The problem of balancing a pole on a moving cart is a widely used benchmark problem for testing reinforcement learning algorithms. The classic papers that introduced this problem contain mistakes in the equations that govern the dynamics of the cart-pole system, and these mistakes propagated in other studies that used the same problem as a benchmark. Here we provide the equations that describe correctly the dynamics of the system.

Science, like any other cognitive activity, is grounded in the sensorimotor interaction of our bodies with the environment. Human embodiment thus constrains the class of scientific concepts and theories which are accessible to us. The paper explores the possibility of doing science with artificial cognitive agents, in the framework of an interactivist-constructivist cognitive model of science. Intelligent robots, by virtue of having different sensorimotor capabilities, may overcome the fundamental limitations of human science and provide important technological innovations. Mathematics and nanophysics are prime candidates for being studied by artificial scientists.

This article hypothesizes that "love" and "like" relationships among couples with and without a child with disability differ according to the couples' cultural affiliation -Arab versus Jewish. One hundred and fifty-two Israeli married couples completed the Love and Like Questionnaire. The most significant findings were that on both the Love and Like Scales, Arab couples with a child with disability scored lower as compared to the Arab control group, whereas Jewish couples with a child with disability scored higher as compared to the Jewish control group. In addition, Arab husbands scored higher on the Like Scale and lower on the Love Scale as compared to their wives, and no significant differences were found between Jewish husbands and wives on either scale.

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the relationship between cultural affiliation, gender and assertive behavior in two distinct socio‐cultural groups. Ninety‐seven Israeli Arab students and 97 Israeli Jewish students, of both sexes, filled out the Assertion Inventory (Gambrill and Richey 1975) during a class meeting. Analysis of the results indicated differences between the two cultural groups. In general, Arab participants showed a lower level of assertiveness than their Jewish counterparts. Differences between gender and interaction of culture x gender were found in certain factors related to behavior in specific social situations. These findings were discussed on the basis of accepted social behavior within various cultural contexts.

The purpose of the present study was to compare the level of assertion among four different groups of male subjects: Arab and Jewish Israelis with and without a physical disability. A total of 189 subjects participated in the present study: 42 Israeli Arabs and 40 Israeli Jews with a physical disability and the remaining 107 served as control groups. Subjects filled out the Assertion Inventory (Gambrill and Richey, 1975). A significant interaction between cultural affiliation and physical disability was found. The Arab subjects without a physical disability reported the lowest level os assertion compared to the other three research groups. This finding is discussed on the basis of different cultural demands for social behavior particularly in regard to physical disability.

The present study compared the views on sex counseling of a group of 103 orthopedically disabled persons and a group of 124 nondisabled persons. Subjects responded to a specially constructed questionnaire covering several issues related to sex counseling. Disabled persons preferred that the counseling be by a physician, rather than by a psychologist or social worker and that the counseling begin as late as ages 16-18, and they were less interested than nondisabled persons in counseling on sexual functioning and establishing a family. The responses of disabled persons were interpreted as indicating their greater anxiety toward the sensitive issue of sex. It was concluded that training programs for professionals--particularly physicians--who deal in sex counseling should include instruction about disabled persons and about the influence of cultural background on clients' attitudes towards sex counseling.

Victor Florian, Ph. D., Coordinator and Lecturer, M. A. Rehabilitation Program, School of Social Work, Haifa University, Mount Carmel, Haifa 31 999, Israel.

In the comprehensive rehabilitation process, one of the most accepted criteria for success or failure is the suitable placement of the client in the open employment market. The present study examined employer's attitudes toward hiring disabled persons. The sample consisted of 233 employers in the public and private sectors of the Israeli economy, and the method entailed interviewing each employer about his attitudes toward the risks of employing disabled persons, his actual hiring practices, and his expected response to financial aid for surmounting technical obstacles (architectural barriers and inappropriate work methods and tools). Interpretation of the results indicated that employers' reluctance to hire disabled employees was often explained by the existence of technical obstacles. However, when the possibility of financial aid for eliminating these obstacles was proposed, the employers responded with reservation. Although Israeli has mandated legislation requiring the employment of disabled war veterans, not all employers were aware of this, and almost half of those who were did not employ disabled persons. Evidently, legislation does not suffice in order to ensure actual hiring of disabled persons. In order to increase compliance with the law, and to encourage hiring of disabled persons who are not war veterans, it was suggested that more information be provided to the employers on the possibilities of employing disabled persons, with emphasis placed on the positive aspects of the disabled worker's true potential. Additional methods that should be applied to encourage employment include appropriate vocational training of disabled persons themselves and demonstration before the employers of the practical conditions under which successful employment is possible.