May 2014 - Comp-neuro - lists.cnsorg.org

NEURAL COMPUTATION - April, 2014
by Terry Sejnowski 24 Apr '16

24 Apr '16

Neural Computation - Contents -- Volume 26, Number 4 - April 1, 2014 Available online for download now: http://www.mitpressjournals.org/toc/neco/26/4 ----- Article Parametric Inference in the Large Data Limit Using Maximally Informative Models Justin Block Kinney, Gurinder Singh Atwal Letters Input Statistics and Hebbian Crosstalk Effects Anca R. Radulescu Learning Nonlinear Regularities in Natural Images by Modeling the Outer Product of Image Intensities Peng Qi, Xiaolin Hu Dissociable Forms of Repetition Priming: A Computational Model Kirill Makukhin, Scott Bolland Refined Rademacher Chaos Complexity Bounds With Applications to the Multi-Kernel Learning Problem Yunwen Lei, Lixin Ding Large Margin Low Rank Tensor Analysis Guoqiang Zhong, Mohamed Cheriet Large-scale Linear RankSVM Ching-Pei Lee, Chih-Jen Lin ------------ ON-LINE -- http://www.mitpressjournals.org/neuralcomp SUBSCRIPTIONS - 2014 - VOLUME 26 - 12 ISSUES USA Others Electronic Only Student/Retired $70 $193 $65 Individual $124 $187 $115 Institution $1,035 $1,098 $926 Canada: Add 5% GST MIT Press Journals, 238 Main Street, Suite 500, Cambridge, MA 02142-9902 Tel: (617) 253-2889 FAX: (617) 577-1545 journals-orders(a)mit.edu ------------

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Gatsby Computational Neuroscience Unit, PhD Programme
by Peter Dayan 24 Sep '15

24 Sep '15

Gatsby Computational Neuroscience Unit, University College London 4 year PhD Programme The Gatsby Unit is a centre for theoretical neuroscience and machine learning, focusing on unsupervised, semi-supervised and reinforcement learning, neural dynamics, population coding, Bayesian and nonparametric statistics, kernel methods, and applications of these to the analysis of perceptual processing, neural data, machine vision and bioinformatics. It provides a unique opportunity for a critical mass of theoreticians to interact closely with each other, and with other world-class research groups in related departments at UCL, including the Sainsbury Wellcome Centre for Neural Circuits and Behaviour, with which we will shortly share a building, and Biosciences, Computer Science, Functional Imaging, Physics, Physiology, Psychology, Neurology, Ophthalmology and Statistics, the cross-faculty Centre for Computational Statistics and Machine Learning, and also with other UK and overseas universities. The Unit has openings for exceptional PhD candidates. Applicants should have a strong analytical background, a keen interest in neuroscience and/or machine learning and a relevant first degree, for example in Computer Science, Engineering, Mathematics, Neuroscience, Physics, Psychology or Statistics. The PhD programme lasts four years, including a first year of intensive instruction in techniques and research in theoretical neuroscience and machine learning. All students are fully funded, regardless of nationality. The Unit also welcomes applications from students with pre-secured funding or who are currently soliciting other scholarship/studentships. We will review applications as soon as they are complete (including a CV, statement of research interests and letters from three referees) until the positions are filled. Early application is thus advised. Full details of our programme, and how to apply, are available at: http://www.gatsby.ucl.ac.uk/teaching/phd For further details of research interests please see http://www.gatsby.ucl.ac.uk/research.html and the individual faculty webpages at http://www.gatsby.ucl.ac.uk/members.html

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PhD studentships in computational neuroscience and machine learning
by Steuber, Volker 28 Aug '15

28 Aug '15

Applications are invited for PhD studentships in the Biocomputation Research Group at the Science and Technology Research Institute at the University of Hertfordshire. PhD projects involve the development of computer simulations of neurons and neuronal networks to study information processing in the brain, and/or the application of machine learning techniques to analyse electrophysiological data. More details about our research and a list of potential projects can be found on our homepage (http://homepages.herts.ac.uk/~comqvs/research.html) Applicants should have good computational and numerical skills and an excellent first degree in computer science, biology, maths, physics, neuroscience, or a related discipline. Previous experience in neuroscience is not required but would be an advantage. Successful candidates are eligible for a research studentship award from the University (approximately GBP 13,800 per annum bursary plus the payment of the standard UK student fees). Applicants from outside the UK or EU are eligible, but will have to pay half of the overseas fees out of their bursary. Research in Computer Science at the University of Hertfordshire has been recognized as excellent by the latest Research Assessment Exercise, with 55% of the research submitted being rated as world leading or internationally excellent. The Science and Technology Research Institute provides a very stimulating environment, offering a large number of specialized and interdisciplinary seminars as well as general training opportunities. The University of Hertfordshire is situated in Hatfield, in the green belt just north of London. Please contact Dr Volker Steuber (v.steuber @ herts.ac.uk) for informal enquiries. Application forms can be obtained from Mrs Lorraine Nicholls, Research Student Administrator, STRI, University of Hertfordshire, College Lane, Hatfield, Herts, AL10 9AB, Tel: 01707 286083, l.nicholls @ herts.ac.uk. The short-listing process will begin on 9 June 2014.

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2 Post-doc positions on the relation of information and causation (Prof. Giulio Tononi)
by Larissa Albantakis 17 Dec '14

17 Dec '14

Up to 2 postdoctoral positions are available at the center for sleep and consciousness science in the laboratory of Dr. Giulio Tononi (University of Wisconsin, Madison), to study the relation of information and causation within the framework of the integrated information theory of consciousness (Balduzzi & Tononi, 2008; Tononi, 2012). Immediate funding is available for a range of projects related to foundational questions regarding the ontological status of information, and its relation to causation, emergence, adaptation, evolution, and consciousness (see detailed scope of work below). Successful candidates will work at the center for sleep and consciousness science, dedicated to a broad range of research problems focused on two neurobiological problems -- the mechanisms and functions of sleep and the neural substrates of consciousness. Candidates are expected to have strong training in an analytically rigorous discipline such as theoretical biology/neuroscience, physics, mathematics, computer science, or engineering. For at least one of the positions, we explicitely encourage mathematicians to apply. Experience in information theory, complex systems, and an interest in the philosophy of information/causation are a plus. Programming experience is required (knowledge of MATLAB and/or C++ is of advantage). Appointments are renewable from year to year for up to 3 years, starting as soon as possible or until the positions are filled. Post-doc salaries correspond to the National Institutes of Health National Research Service Award (NRSA) stipend schedule for postdoc trainees, based on number of years of postdoctoral experience. Candidates should send a CV, brief statement of previous research and future research interests, and email addresses and phone numbers of three references to: Giulio Tononi, gtononi(a)wisc.edu. Balduzzi D, Tononi G (2008) Integrated information in discrete dynamical systems: motivation and theoretical framework. /PLoS Comput Biol/ 4:e1000091. Hoel, E. P., Albantakis, L., & Tononi, G. (2013). Quantifying causal emergence shows that macro can beat micro. /PNAS/, /110/(49), 19790--19795. Tononi G (2012) Integrated Information Theory of Consciousness: An Updated Account. /Arch Ital Biol/ 150:56--90. The scope of work will range from: -theoretical development and computational implementation of the notion of intrinsic causal information -causal analysis, including the systematic use of perturbations, counterfactuals, and irreducibility -analysis of complex systems in terms their causal/informational structure -meaning (understanding and control) from the intrinsic perspective of the system -actual causation (causal explanation) -examining similarities and differences between existing notions of information and causation (Shannon information, algorithmic information,...) -defining emergence in terms of the spatio-temporal grain size at which a system of elements achieves a maximum of causal power -evolutionary/adaptive aspects of information/causation including simulations based on small adaptive neural networks (animats), which evolve and adapt to an environment that requires sensitivity to context for survival

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2nd Announcement: Bernstein Sparks Workshop and CI2014 conference, 20 June 2014
by Seeber, Bernhard 30 May '14

30 May '14

Dear List, I would like to invite you to the 3rd Bernstein Sparks Workshop on "Modelling and Signal Processing for Auditory Implants" and to the CI 2014 conference in Munich. The conference will take place on 18-21 June 2014 and the workshop will be held on Friday, 20 June 2014, in the conference venue. The workshop will feature invited talks by experts in the field which cover the topic from physiological aspects to various models (physiologically inspired and perceptual models) and their application for designing new stimulation strategies for auditory implants. Attendance to the workshop is free for conference participants and Bernstein members. Conference day tickets will be available. More information can be found at: http://www.ci2014muc.info/Bernstein-Sparks-Workshop.708.0.html http://www.ci2014muc.info Looking forward to meeting you in Munich, Bernhard Seeber -- Prof. Dr.-Ing. Bernhard U. Seeber Audio Information Processing Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology Technische Universität München Arcisstrasse 21 D-80333 Munich, Germany Office: +49 89 289-28282 Fax: +49 89 289-28211 Mobile: +49 (0)174 928 6338 Visitors: Theresienstrasse 90, building N5, room N6504 Web: www.aip.ei.tum.de www.bseeber.de

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IEEE SSCI 2014 Doctoral Consortium (deadline June 15, 2014) - Call for Applications
by Stephen G Matthews 30 May '14

30 May '14

IEEE SSCI 2014 Doctoral Consortium - Call for Applications The IEEE Symposium Series on Computational Intelligence (SSCI) 2014 will be running a Doctoral Consortium alongside the symposium. The objective of this Doctoral Consortium is to provide an opportunity for Ph.D. students to discuss their dissertation research topics, research plans, and research methodologies in a supportive environment with peers in the community. The feedback, advice, and guidance will be invaluable to Ph.D. students in supporting their current and future research in computational intelligence and their future careers. There are dedicated financial support for selected Ph.D. students to attend this Doctoral Consortium as well as student travel grants for SSCI. Applications In order to submit to the Doctoral Consortium, students are required to submit the following items through the same portal as papers for SSCI. 1. Cover sheet that includes: - Full name - Affiliation and email address - Expected graduation date - Thesis advisor’s full name, title, affiliation and email address - Title of research - List of up to 5 keywords to help select reviewers for the application 2. A 2-page summary of Ph.D. research that includes: - Title of research - Name, affiliation, and email address - Research question and significance - Important literature - Proposed research methodology - Preliminary results - Future research plan - Reference list (maximum one page, not included in 2-page limit) 3. CV 4. Letter of support from Ph.D. supervisor or other faculty member 5. Confirmation letter of Ph.D. student status Key dates are the same as for the SSCI Submission June 15, 2014 Notification September 5, 2014 Final Submission October 5, 2014 Full details of the Doctoral Consortium are available from http://ieee-ssci.org/consortium.html Co-Chairs Stephen G. Matthews, University of Bristol, UK Xiaorong Zhang, San Francisco State University, USA Demetrios G. Eliades, University of Cyprus, Cyprus

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CogModel notes: ICCM15/BRIMS14/books/prize/new society/Job
by Frank Ritter 29 May '14

