We consider sequential or active ranking of a set of n items based on noisy pairwise comparisons. Items are ranked according to the probability that a given item beats a randomly chosen item, and ranking refers to partitioning the items into sets of pre-specified sizes according to their scores. This notion of ranking includes as special cases the identification of the top-k items and the total ordering of the items. We first analyze a sequential ranking algorithm that counts the number of comparisons won, and uses these counts to decide whether to stop, or to compare another pair of items, chosen based on confidence intervals specified by the data collected up to that point. We prove that this algorithm succeeds in recovering the ranking using a number of comparisons that is optimal up to logarithmic factors. This guarantee does not require any structural properties of the underlying pairwise probability matrix, unlike a significant body of past work on pairwise ranking based on parametric models such as the Thurstone or Bradley-Terry-Luce models. It has been a long-standing open question as to whether or not imposing these parametric assumptions allows for improved ranking algorithms. For stochastic comparison models, in which the pairwise probabilities are bounded away from zero, our second contribution is to resolve this issue by proving a lower bound for parametric models. This shows, perhaps surprisingly, that these popular parametric modeling choices offer at most logarithmic gains for stochastic comparisons.

When we talk about artificial intelligence, many imagine a world of science fiction where robots dominate. In reality, artificial intelligence is already improving current technologies such as online shopping, surveillance systems, and many others. In the area of cybersecurity, artificial intelligence is being used via machine learning techniques. Indeed, the machine learning algorithms allow computers to learn and make predictions based on available known data. This technique is especially effective for daily process of millions of malware.

Self-driving cars are grabbing headlines lately, and the military is also making inroads with similar tech-- but these vehicles are mounted with weapons like machine guns. General Dynamics created MUTT, aka Multi-Utility Tactical Transport, to help dismounted small units. This is a smart robot designed to help lighten the load for Marines and other warfighters. MUTT looks like a futuristic spin on the sort of quad you might have fun driving around your farm. Rectangular shaped, it is 5 feet long and 4.5 feet wide and weighs 750 pounds.

Autonomous cars are just beginning to edge their way onto the roads, but soon, they could replace human drivers altogether. And in some areas, it could happen just five years from now. Advocates for autonomous vehicles have proposed a shift toward'driver-free zones,' starting by banning human motorists from car-pool lanes on a 150-mile stretch of Interstate 5 between Seattle and Vancouver. Within a decade, researchers say self-driving cars could have full reign of these roads during peak hours. Autonomous cars are just beginning to edge their way onto the roads, but soon, they could replace human drivers altogether.

Nasa has announced that it has found evidence of flowing water on Mars. Scientists have long speculated that Recurring Slope Lineae -- or dark patches -- on Mars were made up of briny water but the new findings prove that those patches are caused by liquid water, which it has established by finding hydrated salts. Several hundred camped outside the London store in Covent Garden. The 6s will have new features like a vastly improved camera and a pressure-sensitive "3D Touch" display

It's a good time to be an alien hunter. In August astronomers discovered Proxima b, a potentially life-supporting planet only 4.2 light-years away. Not long after, news surfaced of a possible signal coming from HD164595, a star in the Hercules constellation, first noticed by Russian scientists in 2015. Then there's KIC 8462852, better known as Tabby's Star, a body whose inexplicable light fluctuations have inspired a rash of speculation. Are we finally going to learn that we're not alone?

Investment into the digital health market topped 4.5 billion in 2015, and we are seeing an acceleration of investment in 2016. According to StartUp Health, investment into the digital health market for the first half of 2016 reached 3.9 billion. Early-stage innovation made up more than 65% of deals, with the majority of investment capital it going into Series A rounds. As of July, patient and consumer products, which include wearables, are leading with over 960 million invested in this sector, followed by wellness at 854 million, personalized health at 524 million, big data/analytics at 406 million and workflow at 328 million. Digital health research and population health are at the bottom of the start-up health company's list, with 65 million and 55 million, respectively. It's no surprise that we are seeing digital health M&A activity coming from tech giants such as Google, Apple and IBM.

Nasa has announced that it has found evidence of flowing water on Mars. Scientists have long speculated that Recurring Slope Lineae -- or dark patches -- on Mars were made up of briny water but the new findings prove that those patches are caused by liquid water, which it has established by finding hydrated salts. Several hundred camped outside the London store in Covent Garden. The 6s will have new features like a vastly improved camera and a pressure-sensitive "3D Touch" display

Nasa has announced that it has found evidence of flowing water on Mars. Scientists have long speculated that Recurring Slope Lineae -- or dark patches -- on Mars were made up of briny water but the new findings prove that those patches are caused by liquid water, which it has established by finding hydrated salts. Several hundred camped outside the London store in Covent Garden. The 6s will have new features like a vastly improved camera and a pressure-sensitive "3D Touch" display

Nasa has announced that it has found evidence of flowing water on Mars. Scientists have long speculated that Recurring Slope Lineae -- or dark patches -- on Mars were made up of briny water but the new findings prove that those patches are caused by liquid water, which it has established by finding hydrated salts. Several hundred camped outside the London store in Covent Garden. The 6s will have new features like a vastly improved camera and a pressure-sensitive "3D Touch" display