The retinal afterimage is a widely known effect in the human visual system, which has been studied and used in the context of a number of major art movements. Therefore, when considering the general role of computation in the visual arts, this begs the question whether this effect, too, may be induced using partly automated techniques. If so, it may become a computationally controllable ingredient of (interactive) visual art, and thus take its place among the many other aspects of visual perception which already have preceded it in this sense. The present moment provides additional inspiration to lay the groundwork for extending computer graphics in general with the retinal afterimage: Historically, we are in a phase where some head-mounted stereoscopic AR/VR technologies are now providing eye tracking by default, thereby allowing realtime monitoring of the processes of visual fixation that can induce the retinal afterimage. A logical starting point for general investigation is then shape display via the retinal afterimage, since shape recognition lends itself well to unambiguous reporting. Shape recognition, however, may also occur due to normal vision, which happens simultaneousl
Simulation-based inference (SBI) enables parameter inference by training neural networks on forward simulations. It is being applied both for intractable likelihoods as well as under time constraints on the posterior sampling. After motivating situations in which SBI is useful, we give a pedagogical description of the basic techniques. These are posterior, likelihood, and ratio estimation. Alternatives, sequential versions, and learned summaries are discussed briefly. We provide a brief guide to choosing among the techniques in practical scenarios. SBI needs to be verified through diagnostics since failures can be subtle but would invalidate the inference result. We explain the most common diagnostic techniques. We briefly list some recent SBI applications in the cosmology and astrophysics literature. Before concluding, we discuss current methodological challenges. We identify training with limited simulation budgets as the critical problem for applications to cosmology and astrophysics.
Doctors and researchers routinely use diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and tractography to visualize the fibrous structure of tissues in the human body. This paper explores the connection of these techniques to the painterly rendering of images. Using a tractography algorithm the presented method can place brush strokes that mimic the painting process of human artists, analogously to how fibres are tracked in DTI. The analogue to the diffusion tensor for image orientation is the structural tensor, which can provide better local orientation information than the gradient alone. I demonstrate this technique in portraits and general images, and discuss the parallels between fibre tracking and brush stroke placement, and frame it in the language of tractography. This work presents an exploratory investigation into the cross-domain application of diffusion tensor imaging techniques to painterly rendering of images. All the code is available at https://github.com/tito21/st-python
Graphic Design encompasses a wide range of activities from the design of traditional print media (e.g., books and posters) to site-specific (e.g., signage systems) and electronic media (e.g., interfaces). Its practice always explores the new possibilities of information and communication technologies. Therefore, interactivity and participation have become key features in the design process. Even in traditional print media, graphic designers are trying to enhance user experience and exploring new interaction models. Moving posters are an example of this. This type of posters combine the specific features of motion and print worlds in order to produce attractive forms of communication that explore and exploit the potential of digital screens. In our opinion, the next step towards the integration of moving posters with the surroundings, where they operate, is incorporating data from the environment, which also enables the seamless participation of the audience. As such, the adoption of computer vision techniques for moving poster design becomes a natural approach. Following this line of thought, we present a system wherein computer vision techniques are used to shape a moving poster.
The performance of Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) systems in information retrieval is significantly influenced by the characteristics of the documents being processed. In this study, the structured nature of textbooks, the conciseness of articles, and the narrative complexity of novels are shown to require distinct retrieval strategies. A comparative evaluation of multiple document-splitting methods reveals that the Recursive Character Splitter outperforms the Token-based Splitter in preserving contextual integrity. A novel evaluation technique is introduced, utilizing an open-source model to generate a comprehensive dataset of question-and-answer pairs, simulating realistic retrieval scenarios to enhance testing efficiency and metric reliability. The evaluation employs weighted scoring metrics, including SequenceMatcher, BLEU, METEOR, and BERT Score, to assess the system's accuracy and relevance. This approach establishes a refined standard for evaluating the precision of RAG systems, with future research focusing on optimizing chunk and overlap sizes to improve retrieval accuracy and efficiency.
