Formal aspects of the relational model

The relational model of data bases is studied from three interdependent viewpoints. Relational data bases are first modelled by directed hypergraphs, a concept derived in a straightforward way from Berge's hypergraph theory. Then the abstract directed hypergraphs are interpreted using a linguistic model, and finally are represented as a necessary step towards computer implementation. The normalization of relations is briefly discussed in the context of the three approaches.     

Efficient Learning of Relational Object Class Models

We present an efficient method for learning part-based object class models from unsegmented images represented as sets of salient features. A model includes parts’ appearance, as well as location and scale relations between parts. The object class is generatively modeled using a simple Bayesian network with a central hidden node containing location and scale information, and nodes describing object parts. The model’s parameters, however, are optimized to reduce a loss function of the training error, as in discriminative methods. We show how boosting techniques can be extended to optimize the relational model proposed, with complexity linear in the number of parts and the number of features per image. This efficiency allows our method to learn relational models with many parts and features. The method has an advantage over purely generative and purely discriminative approaches for learning from sets of salient features, since generative method often use a small number of parts and features, while discriminative methods tend to ignore geometrical relations between parts. Experimental results are described, using some bench-mark data sets and three sets of newly collected data, showing the relative merits of our method in recognition and localization tasks.     

Salient object detection using content-sensitive hypergraph representation and partitioning

As an important problem in image understanding, salient object detection is essential for image classification, object recognition, as well as image retrieval. In this paper, we propose a new approach to detect salient objects from an image by using content-sensitive hypergraph representation and partitioning. Firstly, a polygonal potential Region-Of-Interest (p-ROI) is extracted through analyzing the edge distribution in an image. Secondly, the image is represented by a content-sensitive hypergraph. Instead of using fixed features and parameters for all the images, we propose a new content-sensitive method for feature selection and hypergraph construction. In this method, the most discriminant color channel which maximizes the difference between p-ROI and the background is selected for each image. Also the number of neighbors in hyperedges is adjusted automatically according to the image content. Finally, an incremental hypergraph partitioning is utilized to generate the candidate regions for the final salient object detection, in which all the candidate regions are evaluated by p-ROI and the best match one will be the selected as final salient object. Our approach has been extensively evaluated on a large benchmark image database. Experimental results show that our approach can not only achieve considerable improvement in terms of commonly adopted performance measures in salient object detection, but also provide more precise object boundaries which is desirable for further image processing and understanding.     

3D Shape Matching and Inspection Using Geometric Features and Relational Learning

In this paper we consider the problem of matching 3D sensed data with models and inspection for defects where the correspondence between models and data needs to be solved in robust and efficient ways. We explore the use of machine learning (in particular, relational learning) as an efficient method for solving correspondence (and so, pose estimation) as well as automatically generating rules for acceptable shape variations from training data. As an additional but necessary issue, we also consider the use of view-independent covariance methods for the extraction of surface features used to determine shape signatures which correspond to curvature-like surface attributes. Such features are utilized in the relational learning model.     

Human Gait Recognition Based on Kernel PCA Using Projections

This paper presents a novel approach for human identification at a distance using gait recognition. Recognition of a person from their gait is a biometric of increasing interest. The proposed work introduces a nonlinear machine learning method, kernel Principal Component Analysis （PCA）, to extract gait features from silhouettes for individual recognition. Binarized silhouette of a motion object is first represented by four 1-D signals which are the basic image features called the distance vectors. Fourier transform is performed to achieve translation invariant for the gait patterns accumulated from silhouette sequences which are extracted from different circumstances. Kernel PCA is then used to extract higher order relations among the gait patterns for future recognition. A fusion strategy is finally executed to produce a final decision. The experiments are carried out on the CMU and the USF gait databases and presented based on the different training gait cycles.     

Temporal relational data model

This paper incorporates a temporal dimension to nested relations. It combines research in temporal databases and nested relations for managing the temporal data in nontraditional database applications. A temporal data value is represented as a temporal atom; a temporal atom consists of two parts: a temporal set and a value. The temporal atom asserts that the value is valid over the time duration represented by its temporal set. The data model allows relations with arbitrary levels of nesting and can represent the histories of objects and their relationships. Temporal relational algebra and calculus languages are formulated and their equivalence is proved. Temporal relational algebra includes operations to manipulate temporal data and to restructure nested temporal relations. Additionally, we define operations to generate a power set of a relation, a set membership test, and a set inclusion test, which are all derived from the other operations of temporal relational algebra. To obtain a concise representation of temporal data (temporal reduction), collapsed versions of the set-theoretic operations are defined. Procedures to express collapsed operations by the regular operations of temporal relational algebra are included. The paper also develops procedures to completely flatten a nested temporal relation into an equivalent 1 NF relation and back to its original form, thus providing a basis for the semantics of the collapsed operations by the traditional operations on 1 NF relations     

