Subject: AIList Digest V5 #152

From: [email-masked]@vtcs1
Date: Thu, 18 Jun 87 16:56:06 edt

Date: Thu 18 Jun 1987 00:07-PDT
From: AIList Moderator Kenneth Laws <[email-masked]>
Subject: AIList Digest   V5 #152
To: [email-masked]
Reply-to: [email-masked]
US-Mail: SRI Int., 333 Ravenswood Ave., Menlo Park, CA  94025
Phone: (415) 859-6467

AIList Digest           Thursday, 18 Jun 1987     Volume 5 : Issue 152

Today's Topics:
  Queries - Nano-Engineering & AI Research in Network Management &
    K-B Expert Systems for Manufacturing &
    Information Management in Software Engineering & Unix Lisps in C,
  AI Tools - ID3 vs C4 & Smalltalk-80 & ML,
  Comments - AI Models in Biology

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Date: 16 Jun 1987 09:10-EDT
From: [email-masked]
Subject: Nano-Engineering

The recent discussion of the $6M man reminded me of an oddity
which someone out there in Net-land might be able to clarify.  Early
one morning on NPR (National Public Radio) I was surprised to hear
a feature from someone at the MIT  AI Lab entitled Nano-Engineering.

I hasten to add that it was several months ago, but _not_ on April 1st,
although the following synopsis may lead you to believe such.  The
general thesis was a genetic engineering exercise whereby a little genetic
robot would be created to "assemble" genes.  The really intersting
part was the observation that since these things would naturally be
very small, their first assignment would be to assemble clones of themselves.

Recall that I said this was early in the morning,  but I did check
with another NPR fan in our office who also heard the same feature.

Can anyone confirm (a) that this was perpetrated and (b) that
it came from MIT?

David Smith - [email-masked]

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Date: 16 Jun 87 21:33:30 GMT
From: [email-masked]  (Daniel L. Dvorak)
Subject: AI research in network management

This is a brainstorming exercise, folks --- all ideas are welcome.
I'm trying to select a PhD research topic in artificial intelligence
that is applicable to network management (of data or voice networks)
or, more liberally, the management of distributed computing environments.

Network management, roughly, is concerned with the operation, administration
and maintenance of communication networks, whether it be the campus network
here at The University of Texas at Austin or the nationwide telephone network.
The term encompasses issues such as congestion control, fault diagnosis,
capacity planning, security, availability, etc.

My questions for you are:
-- What are the important unsolved (or poorly solved) problems here
   that might yield to AI?  Please be specific.
-- What AI research issues should be tested in this domain?
-- Are there any papers that you would recommend to me?
--
-----
Dan Dvorak          UUCP:  {harvard,ihnp4,seismo}!ut-sally!im4u!dvorak
(512) 472-6671      ARPA:  [email-masked]

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Date: 16 Jun 87 13:31:30 GMT
From: [email-masked]  (David Greene)
Subject: K-B Expert Sys for Manufacturing

Could anyone tell me where I might obtain the following proceedings:

Knowledge-Based Expert Systems for Manufacturing.  Proceedings
                of the Winter Annual Meeting of the American Society of
                Mechanical Engineers (ASME), S. C-Y. Lu and R. Komanduri
                (eds.), Anaheim (CA), December 7-12, 1986.

Please leave mail for:

    [email-masked]          David Greene
                                 GSIA
                                 Carnegie Mellon Univ.
                                 Pittsburgh, PA 15213

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Date: 16 Jun 87 17:41:17 GMT
From: [email-masked]  (Pankaj Garg)
Subject: Information management in software engg.

Hi,

I am doing a survey on information management in the development, use,
and maintenance of large scale software systems. I know about several
efforts, but would like to be comprehensive, hence this posting.

If you know of any efforts in databases, information science, or
knowledge representation, in this direction, please let me know.

I can post summaries to those interested.

                regards...

                                ...pankaj

US MAIL: Computer Science Department
         Sal 200
         University of Southern California
         Los Angeles, CA 90089-0782

E-Mail: [email-masked] or [email-masked]

Phone:  (213)743-7995, 735-2843

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 17 Jun 87 13:21:22 BST
From: A system manager <[email-masked]>
Subject: Unix Lisps in C?

