Theories of Process and Process Algebras

A special issue of Mathematics (ISSN 2227-7390). This special issue belongs to the section "Mathematical Biology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 April 2024 | Viewed by 4119

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8N 3K7, Canada
Interests: process algebra theory and models; collective Intelligence; temperament and psychobiology of mental illness; collective dynamics; synchronization in complex systems; cellular automata; random graphical dynamical systems; quantum foundations

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Ideas of process have long roots philosophically, dating back to Heraclitus, and in modern times, to the Process Theory of Whitehead. They have been extensively explored in the engineering and computer science literature. Those processes, however, bear minimal resemblance to the processes encountered in biology and the social sciences, which are governed by generativity, transience, fungibility, contextuality, “good enough” and “on-the fly” choices, non-stationary probabilities, non-stationary state spaces, and non-stationary components and structures. These features pose formidable problems for mathematical representation and modeling. This Special Issue on “Theories of Process and Process Algebras” seeks to illuminate these problems and provide both examples for study and possible paths towards solutions. Any approach to the study of complex processes may be considered, though contributions directed towards the biological and social sciences are particularly welcome. Formal topics to be considered include the mathematics of process and process algebras, approaches to describing and modeling dynamical phase spaces, transient networks, fungibility of agents and roles, generativity, contextuality, and the mathematical description of biological functionality.

Dr. William Sulis
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • process algebra
  • collective intelligence
  • contextuality
  • generativity
  • dynamic phase space
  • emergent functionality
  • transience
  • fungibility

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

27 pages, 454 KiB  
Article
Thread Algebra with Prospecting Services and Foresight Patterns
by Jan Bergstra
Mathematics 2022, 10(13), 2232; https://doi.org/10.3390/math10132232 - 26 Jun 2022
Viewed by 940
Abstract
Thread algebra is a domain-specific process algebra which may be used for semantic work on sequential systems, including systems based on deterministically scheduled multi-threading. Thread algebra is used in this capacity with the forecasting phenomenon for programs and machines as a domain of [...] Read more.
Thread algebra is a domain-specific process algebra which may be used for semantic work on sequential systems, including systems based on deterministically scheduled multi-threading. Thread algebra is used in this capacity with the forecasting phenomenon for programs and machines as a domain of interest. Several new informal notions are proposed: prospecting services, foresight patterns for systems, and lookahead conditions as a mechanism for the specification of services. Some new prospecting services are proposed which facilitate the realisation of certain foresight patterns. Several negative results about the non-realisability of certain foresight patterns are provided. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Theories of Process and Process Algebras)
24 pages, 4894 KiB  
Article
Collective Intelligence in Design Crowdsourcing
by Jonathan Dortheimer
Mathematics 2022, 10(4), 539; https://doi.org/10.3390/math10040539 - 09 Feb 2022
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2536
Abstract
This study investigates how collective intelligence emerges in crowdsourcing for architectural design. Previous studies have revealed that collective intelligence emerges from collaboration and can outperform individual intelligence. As design is a highly collaborative practice, collective intelligence plays a vital role in the design [...] Read more.
This study investigates how collective intelligence emerges in crowdsourcing for architectural design. Previous studies have revealed that collective intelligence emerges from collaboration and can outperform individual intelligence. As design is a highly collaborative practice, collective intelligence plays a vital role in the design process. In this study, we compare the structure of two architectural design crowdsourcing systems using several methods. The results of the analysis suggest that design crowdsourcing systems can give rise to the following three types of collective intelligence: (1) discussive, which emerges from a conversation between designers and clients; (2) synthetic, which emerges from a parallel and sequential design development; and (3) evaluative, which is based on the wisdom of the crowd in evaluating and selecting designs. The article concludes with recommendations for collaborative design method. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Theories of Process and Process Algebras)
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