Thermodynamic Machine Learning through Maximum Work Production

Adaptive systems---such as a biological organism gaining survival advantage, an autonomous robot executing a functional task, or a motor protein transporting intracellular nutrients---must model the regularities and stochasticity in their environments to take full advantage of thermodynamic resources. Analogously, but in a purely computational realm, machine learning algorithms estimate models to capture predictable structure and identify irrelevant noise in training data. This happens through optimization of performance metrics, such as model likelihood. If physically implemented, is there a sense in which computational models estimated through machine learning are physically preferred? We introduce the thermodynamic principle that work production is the most relevant performance metric for an adaptive physical agent and compare the results to the maximum-likelihood principle that guides machine learning. Within the class of physical agents that most efficiently harvest energy from their environment, we demonstrate that an efficient agent's model explicitly determines its architecture and how much useful work it harvests from the environment. We then show that selecting the maximum-work agent for given environmental data corresponds to finding the maximum-likelihood model. This establishes an equivalence between nonequilibrium thermodynamics and dynamic learning. In this way, work maximization emerges as an organizing principle that underlies learning in adaptive thermodynamic systems.

TINA Is Dead: Reflecting on Postcapitalist Futures

Social sciences in recent years have clearly proven that TINA—There Is No Alternative (to capitalism)—is no longer tenable. Today, alterity to capitalism comes in many forms and blossoms from inside its borders. Ethnographies of experimentations that span from ecovillages and community economies to alternative forms of work, production, and consumption are now countless. One common denominator of these experiences is that communal forms of social relation take over market relations. The main theoretical issue raised by this empirical work is whether this ferment of scattered, small scale alternative ways of organizing economy and society can coalesce into a fully fledged postcapitalist future or whether it is doomed to be stay marginal and transient at best. Anthropology can be at the forefront of this theoretical challenge. We close this brief commentary by addressing the importance of a future-oriented thinking in Anthropology and for the social science in general.

Account Production: New Rules FSBU 5/2019 «Spares»

In article are presented new positions of the account of the production expresses, being kept in FSBU 5/2019 «Spares», is organized their analysis, are given theoretical and practical recommendations upon their using in work production organization.

Time-varying motor control strategy for proximal-to-distal sequential energy distribution: Insights from baseball pitching

The importance of a proximal-to-distal (P-D) sequential motion in baseball pitching is generally accepted; however, the mechanisms behind this sequential motion and motor control theories that explain which factor transfers mechanical energy between the trunk and arm segments are not completely understood. This study aimed to identify the energy distribution mechanisms among the segments and determine the effect of the P-D sequence on the mechanical efficiency of the throwing movement, focusing on the time-varying motor control. The throwing motions of 16 male collegiate baseball pitchers were measured by a motion capture system. An induced power analysis was used to decompose the system mechanical energy into its muscular and interactive torque-dependent components. The results showed that the P-D sequential energy flow during the movement was mainly attributed to three different joint controls of the energy-generation and muscular torque- and centrifugal force-induced energy-transfer. The trunk muscular torques provided the primary energy sources of the system mechanical energy, and the shoulder and elbow joints played the roles of the energy-transfer effect. The mechanical energy expenditure on the throwing hand and ball accounted for 72.7% of the total muscle work generated by the trunk and arm joints (329.2 J). In conclusion, the P-D sequence of the throwing motion is an effective way to utilize the proximal joints as the energy source and reduce muscular work production of the distal joints. This movement control assists in efficient throwing, and is consistent with the theory of the leading joint hypothesis.

Muscle-specific economy of force generation and efficiency of work production during human running

Human running features a spring-like interaction of body and ground, enabled by elastic tendons that store mechanical energy and facilitate muscle operating conditions to minimize the metabolic cost. By experimentally assessing the operating conditions of two important muscles for running, the soleus and vastus lateralis, we investigated physiological mechanisms of muscle work production and muscle force generation. We found that the soleus continuously shortened throughout the stance phase, operating as work generator under conditions that are considered optimal for work production: high force-length potential and high enthalpy efficiency. The vastus lateralis promoted tendon energy storage and contracted nearly isometrically close to optimal length, resulting in a high force-length-velocity potential beneficial for economical force generation. The favorable operating conditions of both muscles were a result of an effective length and velocity-decoupling of fascicles and muscle-tendon unit, mostly due to tendon compliance and, in the soleus, marginally by fascicle rotation.

