id
stringlengths
9
16
title
stringlengths
4
278
categories
stringlengths
5
104
abstract
stringlengths
6
4.09k
1303.6919
A Partial Decode-Forward Scheme For A Network with N relays
cs.IT math.IT
We study a discrete-memoryless relay network consisting of one source, one destination and N relays, and design a scheme based on partial decode-forward relaying. The source splits its message into one common and N+1 private parts, one intended for each relay. It encodes these message parts using Nth-order block Markov coding, in which each private message part is independently superimposed on the common parts of the current and N previous blocks. Using simultaneous sliding window decoding, each relay fully recovers the common message and its intended private message with the same block index, then forwards them to the following nodes in the next block. This scheme can be applied to any network topology. We derive its achievable rate in a compact form. The result reduces to a known decode-forward lower bound for an N-relay network and partial decode-forward lower bound for a two-level relay network. We then apply the scheme to a Gaussian two-level relay network and obtain its capacity lower bound considering power constraints at the transmitting nodes.
1303.6926
A Comparative Analysis on the Applicability of Entropy in remote sensing
cs.CV
Entropy is the measure of uncertainty in any data and is adopted for maximisation of mutual information in many remote sensing operations. The availability of wide entropy variations motivated us for an investigation over the suitability preference of these versions to specific operations. Methodologies were implemented in Matlab and were enhanced with entropy variations. Evaluation of various implementations was based on different statistical parameters with reference to the study area The popular available versions like Tsalli's, Shanon's, and Renyi's entropies were analysed in context of various remote sensing operations namely thresholding, clustering and registration.
1303.6927
An investigation towards wavelet based optimization of automatic image registration techniques
cs.CV
Image registration is the process of transforming different sets of data into one coordinate system and is required for various remote sensing applications like change detection, image fusion, and other related areas. The effect of increased relief displacement, requirement of more control points, and increased data volume are the challenges associated with the registration of high resolution image data. The objective of this research work is to study the most efficient techniques and to investigate the extent of improvement achievable by enhancing them with Wavelet transform. The SIFT feature based method uses the Eigen value for extracting thousands of key points based on scale invariant features and these feature points when further enhanced by the wavelet transform yields the best results.
1303.6932
Bipolar Fuzzy Soft sets and its applications in decision making problem
cs.AI
In this article, we combine the concept of a bipolar fuzzy set and a soft set. We introduce the notion of bipolar fuzzy soft set and study fundamental properties. We study basic operations on bipolar fuzzy soft set. We define exdended union, intersection of two bipolar fuzzy soft set. We also give an application of bipolar fuzzy soft set into decision making problem. We give a general algorithm to solve decision making problems by using bipolar fuzzy soft set.
1303.6935
Efficiently Using Second Order Information in Large l1 Regularization Problems
stat.ML cs.LG
We propose a novel general algorithm LHAC that efficiently uses second-order information to train a class of large-scale l1-regularized problems. Our method executes cheap iterations while achieving fast local convergence rate by exploiting the special structure of a low-rank matrix, constructed via quasi-Newton approximation of the Hessian of the smooth loss function. A greedy active-set strategy, based on the largest violations in the dual constraints, is employed to maintain a working set that iteratively estimates the complement of the optimal active set. This allows for smaller size of subproblems and eventually identifies the optimal active set. Empirical comparisons confirm that LHAC is highly competitive with several recently proposed state-of-the-art specialized solvers for sparse logistic regression and sparse inverse covariance matrix selection.
1303.6977
ABC Reinforcement Learning
stat.ML cs.LG
This paper introduces a simple, general framework for likelihood-free Bayesian reinforcement learning, through Approximate Bayesian Computation (ABC). The main advantage is that we only require a prior distribution on a class of simulators (generative models). This is useful in domains where an analytical probabilistic model of the underlying process is too complex to formulate, but where detailed simulation models are available. ABC-RL allows the use of any Bayesian reinforcement learning technique, even in this case. In addition, it can be seen as an extension of rollout algorithms to the case where we do not know what the correct model to draw rollouts from is. We experimentally demonstrate the potential of this approach in a comparison with LSPI. Finally, we introduce a theorem showing that ABC is a sound methodology in principle, even when non-sufficient statistics are used.
1303.7000
Index Coding Capacity: How far can one go with only Shannon Inequalities?
cs.IT math.IT
An interference alignment perspective is used to identify the simplest instances (minimum possible number of edges in the alignment graph, no more than 2 interfering messages at any destination) of index coding problems where non-Shannon information inequalities are necessary for capacity characterization. In particular, this includes the first known example of a multiple unicast (one destination per message) index coding problem where non-Shannon information inequalities are shown to be necessary. The simplest multiple unicast example has 7 edges in the alignment graph and 11 messages. The simplest multiple groupcast (multiple destinations per message) example has 6 edges in the alignment graph, 6 messages, and 10 receivers. For both the simplest multiple unicast and multiple groupcast instances, the best outer bound based on only Shannon inequalities is $\frac{2}{5}$, which is tightened to $\frac{11}{28}$ by the use of the Zhang-Yeung non-Shannon type information inequality, and the linear capacity is shown to be $\frac{5}{13}$ using the Ingleton inequality. Conversely, identifying the minimal challenging aspects of the index coding problem allows an expansion of the class of solved index coding problems up to (but not including) these instances.
1303.7015
A Multiobjective State Transition Algorithm for Single Machine Scheduling
math.OC cs.IT math.CO math.IT
In this paper, a discrete state transition algorithm is introduced to solve a multiobjective single machine job shop scheduling problem. In the proposed approach, a non-dominated sort technique is used to select the best from a candidate state set, and a Pareto archived strategy is adopted to keep all the non-dominated solutions. Compared with the enumeration and other heuristics, experimental results have demonstrated the effectiveness of the multiobjective state transition algorithm.
1303.7020
Symmetries of Codeword Stabilized Quantum Codes
quant-ph cs.IT math.IT
Symmetry is at the heart of coding theory. Codes with symmetry, especially cyclic codes, play an essential role in both theory and practical applications of classical error-correcting codes. Here we examine symmetry properties for codeword stabilized (CWS) quantum codes, which is the most general framework for constructing quantum error-correcting codes known to date. A CWS code Q can be represented by a self-dual additive code S and a classical code C, i.,e., Q=(S,C), however this representation is in general not unique. We show that for any CWS code Q with certain permutation symmetry, one can always find a self-dual additive code S with the same permutation symmetry as Q such that Q=(S,C). As many good CWS codes have been found by starting from a chosen S, this ensures that when trying to find CWS codes with certain permutation symmetry, the choice of S with the same symmetry will suffice. A key step for this result is a new canonical representation for CWS codes, which is given in terms of a unique decomposition as union stabilizer codes. For CWS codes, so far mainly the standard form (G,C) has been considered, where G is a graph state. We analyze the symmetry of the corresponding graph of G, which in general cannot possess the same permutation symmetry as Q. We show that it is indeed the case for the toric code on a square lattice with translational symmetry, even if its encoding graph can be chosen to be translational invariant.
1303.7026
Minimum Energy Source Coding for Asymmetric Modulation with Application to RFID
cs.IT math.IT
Minimum energy (ME) source coding is an effective technique for efficient communication with energy-constrained devices, such as sensor network nodes. In this paper, the principles of generalized ME source coding is developed that is broadly applicable. Two scenarios - fixed and variable length codewords - are analyzed. The application of this technique to RFID systems where ME source coding is particularly advantageous due to the asymmetric nature of data communications is demonstrated, a first to the best of our knowledge.
1303.7030
Energy Efficient Cooperative Strategies for Relay-Assisted Downlink Cellular Systems, Part I: Theoretical Framework
cs.IT math.IT
The impact of cognition on the energy efficiency of a downlink cellular system in which multiple relays assist the transmission of the base station is considered. The problem is motivated by the practical importance of relay-assisted solutions in mobile networks, such as LTE-A, in which cooperation among relays holds the promise of greatly improving the energy efficiency of the system. We study the fundamental tradeoff between the power consumption at the base station and the level of cooperation and cognition at the relay nodes. By distributing the same message to multiple relays, the base station consumes more power but it enables cooperation among the relays, thus making the transmission between relays to destination a multiuser cognitive channel. Cooperation among the relays allows for a reduction of the power used to transmit from the relays to the end users due to interference management and the coherent combining gains. These gain are present even in the case of partial or unidirectional transmitter cooperation, which is the case in cognitive channels such as the cognitive interference channel and the interference channel with a cognitive relay. We therefore address the problem of determining the optimal level of cooperation at the relays which results in the smallest total power consumption when accounting for the power reduction due to cognition. A practical design examples and numerical simulation are presented in a companion paper (part II).
1303.7032
A Massively Parallel Associative Memory Based on Sparse Neural Networks
cs.AI cs.DC cs.NE
Associative memories store content in such a way that the content can be later retrieved by presenting the memory with a small portion of the content, rather than presenting the memory with an address as in more traditional memories. Associative memories are used as building blocks for algorithms within database engines, anomaly detection systems, compression algorithms, and face recognition systems. A classical example of an associative memory is the Hopfield neural network. Recently, Gripon and Berrou have introduced an alternative construction which builds on ideas from the theory of error correcting codes and which greatly outperforms the Hopfield network in capacity, diversity, and efficiency. In this paper we implement a variation of the Gripon-Berrou associative memory on a general purpose graphical processing unit (GPU). The work of Gripon and Berrou proposes two retrieval rules, sum-of-sum and sum-of-max. The sum-of-sum rule uses only matrix-vector multiplication and is easily implemented on the GPU. The sum-of-max rule is much less straightforward to implement because it involves non-linear operations. However, the sum-of-max rule gives significantly better retrieval error rates. We propose a hybrid rule tailored for implementation on a GPU which achieves a 880-fold speedup without sacrificing any accuracy.
1303.7034
Energy Efficient Cooperative Strategies for Relay-Assisted Downlink Cellular Systems Part II: Practical Design
cs.IT math.IT
In a companion paper [1], we present a general approach to evaluate the impact of cognition in a downlink cellular system in which multiple relays assist the transmission of the base station. This approach is based on a novel theoretical tool which produces transmission schemes involving rate-splitting, superposition coding and interference decoding for a network with any number of relays and receivers. This second part focuses on a practical design example for a network in which a base station transmits to three receivers with the aid of two relay nodes. For this simple network, we explicitly evaluate the impact of relay cognition and precisely characterize the trade offs between the total energy consumption and the rate improvements provided by relay cooperation. These closedform expressions provide important insights on the role of cognition in larger networks and highlights interesting interference management strategies. We also present a numerical simulation setup in which we fully automate the derivation of achievable rate region for a general relay-assisted downlink cellular network. Our simulations clearly show the great advantages provided by cooperative strategies at the relays as compared to the uncoordinated scenario under varying channel conditions and target rates. These results are obtained by considering a large number of transmission strategies for different levels of relay cognition and numerically determining one that is the most energy efficient. The limited computational complexity of the numerical evaluations makes this approach suitable for the optimization of transmission strategies for larger networks.
