
Genetic Algorithms Digest   Friday, June 26 1992   Volume 6 : Issue 21

 - Send submissions to GA-List@AIC.NRL.NAVY.MIL
 - Send administrative requests to GA-List-Request@AIC.NRL.NAVY.MIL
 - anonymous ftp archive: FTP.AIC.NRL.NAVY.MIL (see v6n5 for details)

Today's Topics:
	- TR Announcement: "Organismic Darwinism"
	- Workshop: "Autopoiesis and Perception" - Call for Participation.
	- AISB Call for Tutorial/Workshop Proposals

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CALENDAR OF GA-RELATED ACTIVITIES: (with GA-List issue reference)

 ML-92, Machine Learning Conference, Aberdeen (v6n8)          Jul  1-3,  1992
 10th National Conference on AI, San Jose,                    Jul 12-17, 1992
 FOGA-92, Foundations of Genetic Algorithms, Colorado (v5n32) Jul 26-29, 1992
 COG SCI 92, Cognitive Science Conference, Indiana, (v5n39)   Jul 29-1,  1992
 ECAI 92, 10th European Conference on AI (v5n13)              Aug  3-7,  1992
 Parallel Problem Solving from Nature, Brussels, (v5n29)      Sep 28-30, 1992
 SAB92, From Animals to Animats, Honolulu (v6n6)              Dec  7-11, 1992

 (Send announcements of other activities to GA-List@aic.nrl.navy.mil)

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From: "Barry McMullin, DCU (Dublin, Ireland) <McMullinB@DCU.IE>"
Date: Wed, 3 Jun 1992 10:13 GMT
Subject: TR Announcement: "Organismic Darwinism"

   [The following announcment is being cross-posted on Alife Digest,
   GA-List Digest, and POP+BIO.  If you subscribe to more than one,
   my apologies for the noise.  All flames to me, not the list or
   list maintainers! This TR is the second in a series of three. The
   final one, dealing with Genic versus Organismic selection (which
   is really the focus of the whole series), should be available
   within another few weeks. Instructions for obtaining a copy are
   at the end. Enjoy - Barry]


                      TR ANNOUNCEMENT


                    Essays on Darwinism
                  2: Organismic Darwinism

             Barry McMullin,
             School of Electronic Engineering,
             Dublin City University,
             Dublin 9,
             IRELAND.

             <McMullinB@DCU.IE>

                        April 1992

               Technical Report: bmcm9202

   {\em Artificial Life\/} is, by its nature, an interdisciplinary research
   programme; it will involve biologists, of course, but also philosophers,
   mathematicians, chemists, computer scientists---and perhaps even (as in my
   case) engineers. Success in our endeavours will require some of us, at
   least, to venture into foreign territory. This essay is a log of my
   personal expedition into evolutionary biology. I attempt to provide a
   comprehensive review of Darwinism in the biological world, and to do so as
   an {\em outsider\/}---a non-professional in the field.  My purpose is
   twofold.  Firstly, I hope that real biologists may take this opportunity
   to correct at least the worst of my errors.  Secondly, I offer this to
   other non-specialists as a sort of map---a record of my particular
   exploration.  I hope it might at least provide some insight into the kinds
   of questions which need to be asked, even if the particular answers
   suggested here are less than satisfactory.  Above all, I want to convince
   any who may be in doubt that {\em Darwinism\/} encompasses a complex and
   subtle system of interrelated theories, whose substantive transplantation
   to any artificial medium will be very far from easy.

   This essay draws on abstract concepts introduced in a previous essay [see
   .bib reference below]; the two essays are therefore best read in
   conjunction.

