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1302.1334
Principles of modal and vector theory of formal intelligence systems
cs.AI
The paper considers the class of information systems capable of solving heuristic problems on basis of formal theory that was termed modal and vector theory of formal intelligent systems (FIS). The paper justifies the construction of FIS resolution algorithm, defines the main features of these systems and proves theorems that underlie the theory. The principle of representation diversity of FIS construction is formulated. The paper deals with the main principles of constructing and functioning formal intelligent system (FIS) on basis of FIS modal and vector theory. The following phenomena are considered: modular architecture of FIS presentation sub-system, algorithms of data processing at every step of the stage of creating presentations. Besides the paper suggests the structure of neural elements, i.e. zone detectors and processors that are the basis for FIS construction.
1302.1335
Ontology Guided Information Extraction from Unstructured Text
cs.IR
In this paper, we describe an approach to populate an existing ontology with instance information present in the natural language text provided as input. An ontology is defined as an explicit conceptualization of a shared domain. This approach starts with a list of relevant domain ontologies created by human experts, and techniques for identifying the most appropriate ontology to be extended with information from a given text. Then we demonstrate heuristics to extract information from the unstructured text and for adding it as structured information to the selected ontology. This identification of the relevant ontology is critical, as it is used in identifying relevant information in the text. We extract information in the form of semantic triples from the text, guided by the concepts in the ontology. We then convert the extracted information about the semantic class instances into Resource Description Framework (RDF3) and append it to the existing domain ontology. This enables us to perform more precise semantic queries over the semantic triple store thus created. We have achieved 95% accuracy of information extraction in our implementation.
1302.1349
Optimal Power and Rate Allocation in the Degraded Gaussian Relay Channel with Energy Harvesting Nodes
cs.IT cs.ET math.IT
Energy Harvesting (EH) is a novel technique to prolong the lifetime of the wireless networks such as wireless sensor networks or Ad-Hoc networks, by providing an unlimited source of energy for their nodes. In this sense, it has emerged as a promising technique for Green Communications, recently. On the other hand, cooperative communication with the help of relay nodes improves the performance of wireless communication networks by increasing the system throughput or the reliability as well as the range and efficient energy utilization. In order to investigate the cooperation in EH nodes, in this paper, we consider the problem of optimal power and rate allocation in the degraded full-duplex Gaussian relay channel in which source and relay can harvest energy from their environments. We consider the general stochastic energy arrivals at the source and the relay with known EH times and amounts at the transmitters before the start of transmission. This problem has a min-max optimization form that along with the constraints is not easy to solve. We propose a method based on a mathematical theorem proposed by Terkelsen [1] to transform it to a solvable convex optimization form. Also, we consider some special cases for the harvesting profile of the source and the relay nodes and find their solutions efficiently.
1302.1351
Adaptive Sparse Channel Estimation for Time-Variant MIMO-OFDM Systems
cs.IT math.IT
Accurate channel state information (CSI) is required for coherent detection in time-variant multiple-input multipleoutput (MIMO) communication systems using orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) modulation. One of low-complexity and stable adaptive channel estimation (ACE) approaches is the normalized least mean square (NLMS)-based ACE. However, it cannot exploit the inherent sparsity of MIMO channel which is characterized by a few dominant channel taps. In this paper, we propose two adaptive sparse channel estimation (ASCE) methods to take advantage of such sparse structure information for time-variant MIMO-OFDM systems. Unlike traditional NLMS-based method, two proposed methods are implemented by introducing sparse penalties to the cost function of NLMS algorithm. Computer simulations confirm obvious performance advantages of the proposed ASCEs over the traditional ACE.
1302.1353
Adaptive Sparse Channel Estimation for Time-Variant MISO Communication Systems
cs.IT math.IT
Channel estimation problem is one of the key technical issues in time-variant multiple-input single-output (MSIO) communication systems. To estimate the MISO channel, least mean square (LMS) algorithm is applied to adaptive channel estimation (ACE). Since the MISO channel is often described by sparse channel model, such sparsity can be exploited and then estimation performance can be improved by adaptive sparse channel estimation (ASCE) methods using sparse LMS algorithms. However, conventional ASCE methods have two main drawbacks: 1) sensitive to random scale of training signal and 2) unstable in low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) regime. To overcome these two harmful factors, in this paper, we propose a novel ASCE method using normalized LMS (NLMS) algorithm (ASCE-NLMS). In addition, we also proposed an improved ASCE method using normalized least mean fourth (NLMF) algorithm (ASCE-NLMF). Two proposed methods can exploit the channel sparsity effectively. Also, stability of the proposed methods is confirmed by mathematical derivation. Computer simulation results show that the proposed sparse channel estimation methods can achieve better estimation performance than conventional methods.
1302.1358
Sparse Channel Estimation for MIMO-OFDM Amplify-and-Forward Two-Way Relay Networks
cs.IT math.IT
Accurate channel impulse response (CIR) is required for coherent detection and it can also help improve communication quality of service in next-generation wireless communication systems. One of the advanced systems is multi-input multi-output orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (MIMO-OFDM) amplify and forward two-way relay networks (AF-TWRN). Linear channel estimation methods, e.g., least square (LS), have been proposed to estimate the CIR. However, these methods never take advantage of channel sparsity and then cause performance loss. In this paper, we propose a sparse channel estimation method to exploit the sparse structure information in the CIR at each end user. Sparse channel estimation problem is formulated as compressed sensing (CS) using sparse decomposition theory and the estimation process is implemented by LASSO algorithm. Computer simulation results are given to confirm the superiority of proposed method over the LS-based channel estimation method.
1302.1369
Key User Extraction Based on Telecommunication Data (aka. Key Users in Social Network. How to find them?)
cs.SI physics.soc-ph
The number of systems that collect vast amount of data about users rapidly grow during last few years. Many of these systems contain data not only about people characteristics but also about their relationships with other system users. From this kind of data it is possible to extract a social network that reflects the connections between system's users. Moreover, the analysis of such social network enables to investigate different characteristics of its members and their linkages. One of the types of examining such network is key users extraction. Key users are these who have the biggest impact on other network members as well as have big influence on network evolution. The obtained about these users knowledge enables to investigate and predict changes within the network. So this knowledge is very important for the people or companies who make a profit from the network like telecommunication company. The second important thing is the ability to extract these users as quick as possible, i.e. developed the algorithm that will be time-effective in large social networks where number of nodes and edges equal few millions. In this master thesis the method of key user extraction, which is called social position, was analyzed. Moreover, social position measure was compared with other methods, which are used to assess the centrality of a node. Furthermore, three algorithms used to social position calculation was introduced along with results of comparison between their processing time and others centrality methods.
1302.1380
Towards the Rapid Development of a Natural Language Understanding Module
cs.CL
When developing a conversational agent, there is often an urgent need to have a prototype available in order to test the application with real users. A Wizard of Oz is a possibility, but sometimes the agent should be simply deployed in the environment where it will be used. Here, the agent should be able to capture as many interactions as possible and to understand how people react to failure. In this paper, we focus on the rapid development of a natural language understanding module by non experts. Our approach follows the learning paradigm and sees the process of understanding natural language as a classification problem. We test our module with a conversational agent that answers questions in the art domain. Moreover, we show how our approach can be used by a natural language interface to a cinema database.
1302.1396
Finite Horizon Adaptive Optimal Distributed Power Allocation for Enhanced Cognitive Radio Network in the Presence of Channel Uncertainties
cs.ET cs.IT math.IT
In this paper, novel enhanced Cognitive Radio Network is considered by using power control where secondary users are allowed to use wireless resources of the primary users when primary users are deactivated, but also allow secondary users to coexist with primary users while primary users are activated by managing interference caused from secondary users to primary users. Therefore, a novel finite horizon adaptive optimal distributed power allocation scheme is proposed by incorporating the effect of channel uncertainties for enhanced cognitive radio network in the presence of wireless channel uncertainties under two cases. In Case 1, proposed scheme can force the Signal-to-interference (SIR) of the secondary users to converge to a higher target value for increasing network throughput when primary users' are not communicating within finite horizon. Once primary users are activated as in the Case 2, proposed scheme can not only force the SIR of primary users to converge to a higher target SIR, but also force the SIR of secondary users to converge to a lower value for regulating their interference to Pus during finite time period. In order to mitigate the attenuation of SIR due to channel uncertainties the proposed novel finite horizon adaptive optimal distributed power allocation allows the SIR of both primary users' and secondary users' to converge to a desired target SIR while minimizing the energy consumption within finite horizon. Simulation results illustrate that this novel finite horizon adaptive optimal distributed power allocation scheme can converge much faster and cost less energy than others by adapting to the channel variations optimally.
1302.1400
A new greedy randomized adaptive search procedure for multiobjective RNA structural alignment
cs.DS cs.CE
RNA secondary structures prediction is one of the main issues in bioinformatics. It seeks to elucidate structural conserved regions within a set of RNA sequences. Unfortunately, finding an accurate conserved structure is a very hard task to do. Within the present study, the prediction problem is considered as a multiobjective optimization process in which the structural conservation and the sensitivity of the multiple alignment are optimized. The proposed method called GRASPMORSA is based on an aggregate function and GRASP procedure. The initial solutions are obtained by using a random progressive local/ global algorithm, and then they are refined by an iterative realignment. Experiments within a large scale of data have shown the efficacy and effectiveness of the proposed method and its capacity to reach good quality solutions.