1303.7039
Joint Resource Partitioning and Offloading in Heterogeneous Cellular Networks
cs.IT math.IT
In heterogeneous cellular networks (HCNs), it is desirable to offload mobile users to small cells, which are typically significantly less congested than the macrocells. To achieve sufficient load balancing, the offloaded users often have much lower SINR than they would on the macrocell. This SINR degradation can be partially alleviated through interference avoidance, for example time or frequency resource partitioning, whereby the macrocell turns off in some fraction of such resources. Naturally, the optimal offloading strategy is tightly coupled with resource partitioning; the optimal amount of which in turn depends on how many users have been offloaded. In this paper, we propose a general and tractable framework for modeling and analyzing joint resource partitioning and offloading in a two-tier cellular network. With it, we are able to derive the downlink rate distribution over the entire network, and an optimal strategy for joint resource partitioning and offloading. We show that load balancing, by itself, is insufficient, and resource partitioning is required in conjunction with offloading to improve the rate of cell edge users in co-channel heterogeneous networks.
1303.7043
Inductive Hashing on Manifolds
cs.LG
Learning based hashing methods have attracted considerable attention due to their ability to greatly increase the scale at which existing algorithms may operate. Most of these methods are designed to generate binary codes that preserve the Euclidean distance in the original space. Manifold learning techniques, in contrast, are better able to model the intrinsic structure embedded in the original high-dimensional data. The complexity of these models, and the problems with out-of-sample data, have previously rendered them unsuitable for application to large-scale embedding, however. In this work, we consider how to learn compact binary embeddings on their intrinsic manifolds. In order to address the above-mentioned difficulties, we describe an efficient, inductive solution to the out-of-sample data problem, and a process by which non-parametric manifold learning may be used as the basis of a hashing method. Our proposed approach thus allows the development of a range of new hashing techniques exploiting the flexibility of the wide variety of manifold learning approaches available. We particularly show that hashing on the basis of t-SNE .
1303.7048
Convergence of a data-driven time-frequency analysis method
math.NA cs.IT math.IT
In a recent paper, Hou and Shi introduced a new adaptive data analysis method to analyze nonlinear and non-stationary data. The main idea is to look for the sparsest representation of multiscale data within the largest possible dictionary consisting of intrinsic mode functions of the form $\{a(t) \cos(\theta(t))\}$, where $a \in V(\theta)$, $V(\theta)$ consists of the functions smoother than $\cos(\theta(t))$ and $\theta'\ge 0$. This problem was formulated as a nonlinear $L^0$ optimization problem and an iterative nonlinear matching pursuit method was proposed to solve this nonlinear optimization problem. In this paper, we prove the convergence of this nonlinear matching pursuit method under some sparsity assumption on the signal. We consider both well-resolved and sparse sampled signals. In the case without noise, we prove that our method gives exact recovery of the original signal.
1303.7054
Wireless Broadcast with Physical-Layer Network Coding
cs.IT cs.NI math.IT
This work investigates the maximum broadcast throughput and its achievability in multi-hop wireless networks with half-duplex node constraint. We allow the use of physical-layer network coding (PNC). Although the use of PNC for unicast has been extensively studied, there has been little prior work on PNC for broadcast. Our specific results are as follows: 1) For single-source broadcast, the theoretical throughput upper bound is n/(n+1), where n is the "min vertex-cut" size of the network. 2) In general, the throughput upper bound is not always achievable. 3) For grid and many other networks, the throughput upper bound n/(n+1) is achievable. Our work can be considered as an attempt to understand the relationship between max-flow and min-cut in half-duplex broadcast networks with cycles (there has been prior work on networks with cycles, but not half-duplex broadcast networks).
1303.7077
On the speed of constraint propagation and the time complexity of arc consistency testing
cs.LO cs.AI
Establishing arc consistency on two relational structures is one of the most popular heuristics for the constraint satisfaction problem. We aim at determining the time complexity of arc consistency testing. The input structures $G$ and $H$ can be supposed to be connected colored graphs, as the general problem reduces to this particular case. We first observe the upper bound $O(e(G)v(H)+v(G)e(H))$, which implies the bound $O(e(G)e(H))$ in terms of the number of edges and the bound $O((v(G)+v(H))^3)$ in terms of the number of vertices. We then show that both bounds are tight up to a constant factor as long as an arc consistency algorithm is based on constraint propagation (like any algorithm currently known). Our argument for the lower bounds is based on examples of slow constraint propagation. We measure the speed of constraint propagation observed on a pair $G,H$ by the size of a proof, in a natural combinatorial proof system, that Spoiler wins the existential 2-pebble game on $G,H$. The proof size is bounded from below by the game length $D(G,H)$, and a crucial ingredient of our analysis is the existence of $G,H$ with $D(G,H)=\Omega(v(G)v(H))$. We find one such example among old benchmark instances for the arc consistency problem and also suggest a new, different construction.
1303.7083
The Finite State MAC with Cooperative Encoders and Delayed CSI
cs.IT math.IT
In this paper, we consider the finite-state multiple access channel (MAC) with partially cooperative encoders and delayed channel state information (CSI). Here partial cooperation refers to the communication between the encoders via finite-capacity links. The channel states are assumed to be governed by a Markov process. Full CSI is assumed at the receiver, while at the transmitters, only delayed CSI is available. The capacity region of this channel model is derived by first solving the case of the finite-state MAC with a common message. Achievability for the latter case is established using the notion of strategies, however, we show that optimal codes can be constructed directly over the input alphabet. This results in a single codebook construction that is then leveraged to apply simultaneous joint decoding. Simultaneous decoding is crucial here because it circumvents the need to rely on the capacity region's corner points, a task that becomes increasingly cumbersome with the growth in the number of messages to be sent. The common message result is then used to derive the capacity region for the case with partially cooperating encoders. Next, we apply this general result to the special case of the Gaussian vector MAC with diagonal channel transfer matrices, which is suitable for modeling, e.g., orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM)-based communication systems. The capacity region of the Gaussian channel is presented in terms of a convex optimization problem that can be solved efficiently using numerical tools. The region is derived by first presenting an outer bound on the general capacity region and then suggesting a specific input distribution that achieves this bound. Finally, numerical results are provided that give valuable insight into the practical implications of optimally using conferencing to maximize the transmission rates.
1303.7085
Semantic Matching of Security Policies to Support Security Experts
cs.CR cs.AI
Management of security policies has become increasingly difficult given the number of domains to manage, taken into consideration their extent and their complexity. Security experts has to deal with a variety of frameworks and specification languages used in different domains that may belong to any Cloud Computing or Distributed Systems. This wealth of frameworks and languages make the management task and the interpretation of the security policies so difficult. Each approach provides its own conflict management method or tool, the security expert will be forced to manage all these tools, which makes the field maintenance and time consuming expensive. In order to hide this complexity and to facilitate some security experts tasks and automate the others, we propose a security policies aligning based on ontologies process; this process enables to detect and resolve security policies conflicts and to support security experts in managing tasks.
1303.7093
Relevance As a Metric for Evaluating Machine Learning Algorithms
stat.ML cs.LG
In machine learning, the choice of a learning algorithm that is suitable for the application domain is critical. The performance metric used to compare different algorithms must also reflect the concerns of users in the application domain under consideration. In this work, we propose a novel probability-based performance metric called Relevance Score for evaluating supervised learning algorithms. We evaluate the proposed metric through empirical analysis on a dataset gathered from an intelligent lighting pilot installation. In comparison to the commonly used Classification Accuracy metric, the Relevance Score proves to be more appropriate for a certain class of applications.
1303.7103
Decentralized Eigenvalue Algorithms for Distributed Signal Detection in Cognitive Networks
cs.DC cs.MA
In this paper we derive and analyze two algorithms -- referred to as decentralized power method (DPM) and decentralized Lanczos algorithm (DLA) -- for distributed computation of one (the largest) or multiple eigenvalues of a sample covariance matrix over a wireless network. The proposed algorithms, based on sequential average consensus steps for computations of matrix-vector products and inner vector products, are first shown to be equivalent to their centralized counterparts in the case of exact distributed consensus. Then, closed-form expressions of the error introduced by non-ideal consensus are derived for both algorithms. The error of the DPM is shown to vanish asymptotically under given conditions on the sequence of consensus errors. Finally, we consider applications to spectrum sensing in cognitive radio networks, and we show that virtually all eigenvalue-based tests proposed in the literature can be implemented in a distributed setting using either the DPM or the DLA. Simulation results are presented that validate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithms in conditions of practical interest (large-scale networks, small number of samples, and limited number of iterations).
1303.7117
Confidence sets for persistence diagrams
math.ST cs.CG cs.LG stat.TH
Persistent homology is a method for probing topological properties of point clouds and functions. The method involves tracking the birth and death of topological features (2000) as one varies a tuning parameter. Features with short lifetimes are informally considered to be "topological noise," and those with a long lifetime are considered to be "topological signal." In this paper, we bring some statistical ideas to persistent homology. In particular, we derive confidence sets that allow us to separate topological signal from topological noise.
1303.7127
Hardware Architecture for List SC Decoding of Polar Codes
cs.IT cs.AR math.IT
We present a hardware architecture and algorithmic improvements for list SC decoding of polar codes. More specifically, we show how to completely avoid copying of the likelihoods, which is algorithmically the most cumbersome part of list SC decoding. The hardware architecture was synthesized for a blocklength of N = 1024 bits and list sizes L = 2, 4 using a UMC 90nm VLSI technology. The resulting decoder can achieve a coded throughput of 181 Mbps at a frequency of 459 MHz.
1303.7137
Discrete Optimization of Statistical Sample Sizes in Simulation by Using the Hierarchical Bootstrap Method
cs.AI
The Bootstrap method application in simulation supposes that value of random variables are not generated during the simulation process but extracted from available sample populations. In the case of Hierarchical Bootstrap the function of interest is calculated recurrently using the calculation tree. In the present paper we consider the optimization of sample sizes in each vertex of the calculation tree. The dynamic programming method is used for this aim. Proposed method allows to decrease a variance of system characteristic estimators.
1303.7144
#Bigbirds Never Die: Understanding Social Dynamics of Emergent Hashtag
cs.SI physics.data-an physics.soc-ph
We examine the growth, survival, and context of 256 novel hashtags during the 2012 U.S. presidential debates. Our analysis reveals the trajectories of hashtag use fall into two distinct classes: "winners" that emerge more quickly and are sustained for longer periods of time than other "also-rans" hashtags. We propose a "conversational vibrancy" framework to capture dynamics of hashtags based on their topicality, interactivity, diversity, and prominence. Statistical analyses of the growth and persistence of hashtags reveal novel relationships between features of this framework and the relative success of hashtags. Specifically, retweets always contribute to faster hashtag adoption, replies extend the life of "winners" while having no effect on "also-rans." This is the first study on the lifecycle of hashtag adoption and use in response to purely exogenous shocks. We draw on theories of uses and gratification, organizational ecology, and language evolution to discuss these findings and their implications for understanding social influence and collective action in social media more generally.