   .bib entry for *this* TR:

   @TECHREPORT{
     McMullin:Organismic,
     AUTHOR      = "Barry McMullin",
     TITLE       = "Essays on Darwinism. 2: Organismic Darwinism",
     INSTITUTION = "School of Electronic Engineering, Dublin City University",
     YEAR        = "1992",
     MONTH       = Apr,
     NUMBER      = "{\tt bmcm9202}",
     TYPE        = "Technical Report",
     ADDRESS     = "Dublin 9, Ireland"
     }


   REFERENCES:

   @TECHREPORT{
     McMullin:DarwinianOntology,
     AUTHOR      = "Barry McMullin",
     TITLE       = "Essays on Darwinism. 1: Ontological Foundations",
     INSTITUTION = "School of Electronic Engineering, Dublin City University",
     YEAR        = "1992",
     MONTH       = Mar,
     NUMBER      = "{\tt bmcm9201}",
     TYPE        = "Technical Report",
     ADDRESS     = "Dublin 9, Ireland"
     }

   TO OBTAIN A COPY:

   [I should warn that bmcm9202 is, relatively speaking, a biggie: it
   runs to just under 50 printed pages...]

   Copies are available in the following ways, in order of
   (my) preference:

   1: ftp the file <bmcm9202.ps.Z> from directory <pub/alife/papers>
      on the Alife archive <ftp.cognet.ucla.edu>, uncompress it and
      then print (or preview) it. This involves doing (something like) the
      following:

   unix> ftp ftp.cognet.ucla.edu

	 Connected to ftp.cognet.ucla.edu
	 Name (ftp.cognet.ucla.edu:): anonymous

	 331 Guest login ok, sent ident as password.
	 Password: [identification]
	 230 Guest login ok, access restrictions apply.

   ftp> cd pub/alife/papers
   ftp> binary
   ftp> get bmcm9202.ps.Z
   ftp> quit

   unix> uncompress bmcm9202.ps.Z
   unix> lpr -P(your_local_postscript_printer) bmcm9202.ps

   [Many thanks to Alife maintainer, Rob Collins, for help above and
   beyond the call of duty in making this possible.  If you have any
   problems, complain to me not Rob.]

   2: I can email the file bmcm9202.ps.Z to you, on request
   (uuencoded, split into 5 by about 55k chunks).  You'll have to be
   able to strip off the mail headers, cat the file back together,
   uudecode, uncompress, and print postscript (or preview etc.).

   3: Alternatively, I can email the file bmcm9202.dvi.Z to you, on
   request (again, uuencoded, split into 4 by about 55k chunks).
   You'll have to be able to strip off the mail headers, cat the
   file back together, uudecode, uncompress, and then do whatever
   you locally do to print or preview .dvi files.  Apart from being
   slightly smaller, and thus use less network bandwidth, this
   option, if it suits you, is probably a bit more robust than the
   .ps route, as it is much less dependent on the vagaries of your
   local printer...

   4: Or, I can email you the LaTeX sources.  This has the advantage
   of being plain ascii text, so I can send it without any encoding
   etc..  You can then run it through LaTeX to get a properly
   formatted version; or, if you don't have access to LaTeX, the
   sources are readable as they stand (just about). The disadvantage
   is that you need several different files, so it is a bit messy.

   5: Finally, if that's all gobbledegook to you, then a limited number of
   good old fashioned hard copies will be available. Send me your
   full postal address. First come first served. However, note that
   Dublin is currently suffering an industrial dispute in the postal
   service, so I can't promise anything about when you might receive
   a hard copy---so this really is a last ditch alternative.

   In cases 1 and 2, if the .ps file fails to print fully (or at
   all) please let me know, including any diagnostic info. you can
   provide.

   In cases 2--5 contact me as <McMullinB@DCU.IE> (do *not* send
   requests to the whole list...).

   Bye .... Barry.

------------------------------

From: "Barry McMullin, DCU (Dublin, Ireland) <75008378@dcu.ie>"
Date: Thu, 14 May 1992 16:02 GMT
Subject: Workshop: "Autopoiesis and Perception" - Call for Participation.

   [The workshop announced below addresses an essentially cross- disciplinary
   subject area, potentially involving philosophy, computer science,
   engineering and biology - to name but a few.  It is therefore being posted
   across a variety of forums (fora?): so my apologies for the noise if you
   see it more than once!  All flames directly to me, please.  In case you
   wish to print out the plain ascii text, it has been structured with 72
   columns, 66 lines per page.  Please pass on the notice to anyone else who
   may be interested.  If you require further information, or wish to
   register, please follow the instructions below; but note that, due to
   other commitments over the next fortnight, no acknowledgements will be
   issued before May 27th. - Barry.]


