---------------------------------------------------- Subject: SMB Digest v09i21 SMB Digest May 27, 2009 Volume 09 Issue 21 ISSN 1086-6566 Editor: Ray Mejía ray(at)smb(dot)org Note: Information about the Society for Mathematical Biology, including an application for membership, may be found in the SMB Home Page, http://www.smb.org/ . Access the Bulletin of Mathematical Biology, the official journal of SMB, at http://www.springer.com/11538 . Inquiries about membership or BMB fulfillment should be sent to membership(at)smb(dot)org . Issue's Topics: Mentoring Programme at the 2009 SMB Meeting in Vancouver Call for Abstracts: Math Models in Ecology and Evolution 2009 CFP: IJBI, Mathematical Methods for Images and Surfaces Workshop: Computational Structural Bioinformatics, Nov 1-4 DIMACS Workshop: Identifying Genetic Signatures for the Evolution ... International Swine Flu Conference, August 19-21, Washington, DC EEG Theta as an Alpha Variant Research Associates: Optimal Collective Decision-Making ..., Bristol Postdoc: Epidemiological Modeling for Novel Antiviral Approaches SMBnet Reminders ---------------------------------------------------- From: Caroline Bampfylde Date: Thu, 21 May 2009 10:45:36 -0600 Subject: Mentoring Programme at the 2009 SMB Meeting in Vancouver Applications are being accepted for mentors and mentees to participate in the mentoring programme at the SMB annual meeting in Vancouver, July 2009. Following the successful mentoring program at previous annual meetings, we are again offering a mentoring program for the benefit of junior scientists attending the 2009 Annual Meeting. The goal of this program is two-fold: * to optimize the educational and professional experience of mentees attending the conference; * to assist the mentees' socialization into the field of mathematical biology. Participants may register as a mentor or mentee or both. The deadline for applications is June 29th, 2009. Further details including how to register are available online at: http://www.smb.org/meetings/mentoring.shtml Caroline Bampfylde Chair SMB Mentoring Committee ---------------------------------------------------- From: James Marshall Date: Thu, 21 May 2009 11:39:48 +0100 Subject: Call for Abstracts: Math Models in Ecology and Evolution 2009 Call for Abstracts: Mathematical Models in Ecology and Evolution 2009 September 10th-11th, University of Bristol Dear colleagues,   this is the third call for abstracts for Mathematical Models in Ecology and Evolution 2009 (details below). Abstract submission closes in just over 3 weeks, and registration one month after that. As space in the conference venue will be limited to approximately 150 conference delegates, priority will of course be given to those presenting work at the conference. We already have in excess of 55 expressions of interest in attending. Also, 40 registration-free places are available for PhD students on a first-come-first-served basis. We hope to receive your abstract for MMEE 2009 shortly. Best wishes, James Marshall, John McNamara, Alasdair Houston Please visit the conference website for further details, and for a conference poster: www.cs.bris.ac.uk/mmee2009 ---------------------------------------------------- From: Shan Zhao Date: Wed, 20 May 2009 22:21:15 -0500 Subject: CFP: IJBI, Mathematical Methods for Images and Surfaces Call for papers Special Issue on 'Mathematical Methods for Images and Surfaces' International Journal of Biomedical Imaging The Midwest Conference on Mathematical Methods for Images and Surfaces was held in the Michigan State University on April 18-19, 2009. See http://www.math.msu.edu/~wei/MCMM/index.html. It created an excellent forum for researchers from engineering, biological and mathematical sciences to exchange ideas and keep up with new developments. To further disseminate research findings presented and exchanged in the conference, The International Journal of Biomedical Imaging (IJBI) will publish a special issue entitled 'Mathematical Methods for Images and Surfaces'. The scope of this special issue is the same as that of the conference. However, to better fit the scope of the journal, research findings relevant to biomedical science and technology are particularly welcome. Original papers and high-quality overviews on a wide range of topics in images and surfaces are solicited for this special issue. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to: - Geometric flows, higher-order curvature flows, gradient flows for image and surface analysis - Mumford-Shah functional - Level set methods and their applications - Wavelets, frames and multiresolution analysis - Mathematical algorithms for images and surfaces - Image edge detection, segmentation, pattern recognition, video analysis and processing - Computational methods for biomedical imaging - Algorithms for bioluminescence imaging, fluorescent imaging, PET imaging, ultrasound imaging, MRI and tomography - Computational methods for anatomy - Mathematical analysis of protein and membrane surfaces The papers solicited for this special issue are not restricted to the contributions presented during the Conference. Submissions from other researchers, which fit the scope of this special issue are also welcome. Please refer to the following link: http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ijbi/osi.html for more details about this special issue. Please also note the journal's policy on Article Processing Charges, see http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ijbi/apc.html. Important Dates Manuscript Due: October 1, 2009 First Round of Reviews: January 1, 2010 Anticipated Publication Date: April 1 2010 Guest editors: Guowei Wei, Michigan State University, USA, wei@math.msu.edu Lalita Udpa, Michigan State University, USA, udpal@egr.msu.edu Yang Wang, Michigan State University, USA, ywang@math.msu.edu Shan Zhao, University of Alabama, USA, szhao@bama.ua.edu ---------------------------------------------------- From: Di Wu Date: Fri, 22 May 2009 10:15:20 -0500 Subject: Workshop: Computational Structural Bioinformatics, Nov 1-4 Title: Computational Structural Bioinformatics Workshop (CSBW) in conjunction with the IEEE BIBM 2009 Time: Nov 1-4 2009 Place: Washington, D.C., USA URL: http://www.cs.nmsu.edu/~dsi/bioworkshop09/ ---------------------------------------------------- From: Linda Casals Date: Fri, 22 May 2009 11:36:53 -0400 (EDT) Subject: DIMACS Workshop: Identifying Genetic Signatures for the Evolution ... DIMACS Workshop on Identifying Genetic Signatures for the Evolution of Complex Phenotypes June 11 - 12, 2009 DIMACS Center, CoRE Building, Rutgers University Organizers: Gyan Bhanot, Rutgers University; Cancer Institute of New Jersey and the Institute for Advanced Study, gyanbhanot at gmail.com Raul Rabadan, Columbia University, rabadan at dbmi.columbia.edu Presented under the auspices of the Special Focus on Computational and Mathematical Epidemiology. Registration: (Pre-registration deadline: (June 4, 2009) Information on participation, registration, accommodations, and travel can be found at: http://dimacs.rutgers.edu/Workshops/Phenotypes/ ---------------------------------------------------- From: Susan King Date: Wed, 27 May 2009 00:38:12 -0400 Subject: International Swine Flu Conference, August 19-21, Washington, DC Dear Colleague, Please find enclosed information on our upcoming International Swine Flu Conference in Washington, DC on August 19-21, 2009. Delegates are coming from US, Europe, Africa and Asia Pacific. If you have any queries do not hesitate to contact me at 202-536-5000 or email me at sking@new-fields.com To register for this event simply fill in the registration form and fax it back to me at 202-280-1239. For more information on the event, please visit http://new-fields.com/ISFC ---------------------------------------------------- From: Ralph L. Sherman ralph.sherman@worldnet.att.net Date: Tuesday, May 26, 2009 Subject: EEG Theta as an Alpha Variant The Theta Rhythm of the EEG can be modeled as the product of the coupling of a pair of oscillators which have frequencies in the Alpha Rhythm range. For example, at a coupling coefficient of k = 0.4, Alpha oscillators with natural frequencies of 8 and 10 cycles per second produce resultant frequencies at 5.3 and 10.6 cycles per second. Note this represents a harmonic ratio of 2/1 as has been observed in the EEG of young children (1). The above numerical example was derived from a "normalized frequency" versus "coupling constant" graph which is based upon nine "generic" capacitive-inductive networks where potential and kinetic energies are rhythmically shuttled between electric fields and magnetic fields (2). My analysis of this Theta model is an extension of a paper N. Rashevsky published for J. M. Richards Lab as part of our interest in neurophysiology (3). The EEG Lexicon has simple names for transient features that are easy to visually recognize (but physiologically complex) such as; sleep spindles, 3 per second spike and wave, 14 and 6 positive spikes and Dial bursts (4). New insights into episodic features of the EEG may be derived by modeling them as coupled oscillators and searching for unusual harmonic relations as a function of variations of the coupling constant (5). (1) http://smb.org/publications/SMBnet/service/RS_v09i21.jpg (2) Harvard University, Cruft Memorial Laboratory Electronic circuits and tubes (pg. 180, Fig 4.1) Editors: Harry E. Clifford and Alexander H. Wing New York, McGraw-Hill Book Co., 1947 (3) A note on sporadic nonperiodic oscillations in the activity of the endocrine system and on the endocrine-nervous system feedback. Rashevsky N. Bull Math Biophys. 