1303.7149
Usage-based vs. Citation-based Methods for Recommending Scholarly Research Articles
cs.DL cs.IR
There are two principal data sources for collaborative filtering recommenders in scholarly digital libraries: usage data obtained from harvesting a large, distributed collection of Open URL web logs and citation data obtained from the journal articles. This study explores the characteristics of recommendations generated by implementations of these two methods: the 'bX' system by ExLibris and an experimental citation-based recommender, Sarkanto. Recommendations from each system were compared according to their semantic similarity to the seed article that was used to generate them. Since the full text of the articles was not available for all the recommendations in both systems, the semantic similarity between the seed article and the recommended articles was deemed to be the semantic distance between the journals in which the articles were published. The semantic distance between journals was computed from the "semantic vectors" distance between all the terms in the full-text of the available articles in that journal and this study shows that citation-based recommendations are more semantically diverse than usage-based ones. These recommenders are complementary since most of the time, when one recommender produces recommendations the other does not.
1303.7186
Large-Scale Automatic Reconstruction of Neuronal Processes from Electron Microscopy Images
q-bio.NC cs.CV
Automated sample preparation and electron microscopy enables acquisition of very large image data sets. These technical advances are of special importance to the field of neuroanatomy, as 3D reconstructions of neuronal processes at the nm scale can provide new insight into the fine grained structure of the brain. Segmentation of large-scale electron microscopy data is the main bottleneck in the analysis of these data sets. In this paper we present a pipeline that provides state-of-the art reconstruction performance while scaling to data sets in the GB-TB range. First, we train a random forest classifier on interactive sparse user annotations. The classifier output is combined with an anisotropic smoothing prior in a Conditional Random Field framework to generate multiple segmentation hypotheses per image. These segmentations are then combined into geometrically consistent 3D objects by segmentation fusion. We provide qualitative and quantitative evaluation of the automatic segmentation and demonstrate large-scale 3D reconstructions of neuronal processes from a $\mathbf{27,000}$ $\mathbf{\mu m^3}$ volume of brain tissue over a cube of $\mathbf{30 \; \mu m}$ in each dimension corresponding to 1000 consecutive image sections. We also introduce Mojo, a proofreading tool including semi-automated correction of merge errors based on sparse user scribbles.
1303.7197
Network Codes for Real-Time Applications
cs.NI cs.IT math.IT
We consider the scenario of broadcasting for real-time applications and loss recovery via instantly decodable network coding. Past work focused on minimizing the completion delay, which is not the right objective for real-time applications that have strict deadlines. In this work, we are interested in finding a code that is instantly decodable by the maximum number of users. First, we prove that this problem is NP-Hard in the general case. Then we consider the practical probabilistic scenario, where users have i.i.d. loss probability and the number of packets is linear or polynomial in the number of users. In this scenario, we provide a polynomial-time (in the number of users) algorithm that finds the optimal coded packet. The proposed algorithm is evaluated using both simulation and real network traces of a real-time Android application. Both results show that the proposed coding scheme significantly outperforms the state-of-the-art baselines: an optimal repetition code and a COPE-like greedy scheme.
1303.7200
Design for a Darwinian Brain: Part 1. Philosophy and Neuroscience
cs.AI q-bio.NC
Physical symbol systems are needed for open-ended cognition. A good way to understand physical symbol systems is by comparison of thought to chemistry. Both have systematicity, productivity and compositionality. The state of the art in cognitive architectures for open-ended cognition is critically assessed. I conclude that a cognitive architecture that evolves symbol structures in the brain is a promising candidate to explain open-ended cognition. Part 2 of the paper presents such a cognitive architecture.
1303.7201
Design for a Darwinian Brain: Part 2. Cognitive Architecture
cs.AI
The accumulation of adaptations in an open-ended manner during lifetime learning is a holy grail in reinforcement learning, intrinsic motivation, artificial curiosity, and developmental robotics. We present a specification for a cognitive architecture that is capable of specifying an unlimited range of behaviors. We then give examples of how it can stochastically explore an interesting space of adjacent possible behaviors. There are two main novelties; the first is a proper definition of the fitness of self-generated games such that interesting games are expected to evolve. The second is a modular and evolvable behavior language that has systematicity, productivity, and compositionality, i.e. it is a physical symbol system. A part of the architecture has already been implemented on a humanoid robot.
1303.7225
Evolution of emotions on networks leads to the evolution of cooperation in social dilemmas
physics.soc-ph cond-mat.stat-mech cs.SI q-bio.PE
We show that the resolution of social dilemmas on random graphs and scale-free networks is facilitated by imitating not the strategy of better performing players but rather their emotions. We assume sympathy and envy as the two emotions that determine the strategy of each player by any given interaction, and we define them as probabilities to cooperate with players having a lower and higher payoff, respectively. Starting with a population where all possible combinations of the two emotions are available, the evolutionary process leads to a spontaneous fixation to a single emotional profile that is eventually adopted by all players. However, this emotional profile depends not only on the payoffs but also on the heterogeneity of the interaction network. Homogeneous networks, such as lattices and regular random graphs, lead to fixations that are characterized by high sympathy and high envy, while heterogeneous networks lead to low or modest sympathy but also low envy. Our results thus suggest that public emotions and the propensity to cooperate at large depend, and are in fact determined by the properties of the interaction network.
1303.7226
Detecting Overlapping Temporal Community Structure in Time-Evolving Networks
cs.SI cs.LG physics.soc-ph stat.ML
We present a principled approach for detecting overlapping temporal community structure in dynamic networks. Our method is based on the following framework: find the overlapping temporal community structure that maximizes a quality function associated with each snapshot of the network subject to a temporal smoothness constraint. A novel quality function and a smoothness constraint are proposed to handle overlaps, and a new convex relaxation is used to solve the resulting combinatorial optimization problem. We provide theoretical guarantees as well as experimental results that reveal community structure in real and synthetic networks. Our main insight is that certain structures can be identified only when temporal correlation is considered and when communities are allowed to overlap. In general, discovering such overlapping temporal community structure can enhance our understanding of real-world complex networks by revealing the underlying stability behind their seemingly chaotic evolution.
1303.7264
Scalable Text and Link Analysis with Mixed-Topic Link Models
cs.LG cs.IR cs.SI physics.data-an stat.ML
Many data sets contain rich information about objects, as well as pairwise relations between them. For instance, in networks of websites, scientific papers, and other documents, each node has content consisting of a collection of words, as well as hyperlinks or citations to other nodes. In order to perform inference on such data sets, and make predictions and recommendations, it is useful to have models that are able to capture the processes which generate the text at each node and the links between them. In this paper, we combine classic ideas in topic modeling with a variant of the mixed-membership block model recently developed in the statistical physics community. The resulting model has the advantage that its parameters, including the mixture of topics of each document and the resulting overlapping communities, can be inferred with a simple and scalable expectation-maximization algorithm. We test our model on three data sets, performing unsupervised topic classification and link prediction. For both tasks, our model outperforms several existing state-of-the-art methods, achieving higher accuracy with significantly less computation, analyzing a data set with 1.3 million words and 44 thousand links in a few minutes.
1303.7286
On the symmetrical Kullback-Leibler Jeffreys centroids
cs.IT cs.LG math.IT stat.ML
Due to the success of the bag-of-word modeling paradigm, clustering histograms has become an important ingredient of modern information processing. Clustering histograms can be performed using the celebrated $k$-means centroid-based algorithm. From the viewpoint of applications, it is usually required to deal with symmetric distances. In this letter, we consider the Jeffreys divergence that symmetrizes the Kullback-Leibler divergence, and investigate the computation of Jeffreys centroids. We first prove that the Jeffreys centroid can be expressed analytically using the Lambert $W$ function for positive histograms. We then show how to obtain a fast guaranteed approximation when dealing with frequency histograms. Finally, we conclude with some remarks on the $k$-means histogram clustering.
1303.7287
A rigorous geometry-probability equivalence in characterization of $\ell_1$-optimization
cs.IT math.IT math.OC
In this paper we consider under-determined systems of linear equations that have sparse solutions. This subject attracted enormous amount of interest in recent years primarily due to influential works \cite{CRT,DonohoPol}. In a statistical context it was rigorously established for the first time in \cite{CRT,DonohoPol} that if the number of equations is smaller than but still linearly proportional to the number of unknowns then a sparse vector of sparsity also linearly proportional to the number of unknowns can be recovered through a polynomial $\ell_1$-optimization algorithm (of course, this assuming that such a sparse solution vector exists). Moreover, the geometric approach of \cite{DonohoPol} produced the exact values for the proportionalities in question. In our recent work \cite{StojnicCSetam09} we introduced an alternative statistical approach that produced attainable values of the proportionalities. Those happened to be in an excellent numerical agreement with the ones of \cite{DonohoPol}. In this paper we give a rigorous analytical confirmation that the results of \cite{StojnicCSetam09} indeed match those from \cite{DonohoPol}.
1303.7288
A Full-Diversity Beamforming Scheme in Two-Way Amplified-and-Forward Relay Systems
cs.IT math.IT
Consider a simple two-way relaying channel where two single-antenna sources exchange information via a multiple-antenna relay. To such a scenario, all the existing works which can achieve full diversity order are based on the antenna/relay selection, where the difficulty to design the beamforming lies in the fact that a single beamformer needs to serve two destinations. In this paper, we propose a new full-diversity beamforming scheme which ensures that the relay signals are coherently combined at both destinations. Both analytical and numerical results are provided to demonstrate that this proposed scheme can outperform the existing one based on the antenna selection.
1303.7289
Upper-bounding $\ell_1$-optimization weak thresholds
cs.IT math.IT math.OC
In our recent work \cite{StojnicCSetam09} we considered solving under-determined systems of linear equations with sparse solutions. In a large dimensional and statistical context we proved that if the number of equations in the system is proportional to the length of the unknown vector then there is a sparsity (number of non-zero elements of the unknown vector) also proportional to the length of the unknown vector such that a polynomial $\ell_1$-optimization technique succeeds in solving the system. We provided lower bounds on the proportionality constants that are in a solid numerical agreement with what one can observe through numerical experiments. Here we create a mechanism that can be used to derive the upper bounds on the proportionality constants. Moreover, the upper bounds obtained through such a mechanism match the lower bounds from \cite{StojnicCSetam09} and ultimately make the latter ones optimal.
1303.7291
A framework to characterize performance of LASSO algorithms
cs.IT math.IT math.OC math.PR math.ST stat.TH
In this paper we consider solving \emph{noisy} under-determined systems of linear equations with sparse solutions. A noiseless equivalent attracted enormous attention in recent years, above all, due to work of \cite{CRT,CanRomTao06,DonohoPol} where it was shown in a statistical and large dimensional context that a sparse unknown vector (of sparsity proportional to the length of the vector) can be recovered from an under-determined system via a simple polynomial $\ell_1$-optimization algorithm. \cite{CanRomTao06} further established that even when the equations are \emph{noisy}, one can, through an SOCP noisy equivalent of $\ell_1$, obtain an approximate solution that is (in an $\ell_2$-norm sense) no further than a constant times the noise from the sparse unknown vector. In our recent works \cite{StojnicCSetam09,StojnicUpper10}, we created a powerful mechanism that helped us characterize exactly the performance of $\ell_1$ optimization in the noiseless case (as shown in \cite{StojnicEquiv10} and as it must be if the axioms of mathematics are well set, the results of \cite{StojnicCSetam09,StojnicUpper10} are in an absolute agreement with the corresponding exact ones from \cite{DonohoPol}). In this paper we design a mechanism, as powerful as those from \cite{StojnicCSetam09,StojnicUpper10}, that can handle the analysis of a LASSO type of algorithm (and many others) that can be (or typically are) used for "solving" noisy under-determined systems. Using the mechanism we then, in a statistical context, compute the exact worst-case $\ell_2$ norm distance between the unknown sparse vector and the approximate one obtained through such a LASSO. The obtained results match the corresponding exact ones obtained in \cite{BayMon10,DonMalMon10}. Moreover, as a by-product of our analysis framework we recognize existence of an SOCP type of algorithm that achieves the same performance.
