The two volume set LNCS 4431 and LNCS 4432 constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 8th International Conference on Adaptive and Natural Computing Algorithms, ICANNGA 2007, held in Warsaw, Poland, in April 2007. The 178 revised full papers presented were carefully reviewed and selected from a total of 474 submissions.

Genetic algorithms are playing an increasingly important role in studies of complex adaptive systems, ranging from adaptive agents in economic theory to the use of machine learning techniques in the design of complex devices such as aircraft turbines and integrated circuits. Adaptation in Natural and Artificial Systems is the book that initiated this field of study, presenting the theoretical foundations and exploring applications. In its most familiar form, adaptation is a biological process, whereby organisms evolve by rearranging genetic material to survive in environments confronting them. In this now classic work, Holland presents a mathematical model that allows for the nonlinearity of such complex interactions. He demonstrates the model's universality by applying it to economics, physiological psychology, game theory, and artificial intelligence and then outlines the way in which this approach modifies the traditional views of mathematical genetics. Initially applying his concepts to simply defined artificial systems with limited numbers of parameters, Holland goes on to explore their use in the study of a wide range of complex, naturally occuring processes, concentrating on systems having multiple factors that interact in nonlinear ways. Along the way he accounts for major effects of coadaptation and coevolution: the emergence of building blocks, or schemata, that are recombined and passed on to succeeding generations to provide, innovations and improvements.

The ICANNGA series of Conferences has been organised since 1993 and has a long history of promoting the principles and understanding of computational intelligence paradigms within the scientific community and is a reference for established workers in this area. Starting in Innsbruck, in Austria (1993), then to Ales in Prance (1995), Norwich in England (1997), Portoroz in Slovenia (1999), Prague in the Czech Republic (2001) and finally Roanne, in France (2003), the ICANNGA series has established itself for experienced workers in the field. The series has also been of value to young researchers wishing both to extend their knowledge and experience and also to meet internationally renowned experts. The 2005 Conference, the seventh in the ICANNGA series, will take place at the University of Coimbra in Portugal, drawing on the experience of previous events, and following the same general model, combining technical sessions, including plenary lectures by renowned scientists, with tutorials.

This book constitutes the thoroughly refereed post-proceedings of the 9th International Conference on Adaptive and Natural Computing Algorithms, ICANNGA 2009, held in Kuopio, Finland, in April 2009. The 63 revised full papers presented were carefully reviewed and selected from a total of 112 submissions. The papers are organized in topical sections on neutral networks, evolutionary computation, learning, soft computing, bioinformatics as well as applications.

The two-volume set LNCS 6593 and 6594 constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 10th International Conference on Adaptive and Natural Computing Algorithms, ICANNGA 2010, held in Ljubljana, Slovenia, in April 2010. The 83 revised full papers presented were carefully reviewed and selected from a total of 144 submissions. The second volume includes 41 papers organized in topical sections on pattern recognition and learning, soft computing, systems theory, support vector machines, and bioinformatics.

The book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 11th International Conference on Adaptive and Natural Computing Algorithms, ICANNGA 2013, held in Lausanne, Switzerland, in April 2013. The 51 revised full papers presented were carefully reviewed and selected from a total of 91 submissions. The papers are organized in topical sections on neural networks, evolutionary computation, soft computing, bioinformatics and computational biology, advanced computing, and applications.

This book provides a comprehensive introduction to the computational material that forms the underpinnings of the currently evolving set of brain models. It is now clear that the brain is unlikely to be understood without recourse to computational theories. The theme of An Introduction to Natural Computation is that ideas from diverse areas such as neuroscience, information theory, and optimization theory have recently been extended in ways that make them useful for describing the brains programs. This book provides a comprehensive introduction to the computational material that forms the underpinnings of the currently evolving set of brain models. It stresses the broad spectrum of learning models—ranging from neural network learning through reinforcement learning to genetic learning—and situates the various models in their appropriate neural context. To write about models of the brain before the brain is fully understood is a delicate matter. Very detailed models of the neural circuitry risk losing track of the task the brain is trying to solve. At the other extreme, models that represent cognitive constructs can be so abstract that they lose all relationship to neurobiology. An Introduction to Natural Computation takes the middle ground and stresses the computational task while staying near the neurobiology.