1302.1419
Blind One-Bit Compressive Sampling
cs.IT math.IT math.NA
The problem of 1-bit compressive sampling is addressed in this paper. We introduce an optimization model for reconstruction of sparse signals from 1-bit measurements. The model targets a solution that has the least l0-norm among all signals satisfying consistency constraints stemming from the 1-bit measurements. An algorithm for solving the model is developed. Convergence analysis of the algorithm is presented. Our approach is to obtain a sequence of optimization problems by successively approximating the l0-norm and to solve resulting problems by exploiting the proximity operator. We examine the performance of our proposed algorithm and compare it with the binary iterative hard thresholding (BIHT) [10] a state-of-the-art algorithm for 1-bit compressive sampling reconstruction. Unlike the BIHT, our model and algorithm does not require a prior knowledge on the sparsity of the signal. This makes our proposed work a promising practical approach for signal acquisition.
1302.1422
S\'emantique des d\'eterminants dans un cadre richement typ\'e
cs.CL
The variation of word meaning according to the context leads us to enrich the type system of our syntactical and semantic analyser of French based on categorial grammars and Montague semantics (or lambda-DRT). The main advantage of a deep semantic analyse is too represent meaning by logical formulae that can be easily used e.g. for inferences. Determiners and quantifiers play a fundamental role in the construction of those formulae. But in our rich type system the usual semantic terms do not work. We propose a solution ins- pired by the tau and epsilon operators of Hilbert, kinds of generic elements and choice functions. This approach unifies the treatment of the different determi- ners and quantifiers as well as the dynamic binding of pronouns. Above all, this fully computational view fits in well within the wide coverage parser Grail, both from a theoretical and a practical viewpoint.
1302.1459
A Buffer-aided Successive Opportunistic Relay Selection Scheme with Power Adaptation and Inter-Relay Interference Cancellation for Cooperative Diversity Systems
cs.IT math.IT
In this paper we consider a simple cooperative network consisting of a source, a destination and a cluster of decode-and-forward half-duplex relays. At each time-slot, the source and (possibly) one of the relays transmit a packet to another relay and the destination, respectively, resulting in inter-relay interference (IRI). In this work, with the aid of buffers at the relays, we mitigate the detrimental effect of IRI through interference cancellation. More specifically, we propose the min-power scheme that minimizes the total energy expenditure per time slot under an IRI cancellation scheme. Apart from minimizing the energy expenditure, the min-power selection scheme, also provides better throughput and lower outage probability than existing works in the literature. It is the first time that interference cancellation is combined with buffer-aided relays and power adaptation to mitigate the IRI and minimize the energy expenditure. The new relay selection policy is analyzed in terms of outage probability and diversity, by modeling the evolution of the relay buffers as a Markov Chain (MC). We construct the state transition matrix of the MC, and hence obtain the steady state with which we can characterize the outage probability. The proposed scheme outperforms relevant state-of-the-art relay selection schemes in terms of throughput, diversity and energy efficiency, as demonstrated via examples.
1302.1461
Stopping Criteria for Iterative Decoding based on Mutual Information
cs.IT math.IT
In this paper we investigate stopping criteria for iterative decoding from a mutual information perspective. We introduce new iteration stopping rules based on an approximation of the mutual information between encoded bits and decoder soft output. The first type stopping rule sets a threshold value directly on the approximated mutual information for terminating decoding. The threshold can be adjusted according to the expected bit error rate. The second one adopts a strategy similar to that of the well known cross-entropy stopping rule by applying a fixed threshold on the ratio of a simple metric obtained after each iteration over that of the first iteration. Compared with several well known stopping rules, the new methods achieve higher efficiency.
1302.1484
Analytical and Numerical Characterizations of Shannon Ordering for Discrete Memoryless Channels
cs.IT math.IT
This paper studies several problems concerning channel inclusion, which is a partial ordering between discrete memoryless channels (DMCs) proposed by Shannon. Specifically, majorization-based conditions are derived for channel inclusion between certain DMCs. Furthermore, under general conditions, channel equivalence defined through Shannon ordering is shown to be the same as permutation of input and output symbols. The determination of channel inclusion is considered as a convex optimization problem, and the sparsity of the weights related to the representation of the worse DMC in terms of the better one is revealed when channel inclusion holds between two DMCs. For the exploitation of this sparsity, an effective iterative algorithm is established based on modifying the orthogonal matching pursuit algorithm.
1302.1489
Multi-rate Sub-Nyquist Spectrum Sensing in Cognitive Radios
cs.IT math.IT
Wideband spectrum sensing is becoming increasingly important to cognitive radio (CR) systems for exploiting spectral opportunities. This paper introduces a novel multi-rate sub-Nyquist spectrum sensing (MS3) system that implements cooperative wideband spectrum sensing in a CR network. MS3 can detect the wideband spectrum using partial measurements without reconstructing the full frequency spectrum. Sub-Nyquist sampling rates are adopted in sampling channels for wrapping the frequency spectrum onto itself. This significantly reduces sensing requirements of CR. The effects of sub-Nyquist sampling are considered, and the performance of multi-channel sub-Nyquist samplings is analyzed. To improve its detection performance, sub-Nyquist sampling rates are chosen to be different such that the numbers of samples are consecutive prime numbers. Furthermore, when the received signals at CRs are faded or shadowed, the performance of MS3 is analytically evaluated. Numerical results show that the proposed system can significantly enhance the wideband spectrum sensing performance while requiring low computational and implementation complexities.
1302.1510
Multi-Dimensional Spatially-Coupled Codes
cs.IT math.IT
Spatially-coupled (SC) codes are constructed by coupling many regular low-density parity-check codes in a chain. The decoding chain of SC codes stops when facing burst erasures. This problem can not be overcome by increasing coupling number. In this paper, we introduce multi-dimensional (MD) SC codes. Numerical results show that 2D-SC codes are more robust to the burst erasures than 1D-SC codes. Furthermore, we consider designing MD-SC codes with smaller rateloss.
1302.1511
Spatially-Coupled Precoded Rateless Codes
cs.IT math.IT
Raptor codes are rateless codes that achieve the capacity on the binary erasure channels. However the maximum degree of optimal output degree distribution is unbounded. This leads to a computational complexity problem both at encoders and decoders. Aref and Urbanke investigated the potential advantage of universal achieving-capacity property of proposed spatially-coupled (SC) low-density generator matrix (LDGM) codes. However the decoding error probability of SC-LDGM codes is bounded away from 0. In this paper, we investigate SC-LDGM codes concatenated with SC low-density parity-check codes. The proposed codes can be regarded as SC Hsu-Anastasopoulos rateless codes. We derive a lower bound of the asymptotic overhead from stability analysis for successful decoding by density evolution. The numerical calculation reveals that the lower bound is tight. We observe that with a sufficiently large number of information bits, the asymptotic overhead and the decoding error rate approach 0 with bounded maximum degree.
1302.1512
Efficient Termination of Spatially-Coupled Codes
cs.IT math.IT
Spatially-coupled low-density parity-check codes attract much attention due to their capacity-achieving performance and a memory-efficient sliding-window decoding algorithm. On the other hand, the encoder needs to solve large linear equations to terminate the encoding process. In this paper, we propose modified spatially-coupled codes. The modified $(\dl,\dr,L)$ codes have less rate-loss, i.e., higher coding rate, and have the same threshold as $(\dl,\dr,L)$ codes and are efficiently terminable by using an accumulator.
1302.1515
A Polynomial Time Algorithm for Lossy Population Recovery
cs.DS cs.LG
We give a polynomial time algorithm for the lossy population recovery problem. In this problem, the goal is to approximately learn an unknown distribution on binary strings of length $n$ from lossy samples: for some parameter $\mu$ each coordinate of the sample is preserved with probability $\mu$ and otherwise is replaced by a `?'. The running time and number of samples needed for our algorithm is polynomial in $n$ and $1/\varepsilon$ for each fixed $\mu>0$. This improves on algorithm of Wigderson and Yehudayoff that runs in quasi-polynomial time for any $\mu > 0$ and the polynomial time algorithm of Dvir et al which was shown to work for $\mu \gtrapprox 0.30$ by Batman et al. In fact, our algorithm also works in the more general framework of Batman et al. in which there is no a priori bound on the size of the support of the distribution. The algorithm we analyze is implicit in previous work; our main contribution is to analyze the algorithm by showing (via linear programming duality and connections to complex analysis) that a certain matrix associated with the problem has a robust local inverse even though its condition number is exponentially small. A corollary of our result is the first polynomial time algorithm for learning DNFs in the restriction access model of Dvir et al.
