Message from: "Carlo Combi" (DBWORLD) FINAL CFP Special Issue on Time-oriented Systems in Medicine CALL FOR PAPERS --------------- COMPUTERS IN BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE invites contributors to submit papers for a special issue devoted to the subject of TIME-ORIENTED SYSTEMS in MEDICINE. The Guest Editors are Carlo Combi, Ph.D., from the Dept. of Biomedical Engineering, the Politecnico of Milano, Italy, and Yuval Shahar, M.D., Ph.D., from the Knowledge Systems Laboratory, Section on Medical Informatics, Stanford University, California, U.S.A. Time is of the utmost importance in medicine. It plays a key role in medical decision making (clinical diagnosis, therapy planning) and in medical data modeling and managing (e.g., representation of the patient's medical record, including past pathologies and therapies, and follow-up data). In recent years, temporal-reasoning and temporal-maintenance systems in medicine have been the focus of an increasing interest. Researchers with different backgrounds and interests are facing the topic of time-oriented reasoning in clinical and in research-oriented medical domains. Examples include computer scientists (such as those interested in temporal databases, in temporal logics, or in natural-language processing), medical informaticians, health-care providers, and researchers in basic medical sciences (such as physiology and neuroanatomy). Significant solutions can be formulated through a multidisciplinary combination of these different research areas and their associated cultures. The subject of time-oriented systems in medicine covers a wide variety of specific subtopics, both theoretical and practical. Contributions of high quality would be welcome in, but are not limited to, any of the following subareas of research: + Modeling of clinical and research medical data + Modeling of temporal knowledge bases in medicine + Acquisition, maintenance, sharing, and reuse of temporal-reasoning knowledge + Temporal reasoning and time-oriented diagnosis or planning in medicine + Maintenance of time-oriented medical databases + Handling of multiple and heterogenous time-oriented clinical databases + Implementation of time-oriented systems and prototypes in medical areas + Summarization of time-oriented medical data + Real-time systems in medicine + Managing of temporal constraints in clinical applications + Temporal-pattern matching and temporal queries in clinical and research medicine + Graphic and natural-language interfaces for temporal queries in medical domains Interested potential contributors are invited to submit three copies of the manuscript by January 10, 1996 to one of the guest editors (see addresses below). Manuscripts should include no more than 30 typewritten pages, 12 type font and 18 point spacing. Papers should include a complete mail address, phone, fax, and email address of the authors, an abstract (up to 150 words), up to 5 key words, the paper (including all figures and tables in place), and a complete list of all references cited in the paper in a standard style. Manuscripts will be peer reviewed, and final formatting instructions will be sent to authors of accepted papers. Expected Timeline: Authors will be notified of acceptance by April 25, 1996. Revised papers will due by June 25, 1996. The expected publication date is December 1996. Guest Editor's addresses: Carlo Combi, Ph.D., Department of Biomedical Engineering, the Politecnico of Milano, P.zza L. da Vinci 32 20133 Milano - MI - Italy email: combi@elet.polimi.it Fax: 39 2 2399 3360 Tel: 39 2 2399 3335 Yuval Shahar, M.D., Ph.D., Knowledge Systems Laboratory, Section on Medical Informatics, Medical School Office Building x215, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305-5479 U.S.A. email: shahar@camis.stanford.edu Fax: (USA) 415 725 7944 Tel. (USA) 415 725 3393 COMPUTERS IN BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE An International Journal published by Pergamon - Elsevier Editor-in-Chief: Robert S. Ledley, National Biomedical Research Foundation, Georgetown University Medical Center, 3900 Reservoir Road, NW Washington, DC 20007, USA Managing Editor: Blaire V. Mossman, P.O. Box 13177, Scottsdale, AZ85267-3177, USA European Deputy Editor: Francesco Pinciroli, Dipartimento di Bioingegneria, Politecnico di Milano, Piazza Leonardo da Vinci 32, 20133-MILANO, Italia More information on http://www.elsevier.com/catalogue/SA1/120/05950/05950/351/351.html