A P-Lingua based simulator for Tissue P systems

Abstract

Investigations within the field of tissue-like P systems are being conducted, on one hand studying their computational efficiency, and on the other hand exploring the possibilities to use them as a computational modelling framework to biological phenomena. In both cases it is necessary to develop software that provides simulation tools (simulators) for the existing variety of tissue P systems. Such simulators allow us to carry on computations of solutions to computationally hard problems on certain (small) instances. Moreover, they also provide a way to verify tissue-like models for real biological processes, by means of experimental data. The paper presents an extension of P-Lingua (a specification language intended to become a standard for software devoted to P systems), in order to cover the class of tissue-like P systems, that were not considered in the previous release. This extension involves on one hand defining the syntax to be used, and on the other hand introducing a new built-in simulation algorithm that has been added to the core library of P-Lingua.