Machine Learning: A Constraint-Based Approachprovides readers with a refreshing look at the basic models and algorithms of machine learning, with an emphasis on current topics of interest that includes neural networks and kernel machines. The book presents the information in a truly unified manner that is based on the notion of learning from environmental constraints. For example, most resources present regularization when discussing kernel machines, but only Gori demonstrates that regularization is also of great importance in neural nets. This book presents a simpler unified notion of regularization, which is strictly connected with the parsimony principle, and includes many solved exercises that are classified according to the Donald Knuth ranking of difficulty, which essentially consists of a mix of warm-up exercises that lead to deeper research problems. A software simulator is also included. Presents fundamental machine learning concepts, such as neural networks and kernel machines in a unified manner Provides in-depth coverage of unsupervised and semi-supervised learning Includes a software simulator for kernel machines and learning from constraints that also includes exercises to facilitate learning Contains 250 solved examples and exercises chosen particularly for their progression of difficulty from simple to complex