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Recent results and activities in our group, 2010_09_08.
Working on Cognitive Neurodynamics
The neural field equation is an important and
basic equation which reflects the structure of our brain.
It summarizes the activity of millions of neurons into
a mean field. The activity of neurons in some little area
of the brain then leads to the spread of brain potentials,
which is modelled by a kernel w(x,y), which describes
the influence of the neurons at point y on the neurons
at point x. The change in the potential at x is proportional
to the integral of all influences over y in some region B
of the space (B for "brain").
Recently, our group on cognitive neurodynamics
with Peter beim Graben, R.P. and Dimitris Pinotsis
analysed the existence of solutions of this integro-
differential equation via the Banach fix point theorem.
A global existence result for inhomogeneous kernels
w could be proven. This builds the basis for further
analysis, modelling and the treatment of inverse
problems.
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Gö: Uni Göttingen, Ger; J: Research Center Jülich, Ger;
Rdg: Uni Reading, UK
Further Group Members
- Daniel Langhans
- Tobias Schwab
- Florian Lackert
Local Collaborators
- Dr. Timothy Astin (Archaeology)
- Prof. Simon Chandler-Wilde (Maths)
- Dr. David Ezra (Oxford)
- Dr. Peter beim Graben (Linguistics)
- Prof. Peter Grindrod (Maths)
- Prof. Geoff Mitchell (Optics)
- Dr. Tobias Kuna (Maths)
- Dr. Slawek Nasuto (Engineering)
- Prof. Doug Saddy (Linguistics)
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Upcoming and recent Events
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Summer School Cognitive Neurodynamics Reading
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Participate in the Reading Cognitive Neuroscience Summer School 2009 and
- learn what cognitive neuroscience is about!
- explore how our brain works!
- get to know how interdisciplinary research is carried out!
- study how cognitive processes like language are reflected in the neuron-based brain processes!
The Summer School provides the opportunity to spend some days in a stimulating environment at Reading
and have fun together with an international range of first class researchers!
July 06 - 10, 2009, University of Reading, UK.
For more details see
Summer School Webpage.
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Reading Analytic Workbench Release 1.0
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Researchers and developers of the University of Reading have designed
the
Reading Analytic Workbench (RAW)
Reading Analytic Workbench
- is a web-based computing platform developed at the University of Reading,
- provides access to the advanced computing clusters run at the Centre for
Integrative Neuroscience and Neurodynamics (CINN) and the Department of Mathematics at Reading,
- offer you a simple way to access a wide range of specialised knowledge and
special algorithms developed by researchers and staff of the University.
For more details see
RAW Access Online.
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Studentships available
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There are several studentsships available in our working groups, inlcuding one
studentship to work on data assimilation for dynamical systems and
several studentships in our Cognitive Systems Group at the Centre for Integrative Neuroscience
and Neurodynamics (CINN). (These studentships assume British nationality.)
For more details see
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Special Issue Integral Equations and Applications
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A special issue of the Journal of Integral Equations and Applications
honoring Rainer Kress has been published as Volume 21, Number 2 in
Summer 2009 (Editor R. Potthast).
The issue includes contributions by C. J. S. Alves and N. F. M. Martins; 153-178
, T. Arens and A. Lechleiter; 179-202, F. Cakoni, D. Colton and H. Haddar; 203-227,
S. N. Chandler-Wilde, I. G. Graham, S. Langdon and M. Lindner; 229-279,
B. Hofmann and L. V. Wolfersdorf; 281-295, J. Liu and R. Potthast; 297-315
and N. S. Tezel; 317-328.
For more details see
JIEA Online.
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Workshop Dynamical Systems in Language
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As part of our Cognitive Neuroscience research agenda a two day workshop on
Dynamical Systems in Language is organized at the
University of Reading,
September 08 - 09, 2008.
The aim of the workshop is to bridge the gaps between neural
computation and symbolic cognition and will focus on issues such as:
computational mechanics,
grammar classification by dynamical systems,
dynamical language processing,
connectionist parsing,
dynamical field approaches to symbolic cognition.
For more details see
Workshop Webpage.
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Special Issue of Cognitive Neurodynamics
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Peter beim Graben, Doug Saddy and Roland Potthast are editors for a special
issule of the new Springer Journal
Cognitive Neurodynamics. The
task is to collect recent developments in cognitive neurodynamics, for example
the representation of cognitive processes via dynamic fields.
The issue is scheduled for the second half of 2008 to appear.
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Research Visit to Rennes.
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In 2008 Dr. Potthast will be visiting
the Universite de Rennes 1, France,
for four weeks as visiting researcher.
In cooperation with
Martin Costabel,
Monique Dauge and
Eric Darrigrand the group works
on direct and inverse electromagnetic problems. The first visit takes
place from January 20-27, 2008.
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Bridging the Gaps Grant for Cognitive Neurodynamics
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An EPSRC Bridging the Gaps Grant on
Cognitive Systems Sciences
(£466.000) was won by group of Saddy, beim Graben (Linguistics),
Nasuto (Systems Engineering), Grindrod and Potthast (Maths).