29 May '14

This is the second emailing for ICCM 2015. Please forward if appropriate to your members, and put appropriate links onto your web site. Normally, the ICCM 2015 announcement would drive this email (it will be in Gronigen, near April 2015, on its regular (15/18 month) schedule, this should be settled next month). But, there are several timely announcements that indicate new publication outlets, resources, and jobs in Cog Sci and in cognitive modeling. I have also included several unusual items, including an interesting conference and a Kickstarter campaign! Now in order: meetings, resources, jobs. If you would like to be removed, please just let me know. I maintain it by hand to keep it small. [Hypertext version available at http://acs.ist.psu.edu/iccm2015/iccm-mailing-may2014.html] cheers, Frank Ritter frank.e.ritter(a)gmail.com http://www.frankritter.com **************************************************************** 1. Intnl. Conf. on Cognitive Modeling, April 2015 in Gronigen, NL 2. WASET International Conference on Cognitive Modeling (!) [link suppressed] :::: Other conferences, workshops 3. BRIMS 2014 proceedings online http://cc.ist.psu.edu/BRIMS/archives/2014/ 4. Cognitive Science Society annual meeting, 27 june early reg. deadline http://cognitivesciencesociety.org/conference_future.html 5. Cognitive Science Tutorial Program, 23 July 2014 http://cognitivesciencesociety.org/conference2014/tutorials.html 6. ACT-R Workshop at Cognitive Science 2014 http://cognitivesciencesociety.org/conference2014/workshops.html [from act-r mailing list] 7. Soar Workshop, week of 16 June https://web.eecs.umich.edu/~soar/workshop/ 8. 3rd Conference on Advances in Cognitive Systems, May 2015 http://www.cogsys.org/2015 9. BICA 2014 call for papers, due 26 May 2014, but other dates http://bicasociety.org/meetings/2014/ 10. Nengo Summer School, 8-21 June http://nengo.ca/summerschool 11. Summer School - Web Science & the Mind, 7-18 July, reg. still open http://www.summer14.isc.uqam.ca/ 12. CFP for 2015 iConference in Newport Beach, CA, 24-27 March 2015 http://ischools.org/the-iconference/ papers due 5 sept 2014 13. Intl. Summer School in Cog. Sci., 30 Jun-11 July, Bulgaria http://nbu.bg/cogs/events/ss2014.html 14. 14th Neural Computation and Psychology Workshop, 21-23 Aug http://www.psych.lancs.ac.uk/ncpw14 15. AI for Human-Robot Interaction (AI-HRI), papers due 13 June 14 http://ai-hri.github.io/ :::: Other resources 16. OpenWorm Kickstarter Campaign http://www.openworm.org 17. Numerous books to review 18. Premodeling / HCI book FDUCs: What designers need to know about people http://www.frankritter.com/fducs/ 19. New Society: The Society for Affective Science and Conference http://www.society-for-affective-science.org/conference 20. $10k prize for best paper in Human Factors journal, due 2 June 14 http://www.hfes.org/web/pubpages/hfprize.html :::: Jobs 21. Post doctoral Scholar in Systems Neuroscience and Connectivity Modeling http://www.la.psu.edu/facultysearch/ **************************************************************** 1. International Conf. on Cognitive Modeling, April 2015 in Gronigen, NL The International Conference on Cognitive Modeling will take place in April 2015 (approx. date) at RU/Gronigen, in the Netherlands. The deadline date for submissions will be in the Fall of 2014. Further announcements will provide more details. **************************************************************** 2. WASET International Conference on Cognitive Modeling (!) [link suppressed] Cognitive modeling has grown, and we don't always know everyone doing it any more. But, it has also now grown enough that WASET, the (so-called) World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology has created a "WASET International Conference on Cognitive Modeling". WASET has NO RELATION to the ICCM conference folks. If you have any useful suggestions, please get in touch. I've emailed a few of their program committee members, where I could find their addresses, to start a discussion. The program committee appears to be made up of scholars from other areas, and I have confirmed that with two of them, who don't know how to be removed. References https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Academy_of_Science,_Engineering_and_Tec… Google has plenty more information on WASET. Google: WASET International Conference on Cognitive Modeling 2014 will get you to the interesting conference. [I now suggest that we put copyright on our web pages, and, realise that cognitive modeling is now important enough to be copied (that is a neutral term) by WASAT.] **************************************************************** 3. BRIMS 2014 proceedings online http://cc.ist.psu.edu/BRIMS/archives/2014/ The Behavior Representation in Modeling and Simulation (BRIMS) conference (http://cc.ist.psu.edu/BRIMS2014/) was held 1-4 April. It was held with the Social computing, Behavioral-cultural modeling, and Prediction (SBP) conference (http://sbp-conference.org/) in DC. Its proceedings are online at http://cc.ist.psu.edu/BRIMS/archives/2014/ The place and time for next year are not yet announced. **************************************************************** 4. Cognitive Science Society annual meeting, 27 june early reg. deadline http://cognitivesciencesociety.org/conference_future.html CogSci 2014 - Cognitive Science Meets Artificial Intelligence: Human and Artificial Agents in Interactive Contexts Quebec City, CA 23-26 July 2014 Website URL for future conference: http://cognitivesciencesociety.org/conference_future.html ---- Highlights Include: Plenary Speakers: Dedre Gentner, Steven Harnad, & Minoru Asada 13th Rumelhart Prize Recipient: Ray Jackendoff Symposia: "Foundations of Social Cognition", "Moral Cognition and Computation", "The Future of Human-Agent Interaction" Cognitive scientists from around the world are invited to attend CogSci 2014, the world's premiere annual conference on cognitive science. The conference represents a broad spectrum of disciplines, topics, and methodologies from across the cognitive sciences. In addition to the invited presentations, the program will be filled with reviewed submissions from the following categories: papers, symposia, presentation-based talks, member abstracts, tutorials, and workshops. Submissions must be completed electronically through the conference submissions web site. Submissions may be in any area of the cognitive sciences, including, but not limited to, anthropology, artificial intelligence, computational cognitive systems, cognitive development, cognitive neuroscience, cognitive psychology, education, linguistics, logic, machine learning, neural networks, philosophy, robotics and social network studies. Information regarding the submission process, including opening dates for the submission website will be posted shortly. http://cognitivesciencesociety.org/conference2014/submissions.html We look forward to seeing you in Quebec City. Conference Co-Chairs: Paul Bello, Marcello Guarini, Marjorie McShane, and Brian Scassellati *********************************************************** 5. Cognitive Science Tutorial Program, 23 July 2014 http://cognitivesciencesociety.org/conference2014/tutorials.html Growth Curve Analysis: A Hands-On Tutorial on Using Multilevel Regression to Analyze Time Course Data Daniel Mirman Full Day Tutorial on Quantum Models of Cognition and Decision Zheng Wang, Jerome Busemeyer, Jennifer Trueblood Probability, programs, and the mind: Building structured Bayesian models of cognition Noah Goodman, Josh Tenenbaum Online Experiments using jsPsych, psiTurk, and Amazon Mechanical Turk Josh de Leeuw, Anna Coenen, Doug Markant, Jay B. Jay B. Martin, John McDonnell, Alexander Rich, Todd Gureckis Types and states: Mixture and hidden Markov models for cognitive science Ingmar Visser, Maarten Speekenbrink Practical Advice on How to Run Human Behavioral Studies Frank Ritter, Jong Kim *********************************************************** 6. ACT-R Workshop at Cognitive Science 2014 http://cognitivesciencesociety.org/conference2014/workshops.html [from act-r mailing list] The ACT-R Workshop 2014 will be held as part of the Cognitive Science annual meeting: http://cognitivesciencesociety.org/conference2014/workshops.html The workshop this year will be organized around four themes: Neuroscience, Metacognition, Applications, and Architecture. We expect to discuss a wide range of issues that relate to cognitive architectures and cognitive modeling more generally; anyone interested in these issues (regardless of familiarity with ACT-R) is invited and encouraged to attend. If you have an idea for a short presentation at the workshop, please email me, salvucci(a)drexel.edu a possible title and description. Registration information should be available soon on the Cognitive Science web site. **************************************************************** 7. Soar Workshop, week of 16 June https://web.eecs.umich.edu/~soar/workshop/ The Center for Cognitive Architecture at the University of Michigan (http://sitemaker.umich.edu/soarweb/home) and Soar Technology (http://www.soartech.com/) are pleased to announce that the 34th Soar Workshop will be held the week of June 16, 2014 at the Computer Science and Engineering building at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. For those of you not familiar with the Soar Workshop (https://web.eecs.umich.edu/~soar/workshop/) each year, members of the Soar community -- faculty, scientists, graduate students, technical staff and developers -- gather together for several days of intensive interaction and exchange on Soar. The Soar community is widely distributed geographically, so these workshops (http://sitemaker.umich.edu/soar/soar_workshop_proceedings) provide an opportunity to have face-to-face conversations, learn about the current status of other participants' research and get previews of what will happen in the future. We will try to give as many members of the community as possible the opportunity to describe their research or discuss the Soar issues that are of concern to them. This means the time available per talk is quite short (typically either 5 or 15 minutes). Since workshop attendees are already entrenched in the Soar world, brief talks that concentrate on only the essentials work very well. The workshop format is presentations only -- no formal papers. [but slides are often collected] There is no charge to attend the 33rd Soar Workshop although registration at https://web.eecs.umich.edu/~soar/workshop/manage.php this link is required. You may sign up to give talks of various lengths as soon as you're registered. And then please upload a copy of your presentation(s) by June 4th, 2013 via the Soar Workshop registration page (https://web.eecs.umich.edu/~soar/workshop/manage.php) Please make sure to register as soon as possible so that we can plan the workshop accordingly! Questions and information regarding the workshop should be directed to John Laird via (laird(a)umich.edu) email, mail or phone: Soar Workshop 33 c/o John Laird 2260 Hayward Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2121 (734) 647-1761 **************************************************************** 8. 3rd Conference on Advances in Cognitive Systems, May 2015 http://www.cogsys.org/2015 We are currently in the process of organizing the 3rd Conference on Advances in Cognitive Systems (ACS). We wanted to give you a heads up that ACS will be moving to a spring conference. The next ACS will be held at Georgia Tech, Atlanta, Georgia USA on May 29-31, 2015. The paper submission deadline will be in February 2015. As you may have heard, AAAI has moved to a winter conference to avoid conflict with IJCAI (which has become an annual event). The ACS organizing committee felt it best to avoid a collision with AAAI's paper submission deadlines. We hope that the ACS move to spring will allow the diverse and dynamic cognitive systems community to grow. Please be on the look out for the call for papers in the coming months. Best, Ashok Goel and Mark Riedl Co-Chairs, 3rd Conference on Advances in Cognitive Systems [there is also a mailing list that they have added people to: advances-cognitive-systems(a)lists.gatech.edu] **************************************************************** 9. BICA 2014 call for papers, due 26 May 2014, but other dates http://bicasociety.org/meetings/2014/ 2014 Annual Intl Conf on Biologically Inspired Cognitive Architectures (BICA 2014) Fifth Annual Meeting of the BICA Society November 7-9 (Friday-Sunday): MIT, Cambridge, MA (http://bicasociety.org/meetings/2014) Sponsors: The BICA Society; MIT; Elsevier B.V. Points of contact: Paul Robertson (paulr(a)dollabs.com) and Alexei Samsonovich (alexei(a)bicasociety.org) Call for Papers Biologically Inspired Cognitive Architectures (BICA) are computational frameworks for building intelligent agents that are inspired from biological intelligence. Biological intelligent systems, notably animals such as humans, have many qualities that are often lacking in artificially designed systems including robustness, flexibility and adaptability to environments. At a point in time where visibility into naturally intelligent systems is exploding, thanks to modern brain imaging and recording techniques allowing us to map brain structures and functions, our ability to learn lessons from nature and to build biologically inspired intelligent systems has never been greater. At the same time, the growth in computer science and technology has unleashed enough computational power at sufficiently low prices, that an explosion of intelligent applications from driverless vehicles, to augmented reality, to ubiquitous robots, is now almost certain. The growth in these fields challenges the computational replication of all essential aspects of the human mind (the BICA Challenge), an endeavor which is interdisciplinary in nature and promises to yield bi-directional flow of understanding between all involved disciplines. Scope With the scope of BICA 2014 covering all areas of BICA-related research listed below, the major thrusts will be Perception, Attention, and Language. Here the key questions are: ? What can we learn from biological systems about how perception, attention, decision making, and action work together to produce intelligent behavior that is robust in natural environments? ? What have we learned about information flow in biological systems that can aid us in building better artificial systems that combine perception, action, language, learning, and decision making in robots and intelligent agents? ? What have we learned recently about information flow in the brain that can lead to better cognitive models that combine perception, attention, decision making, action, language, and learning? ? What role is played by emotions in perception, attention, decision making, language, and learning? ? How have we, or can we incorporate into cognitive architectures new evolving understandings about flow of information in biological cognitive systems? ? What mathematical foundations are emerging today that can support perception and learning? In addition to these focus topic areas of BICA 2014, we encourage submission of papers in all areas of BICA research, especially in the following areas. Neuroscience: .... Social, Economic and Educational Sciences: ... Cognitive Science: .... Artificial Intelligence: .... General: .... Format and Agenda The format of the conference is a 2.5-day meeting including paper presentations, panel discussions, invited talks, and demonstration showcases. Symposia and other mini-events (special sessions, breakout groups, brainstorms, think-tanks, socials, contests, and more) as part of the conference will be added as needed (proposals are solicited). In addition, BICA 2014 will host a special track "Doctorial Consortium" for which a "best student paper" award will be presented. We will also host technology demonstrations, for which we solicit proposals, and a poster session. We solicit additionally proposals for panel topics. The working language is English. As a part of our rich social and cultural program included in the registration, we are planning a Welcome Reception and a boat trip into the Atlantic on Saturday night, with a banquet on the boat. Detailed program is not available yet. Please see our separate pages for Confirmed symposia planned as part of BICA 2014 (we are asking for additional proposals). Submission and Publication Venues Publication venues include: (1) the Elsevier journal BICA - papers may be distributed among several journal issues; and (2) a volume of Procedia Computer Science, indexed by Web of Science and Scopus. One EasyChair submission site will be used for all categories of submissions, including (1), (2) and also (3): stand-alone abstracts that will be included in the conference program brochure, without being published. All submissions will undergo one round of peer-reviews. The category may be changed based on reviews. All conference materials (including papers and abstracts) will be together made available locally for conference participants (included in the registration package) via USB and/or the Internet. Invited speakers are not required, but are encouraged to submit papers or abstracts. Other participants can have presentations accepted based on an abstract only, without a paper submission. Core Organizing Committee Paul Robertson (DOLL, Inc.): General Chair Patrick H. Winston (CSAIL/MIT): Co-Chair Howard Shrobe (CSAIL/MIT): Co-Chair Alexei Samsonovich (GMU): Co-Chair, PC Chair Antonio Chella: OC Member Christian Lebiere: OC Member Kamilla R. Johannsdottir: OC Member Important Dates Proposals for Sub-Events: Symposia, Workshops and Socials - March 1 Doctoral Consortium Submit - May 05 Technology Demos - June 13 Panel Session Interest - June 27 Paper and Abstract Submission: Paper and abstract submission opens - March 1st Abstract and Paper Submission Due - May 26* Paper Review Feedback - June 14* Final Papers Due - August 01 Late-breaking stand-alone abstracts due - August 31 Registration and Conference: Early-bird registration (opens soon) due: June 17* Regular author-presenter registration due - June 27* Guest and non-presenting attendee online registration due - October 1 Sessions of the conference BICA 2014: November 7-9 *Deadlines extended as of April 28 **************************************************************** 10. Nengo Summer School, 8-21 June http://nengo.ca/summerschool [From Chris Eliasmith, the registration is long past, but it's worth noting that this is another cognitive architecture summer school, which might be repeated.] I thought you might have some acquaintances or students who would be interested to know that we're hosting a summer school this year. It will be on all things Nengo & SPA. We're encouraging people to bring projects and/or data they'd like to turn into a detailed model. We'll have a very good instructor/student ratio (1:2). It's more fully described here: http://nengo.ca/summerschool The application deadline was Feb 15. **************************************************************** 11. Summer School - Web Science & the Mind, 7-18 July, reg. still open http://www.summer14.isc.uqam.ca/ [This appears to be a standing event that might be useful to modellers] The Institut des Sciences Cognitives at UQAM (Montreal) is organising its fifth Summer School, this year on the topic of "Web Science and the Mind" * Topic includes social network analysis, semantic web, distributed cognition, ... * Scholarships (500$ + registration) * Call for posters * Can be worth 3 credits Please contact us with any questions or comments you may have: summer14.isc(a)uqam.ca Guillaume Chicoisne Institut des sciences cognitives, Montreal -------- The Fifth Summer School in Cognitive Sciences : Web Science and the Mind. Organized by the UQAM Cognitive Science Institute in Montreal (Canada), from July 7 to 18. Theme of the Summer Institute: Web Science and the Mind. This summer school will present a comprehensive overview of the interactions between the web and cognitive sciences, with topics ranging from social network analysis to distributed cognition and semantic web. The Summer School will feature a poster session. Information about this poster session is available at: http://www.summer14.isc.uqam.ca/page/affiche.php Deadline: April 11th 2014 Registration for the Summer School is open (''Early Bird'' Registration fees until May 9th). Note that the lowest fee is for students that will attend the Summer School as a credited activity (worth 3 university credits). Details: http://www.summer14.isc.uqam.ca/page/inscription.php Scholarships for travel, accomodation and/or registration will be available for students registered in a Quebec University (CREPUQ). http://www.summer14.isc.uqam.ca/page/bourses.php Want to stay in touch? Follow us on Twitter! @iscUQAM We hope to see you there in July. **************************************************************** 12. CFP for 2015 iConference in Newport Beach, CA, 24-27 March 2015 http://ischools.org/the-iconference/ papers due 5 sept 2014 [This is a potential outlet, particularly for models applied to information systems] [from CHI-announcements] Call for Participation, iConference 2015 http://ischools.org/the-iconference/ The iConference is an international gathering of scholars and researchers concerned with critical information issues in contemporary society. iConference 2015 (http://ischools.org/the-iconference/) takes place March 24-27 in Newport Beach, California. The following submissions are invited: *Submission Type* *Deadline* *Notification* Papers (http://ischools.org/the-iconference/program/papers/) Friday, September 5, 2014, midnight PDT mid-November Posters (http://ischools.org/the-iconference/program/posters/) Friday, October 10, 2014, midnight PDT mid-November Workshops (http://ischools.org/the-iconference/program/workshops/) Friday, September 26, 2014, midnight PDT Monday, October 27, 2014 Interactive Sessions (http://ischools.org/the-iconference/program/sessions-for-interaction-and-en…) Friday, October 10, 2014, midnight PDT mid-November Doctoral Colloquium: http://ischools.org/the-iconference/program/doctoral-colloquium/ Friday, September 12, 2014, midnight PDT Friday, October 24, 2014 Social Media Expo (http://ischools.org/the-iconference/program/social-media-expo/) Participation commitment letter due October 14, 2014; submissions due December 15, 2014. Thursday, January 15, 2015 Dissertation Award: http://ischools.org/the-iconference/program/dissertation-award/ Wednesday, October 15, 2014, midnight PDT Thursday, January 15, 2015 iConference 2015 is presented by the iSchools organization (http://ischools.org) and hosted by The Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences at University of California, Irvine. All information researchers and scholars are welcome. Sample topics of past iConferences include the following: ? social computing ? human-computer interaction ? digital youth ? information retrieval ? network science ? digital humanities ? data science ? information economics ? information systems ? information policy ? knowledge infrastructures ? computational social science ? information work and workers ? user experience and design ? data, text and knowledge mining ? digital curation and preservation ? computer-supported cooperative work ? bibliometrics and scholarly communication ? social, cultural, health and community informatics ? information and communication technology for development -- Gary M. Olson (949) 824-0077 Department of Informatics gary.olson(a)uci.edu Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences University of California, Irvine Irvine, CA 92697-3440 **************************************************************** 13. Intl. Summer School in Cog. Sci., 30 Jun-11 July, Bulgaria http://nbu.bg/cogs/events/ss2014.html The 21st edition of the well-known International Summer School in Cognitive Science will take place during the two weeks from June 30th until July 11th at the New Bulgarian University, Sofia, Bulgaria. The summer school features advanced courses for graduate students and young researchers in a variety of areas, including embodied cognition and dynamic field theory, behavioral experimentation from reaction times to model testing, computational approaches to development, the cognitive science of social dilemmas, the epistemology of cognitive science and neuroscience, and a practical course on working with E-prime as a software tool for experiment design and implementation. The summer school will also feature a participant symposium (submit your brief papers to the school email below by June 9). Registration is now open. For more information, visit the school's website: http://nbu.bg/cogs/events/ss2014.html You can contact us at the following email address: school(a)cogs.nbu.bg **************************************************************** 14. 14th Neural Computation and Psychology Workshop, 21-23 Aug http://www.psych.lancs.ac.uk/ncpw14 NCPW14 Call for Papers - 14th Neural Computation and Psychology Workshop We cordially invite you to participate in the 14th Neural Computation and Psychology Workshop (NCPW14) to be held at Lancaster University, UK, from August 21-23, 2014: http://www.psych.lancs.ac.uk/ncpw14 This well-established and lively workshop aims at bringing together researchers from different disciplines such as artificial intelligence, cognitive science, computer science, neurobiology, philosophy and psychology to discuss their work on models of cognitive processes. Often this workshop has had a theme, and this time it is 'Development across the lifespan', but also submissions that do not fall under this theme are welcome. Papers must be about emergent models - frequently, but not necessarily - of the connectionist/neural network kind, applied to cognition. The NCPW workshops have always been characterized by their limited size, high quality papers, the absence of parallel talk sessions, and a schedule that is explicitly designed to encourage interaction among the researchers present in an informal setting. NCPW14 is no exception. The scientific program will consist of keynote lectures, oral sessions and poster sessions. Furthermore, this workshop will feature a unique set of invited speakers: James McClelland, Stanford University. Bob McMurray, University of Iowa. Michael Thomas, Birkbeck College, London. Rumelhart Memorial Travel Awards The Rumelhart Memorial Travel awards, generously funded by Professor Jay McClelland, will provide funding to support travel costs for students/post docs presenting at the conference. Awards of US$250 are available to students or post docs from Western European countries, and US$750 for students or post docs from elsewhere. Decisions will be based on the quality of the submission. Eligibility criteria The first author of the submission is a PhD student or Post-doctoral fellow who will attend the meeting and will present the submission if chosen to receive a travel award. Location Lancaster is situated in the north west of England, approximately one hour from Manchester and Liverpool airports. Lancaster is surrounded by spectacular scenery, hiking and climbing country. The Yorkshire Dales national park is 10 miles away. The Lake District national park is 20 miles away, http://www.nationalparks.gov.uk. The stagecoach 555 bus (http://www.stagecoachbus.com) takes you directly from Lancaster through the heart of the Lakes. The Trough of Bowland Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is 2 miles away. Important dates to remember Abstract deadline: 15 May Notification of abstract acceptance: 7 June Early registration deadline: tbc Online registration deadline: tbc Conference dates: 21-23 August, 2014 Looking forward to your participation! Organizing Committee Gert Westermann, Lancaster University Padraic Monaghan, Lancaster University Katherine E. Twomey, Liverpool University Alastair C. Smith, MPI Nijmegen -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Prof. Gert Westermann +44 (0)1524 592-942 Department of Psychology g.westermann(a)lancaster.ac.uk Lancaster University http://www.psych.lancs.ac.uk/people/gert-westermann Lancaster LA1 4YF **************************************************************** 15. AI for Human-Robot Interaction (AI-HRI), papers due 13 June 14 http://ai-hri.github.io/ AAAI Fall Symposium: AI for Human-Robot Interaction (AI-HRI) Nov 13-15, 2014 -- Arlington, VA http://ai-hri.github.io/ 2 page abstracts due June 13 Email as a pdf to: ai-hri-symposium-submissions(a)googlegroups.com This symposium will bring together and strengthen the community of researchers working on the AI challenges inherent to Human-Robot Interaction (HRI). Humans and human environments bring with them inherent uncertainty in dynamics, structure, and interaction. HRI aims to develop robots that are intelligent, autonomous, and capable of interacting with, modeling, and learning from humans. These goals are at the core of AI. The field of HRI is a broad community encompassing robotics, AI, HCI, psychology and social science. In this meeting we aim to specifically bring together the subset of this community that are focused on the AI problems of HRI. Currently this type of HRI work is seen across such a variety of venues (HRI, RSS, ICRA, IROS, Ro-Man, RoboCup, and more), that we lack a cohesive core community. Building this community is the central purpose of this symposium. Planned activities: - Keynote talks "How is HRI an AI problem?": We will have keynotes giving eight different perspectives about how AI research is going to bring us closer to the reality of humans interacting with robots on everyday tasks. - Breakout groups + panel discussions: these discussions will be focused on (1) defining a road map of grand challenges for this research area, and (2) what is the core venue for this community. - Poster session: This session will highlight state-of-the-art work and approaches to AI-HRI. - Team building: Given the diverse set of venues that this type of research is presented, it is very rare that members of the AI-HRI community get together in the same room. As such, a large part of this effort is to bring together a community of researchers, strengthen old connections and build new ones. Ample time will be provided for networking and informal discussions. Confirmed speakers: - Rodney Brooks - Cynthia Breazeal - Henrik Christensen - Maja Mataric - Manuela Veloso Important dates: - To have your work featured in the poster session, submit a two-page abstract by 13 June 14. Email your submission as a pdf to ai-hri-symposium-submissions(a)googlegroups.com - Decisions will be returned by July 11, 2014 - The symposium will be held Nov 13-15, 2014 in Arlington, VA. Organizing committee: - Andrea L. Thomaz, Georgia Institute of Technology (chair) - Kris Hauser, Indiana University - Chad Jenkins, Brown University - Maja J. Mataric, University of Southern California - Manuela Veloso, Carnegie Mellon University -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "HRI-announcement" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to hri-announcement+unsubscribe(a)cs.byu.edu. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/a/cs.byu.edu/d/optout. **************************************************************** 16. OpenWorm Kickstarter Campaign http://www.openworm.org [from Comp-neuro(a)neuroinf.org] [this is cool and interesting on several levels and ways] From: Shreejoy Tripathy <stripathy(a)chibi.ubc.ca> Date: Mon, 12 May 2014 11:31:07 -0700 To: comp-neuro(a)neuroinf.org, connectionists(a)mailman.srv.cs.cmu.edu Subject: [Comp-neuro] OpenWorm Kickstarter Campaign I'm writing to let you know about the OpenWorm Kickstarter Campaign (https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/openworm/openworm-a-digital-organism-i…) As you may know, the goal of the OpenWorm project is to digitally simulate a C. Elegans organism. By design, the project is organized in a geographically distributed fashion and all of the work is being done in the open (on GitHub and Youtube) using entirely open source code and public data. Though I'm not a worm researcher, I'm supporting OpenWorm's Kickstarter because I strongly believe in their overall mission. As a computational neuroscientist, I see the project as a necessary first step in the simulation of more complex organisms, including mice and ultimately humans. Moreover, I see my Kickstarter contribution as a future investment in the open source tools and methodologies that OpenWorm develops that I hope to eventually use in my own research. More philosophically, I think that lately the field of neuroscience has suffered from some amount of "overhype", especially given the initially promised outcomes of recent large-scale brain initiatives (e.g., recording from all neurons in a mammalian brain, simulating an entire human brain). While these projects have been hugely successful in catalyzing widespread public support of basic neuroscience research, many neuroscientists see these promises as perhaps a bridge too far given the current research state. Though OpenWorm's goals are itself highly ambitious, the relative simplicity of the worm (named neurons, stereotyped connectomes and musculature, the ability to image neuronal activity in vivo) lends itself well to this attempt. By conducting the project in the open and basing success on quantifiable goals (i.e., how similar are the simulated worm's movements and neural activity to experimental measurements), the project will serve as a roadmap for future endeavours in multi-scale data integration and organismal simulation. Lastly, the geographically distributed and highly interdisciplinary nature of the project makes it challenging to receive funding through traditional NIH-style mechanisms. For this reason, I'm asking you to join me in supporting the project's Kickstarter campaign. More information: OpenWorm Website: http://www.openworm.org Kickstarter campaign link: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/openworm/openworm-a-digital-organism-i… Project overview by OpenWorm member and neuroscientist Jim Hokanson: http://jimandscience.blogspot.ca/2014/05/modeling-worm-thoughts-on-openworm… OpenWorm QandA on Reddit: http://www.reddit.com/r/science/comments/246dlw/science_ama_series_im_steph… Sincerely, Shreejoy Tripathy Post-doc and Developer of http://neuroelectro.org University of British Columbia Centre for High-Throughput Biology **************************************************************** 17. Numerous books to review If you would like to review a book, there are several books recently published that their publishers would give you a copy to facilitate a review in a magazine or journal. If you are interested, email me and I'll foward you to the publisher. Foundations for Designing User-Centered Systems: What system designers need to know about people, Frank Ritter, Gordon Baxter, & Elizabeth Churchill. (2014). Springer. http://www.frankritter.com/fducs/ Game Analytics: Maximizing the Value of Player Data [Hardcover] Magy Seif El-Nasr, Anders Drachen, Alessandro Canossa (Eds) http://www.amazon.com/Game-Analytics-Maximizing-Value-Player/dp/1447147685 http://www.springer.com/computer/hci/book/978-1-4471-4768-8 How to build a brain, A Neural Architecture for Biological Cognition Chris Eliasmith, OUP. http://nengo.ca/build-a-brain Minding Norms: Mechanisms and dynamics of social order in agent societies Rosaria Conte, Giulia Andrighetto, and Marco Campenni (eds) http://global.oup.com/academic/product/minding-norms-9780199812677? Social Emotions in Nature and Artifact Jonathan Gratch and Stacy Marsella (eds). http://global.oup.com/academic/product/social-emotions-in-nature-and-artifa… Running Behavioral studies with human participants Ritter, Kim, Morgan, & Carlson, Sage http://www.sagepub.com/textbooks/Book237263 **************************************************************** 18. Premodeling / HCI book FDUCs: What designers need to know about people http://www.frankritter.com/fducs/ We have published book that is in many ways an HCI book, its first use is as a Human-computer interaction textbook (it has been used in at least 4 universities), but it is also a modeling book -- It is designed to create models of users in designers heads. Foundations for Designing User-Centered Systems: What system designers need to know about people, Frank Ritter, Gordon Baxter, & Elizabeth Churchill. (2014). Springer. If your library subscribes to Springer link, you can get a pdf from there. If you want a desk copy, there are links from the site above to order one. If all else fails, contact me. I use it to teach HCI, as have several at other universities and several penn state campuses. **************************************************************** 19. New Society: The Society for Affective Science and Conference http://www.society-for-affective-science.org/conference A new society has been formed -- The Society for Affective Science. Its mission is to foster basic and applied research in the variety of fields that study affect, broadly defined. Our inaugural conference will be April 24-26, 2014 in Washington DC. This conference will be student-friendly, open, and theoretically and methodologically diverse. It will provide a forum for cross-cutting work in emotion, stress, and many other topics that fall under the broad umbrella of affective science. For more information see the society website: http://www.society-for-affective-science.org/ Program highlights for the first meeting can be found at: http://www.society-for-affective-science.org/conference/highlights/ As you will see, the first meeting features an invited program of talks in addition to a call for posters. We expect the program to shift to submissions as the society develops. Currently, the meeting is largely single tracked, and in addition to the invited addresses and presidential symposium, the program includes methodology lunches, salons with well-known affective scientists, and a debate to keep things lively. Please feel free to send this email to your students, postdocs, and colleagues. If you have questions, please email us at: info(a)society-for-affective-science.org **************************************************************** 20. $10k prize for best paper in Human Factors journal, due 2 June 14 http://www.hfes.org/web/pubpages/hfprize.html [this appears to becoming an annual prize, modeling papers get published in HF and there are modellers as editors and reviewers] Submit your research for the 2014 Human Factors Prize--You could win $10,000! The Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (HFES) welcomes your submission for the 2014 Human Factors Prize: Recognizing Excellence in Human Factors/Ergonomics Research. The best paper will receive: $10,000 cash award Publication in the Society's flagship journal, (http://content.news.sagepub.com/emessageIRS/servlet/IRSL?v=5&a=10050&r=2223…) Human Factors The 2014 topic is human-automation interaction/autonomy. We seek articles that describe human factors/ergonomics (HF/E) research that pertains to effective and satisfying interaction between humans and automation. Plan to submit your work between April 1 and June 2, 2014. Eligibility Requirements: Any researcher is eligible to submit relevant work; membership in HFES is not required. Submissions must cover original (unpublished) research in the topical area and comply with the requirements in the Human Factors (http://content.news.sagepub.com/emessageIRS/servlet/IRSL?v=5&a=10050&r=2223…) instructions for authors. Review articles and brief reports are not eligible. Submissions must not be received prior to April 1 or after June 2, 2014. To see examples of articles on subject matter similar to the 2014 Prize topic, visit the Human Factors Prize Web page (http://content.news.sagepub.com/emessageIRS/servlet/IRSL?v=5&a=10050&r=2223…) The award will be formally conferred at a special session at the HFES International Annual Meeting, where the recipient will present his or her work (http://content.news.sagepub.com/emessageIRS/servlet/IRSL?v=5&a=10050&r=2223…) Human Factors: The Journal of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (HFS) is a peer-reviewed journal presenting original works of scientific merit that contribute to the understanding and advancement of the systematic consideration of people in relation to machines, systems, tools, and environments. HFS highlights fundamental human capabilities, limitations, and tendencies, as well as the basics of human performance. Human Factors Impact Factor: 1.182 Ranked: 7/16 in Ergonomics | 21/44 in Engineering, Industrial | 39/72 in Psychology, Applied | 44/49 in Behavioral Sciences | 51/75 in Psychology Source: 2012 Journal Citation Reports(R) (Thomson Reuters, 2013) Questions? Contact HFES Communications Director Lois Smith at lois(a)hfes.org. We look forward to receiving your submission. **************************************************************** 21. Post doctoral Scholar in Systems Neuroscience and Connectivity Modeling http://www.la.psu.edu/facultysearch/ [this was announced in February, but is still up on the web site] Post doctoral Scholar in Systems Neuroscience and Connectivity Modeling Job Number: 41202 Affirmative Action Search No. #: 021-320 Department: Psychology Rank: Post Doc Announcement: We are seeking a highly motivated Postdoctoral Scholar in the area of clinical/cognitive neuroscience, brain imaging, and network modeling. The successful candidate will work in collaboration with investigators at The Pennsylvania State University including Dr. Hillary in Psychology, Dr. Reka Albert in Physics and Dr. Peter Molenaar in Human Development and Family Studies. The goals of the research focus on time series analysis, graph theory, and connectivity modeling of human brain imaging data (high density EEG, BOLD fMRI). The primary responsibility of this position is to facilitate ongoing research examining neural plasticity after severe traumatic brain injury in humans. There is also keen interest for this position to support the development of novel methods for understanding plasticity from a systems neuroscience perspective. This includes prospective data collection as well as analysis of existing data sets. Current lab goals aim to focus on issues regarding: 1) signal processing (i.e., non-stationarity in time series data; cross-frequency coupling), 2) large scale connectivity analysis (e.g., graph theory), 3) machine learning, and 4) novel methods isolating regions of interest. A Doctorate (M.D. and/or Ph.D.) degree is required by the appointment date. Excellent verbal and written communication skills and a background in computational modeling (broadly defined) is required and programming experience is preferred. Review of applications will begin in February and continue until the position is filled. The appointment is for two years with a tentative start date flexible. To apply, submit cover letter, curriculum vita, and the names and contact information for three references through http://www.la.psu.edu/facultysearch/ For additional information, contact Frank G. Hillary, fhillary(a)psu.edu. Employment will require successful completion of background check(s) in accordance with University policies. Penn State is committed to affirmative action, equal opportunity and the diversity of its workforce. **************************************************************** -30-

