Blockchain Traceability Adoption in Low-Carbon Supply Chains: An Evolutionary Game Analysis

Abstract: Blockchain technology has brought innovation to supply chain management, particularly in managing carbon emissions in the manufacturing sector. However, there is a research gap regarding the policy tools and the role of local governments in implementing blockchain technology to achieve carbon emissions traceability. Additionally, the strategic relationships and policy implications resulting from the implementation of blockchain technology are not examined systematically. An effective method for examining the strategies used in interactions between supply chain stakeholders and governments is evolutionary game theory, or EGT. This paper employs mathematical modelling and MATLAB 2016 software simulation to examine the decision-making process of manufacturing companies when considering implementing blockchain technology traceability. Specifically, the subjects in the model include product manufacturers (PM), product suppliers (PS), and local governments (LGs). The aim is to examine the decision-making behavior of carbon traceability participants in blockchain technology. This paper analyses the most effective blockchain-based traceability strategies for low-carbon supply chain members under a variety of scenarios by modifying the parameters. The findings suggest the following: (1) Manufacturers and suppliers need to manage the cost of blockchain traceability, collaborate to create an environmentally friendly product certification system, and improve brand image. (2) Local governments should set up efficient reward and punishment systems to incentivize supply chain stakeholders to engage in the blockchain traceability system. The aforementioned discoveries furnish policymakers with guidance to encourage the implementation of blockchain-based carbon footprint traceability technology, thereby establishing a transparent carbon footprint traceability framework across the entire supply chain.


Accelerating Quantum Algorithms with Precomputation

Abstract: Real-world applications of computing can be extremely time-sensitive. It would be valuable if we could accelerate such tasks by performing some of the work ahead of time. Motivated by this, we propose a cost model for quantum algorithms that allows quantum precomputation; i.e., for a polynomial amount of ``free&apos;&apos; computation before the input to an algorithm is fully specified, and methods for taking advantage of it. We analyze two families of unitaries that are asymptotically more efficient to implement in this cost model than in the standard one. The first example of quantum precomputation, based on density matrix exponentiation, could offer an exponential advantage under certain conditions. The second example uses a variant of gate teleportation to achieve a quadratic advantage when compared with implementing the unitaries directly. These examples hint that quantum precomputation may offer a new arena in which to seek quantum advantage.


MedLingua: A Conceptual Framework for a Multilingual Medical Conversational Agent

Abstract: This study introduces a hybrid model for an advanced medical chatbot addressing crucial healthcare communication challenges. Leveraging a hybrid ML model, the chatbot aims to provide accurate and prompt responses to users' health-related queries. The proposed model will overcome limitations observed in previous medical chatbots by integrating a dual-stemming approach, P-Stemmer and NLTK-Stemmer, accommodating both semitic and non-semitic languages. The system prioritizes the analysis of cognates, identification of symptoms, doctor recommendations, and prescription generation. It integrates an automatic translation module to facilitate a smooth multilingual diagnostic experience. Following the Scrum methodology for agile development, the framework ensures adaptability to evolving research needs and stays current with recent medical discoveries. This groundbreaking idea aims to improve the effectiveness and availability of healthcare services by introducing an intelligent, multilingual chatbot. This technology enables patients to communicate with doctors from diverse linguistic backgrounds through an automated language translation model, eliminating language barriers and extending healthcare access to rural regions worldwide.•A simple but efficient hybrid conceptual model for advancement in smart medical assistance.•This conceptual model can be applied to implement a medical chatbot that can understand multiple languages.•This method can be utilized to address medical chatbot limitations and enhance accuracy in response generation.


Metaphors of Digital Transformation

Abstract: Abstract This chapter explores metaphors used by organizational actors to understand digital transformation and digitalized organizations. Following a “pigeon-holing approach” (Örtenblad 2017), we identify and categorize two sets of metaphors. The first set of metaphors consists of the metaphors of digital transformation: that is, the metaphors that deal with change—the wave metaphor and the digit metaphor. These metaphors help us better understand different dimensions of digital transformation as a technological and organizational change process. The second set consists of the metaphors of digitalized organizations: that is, the metaphors that deal with transformed organizations. Based on Morgan’s (1986) metaphors, the authors identify three root metaphors, namely the machine metaphor, brain metaphor, and instrument of domination metaphor. They argue that using several metaphors as categories helps us identify differences between various phenomena associated with digital transformation and digitalized organizations, and offer an overview of organizational actors’ understandings of these phenomena.


