Given an unsupervised outlier detection task on a new dataset, how can we automatically select a good outlier detection algorithm and its hyperparameter(s) (collectively called a model)?

Imitation learning (IL) enables agents to acquire skills by observing and replicating the behavior of one or multiple experts. In recent years, advances in deep learning have significantly expanded the capabilities and scalability of imitation learning across a range of domains, where expert data can range from full state-action trajectories to partial observations or unlabeled sequences. Alongside this growth, novel approaches have emerged, with new methodologies being developed to address longstanding challenges such as generalization, covariate shift, and demonstration quality. In this survey, we review the latest advances in imitation learning research, highlighting recent trends, methodological innovations, and practical applications. We propose a novel taxonomy that is distinct from existing categorizations to better reflect the current state of the IL research stratum and its trends. Throughout the survey, we critically examine the strengths, limitations, and evaluation practices of representative works, and we outline key challenges and open directions for future research.

Time series segmentation is a fundamental task in analyzing temporal data across various domains, from human activity recognition to energy monitoring. While numerous state-of-the-art methods have been developed to tackle this problem, the evaluation of their performance remains critically limited. Existing measures predominantly focus on change point accuracy or rely on point-based measures such as Adjusted Rand Index (ARI), which fail to capture the quality of the detected segments, ignore the nature of errors, and offer limited interpretability. In this paper, we address these shortcomings by introducing two novel evaluation measures: WARI (Weighted Adjusted Rand Index), that accounts for the position of segmentation errors, and SMS (State Matching Score), a fine-grained measure that identifies and scores four fundamental types of segmentation errors while allowing error-specific weighting. We empirically validate WARI and SMS on synthetic and real-world benchmarks, showing that they not only provide a more accurate assessment of segmentation quality but also uncover insights, such as error provenance and type, that are inaccessible with traditional measures.

Large language models are influencing the education landscape, with students relying on them in their learning process. Often implemented using general-purpose models, these systems are likely to give away the answers, which could hinder conceptual understanding and critical thinking. We study the role of automatic hint generation as a pedagogical strategy to promote active engagement with the learning content, while guiding learners toward the answers. Focusing on scientific topics at the secondary education level, we explore the potential of large language models to generate chains of hints that scaffold learners without revealing answers. We compare two distinct hinting strategies: static hints, pre-generated for each problem, and dynamic hints, adapted to learners' progress. Through a quantitative study with 41 participants, we uncover different preferences among learners with respect to hinting strategies, and identify the limitations of automatic evaluation metrics to capture them. Our findings highlight key design considerations for future research on hint generation and intelligent tutoring systems that seek to develop learner-centered educational technologies.

Yanbin Fu, Hong Jiao, Tianyi Zhou, Nan Zhang, Ming Li, Qingshu Xu, Sydney Peters, Robert W. Lissitz University of Maryland, College Park Abstract Aligning test items to content standards is a critical step in test development to collect validity evidence based on content. Item alignment has typically been conducted by human experts. This judgmental process can be subjective and time - consuming. This study investigated the performance of fine - tuned small language models (SLMs) for automated item alignment using data from a large - scale standardized reading and writing test for college admissions. Different SLMs were trained for alignment at both domain and skill levels respectively with 10 skills mapped to 4 content domains. The model performance was evaluated in multiple criteria on two testing datasets. The impact of types and sizes of the input data for training was investigated. Results showed that including more item text data led to substantially better model performance, surpassing the improvements induced by sample size inc rease alone. For comparison, supervised machine learning models were trained using the embeddings from the multilingual - E5 - lar ge - instruct model. The study results showed that fine - tuned SLMs consistently outperformed the embedding - based supervised machine learning models, particularly for the more fine - grained skill alignment. To better understand model mis classifications, multiple semantic similarity analysis including pairwise cosine similarity, Kullback - Leibler divergence of embedding distributions, and two - dimension projections of item embeddings were conducted.

Given an unsupervised outlier detection task on a new dataset, how can we automatically select a good outlier detection algorithm and its hyperparameter(s) (collectively called a model)?

Abstract-- This paper proposes an image-based visual ser-voing (IBVS) framework for UA V navigation and collision avoidance using only an RGB camera. While UA V navigation has been extensively studied, it remains challenging to apply IBVS in missions involving multiple visual targets and collision avoidance. The proposed method achieves navigation without explicit path planning, and collision avoidance is realized through AI-based monocular depth estimation from RGB images. Unlike approaches that rely on stereo cameras or external workstations, our framework runs fully onboard a Jetson platform, ensuring a self-contained and deployable system. Experimental results validate that the UA V can navigate across multiple AprilT ags and avoid obstacles effectively in GPS-denied environments. I. INTRODUCTION Most UA V applications depend on position estimation provided by global positioning systems (GPS). However, GPS is often unavailable in indoor, mountainous, or forest environments, motivating the use of computer vision for UA V navigation. This paper focuses on image-based visual servoing (IBVS) with an onboard RGB camera.

However, this assumption may not hold in real-world scenarios. In this paper, we consider the problem of coresets construction over relational data.

Antisocial behavior (ASB) on social media-including hate speech, harassment, and trolling-poses growing challenges for platform safety and societal wellbeing. While prior work has primarily focused on detecting harmful content after it appears, predictive approaches aim to forecast future harmful behaviors-such as hate speech propagation, conversation derailment, or user recidivism-before they fully unfold. Despite increasing interest, the field remains fragmented, lacking a unified taxonomy or clear synthesis of existing methods. This paper presents a systematic review of over 49 studies on ASB prediction, offering a structured taxonomy of five core task types: early harm detection, harm emergence prediction, harm propagation prediction, behavioral risk prediction, and proactive moderation support. We analyze how these tasks differ by temporal framing, prediction granularity, and operational goals. In addition, we examine trends in modeling techniques-from classical machine learning to pre-trained language models-and assess the influence of dataset characteristics on task feasibility and generalization. Our review highlights methodological challenges, such as dataset scarcity, temporal drift, and limited benchmarks, while outlining emerging research directions including multilingual modeling, cross-platform generalization, and human-in-the-loop systems. By organizing the field around a coherent framework, this survey aims to guide future work toward more robust and socially responsible ASB prediction.

Real-time trajectory planning for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in dynamic environments remains a key challenge due to high computational demands and the need for fast, adaptive responses. Traditional Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) methods, while effective for offline planning, often struggle with premature convergence and latency in real-time scenarios. To overcome these limitations, we propose PE-PSO, an enhanced PSO-based online trajectory planner. The method introduces a persistent exploration mechanism to preserve swarm diversity and an entropy-based parameter adjustment strategy to dynamically adapt optimization behavior. UAV trajectories are modeled using B-spline curves, which ensure path smoothness while reducing optimization complexity. To extend this capability to UAV swarms, we develop a multi-agent framework that combines genetic algorithm (GA)-based task allocation with distributed PE-PSO, supporting scalable and coordinated trajectory generation. The distributed architecture allows for parallel computation and decentralized control, enabling effective cooperation among agents while maintaining real-time performance. Comprehensive simulations demonstrate that the proposed framework outperforms conventional PSO and other swarm-based planners across several metrics, including trajectory quality, energy efficiency, obstacle avoidance, and computation time. These results confirm the effectiveness and applicability of PE-PSO in real-time multi-UAV operations under complex environmental conditions.