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Call for participation NEUROMOD'2015, Neurotechnix'2015, 16-17 November, Lisbon
by Jaime Ibánez Pereda Aug. 2, 2015

Aug. 2, 2015

(Please accept our apologies if you receive multiple copies of this call) ******************************************************************************************* Dear colleagues, We are pleased to invite you to participate in the upcoming “Symposium on Neuromodulation-based Approaches for Neural Rehabilitation - NEUROMOD 2015”, to be held on November 16-17, at the Neurotechnix 2015 conference, in Lisbon. NEUROMOD website: http://www.neurotechnix.org/neuromod.aspx IMPORTANT DATES: Paper Submission: September 10, 2015 Authors Notification: September 25, 2015 Camera Ready and Registration: October 6, 2015 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - DESCRIPTION Neuromodulation is a rapidly-growing field, encompassing the application of targeted electrical/chemical/biological stimuli to the nervous system in order to improve function and quality of life. At present, an increasing number of implantable and non-invasive techniques are being proposed and made available to the clinicians, to stimulate CNS plasticity and foster recovery from motor, neurological and psychiatric disorders. Advancing in the field of neuromodulation represents challenges to build accurate neurophysiological models, understanding mechanisms of neuromodulation at cellular and systems levels, defining optimal engineering methodologies, and developing clinical application to treat patients. This session provides an opportunity for researchers/engineers/clinicians to present and discuss novel neurorehabilitation paradigms based on neuromodulation targeted at the spinal and/or supraspinal level. Top quality papers at NEUROMOD will be eligible for inclusion in the post-congress IOP journal of best papers or even for the best-paper award to be presented at the main congress, NEUROTECHNIX. This special session/symposium is part of the International Congress on Neurotechnology, Electronics and Informatics (NEUROTECHNIX - http://www.neurotechnix.org/) which is sponsored by the Institute for Systems and Technologies of Information and Control and Communication (INSTICC) and held in Cooperation with the Associacao Portuguesa de EEG e Neurofisiologia ClÌnica (APEEGNC), Neurotech Network, International Neural Network Society (INNS), Nansen Neuroscience Network, World Federation for NeuroRehabilitation (WFNR), Sociedade Portuguesa de Neurologia (SPN), International Neuromodulation Society (INS), International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology (IFCN) and International Brain Research Organization (IBRO). All accepted Extended Abstracts will be published in the Book of Abstracts of the congress and on CD-ROM support, without ISBN. All accepted Complete Papers (full and short) will be published in the Congress Proceedings, under an ISBN reference, on paper and on CD-ROM support. All papers presented at the congress venue will also be available at the SCITEPRESS Digital Library. SCITEPRESS is a member of CrossRef and every paper is given a DOI (Digital Object Identifier). The Congress Proceedings will be submitted to appropriate indexes for indexation. A short list of presented papers will be selected so that revised and extended versions of these papers may be published by IOP Publishing on Journal of Neural Engineering. With this workshop we would like to bring together different researchers already active in the development of new neuromodulation techniques and protocols, with the goal of identifying the optimal developments and assessment strategies to be targeted in future studies and applications. Please check further details at the Special Session website available at: http://www.neurotechnix.org/neuromod.aspx Should you have any question or suggestions please don't hesitate to contact us. CO-CHAIRS: Stefano Piazza, Neural Rehabilitation Group, CSIC, Spain Jaime Ibanez, Neural Rehabilitation Group, CSIC, Spain Julian Taylor, HNP Toledo, Spain and Stoke Mandeville Spinal Research, United Kingdom

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[publication and call for dialog] IEEE CIS Newsletter on Autonomous Mental Development, Spring 2015
by Pierre-Yves Oudeyer July 31, 2015

July 31, 2015

Dear colleagues, I am happy to announce the release of the latest issue of the IEEE CIS Newsletter on Autonomous Mental Development (open access). This is the biannual newsletter of the computational developmental sciences and developmental robotics community, studying mechanisms of lifelong learning and development in machines and humans. It is available at: https://flowers.inria.fr/AMDNL-V12-N1.pdf Featuring dialog: === “Will social robots need to be consciously aware?” === Dialog Initiated by Janet Wiles, with responses from Axel Cleeremans, Yasuko Kitano, Cornelius Weber and Stefan Wermter, Justin Hart and Brian Scassellati, Juyang Weng, Guy Hoffman and Moran Cerf. Several dimensions of the question stand out. First, as we are very far from understanding what “consciousness” is, it appears that building robots capable of various forms of self- and other- awareness, and importantly how they can develop progressively these capabilities, can be very useful in the quest to unveil the underlying mechanisms. Second, as consciousness is a multiscale complex systems, multiple approaches and perspectives need to be taken in this process of robot building. Third, when one looks at applications, it is the function, and not the nature, of consciousness which becomes the relevant angle of analysis, and several ethical questions arise. Call for new dialog: === "Representational redescription: the next challenge?" === New dialog initiated by Stéphane Doncieux It has long been known in AI that having a good representation is key for machines to solve complex problems. However, so far good representations have been pre-programmed by engineers. What technical approaches could we imagine to allow machines to select, and even more important to find, new spaces of representations? Are techniques like deep learning general enough for realising such a challenge for lifelong learning robots? Do we need other approaches such as Darwinian mechanisms operating in the brain, like in neural Darwinism? Those of you interested in reacting to this dialogue initiation are welcome to submit a response by October 30th, 2015. length of each response must be between 600 and 800 words including references (contact pierre-yves.oudeyer(a)inria.fr) You will also find news about the latest activities of the AMD Technical Committee and the ICDL-Epirob 2015 conference, and a call for candidates to become the new editor of the newsletter. As I have been editor of the newsletter for around 8 years, and I have now the AMD TC Chair duty, it is now time for other ideas and energies to take the lead of the newsletter. I take this opportunity to thank Fabien Benureau for his help as editorial assistant. Let me remind you that previous issues of the newsletter are all open-access and available at: http://www.cse.msu.edu/amdtc/amdnl/ I wish you a stimulating reading! Best regards, Pierre-Yves Oudeyer, Editor of the IEEE CIS Newsletter on Autonomous Mental Development Chair of the IEEE CIS AMD Technical Committee on AMD Research director, Inria Head of Flower project-team Inria and Ensta ParisTech, France http://www.pyoudeyer.com https://flowers.inria.fr http://www.poppy-project.org

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Call for participation: SASO'15, 21-25 September, MIT, Cambridge, Massachusetts
by F. Armetta July 29, 2015

