Fwd: [Comp-neuro] JNNS2011 - Submission Deadline Extended (September 9, 2011)

Begin forwarded message:

From: Junichiro Yoshimoto <jun-y@oistjp>
Date: August 31, 2011 1:13:51 AM
To: comp-neuro@neuroinf.org
Subject: [Comp-neuro] JNNS2011 - Submission Deadline Extended (September 9, 2011)

----------------------------------------------------------------
*** Our apologies if you receive multiple copies of this CFP ***
----------------------------------------------------------------

Due to numerous requests, the deadline of JNNS2011 paper submission has
been extended. The new dealine is noon UTC of
*** September 9, 2011 ***.

In addition, we are very sorry that the application deadline for
JNNS2011 Young Presenter Awards was wrongly announced in our website.
Due to the erratum, the application deadline of JNNS2011 Young Presenter
Awards has been extended to September 16, 2011.

Thank you for your attention.


------------------------------------------------------------------
Annual Conference of the Japanese Neural Network Society (JNNS2011)
December 15-17, 2011
Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology
Web Site: http://wwwjnns.org/conference/2011/

The 21st Annual Conference of the Japanese Neural Network Society
(JNNS2011) will be held from December 15th to 17th at Okinawa Institute
of Science and Technology (OIST), an international graduate university
newly built on a semitropical island 1,600km southwest of Tokyo.
JNNS2011 aims to provide a forum for scientists, engineers, educators,
and students to discuss the latest progress and future challenges in the
field of neural information processing All presentations will be
English to promote international participation.

Keynote Speakers:
Dr. Richard Sutton (University of Alberta)
Dr. Peter Dayan (University College London)

Call for Papers:
JNNS2011 invites the submission of papers on substantial and original
research in all aspects of neural information processing. We welcome
contributions from diverse fields including neurobiology, psychology,
mathematical modeling and analysis, machine learning, and information
technology.
The presenting author should be a member of the Japanese Neural Network
Society (JNNS) or supporting societies except presenters from overseas.
An author can present only one paper but can be a non-presenting
co-author of other papers.
Papers should be written in English and is limited to two pages in A4
format using the LaTeX or Word template provided on the web site. Papers
should be submitted via the on-line submission site
(https://cmt.research.microsoft.com/JNNS2011/). The deadline has been
extended to noon UTC (9 pm JST) of September 9, 2011.
All submitted papers will go through reviewing for acceptance and
selection for oral presentation. The result will be notified by October
20. The presenting authors of accepted papers are asked to register for
attendance through the web site
(https://conv.toptour.co.jp/shop/evt/jnns2011_okinawa/) by October 31,
2011; otherwise, the acceptance will be cancelled.

Presentation Format:
All general presentations will be given in poster sessions. Selected
papers will be presented in single-track oral sessions as well.

Important Dates:
Paper submission deadline: September 9, 2011 (Extended).
Notification of acceptance: October 20, 2011.
Early registration deadline: October 31, 2011.

Support for students:
Travel support will be available for selected student presenters. The
support consists of part of traveling fee (up to JPY100,000 for students
from abroad; or up to JPY50,000 for students within Japan) and free
lodging in OIST Seaside house. To apply for the support, please select
the appropriate option in the on-line paper submission system; and the
application form will be sent from the JNNS2011 secretariat around
September 15, 2011. The result of selection will be notified together
with the paper acceptance notice by October 20th, 2011. All the accepted
applicants are kindly asked to participate the satellite symposium "Fun
and challenges in combining theoretical and experiments neurosciences,"
which will be held at OIST on Dec. 14-15, 2011.

JNNS Young Presenter Awards:
JNNS presents Young Presenter Awards for distinguished papers presented
at JNNS2011. The eligibility for the award is the first and presenting
author who is a JNNS member at the age of 35 or younger (as of December
15, 2011) and has never received the award. The applicants for the award
are asked to fill in the application form, which can be downloaded from
the JNNS2011 official website, and submit to the JNNS2011 Secretariat
via an E-mail. The deadline is September 16, 2011. The awarding ceremony
will be held as a part of the closing ceremony of JNNS2011.

Sponsor: Japanese Neural Network Society
Co-Sponsor: Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology
Supported by The Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan, The
Institute of Electronics, Information and Communication Engineers, The
Japan Neuroscience Society, and The Society of Instrument and Control
Engineers, Information Processing Society of Japan, Japan Cognitive
Science Society, The Robotics Society of Japan, Fuzzy Logic Systems
Institute, Japan Society for Fuzzy Theory and Intelligent Informatics.

Organizers:
Executive Chair: Kenji Doya (OIST)
Program Chair: Junichiro Yoshimoto (OIST)

Secretariat:
Neural Computation Unit
Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology
1919-1 Tancha, Onna, Kunigami, Okinawa 904-0412, Japan
E-mail: jnns2011@oist.jp

Web Site: http://www.jnns.org/conference/2011/
Paper Submission Site: https://cmt.research.microsoft.com/JNNS2011/
Registration Site: https://conv.toptour.co.jp/shop/evt/jnns2011_okinawa/



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Fwd: [Comp-neuro] PhD position in Visual Neuroscience

Begin forwarded message:

From: David Omer <david.omer@tuebingen.mpg.de>
Date: August 31, 2011 7:22:48 AM
To: comp-neuro@neuroinf.org
Subject: [Comp-neuro] PhD position in Visual Neuroscience

A PhD position is available for exploring information processing in the visual cortex of awake non-human primates. Our aim is to understand the basic mechanisms by which cortical microcircuits process sensory information as well as to investigating the role of spontaneous ongoing cortical activity. To achieve these goals we employ optical imaging based on voltage sensitive dyes together with genetically designed reporters and electrophysiology recordings of neuronal activity from the visual cortex.

We are a newly established scientific team at the department of "Physiology of Cognitive Processes" at the Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics in Tübingen, Germany.
The institute, headed by Prof. Dr. Nikos Logothetis, offers a unique stimulating interdisciplinary scientific environment in which research is carried out at all levels of neuroscience.

The ideal candidate will be highly motivated and will have an educational background in neuroscience, computational neuroscience, biology, or related fields. Applicants require a university degree (Diploma or equivalent M.Sc.). Knowledge in psychophysics and/or neurophysiology is highly valued. Programming skills (e.g. Matlab) and experience in signal processing are highly desirable, and will need to be developed through the course of the PhD.

