Personogenesis Through Imitating Human Behavior in a Humanoid Robot “Alter3”

In this study, we report the investigations conducted on the mimetic behavior of a new humanoid robot called Alter3. Alter3 autonomously imitates the motions of a person in front of it and stores the motion sequences in its memory. Alter3 also uses a self-simulator to simulate its own motions before executing them and generates a self-image. If the visual perception (of a person's motion being imitated) and the imitating self-image differ significantly, Alter3 retrieves a motion sequence closer to the target motion from its memory and executes it. We investigate how this mimetic behavior develops interacting with human, by analyzing memory dynamics and information flow between Alter3 and a interacting person. One important observation from this study is that when Alter3 fails to imitate a person's motion, the person tend to imitate Alter3 instead. This tendency is quantified by the alternation of the direction of information flow. This spontaneous role-switching behavior between a human and Alter3 is a way to initiate personality formation (i.e., personogenesis) in Alter3.

From Systematic to Mimetic Behavior in the International Market Selection

Traditionally, the international market selection is a systematic process, based on predefined criteria. This process is, however, very time- and cost-consuming, and only a small number of firms have sufficient resources to do it. So, according to the Uppsala Model, firms tend to internationalize to the closest markets (psychic distance), managing uncertainty in a very gradual process based on experiential knowledge. The second-hand knowledge that flows in the firm's network could help firms select the market, helping them to expand gradually. Independently from the source (experiential or second hand), knowledge seems to be a mandatory resource to internationalize. However, a lot of firms imitate other firms' behavior, selecting the international market according to others' selections, believing that they must have superior information. In this situation, firms could imitate the leader (a successful firm) or the herd (a big number of firms). This international market selection is not based on knowledge; it is a mimetic process.

Are cooperative firms more agile? A contingency perspective on small and medium-sized enterprises in agglomerations and peripheral areas

In this study of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) operating in German key technology industries, we investigate whether cooperating with others is an effective strategy for SMEs to enhance their organizational agility. Taking a contingency perspective, we are specifically interested in whether this effect depends on the firm’s location in an agglomerated or a peripheral area. Results show that a greater number of cooperative relationships with others is positively associated with SMEs’ organizational agility. This effect is stronger for agglomerated than for peripheral firms, suggesting that agglomerated SMEs can seize the abundant opportunities to cooperate in order to counter agglomeration diseconomies such as organizational inertia and mimetic behavior. This finding highlights the importance of absorbing external knowledge gained in cooperative relationships for SMEs’ organizational agility. Thereby, the study offers a novel perspective on how agglomerated SMEs can actively prevent being negatively affected by the downsides of agglomerations.

Peut-On Expliquer La Volatilite Du Marche Boursier Marocain Par Un Comportement Mimetique Des Investisseurs?

The purpose of this paper is to test empirically, if during the period 2002-2017, the volatility of the Moroccan stock market could be linked to mimetic behavior of investors. On a sample made up of 22 firms listed on the Casablanca stock exchange, we adopted an estimate of this behavior according to the measure of cross sectional absolute deviation CSAD to show that there is no solid evidence on the presence of mimicry at least for the period considered in this study.

Decision-Making Processes Underlying Pedestrian Behaviors at Signalized Crossings: Part 2. Do Pedestrians Show Cultural Herding Behavior?

Followership is generally defined as a strategy that evolved to solve social coordination problems, and particularly those involved in group movement. Followership behavior is particularly interesting in the context of road-crossing behavior because it involves other principles such as risk-taking and evaluating the value of social information. This study sought to identify the cognitive mechanisms underlying decision-making by pedestrians who follow another person across the road at the green or at the red light in two different countries (France and Japan). We used agent-based modelling to simulate the road-crossing behaviors of pedestrians. This study showed that modelling is a reliable means to test different hypotheses and find the processes underlying decision-making when crossing the road. We found that two processes suffice to simulate pedestrian behaviors: personal motivation and imitation. Importantly, the study revealed differences between the two nationalities and between sexes in the decision to follow and cross at the green and at the red light. Japanese pedestrians showed a greater mimetic behavior at the red light but the process takes into account both the number of crossing and waiting pedestrians, contrary to French citizens. Finally, the simulations are revealed to be similar to observations, not only for the departure latencies but also for the number of crossing pedestrians and the rates of illegal crossings. The conclusion suggests new solutions for safety in transportation research.

Leveraged buyout booms and busts: can Islamic finance help prevent and mitigate such market distortions?