	       ************  CALL FOR PARTICIPATION ************

   A common sense idea of perception is that, through the information
   processing capabilities of our sensory/brain system, we come to know
   "the" objectively real, external, world. However, this "spectator"
   paradigm has not proved very effective (so far) in attempts to build
   artificial perceptual systems. It therefore seems appropriate to
   critically examine this concept of perception.

   One alternative idea is to take a participatory rather than a spectator
   view of the relationship between "us" and "the external world". To
   perceive is not to process sensory data, but to apprehend meaning
   through interaction.

   Autopoiesis is an organizational paradigm which can support such a
   participatory view of perception. The concept of autopoiesis (lit.
   "self-producing"), was introduced to characterise the organisation which
   makes living systems autonomous. An autopoietic organisation is one
   which is self-renewing (in a suitable environment); autopoietic systems
   maintain their organisation through a network of component-producing
   processes such that the interacting components generate the same network
   of processes which produced them. In the autopoietic paradigm,
   perception is an emergent phenomenon characteristic of the interaction
   between an autopoietic system and its environment: the system responds
   to perturbations in just such a way as to maintain its (autopoietic)
   identity.

   Structure:
   ----------

   The key objective of the workshop is to allow for extensive, open,
   discussion, and it has been structured accordingly. It will consist of a
   small number of prepared papers by invited keynote speakers, punctuated
   with extended discussion periods; it will run over one and a half days
   (from 9.30 AM on 25th August, to 1.00 PM on 26th August). To
   maximize the benefit of the discussion, the workshop will be
   limited to 30 participants.

   Invited Speakers (Confirmed):
   -----------------------------

   Prof. Francisco Varela    C.R.E.A., Ecole Polytechnique, Paris.
   Dr. David Vernon          DG XIII, EC Commission, Brussels, and Computer
			     Science, Trinity College Dublin.
   Dr. Dermot Furlong        Department of Microelectronic and Electrical
			     Engineering, Trinity College Dublin.

   Further Information:      Barry McMullin, Electronic Engineering,
   --------------------      Dublin City University, Dublin 9, IRELAND.
			     E-mail: <McMullinB@dcu.ie>
			     Phone: +353-1-7045432    Fax: +353-1-7045508


		 ************* REGISTRATION FORM *************

   The deadline for receipt of registration information is Friday, 31st
   July 1992.  Due to the limit to 30 participants, early registration is
   advisable. However, postal services to Dublin are currently severely
   affected by an industrial dispute.  Therefore, if you wish to register,
   it is recommended that you return this form by E-mail or FAX as soon as
   possible, paying the registration fee by Bank Transfer. Please advise if
   you require information on hotel accomodation; campus accomodation will
   be available at a rate of IRP 20 per night (approx.) - a separate
   booking form will be provided on request. The DCU campus is situated in
   the north Dublin suburb of Glasnevin, is less than 10 minutes from
   Dublin International Airport, and has easy access to the city centre.
   All correspondence should be directed to:

	       Barry McMullin, Electronic Engineering,
	       Dublin City University, Dublin 9, IRELAND.
    E-mail: <McMullinB@dcu.ie>  Phone: +353-1-7045432  Fax: +353-1-7045508

   Name:...................................................................

   Organisation:...........................................................

   Address:................................................................

   City:...........................      Country:..........................

   Phone:...............  FAX:.................  E-mail:...................

   Is your organisation a member of the BRA 3352 Working Group on Vision?

       YES___   NO___         If YES, which consortium? ...................

   Registration Fee:    Irish Pounds 60 (or equivalent)

   Payment Form: (Check One)

   1)  Internal Accounting (working group members only)                ____
       Requires signature of partner representative listed
       in BRA 3352 Technical Annex:

       Partner Representative:................... Signature................

   2)  Bank Transfer:                                                  ____
       Account Name:        Dublin City University Conference a/c
       Bank:                AIB Bank, 7-12 Dame St., Dublin 2, IRELAND.
       Account Number:      91765-215         Bank Sorting Code:   93 20 86
       (IMPORTANT: Quote your NAME *and* "Ref: 421/01/121 (Autopoiesis)"
	in all bank transfer documents.)