Applications should include a CV, a statement of research experience and interests, and names of at least 2 referees.
Please send your application electronically as a single pdf file to David Omer- david.omer@tuebingen.mpg.de


________________________________________
David B. Omer, PhD
MPI Tübingen, Germany; 
Tel +49 7071 6011692

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Fwd: [Comp-neuro] Call for Abstracts: International Conference on Decision Making (ICDM2011), December 9-12, 2011, India

Sent from my iPad

Begin forwarded message:

From: "V. S. Chandrasekhar Pammi" <pvscs@yahoo.com>
Date: August 29, 2011 5:43:43 AM CDT
To: comp-neuro@neuroinf.org
Cc: V S Chandrasekhar Pammi <cpammi@cbcs.ac.in>
Subject: [Comp-neuro] Call for Abstracts: International Conference on Decision Making (ICDM2011), December 9-12, 2011, India

*** Apologies for multiple postings of this Announcement ***

We would like to announce call for abstracts for the International Conference on Decision Making (ICDM2011), December 9-12, 2011, India organized by Centre of Behavioural and Cognitive Sciences, University of Allahabad, India.
--------------------------------------------------------------------

Call for abstracts:
Centre of Behavioural and Cognitive Sciences (CBCS), University of Allahabad will be conducting an International Conference on Decision Making (ICDM2011) in December 9-12, 2011. This interdisciplinary Conference on Decision Making will focus on behavioural, neural and computational approaches to decision making at multiple levels (individual and social/collective level) and multiple modalities (perceptual, multi-sensory and economic). The objective of this conference is to bring eminent researchers actively working in these areas to a common plat-form.  List of confirmed speakers and details about the conference are available on our website:
http://www.cbcs.ac.in/events/conferences/42-icdm2011

All the participants are required to submit an extended abstract of around 500 words. The abstracts can be sent by email to office@cbcs.ac.in as an attached file in MS word or RTF. The abstracts should reach by September 30, 2011.

Registration: All participants are required to register for the conference. Registration from will be available at the conference website.

Indian Delegates:
Students: Rs. 2500
Faculty: Rs. 3000
International Delegates: $100

Organizing Committee
Prof. A. K. Singh (VC and Patron)
Prof. Narayanan Srinivasan (Head and Co-Convenor)
Dr. Bhoomika R. Kar
Dr. Ramesh K. Mishra
Dr. V. S. Chandrasekhar Pammi (Convenor)

Convener
Dr. V. S. Chandrasekhar Pammi
Centre of Behavioural and Cognitive Sciences
Senate Hall Campus
University of Allahabad
Allahabad 211002, India
Tele/Fax: 0532-2460738
Email: office@cbcs.ac.in, cpammi@cbcs.ac.in

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[Comp-neuro] Five postdoc positions at INRIA in the NeuroMathComp group

The NeuroMathComp group is part of INRIA and CNRS, two major
government French Research Institutes. Members of the group are
actively conducting research in mathematical and computational
neuroscience. The group is funded through several European grants
(BrainScales, ERC NerVi, Keops, FACETS-ITN).

In this context we are currently looking for five excellent postdoc
candidates in four areas:

1) Neural field models for motion perception (2 positions)
2) Meanfield methods in neuroscience (1 position)
3) Solving Partial Differential Equations and variational problems
with networks of spiking neurons (1 position)
4) How to interpret the neural code to identify image and video
categories? (1 position)

To learn more about our research and these postdoc offers go to

http://www-sop.inria.fr/neuromathcomp

and follow the "Job offers" link.
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Fwd: [Comp-neuro] Survey "Towards Improving Workflows for Complex Electrophysiological Data"

Begin forwarded message:

From: Michael Denker <m.denker@fz-juelich.de>
Date: August 29, 2011 11:06:22 AM
To: comp-neuro@neuroinf.org
Subject: [Comp-neuro] Survey "Towards Improving Workflows for Complex Electrophysiological Data"

Dear colleagues,

we would like to invite researchers who work with electrophysiological
data to take part in an anonymous survey where we investigate how
scientists deal with the growing complexity of modern recording
techniques, experimental designs and analysis methods.

Please follow this link to participate:
http://www.csn.fz-juelich.de/survey

The outcomes of this survey will be made available and aim to guide
discussions which target at improvements in the handling of complex data
sets, facilitating interaction between experimental and computational
neuroscience.

Thank you for your valuable time, your input is highly appreciated!
Michael Denker
http://www.csn.fz-juelich.de


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Forschungszentrum Juelich GmbH
52425 Juelich
Sitz der Gesellschaft: Juelich
Eingetragen im Handelsregister des Amtsgerichts Dueren Nr. HR B 3498
Vorsitzender des Aufsichtsrats: MinDirig Dr. Karl Eugen Huthmacher
Geschaeftsfuehrung: Prof. Dr. Achim Bachem (Vorsitzender),
Dr. Ulrich Krafft (stellv. Vorsitzender), Prof. Dr.-Ing. Harald Bolt,
Prof. Dr. Sebastian M. Schmidt
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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[Comp-neuro] CFP: NIPS 2011 Workshop on Machine Learning and Inference in Neuroimaging

 
 Call for Papers  

NIPS 2011 Workshop on Machine Learning and Inference in Neuroimaging

https://sites.google.com/site/mlini2011/

December 16-17, 2011, Melia Sierra Nevada & Melia Sol y Nieve, Sierra Nevada, Spain

Submission deadline: September 30, 2011
 
Overview:
--------------

Modern multivariate statistical methods have been increasingly applied to various problems in neuroimaging, including "mind reading", "brain mapping", clinical diagnosis and prognosis. Multivariate pattern analysis (MVPA) is a promising machine-learning approach for discovering complex relationships between high-dimensional signals (e.g., brain images) and variables of interest (e.g., external stimuli and/or brain's cognitive states). Modern multivariate regularization approaches can overcome the curse of dimensionality and produce highly predictive models even in high-dimensional, low-sample scenarios typical in neuroimaging (e.g., 10 to 100 thousands of voxels and just a few hundreds of samples).

However, despite the rapidly growing number of neuroimaging applications in machine learning, its impact on how theories of brain function are construed has received little consideration. Accordingly, machine-learning techniques are frequently met with skepticism in the domain of cognitive neuroscience. In this workshop, we intend to investigate the implications that follow from adopting machine-learning methods for studying brain function. In particular, this concerns the question how these methods may be used to represent cognitive states, and what ramifications this has for consequent theories of cognition. Besides providing a rationale for the use of machine-learning methods in studying brain function, a further goal of this workshop is to identify shortcomings of state-of-the-art approaches and initiate research efforts that increase the impact of machine learning on cognitive neuroscience.

Moreover, from the machine learning perspective, neuroimaging is a rich source of challenging problems that can facilitate development of novel approaches. For example, feature extraction and feature selection approaches become particularly important in neuroimaging, since the primary objective is to gain a scientific insight rather than simply learn a ``black-box'' predictor. However, unlike some other applications where the set features might be quite well-explored and established by now, neuroimaging is a domain where a machine-learning researcher cannot simply "ask a domain expert what features should be used", since this is essentially the question the domain expert themselves are trying to figure out. While the current neuroscientific knowledge can guide the definition of specialized 'brain areas', more complex patterns of brain activity, such as spatio-temporal patterns, functional network patterns, and other multivariate dependencies remain to be discovered mainly via statistical analysis.