1302.1519
Update Rules for Parameter Estimation in Bayesian Networks
cs.LG stat.ML
This paper re-examines the problem of parameter estimation in Bayesian networks with missing values and hidden variables from the perspective of recent work in on-line learning [Kivinen & Warmuth, 1994]. We provide a unified framework for parameter estimation that encompasses both on-line learning, where the model is continuously adapted to new data cases as they arrive, and the more traditional batch learning, where a pre-accumulated set of samples is used in a one-time model selection process. In the batch case, our framework encompasses both the gradient projection algorithm and the EM algorithm for Bayesian networks. The framework also leads to new on-line and batch parameter update schemes, including a parameterized version of EM. We provide both empirical and theoretical results indicating that parameterized EM allows faster convergence to the maximum likelihood parameters than does standard EM.
1302.1520
Bayes Networks for Sonar Sensor Fusion
cs.AI
Wide-angle sonar mapping of the environment by mobile robot is nontrivial due to several sources of uncertainty: dropouts due to "specular" reflections, obstacle location uncertainty due to the wide beam, and distance measurement error. Earlier papers address the latter problems, but dropouts remain a problem in many environments. We present an approach that lifts the overoptimistic independence assumption used in earlier work, and use Bayes nets to represent the dependencies between objects of the model. Objects of the model consist of readings, and of regions in which "quasi location invariance" of the (possible) obstacles exists, with respect to the readings. Simulation supports the method's feasibility. The model is readily extensible to allow for prior distributions, as well as other types of sensing operations.
1302.1521
Exploiting Uncertain and Temporal Information in Correlation
cs.AI
A modelling language is described which is suitable for the correlation of information when the underlying functional model of the system is incomplete or uncertain and the temporal dependencies are imprecise. An efficient and incremental implementation is outlined which depends on cost functions satisfying certain criteria. Possibilistic logic and probability theory (as it is used in the applications targetted) satisfy these criteria.
1302.1522
Correlated Action Effects in Decision Theoretic Regression
cs.AI
Much recent research in decision theoretic planning has adopted Markov decision processes (MDPs) as the model of choice, and has attempted to make their solution more tractable by exploiting problem structure. One particular algorithm, structured policy construction achieves this by means of a decision theoretic analog of goal regression using action descriptions based on Bayesian networks with tree-structured conditional probability tables. The algorithm as presented is not able to deal with actions with correlated effects. We describe a new decision theoretic regression operator that corrects this weakness. While conceptually straightforward, this extension requires a somewhat more complicated technical approach.
1302.1523
Corporate Evidential Decision Making in Performance Prediction Domains
cs.AI
Performance prediction or forecasting sporting outcomes involves a great deal of insight into the particular area one is dealing with, and a considerable amount of intuition about the factors that bear on such outcomes and performances. The mathematical Theory of Evidence offers representation formalisms which grant experts a high degree of freedom when expressing their subjective beliefs in the context of decision-making situations like performance prediction. Furthermore, this reasoning framework incorporates a powerful mechanism to systematically pool the decisions made by individual subject matter experts. The idea behind such a combination of knowledge is to improve the competence (quality) of the overall decision-making process. This paper reports on a performance prediction experiment carried out during the European Football Championship in 1996. Relying on the knowledge of four predictors, Evidence Theory was used to forecast the final scores of all 31 matches. The results of this empirical study are very encouraging.
1302.1524
Algorithms for Learning Decomposable Models and Chordal Graphs
cs.AI
Decomposable dependency models and their graphical counterparts, i.e., chordal graphs, possess a number of interesting and useful properties. On the basis of two characterizations of decomposable models in terms of independence relationships, we develop an exact algorithm for recovering the chordal graphical representation of any given decomposable model. We also propose an algorithm for learning chordal approximations of dependency models isomorphic to general undirected graphs.
1302.1525
Incremental Pruning: A Simple, Fast, Exact Method for Partially Observable Markov Decision Processes
cs.AI
Most exact algorithms for general partially observable Markov decision processes (POMDPs) use a form of dynamic programming in which a piecewise-linear and convex representation of one value function is transformed into another. We examine variations of the "incremental pruning" method for solving this problem and compare them to earlier algorithms from theoretical and empirical perspectives. We find that incremental pruning is presently the most efficient exact method for solving POMDPs.
1302.1526
Defining Explanation in Probabilistic Systems
cs.AI
As probabilistic systems gain popularity and are coming into wider use, the need for a mechanism that explains the system's findings and recommendations becomes more critical. The system will also need a mechanism for ordering competing explanations. We examine two representative approaches to explanation in the literature - one due to G\"ardenfors and one due to Pearl - and show that both suffer from significant problems. We propose an approach to defining a notion of "better explanation" that combines some of the features of both together with more recent work by Pearl and others on causality.
1302.1527
Structured Arc Reversal and Simulation of Dynamic Probabilistic Networks
cs.AI
We present an algorithm for arc reversal in Bayesian networks with tree-structured conditional probability tables, and consider some of its advantages, especially for the simulation of dynamic probabilistic networks. In particular, the method allows one to produce CPTs for nodes involved in the reversal that exploit regularities in the conditional distributions. We argue that this approach alleviates some of the overhead associated with arc reversal, plays an important role in evidence integration and can be used to restrict sampling of variables in DPNs. We also provide an algorithm that detects the dynamic irrelevance of state variables in forward simulation. This algorithm exploits the structured CPTs in a reversed network to determine, in a time-independent fashion, the conditions under which a variable does or does not need to be sampled.
1302.1528
A Bayesian Approach to Learning Bayesian Networks with Local Structure
cs.LG cs.AI stat.ML
Recently several researchers have investigated techniques for using data to learn Bayesian networks containing compact representations for the conditional probability distributions (CPDs) stored at each node. The majority of this work has concentrated on using decision-tree representations for the CPDs. In addition, researchers typically apply non-Bayesian (or asymptotically Bayesian) scoring functions such as MDL to evaluate the goodness-of-fit of networks to the data. In this paper we investigate a Bayesian approach to learning Bayesian networks that contain the more general decision-graph representations of the CPDs. First, we describe how to evaluate the posterior probability that is, the Bayesian score of such a network, given a database of observed cases. Second, we describe various search spaces that can be used, in conjunction with a scoring function and a search procedure, to identify one or more high-scoring networks. Finally, we present an experimental evaluation of the search spaces, using a greedy algorithm and a Bayesian scoring function.
1302.1529
Exploring Parallelism in Learning Belief Networks
cs.AI cs.LG
It has been shown that a class of probabilistic domain models cannot be learned correctly by several existing algorithms which employ a single-link look ahead search. When a multi-link look ahead search is used, the computational complexity of the learning algorithm increases. We study how to use parallelism to tackle the increased complexity in learning such models and to speed up learning in large domains. An algorithm is proposed to decompose the learning task for parallel processing. A further task decomposition is used to balance load among processors and to increase the speed-up and efficiency. For learning from very large datasets, we present a regrouping of the available processors such that slow data access through file can be replaced by fast memory access. Our implementation in a parallel computer demonstrates the effectiveness of the algorithm.
1302.1530
Efficient Induction of Finite State Automata
cs.AI cs.FL
This paper introduces a new algorithm for the induction if complex finite state automata from samples of behavior. The algorithm is based on information theoretic principles. The algorithm reduces the search space by many orders of magnitude over what was previously thought possible. We compare the algorithm with some existing induction techniques for finite state automata and show that the algorithm is much superior in both run time and quality of inductions.
1302.1531
Robustness Analysis of Bayesian Networks with Local Convex Sets of Distributions
cs.AI
Robust Bayesian inference is the calculation of posterior probability bounds given perturbations in a probabilistic model. This paper focuses on perturbations that can be expressed locally in Bayesian networks through convex sets of distributions. Two approaches for combination of local models are considered. The first approach takes the largest set of joint distributions that is compatible with the local sets of distributions; we show how to reduce this type of robust inference to a linear programming problem. The second approach takes the convex hull of joint distributions generated from the local sets of distributions; we demonstrate how to apply interior-point optimization methods to generate posterior bounds and how to generate approximations that are guaranteed to converge to correct posterior bounds. We also discuss calculation of bounds for expected utilities and variances, and global perturbation models.
1302.1532
A Standard Approach for Optimizing Belief Network Inference using Query DAGs
cs.AI
This paper proposes a novel, algorithm-independent approach to optimizing belief network inference. rather than designing optimizations on an algorithm by algorithm basis, we argue that one should use an unoptimized algorithm to generate a Q-DAG, a compiled graphical representation of the belief network, and then optimize the Q-DAG and its evaluator instead. We present a set of Q-DAG optimizations that supplant optimizations designed for traditional inference algorithms, including zero compression, network pruning and caching. We show that our Q-DAG optimizations require time linear in the Q-DAG size, and significantly simplify the process of designing algorithms for optimizing belief network inference.