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Deep Learning Overview - Draft
by Juergen Schmidhuber 29 May '14

29 May '14

Dear computational neuroscientists, here the preliminary draft of an invited Deep Learning overview: http://www.idsia.ch/~juergen/DeepLearning15May2014.pdf It mostly consists of references (about 800 entries so far). Important citations are still missing though. As a machine learning researcher, I am obsessed with credit assignment. In case you know of references to add or correct, please send them with brief explanations to juergen(a)idsia.ch (NOT TO THE ENTIRE LIST!), preferably together with URL links to PDFs for verification. Please also do not hesitate to send me additional corrections / improvements / suggestions / Deep Learning success stories with feedforward and recurrent neural networks. I'll post a revised version later. Thanks a lot! Abstract. In recent years, deep artificial neural networks (including recurrent ones) have won numerous contests in pattern recognition and machine learning. This historical survey compactly summarises relevant work, much of it from the previous millennium. Shallow and deep learners are distinguished by the depth of their credit assignment paths, which are chains of possibly learnable, causal links between actions and effects. I review deep supervised learning (also recapitulating the history of backpropagation), unsupervised learning, reinforcement learning & evolutionary computation, and indirect search for short programs encoding deep and large networks. Juergen Schmidhuber http://www.idsia.ch/~juergen/ http://www.idsia.ch/~juergen/whatsnew.html

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Postdoc in Neuromechanics and Optogenetics at Temple University
by Andrew Spence 28 May '14

28 May '14

Dear colleagues, We have the following postdoc position available within the Spence Lab, Department of Bioengineering, at Temple University in Philadelphia, USA. See www.spencelab.com for information about the group. Cheers! Andrew Spence Have you ever wondered how legged animals manage to move with dexterity, economy, and robustness over challenging terrain? Or how information from sense organs in different parts of your body is used when you move quickly? Have you heard about some of the new neurogenetic technologies, like optogenetics, that are making it possible for us to switch on and off specific parts of the nervous system with light? Members of the Spence Lab are working to answer these questions, using cutting edge techniques including optogenetics, computer vision, and robotics. We aim to explore and examine, as much as possible, freely behaving animals, with an increasing focus on mice. The Spence Lab invites applications from prospective postdocs from a wide range of backgrounds, including neuroscience, biomechanics, physics, physiology, engineering, computer science, and robotics. This postdoc is a three-year Army Research Office funded position that will use optogenetic tools in mice to understand how the structure of the quadrupedal gait controller, and sensory feedback from the limbs, facilitate dynamic locomotion. The Department of Bioengineering at Temple University is a brand new department with newly renovated facilities, and the Spence Lab is investing in state of the art equipment. Temple University lies in Philadelphia, a city known for it's restaurants and vibrant culture, housing a large number of universities, and with excellent links to New York City (two hours away) and Washington DC (2.5 hours away). For further information on the group and it's current activities, please visit www.spencelab.com If you are interested and qualified, please send a cover letter, CV, transcripts and relevant publications to aspence(a)temple.edu. The position is available until filled. Dr. Andrew Spence Associate Professor Department of Bioengineering Engineering Building Room 814 College of Engineering Temple University 1947 N. 12th St. Philadelphia, PA 19122 Phone: 215-204-3056 Email: aspence(a)temple.edu www.spencelab.com <http://www.spencelab.com/>

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Bernstein Workshop "Characterizing Natural Scenes": Second Call for Abstracts/Contributed Talks
by Arno Onken 28 May '14

28 May '14

Second Call for Abstracts/Contributed Talks You are invited to participate in the pre-conference Bernstein workshop "Characterizing Natural Scenes: Retinal Coding and Statistical Theory", taking place in Göttingen, Germany, on September 2-3, 2014. Please find the preliminary schedule at workshop URL: https://sites.google.com/site/jiankliu/Meetings/2014bccn_workshop The workshop chairs will select a couple of abstracts for short oral presentation at the workshop. All the abstracts will be presented as posters during the Bernstein conference on September 3-4. However, the workshop could hold a separate poster session based on the number and quality of abstracts that we receive. To participate in the workshop please submit the abstract (an extended version is preferred) as a PDF attachment via email to Jian Liu (jian.liu(a)med.uni-goettingen.de) or Arno Onken (arno.onken(a)iit.it) The deadline for submission is August 1. Please note that abstract submission for the main conference is already closed while abstract submission for this workshop is still open. REGISTRATION: Please refer to the Bernstein Conference 2014 for registration and venue information. http://www.bernstein-conference.de/ WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION: How does the retina process natural visual inputs? What role do the many types of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) play in this? Experiments with specific artificial stimuli have suggested that individual types of RGCs may have specific functional roles in visual processing, yet it is not clear how these simplified functional investigations relate to the processing of natural images and movies. An important ingredient for future analysis will be a better understanding of the complex statistical properties of natural scenes, as revealed by theoreticians. The relationship between natural visual statistics and retinal coding provides a promising direction for improving our understanding of the visual system. But we still lack a systematic framework for understanding the underlying mechanisms of how relevant features of natural scenes are encoded by the retina. In this workshop, we expect mutual benefits for both natural scene statistics and retinal coding. We will bring together experimentalists and theoreticians in order to highlight recent progress, encourage exchange of insights, and stimulate new ideas for future work with the following core questions: 1) How can we develop useful descriptions of the statistics of natural scenes that are relevant for retinal coding? 2) How can we characterize the functional roles of different RGC types in processing natural scenes? 3) Which coding strategies are present at the level of RGC populations? 4) How can we unify the acquired knowledge of natural scenes and neural data to develop better tools for analysis? CONFIRMED SPEAKERS: * Vijay Balasubramanian (University of Pennsylvania) * Philipp Berens (BCCN, Tübingen) * Thomas Euler (University of Tübingen) * Felix Franke (ETH Zurich) * Olivier Marre (Vision Institute, Paris) * Aman Saleem (University College London) * Maneesh Sahani (University College London) * Rava A. da Silveira (ENS, Paris) We are looking forward to seeing you in Göttingen. Workshop organizers: Jian Liu (University Medical Center Göttingen and BCCN Göttingen) Arno Onken (Center for Neuroscience and Cognitive Systems

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Valentino Braitenberg Award for Computational Neuroscience - Call for Nominations
by Kerstin Schwarzwälder 28 May '14

28 May '14

Dear Colleagues, The Bernstein Association for Computational Neuroscience <http://www.nncn.de/en/bernstein-association> invites nominations for the *V**alentino Braitenberg Award for Computational Neuroscience.* The award is biannually presented by the Bernstein Association to a scientist in recognition of outstanding research that contributes to our understanding of the functioning of the brain. The major criterion for the award is the impact or potential impact of the recipient's research on the field of brain science. In the spirit of Valentino Braitenberg's research, special emphasis is given to theoretical studies elucidating the functional implications of brain structures and their neuronal network dynamics. The awardee receives a €5.000 prize donated by the Autonome Provinz Bozen Südtirol as well as complimentary participation (registration, travel, and hotel accomodation) in the Bernstein Conference 2014. Here, the prize is awarded together with a Golden Neuron pin badge in a special ceremony that includes the Valentino Braitenberg lecture given by the awardee. Nominations may be submitted by scientists working in the field of Computational Neuroscience and should include toe following documents: - One-page laudation, in which the scientific work of the candidate is honored with regard to the award's criteria - CV and list of publications *Deadline for nominations is **June 16, 2014 *by e-mail to info(a)bcos.uni-freiburg.de The call for nominations can be found under the followingn URL: www.nncn.de/en/bernstein-association/valentino-braitenberg-award-for-comput… For inquiries please contact info(a)bcos.uni-freiburg.de Best regards, Andrea Huber Brösamle -- Dr. Andrea Huber Brösamle Head of the Bernstein Coordination Site (BCOS) Bernstein Network Computational Neuroscience Albert Ludwigs University Freiburg Hansastr. 9A 79104 Freiburg, Germany phone: +49 761 203 9583 fax: +49 761 203 9585 andrea.huber(a)bcos.uni-freiburg.de www.nncn.de Twitter: NNCN_Germany YouTube: Bernstein TV Facebook: Bernstein Network Computational Neuroscience, Germany LinkedIn: Bernstein Network Computational Neuroscience, Germany

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Special Issue on "Underwater Sensor Networks" in (JSAN)
by Sandra Sendra 28 May '14

28 May '14

=================================================== Journal of Sensor and Actuator Networks (JSAN) Special Issue "Underwater Sensor Networks" http://www.mdpi.com/journal/jsan/special_issues/usn Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2014 ---------------------------------------------------- === SPECIAL ISSUE === New advances in information technologies, circuits, systems and communication protocols have made possible the deployment of underwater sensor networks. These issues have lead researchers to propose new underwater sensor nodes, sensor node placement, protocols for their communication, architectures, and study new ways to communicate with higher bandwidth at higher distances. Moreover, the range of underwater applications is growing fast because of the last research in oceanography, marine science and aquiculture, so there is a need of underwater sensor networks in order to support these disciplines. This special Issue is tries to collect unpublished works on theory and practice on underwater sensor networks, with special interest on real implementations and deployments. We also seek new proposals on wireless communication technologies. === KEYWORDS === The Special Issue "Underwater Sensor Networks" topics include (but are not limited to) the following: - Underwater sensor nodes - Underwater sensor node placement - Routing protocols for underwater sensor networks - Underwater communications - Underwater architectures - Underwater wireless communications - Underwater sensor network deployments === SUBMISSION === Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form (http://www.mdpi.com/user/manuscripts/upload/?journal=jsan) Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. Papers will be published continuously (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website. Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are refereed through a peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Journal of Sensor and Actuator Networks is an international peer-reviewed Open Access quarterly journal published by MDPI. Please visit the Instructions for Authors page (http://www.mdpi.com/journal/jsan/instructions) before submitting a manuscript. For the first couple of issues the Article Processing Charge (APC) will be waived for well-prepared manuscripts. English correction and/or formatting fees of 250 CHF (Swiss Francs) will be charged in certain cases for those articles accepted for publication that require extensive additional formatting and/or English corrections. === SPECIAL ISSUE EDITORS === Guest Editors Prof. Dr. Jaime Lloret Mauri (jlloret(a)dcom.upv.es) Integrated Management Coastal Research Institute, Polytechnic University of Valencia, Camino de Vera 46022, Valencia, Spain Dr. Sandra Sendra (sansenco(a)posgrado.upv.es) Integrated Management Coastal Research Institute, Polytechnic University of Valencia, Camino de Vera 46022, Valencia, Spain ===================================================

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NIPS 2014 Call for Workshops
by Chris Hiestand 27 May '14

27 May '14

NIPS*2014 Post-Conference Workshops Friday December 12 and Saturday December 13, 2014 Palais des Congrès de Montréal/Convention and Exhibition Center, Montreal, Quebec, Canada Following the NIPS*2014 main conference, workshops on a variety of current topics will be held on Friday December 12 and Saturday December 13, 2014, in Montreal, Canada. We invite researchers interested in chairing one of these workshops to submit workshop proposals. The goal of the workshops is to provide an informal forum for researchers to discuss important research questions and challenges. Controversial issues, open problems, and comparisons of competing approaches are encouraged as workshop topics. There will be seven hours of workshop meetings per day, split into morning and afternoon sessions, with free time between the sessions for individual exchange or outdoor activities. Note that this year, there is no skiing at NIPS; the workshop schedule will thus differ from past NIPS workshops (the morning session will be 8:30am-12pm, and the afternoon session will be 3pm-6:30pm). Francis Bach and Amir Globerson NIPS*2014 Workshops Chairs Web URL: http://nips.cc/Conferences/2014/CallForWorkshops

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Call for Demonstrations, NIPS 2014
by Hugo Larochelle 27 May '14

27 May '14

The Neural Information Processing Systems Conference 2014 http://nips.cc/Conferences/2014/ has a Demonstration Track running in parallel with some of the evening Poster Sessions, December 8-11, 2014, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Demonstration Proposal Deadline: Monday September 15, 2014, 11pm Universal Time (4pm Pacific Daylight Time). http://nips.cc/Conferences/2014/CallForDemonstrations Demonstrations offer a unique opportunity to showcase: • Hardware technology • Software systems • Neuromorphic and biologically-inspired systems • Robotics or other systems, which are relevant to the technical areas covered by NIPS (see Call for Papers http://nips.cc/Conferences/2014/CallForPapers) Demonstrations must show novel technology and must be run live, preferably with some interactive parts. Unlike poster presentations or slide shows, live action and interaction with the audience are critical elements. Submissions: Submission of demo proposals at the following URL: https://nips.cc/Demonstrators/ You will be asked to fill a questionnaire and describe clearly: • the technology demonstrated • the elements of novelty • the live action part • the interactive part • the equipment brought by the demonstrator • the equipment required at the place of the demo Evaluation Criteria: Submissions will be refereed on the basis of technical quality, novelty, live action, and potential for interaction. Demonstration chair: Hugo Larochelle <demonstration-ch...(a)nips.cc<http://nips.cc/>> http://nips.cc/Conferences/2014/CallForDemonstrations

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SAB 2014 Early registration: May 31
by Enric Cervera Mateu 27 May '14

27 May '14

Dear Colleagues, This is a friendly reminder that the SAB 2104 registration is open. Early registration deadline is May 31, 2014. Late registration rates will apply starting from June 1, 2014. Please refer to the conference website for details: http://sab2014.org/registration We look forward to seeing you at Castellon, Spain >From the SAB 2014 Organizing Committee

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FINAL DEADLINES UPDATE - Frontiers Research Topic: Driving innovation in therapeutic brain stimulation with biophysical models
by Dr Julien Modolo 26 May '14

26 May '14

Dear all, Due to the request of several researchers needing more time to finalize their manuscript, and also who missed the abstract submission deadline, we are offering a *final* deadline extension to offer a last opportunity of abstract submission and also allow more time for manuscript finalization. Therefore, our Research Topic organized with Frontiers in Neuroscience (Host Specialty: Frontiers in Computional Neuroscience) is still open, and has now an extended deadline for abstract submission and full manuscript submission. As a reminder, our Research Topic is entitled: "Driving Innovation in Therapeutic Brain Stimulation With Biophysical Models" Topic Editors: Julien Modolo, Alexandre Legros and Alex W Thomas - Lawson Health Research and Western University, London, Ontario (Canada). Abstract Submission Deadline: June 30 2014 Full Article Submission Deadline: September 1st, 2014 Research Topic Description: Electric and magnetic stimulation of the brain have become increasingly used for therapy in numerous neurological disorders over the last 20 years. The domain of therapeutic brain stimulation is complex and dynamic, since it involves many different diseases (e.g., Parkinson’s disease, epilepsy), stimulation devices and protocols (from completely non-invasive stimulation to the chronic implantation of stimulation electrodes in the brain). Despite its use by hundreds of thousands of patients worldwide, it seems paradoxical that, in most cases, the biological mechanisms by which therapeutic brain stimulation can provide symptom relief are unknown. Our limited knowledge in terms of interaction mechanisms dramatically slows down the development of novel brain stimulation techniques, which rely mainly on empiric observations. Fortunately, a paradigm change has begun, and biophysical modeling has emerged as an alternative tool not only allowing ot understand therapeutic brain stimulation, but also to foster innovation. Realistic models of neurons and neural networks are now routinely used in neuroscience research to better understand the outcome of experimental data, and also to help in experiment design. These models can simulate the activity of single cells (e.g., with the Hodgkin-Huxley model), or, at the other extreme, of the entire brain (Blue Brain project). One especially appealing use of these models is to simulate in silico how electric and magnetic fields modulate neuronal activity at different spatial and temporal scales, to ultimately have an impact on behaviour. This application of biophysical models of brain activity is currently the focus of intense research efforts, with the hope of groundbreaking clinical translations on the horizon. The objective of this Research Topic is to offer a comprehensive overview of the most recent biophysical models and their contribution in the development of innovative therapeutic brain stimulation techniques, in various neurological disorders. An emphasis should be made on the critical role of biophysical modeling in the rational and effective design of novel brain stimulation techniques, and also in providing key insights into fundamental interaction mechanisms that can be exploited to ends of therapy. About Frontiers Research Topics: Frontiers Research Topics are designed to be an organized, encyclopedic coverage of a particular research area, and a forum for discussion and debate. Contributions can be of different article types (Original Research, Methods, Hypothesis & Theory, and others). Our Research Topic has a dedicated homepage on the Frontiers website, where contributing articles are accumulated and discussions can be easily held. Once all articles are published, the topic will be compiled into an e-book, which can be sent to foundations that fund your research, to journalists and press agencies, and to any number of other organizations. As the ultimate reference source from leading scientists, Frontiers Research Topic articles become highly cited. Frontiers is a Swiss-based, open access publisher. As such an article accepted for publication incurs a publishing fee, which varies depending on the article type. The publishing fee for accepted articles is below average compared to most other open access journals - and lower than subscription-based journals that apply page and color figure charges. Moreover, for Research Topic articles, the publishing fee is discounted quite steeply thanks to the support of the Frontiers Research Foundation. Details on Frontiers’ fees can be found at http://www.frontiersin.org/about/PublishingFees. When published, your article will be freely available to visitors to the Frontiers site, and will be indexed in PubMed and other academic archives. As an author in Frontiers, you will retain the copyright to your own paper and all figures. The details regarding this Research Topic for Frontiers in Computational Neuroscience can be found at the following URL: http://www.frontiersin.org/computational_neuroscience/researchtopics/drivin… Should you choose to participate, please confirm by sending a quick email and then your abstract using the following link: http://www.frontiersin.org/submissioninfo Thanks in advance for your interest! Julien Modolo, Alexandre Legros and Alex W Thomas -- Julien Modolo, PhD Scientist, Human Threshold Research Group, Lawson Health Research Institute Assistant Professor, Departments of Medical Biophysics and Medical Imaging, Western University Room E4-141 268 Grosvenor Street London, ON, N6A4V2 Canada Phone: (+001) 519-646-6100 ext 64192 Fax: 519-646-6100

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Computer science lecturerships at Bristol University.
by Conor Houghton 26 May '14

26 May '14

The department of computer science at the University of Bristol is seeking to appoint two lecturers or senior lecturers in computer science. One is an open ended post and the other is a fixed term post for 3 years in the first instance. Both posts are full time. http://www.jobs.ac.uk/job/AIU651/lecturers-or-senior-lecturers-in-computer-… These jobs are open across all areas of computer science; this includes computational neuroscience. Computational neuroscience is listed in the job advert as an established research interest of the department and, for example, the department is involved in the Wellcome Trust Neural Dynamics PhD program. The University as a whole has a particular strength in neuroscience, both basic and clinical, and, because of the Neural Dynamics PhD program, the Elizabeth Blackwell Institute, the Centre for Decision Making and the Bristol Center for Complexity Sciences there is a tradition of interaction between experimental and computational neuroscientists.

