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Question about MPI and multithreading
by kusch lionel 15 Apr '20

15 Apr '20

Dear all, I am actually working on the I/O for Nest with MPI. I am not aware of the solution of Nest for managing the communication between process and thread. I would like to learn more about it for adapting the interface with the actual solution. If someone can answer some of my questions : 1) By looking at the initialization of the MPI, I saw Nest use the /MPI_THREAD_FUNNELED /for the level of thread support. What is the reason for it? 2) This level of thread support surprise me because I suppose that it will overload one thread with all the MPI calls. Why do you do not choose the level /MPI_THREAD_SERIALIZED/? 3) I would like to have different levels for thread support. Do you think it's possible ? Thank you in advance for your answer, Kusch Lionel PS: The reference to the different MPI thread support : http://mpi.deino.net/mpi_functions/MPI_Init_thread.html

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GitHub Projects
by Dennis Terhorst 14 Apr '20

14 Apr '20

Dear NEST users and developers, some of you may already have noticed, that we recently updated a lot of issues and pull-requests in our repository. The changes are completely organizational and aim to provide a better overview and service to our community. In particular, we removed the "C:" category labels (Model, Kernel, PyNEST, Documentation, ...) and instead now make use of corresponding GitHub projects. There, issues and pull-requests are represented as "cards" on a Kanban-like board, which gives a comprehensive view on the current topics and enables dedicated discussions to focus more easily. For each project we assigned a contact person that will take care of organizing work for that subset of cards. You notice that also the "P:" progress labels have mostly been removed (except "blocked" and "won't fix"), as this is automatically tracked in the columns of the projects and is much easier to manage there. The change to GitHub projects enables us to discuss topics in a more focused fashion than detailed issue-by-issue, which will also be reflected in the Open NEST Developer Video Conference. Projects will give a general status update and can raise overarching questions into the discussion. The detailed issue-by-issue work on the other hand, is organized by the project groups separately and each group may decide to do separate meetings to discuss details. Besides the long-running projects corresponding to the category labels, larger short/mid-term activities are organized in "Feature-Projects". These projects aim to help developers to work on special or cross-cutting topics and are expected to be "finished" at some point. The open VC will cover them similar to the long-term projects if required. We hope these changes improve the overview over the work ongoing in all the many areas for users and developers, facilitate detailed discussions between relevant and interested people and make the work on the simulator more transparent. Best, Dennis

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Open NEST Developer Video Conference Monday 13 April 2020 SKIPPED (Easter Monday)
by Dennis Terhorst 13 Apr '20

13 Apr '20

Dear NEST Users & Developers! I would like to wish you all a happy Easter time and I hope you are all well despite the current circumstances. Since it is Easter Monday in some parts of the world, we will skip this meeting. I am looking forward to seeing you again in our next Open NEST Developer Video Conference on April 27th. Stay safe, best, Dennis Terhorst

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Custom input for neurons
by Nicolas Martorell 06 Apr '20

06 Apr '20

Dear all, I'm new at NEST, and I've been trying to recreate a neural system from my work. This involves an IAF neuron which receives two different stimuli (they would be represented by inputs to the neuron - increases in post-synaptic potential). Since these are stimuli I control in my experiments, I need to be able to control their dynamics as the simulation progresses (for example, one of the stimuli has an exponentially larger effect as time progresses). Therefore, it's important for me to be able to control the dynamic of these inputs. However, I have not been able to find a way to do this. One idea I've had is to set the amplitude of a noise-generator to change according to a function of my choosing (going back to the previous example, it would be an exponential function). But this would require for this parameter to be changed mid-simulation, or to be assigned to a function and interpreted by NEST. Is any of this possible? Or alternatively, do you know of another way of accomplishing this? Thank you! Nicolas

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Open NEST Developer Video Conference Monday 30 March 2020 11:30 CEST (UTC+2)
by Dennis Terhorst 30 Mar '20

