Meta-Learning Evolutionary Artificial Neural Networks
  In this paper, we present MLEANN (Meta-Learning Evolutionary Artificial
Neural Network), an automatic computational framework for the adaptive
optimization of artificial neural networks wherein the neural network
architecture, activation function, connection weights; learning algorithm and
its parameters are adapted according to the problem. We explored the
performance of MLEANN and conventionally designed artificial neural networks
for function approximation problems. To evaluate the comparative performance,
we used three different well-known chaotic time series. We also present the
state of the art popular neural network learning algorithms and some
experimentation results related to convergence speed and generalization
performance. We explored the performance of backpropagation algorithm;
conjugate gradient algorithm, quasi-Newton algorithm and Levenberg-Marquardt
algorithm for the three chaotic time series. Performances of the different
learning algorithms were evaluated when the activation functions and
architecture were changed. We further present the theoretical background,
algorithm, design strategy and further demonstrate how effective and inevitable
is the proposed MLEANN framework to design a neural network, which is smaller,
faster and with a better generalization performance.