1302.1533
Model Reduction Techniques for Computing Approximately Optimal Solutions for Markov Decision Processes
cs.AI
We present a method for solving implicit (factored) Markov decision processes (MDPs) with very large state spaces. We introduce a property of state space partitions which we call epsilon-homogeneity. Intuitively, an epsilon-homogeneous partition groups together states that behave approximately the same under all or some subset of policies. Borrowing from recent work on model minimization in computer-aided software verification, we present an algorithm that takes a factored representation of an MDP and an 0<=epsilon<=1 and computes a factored epsilon-homogeneous partition of the state space. This partition defines a family of related MDPs - those MDPs with state space equal to the blocks of the partition, and transition probabilities "approximately" like those of any (original MDP) state in the source block. To formally study such families of MDPs, we introduce the new notion of a "bounded parameter MDP" (BMDP), which is a family of (traditional) MDPs defined by specifying upper and lower bounds on the transition probabilities and rewards. We describe algorithms that operate on BMDPs to find policies that are approximately optimal with respect to the original MDP. In combination, our method for reducing a large implicit MDP to a possibly much smaller BMDP using an epsilon-homogeneous partition, and our methods for selecting actions in BMDPs constitute a new approach for analyzing large implicit MDPs. Among its advantages, this new approach provides insight into existing algorithms to solving implicit MDPs, provides useful connections to work in automata theory and model minimization, and suggests methods, which involve varying epsilon, to trade time and space (specifically in terms of the size of the corresponding state space) for solution quality.
1302.1534
A Scheme for Approximating Probabilistic Inference
cs.AI
This paper describes a class of probabilistic approximation algorithms based on bucket elimination which offer adjustable levels of accuracy and efficiency. We analyze the approximation for several tasks: finding the most probable explanation, belief updating and finding the maximum a posteriori hypothesis. We identify regions of completeness and provide preliminary empirical evaluation on randomly generated networks.
1302.1535
Myopic Value of Information in Influence Diagrams
cs.AI
We present a method for calculation of myopic value of information in influence diagrams (Howard & Matheson, 1981) based on the strong junction tree framework (Jensen, Jensen & Dittmer, 1994). The difference in instantiation order in the influence diagrams is reflected in the corresponding junction trees by the order in which the chance nodes are marginalized. This order of marginalization can be changed by table expansion and in effect the same junction tree with expanded tables may be used for calculating the expected utility for scenarios with different instantiation order. We also compare our method to the classic method of modeling different instantiation orders in the same influence diagram.
1302.1536
Limitations of Skeptical Default Reasoning
cs.AI
Poole has shown that nonmonotonic logics do not handle the lottery paradox correctly. In this paper we will show that Pollock's theory of defeasible reasoning fails for the same reason: defeasible reasoning is incompatible with the skeptical notion of derivability.
1302.1537
Decision-making Under Ordinal Preferences and Comparative Uncertainty
cs.AI
This paper investigates the problem of finding a preference relation on a set of acts from the knowledge of an ordering on events (subsets of states of the world) describing the decision-maker (DM)s uncertainty and an ordering of consequences of acts, describing the DMs preferences. However, contrary to classical approaches to decision theory, we try to do it without resorting to any numerical representation of utility nor uncertainty, and without even using any qualitative scale on which both uncertainty and preference could be mapped. It is shown that although many axioms of Savage theory can be preserved and despite the intuitive appeal of the method for constructing a preference over acts, the approach is inconsistent with a probabilistic representation of uncertainty, but leads to the kind of uncertainty theory encountered in non-monotonic reasoning (especially preferential and rational inference), closely related to possibility theory. Moreover the method turns out to be either very little decisive or to lead to very risky decisions, although its basic principles look sound. This paper raises the question of the very possibility of purely symbolic approaches to Savage-like decision-making under uncertainty and obtains preliminary negative results.
1302.1538
Sequential Update of Bayesian Network Structure
cs.AI cs.LG
There is an obvious need for improving the performance and accuracy of a Bayesian network as new data is observed. Because of errors in model construction and changes in the dynamics of the domains, we cannot afford to ignore the information in new data. While sequential update of parameters for a fixed structure can be accomplished using standard techniques, sequential update of network structure is still an open problem. In this paper, we investigate sequential update of Bayesian networks were both parameters and structure are expected to change. We introduce a new approach that allows for the flexible manipulation of the tradeoff between the quality of the learned networks and the amount of information that is maintained about past observations. We formally describe our approach including the necessary modifications to the scoring functions for learning Bayesian networks, evaluate its effectiveness through an empirical study, and extend it to the case of missing data.
1302.1539
Image Segmentation in Video Sequences: A Probabilistic Approach
cs.CV cs.AI
"Background subtraction" is an old technique for finding moving objects in a video sequence for example, cars driving on a freeway. The idea is that subtracting the current image from a timeaveraged background image will leave only nonstationary objects. It is, however, a crude approximation to the task of classifying each pixel of the current image; it fails with slow-moving objects and does not distinguish shadows from moving objects. The basic idea of this paper is that we can classify each pixel using a model of how that pixel looks when it is part of different classes. We learn a mixture-of-Gaussians classification model for each pixel using an unsupervised technique- an efficient, incremental version of EM. Unlike the standard image-averaging approach, this automatically updates the mixture component for each class according to likelihood of membership; hence slow-moving objects are handled perfectly. Our approach also identifies and eliminates shadows much more effectively than other techniques such as thresholding. Application of this method as part of the Roadwatch traffic surveillance project is expected to result in significant improvements in vehicle identification and tracking.
1302.1540
The Complexity of Plan Existence and Evaluation in Probabilistic Domains
cs.AI
We examine the computational complexity of testing and finding small plans in probabilistic planning domains with succinct representations. We find that many problems of interest are complete for a variety of complexity classes: NP, co-NP, PP, NP^PP, co-NP^PP, and PSPACE. Of these, the probabilistic classes PP and NP^PP are likely to be of special interest in the field of uncertainty in artificial intelligence and are deserving of additional study. These results suggest a fruitful direction of future algorithmic development.
1302.1541
Algorithm Portfolio Design: Theory vs. Practice
cs.AI
Stochastic algorithms are among the best for solving computationally hard search and reasoning problems. The runtime of such procedures is characterized by a random variable. Different algorithms give rise to different probability distributions. One can take advantage of such differences by combining several algorithms into a portfolio, and running them in parallel or interleaving them on a single processor. We provide a detailed evaluation of the portfolio approach on distributions of hard combinatorial search problems. We show under what conditions the protfolio approach can have a dramatic computational advantage over the best traditional methods.
1302.1542
Learning Bayesian Nets that Perform Well
cs.AI cs.LG
A Bayesian net (BN) is more than a succinct way to encode a probabilistic distribution; it also corresponds to a function used to answer queries. A BN can therefore be evaluated by the accuracy of the answers it returns. Many algorithms for learning BNs, however, attempt to optimize another criterion (usually likelihood, possibly augmented with a regularizing term), which is independent of the distribution of queries that are posed. This paper takes the "performance criteria" seriously, and considers the challenge of computing the BN whose performance - read "accuracy over the distribution of queries" - is optimal. We show that many aspects of this learning task are more difficult than the corresponding subtasks in the standard model.
1302.1543
Probability Update: Conditioning vs. Cross-Entropy
cs.AI
Conditioning is the generally agreed-upon method for updating probability distributions when one learns that an event is certainly true. But it has been argued that we need other rules, in particular the rule of cross-entropy minimization, to handle updates that involve uncertain information. In this paper we re-examine such a case: van Fraassen's Judy Benjamin problem, which in essence asks how one might update given the value of a conditional probability. We argue that -- contrary to the suggestions in the literature -- it is possible to use simple conditionalization in this case, and thereby obtain answers that agree fully with intuition. This contrasts with proposals such as cross-entropy, which are easier to apply but can give unsatisfactory answers. Based on the lessons from this example, we speculate on some general philosophical issues concerning probability update.
1302.1544
Problem-Focused Incremental Elicitation of Multi-Attribute Utility Models
cs.AI cs.GT
Decision theory has become widely accepted in the AI community as a useful framework for planning and decision making. Applying the framework typically requires elicitation of some form of probability and utility information. While much work in AI has focused on providing representations and tools for elicitation of probabilities, relatively little work has addressed the elicitation of utility models. This imbalance is not particularly justified considering that probability models are relatively stable across problem instances, while utility models may be different for each instance. Spending large amounts of time on elicitation can be undesirable for interactive systems used in low-stakes decision making and in time-critical decision making. In this paper we investigate the issues of reasoning with incomplete utility models. We identify patterns of problem instances where plans can be proved to be suboptimal if the (unknown) utility function satisfies certain conditions. We present an approach to planning and decision making that performs the utility elicitation incrementally and in a way that is informed by the domain model.
1302.1545
Models and Selection Criteria for Regression and Classification
cs.LG stat.ML
When performing regression or classification, we are interested in the conditional probability distribution for an outcome or class variable Y given a set of explanatoryor input variables X. We consider Bayesian models for this task. In particular, we examine a special class of models, which we call Bayesian regression/classification (BRC) models, that can be factored into independent conditional (y|x) and input (x) models. These models are convenient, because the conditional model (the portion of the full model that we care about) can be analyzed by itself. We examine the practice of transforming arbitrary Bayesian models to BRC models, and argue that this practice is often inappropriate because it ignores prior knowledge that may be important for learning. In addition, we examine Bayesian methods for learning models from data. We discuss two criteria for Bayesian model selection that are appropriate for repression/classification: one described by Spiegelhalter et al. (1993), and another by Buntine (1993). We contrast these two criteria using the prequential framework of Dawid (1984), and give sufficient conditions under which the criteria agree.
