FBTC 2007
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call for papers / txt
Dear Andrea, we would be honoured if you could accept to participate to the Program Committee of the workshop FBTC - From Biology To Concurrency and back. (http://cosy.cs.unicam.it/FBTC/) This first edition of the workshop will take place on September 8 in Lisbon (Portugal) as a satellite workshop (http://concur07.di.fc.ul.pt/?workshops) of the CONCUR 2007 international conference (http://concur07.di.fc.ul.pt/). The latter will bring together researchers from all the world working on the theory of concurrency and its application. ---------------------------------------------- * SHORT SCIENTIFIC SUMMARY OF THE TOPIC ---------------------------------------------- In computational theory, several formal approaches make use of biology as inspiration for the development of problem solving techniques. Most of them are taken from complex, inherently concurrent, systems. Some examples of biological inspired computing, with their biological counterpart, are: - artificial immune systems (immune system) - cellular automata (life) - genetic algorithms (evolution) - membrane computing (intra-membrane molecular processes in the living cell) - neural networks (the brain) - swarm intelligence, emergent behaviour (ant colonies, bee hives, bird flocking, animal herding, fish schooling) On the other hand, concurrency has itself begun to inspire an emerging research area in Biology. Regev and Shapiro indicated in 2002 the Cells-as-Computation metaphor as the much-needed abstraction for biomolecular systems. Computers and biomolecular systems both start from a small set of elementary components from which, layer by layer, more complex entities are constructed with evermore sophisticated functions. In computational systems biology, the abstractions, tools and methods used to specify and study concurrent and distributed systems can therefore be naturally adopted to model and better understand the complex biomolecular systems. In this workshop we intend to explore this cross-fertilization between computational sciences and biology, with a special attention to concurrent models and systems biology. Concurrency theory permits hypotheses generation and testing. Models can therefore be simulated, analyzed, checked and validated. A growing arsenal of theoretical models, logics, and tools for understanding concurrent systems has been developed. We recognize that concurrency soaks not only computer systems but also nature and living organisms. We can find concurrency at the molecular level as well as at those of cells, organs, individuals, communities and ecological systems. Also, biological inspired computing could benefit from concurrency theory. ---------------------------------------------- * PROCEDURES FOR SELECTING PAPERS ---------------------------------------------- We are constituting a program committee of at least twenty researchers involved in different areas of concurrency theory, bio-inspired computing and computational systems biology. At least two or three experts will be invited for each mentioned bio-inspired computing research areas and as many as possible from concurrency and computational systems biology. Every submitted papers will be evaluated by 3 reviewers chosen in the committee. The reviewers will be asked to provide particular attention to the aspects of concurrency theory presented in the submitted papers. The procedure for request of publication of the selected papers as an issue of the Elseviers Electronic Notes in Theoretical Computer Science is undergoing. ---------------------------------------------- * TIME SCHEDULING ---------------------------------------------- Deadline for paper submission: June 3 2007 REVIEW OF PAPERS FROM THE COMMITTEE: JUNE 4-JULY 10 2007 Notification of acceptance: July 13 2007 Final version of papers: August 3 2007 ---------------------------------------------- We hope you will be able to accept this invitation. We expect that each member of the committee would be concerned with the review of two papers during the period June 4 July 10. Please let us know as soon as possible whether you accept to be on the Program Committee for FBTC 2007 so that we can use your name in the web site and in the promotions and announcements of the workshop. Please email to both of us with your decision. Best regards Nicola Cannata (http://www.cs.unicam.it/cannata) Emanuela Merelli (http://www.cs.unicam.it/merelli/) E-mail: (nicola.cannata,emanuela.merelli)@unicam.it COmplex SYstem Research Group (http://cosy.cs.unicam.it/) Department of Mathematics and Computer Science (http://www.unicam.it/matinf/) University of Camerino (http://www.unicam.it/) Via Madonna delle Carceri 9 I-62032 Camerino (MC) Italy