Coproducts and decomposable machines

The crucial discovery reported here is that the free monoid U* on the input set U does not yield a sufficiently rich set of inputs when algebraic structure is placed on the machine. For group machines, the appropriate structure is the coproduct U§ of an infinite sequence of copies of U. U§ reduces to a reasonable facsimile of U* in the Abelian case. A structure theorem for monoids of linear systems reveals the R monoid of Give'on and Zalcstein as appropriate only when no distinct powers of the statetransition matrix have the same action

Participation and Alienation in Large Democracies

With Cooper, W., Ecosystems

Recognizing Speech in a Novel Accent: The Motor Theory of Speech Perception Reframed

The motor theory of speech perception holds that we perceive the speech of another in terms of a motor representation of that speech. However, when we have learned to recognize a foreign accent, it seems plausible that recognition of a word rarely involves reconstruction of the speech gestures of the speaker rather than the listener. To better assess the motor theory and this observation, we proceed in three stages. Part 1 places the motor theory of speech perception in a larger framework based on our earlier models of the adaptive formation of mirror neurons for grasping, and for viewing extensions of that mirror system as part of a larger system for neuro-linguistic processing, augmented by the present consideration of recognizing speech in a novel accent. Part 2 then offers a novel computational model of how a listener comes to understand the speech of someone speaking the listener's native language with a foreign accent. The core tenet of the model is that the listener uses hypotheses about the word the speaker is currently uttering to update probabilities linking the sound produced by the speaker to phonemes in the native language repertoire of the listener. This, on average, improves the recognition of later words. This model is neutral regarding the nature of the representations it uses (motor vs. auditory). It serve as a reference point for the discussion in Part 3, which proposes a dual-stream neuro-linguistic architecture to revisits claims for and against the motor theory of speech perception and the relevance of mirror neurons, and extracts some implications for the reframing of the motor theory

Atmosphere(s) for Architects: Between Phenomenology and Cognition

Interfaces 5 was born to home the dialogue that the neuroscientist Michael A. Arbib and the philosopher Tonino Griffero started at the end of 2021 about atmospheric experiences, striving to bridge the gap between cognitive science’s perspective and the (neo)phenomenological one. This conversation progressed due to Pato Paez’s offer to participate in the webinar “Architectural Atmospheres: Phenomenology, Cognition, and Feeling,” a roundtable hosted by The Commission Project (TCP) within the Applied Neuroaesthetics initiative. The event ran online on May 20, 2022. Bob Condia moderated the panel discussion between Suchi Reddy, Michael A. Arbib, and Tonino Griffero. The RESONANCES project was responsible for developing the editing and publishing process. This volume collects nine essays: the main chapter is “A Dialogue on Affordances, Atmospheres, and Architecture” by Michael A. Arbib and Tonino Griffero; there are four commentaries to this text by Federico De Matteis, Robert Lamb Hart, Mark Alan Hewitt, and Suchi Reddy; Michael A. Arbib and Tonino Griffero have independently responded to the commentaries, emphasizing the opportunities and challenges of their respective approaches: cog/neuroscience and atmospherology applied to architecture; Elisabetta Canepa offers “An Essential Vocabulary of Atmospheric Architecture,” developing an atmospherological critique of the Marianna Kistler Beach Museum of Art on the Kansas State University campus to evaluate the accuracy, coherence, and adaptability of her lexicon. Bob Condia and Mikaela Wynne provide an introduction entitled “On Becoming an Atmospherologist: A Praxis of Atmospheres.”https://newprairiepress.org/ebooks/1051/thumbnail.jp

On Multifractal Structure in Non-Representational Art

Multifractal analysis techniques are applied to patterns in several abstract expressionist artworks, paintined by various artists. The analysis is carried out on two distinct types of structures: the physical patterns formed by a specific color (``blobs''), as well as patterns formed by the luminance gradient between adjacent colors (``edges''). It is found that the analysis method applied to ``blobs'' cannot distinguish between artists of the same movement, yielding a multifractal spectrum of dimensions between about 1.5-1.8. The method can distinguish between different types of images, however, as demonstrated by studying a radically different type of art. The data suggests that the ``edge'' method can distinguish between artists in the same movement, and is proposed to represent a toy model of visual discrimination. A ``fractal reconstruction'' analysis technique is also applied to the images, in order to determine whether or not a specific signature can be extracted which might serve as a type of fingerprint for the movement. However, these results are vague and no direct conclusions may be drawn.Comment: 53 pp LaTeX, 10 figures (ps/eps

Atmosphere(s) for Architects: Between Phenomenology and Cognition

Interfaces 5 was born to home the dialogue that the neuroscientist Michael A. Arbib and the philosopher Tonino Griffero started at the end of 2021 about atmospheric experiences, striving to bridge the gap between cognitive science’s perspective and the (neo)phenomenological one. This conversation progressed due to Pato Paez’s offer to participate in the webinar “Architectural Atmospheres: Phenomenology, Cognition, and Feeling,” a roundtable hosted by The Commission Project (TCP) within the Applied Neuroaesthetics initiative. The event ran online on May 20, 2022. Bob Condia moderated the panel discussion between Suchi Reddy, Michael A. Arbib, and Tonino Griffero. This volume collects nine essays: the target chapter is “A Dialogue on Affordances, Atmospheres, and Architecture” by Michael A. Arbib and Tonino Griffero; there are four commentaries to this text by Federico De Matteis, Robert Lamb Hart, Mark Alan Hewitt, and Suchi Reddy; Michael A. Arbib and Tonino Griffero have independently responded to the commentaries, emphasizing the opportunities and challenges of their respective approaches: cog/neuroscience and atmospherology applied to architecture; Elisabetta Canepa offers “An Essential Vocabulary of Atmospheric Architecture,” developing an atmospherological critique of the Marianna Kistler Beach Museum of Art on the Kansas State University campus in Manhattan to evaluate the accuracy, coherence, and adaptability of her lexicon. Bob Condia and Mikaela Wynne provide an introduction entitled “On Becoming an Atmospherologist: A Praxis of Atmospheres.

A Second-Generation Device for Automated Training and Quantitative Behavior Analyses of Molecularly-Tractable Model Organisms

A deep understanding of cognitive processes requires functional, quantitative analyses of the steps leading from genetics and the development of nervous system structure to behavior. Molecularly-tractable model systems such as Xenopus laevis and planaria offer an unprecedented opportunity to dissect the mechanisms determining the complex structure of the brain and CNS. A standardized platform that facilitated quantitative analysis of behavior would make a significant impact on evolutionary ethology, neuropharmacology, and cognitive science. While some animal tracking systems exist, the available systems do not allow automated training (feedback to individual subjects in real time, which is necessary for operant conditioning assays). The lack of standardization in the field, and the numerous technical challenges that face the development of a versatile system with the necessary capabilities, comprise a significant barrier keeping molecular developmental biology labs from integrating behavior analysis endpoints into their pharmacological and genetic perturbations. Here we report the development of a second-generation system that is a highly flexible, powerful machine vision and environmental control platform. In order to enable multidisciplinary studies aimed at understanding the roles of genes in brain function and behavior, and aid other laboratories that do not have the facilities to undergo complex engineering development, we describe the device and the problems that it overcomes. We also present sample data using frog tadpoles and flatworms to illustrate its use. Having solved significant engineering challenges in its construction, the resulting design is a relatively inexpensive instrument of wide relevance for several fields, and will accelerate interdisciplinary discovery in pharmacology, neurobiology, regenerative medicine, and cognitive science