Perceptual grouping of line features in 3-D space: a model-based framework

In this paper, we propose a novel model-based perceptual grouping algorithm for the line features of 3-D polyhedral objects. Given a 3-D polyhedral model, perceptual grouping is performed to extract a set of 3-D line segments which are geometrically consistent with the 3-D model. Unlike the conventional approaches, grouping is done in 3-D space in a model-based framework. In our unique approach, a decision tree classifier is employed for encoding and retrieving the geometric information of the 3-D model. A Gestalt graph is constructed by classifying input instances into proper Gestalt relations using the decision tree. The Gestalt graph is then decomposed into a few subgraphs, yielding appropriate groups of features. As an application, we suggest a 3-D object recognition system which can be accomplished by selecting a best-matched group. In order to evaluate the performance of the proposed algorithm, experiments are carried out on both synthetic and real scenes.     

Interactive image segmentation using probabilistic hypergraphs

This paper introduces a novel interactive framework for segmenting images using probabilistic hypergraphs which model the spatial and appearance relations among image pixels. The probabilistic hypergraph provides us a means to pose image segmentation as a machine learning problem. In particular, we assume that a small set of pixels, which are referred to as seed pixels, are labeled as the object and background. The seed pixels are used to estimate the labels of the unlabeled pixels by learning on a hypergraph via minimizing a quadratic smoothness term formed by a hypergraph Laplacian matrix subject to the known label constraints. We derive a natural probabilistic interpretation of this smoothness term, and provide a detailed discussion on the relation of our method to other hypergraph and graph based learning methods. We also present a front-to-end image segmentation system based on the proposed method, which is shown to achieve promising quantitative and qualitative results on the commonly used GrabCut dataset.     

A case study in mapping conceptual designs to object‐relational schemas

The recent emergence of object‐relational technology into the commercial database market has caused new challenges for the implementation of conceptual database designs. This paper presents our experience with using the Oracle 8 object‐relational data model in the implementation of an engineering application described using the EXPRESS conceptual modeling language. EXPRESS is part of the engineering community's Standard for the Exchange of Product Data and can be characterized as a structurally object‐oriented modeling language, supporting the notion of entities, entity hierarchies, complex constraints on entity hierarchies, relationships and inverse relationships between entities, and user‐defined types. As a result, EXPRESS provides an excellent framework for studying the mapping of conceptual modeling concepts into an object‐relational model. In this paper, we describe the way in which the features of EXPRESS can be mapped into object‐relational features such as object tables, object references, and nested tables. We also describe the manner in which features such as member functions on object types, triggers, and stored procedures can be used to support the implementation of constraints associated with a conceptual schema. Although the mappings presented are specific to EXPRESS and Oracle 8, the mappings are generalizable to conceptual modeling languages and object‐relational models with similar features. Our work defines how traditional mapping concepts must be revised in order to make adequate use of the features now found in object‐relational models. As part of this paper, we also compare our mapping approach using Oracle 8 to mapping issues for the PostgreSQL object‐relational model and the Objectivity/DB object‐oriented data model. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Generalizing database relational algebra for the treatment of incomplete or uncertain information and vague queries

This paper deals with relational databases which are extended in the sense that fuzzily known values are allowed for attributes. Precise as well as partial (imprecise, uncertain) knowledge concerning the value of the attributes are represented by means of [0,1]-valued possibility distributions in Zadeh's sense. Thus, we have to manipulate ordinary relations on Cartesian products of sets of fuzzy subsets rather than fuzzy relations. Besides, vague queries whose contents are also represented by possibility distributions can be taken into account. The basic operations of relational algebra, union, intersection, Cartesian product, projection, and selection are extended in order to deal with partial information and vague queries. Approximate equalities and inequalities modeled by fuzzy relations can also be taken into account in the selection operation. Then, the main features of a query language based on the extended relational algebra are presented. An illustrative example is provided. This approach, which enables a very general treatment of relational databases with fuzzy attribute values, makes an extensive use of dual possibility and necessity measures.     