The list of open questions of interest to the workshop includes, but is not limited to the following:

● How can we interpret results of multivariate models in a neuroscientific context?
● How suitable are MVPA and inference methods for brain mapping?
● How can we assess the specificity and sensitivity?
● What is the role of decoding vs. embedded or separate feature selection?
● How can we use these approaches for a flexible and useful representation of neuroimaging data?
● What can we accomplish with generative vs. discriminative modelling?

Workshop Format:
--------------------------

In this two-day workshop we will explore perspectives and novel methodology at the interface of Machine Learning, Inference, Neuroimaging and Neuroscience. We aim to bring researchers from machine learning and neuroscience community together, in order to discuss open questions, identify the core points for a number of the controversial issues, and eventually propose approaches to solving those issues.

The workshop will be structured around 3 main topics:

- machine learning and pattern recognition methodology
- causal inference in neuroimaging
- linking machine learning, neuroimaging and neuroscience

Each session will be opened by 2-3 invited talks, and an in depth discussion. This will be followed by original contributions. Original contributions will also be presented and discussed during a poster session. The workshop will end with a panel discussion, during which we will address specific questions, and invited speakers will open each segment with a brief presentation of their opinion.

This workshop proposal is part of the PASCAL2 Thematic Programme on Cognitive Inference and Neuroimaging (http://mlin.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/).

Paper Submission:
--------------------------

We seek for submission of original research papers. The length of the submitted papers should not exceed 4 pages in Springer format (here are the LaTeX2e style files). We aim at publishing accepted paper after the workshop in a proceedings volume that contains full papers, together with review papers by the invited speakers. Authors are expected to prepare a full 8 page paper for the final camera ready version after the workshop.

Important dates:
--------------------------

- September 30rd 2011 - paper submission
- October 15th, 2011 - notification of acceptance/rejection
- December 16th - 17th - Workshop in Sierra Nevada, Spain, following the NIPS conference

Invited Speakers:
--------------------------

Polina Golland (MIT, US)
James V. Haxby (Dartmouth College, US)
Tom Mitchell (CMU, US)
Daniel Rueckert (Imperial College, UK)
Peter Spirtes (CMU, US)
Gaël Varoquaux (Neurospin/INRIA, France)

Program Committee:
--------------------------

Guillermo Cecchi (IBM T.J. Watson Research Center)
Melissa Carroll (Google)
Moritz Grosse-Wentrup (Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, Tübingen, Germany)*
James V. Haxby (Dartmouth College, USA, University of Trento, Italy)
Georg Langs (Medical University of Vienna)*
Bjoern Menze (ETH Zuerich, CSAIL, MIT)
Janaina Mourao-Miranda (University College London, United Kingdom)
Vittorio Murino (University of Verona/Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Italy)
Francisco Pereira (Princeton University)
Irina Rish (IBM T.J. Watson Research Center)*
Mert Sabuncu (Harvard Medical School)
Bertrand Thirion (INRIA, NEUROSPIN)

-------------------------------------------------
Irina Rish
Research Staff Member

IBM T.J. Watson Research Center
Computational Biology Center
1101 Kitchawan Rd., Rm. 04-106
Yorktown Heights, NY 10598
Tel 914 945 1896

[Comp-neuro] Opening five postdoc positions at INRIA in the NeuroMathComp group.

Opening five postdoc positions at INRIA in the NeuroMathComp group.

The NeuroMathComp group is part of INRIA and CNRS, two major government French Research Institutes. Members of the group are actively conducting research in mathematical and computational neuroscience. The group is funded through several European grants (BrainScales, ERC NerVi, Keops, FACETS-ITN).

In this context we are currently looking for five excellent postdoc candidates in four areas:
   1) Neural field models for motion perception (2 positions)
   2) Meanfield methods in neuroscience (1 position)
   3) Solving Partial Differential Equations and variational problems with networks of spiking neurons (1 position)
   4) How to interpret the neural code to identify image and video categories? (1 position)

To learn more about our research and these postdoc offers go to
http://www-sop.inria.fr/neuromathcomp
and follow the "Job offers" link.

Fwd: [Comp-neuro] DevLeaNN: Call for Papers and Extended Abstracts

Begin forwarded message:

From: "Kowaliw, Taras" <taras@kowaliwca>
Date: August 17, 2011 7:54:57 AM
To: "Kowaliw, Taras" <taras@kowaliw.ca>
Subject: [Comp-neuro] DevLeaNN: Call for Papers and Extended Abstracts

[Apologies for multiple postings]

Call for Papers and Extended Abstracts
DevLeaNN: A Workshop on Development and Learning in Artificial Neural
Networks
October 27 and 28, in Paris, France
http://devleann.iscpif.fr

DevLeaNN is a two-day workshop devoted to showcasing the current
state-of-the-art at the intersection of development and learning in
artificial neural network design. The purpose of DevLeaNN is to gather
researchers from related streams of research to present both novel
research and summaries of research portfolios.

Topics include, but are not limited to:
* constructive or pruning techniques / network ensembles
* neural Darwinism
* neuro-evolutionary techniques
* reservoir computing (Echo State Networks, Liquid State Machines)
* deep neural networks
* artificial development / artificial embryogeny / generative and
developmental techniques
* genotype-to-phenotype mappings
* temporal / spatial development
* artificial genetic regulatory networks
* neuromodulation
* plasticity
* knowledge representation / population coding
* topological optimization

We are soliciting papers and extended abstracts. Both novel research and
summaries of existing research portfolios are welcome.

WORKSHOP DATE AND VENUE:
October 27-28, 2011
Institut des systèmes complexes, Paris, France

IMPORTANT DATES:
* Paper/Extended Abstract Submission: Friday 9 September, 2011
* Paper/Extended Abstract Notification: Friday 23 September, 2011
* Workshop: Thursday 27 and Friday 28 October, 2011

INVITED SPEAKERS:
* Hugues Berry (Université de Lyon)
* Yaochu Jin (University of Surrey)
* Thomas Trappenberg (Dalhousie University)

For more information, or to submit or register, please visit:
http://devleann.iscpif.fr




Thanks for your attention, and we hope to see you in Paris!
T. Kowaliw, N. Bredeche, and R. Doursat

--
_____
Taras Kowaliw, Ph.D.

Guest Researcher / Chercheur Post-Doctorant,
Institut des Systèmes Complexes - Paris Île-de-France,
Centre national de la recherche scientifique,
57-59 rue Lhomond, 75005, Paris, France
t.: +33 01 42 17 40 35 | f.: + 33 01 45 35 79 21
w.: http://kowaliw.ca | e.: taras@kowaliw.ca



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Fwd: [visionlist] Computer Vision Engineer/Scientist positions at 2d3

Begin forwarded message:

From: Ben Ochoa <ben.ochoa@gmail.com>
Date: August 22, 2011 12:51:38 PM
To: imageworld@diku.dk,robotics-worldwide@usc.edu,visionlist@visionsciencecom,submission@vislist.com
Subject: [visionlist] Computer Vision Engineer/Scientist positions at 2d3

2d3 plans to fill up to 3 computer vision engineer/scientist positions.
One position will be based out of its Oxford office and the others out
of its Southern California office. The US position requires US
citizenship. Following is the job description.


