Unsupervised learning algorithms are designed to extract structure fromdata samples. Reliable and robust inference requires a guarantee that extracted structures are typical for the data source, Le., similar structures have to be inferred from a second sample set of the same data source. The overfitting phenomenon in maximum entropybased annealing algorithms is exemplarily studied for a class of histogram clustering models. Bernstein's inequality for large deviations is used to determine the maximally achievable approximation quality parameterized by a minimal temperature. Monte Carlo simulations support the proposed model selection criterion byfinite temperature annealing.

Effective methods of capacity control via uniform convergence bounds for function expansions have been largely limited to Support Vector machines, wheregood bounds are obtainable by the entropy number approach.

In particular, Mackay showed that by approximating the distributions of the weights with Gaussians and adopting smoothing priors, it is possible to obtain estimates of the weights and output variances and to automatically set the regularisation coefficients.Neal (1996) cast the net much further by introducing advanced Bayesian simulation methods, specifically the hybrid Monte Carlo method, into the analysis of neural networks [3]. Bayesian sequential Monte Carlo methods have also been shown to provide good training results, especially in time-varying scenarios [4]. More recently, Rios Insua and Muller (1998) and Holmes and Mallick (1998) have addressed the issue of selecting the number of hidden neurons with growing and pruning algorithms from a Bayesian perspective [5,6]. In particular, they apply the reversible jump Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) algorithm of Green [7] to feed-forward sigmoidal networks and radial basis function (RBF) networks to obtain joint estimates of the number of neurons and weights. We also apply the reversible jump MCMC simulation algorithm to RBF networks so as to compute the joint posterior distribution of the radial basis parameters and the number of basis functions. However, we advance this area of research in two important directions.Firstly, we propose a full hierarchical prior for RBF networks.

In this work, we formulate a hierarchical systemof interconnected modules consisting in populations of neurons formodeling the underlying mechanisms involved in selective visual attention. We demonstrate that our neural system for visual search works across the visual field in parallel but due to the different intrinsic dynamics can show the two experimentally observed modes of visual attention, namely: the serial and the parallel search mode. In other words, neither explicit model of a focus of attention nor saliencies maps are used. The focus of attention appears as an emergent property of the dynamic behavior of the system. The neural population dynamics are handled in the framework of the mean-field approximation. Consequently, thewhole process can be expressed as a system of coupled differential equations.

However, most models have simply ignored these data; the few that have attempted toaddress them have failed by at least an order of magnitude. We discuss key data on the speed of acquisition, and show how to account for them using a statistically sound model of learning, in which differential reliabilities of stimuli playa crucial role. 1 Introduction Conditioning experiments probe the ways that animals make predictions about rewards and punishments and how those predictions are used to their advantage. Substantial quantitative data are available as to how pigeons and rats acquire conditioned responsesduring autoshaping, which is one of the simplest paradigms of classical conditioning.

We introduce a novel method of constructing language models, which avoids some of the problems associated with recurrent neural networks.The method of creating a Prediction Fractal Machine (PFM) [1] is briefly described and some experiments are presented which demonstrate the suitability of PFMs for language modeling. PFMs distinguish reliably between minimal pairs, and their behavior isconsistent with the hypothesis [4] that wellformedness is'graded' not absolute. A discussion of their potential to offer fresh insights into language acquisition and processing follows. 1 Introduction Cognitive linguistics has seen the development in recent years of two important, related trends.

In this paper we discuss the semiparametric statistical model for blind deconvolution. First we introduce a Lie Group to the manifold of noncausal FIRfilters. Then blind deconvolution problem is formulated in the framework of a semiparametric model, and a family of estimating functions is derived for blind deconvolution. A natural gradient learning algorithmis developed for training noncausal filters. Stability of the natural gradient algorithm is also analyzed in this framework.

The idea of a large minimum margin [17] explains the good generalization performance ofAdaBoost in the low noise regime. However, AdaBoost performs worse on noisy tasks [10, 11], such as the iris and the breast cancer benchmark data sets [1]. On the latter tasks, a large margin on all training points cannot be achieved without adverse effects on the generalization error. This experimental observation was supported by the study of [13] where the generalization error of ensemble methods wasbounded by the sum of the fraction of training points which have a margin smaller than some value p, say, plus a complexity term depending on the base hypotheses andp. While this bound can only capture part of what is going on in practice, it nevertheless already conveys the message that in some cases it pays to allow for some points which have a small margin, or are misclassified, if this leads to a larger overall margin on the remaining points. To cope with this problem, it was mandatory to construct regularized variants of AdaBoost, which traded off the number of margin errors and the size of the margin 562 G.Riitsch, B. Sch6lkopf, A. J. Smola, K.-R.

Enabling organizations to capture, share, and apply the collective experience and know-how of their people is seen as fundamental to competing in the knowledge economy. As a result, there has been a wave of enthusiasm and activity centered on knowledge management. To make progress in this area, issues of technology, process, people, and content must be addressed. In this article, we develop a road map for knowledge management. It begins with an assessment of the current state of the practice, using examples drawn from our experience at Schlumberger. It then sketches the possible evolution of technology and practice over a 10-year period. Along the way, we highlight ways in which AI technology, present and future, can be applied in knowledge management systems.

This article describes a methodology for programming robots known as probabilistic robotics. The probabilistic paradigm pays tribute to the inherent uncertainty in robot perception, relying on explicit representations of uncertainty when determining what to do. This article surveys some of the progress in the field, using in-depth examples to illustrate some of the nuts and bolts of the basic approach. My central conjecture is that the probabilistic approach to robotics scales better to complex real-world applications than approaches that ignore a robot's uncertainty.