Cognitive Systems Science (CSS) is an inherently multidisciplinary integrated
strategic research theme that complements the ongoing developments in
Neuroscience at UoR. CSS is a joint initiative form the School of Psychology and
Clinical Language Sciences, the School of Systems Engineering and the Department
of Mathematics.
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Workshop in Pau, France.
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On Dec 12-14, 2007, international researches on inverse scattering problems
met at the Universite de Pau, France. The
workshop
was organized by Rabia Djellouli (California State University Northridge, USA)
and Helene Barucq (INRIA, France). Potthast presented a recent new
method Orthogonality sampling for Object identification. Further
talks have been given among others by Cakoni (Delaware), Haddar (Paris),
Hohage (Göttingen), Bruno (California).
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Acoustic Measurements at ISVR.
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In December 2007 a measurement session
for acoustic scattering theory at the
Institute for Sound and Vibration Research (ISVR)
in Southampton, UK, was carried out. The event was planned in the framework
of the EPSRC springboard fellowship of Potthast. The goal is to investigate
the feasibility of recent inversion algorithms from the mathematical theory
of inverse problems for real data in acoustics.
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Leverhulme Fellowship 2008/09 for Potthast
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Leverhulme Trust Research Fellowship
on Inverse electromagnetic scattering
for molecular and cellular biology awarded to R. Potthast,
covering replacement costs for 12 month research and travel expenses.
The Leverhulme Trust
is an important funding organization for research in the United Kingdom.
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Springboard Fellowship 2007/08 for Potthast
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EPSRC "Springboard" Fellowship on "Sound Source Identification and Sound Reproduction"
awarded to R. Potthast. The EPSRC is the main funding body for research in the UK.
Springboard Fellowships are aimed at mathematicians, statisticians and
operational researchers, to promote adventurous research, mobility of
researchers and collaborative research with other disciplines and industry.
The grant covers replacement costs, computer equipment, travel and laboratory
equipment.
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Thoughts and reasoning about christian faith today.
Date: 2010_09_08.
C-Text - Christian Blog: Migration 3 - Faith Issues ...
Wednesday, September 8, 2010. What is the role of faith in migration issues
today? Is there a problem? Or perhaps no problem at all?
Faith plays a role in the discussion of migration. The driving force here
is that migrants often have a different faith than the majority of people
in a country. Or one has to say that migrants have a different culture
which has developed in strong interaction with some faith.
Faith as a threat?
Is faith a threat? Often, it is received or perceived as a threat. The
threat is not the faith itself, but particular customs or actions which
are linked to faith. People in several European countries feel some
kind of threat when migrants who belive in Islam build their churches
in the middle of western communities. It is possible to build these
churches, Islam can be practiced rather freely in western society since we believe
in the right of every human to follow his or her beliefs (as long as
this does not strongly limit the rights of others). It is even a right
to invite to faith - whatever faith this may be, Jewish, Muslim, Christian,
Hindu, Buddhist etc etc.
On the other side, in Muslim societies Christian churches and Christian
faith are perceived as a clear threat. Most mission in Muslim
countries is forbidden. Not seldom, people who invite to Christian faith must
fear for their life. Even existing churches are closed or education for
priests is destroyed. So the reaction to Muslim faith in Christian
countries reflects this state. Islam is feared as a set of believes with
a suppressive and violent face.
It is very difficult to make a distinction between the actions of
the so-called "Christian" societies when they shape world politics and
the faith of Jesus, the Christ. Western influence is perceived as "Christian",
even if it is not Christian at all. This might also be true for Islam,
there might be a calm side of it, though not every state is following
it. Remember that "Christian" states started wars in the past, Jesus did not
tell them to do so!
Faith as an Invitation
Faith is an invitation to the migrant. Faith was the invitation to Abraham,
when he moved from Iraq to Palestine thousands of years ago. When you move,
you leave all securities behind. You start something new. You go into a new
environment. When you go into the unknown, God offers you faith as a better
security.
We want to invite all migrants to faith, as God has done this in the past.
For so many people in the past their journey into a new country was a challenge
and test for their faith - and it was the invitation to fully dedicate
themselves to the living God. The "promised land" has even become the key
picture for the kingdom of heaven. Going into a new land is what we all
will do, when we go to God finally.
Migration is a wonderful chance to come to the living God. So our invitation
today will pick up the old invitation of the New Testament: come to faith
in Jesus! Look at him, he shows more than a human can be, you will discover
the face and voice of God. Open yourself, your ears and your eyes to the
presence of the most high. Faith is an invitation to the migrant!
[R.W.E.P., Jesus-Network.eu]
My Christian Blog can be found on the site of the Jesus-Network
For online Bible texts please visit our translation project Jesus Network Bible, where our
team works on a translation of the bible into modern English and provide
notes, comments and disucssions on the texts.
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