30 Mar '20

Dear NEST Users & Developers! I would like to invite you to our next bi-weekly Open NEST Developer Video Conference, today Monday 30 March, 11.30-12.30 CEST (UTC+2). Given the current circumstances today's meeting will be again via video conference only, so please do not meet in person! Stay safe! We discuss development status of relevant pull-requests/issues for the upcoming releases. Agenda Welcome Review of NEST User Mailing List Projects & Branches Review of open Github Pull Request Review of open Github Issues The agenda for this meeting is also available online, see https://github.com/nest/nest-simulator/wiki/2020-03-30-Open-NEST-Developer-… Looking forward to seeing you soon! best, Dennis Terhorst ------------------ Log-in information ------------------ We use a virtual conference room provided by DFN (Deutsches Forschungsnetz). You can use the web client to connect. We however encourage everyone to use a headset for better audio quality or even a proper video conferencing system (see below) or software when available. Web client * Visit https://conf.dfn.de/webapp/conference/97938800 * Enter your name and allow your browser to use camera and microphone * The conference does not need a PIN to join, just click join and you're in. In case you see a dfnconf logo and the phrase "Auf den Meetingveranstalter warten", just be patient, the meeting host needs to join first (a voice will tell you). VC system/software How to log in with a video conferencing system, depends on you VC system or software. - Using the H.323 protocol (eg Polycom): vc.dfn.net##97938800 or 194.95.240.2##97938800 - Using the SIP protocol:97938800@vc.dfn.de - By telephone: +49-30-200-97938800 For those who do not have a video conference system or suitable software, Polycom provides a pretty good free app for iOS and Android, so you can join from your tablet (Polycom RealPresence Mobile, available from AppStore/PlayStore). Note that firewalls may interfere with videoconferencing in various and sometimes confusing ways. For more technical information on logging in from various VC systems, please see http://vcc.zih.tu-dresden.de/index.php?linkid=1.1.3.4

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Memory issues arising in small neural networks
by sternj＠college.harvard.edu 27 Mar '20

27 Mar '20

Hello all, Hope everyone is staying safe and well in these difficult times. I am an undergrad who is just getting started with this library, so I want to apologize in advance for the basic question. I am having issues I believe are memory-related when I call GetConnections on rather small networks. Here is my script: import nest # memory testing nest.ResetKernel() n = 5 # number of neurons epop1 = nest.Create("iaf_psc_alpha",n) epop2 = nest.Create("iaf_psc_alpha",n) nest.Connect(epop1,epop2,{'rule': 'all_to_all'}) # we can now query the synapses using GetConnections conns = nest.GetConnections(epop1,target = epop2) nest.GetStatus(conns,["target","weight"]) This runs fine for n < 5, but I get the following error with n >=5: Assertion failed: (source_lid < MAX_LID), function set_source_lid, file /usr/local/miniconda/conda-bld/nest-simulator_1583214474797/work/nestkernel/target_data.h, line 264. Abort trap: 6 I have run some of the example scripts like brunel_alpha_numpy with a few thousand neurons and they work just fine. Am I making an improper call to GetConnections here? And if so, what is a better way to dynamically check connectivity? Alternatively, might there be something wrong with my Nest environment? And if so, what should I look at to troubleshoot this? Thank you so much for your help. Best wishes, Josh

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Error message when installing with cmake
by benedikt.s.vogler＠tum.de 22 Mar '20

22 Mar '20

Hello everyone! I tried installing nest using cmake version 3.14 on ubuntu. This is the command I tried from the nest-simulator directory: cmake -DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX:PATH=/home/bsvogler/Dokumente/nest /home/bsvogler/Dokumente/nest-simulator/nest I get the following two error messages and cannot find any information on how to resolve this issue ========= CMake Error at CMakeLists.txt:97 (install): install TARGETS given no RUNTIME DESTINATION for executable target "nest". CMake Error at CMakeLists.txt:106 (FILTER_HEADERS): Unknown CMake command "FILTER_HEADERS". CMake Warning (dev) in CMakeLists.txt: No cmake_minimum_required command is present. A line of code such as cmake_minimum_required(VERSION 3.13) should be added at the top of the file. The version specified may be lower if you wish to support older CMake versions for this project. For more information run "cmake --help-policy CMP0000". This warning is for project developers. Use -Wno-dev to suppress it. -- Configuring incomplete, errors occurred! See also "/home/bsvogler/Dokumente/nest-simulator/nestinstall/CMakeFiles/CMakeOutput.log". ======= I tried the master branch and the nest3 branch. I need a working nest 3 simulator. I managed to compile just yesterday but in the meantime, I reinstalled the operating system. Please help me out. Kind regards, Benedikt S. Vogler

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Using music_cont_in_proxy as current source
by Mohammadreza Mohagheghi Nejad 16 Mar '20