Exploring the influence of anthropomorphic appearance on usage intention on online medical service robots (OMSRs): A neurophysiological study

Abstract: Online medical service robots (OMSRs) are becoming increasingly important in the medical industry, and their design has become a highly focused issue. This study investigated the neuroeconomics underlying the formation of usage intention, specifically evaluating the impact of anthropomorphic appearance and age on users' intentions to use OMSRs. Event-related potentials were used to analyze electroencephalography signals recorded from participants. This study found that OMSRs with a low anthropomorphic appearance induced larger P200 and P300 amplitudes, resulting in increased attentional resources compared to OMSRs with a moderate or high anthropomorphic appearance. OMSRs with moderate anthropomorphic appearances captured more attention and elicited larger P200 and P300 than those with high anthropomorphic appearances. Regarding age characteristics, OMSRs with senior features attracted more attention and induced larger P200 and P300 amplitudes. In terms of usage intention, compared to the others, users demonstrate a stronger usage intention towards the low anthropomorphism of OMSRs. Additionally, compared to the senior ones, users also exhibit a stronger usage intention toward a young appearance of OMSRs. These findings provide valuable insights for robot designers and practitioners to improve the appearance of OMSRs.


Shaping photons: Quantum information processing with bosonic cQED

Abstract: With its rich dynamics, the quantum harmonic oscillator is an innate platform for understanding real-world quantum systems and could even excel as the heart of a quantum computer. A particularly promising and rapidly advancing platform that harnesses quantum harmonic oscillators for information processing is the bosonic circuit quantum electrodynamics (cQED) system. In this article, we provide perspectives on the progress, challenges, and future directions in building a bosonic cQED quantum computer. We describe the main hardware building blocks and how they facilitate quantum error correction, metrology, and simulation. We conclude with our views of the key challenges that lie on the horizon, as well as scientific and cultural strategies for overcoming them and building a practical quantum computer with bosonic cQED hardware.


Changing Digital and Telecytology Practices post COVID-19 Comparing ASC survey results from 2016 to 2023

Abstract: During the COVID-19 pandemic, the need for digital pathology tools became more urgent. However, there needs to be more knowledge of the use in cytology. We aimed to evaluate current digital cytology practices and attitudes and compare the results with a pre-COVID-19 American Society of Cytopathology (ASC) survey.Fourteen survey questions assessing current attitudes toward digital cytology were developed from a 2016 ASC Digital Pathology Survey. Ten new survey questions were also created to evaluate telecytology use. The survey was e-mailed to ASC members over 6 weeks in 2023.A total of 123 individuals responded (116 in 2016). Attitudes toward digital cytology were unchanged; most participants stated digital cytology is beneficial (87% 2023 versus 90% 2016). The percentage of individuals using digital cytology was unchanged (56% in 2016 and 2023). However, telecytology for rapid onsite assessment (ROSE) is now considered the best application (55% 2023 versus 31% 2016). Forty-three institutions reported using digital and telecytology tools; 40% made implementations after 2020; most did not feel that COVID-19 affected digital cytology (56%). Telecytology for ROSE is the most common application now (78%) compared with education (30%) in 2016. Limitations for implementing digital imaging in cytology included inability to focus (38%) and expense (33%).General attitudes toward digital tools by the cytology community have essentially remained the same between 2016 and now. However, telecytology for ROSE is increasingly being used, which supports a need for validation and competency guidelines.