1972 Mar;34(1):65-9. (4) Epileptiform electroencephalographic patterns. Westmoreland BF Mayo Clin Proc. 1996 May;71(5):501-11. (5) For pancreatic electro-chemical coupled oscillators see: Topological and phenomenological classification of bursting oscillations. Bertram R, Butte MJ, Kiemel T, Sherman A. Bull Math Biol. 1995 May;57(3):413-39. ---------------------------------------------------- From: James Marshall Date: Thu, 21 May 2009 11:37:17 +0100 Subject: Research Associates: Optimal Collective Decision-Making ..., Bristol Research Associates in 'Optimal Collective Decision-Making in Social Insect Colonies' (Two Posts) Applications are invited for two postdoctoral research associate (PDRA) positions to study the collective decision-making of social insects, based in the Department of Computer Science and the School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, and under the supervision of Dr James Marshall and Professor Nigel R. Franks, and with the collaboration of Dr Anna Dornhaus (Arizona) and Professor Tom Seeley (Cornell). This BBSRC funded, 3-year, £500k project will build on ground-breaking work by this team in understanding how collective decision-making by rock ants and honeybees may be organised so that the resulting collective decisions are statistically optimal, representing the best possible compromise between the speed and accuracy of decision-making. The speed-accuracy trade-off in decision-making has been widely recognised in individual organisms, such as humans (Ratcliff, 1978) and bumblebees (Chittka et al., 2003) and in highly cohesive animal societies, particularly ants (Franks et al., 2003) and honeybees (Seeley & Visscher, 2004). Our recent work has been inspired by statistically optimal models of decision-making in primate neural circuits, and has shown how simple models of collective decision-making by social insect colonies can also be parameterised to implement statistically optimal decision-making (Marshall et al., 2009). This synthesis of concepts and techniques from neuroscience and insect socio-biology is one of the first studies in the rapidly emerging field of ?Colony-Level Cognition? (Marshall & Franks, 2009). The current project will have experimental and theoretical strands: experiments with rock ants (Bristol) and honeybees (Arizona/Cornell) will validate existing theoretical predictions using state-of-the-art RFID tag technology, and help inform further modelling. Two PDRA positions are open, with starting salaries up to £30,594: 1. Theoretical biologist (Department of Computer Science, University of Bristol): the ideal candidate will have a background in a numerate discipline, such as mathematics, physics, or computer science, and experience of modelling complex biological systems. Experience of some or all of stochastic ordinary differential equations, probability and statistics would be a distinct advantage. The successful candidate will work to extend the applicability of current models to more complex and biologically realistic decision-scenarios, and develop entirely new models, as well as converting their theoretical predictions into testable hypotheses for the experimental biologist (post 2) to validate. Opportunities to be closely involved in experimental design will be available, as well as to undertake some experimental work with rock ants. 2. Experimental biologist (School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol): the ideal candidate will have a background in biological sciences; direct experience of working with social insects, especially ants and bees, would be a distinct advantage. Experience of both lab-based and field experimental work is also desirable, as are programming and data analysis skills to deal with the large volumes of data RFID experiments generate. The successful candidate will primarily undertake experimental work in the Ant Lab (Bristol) with Temnothorax albipennis, and will also undertake 3 field seasons of 3 months each to conduct emigration experiments with Apis mellifera (Arizona, with advice from Cornell). The experiments with ants and honeybees will utilise the latest RFID technology for tracking individual insects (e.g. Robinson et al. (2009)). Experimental design will be informed by the modelling predictions of the theoretical biologist (post 1), and opportunities to be involved in design of theoretical models will also be available. Application Deadline 8:00 (GMT) 12th June 