The Company

Since 1999, 2d3 has supplied a range of computer vision products, all
based on 3D from the moving image, mainly to the film and television
production industries. The company's primary product, Boujou, the
world's leading automatic camera tracker, is now used by most film and
video post-production companies to generate visual effects requiring
accurate registration of real and virtual images.

In 2006, 2d3 expanded its efforts into the aerial imaging market. The
group has developed a set of technologies covering a wide range of
real-time and off-line computer vision capabilities for processing of
aerial motion imagery.

2d3 is part of OMG plc, a company with a 25 year history of developing,
manufacturing, and selling products for 3-dimensional tracking in
medical, industrial, government, and defense markets. OMG exports over
80% of its sales with customers in over 50 countries. Since 2001, OMG
has been listed on the London Stock Exchange.


The Job

The new appointee will be a computer vision engineer/scientist with
relevant research experience, gained in academic, public sector, or
commercial environments. He or she will join a team with similar
experience and act as technical lead on one or more projects covering
augmented reality, real time structure from motion, automatic object
recognition, vision hybrid navigation and targeting, tracking and
collision avoidance, and terrain and urban modeling.

2d3 has close working relationships and a number of active collaborative
projects with leading academic computer vision groups in UK, Europe, and
US. Members of the company regularly attend and present at the major
international computer vision conferences. Within the constraints of
commercial and national security, 2d3 encourages the publication of
peer-reviewed or invited papers and presentations.

2d3 uses Matlab for prototyping but the majority of 2d3's extensive
internal computer vision libraries are implemented in speed-optimized,
multi-threaded C++. Windows or Linux environments are used according to
project and customer requirements.

The key areas of R&D for 2d3 include, but are not limited to:
- Image-based tracking (stabilization, structure from motion, SLAM,
multi-sensor systems, etc.)
- Object detection, recognition, & classification (with/without
tracking, single-/multi-view)
- Automatic mosaicing (using a range of matching methods)
- Photometric optimization & matching
- Camera calibration & image rectification
- Novel view synthesis
- Super-resolution & compression artifact reduction
- Hyperspectral image fusion
- Terrain & townscape 3D modeling

In addition, if you have the following key skills, they will set you
apart from other candidates:
- C and C++
- OpenGL
- XML
- Boost
- IPP

In addition to your skills, you will also be required to satisfy the
following minimum requirements:
- Fluency in English, both written and spoken
- Doctoral degree (Computer Science or Electrical Engineering) with
direct experience in applied Computer Vision techniques (Masters level
with equivalent work experience will also be considered)
- 5 years of full time, professional software development and
engineering experience
- Must have been published in a generally accepted academic trade
publication for novel application of vision science theory to a real
world problem.
- Excellent analytic problem solving and critical thinking skills.


The Reward

The company offers a competitive remuneration package, with generous
additional benefits including a contributory pension scheme and medical
insurance.


Individuals interested in one of these positions should contact Ben
Ochoa, Vice President of Research and Development, at ben.ochoa@2d3.com.
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Fwd: [Comp-neuro] Biological Cybernetics: vol 105, issue 1 --- Table of Content

Begin forwarded message:

From: Walter Senn <wsenn@cns.unibe.ch>
Date: August 17, 2011 3:48:35 PM
To: comp-neuro@neuroinf.org
Subject: [Comp-neuro] Biological Cybernetics: vol 105, issue 1 --- Table of Content

Biological Cybernetics: vol 105, issue 1 --- Table of Content,
with a Review on Information Theory and a Prospect on Motor Control

Original papers:

"A robotic model to investigate human motor control"
Tommaso Lenzi, Nicola Vitiello, Joseph McIntyre, Stefano Roccella &
Maria Chiara Carrozza
http://www.springerlink.com/content/543u42q32872r3l8/

"Network model of chemical-sensing system inspired by mouse taste buds"
Katsumi Tateno, Jun Igarashi, Yoshitaka Ohtubo, Kazuki Nakada, Tsutomu
Miki & Kiyonori Yoshii
http://www.springerlink.com/content/m456118n815q6637/

"Deep cerebellar neurons mirror the spinal cord's gain to implement an
inverse controller"
Rodrigo Alvarez-Icaza & Kwabena Boahen
http://www.springerlink.com/content/jq2k8665j2746v81/

"Delayed feedback control requires an internal forward model"
Dmitry Volkinshtein & Ron Meir
http://www.springerlink.com/content/w75n82h72504mp78/

Review:

"An introductory review of information theory in the context of
computational neuroscience"
Mark D. McDonnell, Shiro Ikeda & Jonathan H. Manton
http://www.springerlink.com/content/l323t6318j136803/

Prospect:

"From neuron to behavior: dynamic equation-based prediction of
biological processes in motor control"
Silvia Daun-Gruhn & Ansgar Büschges
http://www.springerlink.com/content/lln52157041727l7/

----
Biological Cybernetics, all issues:
http://www.springerlink.com/content/100465/


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Fwd: [visionlist] Registration and Final Program: Image Analysis for the Human Brain Development (MICCAI Workshop)

Begin forwarded message:

From: francois rousseau <rousseau@unistra.fr>
Date: August 23, 2011 7:41:11 AM
To: visionlist@visionscience.com
Subject: [visionlist] Registration and Final Program: Image Analysis for the Human Brain Development (MICCAI Workshop)

*** Apologies if you receive multiple copies of this call ***


Image Analysis for the Human Brain Development

Thursday, September 22, 2011

Organized in conjunction with MICCAI 2011, Toronto, Canada (http://www.miccai2011.org)

http://lsiit-miv.u-strasbg.fr/miccai2011-workshop


Description 
=======
This workshop will aim to explore work being carried out in the emerging field of image analysis of brain development. It will collect together research on both imaging and image analysis techniques related to studying the growth of the human brain from early clinical fetal imaging using ultrasound and MRI, to imaging studies of neonates, children and adolescents. It will cover both clinical imaging-based research and basic neuroscience studies. 

We hope that this workshop will be an open forum for researchers involved in these areas and a unique opportunity to exchange ideas, data and software.

Registration

=======

The space for the workshop is filling up fast. Space is limited, so that we encourage you to register quickly if interested.