July 29, 2015

(Please accept our apologies if you receive multiple copies of this call) ***************************************************************************************** CALL FOR PARTICIPATION The Ninth IEEE International Conference on Self-Adaptive and Self-Organizing Systems (SASO 2015) MIT, Cambridge, Massachusetts; 21-25 September 2015 https://saso2015.mit.edu/ Part of FAS* -- Foundation and Applications of Self-* Computing Conferences Co-located with: The International Conference on Cloud and Autonomic Computing (CAC 2015) The 15th IEEE Peer-to-Peer Computing Conference (P2P 2015) ***************************************************************************************** GREATLY REDUCED HOTEL RATES AVAILABLE TILL AUGUST 21! The 2015 edition of the SASO conference series will be held in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and hosted by MIT in the week of September 21 to September 25, 2015. The aim of the Self-Adaptive and Self-Organizing systems conference series (SASO) is to provide a forum for the foundations of a principled approach to engineering systems, networks and services based on self-adaptation and self-organization. The ninth edition of the SASO conference embraces the inter-disciplinarity and the scientific, empirical and application dimensions of self-* systems; it thus aims to attract participants with different backgrounds, to foster cross-pollination between research fields, and to expose and discuss innovative theories, design principles, frameworks, methodologies, tools, and applications. -------------------- Registration -------------------- The Early Registration deadline is September 4, 2015. Deadline for reduced hotel rates is August 21, 2015. Registration is available at: https://saso2015.mit.edu/registration A single registration fee includes access to the main conference, tutorials, workshops, and the doctoral symposium. Moreover, it includes a conference kit with electronic proceedings, all coffee breaks, lunches, free entrance to the Welcome Reception and Conference Dinner. -------------------- Technical Program -------------------- We are happy to announce that we will be able to offer six keynotes together with CAC and P2P, including among others: * Albert-László Barabási, Center for Complex Network Research - Barabási Lab, Northeastern University Physics Department * Yang-Yu Liu, Harvard Medical School * Azer Bestavros, Boston University * Ozalp Babaoglu, University of Bologna. Full papers: * An Approach to Robust Resource Allocation in Large-Scale Systems of Systems * Multi-satellite mission planning using a self-adaptive multi-agent system * Distributed Recovery for Enterprise Services * Self-organising Zooms for Decentralised Redundancy Management in Visual Sensor Networks * Active Learning for Efficient Sampling of Control Models of Collectives * Distributed Current Flow Betweenness Centrality * Multi-agent Self-organization and Reorganization to Adapt M2M Infrastructures * Darwin in Smart Power Grids - Evolutionary Game Theory for Analyzing Self-Organization in Demand-Side Aggregation * A Generic Social Capital Framework for Optimising Self-Organised Collective Action * Foraging-inspired Self-organisation for Terrain Exploration with Failure-prone Agents * Efficient Engineering of Complex Self-Organizing Systems by Self-Stabilising Fields * PeerMatcher: Decentralized Partnership Formation * Combining Conflicting Environmental and Task Requirements in Evolutionary Robotics * Self-managed sensor network scheduling using Bayesian dynamic linear models Short papers: * A Mutual Influence Detection Algorithm for Systems with Local Performance Measurement * Value-Sensitive Design of Self-Organisation * Ashbian homeostasis as non-autonomous adaptation * Reciprocal Agents for Self-Organization in Large-Scale Allocation Problems Posters: * Social Amoeba Dictyostelium Discoideum As an Inspiration for Swarm Robotics * Creating Complex Applications Via Self-Adapting Autonomous Agents in an Intelligent System Framework * Self-directed weight management by feedback from a self-adaptive metabolic health monitoring system * Cyber-Physical-Social System Self-Organization: Ontology-Based Multi-Level Approach and Case Study * Citizen-driven flood mapping in Jakarta - A self-organising socio-technical system * Hierarchical Service-Oriented Architecture for Development of Autonomic Systems * Sustainable Safety in Mobile Multi-Robot Systems via Collective Adaptation * Towards a spatial language for run-time assessments in self-organizing systems Demo: * Towards Self-Adaptation on Real-World Hardware: a Preliminary Lightweight Programming Framework In addition, six workshops are planned to be available to conference attendees free of charge: * 3rd Workshop on Fundamentals of Collective Adaptive Systems (FoCAS) http://focas.eu/saso-2015/ * 2nd Workshop on Quality Assurance for Self-Adaptive, Self-Organising Systems (QA4SASO) http://qa4saso.isse.de * 1st Workshop on Spatial and COllective PErvasive Computing Systems (SCOPES) http://www.spatial-computing.org/scopes * 9th Workshop on Dynamic Software Product Lines (DSPL) http://www.lero.ie/dspl2015 * Workshop on Diagnosing, Reacting, Evading And Manoeuvring (DREAM) http://www.dollabs.com/saso2015ahansdreamworkshop * 3rd Workshop on Self-Adaptive and Self-Organising Socio-Technical Systems (SASO^ST) http://sasost.isse.de Several tutorials, including: * "Enabling Software-Defined Federations using CometCloud". Organizers: Javier Diaz-Montes, Manish Parashar (Rutgers University) * "Fundamentals of Autonomic Cloud Security". Organizer: Salim Hariri (University of Arizona) Doctoral symposium, including research ideas on: * Cross layer Anomaly based intrusion detection system * Testing Self-Organizing, Adaptive Systems * Incentive Mechanisms for Social Computing * Quality trade-offs in self-protecting systems * Network Attack Detection and Mitigation * Multi-Agent Collaboration in Distributed Self-Adaptive Systems * Keynote by Dr. Jeremy Pitt (Imperial College London): "How To Get a PhD in Self-Organizing Systems" The detailed program of scientific papers and posters is available at: https://saso2015.mit.edu/accepted-papers -------------------- Social events -------------------- Welcome Reception at the MIT Museum (Tuesday) http://web.mit.edu/museum/ Dinner Cruise in Boston Bay (Wednesday) -------------------- Venue and accommodation -------------------- The conference will take place at the Boston Marriott Cambridge Hotel at the edge of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. There are special rates available for participants. For more information, please refer to http://saso2015.mit.edu/venue Greatly reduced rates for rooms at the conference hotel are available until August 21. Details are available at http://saso2015.mit.edu/venue Hotels near the venue may be found at the MIT Institute Events site: http://web.mit.edu/institute-events/visitor/stay.html --------------------- Organisation --------------------- General Chairs Howard E Shrobe, MIT CSAIL, Cambridge, MA, USA Julie A McCann, Imperial College London, UK Programme Chairs Gregory Sullivan, Draper Labs, Cambridge, MA, USA Emma Hart, Director CEC, Edingurgh Napier University, Edinburgh, Scotland Jan-Philipp Steghöfer, University of Gothenburg and Chalmers Technical University, Gothenburg, Sweden Local Arrangements Chair Paul Robertson, Dynamic Object Labs, Lexington, MA, USA

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Four faculty positions in statistics and stochastics
by Robert Rosenbaum July 27, 2015

July 27, 2015

The Department of Applied and Computational Mathematics and Statistics at the University of Notre Dame is seeking applications for a total of four faculty positions, three in statistics and one in stochastics. Ideally, one of the statistics positions will be at the post-tenure level (associate or full professor) and the remainder will be tenure track (assistant professor). The department is highly supportive of collaborative and interdisciplinary research and encourages applications from computational neuroscientists. Feel free to contact me (Robert.Rosenbaum(a)nd.edu) with general questions about the department, etc. Applicants for the post-tenure job are invited to contact the chair, Andrew Sommese (sommese(a)nd.edu) For more information and to apply, see here for statistics: http://apply.interfolio.com/30595 and here for stochastics: http://apply.interfolio.com/30609 — Robert Rosenbaum Assistant Professor Department of Applied and Computational Mathematics and Statistics University of Notre Dame

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IEEE Computational Intelligence Magazine (CIM) Special Issue: “Model Complexity, Regularization and Sparsity”
by Giacomo Boracchi July 26, 2015

