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1304.1876
Proceedings of the 37th Annual Workshop of the Austrian Association for Pattern Recognition (\"OAGM/AAPR), 2013
cs.CV
This volume represents the proceedings of the 37th Annual Workshop of the Austrian Association for Pattern Recognition (\"OAGM/AAPR), held May 23-24, 2013, in Innsbruck, Austria.
1304.1877
Privacy-preserving Data Mining, Sharing and Publishing
cs.DB cs.CR
The goal of the paper is to present different approaches to privacy-preserving data sharing and publishing in the context of e-health care systems. In particular, the literature review on technical issues in privacy assurance and current real-life high complexity implementation of medical system that assumes proper data sharing mechanisms are presented in the paper.
1304.1898
Socio-inspired ICT - Towards a socially grounded society-ICT symbiosis
physics.soc-ph cs.SI physics.comp-ph
Modern ICT (Information and Communication Technology) has developed a vision where the "computer" is no longer associated with the concept of a single device or a network of devices, but rather the entirety of situated services originating in a digital world, which are perceived through the physical world. It is observed that services with explicit user input and output are becoming to be replaced by a computing landscape sensing the physical world via a huge variety of sensors, and controlling it via a plethora of actuators. The nature and appearance of computing devices is changing to be hidden in the fabric of everyday life, invisibly networked, and omnipresent, with applications greatly being based on the notions of context and knowledge. Interaction with such globe spanning, modern ICT systems will presumably be more implicit, at the periphery of human attention, rather than explicit, i.e. at the focus of human attention. Socio-inspired ICT assumes that future, globe scale ICT systems should be viewed as social systems. Such a view challenges research to identify and formalize the principles of interaction and adaptation in social systems, so as to be able to ground future ICT systems on those principles. This position paper therefore is concerned with the intersection of social behaviour and modern ICT, creating or recreating social conventions and social contexts through the use of pervasive, globe-spanning, omnipresent and participative ICT.
1304.1903
Towards a living earth simulator
physics.comp-ph cs.SI physics.soc-ph
The Living Earth Simulator (LES) is one of the core components of the FuturICT architecture. It will work as a federation of methods, tools, techniques and facilities supporting all of the FuturICT simulation-related activities to allow and encourage interactive exploration and understanding of societal issues. Society-relevant problems will be targeted by leaning on approaches based on complex systems theories and data science in tight interaction with the other components of FuturICT. The LES will evaluate and provide answers to real-world questions by taking into account multiple scenarios. It will build on present approaches such as agent-based simulation and modeling, multiscale modelling, statistical inference, and data mining, moving beyond disciplinary borders to achieve a new perspective on complex social systems.
1304.1914
Causal--Path Local Time--Stepping in the Discontinuous Galerkin Method for Maxwell's equations
physics.comp-ph cs.CE math-ph math.MP
We introduce a novel local time-stepping technique for marching-in-time algorithms. The technique is denoted as Causal-Path Local Time-Stepping (CPLTS) and it is applied for two time integration techniques: fourth order low--storage explicit Runge--Kutta (LSERK4) and second order Leapfrog (LF2). The CPLTS method is applied to evolve Maxwell's curl equations using a Discontinuous Galerkin (DG) scheme for the spatial discretization. Numerical results for LF2 and LSERK4 are compared with analytical solutions and the Montseny's LF2 technique. The results show that the CPLTS technique improves the dispersive and dissipative properties of LF2-LTS scheme.
1304.1924
Automatic Detection of Search Tactic in Individual Information Seeking: A Hidden Markov Model Approach
cs.IR
Information seeking process is an important topic in information seeking behavior research. Both qualitative and empirical methods have been adopted in analyzing information seeking processes, with major focus on uncovering the latent search tactics behind user behaviors. Most of the existing works require defining search tactics in advance and coding data manually. Among the few works that can recognize search tactics automatically, they missed making sense of those tactics. In this paper, we proposed using an automatic technique, i.e. the Hidden Markov Model (HMM), to explicitly model the search tactics. HMM results show that the identified search tactics of individual information seeking behaviors are consistent with Marchioninis Information seeking process model. With the advantages of showing the connections between search tactics and search actions and the transitions among search tactics, we argue that HMM is a useful tool to investigate information seeking process, or at least it provides a feasible way to analyze large scale dataset.
1304.1926
Distributed Space-Time Coding Based on Adjustable Code Matrices for Cooperative MIMO Relaying Systems
cs.IT math.IT
An adaptive distributed space-time coding (DSTC) scheme is proposed for two-hop cooperative MIMO networks. Linear minimum mean square error (MMSE) receive filters and adjustable code matrices are considered subject to a power constraint with an amplify-and-forward (AF) cooperation strategy. In the proposed adaptive DSTC scheme, an adjustable code matrix obtained by a feedback channel is employed to transform the space-time coded matrix at the relay node. The effects of the limited feedback and the feedback errors are assessed. Linear MMSE expressions are devised to compute the parameters of the adjustable code matrix and the linear receive filters. Stochastic gradient (SG) and least-squares (LS) algorithms are also developed with reduced computational complexity. An upper bound on the pairwise error probability analysis is derived and indicates the advantage of employing the adjustable code matrices at the relay nodes. An alternative optimization algorithm for the adaptive DSTC scheme is also derived in order to eliminate the need for the feedback. The algorithm provides a fully distributed scheme for the adaptive DSTC at the relay node based on the minimization of the error probability. Simulation results show that the proposed algorithms obtain significant performance gains as compared to existing DSTC schemes.
1304.1930
Client-Driven Content Extraction Associated with Table
cs.CV cs.IR
The goal of the project is to extract content within table in document images based on learnt patterns. Real-world users i.e., clients first provide a set of key fields within the table which they think are important. These are first used to represent the graph where nodes are labelled with semantics including other features and edges are attributed with relations. Attributed relational graph (ARG) is then employed to mine similar graphs from a document image. Each mined graph will represent an item within the table, and hence a set of such graphs will compose a table. We have validated the concept by using a real-world industrial problem.
1304.1932
Generalized Reduced-Rank Decompositions Using Switching and Adaptive Algorithms for Space-Time Adaptive Processing
cs.IT math.IT
This work presents generalized low-rank signal decompositions with the aid of switching techniques and adaptive algorithms, which do not require eigen-decompositions, for space-time adaptive processing. A generalized scheme is proposed to compute low-rank signal decompositions by imposing suitable constraints on the filtering and by performing iterations between the computed subspace and the low-rank filter. An alternating optimization strategy based on recursive least squares algorithms is presented along with switching and iterations to cost-effectively compute the bases of the decomposition and the low-rank filter. An application to space-time interference suppression in DS-CDMA systems is considered. Simulations show that the proposed scheme and algorithms obtain significant gains in performance over previously reported low-rank schemes.
1304.1935
Interference Suppression and Group-Based Power Adjustment via Alternating Optimization for DS-CDMA Networks with Multihop Relaying
cs.IT math.IT
This work presents joint interference suppression and power allocation algorithms for DS-CDMA networks with multiple hops and decode-and-forward (DF) protocols. A scheme for joint allocation of power levels across the relays subject to group-based power constraints and the design of linear receivers for interference suppression is proposed. A constrained minimum mean-squared error (MMSE) design for the receive filters and the power allocation vectors is devised along with an MMSE channel estimator. In order to solve the proposed optimization efficiently, a method to form an effective group of users and an alternating optimization strategy are devised with recursive alternating least squares (RALS) algorithms for estimating the parameters of the receiver, the power allocation and the channels. Simulations show that the proposed algorithms obtain significant gains in capacity and performance over existing schemes.
1304.1962
Low Complexity MIMO Detection based on Belief Propagation over Pair-wise Graphs
cs.IT math.IT
This paper considers belief propagation algorithm over pair-wise graphical models to develop low complexity, iterative multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) detectors. The pair-wise graphical model is a bipartite graph where a pair of variable nodes are related by an observation node represented by the bivariate Gaussian function obtained by marginalizing the posterior joint probability density under the Gaussian input assumption. Specifically, we consider two types of pair-wise models, the fully connected and ring-type. The pair-wise graphs are sparse, compared to the conventional graphical model in [18], insofar as the number of edges connected to an observation node (edge degree) is only two. Consequently the computations are much easier than those of maximum likelihood (ML) detection, which are similar to the belief propagation (BP) that is run over the fully connected bipartite graph. The link level performance for non-Gaussian input is evaluated via simulations, and the results show the validity of the proposed algorithms. We also customize the algorithm with Gaussian input assumption to obtain the Gaussian BP run over the two pair-wise graphical models and, for the ring-type, we prove its convergence in mean to the linear minimum mean square error (MMSE) estimates. Since the maximum a posterior (MAP) estimator for Gaussian input is equivalent to the linear MMSE estimator, it shows the optimality, in mean, of the scheme for Gaussian input.
1304.1969
One-Bit Quantization Design and Adaptive Methods for Compressed Sensing
cs.IT math.IT
There have been a number of studies on sparse signal recovery from one-bit quantized measurements. Nevertheless, little attention has been paid to the choice of the quantization thresholds and its impact on the signal recovery performance. This paper examines the problem of one-bit quantizer design for sparse signal recovery. Our analysis shows that the magnitude ambiguity that ever plagues conventional one-bit compressed sensing methods can be resolved, and an arbitrarily small reconstruction error can be achieved by setting the quantization thresholds close enough to the original data samples without being quantized. Note that unquantized data samples are unaccessible in practice. To overcome this difficulty, we propose an adaptive quantization method that adaptively adjusts the quantization thresholds in a way such that the thresholds converges to the optimal thresholds. Numerical results are illustrated to collaborate our theoretical results and the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.
1304.1972
Facial transformations of ancient portraits: the face of Caesar
cs.CV
Some software solutions used to obtain the facial transformations can help investigating the artistic metamorphosis of the ancient portraits of the same person. An analysis with a freely available software of portraitures of Julius Caesar is proposed, showing his several "morphs". The software helps enhancing the mood the artist added to a portrait.