2009 Further Details For informal enquiries, contact Dr James Marshall For further details including how to apply, visit: http://www.bris.ac.uk/boris/jobs/ads?ID=80006 ---------------------------------------------------- From: Leor Weinberger Date: Tue, 26 May 2009 21:23:14 -0700 Subject: Postdoc: Epidemiological Modeling for Novel Antiviral Approaches Joint Postdoctoral Fellowship between UCLA and UCSD: Epidemiological Modeling for Novel Antiviral Approaches A joint postdoctoral fellowship funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Grand Challenges in Global Health is available between the labs of Dr. Leor S Weinberger (UCSD, Dept. of Chemistry & Biochemistry) and Dr. James Lloyd-Smith (UCLA, Dept of Ecology) to study the population-level potential of a novel anti-viral approach. Initially, the project will focus on studying the effects of the proposed therapy in the context of the HIV-1 pandemic. However, the project will likely expand to other viral infectious diseases such as influenza and herpesviruses. The specific research project is flexible and can be tailored to the interests of the individual, but the research will fall in the broad field of viral infectious disease modeling and will involve integration of within-host dynamics and population-level dynamics. Opportunities for wet-lab experimental studies exist for highly motivated applicants. Applicants will be considered from a diverse spectrum of backgrounds (including PhDs in mathematics, statistics, physics, biology or related areas) but preference will be for highly motivated applicants with excellent communication skills and a strong background in quantitative modeling of infectious disease. The ideal candidate should also have good interaction capability with experimentalists and a proven record of independent research. The postdoctoral fellowship provides a competitive annual stipend plus benefits and health insurance. Start date and term are negotiable. The fellow can be resident at either campus but will be expected to interact closely with both groups. The position is for one year to start, but renewal for subsequent years is possible pending satisfactory performance. The Weinberger lab at UCSD is a joint theoretical and experimental lab that studies HIV-1 and herpesvirus gene circuit dynamics at the single-cell level (http://weinbergerlab.ucsd.edu) and stresses close interaction between theorists and experimentalists. The Lloyd-Smith group at UCLA (http://www.eeb.ucla.edu/indivfaculty.php?FacultyKey=10440) studies the ecological and evolutionary dynamics of infectious diseases, with an emphasis on data-driven theoretical and quantitative studies. Applications are welcome from candidates of any nationality, and will be reviewed on a rolling basis. UCSD and UCLA both offer outstanding intellectual environments (each with many top-five ranked scientific departments, including Biochemistry and Bioengineering), and highly regarded medical schools. UCSD also houses a Center for Theoretical Biological Physics (CTBP), and close proximity to the Salk and Scripps Institutes. UCLA has an excellent School of Public Health and the Institute for Pure and Applied Mathematics. Highly motivated applicants are encouraged to email a statement of research interests, CV, and contact details for three references to lsw (at) ucsd.edu and jlloydsmith (at) ucla.edu . Informal inquiries are also welcome. The University of California is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer. Review of application will begin immediately and will continue until the position is filled. ---------------------------------------------------- Subject: SMBnet Reminders To subscribe to the SMB Digest please point your browser at http://list.auckland.ac.nz/mailman/listinfo/math-smbnet and complete the subscription information. Alternatively, if you prefer to simply receive notice when the next issue is available, send mail to LISTSERV@listserv.biu.ac.il with "subscribe SMBnet Your Name" in the body of the mail (omit the quotes and include your name). After you subscribe, you will receive a greeting with additional information. Submissions to appear in the SMB Digest may be sent to SMBnet(at)smb(dot)org . Items of interest to the mathematical biology community may be submitted for inclusion in the SMBnet archive. See instructions at: http://smb.org/publications/SMBnet/pubs/fyi . The SMB Digest is also available on the SMB Home Page at http://smb.org/publications/SMBnet/digest/ The contents of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part with attribution. End of SMB Digest **************************************************** ----------------------------------------------------