July 26, 2015

*Call for Papers* *IEEE Computational Intelligence Magazine* *Special Issue on “Model Complexity, Regularization and Sparsity”* http://home.deib.polimi.it/boracchi/events/ModelComplexity.html *Aims and Scope* The effective management of solution complexity is one of the most important issues in addressing Computational Intelligence problems. Regularization techniques control model complexity by taking advantage of some prior information regarding the problem at hand, represented as penalty expressions that impose these properties on the solution. Over the past few years, one of the most prominent and successful types of regularization has been based on the *sparsity* prior, which promotes solutions that can be expressed as a linear combination of a few atoms belonging to a *dictionary*. Sparsity can in some sense be considered a “measure of simplicity“ and, as such, is compatible with many nature-inspired principles of Computational Intelligence. Nowadays, sparsity has become one of the leading approaches for learning adaptive representations for both descriptive and discriminative tasks, and has been shown to be particularly effective when dealing with structured, complex and high-dimensional data. Regularization, including sparsity and other priors to control the model complexity, is often the key ingredient in the successful solution of difficult problems; it is therefore not surprising that these aspects have also recently gained a lot of attention in big-data processing, due to unprecedented challenges associated with the need to handle massive datastreams that are possibly high-dimensional and organized in complex structures. This special issue aims at presenting the most relevant regularization techniques and approaches to control model complexity in Computational Intelligence. Submissions of papers presenting regularization methods for Neural Networks, Evolutionary Computation or Fuzzy Systems, are welcome. Submissions of papers presenting advanced regularization techniques in specific, but relevant, application fields such as data/datastream-mining, classification, big-data analytics, image/signal analysis, natural-language processing, are also encouraged. *Topics of Interest* · Regularization methods for big and high-dimensional data; · Regularization methods for supervised and unsupervised learning; · Regularization methods for ill-posed problems in Computational Intelligence; · Techniques to control model complexity; · Sparse representations in Computational Intelligence; · Managing model complexity in data analytics; · Effective priors for solving Computational Intelligence problems; · Multiple prior integration; · Regularization in kernel methods and support vector machines. *Important Dates* · 22nd January, 2016: Submission of Manuscripts · 30th March, 2016: Notification of Review Results · 30th April, 2016: Submission of Revised Manuscripts · 15th June, 2016: Submission of Final Manuscripts · November, 2016: Special Issue Publication *Submission Process* The maximum length for the manuscript is typically 20 pages in single column with double-spacing, including figures and references. Authors of papers should specify in the first page of their manuscripts the corresponding author’s contact and up to 5 keywords. Additional information about submission guidelines and information for authors is provided at the IEEE CIM website. <http://cis.ieee.org/ieee-computational-intelligence-magazine/134-ieee-compu…> Submission instructions can be found at http://home.deib.polimi.it/boracchi/events/ModelComplexity.html <https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=ieeecim1116> *Guest Editors* *Prof. Cesare Alippi,* Dipartimento di Elettronica, Informazione e Biongegneria, Politecnico di Milano, via Ponzio 34/5, Milano, 20133, Italy email: cesare.alippi(a)polimi.it *Dr. Giacomo Boracchi*, Dipartimento di Elettronica, Informazione e Biongegneria, Politecnico di Milano, via Ponzio 34/5, Milano, 20133, Italy email: giacomo.boracchi(a)polimi.it *Dr. Brendt Wohlberg*, Theoretical Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos NM 87545, USA email: brendt(a)lanl.gov -- Giacomo Boracchi, PhD DEIB - Dipartimento di Elettronica, Informazione e Bioingegneria Politecnico di Milano Via Ponzio, 34/5 20133 Milano, Italy. Tel. +39 02 2399 3467 http://home.dei.polimi.it/boracchi/

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Special Issue on Applications of Operations Research in Neuroscience -- Deadline Extension to October 1.
by Ruben Tikidji-Hamburyan July 24, 2015

July 24, 2015

Dear Colleagues, [We apologize if you have received multiple copies of this message] We would like to draw your attention to the special volume on "Applications of Operations Research for Neuroscience" in the Annals of Operations Research. We cordially invite researchers in neuroscience who use operations research methods and related mathematical fields to contribute to this special issue. Recent technological and theoretical advances offer promising opportunities for better understanding of the nervous system at the quantitative level. New optogenetic, in vitro and in vivo multielectrode recording, neuroimaging, brain imaging, and other modern techniques provide high-quality data that can be used in elucidating the fundamental mechanisms of information processing in neural system. The rapidly growing pool of experimental data has triggered the development of new mathematical models, which can provide new insights into the functioning of the nervous system at various scales ranging from that of molecular biology to that of the organizational principles of behavior and cognition. Sophisticated analyses of intracellular signalling or dynamics in heterogeneous neural networks, conditional behavior or connections of brain regions in decision-making lead to theoretical problems addressed by operations research. The special volume will cover a broad range of topics in the field of neuroscience, which use operations research approaches and methods. Potential topics include, but are not limited to, the following areas of neuroscience: * intracellular signaling and regulation * synaptic plasticity * dynamics in heterogeneous neural networks * intelligent systems and control * perceptual, cognitive and behavioral functions * learning and memory * spatio-temporal network analysis * combinatorial optimization * signal and information processing * neuroimaging and functional brain imaging processing * computational modelling and simulation The use of methods from modern operations research is a prerequisite for any paper submitted to this special volume to enter the reviewing process. Extended submission deadline of full papers: October 1, 2015. Submission Details: The format of manuscripts for the Annals of Operations Research as well as guidelines can be found on the web page of Springer, the publisher of the journal: http://www.springer.com/business/operations+research/journal/10479 Authors should submit a cover letter mentioning that the paper is for a special volume, along with and a manuscript via the journal's online submission site: http://www.editorialmanager.com/anor More details can be found in the Call for Paper attached to this e-mail. Annals of Operations Research is abstracted and indexed in the following databases: Science Citation Index, Science Citation Index Expanded (SciSearch), Journal Citation Reports/Science Edition, SCOPUS, INSPEC, Zentralblatt Math, Google Scholar, EBSCO, CSA, ProQuest, ABS Academic Journal Quality Guide, Academic OneFile, Academic Search, Computer Abstracts International Database, Computer Science Index, CSA Environmental Sciences, Current Contents/Engineering, Computing and Technology, DBLP, ECONIS, Expanded Academic, International Abstracts in Operations Research, Mathematical Reviews, OCLC, SCImago, STMA-Z, Summon by ProQuest. Please consider sharing this call for papers with any researchers who might be interested in contributing. On behalf of special volume guest editors, Ruben Tikidji-Hamburyan ------- Ruben Tikidji-Hamburyan,Ph.D. Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy Health Sciences Center Louisiana State University New Orleans, LA, 70112

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Summerschool on Neurocomputational Models of Speech Processing in Aachen, Germany
by Kröger, Bernd Joachim July 24, 2015

July 24, 2015

Dear comp-neuro Please forward: Summerschool: Neurocomputational Models of Speech Processing 14th to 18th of September 2015 Topic: Constructing a Neurocomputational Model of Speech Processing Date: Starting 14th of September for one week Location: RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany Costs: Accomodation at RWTH Aachen University Guest House: round about 80€ (Single or Double) per day. Food: round about 30€ per day. Workshop is free. Accomodation and food will be arranged by Bernd Kröger www.SpeechTrainer.eu. Please contact bkroeger(a)ukaachen.de Next airport to Aachen, Germany: Duesseldorf International Airport, Germany Planned scedule: 1st day: 9-12am: Lecture (Bernd Kröger www.SpeechTrainer.eu) Introduction to Neurocomputational Models of Speech Production including learning szenarios occurring in speech acquisition. Afternoon 2-5pm: Discussion and computer exercises in NENGO www.nengo.ca or other neural processing toolboxes 2nd day: 9-12am: Lecture (Bernd Kröger www.SpeechTrainer.eu) Introduction to Neurocomputational Models of Speech Perception and Comprehension Afternoon 2-5pm: Discussion and Computer exercises in NENGO www.nengo.ca and other Neural Processing Toolboxes 3rd day: 9-12am: Lecture (Bernd Kröger www.SpeechTrainer.eu) Introduction to a physiological and acoustic model of speech production (www.VocalTractLab.de) Afternoon 2-5pm: How to integrate VocalTractLab into an Neurocomputational Model of Speech Processing 4th and 5th day: 9am-5pm: Programming exercises and introduction to available speech data bases) Summerschool takes place with more than 5 üarticipants -- Prof. Dr. Bernd J. Kröger Department of Phoniatrics, Pedaudiology, and Communication Disorders Medical School, RWTH Aachen University, Pauwelsstraße 30, D-52074 Aachen, Germany Email: bernd.kroeger(a)rwth-aachen.de Homepage: www.speechtrainer.eu

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Postdoc and graduate student positions in computational neuroscience and machine learning
by Jakob Macke July 24, 2015