1303.7295
Regularly random duality
cs.IT math.IT math.OC math.PR
In this paper we look at a class of random optimization problems. We discuss ways that can help determine typical behavior of their solutions. When the dimensions of the optimization problems are large such an information often can be obtained without actually solving the original problems. Moreover, we also discover that fairly often one can actually determine many quantities of interest (such as, for example, the typical optimal values of the objective functions) completely analytically. We present a few general ideas and emphasize that the range of applications is enormous.
1303.7296
On Constellations for Physical Layer Network Coded Two-Way Relaying
cs.IT math.IT
Modulation schemes for two-way bidirectional relay network employing two phases: Multiple access (MA) phase and Broadcast (BC) phase and using physical layer network coding are currently studied intensively. Recently, adaptive modulation schemes using Latin Squares to obtain network coding maps with the denoise and forward protocol have been reported with good end-to-end performance. These schemes work based on avoiding the detrimental effects of distance shortening in the effective receive constellation at the end of the MA phase at the relay. The channel fade states that create such distance shortening called singular fade states, are effectively removed using appropriate Latin squares. This scheme as well as all other known schemes studied so far use conventional regular PSK or QAM signal sets for the end users which lead to the relay using different sized constellations for the BC phase depending upon the fade state. In this work, we propose a 4-point signal set that would always require a 4-ary constellation for the BC phase for all the channel fade conditions. We also propose an 8-point constellation that gives better SER performance (gain of 1 dB) than 8-PSK while still using 8-ary constellation for BC phase like the case with 8-PSK. This is in spite of the fact that the proposed 8-point signal set has more number of singular fade states than for 8-PSK.
1303.7310
Exploring the Role of Logically Related Non-Question Phrases for Answering Why-Questions
cs.CL cs.IR
In this paper, we show that certain phrases although not present in a given question/query, play a very important role in answering the question. Exploring the role of such phrases in answering questions not only reduces the dependency on matching question phrases for extracting answers, but also improves the quality of the extracted answers. Here matching question phrases means phrases which co-occur in given question and candidate answers. To achieve the above discussed goal, we introduce a bigram-based word graph model populated with semantic and topical relatedness of terms in the given document. Next, we apply an improved version of ranking with a prior-based approach, which ranks all words in the candidate document with respect to a set of root words (i.e. non-stopwords present in the question and in the candidate document). As a result, terms logically related to the root words are scored higher than terms that are not related to the root words. Experimental results show that our devised system performs better than state-of-the-art for the task of answering Why-questions.
1303.7327
Symmetries in Modal Logics
cs.LO cs.AI
We generalize the notion of symmetries of propositional formulas in conjunctive normal form to modal formulas. Our framework uses the coinductive models and, hence, the results apply to a wide class of modal logics including, for example, hybrid logics. Our main result shows that the symmetries of a modal formula preserve entailment.
1303.7335
Formalizing the Confluence of Orthogonal Rewriting Systems
cs.LO cs.AI cs.PL
Orthogonality is a discipline of programming that in a syntactic manner guarantees determinism of functional specifications. Essentially, orthogonality avoids, on the one side, the inherent ambiguity of non determinism, prohibiting the existence of different rules that specify the same function and that may apply simultaneously (non-ambiguity), and, on the other side, it eliminates the possibility of occurrence of repetitions of variables in the left-hand side of these rules (left linearity). In the theory of term rewriting systems (TRSs) determinism is captured by the well-known property of confluence, that basically states that whenever different computations or simplifications from a term are possible, the computed answers should coincide. Although the proofs are technically elaborated, confluence is well-known to be a consequence of orthogonality. Thus, orthogonality is an important mathematical discipline intrinsic to the specification of recursive functions that is naturally applied in functional programming and specification. Starting from a formalization of the theory of TRSs in the proof assistant PVS, this work describes how confluence of orthogonal TRSs has been formalized, based on axiomatizations of properties of rules, positions and substitutions involved in parallel steps of reduction, in this proof assistant. Proofs for some similar but restricted properties such as the property of confluence of non-ambiguous and (left and right) linear TRSs have been fully formalized.
1303.7377
Evaluating Reputation Systems for Agent Mediated e-Commerce
cs.MA
Agent mediated e-commerce involves buying and selling on Internet through software agents. The success of an agent mediated e-commerce system lies in the underlying reputation management system which is used to improve the quality of services in e-market environment. A reputation system encourages the honest behaviour of seller agents and discourages the malicious behaviour of dishonest seller agents in the e-market where actual traders never meet each other. This paper evaluates various reputation systems for assigning reputation rating to software agents acting on behalf of buyers and sellers in e-market. These models are analysed on the basis of a number of features viz. reputation computation and their defence mechanisms against different attacks. To address the problems of traditional reputation systems which are relatively static in nature, this paper identifies characteristics of a dynamic reputation framework which ensures judicious use of information sharing for inter-agent cooperation and also associates the reputation of an agent with the value of a transaction so that the market approaches an equilibrium state and dishonest agents are weeded out of the market.
1303.7390
Geometric tree kernels: Classification of COPD from airway tree geometry
cs.CV
Methodological contributions: This paper introduces a family of kernels for analyzing (anatomical) trees endowed with vector valued measurements made along the tree. While state-of-the-art graph and tree kernels use combinatorial tree/graph structure with discrete node and edge labels, the kernels presented in this paper can include geometric information such as branch shape, branch radius or other vector valued properties. In addition to being flexible in their ability to model different types of attributes, the presented kernels are computationally efficient and some of them can easily be computed for large datasets (N of the order 10.000) of trees with 30-600 branches. Combining the kernels with standard machine learning tools enables us to analyze the relation between disease and anatomical tree structure and geometry. Experimental results: The kernels are used to compare airway trees segmented from low-dose CT, endowed with branch shape descriptors and airway wall area percentage measurements made along the tree. Using kernelized hypothesis testing we show that the geometric airway trees are significantly differently distributed in patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) than in healthy individuals. The geometric tree kernels also give a significant increase in the classification accuracy of COPD from geometric tree structure endowed with airway wall thickness measurements in comparison with state-of-the-art methods, giving further insight into the relationship between airway wall thickness and COPD. Software: Software for computing kernels and statistical tests is available at http://image.diku.dk/aasa/software.php.
1303.7430
Introducing Nominals to the Combined Query Answering Approaches for EL
cs.AI cs.DB cs.LO
So-called combined approaches answer a conjunctive query over a description logic ontology in three steps: first, they materialise certain consequences of the ontology and the data; second, they evaluate the query over the data; and third, they filter the result of the second phase to eliminate unsound answers. Such approaches were developed for various members of the DL-Lite and the EL families of languages, but none of them can handle ontologies containing nominals. In our work, we bridge this gap and present a combined query answering approach for ELHO---a logic that contains all features of the OWL 2 EL standard apart from transitive roles and complex role inclusions. This extension is nontrivial because nominals require equality reasoning, which introduces complexity into the first and the third step. Our empirical evaluation suggests that our technique is suitable for practical application, and so it provides a practical basis for conjunctive query answering in a large fragment of OWL 2 EL.
1303.7434
A multi-opinion evolving voter model with infinitely many phase transitions
physics.soc-ph cond-mat.dis-nn cs.SI math.PR nlin.AO
We consider an idealized model in which individuals' changing opinions and their social network coevolve, with disagreements between neighbors in the network resolved either through one imitating the opinion of the other or by reassignment of the discordant edge. Specifically, an interaction between $x$ and one of its neighbors $y$ leads to $x$ imitating $y$ with probability $(1-\alpha)$ and otherwise (i.e., with probability $\alpha$) $x$ cutting its tie to $y$ in order to instead connect to a randomly chosen individual. Building on previous work about the two-opinion case, we study the multiple-opinion situation, finding that the model has infinitely many phase transitions. Moreover, the formulas describing the end states of these processes are remarkably simple when expressed as a function of $\beta = \alpha/(1-\alpha)$.
1303.7435
On the security of key distribution based on Johnson-Nyquist noise
quant-ph cs.CR cs.IT math.IT
We point out that arguments for the security of Kish's noise-based cryptographic protocol have relied on an unphysical no-wave limit, which if taken seriously would prevent any correlation from developing between the users. We introduce a noiseless version of the protocol, also having illusory security in the no-wave limit, to show that noise and thermodynamics play no essential role. Then we prove generally that classical electromagnetic protocols cannot establish a secret key between two parties separated by a spacetime region perfectly monitored by an eavesdropper. We note that the original protocol of Kish is vulnerable to passive time-correlation attacks even in the quasi-static limit. Finally we show that protocols of this type can be secure in practice against an eavesdropper with noisy monitoring equipment. In this case the security is a straightforward consequence of Maurer and Wolf's discovery that key can be distilled by public discussion from correlated random variables in a wide range of situations where the eavesdropper's noise is at least partly independent from the users' noise.
1303.7445
Agent-based modeling of a price information trading business
cs.AI q-fin.GN
We describe an agent-based simulation of a fictional (but feasible) information trading business. The Gas Price Information Trader (GPIT) buys information about real-time gas prices in a metropolitan area from drivers and resells the information to drivers who need to refuel their vehicles. Our simulation uses real world geographic data, lifestyle-dependent driving patterns and vehicle models to create an agent-based model of the drivers. We use real world statistics of gas price fluctuation to create scenarios of temporal and spatial distribution of gas prices. The price of the information is determined on a case-by-case basis through a simple negotiation model. The trader and the customers are adapting their negotiation strategies based on their historical profits. We are interested in the general properties of the emerging information market: the amount of realizable profit and its distribution between the trader and customers, the business strategies necessary to keep the market operational (such as promotional deals), the price elasticity of demand and the impact of pricing strategies on the profit.
1303.7454
Constructive Interference in Linear Precoding Systems: Power Allocation and User Selection
cs.IT math.IT
The exploitation of interference in a constructive manner has recently been proposed for the downlink of multiuser, multi-antenna transmitters. This novel linear precoding technique, herein referred to as constructive interference zero forcing (CIZF) precoding, has exhibited substantial gains over conventional approaches; the concept is to cancel, on a symbol-by-symbol basis, only the interfering users that do not add to the intended signal power. In this paper, the power allocation problem towards maximizing the performance of a CIZF system with respect to some metric (throughput or fairness) is investigated. What is more, it is shown that the performance of the novel precoding scheme can be further boosted by choosing some of the constructive multiuser interference terms in the precoder design. Finally, motivated by the significant effect of user selection on conventional, zero forcing (ZF) precoding, the problem of user selection for the novel precoding method is tackled. A new iterative, low complexity algorithm for user selection in CIZF is developed. Simulation results are provided to display the gains of the algorithm compared to known user selection approaches.