1302.1546
Inference with Idempotent Valuations
cs.AI
Valuation based systems verifying an idempotent property are studied. A partial order is defined between the valuations giving them a lattice structure. Then, two different strategies are introduced to represent valuations: as infimum of the most informative valuations or as supremum of the least informative ones. It is studied how to carry out computations with both representations in an efficient way. The particular cases of finite sets and convex polytopes are considered.
1302.1547
Perception, Attention, and Resources: A Decision-Theoretic Approach to Graphics Rendering
cs.AI cs.GR
We describe work to control graphics rendering under limited computational resources by taking a decision-theoretic perspective on perceptual costs and computational savings of approximations. The work extends earlier work on the control of rendering by introducing methods and models for computing the expected cost associated with degradations of scene components. The expected cost is computed by considering the perceptual cost of degradations and a probability distribution over the attentional focus of viewers. We review the critical literature describing findings on visual search and attention, discuss the implications of the findings, and introduce models of expected perceptual cost. Finally, we discuss policies that harness information about the expected cost of scene components.
1302.1548
Time-Critical Reasoning: Representations and Application
cs.AI
We review the problem of time-critical action and discuss a reformulation that shifts knowledge acquisition from the assessment of complex temporal probabilistic dependencies to the direct assessment of time-dependent utilities over key outcomes of interest. We dwell on a class of decision problems characterized by the centrality of diagnosing and reacting in a timely manner to pathological processes. We motivate key ideas in the context of trauma-care triage and transportation decisions.
1302.1549
Learning Belief Networks in Domains with Recursively Embedded Pseudo Independent Submodels
cs.AI cs.LG
A pseudo independent (PI) model is a probabilistic domain model (PDM) where proper subsets of a set of collectively dependent variables display marginal independence. PI models cannot be learned correctly by many algorithms that rely on a single link search. Earlier work on learning PI models has suggested a straightforward multi-link search algorithm. However, when a domain contains recursively embedded PI submodels, it may escape the detection of such an algorithm. In this paper, we propose an improved algorithm that ensures the learning of all embedded PI submodels whose sizes are upper bounded by a predetermined parameter. We show that this improved learning capability only increases the complexity slightly beyond that of the previous algorithm. The performance of the new algorithm is demonstrated through experiment.
1302.1550
Relational Bayesian Networks
cs.AI
A new method is developed to represent probabilistic relations on multiple random events. Where previously knowledge bases containing probabilistic rules were used for this purpose, here a probability distribution over the relations is directly represented by a Bayesian network. By using a powerful way of specifying conditional probability distributions in these networks, the resulting formalism is more expressive than the previous ones. Particularly, it provides for constraints on equalities of events, and it allows to define complex, nested combination functions.
1302.1551
Composition of Probability Measures on Finite Spaces
cs.AI
Decomposable models and Bayesian networks can be defined as sequences of oligo-dimensional probability measures connected with operators of composition. The preliminary results suggest that the probabilistic models allowing for effective computational procedures are represented by sequences possessing a special property; we shall call them perfect sequences. The paper lays down the elementary foundation necessary for further study of iterative application of operators of composition. We believe to develop a technique describing several graph models in a unifying way. We are convinced that practically all theoretical results and procedures connected with decomposable models and Bayesian networks can be translated into the terminology introduced in this paper. For example, complexity of computational procedures in these models is closely dependent on possibility to change the ordering of oligo-dimensional measures defining the model. Therefore, in this paper, lot of attention is paid to possibility to change ordering of the operators of composition.
1302.1552
An Information-Theoretic Analysis of Hard and Soft Assignment Methods for Clustering
cs.LG stat.ML
Assignment methods are at the heart of many algorithms for unsupervised learning and clustering - in particular, the well-known K-means and Expectation-Maximization (EM) algorithms. In this work, we study several different methods of assignment, including the "hard" assignments used by K-means and the ?soft' assignments used by EM. While it is known that K-means minimizes the distortion on the data and EM maximizes the likelihood, little is known about the systematic differences of behavior between the two algorithms. Here we shed light on these differences via an information-theoretic analysis. The cornerstone of our results is a simple decomposition of the expected distortion, showing that K-means (and its extension for inferring general parametric densities from unlabeled sample data) must implicitly manage a trade-off between how similar the data assigned to each cluster are, and how the data are balanced among the clusters. How well the data are balanced is measured by the entropy of the partition defined by the hard assignments. In addition to letting us predict and verify systematic differences between K-means and EM on specific examples, the decomposition allows us to give a rather general argument showing that K ?means will consistently find densities with less "overlap" than EM. We also study a third natural assignment method that we call posterior assignment, that is close in spirit to the soft assignments of EM, but leads to a surprisingly different algorithm.
1302.1553
Nested Junction Trees
cs.AI
The efficiency of inference in both the Hugin and, most notably, the Shafer-Shenoy architectures can be improved by exploiting the independence relations induced by the incoming messages of a clique. That is, the message to be sent from a clique can be computed via a factorization of the clique potential in the form of a junction tree. In this paper we show that by exploiting such nested junction trees in the computation of messages both space and time costs of the conventional propagation methods may be reduced. The paper presents a structured way of exploiting the nested junction trees technique to achieve such reductions. The usefulness of the method is emphasized through a thorough empirical evaluation involving ten large real-world Bayesian networks and the Hugin inference algorithm.
1302.1554
Object-Oriented Bayesian Networks
cs.AI
Bayesian networks provide a modeling language and associated inference algorithm for stochastic domains. They have been successfully applied in a variety of medium-scale applications. However, when faced with a large complex domain, the task of modeling using Bayesian networks begins to resemble the task of programming using logical circuits. In this paper, we describe an object-oriented Bayesian network (OOBN) language, which allows complex domains to be described in terms of inter-related objects. We use a Bayesian network fragment to describe the probabilistic relations between the attributes of an object. These attributes can themselves be objects, providing a natural framework for encoding part-of hierarchies. Classes are used to provide a reusable probabilistic model which can be applied to multiple similar objects. Classes also support inheritance of model fragments from a class to a subclass, allowing the common aspects of related classes to be defined only once. Our language has clear declarative semantics: an OOBN can be interpreted as a stochastic functional program, so that it uniquely specifies a probabilistic model. We provide an inference algorithm for OOBNs, and show that much of the structural information encoded by an OOBN--particularly the encapsulation of variables within an object and the reuse of model fragments in different contexts--can also be used to speed up the inference process.
1302.1555
Nonuniform Dynamic Discretization in Hybrid Networks
cs.AI
We consider probabilistic inference in general hybrid networks, which include continuous and discrete variables in an arbitrary topology. We reexamine the question of variable discretization in a hybrid network aiming at minimizing the information loss induced by the discretization. We show that a nonuniform partition across all variables as opposed to uniform partition of each variable separately reduces the size of the data structures needed to represent a continuous function. We also provide a simple but efficient procedure for nonuniform partition. To represent a nonuniform discretization in the computer memory, we introduce a new data structure, which we call a Binary Split Partition (BSP) tree. We show that BSP trees can be an exponential factor smaller than the data structures in the standard uniform discretization in multiple dimensions and show how the BSP trees can be used in the standard join tree algorithm. We show that the accuracy of the inference process can be significantly improved by adjusting discretization with evidence. We construct an iterative anytime algorithm that gradually improves the quality of the discretization and the accuracy of the answer on a query. We provide empirical evidence that the algorithm converges.
1302.1556
Probabilistic Acceptance
cs.AI
The idea of fully accepting statements when the evidence has rendered them probable enough faces a number of difficulties. We leave the interpretation of probability largely open, but attempt to suggest a contextual approach to full belief. We show that the difficulties of probabilistic acceptance are not as severe as they are sometimes painted, and that though there are oddities associated with probabilistic acceptance they are in some instances less awkward than the difficulties associated with other nonmonotonic formalisms. We show that the structure at which we arrive provides a natural home for statistical inference.
1302.1557
Network Fragments: Representing Knowledge for Constructing Probabilistic Models
cs.AI
In most current applications of belief networks, domain knowledge is represented by a single belief network that applies to all problem instances in the domain. In more complex domains, problem-specific models must be constructed from a knowledge base encoding probabilistic relationships in the domain. Most work in knowledge-based model construction takes the rule as the basic unit of knowledge. We present a knowledge representation framework that permits the knowledge base designer to specify knowledge in larger semantically meaningful units which we call network fragments. Our framework provides for representation of asymmetric independence and canonical intercausal interaction. We discuss the combination of network fragments to form problem-specific models to reason about particular problem instances. The framework is illustrated using examples from the domain of military situation awareness.
