Data Assimilation - Inverse Problems - Remote Sensing
Roland Potthast, Deutscher Wetterdienst - University of Reading/UK - University of Göttingen/Ger
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Science Flash
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.

ResearchGroup
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)
 
 

 

Today's Topic

Good morning!

Inverse problems are a broad and fascinating area which has rapidly grown over the last 20 years. Many new ideas and techniques have been developed to identify quantities in complex systems. You will find papers, ideas and methods reflected in the contributions and links on this page.

Have a great day! Roland Potthast

Upcoming and recent Events

Summer School Cognitive Neurodynamics Reading
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.

Reading Analytic Workbench Release 1.0
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.

Studentships available

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

Special Issue Integral Equations and Applications
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.

Workshop Dynamical Systems in Language
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.

Special Issue of Cognitive Neurodynamics
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.

[Show all recent events]

 
Christian Blog
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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