Warren McCulloch and the British cyberneticians

Warren McCulloch was a significant influence on a number of British cyberneticians, as some British pioneers in this area were on him. He interacted regularly with most of the main figures on the British cybernetics scene, forming close friendships and collaborations with several, as well as mentoring others. Many of these interactions stemmed from a 1949 visit to London during which he gave the opening talk at the inaugural meeting of the Ratio Club, a gathering of brilliant, mainly young, British scientists working in areas related to cybernetics. This paper traces some of these relationships and interaction

Neuro-mechanical entrainment in a bipedal robotic walking platform

In this study, we investigated the use of van der Pol oscillators in a 4-dof embodied bipedal robotic platform for the purposes of planar walking. The oscillator controlled the hip and knee joints of the robot and was capable of generating waveforms with the correct frequency and phase so as to entrain with the mechanical system. Lowering its oscillation frequency resulted in an increase to the walking pace, indicating exploitation of the global natural dynamics. This is verified by its operation in absence of entrainment, where faster limb motion results in a slower overall walking pace

Neuro-mechanical entrainment in a bipedal robotic walking platform

In this study, we investigated the use of van der Pol oscillators in a 4-dof embodied bipedal robotic platform for the purposes of planar walking. The oscillator controlled the hip and knee joints of the robot and was capable of generating waveforms with the correct frequency and phase so as to entrain with the mechanical system. Lowering its oscillation frequency resulted in an increase to the walking pace, indicating exploitation of the global natural dynamics. This is verified by its operation in absence of entrainment, where faster limb motion results in a slower overall walking pace

Short papers and letters on the 'linear micro-element' theory of mental mechanism; and related questions of scientific method

Seven papers/letters further developing the ideas raised in Monographs #12 and #15 (q.v.), and in two papers published in Kybernetes (vols 5 and 7) -- later incorporated into the Thesis (q.v.) as "Part A". In particular: *Chapters I & VI: apply the postulated 'linear elements' to explain Piaget's notion of how the mental concept of 'object' is developed. *Chapter II: extends this to account for the rudiments of 'personal identity'. *Chapter III: answers criticisms and queries raised by Dr N.E.Wetherick, mainly on the plausibility of RNA and infra-red as a Second (multiplexed) Neurotransmitting System. *Other chapters offer critiques of some accepted views on scientific method

Компромиссное разрешение конфликтных ситуаций в задачах оптимального управления при принятии решений в сложных ситуационных обстоятельствах

In present article it was proposed to apply mathematical model of the functional system of respiration for the simulation conflictcontrolled processes that appear during the self-organization of respiratory system under the conditions of complex situational stress in process of decisions’ making. The mathematical model of mass transfer and mass exchange of respiratory gases in human organism is represented as a system of ordinary differential equations, which in the dynamics of the respiratory cycle describe the changes in the stresses of oxygen and carbon dioxide at all stages of its path in human organism.Пропонується застосувати математичну модель функціональної системи дихання для імітації конфліктно-керованих процесів, які виникають при самоорганізації системи дихання в умовах складної ситуаційної напруги при прийнятті рішень. Математична модель масопереносу та масообміну респіраторних газів в організмі людини представлена системою звичайних диференційних рівнянь, які в динаміці дихального циклу описують зміну напружень кисню та вуглекислого газу на всіх етапах його шляху в організмі людини. Розв’язок цієї задачі з урахуванням як внутрішньо системних, так і між системних механізмів дозволяє прогнозувати оптимальні величини активних параметрів керування – вентиляції, об’ємних швидкостей системного та органних кровообігів.Предлагается применить математическую модель функциональной системы дыхания для имитации конфликтно-управляемых процессов, возникающих при самоорганизации системы дыхания в условиях сложного ситуационного напряжения при принятии решений. Математическая модель массопереноса и массообмена респираторных газов в организме человека представлена системой обыкновенных дифференциальных уравнений, которые в динамике дыхательного цикла описывают изменения напряжений кислорода и углекислого газа на всех этапах его пути в организме человека

Simultaneous Robotic Manipulation and Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging: Feasibility in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders

An unanswered question concerning the neural basis of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) is how sensorimotor deficits in individuals with ASD are related to abnormalities of brain function. We previously described a robotic joystick and video game system that allows us to record functional magnetic resonance images (FMRI) while adult humans make goal- directed wrist motions. We anticipated several challenges in extending this approach to studying goal-directed behaviors in children with ASD and in typically developing (TYP) children. In particular we were concerned that children with autism may express increased levels of anxiety as compared to typically developing children due to the loud sounds and small enclosed space of the MRI scanner. We also were concerned that both groups of children might become restless during testing, leading to an unacceptable amount of head movement. Here we performed a pilot study evaluating the extent to which autistic and typically developing children exhibit anxiety during our experimental protocol as well as their ability to comply with task instructions. Our experimental controls were successful in minimizing group differences in drop-out due to anxiety. Kinematic performance and head motion also were similar across groups. Both groups of children engaged cortical regions (frontal, parietal, temporal, occipital) while making goal- directed movements. In addition, the ASD group exhibited task- related correlations in subcortical regions (cerebellum, thalamus), whereas correlations in the TYP group did not reach statistical significance in subcortical regions. Four distinct regions in frontal cortex showed a significant group difference such that TYP children exhibited positive correlations between the hemodynamic response and movement, whereas children with ASD exhibited negative correlations. These findings demonstrate feasibility of simultaneous application of robotic manipulation and functional imaging to study goal-directed motor behaviors in autistic and typically developing children. The findings also suggest the presence of marked changes in neural activation during a sensorimotor task requiring goal- directed movement

Artificial Immune Systems - Models, algorithms and applications

Copyright © 2010 Academic Research Publishing Agency.This article has been made available through the Brunel Open Access Publishing Fund.Artificial Immune Systems (AIS) are computational paradigms that belong to the computational intelligence family and are inspired by the biological immune system. During the past decade, they have attracted a lot of interest from researchers aiming to develop immune-based models and techniques to solve complex computational or engineering problems. This work presents a survey of existing AIS models and algorithms with a focus on the last five years.This article is available through the Brunel Open Access Publishing Fun