Evolution of Locomotion Gaits. The objective is automatic design through GP, of the fastest possible (sidewinding) locomotion of simulated snake-like robot (Snakebot). The realism of simulation is ensured by employing the Open Dynamics Engine (ODE), which facilitates implementation of all physical forces, resulting from the actuators, joints constrains, frictions, gravity, and collisions. Focusing on the emergent properties of Snakebot, viewed as a complex hierarchical system comprising simply defined morphological segments, we investigated the emergence of basic intelligence in the ability of evolving Snakebot to discover: (i) the shape of wheel as a tool for efficient locomotion, (ii) the way to utilize the sources of grip additionally introduced in the surrounding environment, and (iii) compensatory locomotive traits in response to its own partial damage. In addition, we address the issues of (i) the efficiency of evolution and achieved velocity of locomotion of various locomotion gaits of Snakebot, (ii) the robustness of evolved Snakebot in challenging environments and (iii) the ability of Snakebot to adapt to partial damage by gradually improving its velocity characteristics.

XGP: XML-based Genetic Programming Framework. The focus of this research is on developing adequate representation of genetic programs as DOM-parsing trees featuring corresponding XML text and employing built-in API of standard DOM-parser for maintaining and manipulating such representation. The benefits of using DOM/XML-based representations of genetic programs are (i) fast prototyping of GP by using standard built-in API of DOM-parsers for traversing and manipulating (via genetic operations) the genetic programs, (ii) generic support for the representation of grammar of strongly-typed GP using W3C-standardized XML-schema; and (iii) inherent Web-compliance of the distributed implementation of GP.

Epigenetic Programming. Extending the notion of inheritable genotype in genetic programming (GP) from the model of DNA into chromatin (DNA and histones), we propose an approach of embedding in GP an explicitly controlled gene expression via modification of histones. Developed double-cell representation of individuals in GP features somatic cell and germ cell, both represented by their respective chromatin structures. Following biologically plausible concepts, we regard the plasticity of phenotype of somatic cell, achieved via controlled gene expression owing to modifications to histones (epigenesys) as relevant for fitness evaluation, while the genotype of the germ cell - to reproduction of the individual. The research focuses on the implications of features of epigenesis (such as polyphenism and epigenetic stability) on the computational effort of GP.

Emergence of Social Behavior. This research focuses on use of strongly typed GP for evolving social behavior of agents situated in inherently cooperative environment. Predators-prey problem is employed to investigate the emergence and the features (generality and robustness) of relatively complex social behavior from what we regard as Occam razor for interaction: simple, implicit, locally defined interactions between the predator agents.

Incorporating Probabilistic Context-sensitive Grammars in Strongly-typed GP. The objective of this research is mimicking the recent discoveries in biology and genetics suggesting that mutations do not happen randomly in the Nature. Instead, some fragments of DNA tend to repel the mutations away, while other fragments attract it. It is assumed that the latter fragments of DNA correspond to phenotypes related to the very basics of life, and therefore, are shared among the species in the Nature. Focusing on the use of GP for evolution and adaptation (to partial damage) of locomotion gaits of Snakebot, we consider the very ability of Snakebot to move as an allegory of the basic, universal feature, which is supposed to be represented in a similar way in both healthy and damaged adapted artifacts. In the proposed approach the mutation operations in the adapting (via GP) damaged artifact are steered away from the fragments of genotype which are assumed to correspond to this universal feature. In order to steer the mutations we employ a learning probabilistic context-sensitive grammar (LPCSG). LPCSG is derived from the originally defined context-free grammar (which usually expresses the syntax of genetic programs in strongly typed GP). The most beneficial probabilities of applying each of particular production rules with multiple right-hand side alternatives in LPCSG depend on the context, and these probabilities (the knowledge about how to steer mutation operations) are "learned" from the aggregated reward values obtained from the evolved best-of-run healthy, undamaged Snakebots.

Evolutionary Flexible Job Shop Scheduling - an Application Service Provider Approach. The objective of this work is to provide the factories operating plastic injection machines (FPIM) with high business speed which implies (i) providing the customers with convenient way for remote online access to the factory's database and (ii) developing an efficient scheduling routine for planning the assignment of the submitted customers' orders to FPIM machines. Remote online access to FPIM database, approached via delivering the software as a Web-service in accordance with the application service provider (ASP) paradigm is proposed. As an approach addressing the issue of efficient scheduling routine, a hybrid evolutionary algorithm (HEA) combining priority- dispatching rules (PDRs) with GA is developed. In our approach HEA is developed using Oracle PL/SQL programming language and stored on database server as a stored procedure (SP). Database server also handles the execution of SP. The benefits of implementing HEA as SP are improved performance, reduced network overhead and enhanced security.

Single System Image Middleware (SSIM) for Metacomputer Implementation of Parallel Genetic Programming (GP). The approach is based on boss-workers model of parallelism exploiting the medium-grained inherent parallelism among the evaluation of individuals in GP. For GP-applications, the SSIM, developed applying the paradigm of Distributed Component Object Model (DCOM), creates an illusion of single virtual supercomputer representing the pool of nondedicated, heterogeneous workstations (or PCs) in LAN environment. In addition, SSIM manages the issues of locating and allocating the resources (workstations or PCs), scheduling, load balancing and fault tolerance.

Distributed Collaborative Approach for GP. The approach is based on island model of parallelism exploiting the coarse-grained inherent parallelism among the semi-isolated subpopulations in GP. The subpopulations communicate with each other through the knowledge base (build on top of SQL database) which maintains the pool of globally fittest individuals. The approach is suitable for distributed implementation of GP on Internet environment.

Liebau Effect of Valveless Generation of Blood Circulation. The objective of this research is to understand the phenomenon of valveless generation of blood circulation (i.e. circulation generated by heart which has no valves), as originally discovered by G.Liebau. Personal engagement in this highly collaborative research is associated with the (i) comprehending the nature of the phenomenon, (ii) defining the properties and the operational mode of the valveless heart needed for the occurrence of phenomenon, (iii) developing the mathematical model of the phenomenon and (iv) software simulation.

Parallel Interpretation of Prolog on Heterogeneous Shared Memory RISC Multiprocessor. The objective of this research is to enchance the notoriously poor performance of Prolog-language through the exploitation of both AND- and OR-types of inherent parallelism of the language on the system level. This work includes developing the (i) process model (the task decomposition model) for parallel implementation of Prolog, (ii) inter-process communication mechanism, (iii) parallel multiprocessor architecture of Prolog-system based on specialized RISC-processors and (iv) instruction set of RISC-processors, semantically oriented to Prolog.