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digitalmars.D.announce - Biology nerds needed in a D project!

reply Murilo <murilomiranda92 hotmail.com> writes:
Guys I'm trying to make a program that simulates a neuron which 
behaves like the Physarum polycephalum so it will be able to 
develop intelligence. I'm making it totally in the D programming 
language. I will need help from biology nerds. If you want to 
participate you can contact me:
1- on my GitHub: https://github.com/MuriloMir
or
2- via e-mail: murilomiranda92 hotmail.com
or
3- via the Dlang facebook group: 
https://www.facebook.com/groups/662119670846705/
or
4- on my twitter: https://twitter.com/MuriloMN0
May 23 2019
parent reply Alex <AJ gmail.com> writes:
On Thursday, 23 May 2019 at 23:17:08 UTC, Murilo wrote:

 Guys I'm trying to make a program that simulates a neuron which 
 behaves like the Physarum polycephalum so it will be able to 
 develop intelligence. I'm making it totally in the D 
 programming language. I will need help from biology nerds. If 
 you want to participate you can contact me:
 1- on my GitHub: https://github.com/MuriloMir
 or
 2- via e-mail: murilomiranda92 hotmail.com
 or
 3- via the Dlang facebook group: 
 https://www.facebook.com/groups/662119670846705/
 or
 4- on my twitter: https://twitter.com/MuriloMN0


It doesn't matter how you model a neuron. Whatever sigmoid 
function you use will end up converging to the same result. All 
neurons function in the same way, and that is as a switch. This 
is why you can use all kinds of stuff for switches and it work.

It seems that as long as they mimic a step function then it will 
work.

I'd suggest you design your algorithms around using a generic 
neuron and then you can play around with specific implementations.
May 23 2019
parent reply Russel Winder <russel winder.org.uk> writes:
On Fri, 2019-05-24 at 00:10 +0000, Alex via Digitalmars-d-announce
wrote:

 On Thursday, 23 May 2019 at 23:17:08 UTC, Murilo wrote:

 Guys I'm trying to make a program that simulates a neuron which=20
 behaves like the Physarum polycephalum so it will be able to=20
 develop intelligence. I'm making it totally in the D=20
 programming language. I will need help from biology nerds. If=20
 you want to participate you can contact me:




I am not an expert in this, but would a neuron (from whatever beastie)
ever behave like a slime mould?


 1- on my GitHub: https://github.com/MuriloMir
 or
 2- via e-mail: murilomiranda92 hotmail.com
 or
 3- via the Dlang facebook group:=20
 https://www.facebook.com/groups/662119670846705/
 or
 4- on my twitter: https://twitter.com/MuriloMN0


=20
 It doesn't matter how you model a neuron. Whatever sigmoid=20
 function you use will end up converging to the same result. All=20
 neurons function in the same way, and that is as a switch. This=20
 is why you can use all kinds of stuff for switches and it work.


Is a sigmoid function sufficient? The era of treating a neuron as
purely a single dimensional (electrical) state has, I believe, long
past. Neurons do trigger, but they also have a biochemical aspect as
well as an electrical one. I am not up to date with modelling neurons,
and neither am I an expert in neurochemistry, and whilst investigating
a network of sigmoid function triggers is still valid as a fun thing to
do, I am not sure it can now be seen as a model of a collection of
neurons.

A model that started up in the mid to late 1970s but didn't take off
then, but I believe is being picked up again recently, is to treat a
network of neurons embedded in a biochemical system as a set of fields.
The background was relativistic quantum field theory, but I suspect the
technique as applied to networks of neurons has evolved away from that
background. But maybe this is still not a mainstream approach?

Does anyone have any connection with people working on Blue Brain. Over
decade ago they were modelling the neocortex and neurons with
apparently good success.


 It seems that as long as they mimic a step function then it will=20
 work.
=20
 I'd suggest you design your algorithms around using a generic=20
 neuron and then you can play around with specific implementations.



--=20
Russel.
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
Dr Russel Winder      t: +44 20 7585 2200
41 Buckmaster Road    m: +44 7770 465 077
London SW11 1EN, UK   w: www.russel.org.uk
May 24 2019
parent Murilo <murilomiranda92 hotmail.com> writes:
On Friday, 24 May 2019 at 08:46:06 UTC, Russel Winder wrote:

 I am not an expert in this, but would a neuron (from whatever 
 beastie) ever behave like a slime mould?
 Is a sigmoid function sufficient? The era of treating a neuron 
 as purely a single dimensional (electrical) state has, I 
 believe, long past. Neurons do trigger, but they also have a 
 biochemical aspect as well as an electrical one. I am not up to 
 date with modelling neurons, and neither am I an expert in 
 neurochemistry, and whilst investigating a network of sigmoid 
 function triggers is still valid as a fun thing to do, I am not 
 sure it can now be seen as a model of a collection of neurons.
 A model that started up in the mid to late 1970s but didn't 
 take off then, but I believe is being picked up again recently, 
 is to treat a network of neurons embedded in a biochemical 
 system as a set of fields. The background was relativistic 
 quantum field theory, but I suspect the technique as applied to 
 networks of neurons has evolved away from that background. But 
 maybe this is still not a mainstream approach?
 Does anyone have any connection with people working on Blue 
 Brain. Over decade ago they were modelling the neocortex and 
 neurons with apparently good success.


I found your reply very knowledgeable and very intelligent. I 
will take a look later at the blue brain project. The reason I 
compared a neuron with the slime mold is because it grows 
dentrites to form synapses and therefore it creates intelligence.
May 25 2019