Complex Systems '92
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FROM BIOLOGY TO COMPUTATION
The Inaugural Australian National Conference on Complex Systems
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December 14-15, 1992
Australian National University
CANBERRA ACT
FINAL CIRCULAR
THE CONFERENCE THEME
Complex systems are systems dominated by non-linearity or interactions
between their components. The last few years have seen an extraordinary
growth of interest in complex systems. The underlying theme for this
conference - from biology to computation - reflects trends that have
been apparent in both biology and computer science.
On the one hand biologists have begun to accept the limitations of the
reductionist approach and have started investigating emergent
properties. One of the most potent paradigms linked with this new
approach is the notion of life as a form of computation. This paradigm
finds its ultimate expression in the new field of "artificial life".
On the other hand computer scientists, trying to discover how to
organize the workings of massively parallel computers, quickly realized
that they need to look at existing multiple processors. i.e. living
organisms. This search, long apparent in the field of artificial
intelligence, has focussed chiefly on neural networks. However, the
lessons of biology are now being applied more and more widely, such as
in the introduction of genetic algorithms.
The theme of this conference, then, reflects the dual notions of life
as natural computation and computation as artificial life. The papers
cover fields from artificial life to parallel computers including
neural networks and social systems.
Please pass on this notice to interested colleagues. For further
information contact the conference secretary or the convenors.
VENUE
Robertson Theatre, Research School of Biological Sciences
Australian National University, Canberra
PROGRAMME
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Sunday 13th December 1992
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10.00am Tutorial (ANU Computing Labs)
6:00pm Cocktail Party, Advanced Registration, and
Opening of Exhibition "Visions of Complexity"
(Drill Hall Gallery)
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Monday 14th December 1992
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8:00am Registration open (Robertson Theatre)
9:00am Opening Address (Robertson Theatre)
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Session 1A: Artificial Life (Robertson Theatre)
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9:10am Paulien Hogeweg: Keynote Address
As Large as Life and Twice as Natural: Bioinformatics and
the Artificial Life Paradigm
10:10am Paul-Michael Agapow
Computer Viruses: the Inevitability of Evolution?
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10:30am Morning Tea and Coffee
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Session 1B: Emergent Behaviour (Robertson Theatre)
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11:00am Doug Seeley and Simon Ronald
The Emergence of Connectivity and Fractal Time in the
Evolution of Random Digraphs
11:20am David G. Green
Emergent Behaviour in Biological Systems
11:40am Ann L. Preece and Craig R. Johnson
Recovery of Model Coral Communities: Complex Behaviours
from Interaction of Parameters Operating at Different
Spatial Scales
12:00pm John G. Watterson
The Wave-Cluster Model of Water-Protein Interactions
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12:30pm Lunch
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Session 2A (Robertson Theatre)
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2:00pm Poster Session:
Zoran Aleksic
Computation in Inhomogeneous Cellular Automata
Terry Bossomaier, Jevan Pipitone and Geoff Stuart
Neural Dynamics in Biological Visual Information Processing
Abdesselam Bouzerdoum
Convergence of Symmetric Shunting Competitive Neural
Networks
Roger Bradbury and Daniel Boulet
Crown of Thorns Starfish Outbreaks: how complex global
dynamics emerge from simple, local ecological interactions
David Cake
A Computer Simulation of Plasticity in the Primary Motor
Cortex
Andrew Finegan
Soft Systems Methodology: An Alternative Approach to
Knowledge Elicitation in Complex and Poorly Defined Systems
Patrick C. Fu and John P. Barford
Reduction of Modelling Error of Complex Biosystems by an AI
Approach
Dominique Luzeaux
From Beta-Expansions to Chaos and Fractals
Pedro Paulo Balbi de Oliveira
Methodological Issues Within a Framework to Support a Class
of Artificial-Life Worlds in Cellular Automata
JeanPierre Paillet
Steps to an Ecology of Form
A. P. (Tony) Roberts and Mark A. Knackstedt
Pattern Formation in Physical and Biological Growth
Keith Tognetti and Graham Winley
The Uniform Emergence of Points on a Circle
Hong Xie
Parallel Algorithms for the Distance Embedding Problem
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3:30pm Afternoon Tea and Coffee
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Session 2B: From Information to Chaos (Robertson Theatre)