July 24, 2015

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[Last CFP] Extended paper submission deadline to August 16 2015
by Teng Teck Hou July 24, 2015

July 24, 2015

(We apologize for multiples copies) - Please distribute this CFP among your colleagues and students IEEE Conference on Evolving and Adaptive Intelligence Systems - EAIS 2015 Douai, France, December 13, 2015 http://conference.mines-douai.fr/eais2015/ The paper submission deadline is extended to August 16, 2015 (Hard deadline, no more extension) * IMPORTANT DATES * ---------------------------------------------------------------- Paper Submission Due: Extended to August 16, 2015 (Hard deadline, no more extension) Notification of Acceptance: October 1st, 2015 Camera-Ready Papers Due: November 1st, 2015 Registration Deadline: November 1st, 2015 All accepted papers will be published in the conference Proceedings and submitted to IEEE for inclusion to IEEE Xplore. Authors of selected papers will be invited to submit extended versions for possible inclusion in a special issue of the journal Evolving Systems (Springer). It is our pleasure to announce the two keynotes "Real Time Data Mining" and "Active online learning". The social program includes a visit to the prestigious museum of Le Louvre-Lens. A tour will be organized in "La Grande Galerie" exhibition space where you could discover some of the greatest masterpieces and the greatest artists of the Louvre museum. In addition, you will have the opportunity to enjoy the hospitality and cultural heritage of Douai (City town belfry historical building designated by UNESCO as World Heritage Site, the Chartreuse museum, the Northern French Cuisine ). * CONTEXT * ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- IEEE EAIS 2015 will be held in Douai, a beautiful city located in the north of France close to Brussels and Paris. IEEE EAIS 2015 will provide a friendly atmosphere and will be a leading international forum focusing on the discussion of recent advances, the exchange of recent innovations, and the outline of open important future challenges in the area of Evolving and Adaptive Intelligent Systems. Over the past decade, this area has emerged to play an important role on a broad international level in todays real-world applications, especially those ones with high complexity and dynamics change. Its embedded modeling and learning methodologies are able to cope with real-time demands, changing operation conditions, varying environmental influences, human behaviors, knowledge expansion scenarios, and drifts in on-line data streams. EAIS 2015 is an IEEE sponsored conference which is organized by the IEEE Technical Committee on Evolving and Adaptive Intelligent Systems, SMC Society. EAIS conference series has a history starting in 2006 in Lake District, England. It was held after that in Germany, USA, France, Spain, Singapore and Austria. Authors of accepted papers will be invited to submit extended versions for a possible inclusion in a special issue of the journal Evolving Systems (Springer). * AREAS OF INTEREST * ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -- Areas of interest include, but are not limited to: Basic Methodologies Evolving Soft Computing Techniques Evolving Fuzzy Systems Evolving Rule-Based Classifiers Evolving Neuro-Fuzzy Systems Adaptive Evolving Neural Networks On-line Genetic and Evolutionary Algorithms Data Stream Mining Incremental and Evolving Clustering Approaches Adaptive Pattern Recognition Incremental and Evolving ML Classifiers Adaptive Statistical Techniques Evolving Decision Systems Advanced Concepts Drifts and Shifts in Data Streams Stability, Robustness, Convergence in Evolving Systems On-line Feature Selection and Dimension Reduction On-line Active and Semi-supervised Learning On-line Complexity Reduction Computational Aspects Interpretability Issues Incremental Adaptive Ensemble Methods On-line Bagging and Boosting Self-monitoring Evolving Systems Human-Machine Interaction Issues Hybrid Modeling Transfer Learning Reservoir Computing Real-world Applications EIS for On-Line Modeling and System Identification EIS for Time Series Prediction EIS for Data Stream Mining and Adaptive Knowledge Discovery EIS in Robotics, Intelligent Transport and Advanced Manufacturing EIS in Advanced Communications and Multi-Media Applications EIS in Bioinformatics and Medicine EIS in On-line Quality Control and Fault Diagnosis EIS in Condition Monitoring Systems EIS in Adaptive Evolving Controller Design EIS in User Activities Recognition EIS in Huge Database and Web Mining EIS in Visual Inspection and Image Classification EIS in Cloud Computing EIS in Multiple Sensor Networks EIS in Query Systems and Social Networks * SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS * --------------------------------------------------- Full papers - max. 8 pages IEEE style (double-column). Short Papers - max. 4 pages IEEE style (double-column). * INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMME COMMITTEE * ------------------------------------------------------------------ Plamen Angelov, Lancaster University, UK Dimitar Filev, Ford Motor Co., USA Nikola Kasabov, AUT, New Zealand * ORGANIZING PROGRAMME COMMITTEE * ------------------------------------------------------------ Chair: Moamar Sayed-Mouchaweh, Mines Douai, Institut Mines-Télécom, France Co-chair: Stéphane Lecoeuche, Mines Douai, Institut Mines-Télécom, France Publication Chairs: José A. Iglesias, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, Spain Edwin Lughofer, Johannes Kepler University of Linz, Austria Local Arrangement Chair: Anthony Fleury, Mines Douai, Institut Mines-Télécom, France Muriel Morgan, Mines Douai, Institut Mines-Télécom, France Web & Publicity Chairs: Teck-Hou Teng, School of Computer Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore Mihaly Petreczky, Mines Douai, Institut Mines-Télécom, France Vincent Lecocq, Mines Douai, Institut Mines-Télécom, France Houari * SPONSORED BY * ------------------------------------------------------------------------- IEEE Systems, Man & Cybernetics Society. * ORGANIZED BY * ------------------------------------------------------------------------- IEEE Systems, Man & Cybernetics Society Technical Committee on Evolving Intelligent Systems Ecole des Mines de Douai, Département Informatique et Automatique, France ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------

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CARLsim 3.0.2 released
by Michael Beyeler July 23, 2015

July 23, 2015

Dear colleagues, Many of you may be interested in our latest software release of the CARLsim simulator. CARLsim is an efficient, easy-to-use, GPU-accelerated library for simulating large-scale spiking neural network (SNN) models with a high degree of biological detail. Software and documentation can be found at: http://www.socsci.uci.edu/~jkrichma/CARLsim This release is in conjunction with our latest publications, which highlight CARLsim’s latest features. * Beyeler, M., Carlson, K.D., Chou, T.S., Krichmar, J.L., Dutt, N., (2015) CARLsim 3: A User-Friendly and Highly Optimized Library for the Creation of Neurobiologically Detailed Spiking Neural Networks. Paper presented at: International Joint Conference on Neural Networks (Killarney, Ireland). * Beyeler, M., Richert, M., Dutt, N.D., and Krichmar, J.L. (2014). Efficient Spiking Neural Network Model of Pattern Motion Selectivity in Visual Cortex. Neuroinformatics. * Carlson, K.D., Nageswaran, J.M., Dutt, N., and Krichmar, J.L. (2014). An efficient automated parameter tuning framework for spiking neural networks. Frontiers in Neuroscience 8. * Carlson, K.D., Richert, M., Dutt, N., and Krichmar, J.L. (2013). Biologically Plausible Models of Homeostasis and STDP: Stability and Learning in Spiking Neural Networks. Paper presented at: International Joint Conference on Neural Networks (Dallas, TX). If you have recently used CARLsim in one of your scientific publications, let us know so that we can add your paper to the list. CARLsim 3.0.2 Release Highlights --------------------------------------------- * improved platform compatibility (Linux, Mac OS X, and Windows) * real-time and offline data analysis tools * an automated parameter tuning interface that utilizes evolutionary algorithms to construct functional SNNs * an expanded STDP implementation, which includes dopaminergic neuromodulation * an exhaustive User Guide and Tutorials * much improved code base, which includes a test suite for functional code verification Best regards from the CARLsim team, Michael Beyeler Kristofor Carlson Ting-Shuo Chou Nikil Dutt Jeff Krichmar -- Michael Beyeler Ph.D. Candidate Cognitive Anteater Robotics Lab (CARL) 2236 Cognitive & Behavioral Science Gateway University of California, Irvine Irvine, CA 92697-5100, USA http://sites.uci.edu/mbeyeler