Residual Contextual Hourglass Network for Single-Image Deraining

Abstract: Abstract Rain streaks could blur and distort images, significantly impacting further image processing. Single-image deraining is a hotspot and has practical application value, while most existing methods still have problems such as residual rain streaks and inadequate recovery of detail textures. To address these issues, we propose a Residual Contextual Hourglass Network (RCHNet) for single-image deraining, which could adapt to remove rain streaks in complex environments. Firstly, a contextual distillation block is presented to obtain local and global features across different scales. Further, residual downsampling block and residual upsampling block are used to maintain the residual nature of our architecture and better restore the details of the image. Finally, a dual attention mechanism is introduced to compensate for the spatial information lost by the downsampling. Extensive experiments on five synthetic datasets and a real-world dataset demonstrate that our proposed RCHNet outperforms existing state-of-the-art deraining approaches. On average across all synthetic datasets, the PSNR score of RCHNet is as high as 33.31 dB.


Towards more reliable evaluation in pedestrian detection by rethinking “ignore regions”

Abstract: Abstract It remains a challenging task to detect pedestrians in crowds and it needs more efforts to understand why the detectors fail. When we perform an error analysis based on the traditional evaluation strategy, we find that it produces many misleading false positives, which in fact cover occluded pedestrians. The reason for this is that we usually have two kinds of annotations in the dataset: regular pedestrians (detection targets) labeled by full-body boxes and ignored pedestrians (NOT detection targets) labeled by visible boxes. Ignored pedestrians are labeled as an additional category termed the “ignore region”. Nevertheless, our detectors always predict a full-body box for each pedestrian. This gap results in the following case: when a detector successfully predicts a full-body box for those ignored pedestrians, a false positive is triggered due to the low overlap between the predicted full-body box and the labeled visible box for the ignored pedestrian. This becomes even more harmful as the detector improves and becomes more capable of locating occluded pedestrians. To alleviate this issue, we devise a new pedestrian detection pipeline, which considers the additional visible box at both the detection and evaluation stages. During detection, we predict an extra visible box apart from the full-body box for every instance; during evaluation, we employ visible boxes instead of full-body boxes to match the “ignore region”. We apply the new pipeline to dozens of detection methods and validate the effectiveness of our pipeline in reducing the over-reporting of false positives and providing more reliable evaluation results.


Blockchain and Access Control Encryption-Empowered IoT Knowledge Sharing for Cloud-Edge Orchestrated Personalized Privacy-Preserving Federated Learning

Abstract: Federated learning (FL) is emerging as a powerful paradigm for distributed data mining in the context of Internet of Things (IoT) big data. It addresses privacy concerns associated with data outsourcing by enabling local data training and knowledge (i.e., model) sharing. However, simplistic local knowledge sharing can inadvertently expose user privacy to advanced attacks, such as model inversion or gradient leakage. Furthermore, achieving fine-grained and personalized privacy protection for IoT users remains a challenge. In this paper, we propose a novel solution called hierarchical blockchain-empowered cloud-edge orchestrated federated learning (HBCE-FL) to address these challenges. HBCE-FL is designed to provide secure, intelligent, and distributed data analysis for IoT users. To tackle FL’s privacy issues, we develop a multi-level access control encryption and blockchain-based approach for sharing IoT knowledge within the HBCE-FL framework. Our approach classifies IoT users into different levels based on their individual privacy requirements, enabling fine-grained privacy protection. The blockchain is employed for identity authentication, key management, and message sanitization. For scenarios involving IoT users with non-IID data, we integrate federated multi-task learning into HBCE-FL to ensure fairness, robustness, and privacy. Finally, we conduct experiments using classic MNIST and CIFAR10 datasets to validate our approach. The experimental results illustrate that HBCE-FL effectively achieves personalized privacy-preserving FL without losing IoT data availability. Regardless of whether IoT data are homogeneous or heterogeneous, our approach enhances model accuracy and convergence rates by enabling secure IoT knowledge access and sharing for IoT users.