16 Mar '20

Dear all, I would like to receive a continuous stream of data via ‘music_cont_in_proxy’ and use it as input current to a neuron. I used ‘iaf_cond_alpha_mc’ as model neuron because I could specify the input that should target the neuron via the receptor_type that accepts current {‘receptor_type’: 7} (’soma_curr’: 7) and connected the ‘music_cont_in_proxy’ via this receptor to the neuron. Currently, for testing purposes, I used ‘constsource’ music binary continuous data stream, which is also used in NEST guides (https://bit.ly/2xBNfpO). As I imagined, it didn’t work maybe because the output type of the music port doesn’t match the input type of the receptor type (’the following error’). Does anyone know how I can overcome this problem (that I can use ‘music_cont_in_proxy’ as current source)? Thank you very much in advance. ########ERROR######## Traceback (most recent call last): File "./conttest.py", line 39, in <module> nest.Connect(mcip, mc, 'one_to_one', {'receptor_type': 7}) File "/local/work/Projects/closed-loop-learning/NEST/lib/python3.7/site-packages/nest/ll_api.py", line 246, in stack_checker_func return f(*args, **kwargs) File "/local/work/Projects/closed-loop-learning/NEST/lib/python3.7/site-packages/nest/lib/hl_api_connections.py", line 362, in Connect sr('Connect') File "/local/work/Projects/closed-loop-learning/NEST/lib/python3.7/site-packages/nest/ll_api.py", line 132, in catching_sli_run raise exceptionCls(commandname, message) nest.ll_api.UnexpectedEvent: ('UnexpectedEvent in Connect_g_g_D_D: Node cannot handle received event.', 'UnexpectedEvent', <SLILiteral: Connect_g_g_D_D>, ': Node cannot handle received event.’) ########ERROR######## Best wishes, Mohammad -- Mohammadreza Mohagheghi Nejad Postdoctoral researcher in computational neuroscience, Institute of Neural Computation, Ruhr University Bochum, Germany https://www.ini.rub.de/the_institute/people/mohammadreza-mohagheghi_nejad/

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MUSIC - music_cont_in/out_proxy - Guide
by Mohammadreza Mohagheghi Nejad 16 Mar '20

16 Mar '20

Dear all, I am trying to use music ports for my simulations, which requires continuous transmission of data to NEST. I would like to test them in a toy example before integrating them in my project to make sure I am using them as I should. So, under section "Receiving continuous data" in "Guides\Using NEST with MUSIC" ( https://nest-simulator.readthedocs.io/en/stable/guides/using_nest_with_musi…), I found a guide for this functionality of NEST, however, the binary "constsource" is not available. Does anybody have any idea where I can find it? Thank you very much in advance for your help, Best wishes, Mohammad -- Mohammadreza Mohagheghi Nejad Postdoctoral researcher in computational neuroscience, Institute of Neural Computation, Ruhr University Bochum, Germany https://www.ini.rub.de/the_institute/people/mohammadreza-mohagheghi_nejad/

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Open NEST Developer Video Conference Monday 16 March 2020 11:30 CET (UTC+1)
by Dennis Terhorst 16 Mar '20

16 Mar '20

Dear NEST Users & Developers! I would like to invite you to our next bi-weekly Open NEST Developer Video Conference, today Monday 16 March, 11.30-12.30 CET (UTC+1). Given the current circumstances today's meeting will be *via VIDEO CONFERENCE**ONLY*, so please do not meet in person! We will focus on the organization of our now even more decentralized work and discuss development status of relevant pull-requests/issues for the upcoming releases. Agenda Welcome Review of NEST User Mailing List Review of open Github Pull Request Review of open Github Issues The agenda for this meeting is also available online, see https://github.com/nest/nest-simulator/wiki/2020-03-16-Open-NEST-Developer-… Looking forward to seeing you soon! best, Dennis Terhorst ------------------ Log-in information ------------------ We use a virtual conference room provided by DFN (Deutsches Forschungsnetz). You can use the web client to connect. We however encourage everyone to use a headset for better audio quality or even a proper video conferencing system (see below) or software when available. Web client * Visit https://conf.dfn.de/webapp/conference/97938800 * Enter your name and allow your browser to use camera and microphone * The conference does not need a PIN to join, just click join and you're in. In case you see a dfnconf logo and the phrase "Auf den Meetingveranstalter warten", just be patient, the meeting host needs to join first (a voice will tell you). VC system/software How to log in with a video conferencing system, depends on you VC system or software. - Using the H.323 protocol (eg Polycom): vc.dfn.net##97938800 or 194.95.240.2##97938800 - Using the SIP protocol:97938800@vc.dfn.de - By telephone: +49-30-200-97938800 For those who do not have a video conference system or suitable software, Polycom provides a pretty good free app for iOS and Android, so you can join from your tablet (Polycom RealPresence Mobile, available from AppStore/PlayStore). Note that firewalls may interfere with videoconferencing in various and sometimes confusing ways. For more technical information on logging in from various VC systems, please see http://vcc.zih.tu-dresden.de/index.php?linkid=1.1.3.4