I am seeking information about Unix lisps written entirely in
(hopefully not VAX-specific) C. Pointers to such beasts would be
gratefully received. Anybody who wants a copy of information thus
obtained should let me know - I will be happy to forward it.
        Malcolm MacCallum ([email-masked])
                           Relays: UKACRL (Bitnet), ucl-cs (arpa)

------------------------------

Date: 14 Jun 87 21:05:39 GMT
From: [email-masked]  (Gerry Wolff)
Subject: Re: ID3 vs C4

In article <[email-masked]> [email-masked] (Damon Scaggs) writes:

>I understand that Ross Quinlan, author of the ID3 classification algorithm
>has developed a better version with the designation C4.  I am looking for
>any papers or references about this new algorithm as well as any comments
>about what it does better.

I can't speak for C4 but I will claim, immodestly, that an inductive
learning program I wrote (and reported) a few years ago is, in certain
respects, more sophisticated than ID3.  In particular, it integrates
the learning of segmental structure with the learning of disjunctive
(class) structure.  The program (called SNPR) also has the ability
to generalize structures and to correct overgeneralizations
*without correction by a 'teacher' or the provision of 'negative'
samples*.

The reference is: Wolff J G (1982).  Language acquisition, data
compression and generalization.  Language & Communication 2, 57-89.

*-----------------------------------------------------------------------*
| Dr Gerry Wolff                |       Phone: (44) 225 335855          |
| Praxis Systems plc            |       UUCP: [email-masked]        |
| 20 Manvers Street             |       Telex: 445848 PRAXIS G          |
| Bath                          |       Facsimile Groups 2 & 3          |
| BA1 1PX                       |           (44) 225 65205              |
| UK                            |                                       |
*-----------------------------------------------------------------------*

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 15 Jun 87 16:04:21 PDT
From: "William J. Fulco" <[email-masked]>
Subject: Smalltakl-80 for Sun 3 (and others)

I saw a really nice system, (I mean REALLY nice - with good color support)
from Xerox PARC marketing spinoff at the 1986 AAAI show.  It was running
on a Sun 3/260 and it really sizzles.....

I believe they are going to show this and some other versions (a la Mac)
at the U of WA/Seattle AAAI '87 show July.  I'll be there, Mac II in hand,
drooling !!!!!

I have been waiting (2 months) paitently for information from:

          ParcPlace Systems
          3330 Coyote Hill Road
          Palo Alto, CA 94304
          (415) 859-1000

(bill)

P.S. I would be interested in any implementations you find out about.

------------------------------

Date: 16 Jun 87 01:14:50 GMT
From: [email-masked]  (Carl-Lykke Pedersen)
Subject: Re: ML programming, anybody?

Yes, we are some people at diku (datalogisk institut ved
K|benhavns Universitet -> Coputer Science Department at
the University of Copenhagen) who are trying to work with SML.

We are supposed to make a user-manual for the implementation -
but ....

Right now I'm working with a self-interpreter to SML, and it
seems to be ok.

We are using a version from Edingburgh. It's rather old, but we
have some problems in getting a newer version.

Regards
Carl-Lykke

------------------------------

Date: 11 Jun 87 16:10:31 GMT
From: [email-masked]  (Dan
      Davison)
Subject: Re: Taking AI models and applying them to biology...

In article <[email-masked]> [email-masked] (Anthony
Pelletier) writes:
>P.S. I think alot about information flow problems and would enjoy
>discussions on that...if anyone wants to chat.

Do you know about the "Matrix of Biological Knowledge Workshop" in Santa Fe, NM
July 13-August 14 this year?  One of the subjects is "information flow from
DNA to cells" lead by Dickerson of UCLA, Hershman, also UCLA, and Smith from
MBCRR at Harvard.

For information, contact Ms. Ginger Richardson at The Santa Fe Institute,
P.O. Box 9020, Santa Fe, N.M. 87504-9020; phone 505-984-8800.

dr. dan davison/ Dept of Biochemical and Biophysical Sciences/ U. of Houston
bitnet: bchs6\@uhupvm1.bitnet           |      4800 Calhoun/ Houston, Tx 77004
arpanet: davison\@sumex-aim.stanford.edu|uucp:...rice!academ!uhnix1!uhnix2!bchso

------------------------------

Date: 15 Jun 87 13:06:19 GMT
From: [email-masked]  (mark edwards)
Subject: Re: Taking AI models and applying them to biology...