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PhD position announcement in computational neuroscience
by Mike X Cohen July 22, 2015

July 22, 2015

Mike X Cohen and Paul Tiesinga are searching for a PhD Candidate to work on a project entitled “Midfrontal Cortex Theta Oscillations: Causes and Consequences”. This project is funded by the European Research Council and is hosted by the Donders Centre for Neuroscience. Theta-band oscillations (~6 Hz) in the medial prefrontal cortex are a signature of several important cognitive functions, including behaviour monitoring, action adjustments and feedback-driven learning. Although this consistent finding has emerged in several species including humans, monkeys, and rats, little is known about the microcircuits in the medial prefrontal cortex that generate theta oscillations and the role of those oscillations in the neural computations underlying cognitive control functions. In this project, we aim to gain more insight into these processes by employing biophysically-informed computational models to simulate the genesis and significance of midfrontal theta for coordinating local and long-range network dynamics. Empirical experiments in humans and rodents may be incorporated into the research in order to test/refine the models. Please see http://www.ru.nl/overons/werken-radboud/details/details_vacature_0/?recid=5… for additional details. -- Mike X Cohen, PhD mikexcohen.com

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Bernstein Conference: Early registration ends on July 24, 2015
by Seeger, Simone July 22, 2015

July 22, 2015

BERNSTEIN CONFERENCE 2015 in Heidelberg Early registration ends on July 24, 2015! Please register here<https://mi3.lambdalogic.de/forms/Bernstein2015.do>. *************************************************************************** Satellite Workshops<http://www.nncn.de/en/bernstein-conference/2015/satellite-workshops> September 14, 2015 Main Conference<http://www.nncn.de/en/bernstein-conference/2015/program> September 15-17, 2015 *************************************************************************** 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 Center Heidelberg-Mannheim and will take place in Heidelberg on September 15-17, 2015. In addition, there will be a series of pre-conference satellite workshops on September 14, 2015. 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. The Bernstein conference will also feature a series of satellite workshops on September 14, 2015. The goal is to provide an informal forum for the discussion of timely research questions and challenges. For more information on the conference, please visit: http://www.bernstein-conference.de<https://mail.zi-mannheim.de/OWA/redir.aspx?C=mYOXLQcyKEWWGs2ITdwALYoLj0aoVt…> CONFERENCE DATE AND VENUE: Satellite Workshops September 14, 2015 Main Conference September 15-17, 2015 Venue: Neue Universität, Grabengasse 3-5, 69117 Heidelberg, Germany PHD STUDENT EVENT: September 17-18, 2015 ORGANIZING COMMITTEE: Peter Bastian Andreas Draguhn Daniel Durstewitz Martin Gerchen Joachim Hass Elke Jochum Peter Kirsch Andreas Meyer-Lindenberg Christoph Schuster Simone Seeger We look forward to seeing you in Heidelberg in September! *** Simone Seeger, M.A. Administration Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience Zentralinstitut für Seelische Gesundheit Postfach 12 21 20, 68072 Mannheim J5, 68159 Mannheim Telefon: 0621/1703-1326 oder 06221/54-8310 Fax: 0621/1703-2915 E-Mail: Simone.Seeger(a)zi-mannheim.de<mailto:Simone.Seeger@zi-mannheim.de> Internet: http://www.bccn-heidelberg-mannheim.de<http://www.bccn-heidelberg-mannheim.de/>

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CFP: ICDM Workshop HealthMining 2015 and HISS Special Issue (Deadline extended: Aug 3, 2015)
by william July 21, 2015

July 21, 2015

[Please accept our apologies if you receive multiple copies of this email] CALL FOR PAPERS (Submission Deadline Extended: >>>Aug 3<<<, 2015) HEALTHMINING 2015 - The ICDM Workshop on Data Mining and Decision Analytics on Public Health and Wellness (URL: http://www.comp.hkbu.edu.hk/~healthmining2015/) In conjunction with the IEEE International Conference on Data Mining (ICDM 2015) >>> SPECIAL ISSUE <<< Selected papers of the workshop will be invited for revision to be included in a special issue to be published in Health Information Science and Systems (URL: http://www.hissjournal.com/) AIMS and SCOPE For many years, data mining and decision analytics techniques have already been extensively applied to various domains, such as smart environments, social networks, marketing, and web technology. The focus of this workshop is mainly on the issues and challenges of data mining techniques with the purpose of improving human well-being and quality of life. It is expected that the workshop may increase the diversity of application areas that can benefit from data mining. At the same time, it is also desirable that the discussion and vision of this workshop would also offer further insights into, as well as new tools for, the issues of data collection, processing, system modeling, simulation and optimization arising from various public health topics. The objective of this workshop is to serve as a venue for researchers to discuss how data mining and analytics methods can contribute to improving public health quality in clinical, medical/biomedical, and healthcare systems in smart ways, including evidence-based medicine, personalized treatment and healthcare, assistive technology and active surveillance and control of diseases. In addition to mining statistical regularities, associations, or causalities from large-scale health-related datasets, it would be more desirable to further investigate how the results can effectively and efficiently support decision-making, system modeling, optimization, and simulation in various healthcare systems. TOPICS OF INTEREST - Large-scale data acquisition and management issues for public health - Social and other network-based analysis for public health - Medical big data mining and innovative applications - Mining risk patterns in medical data - Mental and physical health data integration - Biomarker discovery and biomedical data mining - Clinical data mining for practice knowledge building - Data mining from clinical decision-making, and practitioner reflection - Data mining from genetic data of diseases - Data mining for disease profiling and personalized treatment - Data mining for (active) syndromic surveillance - Data mining for infectious/chronic disease epidemiology and control - Data mining for exploring hidden patterns in clinical systems - Data mining for medical/biomedical, and healthcare systems - Data mining for assistive environments - Data modeling and information management forpervasive assistive environments - Data mining and knowledge modeling for wellness - Spatiotemporal data exploration and mining of diseases - Unstructured data mining in medicine and healthcare - Semantic data mining in medicine and healthcare - Scalable data integration in medicine and healthcare - Evidence-based decision-support systems - Healthcare knowledge abstraction, classification, and summarization - Healthcare knowledge computerization, execution, inference, and representation IMPORTANT DATES - Paper Submission Due: >>>Aug 3<<<, 2015 - Paper Notification Date: Sep 1, 2015 - Workshop Date: Nov 13, 2015 ORGANIZING COMMITTEE - William K. Cheung, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong - Jiming Liu, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong - Parisa Rashidi, University of Florida, USA - Fei Wang, University of Connecticut, USA Department of Computer Science: http://www.comp.hkbu.edu.hk HKBU Faculty of Science: http://www.sci.hkbu.edu.hk Disclaimer: http://www.comp.hkbu.edu.hk/disclaimer

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Journal of Mathematical Neuroscience - recent articles
by Stephen Coombes July 20, 2015

