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Improved option pricing using artificial neural networks and bootstrap methods.

A hybrid neural network is used to predict the difference between the conventional option-pricing model and observed intraday option prices for stock index option futures. Confidence intervals derived with bootstrap methods are used in a trading strategy that only allows trades outside the estimated range of spurious model fits to be executed. Whilst hybrid neural network option pricing models can improve predictions they have bias. The hybrid option-pricing bias can be reduced with bootstrap methods. A modified bootstrap predictor is indexed by a parameter that allows the predictor to range from a pure bootstrap predictor, to a hybrid predictor, and finally the bagging predictor. The modified bootstrap predictor outperforms the hybrid and bagging predictors. Greatly improved performance was observed on the boundary of the training set and where only sparse training data exists. Finally, bootstrap bias estimates were studied.

Algorithms↗

Mutation-based genetic neural network.

Evolving gradient-learning artificial neural networks (ANNs) using an evolutionary algorithm (EA) is a popular approach to address the local optima and design problems of ANN. The typical approach is to combine the strength of backpropagation (BP) in weight learning and EA's capability of searching the architecture space. However, the BP's "gradient descent" approach requires a highly computer-intensive operation that relatively restricts the search coverage of EA by compelling it to use a small population size. To address this problem, we utilized mutation-based genetic neural network (MGNN) to replace BP by using the mutation strategy of local adaptation of evolutionary programming (EP) to effect weight learning. The MGNN's mutation enables the network to dynamically evolve its structure and adapt its weights at the same time. Moreover, MGNN's EP-based encoding scheme allows for a flexible and less restricted formulation of the fitness function and makes fitness computation fast and efficient. This makes it feasible to use larger population sizes and allows MGNN to have a relatively wide search coverage of the architecture space. MGNN implements a stopping criterion where overfitness occurrences are monitored through "sliding-windows" to avoid premature learning and overlearning. Statistical analysis of its performance to some well-known classification problems demonstrate its good generalization capability. It also reveals that locally adapting or scheduling the strategy parameters embedded in each individual network may provide a proper balance between the local and global searching capabilities of MGNN.

Algorithms↗

An artificial neural network for prostate cancer staging when serum prostate specific antigen is 10 ng./ml. or less.

PURPOSE: An artificial neural network was developed to improve the prediction of pathological stage before radical prostatectomy based on variables available at biopsy and clinical parameters. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We used the prospectively accrued European prostate cancer detection data base to train an artificial neural network to predict pathological stage in 200 men with serum prostate specific antigen (PSA) 10 ng./ml. or less who underwent radical prostatectomy. Variables included in the artificial neural network were patient age, serum PSA, free-to-total PSA ratio, PSA velocity, transrectal ultrasound calculated total and transition zone volumes with their associated PSA parameters (transition zone PSA density and PSA density), digital rectal examination and Gleason score on biopsy. Two multilayer perceptron neural networks were trained on the remaining variables. Data on the 200 patients were divided randomly into a training set, a test set and a validation or prospective set. RESULTS: Overall classification accuracy of the artificial neural network was 92.7% and 84.2% for organ confined and advanced prostate cancer staging, respectively. For preoperatively predicting local versus advanced stage the area under the ROC curve for the artificial neural network was significantly larger (0.91) compared with logistic regression analysis (0.83), Gleason score (0.69), PSA density (0.68), prostate transition zone volume (0.63) and serum PSA (0.62) (all p <0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The artificial neural network outperformed logistic regression analysis and correctly predicted pathological stage in more than 90% of the validation patients with serum PSA 10 ng./ml. or less based on clinical, biochemical and biopsy data. In the future artificial neural networks may represent a significant step for improved staging of prostate cancer when counseling patients referred for radical prostatectomy or other curative treatments.

Adult↗

Diagnostic ECG classification based on neural networks.

