Learning and Knowledge: Theoretical Issues and Biological Applications

A special issue of Information (ISSN 2078-2489). This special issue belongs to the section "Information Applications".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 12 October 2024 | Viewed by 1692

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Department of Computer Science, University of Verona, Strada le Grazie, 15, 37134 Verona, Italy
Interests: bioinformatics; computational biology; natural computing; computational systems biology; discrete mathematics

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue aims to encourage speculation and application on general topics at the frontier of many disciplines and focuses on the new perspectives of machine learning. In the broadest sense, learning is the transfer of knowledge between agents that are capable of realizing complex behaviors and processing information at many levels of meaning. Unfortunately, all of the terms in this characterization are difficult to define in precise and unambiguous ways. In other words: Knowledge emerges and is passed on, but many crucial aspects of this dynamic are unclear. Biology is essentially based on emergent passages, and although evolution is certainly driven by chance, hidden mechanisms lead to selective pathways that express fundamental forms of life intelligence. In this sense, the theme proposes to combine learning and biological emergence to gain new interpretative keys for both phenomena. The language exploded in the LLM models as the core of learning processes has a biological origin that can be fully recognized in the combinatorial power of biopolymers. The principles of general syntax, combined with mathematical properties of computations and the distributed forms of memory, could provide a new understanding of the missing points in our scientific reconstructions.

Prof. Dr. Vincenzo Manca
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • machine learning
  • large language models
  • biological knowledge representation
  • evolotionary systems

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

22 pages, 5458 KiB  
Article
A Maximum Value for the Kullback–Leibler Divergence between Quantized Distributions
by Vincenzo Bonnici
Information 2024, 15(9), 547; https://doi.org/10.3390/info15090547 - 6 Sep 2024
Viewed by 340
Abstract
The Kullback–Leibler (KL) divergence is a widely used measure for comparing probability distributions, but it faces limitations such as its unbounded nature and the lack of comparability between distributions with different quantum values (the discrete unit of probability). This study addresses these challenges [...] Read more.
The Kullback–Leibler (KL) divergence is a widely used measure for comparing probability distributions, but it faces limitations such as its unbounded nature and the lack of comparability between distributions with different quantum values (the discrete unit of probability). This study addresses these challenges by introducing the concept of quantized distributions, which are probability distributions formed by distributing a given discrete quantity or quantum. This study establishes an upper bound for the KL divergence between two quantized distributions, enabling the development of a normalized KL divergence that ranges between 0 and 1. The theoretical findings are supported by empirical evaluations, demonstrating the distinct behavior of the normalized KL divergence compared to other commonly used measures. The results highlight the importance of considering the quantum value when applying the KL divergence, offering insights for future advancements in divergence measures. Full article
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12 pages, 1390 KiB  
Article
Artificial Neural Network Learning, Attention, and Memory
by Vincenzo Manca
Information 2024, 15(7), 387; https://doi.org/10.3390/info15070387 - 2 Jul 2024
Viewed by 1103
Abstract
The learning equations of an ANN are presented, giving an extremely concise derivation based on the principle of backpropagation through the descendent gradient. Then, a dual network is outlined acting between synapses of a basic ANN, which controls the learning process and coordinates [...] Read more.
The learning equations of an ANN are presented, giving an extremely concise derivation based on the principle of backpropagation through the descendent gradient. Then, a dual network is outlined acting between synapses of a basic ANN, which controls the learning process and coordinates the subnetworks selected by attention mechanisms toward purposeful behaviors. Mechanisms of memory and their affinity with comprehension are considered, by emphasizing the common role of abstraction and the interplay between assimilation and accommodation, in the spirit of Piaget’s analysis of psychological acquisition and genetic epistemology. Learning, comprehension, and knowledge are expressed as different levels of organization of informational processes inside cognitive systems. It is argued that formal analyses of cognitive artificial systems could shed new light on typical mechanisms of “natural intelligence” and, in a specular way, that models of natural cognition processes could promote further developments of ANN models. Finally, new possibilities of chatbot interaction are briefly discussed. Full article
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