July 20, 2015

Dear all, The Journal of Mathematical Neuroscience publishes research articles on the mathematical modeling and analysis of all areas of neuroscience. The current list of journal articles is available at http://www.mathematical-neuroscience.com/ : Conditions for Multi-functionality in a Rhythm Generating Network Inspired by Turtle Scratching Snyder AC and Rubin JE http://www.mathematical-neuroscience.com/content/5/1/15 The Minimal k-Core Problem for Modeling k-Assemblies Wood CI and Hicks IV http://www.mathematical-neuroscience.com/content/5/1/14 Stochastic Synchronization in Purkinje Cells with Feedforward Inhibition Could Be Studied with Equivalent Phase-Response Curves Verduzco-Flores S http://www.mathematical-neuroscience.com/content/5/1/13 Orientation Maps in V1 and Non-Euclidean Geometry Afgoustidis A http://www.mathematical-neuroscience.com/content/5/1/12 On the Effects on Cortical Spontaneous Activity of the Symmetries of the Network of Pinwheels in Visual Area V1 Veltz R, Chossat P and Faugeras O http://www.mathematical-neuroscience.com/content/5/1/11 and see also the recent Special Issue on Stochastic Network Models in Neuroscience http://www.mathematical-neuroscience.com/series/SNMN<http://www.mathematical-neuroscience.com/series/UB> All articles are Open Access. Best regards, Steve ------------------------------------------------------- Stephen Coombes Professor of Applied Mathematics School of Mathematical Sciences Nottingham, UK Tel: 0115 846 7836 http://www.maths.nott.ac.uk/~sc/ ------------------------------------------------------- This message and any attachment are intended solely for the addressee and may contain confidential information. If you have received this message in error, please send it back to me, and immediately delete it. Please do not use, copy or disclose the information contained in this message or in any attachment. Any views or opinions expressed by the author of this email do not necessarily reflect the views of the University of Nottingham. This message has been checked for viruses but the contents of an attachment may still contain software viruses which could damage your computer system, you are advised to perform your own checks. Email communications with the University of Nottingham may be monitored as permitted by UK legislation.

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WORKHOP Nonlinear Dynamics in Computational Neuroscience, Turin 7-9 sept 2015
by Alessandro Torcini July 19, 2015

July 19, 2015

Deadline 30th August: Nonlinear Dynamics in Computational Neuroscience: from Physics and Biology to ICT to be held on September 07-09, 2015 in Turin, Italy Organizers: Fernando Corinto (Politecnico di Torino, Turin, Italy) and Alessandro Torcini (ISC-CNR, Florence, Italy) More information on the workshop can be found in the web page: http://www.neuro-eng-comp.polito.it/workshop/ Confirmed invited speakers include Cristina Becchio (University of Turin, Italy) Ruben Moreno Bote (CIBERSAM - Barcelona, Spain) George Bourianov (Intel/University of Texas at Austin, USA) Emilio Carbone (University of Turin, Italy) Stephen Coombes (University of Nottingham, UK) Steve Furber (The University of Manchester, UK) Julius Georgiou (University of Cyprus, Cyprus) Viktor Jirsa (INSERM - Marseille, France) Luke P. Lee (UC Berkeley, USA) Stefano Luccioli (ISC CNR - Florence, Italy) Maurizio Mattia (ISS - Roma, Italy) Benedetto Sacchetti (University of Turin, Italy) Maria Sanchez-Vives (IDIBAPS - Barcelona, Spain) Ronald Tetzlaff (TU Dresden, Germany) The poster can be downloaded from here http://goo.gl/CDY0Eg The workshop is kindly supported by the: SICC - Italian Society for Chaos and Complexity, IEEE CASS Outreach 2015 Initiative, CRT Foundation, Marie Curie Initial Training project NETT - Neural Engineering Transformative Technologies, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Italy)

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Postdoctoral Position in Computational Neuroscience at IUPUI
by Yaroslav Molkov July 16, 2015

July 16, 2015

A postdoctoral/research associate position in computational neuroscience for the duration of up to two years is available in the externally funded project focusing on multiscale computational modeling of motor control mechanisms, involving interactions between basal ganglia, thalamus, cerebellum, cortex, and spinal cord in connection with realistic simulation of pathological changes in motor control during Huntington’s disease. This collaborative project is performed jointly by the groups of Drs. Ilya Rybak (Dept. of Neurobiology and Anatomy, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, USA) and Yaroslav Molkov (Dept. of Mathematical Science, Indiana University – Purdue University, Indianapolis, IN, USA). Applicants must have a PhD degree in Neuroscience, Applied Mathematics, Physics, or a related discipline, a *strong research record*, and excellent C++ programming skills. Previous experience in computational neuronal modeling is a plus. Interested candidates are encouraged to contact Dr. Molkov ( ymolkov(a)iupui.edu) by email. To apply, please send an email along with (1) curriculum vitae; (2) a cover letter describing previous research experience and interests; (3) the names and contact information of three references. I will be available to answer questions and discuss this job opportunity with potential candidates at the CNS’2015 meeting in Prague, Czech Republic (July 18-23). Please email me to arrange a meeting. ================================= Yaroslav Molkov, Ph.D. Assistant Professor Indiana University - Purdue University at Indianapolis Department of Mathematical Sciences 402 N. Blackford St, LD 270, Indianapolis, IN 46202 Office: LD 224U Phone: (317) 274-6934 Fax: (317) 274-3460 Email: ymolkov(a)iupui.edu

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Postdoc in Computational Visual Neuroscience (Alicante-Valencia, SPAIN)
by Jesus Malo Lopez July 16, 2015

July 16, 2015

The Neuroscience Institute of Alicante (CSIC) and the Universitat de Valencia are involved on a multiyear project to study neural computation and coding in visual cortex. We have an opening for a 3 year postdoc position to model information processing in the retina-cortex pathway. Job title: "The human camera: compressive sensing in brain networks and decoding from neural responses" (see additional information about the project at http://isp.uv.es/bmi.html ) Applications are invited for the above position to work with Dr. Luis Martinez (Neuroscience Institute of Alicante, CSIC, http://thevisualanalogylab.wix.com/valab) and Dr. Jesús Malo (Image & Signal Processing Lab, Universitat de Valencia, http://isp.uv.es ). The aim of this work is understanding dimensionality reduction in the retina-cortex bottleneck and enabling image reconstruction from actual neural recordings at cortical level. The "Human Camera" could be seen as a new Brain Machine Interface for image transmission in which the nontrivial/adaptive feature extraction stage is done by a brain instead of by the conventional compression algorithm. The input signal should be reconstructed from the neural signal at the receiver. Candidates must be in possession of a doctoral degree in computational neuroscience, machine learning, physics, mathematics or engineering. Preference will be given to candidates with experience and genuine interest in vision science phenomena and models. Work will be developed both at the Neuroscience Institute of Alicante and at the Universitat de València, with strong collaboration between the experimental and theoretical members of the team. Salary: according to CSIC Postdoc scales including social security, health insurance benefits, and travel money. Contact: Please email jesus.malo(a)uv.es or luis.m.martinez.otero(a)gmail.com for any queries about the position.

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Special Issue on Emerging Spatial Competences: From Machine Perception to Sensorimotor Intelligence
by Agostino Gibaldi July 15, 2015