1304.1978
Constructing Low Star Discrepancy Point Sets with Genetic Algorithms
cs.NE cs.NA
Geometric discrepancies are standard measures to quantify the irregularity of distributions. They are an important notion in numerical integration. One of the most important discrepancy notions is the so-called \emph{star discrepancy}. Roughly speaking, a point set of low star discrepancy value allows for a small approximation error in quasi-Monte Carlo integration. It is thus the most studied discrepancy notion. In this work we present a new algorithm to compute point sets of low star discrepancy. The two components of the algorithm (for the optimization and the evaluation, respectively) are based on evolutionary principles. Our algorithm clearly outperforms existing approaches. To the best of our knowledge, it is also the first algorithm which can be adapted easily to optimize inverse star discrepancies.
1304.1979
Limited communication capacity unveils strategies for human interaction
physics.soc-ph cs.SI
Social connectivity is the key process that characterizes the structural properties of social networks and in turn processes such as navigation, influence or information diffusion. Since time, attention and cognition are inelastic resources, humans should have a predefined strategy to manage their social interactions over time. However, the limited observational length of existing human interaction datasets, together with the bursty nature of dyadic communications have hampered the observation of tie dynamics in social networks. Here we develop a method for the detection of tie activation/deactivation, and apply it to a large longitudinal, cross-sectional communication dataset ($\approx$ 19 months, $\approx$ 20 million people). Contrary to the perception of ever-growing connectivity, we observe that individuals exhibit a finite communication capacity, which limits the number of ties they can maintain active. In particular we find that men have an overall higher communication capacity than women and that this capacity decreases gradually for both sexes over the lifespan of individuals (16-70 years). We are then able to separate communication capacity from communication activity, revealing a diverse range of tie activation patterns, from stable to exploratory. We find that, in simulation, individuals exhibiting exploratory strategies display longer time to receive information spreading in the network those individuals with stable strategies. Our principled method to determine the communication capacity of an individual allows us to quantify how strategies for human interaction shape the dynamical evolution of social networks.
1304.1984
A Multi-Dimensional Block-Circulant Perfect Array Construction
cs.IT math.IT
We present a $N$-dimensional generalization of the two-dimensional block-circulant perfect array construction by \cite{Blake2013}. As in \cite{Blake2013}, the families of $N$-dimensional arrays possess pairwise \textit{good} zero correlation zone (ZCZ) cross-correlation. Both constructions use a perfect autocorrelation sequence with the array orthogonality property (AOP).
1304.1995
Image Retrieval using Histogram Factorization and Contextual Similarity Learning
cs.CV cs.DB cs.LG
Image retrieval has been a top topic in the field of both computer vision and machine learning for a long time. Content based image retrieval, which tries to retrieve images from a database visually similar to a query image, has attracted much attention. Two most important issues of image retrieval are the representation and ranking of the images. Recently, bag-of-words based method has shown its power as a representation method. Moreover, nonnegative matrix factorization is also a popular way to represent the data samples. In addition, contextual similarity learning has also been studied and proven to be an effective method for the ranking problem. However, these technologies have never been used together. In this paper, we developed an effective image retrieval system by representing each image using the bag-of-words method as histograms, and then apply the nonnegative matrix factorization to factorize the histograms, and finally learn the ranking score using the contextual similarity learning method. The proposed novel system is evaluated on a large scale image database and the effectiveness is shown.
1304.1998
Convex conditions for robust stability analysis and stabilization of linear aperiodic impulsive and sampled-data systems under dwell-time constraints
math.OC cs.SY math.CA math.DS
Stability analysis and control of linear impulsive systems is addressed in a hybrid framework, through the use of continuous-time time-varying discontinuous Lyapunov functions. Necessary and sufficient conditions for stability of impulsive systems with periodic impulses are first provided in order to set up the main ideas. Extensions to stability of aperiodic systems under minimum, maximum and ranged dwell-times are then derived. By exploiting further the particular structure of the stability conditions, the results are non-conservatively extended to quadratic stability analysis of linear uncertain impulsive systems. These stability criteria are, in turn, losslessly extended to stabilization using a particular, yet broad enough, class of state-feedback controllers, providing then a convex solution to the open problem of robust dwell-time stabilization of impulsive systems using hybrid stability criteria. Relying finally on the representability of sampled-data systems as impulsive systems, the problems of robust stability analysis and robust stabilization of periodic and aperiodic uncertain sampled-data systems are straightforwardly solved using the same ideas. Several examples are discussed in order to show the effectiveness and reduced complexity of the proposed approach.
1304.2014
Image Compression predicated on Recurrent Iterated Function Systems
math.DS cs.CV math.GT
Recurrent iterated function systems (RIFSs) are improvements of iterated function systems (IFSs) using elements of the theory of Marcovian stochastic processes which can produce more natural looking images. We construct new RIFSs consisting substantially of a vertical contraction factor function and nonlinear transformations. These RIFSs are applied to image compression.
1304.2024
A General Framework for Interacting Bayes-Optimally with Self-Interested Agents using Arbitrary Parametric Model and Model Prior
cs.LG cs.AI cs.MA stat.ML
Recent advances in Bayesian reinforcement learning (BRL) have shown that Bayes-optimality is theoretically achievable by modeling the environment's latent dynamics using Flat-Dirichlet-Multinomial (FDM) prior. In self-interested multi-agent environments, the transition dynamics are mainly controlled by the other agent's stochastic behavior for which FDM's independence and modeling assumptions do not hold. As a result, FDM does not allow the other agent's behavior to be generalized across different states nor specified using prior domain knowledge. To overcome these practical limitations of FDM, we propose a generalization of BRL to integrate the general class of parametric models and model priors, thus allowing practitioners' domain knowledge to be exploited to produce a fine-grained and compact representation of the other agent's behavior. Empirical evaluation shows that our approach outperforms existing multi-agent reinforcement learning algorithms.
1304.2031
Temporal Analysis of Activity Patterns of Editors in Collaborative Mapping Project of OpenStreetMap
cs.CY cs.HC cs.SI physics.data-an physics.soc-ph
In the recent years Wikis have become an attractive platform for social studies of the human behaviour. Containing millions records of edits across the globe, collaborative systems such as Wikipedia have allowed researchers to gain a better understanding of editors participation and their activity patterns. However, contributions made to Geo-wikis_wiki-based collaborative mapping projects_ differ from systems such as Wikipedia in a fundamental way due to spatial dimension of the content that limits the contributors to a set of those who posses local knowledge about a specific area and therefore cross-platform studies and comparisons are required to build a comprehensive image of online open collaboration phenomena. In this work, we study the temporal behavioural pattern of OpenStreetMap editors, a successful example of geo-wiki, for two European capital cities. We categorise different type of temporal patterns and report on the historical trend within a period of 7 years of the project age. We also draw a comparison with the previously observed editing activity patterns of Wikipedia.
1304.2058
Stochastic Recovery Of Sparse Signals From Random Measurements
physics.data-an cs.IT math.IT
Sparse signal recovery from a small number of random measurements is a well known NP-hard to solve combinatorial optimization problem, with important applications in signal and image processing. The standard approach to the sparse signal recovery problem is based on the basis pursuit method. This approach requires the solution of a large convex optimization problem, and therefore suffers from high computational complexity. Here, we discuss a stochastic optimization method, as a low-complexity alternative to the basis pursuit approach.
1304.2079
Learning Coverage Functions and Private Release of Marginals
cs.LG cs.CC cs.DS
We study the problem of approximating and learning coverage functions. A function $c: 2^{[n]} \rightarrow \mathbf{R}^{+}$ is a coverage function, if there exists a universe $U$ with non-negative weights $w(u)$ for each $u \in U$ and subsets $A_1, A_2, \ldots, A_n$ of $U$ such that $c(S) = \sum_{u \in \cup_{i \in S} A_i} w(u)$. Alternatively, coverage functions can be described as non-negative linear combinations of monotone disjunctions. They are a natural subclass of submodular functions and arise in a number of applications. We give an algorithm that for any $\gamma,\delta>0$, given random and uniform examples of an unknown coverage function $c$, finds a function $h$ that approximates $c$ within factor $1+\gamma$ on all but $\delta$-fraction of the points in time $poly(n,1/\gamma,1/\delta)$. This is the first fully-polynomial algorithm for learning an interesting class of functions in the demanding PMAC model of Balcan and Harvey (2011). Our algorithms are based on several new structural properties of coverage functions. Using the results in (Feldman and Kothari, 2014), we also show that coverage functions are learnable agnostically with excess $\ell_1$-error $\epsilon$ over all product and symmetric distributions in time $n^{\log(1/\epsilon)}$. In contrast, we show that, without assumptions on the distribution, learning coverage functions is at least as hard as learning polynomial-size disjoint DNF formulas, a class of functions for which the best known algorithm runs in time $2^{\tilde{O}(n^{1/3})}$ (Klivans and Servedio, 2004). As an application of our learning results, we give simple differentially-private algorithms for releasing monotone conjunction counting queries with low average error. In particular, for any $k \leq n$, we obtain private release of $k$-way marginals with average error $\bar{\alpha}$ in time $n^{O(\log(1/\bar{\alpha}))}$.
1304.2097
Solving Linear Equations by Classical Jacobi-SR Based Hybrid Evolutionary Algorithm with Uniform Adaptation Technique
cs.NE cs.NA
Solving a set of simultaneous linear equations is probably the most important topic in numerical methods. For solving linear equations, iterative methods are preferred over the direct methods especially when the coefficient matrix is sparse. The rate of convergence of iteration method is increased by using Successive Relaxation (SR) technique. But SR technique is very much sensitive to relaxation factor, {\omega}. Recently, hybridization of classical Gauss-Seidel based successive relaxation technique with evolutionary computation techniques have successfully been used to solve large set of linear equations in which relaxation factors are self-adapted. In this paper, a new hybrid algorithm is proposed in which uniform adaptive evolutionary computation techniques and classical Jacobi based SR technique are used instead of classical Gauss-Seidel based SR technique. The proposed Jacobi-SR based uniform adaptive hybrid algorithm, inherently, can be implemented in parallel processing environment efficiently. Whereas Gauss-Seidel-SR based hybrid algorithms cannot be implemented in parallel computing environment efficiently. The convergence theorem and adaptation theorem of the proposed algorithm are proved theoretically. And the performance of the proposed Jacobi-SR based uniform adaptive hybrid evolutionary algorithm is compared with Gauss-Seidel-SR based uniform adaptive hybrid evolutionary algorithm as well as with both classical Jacobi-SR method and Gauss-Seidel-SR method in the experimental domain. The proposed Jacobi-SR based hybrid algorithm outperforms the Gauss-Seidel-SR based hybrid algorithm as well as both classical Jacobi-SR method and Gauss-Seidel-SR method in terms of convergence speed and effectiveness.
