Final call for papers: Special issue of TCS-C on Verification of Engineered, Molecular Devices and Programs (VEMDP 2014)

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Special Issue of THEORETICAL COMPUTER SCIENCE
on
Verification of Engineered, Molecular Devices and Programs (VEMDP 2014)

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CALL FOR PAPERS
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We invite submissions of papers on Verification of Engineered, Molecular
Devices and Programs for publication in a special issue of the Journal
of Theoretical Computer Science (TCS), Section C (Theory of Natural
Computing). We especially welcome extended versions of papers presented
at the VEMDP 2014 Workshop in Vienna, affiliated with CAV 2014
(http://qav.comlab.ox.ac.uk/vemdp2014/). We additionally also invite
submissions of papers not presented at VEMDP, provided they fall within
the scope of the call.

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SCOPE
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Significant advances have been made recently in engineering of synthetic,
biomolecular systems, such as those built from DNA, RNA or enzymes.
Potential applications are envisaged in biosensing, biomanufacturing and
smart therapeutics, where safety and reliability are paramount. Since
designing such systems is challenging and error-prone, formal modelling
and verification techniques tailored to these types of systems are
called for.

This special issue will be devoted to original research papers on theory
and verification of engineered biological and chemical systems. While
the main focus is on systems that do not occur naturally, we also
encourage submissions concerning the verification of naturally occurring
systems that have been functionally modified. These systems include, but
are not limited to:

* DNA computing and other forms of natural computing

* Chemical reaction networks

* DNA walkers and motors

* Engineered transcription networks and other synthetic biology
applications

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TOPICS
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We will consider papers on any aspect of theory and verification of the
above systems, including:

* Modelling formalisms and frameworks

* Formal languages and methods

* Automated verification

* Complexity of verification

* Analysis of system behaviour

* Equivalence of systems

* Computer aided design tools

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SUBMISSION
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Papers should be 20-25 pages long, including appendices, and should be
formatted according to Elsevier's elsarticle.cls document style used for
articles in the journal of Theoretical Computer Science (see the Guide
for Authors at http://ees.elsevier.com/tcs).

http://support.elsevier.com/

Submissions are through the Elsevier Editorial System for TCS located at
http://ees.elsevier.com/tcs/default.asp. To ensure that all manuscripts
are correctly identified for inclusion into the special issue, please
make sure you select/specify "SI:TCS_C VEMDP 2014" when you reach the
relevant step in the submission process.

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IMPORTANT DATES
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* Abstract submission: 15 September 2014 [By email to Editors]
* Paper submission: 30 September 2014 [Through the website]
* Notification: 15 December 2014

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EDITORS
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Marta Kwiatkowska
University of Oxford
Marta.Kwiatkowska@cs.ox.ac.uk

Andrew Phillips
Microsoft Research Cambridge
Andrew.Phillips@microsoft.com

Chris Thachuk
Caltech
thachuk@caltech.edu

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Further information at http://qav.comlab.ox.ac.uk/vemdp2014/

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