1303.7460
Some results related to the conjecture by Belfiore and Sol\'e
cs.IT math.IT math.NT
In the first part of the paper, we consider the relation between kissing number and the secrecy gain. We show that on an $n=24m+8k$-dimensional even unimodular lattice, if the shortest vector length is $\geq 2m$, then as the number of vectors of length $2m$ decreases, the secrecy gain increases. We will also prove a similar result on general unimodular lattices. We will also consider the situations with shorter vectors. Furthermore, assuming the conjecture by Belfiore and Sol\'e, we will calculate the difference between inverses of secrecy gains as the number of vectors varies. We will show by an example that there exist two lattices in the same dimension with the same shortest vector length and the same kissing number, but different secrecy gains. Finally, we consider some cases of a question by Elkies by providing an answer for a special class of lattices assuming the conjecture of Belfiore and Sol\'e. We will also get a conditional improvement on some Gaulter's results concerning the conjecture.
1303.7461
Universal Approximation Depth and Errors of Narrow Belief Networks with Discrete Units
stat.ML cs.LG math.PR
We generalize recent theoretical work on the minimal number of layers of narrow deep belief networks that can approximate any probability distribution on the states of their visible units arbitrarily well. We relax the setting of binary units (Sutskever and Hinton, 2008; Le Roux and Bengio, 2008, 2010; Mont\'ufar and Ay, 2011) to units with arbitrary finite state spaces, and the vanishing approximation error to an arbitrary approximation error tolerance. For example, we show that a $q$-ary deep belief network with $L\geq 2+\frac{q^{\lceil m-\delta \rceil}-1}{q-1}$ layers of width $n \leq m + \log_q(m) + 1$ for some $m\in \mathbb{N}$ can approximate any probability distribution on $\{0,1,\ldots,q-1\}^n$ without exceeding a Kullback-Leibler divergence of $\delta$. Our analysis covers discrete restricted Boltzmann machines and na\"ive Bayes models as special cases.
1303.7474
Independent Vector Analysis: Identification Conditions and Performance Bounds
cs.LG cs.IT math.IT stat.ML
Recently, an extension of independent component analysis (ICA) from one to multiple datasets, termed independent vector analysis (IVA), has been the subject of significant research interest. IVA has also been shown to be a generalization of Hotelling's canonical correlation analysis. In this paper, we provide the identification conditions for a general IVA formulation, which accounts for linear, nonlinear, and sample-to-sample dependencies. The identification conditions are a generalization of previous results for ICA and for IVA when samples are independently and identically distributed. Furthermore, a principal aim of IVA is the identification of dependent sources between datasets. Thus, we provide the additional conditions for when the arbitrary ordering of the sources within each dataset is common. Performance bounds in terms of the Cramer-Rao lower bound are also provided for the demixing matrices and interference to source ratio. The performance of two IVA algorithms are compared to the theoretical bounds.
1304.0001
Optimality of $\ell_2/\ell_1$-optimization block-length dependent thresholds
cs.IT math.IT math.OC
The recent work of \cite{CRT,DonohoPol} rigorously proved (in a large dimensional and statistical context) that if the number of equations (measurements in the compressed sensing terminology) in the system is proportional to the length of the unknown vector then there is a sparsity (number of non-zero elements of the unknown vector) also proportional to the length of the unknown vector such that $\ell_1$-optimization algorithm succeeds in solving the system. In more recent papers \cite{StojnicCSetamBlock09,StojnicICASSP09block,StojnicJSTSP09} we considered under-determined systems with the so-called \textbf{block}-sparse solutions. In a large dimensional and statistical context in \cite{StojnicCSetamBlock09} we determined lower bounds on the values of allowable sparsity for any given number (proportional to the length of the unknown vector) of equations such that an $\ell_2/\ell_1$-optimization algorithm succeeds in solving the system. These lower bounds happened to be in a solid numerical agreement with what one can observe through numerical experiments. Here we derive the corresponding upper bounds. Moreover, the upper bounds that we obtain in this paper match the lower bounds from \cite{StojnicCSetamBlock09} and ultimately make them optimal.
1304.0002
A performance analysis framework for SOCP algorithms in noisy compressed sensing
cs.IT math.IT math.OC
Solving under-determined systems of linear equations with sparse solutions attracted enormous amount of attention in recent years, above all, due to work of \cite{CRT,CanRomTao06,DonohoPol}. In \cite{CRT,CanRomTao06,DonohoPol} it was rigorously shown for the first time that in a statistical and large dimensional context a linear sparsity can be recovered from an under-determined system via a simple polynomial $\ell_1$-optimization algorithm. \cite{CanRomTao06} went even further and established that in \emph{noisy} systems for any linear level of under-determinedness there is again a linear sparsity that can be \emph{approximately} recovered through an SOCP (second order cone programming) noisy equivalent to $\ell_1$. Moreover, the approximate solution is (in an $\ell_2$-norm sense) guaranteed to be no further from the sparse unknown vector than a constant times the noise. In this paper we will also consider solving \emph{noisy} linear systems and present an alternative statistical framework that can be used for their analysis. To demonstrate how the framework works we will show how one can use it to precisely characterize the approximation error of a wide class of SOCP algorithms. We will also show that our theoretical predictions are in a solid agrement with the results one can get through numerical simulations.
1304.0003
Meshes that trap random subspaces
cs.IT math.IT math.OC math.PR
In our recent work \cite{StojnicCSetam09,StojnicUpper10} we considered solving under-determined systems of linear equations with sparse solutions. In a large dimensional and statistical context we proved results related to performance of a polynomial $\ell_1$-optimization technique when used for solving such systems. As one of the tools we used a probabilistic result of Gordon \cite{Gordon88}. In this paper we revisit this classic result in its core form and show how it can be reused to in a sense prove its own optimality.
1304.0004
Linear under-determined systems with sparse solutions: Redirecting a challenge?
cs.IT math.IT math.OC
Seminal works \cite{CRT,DonohoUnsigned,DonohoPol} generated a massive interest in studying linear under-determined systems with sparse solutions. In this paper we give a short mathematical overview of what was accomplished in last 10 years in a particular direction of such a studying. We then discuss what we consider were the main challenges in last 10 years and give our own view as to what are the main challenges that lie ahead. Through the presentation we arrive to a point where the following natural rhetoric question arises: is it a time to redirect the main challenges? While we can not provide the answer to such a question we hope that our small discussion will stimulate further considerations in this direction.
1304.0018
Statistical inference framework for source detection of contagion processes on arbitrary network structures
cs.SI physics.soc-ph
In this paper we introduce a statistical inference framework for estimating the contagion source from a partially observed contagion spreading process on an arbitrary network structure. The framework is based on a maximum likelihood estimation of a partial epidemic realization and involves large scale simulation of contagion spreading processes from the set of potential source locations. We present a number of different likelihood estimators that are used to determine the conditional probabilities associated to observing partial epidemic realization with particular source location candidates. This statistical inference framework is also applicable for arbitrary compartment contagion spreading processes on networks. We compare estimation accuracy of these approaches in a number of computational experiments performed with the SIR (susceptible-infected-recovered), SI (susceptible-infected) and ISS (ignorant-spreading-stifler) contagion spreading models on synthetic and real-world complex networks.
1304.0019
Age group and gender recognition from human facial images
cs.CV
This work presents an automatic human gender and age group recognition system based on human facial images. It makes an extensive experiment with row pixel intensity valued features and Discrete Cosine Transform (DCT) coefficient features with Principal Component Analysis and k-Nearest Neighbor classification to identify the best recognition approach. The final results show approaches using DCT coefficient outperform their counter parts resulting in a 99% correct gender recognition rate and 68% correct age group recognition rate (considering four distinct age groups) in unseen test images. Detailed experimental settings and obtained results are clearly presented and explained in this report.
1304.0023
The two-dimensional Gabor function adapted to natural image statistics: A model of simple-cell receptive fields and sparse structure in images
cs.CV
The two-dimensional Gabor function is adapted to natural image statistics, leading to a tractable probabilistic generative model that can be used to model simple-cell receptive-field profiles, or generate basis functions for sparse coding applications. Learning is found to be most pronounced in three Gabor-function parameters representing the size and spatial frequency of the two-dimensional Gabor function, and characterized by a non-uniform probability distribution with heavy tails. All three parameters are found to be strongly correlated: resulting in a basis of multiscale Gabor functions with similar aspect ratios, and size-dependent spatial frequencies. A key finding is that the distribution of receptive-field sizes is scale-invariant over a wide range of values, so there is no characteristic receptive-field size selected by natural image statistics. The Gabor-function aspect ratio is found to be approximately conserved by the learning rules and is therefore not well-determined by natural image statistics. This allows for three distinct solutions: a basis of Gabor functions with sharp orientation resolution at the expense of spatial-frequency resolution; a basis of Gabor functions with sharp spatial-frequency resolution at the expense of orientation resolution; or a basis with unit aspect ratio. Arbitrary mixtures of all three cases are also possible. Two parameters controlling the shape of the marginal distributions in a probabilistic generative model fully account for all three solutions. The best-performing probabilistic generative model for sparse coding applications is found to be a Gaussian copula with Pareto marginal probability density functions.
1304.0030
Note on Combinatorial Engineering Frameworks for Hierarchical Modular Systems
math.OC cs.AI cs.SY
The paper briefly describes a basic set of special combinatorial engineering frameworks for solving complex problems in the field of hierarchical modular systems. The frameworks consist of combinatorial problems (and corresponding models), which are interconnected/linked (e.g., by preference relation). Mainly, hierarchical morphological system model is used. The list of basic standard combinatorial engineering (technological) frameworks is the following: (1) design of system hierarchical model, (2) combinatorial synthesis ('bottom-up' process for system design), (3) system evaluation, (4) detection of system bottlenecks, (5) system improvement (re-design, upgrade), (6) multi-stage design (design of system trajectory), (7) combinatorial modeling of system evolution/development and system forecasting. The combinatorial engineering frameworks are targeted to maintenance of some system life cycle stages. The list of main underlaying combinatorial optimization problems involves the following: knapsack problem, multiple-choice problem, assignment problem, spanning trees, morphological clique problem.
1304.0035
Translation-Invariant Shrinkage/Thresholding of Group Sparse Signals
cs.CV cs.LG cs.SD
This paper addresses signal denoising when large-amplitude coefficients form clusters (groups). The L1-norm and other separable sparsity models do not capture the tendency of coefficients to cluster (group sparsity). This work develops an algorithm, called 'overlapping group shrinkage' (OGS), based on the minimization of a convex cost function involving a group-sparsity promoting penalty function. The groups are fully overlapping so the denoising method is translation-invariant and blocking artifacts are avoided. Based on the principle of majorization-minimization (MM), we derive a simple iterative minimization algorithm that reduces the cost function monotonically. A procedure for setting the regularization parameter, based on attenuating the noise to a specified level, is also described. The proposed approach is illustrated on speech enhancement, wherein the OGS approach is applied in the short-time Fourier transform (STFT) domain. The denoised speech produced by OGS does not suffer from musical noise.