1302.1558
Computational Advantages of Relevance Reasoning in Bayesian Belief Networks
cs.AI
This paper introduces a computational framework for reasoning in Bayesian belief networks that derives significant advantages from focused inference and relevance reasoning. This framework is based on d -separation and other simple and computationally efficient techniques for pruning irrelevant parts of a network. Our main contribution is a technique that we call relevance-based decomposition. Relevance-based decomposition approaches belief updating in large networks by focusing on their parts and decomposing them into partially overlapping subnetworks. This makes reasoning in some intractable networks possible and, in addition, often results in significant speedup, as the total time taken to update all subnetworks is in practice often considerably less than the time taken to update the network as a whole. We report results of empirical tests that demonstrate practical significance of our approach.
1302.1559
Incremental Map Generation by Low Cost Robots Based on Possibility/Necessity Grids
cs.RO cs.AI
In this paper we present some results obtained with a troupe of low-cost robots designed to cooperatively explore and adquire the map of unknown structured orthogonal environments. In order to improve the covering of the explored zone, the robots show different behaviours and cooperate by transferring each other the perceived environment when they meet. The returning robots deliver to a host computer their partial maps and the host incrementally generates the map of the environment by means of apossibility/ necessity grid.
1302.1560
A Target Classification Decision Aid
cs.AI
A submarine's sonar team is responsible for detecting, localising and classifying targets using information provided by the platform's sensor suite. The information used to make these assessments is typically uncertain and/or incomplete and is likely to require a measure of confidence in its reliability. Moreover, improvements in sensor and communication technology are resulting in increased amounts of on-platform and off-platform information available for evaluation. This proliferation of imprecise information increases the risk of overwhelming the operator. To assist the task of localisation and classification a concept demonstration decision aid (Horizon), based on evidential reasoning, has been developed. Horizon is an information fusion software package for representing and fusing imprecise information about the state of the world, expressed across suitable frames of reference. The Horizon software is currently at prototype stage.
1302.1561
Structure and Parameter Learning for Causal Independence and Causal Interaction Models
cs.AI cs.LG
This paper discusses causal independence models and a generalization of these models called causal interaction models. Causal interaction models are models that have independent mechanisms where a mechanism can have several causes. In addition to introducing several particular types of causal interaction models, we show how we can apply the Bayesian approach to learning causal interaction models obtaining approximate posterior distributions for the models and obtain MAP and ML estimates for the parameters. We illustrate the approach with a simulation study of learning model posteriors.
1302.1562
Support and Plausibility Degrees in Generalized Functional Models
cs.AI
By discussing several examples, the theory of generalized functional models is shown to be very natural for modeling some situations of reasoning under uncertainty. A generalized functional model is a pair (f, P) where f is a function describing the interactions between a parameter variable, an observation variable and a random source, and P is a probability distribution for the random source. Unlike traditional functional models, generalized functional models do not require that there is only one value of the parameter variable that is compatible with an observation and a realization of the random source. As a consequence, the results of the analysis of a generalized functional model are not expressed in terms of probability distributions but rather by support and plausibility functions. The analysis of a generalized functional model is very logical and is inspired from ideas already put forward by R.A. Fisher in his theory of fiducial probability.
1302.1563
The Cognitive Processing of Causal Knowledge
cs.AI
There is a brief description of the probabilistic causal graph model for representing, reasoning with, and learning causal structure using Bayesian networks. It is then argued that this model is closely related to how humans reason with and learn causal structure. It is shown that studies in psychology on discounting (reasoning concerning how the presence of one cause of an effect makes another cause less probable) support the hypothesis that humans reach the same judgments as algorithms for doing inference in Bayesian networks. Next, it is shown how studies by Piaget indicate that humans learn causal structure by observing the same independencies and dependencies as those used by certain algorithms for learning the structure of a Bayesian network. Based on this indication, a subjective definition of causality is forwarded. Finally, methods for further testing the accuracy of these claims are discussed.
1302.1564
Representing Aggregate Belief through the Competitive Equilibrium of a Securities Market
cs.AI cs.GT q-fin.GN
We consider the problem of belief aggregation: given a group of individual agents with probabilistic beliefs over a set of uncertain events, formulate a sensible consensus or aggregate probability distribution over these events. Researchers have proposed many aggregation methods, although on the question of which is best the general consensus is that there is no consensus. We develop a market-based approach to this problem, where agents bet on uncertain events by buying or selling securities contingent on their outcomes. Each agent acts in the market so as to maximize expected utility at given securities prices, limited in its activity only by its own risk aversion. The equilibrium prices of goods in this market represent aggregate beliefs. For agents with constant risk aversion, we demonstrate that the aggregate probability exhibits several desirable properties, and is related to independently motivated techniques. We argue that the market-based approach provides a plausible mechanism for belief aggregation in multiagent systems, as it directly addresses self-motivated agent incentives for participation and for truthfulness, and can provide a decision-theoretic foundation for the "expert weights" often employed in centralized pooling techniques.
1302.1565
Learning Bayesian Networks from Incomplete Databases
cs.AI cs.LG
Bayesian approaches to learn the graphical structure of Bayesian Belief Networks (BBNs) from databases share the assumption that the database is complete, that is, no entry is reported as unknown. Attempts to relax this assumption involve the use of expensive iterative methods to discriminate among different structures. This paper introduces a deterministic method to learn the graphical structure of a BBN from a possibly incomplete database. Experimental evaluations show a significant robustness of this method and a remarkable independence of its execution time from the number of missing data.
1302.1567
Cost-Sharing in Bayesian Knowledge Bases
cs.AI
Bayesian knowledge bases (BKBs) are a generalization of Bayes networks and weighted proof graphs (WAODAGs), that allow cycles in the causal graph. Reasoning in BKBs requires finding the most probable inferences consistent with the evidence. The cost-sharing heuristic for finding least-cost explanations in WAODAGs was presented and shown to be effective by Charniak and Husain. However, the cycles in BKBs would make the definition of cost-sharing cyclic as well, if applied directly to BKBs. By treating the defining equations of cost-sharing as a system of equations, one can properly define an admissible cost-sharing heuristic for BKBs. Empirical evaluation shows that cost-sharing improves performance significantly when applied to BKBs.
1302.1568
Conditional Utility, Utility Independence, and Utility Networks
cs.GT cs.AI
We introduce a new interpretation of two related notions - conditional utility and utility independence. Unlike the traditional interpretation, the new interpretation renders the notions the direct analogues of their probabilistic counterparts. To capture these notions formally, we appeal to the notion of utility distribution, introduced in previous paper. We show that utility distributions, which have a structure that is identical to that of probability distributions, can be viewed as a special case of an additive multiattribute utility functions, and show how this special case permits us to capture the novel senses of conditional utility and utility independence. Finally, we present the notion of utility networks, which do for utilities what Bayesian networks do for probabilities. Specifically, utility networks exploit the new interpretation of conditional utility and utility independence to compactly represent a utility distribution.
1302.1569
Sequential Thresholds: Context Sensitive Default Extensions
cs.AI
Default logic encounters some conceptual difficulties in representing common sense reasoning tasks. We argue that we should not try to formulate modular default rules that are presumed to work in all or most circumstances. We need to take into account the importance of the context which is continuously evolving during the reasoning process. Sequential thresholding is a quantitative counterpart of default logic which makes explicit the role context plays in the construction of a non-monotonic extension. We present a semantic characterization of generic non-monotonic reasoning, as well as the instantiations pertaining to default logic and sequential thresholding. This provides a link between the two mechanisms as well as a way to integrate the two that can be beneficial to both.
1302.1570
On Stable Multi-Agent Behavior in Face of Uncertainty
cs.AI
A stable joint plan should guarantee the achievement of a designer's goal in a multi-agent environment, while ensuring that deviations from the prescribed plan would be detected. We present a computational framework where stable joint plans can be studied, as well as several basic results about the representation, verification and synthesis of stable joint plans.
1302.1571
Score and Information for Recursive Exponential Models with Incomplete Data
stat.ME cs.AI
Recursive graphical models usually underlie the statistical modelling concerning probabilistic expert systems based on Bayesian networks. This paper defines a version of these models, denoted as recursive exponential models, which have evolved by the desire to impose sophisticated domain knowledge onto local fragments of a model. Besides the structural knowledge, as specified by a given model, the statistical modelling may also include expert opinion about the values of parameters in the model. It is shown how to translate imprecise expert knowledge into approximately conjugate prior distributions. Based on possibly incomplete data, the score and the observed information are derived for these models. This accounts for both the traditional score and observed information, derived as derivatives of the log-likelihood, and the posterior score and observed information, derived as derivatives of the log-posterior distribution. Throughout the paper the specialization into recursive graphical models is accounted for by a simple example.
1302.1572
Lexical Access for Speech Understanding using Minimum Message Length Encoding
cs.CL
The Lexical Access Problem consists of determining the intended sequence of words corresponding to an input sequence of phonemes (basic speech sounds) that come from a low-level phoneme recognizer. In this paper we present an information-theoretic approach based on the Minimum Message Length Criterion for solving the Lexical Access Problem. We model sentences using phoneme realizations seen in training, and word and part-of-speech information obtained from text corpora. We show results on multiple-speaker, continuous, read speech and discuss a heuristic using equivalence classes of similar sounding words which speeds up the recognition process without significant deterioration in recognition accuracy.