Registration link:

https://event-wizard.com/miccai2011/0/register/

or from the MICCAI webpage:

http://www.miccai2011.org

Program

=======

The program is described in the following pdf file:

http://lsiit-miv.u-strasbg.fr/miccai2011-workshop/program.pdf

 

or on the workshop website:

http://lsiit-miv.u-strasbg.fr/miccai2011-workshop

Chairs 
====
Colin Studholme (University of Washington)
Francois Rousseau (University of Strasbourg)
Lilla Zollei (Massachusetts General Hospital)
Piotr A. Habas (University of Washington)
William Wells III (Harvard Medical School) 

--

---------------------------

Francois Rousseau

LSIIT

Pôle API

Boulevard Sébastien Brant

F-67400 ILLKIRCH

tel : +33 3 68 85 44 89

email : rousseau@unistra.fr

http://lsiit-miv.u-strasbg.fr/miv/19-ROUSSEAU-Francois.html

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Fwd: [Comp-neuro] Registration and Program : Image Analysis for the Human Brain Development (MICCAI workshop)

Begin forwarded message:

From: francois rousseau <rousseau@unistra.fr>
Date: August 23, 2011 7:41:57 AM
To: comp-neuro@neuroinf.org
Subject: [Comp-neuro] Registration and Program : Image Analysis for the Human Brain Development (MICCAI workshop)

*** Apologies if you receive multiple copies of this call ***


Image Analysis for the Human Brain Development

Thursday, September 22, 2011

Organized in conjunction with MICCAI 2011, Toronto, Canada (http://www.miccai2011.org)

http://lsiit-miv.u-strasbg.fr/miccai2011-workshop


Description 
=======
This workshop will aim to explore work being carried out in the emerging field of image analysis of brain development. It will collect together research on both imaging and image analysis techniques related to studying the growth of the human brain from early clinical fetal imaging using ultrasound and MRI, to imaging studies of neonates, children and adolescents. It will cover both clinical imaging-based research and basic neuroscience studies. 

We hope that this workshop will be an open forum for researchers involved in these areas and a unique opportunity to exchange ideas, data and software.

Registration

=======

The space for the workshop is filling up fast. Space is limited, so that we encourage you to register quickly if interested.

Registration link:

https://event-wizard.com/miccai2011/0/register/

or from the MICCAI webpage:

http://www.miccai2011.org

Program

=======

The program is described in the following pdf file:

http://lsiit-miv.u-strasbg.fr/miccai2011-workshop/program.pdf

 

or on the workshop website:

http://lsiit-miv.u-strasbg.fr/miccai2011-workshop

Chairs 
====
Colin Studholme (University of Washington)
Francois Rousseau (University of Strasbourg)
Lilla Zollei (Massachusetts General Hospital)
Piotr A. Habas (University of Washington)
William Wells III (Harvard Medical School) 

--

---------------------------

Francois Rousseau

LSIIT

Pôle API

Boulevard Sébastien Brant

F-67400 ILLKIRCH

tel : +33 3 68 85 44 89

email : rousseau@unistra.fr

http://lsiit-miv.u-strasbg.fr/miv/19-ROUSSEAU-Francois.html

 

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Fwd: [Comp-neuro] 2 PhD positions in Neuroinformatics/ Computational Neuroscience in Hamburg, Germany

Begin forwarded message:

From: "Claus C. Hilgetag" <c.hilgetag@googlemail.com>
Date: August 23, 2011 10:02:34 AM
To: comp-neuro@neuroinf.org,connectionists@cs.cmu.edu
Subject: [Comp-neuro] 2 PhD positions in Neuroinformatics/ Computational Neuroscience in Hamburg, Germany

Two Graduate Research Positions are available immediately for a period of four years at the Institute of Computational Neuroscience of the University Medical Center Hamburg- Eppendorf, Germany in the group of Prof. Claus Hilgetag to work on a research project "Dynamics of multi-site interactions in complex brain networks".

The goal of this project is to understand the functional dynamics of complex brain networks on the basis of their structural connectivity. We will use neuroinformatics approaches to compile and analyse brain connectivity data for animal model systems as well as the human brain. In complementary studies, we will model ongoing and evoked activity patterns of these systems using minimal dynamic models as well as models of coupled oscillators.

This project is part of the newly established Research Center "Multi-Site Communication in the Brain" (SFB 936, www.sfb936.net) at the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf of Hamburg University. The successful applicants will become part of the associated Graduate Programme (www.sfb936.net/graduate_programme).

Candidates are expected to have a university degree (at the level of Master or German Diplom), and a background or strong interest in Neuroinformatics, Computational Neuroscience or Neuroscience as well as solid programming skills (e.g., Matlab/C++/Python). Successful candidates have practical research experience in at least one of the following areas: databases, computer simulations of neural systems or statistical analyses of complex systems. They also need to have a very good command of written and spoken English.

Informal inquiries about the positions may be directed to Prof. Claus Hilgetag (phone: ++49.(0)40.7410.53698 or E-Mail: c.hilgetag@uke.de).

The University of Hamburg seeks to increase the number of female scientists and encourages them to apply. Disabled people with equal qualifications are preferred.

Please submit your CV, contact details of two references, and a short statement of your research interests to: Universitätsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf, GB Personal, Recht & Organisation, Frau Schild, Box Number: 2011-08/238, Martinistr. 52, 20246 Hamburg or electronically to: bewerbung@uke-hh.de (as a pdf-file of 2 MB max.).
Applications should arrive by 12th September 2011.




--
|| Claus C. Hilgetag, PhD
|| Professor & Director | Dept. of Computational Neuroscience
|| University Medical Center Eppendorf | Hamburg University
|| www.uke.uni-hamburg.de/icns
|| Adjunct Associate Professor | Boston University
----
Hanlon's Razor: Never attribute to malice what is adequately explained by stupidity.




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Fwd: [Comp-neuro] From firing rate analysis to "concept cells" dogma

Begin forwarded message:

From: Dorian Aur <dorianaur@gmail.com>
Date: August 23, 2011 2:11:03 PM
To: Connectionists@cs.cmu.edu,cogsci@psych.colorado.edu,agents@cs.umbc.edu,ai@dcs.qmul.ac.uk,aiia_announcements@penelope.csd.auth.gr,COGPSY@listservtamu.edu,comp-neuro@neuroinf.org,spp-misc@philebus.tamu.edu,comp-neuro-owner@neuroinf.org
Subject: [Comp-neuro] From firing rate analysis to "concept cells" dogma

I have received many letters from friends, colleagues that asked me to summarize the entire debate posted on that "private" short list. Since it is our general interest to understand the general issues regarding firing rate and the myth of temporal coding the comments posted by Asim Roy, Christof Koch, Quilan Quiroga  and Asher Evans are revealed. These comments are relevant to understand the entire scientific debate, the issues regarding the concept cell idea. After 6 days of discussion several members on this short - list understood that there are serious issues regarding "concept cells" (or computation in single neurons).  As you may see the entire discussion was about "High level abstractions in concept cells; Single spiking neurons have meaning and are actually at the cognitive level"

Details regarding KEY moments of the debate:

1.      Aug 12: I was invited on a "private" list after the message was published on comp-neuro and on their broad list .  Asim Roy read my message and acknowledges that may be some issues regarding the firing rate measure and that may be other "better methods"
2.      Aug 15: I have informed all members of the "private list" about semantics in single spike, spike directivity and  two counterexamples were presented.
3.       Aug 16:  I posted  other two other examples regarding neurofeedback to show  that Moran Cerf paper is not about "concept cells".
4.      Aug 17: Koch is forced to provide explanations and identifies another paper  (Quiroga et al. 2007) where the same group found so called "concept cells". It seems that this lab had a history of "breakthrough findings". Koch's comments are questioned, other members start to make inquiries regarding the "concept cell" idea
5.      Aug 18:Asim Roy, cannot answer to basic questions -definition of concept cell, grandmother cell: Asim Roy:"I have characterized it in a recent paper. But I don't know of an exact definition." Quian Quiroga tries to help, presents the story of grandmother cell, not the expected definition

6.      AUG 19: I HAVE CHANGED THE FROM MORAN CERF TOPIC AND POINT TO THE REAL ISSUE IN EXPERIMENTAL NEUROSCIENCE: THE UNRELIABILITY OF FIRING RATE.  (Regarded as a universal truth,  spike timing does not need to be disputed or doubted in neuroscience!)

7.       Aug 20: Dorian Aur: the logical inconsistency of "concept cell " idea is fully revealed based on experimental data.

Indeed the entire group deserves the Ig Nobel Prize  in neuroscience for "breakthrough findings"of "concept cells" discovery. In the last 6-7 years these claims regarding "concept cells" were advertised everywhere by Koch's group. From a unreliable measure (firing rate) they have gone too far. All experiments (Aur et al submitted) show a more powerful model of computation within neurons and in the brain.  The current data analysis of temporal patterns in neuroscience is an insult to the capabilities of actual  neurons to process information. They have completely misled us with temporal coding models regarding semantics or concept cells.  Computation in the brain deserves a specific model, and NED represents is such a model that shapes a new vision in the field. The entire connectionist theory can be seen as a particular model of computing by interaction. I'm planning to write more regarding this relationship. An entire infrastructure needs to be built to allow a different approach.  Neuroelectrodynamics describe computation as an ongoing process shaped by the dynamics and interactions of electric charges. The process of interaction can be evidenced during action potentials and synaptic spikes since transient electrical patterns occur in each generated spike. Intracellularly the coding of information is related to physical machinery able to alter the dynamics of electric charges and their spatial distribution at the molecular level. These subtle changes in single spikes can provide the required information regarding semantics if spike directivity is computed. Therefore, helping each other to see the reality in science is the only thing that makes sense. An idea or hypothesis that is based on errors in methodology or reasoning disappoints sooner or later everyone, everywhere.

The debate is posted  at: http://neuroelectrodynamics.blogspot.com/p/concept-cells.html

Dorian Aur

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Fwd: RE: [Comp-neuro] High level abstractions in concept cells; Single spiking neurons have "meaning" and are actually at the cognitive level?

Begin forwarded message:

From: David Gelt <geltdavid@yahoo.com>
Date: August 21, 2011 10:18:16 PM
To: "comp-neuro@neuroinf.org" <comp-neuro@neuroinf.org>
Subject: RE: [Comp-neuro] High level abstractions in concept cells; Single spiking neurons have "meaning" and are actually at the cognitive level?

Hi there,

Ethics aside, here are a few thoughts on the subject:

>When  you record 10^3 neurons, have complex random temporal patterns and use
> statistics with an ambiguous measure (firing rate) that *provides little > information* everything becomes possible

Prove that the firing rate provides little information. Start with the relation between STDP and firing rate.

>everything becomes possible
Yikes!

>the firing rate measure *is not sensitive enough to detect these subtle aspects

Perhaps some other mechanism is used beside the rate.

>Very important, a strong firing rate to JA may indicate a reorganization > triggered when JA is repeatedly presented not JA concept
So where does the spider fits in all  of this? Did the spider bit Jennifer Aniston during reoganization, or did Jennifer Aniston took a bite of the spider
before reorganization?  So firing rate reduction is positively correlated with biting. Now what do you mean by reduction: three or four bites or just two bites would be enough?

>"Cracking" the neural code was not the main goal goal

Of course not. You were looking to crack crack the temporal code.

>Based on firing rate one cannot > distinguish between spider and JA (the firing rate is 8Hz )

Unless different sets of synaptic weights are used for spider and for Anniston.

>Concept cells are comparable to place cells in rodents

If place cells ensembles describe the place what would concept cells ensembles describe?

>During learning > these  "expert" neurons reduce their firing rate. After one week of training > the neurons generate only few spikes between the tone and  turn starts.

One week. It takes one week for such a neuron to get above the threshold. What happens in between that time? Where are the concepts stored?

> The outcome in spike directivity is a counterexample for temporal coding

No, it is not. It probably is another view of a mechanism sub-serving the same function.

>You only need one single > counterexample to throw down a "solid"theoretical construct  of temporal > coding.

You definitely need more than one punch. I am on the ground, I reckon... Eureka, I found my glasses...

>After learning all these cells provide an efficient response with only > few spikes for the same event

Can it be that synaptic weights are within proper parameters to establish communication? No, it can not be. That would have to be correlated with the firing rate coding and that's not possible. Temporal code just got beaten while going to its place.

>The concept cells were found in different regions. For example, > "James Brolin" in right hippocampus, "Venus Williams" in left hippocampus, > "Marilyn Monroe" in left parahippocampal cortex, "Michael Jackson" in right > amygdala.*

Maybe they are all going to the zoo to see the hippos on campus. I thought that memory consolidation occurs somewhere else, the cortex perhaps, cause to need one week "to learn" about someone is way too much.

Yawn. Going to sleep now, hopefully no consolidation will occur tonight.

Thank you.

Best regards,
David Gelt
In-between stuff
University of South Dundas

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Fwd: [Comp-neuro] PhD Position for research on neural computation and learning in spiking memristive architectures

Begin forwarded message:

From: Legenstein Robert <legi@igi.tugraz.at>
Date: August 23, 2011 4:29:43 AM
To: comp-neuro@neuroinf.org
Subject: [Comp-neuro] PhD Position for research on neural computation and learning in spiking memristive architectures

The research group of Robert Legenstein at the Graz University of Technology in Austria ( http://www.igi.tugraz.at/legi/ ) offers a

        PhD position

for research on computation an learning in networks of spiking neurons,

with application to neuromorphic hardware with memristive devices. The position is funded by the chist-era project PNEUMA ( short description ). The project runs for three years.

The successful candidate is expected to study novel models of probabilistic computation in spiking neural networks in theory and computer simulations.
See, e.g., Buesing et al., 2011, Legenstein and Maass, 2011, Nessler et al., 2010 for related work.
Within the PNEUMA project, these models will be implemented by other project partners in neuromorphic hardware with memristive synaptic devices.