This paper explores the application of automated planning to automated theorem proving, which is a branch of automated reasoning concerned with the development of algorithms and computer programs to construct mathematical proofs. In particular, we investigate the use of planning to construct elementary proofs in abstract algebra, which provides a rigorous and axiomatic framework for studying algebraic structures such as groups, rings, fields, and modules. We implement basic implications, equalities, and rules in both deterministic and non-deterministic domains to model commutative rings and deduce elementary results about them. The success of this initial implementation suggests that the well-established techniques seen in automated planning are applicable to the relatively newer field of automated theorem proving. Likewise, automated theorem proving provides a new, challenging domain for automated planning.
Typical features of the Transmission Line Matrix (TLM) algorithm in connection with stub loading techniques and prone to be hidden in common frequency domain formulations are elucidated within the propagator approach to TLM. In particular, the latter reflects properly the perturbative character of the TLM scheme and its relation to gauge field models. Internal 'gauge' degrees of freedom are made explicit in the frequency domain by introducing the complex nodal S-matrix as a function of operators that act on external or internal fields or virtually couple the two. As a main benefit, many techniques and results gained in the time domain thus generalize straight away. The recently developed deflection method for algorithm synthesis, which is extended in this paper, or the non-orthogonal node approximating Maxwell's equations, for instance, become so at once available in the frequency domain. In view of applications in computational plasma physics, the TLM model of a relativistic charged particle current coupled to the Maxwell field is treated as a prototype.
Existing e-learning environments primarily focus on the aspect of providing intuitive learning contents and to recommend learning units in a personalized fashion. The major focus of the KnowledgeCheckR environment is to take into account forgetting processes which immediately start after a learning unit has been completed. In this context, techniques are needed that are able to predict which learning units are the most relevant ones to be repeated in future learning sessions. In this paper, we provide an overview of the recommendation approaches integrated in KnowledgeCheckR. Examples thereof are utility-based recommendation that helps to identify learning contents to be repeated in the future, collaborative filtering approaches that help to implement session-based recommendation, and content-based recommendation that supports intelligent question answering. In order to show the applicability of the presented techniques, we provide an overview of the results of empirical studies that have been conducted in real-world scenarios.
Bayesian optimisation (BO) is a standard approach for sample-efficient global optimisation of expensive black-box functions, yet its scalability to high dimensions remains challenging. Here, we investigate nonlinear dimensionality reduction techniques that reduce the problem to a sequence of low-dimensional Latent-Space BO (LSBO). While early LSBO methods used (linear) random projections (Wang et al., 2013), building on Grosnit et al. (2021), we employ Variational Autoencoders (VAEs) for LSBO, focusing on deep metric loss for structured latent manifolds and VAE retraining to adapt the encoder-decoder to newly sampled regions. We propose some changes in their implementation, originally designed for tasks such as molecule generation, and reformulate the algorithm for broader optimisation purposes. We then couple LSBO with Sequential Domain Reduction (SDR) directly in the latent space (SDR-LSBO), yielding an algorithm that narrows the latent search domains as evidence accumulates. Implemented in a GPU-accelerated BoTorch stack with Matern-5/2 Gaussian process surrogates, our numerical results show improved optimisation quality across benchmark tasks and that structured latent manifold
Graph is an important data representation which appears in a wide diversity of real-world scenarios. Effective graph analytics provides users a deeper understanding of what is behind the data, and thus can benefit a lot of useful applications such as node classification, node recommendation, link prediction, etc. However, most graph analytics methods suffer the high computation and space cost. Graph embedding is an effective yet efficient way to solve the graph analytics problem. It converts the graph data into a low dimensional space in which the graph structural information and graph properties are maximally preserved. In this survey, we conduct a comprehensive review of the literature in graph embedding. We first introduce the formal definition of graph embedding as well as the related concepts. After that, we propose two taxonomies of graph embedding which correspond to what challenges exist in different graph embedding problem settings and how the existing work address these challenges in their solutions. Finally, we summarize the applications that graph embedding enables and suggest four promising future research directions in terms of computation efficiency, problem settings
Fault diagnosis has become a very important area of research during the last decade due to the advancement of mechanical and electrical systems in industries. The automobile is a crucial field where fault diagnosis is given a special attention. Due to the increasing complexity and newly added features in vehicles, a comprehensive study has to be performed in order to achieve an appropriate diagnosis model. A diagnosis system is capable of identifying the faults of a system by investigating the observable effects (or symptoms). The system categorizes the fault into a diagnosis class and identifies a probable cause based on the supplied fault symptoms. Fault categorization and identification are done using similarity matching techniques. The development of diagnosis classes is done by making use of previous experience, knowledge or information within an application area. The necessary information used may come from several sources of knowledge, such as from system analysis. In this paper similarity matching techniques for fault diagnosis in automotive infotainment applications are discussed.