1302.1573
Region-Based Approximations for Planning in Stochastic Domains
cs.AI
This paper is concerned with planning in stochastic domains by means of partially observable Markov decision processes (POMDPs). POMDPs are difficult to solve. This paper identifies a subclass of POMDPs called region observable POMDPs, which are easier to solve and can be used to approximate general POMDPs to arbitrary accuracy.
1302.1574
Independence of Causal Influence and Clique Tree Propagation
cs.AI
This paper explores the role of independence of causal influence (ICI) in Bayesian network inference. ICI allows one to factorize a conditional probability table into smaller pieces. We describe a method for exploiting the factorization in clique tree propagation (CTP) - the state-of-the-art exact inference algorithm for Bayesian networks. We also present empirical results showing that the resulting algorithm is significantly more efficient than the combination of CTP and previous techniques for exploiting ICI.
1302.1575
Fast Value Iteration for Goal-Directed Markov Decision Processes
cs.AI
Planning problems where effects of actions are non-deterministic can be modeled as Markov decision processes. Planning problems are usually goal-directed. This paper proposes several techniques for exploiting the goal-directedness to accelerate value iteration, a standard algorithm for solving Markov decision processes. Empirical studies have shown that the techniques can bring about significant speedups.
1302.1592
Required Base Station Density in Coordinated Multi-Point Uplink with Rate Constraints
cs.IT math.IT
In this paper we obtain the required spatial density of base stations (BSs) in a coordinated multi-point uplink cellular network to meet a chosen quality of service metric. Our model assumes cooperation amongst two BSs and the required density is obtained under shadowing and Rayleigh fading for different LTE-A path loss models. The proposed approach guarantees that the worst-case achievable rate in the entire coverage region is above a target rate with chosen probability. Two models for the position of the BSs are considered: a hexagonal grid and a Poisson point process (PPP) modified to set a minimum cell size. First, for each cooperation region, the location with the minimum rate coverage probability - the worst-case point - is determined. Next, accurate closed-form approximations are obtained for the worst-case rate coverage probability. The approximations presented are useful for the quick assessment of network performance and can be utilized in parametric studies for network design. Here, they are applied to obtain the required density of BSs to achieve a target rate coverage probability. As an added benefit, the formulation here quantifies the penalty in moving from a regular BS deployment (the grid model) to a random BS deployment (the PPP model).
1302.1596
Tag-based Semantic Website Recommendation for Turkish Language
cs.IR
With the dramatic increase in the number of websites on the internet, tagging has become popular for finding related, personal and important documents. When the potentially increasing internet markets are analyzed, Turkey, in which most of the people use Turkish language on the internet, found to be exponentially increasing. In this paper, a tag-based website recommendation method is presented, where similarity measures are combined with semantic relationships of tags. In order to evaluate the system, an experiment with 25 people from Turkey is undertaken and participants are firstly asked to provide websites and tags in Turkish and then they are asked to evaluate recommended websites.
1302.1601
On the Capacity Region for Index Coding
cs.IT math.IT
A new inner bound on the capacity region of a general index coding problem is established. Unlike most existing bounds that are based on graph theoretic or algebraic tools, the bound is built on a random coding scheme and optimal decoding, and has a simple polymatroidal single-letter expression. The utility of the inner bound is demonstrated by examples that include the capacity region for all index coding problems with up to five messages (there are 9846 nonisomorphic ones).
1302.1610
Adaptive low rank and sparse decomposition of video using compressive sensing
cs.IT cs.CV math.IT
We address the problem of reconstructing and analyzing surveillance videos using compressive sensing. We develop a new method that performs video reconstruction by low rank and sparse decomposition adaptively. Background subtraction becomes part of the reconstruction. In our method, a background model is used in which the background is learned adaptively as the compressive measurements are processed. The adaptive method has low latency, and is more robust than previous methods. We will present experimental results to demonstrate the advantages of the proposed method.
1302.1611
Bounded regret in stochastic multi-armed bandits
math.ST cs.LG stat.ML stat.TH
We study the stochastic multi-armed bandit problem when one knows the value $\mu^{(\star)}$ of an optimal arm, as a well as a positive lower bound on the smallest positive gap $\Delta$. We propose a new randomized policy that attains a regret {\em uniformly bounded over time} in this setting. We also prove several lower bounds, which show in particular that bounded regret is not possible if one only knows $\Delta$, and bounded regret of order $1/\Delta$ is not possible if one only knows $\mu^{(\star)}$
1302.1612
Arabic text summarization based on latent semantic analysis to enhance arabic documents clustering
cs.IR cs.CL
Arabic Documents Clustering is an important task for obtaining good results with the traditional Information Retrieval (IR) systems especially with the rapid growth of the number of online documents present in Arabic language. Documents clustering aim to automatically group similar documents in one cluster using different similarity/distance measures. This task is often affected by the documents length, useful information on the documents is often accompanied by a large amount of noise, and therefore it is necessary to eliminate this noise while keeping useful information to boost the performance of Documents clustering. In this paper, we propose to evaluate the impact of text summarization using the Latent Semantic Analysis Model on Arabic Documents Clustering in order to solve problems cited above, using five similarity/distance measures: Euclidean Distance, Cosine Similarity, Jaccard Coefficient, Pearson Correlation Coefficient and Averaged Kullback-Leibler Divergence, for two times: without and with stemming. Our experimental results indicate that our proposed approach effectively solves the problems of noisy information and documents length, and thus significantly improve the clustering performance.
1302.1626
On the Classification of Extremal Doubly Even Self-Dual Codes with 2-Transitive Automorphism Group
math.CO cs.IT math.GR math.IT
In this note, we complete the classification of extremal doubly even self-dual codes with 2-transitive automorphism groups.
1302.1638
Discovery of Maximal Frequent Item Sets using Subset Creation
cs.DB
Data mining is the practice to search large amount of data to discover data patterns. Data mining uses mathematical algorithms to group the data and evaluate the future events. Association rule is a research area in the field of knowledge discovery. Many data mining researchers had improved upon the quality of association rule for business development by incorporating influential factors like utility, number of items sold and for the mining of association data patterns. In this paper, we propose an efficient algorithm to find maximal frequent itemset first. Most of the association rule algorithms used to find minimal frequent item first, then with the help of minimal frequent itemsets derive the maximal frequent itemsets, these methods consume more time to find maximal frequent itemsets. To overcome this problem, we propose a new approach to find maximal frequent itemset directly using the concepts of subsets. The proposed method is found to be efficient in finding maximal frequent itemsets.
1302.1649
Eye-GUIDE (Eye-Gaze User Interface Design) Messaging for Physically-Impaired People
cs.HC cs.CV
Eye-GUIDE is an assistive communication tool designed for the paralyzed or physically impaired people who were unable to move parts of their bodies especially people whose communications are limited only to eye movements. The prototype consists of a camera and a computer. Camera captures images then it will be send to the computer, where the computer will be the one to interpret the data. Thus, Eye-GUIDE focuses on camera-based gaze tracking. The proponent designed the prototype to perform simple tasks and provides graphical user interface in order the paralyzed or physically impaired person can easily use it.
1302.1669
Possible and Necessary Winner Problem in Social Polls
cs.GT cs.AI cs.DS cs.SI
Social networks are increasingly being used to conduct polls. We introduce a simple model of such social polling. We suppose agents vote sequentially, but the order in which agents choose to vote is not necessarily fixed. We also suppose that an agent's vote is influenced by the votes of their friends who have already voted. Despite its simplicity, this model provides useful insights into a number of areas including social polling, sequential voting, and manipulation. We prove that the number of candidates and the network structure affect the computational complexity of computing which candidate necessarily or possibly can win in such a social poll. For social networks with bounded treewidth and a bounded number of candidates, we provide polynomial algorithms for both problems. In other cases, we prove that computing which candidates necessarily or possibly win are computationally intractable.
1302.1690
A Fast Learning Algorithm for Image Segmentation with Max-Pooling Convolutional Networks
cs.CV
We present a fast algorithm for training MaxPooling Convolutional Networks to segment images. This type of network yields record-breaking performance in a variety of tasks, but is normally trained on a computationally expensive patch-by-patch basis. Our new method processes each training image in a single pass, which is vastly more efficient. We validate the approach in different scenarios and report a 1500-fold speed-up. In an application to automated steel defect detection and segmentation, we obtain excellent performance with short training times.
1302.1700
Fast Image Scanning with Deep Max-Pooling Convolutional Neural Networks
cs.CV cs.AI
Deep Neural Networks now excel at image classification, detection and segmentation. When used to scan images by means of a sliding window, however, their high computational complexity can bring even the most powerful hardware to its knees. We show how dynamic programming can speedup the process by orders of magnitude, even when max-pooling layers are present.