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Please merge master if you have open pull requests / Issue #1449
by Hans Ekkehard Plesser 12 Mar '20

12 Mar '20

Dear NEST Developers! If you currently have an open pull request against the NEST master branch on Github, please merge the most recent updates from master into your branch. A bug described in #1449 and fixed by #1458 lead to non-deterministic test suite failures. Once you have merged master into your branch, please push again to Github to re-run the tests on Travis. Best, Hans Ekkehard -- Prof. Dr. Hans Ekkehard Plesser Head, Data Science Section Faculty of Science and Technology Norwegian University of Life Sciences PO Box 5003, 1432 Aas, Norway Phone +47 6723 1560 Email hans.ekkehard.plesser(a)nmbu.no Home http://arken.nmbu.no/~plesser

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A question about NESTML: parameters inherited from Archiving Node aren't exposed to Get/SetStatus
by Alexey Serenko 06 Mar '20

06 Mar '20

Dear community, Sorry if this is off-topic for this list, but I am facing a problem with NESTML. After compiling any of the example neuron models present in the repository, the model seems not to have parameters inherited from ArchivingNode (such as, for instance, an STDP parameter tau_minus) available for GetStatus() or SetStatus(). Oddly enough, the model probably does possess these parameters, because can be connected to/from TDP synapses, but just does not expose them to Get/SetStatus. Could you please advise what I should do to examine the problem? I am using NEST version 2.20 and NESTML version 3.0.post0.dev5 (pip-installed). Faithfully yours, Alex Serenko, graduate student at Kurchatov Institute, Moscow, Russia

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nest3: How to create composite of SynapseCollections
by benedikt.s.vogler＠tum.de 03 Mar '20

03 Mar '20

Hello everyone! I am transitioning my Code from nest 2 to nest 3. In nest 2 I used a list of connections and could use this list with nest.Get/SetStatus(). With nest 3 I now have a list of SynapseCollections instances, where each synapse collection contains only one connection. For node collections, there seems to be an operator to create a composite (https://nest-simulator.readthedocs.io/en/latest/guides/from_nest2_to_nest3.…). For SynapseCollections, however, I was unable to use the plus operator and could not find similar documentation as in the transition guide. My current workaround is to loop over each instance the list and call Set() on each instance/synapse. What is the recommended way to create a SynapseCollections from many? Is there somewhere more documentation covering nest 3 than the two pages covering the changes form nest 2 to 3? Kind regards, Benedikt S. Vogler

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Open NEST Developer Video Conference Monday 2 March 2020 11:30 CET (UTC+1)
by Dennis Terhorst 02 Mar '20

02 Mar '20

Dear NEST Users & Developers! I would like to invite you to our next bi-weekly Open NEST Developer Video Conference, today Monday 2 March, 11.30-12.30 CET (UTC+1). In today's meeting we will focus on the development status of some critical pull-requests/issues. Agenda Welcome Review of NEST User Mailing List Critical issues Issue #1394, PR #1442 Issue #1409, PR #1409 Issue #1449 Random numbers in NEST3 see Issue #1440 Review of open Github Pull Request Review of open Github Issues If you feel uncomfortable to join meetings in larger groups, consider to dial in via video from your desk (details how to log in are given below, as usual). The agenda for this meeting is also available online, see https://github.com/nest/nest-simulator/wiki/2020-03-02-Open-NEST-Developer-… Looking forward to seeing you soon! best, Dennis Terhorst ------------------ Log-in information ------------------ We use a virtual conference room provided by DFN (Deutsches Forschungsnetz). You can use the web client to connect. We however encourage everyone to use a headset for better audio quality or even a proper video conferencing system (see below) or software when available. Web client * Visit https://conf.dfn.de/webapp/conference/97938800 * Enter your name and allow your browser to use camera and microphone * The conference does not need a PIN to join, just click join and you're in. In case you see a dfnconf logo and the phrase "Auf den Meetingveranstalter warten", just be patient, the meeting host needs to join first (a voice will tell you). VC system/software How to log in with a video conferencing system, depends on you VC system or software. - Using the H.323 protocol (eg Polycom): vc.dfn.net##97938800 or 194.95.240.2##97938800 - Using the SIP protocol:97938800@vc.dfn.de - By telephone: +49-30-200-97938800 For those who do not have a video conference system or suitable software, Polycom provides a pretty good free app for iOS and Android, so you can join from your tablet (Polycom RealPresence Mobile, available from AppStore/PlayStore). Note that firewalls may interfere with videoconferencing in various and sometimes confusing ways. For more technical information on logging in from various VC systems, please see http://vcc.zih.tu-dresden.de/index.php?linkid=1.1.3.4