This study illustrates the use of the neural network approach in the problem of diagnostic classification of resting 12-lead electrocardiograms. A large electrocardiographic library (the CORDA database established at the University of Leuven, Belgium) has been utilized in this study, whose classification is validated by electrocardiographic-independent clinical data. In particular, a subset of 3,253 electrocardiographic signals with single diseases has been selected. Seven diagnostic classes have been considered: normal, left, right, and biventricular hypertrophy, and anterior, inferior, and combined myocardial infarction. The basic architecture used is a feed-forward neural network and the backpropagation algorithm for the training phase. Sensitivity, specificity, total accuracy, and partial accuracy are the indices used for testing and comparing the results with classical methodologies. In order to validate this approach, the accuracy of two statistical models (linear discriminant analysis and logistic discriminant analysis) tuned on the same dataset have been taken as the reference point. Several nets have been trained, either adjusting some components of the architecture of the networks, considering subsets and clusters of the original learning set, or combining different neural networks. The results have confirmed the potentiality and good performance of the connectionist approach when compared with classical methodologies.

Cardiomegaly↗

Can artificial neural networks provide an "expert's" view of medical students performances on computer based simulations?

Artificial neural networks were trained to recognize the test selection patterns of students' successful solutions to seven immunology computer based simulations. When new student's test selections were presented to the trained neural network, their problem solutions were correctly classified as successful or non-successful > 90% of the time. Examination of the neural networks output weights after each test selection revealed a progressive increase for the relevant problem suggesting that a successful solution was represented by the neural network as the accumulation of relevant tests. Unsuccessful problem solutions revealed two patterns of students performances. The first pattern was characterized by low neural network output weights for all seven problems reflecting extensive searching and lack of recognition of relevant information. In the second pattern, the output weights from the neural network were biased towards one of the remaining six incorrect problems suggesting that the student mis-represented the current problem as an instance of a previous problem.

Allergy and Immunology↗

A Monte Carlo EM approach for partially observable diffusion processes: theory and applications to neural networks.

We present a Monte Carlo approach for training partially observable diffusion processes. We apply the approach to diffusion networks, a stochastic version of continuous recurrent neural networks. The approach is aimed at learning probability distributions of continuous paths, not just expected values. Interestingly, the relevant activation statistics used by the learning rule presented here are inner products in the Hilbert space of square integrable functions. These inner products can be computed using Hebbian operations and do not require backpropagation of error signals. Moreover, standard kernel methods could potentially be applied to compute such inner products. We propose that the main reason that recurrent neural networks have not worked well in engineering applications (e.g., speech recognition) is that they implicitly rely on a very simplistic likelihood model. The diffusion network approach proposed here is much richer and may open new avenues for applications of recurrent neural networks. We present some analysis and simulations to support this view. Very encouraging results were obtained on a visual speech recognition task in which neural networks outperformed hidden Markov models.

Algorithms↗

Artificial neural network prediction of amino acid levels in feed ingredients.

Artificial Neural Networks (ANN), which are biologically inspired tools, serve as an alternative to regression analysis for complex data. Based on CP or proximate analysis (PA) of ingredients, two types of ANN and linear regression (LR) were evaluated for predicting amino acid levels in corn, wheat, soybean meal, meat and bone meal, and fish meal. The two ANN were a three layer Backpropagation network (BP3), and a General Regression Neural Network (GRNN). Methionine, TSAA, Lys, Thr, Tyr, Trp, and Arg were evaluated and R2 values calculated for each prediction method. Artificial neural network training was completed with NeuroShell 2 using Calibration to prevent overtraining. Ninety percent of the data were used as the input for the LR and the two ANN. The remaining 10% (randomly extracted data) were used to calibrate the performance of the ANN. As compared to LR, the R2 values were largest when PA input and GRNN were used. The BP3 did not consistently improve the R2 values for either CP or PA inputs as compared to LR. Each neural net can be incorporated into a computer or spreadsheet program.

Amino Acids↗

Optimization of neural network architecture using genetic programming improves detection and modeling of gene-gene interactions in studies of human diseases.

