Multistrategy learning is one of the newest and most promising research directions in the development of machine learning systems. The objectives of research in this area are to study trade-offs between different learning strategies and to develop learning systems that employ multiple types of inference or computational paradigms in a learning process. Multistrategy systems offer significant advantages over monostrategy systems. They are more flexible in the type of input they can learn from and the type of knowledge they can acquire. As a consequence, multistrategy systems have the potential to be applicable to a wide range of practical problems. This volume is the first book in this fast growing field. It contains a selection of contributions by leading researchers specializing in this area.

Most machine learning research has been concerned with the development of systems that implememnt one type of inference within a single representational paradigm. Such systems, which can be called monostrategy learning systems, include those for empirical induction of decision trees or rules, explanation-based generalization, neural net learning from examples, genetic algorithm-based learning, and others. Monostrategy learning systems can be very effective and useful if learning problems to which they are applied are sufficiently narrowly defined. Many real-world applications, however, pose learning problems that go beyond the capability of monostrategy learning methods. In view of this, recent years have witnessed a growing interest in developing multistrategy systems, which integrate two or more inference types and/or paradigms within one learning system. Such multistrategy systems take advantage of the complementarity of different inference types or representational mechanisms. Therefore, they have a potential to be more versatile and more powerful than monostrategy systems. On the other hand, due to their greater complexity, their development is significantly more difficult and represents a new great challenge to the machine learning community. Multistrategy Learning contains contributions characteristic of the current research in this area.

One of the currently most active research areas within Artificial Intelligence is the field of Machine Learning. which involves the study and development of computational models of learning processes. A major goal of research in this field is to build computers capable of improving their performance with practice and of acquiring knowledge on their own. The intent of this book is to provide a snapshot of this field through a broad. representative set of easily assimilated short papers. As such. this book is intended to complement the two volumes of Machine Learning: An Artificial Intelligence Approach (Morgan-Kaufman Publishers). which provide a smaller number of in-depth research papers. Each of the 77 papers in the present book summarizes a current research effort. and provides references to longer expositions appearing elsewhere. These papers cover a broad range of topics. including research on analogy. conceptual clustering. explanation-based generalization. incremental learning. inductive inference. learning apprentice systems. machine discovery. theoretical models of learning. and applications of machine learning methods. A subject index IS provided to assist in locating research related to specific topics. The majority of these papers were collected from the participants at the Third International Machine Learning Workshop. held June 24-26. 1985 at Skytop Lodge. Skytop. Pennsylvania. While the list of research projects covered is not exhaustive. we believe that it provides a representative sampling of the best ongoing work in the field. and a unique perspective on where the field is and where it is headed.

Machine Learning: An Artificial Intelligence Approach contains tutorial overviews and research papers representative of trends in the area of machine learning as viewed from an artificial intelligence perspective. The book is organized into six parts. Part I provides an overview of machine learning and explains why machines should learn. Part II covers important issues affecting the design of learning programs-particularly programs that learn from examples. It also describes inductive learning systems. Part III deals with learning by analogy, by experimentation, and from experience. Parts IV and V discuss learning from observation and discovery, and learning from instruction, respectively. Part VI presents two studies on applied learning systems-one on the recovery of valuable information via inductive inference; the other on inducing models of simple algebraic skills from observed student performance in the context of the Leeds Modeling System (LMS). This book is intended for researchers in artificial intelligence, computer science, and cognitive psychology; students in artificial intelligence and related disciplines; and a diverse range of readers, including computer scientists, robotics experts, knowledge engineers, educators, philosophers, data analysts, psychologists, and electronic engineers.

Most machine learning research has been concerned with the development of systems that implememnt one type of inference within a single representational paradigm. Such systems, which can be called monostrategy learning systems, include those for empirical induction of decision trees or rules, explanation-based generalization, neural net learning from examples, genetic algorithm-based learning, and others. Monostrategy learning systems can be very effective and useful if learning problems to which they are applied are sufficiently narrowly defined. Many real-world applications, however, pose learning problems that go beyond the capability of monostrategy learning methods. In view of this, recent years have witnessed a growing interest in developing multistrategy systems, which integrate two or more inference types and/or paradigms within one learning system. Such multistrategy systems take advantage of the complementarity of different inference types or representational mechanisms. Therefore, they have a potential to be more versatile and more powerful than monostrategy systems. On the other hand, due to their greater complexity, their development is significantly more difficult and represents a new great challenge to the machine learning community. Multistrategy Learning contains contributions characteristic of the current research in this area.

One of the currently most active research areas within Artificial Intelligence is the field of Machine Learning. which involves the study and development of computational models of learning processes. A major goal of research in this field is to build computers capable of improving their performance with practice and of acquiring knowledge on their own. The intent of this book is to provide a snapshot of this field through a broad. representative set of easily assimilated short papers. As such. this book is intended to complement the two volumes of Machine Learning: An Artificial Intelligence Approach (Morgan-Kaufman Publishers). which provide a smaller number of in-depth research papers. Each of the 77 papers in the present book summarizes a current research effort. and provides references to longer expositions appearing elsewhere. These papers cover a broad range of topics. including research on analogy. conceptual clustering. explanation-based generalization. incremental learning. inductive inference. learning apprentice systems. machine discovery. theoretical models of learning. and applications of machine learning methods. A subject index IS provided to assist in locating research related to specific topics. The majority of these papers were collected from the participants at the Third International Machine Learning Workshop. held June 24-26. 1985 at Skytop Lodge. Skytop. Pennsylvania. While the list of research projects covered is not exhaustive. we believe that it provides a representative sampling of the best ongoing work in the field. and a unique perspective on where the field is and where it is headed.

Die schweren Opfer, die unser Daseinskampf im Weltkrieg gefordert, die grossen Umwalzungen, die uns die Revolution im Anschluss daran gebracht und die un geheuerlichen Lasten, die der Frieden von Versailles daraufhin dem betorten Vater land auferlegen konnte, haben unser ganzes Wirtschaftsleben auf Jahrzehnte hinaus bis in seine Grundfesten zerstort, ja zum Teil vollig lebensunfahig gemacht. Wie uberall, so ist namentlich auch auf dem Gebiet des Bauens eine Teuerung ein getreten, die eine Herstellung von Bauten ohne entsprechende finanzielle Unter stutzung wirtschaftlich kaum noch zulasst. Wie sollen und wie konnen diese Hemmungen, die sich taglich durch die Folgeerscheinungen der Revolution und des Schmachfriedens noch steigern, behoben werden? Wie konnen die wahrend des Krieges zuruckgestellten, dringenden Er satzbauten und die fur unsere aus den geraubten deutschen Landesteilen, aus unseren Kolonien und aus den feindlichen Landern vertriebenen Volksgencssen, die bei uns Zuflucht suchen mussten, noch dringenderen Bauten, die Wohnstatten, wo eine Wiedergesundung vaterlandischer Gesinnung und die Arbeitsstatten, wo ein Wieder aufbau unserer Wirtschaft denkbar und moglich ist, auf wirtschaftlicher Grundlage geschaffen werden? Der auf allen technischen Gebieten, namentlich in Zeiten der Not, wo es gilt, Neues zu schaffen und Neuem die Wege zu ebnen, stets ruhrige Verein Deutscher Ingenieure hat im Fruhjahr 19] 9 auf Anregung und unter Leitung des Ober ingenieurs Kersten die dankbare Aufgabe ubernommen, in einer Reihe von "Bau technischen Vortragen" alle wahrend der Kriegs- und Nachkriegszeit auf dem hoch bauteohnisohen Gebiet gemachten Erfindungen, die geeignet erscheinen, das Bauen"