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Install nest-simulator-2.20.0 failed in Ubuntu 14.04
by 1033471810＠qq.com 01 Mar '20

01 Mar '20

Hello everyone, I followed the instructions to install nest-simulator-2.20.0 in my Ubuntu. When I do the things follow: ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- cmake -DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX:PATH=/usr/bin/nest /home/visapy_and_dependencies/nest-simulator-2.20.0 make make install -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Unfortunately, during "make" it reports some Error, see following: [ 49%] Building CXX object nestkernel/CMakeFiles/nestkernel.dir/connection_manage.cpp.o /home/visapy_and_dependencies/nest-simulator-2.20.0/nestkernel/connection_managercpp:419:1: error: prototype for ‘void nest::ConnectionManager::connect(nest::inde, nest::Node*, nest::thread, nest::synindex, const DictionaryDatum&, double, doube)’ does not match any in class ‘nest::ConnectionManager’ nest::ConnectionManager::connect( const index sgid, ^~~~ In file included from /home/visapy_and_dependencies/nest-simulator-2.20.0/nestkerel/connection_manager.cpp:23:0: /home/visapy_and_dependencies/nest-simulator-2.20.0/nestkernel/connection_managerh:135:8: error: candidates are: bool nest::ConnectionManager::connect(nest::inde nest::index, const DictionaryDatum&, nest::synindex) bool connect( const index sgid, const index target, const DictionaryDatum& parms, const synindex syn_id ); ^~~~~~~ /home/visapy_and_dependencies/nest-simulator-2.20.0/nestkernel/connection_managerh:117:8: error: void nest::ConnectionManager::connect(nest::index nest::Node*, nest::thread, nest::synindex, const DictionaryDatum&, double_t, doule_t) void connect( const index sgid, ^~~~~~~ /home/visapy_and_dependencies/nest-simulator-2.20.0/nestkernel/connection_managercpp:352:1: error: void nest::ConnectionManager::connect(const nes::GIDCollection&, const nest::GIDCollection&, const DictionaryDatum&, const DictinaryDatum&) nest::ConnectionManager::connect( const GIDCollection& sources, ^~~~ make[2]: *** [nestkernel/CMakeFiles/nestkernel.dir/connection_manager.cpp.o] Erro 1 make[1]: *** [nestkernel/CMakeFiles/nestkernel.dir/all] Error 2 make: *** [all] Error 2 I have no idea about this, I'd appreciate it if you could help me. and my cmake version 3.10.1, gcc version 7.4.0

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warning: 'GetConnections' are now invalid
by Lea Steffen 28 Feb '20

28 Feb '20

Hi everybody, I switched from Nest 2.16 to 2.20 and now I get this warning message: ConnectionManager [Warning]: New connections created, connection descriptors previously obtained using 'GetConnections' are now invalid This happens at several parts in my code while building synapses with 'sim.Projection(...)'. I use a 'FromListConnector' and 'STDPMechanism' as synapse_type. I neversaw this warning in the previous Nest version, is it something to be concerned about? I am not quite sure what it is trying to tell me. Thanks in advance, Lea ......................................................... M. Sc. Lea Steffen Wissenschaftlicher Mitarbeiter | Research Scientist Intelligent Systems and Production Engineering (ISPE) Interactive Diagnosis and Service Systems (IDS) FZI Forschungszentrum Informatik Haid-und-Neu-Str. 10–14 76131 Karlsruhe, Germany Tel.: +49 721 9654-218 steffen(a)fzi.de www.fzi.de/mitarbeiter/steffen ......................................................... FZI Forschungszentrum Informatik am Karlsruher Institut für Technologie Stiftung des bürgerlichen Rechts Stiftung Az: 14-0563.1 Regierungspräsidium Karlsruhe Vorstand: Prof. Dr. Andreas Oberweis, Jan Wiesenberger, Prof. Dr.-Ing. J. Marius Zöllner Vorsitzender des Kuratoriums: Ministerialdirigent Günther Leßnerkraus .........................................................