BACKGROUND: Appropriate definition of neural network architecture prior to data analysis is crucial for successful data mining. This can be challenging when the underlying model of the data is unknown. The goal of this study was to determine whether optimizing neural network architecture using genetic programming as a machine learning strategy would improve the ability of neural networks to model and detect nonlinear interactions among genes in studies of common human diseases. RESULTS: Using simulated data, we show that a genetic programming optimized neural network approach is able to model gene-gene interactions as well as a traditional back propagation neural network. Furthermore, the genetic programming optimized neural network is better than the traditional back propagation neural network approach in terms of predictive ability and power to detect gene-gene interactions when non-functional polymorphisms are present. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that a machine learning strategy for optimizing neural network architecture may be preferable to traditional trial-and-error approaches for the identification and characterization of gene-gene interactions in common, complex human diseases.

Algorithms↗

Applications of self-organizing neural networks in virtual screening and diversity selection.

Artificial neural networks provide a powerful technique for the analysis and modeling of nonlinear relationships between molecular structures and pharmacological activity. Many network types, including Kohonen and counterpropagation, also provide an intuitive method for the visual assessment of correspondence between the input and output data. This work shows how a combination of neural networks and radial distribution function molecular descriptors can be applied in various areas of industrial pharmaceutical research. These applications include the prediction of biological activity, the selection of screening candidates (cherry picking), and the extraction of representative subsets from large compound collections such as combinatorial libraries. The methods described have also been implemented as an easy-to-use Web tool, allowing chemists to perform interactive neural network experiments on the Novartis intranet.

Algorithms↗

Artificial neural networks for the electrocardiographic diagnosis of healed myocardial infarction.

Artificial neural networks are computer-based expert systems that learn by example, in contrast to the currently used rule-based electrocardiographic interpretation programs. For the purpose of this study, 1,107 electrocardiograms (ECGs) from patients who had undergone cardiac catheterization were used to train and test neural networks for the diagnosis of myocardial infarction. Different combinations of QRS and ST-T measurements were used as input to the neural networks. In a learning process, the networks automatically adjusted their characteristics to correctly diagnose anterior or inferior wall myocardial infarction from the ECG. Two thirds of the ECGs were used in this process. Thereafter, the performance of the networks was studied in a separate test set, using the remaining third of the ECGs. The results from the networks were also compared with that of conventional electrocardiographic criteria. The sensitivity for the diagnosis of anterior myocardial infarction was 81% for the best network and 68% for the conventional criteria (p < 0.01), both having a specificity of 97.5%. The corresponding sensitivities of the network and the criteria for the diagnosis of inferior myocardial infarction were 78% and 65.5% (p < 0.01), respectively, compared at a specificity of 95%. The results indicate that artificial neural networks may be of interest in the attempt to improve computer-based electrocardiographic interpretation programs.

Case-Control Studies↗

Detection of lung nodules in digital chest radiographs using artificial neural networks: a pilot study.

Radiologists can fail to detect up to 30% of pulmonary nodules in chest radiographs. A back-propagation neural network was used to detect lung nodules in digital chest radiographs to assist radiologists in the diagnosis of lung cancer. Regions of interest (ROIs) that contained nodules and normal tissues in the lung were selected from digitized chest radiographs by a previously developed computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) scheme. Different preprocessing techniques were used to produce input data to the neural network. The performance of the neural network was evaluated by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. We found that subsampling of original 64- x 64-pixel ROIs to smaller 8- x 8-pixel ROIs provides the optimal preprocessing for the neural network to distinguish ROIs containing nodules from false-positive ROIs containing normal regions. The neural network was able to detect obvious nodules very well with an Az value (area under ROC curve) of 0.93, but was unable to detect subtle nodules. However, with a training method that uses different orientations of the original ROIs, we were able to improve the performance of the neural network to detect subtle nodules. Artificial neural networks have the potential to serve as a useful classifier to help to eliminate the false-positive detections of the CAD scheme.

