Constraining the Size Growth of the Task Space with Socially Guided Intrinsic Motivation using Demonstrations

This paper presents an algorithm for learning a highly redundant inverse model in continuous and non-preset environments. Our Socially Guided Intrinsic Motivation by Demonstrations (SGIM-D) algorithm combines the advantages of both social learning and intrinsic motivation, to specialise in a wide range of skills, while lessening its dependence on the teacher. SGIM-D is evaluated on a fishing skill learning experiment.Comment: JCAI Workshop on Agents Learning Interactively from Human Teachers (ALIHT), Barcelona : Spain (2011

Cultural Goods Production, Cultural Capital Formation and the Provision of Cultural Services

Cultural capital is assumed to benefit all members of society. It is accumulated through the consumption of cultural services and is diminished through depreciation. Using the stock of cultural goods, cultural services are provided by the cultural services industry; the stock of cultural goods is enlarged by the flow of new cultural goods created by individuals who are both consumers and creators of culture and whose utility is positively affected by the cultural goods they created. In the no-policy market economy, individuals tend to ignore the positive external effects of their cultural services consumption and creation of cultural goods on other individuals via augmenting cultural capital and cultural-goods stock. Consequently, less cultural capital and cultural-goods stock will be accumulated. The efficient allocation can be restored by introducing an appropriate subsidy that stimulates the consumers? demand for cultural services, and the creation of new cultural goods, promotes the accumulation of cultural capital and cultural goods

Economic theory of culture : a dynamic approach

Cultural capital is assumed to benefit all members of society. It is accumulated through the consumption of cultural services and is diminished through depreciation. Using the stock of cultural goods (e.g. cultural heritage, works of arts, literature and music), cultural services are provided by the cultural services industry; the stock of cultural goods is enlarged by the flow of new cultural goods created by individuals who are both consumers and creators of culture and whose utility is positively affected by the cultural goods they created. In the no-policy market economy, individuals tend to ignore the positive external effects of their cultural services consumption and creation of cultural goods on other individuals via augmenting cultural capital and cultural-goods stock. Consequently, less cultural capital and culturalgoods stock will be accumulated. The efficient allocation can be restored by introducing an appropriate subsidy that stimulates the consumers’ demand for cultural services, and the creation of new cultural goods, promotes the accumulation of cultural capital and cultural goods

Notas sobre el desarrollo del concepto de conflicto ambiental ontológico

En el artículo analizo el desarrollo de la idea de conflicto ambiental ontológico, con el objetivo de demostrar su autonomía conceptual y la necesidad de tratarla como una categoría propia en filosofía política y en derecho. Sitúo la formación del referido concepto dentro de los postulados teóricos de lo que se denomina giro ontológico (ontological turn) en antropología y filosofía política. Jherramientas metodológicas y conceptuales que pueden ser muy útiles en el ámbito jurídico para tratar de conflictos relacionados con lo que se denomina diferencias inconmensurables (Povinelli). Sostengo que en materia ambiental, muchos de los conflictos de intereses ocurren en un nivel profundo, sobre la realidad misma de la cosa objeto del conflicto, y que, por lo tanto, deben ser tratados como conflictos ontológicos (Blaser). Al final, procuro establecer criterios hermenéuticos aplicables a la gestión de esta clase de conflicto ambiental

The hump in the Cerenkov lateral distribution of gamma ray showers

The lateral distribution of atmospheric Cerenkov photons emitted by gamma ray showers of energy 100 GeV is calculated. The lateral distribution shows a characteristic hump at a distance of approx. 135 meter from the core. The hump is shown to be due to electrons of threshold energy 1 GeV, above which the mean scattering angle becomes smaller than the Cerenkov angle

Willingness to Pay for Mortality Risk Reduction and Environmental Kuznets Curve Hypothesis

Global Warming will cause severe decline of water quality over the world in near future, and mortality risk due to water pollution causing diseases of diarrhea or digestive organs has been one of serious problems especially for Asian developing countries. Generally speaking, implementation of sewage and water-supply system might be the most effective policy against such health problems. By the way, the timing to carry out a policy or project against such a problem is typical and central debate of Environmental Kuznets Curve hypothesis. It suggests that there exists an empirical relation between per capita income and some measures of environmental quality, and that as income goes up there is increasing environmental degradation up to a point, after which environmental quality improves. The relation has an 'inverted-U' shape. However, only a limited water pollution matters seems to obey to the rule, and several recent empirical findings are mostly consistent with negative remarks about the law. Our main objective is to examine effectiveness of EKC hypothesis with survey data sets in Laos and Vietnam to ask citizens' WTP (Willingness to Pay) for mortality risk reduction as a contingent policy or project has been implemented. The WTP can be also estimated for each category of participant's generation, as 20's, 30's, 40's, 50's, and over 60. On this procedure, we found also relative robust and characteristic relationships between their age or income and WTP. In a subsequent theoretical study, we found that these relationships holds theoretical consistency for both of Option Price Model and Optimal Expenditure Decision Model, those are discriminated by typical ways of answering questions of the participants and assumed that the one doesn't interest in the world after his death. 6 propositions are also derived in this procedure, and some of them refer to functional form of WTP with respect to a variable of risk reduction. So far as our empirical findings are consistent with theoretical suggestions, EKC hypothesis is supported well at least about transition of their preference for improved environment with economic development, and the turning point of EKC does not rely only on the income level but also aging degree of the society