Lectures of Guest Professors in the IQN

• Dimitrii Vinogradov (VINITI) 15.12.03 -- 15.2.04
  ``Probability-Based Machine Learning''
  The course discuss several models of Computational Learning Theory: Neural Networks (NN), Mistake-Bounded, and Probably Approximately Correct (PAC) learning. Every model is considered in the simplest case (conjunctive concept or Perceptron). Then ractically useful models are considered. The course describes Littlestone's algorithm of Mistake-Bounded learning for monotone disjunctive concepts, Rivest's algorithm of PAC-learning for decision lists and back-propagation learning for NNs. The emphasis is on useful algorithms and methods to prove negative results. We will review the notion of NP-completeness and apply it to non-PAC-learnability of 3-terms-DNF and NP-completeness of learning of NN with 3 nodes. The course also describes the Vapnik-Chervonenkis dimension and relates it with different learning models. Finally we consider the Bayesian approach.
• Luis Pereira (Universidade Nova de Lisboa) 14.11.03 -- 09.12.03
  ``Computational Agents ''
  Agents will be viewed, in an integrated way, with the tools of computational logic, both in what regards their internal structure and functionalities, and also the way they are composed into architecture's of evolving agent societies. Throughout, the approach will be formal and rigorous in nature, supported by existing implementations in logic programming, and exemplified with realistic prototypical applications. The whole substance of the course relies on a coherent line of research carried out by the lecturer and his team for number of years, which has been consubstantiated in papers published in specialized conferences and journals, and will be presented through a collection of corresponding slides.
• Michail Schlesinger (International Research and Training Centre, Kiev) 01.11.03 -- 31.01.04
  ``Strukturelle Mustererkennung''
  The lecture uncovers the close relationship between various pattern recognition problems that so far been considered independent. The lecture unifies two main streams in pattern recognition - statistical and structural ones. In addition to this bridging on the uppermost level, the lecture mentions several unexpected relations within statistical and structural methods.
• Peter Grigoriev (VINITI, Moscow) 01.11.03 -- 31.12.03
  ``Practical Data Mining with Concept Lattices''
  During this course students discuss and practice all the steps of the data-mining driven model invention process, starting from data acquisition and preparation, through error estimation and model selection up to model acquisition, post-processing and assessment.
• Sergei Kuznetsov (VINITI, Moscow) 01.09.03 -- 29.02.04
  ``Machine Learning and Knowledge Discovery with Concept Lattices''
  The course deals with several symbolic models of machine learning: version spaces, decision trees and JSM-hypotheses and learning for complex data structures.
• Dimitrii Vinogradov (VINITI, Moscow) 16.06.03 -- 15.08.03
  ``Non-monotonic Logics for Artificial Intelligence''
  The course covers major branches of Non-Monotonic Logic: Reiter's Default Logic, Modal Non-Monotonic Systems of McDermott and Doyle, Moore's Autoepistemic Logic, Closed-World Assumptions, and Semantics of Negation in Logic Programming. The emphasis is on intuitive examples to learn the exact definitions.
• Pedro Barahona (Universidade Nova de Lisboa) 07.05.03 -- 23.05.03
  ``Applied Constraint Logic Programming (Finite Domains)"
  The course complements the course on Foundations of Constraint Logic Programming focussing on finite domains, a major domains with regards to applications. The course overviews the extension of Logic Programming to Constraints, namely is domains such as Finite Domains (FD), for which there are no (practical) procedures to detect inconsistency (incomplete solvers). The importance of Finite Domains is illustrated with the modelling of a number of applications regarding resource management. Various criteria of consistency are presented, and their completeness discussed. The course then studies a number of constraint propagation algorithms that have been presented to enforce such criteria, namely their complexity. The complexity of the whole process of constraint solving is also analysed, and a number of techniques to speed it up are addressed, namely search heuristics. The course also addresses the basic constructs (indexical constraints) used in the implementation of a CLP sys! tem for finite domains, and how they are made accessible to the user to enforce alternative criteria of consistency. The last part of the course regards advanced topics in constraint programming with finite domains, namely conditional constraints and constructive disjunction and redundant constraints. A special focus is given to the topic of global constraints, not only overviewing some algorithms to enforce consistency of such constraint (based on Operations Research and Graph Theory), but also presenting primitives that most implementations of CLP systems provide, and their application to scheduling and other resource management applications. An extension of this basic course (to be discussed) could present alternative ways of solving constraint solving problems, based on local search and integer programming, as well as well as some experiments on cooperation between these different types of Constraint Solvers.