False Positive Reactions↗

Time series forecasting of cyanobacteria blooms in the Crestuma Reservoir (Douro River, Portugal) using artificial neural networks.

In this work, time series neural networks were used to predict the occurrence of toxic cyanobacterial blooms in Crestuma Reservoir, which is an important potable water supply for the Porto region, located in the north of Portugal. These models can potentially be used to provide water treatment plant operators with an early warning for developing cyanobacteria blooms. Physical, chemical, and biological parameters were collected at Crestuma Reservoir from 1999 to 2002. The data set was then divided into three independent time series, each with a fortnightly periodicity. One training series was used to "teach" the neural networks to predict results. Another series was used to verify the results, and to avoid over-fitting of the data. An additional independently collected data series was then used to test the efficacy of the model for predicting the abundance of cyanobacteria. All of the models tested in this study incorporated a prediction time (look-ahead parameter) equal to the sampling interval (two weeks). Various lag periods, from 2 to 52 weeks, were also investigated. The best model produced in this study provided the following correlations between the target and forecast values in the training, verification, and validation series: 1.000 (P = 0.000), 0.802 (P = 0.000), and 0.773 (P = 0.001), respectively. By applying this model to the three-year data set, we were able to predict fluctuations in cyanobacteria abundance in the Crestuma Reservoir, with a high level of precision. By incorporating a lag-period of eight weeks, we were able to detect secondary fluctuations in cyanobacterial abundance over the annual cycle.

Cyanobacteria↗

Artificial neural networks in neutron dosimetry.

An artificial neural network (ANN) has been designed to obtain neutron doses using only the count rates of a Bonner spheres spectrometer (BSS). Ambient, personal and effective neutron doses were included. One hundred and eighty-one neutron spectra were utilised to calculate the Bonner count rates and the neutron doses. The spectra were transformed from lethargy to energy distribution and were re-binned to 31 energy groups using the MCNP 4C code. Re-binned spectra, UTA4 response matrix and fluence-to-dose coefficients were used to calculate the count rates in the BSS and the doses. Count rates were used as input and the respective doses were used as output during neural network training. Training and testing were carried out in the MATLAB environment. The impact of uncertainties in BSS count rates upon the dose quantities calculated with the ANN was investigated by modifying by +/-5% the BSS count rates used in the training set. The use of ANNs in neutron dosimetry is an alternative procedure that overcomes the drawbacks associated with this ill-conditioned problem.

Algorithms↗

Classification of rapeseed and soybean oils by use of unsupervised pattern-recognition methods and neural networks.

Unsupervised pattern-recognition methods and Kohonen neural networks have been applied to the classification of rapeseed and soybean oil samples according to their type and quality by use of chemical and physical properties (density, refractive index, saponification value, and iodine and acid numbers) and thermal properties (thermal decomposition temperatures) as variables. A multilayer feed-forward (MLF) neural network (NN) has been used to select the most important variables for accurate classification of edible oils. To accomplish this task different neural networks architectures trained by back propagation of error method, using chemical, physical, and thermal properties as inputs, were employed. The network with the best performance and the smallest root mean squared (RMS) error was chosen. The results of MLF network sensitivity analysis enabled the identification of key properties, which were again used as variables in principal components analysis (PCA), cluster analysis (CA), and in Kohonen self-organizing feature maps (SOFM) to prove their reliability.

Cluster Analysis↗

Control of neuromuscular stimulation for ambulation by complete paraplegics via artificial neural networks.

