Teaching machine learning in robotics interactively: the case of reinforcement learning with Lego® Mindstorms

Preparing students for dealing with a world more and more densely populated with physical machines that possess learning capabilities, e.g. intelligent robots, is of the utmost importance in engineering. In this paper, we describe and analyse a design of interactive sessions devoted to the application of some machine learning (ML) methods within a master degree subject named “Cognitive Robotics”, in particular, reinforcement learning (RL), a technique that allows the machine to autonomously learn decision-making in a physical environment. The paper contains a complete depiction of the interactive teaching sessions, implemented with reasonable cost and resources thanks to a suitable mixture of the constructivist and instructivist paradigms. It also gathers the experiences of students and teachers through both qualitative and quantitatively indicators.     

The influence of trait meta-mood on subjective well-being in high school students: a random intercept cross-lagged panel analysis

Trait meta-mood refers to people’s conscious awareness of their own emotions. This reflexive process is relevant to developing a better adaptation to the environment, understanding the individual differences in how people perceive and attend to emotions, and how they can understand and regulate them in an optimal way. Previous research has indicated that trait meta-mood plays an important role in well-being. Accordingly, the main objective of this study was to analyse the prospective effects of trait meta-mood on levels of subjective well-being. A sample of 570 high school students (289 females), from 12 to 17 years (M?=?13.80, SD?=?1.45), completed measures of trait meta-mood, satisfaction with life, and positive and negative mood states across three waves separated by 1-year intervals. Random intercept cross-lagged panel analyses indicated that the dimensions of meta-mood accounted for a significant amount of variance in both cognitive and affective dimensions of well-being across time.     

Intellectual development beyond formal operations

Post‐formal operations as a stage of cognitive development beyond Piaget's formal operations state are discussed. It is argued that thinking abilities are of major importance for an adequate understanding of quantum‐mechanical and relativistic issues as they occur in modern science, especially physics. Some pedagogical consequences of the ‘fifth stage’ of cognitive development are discussed and proposals made about how post‐operational thinking abilities might be developed in students.     

Rhetoric and Power: The Idealism and ‘Philosophy of Life’ of the Olympic Movement

In this article we analyze from a multidisciplinary perspective some of the philosophical foundations which underpin the theories on Olympism fostered by the current Olympic institutions. We start from the theory that Olympist idealism1 is based on social representations of the modern sport, implicit to which is the ideological justification for the political and social practices of the Olympic Movement (OM) regarding the various historical episodes in which it has been caught up. This idealism has shaped an inherited view of the sport which has moved beyond the ambit of the OM and into the realm of sports science, which has adopted and continues to adopt some of the postulates of the Olympist discourse when undertaking a critical review of the Olympic history and philosophy.     

The economic crisis and the scientific,technical and cultural information services in Mexico

Certainly economic crises in the world of today are not the exclusive domain of any one country. At some time or other, nations throughout the world have suffered the effects of the economic problems. In this, Mexico is no exception. The Mexican crisis, the longest we have ever known, has brought problems that we are facing today.     

Inter-repetition rest training and traditional set configuration produce similar strength gains without cortical adaptations

This study compared the functional and neural effects of two strength training programmes differing in set configuration. Thirteen participants performed 10 sessions, over a period of 5 weeks, of unilateral leg extensions with different set configurations but with identical work-to-rest ratios for each limb: a traditional configuration (4 sets of 8 repetitions, 10RM load, 3-min pause between sets) and an inter-repetition rest configuration (32 repetitions, 10RM load, 17.4 s of rest between each repetition). Mean propulsive velocity of the traditional sessions was lower than for inter-repetition rest sessions (0.48 ± 0.06 vs. 0.54 ± 0.06 m · s^?1; P < 0.001), while perceived exertion was higher (8.3 ± 0.9 and 6.56 ± 1.6 for traditional training and IRT; P = 0.002). One repetition maximum (RM), work with 10RM load, maximum mean propulsive power, maximum voluntary contraction and time to failure with 50% of maximum isometric force improved similarly in both legs (time effect, P < 0.001; effect size range, 0.451–1.190). Time and set configuration did not show significant main effects or interactions for cortical adaptations (motor-evoked potentials, short-interval intracortical inhibition, intracortical facilitation). There were no significant correlations between changes in cortical and peripheral neural adaptations and strength improvement. In conclusion, inter-repetition rest configuration was as effective as traditional training in improving muscle performance.     

Broadband Utilization in Space: Effects of Population and Economic Structure

We examine the effect of public policy on the growth of Internet use. Using a decentralized country—Spain—as an example, we compare the 17 Spanish regions to test different Internet policy designs, taking into account the quality and number of specific programs promoted by regional governments, as well as the presence or absence of strategic planning in each region. We treat the percentage of Internet users as a dependent variable to compare its diffusion in different territories. Our findings show that educational levels and economic differences explain about half of the variations observed. Furthermore, the regional policies play a significant role in explaining regional variations. We investigate which public policy instruments are more significant for the development of the Internet, and find that focused policy intervention and complex policy initiatives are more significant than other policy instruments in explaining the increase in the percentage of Internet users.     

Perceived emotional intelligence as predictor of psychological adjustment in adolescents: a 1-year prospective study

In recent years, emotional intelligence has appeared as a predictor of adults’ mental health, but little research has examined its involvement in adolescents’ psychological adjustment. In this paper, we analyzed the predictive validity of perceived emotional intelligence (attention to feelings, emotional clarity, and emotional repair) over psychological adjustment in an adolescent sample at two temporal stages with a 1-year interval. At Time 1, the results indicated that adolescents with high scores in attention to feelings and low scores in emotional clarity and repair display poorer psychological adjustment, concretely, higher levels of anxiety, depression, and social stress and lower levels of general mental health. At Time 2, attention to feelings and emotional repair significantly predicted adolescents’ psychological well-being, even when the effects of previous psychological adjustment were controlled for. The findings suggest that perceived emotional intelligence is a stable predictor of adolescent adjustment and may serve as a useful resource for preventive interventions.