Construction and Application of an Interactive Teaching Platform for Aesthetic Education in Ecological Environments

Abstract: Kruskal algorithm, as a minimum spanning tree optimization analysis algorithm, has been well used in the field of industrial production to find the optimal parameters. In this study, an interactive teaching platform based on Kruskal algorithm is built based on the ecological aesthetic education theory. Secondly, based on multiple internet of things systems, through the analysis of the problems existing in traditional classroom teaching, combined with the characteristics of ecological aesthetic education, the interactive platform can automatically generate more efficient teaching courses and related methods. Finally, this study verifies the reliability and stability of the above platform through experiments and practices. The experimental results show that the application of the theory and method of ecological aesthetic education in the interactive teaching platform based on Kruskal algorithm achieves the combination of traditional classroom teaching and ecological aesthetic education and gives full play to the main role of students in the classroom.


Postdigital Teaching of Critical Thinking in Higher Education: Non-Instrumentalised Sociality and Interactivity

Abstract: Abstract In the wake of the digital revolution, the digital teaching of critical thinking takes established forms in higher education. Its technologies are productively understood in postdigital terms as a diverse, inconsistent and cobbled-together collection of platforms and software. This paper considers the limits, problems and advantages of this messy and layered amalgam of technologies. Examining them shows that the benefits of digital critical thinking teaching are frequently bound up with digitisations’ support of sociability and interactivity. This is counterbalanced by difficulties and limits encountered in digitised teaching of critical thinking, often framed as deficiencies in students, teachers, institutions or technologies. However, following Bernard Stiegler’s work and postdigital scholarship, these distinctions can be countered to understand critical thinking technologies as performed within social, technical and psychic milieus processes. Stiegler’s emphasis on temporality allows for a critical analysis of the constraints of digital forms of sociality and interactivity. His notion of otium suggests that techniques cultivating interruptions and layering in digital critical thinking technologies engage their negativity and enable temporal zones in which reflective thought can emerge.


Robust fake-post detection against real-coloring adversaries

Abstract: We design warning mechanisms for detecting fake-post on online social networks using crowd signals without significantly affecting the real-post propagation. Building on a recent algorithm where all users assign a real or fake tag to any post, we now consider that users can exhibit adversarial or non-cooperative behavior while tagging. To analyze this system, we introduce and study the total-current population-dependent branching process with multiple death types. We highlight the limitations of the existing mechanism in handling adversaries and propose improved mechanisms that perform effectively even with limited user-specific parameter knowledge. Our theoretical findings are validated through Monte-Carlo simulations.


POBO: Safe and Optimal Resource Management for Cloud Microservices

Abstract: Resource management in microservices is challenging due to the uncertain latency-resource relationship, dynamic environment, and strict Service-Level Agreement (SLA) guarantees. This paper presents a Pessimistic and Optimistic Bayesian Optimization framework, named POBO, for safe and optimal resource configuration for microservice applications. POBO leverages Bayesian learning to estimate the uncertain latency-resource functions and combines primal-dual and penalty-based optimization to maximize resource efficiency while guaranteeing strict SLAs. We prove that POBO can achieve sublinear regret and SLA violation compared with the optimal resource configuration in hindsight. We have implemented a prototype of POBO and conducted extensive experiments on a real-world microservice application. Our results show that POBO can find the safe and optimal configuration efficiently, outperforming Kubernetes' built-in auto-scaling module and the state-of-the-art algorithm.


A novel low light object detection method based on the YOLOv5 fusion feature enhancement

Abstract: Low-light object detection is an important research area in computer vision, but it is also a difficult issue. This research offers a low-light target detection network, NLE-YOLO, based on YOLOV5, to address the issues of insufficient illumination and noise interference experienced by target detection tasks in low-light environments. The network initially preprocesses the input image with an improvement technique before suppressing high-frequency noise and enhancing essential information with C2fLEFEM, a unique feature extraction module. We also created a multi-scale feature extraction module, AMC2fLEFEM, and an attention mechanism receptive field module, AMRFB, which are utilized to extract features of multiple scales and enhance the receptive field. The C2fLEFEM module, in particular, merges the LEF and FEM modules on top of the C2f module. The LEF module employs a low-frequency filter to remove high-frequency noise; the FEM module employs dual inputs to fuse low-frequency enhanced and original features; and the C2f module employs a gradient retention method to minimize information loss. The AMC2fLEFEM module combines the SimAM attention mechanism and uses the pixel relationship to obtain features of different receptive fields, adapt to brightness changes, capture the difference between the target and the background, improve the network's feature extraction capability, and effectively reduce the impact of noise. The AMRFB module employs atrous convolution to enlarge the receptive field, maintain global information, and adjust to targets of various scales. Finally, for low-light settings, we replaced the original YOLOv5 detection head with a decoupled head. The Exdark dataset experiments show that our method outperforms previous methods in terms of detection accuracy and performance.