The paper describes the application of a neural network (ANN) for controlling a functional neuromuscular stimulation (FNS) system to facilitate patient-responsive ambulation by paralyzed patients with traumatic, thoracic-level spinal cord injuries. The particular ANN that is employed is a modified Adaptive-Resonance-Theory (ART-1) network. It serves as a controller in an FNS system (the Parastep system) that is presently in use by approximately 500 patients worldwide (but still without ANN control) and which was the first and only FNS system approved by FDA. The proposed neural network discriminates above-lesion upper-trunk electromyographic (EMG) time series to activate standing and walking functions under FNS and controls FNS stimuli levels using response-EMG signals. For this particular application, several modifications are introduced into the standard ART-1 ANN. First, a modified on-line learning rule is proposed. The new rule assures bi-directional modification of the stored patterns and prevents noise interference. Second, a new reset rule is proposed, which prevents 'exact matching' when the input is a subset of the chosen pattern. A single ART-1-based structure is being applied to solving two problems, namely (1) signal pattern recognition and limb function determination, and (2) control of stimulation levels. This also facilitates ambulation of paraplegics under FNS, with adequate patient interaction in initial system training, retraining the network when needed, and in allowing patient's manual over-ride in the case of error, where any manual over-ride serves as a re-training input to the neural network. The ANN control facilitates continuous update of control settings during normal use, without formal retraining.

Electromyography↗

Survival analysis of censored data: neural network analysis detection of complex interactions between variables.

Neural networks can be used as pattern recognition systems in complex data sets. We are exploring their utility in performing survival analysis to predict time to relapse or death. This technique has the potential to find easily some types of very complex interactions in data that would not be easily recognized by conventional statistical methods. In this paper we demonstrate that there are several ways neural networks can be used to find three-way interactions among variables. Thus, in data sets where such complex interactions exist, neural networks may find utility in detecting such interactions and in helping to produce predictive models.

Breast Neoplasms↗

Neural networks for visual field analysis: how do they compare with other algorithms?

PURPOSE: To compare the performance of a neural network in identifying visual field defects with the performance of other available algorithms. METHODS: A feed-forward neural network with a single hidden layer was trained to recognize visual field defects previously collected in a longitudinal follow-up glaucoma study, and then tested on fields taken from the same study but not used in the training. The receiver operating characteristics of the network then were compared with the previously determined performance of other algorithms on the same data set. RESULTS: At a specificity greater than 90%, the neural network was more sensitive than any of the available algorithms (although only the global indices were available for comparison, as the cluster and cross-meridional algorithms did not achieve such high specificity at their current settings). At a lower specificity (80-85%), the neural network was unable to attain the high sensitivity of the cluster or cross-meridional algorithms; in fact, the cluster algorithm from the Low-Tension Glaucoma study was significantly more sensitive. CONCLUSION: The receiver operating characteristics of a feed-forward neural network designed to detect visual field defects were explored. At a very high specificity (90-95%) a neural network performed better than the global indices. However, at a lower specificity (78%-88%), the neural network performed worse than cluster and cross-meridional algorithms.

Algorithms↗

Numerical bifurcation analysis of distance-dependent on-center off-surround shunting neural networks.

On-center off-surround shunting neural networks are often applied as models for content-address-able memory (CAM), the equilibria being the stored memories. One important demand of biological plausible CAMs is that they function under a broad range of parameters, since several parameters vary due to postnatal maturation or learning. Ellias, Cohen and Grossberg have put much effort into showing the stability properties of several configurations of on-center off-surround shunting neural networks. In this article we present numerical bifurcation analysis of distance-dependent on-center off-surround shunting neural networks with fixed external input. We varied four parameters that may be subject to postnatal maturation: the range of both excitatory and inhibitory connections and the strength of both inhibitory and excitatory connections. These analyses show that fold bifurcations occur in the equilibrium behavior of the network by variation of all four parameters. The most important result is that the number of activation peaks in the equilibrium behavior varies from one to many if the range of inhibitory connections is decreased. Moreover, under a broad range of the parameters the stability of the network is maintained. The examined network is implemented in an ART network, Exact ART, where it functions as the classification layer F2. The stability of the ART network with the F2-field in different dynamic regimes is maintained and the behavior is functional in Exact ART. Through a bifurcation the learning behavior of Exact ART may even change from forming local representations to forming distributed representations.

Cybernetics↗