Executive functioning affects health behaviour in older people too

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Using evolutionary artificial neural networks to design hierarchical animat nervous systems.

The research presented in this thesis examines the area of control systems for robots or animats (animal-like robots). Existing systems have problems in that they require a great deal of manual design or are limited to performing jobs of a single type. For these reasons, a better solution is desired. The system studied here is an Artificial Nervous System (ANS) which is biologically inspired; it is arranged as a hierarchy of layers containing modules operating in parallel. The ANS model has been developed to be flexible, scalable, extensible and modular. The ANS can be implemented using any suitable technology, for many different environments. The implementation focused on the two lowest layers (the reflex and action layers) of the ANS, which are concerned with control and rhythmic movement. Both layers were realised as Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) which were created using Evolutionary Algorithms (EAs). The task of the reflex layer was to control the position of an actuator (such as linear actuators or D.C. motors). The action layer performed the task of Central Pattern Generators (CPG), which produce rhythmic patterns of activity. In particular, different biped and quadruped gait patterns were created. An original neural model was specifically developed for assisting in the creation of these time-based patterns. It is shown in the thesis that Artificial Reflexes and CPGs can be configured successfully using this technique. The Artificial Reflexes were better at generalising across different actuators, without changes, than traditional controllers. Gaits such as pace, trot, gallop and pronk were successfully created using the CPGs. Experiments were conducted to determine whether modularity in the networks had an impact. It has been demonstrated that the degree of modularization in the network influences its evolvability, with more modular networks evolving more efficiently

A bidirectional relationship between physical activity and executive function in older adults

Michael Daly gratefully acknowledges funding support from the Economic and Social Research Council (ES/L010437/1). David McMinn was funded by the Scottish Government, Rural and Environment Science & Analytical Services (RESAS) division. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, interpolation of these data, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

A bidirectional relationship between executive function and health behavior : evidence, implications, and future directions

This work was supported by a grant from the UK Economic and Social Research Council (ES/L010437/1).Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Predicting active school travel : the role of planned behavior and habit strength

Despite strong support for predictive validity of the theory of planned behavior (TPB) substantial variance in both intention and behavior is unaccounted for by the model's predictors. The present study tested the extent to which habit strength augments the predictive validity of the TPB in relation to a currently under-researched behavior that has important health implications, namely children's active school travel. Participants (N = 126 children aged 8-9 years; 59 % males) were sampled from five elementary schools in the west of Scotland and completed questionnaire measures of all TPB constructs in relation to walking to school and both walking and car/bus use habit. Over the subsequent week, commuting steps on school journeys were measured objectively using an accelerometer. Hierarchical multiple regressions were used to test the predictive utility of the TPB and habit strength in relation to both intention and subsequent behavior. The TPB accounted for 41 % and 10 % of the variance in intention and objectively measured behavior, respectively. Together, walking habit and car/bus habit significantly increased the proportion of explained variance in both intention and behavior by 6 %. Perceived behavioral control and both walking and car/bus habit independently predicted intention. Intention and car/bus habit independently predicted behavior. The TPB significantly predicts children's active school travel. However, habit strength augments the predictive validity of the model. The results indicate that school travel is controlled by both intentional and habitual processes. In practice, interventions could usefully decrease the habitual use of motorized transport for travel to school and increase children's intention to walk (via increases in perceived behavioral control and walking habit, and decreases in car/bus habit). Further research is needed to identify effective strategies for changing these antecedents of children's active school travel

Tracking snacking in real time : Time to look at individualised patterns of behaviour

This study was funded by the Rural and Environmental Science and Analytical Services Division, Scottish Government. JA is currently a Royal Society of Edinburgh Sabbatical Grant holder.Peer reviewedPostprin

Financial Cycles: A Key To Deciphering Seismic Cycles?

A 9/56 year cycle was first established for US and Western European financial panics occurring since 1760 and was attributed to lunisolar tidal effects. This cycle was then extrapolated to the timing of major earthquakes in various countries and regions around the world, a proposition that could be supported by numerous correlates. These favourable outcomes suggested that other findings in Moon-Sun finance may also show up in earthquake cycles. Thus, the author’s work on market activity was summarized and presented in this paper, as it may prove helpful in the design of future investigations in seismology. Importantly, Fibonacci – Lucas numbers and the ratio Phi in financial and lunisolar cycles implied that these factors could also be relevant in earthquake trends. However, no evidence could be offered to support such a speculation

9/56 Year Cycle: Financial Panics

The 9/56 year cycle consists of a grid repeating the intervals 56 years vertically (called sequences) and 9 years horizontally (called subcycles). Since 1760, US and Western European financial panics have clustered with significance in this grid pattern. Seasonality was also observed within the 56 year sequences and within the 18/56 year grids. Artifact subcycles were also apparent within this cycle as shown by the 20 year subcycles. The 9/56 year pattern can be intimately linked to Moon – Sun cycles and thus it is hypothesized that lunisolar tidal harmonics activated financial panics within the 9/56 year grid

9/56 Year Cycle: Californian Earthquakes

The 9/56 year cycle was first established in the timing of US and Western European financial panics since 1760. This cycle has also been assessed in the timing of major earthquakes in California - Nevada - Baja California. These important events tended to cluster within this grid, far more than could be expected by chance. Hawaiian quakes were also assessed and showed similarities with seismic episodes in south western North America. Furthermore, record seismic quakes appeared selectively within the 9/56 year cycle and included such important historical events as the 1700 Great Cascadia quake, the 1906 San Francisco quake and the 1980 Mt St Helens eruption, as well as the record quakes for Nevada, New Mexico, Arizona and Hawaii. Seasonality was another important factor as seismic events tended to occur around the same months of the year within various 9/56 configurations. The 9/56 year seismic cycle was hypothesised to arise from tidal triggering by the Moon and Sun. What seemed most important were the ecliptical positions of the Sun, lunar ascending node and apogee. This implied that the angles between these factors and the spring equinox point may offer clues as to how this cycle actually functions. The siting of the Moon on the ecliptical circle should also have relevance, although no supportive evidence could be offered in the paper

9/56 Year Cycle: Financial Panics

The 9/56 year cycle consists of a grid repeating the intervals 56 years vertically (called sequences) and 9 years horizontally (called subcycles). Since 1760, US and Western European financial panics have clustered with significance in this grid pattern. Seasonality was also observed within the 56 year sequences and within the 18/56 year grids. Artifact subcycles were also apparent within this cycle as shown by the 20 year subcycles. The 9/56 year pattern can be intimately linked to Moon – Sun cycles and thus it is hypothesized that lunisolar tidal harmonics activated financial panics within the 9/56 year grid