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How to stimulate neurons in a network with different amplitudes
by Daphne Cornelisse 22 Feb '20

22 Feb '20

Dear nest community, I have a network of 'iaf_cond_alpha' neurons and want to use the 'dc_generator' to apply two different current amplitudes to the network. (see code below) - A subset of the neurons should receive a sub-threshold amplitude so that they won't spike. - A subset of the neurons should receive a suprathreshold amplitude, making them spike. I created a random number of indices of neurons that should receive a suprathreshold current, the rest of the neurons should receive the subthreshold current. However, there doesn't seem any way to set the current amplitude to a subset of neurons. I have looked at all the examples using the dc_generator but couldn't find anything about it. How can this be done? Is it possible? If it's not possible could you point me to the source code so I could potentially write a something for it? Thank you. Kind regards, Daphne *=== code ===* np.random.seed(0) # for reproducibility # amplitudes Asub = 300.6 Asupra = 367.4 # list of all neurons neuron_idx_lst = np.arange(0,N_total) # create random array, these are the neurons that should be stimulated with supra Amplitude supra_indices = np.random.randint(1, N_total, size=int(N_total/neuron_groups-1)) # the rest should receive sub threshold current sub_indices = np.setdiff1d(neuron_idx_lst,supra_indices) # here is where it goes wrong nest.SetStatus(dc_gen[supra_indices], params={'amplitude':Asupra, 'start':stim_start, 'stop':stim_end}) nest.SetStatus(dc_gen[sub_indices], params={'amplitude':Asub, 'start':stim_start, 'stop':stim_end}) >>> TypeError: tuple indices must be integers or slices, not tuple

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Re: Multi-compartmental models
by Benedikt Rank 20 Feb '20

20 Feb '20

Dear Charl, thank you for the specific pointers. This sounds very promising! Best, Benedikt

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Re: Multi-compartmental models
by Benedikt Rank 20 Feb '20

20 Feb '20

Dear Charl, thank you for the specific pointers. This sounds very promising! Best, Benedikt ⁣

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NEST3 is now the Master Branch
by Hans Ekkehard Plesser 20 Feb '20

20 Feb '20

Dear NEST Developers and Users! After more than two years of intense work, NEST 3 is sufficiently close to completion that we merged the nest-3 branch into the NEST master branch in Github yesterday, closing a large number of issues in the process. What does this mean for you? If you are a NEST User, you can continue to use an existing NEST release for now, ideally NEST 2.20.0, the most recent release. If you are a NEST User and feel just a little adventurous, or are a developer, we encourage you to get the newest version of NEST from Github and adapt you model scripts to NEST3. You will find informations about what changed here: https://nest-simulator.readthedocs.io/en/nest-3/guides/from_nest2_to_nest3.… https://nest-simulator.readthedocs.io/en/nest-3/ref_material/nest2_vs_3.html We very much look forward to hear about your experiences with NEST 3 (the good and the not so good ones), so that we can fix any remaining problems before releasing NEST 3.0. Please file bug reports as Github issues. Best, Hans Ekkehard ps: For our colleagues with the HBP and Partnering Projects: We have a session on NEST 3 at the HBP Summit, Wednesday 15.30 in MC3.4. We also have a poster. -- Prof. Dr. Hans Ekkehard Plesser Head, Data Science Section Faculty of Science and Technology Norwegian University of Life Sciences PO Box 5003, 1432 Aas, Norway Phone +47 6723 1560 Email hans.ekkehard.plesser(a)nmbu.no Home http://arken.nmbu.no/~plesser

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Multi-compartmental models
by benediktr＠hotmail.de 19 Feb '20

19 Feb '20

Dear nest developer, Is there a pre-implemented nest model allowing multiplicative aggregation of compartments/dendritic branches. I am looking for a model that will allow multiplicative aggregation of two dendritic branches at the soma. I very much appreciate any support provided. Best regards, Benedikt

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nest::BadProperty error that behaves like a OOM error
by angpap＠kth.se 17 Feb '20

