Physics of Biological Oscillators: New Insights into Non-Equilibrium and Non-Autonomous Systems

27–30 November 2018
Chicheley Hall, Buckinghamshire 
Workshop Chairs:
Peter McClintock​ & Aneta Stefanovska (Lancaster, UK)
International Scientific Committee: 
Martin Bier (ECU Greenville, USA)
Mark Dykman (MSU, East Lansing, USA)
Dmitry Luchinsky (NASA/Ames, USA)
Antonio Politi (Aberdeen, UK)
Alberto Porta (Milan, Italy)
Martin Rasmussen (Imperial College London, UK)
Stephen Roberts (Lancaster,UK)
Angela Shore (Exeter, UK)
Tomislav Stankovski (Skopje, Macedonia)

This workshop is sponsored by:  

EPSRC NetworkPlus in Emergence and Physics Far From Equilibrium

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Workshop Overview

Life can be perceived as a non-equilibrium phenomenon arising in systems driven far from equilibrium. Almost all measurable quantities in living systems (e.g. blood flow, blood pressure, respiration, temperature, brain activity, metabolite concentrations within cells, or growth rates in plants) are oscillatory. Slightly less well-known is that the oscillations in question have some very special characteristics. Notably, their characteristic frequencies and amplitudes vary in time, often in an almost deterministic and nearly periodic manner. The same general picture holds true on all scales from the sub-cellular, through the cellular, organ, and whole-organism levels up to whole populations, and involves a very wide range of frequencies.

The importance of understanding these time-variable oscillations relates not only to their own inherent interest, but also to their applications in e.g. physiology and medicine where they are paving the way to a new range of compact, "smart", semi-automatic, instruments based on analyses of the oscillations.

The underlying physics of biological oscillations and their mutual interactions is challenging, both experimentally and theoretically, because the origin of their time variability is, in general, unknown (the diurnal rhythm being an obvious exception). In mathematical terms, the oscillations are non-autonomous, reflecting the physics of open systems where the function of each oscillator is affected by environmental influences. Time-frequency analysis methods based e.g. on the wavelet transform are essential. New approaches developed recently include wavelet phase coherence analysis and nonlinear mode decomposition. These are not yet in widespread use, and the Workshop will help to promulgate them.

Who should attend?

Scientists interested in biological oscillations: we aim to promote communication between the life scientists who investigate and measure the oscillations and the physical scientists, mathematicians and engineers seeking to understand their fundamental nature and origins. The meeting is for:
1. Those who are interested in learning about theories and models of interaction within living systems, taking explicit account of their far-from-equilibrium nature.
2. Those who are developing the models and theories for far-from-equilibrium systems, and who seek clear examples where their theories can be applied.

Programme

Presentations and discussions will focus on:
1. Seeking an understanding of complex biological oscillations whose frequencies and amplitudes are time-variable – based on the underlying vision of life as an emergent phenomenon that arises in systems far-from-equilibrium and which can only be understood through the application of physics and the theory of non-autonomous systems.
2. Characterising the oscillations in ways that are not only scientifically illuminating but also likely to be useful in developing applications, especially in physiology and medicine.
3. Considering how to move forward towards developing applications, such as devices for semi-automatic and non-invasive diagnosis or evaluation of e.g. endothelial dysfunction, malignant melanoma, depth of anaesthesia, and malaria.

​Confirmed invited speakers include: 
Christian Aalkjaer, Aarhus, Denmark
Takashi Amemiya, Yokohoma National University, Japan
Maia Angelova Turkedjieva, Deakin University, Australia
Alona Ben-Tal, Massey University, NZ
Christian Bick, Oxford, UK
Antonio Colantuoni, Naples, Italy
Geraldine Clough, Southampton, UK
Saso Dzeroski, Ljubljana, Slovenia
Lars Folke Olsen, SDU, Denmark
Istvan Kiss, St Louis, USA
Ivana Kovacic, Novi Sad, Serbia
Peter Kloeden, Tubingen, Germany (Keynote)
Klaus Lehnertz, Bonn, Germany
​David Lloyd, Cardiff University
Robert McKay, Warwick, UK (Keynote)
Hiroya Nakao, Tokyo, Japan (Keynote)
Milan Palus, Prague, Czech Republic
Thomas Penzel, Berlin, Germany 
Johan Raeder, Oslo, Norway
Michael Rosenblum, Potsdam, Germany
​Arina Tankanag, Puschino, Russia
Constantino Tsallis, Santa Fe and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (Keynote) 
Alex Webb, Cambridge, UK (Keynote)
Erik Weber-Jensen, Quantium Medical, Barcelona, Spain   

Venue

This workshop will took place at:
Chicheley Hall
Chicheley Road
Newport Pagnell
Buckinghamshire MK16 9JJ

Proceedings

Selected papers from this workshop are now part of a Springer Volume which can be purchased here: 
https://www.springer.com/gp/book/9783030598044