   3)  Bank Draft (made payable to "Dublin City University"):          ____
       Equivalent of Irish Pounds amount in any EC currency drawn
       on a local bank -OR- DM, US$, or Sterling draft drawn on a
       UK bank. All charges to be bourn by the remitter.

				 [Page 2 of 2]


------------------------------

From: Hyacinth Nwana <nwanahs@cs.keele.ac.uk>
Date: Fri, 15 May 92 16:14:13 BST
Subject: AISB Call for Tutorial/Workshop Proposals

	     Call for Tutorial & Workshop Proposals: AISB-93

	    9th Biennial Conference on Artificial Intelligence

		       University of Birmingham, England
			29th March -- 2nd April 1993

			 Society for the Study of
	Artificial Intelligence and Simulation of Behaviour (SSAISB)

   The AISB-93 Programme Committee invites proposals for the Tutorial
   & Workshop Programme of the 9th Biennial Conference on Artificial 
   Intelligence (AISB-93) to be held at the University of Birmingham, 
   England, during 29th March - 2nd April 1993. The first day and a half 
   of the Conference are allocated to workshops and tutorials.

   Proposals for full day or half day tutorials/workshops will be 
   considered. They may be offered both on standard topics and on new
   and more advanced aspects of Artificial Intelligence or Simulation of
   Behaviour.

   The Technical Programme of AISB-93 (Programme Chairman: Aaron
   Sloman) will include a special theme on:

   * Prospect for AI as the general science of intelligence

   Tutorials/Workshops related to this theme would be particularly 
   welcome.

   Proposals from an individual or pair of presenters will be considered.
   Anyone interested in presenting a tutorial should submit a proposal to
   the AISB-93 Tutorial/Workshop Organiser, Dr Hyacinth Nwana, at
   the address below.

   Submission:
   ----------
   A tutorial proposal should contain the following information:

   1. Tutorial/Workshop Title

   2. A brief description of the tutorial/workshop, suitable for 
      inclusion in the conference brochure.

   3. A detailed outline of the tutorial/workshop.
      This should include the necessary background and the potential
      target audience for the tutorial/workshop.

   4. A brief resume of the presenter(s).  
      This should include: background in the tutorial/workshop area, 
      references to published work in the topic area (ideally, a 
      published tutorial-level article on the subject), and teaching
      experience, including previous conference tutorials or 
      short-courses presented.

   5. Administrative information.  
      This should include: name, mailing address, phone number, Fax, and
      email address if available.  In the case of multiple presenters,
      information for each presenter should be provided, but one presenter
      should be identified as the principal contact.

   Dates:
   ------
   Proposals must be received by September 17th, 1992.
   Decisions about topics and speakers will be made by November 5th, 1992.
   Speakers should be prepared to submit completed course materials by
   February 4th, 1993.

   Proposals should be sent to:

   Dr. Hyacinth S. Nwana
   Department of Computer Science
   University of Keele
   Keele, Staffordshire
   ST5 5BG
   UK

   Email:
       JANET:  nwanahs@uk.ac.keele.cs
       BITNET: nwanahs%cs.kl.ac.uk@ukacrl
       UUCP:   ...!ukc!kl-cs!nwanahs
       OTHER:  nwanahs@cs.keele.ac.uk

   Tel: (+44) (0) 782 583413
   Fax: (+44) (0) 782 713082

   All other correspondence and queries regarding the conference should
   be sent to the Local Organiser, Donald Peterson.

   Dr. Donald Peterson
   School of Computer Science
   The University of Birmingham
   Edgbaston
   Birmingham
   B15 2TT
   UK

   Email:	aisb93-prog@cs.bham.ac.uk
	  (for communications relating to submission of papers)
	  aisb93-delegates@cs.bham.ac.uk
	  (for info. on accomodation, meals, programme, etc)
   Tel:	(+44) (0) 21 414 3711
   Fax:	(+44) (0) 21 414 4281


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End of Genetic Algorithms Digest
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