Hypergraph Models and Algorithms for Data-Pattern-Based Clustering

In traditional approaches for clustering market basket type data, relations among transactions are modeled according to the items occurring in these transactions. However, an individual item might induce different relations in different contexts. Since such contexts might be captured by interesting patterns in the overall data, we represent each transaction as a set of patterns through modifying the conventional pattern semantics. By clustering the patterns in the dataset, we infer a clustering of the transactions represented this way. For this, we propose a novel hypergraph model to represent the relations among the patterns. Instead of a local measure that depends only on common items among patterns, we propose a global measure that is based on the cooccurences of these patterns in the overall data. The success of existing hypergraph partitioning based algorithms in other domains depends on sparsity of the hypergraph and explicit objective metrics. For this, we propose a two-phase clustering approach for the above hypergraph, which is expected to be dense. In the first phase, the vertices of the hypergraph are merged in a multilevel algorithm to obtain large number of high quality clusters. Here, we propose new quality metrics for merging decisions in hypergraph clustering specifically for this domain. In order to enable the use of existing metrics in the second phase, we introduce a vertex-to-cluster affinity concept to devise a method for constructing a sparse hypergraph based on the obtained clustering. The experiments we have performed show the effectiveness of the proposed framework.     

面向时间感知的知识超图链接预测

知识超图是一种使用多元关系表示现实世界的异构图,但无论在通用领域还是垂直领域,现有的知识超图普遍存在不完整的情况.因此,如何通过知识超图中已有的链接推理缺失的链接是一个具有挑战性的问题.目前大多数研究使用基于多元关系的知识表示学习方法完成知识超图的链接预测任务,但这些方法仅从时间未知的超边中学习实体与关系的嵌入向量,没有考虑时间因素对事实动态演变的影响,导致在动态环境中的预测性能较差.首先,根据本文首次提出的时序知识超图定义,提出时序知识超图链接预测模型,同时从实体角色、位置和时序超边的时间戳中学习实体的静态表征和动态表征,以一定比例融合后作为实体嵌入向量用于链接预测任务,实现对超边时序信息的充分利用.同时,从理论上证明模型具有完全表达性和线性空间复杂度.此外,通过上市公司的公开经营数据构建时序知识超图数据集CB67,并在该数据集上进行了大量实验评估.实验结果表明:模型能够在时序知识超图数据集上有效地执行链接预测任务.     

A purely object-oriented approach for rule-based paradigms

In this paper, I describe an approach for rule-based systems exploiting a purely object-oriented approach. The innovative idea is to consider a new kind of relation between knowledge objects which are believed to model implication relations of production rules. A knowledge base consisting of such objects can be conveniently represented as a Marker Propagating Graph (MPG), which provides rule-based-like representation features. The inference is seen as a marking propagation through the graph. This approach preserves the best of both the object orientation features and expert system functionality. This experimental study concerns the design and the implementation of a medical system for automatic interpretation of biological tests in Preventive Medicine Centers. Because the use of such a system is planned for many years, the possibilities for its future extensions are seriously considered. This would not be possible without a good appreciation of object orientation features.     

Ordered functional dependencies in relational databases

We extend the relational data model to incorporate linear orderings into data domains, which we call the ordered relational model. The conventional Functional Dependencies (FDs) are examined in the context of ordered relational databases by using the notion of System Ordering Independence (SOI), which refers to the desirable scenario that the ordering of tuples in a relation is independent of the implementation of the underlying DBMS. We also extend Armstrong's axiom system for FDs to object relations, which are a subclass of ordered relations that allow us to view tuples as objects. We formally define Ordered Functional Dependencies (OFDs) for the extended model by means of two possible extensions of domains, pointwise-orderings and lexicographical orderings. We first present a sound and complete axiom system for OFDs in the case of pointwise-orderings and then establish a sound and complete set of chase rules for OFDs in the case of lexicographical orderings. Our main result shows that the implication problems for both cases of OFDs are decidable, and that it is linear time for the case of pointwise-orderings.     

Recognition and shape synthesis of 3-D objects based on attributedhypergraphs

A computer vision system is presented for shape synthesis and recognition of three-dimensional objects using an attributed hypergraph representation. The vision system is capable of: (1) constructing an attributed hypergraph representation (AHR) based on the information extracted from an image with range data; (2) synthesizing several AHRs obtained from various views of an object to form a complete AHR of the object; and (3) recognizing any view of an object of finding the graph monomorphism between the AHR of that view and the complete AHR of a prototype object. This system is implemented on a Grinnell imaging system driven by a VAX 11/750 running VMS