As multielectrode array technology increases in popularity, accessible analytical tools become necessary. Simultaneous recordings from multiple neurons may produce huge amounts of information. Traditional tools based on classical statistics are either insufficient to analyze multiple spike trains or sophisticated and expensive in computing terms. In this communication, we put to the test the idea that AI algorithms may be useful to gather information about the effective connectivity of neurons in local nuclei at a relatively low computing cost. To this end, we decided to explore the capacity of the algorithm C5.0 to retrieve information from a large series of spike trains obtained from a simulated neuronal circuit with a known structure. Combinatory, iterative and recursive processes using C5.0 were built to examine possibilities of increasing the performance of a direct application of the algorithm. Furthermore, we tested the applicability of these processes to a reduced dataset obtained from original biological recordings with unknown connectivity. This was obtained in house from a mouse in vitro preparation of the spinal cord. Results show that this algorithm can retrieve neurons monosynaptically connected to the target in simulated datasets within a single run. Iterative and recursive processes can identify monosynaptic neurons and disynaptic neurons under favorable conditions. Application of these processes to the biological dataset gives clues to identify neurons monosynaptically connected to the target. We conclude that the work presented provides substantial proof of concept for the potential use of AI algorithms to the study of effective connectivity.

The fight against social exclusion is at the heart of the Europe 2020 strategy: 120 million people are at risk of suffering this condition in the EU. Risk prediction models are widely used in insurance companies and health services. However, the use of these models to allow an early detection of social exclusion by social workers is not a common practice. This paper describes a data analysis of over 16K cases with over 60 predictors from the Spanish region of Castilla y León. The use of machine learning paradigms such as logistic regression and random forest makes possible a high precision in predicting chronic social exclusion. The paper is complemented with a responsive web available online that allows social workers to calculate the risk of a social exclusion case to become chronic through a smartphone.

Prediction models are widely used in insurance companies and health services. Even when 120 million people are at risk of suffering poverty or social exclusion in the EU, this kind of models are surprisingly unusual in the field of social services. A fundamental reason for this gap is the difficulty in labeling and annotating social services data. Conditions such as social exclusion require a case-by-case debate. This paper presents a multi-agent architecture that combines semantic web technologies, exploratory data analysis techniques, and supervised machine learning methods. The architecture offers a holistic view of the main challenges involved in labeling data and generating prediction models for social services. Moreover, the proposal discusses to what extent these tasks may be automated by intelligent agents.

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