and English languages. In particular, the results of the study showed that synthetic means (use of suffixal morphemes with diminutive semantics) and analytical means (use of (...) special lexemes with diminutive semantics) are frequent in Kazakh. It was determined that suffixal morphemes to express the diminutiveness of adjectives were most often used to warn addressees about the properties of objects and phenomena, to soften categorical evaluation in Kazakh, to diminish the attributes of the object, to demonstrate the incompleteness of the attribute in English. This work can be used in the spheres of communicative linguistics, linguistic pragmatics, word formation, and morphology. (shrink)