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Open doctoral position: sound processing, Institute of Neuroinformatics, Zurich, CH
by Jörg Conradt 25 May '14

25 May '14

Applications are invited for a doctoral student position to implement in software and hardware, computational methods for sound processing inspired by biological principles. The goal is to develop a robust real-time sound processing system which recognizes sounds and uses novel front-end sensor pre-processors such as the silicon cochlea. We are seeking a motivated student with a strong background in physics and / or computer science or electrical engineering. The position is available immediately for individuals with a degree in related fields. Other requirements: Programming knowledge of Matlab/JAVA, worked with DSPs/ FPGAs, comfortable with hardware. Salary is according to the guidelines of the Swiss National Science Foundation. Interested applicants, please send your CV, grades, statement of interest, and the names of at least 1 reference to shih-at-ini-dot-uzh-dot-ch. Deadline for application is May 30, 2014 or until position is filled. This work will be done in conjunction with the groups of Shih-Chii Liu and Richard Hahnloser at the Institute of Neuroinformatics in Zurich. On behalf of Dr. Shih-Chii Liu, INI, http://sensors.ini.uzh.ch/

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CfP: 2014 IEEE Symposium on Computational Intelligence in healthcare and e-health (IEEE CICARE 2014)
by Mufti Mahmud 24 May '14

24 May '14

Dear all, Apologies for cross-posting of this cfp. -------------------------------------------------------- 2014 IEEE Symposium on Computational Intelligence in healthcare and e-health (IEEE CICARE 2014) IEEE CICARE 2014 is the first Symposium of its kind, and will bring together leading research and clinical scientists, engineers, practitioners, technology and solution providers in healthcare and e-health from around the world to discuss latest advances in the field of computational intelligence applied to solving the growing scale and complexity of problems in these inter-disciplinary domains. This symposium will provide a forum for the presentation of recent results in the theory and practice of computational intelligence in healthcare and e-health systems and services, and there will also be Panel discussions to outline future research directions and challenges. IEEE CICARE 2014 is being held as part of the IEEE Symposium Series on Computational Intelligence (SSCI'2014), Florida, 09-12 December 2014. IEEE SSCI 2014 is one of the two flagship biennial international events sponsored by the IEEE Computational Intelligence Society (IEEE CIS) promoting all aspects of the theory and applications of computational intelligence. The IEEE SSCI co-locates several technical meetings at one location. This event attracts top researchers, professionals, and students from around the world. More details on: http://www.ieee-ssci.org/index.html Call for Papers can be found here: http://www.ieee-ssci.org/data/IEEESSCI_2014_CFP.pdf IEEE is the world's largest professional association dedicated to advancing technological innovation and excellence for the benefit of humanity. IEEE and its members inspire a global community through IEEE's highly cited publications, conferences, technology standards, and professional and educational activities. www.ieee.org Call for Papers: IEEE CICARE 2014 Special Sessions in 2014 IEEE Symposium on Computational Intelligence in healthcare and e-health Special Session 1: Computationally Intelligent Methods for CNS Research & Its Disorders (Organizers: Mufti Mahmud, Pawel Raif, Amir Hussain) Special Session 2: Computational Intelligence in Health Assessment and Monitoring (Organizers: Erik Cambria, Amir Hussain, Newton Howard) Special Session 3: Prospects and Applications of Computational Intelligence in e-Health (Organizers: Pawel Raif, Mufti Mahmud, Henrique Martins) IEEE CICARE2014 Topics: IEEE CICARE 2014 related topics include but are not limited to: · Ontology Driven Knowledge Management · Decision Support Systems · Telemedicine · Medical research using Grids · Interoperability · Medical and Nursing Informatics · Confidentiality and Data Security · Wearable Health Informatics · Semantic Interoperability · Therapeutic Systems and Technologies · Cognitive Informatics · Affective Computing · Human-Machine Interfaces · ICT, Ageing and Disability · Design and development methodologies for Healthcare IT · Mobile technologies for Healthcare applications (m-Health) · Evaluation and use of Healthcare IT · Health Knowledge Management · Healthcare Management and Information Systems · Electronic Health Records and Standards · Software Systems in Medicine · Pervasive Health Systems and Services · Clinical problems and applications · Data Mining and Visualization · Consumer Health Informatics · Virtual Healthcare Teams · Pattern recognition and Machine Learning · Practice-based Research Methods for Healthcare Informatics/IT · e-Health for Public Health · Integrating genetics with e-health Keynote, Tutorial and Panel Sessions: Please forward your proposals with detailed abstract and bio-sketches of the speakers to Symposium Co-Chairs and SSCI Keynote-Tutorial, Chair, Dr S Das. Special Sessions: Please forward your special session proposals to the Symposium Chair, Prof. Amir Hussain. Symposium Chairs: Chair: Professor Amir Hussain, School of Natural Sciences, University of Stirling, Scotland, E-mail: ahu(a)cs.stir.ac.uk Co-Chair: Professor Calum MacRae, Harvard Medical School, Boston Co-Chair: Professor Jonathan Wu, University of Windsor, Canada Honorary Chair: Professor Warner Slack, Clinical Informatics Division, Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA Symposium Organiser: Kamran Farooq, University of Stirling, Scotland, UK International Programme Committee: · Adnan Masood Siddiqui, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh Cancer Centre. · Aman Shams, Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, UK · Amir Atiya, Cairo University, Egypt · Amir Shah, University Hospital Crosshouse, Kilmarnock, Scotland · Aneel Zaheer, Kings College London Hospital, UK · Anna Esposito, Second University of Naples and IIASS - Vietri sul Mare (SA), Italy · Aziz Sheikh, Centre of Population Health Sciences, University of Edinburgh · Azzam Taktak, The Royal Liverpool University Hospital, UK · Campbell Grant, Sitekit Solutions Ltd. · Chris Eckl, Sitekit Solutions Ltd. · Eric Chang, Microsoft Asia, Beijing · Erik Cambria, NUS, Singapore · Fabio Augusto Gonzalez Osorio, National University of Colombia · Frances Mair, University of Glasgow · Hicham Attasi, Brno University of Technology, Czech Repulibic · Hollis Kowaloff, Beth Israel Clinical Informatics, USA · Igor Aleksander, Imperial College, London, UK · Irfan Faridoon, Western General Hospital, Edinburgh · Jozsef Farkas, University of Stirling, Scotland, UK · Junichi Tsujii, Microsoft Asia, Beijing · Kaizhu Huang, Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China · Kang Li, Queen's University, Belfast · Keshav Dahal, University of Bradford, UK · M.A. Rajak, Ucare Foundation, Glasgow · Marcos Faundez-Zanuy, Escola University-Politecnic Mataro, Spain · Maria Aftab, Sir Syed Medical College, Karachi, Pakistan · Marjorie Skubic, University of Missouri, Columbia, USA · Matthew Bailey, BHF Centre for Cardiovascular Science, University of Edinburgh · Mohamed Chetouani, University of Pierre Marie-Curie, France · Muaz Niazi, Bahria University, Pakistan · Ricardo Imbert, University of Madrid, Spain · Sophia Ananiadou University of Manchester, UK · Stefano Squartini, Ancona University, Italy · Stephen Leslie, Raigmore Hospital, Inverness, Scotland · Tingwen Huang, Texas A&M University at Qatar · Usman Bashir, Western General Hospital, Edinburgh · Vassilis Cutsuridis, King's College, London, UK · Vladimir Bajic, KAUST, Saudi Arabia · Wajeeha Aneel, University of Bedfordshire, UK · William Buchanan, Napier University · Zdenek Smekal, Brno University of Technology, Czech Republic · Zubair Khan, Radiology & Nuclear Medicine, University Hospitals NHS Lothian (Edinburgh) Important Dates Paper submission: 15 June 2014, Midnight GMT Decision: 05 Sept 2014 Final submission: 05 Oct 2014 Early Registration: 05 Oct 2014 Paper Submission: Please submit your paper via the IEEE SSCI 2014 on-line submission link accessed from: http://www.ieee-ssci.org/instructions.html -- Mufti Mahmud, PhD Marie Curie Research Fellow Theoretical Neurobiology & Neuroengineering Lab University of Antwerp T6.63, Universiteitsplein 1 2610 - Wilrijk, Belgium Lab: +32 3 265 2610 http://www.muftimahmud.co.nr/ & Assistant Professor (on leave) Institute of Information Technology Jahangirnagar University Savar, 1342 - Dhaka, Bangladesh

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Postdoc positions: Matt Nolan/Upi Bhalla
by U.S.Bhalla 23 May '14

23 May '14

We offer two Postdoctoral positions in computational and experimental neuroscience, as part of a a collaboration between Matt Nolan (University of Edinburgh) and Upi Bhalla (National Centre for Biological Sciences, Bangalore). The projects are to examine representations, connectivity and plasticity in the Hippocampal-Entorhinal circuitry. One position is for a computational analysis of representations, sequence formation and plasticity. The other position is more experimental, and will involve patch, tetrode, and 2-photon recordings in mice as they learn representations and associations. Interested individuals are encouraged to visit the CBDR (http://instem.res.in/wadhwani-center/center-for-brain-development-and-repair) website for more information and to contact Upi Bhalla (bhalla(a)ncbs.res.in) or Matt Nolan(mattnolan(a)ed.ac.uk) directly for more information. A 2-page CV, 1-page statement of future work and how it fits in with the aims of CBDR and the names of three referees should be sent to the Centre Administrator, Claudia Pisani (cpisani(a)staffmail.ed.ac.uk) Thank you, Upi Bhalla

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CFP 2nd International Conference on Bioimaging
by Calendar Sites 22 May '14

22 May '14

CALL FOR PAPERS 2nd International Conference on Bioimaging Website: www.bioimaging.biostec.org January 12 15, 2015 Lisbon, Portugal <http://www.bioimaging.biostec.org/Glossary.aspx#RP> Regular Papers Paper Submission: July 29, 2014 Authors Notification: November 3, 2014 Camera Ready and Registration: November 17, 2014 <http://www.bioimaging.biostec.org/Glossary.aspx#PP> Position Papers Paper Submission: September 30, 2014 Authors Notification: November 6, 2014 Camera Ready and Registration: November 17, 2014 Sponsored by: INSTICC-Institute for Systems and Technologies of Information, Control and Communication INSTICC is Member of: WfMC- Workflow Management Coalition OMG - Object Management Group FIPA Foundation for Intelligent Physical Agents Logistics Partner: SCITEVENTS Science and Technology Events Media Partner: BMC - Medical Informatics and Decision Making Technical Co-sponsorship by: BMES Biomedical Engineering Society ESEM - European Society for Engineering and Medicine In Cooperation with: EUROMICRO ISfTeH International Society for Telemedicine & eHealth AAAI - The Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence Bioimaging is a term that collectively refers to tools used to create structural or functional images of living objects or systems. Examples are many, including: PET and HRRT PET, MRI and fMRI, MEG, SPECT and so on. Medical imaging is an important case of bioimaging referring to the technique and process used to create images of the human body, anatomical areas, tissue, and so on, down to the molecular level, for clinical purposes, seeking to reveal,diagnose, or examine diseases, or medical science, including the study of normal anatomy and physiology. Another field closely related to bioimaging is structural biology, a branch of molecular biology, biochemistry, and biophysics concerned with the spatial and temporal arrangement of biological macromolecules. KEYNOTE SPEAKERS <http://www.biostec.org/KeynoteSpeakers.aspx#1> Erik Meijering, Erasmus University Medical Center, Netherlands <http://www.biostec.org/KeynoteSpeakers.aspx#2> Lionel Pazart, CHU, France PUBLICATIONS All accepted papers will be published in the conference proceedings, under an ISBN reference, on paper and on CD-ROM support. SCITEPRESS is a member of CrossRef (http://www.crossref.org/) All papers presented at the conference venue will be available at the SCITEPRESS Digital Library. It is planned to publish a short list of revised and extended versions of presented papers with Springer in a CCIS Series book (final approval pending). The proceedings will be submitted for indexation by Thomson Reuters Conference Proceedings Citation Index (ISI), INSPEC, DBLP, EI (Elsevier Index) and Scopus. AWARDS The awards will be announced and bestowed at the conference closing session. Please check the website for further information: http://www.bioimaging.biostec.org/BestPaperAward.aspx CONFERENCE CO-CHAIRS Ana Fred, Instituto de Telecomunicações / IST, Portugal Hugo Gamboa, CEFITEC / FCT - New University of Lisbon, Portugal Dirk Elias, University of Porto / Fraunhofer, Portugal PROGRAM CO-CHAIRS Mário Forjaz Secca, CEFITEC, Departamento de Fisica, FCT/UNL, Portugal Jan Schier, Institute of Information Theory and Automation of the ASCR, Czech Republic CONFERENCE TOPICS: · Medical Imaging and Diagnosis · Biomechanical Imaging · Image Archiving and Communication · Telemedicine and Virtual Environments · Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) · Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (Fmri) · Single-Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT) · Positron Emission Tomography (PET) · High Resolution Research Tomography (HRRT) · Magnetoencephalography (MEG) · Ultrasound and Optical Imaging · Optical Elastography · X-ray Microscopy · Biophotonics · Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transferv (FRET) · Fluorescent Microscopy · Quantitative Bioimaging · Structural Biology · Brain Function Analysis · Hemodynamics Imaging · Histology and Tissue Imaging PROGRAM COMMITTEE http://www.bioimaging.biostec.org/ProgramCommittee.aspx Please check further details at the conference website (http://www.bioimaging.biostec.org)

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CFP 8th International Joint Conference on Biomedical Engineering Systems and Technologies - BIOSTEC 2015
by Calendar Sites 22 May '14

22 May '14

CALL FOR PAPERS 8th International Joint Conference on Biomedical Engineering Systems and Technologies - BIOSTEC 2015 Website: www.biostec.org January 12 15, 2015 Lisbon, Portugal <http://www.biostec.org/Glossary.aspx#RP> Regular Papers Paper Submission: July 29, 2014 Authors Notification: November 3, 2014 Camera Ready and Registration: November 17, 2014 <http://www.biostec.org/Glossary.aspx#PP> Position Papers Paper Submission: September 30, 2014 Authors Notification: November 6, 2014 Camera Ready and Registration: November 17, 2014 Doctoral Consortium Paper Submission: November 5, 2014 Authors Notification: November 18, 2014 Camera Ready and Registration: November 28, 2014 Special Sessions Paper Submission: November 7, 2014 Authors Notification: November 24, 2014 Camera Ready and Registration: December 3, 2014 Sponsored by: INSTICC - Institute for Systems and Technologies of Information, Control and Communication INSTICC is Member of: WfMC- Workflow Management Coalition OMG - Object Management Group FIPA Foundation for Intelligent Physical Agents Logistics Partner: SCITEVENTS Science and Technology Events Media Partner: BMC - Medical Informatics and Decision Making Technical Co-sponsorship by: BMES Biomedical Engineering Society ESEM - European Society for Engineering and Medicine In Cooperation with: EUROMICRO ISfTeH International Society for Telemedicine & eHealth AAAI - The Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence EURASIP The European Association for Signal Processing The purpose of BIOSTEC is to bring together researchers and practitioners, including engineers, biologists, health professionals and informatics/computer scientists, interested in both theoretical advances and applications of information systems, artificial intelligence, signal processing, electronics and other engineering tools in knowledge areas related to biology and medicine. BIOSTEC is composed of five co-located conferences, each specialized in at least one of the aforementioned main knowledge areas. International Conference on Biomedical Electronics and Devices BIODEVICES 2015 Program Chair Alberto Cliquet Jr., University of São Paulo & University of Campinas, Brazil Url: http://www.biodevices.biostec.org/ CONFERENCE TOPICS: · Emerging Technologies · Biomedical Instrumentation · Biomedical Equipment · Biomedical Sensors · Biomedical Metrology · Microelectronics · Health Monitoring Devices · Embedded Signal Processing · Low-Power Design · Electrical Bio-Impedance · Bio-Electromagnetism · Biorobotics · Biocomputing and Biochips · Implantable Electronics · Biotelemetry · Wireless Systems · Biomaterials · MEMS · Nanotechnologies · Biomechanical Devices · Artificial Limbs · Technologies Evaluation · Cardiovascular Biomechanics · Electrocardiography and Heart Monitoring · Computational Physiology (virtual organs) · Brain-Computer Interfaces · Spectroscopic Applications · Imaging and Visualization Devices · Computer-aided Detection and Diagnosis · Rehabilitation Technology International Conference on Bioimaging BIOIMAGING 2015 Program Co-chairs Mário Forjaz Secca, CEFITEC, Departamento de Fisica, FCT/UNL, Portugal Jan Schier, Institute of Information Theory and Automation of the ASCR, Czech Republic Url: http://www.bioimaging.biostec.org/ CONFERENCE TOPICS: · Medical Imaging and Diagnosis · Biomechanical Imaging · Image Archiving and Communication · Telemedicine and Virtual Environments · Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) · Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (Fmri) · Single-Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT) · Positron Emission Tomography (PET) · High Resolution Research Tomography (HRRT) · Magnetoencephalography (MEG) · Ultrasound and Optical Imaging · Optical Elastography · X-ray Microscopy · Biophotonics · Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transferv (FRET) · Fluorescent Microscopy · Quantitative Bioimaging · Structural Biology · Brain Function Analysis · Hemodynamics Imaging · Histology and Tissue Imaging International Conference on Bioinformatics Models, Methods and Algorithms BIOINFORMATICS 2015 Program Co-chairs Oscar Pastor, Universidad Politécnica de Valencia, Spain Christine Sinoquet, University of Nantes, France Url: http://www.bioinformatics.biostec.org/ CONFERENCE TOPICS: · Simulation · Computational Intelligence · Genomics and Proteomics · Sequence Analysis · Structural Bioinformatics · Image Analysis · Visualization · Databases and Data Management · Data mining and Machine Learning · Biostatistics and Stochastic Models · Pharmaceutical Applications · Systems Biology · Algorithms and Software Tools · Web Services in Bioinformatics · Computational Molecular Systems · Immuno- and chemo-informatics · Pattern recognition, clustering and classification · Structure prediction · Model design and evaluation · Transcriptomics · Next Generation Sequencing · Structural Variations International Conference on Bio-inspired Systems and Signal Processing BIOSIGNALS 2015 Program Chair Harald Loose, Brandenburg University of Applied Sciences, Germany Url: http://www.biosignals.biostec.org/ CONFERENCE TOPICS: · Speech Recognition · Neural Networks · Biometrics · Pattern Recognition · Medical Signal Acquisition, Analysis and Processing · Wearable Sensors and Systems · Real-Time Systems · Evolutionary Systems · Acoustic Signal Processing · Time and Frequency Response · Wavelet Transform · Medical Image Detection, Acquisition, Analysis and Processing · Physiological Processes and Bio-signal Modeling, Non-linear dynamics · Cybernetics and User Interface Technologies · Electromagnetic fields in biology and medicine · Fuzzy Systems and Signals · Monitoring and Telemetry · Cardiovascular Signals · Image Analysis and Processing · Detection and Identification · Motion Control International Conference on Health Informatics HEALTHINF 2015 Program Co-chairs Marta Bienkiewicz, TUM, Technische Universitat Munchen, Germany Christine Verdier, LIG - University Joseph Fourier Grenoble, France Url: http://www.healthinf.biostec.org/ CONFERENCE TOPICS: · Datamining · Knowledge Management · Decision Support Systems · Interoperability · Telemedicine · Medical and Nursing Informatics · Confidentiality and Data Security · Wearable Health Informatics · Semantic Interoperability · Therapeutic Systems and Technologies · Physiological Modeling · Databases and Datawarehousing · Cognitive Informatics · Affective Computing · Human-Machine Interfaces for Disabled Persons · ICT, Ageing and Disability · Design and development methodologies for Healthcare IT · Mobile technologies for Healthcare applications · Evaluation and use of Healthcare IT · Healthcare Management Systems · E-Health · Development of Assistive Technology · Electronic Health Records and Standards · Software Systems in Medicine · Pervasive Health Systems and Services · e-Health for Public Health · Clinical problems and applications · Data Visualization · Pattern recognition and Machine Learning · Practice-based Research Methods for Healthcare IT KEYNOTE SPEAKERS <http://www.biostec.org/KeynoteSpeakers.aspx#1> Erik Meijering, Erasmus University Medical Center, Netherlands <http://www.biostec.org/KeynoteSpeakers.aspx#2> Lionel Pazart, CHU, France PUBLICATIONS All accepted papers will be published in the conference proceedings, under an ISBN reference, on paper and on CD-ROM support. SCITEPRESS is a member of CrossRef ( <http://www.crossref.org/> http://www.crossref.org/) All papers presented at the conference venue will be available at the <http://www.scitepress.org/DigitalLibrary/Default.aspx> SCITEPRESS Digital Library. It is planned to publish a short list of revised and extended versions of presented papers with Springer in a <http://www.springer.com/series/7899> CCIS Series book (final approval pending). The proceedings will be submitted for indexation by Thomson Reuters Conference Proceedings Citation Index (ISI), INSPEC, DBLP, EI (Elsevier Index) and Scopus. AWARDS The awards will be announced and bestowed at the conference closing session. BIOSTEC CONFERENCE CO-CHAIRS Ana Fred, Instituto de Telecomunicações / IST, Portugal Hugo Gamboa, CEFITEC / FCT - New University of Lisbon, Portugal Dirk Elias, University of Porto / Fraunhofer, Portugal Please check further details at the conference website (http://www.biostec.org)

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Postdoc on EEG data analysis in Cleveland (immediately available)
by Roberto Fernández Galán 22 May '14

22 May '14

A postdoctoral position on the statistical analysis of EEG data from children with autism and epilepsy is immediately available at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, USA. The position is funded by The Hartwell Foundation for a period of up to two years. The selected candidate will work under the supervision of Dr. Roberto F. Galán <http://neurosciences.case.edu/faculty/galan/index> in the department of neurosciences at CWRU. The project involves a collaboration with the department of pediatric neurology at University Hospitals on the same campus. The successful candidate must be a US citizen, have a PhD in biomedical engineering, computational neuroscience, or related discipline. Previous experience with the analysis of EEG, MEG, or MEA data is required. Proficiency in Matlab programming will be considered an asset. To apply for this position please send a cover letter, a CV including a list of publications and the names and contact information of two referees for recommendations to rfgalan(a)case.edu. Related Publications: J. L. Pérez Velázquez and R. F. Galán (2013). Information Gain in the Brain's Resting State: A New Perspective on Autism. *Frontiers in Neuroinformatics, 7(37):1 <http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fninf.2013.00037/abstract>*. A. R. Antony, A. V. Alexopoulos, J. A. González-Martínez, J. C. Mosher, L. Jehi, R. C. Burgess, N. K. So and R. F. Galán (2013). Functional Connectivity Estimated from Intracranial EEG Predicts Surgical Outcome in Intractable Temporal Lobe Epilepsy. *PLoS One, 8(10): e77916 <http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0077916>* . L. G. Domínguez, J. L. Pérez Velázquez and R. F. Galán (2013). A Model of Functional Brain Connectivity and Background Noise as a Biomarker for Cognitive Phenotypes: Application to Autism. *PLoS One, 8(4): e61493 <http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0061493>* . -- Roberto Fernández Galán, PhD Assistant Professor of Neurosciences Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Robbins E-725 10900 Euclid Avenue Cleveland OH, 44106-4975, USA Phone: (001) 216 368 0811 Email: rfgalan(a)case.edu http://www.case.edu/med/galanlab

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ICTP Winter School on Systems Neuroscience in Trieste, Dec 2014
by Alessandro Treves 21 May '14

21 May '14

The Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics is organizing a Winter School on Quantitative Systems Biology with a focus on System Neuroscience, from 1 to 12 December 2014, in Trieste, Italy. New experimental techniques are opening windows on biological mechanisms inside the cell and in the brain, making these systems accessible to quantitative investigation and calling for an understanding of brain functions at the systemic level. The school is targeted to young researchers, especially at the Ph.D and postdoc level who either work in this area or hope to do so. Lecturers include: Winfried Denk (Max Planck Inst., Germany) Stefano Fusi (Columbia, USA) Kate Jeffery (UCL, UK) Etienne Koechlin (ENS Paris, France) Venkatesh Murthy (Harvard, USA) Israel Nelken (Hebrew Univ., Israel) Botond Roska (FMI, Switzerland) Wolfram Schultz (Univ. Cambridge, UK) Tatyana Sharpee (Salk Institute, USA) Misha Tsodyks (Weizmann Institute, Israel) Fred Wolf (Univ. Göttingen, Germany) There is no participation fee for selected participants. DEADLINE for applications June 1st, 2014 Details on http://cdsagenda5.ictp.trieste.it/full_display.php?ida=a13235 -- Alessandro Treves http://people.sissa.it/~ale/limbo.html SISSA - Cognitive Neuroscience, via Bonomea 265, 34136 Trieste, Italy and Master in Complex Actions http://www.mca.sissa.it/