UNSUR FORMALISTIK DALAM KARYA YA BAMBAN YA LUKAH DAN HUMINODUN SPIRIT

Karya catan Hassan Majin iaitu Ya Bamban Ya Lukah dan Huminodun Spirits (Kadazandusun) oleh Abdullah Ehlid Al Walid adalah cetusan idea pelukis terhadap tarian tradisi masyarakat Bisaya dan cerita rakyat wanita Kadazandusun. Karya diolah oleh pelukis bertujuan untuk memberi tafsirannya sendiri berdasarkan ekspresi dalam catan seni visual. Karya ini memberi penekanan terhadap penyampaian rasa, emosi dan perasaan yang diolah dalam sapuan berus dan penggunaan warna dalam kanvas karyanya. Naratif cerita diolah melalui pergerakan Spirit Bubu Mengalai dan figura Huminodun. Kajian dilakukan secara kualitatif untuk mentafsir keadaan yang sebenar menerusi pengkaryaan. Penghasilan karya adalah menerusi aplikasi aspek formalistik dalam pengkaryaan dan perspektif budaya. Hasil kajian menjelaskan bahawa terdapat unsur spirit dalam perkaryaan sebagai pernyataan seni visual yang mengupas tentang elemen fomalistik, kepercayaan terhadap figura dan kritikan seni. Justeru, terdapat unsur kepercayaan semangat dan perubatan tradisional menerusi tarian serta semangat menuai padi masyarakat tempatan di Borneo yang mereka warisi sejak dahulu lagi. Oleh hal yang demikian, pelukis dapat memaparkan semula dalam bentuk karya catan seni visual. Hassan Majin’s painting artwork Ya Bamban Ya Lukah and Huminodun Spirits (Kadazandusun) by Abdullah Ehlid Al Walid is the origin of this painter’s idea of the traditional dance of the Bisaya community and the Sabah folklore of a Kadazandusun woman. The work produced by the artist aims to give his interpretation based on being expressed in visual art paintings. This work focuses on emphasis on the delivery of feelings, emotions and feelings processed in brush strokes and the use of colour in the canvas of his work. The narrative of the story is processed into visual works through the movement of the Bubu Mengalai Spirit and Huminodun figure. The study is done qualitatively to interpret the real situation through the work. Production of works through the application of formalistic aspects in the creation and cultural perspective. The results of the study can explain that there is an element of spirit in the work as a visual art statement that examines the elements of formality, belief in figures and art criticism. Therefore, there is an element of belief in the spirit of traditional medicine through the dance and harvesting of local rice in Borneo that they have inherited for a long time. Thus, the painter can re-display in the form of visual art paintings.

Characterization of Biosurfactant From Pseudomonas Stutzeri SJ3 for Remediation of Crude Oil-Contaminated Soil

In the present work, production of biosurfactant was studied from the bacterial strains isolated from the soil samples collected from oil contaminated sites in Karaikal ONGC, Puducherry, India. Six morphologically different hydrocarbonoclastic bacterial strains (SJ1-SJ6) isolated on oil agar plates were further screened for biosurfactant production. Based on the screening methods results of 26 mm oil displacement zone, positive results of drop collapse test, 68.14% emulsification index (E24) and 79.2% of bacterial adherence percentage, the isolate SJ3 was selected as the most potent strain and it was identified as P. stutzeri using standard biochemical and 16S rRNA gene sequencing-based methods. Optimization of the P. stutzeri strain showed 36 h incubation, 150 rpm agitation, pH 7.5, 37oC, 1% salinity, 2% glucose as carbon source and 1% yeast extract as nitrogen source were the ideal conditions for growth and the biosurfactant production was found to be growth dependent. The crude biosurfactant showed broad range of antibacterial activity against the bacterial pathogens tested. The P. stutzeri isolated from oil spill site showed biosurfactant with antibacterial activities.

Information, Thermodynamics and Life: A Narrative Review

Information is probably one of the most difficult physical quantities to comprehend. This applies not only to the very definition of information, but also to the physical entity of information, meaning how can it be quantified and measured. In recent years, information theory and its function in systems has been an intense field of study, due to the large increase of available information technology, where the notion of bit dominated the information discipline. Information theory also expanded from the “simple” “bit” to the quantal “qubit”, which added more variables for consideration. One of the main applications of information theory could be considered the field of “autonomy”, which is the main characteristic of living organisms in nature since they all have self-sustainability, motion and self-protection. These traits, along with the ability to be aware of existence, make it difficult and complex to simulate in artificial constructs. There are many approaches to the concept of simulating autonomous behavior, yet there is no conclusive approach to a definite solution to this problem. Recent experimental results have shown that the interaction between machines and neural cells is possible and it consists of a significant tool for the study of complex systems. The present work tries to review the question on the interactions between information and life. It attempts to build a connection between information and thermodynamics in terms of energy consumption and work production, as well as present some possible applications of these physical quantities.

Knowledge-Based Assessment Applied to Lean Brazilian Toyota Plants

This paper proposes knowledge-based assessment applied to Brazilian Toyota plants which practice Lean manufacturing to evaluate work, production, and knowledge factors based on the perspective of blue-collar workers and managers. The two researched plants were selected based on being pure Toyota DNA representatives, and belong to two Toyota auto parts makers (‘polar' cases), in which TPS is “transparently observable.” The results evidence that employees judge factors related to people as important and considered the relationship between knowledge and Lean in the plants are aligned. The data indicates that the Brazilian culture does not influence changes in the Toyota work context and DNA. The contribution of this study is to provide an assessment instrument that integrates the production, knowledge, and work context for a Lean system, understanding blue-collar manufacturing employees and front-line supervisors are therefore essential to the success of a Lean implementation. Finally, the paper offers a guideline to assess and develop a favorable context to encourage knowledge sharing.