From Cognitive Agents to Cognitive Systems: Theoretical, Methodological, and Empirical Developments of van Gelder's (1998) “Dynamical Hypothesis”

Abstract: Abstract Over two decades have passed since the publication of van Gelder's (1998) “dynamical hypothesis.” In that paper, van Gelder proposed that cognitive agents were not digital computers—per the representational computational approach—but dynamical systems. The evolution of the dynamical hypothesis was driven by parallel advances in three areas. Theoretically , a deeper understanding of genetics, biology, neuroscience, and cognitive science inspired questions about how systems within each domain dynamically interact and extend their effects across spatiotemporal scales. Methodologically , more sophisticated and domain‐general tools allowed researchers to discover, model, and quantify system dynamics, structure, and patterns across multiple scales to generate a more comprehensive system‐level understanding of behaviors. Empirically , we can analyze a system's behavior while preserving its natural dynamics, revealing evidence that the reductionist approach leads to an incomplete understanding of the components and the overall system. Researchers have traditionally reduced a complex system into its component processes and assumed that the parts can be recombined to explain the whole. These three advances fundamentally altered our understanding of a “cognitive agent:” How their behaviors are driven by long‐range coordination across multiple processes, how the interdependent and nested structure of interacting variables produces behaviors that are greater than the sum of its parts, and how environmental constraints shape adaptive yet stable behavioral patterns.


One-Step Replica Symmetry Breaking of Random Regular NAE-SAT II

Abstract: Abstract Continuing our earlier work in Nam et al. (One-step replica symmetry breaking of random regular NAE-SAT I, arXiv:2011.14270 , 2020), we study the random regular k - nae-sat model in the condensation regime. In Nam et al. (2020), the (1 rsb ) properties of the model were established with positive probability. In this paper, we improve the result to probability arbitrarily close to one. To do so, we introduce a new framework which is the synthesis of two approaches: the small subgraph conditioning and a variance decomposition technique using Doob martingales and discrete Fourier analysis. The main challenge is a delicate integration of the two methods to overcome the difficulty arising from applying the moment method to an unbounded state space.


A Foundation for Real-time Applications onFunction-as-a-Service

Abstract: Serverless (or Function-as-a-Service) compute model enables new applications with dynamic scaling. However, all current Serverless systems are best-effort, and as we prove this means they cannot guarantee hard real-time deadlines, rendering them unsuitable for such real-time applications. We analyze a proposed extension of the Serverless model that adds a guaranteed invocation rate to the serverless model called Real-time Serverless. This approach aims to meet real-time deadlines with dynamically allocated function invocations. We first prove that the Serverless model does not support real-time guarantees. Next, we analyze Real-time Serverless, showing it can guarantee application real-time deadlines for rate-monotonic real-time workloads. Further, we derive bounds on the required invocation rate to meet any set of workload runtimes and periods. Subsequently, we explore an application technique, pre-invocation, and show that it can reduce the required guaranteed invocation rate. We derive bounds for the feasible rate guarantee reduction, and corresponding overhead in wasted compute resources. Finally, we apply the theoretical results to improve the experience quality of a distributed virtual reality/ augmented reality application as well as simplify the application design and resource management.


WattScope: Non-intrusive Application-level Power Disaggregation in Datacenters

Abstract: WattScope is a system for non-intrusively estimating the power consumption of individual applications using external measurements of a server's aggregate power usage and without requiring direct access to the server's operating system or applications. Our key insight is that, based on an analysis of production traces, the power characteristics of datacenter workloads, e.g., low variability, low magnitude, and high periodicity, are highly amenable to disaggregation of a server's total power consumption into application-specific values. WattScope adapts and extends a machine learning-based technique for disaggregating building power and applies it to server- and rack-level power measurements that are already available in datacenters. We evaluate WattScope's accuracy on a production workload and show that it yields high accuracy, e.g., often <∼10% normalized mean absolute error, and is thus a potentially useful tool for datacenters in externally monitoring application-level power usage.