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4:00pm C. N. G. (Kit) Dampney, Michael S. J. Johnson and Paul Deuble
Taming Large Complex Information Systems
4.20pm Clive Cooper
Complexity in C3I Systems
4:40pm Margot L. Lyon
Complexity and Emergence: The Seduction and Reduction of
Non-Linear Models in the Social Sciences
5:00pm Neville H. Fletcher
Nonlinear Dynamics and Chaos in Musical Instruments
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7:30pm Conference Dinner (Gold Creek Homestead)
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Tuesday 15th December 1992
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Session 3A: Self-Organization and Learning (Robertson Theatre)
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9:10am George M. Bryan and Wayne E. Moore
A Self-Organising Load Balancing System
9:30am David Howard and William Moran
Self Annealing When Learning a Markov Random Field Image
Model
9:50am Tim Payne
Central Fusion of Sensor Information using Reasoned
Feedback
10:10am Jonathan Baxter
The Evolution of Learning Algorithms for Artificial Neural
Networks
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10:30am Morning Tea and Coffee
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Session 3B: Fractals (Robertson Theatre)
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11:00am Jacques Blanc-Talon
Recognition and Generation of Fractal Patterns by using
Syntactic Techniques
11:20am Thomas B. Kirk and Gwidon W. Stachowiak
Fractal Computer Image Analysis of Particle Morphology
11:40am Mark A. Knackstedt and Muhammad Sahimi
The Effect of Permeability Heterogeneity on Viscous Fingers
in Porous Media
12.00am Jon McCormack
Interactive Evolution of L-System Grammars for Computer
Graphics Modelling
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12:30pm Lunch
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Session 4A: Neural Systems --- from Biology to Computation
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2.00pm Walter Freeman: Keynote Address
Cooperative Behaviour in the Nervous System
3.00pm Anthony N. Burkitt
External Inputs to Attractor Neural Networks
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3:20pm Afternoon Tea and Coffee
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Session 4B: Computing: The Way Ahead
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3:50pm Geoffrey C. Fox: Keynote Address
Parallel Computers and Complex Systems
5.00pm Conference Ends
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Wednesday 16th December 1992
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9:00am Workshops (to be advised)
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The poster sessions and exhibition will run throughout the conference.
KEYNOTE SPEAKERS
Geoffrey Fox "Advances in parallel computing"
Professor Fox (Syracuse) is one of the world's leading authorities on
parallel computers. At Caltech during the 1980's he pioneered the
hypercube multiprocessor. He currently heads the Northeast Parallel
Architecture Centre at Syracuse University.
Walter Freeman "Parallel computation in biological systems"
Professor Freeman (Berkeley) pioneered the study of complex behaviour
in neural systems, with extensive published work in this field going
back over two decades. His extensive biological studies are now
yielding novel algorithms for machine pattern recognition.
Paulien Hogeweg "As large as life and twice as natural:
Bioinformatics and the artificial life paradigm"
Professor Hogeweg (Utrecht) pioneered the study of informatic processes
in biotic systems. She has modelled self-organization in a vast range
of biological systems, including prebiotic molecular evolution, cell
signalling in the immune system, and the emergence of social behaviour
in insect colonies.
TUTORIAL
On Sunday 13 December, from 10:00am-5:00pm, there will be an
introductory practical tutorial on Complex Systems. The tutorial will
cover basic ideas about:
chaos, fractals, IFS codes, L-systems, cellular automata,
neural networks, parallel computing.
Practical sessions on PCs and workstations will provide participants
with a hands-on introduction to each topic. It is planned to include
demonstrations running on ANU's Connection Machine supercomputer.
Enrolments for the tutorial are strictly limited; acceptance will be on
the basis of first-come, first-served. The enrolment fee of $100 will
cover tuition, lunch, refreshments, notes and selected software. The
venue for the tutorial will be the Computer Services Centre, Australian
National University. To obtain further information tick the box
provided on the registration form or contact the conference
organizers.
WORKSHOPS
On Wednesday December 16, immediately following the conference, there
will be several advanced workshops. The workshops planned so far
include Neural Dynamics, The State of the Art in Parallel Computing,
and Artificial Life. The fee of $35 includes lunch and refreshments.
ART SHOW AND COMPETITION
Visions of Complexity (Drill Hall Gallery, ANU)
This public exhibition aims to