1304.0036
Tight bound on relative entropy by entropy difference
quant-ph cond-mat.stat-mech cs.IT math.IT
We prove a lower bound on the relative entropy between two finite-dimensional states in terms of their entropy difference and the dimension of the underlying space. The inequality is tight in the sense that equality can be attained for any prescribed value of the entropy difference, both for quantum and classical systems. We outline implications for information theory and thermodynamics, such as a necessary condition for a process to be close to thermodynamic reversibility, or an easily computable lower bound on the classical channel capacity. Furthermore, we derive a tight upper bound, uniform for all states of a given dimension, on the variance of the surprisal, whose thermodynamic meaning is that of heat capacity.
1304.0055
Robust Distributed Averaging on Networks with Adversarial Intervention
math.OC cs.SY
We study the interaction between a network designer and an adversary over a dynamical network. The network consists of nodes performing continuous-time distributed averaging. The goal of the network designer is to assist the nodes reach consensus by changing the weights of a limited number of links in the network. Meanwhile, an adversary strategically disconnects a set of links to prevent the nodes from converging. We formulate two problems to describe this competition where the order in which the players act is reversed in the two problems. We utilize Pontryagin's Maximum Principle (MP) to tackle both problems and derive the optimal strategies. Although the canonical equations provided by the MP are intractable, we provide an alternative characterization for the optimal strategies that highlights a connection with potential theory. Finally, we provide a sufficient condition for the existence of a saddle-point equilibrium (SPE) for this zero-sum game.
1304.0062
Joint Transmit Beamforming and Receive Power Splitting for MISO SWIPT Systems
cs.IT math.IT
This paper studies a multi-user multiple-input single-output (MISO) downlink system for simultaneous wireless information and power transfer (SWIPT), in which a set of single-antenna mobile stations (MSs) receive information and energy simultaneously via power splitting (PS) from the signal sent by a multi-antenna base station (BS). We aim to minimize the total transmission power at BS by jointly designing transmit beamforming vectors and receive PS ratios for all MSs under their given signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR) constraints for information decoding and harvested power constraints for energy harvesting. First, we derive the sufficient and necessary condition for the feasibility of our formulated problem. Next, we solve this non-convex problem by applying the technique of semidefinite relaxation (SDR). We prove that SDR is indeed tight for our problem and thus achieves its global optimum. Finally, we propose two suboptimal solutions of lower complexity than the optimal solution based on the principle of separating the optimization of transmit beamforming and receive PS, where the zero-forcing (ZF) and the SINR-optimal based transmit beamforming schemes are applied, respectively.
1304.0090
A Neuromorphic VLSI Design for Spike Timing and Rate Based Synaptic Plasticity
cs.NE
Triplet-based Spike Timing Dependent Plasticity (TSTDP) is a powerful synaptic plasticity rule that acts beyond conventional pair-based STDP (PSTDP). Here, the TSTDP is capable of reproducing the outcomes from a variety of biological experiments, while the PSTDP rule fails to reproduce them. Additionally, it has been shown that the behaviour inherent to the spike rate-based Bienenstock-Cooper-Munro (BCM) synaptic plasticity rule can also emerge from the TSTDP rule. This paper proposes an analog implementation of the TSTDP rule. The proposed VLSI circuit has been designed using the AMS 0.35 um CMOS process and has been simulated using design kits for Synopsys and Cadence tools. Simulation results demonstrate how well the proposed circuit can alter synaptic weights according to the timing difference amongst a set of different patterns of spikes. Furthermore, the circuit is shown to give rise to a BCM-like learning rule, which is a rate-based rule. To mimic implementation environment, a 1000 run Monte Carlo (MC) analysis was conducted on the proposed circuit. The presented MC simulation analysis and the simulation result from fine-tuned circuits show that, it is possible to mitigate the effect of process variations in the proof of concept circuit, however, a practical variation aware design technique is required to promise a high circuit performance in a large scale neural network. We believe that the proposed design can play a significant role in future VLSI implementations of both spike timing and rate based neuromorphic learning systems.
1304.0100
Entanglement Zoo I: Foundational and Structural Aspects
cs.AI quant-ph
We put forward a general classification for a structural description of the entanglement present in compound entities experimentally violating Bell's inequalities, making use of a new entanglement scheme that we developed recently. Our scheme, although different from the traditional one, is completely compatible with standard quantum theory, and enables quantum modeling in complex Hilbert space for different types of situations. Namely, situations where entangled states and product measurements appear ('customary quantum modeling'), and situations where states and measurements and evolutions between measurements are entangled ('nonlocal box modeling', 'nonlocal non-marginal box modeling'). The role played by Tsirelson's bound and marginal distribution law is emphasized. Specific quantum models are worked out in detail in complex Hilbert space within this new entanglement scheme.
1304.0102
Entanglement Zoo II: Examples in Physics and Cognition
cs.AI quant-ph
We have recently presented a general scheme enabling quantum modeling of different types of situations that violate Bell's inequalities. In this paper, we specify this scheme for a combination of two concepts. We work out a quantum Hilbert space model where 'entangled measurements' occur in addition to the expected 'entanglement between the component concepts', or 'state entanglement'. We extend this result to a macroscopic physical entity, the 'connected vessels of water', which maximally violates Bell's inequalities. We enlighten the structural and conceptual analogies between the cognitive and physical situations which are both examples of a nonlocal non-marginal box modeling in our classification.
1304.0104
Meaning-focused and Quantum-inspired Information Retrieval
cs.IR cs.CL quant-ph
In recent years, quantum-based methods have promisingly integrated the traditional procedures in information retrieval (IR) and natural language processing (NLP). Inspired by our research on the identification and application of quantum structures in cognition, more specifically our work on the representation of concepts and their combinations, we put forward a 'quantum meaning based' framework for structured query retrieval in text corpora and standardized testing corpora. This scheme for IR rests on considering as basic notions, (i) 'entities of meaning', e.g., concepts and their combinations and (ii) traces of such entities of meaning, which is how documents are considered in this approach. The meaning content of these 'entities of meaning' is reconstructed by solving an 'inverse problem' in the quantum formalism, consisting of reconstructing the full states of the entities of meaning from their collapsed states identified as traces in relevant documents. The advantages with respect to traditional approaches, such as Latent Semantic Analysis (LSA), are discussed by means of concrete examples.
1304.0110
A Signal Constellation for Pilotless Communications Over Wiener Phase Noise Channels
cs.IT math.IT
Many satellite communication systems operating today employ low cost upconverters or downconverters which create phase noise. This noise can severely limit the information rate of the system and pose a serious challenge for the detection systems. Moreover, simple solutions for phase noise tracking such as PLL either require low phase noise or otherwise require many pilot symbols which reduce the effective data rate. In order to increase the effective information rate, we propose a signal constellation which does not require pilots, at all, in order to converge in the decoding process. In this contribution, we will present a signal constellation which does not require pilot sequences, but we require a signal that does not present rotational symmetry. For example a simple MPSK cannot be used.Moreover, we will provide a method to analyze the proposed constellations and provide a figure of merit for their performance when iterative decoding algorithms are used.
1304.0133
Adaptive Energy-aware Encoding for DWT-Based Wireless EEG Monitoring System
cs.IT math.IT
Wireless Electroencephalography (EEG) tele-monitoring systems performing encoding and streaming over energy-hungry wireless channels are limited in energy supply. However, excessive power consumption either in encoding or radio channel may render some applications inapplicable. Hence, energy efficient methods are needed to improve such applications. In this work, an embedded EEG encoding system should be able to adjust its computational complexity, hence, energy consumption according to the channel variations. To analyze the distortion-compression ratio (PRD-CR) behavior of the wireless EEG system under energy constraints, both encoding and transmission power should be taken into consideration. In this paper, we propose a power-distortion- compression ratio (P-PRD-CR) framework, which extends the traditional PRD-CR to P-PRD-CR model. We analyze the computational complexity for a typical discrete wavelet transform (DWT)-based encoding system. Using our developed P-PRD-CR framework, the encoder effectively reconfigures the complexity control parameters to match the energy constraints while retaining maximum reconstruction quality. Results show that using the proposed framework, we can obtain higher reconstruction accuracy for the same power constrained-portable device.
1304.0140
Packet Relaying Control in Sensing-based Spectrum Sharing Systems
cs.NI cs.IT math.IT math.OC
Cognitive relaying has been introduced for opportunistic spectrum access systems by which a secondary node forwards primary packets whenever the primary link faces an outage condition. For spectrum sharing systems, cognitive relaying is parametrized by an interference power constraint level imposed on the transmit power of the secondary user. For sensing-based spectrum sharing, the probability of detection is also involved in packet relaying control. This paper considers the choice of these two parameters so as to maximize the secondary nodes' throughput under certain constraints. The analysis leads to a Markov decision process using dynamic programming approach. The problem is solved using value iteration. Finally, the structural properties of the resulting optimal control are highlighted.
1304.0141
Community core detection in transportation networks
physics.soc-ph cs.SI
This work analyses methods for the identification and the stability under perturbation of a territorial community structure with specific reference to transportation networks. We considered networks of commuters for a city and an insular region. In both cases, we have studied the distribution of commuters' trips (i.e., home-to-work trips and viceversa). The identification and stability of the communities' cores are linked to the land-use distribution within the zone system, and therefore their proper definition may be useful to transport planners.
1304.0145
Phase Transition and Network Structure in Realistic SAT Problems
cs.AI
A fundamental question in Computer Science is understanding when a specific class of problems go from being computationally easy to hard. Because of its generality and applications, the problem of Boolean Satisfiability (aka SAT) is often used as a vehicle for investigating this question. A signal result from these studies is that the hardness of SAT problems exhibits a dramatic easy-to-hard phase transition with respect to the problem constrainedness. Past studies have however focused mostly on SAT instances generated using uniform random distributions, where all constraints are independently generated, and the problem variables are all considered of equal importance. These assumptions are unfortunately not satisfied by most real problems. Our project aims for a deeper understanding of hardness of SAT problems that arise in practice. We study two key questions: (i) How does easy-to-hard transition change with more realistic distributions that capture neighborhood sensitivity and rich-get-richer aspects of real problems and (ii) Can these changes be explained in terms of the network properties (such as node centrality and small-worldness) of the clausal networks of the SAT problems. Our results, based on extensive empirical studies and network analyses, provide important structural and computational insights into realistic SAT problems. Our extensive empirical studies show that SAT instances from realistic distributions do exhibit phase transition, but the transition occurs sooner (at lower values of constrainedness) than the instances from uniform random distribution. We show that this behavior can be explained in terms of their clausal network properties such as eigenvector centrality and small-worldness (measured indirectly in terms of the clustering coefficients and average node distance).