Suboptimal capability of individual machine learning algorithms in modeling small-scale imbalanced clinical data of local hospital

Abstract: In recent years, artificial intelligence (AI) has shown promising applications in various scientific domains, including biochemical analysis research. However, the effectiveness of AI in modeling small-scale, imbalanced datasets remains an open question in such fields. This study explores the capabilities of eight basic AI algorithms, including ridge regression, logistic regression, random forest regression, and others, in modeling a small, imbalanced clinical dataset (total n = 387, class 0 = 27, class 1 = 360) related to the records of the biochemical blood tests from the patients with multiple wasp stings (MWS). Through rigorous evaluation using k-fold cross-validation and comprehensive scoring, we found that none of the models could effectively model the data. Even after fine-tuning the hyperparameters of the best-performing models, the results remained below acceptable thresholds. The study highlights the challenges of applying AI to small-scale datasets with imbalanced groups in biochemical or clinical research and emphasizes the need for novel algorithms tailored to small-scale data. The findings also call for further exploration into techniques such as transfer learning and data augmentation, and they underline the importance of understanding the minimum dataset scale required for effective AI modeling in biochemical contexts.


KNCFS: Feature selection for high-dimensional datasets based on improved random multi-subspace learning

Abstract: Feature selection has long been a focal point of research in various fields.Recent studies have focused on the application of random multi-subspaces methods to extract more information from raw samples.However,this approach inadequately addresses the adverse effects that may arise due to feature collinearity in high-dimensional datasets.To further address the limited ability of traditional algorithms to extract useful information from raw samples while considering the challenge of feature collinearity during the random subspaces learning process, we employ a clustering approach based on correlation measures to group features.Subsequently, we construct subspaces with lower inter-feature correlations.When integrating feature weights obtained from all feature spaces,we introduce a weighting factor to better handle the contributions from different feature spaces.We comprehensively evaluate our proposed algorithm on ten real datasets and four synthetic datasets,comparing it with six other feature selection algorithms.Experimental results demonstrate that our algorithm,denoted as KNCFS,effectively identifies relevant features,exhibiting robust feature selection performance,particularly suited for addressing feature selection challenges in practice.


Cryptographic transistor for true random number generator with low power consumption

Abstract: We design a cryptographic transistor (cryptoristor)-based true random number generator (tRNG) with low power consumption and small footprint. This is the first attempt to use irregular and unpredictable operation-induced randomness of a cryptoristor as an entropy source. To extract discrete random numbers with a binary code from the cryptoristor, we developed a noise-coupling analog-to-digital converter. This converter not only converts analog signals to digital random bits but also improves the randomness of the entropy source with low power consumption. The randomness of the cryptoristor is attributed to the random carrier multiplications with the creation and stochastic carrier escape as destruction, which occurs iteratively as long as the input current is fed. The cryptoristor-based tRNG passed 15 randomness test suites of NIST Special Publication 800-22. It is robust to iterative operational stresses and to ambient temperature changes, making it an attractive option for hardware-based security solutions in the Internet of Things due to its low power consumption and small size.


Application of machine learning in optical fiber sensors

Abstract: In recent years, with the increasing demand for intelligent society, intelligent photonics has developed rapidly. Machine learning (ML), as a subset of artificial intelligence (AI), has played an important role in the intelligent evolution of optical fiber sensors. Its impact extends beyond enhancing sensor performance by introducing innovative problem-solving approaches. Specifically, ML algorithms have become instrumental in signal demodulation and elevating the efficacy of discrete and distributed sensors, and have also greatly promoted the development of optical fiber speckle pattern processing. This paper presents the latest advancements in ML-based optical fiber sensors, outlines the problems faced by conventional demodulation methods and the common ML algorithms applied in optical fiber sensors, and emphasizes key applications. Additionally, this paper delves into the challenges and future development of this emerging research direction.