17 Feb '20

Hello, I am fairly new to NEST and I have been struggling with the following issue. Github repo: https://github.com/angpapadi/wm-net My simulation code consists of 3 python files: - sim.py, the main simulation script, where the model is built and the simulation program is specified - helpers.py a collection of helper functions - parameters.py a script where all parameters are specified. In order to be able to run the code successfully, I have to set certain parameters to unrealistic values. If I try to move any of these parameters towards a more realistic regime, NEST crashes (see end of post for full error message). Most relevant is the fact that setting these parameters to more reasonable values, increases by a lot the amount of spikes that NEST has to keep track of. Examples of such parameters that currently have wrong values: > the DOWNSCALE_FACTOR, that essentially controls the neural network's size. Right now my network size is downscaled 95% of what I would want it to be. There are 2 hypercolumns with 4 minicolumns each. Each minicolumn consists of 4 neurons. > E_rev is a list of the reversal potential for each synaptic port. My neuron model has 3 synaptic ports for AMPA, NMDA and GABA, in that order. The Erev for GABA is correctly set but for AMPA and NMDA I cannot get it to work for values bigger than -25, when the correct reversal potential for both is 0. I cannot find the issue with my code, if there is any. When the simulation is very limited (the aforementioned parameters are set to unrealistic values), the code runs flawlessly and produces the expected plots and spike rasters. Also, if I allocate more resources by running on multiple mpi processes, I can be slightly closer to the correct parameter ranges before the nest::badproperty error occurs. To reproduce the error: 1. You can optionally first run the code as is to verify that it works (by running the sim.py script) 2. Then try setting one of the parameters mentioned above to a more plausible value. You can do so by going to the parameters.py file and either reducing the DOWNSCALE_FACTOR parameter (line 7) or increasing the first two entries of the E_rev list (line 203) that correspond to the AMPA and NMDA reversal potentials, or doing both if you 're feeling adventurous! The error is the following: terminate called after throwing an instance of 'nest::BadProperty' what(): BadProperty [59eb791543aa:00113] *** Process received signal *** [59eb791543aa:00113] Signal: Aborted (6) [59eb791543aa:00113] Signal code: (-6) [59eb791543aa:00113] [ 0] /lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libc.so.6(+0x3ef20)[0x7f2c117b7f20] [59eb791543aa:00113] [ 1] /lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libc.so.6(gsignal+0xc7)[0x7f2c117b7e97] [59eb791543aa:00113] [ 2] /lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libc.so.6(abort+0x141)[0x7f2c117b9801] [59eb791543aa:00113] [ 3] /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libstdc++.so.6(+0x8c957)[0x7f2c0a55a957] [59eb791543aa:00113] [ 4] /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libstdc++.so.6(+0x92ab6)[0x7f2c0a560ab6] [59eb791543aa:00113] [ 5] /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libstdc++.so.6(+0x91b19)[0x7f2c0a55fb19] [59eb791543aa:00113] [ 6] /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libstdc++.so.6(__gxx_personality_v0+0x2a8)[0x7f2c0a560488] [59eb791543aa:00113] [ 7] /lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libgcc_s.so.1(+0x10613)[0x7f2c0d6f1613] [59eb791543aa:00113] [ 8] /lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libgcc_s.so.1(_Unwind_Resume+0x125)[0x7f2c0d6f1e95] [59eb791543aa:00113] [ 9] /opt/nest/lib/python3.6/site-packages/nest/../../../libnestkernel.so(_ZN4nest20EventDeliveryManager18gather_spike_data_INS_9SpikeDataEEEviRSt6vectorIT_SaIS4_EES7_+0x10ed)[0x7f2c0af0684d] [59eb791543aa:00113] [10] /opt/nest/lib/python3.6/site-packages/nest/../../../libnestkernel.so(+0xf4894)[0x7f2c0aee4894] [59eb791543aa:00113] [11] /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libgomp.so.1(GOMP_parallel+0x3f)[0x7f2c08d79ecf] [59eb791543aa:00113] [12] /opt/nest/lib/python3.6/site-packages/nest/../../../libnestkernel.so(_ZN4nest17SimulationManager7update_Ev+0x151)[0x7f2c0aee0f61] [59eb791543aa:00113] [13] /opt/nest/lib/python3.6/site-packages/nest/../../../libnestkernel.so(_ZN4nest17SimulationManager12call_update_Ev+0x5a5)[0x7f2c0aee1915] [59eb791543aa:00113] [14] /opt/nest/lib/python3.6/site-packages/nest/../../../libnestkernel.so(_ZN4nest17SimulationManager3runERKNS_4TimeE+0x1d3)[0x7f2c0aee6713] [59eb791543aa:00113] [15] /opt/nest/lib/python3.6/site-packages/nest/../../../libnestkernel.so(_ZN4nest17SimulationManager8simulateERKNS_4TimeE+0x1c)[0x7f2c0aee699c] [59eb791543aa:00113] [16] /opt/nest/lib/python3.6/site-packages/nest/../../../libnestkernel.so(_ZN4nest8simulateERKd+0xc2)[0x7f2c0aecb972] [59eb791543aa:00113] [17] /opt/nest/lib/python3.6/site-packages/nest/../../../libnestkernel.so(_ZNK4nest10NestModule16SimulateFunction7executeEP14SLIInterpreter+0x43)[0x7f2c0ae97a53] [59eb791543aa:00113] [18] /opt/nest/lib/python3.6/site-packages/nest/../../../libsli.so(_ZN13FunctionDatum7executeEP14SLIInterpreter+0x43)[0x7f2c0a8e9063] [59eb791543aa:00113] [19] /opt/nest/lib/python3.6/site-packages/nest/../../../libsli.so(_ZN14SLIInterpreter8execute_Em+0x222)[0x7f2c0a8e6d42] [59eb791543aa:00113] [20] /opt/nest/lib/python3.6/site-packages/nest/../../../libsli.so(_ZN14SLIInterpreter7executeERKNSt7__cxx1112basic_stringIcSt11char_traitsIcESaIcEEE+0x15e)[0x7f2c0a8e72be] [59eb791543aa:00113] [21] /opt/nest/lib/python3.6/site-packages/nest/pynestkernel.so(+0x29ac8)[0x7f2c0c5caac8] [59eb791543aa:00113] [22] python[0x50a94c] [59eb791543aa:00113] [23] python(_PyEval_EvalFrameDefault+0x449)[0x50c5b9] [59eb791543aa:00113] [24] python[0x509d48] [59eb791543aa:00113] [25] python[0x50aa7d] [59eb791543aa:00113] [26] python(_PyEval_EvalFrameDefault+0x449)[0x50c5b9] [59eb791543aa:00113] [27] python[0x508245] [59eb791543aa:00113] [28] python[0x589471] [59eb791543aa:00113] [29] python(PyObject_Call+0x3e)[0x5a067e] [59eb791543aa:00113] *** End of error message *** Let me know if you need any additional information and I thank you for your time Angeliki