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PhD student positions in naturalistic visuomotor behavior
by Constantin Rothkopf 21 May '14

21 May '14

Applications are invited for two PhD student positions in the lab of Constantin Rothkopf at the Technical University Darmstadt. The lab focuses on experimental and computational approaches to further the understanding of naturalistic, sequential visuomotor behavior in humans. Current topics include: - statistics of visuomotor behavior in naturalistic tasks, - image statistics in natural visuomotor behavior, - inverse-optimal-control models of human locomotion behavior, - optimal control models of interception behavior, - credit assignment in modular reinforcement learning models, - eye-movements in naturalistic tasks. For further information refer to the website: http://fias.uni-frankfurt.de/~rothkopf/ Ph.D. position applicants need to have a Master's degree in cognitive science, computer science, psychology or related fields. In addition to a general interest in experimental psychology, cognitive science, computational science, and interdisciplinary research, the ideal candidate has a background in eye-tracking or virtual reality technology. Experience with programming (e.g. Matlab, Python, C++) is inevitable. Analytical aptitude as well as awareness of experimental literature is expected. Informal inquiries may be made to Constantin Rothkopf at rothkopf(a)psychologie.tu-darmstadt.de. In your application please include a brief (max. 2 pages) cover letter explaining your research interests, what you are looking for in a PhD, why you would like to study in the lab, your longer term career goals, and contact information for 2-3 references. Applications may be submitted to the Dean of the Department of Human Sciences of the Technical University Darmstadt, Alexanderstraße 10, 64283 Darmstadt, in electronic form as a single pdf document via e-mail at: dekanat(a)humanw.tu-darmstadt.de. More details are available at: PhD position (ref.-no. 170) https://www.intern.tu-darmstadt.de/dez_vii/stellen/stellen_details_128192.d… The Technical University Darmstadt strives for an increase in the number of women in academic employment. Women are therefore especially encouraged to apply and will be preferentially considered under the condition of equal qualification. Disabled candidates are given preference under the provision of equal qualification. -- Prof. Constantin A. Rothkopf, PhD Technical University Darmstadt & FIAS phone: +49 6151 16-76084 mailto:rothkopf@psychologie.tu-darmstadt.de fax: +49 6151 16-6943 http://www.pip.tu-darmstadt.de/

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Announcement Special Session Neurotechnix 2014
by Martin Bogdan 21 May '14

21 May '14

Dear colleagues, it's my pleasure to announce in behalf of my co-chairs a special session at Neurotechnix 2014, 25- 26 October, 2014 - Rome, Italy (http://www.neurotechnix.org/BrainRehab.aspx) Brain-computer Interfaces and Brain Stimulation for Neurorehabilitation Important Dates Paper Submission: July 17, 2014 Authors Notification: July 31, 2014 Camera Ready and Registration: August 8, 2014 Scope Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) and brain stimulation are unique methods for neurorehabilitation because they allow a direct interaction with the patient's brain. BCIs enable biofeedback approaches for paralyzed patients, while brain stimulation techniques modulate the activity of neuronal circuits to support brain reorganization. However, towards their application as reliable treatment options, important challenges such as a deeper understanding of neural (re-)organization, the design of suitable feedback and stimulation paradigms, the adaptation to individual patients and the transfer from the laboratory to clinical settings need to be faced. We invite neuroscientists, engineers and clinicians to submit papers discussing recent developments and future trends in the fields of neurostimulation and BCIs with a focus on their application towards the rehabilitation of patients. Topics: - Brain-computer interfaces - Decoding of brain activity - Neurofeedback - Brain stimulation - Closed-loop stimulation systems - Chronic pain - Stroke, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and other neurodegenerative diseases Paper Submission Prospective authors are invited to submit papers in any of the topics listed above. Instructions for preparing the manuscript (in Word and Latex formats) are available at: http://www.neurotechnix.org/GuidelinesTemplates.aspx#paper_templates Please also check the Guidelines and Templates. Papers should be submitted electronically via the web-based submission system at: http://www.insticc.org/Primoris Publication Both complete papers and extended abstracts can be submitted. All accepted extended abstracts will be published on CD-ROM without an ISBN, accepted papers will be published on CD-ROM support and in a special section of the congress proceedings book, under an ISBN reference. The proceedings are submitted for indexation by Thomson Reuters Conference Proceedings Citation Index (ISI), INSPEC, DBLP and EI (Elsevier Index). All papers and extended abstracts presented at the congress venue will also be made available at the SCITEPRESS DIGITAL LIBRARY. SCITEPRESS is member of CrossRef. -- ************************************************************************** Prof. Dr. Martin Bogdan Institut für Informatik Technische Informatik Universität Leipzig Augustusplatz 10 D-04109 Leipzig Germany Postadresse: PF 100920 D-04009 Leipzig Tel: (++49) 341 97 32208 Fax: (++49) 341 97 32252 E-mail: bogdan(a)informatik.uni-leipzig.de www.informatik.uni-leipzig.de/ti/ ************************************************************************** 'Nihil est ab omni parte beatum' (Horaz) **************************************************************************

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Postdoc in computer vision - joint position at IIT and Harvard
by Diego Sona 20 May '14

20 May '14

IIT-Harvard joint postdoctoral position in computer vision, pattern recognition, and machine learning for the design and development of a virtual foraging system enriched with automatic behavior analysis tools. Available immediately and until filled. The project is highly interdisciplinary, including data analysis, machine learning, computer vision, neuroscience, behavior analysis, and engineering. The aim is to develop a virtual reality (VR) system for mice behavior phenotyping that integrate multiple recording devices and a library of software tools for advanced behavioral data analysis. Strong competences are required both in systems engineering and computer vision / machine learning. The candiate will periodically commute between Genoa (IIT) and Boston (Harvard). Further info can be found at http://www.iit.it/en/openings/research-departments/pattern-analysis-a-compu… Reference: BC 68073 --------------------------------------------------------- Dr. Diego Sona Pattern Analysis & Computer Vision (PAVIS) Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT) Genova, Italy www.iit.it/pavis.html ---------------------------------------------------------

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IEEE International Workshop on Cloud-integrated Cyber Physical Systems 2014 (IEEE Cloud-CPS 2014)
by Sandra Sendra 20 May '14

20 May '14

********************************************************* CALL FOR PAPERS IEEE International Workshop on Cloud-integrated Cyber Physical Systems 2014 (IEEE Cloud-CPS 2014) Submission due July 31, 2014 http://cloudcps.cwins.org Dec 15 � 18, 2014, Singapore Singapore in conjunction with IEEE CloudCom 2014, Dec 15 � 18, 2014, Singapore ******************************************************************** Technology has gone through tremendous changes in terms of computing, communications and control to provide wide range of applications in all domains. This advancement provides the opportunities to bridge the physical components/processes and the cyber space leading to the Cyber Physical Systems (CPS). The notion of CPS is to use computing (sensing, analyzing, predicting, understanding, etc.), communication (interaction, intervene, interface management, etc.) and control (inter-operate, evolve, evidence-based certification, etc.) to make intelligent and autonomous systems. Such systems are playing an increasingly prevalent and important role in this electronic era such as healthcare, manufacturing, civil infrastructure, aerospace, entertainment, transportation and many automated physical systems. Computing and networking are two major components of CPS and Cloud has infinite resources for both. Cloud-integrated CPS will not only enhance CPS itself but also process, analyze! and manage (CPS) big data efficien tly. However, there are many issues and hurdles of Cloud-integrated CPS that need discussions. Our aim is to provide a platform for researchers and practitioners to present their research results in the area of Cloud-integrated Cyber-Physical Systems. The proposed workshop CloudCPS-2014 will serve as a forum for researchers from academia, government and industries to exchange ideas, present new results and provide future visions on these topics. Topics of interest include but not limited to: - Cloud-CPS Architecture - Cloud-CPS Modeling and Simulation - Virtualization of Physical Components in Cloud-CPS - Design and Performance Optimization in Cloud-CPS - Cloud-assisted Situation-aware and decision support - Big-data Processing and Visualization in Cloud-CPS - Mobile Cloud-CPS - Game Theory for Cloud-CPS - Tools and Methods for Cloud-CPS - Sensor-actuator Networks - Security, Privacy, and Trust in Cloud-CPS - Intelligent (Road/Air) Transportation Cloud-CPS - Cloud-CPS in healthcare - Cloud-CPS in energy - Fog computing - Cloud-CPS: Tools, test beds and deployment issues - Opportunistic spectrum access for Cloud-CPS ***************************** SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS ***************************** The authors are advised to submit their research paper following the IEEE CS format: two columns, single-spaced, including figures and references, using 10 fonts, and number each page. Instructions for authors how to format the manuscript can be found at: http://www.computer.org/portal/web/cscps/submission/ http://www.computer.org/portal/web/cscps/formatting/ The following templates below, are general templates designed for conferences using an US Letter (8.5" x 11") trim size. MS Word Template: http://www.computer.org/portal/c/document_library/get_file?uuid=4cc57ba2-39… LaTeX Package: http://www.computer.org/portal/c/document_library/get_file?uuid=cda2f9b2-51… Papers will be carefully evaluated based on originality, significance, technical soundness, and clarity of exposition. The papers, in pdf format, should be submitted electronically through https://www.easychair.org/conferences/?conf=ieeecloudcps2014. If there is any problem during submission, please contact the workshop general chairs or db.rawat(at)ieee.org. All accepted papers will be published by IEEE CS Press (submitted to IEEEXplore) and submitted for indexing by EI and ISSN. *********************** Important Dates *********************** Deadline for paper submissions: July 31, 2014 Notification of Paper acceptance: Sept. 2, 2014 Deadline for camera-ready: Sept.16, 2014 Deadline for author registration: Oct. 1, 2014 Conference: December 15-18, 2014 WORKSHOP WEBSITE For more information, please visit the workshop website at http://cloudcps.cwins.org ++++++++++++++++ Organizers ++++++++++++++++ **************** General Chairs **************** Ivan Stojmenovic, University of Ottawa, Canada Danda B. Rawat, Georgia Southern University, USA Jaime Lloret Mauri, Polytechnic University of Valencia, Spain ****************** Program Chairs ****************** Bhed B. Bista, Iwate Prefectural University, Japan Song Guo, The University of Aizu, Japan ******************* Publicity Chairs ******************* Sandra Sendra, Polytechnic University of Valencia, Spain

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Postdoctoral vacancies in London
by Harris, Kenneth 19 May '14

19 May '14

Dear Computational Neuroscientists, We are seeking applicants for 3 postdoctoral jobs at the interface of computational and experimental neuroscience, working with Profs. Kenneth Harris and Matteo Carandini. The closing date for all positions is June 14 2014. For details on how to apply, please see https://www.ucl.ac.uk/cortexlab/positions. Position 1: Large-scale analysis of neocortical activity Modern experimental methods allow for simultaneous recording of thousands of neurons. These methods provide an unprecedented opportunity to study how neuronal populations process information. However, turning this data into concrete conclusions about brain function raises a twofold challenge. First, statistical methods required to characterize, visualize, and test hypotheses about neural data must be developed; second, the data sets involved are so large that they require advanced computational techniques for their efficient processing. We are seeking a postdoctoral scientist to study population coding and circuit function in cortex, by working with data from large-scale electrophysiological and optical recordings. This position would suit an individual with strong quantitative skills together with good knowledge of neurobiology. Position 2: Large-scale simulation of cortical circuits Recent years have seen the development of techniques for rapid simulation of neural circuits, making it at last possible to model how cellular and synaptic properties determine cortical activity in circuits of realistic size. We are seeking a postdoctoral scientist to build large-scale models of recurrent spiking cortical networks, using hardware systems such as large-scale GPGPU clusters or specialized chips such as spiNNaker. Close interaction with experimental neuroscience will be a key part of the project, and the models will be constrained by their ability to both reproduce patterns of population activity measured in vivo, and to perform real-world visual classification tasks. This project involves the use of specialized hardware, and would suit a candidate with strong programming ability as well as neuroscience knowledge. Position 3: Experimental study of cortical population activity Developments in electrophysiology, microscopy, and genetics now make it possible to measure the activity of thousands of neurons simultaneously, while identifying and controlling specific cell classes in real time with light. Combining these experimental technologies with large-scale informatics and computational analysis provides a tremendous tool to understand the function of cortical circuits. We are seeking a postdoctoral scientist to apply these tools to study network activity during a visual discrimination task in behaving mice. This project involves integrating multiple techniques currently in use in our lab including large-scale electrophysiological recordings, optogenetics, two-photon microscopy, and mouse behaviour. This position would suit a candidate with a background in experimental neurobiology, engineering, or experimental physics. --------------------- Kenneth D. Harris Professor of Quantitative Neuroscience Institute of Neurology, Department of Neuroscience, Physiology, and Pharmacology University College London 21 University Street London WC1E 6DE Phone: +44 (0)20 3108 2410

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new Frontiers journal section "Computational Intelligence"
by Claudius Gros 19 May '14

19 May '14

This is to to call your attention to a new Frontiers journal section "Computational Intelligence" http://www.frontiersin.org/Computational_Intelligence within Robotics and AI. The first articles have been published: --------------------- Rodrigo Echeveste and Claudius Gros Generating functionals for computational intelligence: The Fisher information as an objective function for self-limiting Hebbian learning rules http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/frobt.2014.00001/abstract --------------------- --------------------- Mikhail Prokopenko Grand challenges for Computational Intelligence http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/frobt.2014.00002/full --------------------- We invite you to submit your research! Claudius Gros ***************************************** *** Prof. Dr. Claudius Gros *** *** +49 (0)69 798 47818 *** *** http://itp.uni-frankfurt.de/~gros *** ***************************************** -------------------------------------------------------- --- Complex and Adaptive Dynamical Systems, A Primer --- --- A graduate-level textbook, Springer (2008/10/13) --- --------------------------------------------------------

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post-doc position: “The informational structure of audio-visuo-motor speech”
by Pierre Bessière 18 May '14

18 May '14

Speech Unit(e)s The multisensory-motor unity of speech Understanding how speech unites the sensory and motor streams, And how speech units emerge from perceptuo-motor interactions ERC Advanced Grant, Jean-Luc Schwartz, GIPSA-Lab, Grenoble, France Proposal for a post-doc position beginning in September 2014: “The informational structure of audio-visuo-motor speech” Context The Speech Unit(e)s project is focused on the speech unification process associating the auditory, visual and motor streams in the human brain, in an interdisciplinary approach combining cognitive psychology, neurosciences, phonetics (both descriptive and developmental) and computational models. The framework is provided by the “Perception-for-Action-Control Theory (PACT)” developed by the PI (Schwartz et al., 2012). PACT is a perceptuo-motor theory of speech communication connecting, in a principled way, perceptual shaping and motor procedural knowledge in speech multisensory processing. The communication unit in PACT is neither a sound nor a gesture but a perceptually shaped gesture, that is a perceptuo-motor unit. It is characterized by both articulatory coherence – provided by its gestural nature – and perceptual value – necessary for being functional. PACT considers two roles for the perceptuo-motor link in speech perception: online unification of the sensory and motor streams through audio-visuo-motor binding, and offline joint emergence of the perceptual and motor repertoires in speech development. Objectives of the post-doc position In a multisensory-motor context such as the present one, a major requirement concerns a better knowledge of the structure of the information. Speech scientists have acquired a very good knowledge of the structure of speech acoustics, capitalizing on large audio corpora and up-to-date statistical techniques (mostly based on sophisticated implementations of Hidden Markov Models, e.g. Schutz & Waibel, 2001, Yu & Deng, 2011). Data on speech rhythms, in relation with the syllabic structure, have been analyzed clearly in a number of works (Greenberg, 1999; Grant & Greenberg, 2003). In spite of strong efforts in the field of audiovisual speech automatic recognition (Potamianos et al., 2003), characterization of the structure of audiovisual information is scarce. While an increasing number of papers on audiovisual speech perception presenting cognitive and neurophysiological data quote the “advance of the visual stream on the audio stream”, few papers provide quantitative evidence (see Chandrasekaran et al., 2009) and when they do, these are sometimes mistaken or oversimplified. Actually, the temporal relationship between visual and auditory information is far from constant from one situation to another (Troille et al., 2010). Concerning the perceptuo-motor link, the situation is even worse. Few systematic quantitative studies are available because of the difficulty to acquire articulatory data, and in these studies the focus is generally set on the so-called “inversion problem” (e.g. Ananthakrishnan & Engwall, 2011, Hueber et al., 2012) rather than a systematic characterization of the structure of the perceptuo-motor relationship. Finally, there is a strong lack of systematic investigations of the relationship between orofacial and bracchio-manual gestures in face-to-face communication. We shall gather a large corpus of audio-visuo-articulatory-gestural speech. Articulatory data will be acquired through ultrasound, electromagnetic articulography (EMA) and video imaging. Labial configurations and estimates of jaw movements will be automatically extracted and processed thanks to a large range of video facial processing. We also additionally plan to record information about accompanying coverbal gestures by the hand and arm, thanks to an optotrack system enabling to track bracchio-manual gestures. A complete equipment for audio-video-ultrasound-EMA-optotrack acquisition and automatic processing, named ultraspeech-tools, is available in Grenoble (more information on www.ultraspeech.com) The corpus will consist in isolated syllables, chained syllables, simple sentences and read material. Elicitation paradigms will associate reading tasks (with material presented on a computer screen) and dialogic situations between the subject and an experimenter to evoke coverbal gestures as ecologically as possible. The corpus will be analyzed, by extensive use and possibly development of original techniques, based on data–driven statistical models and machine learning algorithms, in the search for three major types of characteristics: 1) Quantification of auditory, visual and motor rhythms, from kinematic data – e.g. acoustic envelope, lip height and/or width, variations in time of the principal components of the tongue deformations, analysis of the arm/hand/finger dynamics; 2) Quantification of delays between sound, lips, tongue and hand in various kinds of configurations associated with coarticulation processes (e.g. vowel to vowel anticipatory and perseverative phenomena, consonant-vowel coproduction, vocal tract preparatory movement in silence) and oral/gestural coordination; 3) Quantification of the amount of predictability between lips, tongue, hand and sound, through various techniques allowing the quantitative estimate of joint information (e.g. mutual information, entropy, co-inertia) and perform statistical inference between modalities (e.g. Graphical models such as dynamic Bayesian Framework, multi-stream HMM, etc.) The work will be performed within a multidisciplinary group in GIPSA-Lab Grenoble, associating specialists in speech and gesture communication, cognitive processes, signal processing and machine learning (partners of the project: Jean-Luc Schwartz, Marion Dohen from the “Speech, Brain, Multimodality Development” team; Thomas Hueber, Laurent Girin from the “Talking Machines and Face to Face Interaction” team; Pierre-Olivier Amblard and Olivier Michel from the “Information in Complex Systems” team). Practical information The post-doc position is open for a two-year period, with a possible third-year prolongation. The position is open from September 2014, or slightly later if necessary. Candidates should have a background in speech and signal processing, face-to-face communication, and machine learning, or at least two of these three domains. Candidates should send as soon as possible a short email to Jean-Luc Schwartz (Jean-Luc.Schwartz(a)gipsa-lab.grenoble-inp.fr) to declare their intention to submit a full proposal. Then they must send a full application file in the next weeks. This application file will include an extended CV and a list of publications, together with a letter explaining why they are interested in the project, what their specific interests could be, possibly suggesting other experiments related to the general question of the informational structure of audio-visuo-motor speech, and also how this position would fit into their future plans for the development of their own career. They should also provide two names (with email addresses) for recommendations about their applications. Preselected candidates will be interviewed. Final selection should occur before mid-June.

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PhD position: “Bayesian model of the joint development of perception, action and phonology”
by Pierre Bessière 18 May '14

18 May '14

Proposal for a PhD position beginning in September 2014: “Bayesian model of the joint development of perception, action and phonology” Context The Speech Unit(e)s project is focused on the speech unification process associating the auditory, visual and motor streams in the human brain, in an interdisciplinary approach combining cognitive psychology, neurosciences, phonetics (both descriptive and developmental) and computational models. The framework is provided by the “Perception-for-Action-Control Theory (PACT)” developed by the PI (Schwartz et al., 2012). PACT is a perceptuo-motor theory of speech communication, which connects in a principled way perceptual shaping and motor procedural knowledge in speech multisensory processing. The communication unit in PACT is neither a sound nor a gesture but a perceptually shaped gesture, that is a perceptuo-motor unit. It is characterised by both articulatory coherence – provided by its gestural nature – and perceptual value – necessary for being functional. PACT considers two roles for the perceptuo-motor link in speech perception: online unification of the sensory and motor streams through audio-visuo-motor binding, and offline joint emergence of the perceptual and motor repertoires in speech development. Objectives of the PhD position In the debates between auditory and motor theories of speech perception, and in their modern revival concerning the role of the dorsal route (Hickok & Poeppel, 2004, 2007), there is no real reflexion about what could be the functional role of a perceptuo-motor coupling for speech perception. The “dorsal route” is supposed to be useful in “adverse conditions”, e.g. in noise or with a foreign language (Callan et al., 2004; Zekveld et al., 2006). But no theoretical explanation is actually proposed for this potential efficiency of motor processes in adverse conditions. We have recently developed a computational framework enabling to compare the predictions of auditory, motor and perceptuo-motor theories in various kinds of situations (Moulin-Frier et al., 2012). Casting these theories into a single, unified mathematical framework is an efficient way to compare the theories and their properties in a systematic manner. Bayesian modeling is a mathematical framework that precisely allows such comparisons. The trick is that the same tool, namely probabilities, can be used both for defining the models and for comparing them (see e.g. Myung & Pitt, 2009). The generic model we developed is called COSMO, which stands for "Communicating about Objects using Sensory-Motor Operations". The COSMO acronym also represents the five variables around which the basic structure of the model is built. In COSMO, communication (C) is a success when an object OS in the speaker’s mind is transferred, via sensory and motor means S and M, to the listener’s mind where it is correctly recovered as OL. COSMO assumes that a communicating agent, which is both a speaker and a listener, internalizes the communication situation inside an internal model. The PhD project aims at developing COSMO in two major directions. (1) Joint acquisition of perceptual and motor repertoires in a syllabic framework. Experiments in COSMO have mainly concerned simple stimuli, e.g. in abstract one-dimensional sensory-motor spaces, or with restricted vowel samples. We will explore strategies for automatically learning to produce and perceive complex sequences such as plosive-vowel CV sequences, which display systematic coarticulation phenomena. Various kinds of exploration and learning mechanisms are available from cognitive and developmental robotics (Moulin-Frier & Oudeyer, 2012). Validation tests will be inspired from real data, on e.g. locus equations for plosive acoustics (Sussman et al., 1998), robustness to perturbations in production (Lindblom et al., 1979; Savariaux et al., 1995), or coupling of perceptual and motor idiosyncrasies. (2) Comparison of auditory, motor and perceptuo-motor theories for speech processing in various conditions. Once these perception and production components will be settled in COSMO, we will compare auditory, motor and perceptuo-motor speech perception theories in challenging conditions, such as noise, speaker normalization, or foreign accent. We will test the ability to develop a perceptuo-motor phonology from auditory and motor experience, e.g. to acquire a category such as “plosive place of articulation” through the discovery of perceptuo-motor links in learning. We will also test COSMO on natural CV stimuli, exploiting natural multi-speaker corpora of CV sequences for learning and perceptual tests. The work will be realized within a multidisciplinary team gathering knowledge in speech communication, cognitive theories and Bayesian modeling (Jean-Luc Schwartz in GIPSA-Lab Grenoble, Julien Diard in LPNC Grenoble, Pierre Bessière in ISIR Paris), in collaboration with Pierre-Yves Oudeyer in INRIA Bordeaux. Practical information The PhD position is open from September 2014, or slightly later if necessary. Candidates should have a master, some knowledge about speech and cognitive modeling, and ability to program and to develop computational models. They must send a CV, together with a letter explaining why they are interested in the project. They should also provide two names (with email addresses) for recommendations about their applications. This should be send before June 15th to Jean-Luc Schwartz (Jean-Luc.Schwartz(a)gipsa-lab.grenoble-inp.fr) Interviews will be done with preselected candidates. Decision will occur in the following weeks.

