Bio-Inspired Dynamical Tools for Analyzing Cognition

Author(s):  
Manuel G. Bedia ◽  
Juan M. Corchado ◽  
Luis F. Castillo

The knowledge about higher brain centres in insects and how they affect the insect’s behaviour has increased significantly in recent years by theoretical and experimental investigations. Nowadays, a large body of evidence suggests that higher brain centres of insects are important for learning, short-term, longterm memory and play an important role for context generalisation (Bazhenof et al., 2001). Related to these subjects, one of the most interesting goals to achieve would be to understand the relationship between sequential memory encoding processes and the higher brain centres in insects in order to develop a general “insect-brain” control architecture to be implemented on simple robots. In this contribution, it is showed a review of the most important and recent results related to spatio-temporal coding and it is suggested the possibility to use continuous recurrent neural networks (CRNNs) (that can be used to model non-linear systems, in particular Lotka-Volterra systems) in order to find out a way to model simple cognitive systems from an abstract viewpoint. After showing the typical and interesting behaviors that emerge in appropriate Lotka- Volterra systems (in particular, winnerless competition processes) next sections deal with a brief discussion about the intelligent systems inspired in studies coming from the biology.

Author(s):  
P Yazdabadi ◽  
A J Griffiths ◽  
N Syred

Experimental investigations have been carried out to examine the effect of downstream pipework configurations on the precessing vortex core (PVC) generated within the exhaust region of a cyclone dust separator. Characterization of the PVC using a non-dimensionalized frequency parameter (NDFP) was used to determine the relationship between Reynolds number and geometrical swirl number of the cyclone. The results show that the NDFP tends towards an asymptotic value for Reynolds numbers of about 50 000 and high swirl numbers (> 3.043). This value is reached earlier with lower swirl numbers. It was concluded that any exhaust pipework configuration produced a significant drop in the PVC frequency, and certain configurations either delayed or promoted the development of the PVC.


2011 ◽  
Vol 68 (3) ◽  
pp. 528-536 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miguel Bernal ◽  
Yorgos Stratoudakis ◽  
Simon Wood ◽  
Leire Ibaibarriaga ◽  
Luis Valdés ◽  
...  

Abstract Bernal, M., Stratoudakis, Y., Wood, S., Ibaibarriaga, L., Uriarte, A., Valdés, L., and Borchers, D. 2011. A revision of daily egg production estimation methods, with application to Atlanto-Iberian sardine. 2. Spatially and environmentally explicit estimates of egg production. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 68: . A spatially and environmentally explicit egg production model is developed to accommodate a number of assumptions about the relationship between egg production and mortality and associated environmental variables. The general model was tested under different assumptions for Atlanto-Iberian sardine. It provides a flexible estimator of egg production, in which a range of assumptions and hypotheses can be tested in a structured manner within a well-defined statistical framework. Application of the model to Atlanto-Iberian sardine increased the precision of the egg production time-series, and allowed improvements to be made in understanding the spatio-temporal variability in egg production, as well as implications for ecology and stock assessment.


2019 ◽  
Vol 109 (07-08) ◽  
pp. 582-588
Author(s):  
E. Uhlmann ◽  
A. Muthulingam

Einen wesentlichen Bestandteil der Schleiftechnik ist der Konditionierprozess zur Herstellung der Schleifscheibenform und -schnittigkeit. Durch das Schärfen wird die Bindung zurückgesetzt und der notwendige Schleifkornüberstand und Spanraum geschaffen. Ein CNC-gesteuerter Schärfprozess kann zur prozesssicheren und ressourceneffizienten Einstellung der gewünschten Schleifbelagstopographie genutzt werden. Umfangreiche Schärfuntersuchungen sollen hierbei Aufschluss über die Wirkzusammenhänge zwischen Schärfeinstellgrößen und Schärfergebnis geben.   An essential part of grinding technology is the conditioning process for the generation of the grinding wheel shape and of a sharp topography. Through the sharpening process the required cutting grains are exposed from the bond and sufficient chip space is ensured by putting back the bonding. A CNC-controlled sharpening process can lead to an improvement in process reliability and the economic efficiency. Extensive experimental investigations were carried out to determine the relationship between the sharpening parameters and the sharpening result.