Four-state continuous variable quantum key distribution with two accelerating partners

Abstract: The field of quantum communication has gradually expanded to include satellites in Earth's orbit. However, for long-distance communication protocols, gravity and its effect on quantum states must be taken into account. By applying the equivalence principle, we can consider that the gravitational effects are equivalent to the acceleration that observers possess. A comprehensive method is proposed to find out the effect of gravity on the performance of the four-state continuous-variable quantum key distribution (CV-QKD) protocol. Finally, the effects of gravity on the QKD of each protocol are discussed, and the associated factors are also analyzed. The performance of the CV-QKD protocol under the effects of gravity is deeply analyzed by taking acceleration into consideration. Both the asymptotic key rate and the finite-size key rate are analyzed in this paper. Furthermore, significant room exists for improving the security and efficiency of space quantum communication.


Intra-hour solar irradiance forecasting using topology data analysis and physics-driven deep learning

Abstract: Real-time Direct Normal Irradiance (DNI) prediction is crucial for reliable and economic operation of Concentrated photothermal Solar Power (CSP) system in arid desert areas. However, the stochastic characteristics of short-term multidimensional meteorological time series make intra-hour DNI prediction a challenging task. In this study, we have proposed a deep learning model called TLD, which is combined with topological features captured by Topology Data Analysis (TDA) and temporal features captured by LSTM to address this challenge. Experimental results demonstrated that TLD outperformed the five latest models (Ridge, RF, C_GRU, BiLSTM, and GBRT) on seven solar radiation datasets in arid desert areas. Further analysis revealed that the proportion of cloudy days is a key factor affecting the model's performance. To enhance the forecast ability of TLD, we developed a physics-informed hybrid model named TLDP based on TLD and a smart persistence model, which fully combines the DNI prediction ability of TLD under cloudy conditions and that of the smart persistence model under sunny conditions. Experimental results of eight datasets collected from real-world solar photothermal power stations indicated that TLDP outperformed existing models, which may lay a foundation for more economical and stable operation of CSP plants in arid desert areas.


Diverse semantic information fusion for unsupervised person re-identification

Abstract: Unsupervised Person Re-Identification (Re-ID) has achieved considerable success through leveraging various approaches that rely on hard pseudo-labels. Prior work mainly focused on improving the quality of pseudo-labels or enhancing the robustness of representation learning model. However, there has been little focus on exploring the contextual semantic information, which can reveal rich relations within samples and provide complementary knowledge to assist the hard pseudo-labels. To this end, we propose a novel method named FuseDSI to explore the potential to harness diverse contextual semantic information fusion. In addition to the hard pseudo labels, FuseDSI explores additional pair-wise semantic information and neighborhood semantic information within each mini-batch through online self-exploration. Furthermore, it leverages the explored semantic information as an additional supervisory signal to enhance robust representation learning. For these two types of contextual semantic information are dynamically estimated in an online manner based on the model’s status, they complement each other well with the hard pseudo-labels. One significant advantage of FuseDSI is its flexibility in combining various pseudo-labels-based methods. Moreover, since exploring the contextual semantic information requires no external elaborate module nor memory-consuming memory bank, it maintains the structure of baseline model with negligible impact on training time. Experimental studies on two widely used person ReID benchmark datasets (MSMT17, Market-1501) demonstrate that FuseDSI consistently improves the performance of baseline model and achieves the state-of-the-art results. Code is available at: FuseDSI.


Multimodal representation learning for tourism recommendation with two-tower architecture

Abstract: Personalized recommendation plays an important role in many online service fields. In the field of tourism recommendation, tourist attractions contain rich context and content information. These implicit features include not only text, but also images and videos. In order to make better use of these features, researchers usually introduce richer feature information or more efficient feature representation methods, but the unrestricted introduction of a large amount of feature information will undoubtedly reduce the performance of the recommendation system. We propose a novel heterogeneous multimodal representation learning method for tourism recommendation. The proposed model is based on two-tower architecture, in which the item tower handles multimodal latent features: Bidirectional Long Short-Term Memory (Bi-LSTM) is used to extract the text features of items, and an External Attention Transformer (EANet) is used to extract image features of items, and connect these feature vectors with item IDs to enrich the feature representation of items. In order to increase the expressiveness of the model, we introduce a deep fully connected stack layer to fuse multimodal feature vectors and capture the hidden relationship between them. The model is tested on the three different datasets, our model is better than the baseline models in NDCG and precision.