In article <[email-masked]> [email-masked] (Lambert Meertens) writes:
:| > This description of the human memory system, though cloaked in
     vaguer terms,
:| > corresponds more or less one-to-one with the traditional computer
:| > architecture we all know and love.  To wit:
:|
:|   [description deleted]
:|
:| > At least this far, this theory appears to owe a lot to computer science.
:| > Granted, there is lots of empirical evidence in favour, but we all know
:| > how a little evidence can go far too far towards developing an analogy.
:The main similarity appears to be that several levels of memory can be
:discerned, but the suggested analogy in function is a bit far-fetched.
:
:It is perhaps worth pointing out that much of the current models in
:cognitive psychology can already be found in the pioneering work of Otto
:Selz (Muenchen, 1881 - Auschwitz, 1943), antedating the computer era.

    What? You cite facts from the pre-computer age? Shame shame. Don't
  you know that life began with the creation of the computer, as well
  as all the other sciences! With out the computer all other life would
  cease to exist!

    Its a sad fact that the above holds true for many computer scientist
  especially those in AI. Many still believe the sacred words AI were
  really coined in the late fifties, and that LISP and Liebnitz have
  no connection. When infact my prof. has given references from a latin
  book dating back to the 13th century, with the latin words for AI.
    The state of the art of computer science is in bad shape when the
  computer wheel must be re-invented every year because th CS people refuse
  to read any book that seemingly has nothing to do with CS or computers.

    Thanks for the reference. I may be the only one who benefits from
  it, because those CS'ers practicing the art would certainly declare it
  blasphemous and maybe just short of heresy.

  I may be stoned for this.....

  mark
--
    [email-masked]
    {allegra, ihnp4, seismo}!uwvax!uwmacc!edwards
    UW-Madison, 1210 West Dayton St., Madison WI 53706

------------------------------

Date: 15 Jun 87 03:47:26 GMT
From: ihnp4!alberta!mnetor!utzoo!utgpu!utcsri!utegc!utai!tjhorton@ucbv
      ax.Berkeley.EDU
Subject: Re: Taking AI models and applying them to biology...

>[email-masked] (Lambert Meertens) writes:
>It is perhaps worth pointing out that much of the current models in
>cognitive psychology can already be found in the pioneering work of Otto
>Selz (Muenchen, 1881 - Auschwitz, 1943), antedating the computer era.

1943 was at least 7 years after Turing published his paper
(fifty years ago, last November) and 5 years after Shannon
published his thesis about information theory.  Although I
don't know Selz, his life definitely spanned into the dawn
of the "computer era".  It's interesting - do these models
of his pre-date these "computeresque"  notions?

Timothy J Horton <[email-masked]>

------------------------------

Date: 16 Jun 87 18:04:06 GMT
From: [email-masked]  (Dizzy Dan)
Subject: Re: Taking AI models and applying them to biology...

In article <[email-masked]>, [email-masked] (Dan Davison) writes:
> Do you know about the "Matrix of Biological Knowledge Workshop" in Santa Fe,
> NM
> July 13-August 14 this year?  One of the subjects is "information flow from
> DNA to cells" lead by Dickerson of UCLA, Hershman, also UCLA, and Smith from
> MBCRR at Harvard.
>
> For information, contact Ms. Ginger Richardson at The Santa Fe Institute,
> P.O. Box 9020, Santa Fe, N.M. 87504-9020; phone 505-984-8800.
>

Sorry gang, but applications for the Matrix Workshop were due in April.
If you are interested, the Santa Fe Institute may be able to put you in
touch with some of the faculty running the workshops.
--
5'gtacggagc dn/dx = Dan Diaz    (philabs!aecom!diaz)
            Department of Molecular Biology & Snake Oil Dynamics
            Albert Slimestein College of Medicine ctataacagcta 3'

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End of AIList Digest
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