Materials ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 2115 ◽  
Author(s):  
Takuo Sakon ◽  
Yuhi Hayashi ◽  
Dexin Li ◽  
Fuminori Honda ◽  
Gendo Oomi ◽  
...  

Experimental investigations into the field dependence of magnetization and the relationship between magnetization and magnetostriction in Ni2+xMnGa1−x (x = 0.00, 0.02, 0.04) alloy ferromagnets were performed following the self-consistent renormalization (SCR) spin fluctuation theory of itinerant ferromagnetism. In this study, we investigated the magnetization of and magnetostriction on Ni2+xMnGa1−x (x = 0.02, 0.04) to check whether these relations held when the ratio of Ni to Ga and, the valence electron concentration per atom, e/a were varied. When the ratio of Ni to Ga was varied, e/a increased with increasing x. The magnetization results for x = 0.02 (e/a = 7.535) and 0.04 (e/a = 7.570) suggest that the critical index δ of H ∝ Mδ is around 5.0 at the Curie temperature TC, which is the critical temperature of the ferromagnetic–paramagnetic transition. This result confirms Takahashi’s spin fluctuation theory and the experimental results of Ni2MnGa. The spontaneous magnetization pS slightly decreased with increasing x. For x = 0.00, the spin fluctuation parameter in k-space (momentum space; TA) and that in energy space (T0) were obtained. The relationship between peff/pS and TC/T0 can also be explained by Takahashi’s theory, where peff indicates the effective magnetic moments. We created a generalized Rhodes-Wohlfarth plot of peff/pS versus TC/T0 for other ferromagnets. The plot indicates that the relationship between peff/pS and T0/TC follows Takahashi’s theory. We also measured the magnetostriction for Ni2+xMnGa1−x (x = 0.02, 0.04). As a result, at TC, the plot of the magnetostriction (ΔL/L) versus M4 shows proportionality and crosses the origin. These magnetization and magnetostriction results were analyzed in terms of Takahashi’s SCR spin fluctuation theory. We investigated the magnetostriction at the premartensite phase, which is the precursor state to the martensitic transition. In Ni2MnGa system alloys, the maximum value of magnetostriction is almost proportional to the e/a.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gareth J Griffith ◽  
Kelvyn Jones

Mental illness and mental wellbeing are related but distinct constructs. Despite this, geographical enquiry often references the two as interchangeable indicators of mental health and assumes the relationship between the two is consistent across different geographical scales. Furthermore, the importance of geography in such research is commonly assumed to be static for all age groups, despite the large body of evidence demonstrating contextual effects in age-specific populations. We leverage simultaneous measurement of a mental illness and mental wellbeing metric from Understanding Society, a UK population-based survey, and employ bivariate, cross-classified multilevel modelling to characterise the relationship between geographical context and mental health. Results provide strong evidence for contextual effects for both responses before and after covariate adjustment, with weaker evidence for area-classification and PSU-level contextual effects for the GHQ-12 after covariate adjustment. Results support a two-continua model of mental health at the individual level, but indicates that consensual benefit may be achieved across both dimensions by intervening at household and regional levels. There is also some evidence of a greater contextual effects for mental wellbeing than for mental illness. Results highlight the potential of the household as a target for intervention design for consensual benefit across both constructs. Results highlight the increased importance of geographical context for older respondents across both responses. This research supports an area-based approach to improving both mental illness and mental wellbeing in older populations.


Vaccines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (10) ◽  
pp. 1051 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zheng Yang ◽  
Xi Luo ◽  
Hepeng Jia

A large body of research has found that people’s beliefs in conspiracy theories about infectious diseases negatively impacts their health behaviors concerning vaccination. Conspiracy belief-based vaccination hesitancy has become more rampant after the global outbreak of COVID-19. However, some important questions remain unanswered. For instance, do different versions of conspiracy theories—particularly conspiracy theories about the origin of the epidemic (e.g., that the SARS-CoV-2 leaked from a Wuhan virology laboratory or that the virus was of foreign origin) and the general theories about vaccine conspiracies (e.g., pharmaceutical companies covered up the danger of vaccines or people are being deceived about the effectiveness of vaccines)—have the same effect on vaccination intentions? Through a national survey adopting quota sampling in China, the current study tested the relationship between people’s conspiracy beliefs and their intention to receive the COVID-19 vaccination. The findings show that people’s embrace of conspiracy theories did indeed affect their intention to take COVID-19 shots. However, only conspiracy theories related to vaccines had a significant impact, while belief in more general theories about COVID-19 did not significantly affect vaccination intentions. People’s knowledge of vaccines (vaccine literacy) played an important role in this relationship. People with lower beliefs in vaccines conspiracy theories and higher levels of vaccine literacy were more likely to receive the COVID-19 vaccination.


