Fundamentals of Natural Computing: Basic Concepts, Algorithms, and Applications
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Summary
Natural computing brings together nature and computing to develop new computational tools for problem solving; to synthesize natural patterns and behaviors in computers; and to potentially design novel types of computers. Fundamentals of Natural Computing: Basic Concepts, Algorithms, and Applications presents a wide-ranging survey of novel techniques and important applications of nature-based computing.
This book presents theoretical and philosophical discussions, pseudocodes for algorithms, and computing paradigms that illustrate how computational techniques can be used to solve complex problems, simulate nature, explain natural phenomena, and possibly allow the development of new computing technologies. The author features a consistent and approachable, textbook-style format that includes lucid figures, tables, real-world examples, and different types of exercises that complement the concepts while encouraging readers to apply the computational tools in each chapter. Building progressively upon core concepts of nature-inspired techniques, the topics include evolutionary computing, neurocomputing, swarm intelligence, immunocomputing, fractal geometry, artificial life, quantum computing, and DNA computing.
Fundamentals of Natural Computing is a self-contained introduction and a practical guide to nature-based computational approaches that will find numerous applications in a variety of growing fields including engineering, computer science, biological modeling, and bioinformatics.
Table of Contents
Introduction
A Small Sample of Ideas
The Philosophy of Natural Computing
The Three Branches: A Brief Overview
When to Use Natural Computing Approaches
Conceptualization
General Concepts
PART I - COMPUTING INSPIRED BY NATURE
Evolutionary Computing
Problem Solving as a Search Task
Hill Climbing and Simulated Annealing
Evolutionary Biology
Evolutionary Computing
The Other Main Evolutionary Algorithms
From Evolutionary Biology to Computing
Scope of Evolutionary Computing
Neurocomputing
The Nervous System
Artificial Neural Networks
Typical ANNS and Learning Algorithms
From Natural to Artificial Neural Networks
Scope of Neurocomputing
Swarm Intelligence
Ant Colonies
Swarm Robotics
Social Adaptation of Knowledge
Immunocomputing
The Immune System
Artificial Immune Systems
Bone Marrow Models
Negative Selection Algorithms
Clonal Selection and Affinity Maturation
Artificial Immune Networks
From Natural to Artificial Immune Systems
Scope of Artificial Immune Systems
PART II - SIMULATION AND EMULATION OF NATURAL PHENOMENA IN COMPUTERS
Fractal Geometry of Nature
The Fractal Geometry of Nature
Cellular Automata
L-Systems
Iterated Function Systems
Fractional Brownian Motion
Particle Systems
Evolving the Geometry of Nature
From Natural to Fractal Geometry
Artificial Life
Concepts and Features of Artificial Life Systems
Examples of Artificial Life Projects
Scope of Artificial Life
From Artificial Life to Life-As-We-Know-It
PART III - COMPUTING WITH NATURAL MATERIALS
DNA Computing
Basic Concepts from Molecular Biology
Filtering Models
Formal Models: A Brief Description
Universal DNA Computers
Scope of DNA Computing
From Classical to DNA Computing
Quantum Computing
Basic Concepts from Quantum Theory
Principles from Quantum Mechanics
Quantum Information
Universal Quantum Computers
Quantum Algorithms
Physical Realizations of Quantum Computers: A Brief Description
Scope of Quantum Computing
From Classical to Quantum Computing
Afterwords
New Prospects
The Growth of Natural Computing
Some Lessons from Natural Computing
Artificial Intelligence and Natural Computing
Visions
Appendix A: Glossary of Terms
Appendix B: Theoretical Background
Linear Algebra
Statistics
Theory of Computation and Complexity
Other Concepts
Bibliography
Appendix C: A Quick Guide to the Literature
Introduction
Conceptualization
Evolutionary Computing
Neurocomputing
Swarm Intelligence
Immunocomputing
Fractal Geometry of Nature
Artificial Life
DNA Computing
Quantum Computing
Index
*All Chapters contain an Introduction, Summaries, Discussions, Exercises, and References
Editorial Reviews
… well written … a thorough introduction about the relationship of computing and nature.
—Jan Friso Groote, in Zentralblatt MATH, Vol. 1130