1304.2103
High-Throughput Cooperative Communication with Interference Cancellation for Two-Path Relay in Multi-source System
cs.IT math.IT
Relay-based cooperative communication has become a research focus in recent years because it can achieve diversity gain in wireless networks. In existing works, network coding and two-path relay are adopted to deal with the increase of network size and the half-duplex nature of relay, respectively. To further improve bandwidth efficiency, we propose a novel cooperative transmission scheme which combines network coding and two-path relay together in a multi-source system. Due to the utilization of two-path relay, our proposed scheme achieves full-rate transmission. Adopting complex field network coding (CFNC) at both sources and relays ensures that symbols from different sources are allowed to be broadcast in the same time slot. We also adopt physical-layer network coding (PNC) at relay nodes to deal with the inter-relay interference caused by the two-path relay. With careful process design, the ideal throughput of our scheme achieves by 1 symbol per source per time slot (sym/S/TS). Furthermore, the theoretical analysis provides a method to estimate the symbol error probability (SEP) and throughput in additive complex white Gaussian noise (AWGN) and Rayleigh fading channels. The simulation results verify the improvement achieved by the proposed scheme.
1304.2109
Automatic Fingerprint Recognition Using Minutiae Matching Technique for the Large Fingerprint Database
cs.CV
Extracting minutiae from fingerprint images is one of the most important steps in automatic fingerprint identification system. Because minutiae matching are certainly the most well-known and widely used method for fingerprint matching, minutiae are local discontinuities in the fingerprint pattern. In this paper a fingerprint matching algorithm is proposed using some specific feature of the minutiae points, also the acquired fingerprint image is considered by minimizing its size by generating a corresponding fingerprint template for a large fingerprint database. The results achieved are compared with those obtained through some other methods also shows some improvement in the minutiae detection process in terms of memory and time required.
1304.2126
Braess like Paradox in a Small World Network
physics.soc-ph cs.SI
Braess \cite{1} has been studied about a traffic flow on a diamond type network and found that introducing new edges to the networks always does not achieve the efficiency. Some researchers studied the Braess' paradox in similar type networks by introducing various types of cost functions. But whether such paradox occurs or not is not scarcely studied in complex networks. In this article, I analytically and numerically study whether Braess like paradox occurs or not on Dorogovtsev-Mendes network\cite{2}, which is a sort of small world networks. The cost function needed to go along an edge is postulated to be equally identified with the length between two nodes, independently of an amount of traffic on the edge. It is also assumed the it takes a certain cost $c$ to pass through the center node in Dorogovtsev-Mendes network. If $c$ is small, then bypasses have the function to provide short cuts. As result of numerical and theoretical analyses, while I find that any Braess' like paradox will not occur when the network size becomes infinite, I can show that a paradoxical phenomenon appears at finite size of network.
1304.2132
The Deformed Consensus Protocol: Extended Version
cs.SY
This paper studies a generalization of the standard continuous-time consensus protocol, obtained by replacing the Laplacian matrix of the communication graph with the so-called deformed Laplacian. The deformed Laplacian is a second-degree matrix polynomial in the real variable 's' which reduces to the standard Laplacian for 's' equal to unity. The stability properties of the ensuing deformed consensus protocol are studied in terms of parameter 's' for some special families of undirected and directed graphs, and for arbitrary graph topologies by leveraging the spectral theory of quadratic eigenvalue problems. Examples and simulation results are provided to illustrate our theoretical findings.
1304.2133
Dynamic Amelioration of Resolution Mismatches for Local Feature Based Identity Inference
cs.CV cs.IR
While existing face recognition systems based on local features are robust to issues such as misalignment, they can exhibit accuracy degradation when comparing images of differing resolutions. This is common in surveillance environments where a gallery of high resolution mugshots is compared to low resolution CCTV probe images, or where the size of a given image is not a reliable indicator of the underlying resolution (eg. poor optics). To alleviate this degradation, we propose a compensation framework which dynamically chooses the most appropriate face recognition system for a given pair of image resolutions. This framework applies a novel resolution detection method which does not rely on the size of the input images, but instead exploits the sensitivity of local features to resolution using a probabilistic multi-region histogram approach. Experiments on a resolution-modified version of the "Labeled Faces in the Wild" dataset show that the proposed resolution detector frontend obtains a 99% average accuracy in selecting the most appropriate face recognition system, resulting in higher overall face discrimination accuracy (across several resolutions) compared to the individual baseline face recognition systems.
1304.2170
On sampling SCJ rearrangement scenarios
cs.CE
The Single Cut or Join (SCJ) operation on genomes, generalizing chromosome evolution by fusions and fissions, is the computationally simplest known model of genome rearrangement. While most genome rearrangement problems are already hard when comparing three genomes, it is possible to compute in polynomial time a most parsimonious SCJ scenario for an arbitrary number of genomes related by a binary phylogenetic tree. Here we consider the problems of sampling and counting the most parsimonious SCJ scenarios. We show that both the sampling and counting problems are easy for two genomes, and we relate SCJ scenarios to alternating permutations. However, for an arbitrary number of genomes related by a binary phylogenetic tree, the counting and sampling problems become hard. We prove that if a Fully Polynomial Randomized Approximation Scheme or a Fully Polynomial Almost Uniform Sampler exist for the most parsimonious SCJ scenario, then RP = NP. The proof has a wider scope than genome rearrangements: the same result holds for parsimonious evolutionary scenarios on any set of discrete characters.
1304.2172
Binary Hypothesis Testing Game with Training Data
cs.IT cs.GT math.IT
We introduce a game-theoretic framework to study the hypothesis testing problem, in the presence of an adversary aiming at preventing a correct decision. Specifically, the paper considers a scenario in which an analyst has to decide whether a test sequence has been drawn according to a probability mass function (pmf) P_X or not. In turn, the goal of the adversary is to take a sequence generated according to a different pmf and modify it in such a way to induce a decision error. P_X is known only through one or more training sequences. We derive the asymptotic equilibrium of the game under the assumption that the analyst relies only on first order statistics of the test sequence, and compute the asymptotic payoff of the game when the length of the test sequence tends to infinity. We introduce the concept of indistinguishability region, as the set of pmf's that can not be distinguished reliably from P_X in the presence of attacks. Two different scenarios are considered: in the first one the analyst and the adversary share the same training sequence, in the second scenario, they rely on independent sequences. The obtained results are compared to a version of the game in which the pmf P_X is perfectly known to the analyst and the adversary.
1304.2184
Object-Oriented Translation for Programmable Relational System (DRAFT)
cs.DB
The paper introduces the principles of object-oriented translation for target machine which provides executing the sequences of elementary operations on persistent data presented as a set of relations (programmable relational system). The language of this target machine bases on formal operations of relational data model. An approach is given to convert both the description of complex object-oriented data structures and operations on these data, into a description of relational structures and operations on them. The proposed approach makes possible to extend the target relational language with commands allowing data be described as a set of complex persistent objects of different classes. Object views are introduced which allow relational operations be applied to the data of complex objects. It is shown that any operation and method can be executed on any group of the objects without explicit and implicit iterators. Binding of both attributes and methods with their polymorphic implementations are discussed. Classes can be co-used with relations as scalar domains, in referential integrity constraints and in data query operations.
1304.2222
Sequential Randomized Algorithms for Convex Optimization in the Presence of Uncertainty
cs.SY math.OC
In this paper, we propose new sequential randomized algorithms for convex optimization problems in the presence of uncertainty. A rigorous analysis of the theoretical properties of the solutions obtained by these algorithms, for full constraint satisfaction and partial constraint satisfaction, respectively, is given. The proposed methods allow to enlarge the applicability of the existing randomized methods to real-world applications involving a large number of design variables. Since the proposed approach does not provide a priori bounds on the sample complexity, extensive numerical simulations, dealing with an application to hard-disk drive servo design, are provided. These simulations testify the goodness of the proposed solution.
1304.2233
Sensors and Navigation Algorithms for Flight Control of Tethered Kites
cs.SY
We present the sensor setup and the basic navigation algorithm used for the flight control of the SkySails towing kite system. Starting with brief summaries on system setup and equations of motion of the tethered kite system, we subsequently give an overview of the sensor setup, present the navigation task and discuss challenges which have to be mastered. In the second part we introduce in detail the inertial navigation algorithm which has been used for operational flights for years. The functional capability of this algorithm is illustrated by experimental flight data. Finally we suggest a modification of the algorithms as further development step in order to overcome certain limitations.
1304.2234
Large deviations of the interference in the Ginibre network model
cs.IT cs.NI math.IT
Under different assumptions on the distribution of the fading random variables, we derive large deviation estimates for the tail of the interference in a wireless network model whose nodes are placed, over a bounded region of the plane, according to the $\beta$-Ginibre process, $0<\beta\leq 1$. The family of $\beta$-Ginibre processes is formed by determinantal point processes, with different degree of repulsiveness, which converge in law to a homogeneous Poisson process, as $\beta \to 0$. In this sense the Poisson network model may be considered as the limiting uncorrelated case of the $\beta$-Ginibre network model. Our results indicate the existence of two different regimes. When the fading random variables are bounded or Weibull superexponential, large values of the interference are typically originated by the sum of several equivalent interfering contributions due to nodes in the vicinity of the receiver. In this case, the tail of the interference has, on the log-scale, the same asymptotic behavior for any value of $0<\beta\le 1$, but it differs (again on a log-scale) from the asymptotic behavior of the tail of the interference in the Poisson network model. When the fading random variables are exponential or subexponential, instead, large values of the interference are typically originated by a single dominating interferer node and, on the log-scale, the asymptotic behavior of the tail of the interference is essentially insensitive to the distribution of the nodes. As a consequence, on the log-scale, the asymptotic behavior of the tail of the interference in any $\beta$-Ginibre network model, $0<\beta\le 1$, is the same as in the Poisson network model.
