We introduce a probabilistic approach to the LMS filter. By means of an efficient approximation, this approach provides an adaptable step-size LMS algorithm together with a measure of uncertainty about the estimation. In addition, the proposed approximation preserves the linear complexity of the standard LMS. Numerical results show the improved performance of the algorithm with respect to standard LMS and state-of-the-art algorithms with similar complexity. The goal of this work, therefore, is to open the door to bring some more Bayesian machine learning techniques to adaptive filtering.

Pointwise-competitive classifier from class F is required to classify identically to the best classifier in hindsight from F. For noisy, agnostic settings we present a strategy for learning pointwise-competitive classifiers from a finite training sample provided that the classifier can abstain from prediction at a certain region of its choice. For some interesting hypothesis classes and families of distributions, the measure of this rejected region is shown to be diminishing at a fast rate, with high probability. Exact implementation of the proposed learning strategy is dependent on an ERM oracle that can be hard to compute in the agnostic case. We thus consider a heuristic approximation procedure that is based on SVMs, and show empirically that this algorithm consistently outperforms a traditional rejection mechanism based on distance from decision boundary.

We focus on the distribution regression problem: regressing to a real-valued response from a probability distribution. Although there exist a large number of similarity measures between distributions, very little is known about their generalization performance in specific learning tasks. Learning problems formulated on distributions have an inherent two-stage sampled difficulty: in practice only samples from sampled distributions are observable, and one has to build an estimate on similarities computed between sets of points. To the best of our knowledge, the only existing method with consistency guarantees for distribution regression requires kernel density estimation as an intermediate step (which suffers from slow convergence issues in high dimensions), and the domain of the distributions to be compact Euclidean. In this paper, we provide theoretical guarantees for a remarkably simple algorithmic alternative to solve the distribution regression problem: embed the distributions to a reproducing kernel Hilbert space, and learn a ridge regressor from the embeddings to the outputs. Our main contribution is to prove the consistency of this technique in the two-stage sampled setting under mild conditions (on separable, topological domains endowed with kernels). For a given total number of observations, we derive convergence rates as an explicit function of the problem difficulty. As a special case, we answer a 15-year-old open question: we establish the consistency of the classical set kernel [Haussler, 1999; Gartner et. al, 2002] in regression, and cover more recent kernels on distributions, including those due to [Christmann and Steinwart, 2010].

This paper aims at justifying LWF and AMP chain graphs by showing that they do not represent arbitrary independence models. Specifically, we show that every chain graph is inclusion optimal wrt the intersection of the independence models represented by a set of directed and acyclic graphs under conditioning. This implies that the independence model represented by the chain graph can be accounted for by a set of causal models that are subject to selection bias, which in turn can be accounted for by a system that switches between different regimes or configurations.

ABSTRACT Deductive question-answering systems generally evaluate queries under one of two possible assumptions which we in this paper refer to as the open and closed world assumptions. The open world assumption corresponds to the usual first order approach to query evaluation: Given a data base DB and a query Q, the only answers to Q are those which obtain from proofs of Q given DB as hypotheses. Under the closed world assumption, certain answers are admitted as a result of failure to find a proof. More specifically, if no proof of a positive ground literal exists, then the negation of that literal is assumed true. In this paper, we show that closed world evaluation of an arbitrary query may be reduced to open world evaluation of socalled atomic queries. We then show that the closed world assumption can lead to inconsistencies, but for Horn data bases no such inconsistencies can arise. Finally, we show how for Horn data bases under the closed world assumption purely negative clauses are irrelevant for deductive retrieval and function instead as integrity constraints. INTRODUCTION Deductive question-answering systems generally evaluate queries under one of two possible assumptions which we in this paper refer to as the open and closed world assumptions.

The paper exhibits experience, and that of others using QA2 and QA3, solutions to these problems obtained by QA3, a one of the first difficulties encountered is the computer program based on these theorem-proving representation of problems, especially statetransformation methods.

"Almost all the basic methods used by

This talk reviews those efforts in automatic theorem proving, during the past few years, which have theory, very easy for the computer.

R. L. GREGORY, Psychological Laboratory, Cambridge Discussion on paper 5 683 6 Some questions concerning the explanation of learning 691 in animals MR. A. J. WATS01,4 Psychological Laboratory, Cambridge Discussion on paper 6 721 7 Information, redundancy and decay of the memory trace 729 DR. Y. BAR-HILLEL, The Hebrew University, Jerusalem Discussion on paper 2 801 3 To what extent can administration be mechanized?

APPENDIX I Attendance List *An asterisk indicates either that the person was a part--time deputy for a delegate, or that their attendance was restricted to particular Sessions by accomodation difficulties.