Topics and features:

• Reviews a range of open challenges in biological sequences and networks, beginning with an informal description of the problem before defining it formally
  
• Describes in detail both sequential and parallel/distributed algorithms for each problem, briefly discussing software packages if there are any available
  
• Suggests approaches for distributed algorithms as possible extensions to sequential algorithms, when the distributed algorithms for the topic are scarce
  
• Proposes a number of new distributed algorithms in each chapter, to serve as potential starting points for further research
  
• Concludes each chapter with self-test exercises, a summary of the key points, a comparison of the algorithms described, and a literature review

This clearly-written and easy to follow work is ideal as a textbook for graduate and senior undergraduate students of computer science and biology, and as a self-study guide for any interested reader with a basic background in discrete mathematic

s and algorithms. Researchers in bioinformatics will also find the book to be a useful reference on this subject.

Dr. K. Erciyes is Rector of Izmir University, Turkey, where he also serves as a professor in the Computer Engineering Department. His other publications include the Springer title Distributed Graph Algorithms for Computer Networks .