1304.2263
Linear codes on posets with extension property
cs.IT math.IT
We investigate linear and additive codes in partially ordered Hamming-like spaces that satisfy the extension property, meaning that automorphisms of ideals extend to automorphisms of the poset. The codes are naturally described in terms of translation association schemes that originate from the groups of linear isometries of the space. We address questions of duality and invariants of codes, establishing a connection between the dual association scheme and the scheme defined on the dual poset (they are isomorphic if and only if the poset is self-dual). We further discuss invariants that play the role of weight enumerators of codes in the poset case. In the case of regular rooted trees such invariants are linked to the classical problem of tree isomorphism. We also study the question of whether these invariants are preserved under standard operations on posets such as the ordinal sum and the like.
1304.2266
Synaptic Scaling Balances Learning in a Spiking Model of Neocortex
q-bio.NC cs.NE
Learning in the brain requires complementary mechanisms: potentiation and activity-dependent homeostatic scaling. We introduce synaptic scaling to a biologically-realistic spiking model of neocortex which can learn changes in oscillatory rhythms using STDP, and show that scaling is necessary to balance both positive and negative changes in input from potentiation and atrophy. We discuss some of the issues that arise when considering synaptic scaling in such a model, and show that scaling regulates activity whilst allowing learning to remain unaltered.
1304.2268
Gossips and Prejudices: Ergodic Randomized Dynamics in Social Networks
cs.SY cs.SI math.OC
In this paper we study a novel model of opinion dynamics in social networks, which has two main features. First, agents asynchronously interact in pairs, and these pairs are chosen according to a random process. We refer to this communication model as "gossiping". Second, agents are not completely open-minded, but instead take into account their initial opinions, which may be thought of as their "prejudices". In the literature, such agents are often called "stubborn". We show that the opinions of the agents fail to converge, but persistently undergo ergodic oscillations, which asymptotically concentrate around a mean distribution of opinions. This mean value is exactly the limit of the synchronous dynamics of the expected opinions.
1304.2269
On Number of Almost Blank Subframes in Heterogeneous Cellular Networks
cs.IT math.IT
In heterogeneous cellular scenarios with macrocells, femtocells or picocells users may suffer from significant co-channel cross-tier interference. To manage this interference 3GPP introduced almost blank subframe (ABSF), a subframe in which the interferer tier is not allowed to transmit data. Vulnerable users thus get a chance to be scheduled in ABSFs with reduced cross-tier interference. We analyze downlink scenarios using stochastic geometry and formulate a condition for the required number of ABSFs based on base station placement statistics and user throughput requirement. The result is a semi-analytical formula that serves as a good initial estimate and offers an easy way to analyze impact of network parameters. We show that while in macro/femto scenario the residue ABSF interference can be well managed, in macro/pico scenario it affects the number of required ABSFs strongly. The effect of ABSFs is subsequently demonstrated via user throughput simulations. Especially in the macro/pico scenario, we find that using ABSFs is advantageous for the system since victim users no longer suffer from poor performance for the price of relatively small drop in higher throughput percentiles.
1304.2272
Algorithms for Large-scale Whole Genome Association Analysis
cs.CE cs.MS q-bio.GN
In order to associate complex traits with genetic polymorphisms, genome-wide association studies process huge datasets involving tens of thousands of individuals genotyped for millions of polymorphisms. When handling these datasets, which exceed the main memory of contemporary computers, one faces two distinct challenges: 1) Millions of polymorphisms come at the cost of hundreds of Gigabytes of genotype data, which can only be kept in secondary storage; 2) the relatedness of the test population is represented by a covariance matrix, which, for large populations, can only fit in the combined main memory of a distributed architecture. In this paper, we present solutions for both challenges: The genotype data is streamed from and to secondary storage using a double buffering technique, while the covariance matrix is kept across the main memory of a distributed memory system. We show that these methods sustain high-performance and allow the analysis of enormous dataset
1304.2300
Incremental Computation of Pseudo-Inverse of Laplacian: Theory and Applications
cs.DM cs.SI
A divide-and-conquer based approach for computing the Moore-Penrose pseudo-inverse of the combinatorial Laplacian matrix $(\bb L^+)$ of a simple, undirected graph is proposed. % The nature of the underlying sub-problems is studied in detail by means of an elegant interplay between $\bb L^+$ and the effective resistance distance $(\Omega)$. Closed forms are provided for a novel {\em two-stage} process that helps compute the pseudo-inverse incrementally. Analogous scalar forms are obtained for the converse case, that of structural regress, which entails the breaking up of a graph into disjoint components through successive edge deletions. The scalar forms in both cases, show absolute element-wise independence at all stages, thus suggesting potential parallelizability. Analytical and experimental results are presented for dynamic (time-evolving) graphs as well as large graphs in general (representing real-world networks). An order of magnitude reduction in computational time is achieved for dynamic graphs; while in the general case, our approach performs better in practice than the standard methods, even though the worst case theoretical complexities may remain the same: an important contribution with consequences to the study of online social networks.
1304.2302
ClusterCluster: Parallel Markov Chain Monte Carlo for Dirichlet Process Mixtures
stat.ML cs.DC cs.LG
The Dirichlet process (DP) is a fundamental mathematical tool for Bayesian nonparametric modeling, and is widely used in tasks such as density estimation, natural language processing, and time series modeling. Although MCMC inference methods for the DP often provide a gold standard in terms asymptotic accuracy, they can be computationally expensive and are not obviously parallelizable. We propose a reparameterization of the Dirichlet process that induces conditional independencies between the atoms that form the random measure. This conditional independence enables many of the Markov chain transition operators for DP inference to be simulated in parallel across multiple cores. Applied to mixture modeling, our approach enables the Dirichlet process to simultaneously learn clusters that describe the data and superclusters that define the granularity of parallelization. Unlike previous approaches, our technique does not require alteration of the model and leaves the true posterior distribution invariant. It also naturally lends itself to a distributed software implementation in terms of Map-Reduce, which we test in cluster configurations of over 50 machines and 100 cores. We present experiments exploring the parallel efficiency and convergence properties of our approach on both synthetic and real-world data, including runs on 1MM data vectors in 256 dimensions.
1304.2310
Embedding of Blink Frequency in Electrooculography Signal using Difference Expansion based Reversible Watermarking Technique
cs.CV cs.IR
In the past few years, like other fields, rapid expansion of digitization and globalization has influenced the medical field as well. For progress of diagnostic results most of the reputed hospitals and diagnostic centres all over the world have started exchanging medical information. In this proposed method, the calculated diagnostic parametric values of the original Electrooculography (EOG) signal are embedded as a watermark by using Difference Expansion (DE) algorithm based reversible watermarking technique. The extracted watermark provides the required parametric values at the recipient end without any post computation of the recovered EOG signal. By computing the parametric values from the recovered signal, the integrity of the extracted watermark can be validated. The time domain features of EOG signal are calculated for the generation of watermark. In the current work, various features are studied and two major features related to blink frequency are used to generate the watermark. The high Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR) and the Bit Error Rate (BER) claim the robustness of the proposed method.
1304.2313
On Differentially Private Filtering for Event Streams
cs.DB cs.CR cs.SY
Rigorous privacy mechanisms that can cope with dynamic data are required to encourage a wider adoption of large-scale monitoring and decision systems relying on end-user information. A promising approach to develop these mechanisms is to specify quantitative privacy requirements at design time rather than as an afterthought, and to rely on signal processing techniques to achieve satisfying trade-offs between privacy and performance specifications. This paper discusses, from the signal processing point of view, an event stream analysis problem introduced in the database and cryptography literature. A discrete-valued input signal describes the occurrence of events contributed by end-users, and a system is supposed to provide some output signal based on this information, while preserving the privacy of the participants. The notion of privacy adopted here is that of event-level differential privacy, which provides strong privacy guarantees and has important operational advantages. Several mechanisms are described to provide differentially private output signals while minimizing the impact on performance. These mechanisms demonstrate the benefits of leveraging system theoretic techniques to provide privacy guarantees for dynamic systems.
1304.2331
The PAV algorithm optimizes binary proper scoring rules
stat.AP cs.LG stat.ML
There has been much recent interest in application of the pool-adjacent-violators (PAV) algorithm for the purpose of calibrating the probabilistic outputs of automatic pattern recognition and machine learning algorithms. Special cost functions, known as proper scoring rules form natural objective functions to judge the goodness of such calibration. We show that for binary pattern classifiers, the non-parametric optimization of calibration, subject to a monotonicity constraint, can be solved by PAV and that this solution is optimal for all regular binary proper scoring rules. This extends previous results which were limited to convex binary proper scoring rules. We further show that this result holds not only for calibration of probabilities, but also for calibration of log-likelihood-ratios, in which case optimality holds independently of the prior probabilities of the pattern classes.
1304.2333
A primer on information theory, with applications to neuroscience
cs.IT math.IT q-bio.NC
Given the constant rise in quantity and quality of data obtained from neural systems on many scales ranging from molecular to systems', information-theoretic analyses became increasingly necessary during the past few decades in the neurosciences. Such analyses can provide deep insights into the functionality of such systems, as well as a rigid mathematical theory and quantitative measures of information processing in both healthy and diseased states of neural systems. This chapter will present a short introduction to the fundamentals of information theory, especially suited for people having a less firm background in mathematics and probability theory. To begin, the fundamentals of probability theory such as the notion of probability, probability distributions, and random variables will be reviewed. Then, the concepts of information and entropy (in the sense of Shannon), mutual information, and transfer entropy (sometimes also referred to as conditional mutual information) will be outlined. As these quantities cannot be computed exactly from measured data in practice, estimation techniques for information-theoretic quantities will be presented. The chapter will conclude with the applications of information theory in the field of neuroscience, including questions of possible medical applications and a short review of software packages that can be used for information-theoretic analyses of neural data.
