We propose a method for support vector machine classification using indefinite kernels. Instead of directly minimizing or stabilizing a nonconvex loss function, our algorithm simultaneously computes support vectors and a proxy kernel matrix used in forming the loss. This can be interpreted as a penalized kernel learning problem where indefinite kernel matrices are treated as a noisy observations of a true Mercer kernel. Our formulation keeps the problem convex and relatively large problems can be solved efficiently using the projected gradient or analytic center cutting plane methods. We compare the performance of our technique with other methods on several classic data sets.

This study describes application of some approximate reasoning methods to analysis of hydrocyclone performance. In this manner, using a combining of Self Organizing Map (SOM), Neuro-Fuzzy Inference System (NFIS)-SONFIS- and Rough Set Theory (RST)-SORST-crisp and fuzzy granules are obtained. Balancing of crisp granules and non-crisp granules can be implemented in close-open iteration. Using different criteria and based on granulation level balance point (interval) or a pseudo-balance point is estimated. Validation of the proposed methods, on the data set of the hydrocyclone is rendered.

Many real-world decision making tasks require us to choose among several expensive observations. In a sensor network, for example, it is important to select the subset of sensors that is expected to provide the strongest reduction in uncertainty. In medical decision making tasks, one needs to select which tests to administer before deciding on the most effective treatment. It has been general practice to use heuristic-guided procedures for selecting observations. In this paper, we present the first efficient optimal algorithms for selecting observations for a class of probabilistic graphical models. For example, our algorithms allow to optimally label hidden variables in Hidden Markov Models (HMMs). We provide results for both selecting the optimal subset of observations, and for obtaining an optimal conditional observation plan. Furthermore we prove a surprising result: In most graphical models tasks, if one designs an efficient algorithm for chain graphs, such as HMMs, this procedure can be generalized to polytree graphical models. We prove that the optimizing value of information is $NP^{PP}$-hard even for polytrees. It also follows from our results that just computing decision theoretic value of information objective functions, which are commonly used in practice, is a #P-complete problem even on Naive Bayes models (a simple special case of polytrees). In addition, we consider several extensions, such as using our algorithms for scheduling observation selection for multiple sensors. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach on several real-world datasets, including a prototype sensor network deployment for energy conservation in buildings.

A weighted constraint satisfaction problem (WCSP) is a constraint satisfaction problem in which preferences among solutions can be expressed. Bucket elimination is a complete technique commonly used to solve this kind of constraint satisfaction problem. When the memory required to apply bucket elimination is too high, a heuristic method based on it (denominated mini-buckets) can be used to calculate bounds for the optimal solution. Nevertheless, the curse of dimensionality makes these techniques impractical on large scale problems. In response to this situation, we present a memetic algorithm for WCSPs in which bucket elimination is used as a mechanism for recombining solutions, providing the best possible child from the parental set. Subsequently, a multi-level model in which this exact/metaheuristic hybrid is further hybridized with branch-and-bound techniques and mini-buckets is studied. As a case study, we have applied these algorithms to the resolution of the maximum density still life problem, a hard constraint optimization problem based on Conway's game of life. The resulting algorithm consistently finds optimal patterns for up to date solved instances in less time than current approaches. Moreover, it is shown that this proposal provides new best known solutions for very large instances.

Music genre classification is an essential tool for music information retrieval systems and it has been finding critical applications in various media platforms. Two important problems of the automatic music genre classification are feature extraction and classifier design. This paper investigates inter-genre similarity modelling (IGS) to improve the performance of automatic music genre classification. Inter-genre similarity information is extracted over the mis-classified feature population. Once the inter-genre similarity is modelled, elimination of the inter-genre similarity reduces the inter-genre confusion and improves the identification rates. Inter-genre similarity modelling is further improved with iterative IGS modelling(IIGS) and score modelling for IGS elimination(SMIGS). Experimental results with promising classification improvements are provided.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government is the largest municipality in Japan and conducts building change identification work. Recently, Tokyo terminated its traditional visual identification work that has been in use for 20 years and shifted to a new automated system. This paper is intended to introduce the Fixed Assets Change Judgment (FACJ) system and its core tool, RealScape. RealScape automatically detects the changes in the height and color of buildings based on three-dimensional (3D) analysis of aerial photographs. It employs a unique pixel-by-pixel stereo processing method and enables the foot-level precision for each building. RealScape detects building changes more accurately than visual judgment operations by humans and reduces the labor costs to one third of the traditional approach and the required judgment duration to about two weeks per 100km2.

