[comp.ai.neural-nets] From Standards Committee

ck@rex.cs.tulane.edu (Cris Koutsougeras) (07/16/90)

     REQUEST FOR HELP WITH NEURAL NETS TERMINOLOGY STANDARDS


The neural nets area is an interdisciplinary one. As such it has been
attracting researchers from various areas such as neurobiology,
computer science, controls, thermodynamics etc.  Until the neural nets
theme brought researchers from such areas together, there was little
interest about the proceeds of research in a certain area from
researchers in another area. So various terms have been established
for essentially the same concepts or abstract entities. Unfortunately
the variety of terms has been passed onto the neural nets terminology
as this is used today. We have therefore found ourselves dealing with
a great diversity in the terminology and notation which can create
misunderstanding and confusion for readers and difficulties for
writers.  This problem is especially severe for persons new to the
field. You will find for example the terms node, neuron, neurode,
unit, processing element, cell to refer to the same entity. Another
example : weight, synapse, connection strength, propagation
coefficient etc.

To address this terminology/notation problem, the IEEE Neural Networks
Council has established an Ad Hoc Standards Committee.  It is felt
that neural nets technology is still in such an actively evolving
state that an attempt to standardize terminology and notation must
take precedence. We would like to request interested researchers in
the area to help with the development of a list of terms for which
it is felt that there exists a need for a precise definition. All of
you who have faced a problem with the clarity of certain terms or
concepts, are invited to communicate with us a list of such terms. We
also welcome your suggestion concerning possible definitions which
you feel that accurately and clearly describe the entity referred to by
each term or collection of terms.

A relevant article by R. Eberhart is published in the IEEE
Transactions on Neural Networks (Vol 1, No 2, June 90) which you may
wish to consult.

Submitt your contributions to Dr. E. Tzanakou, Bioengineering Dpt.,
Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ. 
or e-mail : etzanako@elbereth.rutgers.edu



Cris Koutsougeras
Tulane University

bill@boulder.Colorado.EDU (07/17/90)

In article <3862@rex.cs.tulane.edu> ck@rex.cs.tulane.edu writes:
>  [ . . . ]
>To address this terminology/notation problem, the IEEE Neural Networks
>Council has established an Ad Hoc Standards Committee.  It is felt
>that neural nets technology is still in such an actively evolving
>state that an attempt to standardize terminology and notation must
>take precedence. We would like to request [ . . . ]

  Hey, I think you posted this to the wrong group.  Isn't it more 
appropriate for rec.humor.funny?

	-- Bill
.
.
.

rdm1@midway.uchicago.edu (russell dean mast) (07/17/90)

In article <23561@boulder.Colorado.EDU> bill@synapse.Colorado.EDU (Bill Skaggs) writes:
>In article <3862@rex.cs.tulane.edu> ck@rex.cs.tulane.edu writes:
>>  [ . . . ]
>>To address this terminology/notation problem, the IEEE Neural Networks
>>Council has established an Ad Hoc Standards Committee.  It is felt
>>that neural nets technology is still in such an actively evolving
>>state that an attempt to standardize terminology and notation must
>>take precedence. We would like to request [ . . . ]
>
>  Hey, I think you posted this to the wrong group.  Isn't it more 
>appropriate for rec.humor.funny?
>
>	-- Bill
  Why not rec.humor.d?

       --Rus.