1304.2336
One-shot lossy quantum data compression
quant-ph cs.IT math.IT
We provide a framework for one-shot quantum rate distortion coding, in which the goal is to determine the minimum number of qubits required to compress quantum information as a function of the probability that the distortion incurred upon decompression exceeds some specified level. We obtain a one-shot characterization of the minimum qubit compression size for an entanglement-assisted quantum rate-distortion code in terms of the smooth max-information, a quantity previously employed in the one-shot quantum reverse Shannon theorem. Next, we show how this characterization converges to the known expression for the entanglement-assisted quantum rate distortion function for asymptotically many copies of a memoryless quantum information source. Finally, we give a tight, finite blocklength characterization for the entanglement-assisted minimum qubit compression size of a memoryless isotropic qubit source subject to an average symbol-wise distortion constraint.
1304.2339
The structure of Bayes nets for vision recognition
cs.AI
This paper is part of a study whose goal is to show the effciency of using Bayes networks to carry out model based vision calculations. [Binford et al. 1987] Recognition proceeds by drawing up a network model from the object's geometric and functional description that predicts the appearance of an object. Then this network is used to find the object within a photographic image. Many existing and proposed techniques for vision recognition resemble the uncertainty calculations of a Bayes net. In contrast, though, they lack a derivation from first principles, and tend to rely on arbitrary parameters that we hope to avoid by a network model. The connectedness of the network depends on what independence considerations can be identified in the vision problem. Greater independence leads to easier calculations, at the expense of the net's expressiveness. Once this trade-off is made and the structure of the network is determined, it should be possible to tailor a solution technique for it. This paper explores the use of a network with multiply connected paths, drawing on both techniques of belief networks [Pearl 86] and influence diagrams. We then demonstrate how one formulation of a multiply connected network can be solved.
1304.2340
Summary of A New Normative Theory of Probabilistic Logic
cs.AI
By probabilistic logic I mean a normative theory of belief that explains how a body of evidence affects one's degree of belief in a possible hypothesis. A new axiomatization of such a theory is presented which avoids a finite additivity axiom, yet which retains many useful inference rules. Many of the examples of this theory--its models do not use numerical probabilities. Put another way, this article gives sharper answers to the two questions: 1.What kinds of sets can used as the range of a probability function? 2.Under what conditions is the range set of a probability function isomorphic to the set of real numbers in the interval 10,1/ with the usual arithmetical operations?
1304.2341
Probability Distributions Over Possible Worlds
cs.AI
In Probabilistic Logic Nilsson uses the device of a probability distribution over a set of possible worlds to assign probabilities to the sentences of a logical language. In his paper Nilsson concentrated on inference and associated computational issues. This paper, on the other hand, examines the probabilistic semantics in more detail, particularly for the case of first-order languages, and attempts to explain some of the features and limitations of this form of probability logic. It is pointed out that the device of assigning probabilities to logical sentences has certain expressive limitations. In particular, statistical assertions are not easily expressed by such a device. This leads to certain difficulties with attempts to give probabilistic semantics to default reasoning using probabilities assigned to logical sentences.
1304.2342
Hierarchical Evidence and Belief Functions
cs.AI
Dempster/Shafer (D/S) theory has been advocated as a way of representing incompleteness of evidence in a system's knowledge base. Methods now exist for propagating beliefs through chains of inference. This paper discusses how rules with attached beliefs, a common representation for knowledge in automated reasoning systems, can be transformed into the joint belief functions required by propagation algorithms. A rule is taken as defining a conditional belief function on the consequent given the antecedents. It is demonstrated by example that different joint belief functions may be consistent with a given set of rules. Moreover, different representations of the same rules may yield different beliefs on the consequent hypotheses.
1304.2343
Decision-Theoretic Control of Problem Solving: Principles and Architecture
cs.AI
This paper presents an approach to the design of autonomous, real-time systems operating in uncertain environments. We address issues of problem solving and reflective control of reasoning under uncertainty in terms of two fundamental elements: l) a set of decision-theoretic models for selecting among alternative problem-solving methods and 2) a general computational architecture for resource-bounded problem solving. The decisiontheoretic models provide a set of principles for choosing among alternative problem-solving methods based on their relative costs and benefits, where benefits are characterized in terms of the value of information provided by the output of a reasoning activity. The output may be an estimate of some uncertain quantity or a recommendation for action. The computational architecture, called Schemer-ll, provides for interleaving of and communication among various problem-solving subsystems. These subsystems provide alternative approaches to information gathering, belief refinement, solution construction, and solution execution. In particular, the architecture provides a mechanism for interrupting the subsystems in response to critical events. We provide a decision theoretic account for scheduling problem-solving elements and for critical-event-driven interruption of activities in an architecture such as Schemer-II.
1304.2344
Induction and Uncertainty Management Techniques Applied to Veterinary Medical Diagnosis
cs.AI
This paper discusses a project undertaken between the Departments of Computing Science, Statistics, and the College of Veterinary Medicine to design a medical diagnostic system. On-line medical data has been collected in the hospital database system for several years. A number of induction methods are being used to extract knowledge from the data in an attempt to improve upon simple diagnostic charts used by the clinicians. They also enhance the results of classical statistical methods - finding many more significant variables. The second part of the paper describes an essentially Bayesian method of evidence combination using fuzzy events at an initial step. Results are presented and comparisons are made with other methods.
1304.2345
KNET: Integrating Hypermedia and Bayesian Modeling
cs.AI
KNET is a general-purpose shell for constructing expert systems based on belief networks and decision networks. Such networks serve as graphical representations for decision models, in which the knowledge engineer must define clearly the alternatives, states, preferences, and relationships that constitute a decision basis. KNET contains a knowledge-engineering core written in Object Pascal and an interface that tightly integrates HyperCard, a hypertext authoring tool for the Apple Macintosh computer, into a novel expert-system architecture. Hypertext and hypermedia have become increasingly important in the storage management, and retrieval of information. In broad terms, hypermedia deliver heterogeneous bits of information in dynamic, extensively cross-referenced packages. The resulting KNET system features a coherent probabilistic scheme for managing uncertainty, an objectoriented graphics editor for drawing and manipulating decision networks, and HyperCard's potential for quickly constructing flexible and friendly user interfaces. We envision KNET as a useful prototyping tool for our ongoing research on a variety of Bayesian reasoning problems, including tractable representation, inference, and explanation.
1304.2346
A Method for Using Belief Networks as Influence Diagrams
cs.AI
This paper demonstrates a method for using belief-network algorithms to solve influence diagram problems. In particular, both exact and approximation belief-network algorithms may be applied to solve influence-diagram problems. More generally, knowing the relationship between belief-network and influence-diagram problems may be useful in the design and development of more efficient influence diagram algorithms.
1304.2347
Process, Structure, and Modularity in Reasoning with Uncertainty
cs.AI
Computational mechanisms for uncertainty management must support interactive and incremental problem formulation, inference, hypothesis testing, and decision making. However, most current uncertainty inference systems concentrate primarily on inference, and provide no support for the larger issues. We present a computational approach to uncertainty management which provides direct support for the dynamic, incremental aspect of this task, while at the same time permitting direct representation of the structure of evidential relationships. At the same time, we show that this approach responds to the modularity concerns of Heckerman and Horvitz [Heck87]. This paper emphasizes examples of the capabilities of this approach. Another paper [D'Am89] details the representations and algorithms involved.
1304.2348
Probabilistic Causal Reasoning
cs.AI
Predicting the future is an important component of decision making. In most situations, however, there is not enough information to make accurate predictions. In this paper, we develop a theory of causal reasoning for predictive inference under uncertainty. We emphasize a common type of prediction that involves reasoning about persistence: whether or not a proposition once made true remains true at some later time. We provide a decision procedure with a polynomial-time algorithm for determining the probability of the possible consequences of a set events and initial conditions. The integration of simple probability theory with temporal projection enables us to circumvent problems that nonmonotonic temporal reasoning schemes have in dealing with persistence. The ideas in this paper have been implemented in a prototype system that refines a database of causal rules in the course of applying those rules to construct and carry out plans in a manufacturing domain.
1304.2349
Modeling uncertain and vague knowledge in possibility and evidence theories
cs.AI
This paper advocates the usefulness of new theories of uncertainty for the purpose of modeling some facets of uncertain knowledge, especially vagueness, in AI. It can be viewed as a partial reply to Cheeseman's (among others) defense of probability.
1304.2350
A Temporal Logic for Uncertain Events and An Outline of A Possible Implementation in An Extension of PROLOG
cs.AI
There is uncertainty associated with the occurrence of many events in real life. In this paper we develop a temporal logic to deal with such uncertain events and outline a possible implementation in an extension of PROLOG. Events are represented as fuzzy sets with the membership function giving the possibility of occurrence of the event in a given interval of time. The developed temporal logic is simple but powerful. It can determine effectively the various temporal relations between uncertain events or their combinations. PROLOG provides a uniform substrate on which to effectively implement such a temporal logic for uncertain events
1304.2351
Uncertainty Management for Fuzzy Decision Support Systems
cs.AI
A new approach for uncertainty management for fuzzy, rule based decision support systems is proposed: The domain expert's knowledge is expressed by a set of rules that frequently refer to vague and uncertain propositions. The certainty of propositions is represented using intervals [a, b] expressing that the proposition's probability is at least a and at most b. Methods and techniques for computing the overall certainty of fuzzy compound propositions that have been defined by using logical connectives 'and', 'or' and 'not' are introduced. Different inference schemas for applying fuzzy rules by using modus ponens are discussed. Different algorithms for combining evidence that has been received from different rules for the same proposition are provided. The relationship of the approach to other approaches is analyzed and its problems of knowledge acquisition and knowledge representation are discussed in some detail. The basic concepts of a rule-based programming language called PICASSO, for which the approach is a theoretical foundation, are outlined.
