Real-time collaboration of virtual laboratories through the Internet

Web-based learning environments are becoming increasingly popular in higher education. One of the most important web-learning resources is the virtual laboratory (VL), which gives students an easy way for training and learning through the Internet. Moreover, on-line collaborative communication represents a practical method to transmit the knowledge and experience from the teacher to students overcoming physical distance and isolation. Considering these facts, the authors of this document have developed a new dynamic collaborative e-learning system which combines the main advantages of virtual laboratories and collaborative learning practices. In this system, the virtual laboratories are based on Java applets which have embedded simulations developed in Easy Java Simulations (EJS), an open-source tool for teachers who do not need complex programming skills. The collaborative e-learning is based on a real-time synchronized communication among these Java applets. Therefore, this original approach provides a new tool which integrates virtual laboratories inside a synchronous collaborative e-learning framework. This paper describes the main features of this system and its successful application in a distance education environment among different universities from Spain.     

Stability independent of delay using rational functions

This paper is concerned with the problem of assessing the stability of linear systems with a single time-delay. Stability analysis of linear systems with time-delays is complicated by the need to locate the roots of a transcendental characteristic equation. In this paper we show that a linear system with a single time-delay is stable independent of delay if and only if a certain rational function parameterized by an integer k and a positive real number T has only stable roots for any finite T≥0 and any k≥2. We then show how this stability result can be further simplified by analyzing the roots of an associated polynomial parameterized by a real number δ in the open interval (0,1). The paper is closed by showing counterexamples where stability of the roots of the rational function when k=1 is not sufficient for stability of the associated linear system with time-delay. We also introduce a variation of an existing frequency-sweeping necessary and sufficient condition for stability independent of delay which resembles the form of a generalized Nyquist criterion. The results are illustrated by numerical examples.     

BAIS: A Bayesian Artificial Immune System for the effective handling of building blocks

Significant progress has been made in theory and design of Artificial Immune Systems (AISs) for solving hard problems accurately. However, an aspect not yet widely addressed by the research reported in the literature is the lack of ability of the AISs to deal effectively with building blocks (partial high-quality solutions coded in the antibody). The available AISs present mechanisms for evolving the population that do not take into account the relationship among the variables of the problem, potentially causing the disruption of high-quality partial solutions. This paper proposes a novel AIS with abilities to identify and properly manipulate building blocks in optimization problems. Instead of using cloning and mutation to generate new individuals, our algorithm builds a probabilistic model representing the joint probability distribution of the promising solutions and, subsequently, uses this model for sampling new solutions. The probabilistic model used is a Bayesian network due to its capability of properly capturing the most relevant interactions among the variables. Therefore, our algorithm, called Bayesian Artificial Immune System (BAIS), represents a significant attempt to improve the performance of immune-inspired algorithms when dealing with building blocks, and hence to solve efficiently hard optimization problems with complex interactions among the variables. The performance of BAIS compares favorably with that produced by contenders such as state-of-the-art Estimation of Distribution Algorithms.     

Modeling wine preferences by data mining from physicochemical properties

We propose a data mining approach to predict human wine taste preferences that is based on easily available analytical tests at the certification step. A large dataset (when compared to other studies in this domain) is considered, with white and red vinho verde samples (from Portugal). Three regression techniques were applied, under a computationally efficient procedure that performs simultaneous variable and model selection. The support vector machine achieved promising results, outperforming the multiple regression and neural network methods. Such model is useful to support the oenologist wine tasting evaluations and improve wine production. Furthermore, similar techniques can help in target marketing by modeling consumer tastes from niche markets.     

Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Localization Based on Monocular Vision and Online Mosaicking

This paper presents a new approach for vision-based UAV localization, using mosaics as environment representations. Inter-image motions are used to estimate the motion of the UAV. Online mosaicking is applied to reduce the impact of the accumulative errors in UAV position estimation. A new method to build an stochastic mosaic given the image-to-image homographies is detailed. The mosaic consists of a network of inter-image relations, and is used to create a consistent view of the environment of the UAV and hence, to detect the drift in position estimation by using the mosaic as a resource. The technique could be called simultaneous localization and mosaicking. This technique is specially suitable for monitoring and surveillance tasks in which the UAV will repeatedly cover the same area. The paper also shows experimental results with real UAVs where the benefits of the proposed method are evident.     

Pattern classification with mixtures of weighted least-squares support vector machine experts

Support Vector Machine (SVM) classifiers are high-performance classification models devised to comply with the structural risk minimization principle and to properly exploit the kernel artifice of nonlinearly mapping input data into high-dimensional feature spaces toward the automatic construction of better discriminating linear decision boundaries. Among several SVM variants, Least-Squares SVMs (LS-SVMs) have gained increased attention recently due mainly to their computationally attractive properties coming as the direct result of applying a modified formulation that makes use of a sum-squared-error cost function jointly with equality, instead of inequality, constraints. In this work, we present a flexible hybrid approach aimed at augmenting the proficiency of LS-SVM classifiers with regard to accuracy/generalization as well as to hyperparameter calibration issues. Such approach, named as Mixtures of Weighted Least-Squares Support Vector Machine Experts, centers around the fusion of the weighted variant of LS-SVMs with Mixtures of Experts models. After the formal characterization of the novel learning framework, simulation results obtained with respect to both binary and multiclass pattern classification problems are reported, ratifying the suitability of the novel hybrid approach in improving the performance issues considered.     

Reinforcement learning of pedagogical policies in adaptive and intelligent educational systems

In an adaptive and intelligent educational system (AIES), the process of learning pedagogical policies according the students needs fits as a Reinforcement Learning (RL) problem. Previous works have demonstrated that a great amount of experience is needed in order for the system to learn to teach properly, so applying RL to the AIES from scratch is unfeasible. Other works have previously demonstrated in a theoretical way that seeding the AIES with an initial value function learned with simulated students reduce the experience required to learn an accurate pedagogical policy. In this paper we present empirical results demonstrating that a value function learned with simulated students can provide the AIES with a very accurate initial pedagogical policy. The evaluation is based on the interaction of more than 70 Computer Science undergraduate students, and demonstrates that an efficient and useful guide through the contents of the educational system is obtained.     

Constructive learning neural network applied to identification and control of a fuel-ethanol fermentation process

In the present work, a constructive learning algorithm was employed to design a near-optimal one-hidden layer neural network structure that best approximates the dynamic behavior of a bioprocess. The method determines not only a proper number of hidden neurons but also the particular shape of the activation function for each node. Here, the projection pursuit technique was applied in association with the optimization of the solvability condition, giving rise to a more efficient and accurate computational learning algorithm. As each activation function of a hidden neuron is defined according to the peculiarities of each approximation problem, better rates of convergence are achieved, guiding to parsimonious neural network architectures. The proposed constructive learning algorithm was successfully applied to identify a MIMO bioprocess, providing a multivariable model that was able to describe the complex process dynamics, even in long-range horizon predictions. The resulting identification model was considered as part of a model-based predictive control strategy, producing high-quality performance in closed-loop experiments.