paper and applet on chromosome coding for NN evolution

[Simon Lucas]

Dear Connectionists,

  The following paper and applet are available
 from my website:  http://esewww.essex.ac.uk/~sml
 entitled:

  A comparison of matrix rewriting versus direct 
  encoding for evolving neural networks

  A.A. Siddiqui and S.M. Lucas

  Proceedings of IEEE International Conference on Evolutionary 
  Computation, 1998 (to appear)

   Abstract:  The intuitive expectation is that the 
   scheme used to encode the neural network in the 
   chromosome should be critical to the success of
   evolving neural networks to solve difficult problems. 
   In 1990 Kitano (Complex Systems, vol 4, pp 461 - 476)
   published an encoding scheme based on context-free 
   parallel matrix rewriting. The method allowed compact,
   finite, chromosomes to grow neural networks of 
   potentially infinite size. Results were presented 
   that demonstrated superior evolutionary properties of
   the matrix rewriting method compared to a simple direct
   encoding. In this paper, we present results that
   contradict those findings, and demonstrate that a
   genetic algorithm (GA) using a direct encoding can
   find good individuals just as efficiently as a GA 
   using matrix rewriting. 

 The applet allows you to attempt to reproduce the 
 results presented in the paper and to extend the 
 comparsion to other datasets.

  Best regards,
 
    Simon Lucas  
-- 

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Dr. Simon Lucas
Department of Electronic Systems Engineering
University of Essex
Colchester CO4 3SQ
United Kingdom

Tel:    (+44) 1206 872935
Fax:    (+44) 1206 872900
Email:  sml at essex.ac.uk
http://esewww.essex.ac.uk/~sml
secretary:  Mrs Wendy Ryder (+44) 1206 872437
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