1304.2352
Probability as a Modal Operator
cs.AI
This paper argues for a modal view of probability. The syntax and semantics of one particularly strong probability logic are discussed and some examples of the use of the logic are provided. We show that it is both natural and useful to think of probability as a modal operator. Contrary to popular belief in AI, a probability ranging between 0 and 1 represents a continuum between impossibility and necessity, not between simple falsity and truth. The present work provides a clear semantics for quantification into the scope of the probability operator and for higher-order probabilities. Probability logic is a language for expressing both probabilistic and logical concepts.
1304.2353
Truth Maintenance Under Uncertainty
cs.AI
This paper addresses the problem of resolving errors under uncertainty in a rule-based system. A new approach has been developed that reformulates this problem as a neural-network learning problem. The strength and the fundamental limitations of this approach are explored and discussed. The main result is that neural heuristics can be applied to solve some but not all problems in rule-based systems.
1304.2354
Bayesian Assessment of a Connectionist Model for Fault Detection
cs.AI
A previous paper [2] showed how to generate a linear discriminant network (LDN) that computes likely faults for a noisy fault detection problem by using a modification of the perceptron learning algorithm called the pocket algorithm. Here we compare the performance of this connectionist model with performance of the optimal Bayesian decision rule for the example that was previously described. We find that for this particular problem the connectionist model performs about 97% as well as the optimal Bayesian procedure. We then define a more general class of noisy single-pattern boolean (NSB) fault detection problems where each fault corresponds to a single :pattern of boolean instrument readings and instruments are independently noisy. This is equivalent to specifying that instrument readings are probabilistic but conditionally independent given any particular fault. We prove: 1. The optimal Bayesian decision rule for every NSB fault detection problem is representable by an LDN containing no intermediate nodes. (This slightly extends a result first published by Minsky & Selfridge.) 2. Given an NSB fault detection problem, then with arbitrarily high probability after sufficient iterations the pocket algorithm will generate an LDN that computes an optimal Bayesian decision rule for that problem. In practice we find that a reasonable number of iterations of the pocket algorithm produces a network with good, but not optimal, performance.
1304.2355
On the Logic of Causal Models
cs.AI
This paper explores the role of Directed Acyclic Graphs (DAGs) as a representation of conditional independence relationships. We show that DAGs offer polynomially sound and complete inference mechanisms for inferring conditional independence relationships from a given causal set of such relationships. As a consequence, d-separation, a graphical criterion for identifying independencies in a DAG, is shown to uncover more valid independencies then any other criterion. In addition, we employ the Armstrong property of conditional independence to show that the dependence relationships displayed by a DAG are inherently consistent, i.e. for every DAG D there exists some probability distribution P that embodies all the conditional independencies displayed in D and none other.
1304.2356
The Optimality of Satisficing Solutions
cs.AI
This paper addresses a prevailing assumption in single-agent heuristic search theory- that problem-solving algorithms should guarantee shortest-path solutions, which are typically called optimal. Optimality implies a metric for judging solution quality, where the optimal solution is the solution with the highest quality. When path-length is the metric, we will distinguish such solutions as p-optimal.
1304.2357
An Empirical Comparison of Three Inference Methods
cs.AI
In this paper, an empirical evaluation of three inference methods for uncertain reasoning is presented in the context of Pathfinder, a large expert system for the diagnosis of lymph-node pathology. The inference procedures evaluated are (1) Bayes' theorem, assuming evidence is conditionally independent given each hypothesis; (2) odds-likelihood updating, assuming evidence is conditionally independent given each hypothesis and given the negation of each hypothesis; and (3) a inference method related to the Dempster-Shafer theory of belief. Both expert-rating and decision-theoretic metrics are used to compare the diagnostic accuracy of the inference methods.
1304.2358
Parallel Belief Revision
cs.AI
This paper describes a formal system of belief revision developed by Wolfgang Spohn and shows that this system has a parallel implementation that can be derived from an influence diagram in a manner similar to that in which Bayesian networks are derived. The proof rests upon completeness results for an axiomatization of the notion of conditional independence, with the Spohn system being used as a semantics for the relation of conditional independence.
1304.2359
Stochastic Sensitivity Analysis Using Fuzzy Influence Diagrams
cs.AI
The practice of stochastic sensitivity analysis described in the decision analysis literature is a testimonial to the need for considering deviations from precise point estimates of uncertainty. We propose the use of Bayesian fuzzy probabilities within an influence diagram computational scheme for performing sensitivity analysis during the solution of probabilistic inference and decision problems. Unlike other parametric approaches, the proposed scheme does not require resolving the problem for the varying probability point estimates. We claim that the solution to fuzzy influence diagrams provides as much information as the classical point estimate approach plus additional information concerning stochastic sensitivity. An example based on diagnostic decision making in microcomputer assembly is used to illustrate this idea. We claim that the solution to fuzzy influence diagrams provides as much information as the classical point estimate approach plus additional interval information that is useful for stochastic sensitivity analysis.
1304.2360
A Representation of Uncertainty to Aid Insight into Decision Models
cs.AI
Many real world models can be characterized as weak, meaning that there is significant uncertainty in both the data input and inferences. This lack of determinism makes it especially difficult for users of computer decision aids to understand and have confidence in the models. This paper presents a representation for uncertainty and utilities that serves as a framework for graphical summary and computer-generated explanation of decision models. The application described that tests the methodology is a computer decision aid designed to enhance the clinician-patient consultation process for patients with angina (chest pain due to lack of blood flow to the heart muscle). The angina model is represented as a Bayesian decision network. Additionally, the probabilities and utilities are treated as random variables with probability distributions on their range of possible values. The initial distributions represent information on all patients with anginal symptoms, and the approach allows for rapid tailoring to more patientspecific distributions. This framework provides a metric for judging the importance of each variable in the model dynamically.
1304.2361
Rational Nonmonotonic Reasoning
cs.AI
Nonmonotonic reasoning is a pattern of reasoning that allows an agent to make and retract (tentative) conclusions from inconclusive evidence. This paper gives a possible-worlds interpretation of the nonmonotonic reasoning problem based on standard decision theory and the emerging probability logic. The system's central principle is that a tentative conclusion is a decision to make a bet, not an assertion of fact. The system is rational, and as sound as the proof theory of its underlying probability log.
1304.2362
A Comparison of Decision Analysis and Expert Rules for Sequential Diagnosis
cs.AI
There has long been debate about the relative merits of decision theoretic methods and heuristic rule-based approaches for reasoning under uncertainty. We report an experimental comparison of the performance of the two approaches to troubleshooting, specifically to test selection for fault diagnosis. We use as experimental testbed the problem of diagnosing motorcycle engines. The first approach employs heuristic test selection rules obtained from expert mechanics. We compare it with the optimal decision analytic algorithm for test selection which employs estimated component failure probabilities and test costs. The decision analytic algorithm was found to reduce the expected cost (i.e. time) to arrive at a diagnosis by an average of 14% relative to the expert rules. Sensitivity analysis shows the results are quite robust to inaccuracy in the probability and cost estimates. This difference suggests some interesting implications for knowledge acquisition.
1304.2363
Multiple decision trees
cs.LG cs.AI stat.ML
This paper describes experiments, on two domains, to investigate the effect of averaging over predictions of multiple decision trees, instead of using a single tree. Other authors have pointed out theoretical and commonsense reasons for preferring the multiple tree approach. Ideally, we would like to consider predictions from all trees, weighted by their probability. However, there is a vast number of different trees, and it is difficult to estimate the probability of each tree. We sidestep the estimation problem by using a modified version of the ID3 algorithm to build good trees, and average over only these trees. Our results are encouraging. For each domain, we managed to produce a small number of good trees. We find that it is best to average across sets of trees with different structure; this usually gives better performance than any of the constituent trees, including the ID3 tree.
1304.2364
Probabilistic Inference and Probabilistic Reasoning
cs.AI
Uncertainty enters into human reasoning and inference in at least two ways. It is reasonable to suppose that there will be roles for these distinct uses of uncertainty also in automated reasoning.
1304.2365
Probabilistic and Non-Monotonic Inference
cs.AI
(l) I have enough evidence to render the sentence S probable. (la) So, relative to what I know, it is rational of me to believe S. (2) Now that I have more evidence, S may no longer be probable. (2a) So now, relative to what I know, it is not rational of me to believe S. These seem a perfectly ordinary, common sense, pair of situations. Generally and vaguely, I take them to embody what I shall call probabilistic inference. This form of inference is clearly non-monotonic. Relatively few people have taken this form of inference, based on high probability, to serve as a foundation for non-monotonic logic or for a logical or defeasible inference. There are exceptions: Jane Nutter [16] thinks that sometimes probability has something to do with non-monotonic reasoning. Judea Pearl [ 17] has recently been exploring the possibility. There are any number of people whom one might call probability enthusiasts who feel that probability provides all the answers by itself, with no need of help from logic. Cheeseman [1], Henrion [5] and others think it useful to look at a distribution of probabilities over a whole algebra of statements, to update that distribution in the light of new evidence, and to use the latest updated distribution of probability over the algebra as a basis for planning and decision making. A slightly weaker form of this approach is captured by Nilsson [15], where one assumes certain probabilities for certain statements, and infers the probabilities, or constraints on the probabilities of other statement. None of this corresponds to what I call probabilistic inference. All of the inference that is taking place, either in Bayesian updating, or in probabilistic logic, is strictly deductive. Deductive inference, particularly that concerned with the distribution of classical probabilities or chances, is of great importance. But this is not to say that there is no important role for what earlier logicians have called "ampliative" or "inductive" or "scientific" inference, in which the conclusion goes beyond the premises, asserts more than do the premises. This depends on what David Israel [6] has called "real rules of inference". It is characteristic of any such logic or inference procedure that it can go wrong: that statements accepted at one point may be rejected at a later point. Research underlying the results reported here has been partially supported by the Signals Warfare Center of the United States Army.