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IWSYP'14: deadline extension to May 30
by Thiago Matos Pinto 16 May '14

16 May '14

I International Workshop on Synaptic Plasticity - IWSYP'14 September 8-9, 2014 Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil http://iwsyp14.thiagomatospinto.com University of São Paulo Deadline for abstract submission has now been extended to May 30. Participation is free of charge! Speakers: Chris De Zeeuw (Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands & Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Amsterdam, The Netherlands) Freek Hoebeek (Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands) Reinoud Maex (École Normale Supérieure, Paris, France) Ricardo Leão (University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil) Thiago Matos Pinto (University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil) Organizers: Thiago Matos Pinto (University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil) Antonio Roque (University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil) Abstracts: Submission of abstracts for poster and oral presentations are due by May 30, 2014. We welcome both experimental and theoretical contributions addressing novel findings on topics related to synaptic plasticity. Please see http://iwsyp14.thiagomatospinto.com/abstracts for details. Please visit the IWSYP'14 website for program and further details: http://iwsyp14.thiagomatospinto.com You will also find us on Facebook at facebook.com/iwsyp14 We look forward to seeing you in Ribeirão Preto. With best wishes, Thiago Matos Pinto, IWSYP'14 Organizer

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Special issue on the hard problem of consciousness
by Roman Poznanski 16 May '14

16 May '14

JOURNAL OF INTEGRATIVE NEUROSCIENCE http://www.worldscinet.com/jin SPECIAL ISSUE: On the Hard problem of consciousness Volume 13, No.2 (JUNE) 2014 Editorial 1. Introduction— Addressing the Hard Problem J. R. Searle. 2. A Neuropsychoanalytic Approach to the Hard Problem of Consciousness M. Solms 3. Co-evolution of Human Consciousness and Language—Revisited M. Arbib 4. Quantum Effects in the Understanding of Consciousness S. R. Hameroff and J.A.Tuszynski 5. The Origins of the Brain's Endogenous Electromagnetic Field and Its Relationship to Provision of Consciousness. C.G. Hales 6. Keeping Time: Could Quantum Beating in Microtubules be the Basis for the Neural Synchrony Related to Consciousness? T.J.A. Craddock, A. Priel and J. A. Tuszynski 7. Genomic Instantiation of Consciousness in Neurons Through a Biophoton Field Theory L.A. Cacha and R.R. Poznanski 8. Physical Integration: A Causal Account for Consciousness R. Manzotti and A. Chella 9. Afference Copy as a Quantitative Neurophysiological Model for Consciousness H. Cornelis and A. Coop 10. Triple-Aspect Monism: Physiological, Unconscious and Conscious Aspects of Brain Activity A.Pereira Jr. ------- Roman R. Poznanski Professor Laboratory of Biological Modeling The Rockefeller University 1230 York Avenue New York, NY 10065-6399 Office: (212) 327-7646 E-mail: rpoznanski(a)rockefeller.edu http://romanpoznanski.blogspot.com and Chief-Editor, Journal of Integrative Neuroscience http://www.worldscinet.com/jin/mkt/editorial.shtml _______________________________________________

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Research Assistant Position in the Neuroinformatics lab / Institute of Cognitive Science, University Osnabrück
by Gordon Pipa 15 May '14

15 May '14

The Neuroinformatics Research Group (Prof. Dr. Gordon Pipa) of the Institute of Cognitive Science invites applications for a Research Assistant (Postdoc level), (Salary level E 13 TV-L) to be filled by July 1, 2014 for a period of three years. The position allows for further scientific qualification. Description of Responsibilities: The position involves research on complex neuronal networks and the analysis of data generated by such systems. The research will develop tools and apply these on the estimation of complex and causal interactions between neurons and larger areas of the brain, based on various measurements, such as spiking activity, LFP and ECoG. The successful candidate will be involved in several research projects that range from BSc to PhD projects. The position also involves teaching Cognitive Science courses at B.Sc. and M.Sc. level (4 hours/week). Required Qualifications: Candidates are expected to have an excellent academic degree (PhD and Master/diploma). Applicants should have an excellent knowledge in the field of machine learning, i.e. generalized linear and state space models, kernel methods, reservoir computing and deep learning. Experience or a strong interest in the fields of complex systems, computational neurosciences, dynamical systems theory and the concepts to study these, i.e. bifurcation and stability analysis, and delay coupled differential equations, measurements of complexity, are encouraged. The position may be held full or part-time. As a certified family-friendly institution, Osnabrück University is committed to furthering the compatibility between work/studies and family life. Furthermore, qualified applicants with disabilities will be favored. Applications with the usual documentation, including two letters of recommendation (hardcopies which will not be returned) should be submitted no later than June 4, 2014 to the Director of the Institute of Cognitive Science, University of Osnabrueck, Albrechtstraße 28, 49076 Osnabrueck. An electronic copy of your application should be sent to gpipa(a)uni-osnabrueck.de. Further information can be provided by Prof. Dr. Gordon Pipa, (gpipa(a)uni-osnabrueck.de)

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3 days left for abstract submission - Bernstein Conference 2014 - Call for Abstracts
by Kerstin Mosch 15 May '14

15 May '14

REMINDER: Call for Abstracts: Bernstein Conference 2014 Deadline of Abstract Submission: May 18, 2014 ************************************************************** Satellite Workshops September 02-03, 2014 Main Conference September 03-05, 2014 ************************************************************** The Bernstein Conference has become the largest annual Computational Neuroscience Conference in Europe and now regularly attracts more than 500 international participants. This year, the Conference is organized by the Bernstein Focus Neurotechnology Goettingen and will take place September 03-05, 2014. In addition, there will be a series of pre-conference satellite workshops on September 02-03, 2014. The Bernstein Conference is a single-track conference, covering all aspects of Computational Neuroscience and Neurotechnology, and sessions for poster presentations are an integral part of the conference. We now invite the submission of abstracts for poster presentations from all relevant areas. Accepted abstracts will be published online and will be citable via Digital Object Identifiers (DOI). Additionally, a small number of abstracts will be selected for contributed talks. DETAILS FOR ABSTRACT SUBMISSION: For abstract submission visit: http://www.bernstein-conference.de/abstracts Deadline: May 18, 2014 CONFERENCE DETAILS: Venue: Satellite Workshops and Main Conference, Central Lecture Hall (ZHG), Platz der Goettinger Sieben 5, 37073 Göttingen, Germany Registration: Conference Registration starts in April, 2014 Early registration deadline: July 7, 2014 For more information on the conference, please visit the website: http://www.bernstein-conference.de PUBLIC PHD STUDENT EVENT: September 02, 2014 PUBLIC LECTURE: September 04, 2014 PROGRAM COMMITTEE: Ilka Diester, Daniel Durstewitz, Thomas Euler, Alexander Gail, Matthias Kaschube, Jason Kerr, Roland Schaette, Fred Wolf, Florentin Wörgötter, ORGANIZING COMMITTEE: Florentin Wörgötter, Kerstin Mosch, Yvonne Reimann Bernstein Coordination Site (BCOS): Andrea Huber Broesamle, Mareike Kardinal, Kerstin Schwarzwaelder We look forward to seeing you in Goettingen in September! -- Dr. Kerstin Mosch Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience (BCCN) Goettingen Bernstein Focus Neurotechnology (BFNT) Goettingen Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization Am Fassberg 17 D-37077 Goettingen Germany T: +49 (0) 551 5176 - 425 E: kerstin(a)nld.ds.mpg.de I: www.bccn-goettingen.de I: www.bfnt-goettingen.de

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OpenWorm Kickstarter Campaign
by Shreejoy Tripathy 12 May '14

12 May '14

Dear Colleagues, I'm writing to let you know about the OpenWorm Kickstarter Campaign (link: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/openworm/openworm-a-digital-organism-i…) As you may know, the goal of the OpenWorm project is to digitally simulate a C. Elegans organism. By design, the project is organized in a geographically distributed fashion and all of the work is being done in the open (on GitHub and Youtube) using entirely open source code and public data. Though I’m not a worm researcher, I’m supporting OpenWorm’s Kickstarter because I strongly believe in their overall mission. As a computational neuroscientist, I see the project as a necessary first step in the simulation of more complex organisms, including mice and ultimately humans. Moreover, I see my Kickstarter contribution as a future investment in the open source tools and methodologies that OpenWorm develops that I hope to eventually use in my own research. More philosophically, I think that lately the field of neuroscience has suffered from some amount of “overhype”, especially given the initially promised outcomes of recent large-scale brain initiatives (e.g., recording from all neurons in a mammalian brain, simulating an entire human brain). While these projects have been hugely successful in catalyzing widespread public support of basic neuroscience research, many neuroscientists see these promises as perhaps a bridge too far given the current research state. Though OpenWorm's goals are itself highly ambitious, the relative simplicity of the worm (named neurons, stereotyped connectomes and musculature, the ability to image neuronal activity in vivo) lends itself well to this attempt. By conducting the project in the open and basing success on quantifiable goals (i.e., how similar are the simulated worm's movements and neural activity to experimental measurements), the project will serve as a roadmap for future endeavours in multi-scale data integration and organismal simulation. Lastly, the geographically distributed and highly interdisciplinary nature of the project makes it challenging to receive funding through traditional NIH-style mechanisms. For this reason, I'm asking you to join me in supporting the project's Kickstarter campaign. More information: OpenWorm Website: http://www.openworm.org Kickstarter campaign link: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/openworm/openworm-a-digital-organism-i… Project overview by OpenWorm member and neuroscientist Jim Hokanson: http://jimandscience.blogspot.ca/2014/05/modeling-worm-thoughts-on-openworm… OpenWorm QandA on Reddit: http://www.reddit.com/r/science/comments/246dlw/science_ama_series_im_steph… Sincerely, Shreejoy Tripathy Post-doc and Developer of neuroelectro.org University of British Columbia Centre for High-Throughput Biology

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CAN satellite workshop
by Gunnar Blohm 12 May '14

12 May '14

*Invitation to the CAN 2014 satellite workshop on "Neural circuits of health and disease: from computation to experiment" * ** We would like to invite you to join us at the CAN 2014 satellite workshop on "Neural circuits of health and disease: from computation to experiment" to be held on *Monday, May 26 between 5pm and 10pm *at the Montreal Hilton Bonaventure. This workshop is organized by the Canadian Association for Neuroinformatics and Computational Neuroscience (CNCN) and jointly sponsored by CIHR and NeuroDevNet. The *goals *of this workshop are to (1) showcase the significance of CNCN-experimental collaborations, (2) enable new breakthroughs on major health questions through break-out sessions matching CNCN expertise with experimentalists, and (3) prepare a joint vision on how CNCN will optimally benefit health research in Canada. We hope to build new collaborations, exchange ideas and demonstrate the usefulness of CNCN. In addition, we aim at providing specific suggestions to funding agencies on how CNCN could further boost Canadian health research. We are also very honored to have *Dr. Eve Marder* (Brandeis University; former SfN president) as a keynote lecturer. Please see below for a detailed program. If you are interested in participating, please email Dr. Gunnar Blohm (gunnar.blohm(a)queensu.ca <mailto:gunnar.blohm@queensu.ca>) with a short statement of interest and benefit of participation to you. Although this workshop is mainly intended for PIs, we also encourage senior graduate students and postdocs to apply. Participation is by invitation only. The CNCN steering committee will select 60 participants (10 students/postdocs) out of all applications. Thanks to CIHR and NeuroDevNet, workshop participation is free and includes dinner. We hope to see you at the workshop! Sincerely Gunnar Blohm & Paul Pavlidis (co-organizers, co-directors of CNCN) _Preliminary Program_: 5pm -- 5:15pm -- Welcome by Paul Pavlidis & Gunnar Blohm Showcases of CNCN-experimental collaborations 5-15pm -- 5:45pm: Neurodevelopmental disorders (TBD) 5:45pm -- 6:15pm: Stroke (TBD) 6:15pm -- 6:45pm: Changes in the dynamics of network oscillations in hippocampus as markers of neurodegeneration in Alzheimer disease mice models (Frances Skinner, U Toronto; Sylvain Williams, McGill) 6:45pm -- 7:15pm: Genomics and neuropsychiatric disorders (Gustavo Turecki, McGill; Paul Pavlidis, UBC) 7:15pm -- 8:30pm: 6 chaired round table discussions & dinner 8:30pm -- 9:30pm: keynote lecture (Dr. Eve Marder) 9:30pm -- open end: open discussion on vision of CNCN -- ------------------------------------------------------- Dr. Gunnar BLOHM Assistant Professor in Computational Neuroscience Centre for Neuroscience Studies, Departments of Biomedical and Molecular Sciences, Mathematics & Statistics, and Psychology, School of Computing, and Canadian Action and Perception Network (CAPnet) Queen's University 18, Stuart Street Kingston, Ontario, Canada, K7L 3N6 Tel: (613) 533-3385 Fax: (613) 533-6840 Email: Gunnar.Blohm(a)QueensU.ca Web: http://www.compneurosci.com/

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Postdoctoral Position: Psychiatry and Theoretical Neuroscience
by Andre Longtin 09 May '14

09 May '14

A two-year postdoctoral position is immediately available at the interface of psychiatry and theoretical neuroscience at the University of Ottawa's Center for Neural Dynamics. This is a joint position between the Mind, Brain Imaging and Neuroethics group of Prof. Georg Northoff at the Institute of Mental Health Research and the Neurophysics and Nonlinear Dynamics group of Prof. André Longtin in the Physics Department. The candidate should be open to learning and, most optimally, already experienced in the analysis of the temporal and spatial activity structure in large scale neural data sets, using various measures inspired from linear (e.g. cross-spectral and phase coherence), nonlinear and stochastic dynamics. Ideally the candidate would also be experienced in modelling and simulation. The focus is on the perception of time, in particular on how it is altered by excitation-inhibition imbalances. Candidates should have a PhD degree in physics, engineering, mathematics, computer science, neuroscience, computational neuroscience or cognitive neuroscience, an excellent related research experience in neuroscience, as well as strong computational, written and oral communication skills. Applications consisting of a CV and a brief statement of research interest should be sent to alongtin(a)uottawa.ca . Applications will be considered until the position is filled.

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NEURON course discounts continue!
by Ted Carnevale 09 May '14

09 May '14

The early registration discounts for this year's NEURON summer courses were originally supposed to end today, but we have been able to arrange to continue the discounts for as long as seats remain open, or until the Friday May 30 registration deadline. NEURON Fundamentals June 21-24 This addresses all aspects of using NEURON to model individual neurons, and also introduces parallel simulation and the fundamentals of modeling networks. Includes a healthy serving of Python. Parallel Simulation with NEURON June 25-26 This is for users who are already familiar with NEURON and need to create models that will run on parallel hardware. Special attention will be paid to critical topics such as powerful strategies and idioms for implementing and managing models, measuring and improving performance, and debugging. $1050 for the Fundamentals course $650 for the Parallel Simulation course $1600 for both These fees cover handout materials plus food and housing on the campus of UC San Diego. For more information and the on-line registration form, see http://www.neuron.yale.edu/neuron/courses --Ted

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Postdoc position in molecular modeling of signaling pathways
by Erik De Schutter 09 May '14

09 May '14

A postdoctoral position is available in the Computational Neuroscience Unit of Dr. Erik De Schutter at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, Japan (http://www.irp.oist.jp/cns/) to model molecular aspects of cerebellar Purkinje cell function. We study the signaling pathways involved in cerebellar long-term depression at the parallel fiber to Purkinje cell synapse. You will be able to use a detailed stochastic model using the STEPS simulator (http://steps.sourceforge.net/) that replicates calcium uncaging experiments in detail (Antunes and De Schutter 2012). This well mixed model with about 400 different reactions has generated new insights in the sources of stochasticity in synaptic plasticity induction. Now we want to expand this work in two directions: to include diffusion, distributing reactions between the spine and dendrite, and to include induction of parallel fiber long-term potentiation. Candidates should have experience with modeling molecular reactions. Knowledge of signaling pathways involved in synaptic plasticity preferred. QUALIFICATIONS: Good English language skills are essential. There will be ample opportunity to interact with modelers and software developers in the lab who are working on several Purkinje cell and cerebellar related projects and with other scientists at the English language multi-disciplinary environment of OIST. Write me if interested. Include CV and names of two references.

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Open Position: Scientific Computing Specialist at Columbia University Zuckerman Institute
by Rajendra Bose 08 May '14

08 May '14

Announcing an open position for “Scientific Computing Specialist” in the Research Computing group at the new Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute at Columbia. Please pass along the link below to anybody who may be interested. http://www.columbia.edu/~rb2568/zmbbi_scs.pdf Thank you-- Raj Rajendra Bose, Ph.D. 2014 Secretary, Coalition for Academic Scientific Computation http://casc.org Director, Research Computing Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute Columbia University Tel: 212-851-2918 http://zuckermaninstitute.columbia.edu

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KOGWIS 2014 Last Call for Papers
by Anna Belardinelli 08 May '14

08 May '14

Please consider to submit your work to the following conference: ================ FINAL CALL FOR PAPERS ================ * KOGWIS 2014 * * 12th Biannual Conference of the German Society for COGNITIVE SCIENCE * * 29th of September - 2nd of October 2014 * * Topical focus: How Language and Behavior Constitute Cognition * Submission deadline: 7 May 2014 * * http://www.ccs.uni-tuebingen.de/kogwis14 * ====================================================== KogWis 2014 invites submissions of extended abstracts on current work in cognitive science. Generally *all topics related to cognitive science* are welcome. Contributions that address the focus of this meeting, that is, language and behavior and the construction of cognition due to language and behavior are particularly encouraged. Submissions will be sorted by topic and paradigms and will be independently reviewed. Notifications of acceptance will depend on the novelty of the research, the significance of the results, and the presentation of the work. Submission and Proceedings: KogWis calls for submissions in extended abstract format. Abstracts for oral presentations should not exceed 4 pages, abstracts for poster contributions should not exceed 2 pages, including pictures and references. All accepted contributions will be published in the form of a *Supplement KogWis 2014* in the journal *Cognitive Processing* (Springer Verlag). ——— PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS —————— Confirmed plenary speakers: * Prof. Dr. Harold Bekkering * Prof. Dr. Henrik Ehrsson * Prof. Dr. Karl Friston * Prof. Dr. Wayne Gray * Prof. Dr. Gregor Schöner * Prof. Dr. Natalie Sebanz Confirmed symposia: * Processing Language in Context: Insights from Empirical Approaches Organizers: Christian Brauner , Bettina Rolke, & Gerhard Jäger (University of Tübingen) * Manual action Organizer: Dirk Koester (Bielefeld University) * How language and number representation contribute to numerical cognition Organizer: Hans-Christoph Nürk (University of Tübingen) * Eye tracking, linking hypotheses and measures in language processing Organizers: Pia Knoeferle and Michele Burigo (Bielefeld University) * Cognition of human actions: From individual actions to interactions Organizer: Stephan de la Rosa (MPI, Tübingen) * Cortical Systems of Object Grasping and Manipulation Organizer: Marc Himmelbach (University of Tübingen) * Modelling of cognitive aspects of mobile interaction Organizers: Nele Russwinkel, Sabine Prezenski, & Stefan Lindner (TU Berlin) * Predictive processing: philosophical and neuroscientific perspectives Organizer: Alex Morgan (University of Tübingen) * PhD Symposium Organizers: Dong-Seon Chang, Zhen Peng, Stefan Kopp, Marco Ragni, and Kai Vogeley (MPI Tübingen, Bielefeld University, University of Freiburg, & University Hospital Cologne) * History of Cognitive Science Organizers: Stefan Kopp and Kai Vogeley (Bielefeld University and University Hospital Cologne) ****** PRIZES AND AWARDS****** * CCS - Best Student Paper Award, sponsored by the Cognitive Science Society (plus 1 year Membership) * SMI - Best Poster Award, sponsored by SensoMotoric Instruments (SMI,www.smivision.com) * Brain Products - Best Paper Award, sponsored by BRAIN PRODUCTS _____________ The Organizing Committee: General chair: Martin V. Butz Local organizers: Anna Belardinelli, Elisabeth Hein and Jan Kneissler ------------------------------------------- Anna Belardinelli, Cognitive Modeling, Department of Computer Science University of Tübingen http://www.wsi.uni-tuebingen.de/lehrstuehle/cognitive-modeling/staff/staff/…

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Reminder: Abstract submission closes May 16 for IWSYP'14 (I International Workshop on Synaptic Plasticity) in Brazil
by Thiago Matos Pinto 08 May '14

