[bacteria rule: organic computing]

Some interesting developments in organic computing noted in a recent article from the Journal of Biological Engineering:

Background

The Hamiltonian Path Problem asks whether there is a route in a directed graph from a beginning node to an ending node, visiting each node exactly once. The Hamiltonian Path Problem is NP complete, achieving surprising computational complexity with modest increases in size. This challenge has inspired researchers to broaden the definition of a computer. DNA computers have been developed that solve NP complete problems. Bacterial computers can be programmed by constructing genetic circuits to execute an algorithm that is responsive to the environment and whose result can be observed. Each bacterium can examine a solution to a mathematical problem and billions of them can explore billions of possible solutions. Bacterial computers can be automated, made responsive to selection, and reproduce themselves so that more processing capacity is applied to problems over time.

Results

We programmed bacteria with a genetic circuit that enables them to evaluate all possible paths in a directed graph in order to find a Hamiltonian path. We encoded a three node directed graph as DNA segments that were autonomously shuffled randomly inside bacteria by a Hin/hixC recombination system we previously adapted from Salmonella typhimurium for use in Escherichia coli. We represented nodes in the graph as linked halves of two different genes encoding red or green fluorescent proteins. Bacterial populations displayed phenotypes that reflected random ordering of edges in the graph. Individual bacterial clones that found a Hamiltonian path reported their success by fluorescing both red and green, resulting in yellow colonies. We used DNA sequencing to verify that the yellow phenotype resulted from genotypes that represented Hamiltonian path solutions, demonstrating that our bacterial computer functioned as expected.

Conclusions

We successfully designed, constructed, and tested a bacterial computer capable of finding a Hamiltonian path in a three node directed graph. This proof-of-concept experiment demonstrates that bacterial computing is a new way to address NP-complete problems using the inherent advantages of genetic systems. The results of our experiments also validate synthetic biology as a valuable approach to biological engineering. We designed and constructed basic parts, devices, and systems using synthetic biology principles of standardization and abstraction.

Another article of interest published in January in New Scientist on organic computing is here.

[computer human interaction conference: australia]

OZCHI 2009 – Design: Open 24/7

21st Annual Conference of the Australian Computer-Human Interaction Special Interest Group (CHISIG) of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society of Australia (HFESA)

23 – 27 November 2009, The University of Melbourne, Australia

http://www.ozchi.org/

Paper submission site now open: http://precisionconference.com/~ozchi

OZCHI is Australia’s leading forum for research and development in all areas of Human-Computer Interaction. OZCHI attracts an international community of practitioners, researchers, academics and students from a wide range of disciplines including user experience designers, information architects, software engineers, human factors experts, information systems analysts, and social scientists.

The main conference will be from Wed 25 to Fri 27 Nov 2009, and will be preceded by two days of Workshops, Tutorials and a Doctoral Consortium on Mon 23 and Tue 24 Nov 2009.OZCHI will take place back-to-back with HFESA 2009: http://www.hfesaconference.org.au/ scheduled to run from 22-25 Nov 2009. The venue for both conferences is the ICT building of the University of Melbourne, 111 Barry St, Parkville.

The keynote speakers for this year's OZCHI conference:

• Bill Moggridge, Co-founder of IDEO.com
• Patrick Hofmann, Head of User Experience, Google Australia
• Yvonne Rogers, Director, Pervasive Interaction Lab, Open University, UK

Important Dates

Long papers, and workshop & tutorial proposals
19 Jun 2009: EXTENDED SUBMISSION DEADLINE
14 Aug 2009: Notification of acceptance
28 Aug 2009: Camera ready papers deadline

Short papers, industry case studies, demos & posters, workshop papers, and doctoral consortium
28 Aug 2009: Submission deadline
25 Sep 2009: Notification of acceptance
02 Oct 2009: Camera ready papers deadline

Conference Theme

The 2009 conference theme is Design: Open 24/7. Accessibility, inclusivity and dissolving boundaries are core to the Open 24/7 theme for the design of human interaction with and through digital technologies. The integration of digital technologies into our everyday life allows for a seamless transitioning between open and closed, work and leisure, public and private. Open implies participation and collaboration across traditional borders between individuals, organisations and disciplines. OZCHI 2009 provides a forum to discuss all aspects of openness, open borders, open participation, open source and open architecture. Theme-related submissions may address these topics:

• Open always-on real-time ubiquitous and pervasive designs
• Open design and universality versus situatedness, contextualisation and personalisation
• Open source for design – design for open source
• Open mind – new ideas, concepts and approaches from outside HCI
• Beyond open – never closed: design for escapism

Conference Topics

Submissions in all areas of HCI are encouraged. In addition, we particularly invite authors to address any of the following topics:

• Augmented Reality
• Context and Location Awareness
• Education and HCI
• Health Care and HCI
• Innovative Design Methodologies
• Smart Service Delivery
• Sustainability
• Universal Usability and Accessibility
• Urban Informatics
• Tangible User Interfaces
• Visualisation Techniques
• Working across Cultures

Read more about the paper/workshop submission process and conference here.

[viral video for ai - win some money]

The Society for the Study of Artificial Intelligence and Simulation of Behaviour

AISB Video Competition

This is a call to both AISB members and non-members to take part in a competition for an online video clip that will contribute to the public understanding of any aspect of the area known as Artificial Intelligence. The video material should be in English, of three minutes maximum duration, and available online (e.g., on YouTube).

Submissions should take the form of an email with the URL to the videomaterial, contact details of the participant(s), and a free-form statement from all authors stating that the submission is their own work, and that they grant the SSAISB non-exclusive rights to use it as it finds appropriate. Deadline for all submissions is 23:59 GMT on 15 March 2009. All submissions should be sent to video_competition@aisb.co.uk. The submissions will be evaluated by a panel of three AISB members, of which two student members (all selected and appointed by the AISB committee).

There will be 3 prizes of £300, £150 and £75. The panel reserves the right to withhold a prize if no submission is deemed appropriate. All panel decisions are final and cannot be contested.

see more about the call here: http://www.aisb.org.uk/publicunderstanding/video_competition.shtml

nb: image from wired

[AI Meets Web 2.0: Building the Web of Tomorrow, Today]

Imagine an Internet-scale knowledge system where people and intelligent agents can collaborate on solving complex problems in business, engineering, science, medicine, and other endeavors. Its resources include semantically tagged websites, wikis, and blogs, as well as social networks, vertical search engines, and a vast array of web services from business processes to AI planners and domain models. Research prototypes of decentralized knowledge systems have been demonstrated for years, but now, thanks to the web and Moore’s law, they appear ready for prime time. This article introduces the architectural concepts for incrementally growing an Internet-scale knowledge system and illustrates them with scenarios drawn from e-commerce, e-science, and e-life.

Jay M. Tenenbaum

From AI Magazine, Winter Issue (Volume 27 Number 4)