This paper presents an algorithm to solve the infinite horizon constrained linear quadratic regulator (CLQR) problem using operator splitting methods. First, the CLQR problem is reformulated as a (finite-time) model predictive control (MPC) problem without terminal constraints. Second, the MPC problem is decomposed into smaller subproblems of fixed dimension independent of the horizon length. Third, using the fast alternating minimization algorithm to solve the subproblems, the horizon length is estimated online, by adding or removing subproblems based on a periodic check on the state of the last subproblem to determine whether it belongs to a given control invariant set. We show that the estimated horizon length is bounded and that the control sequence computed using the proposed algorithm is an optimal solution of the CLQR problem. Compared to state-of-the-art algorithms proposed to solve the CLQR problem, our design solves at each iteration only unconstrained least-squares problems and simple gradient calculations. Furthermore, our technique allows the horizon length to decrease online (a useful feature if the initial guess on the horizon is too conservative). Numerical results
Machine learning and computer vision techniques have grown rapidly in recent years due to their automation, suitability, and ability to generate astounding results. Hence, in this paper, we survey the key studies that are published between 2014 and 2022, showcasing the different machine learning algorithms researchers have used to segment the liver, hepatic tumors, and hepatic-vasculature structures. We divide the surveyed studies based on the tissue of interest (hepatic-parenchyma, hepatic-tumors, or hepatic-vessels), highlighting the studies that tackle more than one task simultaneously. Additionally, the machine learning algorithms are classified as either supervised or unsupervised, and they are further partitioned if the amount of work that falls under a certain scheme is significant. Moreover, different datasets and challenges found in literature and websites containing masks of the aforementioned tissues are thoroughly discussed, highlighting the organizers' original contributions and those of other researchers. Also, the metrics used excessively in literature are mentioned in our review, stressing their relevance to the task at hand. Finally, critical challenges and future
Field level statistics, such as the minimum spanning tree (MST), have been shown to be a promising tool for parameter inference in cosmology. However, applications to real galaxy surveys are challenging, due to the presence of small scale systematic effects and non-trivial survey selection functions. Since many field level statistics are 'hard-wired', the common practice is to forward model survey systematic effects to synthetic galaxy catalogues. However, this can be computationally demanding and produces results that are a product of cosmology and systematic effects, making it difficult to directly compare results from different experiments. We introduce a method for inverting survey systematic effects through a Monte Carlo subsampling technique where galaxies are assigned probabilities based on their galaxy weight and survey selection functions. Small scale systematic effects are mitigated through the addition of a point-process smoothing technique called jittering. The inversion technique removes the requirement for a computational and labour intensive forward modelling pipeline for parameter inference. We demonstrate that jittering can mask small scale theoretical uncertaintie
The idea of a novel labeling method is suggested for a new way of long-term security identification, inventory tracking, prevention of falsification and theft of waste casks, copper canisters, spent fuel containers, mercury containers, waste packages and other items. The suggested concept is based on the use of a unique combination of radioisotopes with different predictable half life. As an option for applying the radioisotope tag to spent fuel safeguarding it is suggested to use a mixture of α-emitting isotopes, such as 241Am etc., with materials that easily undergo α-induced reactions with emission of specific γ-lines. Thus, the existing problem of the disposing of smoke detectors or other devices [1] which contain radioisotopes can be addressed, indirectly solving an existing waste problem. The results of the first pilot experiments with two general designs of storage canisters, namely a steel container which corresponds to the one which is commonly used for long-term storing of mercury in Europe and USA and a copper canister, the one which is in applications for nuclear repositories, are presented. As one of the options for a new labeling method it is proposed to use a multidi
Fake online pharmacies have become increasingly pervasive, constituting over 90% of online pharmacy websites. There is a need for fake website detection techniques capable of identifying fake online pharmacy websites with a high degree of accuracy. In this study, we compared several well-known link-based detection techniques on a large-scale test bed with the hyperlink graph encompassing over 80 million links between 15.5 million web pages, including 1.2 million known legitimate and fake pharmacy pages. We found that the QoC and QoL class propagation algorithms achieved an accuracy of over 90% on our dataset. The results revealed that algorithms that incorporate dual class propagation as well as inlink and outlink information, on page-level or site-level graphs, are better suited for detecting fake pharmacy websites. In addition, site-level analysis yielded significantly better results than page-level analysis for most algorithms evaluated.