July 15, 2015

APOLOGIES FOR CROSS-POSTING. Dear Researcher, we are very glad to inform you that the Special Issue “Emerging Spatial Competences: From Machine Perception to Sensorimotor Intelligence” (http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/09218890) has been published on the Robotics and Autonomous System Journal (http://www.journals.elsevier.com/robotics-and-autonomous-systems) The aim of this special issue is to survey a state of the art of methodologies, concepts, algorithms and techniques that would serve as bricks on which to build and develop artificial agents with such a spatial competence; perceptual and cognitive understanding of space should emerge from sensorimotor exercise. The Special Issue includes 13 papers (acceptance rate 40%) plus the editorial: Emerging spatial competences: From machine perception to sensorimotor intelligence Agostino Gibaldi, Silvio P. Sabatini, Sylvain Argentieri, Zhengping Ji Self-calibrating smooth pursuit through active efficient coding C. Teulière, S. Forestier, L. Lonini, C. Zhang, Y. Zhao, B. Shi, J. Triesch Learning the visual–oculomotor transformation: Effects on saccade control and space representation Marco Antonelli, Angel J. Duran, Eris Chinellato, Angel P. del Pobil Autonomous learning of disparity–vergence behavior through distributed coding and population reward: Basic mechanisms and real-world conditioning on a robot stereo head Agostino Gibaldi, Andrea Canessa, Fabio Solari, Silvio P. Sabatini A developmental where–what network for concurrent and interactive visual attention and recognition Zhengping Ji, Juyang Weng Learning agent’s spatial configuration from sensorimotor invariants Alban Laflaquière, J. Kevin O’Regan, Sylvain Argentieri, Bruno Gas, Alexander V. Terekhov Trainable sensorimotor mapping in a neuromorphic robot Jörg Conradt, Francesco Galluppi, Terrence C. Stewart Cortically inspired sensor fusion network for mobile robot egomotion estimation Cristian Axenie, Jörg Conradt Deep unsupervised network for multimodal perception, representation and classification Alain Droniou, Serena Ivaldi, Olivier Sigaud Support relation analysis and decision making for safe robotic manipulation tasks Rasoul Mojtahedzadeh, Abdelbaki Bouguerra, Erik Schaffernicht, Achim J. Lilienthal Model-free incremental learning of the semantics of manipulation actions Eren Erdal Aksoy, Minija Tamosiunaite, Florentin Wörgötter Human motion based intent recognition using a deep dynamic neural model Zhibin Yu, Minho Lee Hybrid learning model and MMSVM classification for on-line visual imitation of a human with 3-D motions Chih-Lyang Hwang, Bo-Lin Chen, Hsing-Hao Huang, Huei-Ting Syu Interfacing robotic tactile sensation with human vibrotactile perception for digit recognition Anwesha Khasnobish, Shreyasi Datta, Dwaipayan Sardar, D.N. Tibarewala, Amit Konar Cordially, the Guest Editors: Agostino Gibaldi and Silvio P. Sabatini Department of Informatics, Bioengineering, Robotics and System Engineering PSPC Lab (www.pspc.unige.it) University of Genoa, Italy Sylvain Argentieri Institute for Intelligent Systems and Robotics (ISIR), Sorbonne Universités, UPMC University, Paris 06, France Zhengping Ji Advanced Image Research Laboratory (AIRL), Samsung, Pasadena, CA, USA

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Software for Non-parametric directionality analysis
by David Halliday July 14, 2015

July 14, 2015

[Apologies for cross posting] MATLAB software to implement non-parametric directionality analysis for spike-train and time-series data is available for free download from the NeuroSpec archive. A user guide and demonstration scripts are included. http://www.neurospec.org/ An accompanying journal article is published in the Journal of Integrative Neuroscience: "Nonparametric directionality measures for time series and point process data", J. Integr. Neurosci., 14, 253-277 (2015). DOI: 10.1142/S0219635215300127 http://dx.doi.org/10.1142/S0219635215300127 Abstract The need to determine the directionality of interactions between neural signals is a key requirement for analysis of multichannel recordings. Approaches most commonly used are parametric, typically relying on autoregressive models. A number of concerns have been expressed regarding parametric approaches, thus there is a need to consider alternatives. We present an alternative nonparametric approach for construction of directionality measures for bivariate random processes. The method combines time and frequency domain representations of bivariate data to decompose the correlation by direction. Our framework generates two sets of complementary measures, a set of scalar measures, which decompose the total product moment correlation coefficient summatively into three terms by direction and a set of functions which decompose the coherence summatively at each frequency into three terms by direction: forward direction, reverse direction and instantaneous interaction. It can be undertaken as an addition to a standard bivariate spectral and coherence analysis, and applied to either time series or point-process (spike train) data or mixtures of the two (hybrid data). In this paper, we demonstrate application to spike train data using simulated cortical neurone networks and application to experimental data from isolated muscle spindle sensory endings subject to random efferent stimulation. - David Halliday Department of Electronics University of York YORK YO10 5DD, UK. E-Mail: david.halliday(a)york.ac.uk

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Tutorial on Interfaces in Computational Neuroscience Software
by Jochen Martin Eppler July 14, 2015

July 14, 2015

[Sorry if you receive this mail through multiple channels] This is to inform you about the CNS2015 tutorial entitled "Interfaces in Computational Neuroscience Software". In the tutorial, Jochen M. Eppler (Research Centre Jülich, Germany), Mikael Djurfeldt (INCF and KTH PDC, Sweden) and Janne Moren (OIST and RIKEN AICS, Japan) will present the combined use of the tools NEST, CSA and MUSIC. Introductory talks will explain the concepts behind the tools and libraries, while hands-on sessions will allow the participants to gather some experience with them. The software for the hands-on sessions will be provided in the form of a virtual machine image readily usable on top of your laptop. More information on the tutorial can be found on the homepage of the meeting at http://www.cnsorg.org/cns-2015-tutorials#t6 Looking forward to seeing you in Prague! Best regards, Jochen Eppler -- Dr. Jochen Martin Eppler Phone: +49 2461 61-9471 ---------------------------------- Simulation Laboratory Neuroscience Jülich Supercomputing Centre Institute for Advanced Simulation ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Forschungszentrum Juelich GmbH 52425 Juelich Sitz der Gesellschaft: Juelich Eingetragen im Handelsregister des Amtsgerichts Dueren Nr. HR B 3498 Vorsitzender des Aufsichtsrats: MinDir Dr. Karl Eugen Huthmacher Geschaeftsfuehrung: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Wolfgang Marquardt (Vorsitzender), Karsten Beneke (stellv. Vorsitzender), Prof. Dr.-Ing. Harald Bolt, Prof. Dr. Sebastian M. Schmidt ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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CFP: The First International Workshop on Computational Models of the Visual Cortex (CMVC) as part of the BICT, New York, 3-5 Dec 2015
by George Azzopardi July 14, 2015

July 14, 2015

Dear All, We are pleased to announce The First International Workshop on Computational Models of the Visual Cortex (CMVC) as part of the BICT (Bio-inspired Information and Communication Technologies) conference, which will be held in New York City, New York, 3-5 December (http://bionetics.org/2015/show/home) Background Much has been advanced since the early works of the Nobel prize winners Hubel and Wiesel about the function of neurons in the primary visual cortex of cats’ brains. That work has been the source of inspiration of abundant neurophysiological studies to unveil the functionality of neurons in different areas of visual cortex. These experiments resulted in large amounts of data, which could then be used to design computational models to behave similarly to certain neurons in visual cortex. The contribution of such models is two-fold. They contribute to the better understanding of how visual information is processed in the brain, and they also contribute for the development of more robust algorithms in computer vision applications. The aim of this workshop is to bring together recent development of computational modelling of the visual cortex of the brain: Single cell modeling. Hierarchy of visual cortex areas Feedforward, feedback and inhibitory mechanisms. The appearance of neuronal properties: sparsity and selectivity. Circuitry: hierarchical representations and connections between layers. Selecting where to look: saliency and attention. Object recognition Contour detection Stereo Learning Important Dates Full papers due: July 31, 2015 Authors Notified: August 31, 2015 Camera-ready due: September 30, 2015 Paper submission We invite you to submit regular papers (up to 8 pages each), short papers (up to 4 pages each) or poster/demo papers (up to 2 pages each) in ACM's paper template. Up to two extra pages are allowed for each paper with extra page charges. See http://bionetics.org/2015/show/initial-submission for more details. Paper Submission Only PDF format is acceptable. Papers must be submitted to EasyChair: https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=cmvc2015 For more information about the CMVC workshop please visit: http://cmvc.bionetics.org/2015/show/home Sincerely yours, Antonio Rodriguez-Sanchez, PhD George Azzopardi, PhD Co-chairs of CMVC’2015

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NEURON course and NSG Workshop at SFN 2015 meeting
by Ted Carnevale July 13, 2015