Applicants should send their CV, statement of interest, and pdf's of relevant publications (e.g. master thesis) to Robert Legenstein
robert.legenstein@igi.tugraz.at

All applications received before September 9th, 2011, will be given full
consideration, but applications will be expected until the position is
filled.

Robert Legenstein

--  ----------------------------------------  Dr. Robert Legenstein Institut für Grundlagen der Informationsverarbeitung Technische Universität Graz Inffeldgasse 16b/I, 8010 Graz, Austria  ++43/316/873-5824 ---------------------------------- 

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Fwd: [visionlist] 2-Year fMRI Postdoc, Decision Making, Center for Mind/Brain Sciences, University of Trento, Italy

Begin forwarded message:

From: "Schwarzbach, Jens Volkmar" <Jens.Schwarzbach@unitn.it>
Date: August 24, 2011 9:55:30 AM
To: "visionlist@visionscience.com" <visionlist@visionscience.com>
Subject: [visionlist] 2-Year fMRI Postdoc, Decision Making, Center for Mind/Brain Sciences, University of Trento, Italy

At the Center for Mind/ Brain Sciences (CIMeC, http://www.unitn.it/en/cimec, http://www.unitn.it/en/cimec/11736/jens-schwarzbach),
University of Trento, there will soon be an opening for a two-year postdoctoral fellowship in the lab of Jens Schwarzbach.
Our group examines the neural mechanisms of attention and decision making. Some recent publications as well as further descriptions
of our ongoing research projects can be found under the following link: https://sites.google.com/site/jvschwarzbach/.

The postdoc will be responsible for the design of several fMRI studies, conducting data analysis and leading the write-up of
scientific work. The ideal applicant is highly motivated and creative and capable of working both independently as well as
in a young, dynamic group. The applicant should have experience with functional magnetic resonance imaging and a solid background
in Cognitive Neuroscience. Experience with Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation or Magnetoencephalography would be a plus.
Programming experience with MATLAB or C is very desirable.



The Center offers an international and vibrant research setting with access to state-of-the-art neuroimaging methodologies,
including a research-only 4T MRI scanner, MEG, EEG and TMS, as well as behavioral, eye tracking and kinematic laboratories.
The University of Trento is ranked first among research universities in Italy. English is the official language of the CIMeC,
where a large proportion of the faculty, post-docs and students come from a wide range of countries outside of Italy.



Informal inquiries should be sent to Jens Schwarzbach (jvschwarzbach@gmail.com).


Prof. Jens Schwarzbach
Functional NeuroImaging Laboratories, MR Lab Co-Director
Center for Mind Brain Sciences, University of Trento,
Via delle Regole, 101, 38100 Mattarello (TN), Italy
Telephone: +39-0461-28 3061
Fax: +39-0461-28-3066
http://www.cimec.unitn.it/



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Fwd: [Comp-neuro] PhD position Italian Institute of Technology, Genova

Begin forwarded message:

From: Alberto Mazzoni <alb.mazzoni@gmail.com>
Date: August 24, 2011 8:43:40 AM
To: Comp-neuro@neuroinf.org,Panzeri Stefano <stefano.panzeri@iitit>,Mazzoni Alberto <alberto.mazzoni@iit.it>,connectionists@cs.cmu.edu
Subject: [Comp-neuro] PhD position Italian Institute of Technology, Genova

A PhD position in the field of computational neuroscience is available at the Robotics Brain and Cognitive Sciences Department of the Italian Institute of Technology in the group of prof. Stefano Panzeri.

Closing Date for applications is September 23rd 2011. Interested candidates are advised contact Stefano Panzeri (stefano.panzeri@iit.it) and/or Alberto Mazzoni (alberto.mazzoni@iit.it) for further information before submitting an application.

 

Call and details of the application procedure are available at the following link:

 

http://www.iit.it/en/resources/calls/unige.html  (Annex A4 - Theme 1.8)

 

Research theme:

 

Using neural network models of cortical dynamics to understand the cortical representation of sensory information.

 

Understanding how to extract information about external correlates form neural activity is central for the understanding of brain function and for development of Brain Machine Interfaces. Recent results suggest that the cerebral cortex encodes information about the external environment in the time domain, by encoding different parameters of the external word in different frequency ranges of neural activity (Panzeri et al, TINS 2010; Quian Quiroga and Panzeri, Nature Reviews Neurosci 2009). The candidate, building on previous work from the group (Mazzoni et al  PLoS Comput Biol 2009; Mazzoni et al Neuroimage 2010) will construct biophysically plausible models of cortical neural networks which capture the basic features of the functional organization of cortex. The candidate will then use these models to investigate how neural networks can encode simultaneously both the features defining the external correlates and the time variations of these features on time scales relevant for perception and behavior. The candidate should hold a degree in Physics, Mathematics, Engineering or Computer Science and have a keen interest in applying mathematical and numerical techniques to the study of brain function.

The research will be will be supervised by Drs Stefano Panzeri and Alberto Mazzoni, and will be performed within the Neural Computation group led by Stefano Panzeri at the Department of Robotics, Brain and Cognitive Sciences of the Italian Institute of Technology. Research in the Neural Computation group aims at understanding the computations made by neurons to represent, process and exchange information. 

 

Selected Recent Relevant Publications

 

[1] Panzeri S, Brunel N, Logothetis NK, Kayser C (2010) Neural codes at multiple temporal scales in sensory cortex. Trends in Neuroscience 33: 111-120

[2] Mazzoni A, Whittingstall K, Brunel N, Logothetis NK, Panzeri S (2010) Understanding the relationships between spike rate and delta/gamma frequency bands of LFPs and EEGs using a local cortical network model. Neuroimage 52: 956–972

[3] Mazzoni A, Panzeri S, Logothetis NK, Brunel N (2008) Encoding of Naturalistic Stimuli by Local Field Potential Spectra in Networks of Excitatory and Inhibitory Neurons. PLoS Comput. Biol. 4: e1000239

[4] Quian Quiroga R, Panzeri S (2009) Extracting information from neuronal populations: information theory and decoding approaches. Nature Reviews Neuroscience 10: 173-185

Location: The IIT is located in Genova, Italy, a charming seaside mediterranean city right in the middle of the beautiful Italian Riviera, with a vibrant cultural life and with a much more affordable cost of living than many other european cities.

The PhD programme has a duration of 3 years. The position is supported by a PhD Studentship amounting to 16500 euros / year, and there are no tuition fees for the candidate admitted to the PhD programme. The PhD funding scheme provides successful candidates with all the means needed to perform the research, including funds for travel to conferences and collaborating European laboratories, and state of the art computing equipment.