2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 38-50
Author(s):  
Lucia Rațiu ◽  
Ana-Maria Dobre

There is a large body of literature devoted to factors that shape performance in organizations. Although much of this literature focuses on the relationships between job demands, job resources and performance, Bakker and his colleagues (2014; 2018) have recently drawn attention to self-undermining effects that can add support for a deeper understanding of such a relationship. The following contribution explores self-undermining related to exhaustion at work and its mediating role in the perception of three types of job demands in a sample of employees working in IT companies. More specifically, the paper draws on the concept of self-undermining to reflect on how it activates a loss cycle of job demands and potential negative reactions at work. We argue that (i) exhaustion has an indirect effect on the perception of job demands through self-undermining; and so on referring to each dimension of job demands: (ii) exhaustion has an indirect effect on the perception of workload through self-undermining; (iii) exhaustion has an indirect effect on the emotional load through self-undermining; (iv) exhaustion has an indirect effect on the cognitive load through self-undermining. In order to test the hypotheses, a cross-sectional design was employed. The regression analyses revealed that self-undermining mediated the relationship between exhaustion and the perception of workload meeting our expectations, and a significant indirect effect of exhaustion on the perception of job demands and emotional load. However, there is a need for future studies to generalize the results. Finally, theoretical and practical implications are discussed.


2021 ◽  
Vol 880 (1) ◽  
pp. 012004
Author(s):  
H Mahidin ◽  
M T Latif ◽  
A Hamdan ◽  
J Salleh ◽  
D Dominick ◽  
...  

Abstract Sarawak Region of Malaysia is currently experiencing a high demand for capital needs such as transformation forest to plantations, economic development, and improving transportation systems. Those land cover changes will increase primary pollutant emissions and trigger surface O3 formation. Surface O3 is a secondary pollutant and a significant greenhouse gas contributing to climate change and declining air quality. In this study, variations in surface O3 concentrations at urban and suburban sites in Sarawak were explored using the Malaysian Department of Environment data spanning a two-year cycle (2018-2019). The primary aim of this study is to ascertain the variation of surface O3 concentrations reported at four monitoring stations in Sarawak, namely Kuching (SQ1) (Urban), Sibu (SQ2) (Suburban), Bintulu (SQ3) (Suburban), and Miri (SQ4) (Suburban). The study also analysed the relationship between O3 distribution and nitrogen oxides (NO and NO2). The findings showed that O3 concentrations observed in the region during the study period were lower than the maximum permissible value of 100 ppbv suggested by the Malaysian Ambient Air Quality Standard (2020). SQ4 (Miri) at suburban sites recorded the highest average surface O3 concentrations with an hourly average and daily maximum O3 concentration of 15.7 and 89.5 ppbv, respectively. Temperatures, UV exposure, and wind speed all impact the concentration of surface O3 in Sarawak. In all stations, concentrations of O3 were inversely linked with NO, NO2, and relative humidity (RH). This research will assist the relevant agency in forecast, monitor, and mitigate the level of O3 in the ambient environment, especially in the Sarawak Region.


Diversity ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 36
Author(s):  
Teckwyn Lim ◽  
Ahimsa Campos-Arceiz

Understanding the relationship between humans and elephants is of particular interest for reducing conflict and encouraging coexistence. This paper reviews the ecological relationship between humans and Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) in the rainforests of the Malay Peninsula, examining the extent of differentiation of spatio-temporal and trophic niches. We highlight the strategies that people and elephants use to partition an overlapping fundamental niche. When elephants are present, forest-dwelling people often build above-the-ground shelters; and when people are present, elephants avoid open areas during the day. People are able to access several foods that are out of reach of elephants or inedible; for example, people use water to leach poisons from tubers of wild yams, use blowpipes to kill arboreal game, and climb trees to access honey. We discuss how the transition to agriculture affected the human–elephant relationship by increasing the potential for competition. We conclude that the traditional foraging cultures of the Malay Peninsula are compatible with wildlife conservation.


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