1304.2366
Epistemological Relevance and Statistical Knowledge
cs.AI
For many years, at least since McCarthy and Hayes (1969), writers have lamented, and attempted to compensate for, the alleged fact that we often do not have adequate statistical knowledge for governing the uncertainty of belief, for making uncertain inferences, and the like. It is hardly ever spelled out what "adequate statistical knowledge" would be, if we had it, and how adequate statistical knowledge could be used to control and regulate epistemic uncertainty.
1304.2367
Utility-Based Control for Computer Vision
cs.CV cs.AI cs.SY
Several key issues arise in implementing computer vision recognition of world objects in terms of Bayesian networks. Computational efficiency is a driving force. Perceptual networks are very deep, typically fifteen levels of structure. Images are wide, e.g., an unspecified-number of edges may appear anywhere in an image 512 x 512 pixels or larger. For efficiency, we dynamically instantiate hypotheses of observed objects. The network is not fixed, but is created incrementally at runtime. Generation of hypotheses of world objects and indexing of models for recognition are important, but they are not considered here [4,11]. This work is aimed at near-term implementation with parallel computation in a radar surveillance system, ADRIES [5, 15], and a system for industrial part recognition, SUCCESSOR [2]. For many applications, vision must be faster to be practical and so efficiently controlling the machine vision process is critical. Perceptual operators may scan megapixels and may require minutes of computation time. It is necessary to avoid unnecessary sensor actions and computation. Parallel computation is available at several levels of processor capability. The potential for parallel, distributed computation for high-level vision means distributing non-homogeneous computations. This paper addresses the problem of task control in machine vision systems based on Bayesian probability models. We separate control and inference to extend the previous work [3] to maximize utility instead of probability. Maximizing utility allows adopting perceptual strategies for efficient information gathering with sensors and analysis of sensor data. Results of controlling machine vision via utility to recognize military situations are presented in this paper. Future work extends this to industrial part recognition for SUCCESSOR.
1304.2368
Evidential Reasoning in a Network Usage Prediction Testbed
cs.AI
This paper reports on empirical work aimed at comparing evidential reasoning techniques. While there is prima facie evidence for some conclusions, this i6 work in progress; the present focus is methodology, with the goal that subsequent results be meaningful. The domain is a network of UNIX* cycle servers, and the task is to predict properties of the state of the network from partial descriptions of the state. Actual data from the network are taken and used for blindfold testing in a betting game that allows abstention. The focal technique has been Kyburg's method for reasoning with data of varying relevance to a particular query, though the aim is to be able eventually to compare various uncertainty calculi. The conclusions are not novel, but are instructive. 1. All of the calculi performed better than human subjects, so unbiased access to sample experience is apparently of value. 2. Performance depends on metric: (a) when trials are repeated, net = gains - losses favors methods that place many bets, if the probability of placing a correct bet is sufficiently high; that is, it favors point-valued formalisms; (b) yield = gains/(gains + lossee) favors methods that bet only when sure to bet correctly; that is, it favors interval-valued formalisms. 3. Among the calculi, there were no clear winners or losers. Methods are identified for eliminating the bias of the net as a performance criterion and for separating the calculi effectively: in both cases by posting odds for the betting game in the appropriate way.
1304.2369
Justifying the Principle of Interval Constraints
cs.AI
When knowledge is obtained from a database, it is only possible to deduce confidence intervals for probability values. With confidence intervals replacing point values, the results in the set covering model include interval constraints for the probabilities of mutually exclusive and exhaustive explanations. The Principle of Interval Constraints ranks these explanations by determining the expected values of the probabilities based on distributions determined from the interval, constraints. This principle was developed using the Classical Approach to probability. This paper justifies the Principle of Interval Constraints with a more rigorous statement of the Classical Approach and by defending the concept of probabilities of probabilities.
1304.2370
Probabilistic Semantics and Defaults
cs.AI
There is much interest in providing probabilistic semantics for defaults but most approaches seem to suffer from one of two problems: either they require numbers, a problem defaults were intended to avoid, or they generate peculiar side effects. Rather than provide semantics for defaults, we address the problem defaults were intended to solve: that of reasoning under uncertainty where numeric probability distributions are not available. We describe a non-numeric formalism called an inference graph based on standard probability theory, conditional independence and sentences of favouring where a favours b - favours(a, b) - p(a|b) > p(a). The formalism seems to handle the examples from the nonmonotonic literature. Most importantly, the sentences of our system can be verified by performing an appropriate experiment in the semantic domain.
1304.2371
Decision Making with Linear Constraints on Probabilities
cs.AI
Techniques for decision making with knowledge of linear constraints on condition probabilities are examined. These constraints arise naturally in many situations: upper and lower condition probabilities are known; an ordering among the probabilities is determined; marginal probabilities or bounds on such probabilities are known, e.g., data are available in the form of a probabilistic database (Cavallo and Pittarelli, 1987a); etc. Standard situations of decision making under risk and uncertainty may also be characterized by linear constraints. Each of these types of information may be represented by a convex polyhedron of numerically determinate condition probabilities. A uniform approach to decision making under risk, uncertainty, and partial uncertainty based on a generalized version of a criterion of Hurwicz is proposed, Methods for processing marginal probabilities to improve decision making using any of the criteria discussed are presented.
1304.2372
Maintenance in Probabilistic Knowledge-Based Systems
cs.AI
Recent developments using directed acyclical graphs (i.e., influence diagrams and Bayesian networks) for knowledge representation have lessened the problems of using probability in knowledge-based systems (KBS). Most current research involves the efficient propagation of new evidence, but little has been done concerning the maintenance of domain-specific knowledge, which includes the probabilistic information about the problem domain. By making use of conditional independencies represented in she graphs, however, probability assessments are required only for certain variables when the knowledge base is updated. The purpose of this study was to investigate, for those variables which require probability assessments, ways to reduce the amount of new knowledge required from the expert when updating probabilistic information in a probabilistic knowledge-based system. Three special cases (ignored outcome, split outcome, and assumed constraint outcome) were identified under which many of the original probabilities (those already in the knowledge-base) do not need to be reassessed when maintenance is required.
1304.2373
A Linear Approximation Method for Probabilistic Inference
cs.AI
An approximation method is presented for probabilistic inference with continuous random variables. These problems can arise in many practical problems, in particular where there are "second order" probabilities. The approximation, based on the Gaussian influence diagram, iterates over linear approximations to the inference problem.
1304.2374
An Axiomatic Framework for Bayesian and Belief-function Propagation
cs.AI
In this paper, we describe an abstract framework and axioms under which exact local computation of marginals is possible. The primitive objects of the framework are variables and valuations. The primitive operators of the framework are combination and marginalization. These operate on valuations. We state three axioms for these operators and we derive the possibility of local computation from the axioms. Next, we describe a propagation scheme for computing marginals of a valuation when we have a factorization of the valuation on a hypertree. Finally we show how the problem of computing marginals of joint probability distributions and joint belief functions fits the general framework.
1304.2375
A General Non-Probabilistic Theory of Inductive Reasoning
cs.AI
Probability theory, epistemically interpreted, provides an excellent, if not the best available account of inductive reasoning. This is so because there are general and definite rules for the change of subjective probabilities through information or experience; induction and belief change are one and same topic, after all. The most basic of these rules is simply to conditionalize with respect to the information received; and there are similar and more general rules. 1 Hence, a fundamental reason for the epistemological success of probability theory is that there at all exists a well-behaved concept of conditional probability. Still, people have, and have reasons for, various concerns over probability theory. One of these is my starting point: Intuitively, we have the notion of plain belief; we believe propositions2 to be true (or to be false or neither). Probability theory, however, offers no formal counterpart to this notion. Believing A is not the same as having probability 1 for A, because probability 1 is incorrigible3; but plain belief is clearly corrigible. And believing A is not the same as giving A a probability larger than some 1 - c, because believing A and believing B is usually taken to be equivalent to believing A & B.4 Thus, it seems that the formal representation of plain belief has to take a non-probabilistic route. Indeed, representing plain belief seems easy enough: simply represent an epistemic state by the set of all propositions believed true in it or, since I make the common assumption that plain belief is deductively closed, by the conjunction of all propositions believed true in it. But this does not yet provide a theory of induction, i.e. an answer to the question how epistemic states so represented are changed tbrough information or experience. There is a convincing partial answer: if the new information is compatible with the old epistemic state, then the new epistemic state is simply represented by the conjunction of the new information and the old beliefs. This answer is partial because it does not cover the quite common case where the new information is incompatible with the old beliefs. It is, however, important to complete the answer and to cover this case, too; otherwise, we would not represent plain belief as conigible. The crucial problem is that there is no good completion. When epistemic states are represented simply by the conjunction of all propositions believed true in it, the answer cannot be completed; and though there is a lot of fruitful work, no other representation of epistemic states has been proposed, as far as I know, which provides a complete solution to this problem. In this paper, I want to suggest such a solution. In [4], I have more fully argued that this is the only solution, if certain plausible desiderata are to be satisfied. Here, in section 2, I will be content with formally defining and intuitively explaining my proposal. I will compare my proposal with probability theory in section 3. It will turn out that the theory I am proposing is structurally homomorphic to probability theory in important respects and that it is thus equally easily implementable, but moreover computationally simpler. Section 4 contains a very brief comparison with various kinds of logics, in particular conditional logic, with Shackle's functions of potential surprise and related theories, and with the Dempster - Shafer theory of belief functions.
1304.2376
Generating Decision Structures and Causal Explanations for Decision Making
cs.AI
This paper examines two related problems that are central to developing an autonomous decision-making agent, such as a robot. Both problems require generating structured representafions from a database of unstructured declarative knowledge that includes many facts and rules that are irrelevant in the problem context. The first problem is how to generate a well structured decision problem from such a database. The second problem is how to generate, from the same database, a well-structured explanation of why some possible world occurred. In this paper it is shown that the problem of generating the appropriate decision structure or explanation is intractable without introducing further constraints on the knowledge in the database. The paper proposes that the problem search space can be constrained by adding knowledge to the database about causal relafions between events. In order to determine the causal knowledge that would be most useful, causal theories for deterministic and indeterministic universes are proposed. A program that uses some of these causal constraints has been used to generate explanations about faulty plans. The program shows the expected increase in efficiency as the causal constraints are introduced.