1304.0160
Parallel Computation Is ESS
cs.LG cs.AI cs.GT
There are enormous amount of examples of Computation in nature, exemplified across multiple species in biology. One crucial aim for these computations across all life forms their ability to learn and thereby increase the chance of their survival. In the current paper a formal definition of autonomous learning is proposed. From that definition we establish a Turing Machine model for learning, where rule tables can be added or deleted, but can not be modified. Sequential and parallel implementations of this model are discussed. It is found that for general purpose learning based on this model, the implementations capable of parallel execution would be evolutionarily stable. This is proposed to be of the reasons why in Nature parallelism in computation is found in abundance.
1304.0183
On the data processing theorem in the semi-deterministic setting
cs.IT math.IT
Data processing lower bounds on the expected distortion are derived in the finite-alphabet semi-deterministic setting, where the source produces a deterministic, individual sequence, but the channel model is probabilistic, and the decoder is subjected to various kinds of limitations, e.g., decoders implementable by finite-state machines, with or without counters, and with or without a restriction of common reconstruction with high probability. Some of our bounds are given in terms of the Lempel-Ziv complexity of the source sequence or the reproduction sequence. We also demonstrate how some analogous results can be obtained for classes of linear encoders and linear decoders in the continuous alphabet case.
1304.0193
Brightness Control in Dynamic Range Constrained Visible Light OFDM Systems
cs.IT math.IT
Visible light communication (VLC) systems can provide illumination and communication simultaneously via light emitting diodes (LEDs). Orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) waveforms transmitted in a VLC system will have high peak-to-average power ratios (PAPRs). Since the transmitting LED is dynamic-range limited, OFDM signal has to be scaled and biased to avoid nonlinear distortion. Brightness control is an essential feature for the illumination function. In this paper, we will analyze the performance of dynamic range constrained visible light OFDM systems with biasing adjustment and pulse width modulation (PWM) methods. We will investigate the trade-off between duty cycle and forward ratio of PWM and find the optimum forward ratio to maximize the achievable ergodic rates.
1304.0207
Effective Capacity of Delay Constrained Cognitive Radio Links Exploiting Primary Feedback
cs.IT math.IT
In this paper, we analyze the performance of a secondary link in a cognitive radio (CR) system operating under statistical quality of service (QoS) delay constraints. In particular, we quantify analytically the performance improvement for the secondary user (SU) when applying a feedback based sensing scheme under the "SINR Interference" model. We leverage the concept of effective capacity (EC) introduced earlier in the literature to quantify the wireless link performance under delay constraints, in an attempt to opportunistically support real-time applications. Towards this objective, we study a two-link network, a single secondary link and a primary network abstracted to a single primary link, with and without primary feedback exploitation. We analytically prove that exploiting primary feedback at the secondary transmitter improves the EC of the secondary user and decreases the secondary user average transmitted power. Finally, we present numerical results that support our analytical results.
1304.0243
Compressive adaptive computational ghost imaging
physics.optics cs.CV
Compressive sensing is considered a huge breakthrough in signal acquisition. It allows recording an image consisting of $N^2$ pixels using much fewer than $N^2$ measurements if it can be transformed to a basis where most pixels take on negligibly small values. Standard compressive sensing techniques suffer from the computational overhead needed to reconstruct an image with typical computation times between hours and days and are thus not optimal for applications in physics and spectroscopy. We demonstrate an adaptive compressive sampling technique that performs measurements directly in a sparse basis. It needs much fewer than $N^2$ measurements without any computational overhead, so the result is available instantly.
1304.0260
Polar Decomposition of Mutual Information over Complex-Valued Channels
cs.IT math.IT
A polar decomposition of mutual information between a complex-valued channel's input and output is proposed for a input whose amplitude and phase are independent of each other. The mutual information is symmetrically decomposed into three terms: an amplitude term, a phase term, and a cross term, whereby the cross term is negligible at high signal-to-noise ratio. Theoretical bounds of the amplitude and phase terms are derived for additive white Gaussian noise channels with Gaussian inputs. This decomposition is then applied to the recently proposed amplitude phase shift keying with product constellation (product-APSK) inputs. It shows from an information theoretical perspective that coded modulation schemes using product-APSK are able to outperform those using conventional quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM), meanwhile maintain a low complexity.
1304.0263
Numerical determination of the optimal value of quantizer's segment threshold using quadratic spline functions
cs.IT math.IT
In this paper, an approximation of the optimal compressor function using the quadratic spline functions has been presented. The coefficients of the quadratic spline functions are determined by minimizing the mean-square error (MSE). Based on the obtained approximative quadratic spline functions, the design for companding quantizer for Gaussian source is done. The support region of proposed companding quantizer is divided on segments of unequal size, where the optimal value of segment threshold is numerically determined depending on maximal value of the signal to quantization noise ratio (SQNR). It is shown that by the companding quantizer proposed in this paper, the SQNR that is very close to SQNR of nonlinear optimal companding quantizer is achieved.
1304.0270
An optimal problem for relative entropy
cs.IT math.IT
Relative entropy is an essential tool in quantum information theory. There are so many problems which are related to relative entropy. In this article, the optimal values which are defined by $\displaystyle\max_{U\in{U(\cX_{d})}} S(U\rho{U^{\ast}}\parallel\sigma)$ and $\displaystyle\min_{U\in{U(\cX_{d})}} S(U\rho{U^{\ast}}\parallel\sigma)$ for two positive definite operators $\rho,\sigma\in{\textmd{Pd}(\cX)}$ are obtained. And the set of $S(U\rho{U^{\ast}}\parallel\sigma)$ for every unitary operator $U$ is full of the interval $[\displaystyle\min_{U\in{U(\cX_{d})}} S(U\rho{U^{\ast}}\parallel\sigma),\displaystyle\max_{U\in{U(\cX_{d})}} S(U\rho{U^{\ast}}\parallel\sigma)]$
1304.0321
First and High Order Sliding Mode-Multimodel Stabilizing Control Synthesis using Single and Several Sliding Surfaces for Nonlinear Systems: Simulation on an Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUV)
cs.SY cs.CE math.DS math.OC
This paper provides new analytic tools for a rigorous control formulation and stability analysis of sliding mode-multimodel controller (SM-MMC). In this way to minimise the chattering effect we will adopt as a starting point the multimodel approach to change the commutation of the sliding mode control (SMC) into fusion using a first order then a high order sliding mode control with single sliding surface and, then, with several sliding surfaces. For that the stability conditions invoke the existence of two Lyapunov-type functions, the first associated to the passage to the sliding set in finite time, and the second with convergence to the desired state. The approaches presented in this work are simulated on the immersion control of a submarine mobile which presents a problem for the actuators because of the high level of system non linearity and because of the external disturbances. Simulation results show that this control strategy can attain excellent performances with no chattering problem and low control level.
1304.0353
An Information-Theoretic Test for Dependence with an Application to the Temporal Structure of Stock Returns
q-fin.ST cs.IT math.IT stat.ME
Information theory provides ideas for conceptualising information and measuring relationships between objects. It has found wide application in the sciences, but economics and finance have made surprisingly little use of it. We show that time series data can usefully be studied as information -- by noting the relationship between statistical redundancy and dependence, we are able to use the results of information theory to construct a test for joint dependence of random variables. The test is in the same spirit of those developed by Ryabko and Astola (2005, 2006b,a), but differs from these in that we add extra randomness to the original stochatic process. It uses data compression to estimate the entropy rate of a stochastic process, which allows it to measure dependence among sets of random variables, as opposed to the existing econometric literature that uses entropy and finds itself restricted to pairwise tests of dependence. We show how serial dependence may be detected in S&P500 and PSI20 stock returns over different sample periods and frequencies. We apply the test to synthetic data to judge its ability to recover known temporal dependence structures.
1304.0355
Linear Fractional Network Coding and Representable Discrete Polymatroids
cs.IT math.IT
A linear Fractional Network Coding (FNC) solution over $\mathbb{F}_q$ is a linear network coding solution over $\mathbb{F}_q$ in which the message dimensions need not necessarily be the same and need not be the same as the edge vector dimension. Scalar linear network coding, vector linear network coding are special cases of linear FNC. In this paper, we establish the connection between the existence of a linear FNC solution for a network over $\mathbb{F}_q$ and the representability over $\mathbb{F}_q$ of discrete polymatroids, which are the multi-set analogue of matroids. All previously known results on the connection between the scalar and vector linear solvability of networks and representations of matroids and discrete polymatroids follow as special cases. An algorithm is provided to construct networks which admit FNC solution over $\mathbb{F}_q,$ from discrete polymatroids representable over $\mathbb{F}_q.$ Example networks constructed from discrete polymatroids using the algorithm are provided, which do not admit any scalar and vector solution, and for which FNC solutions with the message dimensions being different provide a larger throughput than FNC solutions with the message dimensions being equal.
1304.0383
An Efficient Bilinear Pairing-Free Certificateless Two-Party Authenticated Key Agreement Protocol in the eCK Model
cs.CR cs.IT math.IT
Recent study on certificateless authenticated key agreement focuses on bilinear pairing-free certificateless authenticated key agreement protocol. Yet it has got limitations in the aspect of computational amount. So it is important to reduce the number of the scalar multiplication over elliptic curve group in bilinear pairing-free protocols. This paper proposed a new bilinear pairing-free certificateless two-party authenticated key agreement protocol, providing more efficiency among related work and proof under the random oracle model.
1304.0419
Top-K Product Design Based on Collaborative Tagging Data
cs.SI cs.DS cs.IR
The widespread use and popularity of collaborative content sites (e.g., IMDB, Amazon, Yelp, etc.) has created rich resources for users to consult in order to make purchasing decisions on various products such as movies, e-commerce products, restaurants, etc. Products with desirable tags (e.g., modern, reliable, etc.) have higher chances of being selected by prospective customers. This creates an opportunity for product designers to design better products that are likely to attract desirable tags when published. In this paper, we investigate how to mine collaborative tagging data to decide the attribute values of new products and to return the top-k products that are likely to attract the maximum number of desirable tags when published. Given a training set of existing products with their features and user-submitted tags, we first build a Naive Bayes Classifier for each tag. We show that the problem of is NP-complete even if simple Naive Bayes Classifiers are used for tag prediction. We present a suite of algorithms for solving this problem: (a) an exact two tier algorithm(based on top-k querying techniques), which performs much better than the naive brute-force algorithm and works well for moderate problem instances, and (b) a set of approximation algorithms for larger problem instances: a novel polynomial-time approximation algorithm with provable error bound and a practical hill-climbing heuristic. We conduct detailed experiments on synthetic and real data crawled from the web to evaluate the efficiency and quality of our proposed algorithms, as well as show how product designers can benefit by leveraging collaborative tagging information.
1304.0421
Stroke-Based Cursive Character Recognition
cs.CV
Human eye can see and read what is written or displayed either in natural handwriting or in printed format. The same work in case the machine does is called handwriting recognition. Handwriting recognition can be broken down into two categories: off-line and on-line. ...