• Dongmo Zhang (University of New South Wales) 03.01.03 -- 02.02.03
  ``Belief Revision, Negotiation and Applications''
  The Course attempts to provide an introduction to the axiomatization, modeling and applications of belief revision. The lecture first explains the basic operations of belief change and their AGM formalization. Then a generalized framework of AGM theory will be studied. Based on the fundamental knowledge a survey of some advanced issues relating to belief revision, such as belief base revision, iterated belief revision and mutual belief revision, will be given. Finally a class discussion will be led to demonstrate the potential application of belief revision theory in the formalization of negotiation.
• Andrei Voronkov (University of Manchester) 01.11.02 -- 31.12.02
  ``Advanced Deductive Databases''
  It is widely recognized that logic provides an elegant foundation of databases. Deductive databases use the language of logic to specify database queries. The course will give an introduction to deductive databases, starting from logical foundations and going into some advanced topics. We will use part of the previously taught course, but at the same time the new course will diverge from the old one in several aspects. First, the logical content of the course will be simplified. Second, more database-related topics will be treated, such as grouping and aggregates and data models for complex values. Third, newly emerging areas will be overviewed, for example deductive object-oriented databases and Web querying.
• András Pluhár (University of Szeged) 20.10.02 -- 31.01.03
  ``Probabilistic Models''
  The main goal of the course is to exhibit problems of Computer Science (or Applied Math) in which the ideas of randomness can be exploited. Several algorithms and models will be also developed and studied.
• Sergei Kuznetsov (VINITI, Moscow) 01.10.02 -- 31.03.03
  ``Algorithmic Learning in Concept Lattices''
  The main goal of the course is to give a systematic view on models of machine learning based on the idea of structural similarity. An further goal of the course is to show how standard notions of the order and lattice theory are interpreted in notions of data analysis.
• Catuscia Palamidessi (Penn State University) 02.06.02 -- 22.06.02
  ``Formal Methods for Security Protocols''
  This course will provide an introduction to security protocols and to some of the formal approaches to the specification and verification of their properties. The lectures will cover the basic concepts and principles of security, like symmetric and asymmetric cryptography, and properties such as secrecy, autentication, integrity, anonymity, etc. Then they will focus on formal methods for modelling and reasoning about security protocols, and particularly on techniques deriving from the field of concurrency theory (CSP/FDR, spi-calculus).
  The lecture was given during the Workshop on Proof Theory and Computation
• Dale Miller (Penn State University) 02.06.02 -- 22.06.02
  ``Specifying and Reasoning about Programs in Proof Search''
  Since the proof search paradigm makes use of logical connectives to form (logic) programs, recent work on introducing new logical connectives (such as via linear logic) or exploiting higher-type quantifiers immediately provides us with new programs. These talks shall focus on understanding the expressive power of some of these new logical connectives within logic programs. A running example will involve specifying and reasoning about security protocols.
  The lecture was given during the Workshop on Proof Theory and Computation
• Zoltan Esik (University of Szeged) 01.06.02 -- 31.07.02
  ``Automata, Formal Logic and Circuit Complexity''
  The material to be presented in the course is situated at the junction of formal logic, the theory of automata and semigroups, and computational complexity. Main topics: Monadic second-order definabilty and Buchi's theorem, regular numerical predicates, Ehrenfeucht-Fraisse games and their applications to first-order definability. Hanf's theorem (locally thresold testable languages). Syntactic monoids. Semidirect products. The theorem of McNaughton and Papert. Temporal logic. Fist-order logic and regular numerical predicates. Modular quantifiers and Lindstrom quantifiers. Cicuit complexity. Logical definability and small depth circuits.
• Schlesinger Michail (International Research and Training Centre, Kiev) 01.05.02 -- 15.06.02
  ``Problems of Consistent and Optimal Labelling (Assignments):
  Solvability, Algorithms and Approximation''
  The course was a trip through the book
  ``Ten Lectures on Statistical and Structural Pattern Recognition''
  by Michael Schlesinger and Vaclav Hlavac.
  (Computational Imaging and Vision, Vol 24, Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht, Boston, London, 2002, ISBN 1-4020-0642-X)

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