Rough fuzzy MLP: knowledge encoding and classification

A scheme of knowledge encoding in a fuzzy multilayer perceptron (MLP) using rough set-theoretic concepts is described. Crude domain knowledge is extracted from the data set in the form of rules. The syntax of these rules automatically determines the appropriate number of hidden nodes while the dependency factors are used in the initial weight encoding. The network is then refined during training. Results on classification of speech and synthetic data demonstrate the superiority of the system over the fuzzy and conventional versions of the MLP (involving no initial knowledge).