July 13, 2015

Two events of particular interest to computational neuroscientists will be presented as satellite sessions to the 2015 SFN meeting in Chicago. Using NEURON to Model Cells and Networks Friday, Oct. 16 from 9 AM to 5 PM at a site in downtown Chicago This course provides a practical introduction to building and using models of neurons and networks with NEURON. Covered topics include basic concepts, workflow for building and using models, speeding up simulations with parallel hardware from multicore personal computers to massively parallel supercomputers, using Python with NEURON, and modeling reactive diffusion with the RxD class. Using the Neuroscience Gateway Portal for Parallel Simulation Saturday, Oct. 17 from 9 AM to noon at a site in downtown Chicago This workshop combines didactic presentations with hands on instruction on how to use the Neuroscience Gateway Portal (NSG) for parallel simulations. NSG eliminates most adminstrative and technical barriers to using high performance computing resources--it even gives away free CPU time. Simulators that are currently installed on NSG include NEST, PyNN, Brian, GENESIS3, NEURON, and MOOSE. Also available is FreeSurfer, a set of tools for analysis and visualization of structural and functional brain imaging data. Friday, Oct. 2, is the registration deadline for both of these events, but you should sign up early because space is limited. See https://www.neuron.yale.edu/neuron/courses for more information and links to registration forms. --Ted

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Workshop at CNS2015 on Dopamine neurons and the circuits they participate in
by Canavier, Carmen C. July 13, 2015

July 13, 2015

Title: Computational Models of Midbrain Dopamine Neurons and Dopaminergic Signaling Organizer: Carmen Canavier ccanav(a)lsuhsc.edu<mailto:ccanav@lsuhsc.edu> July 23, Prague, Room RB209 (subject to change) Description: This workshop features recent experimental and modeling work on SNc and VTA dopamine neurons in the context of addiction, Parkinson’s disease and schizophrenia. Time Speaker Title 9-9:30 Alexey Kuznetsov A model for VTA circuitry: toolbox for the study of addictions 9:30-10 Eleftheria Pissadaki From the axons of the SNc dopamine neurons to their dendritic processes: further clues to susceptibility in Parkinson's disease 10-10:30 COFFEE BREAK 10:30-11 Rebekah Evans T type calcium channels trigger a hyperpolarization induced after depolarization (HI-ADP) in SNc dopamine neurons 11-11:30 Andy Oster VTA Dopamine Neuron Dynamics: response to ramping applied currents 11:30-12:00 Carmen Canavier Dynamic Diversity of Dopamine Neurons 12:00-1:30 LUNCH BREAK 1:30-2 Guillaume Drion Potential functional implications of a hidden variability in SNc DA neuron excitability 2-2:30 Jinyoung Jang Spontaneous firing system in the midbrain dopamine neu- ron 2:30-3 Boris Gutkin VTA circuit models and nicotine/alcohol effects on DA dynamics 3-3:30 DISCUSSION AND CLOSING REMARKS

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Workshop at CNS2015: Open Collaboration in Computational Neuroscience
by Padraig Gleeson July 13, 2015

July 13, 2015

[Apology for cross-postings] Announcing a workshop at the CNS2015 meeting in Prague, Thursday July 23: Open Collaboration in Computational Neuroscience http://opensourcebrain.org/docs/Help/Meetings#CNS_2015 Building and analysing biophysically and anatomically detailed neuronal networks is a complex and time consuming task, which ideally involves researchers with a range of backgrounds and technical skills. However, most labs cannot expect to have all of these researchers present at any given time. This can lead to stalled projects, lost data and software and needless repetition of experimental and computational work. A number of initiatives have been started which address these issues. Some are creating public resources with freely available data to constrain such models. Others are using best practices from open source software development to encourage building and sharing of models in a collaborative environment. This workshop will serve as an informative introduction to these projects as well as a discussion forum for getting feedback and gathering requirements from the community for the developers of these initiatives. There are still a number of slots available for *5-10 minute lightning talks*, so if you are involved in a project in this area and wish to publicise it, please get in contact. *Confirmed speakers:* Jan Antolik (CNRS) Collaboration in neuronal modelling: model sharing, workflows and provenance Nicholas Cain (Allen Brain Institute) Resources for Open Collaboration at the Allen Brain Institute <http://www.brain-map.org/> Padraig Gleeson (University College London) NeuroML <https://neuroml.org/> & the Open Source Brain Initiative <http://opensourcebrain.org/> Adrian Quintana (University College London) Geppetto <http://www.geppetto.org/>: online visualisation & simulation for neuronal models Michael Sonntag (LMU München) The NIX Project: Comprehensive Storage of Neuroscience Data and Metadata <https://github.com/G-Node/nix> Matteo Cantarelli (MetaCell Ltd) OpenWorm <http://www.openworm.org/> Aurel A. Lazar (Columbia University) Neurokernel <http://neurokernel.github.io/>: An Open Source Platform for Emulating the Fruit Fly Brain Bill Lytton (SUNY Downstate Medical Center) ModelDB <http://senselab.med.yale.edu/ModelDB/> Eilif Muller (EPFL) Human Brain Project <https://www.humanbrainproject.eu/> resources for the integrative modelling community Shreejoy Tripathy (University of British Columbia) Open electrophysiology data and Neuroelectro.org <http://neuroelectro.org/> ----------------------------------------------------- Padraig Gleeson Room 321, Anatomy Building Department of Neuroscience, Physiology& Pharmacology University College London Gower Street London WC1E 6BT United Kingdom +44 207 679 3214 p.gleeson(a)ucl.ac.uk -----------------------------------------------------

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postdoc in computational neuroscience
by Máté Lengyel July 13, 2015

July 13, 2015

Postdoctoral Fellow in Computational Neuroscience University of Cambridge We are seeking a highly creative and motivated postdoctoral fellow (research associate or senior research associate) to work in the group of Máté Lengyel (http://learning.eng.cam.ac.uk/Public/Lengyel/) at the Computational and Biological Learning Lab, Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge to work on circuit- and systems-level of memory, in particular the interaction between recollective and familiarity-based forms of recognition memory. The project involves collaboration with Peter Dayan (Gatsby Computational Neuroscience Unit, UCL), and also Richard Henson (MRC Cognition and Brain Unit, Cambridge) providing direct access to relevant behavioural and imaging data. More broadly, the group studies learning and memory from computational, algorithmic/representational and neurobiological viewpoints. Computationally and algorithmically, we use ideas from Bayesian approaches to statistical inference and reinforcement learning to characterize the goals and mechanisms of learning in terms of normative principles and behavioral results. We also perform dynamical systems analyses of reduced biophysical models to understand the mapping of these mechanisms into cellular and network models. We collaborate very closely with experimental neuroscience groups, doing in vitro intracellular recordings, multi-unit recordings in behaving animals, human psychophysical, and fMRI experiments. The successful candidate will have a strong analytical background and demonstrable interest in theoretical neuroscience. They should have or be close to completion of a PhD or equivalent in computational neuroscience, physics, mathematics, computer science, machine learning or a related field. Previous experience in computational neuroscience is not required, but preference will be given to candidates with sufficient programming skills to run numerical simulations, or expertise with neural network models, analysis of dynamical systems, and Bayesian techniques. The position is funded for several years, with an initial one-year appointment and an expectation of extension to at least two years given satisfactory performance. Salary depends on experience and is in the range £28,695 - £48,743 p.a. Further information: http://www.jobs.cam.ac.uk/job/7261/ http://www.jobs.cam.ac.uk/job/7176/ For informal queries, please contact Mate Lengyel <m.lengyel(a)eng.cam.ac.uk>. Mate Lengyel -- Mate Lengyel, PhD Computational and Biological Learning Lab Cambridge University Engineering Department Trumpington Street, Cambridge CB2 1PZ, UK tel: +44 (0)1223 748 532, fax: +44 (0)1223 765 587 email: m.lengyel(a)eng.cam.ac.uk web: www.eng.cam.ac.uk/~m.lengyel

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