Knowledge representation and reasoning are traditional areas within artificial intelligence. In the modern society they are underlying building blocks in various kinds of information systems and networks. Knowledge representation and reasoning are also central themes in cognitive science and epistemology. Relevant questions include how we know what we know, how we can make useful inferences, and how we can use computers in models and applications of knowledge representation and reasoning. Traditional models have been based on predicate logic, semantic networks and other symbolic representations. One of the central goals of the AKRR'08 conference is to probe alternative representations and algorithms such as statistical latent variable models, vector space representations, statistical machine learning, artificial neural networks, and dynamical systems.

The European Conference on Machine Learning and Principles and Practice of Knowledge Discovery in Databases (ECML PKDD) will be located in Antwerp, Belgium, from September 15th to 19th, 2008. This event builds upon a very successful series of 18 ECML and 11 PKDD conferences, which have been jointly organized for the past seven years. It has become the major European scientific event in these fields and in 2008 it will comprise presentations of contributed papers and invited speakers, a wide program of workshops and tutorials, a discovery challenge, a demo track and an industrial track.

The 25th International Conference on Machine Learning (ICML 2008) was organized in Helsinki, Finland on July 5-9, 2008. ICML is the leading international machine learning conference, attracting annually about 500 participants from all over the world. ICML is supported by the International Machine Learning Society (IMLS).

The 21st Annual Conference on Learning Theory (COLT 2008) took place on 9-12 July 2008 in Helsinki, Finland. COLT 2008 was colocated with UAI 2008, which took place at the same time. Both COLT and UAI 2008 were preceeded by ICML 2008 and MLG 2008 in the same location.

The 24th Conference on Uncertainty in Artificial Intelligence (UAI 2008) will take place on 9-12 July 2008 in Helsinki, Finland. UAI 2008 is colocated with COLT 2008, which takes place at the same time. Both UAI and COLT 2008 are preceeded by ICML 2008 and MLG 2008 in the same location.

There are many desirable features of natural systems: adaptability, robustness, homeo-stasis, memory, immunity. Biological immune systems seem to exhibit all of these features and more. Thus it is not so surprising that a vigorous research field has emerged, which focuses on understanding biological immune systems and creating
new models, algorithms, technologies and theoretical understandings. The field is known collectively as artificial immune systems (AIS), and comprises a remarkably diverse range of researchers. Biologists join forces with mathematicians to create new models. Engineers and computer scientists produce new autonomous intelligent software. Roboticists and specialists in unconventional computation create new control systems or new ways to compute.
The International Conference on Artificial Immune Systems is proud to be the premiere conference in this exciting area. For
the first time ICARIS moved to East Asia, not only being held in Thailand with Thai local chairs, but also with conference chairs
from South Korea. As its organizers, we were honored to have had such a variety of innovative and original scientific papers presented this year, especially from those new to the conference.
ICARIS 2008 was the seventh international conference dedicated entirely to the field of AIS. We had more submissions than ever before this year, and because our acceptance
rate is based purely on quality, we accepted 60% of papers. These acceptances were based on advice from stream leaders – expert
s in the field who agreed to help monitor submissions and make decisions on subject and quality. Thus, in these proceedings you
will find 40 papers written by the leading scientists in the field, from 25 different countries in 4 continents, describing an impressive array of ideas, technologies and applications for AIS. We could not have organized this conference without these researchers, so we thank them all for coming. We also could not have organized ICARIS without the excellent work of all of the Programme Committee, our Publicity Chair Sungwon Jung, our Local Chairs Supiya Charoensiriwath and Boonserm Kaewkamnerdpong, and our conference administrator, J.J. Giwa.

Conference Chairs

• Doheon Lee KAIST, Korea
• Peter Bentley University College, London. UK