Efficient constraint reduction in multistage stochastic programming problems with endogenous uncertainty

Multistage stochastic programming with endogenous uncertainty is a new topic in which the timing of uncertainty realization is decision-dependent. In this case, the number of nonanticipativity constraints (NACs) increases very quickly with the number of scenarios, making the problem computationally intractable. Fortunately, a large number of NACs are typically redundant and their elimination leads to a considerable reduction in the problem size. Identifying redundant NACs has been addressed in the literature only in the special case where the scenario set is equal to the Cartesian product of all possible outcomes for endogenous parameters; however, this is a scarce condition in practice. In this paper, we consider the general case where the scenario set is an arbitrary set; and two approaches, able to identify all redundant NACs, are proposed. The first approach is by mixed integer programming formulation and the second one is an exact polynomial time algorithm. Proving the fact that the proposed algorithm is able to make the uppermost reduction in the number of NACs is another novelty of this paper. Computational results evaluate the efficiency of the proposed approaches.     

基于马尔可夫随机场的加密二值图像有损压缩算法

尽管当前已有众多二值图像的压缩方法,但这些方法并不能直接应用于加密二值图像的压缩。在云计算、分布式处理等场景下,如何高效地对加密二值图像进行有损压缩仍然是一个挑战,而当前鲜有这方面的研究。针对此问题,提出了一种基于马尔可夫随机场(MRF)的加密二值图像有损压缩算法。该算法用MRF表征二值图像的空域统计特性,进而借助MRF及解压缩还原的像素推断加密二值图像压缩过程中被丢弃的像素。所提算法的发送方采用流密码对二值图像进行加密,云端先后利用分块均匀但块内随机的下抽样方式及低密度奇偶校验(LDPC)编码对加密二值图像进行压缩,接收方则通过构造包含解码、解密及MRF重构的联合因子图实现二值图像的有损重构。实验结果表明,所提算法获得了较好的压缩效率,在0.2~0.4 bpp压缩率时有损重构图像的比特误差率(BER)不超过5%;而与针对未加密原始二值图像的国际压缩标准JBIG2的压缩效率相比,所提算法的压缩效率与其相当。这些充分表明了所提算法的可行性与有效性。     

基于图论的瓦斯抽采管网优化技术

为解决煤矿井下瓦斯抽采管网因系统变化导致的抽采效率降低的问题,根据抽采系统各项特性建立了有向图论模型,将瓦斯抽采浓度与混合流量赋值于模型点权参数,将瓦斯管路长度、管径赋值于图论模型边权参数,以O-D对流量概念和管路阻力计算为基础,得到了管网中各管段阻力损失,并确定了优化管段位置及优化方案和参数。对芦岭煤矿8210抽采区域进行优化后,优化管段阻力损失降低了8倍,优化区域抽采纯量提高了1倍以上。     

用语图分析揭示语言系统中的隐性规律 ——赢家通吃和赢多输少算法

该文用“图”这一数学工具,通过定量分析来揭示语言系统中的隐性规律,设计了“赢家通吃”和“赢多输少”两种生成算法,将理想算法“步步竞争、择优而行”的博弈论思路贯彻到非理想状态。两种新算法都较前人有更好的概括能力。赢多输少算法更兼顾了充分概括和适度概括均衡。生成语图后,该设计着重准确率的最小简图和着重覆盖率的最大简图归纳算法,挖掘控制的主流规则、分析语言系统的语言学规律。在最小简图基础上提出控制度公式以评价语言系统。
     

基于ESU图的活动社交网络用户参加活动推荐

活动社交网络(EBSNs)为用户提供了方便的组织、参加和分享社交活动的平台。该文面向EBSNs活动推荐问题,提出了包含活动(Event)、主办方(Sponsor)和用户(User)的ESU图模型,深入揭示了EBSNs的实体及其社交关系。因为用户参加活动受多个因素影响,我们提出了基于ESU图的活动推荐多因素决策模型,包括社交影响力、活动内容、活动地点及活动时间。根据ESU图特点,提出了基于双向重启随机游走算法BD-RWR的实体重要度计算方法。选取真实的EBSNs平台—豆瓣同城验证所提方法的有效性。实验结果表明,该文提出的ESU图模型及融合了多因素的活动推荐模型,与已有最新方法相比,有效地提升了用户参加活动的推荐效果。     