1304.2377
Updating Probabilities in Multiply-Connected Belief Networks
cs.AI
This paper focuses on probability updates in multiply-connected belief networks. Pearl has designed the method of conditioning, which enables us to apply his algorithm for belief updates in singly-connected networks to multiply-connected belief networks by selecting a loop-cutset for the network and instantiating these loop-cutset nodes. We discuss conditions that need to be satisfied by the selected nodes. We present a heuristic algorithm for finding a loop-cutset that satisfies these conditions.
1304.2378
Handling uncertainty in a system for text-symbol context analysis
cs.AI
In pattern analysis, information regarding an object can often be drawn from its surroundings. This paper presents a method for handling uncertainty when using context of symbols and texts for analyzing technical drawings. The method is based on Dempster-Shafer theory and possibility theory.
1304.2379
Causal Networks: Semantics and Expressiveness
cs.AI
Dependency knowledge of the form "x is independent of y once z is known" invariably obeys the four graphoid axioms, examples include probabilistic and database dependencies. Often, such knowledge can be represented efficiently with graphical structures such as undirected graphs and directed acyclic graphs (DAGs). In this paper we show that the graphical criterion called d-separation is a sound rule for reading independencies from any DAG based on a causal input list drawn from a graphoid. The rule may be extended to cover DAGs that represent functional dependencies as well as conditional dependencies.
1304.2380
MCE Reasoning in Recursive Causal Networks
cs.AI
A probabilistic method of reasoning under uncertainty is proposed based on the principle of Minimum Cross Entropy (MCE) and concept of Recursive Causal Model (RCM). The dependency and correlations among the variables are described in a special language BNDL (Belief Networks Description Language). Beliefs are propagated among the clauses of the BNDL programs representing the underlying probabilistic distributions. BNDL interpreters in both Prolog and C has been developed and the performance of the method is compared with those of the others.
1304.2381
Nonmonotonic Reasoning via Possibility Theory
cs.AI
We introduce the operation of possibility qualification and show how. this modal-like operator can be used to represent "typical" or default knowledge in a theory of nonmonotonic reasoning. We investigate the representational power of this approach by looking at a number of prototypical problems from the nonmonotonic reasoning literature. In particular we look at the so called Yale shooting problem and its relation to priority in default reasoning.
1304.2382
Predicting the Likely Behaviors of Continuous Nonlinear Systems in Equilibrium
cs.SY cs.AI
This paper introduces a method for predicting the likely behaviors of continuous nonlinear systems in equilibrium in which the input values can vary. The method uses a parameterized equation model and a lower bound on the input joint density to bound the likelihood that some behavior will occur, such as a state variable being inside a given numeric range. Using a bound on the density instead of the density itself is desirable because often the input density's parameters and shape are not exactly known. The new method is called SAB after its basic operations: split the input value space into smaller regions, and then bound those regions' possible behaviors and the probability of being in them. SAB finds rough bounds at first, and then refines them as more time is given. In contrast to other researchers' methods, SAB can (1) find all the possible system behaviors, and indicate how likely they are, (2) does not approximate the distribution of possible outcomes without some measure of the error magnitude, (3) does not use discretized variable values, which limit the events one can find probability bounds for, (4) can handle density bounds, and (5) can handle such criteria as two state variables both being inside a numeric range.
1304.2383
Generalizing the Dempster-Shafer Theory to Fuzzy Sets
cs.AI
With the desire to apply the Dempster-Shafer theory to complex real world problems where the evidential strength is often imprecise and vague, several attempts have been made to generalize the theory. However, the important concept in the D-S theory that the belief and plausibility functions are lower and upper probabilities is no longer preserved in these generalizations. In this paper, we describe a generalized theory of evidence where the degree of belief in a fuzzy set is obtained by minimizing the probability of the fuzzy set under the constraints imposed by a basic probability assignment. To formulate the probabilistic constraint of a fuzzy focal element, we decompose it into a set of consonant non-fuzzy focal elements. By generalizing the compatibility relation to a possibility theory, we are able to justify our generalization to Dempster's rule based on possibility distribution. Our generalization not only extends the application of the D-S theory but also illustrates a way that probability theory and fuzzy set theory can be combined to deal with different kinds of uncertain information in AI systems.
1304.2384
Logical Fuzzy Optimization
cs.AI
We present a logical framework to represent and reason about fuzzy optimization problems based on fuzzy answer set optimization programming. This is accomplished by allowing fuzzy optimization aggregates, e.g., minimum and maximum in the language of fuzzy answer set optimization programming to allow minimization or maximization of some desired criteria under fuzzy environments. We show the application of the proposed logical fuzzy optimization framework under the fuzzy answer set optimization programming to the fuzzy water allocation optimization problem.
1304.2387
Blind Interference Suppression and Power Adjustment with Alternating Optimization for Cooperative DS-CDMA Networks
cs.IT math.IT
This work presents blind joint interference suppression and power allocation algorithms for DS-CDMA networks with multiple relays and decode and forward protocols. A scheme for joint allocation of power levels across the relays subject to group-based power constraints and the design of linear receivers for interference suppression is proposed. A code-constrained constant modulus (CCM) design for the receive filters and the power allocation vectors is devised along with a blind channel estimator. In order to solve the proposed optimization efficiently, an alternating optimization strategy is presented with recursive least squares (RLS)-type algorithms for estimating the parameters of the receiver, the power allocation and the channels. Simulations show that the proposed algorithms obtain significant gains in capacity and performance over existing schemes.
1304.2388
Joint Iterative Power Adjustment and Interference Suppression Algorithms for Cooperative DS-CDMA Networks
cs.IT math.IT
This work presents joint iterative power allocation and interference suppression algorithms for DS-CDMA networks which employ multiple relays and the amplify and forward cooperation strategy. We propose a joint constrained optimization framework that considers the allocation of power levels across the relays subject to individual and global power constraints and the design of linear receivers for interference suppression. We derive constrained minimum mean-squared error (MMSE) expressions for the parameter vectors that determine the optimal power levels across the relays and the parameters of the linear receivers. In order to solve the proposed optimization problems efficiently, we develop recursive least squares (RLS) algorithms for adaptive joint iterative power allocation, and receiver and channel parameter estimation. Simulation results show that the proposed algorithms obtain significant gains in performance and capacity over existing schemes.
1304.2401
RESLVE: Leveraging User Interest to Improve Entity Disambiguation on Short Text
cs.IR cs.HC
We address the Named Entity Disambiguation (NED) problem for short, user-generated texts on the social Web. In such settings, the lack of linguistic features and sparse lexical context result in a high degree of ambiguity and sharp performance drops of nearly 50% in the accuracy of conventional NED systems. We handle these challenges by developing a model of user-interest with respect to a personal knowledge context; and Wikipedia, a particularly well-established and reliable knowledge base, is used to instantiate the procedure. We conduct systematic evaluations using individuals' posts from Twitter, YouTube, and Flickr and demonstrate that our novel technique is able to achieve substantial performance gains beyond state-of-the-art NED methods.
1304.2418
Mod\`ele flou d'expression des pr\'ef\'erences bas\'e sur les CP-Nets
cs.AI
This article addresses the problem of expressing preferences in flexible queries while basing on a combination of the fuzzy logic theory and Conditional Preference Networks or CP-Nets.
1304.2444
Common Information and Secret Key Capacity
cs.IT math.IT
We study the generation of a secret key of maximum rate by a pair of terminals observing correlated sources and with the means to communicate over a noiseless public com- munication channel. Our main result establishes a structural equivalence between the generation of a maximum rate secret key and the generation of a common randomness that renders the observations of the two terminals conditionally independent. The minimum rate of such common randomness, termed interactive common information, is related to Wyner's notion of common information, and serves to characterize the minimum rate of interactive public communication required to generate an optimum rate secret key. This characterization yields a single-letter expression for the aforementioned communication rate when the number of rounds of interaction are bounded. An application of our results shows that interaction does not reduce this rate for binary symmetric sources. Further, we provide an example for which interaction does reduce the minimum rate of communication. Also, certain invariance properties of common information quantities are established that may be of independent interest.
1304.2467
Evolutionary Design of Digital Circuits Using Genetic Programming
cs.NE
For simple digital circuits, conventional method of designing circuits can easily be applied. But for complex digital circuits, the conventional method of designing circuits is not fruitfully applicable because it is time-consuming. On the contrary, Genetic Programming is used mostly for automatic program generation. The modern approach for designing Arithmetic circuits, commonly digital circuits, is based on Graphs. This graph-based evolutionary design of arithmetic circuits is a method of optimized designing of arithmetic circuits. In this paper, a new technique for evolutionary design of digital circuits is proposed using Genetic Programming (GP) with Subtree Mutation in place of Graph-based design. The results obtained using this technique demonstrates the potential capability of genetic programming in digital circuit design with limited computer algorithms. The proposed technique, helps to simplify and speed up the process of designing digital circuits, discovers a variation in the field of digital circuit design where optimized digital circuits can be successfully and effectively designed.
1304.2476
Corpus-based Web Document Summarization using Statistical and Linguistic Approach
cs.IR cs.CL
Single document summarization generates summary by extracting the representative sentences from the document. In this paper, we presented a novel technique for summarization of domain-specific text from a single web document that uses statistical and linguistic analysis on the text in a reference corpus and the web document. The proposed summarizer uses the combinational function of Sentence Weight (SW) and Subject Weight (SuW) to determine the rank of a sentence, where SW is the function of number of terms (t_n) and number of words (w_n) in a sentence, and term frequency (t_f) in the corpus and SuW is the function of t_n and w_n in a subject, and t_f in the corpus. 30 percent of the ranked sentences are considered to be the summary of the web document. We generated three web document summaries using our technique and compared each of them with the summaries developed manually from 16 different human subjects. Results showed that 68 percent of the summaries produced by our approach satisfy the manual summaries.