7,594 research outputs found
Consciousness as Recursive, Spatiotemporal Self-Location
At the phenomenal level, consciousness arises in a consistently coherent fashion as a singular, unified field of recursive self-awareness (subjectivity) with explicitly orientational characteristicsâthat of a subject located both spatially and temporally in an egocentrically-extended domain. Understanding these twin elements of consciousness begins with the recognition that ultimately (and most primitively), cognitive systems serve the biological self-regulatory regime in which they subsist. The psychological structures supporting self-located subjectivity involve an evolutionary elaboration of the two basic elements necessary for extending self-regulation into behavioral interaction with the environment: an orientative reference frame which consistently structures ongoing interaction in terms of controllable spatiotemporal parameters, and processing architecture that relates behavior to homeostatic needs via feedback. Over time, constant evolutionary pressures for energy efficiency have encouraged the emergence of anticipative feedforward processing mechanisms, and the elaboration, at the apex of the sensorimotor processing hierarchy, of self-activating, highly attenuated recursively-feedforward circuitry processing the basic orientational schema independent of external action output. As the primary reference frame of active waking cognition, this recursive self-locational schema processing generates a zone of subjective self-awareness in terms of which it feels like something to be oneself here and now. This is consciousness-as-subjectivity
Acetylcholine neuromodulation in normal and abnormal learning and memory: vigilance control in waking, sleep, autism, amnesia, and Alzheimer's disease
This article provides a unified mechanistic neural explanation of how learning, recognition, and cognition break down during Alzheimer's disease, medial temporal amnesia, and autism. It also clarifies whey there are often sleep disturbances during these disorders. A key mechanism is how acetylcholine modules vigilance control in cortical layer
Big Dreams for Small Creatures: Ilana and Eugene Rosenbergâs path to the Hologenome Theory
A biographical sketch of the Hologenome Theory
From fly-by-wire to drive-by-wire: Safety implications of automation in vehicles
The purpose of this paper is to critically review the current trend in automobile engineering toward automation of many of the functions previously performed by the driver. Working on the assumption that automation in aviation represents the basic model for driver automation, the costs and benefits of automation in aviation are explored as a means of establishing where automation of drivers' tasks are likely to yield benefits. It is concluded that there are areas where automation can provide benefits to the driver, but there are other areas where this is unlikely to be the case. Automation per se does not guarantee success, and therefore it becomes vital to involve Human Factors into design to identify where automation of driver functions can be allocated with a beneficial outcome for driving performance
A Minimal Architecture for General Cognition
A minimalistic cognitive architecture called MANIC is presented. The MANIC
architecture requires only three function approximating models, and one state
machine. Even with so few major components, it is theoretically sufficient to
achieve functional equivalence with all other cognitive architectures, and can
be practically trained. Instead of seeking to transfer architectural
inspiration from biology into artificial intelligence, MANIC seeks to minimize
novelty and follow the most well-established constructs that have evolved
within various sub-fields of data science. From this perspective, MANIC offers
an alternate approach to a long-standing objective of artificial intelligence.
This paper provides a theoretical analysis of the MANIC architecture.Comment: 8 pages, 8 figures, conference, Proceedings of the 2015 International
Joint Conference on Neural Network
Hanging in there: Prenatal origins of antigravity homeostasis in humans
All life on Earth must find a way to manage the continuous perturbation of
gravity. From birth, and even before, humans exhibit effortful antigravity work
to enact bodily, postural and behavioural form despite gravity. Indeed,
observable antigravity behaviour is a standard diagnostic indicator of neonatal
sensorimotor health. Antigravity behaviour has been investigated extensively in
its biomechanical details. Yet its motivational structure has not been a focus
of research. What drives the human body to expend energy on this effortful
behaviour? It is widely understood that thermic homeostasis in humans is
organised around conserving core body temperature at a set-point of
36.5-37.5oC. There is currently no equivalent concept of a general homeostatic
set-point driving antigravity effort. In this theoretical paper, we aim to
establish such a concept. We make the case that the core developmental
set-point for human antigravity homeostasis is neutral buoyancy (gravity and
buoyant force are balanced), which is afforded to the foetus by its
approximately equi-dense amniotic fluid medium in utero. We argue that
postnatally, the general task of human antigravity balance is to emulate the
conditions of neutral buoyancy, based upon prenatal experience thereof. Our aim
in this paper is to sketch a high-level outline of a novel characterisation of
antigravity balance as conservative homeostasis, and lay out some implications
and predictions of this model, with the intention of spurring wider research
and discussion on this hitherto little explored topic.
Keywords: antigravity, posture, homeostasis, prenatal, buoyancy, density,
fetus, foetusComment: 19 pages (including references) Zero figure
Discussion documents â SUSVAR Visions Workshop, KarrebĂŠksminde, Denmark, April 2008
Seven discussion documents were made during the SUSVAR Visions workshop âSustainable cereal production beyond 2020: Visions from the SUSVAR1 networkâ, KarrebĂŠksminde, Denmark, 14-16 April 2008. At the workshop, one discussion documents was written for each of the topics mentioned below. In total 55 persons from 21 European countries participated in the process. The participants came from different disciplines: genetics, plant breeding, genetic resources, agronomy, plant pathology, soil science, biometry and system analysis, all specialised in the area of cereal production.
The approach taken at the workshop was to focus on envisioning the future of sustainable agriculture, especially cereal production. This was done by scientific creative thinking on the basis of possibilities in breeding, management and seed production and not on the basis of traditional problem solving. We followed a strategy commonly used in industrial management based on the premise âimagining the future is shaping the futureâ. The method âappreciative inquiryâ was applied supported by a professional facilitator. Experience shows that this way of working sparks engagement and creativity and that progress and results can be reached within a short time. Focus was on the following topics of relevance to cereal production:
- Competition between food and bioenergy,
- Soil fertility management,
- Economical and legal conditions for variety improvement,
- Participation of stakeholders,
- Plant breeding strategies,
- Food and feed processing improvements,
- Sustainable land use.
The initial process was to visualise the most desirable future scenario for the seven essential topics in food and agriculture systems. This process was unhindered by no requirement for a market-driven goal. Each topic was discussed in relation to a broader socio-ecological system with a focus on the means to reach the desired and more sustainable outcomes. The next step at the workshop was to produce the discussion documents.
The final stage of the process is to connect the topics in a completed vision of cereal production within a future sustainable socio-ecological system. This is in progress by a group of key persons within the network, e.g. the working group leaders (in preparation for publication in a scientific journal)
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