Evie Browne's blog

Today marks the publication of a special neuroscience Review in PLoS Computational Biology that we expect will become a key reference work. Gustavo Deco, Viktor K. Jirsa, Peter A. Robinson, Michael Breakspear, and Karl Friston present the results of several years of collaboration in response to a challenge posed at a Brain Connectivity Workshop to define and clarify the true meanings and usage of models in constant, but approximate use. Terms such as mean-field approximations, mass-action, neural-mass models, neural-field models, density-dynamics, etc. were in regular use but in undefined ways. This article tries to address how different models, used to simulate and predict observed brain dynamics, can be traced back to their common fundaments. In an accompanying Editorial also published today, Karl Friston, PLoS Computational Biology’s neuroscience editor, explains the origin and purpose of the article, which should standardise many concepts for some time.

PLoS Computational Biology regional perspective series new article: Bioinformatics in China.

Last Friday marked the publication of the next installment in PLoS Computational Biology's 'Developing Computational Biology' series, a set of perspectives written by authors in developing countries regarding the state of computational sciences in their nations. Friday's is particularly interesting, as it explores the situation in Cuba. We had some concerns at first whether we could even publish a piece from Cuba, seeing as American editing of Cuban work had been previously considered an activity punishable by imprisonment. Luckily, however, a lawsuit had been filed against the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) in 2001, which caused OFAC to reverse this policy and allow Americans to “engage in all the activities that are necessary and incident to publishing works from authors in Iran, Cuba and Sudan without the need to apply for a government license except in very limited circumstances”.

Panel discussions on the future of scientific publishing