6. Biophysics

Applying Complexity Science in Biology and Medicine


In recent years an increasing interest is being devoted to the application of ideas, concepts and tools from the socalled “complexity science” to biological systems. Living matter represents a prototype of complex systems, as a possible definition of complexity includes the following features:

• many individual units having strong non-linear interactions (complex networks, neural systems, cell signalling);

• emergence of cooperative behaviour and self-organization;

• self-organized structures are not final equilibrium states, but metastable states;

• transitions among states is typically associated with a non-Poisson intermittent behaviour;

• systems are “pumped” with external energy supply;

• beyond homeostasis: time periods with low entropy increase rate and also periods with local decrease of entropy (optimal interaction with the external environment);

• the system is far from equilibrium, but is stationary or quasi-stationary if environmental conditions are stationary;

• non-reducibility: the emergent properties cannot be explained only in terms of the single components (like in critical phenomena, “the whole is more than the sum of the parts”). In this special session or workshop we encourage the submission of works concerning the investigation, either theoretical, methodological, or experimental, of complexity features in biology and biomedicine. Methods may include (but are not limited to): multi-scale modelling; scaling-relations analyses, fractals and multifractals, long-range memory, critical phenomena, Self-Organized Criticality (SOC), extended criticality, stochastic/dynamical models, non-linear systems, complex networks, non-extensive entropy. Examples of applications are expected within and across the following different levels:

• Single cell level, e.g. gene expression, protein-protein interaction, metabolic networks;

• Multi-cellular level, e.g. cell-cell interaction, tissues, in vitro neural networks;

• Multi-cellular living organisms, including physiology, e.g. brain physiology, autonomic system, mind-body interaction, brain-heart axis;

• Organisms in interaction, both mutual (e. g. swarm intelligence, eukaryotes and prokaryiotes emerging properties in vitro and in vivo) and/or with their environment (e. g. foraging strategies). 

News

Prizes in SigmaPhi 2014

During the conference, three works selected out of all the oral and poster presentations by scientists under 40 years, have been awarded.The prizes have been respectively offered for...

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Accepted Abstracts

10 May 2014 The list of accepted abstracts submitted for presentation in the conference is available on the page "Abstracts Lists"

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Workshops

1. Anomalous Diffusion

Workshop organized by: S. Abe and J.P. Boon

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2. Kappa Plasmas

Workshop organized by: M. Lazar and V. Pierrard

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3. Econophysics

Workshop organized by: L. Pietronero "Economic Complexity" and T. Aste "Finance, Risk"

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4. Sociophysics

Workshop organized by: B. Szymansk; I) G. Korniss, C. Lim "Human behavior, Social networks"; II) V. Constantoudis "Linguistics"

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5. Complex Networks

Workshop organized by: A. Scala "Interacting networks" and B. Kahng "Phase transitions in networks"

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6. Biophysics

Workshop organized by: P. Paradisi

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7. Environmental Statistical Physics

Workshop organized by: D. Hristopulos

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8. Quantum Computation and Quantum Information

Workshop organized by: D. Ellinas and J. Pachos

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Scientific Sponsors 2014

 

Politecnico di Torino

Italy

 

 

 Department of Applied

Science and Technology

 

Statistical and Nonlinear

Physics Division 

 

ISC - CNR

Roma, Italy

 

Technical University of

Crete Chania, Greece

 

Aristotele University of

Thessaloniki, Greece

 

 

N.C.S.R. Demokritos

Athens, Greece

 

University of Leuven

Belgium

 

 

Entropy

 

Chaos, Solitons

& Fractals

Modern Physics

Letters B

International Journal

of Modern Physics B