Even though image signals are typically acquired on a regular two dimensional grid, there exist many scenarios where non-regular sampling is possible. Non-regular sampling can remove aliasing. In terms of the non-regular sampling patterns, there is a high degree of freedom in how to actually arrange the sampling positions. In literature, random patterns show higher reconstruction quality compared to regular patterns due to reduced aliasing effects. On the downside, random patterns feature large void areas which is also disadvantageous. In the scope of this work, we present two techniques to design optimized non-regular image sampling patterns for arbitrary sampling densities. Both techniques create incremental sampling patterns, i.e., one pixel position is added in each step until the desired sampling density is reached. Our proposed patterns increase the reconstruction quality by more than +0.5 dB in PSNR for a broad density range. Visual comparisons are provided.
A novel fusion python application of data mining techniques (DMT) was designed and implemented to locate, identify, and delineate the subsurface structural pattern (SSP) of source rocks for the features of interest underlain the study area. The techniques of machine learning tools (MLT) helped to define magnetic anomaly source (MAS) rock and the various depths of these subsurface source rock features. The principal objective is to use straightforward DMT to locate magnetic anomaly features of interest that host mineralization. The required geo-referenced radiometric data, which facilitated the delineation of SSP, were sufficiently covered by combining the application of the Oasis Montaj\c{opyright} 2014 source parameter imaging functions. Relevance basic filtering techniques of data reduction were used to improve the signal-to-noise (S/N) ratio and hence automatically determine depths to the various engrossed features from gridded geo-referenced airborne magnetic datasets before the DMT application was performed. Geological source rock models (GSRM) (i.e., rock contacts, dykes) served as the delineated features based on their structural index (SI) values. The anomalies were perpend
Recently, random access protocols have acquired a new wave of interest, not only from the satellite communication community, but also from researchers active in fields like Internet of Things and machine-to-machine. Asynchronous (slot- and frame-wise) ALOHA-like random access protocols, are very attractive for such applications, enabling low complexity transmitters and avoiding time synchronization requirements. Evolutions of ALOHA employ time diversity through proactive replication of packets, but the time diversity is not fully exploited at the receiver. Combining techniques, as selection combining and maximal-ratio combining, are beneficial and are adopted in the enhanced contention resolution ALOHA (ECRA) scheme, presented here. A tight approximation of the packet loss rate for asynchronous random access, including ECRA, well suited for the low channel load region is derived. Finally, ECRA is evaluated in terms of spectral efficiency, throughput and packet loss rate in comparison with recent protocols, showing that it is able to largely outperform both slotted synchronous and asynchronous schemes.
A new variant of the DDoS attack, called Economic Denial of Sustainability attack has emerged. Since the cloud service is based on the pay-per-use model, the EDoS attack endeavors to scale up the resource usage over time to the point the purveyor of the server is financially incapable of sustaining the service due to the incurred unaffordable usage charges. The implication of the EDoS attack is a major security implication as more elastic cloud services are being deployed. Existing techniques to detect and mitigate such attacks are either have low accuracy or ineffective and, in some cases, aggravate the attack even further. Therefore, an Enhanced Mitigation Mechanism is proposed to address these shortcomings using OpenFlow and statistical techniques, i.e. Hellinger Distance and Entropy. The experiments clearly depicted that EMM is able to detect and mitigate EDoS attacks with high accuracy and it is effective in terms of resource utilization compared to existing mitigation techniques. Thus, can be deployed in the cloud environment without the need for additional resource requirements.