Jeffrey C. Erlich @jerlich@qoto.org

@tmcurley i wrote a blog post some time ago about modeling rankings with the exploded logit distribution in Stan: https://bruno.nicenboim.me/2021/03/21/a-simple-way-to-model-rankings-with-stan/

We are excited to announce that Cognitive Computational Neuroscience (CCN) 2023 will take place this year in Oxford from August 24 - 27, 2023. The conference will take place at the Examination Schools – more information can be found here:
www.venues.ox.ac.uk/our-venues/examination-schools/.

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Confirmed speakers for this year's CCN include Stan Dehaene, Helen Barron, Cate Hartley, Jay McClelland and Tim Kietzmann TimKietzmann@neuromatch.social

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We also want to note that the paper submission period will be earlier this year than in previous years: abstract submissions will open end of January, and will close March 31.

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For the most up-to-date information about CCN 2023, including reminders about deadlines, join our mailing list (https://mail.securecms.com/mailman/listinfo/ccneuro-announce) and also follow us here on Twitter (https://twitter.com/CogCompNeuro) or Mastodon (https://mastodon.social/@CogCompNeuro@qoto.org)

Please boost!!

Are you an #editor with expertise in #neuroscience? Come join our team!
This might be the right next step for you -we are looking for our next Neurobiology Section Manager, key position in the @PLOSBiology team

Apply at http://plos.io/3kh5ARD (considered upon receipt)
#careers

One of my favorite visuals on #git #workflow. Creds to @NikkiSiapno

Sloan Foundation calling for letters of inquiry - any #HigherEducation institution looking to establish #OpenSource Program Offices. Up to $750k in funding, deadline 15 February 2023 https://sloan.org/programs/digital-technology/ospo-loi

By @NeuroMinded !
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RT @brembs
"we have conceded the curation and dissemination of scientific knowledge to those for whom science will be their second priority and who value important results over rigorous process."
Says former Nature editor:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30709550/
#openscience
https://twitter.com/brembs/status/1612345698954919936

Visual cortex is affected by sounds. Does this mean it is multisensory? Does it represent sounds?

Today in Nature #Neuroscience (https://doi.org/10.1038/s41593-022-01227-x) Célian Bimbard and team find otherwise.

Sound-evoked activity in visual cortex was similar across neurons. Even neurons in hippocampus. It persisted after we cut fibers from auditory cortex!

This activity was predicted by… subtle body movements evoked by the sounds. It reflects brainwide state and behavior signals.

#NeuroNewPaper

Antidote: Read Meng's instant classic "Statistical Paradises and Paradoxes in Big Data" to learn about the magical powers of probabilistic sampling and the big data paradox: The bigger the data, the surer we fool ourselves. When in doubt, trust theory.
https://statistics.fas.harvard.edu/files/statistics-2/files/statistical_paradises_and_paradoxes.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwjP9oTL97D8AhW3MzQIHT6JAR0QFnoECBQQAQ&usg=AOvVaw3kG1o8TiFNnu072sG6OT7B

"In line with the guidelines of Transparency and Openness Promotion (TOP), all research materials and analysis code for this study are available by contacting the corresponding author."

Uh...nope, that's not how that works.

C'mon folks, we can do better in 2023.

Each year in December, I donate 10% of my net income to charity.

My picks this year:

- **Women's Earth Alliance** https://womensearthalliance.org/, women's empowerment in climate action & adaptation

- **Coalition of Rainforest Nations** https://www.rainforestcoalition.org/ helps communities protect their rainforests, critical for carbon storage, biodiversity, and the livelihoods of indigenous communities

- **Doctors Without Borders** https://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/, friends who work in humanitarian aid tell me that Doctors without borders still give medical care after all the other charities leave. See also their recent commitment to stop showing so many white doctors treating patients around the world.

- **Milieudefensie** https://milieudefensie.nl/ pushes for major campaigns and legal actions in NL to protect the environment and challenge fossil-fuel interests

- **Fossil-free NL** https://gofossilfree.org/nl/ another major player in NL, coordinating large campaigns for decarbonizing and divestment across sectors

- **Climate emergency fund** https://www.climateemergencyfund.org/ a network who support many grassroots groups such as @ScientistRebellion

- and finally, my local food bank https://voedselbankleiden.nl/; it's shameful that a rich country like NL has these at all.

Happy holidays and new year folks! ✨​

May I present for your delectation The Spike's review of the year in neuroscience!

https://medium.com/the-spike/2022-a-review-of-the-year-in-neuroscience-ae4e0de082e7?sk=85b3166c4824c57e5f8153f91c1e7bdd

A Cell (IF = 67) paper claimed that vasopressin worsened COVID. The editor was notified of inaccuracies in the paper, but they refused to take any action—unless a replication refuted the results.

The critics took this challenge on, and did not find support for the original study's findings. Yet, the editor still has not issued a correction and stopped responding to emails.

The original authors have since had 5 other papers retracted.

https://retractionwatch.com/2022/12/29/researchers-lost-five-papers-soon-after-scientists-critiqued-another-of-their-papers-in-retraction-watch/
@academicchatter @OpenScience

@tsawallis @julialang This blog has a nice outline of nice things about the Julia language. https://viralinstruction.com/posts/goodjulia/

Julia is still evolving, so there are problems that arise from that. So also a useful read: https://viralinstruction.com/posts/badjulia/

As for Bayes modeling projects, I develop Stan models mostly, and then I can deploy them in R/Py/Julia/whatever. So I haven't done as much work with Turing as I'd like

If you know any undergrads who might like to work in my lab next summer, I'm accepting applications here:
https://forms.gle/rVSDzf7s5cPhBYUY9

New rule: Airline execs should be mandated by law to only fly coach of their own airlines.

The 1492 globe (the "Potato"/Erdapfel https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erdapfel) that inspired Columbus to sail westwards to Asia of course has lots of flaws. Like the Americas are missing. But it's notable that this potato botches even Europe. I guess it wasn't until Gauss hundreds of years later that geography stops charting like a drunken sailor?

If you subscribe to the common trope that you should avoid "causal language," I strongly recommend getting all the way to the very final two paragraphs in the discussion of this paper.

There is a big plot twist there, and it might change your mind.

But to understand the potentially counterintuitive conclusion, you really really need to understand the framing and methods.

AJE pub: https://doi.org/10.1093/aje/kwac137
Near identical preprint version: https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.08.25.21262631