INTRODUCTION A distinction has been proposed, on theoretical grounds, between referential and inferential semantic abilities. The former account for the relationship of words to the world, the latter for the relationship of words among themselves. The hypothesis of, at least partially, different neurological underpinnings for this distinction has been supported by the presence of double dissoci...

Language is a symbolic, culturally transmitted system of communication, which is learnt through the inference of meaning. In this paper, I describe the importance of meaning inference, not only in language acquisition, but also in developing a unified explanation for language change and evolution. Using an agent-based computational model of meaning creation and communication, I show how the mea...

In this paper, I offer an inferential conception of computer simulations, emphasizing the role that simulations play as inferential devices to represent empirical phenomena. Three steps are involved in a simulation: an immersion step (from aspects of the empirical set up to the simulated model), a derivation step (that yields the relevant results), and an interpretation and correction step (tha...

Rigidity of formations in multi-robot systems is important for formation control, localization, and sensor fusion. This work proposes a rigidity maintenance gradient controller for a multi-agent robot team. To develop such a controller, we first provide an alternative characterization of the rigidity matrix and use that to introduce the novel concept of the rigidity eigenvalue. We provide a nec...

INTRODUCTION Parkinsonian rigidity is described as a uniform increase in resistance to passive motion throughout the entire range of motion. Evidence indicates that rigidity is influenced by both non-neural and neural factors. The non-neural component of rigidity is the result of alterations in the mechanical properties of the muscle and connective tissues [1]. The neural mechanisms underlying ...

If semantics is the study of meanings, and the meaning of an expression e is understood as what speakers of the language must know use e competently, then a natural first guess is that the correct semantics of names will involve their referents. One might, initially, make the further supposition that the meaning of a name is just its referent. However, this sort of ‘Fido’-Fido view immediately ...

Linear regression is arguably one of the most widely used statistical methods. However, important problems, especially variable selection, remain a challenge for classical modes of inference. This paper develops a recently proposed framework of inferential models (IMs) in the linear regression context. In general, the IM framework is able to produce meaningful probabilistic summaries of the sta...