08 May '14

*I International Workshop on Synaptic Plasticity - IWSYP'14* * September 8-9, 2014* *Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil* iwsyp14.thiagomatospinto.com University of São Paulo The I International Workshop on Synaptic Plasticity - IWSYP'14 will bring together *experimentalists and theoreticians* who have contributed significantly to understanding the biological mechanisms underlying *synaptic plasticity*. The aim of this workshop is to facilitate discussions and interactions in the effort towards increasing our understanding on synaptic plasticity in the brain. The IWSYP'14 will take place in the campus of *Ribeirão Preto* at the University of São Paulo in *Brazil* on September 8 and 9, 2014. You are welcome to join this workshop that focuses on the discussion of fresh ideas, the presentation of work in progress, and the establishment of a scientific network between young researchers. The workshop will be held in English. Participation is *free of charge*! This workshop is a satellite event of the XXXVIII Annual Meeting of the Brazilian Society for Neuroscience and Behavior (SBNeC), which will be held on September 10-13 in Búzios, Rio de Janeiro. The SBNeC meeting will also feature big names in Neuroscience, and will be a preparatory event for the 9th World Congress of the International Brain Research Organization (IBRO), which will take place in Rio de Janeiro in 2015. Organizers: *Thiago Matos Pinto *(Univesity of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil) *Antonio Roque *(University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil) Speakers: *Chris De Zeeuw* (Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands & Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Amsterdam, The Netherlands) *Freek Hoebeek* (Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands) *Reinoud Maex* (École Normale Supérieure, Paris, France) *Ricardo Leão *(University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil) *Thiago Matos Pinto *(University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil) Abstracts: *Submission of abstracts for poster and oral presentations are due by May 16, 2014*. We welcome both experimental and theoretical contributions addressing novel findings on topics related to synaptic plasticity. Please see iwsyp14.thiagomatospinto.com/abstracts for details. Important dates: *Abstract submission deadline: May 16, 2014* Notification of acceptance: June 13, 2014 Notification of oral/poster selection: June 30, 2014 Workshop dates: September 8-9, 2014 Please visit the IWSYP'14 website for program and further details: iwsyp14. thiagomatospinto.com You will also find us on Facebook at facebook.com/iwsyp14 We look forward to seeing you in Ribeirão Preto. With best wishes, Thiago Matos Pinto, IWSYP'14 Organizer

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[meetings] Intl Conf. on Artificial Neural Networks (ICANN 2014) - Call for Participation
by Stefan Wermter 07 May '14

07 May '14

Call for Participation. Early Registration is now open. ICANN 2014: 24th Annual Conference on Artificial Neural Networks 15 - 19 September 2014, University of Hamburg, Germany http://icann2014.org/ =================================================================== The International Conference on Artificial Neural Networks (ICANN) is the annual flagship conference of the European Neural Network Society (ENNS). In 2014 the University of Hamburg will organize the 24th ICANN Conference from 15th to 19th September 2014 in Hamburg, Germany. CHAIRS and ORGANISATION: General Chair: Stefan Wermter (Hamburg, Germany) Program co-Chairs Alessandro E.P. Villa (Lausanne, Switzerland, ENNS President) Wlodzislaw Duch (Torun, Poland & Singapore, ENNS Past-President) Petia Koprinkova-Hristova (Sofia, Bulgaria) Günther Palm (Ulm, Germany) Cornelius Weber (Hamburg, Germany) Timo Honkela (Helsinki, Finland) Local Organizing Committee Chairs: Sven Magg, Johannes Bauer, Jorge Chacon, Stefan Heinrich, Doreen Jirak, Katja Koesters, Erik Strahl KEYNOTE SPEAKERS: Christopher M. Bishop (Microsoft Research, Cambridge, UK) Yann LeCun (New York University, NY, USA) Kevin Gurney (University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK) Barbara Hammer (Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany) Jun Tani (KAIST, Daejeon, Republic of Korea) Paul Verschure (Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain) VENUE: Hamburg is the second-largest city in Germany, home to over 1.8 million people. Situated at the river Elbe, the port of Hamburg is the second-largest port in Europe. The University of Hamburg is the largest institution for research and education in the north of Germany. The venue of the conference is the ESA building of the University of Hamburg, situated at Edmund-Siemers-Allee near the city centre and easily reachable from Dammtor Railway Station. Hamburg Airport can be reached easily via public transport. For the accomodation we arranged guaranteed rates for a couple of hotels in Hamburg for ICANN 2014. CONFERENCE TOPICS: ICANN 2014 will feature the main tracks Brain Inspired Computing and Machine Learning research, with strong cross-disciplinary interactions and applications. All research fields dealing with Neural Networks will be present at the conference. A non-exhaustive list of topics includes: Brain Inspired Computing: Cognitive models, Computational Neuroscience, Self-organization, Reinforcement Learning, Neural Control and Planning, Hybrid Neural-Symbolic Architectures, Neural Dynamics, Recurrent Networks, Deep Learning. Machine Learning: Neural Network Theory, Neural Network Models, Graphical Models, Bayesian Networks, Kernel Methods, Generative Models, Information Theoretic Learning, Reinforcement Learning, Relational Learning, Dynamical Models. Neural Applications for: Intelligent Robotics, Neurorobotics, Language Processing, Image Processing, Sensor Fusion, Pattern Recognition, Data Mining, Neural Agents, Brain-Computer Interaction, Neural Hardware, Evolutionary Neural Networks. CONFERENCE WEBSITE: http://www.icann2014.org *********************************************** Professor Dr. Stefan Wermter Chair of Knowledge Technology Department of Computer Science University of Hamburg Vogt Koelln Str. 30 22527 Hamburg, Germany http://www.informatik.uni-hamburg.de/~wermter/ http://www.informatik.uni-hamburg.de/WTM/ ***********************************************

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Special Issue of the Journal of Mathematical Neuroscience on Stochastic Network Models in Neuroscience
by Olivier Faugeras 07 May '14

07 May '14

Dear all, The Journal of Mathematical Neuroscience is pleased to announce a special issue on *Stochastic Network Models in Neuroscience*. This is in conjunction with the workshop Stochastic Network Models of Neocortex (a Festschrift for Jack Cowan) to be held in Banff International Research Station, July 13-18 2014: https://www.birs.ca/events/2014/5-day-workshops/14w5138 Research and review articles are sollicited and should be submitted to the Journal before September 30. More information on the call can be found on the JMN webpage: http://www.mathematical-neuroscience.com/ or directly at: http://www.mathematical-neuroscience.com/sites/10207/pdf/Cowan_JMN_v3.pdf Olivier Faugeras --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Olivier Faugeras : Professor : Equipe INRIA NeuroMathComp Team : co-editor in chief, Journal of Mathematical Neuroscience : http://www-sop.inria.fr/members/Olivier.Faugeras/index.en.html : Email: olivier.faugeras(a)inria.fr : Tel: +334 92 38 78 31 : Sec: +334 92 38 78 30 : ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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Multiple scientist (post-doc) and research engineer positions available
by Cheston Tan 07 May '14

07 May '14

Dear colleagues, Multiple scientist and research engineer positions are available immediately in Singapore, at the Institute for Infocomm Research (I2R). The positions are part of a large multidisciplinary grant involving MIT (Prof. Tomaso Poggio) and multiple universities and research institutions in Singapore (SBIC/CIRC, Duke-NUS Medical School, NUS/NUH, NTU, SINAPSE). Successful candidates will work closely with a strong, multidisciplinary team at I2R and Prof. Poggio to investigate, model and implement visual recognition and memory algorithms for wearable systems (e.g. Google Glass). International collaborators include Prof. Gabriel Kreiman (Harvard Medical School) and Dr. Demis Hassabis (Google/DeepMind). Candidates must have a PhD (for scientists) or MS/BS (for engineers) in computer science, engineering, psychology, neuroscience or related fields. Strong programming and quantitative skills are highly desired. Candidates should be proficient in spoken and written English. The appointments will be for up to 3 years, with internationally-competitive salaries and benefits. Other benefits include: - Funding for international conferences and training courses - Collaboration opportunities with an excellent network of international scientists - Opportunities for attachments at MIT and the Center for Brains, Minds and Machines (http://cbmm.mit.edu/) Candidates please send your curriculum vitae, a statement of research interests and three references to Dr. Cheston Tan (cheston(a)mit.edu) and Dr. Vijay Chandrasekhar (vijay(a)i2r.a-star.edu.sg) More information: - Dr. Cheston Tan: http://www.mit.edu/~cheston/CVshort.pdf - Dr. Vijay Chandrasekhar: http://scholar.google.com.sg/citations?user=KUt4JCAAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao - Dr. Lim Joo-Hwee: http://www.i2r.a-star.edu.sg/profile/dr-lim-joo-hwee - Institute for Infocomm Research: http://www.i2r.a-star.edu.sg/ - Working in Singapore: http://www.contactsingapore.sg/professionals/why_singapore/

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CNS'14 Workshop on large-scale brain structure and dynamics
by Jorge Mejias 06 May '14

06 May '14

Dear colleagues, Please see the information below about an upcoming workshop in large-scale brain modeling. Bests, Jorge *** Workshop on large-scale brain structure and dynamics *** CNS'14 workshop, Quebec City, Canada Workshop date: Thursday, July 31st 2014 Organizers: Jorge F. Mejias and Xiao-Jing Wang Tackling core Neuroscience problems such as memory, perception or attention has been possible, up to now, by focusing on small brain areas where simplified dynamics and connectivity patterns could be assumed, or by using full brain imaging techniques which provide little information about the dynamics of local microcircuits. With the development of novel imaging and neuroanatomical techniques in the recent years, a more systematic study of the brain at a full-size scale is getting close to reality. However, our current understanding of the dynamics of large-scale brain networks, constituted by a complex composite of different neural micro- and mesocircuits, is very limited and requires a significant theoretical and computational effort. In this one-day workshop, recent theoretical and experimental advances on the structure and dynamics of large-scale neural circuits will be presented. Our main goal will be to foster interactions between experimental, computational and theoretical neuroscientists interested in the brain as a large-scale networked system. Confirmed speakers: - Chris Eliasmith (U. Waterloo) - Henry Kennedy (INSERM, Lyon) - Stefan Mihalas (Allen Institute, Seattle) - Randy McIntosh (Baycrest Center, Toronto) - Adrian Ponce (UPF, Barcelona) - Rishidev Chaudhuri (CNS, NYU) - Francis Song (CNS, NYU) One or two slots might be available for researchers who would like to present their work. Please contact the organizers if interested. More information at: https://sites.google.com/site/cns14largescale/ -- Jorge F. Mejias, PhD Postdoctoral Associate Center for Neural Science New York University, 10012 NY www.ugr.es/~jmejias

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Fwd: Submit your abstract now for the IPEG-Meeting 2014
by Martijn Arns 06 May '14

06 May '14

Dear colleagues, I would like to share the below announcement re. the upcoming IPEG meetin in Leipzig and the call for abstracts. Kind regards, Martijn Arns, PhD Director Research Institute Brainclinics Researcher Utrecht University, Dept. of Experimental Psychology Twitter: @Brainclinics Bijleveldsingel 34 6524 AD Nijmegen The Netherlands Tel: +31(0)24-7503505 GSM: +31 (0)6-48177919 Fax: +31(0)24-8901447 E-mail: martijn(a)brainclinics.com<mailto:martijn@brainclinics.com> URL: www.brainclinics.com<http://www.brainclinics.com/> [http://gallery.mailchimp.com/0d61bb2ec9002f0e9872b8c36/images/header_top.png] [https://gallery.mailchimp.com/6c19f6fe4835a13ca14644c8b/images/IPEG_LOGO.JPG] Reminder: CALL for Abstracts and Registration<http://ipeg-society.us8.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=6c19f6fe4835a13ca146…> [http://gallery.mailchimp.com/0d61bb2ec9002f0e9872b8c36/images/content_borde…] [http://gallery.mailchimp.com/0d61bb2ec9002f0e9872b8c36/images/title_line_le…] Bienal Meeting IPEG-Society<http://ipeg-society.us8.list-manage.com/track/click?u=6c19f6fe4835a13ca1464…> [http://gallery.mailchimp.com/0d61bb2ec9002f0e9872b8c36/images/title_line_ri…] SEPTEMBER 25-28th, 2014; Leipzig, Germany [http://gallery.mailchimp.com/0d61bb2ec9002f0e9872b8c36/images/content_borde…] [http://gallery.mailchimp.com/6c19f6fe4835a13ca14644c8b/images/fbd0d5cd-37f2…] There are only about four weeks left for submission of your abstract! Deadline 1st June 2014 The IPEG-meeting 2014 in Leipzig, Germany will have outstanding keynote speeches: Scott Makeig (USA): EEG and measures of arousal Hartmuth Schulz (Germany): Sleep EEG Christoph Mulert (Germany): simultaneous EEG and fMRI in neuropsychiatric disorders Leslie S. Prichep (USA): qEEG in neuropsychiaric disorders Clifford B. Saper (USA): neurophysiology of sleep-wake regulation Gerard Bruder (USA): EMBARC study on biological biomarkers in major depression Therefore it is a pleasure for me to welcome all EEG-enthusiasts, neuropsychiatrists and neuroscientists to the IPEG-Meeting 2014 in Leipzig. It would be a pleasure for us to receive an abstract about your latest EEG, pharmaco-EEG and brain stimulation research and related fields to enrich the program of the meeting and share your findings with colleagues around the world. Prof. Hegerl, Scientific Head of the Conference and Director of the Clinic and Policlinic for Psychiatry and PSychotherapy, University Leipzig IPEG Board and Conference-Organization Group [http://gallery.mailchimp.com/0d61bb2ec9002f0e9872b8c36/images/content_divid…] REGISTER NOW<http://ipeg-society.us8.list-manage2.com/track/click?u=6c19f6fe4835a13ca146…> [http://gallery.mailchimp.com/0d61bb2ec9002f0e9872b8c36/images/icon_twitter.…] TWITTER<http://ipeg-society.us8.list-manage.com/track/click?u=6c19f6fe4835a13ca1464…> [http://gallery.mailchimp.com/0d61bb2ec9002f0e9872b8c36/images/icon_facebook…]

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Reminder: CfP - Special issue on Multimodal Interfaces
by Yves Rybarczyk 05 May '14

05 May '14

*EAI Transactions on Creative Technologies * *Special issue on Multimodal Interfaces **for** Natural Interactions * *Call* *for* *Papers* *Main submission deadline*: May 25th, 2014 *AIMS AND SCOPE * Creativity and user interfaces become an application field of cutting edge technologies like human behavior tracking and understanding, social signal processing, artificial intelligence systems or embodied agents. EAI Transactions on Creative Technologies aims in providing a forge between science, technology and human factors on one side, and creative industries on the other side naturally leading to the theme of this special issue: “where technology gets closer to the human being”. This special issue aims to encourage and publish research about the challenges and new trends associated with applying multimodal interactions and natural user interfaces to education, entertainment and assistive technologies in a creative way or to foster human creativity. The publications can be either long or short papers ( http://eai.eu/transaction/creative-technologies) related to the three main applications domains listed below: *APPLICATION DOMAINS * *Human factor perspective * - Telepresence, immersion feeling and body ownership - Human-machine cooperation in teleoperation and telerobotics - Usability and ergonomic systems - User experience - Human performance in virtual and augmented reality - Intuitive interfaces and personalized systems in real and virtual environments - Involvement of original sensorial modalities in HCI (e.g. proprioception, touch, smell, ...) - Human behavior analysis for media personalization and motivation/emotions discovery (head/eye/face/body tracking) - Multimodality for biometric interfaces *Technologies **for** gaming and entertainment * - Creative interfaces for games and serious games - One or a set of robots interaction with human players - Augmented instruments and new digital instruments - Real-time audio/voice/singing/laughter synthesis - Real-time MoCap mapping and interpretation - Sensors for artistic performances - Live interaction with intelligent robots - Stylistic movement synthesis and human behavior mapping on virtual Characters - Real-time HQ data processing - Linked TV and web media - Mobile movement/localization and multimedia data visualization and browsing - Adaptive and intelligent projections on buildings or inside buildings (e.g., walls, objects, ...) *Assistive and educative technologies * - Augmentative and alternative communication - Ambient assisted living / domotics - Design for all - Interfaces for sensory impairments - Interfaces for motor impairments (e.g., eye-tracking, BCI, ...) - Gestures analysis and recognition for interactive setups - On the use of Natural User Interfaces in education - Multimodal interfaces for improving the learning process - Acquisition of new cognitive and motor skills through NUI - Tangible interfaces *IMPORTANT DATES * - By May 25th, 2014: Submission of manuscripts - By July 25th, 2014: Notification about decisions on initial submissions - By September 25th, 2014: Submission of revised manuscripts - By November 25th, 2014: Notification about decisions on revised manuscripts - By December 25th, 2014: Submission of manuscripts with final minor changes and electronic publication on the EAI Transactions website early 2015. *GUEST EDITORS * The invited editors of this special issue of the EAI Transactions on Creative Technologies on Multimodal Interfaces for Natural Interactions are: - Yves Rybarczyk - Tiago Cardoso - João Rosas from the New University of Lisbon (FCT/UNL), Portugal *HOW TO SUBMIT * Please see the instructions for authors on the EAI Transactions website (http://eai.eu/transaction/creative-technologies) ABOUT EAI Transactions on Creative Technologies The EAI Transactions on Creative Technologies provide fast review and online publication process. The papers are both freely visible by any person (open access) and free for the paper authors. -- Prof. Yves Rybarczyk Departamento de Engenharia Electrotécnica Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia Universidade Nova de Lisboa Campus da Caparica 2829-516 Caparica PORTUGAL Tel: +351 917691175 Email: y.rybarczyk(a)fct.unl.pt<https://webmail.fct.unl.pt/src/compose.php?send_to=y.rybarczyk%40fct.unl.pt> Site: http://docentes.fct.unl.pt/y-rybarczyk/

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Vision Research Special Issue on Quantitative Approaches in Gestalt Perception
by Frank Jäkel 05 May '14

05 May '14

Vision Research Special Issue on Quantitative Approaches in Gestalt Perception Call for papers: Quantitative Approaches in Gestalt Perception Submissions are invited for a special issue of Vision Research on Quantitative Approaches in Gestalt Perception. Gestalt Perception has been the topic of research for more than 100 years since Wertheimer’s seminal publication in 1912. Recently, quantitative approaches to study Gestalt phenomena helped to specify and clarify some of the early Gestalt notions, generating testable quantitative predictions lacking from much of the original Gestalt writings. This special issue aims to bring together the many diverse quantitative approaches to the study of Gestalt Perception. Contributions are sought from visual psychophysics, computer vision, cognitive psychology, the cognitive neurosciences, computational neuroscience as well as machine learning and theory. Papers are invited on all aspects of Gestalt Perception; given the aim of this Special Issue we have a preference for quantitative approaches, but may exceptionally consider purely experimental work as well as historical treatments and reviews if they specifically provide groundwork for future formal developments. Examples of specific topics include (but are not limited to): - Attention and Top-Down Effects on Gestalt Perception - Configural Superiority - Environmental and Image Statistics and Gestalts - Figure-Ground Segmentation - History and Review of Gestalt Perception - Learning and Development of Gestalt Perception - Models of Gestalt Phenomena - Neuronal Basis of Gestalt Effects - Object Formation - Object Recognition and Gestalt - Perceptual Grouping - Perceptual Organization of Motion, Form or Scenes - Shape Perception - Structural Representations The call for this Special Issue will appear on the Vision Research WWW-site by the end of May 2014. The deadline for submissions is the 30th of September 2014, and the publication of the Special Issue is planned for the end of May 2015. The Special Issue will be edited by Michael Herzog, Frank Jäkel, Manish Singh and Felix Wichmann. Should you have any questions feel free to contact the managing guest editor Frank Jäkel (fjaekel(a)uos.de) or one of the other guest editors.