An approach for evaluating collaboration attributes in cluster-based companies

This paper presents an approach for evaluating collaboration attributes in companies operating in industrial clusters. From the literature review, we identified governance, geographic proximity, and trust as the main collaboration attributes in industrial clusters. For each of them, there is a set of related sub-attributes that composed the evaluation model. For developing the model, we used the graph theoretic approach (GTA), a methodology for multi-attribute assessment that considers interdependencies among elements of a system to provide an overall evaluation. We applied the model to five companies of a furniture cluster. The results showed the model allows for systematizing relationship management because it highlights the collaboration attributes that need to be improved. Furthermore, the application of the model may contribute to encouraging companies to develop collaborative practices.     

Copy-Paste Detection Based on a SIFT Marked Graph Feature Vector

To detect copy-paste tampering, an im-proved SIFT (Scale invariant feature transform)-based al-gorithm was proposed. Maximum angle is defined and a maximum angle-based marked graph is constructed. The m arked graph feature vector is provided to each SIFT key point via discrete polar coordinate transformation. Key points are matched to detect the copy-paste tamper-ing regions. The experimental results show that the pro-posed algorithm can effectively identify and detect the ro-tated or scaled copy-paste regions, and in comparison with the methods reported previously, it is resistant to post-processing, such as blurring, Gaussian white noise and JPEG recompression. The proposed algorithm performs better than the existing algorithm to dealing with scaling transformation.     

Weighted archetypal analysis of the multi-element graph for query-focused multi-document summarization

Most existing research on applying the matrix factorization approaches to query-focused multi-document summarization (Q-MDS) explores either soft/hard clustering or low rank approximation methods. We employ a different kind of matrix factorization method, namely weighted archetypal analysis (wAA) to Q-MDS. In query-focused summarization, given a graph representation of a set of sentences weighted by similarity to the given query, positively and/or negatively salient sentences are values on the weighted data set boundary. We choose to use wAA to compute these extreme values, archetypes, and hence to estimate the importance of sentences in target documents set. We investigate the impact of using the multi-element graph model for query focused summarization via wAA. We conducted experiments on the data of document understanding conference (DUC) 2005 and 2006. Experimental results evidence the improvement of the proposed approach over other closely related methods and many of state-of-the-art systems.     

The impact of study load on the dynamics of longitudinal email communications among students

With the advent of information technology, emails have gained wide acceptability among students as an asynchronous communication tool. According to the current pedagogy literature the overall trend of the use of email communication by university students has been increasing significantly since its inception, despite the rapid growth of the popularity and acceptability of other social mediums (e.g. Mobile phone and Facebook). In this study, we explore a longitudinal email communication network, which evolved under an increasing study load among 38 students throughout a university semester, using measures of social network analysis (SNA) and exponential random graph (ERG) models. This longitudinal network was divided into three waves, where each wave represents the portion of the complete longitudinal network that evolves between two consecutive observations. An increased study load was imposed through the assessment components of the course. SNA measures of degree centrality (i.e. the activity of an actor or actor popularity), betweenness centrality (i.e. the capacity to control the flow of information in a network), closeness centrality (i.e. reachable to other nodes) and reciprocity (i.e. tendency to make reciprocal links) are considered to explore this longitudinal network. ERG models are probabilistic models that are presented by locally determined explanatory variables and can effectively identify structural properties of networks. From the analysis of this email communication network, we notice that students' network positions and behaviours change with the changes in their study load. In particular, we find that (i) students make an increased number of email communications with the increase of study load; (ii) the email communication network become sparse with the increase of study load; and (iii) the 2-star parameter (a subset of three nodes in which one node is connected to each of the other two nodes) and the triangle parameter (a subset of three nodes in which each node is connected to the other two nodes) can effectively explain the formation of network in wave3; whereas, the 3-star parameter (a subset of four nodes in which one node is connected to each of other three nodes) can effectively explain the formation of network in wave1 and wave2. Interpretations of these findings for the monitoring of student behaviour in online learning environments, as well as the implications for the design of assessment and the use of asynchronous tools are discussed in this paper.