 

 

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Fwd: [Comp-neuro] NEW BOOK: Perception-action cycle: Models, algorithms and hardware

Begin forwarded message:

From: Vassilis Cutsuridis <vcutsuridis@gmail.com>
Date: August 25, 2011 2:23:09 PM
To: eucogii-general-news@googlegroups.com,visionlist@visionscience.com,connectionists@cs.cmu.edu,CompNeuro <comp-neuro@neuroinf.org>,CVNET <cvnet@mail.ewind.com>
Subject: [Comp-neuro] NEW BOOK: Perception-action cycle: Models, algorithms and hardware

Dear collegues,

the following book may be of some interest to you:

Perception-action cycle: Models, algorithms and hardware
Springer (USA), 2011

Editors
---------
Vassilis Cutsuridis, Amir Hussain, John G. Taylor


Description
--------------

The perception-action cycle is the circular flow of information that takes place between the organism and its environment in the course of a sensory-guided sequence of behavior towards a goal. Each action causes changes in the environment that are analyzed bottom-up through the perceptual hierarchy and lead to the processing of further action, and top-down through the executive hierarchy toward motor effectors. These actions cause new changes that are analyzed and lead to new action, and so the cycle continues

The Perception-Action cycle: Models, Architectures and Hardware book provides focused and easily accessible reviews of various aspects of the perception-action cycle. It is an unparalleled resource of information that will be an invaluable companion to anyone in constructing and developing models, algorithms, and hardware implementations of autonomous machines empowered with cognitive capabilities.

The book is divided into three main parts. In the first part, leading computational neuroscientists present brain-inspired models of perception, attention, cognitive control, decision making, conflict resolution and monitoring, knowledge representation and reasoning, learning and memory, planning and action, and consciousness grounded in experimental data. In the second part, architectures, algorithms, and systems with cognitive capabilities and minimal guidance from the brain are discussed. These architectures, algorithms, and systems are inspired by cognitive science, computer vision, robotics, information theory, machine learning, computer agents, and artificial intelligence. In the third part, the analysis, design, and implementation of hardware systems with robust cognitive abilities from the areas of mechatronics, sensing technology, sensor fusion, smart sensor networks, control rules, controllability, stability, model/knowledge representation, and reasoning are discussed.

Its Table of Contents can be found here:

http://www.springer.com/cda/content/document/cda_downloaddocument/9781441914514-t1.pdf?SGWID=0-0-45-1069855-p173922324

Kind regards,

Vassilis

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Fwd: [Comp-neuro] Final Call for Papers: JNNS2011 (Submission Deadline: August 31, 2011)

 

----------------------------------------------------------------
*** Our apologies if you receive multiple copies of this CFP ***
----------------------------------------------------------------

We would like to draw your attention to the 21st Annual Conference of
the Japanese Neural Network Society (JNNS2011). The deadline of paper
submission is now approaching; it is the end of this month (August 31,
2011). Please don't miss it.

------------------------------------------------------------------
Annual Conference of the Japanese Neural Network Society (JNNS2011)
December 15-17, 2011
Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology
Web Site: http://www.jnns.org/conference/2011

The 21st Annual Conference of the Japanese Neural Network Society
(JNNS2011) will be held from December 15th to 17th at Okinawa Institute
of Science and Technology (OIST), an international graduate university
newly built on a semitropical island 1,600km southwest of Tokyo.
JNNS2011 aims to provide a forum for scientists, engineers, educators,
and students to discuss the latest progress and future challenges in the
field of neural information processing. All presentations will be
English to promote international participation.

Keynote Speakers:
Dr. Richard Sutton (University of Alberta)
Dr. Peter Dayan (University College London)

Call for Papers:
JNNS2011 invites the submission of papers on substantial and original
research in all aspects of neural information processing. We welcome
contributions from diverse fields including neurobiology, psychology,
mathematical modeling and analysis, machine learning, and information
technology.
The presenting author should be a member of the Japanese Neural Network
Society (JNNS) or supporting societies except presenters from overseas.
An author can present only one paper but can be a non-presenting
co-author of other papers.
Papers should be written in English and is limited to two pages in A4
format using the LaTeX or Word template provided on the web site. Papers
should be submitted via the on-line submission site
(https://cmt.research.microsoft.com/JNNS2011). The deadline is noon UTC
(9 pm JST) of August 31, 2011.
All submitted papers will go through reviewing for acceptance and
selection for oral presentation. The result will be notified by October
20. The presenting authors of accepted papers are asked to register for
attendance through the web site
(https://convtoptour.co.jp/shop/evt/jnns2011_okinawa) by October 31,
2011; otherwise, the acceptance will be cancelled.

Presentation Format:
All general presentations will be given in poster sessions. Selected
papers will be presented in single-track oral sessions as well.

Important Dates:
Paper submission deadline: August 31, 2011.
Notification of acceptance: October 20, 2011.
Early registration deadline: October 31, 2011.

Support for students:
Travel support will be available for selected student presenters. The
support consists of part of traveling fee (up to JPY100,000 for students
from abroad; or up to JPY50,000 for students within Japan) and free
lodging in OIST Seaside house. To apply for the support, please select
the appropriate option in the on-line paper submission system; and the
application form will be sent from the JNNS2011 secretariat around
September 15, 2011. The result of selection will be notified together
with the paper acceptance notice by October 20th, 2011. All the accepted
applicants are kindly asked to participate the satellite symposium "Fun
and challenges in combining theoretical and experiments neurosciences,"
which will be held at OIST on Dec. 14-15, 2011.

JNNS Young Presenter Awards:
JNNS presents Young Presenter Awards for distinguished papers presented
at JNNS2011. The eligibility for the award is the first and presenting
author who is a JNNS member at the age of 35 or younger (as of December
15, 2011) and has never received the award. The applicants for the award
are asked to fill in the application form, which can be downloaded from
the JNNS2011 official website, and submit to the JNNS2011 Secretariat
via an E-mail. The awarding ceremony will be held as a part of the
closing ceremony of JNNS2011.

Sponsor: Japanese Neural Network Society
Co-Sponsor: Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology
Supported by The Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan, The
Institute of Electronics, Information and Communication Engineers, The
Japan Neuroscience Society, and The Society of Instrument and Control
Engineers, Information Processing Society of Japan, Japan Cognitive
Science Society, The Robotics Society of Japan, Fuzzy Logic Systems
Institute, Japan Society for Fuzzy Theory and Intelligent Informatics.

Organizers:
Executive Chair: Kenji Doya (OIST)
Program Chair: Junichiro Yoshimoto (OIST)

Secretariat:
Neural Computation Unit
Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology
1919-1 Tancha, Onna, Kunigami, Okinawa 904-0412, Japan
E-mail: jnns2011@oist.jp

Web Site: http://www.jnns.org/conference/2011
Paper Submission Site: https://cmt.research.microsoft.com/JNNS2011
Registration Site: http://www.jnns.org/conference/2011



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