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Special Issue on Computational Neuroscience: May 2014 issue of Proceedings of the IEEE
by Mark McDonnell 05 May '14

05 May '14

Dear Colleagues, I invite you to browse the May 2014 issue of Proceedings of the IEEE on "Engineering Intelligent Electronic Systems Based on Computational Neuroscience", edited by M. D. McDonnell, K. Boahen, A. Ijspeert, and T. J. Sejnowski. An editorial overview is at http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?tp=&arnumber=6807551 Individual papers can be downloaded from http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/tocresult.jsp?isnumber=6807530 (you need to have access to a subscription). For more information on Proceedings of the IEEE, see http://www.ieee.org/publications_standards/publications/proceedings/proceed… Papers in the special issue: • The SpiNNaker Project, Furber, S.B. ; Galluppi, F. ; Temple, S. ; Plana, L.A. • Information Systems Opportunities in Brain–Machine Interface Decoders, Kao, J.C. ; Stavisky, S.D. ; Sussillo, D. ; Nuyujukian, P. ; Shenoy, K.V. • Dynamic and Succinct Statistical Analysis of Neuroscience Data, Kim, S. ; Quinn, C.J. ; Kiyavash, N. ; Coleman, T.P. • Neurogrid: A Mixed-Analog-Digital Multichip System for Large-Scale Neural Simulations; Benjamin, B.V. ; Gao, P. ; McQuinn, E. ; Choudhary, S. ; Chandrasekaran, A.R. ; Bussat, J. ; Alvarez-Icaza, R. ; Arthur, J.V. ; Merolla, P.A. ; Boahen, K. • Spike-Based Synaptic Plasticity in Silicon: Design, Implementation, Application, and Challenges; Rahimi Azghadi, M. ; Iannella, N. ; Al-Sarawi, S.F. ; Indiveri, G. ; Abbott, D. • Power Consumption During Neuronal Computation; Sengupta, B. ; Stemmler, M.B. • Small Brains, Smart Machines: From Fly Vision to Robot Vision and Back Again; Franceschini, N. • An Augmented Two-Layer Model Captures Nonlinear Analog Spatial Integration Effects in Pyramidal Neuron Dendrites; Jadi, M.P. ; Behabadi, B.F. ; Poleg-Polsky, A. ; Schiller, J. ; Mel, B.W. • Prospective Optimization; Sejnowski, T.J. ; Poizner, H. ; Lynch, G. ; Gepshtein, S. ; Greenspan, R.J. • Stereo, Shading, and Surfaces: Curvature Constraints Couple Neural Computations; Zucker, S.W. • Regulating Cortical Oscillations in an Inhibition-Stabilized Network; Jadi, M.P. ; Sejnowski, T.J. • Stochastic Electronics: A Neuro-Inspired Design Paradigm for Integrated Circuits; Hamilton, T.J. ; Afshar, S. ; van Schaik, A. ; Tapson, J. • Noise as a Resource for Computation and Learning in Networks of Spiking Neurons; Maass, W. • Large-Scale Synthesis of Functional Spiking Neural Circuits; Stewart, T.C. ; Eliasmith, C. • Evolved Machines Shed Light on Robustness and Resilience; Bongard, J. ; Lipson, H. Regards Mark McDonnell (on behalf of Guest_Editors, M. D. McDonnell, K. Boahen, A. Ijspeert, and T. J. Sejnowski)

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deadline extended for the Neurobiology of Cognition GRC/GRS!
by Lucia Melloni 04 May '14

04 May '14

Dear colleagues, The deadline for application and abstract submission for the Gordon Research Seminar has been extended to the *15th of May*. Please submit your application and abstract soon!. We are very much looking forward to receiving your contributions and to a vibrant seminar. We have also added a mentorship component which promises to provide us with important tips for a successful transition from postdoc to PI. Looking forward to seeing you at the GRS/GRC! Lucia Melloni. Ayelet N. Landau > > > [image: Gordon Research Conferences] > > > Join us at the 2014 *Gordon Conference* and *Seminar* On > > *Neurobiology of Cognition*<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001WmUIQVsC75imVB3bWl9ZZPIlEuZLUMcBQfSHB8NCzlGR…> > > Circuits, Dynamics, Action and Perception > > We are meeting *July 20-25, 2014 -*New GRC site: *Sunday River Resort*<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001WmUIQVsC75imVB3bWl9ZZPIlEuZLUMcBQfSHB8NCzlGR…> > Newry, Maine > > Click *here*<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001WmUIQVsC75imVB3bWl9ZZPIlEuZLUMcBQfSHB8NCzlGR…>to see the > *GRC* program. > > There is also an associated *GRS* *July 19-20 *for students and postdocs > > Click *here*<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001WmUIQVsC75imVB3bWl9ZZPIlEuZLUMcBQfSHB8NCzlGR…>to see the > *GRS* website. > > *GRS* application & abstract deadline to be considered for oral > presentation - *May 15* > > *Please use attached **flyer > <http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001WmUIQVsC75imVB3bWl9ZZPIlEuZLUMcBQfSHB8NCzlGR…> > **to help spread the word! * > > > > The Neurobiology of Cognition is a recently-inaugurated GRC designed to > foster convergence of traditional neuroscience investigations with more > recent developments in systems, cellular and molecular neurobiology, in > engineering and imaging and in computational sciences. Cognition is > construed broadly to embrace empirical findings in a range of species > including humans, and there is a strong focus on integration of findings > and principles across species and levels of analysis. > > In the opening Keynote Session, two leading neuroscientists with provide > an experimental and computational perspective on the recent initiative, > termed Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies > (BRAIN). This initiative, spearheaded by the President and NIH, is aimed at > developing innovative methodologies to study how complex systems of neurons > interact in time and in space during complex behaviors. Along with recent > findings in a few traditional "core" areas, formal sessions will then > explore several new themes, including: 1) the neuroanatomy and 2) > coordination of cognitive circuits in the brain, 3) motor cognition and > brain-computer interfaces, 4) music and language, and 5) learning and > plasticity. The program juxtaposes human psychophysical, neuroimaging and > electrophysiological studies with parallel investigations in rodents and > non-human primates, and with computational approaches that explicate > empirical findings and construct robust, detailed models to represent the > developing picture and guide future experimentation. The program also > underscores novel experimental and theoretical approaches that promise to > define fundamental principles that guide and integrate the understanding of > cognition at a fundamental level, and to extend these to improved treatment > of brain dysfunction. The format of the meeting promotes intensive > interactions among investigators and trainees from different perspectives > and analytic levels, and in particular, between experimentalists and > theorists. There is a linked Gordon Research Seminar for trainees, most of > whom also attend the GRC. > > > > All that is missing now is your *application* to attend. > > Click *here*<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001WmUIQVsC75imVB3bWl9ZZPIlEuZLUMcBQfSHB8NCzlGR…>for the > *GRC*. Click* here*<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001WmUIQVsC75imVB3bWl9ZZPIlEuZLUMcBQfSHB8NCzlGR…>for the > *GRS*. (You must apply to both to attend both.) > > Best regards, > > GRC Chair: *Charles E. Schroeder*<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001WmUIQVsC75imVB3bWl9ZZPIlEuZLUMcBQfSHB8NCzlGR…> > GRC V. Chair:*Tatiana Pasternak*<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001WmUIQVsC75imVB3bWl9ZZPIlEuZLUMcBQfSHB8NCzlGR…> > > GRS Chair: *Lucia Melloni*<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001WmUIQVsC75imVB3bWl9ZZPIlEuZLUMcBQfSHB8NCzlGR…> > GRS Assoc. Chair: *Ayelet N. Landau*<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001WmUIQVsC75imVB3bWl9ZZPIlEuZLUMcBQfSHB8NCzlGR…> > > > > *Apply*<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001WmUIQVsC75imVB3bWl9ZZPIlEuZLUMcBQfSHB8NCzlGR…> now > and see why our attendees consistently rate GRCs > > "the best conference I've attended this year"! > > [image: Like us on Facebook]<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001WmUIQVsC75imVB3bWl9ZZPIlEuZLUMcBQfSHB8NCzlGR…> > [image: Follow us on Twitter]<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001WmUIQVsC75imVB3bWl9ZZPIlEuZLUMcBQfSHB8NCzlGR…> > [image: View our profile on LinkedIn]<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001WmUIQVsC75imVB3bWl9ZZPIlEuZLUMcBQfSHB8NCzlGR…> > > > > *Forward this email > <http://ui.constantcontact.com/sa/fwtf.jsp?llr=8zdsldnab&m=1113583062843&ea=…>* > > > <http://visitor.constantcontact.com/do?p=un&m=001yZEdZuQ8HYK105RSD5eD0w%3D%3…> > > <http://www.constantcontact.com/index.jsp?pn=&cc=> > > This email was sent to htobin(a)grc.org by announcements(a)grc.org | > > Instant removal with SafeUnsubscribe<http://visitor.constantcontact.com/do?p=un&m=001yZEdZuQ8HYK105RSD5eD0w%3D%3…>™ > | Privacy Policy<http://ui.constantcontact.com/roving/CCPrivacyPolicy.jsp> > . > > Gordon Research Conferences | 512 Liberty Lane | West Kingston | RI | > 02892 > > > > Follow GRC: Facebook <https://www.facebook.com/GordonResearchConferences/>| > Twitter <https://twitter.com/GordonConf/> > Call > Send SMS > Add to Skype > You'll need Skype CreditFree via Skype > > > > > > >

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Assistant Professor Job in BioRobotics; Odense, Denmark
by John Hallam 04 May '14

04 May '14

Application deadline: 1st June 2014 The Center for BioRobotics at the University of Southern Denmark (SDU) in Odense seeks to recruit two new assistant professors. These posts are for 3 years in the first instance. The scientific goal of the Centre for BioRobotics is to tackle questions arising from the acoustic behaviours of animals which cannot be addressed completely by biology or technology alone while also exploring applications of insights from biology in the robotics and technological domain and vice versa. Practically, the intention is to strengthen existing synergy and use it to create new opportunities for seeking external funding. The first position is based in the Maersk Institute (Faculty of Engineering) and is intended for a technically-educated person who has experience in biorobotics, biomimetics or modelling biological systems using engineering tools. Further details of the position can be found via this[1] direct link. A complementary position in the Biology Department at SDU (Faculty of Science) is being advertised, for which information can be found here[2]. This position is intended for a person educated in biology who has experience with technically-based methods for modelling and replicating biological systems. If you need further information beyond that in the linked page, contact John Hallam <john(a)mmmi.sdu.dk> in the first instance. [1] https://ssl1.peoplexs.com/Peoplexs22/CandidatesPortalNoLogin/Vacancy.cfm?Po… [2] https://ssl1.peoplexs.com/Peoplexs22/CandidatesPortalNoLogin/Vacancy.cfm?Po…

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Extended dealine - call for papers - 2014 IEEE International Workshop on Machine Learning for Signal Processing (MLSP)
by 2014 IEEE International Workshop on Machine Learning fo Signal Processing 04 May '14

04 May '14

The deadline for full paper submission has been extended to May 16, 2014. Call for papers: - Submission of full paper: May 16, 2014 - Notification of acceptance: June 27, 2014 2014 IEEE International Workshop on Machine Learning for Signal Processing (MLSP) September 21-24, 2014 Reims, France http://mlsp2014.conwiz.dk CALL FOR PAPERS The 24th MLSP workshop in the series of workshops organized by the IEEE Signal Processing Society MLSP Technical Committee will present the most recent and exciting advances in machine learning for signal processing through keynote talks, tutorials as well as special and regular single-track sessions. Prospective authors are invited to submit papers on relevant algorithms and applications including, but not limited to: - Learning theory and techniques - Graphical models and kernel methods - Data-driven adaptive systems and models - Pattern recognition and classification - Distributed, Bayesian, subspace/manifold and sparsity-aware learning - Multiset data analysis and multimodal data fusion - Perceptual signal processing in audio, image and video - Cognitive information processing - Multichannel adaptive and nonlinear signal processing - Applications, including: speech and audio, image and video, music, biomedical signals and images; communications; bioinformatics; biometrics, computational intelligence, genomic signals and sequences; social networks; games, and smart grid. DATA ANALYSIS AND SIGNAL PROCESSING COMPETITION Data Analysis and Signal Processing Competition is being organized in conjunction with the workshop. The goal of the competition is to advance the current state-of-the-art in theoretical and practical aspects of signal processing domains. The problems are selected to reflect current trends, evaluate existing approaches on common benchmarks, and identify critical new areas of research. Winners will be announced and awards given at the workshop. BEST STUDENT AWARD The MLSP Best Student Paper Award will be granted to the best overall paper for which a student is the principal author and presenter. This author must be a registered student at the time of paper submission to be eligible for this award. The award will be presented during the conference and consists of a honorarium (to be divided equally between all student authors of the paper), and a certificate for each such author. The award will be selected by a subcommittee of the program committee. The selection is based on the quality, originality, and clarity of the submission. PAPER SUBMISSION Prospective authors are invited to submit a double column paper of up to six pages using the electronic submission procedure at http://mlsp2014.conwiz.dk/paper_submission.htm Accepted papers will be published on memory sticks to be distributed at the workshop. The presented papers will be published in and indexed by IEEE Xplore. SCHEDULE: - Submission of full paper: May 5, 2014 - Notification of acceptance: June 27, 2014 - Advance registration before: July 25, 2014 - Camera-ready paper: July 25, 2014 ORGANIZING COMMITTEE: General Chair Mamadou Mboup Contact general chair at mlsp2014-chair(a)conwiz.dk Program Chairs Tülay Adali Eric Moreau Contact program chairs at mlsp2014-programchairs(a)conwiz.dk Data Competition Chair Vince Calhoun Special Session Chair Jean-Yves Tourneret Publicity Chair Marc Van Hulle Web and Publication Chair Jan Larsen Kevin Guelton Local Arrangement Chairs Valeriu Vrabie Hassan Fenniri

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MSc. SCHOLARSHIP AT JAUME I UNIVERSITY, SPAIN
by Enric Cervera Mateu 02 May '14

02 May '14

MSc. SCHOLARSHIP AT JAUME I UNIVERSITY,SPAIN The purpose of this announcement is to grant one scholarship for the training of research personnel at UJI Robotic Intelligence Laboratory, Universitat Jaume I, Castellon, Spain, an internationally renowned research center. The goal of this scholarship is to train qualified personnel for R&D tasks, and is aimed at university degree holders from non-Spanish universities, with a recent degree in science/engineering with outstanding performance, fulfilling requirements for admittance to a master degree. The beneficiary is also expected to join a research team within the framework of an on-going project related to robotic research, working with state-of-the-art equipment such as a humanoid torso with anthropomorphic head and multifinger hands, and/or teams of humanoid robots. http://robinlab.uji.es The research will typically pertain to bio-inspired approaches about learning and multimodal sensorimotor coordination of head, eyes and limbs movements during the planning and execution of manipulation or interaction tasks. After getting acquainted with the computational models and the humanoid torso available at the Lab, the beneficiary is expected to extend it by modeling additional mechanisms and implementing other tasks and capabilities. Coordination between eyes, head, arm and hand movements and multimodal integration will be central from both theoretical and practical viewpoints. In this context, the student will have freedom to pursue his/her own research goals according to his/her background and interests. This scholarship is intended for brilliant young graduates and experience in robotics is desirable but not required. Interest in theoretical neuroscience, mental development, or interdisciplinary bio-inspired research would be a plus. Scholarship period The period of validity covered by the scholarships is two years or until defending one’s doctoral thesis, should this be earlier. If, in the period of one month before the end of the scholarship, the beneficiary applicant has obtained the university master’s degree, or has been admitted to a doctorate programme in research phases, he/she may apply for an extension of an additional scholarship up to 12 months, with a view to prolonging his/her research period. The beneficiary applicant may take a master’s degree during this period, namely the "Master on Intelligent Systems. Service Robotics" at the UJI Department of Engineering and Computer Science. http://www.uji.es/UK/infoest/estudis/postgrau/oficial/sistemint.html Scholarship stipend 1. Scholarships’ stipend will be €1,200 monthly (gross). The corresponding IRPF (income tax) will be deducted from this amount. 2. The scholarship also includes an additional stipend of: a) €1,600 to cover costs of travel and settling in Castellon, during the first year of the scholarship. b) €1,200 per year, where applicable, for registration fees for university master’s during the first two years of the scholarship. 3. UJI shall take out an accident insurance and public liability insurance, plus health insurance with coverage for the whole period of the scholarship, if applicants are citizens of countries that have no arrangements with the Spanish Social Security or if insurance coverage of such arrangements were not sufficient. Requirements of beneficiary These scholarships are open to persons fulfilling the following requirements within the period of submission of applications: a) An Engineering or Science degree from a non-Spanish university, fulfilling requirements for admittance to a master degree. b) Having obtained the degree after 1 January 2011. c) Knowledge of Spanish or English (with good speaking skills) for the proposed training. d) Not being in possession of a PhD. Applications The scholarship candidate shall submit the following documents NO LATER THAN MAY 16, 2014 24:00 CET (strict) to robinlab(a)uji.es a) Personal data (see below) b) Photocopy of national identity card of your country. Citizens of EU member states should also include a photocopy of NIE (residence permit) in the event of possessing one. c) Photocopy of valid passport, if not a citizen of the EU. Also a photocopy of NIE (residency permit) in the event of possessing one. d) Photocopy of official academic transcript including the name of obtained degree, showing courses taken and grades achieved together with dates, as well as its translation into English or Spanish. e) Photocopy of academic degree or deposit made for the issuance of degree. f) Applicant’s updated résumé. g) Statement of motivation about your research interests h) 2 reference letters i) Supporting documents of knowledge of Spanish or English. Admission Beneficiaries must join the corresponding research body within the scheduled period as provided in the award decision. In the event that he/she does not join within the scheduled period, the scholarship will be canceled, unless the beneficiary has been granted an adjournment period (to be authorized only by the General Director of Scientific Policy) for a maximum period of three months from the date specified in the award decision. Beneficiary may not recover said adjournment period. Temporary suspension of scholarship The voluntary suspension, previously authorized by the General Director of Scientific Policy, shall not exceed 6 months from the whole period of scholarship and during such suspension period no stipend shall be paid. For further information contact: Mail_to: robinlab(a)uji.es UJI Robotic Intelligence Lab http://robinlab.uji.es ****** Personal data (see (a) above) NATIONAL ID / PASSPORT NO. OR EQUIVALENT: SURNAME: NAME: NATIONALITY: DATE OF BIRTH (YYYY/MM/DD): GENDER: ADDRESS FOR NOTIFICATION ADDRESS (STREET / SQUARE): No..: POSTCODE: COUNTRY: PROVINCE: CITY: PHONE : MOBILE PHONE: E-MAIL: SUMMARY OF ACADEMIC RECORD ACADEMIC DEGREE: UNIVERSITY: STUDIES END DATE (YYYY/MM/DD):

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2 PhD positions at the Institute of Neuroinformatics, Zurich, Switzerland
by Jean-Pascal Pfister 02 May '14

02 May '14

Applications are invited for two PhD student positions at the Institute of Neuroinformatics (ETHZ, UZH) in Zurich. The positions are funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation grant entitled "Inference and Learning with Spiking Neurons". The PhD students will be supervised by Jean-Pascal Pfister in the Theoretical Neuroscience Group. There are several lines of evidence showing that the brain combines unreliable sensory informations in a Bayesian optimal way. The aim of the project is to determine how Bayesian inference and learning can be implemented at the level of neurons and synapses. The Institute of Neuroinformatics in Zurich (which is a joint institute belonging to both the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETHZ) and the University of Zurich) offers an ideal environment for studying Computational Neuroscience due to the presence of multiple theoretical and experimental labs. Candidates should hold a Diplom/Master degree in Physics, Mathematics, Machine learning, Computational Neuroscience or a related field. They should have a strong analytical background and demonstrate interest in theoretical neuroscience. Preference will be given to candidates with good programming skills. The position is offered for a period of three years, starting on the 1st of September 2014 at earliest. Salary scale is provided by the Swiss National Science Foundation (www.snf.ch) Applicants should submit (by email) a CV, a statement of research interests, 2 reference letters, marks obtained for the Diploma/Master, abstract of the Diploma/Master to Jean-Pascal Pfister (pfister(a)pyl.unibe.ch) Deadline for application is 30th of Mai 2014 or until the positions are filled. --------------------------------- Jean-Pascal Pfister, PhD Theoretical Neuroscience Group Physiology Department, University of Bern 5 Bühlplatz, CH-3012 Bern, CH e-mail: pfister(a)pyl.unibe.ch URL: http://www.physio.unibe.ch/~pfister/ tel: ++41 31 631 35 09 From the 1st of September 2014: Institute of Neuroinformatics University of Zurich and ETH Zurich Winterthurerstrasse 190 8057 Zurich, Switzerland

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Workshop and lecture series on "Cognitive neuroscience of auditory and cross-modal perception"
by Norbert Kopco 01 May '14

01 May '14

Workshop and lecture series on "Cognitive neuroscience of auditory and cross-modal perception" 26 - 30 May 2014 (Lectures 26 - 28 May, Consultations 29 - 30 May) Web: http://pcl.upjs.sk/Workshop2014/ Venue: Institute of Computer Science Faculty of Science, P. J. Safarik University Jesenna 5, 040 11 Kosice, Slovakia Organizers: doc. Norbert Kopco, PhD. (norbert.kopco(a)upjs.sk) - scientific program Beata Tomoriova, PhD. (beata.tomoriova(a)upjs.sk) - technical Perception and Cognition Lab Contact: kogneuro(a)gmail.com Objectives: This workshop and lecture series will include introductory lectures and advanced research talks on a range of topics related to the neural processes of auditory, visual and cross-modal perception. The talks will illustrate multidisciplinary character of cognitive neuroscience research, covering behavioral, neuroimaging, and modeling approaches, as well as applications of the research in auditory prosthetic devices. The workshop is aimed at early-stage and advanced students and young researchers, and it will provide ample opportunities for direct interactions between the lecturers and the attendees. Themes: spatial hearing vision and crossmodal perception neural modeling methods in cognitive neuroscience: behavioral experiments, imaging (EEG, fMRI), modeling applications: cochlear implants, hearing aids Format of lectures on 26 - 28 May: 14 one-hour lectures by experts on individual topics (2 lectures per expert) student / attendee session with short 10-min presentations and/or posters by the students small modeling / data analysis assignments prepared by the experts for the students Some of the lecturers will be available for individual consultations by appointment following the lectures on 29 - 30 May 2014 Program: TBA Speakers (and tentative topics): Simon Carlile (University of Sydney) Six degrees of spatial separation - The portal for auditory perception (abstract) The plastic ear: Perceptual relearning and auditory spatial perception (abstract) Pierre Divenyi (Stanford University) Cocktail-party effect deficit in aging: what formant transition processing tells us Phonemic restoration: done by our brain or our tongue? Frederick (Erick) Gallun (US Dept. of Veterans Affairs and Oregon Health & Science University) Impacts of age and hearing loss on spatial release from masking (abstract) Characterizing attentional resources using the auditory dual-task (abstract) Bernhard Laback (Austrian Academy of Sciences) Binaural cues in electric hearing Spectral localization cues in acoustic and electric hearing Aaron Seitz (University of California, Riverside) Cognitive Neuroscience of Perceptual Learning: Specificity and Transfer Cognitive Neuroscience of Perceptual Learning: Mechanisms Guiding Learning Christopher Stecker (Vanderbilt University) Integration of spatial information across multiple cues Neuroimaging of spatial hearing Arash Yazdanbakhsh (Boston University) Neural and computational models of vision: Fundamental problems of vision (abstract) Neural and computational models of vision: Neural models and their implementation in early vision (abstract) Registration: The workshop is open to all interested students/scientists. Registration is free of charge but required (mostly for organizational reasons). In order to register, please send an email to kogneuro(a)gmail.com stating your name and affiliation, dates on which you are planning to attend. In case you would like to have a presentation please send us an abstract (up to 200 words) and an indication whether you prefer poster or oral presentation no later than May 19. Travel, accommodation, visitor information: Attendants are kindly requested to make their own travel and accommodation arrangements. Travel:The Kosice Airport is served by Austrian Airlines and Czech Airlines (via Vienna, Prague, Bratislava) and by low-cost airline Wizzair (London Luton Airport). Alternatively you can fly to Budapest and take a 3.5-hr shuttle bus to Kosice (for example, using the cassoviaexpres shuttle company which also offers shuttle bus from the Krakow airport). More information about how to get to Kosice (also by train or bus) can be found here. Accomodation:There are several hotels close to workshop venue, for example Hotel Yasmin, Hotel Maraton (for more hotel options please see http://www.booking.com, http://www.hotels.com, for hostels see: http://www.hostels.com, http://www.hostelworld.com) Visitor information: Kosice was one of the European Capitals of Culture in 2013, for current events see http://www.visitkosice.eu/ , http://www.mickosice.sk/, http://slovakia.travel/ , or http://www.slovakia.com/ Funding: This workshop / lecture series is organized within the Project implementation: SOFOS – knowledge and skill development of the academic staff and students at the University of Pavol Jozef Safarik in Kosice with emphasis on interdisciplinary competencies and integration into international research centres, ITMS: 26110230088, supported by the Research & Development Operational Programme funded by the ESF. -- doc. Norbert Kopco, Ph.D. Inst of Computer Sci, Faculty of Science, Safarik Univ, Kosice, Slovakia Visiting Scholar: Ctr for Computational Neurosci (CompNet), Boston Uni & Martinos Ctr for Biomed Imaging, Harvard Med School - Mass Gen Hospital Phone: +1 (617) 575 9556 Fax: +1 (484) 727 9884 Email: kopco(a)bu.edu Web: http://cns.bu.edu/~kopco

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