Modular feature selection using relative importance factors

Feature selection plays an important role in finding relevant or irrelevant features in classification. Genetic algorithms (GAs) have been used as conventional methods for classifiers to adaptively evolve solutions for classification problems. In this paper, we explore the use of feature selection in modular GA-based classification. We propose a new feature selection technique, Relative Importance Factor (RIF), to find irrelevant features in the feature space of each module. By removing these features, we aim to improve classification accuracy and reduce the dimensionality of classification problems. Benchmark classification data sets are used to evaluate the proposed approaches. The experiment results show that RIF can be used to determine irrelevant features and help achieve higher classification accuracy with the feature space dimension reduced. The complexity of the resulting rule sets is also reduced which means the modular classifiers with irrelevant features removed will be able to classify data with a higher throughput

Reduced pattern training based on task decomposition using pattern distributor

Task Decomposition with Pattern Distributor (PD) is a new task decomposition method for multilayered feedforward neural networks. Pattern distributor network is proposed that implements this new task decomposition method. We propose a theoretical model to analyze the performance of pattern distributor network. A method named Reduced Pattern Training is also introduced, aiming to improve the performance of pattern distribution. Our analysis and the experimental results show that reduced pattern training improves the performance of pattern distributor network significantly. The distributor module’s classification accuracy dominates the whole network’s performance. Two combination methods, namely Cross-talk based combination and Genetic Algorithm based combination, are presented to find suitable grouping for the distributor module. Experimental results show that this new method can reduce training time and improve network generalization accuracy when compared to a conventional method such as constructive backpropagation or a task decomposition method such as Output Parallelism

Incremental evolution of classifier agents using incremental genetic algorithms

Ph.DDOCTOR OF PHILOSOPH

c ○ Imperial College Press MODULAR FEATURE SELECTION USING RELATIVE IMPORTANCE FACTORS

Feature selection plays an important role in finding relevant or irrelevant features in classification. Genetic algorithms (GAs) have been used as conventional methods for classifiers to adaptively evolve solutions for classification problems. In this paper, we explore the use of feature selection in modular GA-based classification. We propose a new feature selection technique, Relative Importance Factor (RIF), to find irrelevant features in the feature space of each module. By removing these features, we aim to improve classification accuracy and reduce the dimensionality of classification problems. Benchmark classification data sets are used to evaluate the proposed approaches. The experiment results show that RIF can be used to determine irrelevant features and help achieve higher classification accuracy with the feature space dimension reduced. The complexity of the resulting rule sets is also reduced which means the modular classifiers with irrelevant features removed will be able to classify data with a higher throughput