This paper presents a project awarded by MGB HK to handle their inspection scheduling problem. MGB HK is the buying office of one of the largest retailers in the world, Metro Group. MGB HK handles all product procurement of Metro Group out of Europe. The inspection process is one of their critical processes along their entire procurement exercise. The objective of this project is to provide an effective scheduling engine so that in-house inspectors can handle as many inspections as possible using the least amount of time and costs. Meanwhile, we also help the company overcome their difficulties of data collection and maintenance as a result of the system we developed. Our engine will be deployed and integrated into the company’s IMS. The engine recorded an improvement in the scheduling of their inspections and initial prognosis indicates that delayed inspections have been greatly reduced by compared with previous schedule. The system can effectively schedule inspections by urgency, shipment value, and supplier’s historical performance. Other than the schedule, the AI engine can also generate solutions based on different strategies and criteria, which facilitate the decision-making process for the scheduling team and management at MGB HK.

Personal handwritings can add colors to human communication. Handwriting, however, takes more time and is less favored than typing in the digital age. In this paper we propose an intelligent algorithm which can generate imitations of Chinese handwriting by a person requiring only a very small set of training characters written by the person. Our method first decomposes the sample Chinese handwriting characters into a hierarchy of reusable components, called character components. During handwriting generation, the algorithm tries and compares different possible ways to compose the target character. The likeliness of a given personal handwriting generation result is evaluated according to the captured characteristics of the person's handwriting. We then find among all the candidate generation results an optimal one which can maximize a likeliness estimation. Experiment results show that our algorithm works reasonably well in the majority of the cases and sometimes remarkably well, which was verified through comparison with the groundtruth data and by a small scale user survey.

Historical document images are subject to intrinsic distortions such as background noise and bleed-through interference due to aging and extrinsic distortions such as displacement, uneven surfaces introduced during image acquisition procedure. In this paper, we propose a fully automatic restoration framework that corrects bleed-through distortion on double-sided handwritten historical document images. First, the two sides of a document are registered with corresponding control points which are selected by inspecting the images' gradient maps and minimizing a predefined dissimilarity measure. The established correspondences are refined by median filters and consistency checking. Piecewise linear mapping function is chosen to represent the spatial relationship between the two images. Based on the estimated transform model, backward re-sampling strategy and bi-cubic spline interpolation are adopted to obtain final registered images. Once the two sides of a page have been registered, enhancement/smearing feature images are extracted and iterative wavelet decomposition/construction is performed to restore the degraded images. Experiments on the real documents from the National Archives of Singapore demonstrate a completely automatic framework to the restoration of historical document images.

This paper illustrates how we create a software agent by employing FALCON, a self-organizing neural network that performs reinforcement learning, to play a well-known first person shooter computer game known as Unreal Tournament 2004. Through interacting with the game environment and its opponents, our agent learns in real-time without any human intervention. Our agent bot participated in the 2K Bot Prize competition, similar to the \emph{Turing test} for intelligent agents, wherein human judges were tasked to identify whether their opponents in the game were human players or virtual agents. To perform well in the competition, an agent must act like human and be able to adapt to some changes made to the game. Although our agent did not emerge top in terms of human-like, the overall performance of our agent was encouraging as it acquired the highest game score while staying convincing to be human-like in some judges' opinions.