1304.0422
MIMO Communications over Multi-Mode Optical Fibers: Capacity Analysis and Input-Output Coupling Schemes
cs.IT math.IT
We consider multi-input multi-output (MIMO) communications over multi-mode fibers (MMFs). Current MMF standards, such as OM3 and OM4, use fibers with core radii of 50 \mu m, allowing hundreds of modes to propagate. Unfortunately, due to physical and computational complexity limitations, we cannot couple and detect hundreds of data streams into and out of the fiber. In order to circumvent this issue, we present input-output coupling schemes that allow the user to couple and extract a reasonable number of signals from a fiber with many modes. This approach is particularly attractive as it is scalable; i.e., the fibers do not have to be replaced every time the number of transmitters or receivers is increased, a phenomenon that is likely to happen in the near future. We present a statistical channel model that incorporates intermodal dispersion, chromatic dispersion, mode dependent losses, mode coupling, and input-output coupling. We show that the statistics of the fiber's frequency response are independent of frequency. This simplifies the computation of the average Shannon capacity of the fiber. We also provide an input-output coupling strategy that leads to an increase in the overall capacity. This strategy can be used whenever channel state information (CSI) is available at the transmitter. We show that the capacity of an Nt by Nt MIMO system over a fiber with M>>Nt modes can approach the capacity of an Nt-mode fiber with no mode-dependent losses. We finally present a statistical input-output coupling model in order to quantify the loss in capacity when CSI is not available at the transmitter. It turns out that the loss, relative to Nt-mode fibers, is minimal (less than 0.5 dB) for a wide range of signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs) and a reasonable range of MDLs.
1304.0470
The Emerging Energy Web
physics.soc-ph cs.SI
There is a general need of elaborating energy-effective solutions for managing our increasingly dense interconnected world. The problem should be tackled in multiple dimensions -technology, society, economics, law, regulations, and politics- at different temporal and spatial scales. Holistic approaches will enable technological solutions to be supported by socio-economic motivations, adequate incentive regulation to foster investment in green infrastructures coherently integrated with adequate energy provisioning schemes. In this article, an attempt is made to describe such multidisciplinary challenges with a coherent set of solutions to be identified to significantly impact the way our interconnected energy world is designed and operated.
1304.0473
Coauthorship and citation in scientific publishing
cs.DL cs.SI physics.soc-ph
A large number of published studies have examined the properties of either networks of citation among scientific papers or networks of coauthorship among scientists. Here, using an extensive data set covering more than a century of physics papers published in the Physical Review, we study a hybrid coauthorship/citation network that combines the two, which we analyze to gain insight into the correlations and interactions between authorship and citation. Among other things, we investigate the extent to which individuals tend to cite themselves or their collaborators more than others, the extent to which they cite themselves or their collaborators more quickly after publication, and the extent to which they tend to return the favor of a citation from another scientist.
1304.0480
A problem dependent analysis of SOCP algorithms in noisy compressed sensing
cs.IT math.IT stat.ML
Under-determined systems of linear equations with sparse solutions have been the subject of an extensive research in last several years above all due to results of \cite{CRT,CanRomTao06,DonohoPol}. In this paper we will consider \emph{noisy} under-determined linear systems. In a breakthrough \cite{CanRomTao06} it was established that in \emph{noisy} systems for any linear level of under-determinedness there is a linear sparsity that can be \emph{approximately} recovered through an SOCP (second order cone programming) optimization algorithm so that the approximate solution vector is (in an $\ell_2$-norm sense) guaranteed to be no further from the sparse unknown vector than a constant times the noise. In our recent work \cite{StojnicGenSocp10} we established an alternative framework that can be used for statistical performance analysis of the SOCP algorithms. To demonstrate how the framework works we then showed in \cite{StojnicGenSocp10} how one can use it to precisely characterize the \emph{generic} (worst-case) performance of the SOCP. In this paper we present a different set of results that can be obtained through the framework of \cite{StojnicGenSocp10}. The results will relate to \emph{problem dependent} performance analysis of SOCP's. We will consider specific types of unknown sparse vectors and characterize the SOCP performance when used for recovery of such vectors. We will also show that our theoretical predictions are in a solid agreement with the results one can get through numerical simulations.
1304.0501
Equivalence for Rank-metric and Matrix Codes and Automorphism Groups of Gabidulin Codes
cs.IT math.IT
For a growing number of applications such as cellular, peer-to-peer, and sensor networks, efficient error-free transmission of data through a network is essential. Toward this end, K\"{o}tter and Kschischang propose the use of subspace codes to provide error correction in the network coding context. The primary construction for subspace codes is the lifting of rank-metric or matrix codes, a process that preserves the structural and distance properties of the underlying code. Thus, to characterize the structure and error-correcting capability of these subspace codes, it is valuable to perform such a characterization of the underlying rank-metric and matrix codes. This paper lays a foundation for this analysis through a framework for classifying rank-metric and matrix codes based on their structure and distance properties. To enable this classification, we extend work by Berger on equivalence for rank-metric codes to define a notion of equivalence for matrix codes, and we characterize the group structure of the collection of maps that preserve such equivalence. We then compare the notions of equivalence for these two related types of codes and show that matrix equivalence is strictly more general than rank-metric equivalence. Finally, we characterize the set of equivalence maps that fix the prominent class of rank-metric codes known as Gabidulin codes. In particular, we give a complete characterization of the rank-metric automorphism group of Gabidulin codes, correcting work by Berger, and give a partial characterization of the matrix-automorphism group of the expanded matrix codes that arise from Gabidulin codes.
1304.0502
Algebraic techniques in designing quantum synchronizable codes
quant-ph cs.IT math.IT
Quantum synchronizable codes are quantum error-correcting codes that can correct the effects of quantum noise as well as block synchronization errors. We improve the previously known general framework for designing quantum synchronizable codes through more extensive use of the theory of finite fields. This makes it possible to widen the range of tolerable magnitude of block synchronization errors while giving mathematical insight into the algebraic mechanism of synchronization recovery. Also given are families of quantum synchronizable codes based on punctured Reed-Muller codes and their ambient spaces.
1304.0553
Massive MIMO and Small Cells: Improving Energy Efficiency by Optimal Soft-Cell Coordination
cs.IT math.IT
To improve the cellular energy efficiency, without sacrificing quality-of-service (QoS) at the users, the network topology must be densified to enable higher spatial reuse. We analyze a combination of two densification approaches, namely "massive" multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) base stations and small-cell access points. If the latter are operator-deployed, a spatial soft-cell approach can be taken where the multiple transmitters serve the users by joint non-coherent multiflow beamforming. We minimize the total power consumption (both dynamic emitted power and static hardware power) while satisfying QoS constraints. This problem is proved to have a hidden convexity that enables efficient solution algorithms. Interestingly, the optimal solution promotes exclusive assignment of users to transmitters. Furthermore, we provide promising simulation results showing how the total power consumption can be greatly improved by combining massive MIMO and small cells; this is possible with both optimal and low-complexity beamforming.
1304.0564
On the definition of a confounder
stat.ME cs.AI
The causal inference literature has provided a clear formal definition of confounding expressed in terms of counterfactual independence. The literature has not, however, come to any consensus on a formal definition of a confounder, as it has given priority to the concept of confounding over that of a confounder. We consider a number of candidate definitions arising from various more informal statements made in the literature. We consider the properties satisfied by each candidate definition, principally focusing on (i) whether under the candidate definition control for all "confounders" suffices to control for "confounding" and (ii) whether each confounder in some context helps eliminate or reduce confounding bias. Several of the candidate definitions do not have these two properties. Only one candidate definition of those considered satisfies both properties. We propose that a "confounder" be defined as a pre-exposure covariate C for which there exists a set of other covariates X such that effect of the exposure on the outcome is unconfounded conditional on (X,C) but such that for no proper subset of (X,C) is the effect of the exposure on the outcome unconfounded given the subset. We also provide a conditional analogue of the above definition; and we propose a variable that helps reduce bias but not eliminate bias be referred to as a "surrogate confounder." These definitions are closely related to those given by Robins and Morgenstern [Comput. Math. Appl. 14 (1987) 869-916]. The implications that hold among the various candidate definitions are discussed.
1304.0567
On the Formulation of Performant SPARQL Queries
cs.DB
The combination of the flexibility of RDF and the expressiveness of SPARQL provides a powerful mechanism to model, integrate and query data. However, these properties also mean that it is nontrivial to write performant SPARQL queries. Indeed, it is quite easy to create queries that tax even the most optimised triple stores. Currently, application developers have little concrete guidance on how to write "good" queries. The goal of this paper is to begin to bridge this gap. It describes 5 heuristics that can be applied to create optimised queries. The heuristics are informed by formal results in the literature on the semantics and complexity of evaluating SPARQL queries, which ensures that queries following these rules can be optimised effectively by an underlying RDF store. Moreover, we empirically verify the efficacy of the heuristics using a set of openly available datasets and corresponding SPARQL queries developed by a large pharmacology data integration project. The experimental results show improvements in performance across 6 state-of-the-art RDF stores.
1304.0588
Petition Growth and Success Rates on the UK No. 10 Downing Street Website
cs.CY cs.SI physics.data-an physics.soc-ph
Now that so much of collective action takes place online, web-generated data can further understanding of the mechanics of Internet-based mobilisation. This trace data offers social science researchers the potential for new forms of analysis, using real-time transactional data based on entire populations, rather than sample-based surveys of what people think they did or might do. This paper uses a `big data' approach to track the growth of over 8,000 petitions to the UK Government on the No. 10 Downing Street website for two years, analysing the rate of growth per day and testing the hypothesis that the distribution of daily change will be leptokurtic (rather than normal) as previous research on agenda setting would suggest. This hypothesis is confirmed, suggesting that Internet-based mobilisation is characterized by tipping points (or punctuated equilibria) and explaining some of the volatility in online collective action. We find also that most successful petitions grow quickly and that the number of signatures a petition receives on its first day is a significant factor in explaining the overall number of signatures a petition receives during its lifetime. These findings have implications for the strategies of those initiating petitions and the design of web sites with the aim of maximising citizen engagement with policy issues.
1304.0604
On the Gaussian Interference Channel with Half-Duplex Causal Cognition
cs.IT math.IT
This paper studies the two-user Gaussian interference channel with half-duplex causal cognition. This channel model consists of two source-destination pairs sharing a common wireless channel. One of the sources, referred to as the cognitive, overhears the other source, referred to as the primary, through a noisy link and can therefore assist in sending the primary's data. Due to practical constraints, the cognitive source is assumed to work in half-duplex mode, that is, it cannot simultaneously transmit and receive. This model is more relevant for practical cognitive radio systems than the classical information theoretic cognitive channel model, where the cognitive source is assumed to have a non-causal knowledge of the primary's message. Different network topologies are considered, corresponding to different interference scenarios: (i) the interference-symmetric scenario, where both destinations are in the coverage area of the two sources and hence experience interference, and (ii) the interference-asymmetric scenario, where one destination does not suffer from interference. For each topology the sum-rate performance is studied by first deriving the generalized Degrees of Freedom (gDoF), or "sum-capacity pre-log" in the high-SNR regime, and then showing relatively simple coding schemes that achieve a sum-rate upper bound to within a constant number of bits for any SNR. Finally, the gDoF of the channel is compared to that of the non-cooperative interference channel and to that of the non-causal cognitive channel to identify the parameter regimes where half-duplex causal cognition is useless in practice or attains its ideal ultimate limit, respectively.