Understanding tie strength in social networks, and the factors that influence it, have received much attention in a myriad of disciplines for decades. Several models incorporating indicators of tie strength have been proposed and used to quantify relationships in social networks, and a standard set of structural network metrics have been applied to predominantly online social media sites to predict tie strength. Here, we introduce the concept of the "social bow tie" framework, a small subgraph of the network that consists of a collection of nodes and ties that surround a tie of interest, forming a topological structure that resembles a bow tie. We also define several intuitive and interpretable metrics that quantify properties of the bow tie. We use random forests and regression models to predict categorical and continuous measures of tie strength from different properties of the bow tie, including nodal attributes. We also investigate what aspects of the bow tie are most predictive of tie strength in two distinct social networks: a collection of 75 rural villages in India and a nationwide call network of European mobile phone users. Our results indicate several of the bow tie metrics are highly predictive of tie strength, and we find the more the social circles of two individuals overlap, the stronger their tie, consistent with previous findings. However, we also find that the more tightly-knit their non-overlapping social circles, the weaker the tie. This new finding complements our current understanding of what drives the strength of ties in social networks.

Comparing with traditional learning criteria, such as mean square error (MSE), the minimum error entropy (MEE) criterion is superior in nonlinear and non-Gaussian signal processing and machine learning. The argument of the logarithm in Renyis entropy estimator, called information potential (IP), is a popular MEE cost in information theoretic learning (ITL). The computational complexity of IP is however quadratic in terms of sample number due to double summation. This creates computational bottlenecks especially for large-scale datasets. To address this problem, in this work we propose an efficient quantization approach to reduce the computational burden of IP, which decreases the complexity from O(N*N) to O (MN) with M << N. The new learning criterion is called the quantized MEE (QMEE). Some basic properties of QMEE are presented. Illustrative examples are provided to verify the excellent performance of QMEE.

Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ will automate 30 percent of its duties, equivalent to 9,500 jobs, over the next seven years, using artificial intelligence and other technologies, Kanetsugu Mike, president and chief executive officer of the Japanese lender, said in a recent interview. "We hope to free our bankers from simple work and invest our human resources in fields with high added-value," Mike said, indicating plans to relocate workers to enhance services such as those for wealthy clients. To decrease workloads, the unit of Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc. has already introduced a computer software program utilizing robotic process automation technology, which can handle complex data-matching processes. The bank is currently using the software in 20 different areas, including screenings of application documents for housing loans, and is considering its use in 250 additional duties. "Through automation, the amount of time each banker can spend with customers will triple," Mike said.

Can you really predict if someone is going to commit a crime? Some authorities are using facial recognition, predictive analytics and machine learning to predict who will commit a crime. Even if you can use an algorithm to deduce the likelihood of an individual's future, to apprehend a suspect before a crime is even committed surely cannot lead to a conviction as no offence will have actually taken place. Yes, this is all very Minority Report. Nevertheless, companies are currently working on these technologies to catch the bad guys before they even strike.

Alibaba Group Holding Ltd is investing US$15 billion to establish overseas research hubs to work on artificial intelligence (AI), quantum computing and fintech, according to a report by BNN. The Alibaba'Damo' academy will comprise of eight research bases in China, Israel, the United States, Russia and Singapore, for which the company will hire 100 researchers. "The Alibaba DAMO Academy will be at the forefront of developing next-generation technology that will spur the growth of Alibaba and our partners," Jeff Zhang, chief technology officer of Alibaba, said. The company and its affiliates have experienced a rapid expansion in the past year, putting it in direct competition with heavyweight e-tailer Amazon.com, as well as global payments, cloud and logistics companies. Since 2016, Alibaba has invested approximately US$2 billion to acquire a majority stake in Singapore-based retailer Lazada.com,

It might resemble something out of Star Wars, but this is the prototype for a combat suit that Russia hopes will give its soldiers the edge on the battlefields of the future. The high-tech suit includes an exo-skeleton, designed to boost strength and stamina, body armor and even a watch capable of surviving a nuclear blast. The all-black kit also has a Stormtrooper-style helmet with a tinted glass visor and a mini task light poking out of the side. The high-tech item includes an exo-skeleton, designed to boost strength and stamina, body armour and even a watch capable of surviving a nuclear blast. The Ratnik kit comprises five integrated systems that include life support, command and communication, engaging, protection and energy saving subsystems.

At MUFG, Mike said "robotics process automation" will handle half of branch operations by the end of the business year to March 2024, or 30 percent of the bank's total. By the time of full installation, the automation would have handled the equivalent of 9,500 employee's workload, he said.

This week, the critics discuss the new film Blade Runner 2049, directed by Denis Villeneuve. It's been 35 years since the original Blade Runner. How does the sequel stack up against the revered sci-fi classic? Then the gabbers turn their attention to the latest season of Amazon's Transparent, which follows the Pfefferman family to Israel. They explore how the series has evolved over the past four years and talk about the political discourse that Transparent has embraced.

In the business world, partnerships on an equal footing like these are part of the key to success in competitive and fast-moving environments. They bring access to expertise, more effective products and services, and greater potential for innovation and stability. Earlier this year, SAP and NVIDIA expanded their collaboration to create business applications based on artificial intelligence. Now, as NVIDIA's GPU Technology Conference kicks off in Munich, Germany, the partnership has gained even further substance. SAP installed its first NVIDIA DGX-1 systems – the world's first AI supercomputer – in Israel and Potsdam in 2016.

Reports on 10 August 2015 state China's internet giant Alibaba will pay Suning some 4,2 billion euro or 4,6 billion US dollar for a 20 per cent stake in the company. At the same time, Suning will purchase a bit more than one per cent in Alibaba. The overall value of the action is some 7 billion USD. Alibaba announced Wednesday it will invest $15 billion over the next three years into "cutting-edge technology" including quantum computing and artificial intelligence. The DAMO Academy will oversea the launch of research labs worldwide and recruit scientists and researchers to join. The Chinese e-commerce giant will open seven labs including ones in San Mateo, Calif., and Bellevue, Wash., as well as Beijing, Moscow and Tel Aviv.