1302.1726
Uncovering the Wider Structure of Extreme Right Communities Spanning Popular Online Networks
cs.SI physics.soc-ph
Recent years have seen increased interest in the online presence of extreme right groups. Although originally composed of dedicated websites, the online extreme right milieu now spans multiple networks, including popular social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. Ideally therefore, any contemporary analysis of online extreme right activity requires the consideration of multiple data sources, rather than being restricted to a single platform. We investigate the potential for Twitter to act as a gateway to communities within the wider online network of the extreme right, given its facility for the dissemination of content. A strategy for representing heterogeneous network data with a single homogeneous network for the purpose of community detection is presented, where these inherently dynamic communities are tracked over time. We use this strategy to discover and analyze persistent English and German language extreme right communities.
1302.1727
Terrorist Network: Towards An Analysis
cs.SI physics.soc-ph
Terrorist network is a paradigms to understand the terrorism. The terrorist involves a lot of people, and among them are involved as perpetrators, but on the contrary it is very difficult to know who they are caused by lack of information. Network structure is used to reveal other things about the terrorist beyond the ability of social sciences.
1302.1733
Feature Selection for Microarray Gene Expression Data using Simulated Annealing guided by the Multivariate Joint Entropy
q-bio.QM cs.CE cs.LG stat.ML
In this work a new way to calculate the multivariate joint entropy is presented. This measure is the basis for a fast information-theoretic based evaluation of gene relevance in a Microarray Gene Expression data context. Its low complexity is based on the reuse of previous computations to calculate current feature relevance. The mu-TAFS algorithm --named as such to differentiate it from previous TAFS algorithms-- implements a simulated annealing technique specially designed for feature subset selection. The algorithm is applied to the maximization of gene subset relevance in several public-domain microarray data sets. The experimental results show a notoriously high classification performance and low size subsets formed by biologically meaningful genes.
1302.1772
An ANN-based Method for Detecting Vocal Fold Pathology
cs.LG cs.CV cs.SD
There are different algorithms for vocal fold pathology diagnosis. These algorithms usually have three stages which are Feature Extraction, Feature Reduction and Classification. While the third stage implies a choice of a variety of machine learning methods, the first and second stages play a critical role in performance and accuracy of the classification system. In this paper we present initial study of feature extraction and feature reduction in the task of vocal fold pathology diagnosis. A new type of feature vector, based on wavelet packet decomposition and Mel-Frequency-Cepstral-Coefficients (MFCCs), is proposed. Also Principal Component Analysis (PCA) is used for feature reduction. An Artificial Neural Network is used as a classifier for evaluating the performance of our proposed method.
1302.1777
Wideband Spectrum Sensing for Cognitive Radio Networks: A Survey
cs.IT math.IT
Cognitive radio has emerged as one of the most promising candidate solutions to improve spectrum utilization in next generation cellular networks. A crucial requirement for future cognitive radio networks is wideband spectrum sensing: secondary users reliably detect spectral opportunities across a wide frequency range. In this article, various wideband spectrum sensing algorithms are presented, together with a discussion of the pros and cons of each algorithm and the challenging issues. Special attention is paid to the use of sub-Nyquist techniques, including compressive sensing and multi-channel sub-Nyquist sampling techniques.
1302.1789
Lensless Compressive Sensing Imaging
cs.CV cs.IT math.IT
In this paper, we propose a lensless compressive sensing imaging architecture. The architecture consists of two components, an aperture assembly and a sensor. No lens is used. The aperture assembly consists of a two dimensional array of aperture elements. The transmittance of each aperture element is independently controllable. The sensor is a single detection element, such as a single photo-conductive cell. Each aperture element together with the sensor defines a cone of a bundle of rays, and the cones of the aperture assembly define the pixels of an image. Each pixel value of an image is the integration of the bundle of rays in a cone. The sensor is used for taking compressive measurements. Each measurement is the integration of rays in the cones modulated by the transmittance of the aperture elements. A compressive sensing matrix is implemented by adjusting the transmittance of the individual aperture elements according to the values of the sensing matrix. The proposed architecture is simple and reliable because no lens is used. Furthermore, the sharpness of an image from our device is only limited by the resolution of the aperture assembly, but not affected by blurring due to defocus. The architecture can be used for capturing images of visible lights, and other spectra such as infrared, or millimeter waves. Such devices may be used in surveillance applications for detecting anomalies or extracting features such as speed of moving objects. Multiple sensors may be used with a single aperture assembly to capture multi-view images simultaneously. A prototype was built by using a LCD panel and a photoelectric sensor for capturing images of visible spectrum.
1302.1836
The Capacity Region of the Wireless Ergodic Fading Interference Channel with Partial CSIT to Within One Bit
cs.IT math.IT
Fundamental capacity limits are studied for the two-user wireless ergodic fading IC with partial Channel State Information at the Transmitters (CSIT) where each transmitter is equipped with an arbitrary deterministic function of the channel state (this model yields a full control over how much state information is available). One of the main challenges in the analysis of fading networks, specifically multi-receiver networks including fading ICs, is to obtain efficient capacity outer bounds. In this paper, a novel capacity outer bound is established for the two-user ergodic fading IC. For this purpose, by a subtle combination of broadcast channel techniques (i.e., manipulating mutual information functions composed of vector random variables by Csiszar-Korner identity) and genie-aided techniques, first a single-letter outer bound characterized by mutual information functions including some auxiliary random variables is derived. Then, by novel arguments the derived bound is optimized over its auxiliaries only using the entropy power inequality. Besides being well-described, our outer bound is efficient from several aspects. Specifically, it is optimal for the fading IC with uniformly strong interference. Also, it is sum-rate optimal for the channel with uniformly mixed interference. More importantly, it is proved that when each transmitter has access to any amount of CSIT that includes the interference to noise ratio of its non-corresponding receiver, the outer bound differs by no more than one bit from the achievable rate region given by Han-Kobayashi scheme. This result is viewed as a natural generalization of the ETW to within one bit capacity result for the static channel to the wireless ergodic fading case.
1302.1837
On the Capacity Region of the Two-User Interference Channel
cs.IT math.IT
One of the key open problems in network information theory is to obtain the capacity region for the two-user Interference Channel (IC). In this paper, new results are derived for this channel. As a first result, a noisy interference regime is given for the general IC where the sum-rate capacity is achieved by treating interference as noise at the receivers. To obtain this result, a single-letter outer bound in terms of some auxiliary random variables is first established for the sum-rate capacity of the general IC and then those conditions under which this outer bound is reduced to the achievable sum-rate given by the simple treating interference as noise strategy are specified. The main benefit of this approach is that it is applicable for any two-user IC (potentially non-Gaussian). For the special case of Gaussian channel, our result is reduced to the noisy interference regime that was previously obtained. Next, some results are given on the Han-Kobayashi (HK) achievable rate region. The evaluation of this rate region is in general difficult. In this paper, a simple characterization of the HK rate region is derived for some special cases, specifically, for a novel very weak interference regime. As a remarkable characteristic, it is shown that for this very weak interference regime, the achievable sum-rate due to the HK region is identical to the one given by the simple treating interference as noise strategy.
1302.1842
Adaptive Compressive Spectrum Sensing for Wideband Cognitive Radios
cs.IT math.IT
This letter presents an adaptive spectrum sensing algorithm that detects wideband spectrum using sub-Nyquist sampling rates. By taking advantage of compressed sensing (CS), the proposed algorithm reconstructs the wideband spectrum from compressed samples. Furthermore, an l2 norm validation approach is proposed that enables cognitive radios (CRs) to automatically terminate the signal acquisition once the current spectral recovery is satisfactory, leading to enhanced CR throughput. Numerical results show that the proposed algorithm can not only shorten the spectrum sensing interval, but also improve the throughput of wideband CRs.
1302.1845
Linked-Cluster Technique for Finding the Distance of a Quantum LDPC Code
quant-ph cs.IT math.IT
We present a linked-cluster technique for calculating the distance of a quantum LDPC code. It offers an advantage over existing deterministic techniques for codes with small relative distances (which includes all known families of quantum LDPC codes), and over the probabilistic technique for codes with sufficiently high rates.
1302.1847
Wideband Spectrum Sensing with Sub-Nyquist Sampling in Cognitive Radios
cs.IT math.IT
Multi-rate asynchronous sub-Nyquist sampling (MASS) is proposed for wideband spectrum sensing. Corresponding spectral recovery conditions are derived and the probability of successful recovery is given. Compared to previous approaches, MASS offers lower sampling rate, and is an attractive approach for cognitive radio networks.
1302.1857
Relaying Technologies for Smart Grid Communications
cs.IT cs.NI math.IT
Wireless technologies can support a broad range of smart grid applications including advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) and demand response (DR). However, there are many formidable challenges when wireless technologies are applied to the smart gird, e.g., the tradeoffs between wireless coverage and capacity, the high reliability requirement for communication, and limited spectral resources. Relaying has emerged as one of the most promising candidate solutions for addressing these issues. In this article, an introduction to various relaying strategies is presented, together with a discussion of how to improve spectral efficiency and coverage in relay-based information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure for smart grid applications. Special attention is paid to the use of unidirectional relaying, collaborative beamforming, and bidirectional relaying strategies.