The industry of private equity and leveraged buyout has been, since its beginnings, subject to several chapters of bubbles and busts, the majority of whom are initiated under similar circumstances (excess of liquidity, junk debt and mimetic behavior).The Islamic finance is a financial system that complies with the rules of the Sharia Law, and which naturally allows the achievements of purposes of Sharia, such as protection of property and capital, fair wealth distribution, reduction of uncertainty and speculation, to name a few.From this perspective, this paper discusses the capacity of Islamic finance to help prevent some factors that trigger financial crises in the leveraged buyout market and to accomplish the intended purposes through this asset class.In the first part of this paper, the authors try to break down some of these common factors that trigger or catalyze the economic booms of the leverage buyout industry, and propose a framework to visualize their effects through an agent-based Simulation program. The second part of the paper describes how Islamic economic principles constitute brakes to some distortions and excesses in the market, in such a way that the probability of occurrence of a boom decreases drastically. Finally, these Islamic features are added up to the simulation to provide a comprehensive benchmark.

A Chemiluminescent Method for the Detection of H2O2 and Glucose Based on Intrinsic Peroxidase-Like Activity of WS2 Quantum Dots

Currently, researchers are looking for nanomaterials with peroxidase-like activity to replace natural peroxidase enzymes. For this purpose, WS2 quantum dots (WS2 QDs) were synthesized via a solvothermal method, which improved the mimetic behavior. The resulting WS2 QDs with a size of 1–1.5 nm had a high fluorescence emission, dependent on the excitation wavelength. WS2 QDs with uniform morphology showed a high catalytic effect in destroying H2O2. The peroxidase-like activity of synthesized nanostructures was studied in H2O2 chemical and electrochemical reduction systems. The mimetic effect of WS2 QDs was also shown in an H2O2–rhodamine B (RB) chemiluminescence system. For this aim, a stopped-flow chemiluminescence (CL) detection system was applied. Also, in order to confirm the peroxidase-like effect of quantum dots, colorimetry and electrochemical techniques were used. In the enzymatic reaction of glucose, H2O2 is one of the products which can be determined. Under optimum conditions, H2O2 can be detected in the concentration range of 0–1000 nmol·L−1, with a detection limit of 2.4 nmol·L−1. Using this CL assay, a linear relationship was obtained between the intensity of the CL emission and glucose concentration in the range of 0.01–30 nmol·L−1, with a limit of detection (3S) of 4.2 nmol·L−1.

Does the “capstone” of the “comply or explain” system work in practice? Evidence from Athens Stock Exchange

PurposeIn recent years, the principle of the “comply or explain” approach has become the trend in corporate governance statements that are not fully compliant with national codes. This is because managers of companies deviating from corporate governance codes try to be lawful, providing reasonable explanations; thus, they reach an impasse, copying explanations from other companies, in a mimetic behavior. The purpose of this study is to investigate whether companies listed in Greek Stock exchange tend to imitate one each other thus to be legitimate in terms of the “comply or explain: approach”.Design/methodology/approachThis study focuses on the “comply or explain” approach in Greek listed companies, analyzing statements by 162 companies (80.2 per cent) listed on the Athens Stock Exchange (ASE), showing a total of 1,211 deviations from the national code. Therefore, the explanations were classified for analysis, grouping them into three main categories and investigating the degree of imitation.FindingsIn total, 96 companies deviating from the Code (56.3 per cent) provided explanations as to their legitimacy practices. Thus, the managers of these companies tried to explain their deviations from the national code in such a way that it could be considered that they tend to imitate each other, striving to be lawful.Research limitations/implicationsOwing to Greece’s ongoing economic crisis, many companies listed on the ASE in previous years have suspended the trading of their shares. An examination of previous years may have led to biased results, owing to the different samples of companies. Another limitation concerns the number of companies in the sample; although it covers almost 80 per cent of listed companies, the actual number of companies is not big enough.Practical implicationsThis study tries to investigate whether Greek listed companies comply with or deviate from the National Corporate Governance Code. For that purpose, context analysis was performed on 80.2 per cent of these companies (162 out of 202 companies) for the calendar year 2017. Most companies tried to explain their deviations from the Code in such a way that it could be considered that they tend to imitate each other.Social implicationsCompanies that deviate from the corporate governance code tend to imitate each other. This phenomenon occurs mainly in small companies, which, while striving to be lawful, even copy other companies’ phrases verbatim. This study reveals that managers of such companies care to provide an explanation for only deviations from the Code as a logical justification and not to capture the existing situation of their companies.Originality/valueThis study is the first to examine the mimetic behavior on corporate governance statements in Greece. Although the trend of imitation is a fact in developed economies, similar studies never took place on emerge economies. This study contributes to the literature by examining whether the trend of mimetic behavior exists in emerging economies as well.