Gender approaches to evolutionary multi-objective optimization using pre-selection of criteria

A novel idea to perform evolutionary computations (ECs) for solving highly dimensional multi-objective optimization (MOO) problems is proposed. Following the general idea of evolution, it is proposed that information about gender is used to distinguish between various groups of objectives and identify the (aggregate) nature of optimality of individuals (solutions). This identification is drawn out of the fitness of individuals and applied during parental crossover in the processes of evolutionary multi-objective optimization (EMOO). The article introduces the principles of the genetic-gender approach (GGA) and virtual gender approach (VGA), which are not just evolutionary techniques, but constitute a completely new rule (philosophy) for use in solving MOO tasks. The proposed approaches are validated against principal representatives of the EMOO algorithms of the state of the art in solving benchmark problems in the light of recognized EC performance criteria. The research shows the superiority of the gender approach in terms of effectiveness, reliability, transparency, intelligibility and MOO problem simplification, resulting in the great usefulness and practicability of GGA and VGA. Moreover, an important feature of GGA and VGA is that they alleviate the ‘curse’ of dimensionality typical of many engineering designs.     

New method for the on-line signature verification based on horizontal partitioning

Verification of identity based on the analysis of dynamic signatures is an important problem of biometrics. The effectiveness of the verification significantly increases when the dynamic characteristics of signature (e.g. velocity of the pen) are considered. These characteristics are individual for each user and difficult to imitate. The effectiveness of the verification can be further improved by using partitioning. In this paper we propose a new method which uses partitioning. In our method partitions represent areas of high and low speed of signature and high and low pen?s pressure. All selected partitions are used by our algorithm, but more important in the classification process are these partitions, in which the signatures of the user acquired during training phase are more stable. Moreover, final classification is interpretable. In this paper we present the simulation results of the proposed method for the two databases: SVC2004 and BioSecure Database.     

A new approach to the learning effect: Beyond the learning curve restrictions

In this paper, we bring into the scheduling field a new model of the learning effect, where in two ways the existing approach is generalized. First we relax one of the rigorous constraints, and thus in our model each job can provide different experience to the processor. Second we formulate the job processing time as a non-increasing k-stepwise function, that, in general, is not restricted to a certain learning curve, thereby it can accurately fit every possible shape of a learning function. Furthermore, we prove that the problem of makespan minimization with the considered model is polynomially solvable if every job provides the same experience to the processor, and it becomes NP-hard if the experiences are diversified. The most essential result is a pseudopolynomial time algorithm that solves optimally the makespan minimization problem with any function of an experience-based learning model reduced into the form of the k-stepwise function.     

The Synthesis and Properties of Diazaphenanthrene Aldehydes and their Simple Analogues

The synthesis of seven diazaphenanthrene aldehydes and their oximes via oxidation of corresponding methylderivatives is given and the n.m.r. spectra of the aldehydes are discussed. The synthesis of three new methyl diazaphenanthrenes by the Skraup method is presented.     

Synthesis of Azafluorenones

Syntheses of azafluorenones from monoazaphenanthrenes and phenanthrolines has ben investigated. 1- and 4-monoazaphenanthrenes have been oxidized by J₂O₅ in acetic acid to give quinones which were converted to 4- and 1-azafluoren-9-ones in alkaline media. Phenanthrolines can be oxidized directly by means of permanganate in alkaline medium to 1,5-, 1,6-, 1,8-, 2,5- and 3,5-diazafluoren-9-ones. From 1-, 4-azaphenanthrene- and 1,8-phenanthrolinequinones new benzopyrido- and dipyridophenazines have been synthesized.     

Robust ordinal regression in preference learning and ranking

Multiple Criteria Decision Aiding (MCDA) offers a diversity of approaches designed for providing the decision maker (DM) with a recommendation concerning a set of alternatives (items, actions) evaluated from multiple points of view, called criteria. This paper aims at drawing attention of the Machine Learning (ML) community upon recent advances in a representative MCDA methodology, called Robust Ordinal Regression (ROR). ROR learns by examples in order to rank a set of alternatives, thus considering a similar problem as Preference Learning (ML-PL) does. However, ROR implements the interactive preference construction paradigm, which should be perceived as a mutual learning of the model and the DM. The paper clarifies the specific interpretation of the concept of preference learning adopted in ROR and MCDA, comparing it to the usual concept of preference learning considered within ML. This comparison concerns a structure of the considered problem, types of admitted preference information, a character of the employed preference models, ways of exploiting them, and techniques to arrive at a final ranking.     

Nominal Monoids

We develop an algebraic theory for languages of data words. We prove that, under certain conditions, a language of data words is definable in first-order logic if and only if its syntactic monoid is aperiodic.     

Local controllability of quantum systems

We give a criterion that is sufficient for controllability of multipartite quantum systems. We generalize the graph infection criterion to the quantum systems that cannot be described with the use of a graph theory. We introduce the notation of hypergraphs and reformulate the infection property in this setting. The introduced criterion has a topological nature and therefore it is not connected to any particular experimental realization of quantum information processing.