From Statistics to Neural Networks Theory and Pattern Recognition Applications

The NATO Advanced Study Institute From Statistics to Neural Networks, Theory and Pattern Recognition Applications took place in Les Arcs, Bourg Saint Maurice, France, from June 21 through July 2, 1993. The meeting brought to­ gether over 100 participants (including 19 invited lecturers) from 20 countries. The invited lecturers whose contributions appear in this volume are: L. Almeida (INESC, Portugal), G. Carpenter (Boston, USA), V. Cherkassky (Minnesota, USA), F. Fogelman Soulie (LRI, France), W. Freeman (Berkeley, USA), J. Friedman (Stanford, USA), F. Girosi (MIT, USA and IRST, Italy), S. Grossberg (Boston, USA), T. Hastie (AT&T, USA), J. Kittler (Surrey, UK), R. Lippmann (MIT Lincoln Lab, USA), J. Moody (OGI, USA), G. Palm (U1m, Germany), B. Ripley (Oxford, UK), R. Tibshirani (Toronto, Canada), H. Wechsler (GMU, USA), C. Wellekens (Eurecom, France) and H. White (San Diego, USA). The ASI consisted of lectures overviewing major aspects of statistical and neural network learning, their links to biological learning and non-linear dynamics (chaos), and real-life examples of pattern recognition applications. As a result of lively interactions between the participants, the following topics emerged as major themes of the meeting: (1) Unified framework for the study of Predictive Learning in Statistics and Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs); (2) Differences and similarities between statistical and ANN methods for non­ parametric estimation from examples (learning); (3) Fundamental connections between artificial learning systems and biological learning systems.

An Overview of Predictive Learning and Function Approximation.- Nonparametric Regression and Classification Part I Nonparametric Regression.- Nonparametric Regression and Classification Part II Nonparametric Classification.- Neural Networks, Bayesian a posteriori Probabilities, and Pattern Classification.- Flexible Non-linear Approaches to Classification.- Parametric Statistical Estimation with Artificial Neural Networks: A Condensed Discussion.- Prediction Risk and Architecture Selection for Neural Networks.- Regularisation Theory, Radial Basis Functions and Networks.- Self-Organizing Networks for Nonparametric Regression.- Neural Preprocessing Methods.- Improved Hidden Markov Models for Speech Recognition Through Neural Network Learning.- Neural Network Architectures for Pattern Recognition.- Cooperative Decision Making Processes and Their Neural Net Implementation.- Associative Memory Networks and Sparse Similarity Preserving Codes.- Multistrategy Learning and Optimal Mappings.- Self-Organizing Neural Networks for Supervised and Unsupervised Learning and Prediction.- Recognition of 3-D Objects from Multiple 2-D Views by a Self-Organizing Neural Architecture.- Chaotic Dynamics in Neural Pattern Recognition.