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Open NEST Developer Video Conference Monday 17 February 2020 11:30 CET (UTC+1)
by Dennis Terhorst 17 Feb '20

17 Feb '20

Dear NEST Users & Developers! I would like to invite you to our next bi-weekly Open NEST Developer Video Conference, today Monday 17 February, 11.30-12.30 CET (UTC+1). For details how to log in see below. As usual the agenda for this meeting is also available online, see https://github.com/nest/nest-simulator/wiki/2020-02-17-Open-NEST-Developer-… Agenda * Welcome * Review of NEST User Mailing List * Review of open Github Pull Request * Review of open Github Issues Looking forward to seeing you soon! best, Dennis Terhorst ------------------ Log-in information ------------------ We use a virtual conference room provided by DFN (Deutsches Forschungsnetz). You can use the web client to connect. We however encourage everyone to use a headset for better audio quality or even a proper video conferencing system (see below) or software when available. Web client * Visit https://conf.dfn.de/webapp/conference/97938800 * Enter your name and allow your browser to use camera and microphone * The conference does not need a PIN to join, just click join and you're in. In case you see a dfnconf logo and the phrase "Auf den Meetingveranstalter warten", just be patient, the meeting host needs to join first (a voice will tell you). VC system/software How to log in with a video conferencing system, depends on you VC system or software. - Using the H.323 protocol (eg Polycom): vc.dfn.net##97938800 or 194.95.240.2##97938800 - Using the SIP protocol:97938800@vc.dfn.de - By telephone: +49-30-200-97938800 For those who do not have a video conference system or suitable software, Polycom provides a pretty good free app for iOS and Android, so you can join from your tablet (Polycom RealPresence Mobile, available from AppStore/PlayStore). Note that firewalls may interfere with videoconferencing in various and sometimes confusing ways. For more technical information on logging in from various VC systems, please see http://vcc.zih.tu-dresden.de/index.php?linkid=1.1.3.4

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Neuron Model for a Generalized LIF Neuron (No alpha or exponential shaped psc)
by shanka19＠purdue.edu 14 Feb '20

14 Feb '20

Hello NEST Users, I wanted to create a neural network with generalized LIF Neurons. I do not want any exponential or alpha shaped PSCs. Since I cannot draw to describe its shape, I am posting a link from google images to help understand what I mean by a generalized LIF. https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.researchgate.net%2Ffi… Thanks in advance!

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Realtime access to spikes in simulation
by Benjamin Staude 04 Feb '20

04 Feb '20

Hi NEST-Team, To use the NEST-Simluator in an interactive installation, I would need to 1) have access to the spike in the network in realtime, and 2) send signals (spikes) to neurons in the simulation in realtime. For 1), I could imagine writing the spike-times to a file and then reading that file while the simulation is running. However, I currently don’t see an option for 2). Then I heard that you are actually working on module that would enable realtime I/O-access. Is that the case? And, if so, is there a timeline? Best, Benjamin -- -- -- Dr. Benjamin Staude | Paul-Lincke-Ufer 7 | 10999 Berlin | benjamin.staude(a)gmail.com

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