Extraction of time-related expressions using text mining with application to Hebrew

Abstract: In this research, we extract time-related expressions from a rabbinic text in a semi-automatic manner. These expressions usually appear next to rabbinic references (name / nickname / acronym / book-name). The first step toward our goal is to find all the expressions near references in the corpus. However, not all of the phrases around the references are time-related expressions. Therefore, these phrases are initially considered to be potential time-related expressions. To extract the time-related expressions, we formulate two new statistical functions, and we use screening and heuristic methods. We tested these statistical functions, grammatical screenings, and heuristic methods on a corpus containing responsa documents. In this corpus, many rabbinic citations are known and marked. The statistical functions and the screening methods filtered the potential time-related expressions and reduced 99.88% of the initial expressions (from 484,681 to 575).


Privacy-preserving and verifiable data aggregation for Internet of Vehicles

Abstract: With the development of Internet of Vehicles (IoV), organizations or institutions are increasingly interested in aggregating vehicle perception data to perform data analysis. Nevertheless, the existing solutions are difficult to meet the comprehensive requirements of IoV scenario, such as low latency, privacy preservation and rich functions. Additionally, it is more challenging that the aggregation node may return tampered or forged aggregation results for vulnerabilities or ulterior motives. To this end, we propose a Privacy-Preserving and Verifiable Data Aggregation Scheme for IoV (PPVDA), which allows the efficient aggregation for inner product over multi-dimensional data, and the data requester can verify the correctness and integrity of the aggregation results. By exploiting homomorphic MAC and secret sharing techniques, we construct a lightweight and verifiable mechanism for results as well as data privacy protection. We also conduct a comprehensive security analysis of PPVDA under the malicious security model. Moreover, extensive theoretical analyses and experimental evaluations demonstrate that PPVDA performs efficiently while retaining more desired properties. When dealing with 4×104 VNs, 3000 RSUs and 500-dimensional vectors, each EN side only takes about 74.5 ms and the DR side only takes about 3.8 ms, is therefore suitable for practical IoV scenarios.


Visual Representation Learning using Graph-based Higher-order Heuristic Distillation for Cell Detection in Blood Smear Images

Abstract: In many real-world scenarios, including the blood smear domain, it is difficult for detection networks to achieve good performance because image annotation is usually time consuming and expensive. To address this issue, similarity-based distillation (SD) methods, considered the soft version of contrastive learning, are applied to learn a better visual representation without requiring any supervision of the downstream task. Motivated by our theoretical analysis, we treat standard SD methods as the maximization of common 1-hop neighboring key points between two queries in an attributed graph, where nodes represent query and key data points. However, such first-order graph heuristic methods that calculate the likelihood of an unseen link between target nodes by using up to 1-hop neighborhoods are normally limited by insufficient representation power and even lack of generalization ability. Therefore, in this paper, we propose a novel higher-order heuristic distillation (H2D) method that distills knowledge about more general and powerful higher-order heuristic features based on a more than 1-hop relationship in the attributed graph. To do this, we utilize a graph neural network model to learn the higher-order heuristic features on the attributed graph constructed by query and key data representations and transfer the knowledge from the teacher to the student encoder. Our method outperforms the previous state-of-the-art SD methods in the cell detection task on the blood smear dataset as well on open databases (Pascal VOC and MS COCO). Conclusions: Our proposed model allow teacher encoder to transfer the knowledge about more general and powerful higher-order heuristic embeddings to the student and enables better learning for visual representation on cell detection task using blood smear images.


Blockchain technology: A potential tool for the management of pharma supply chain

Abstract: The pharma supply chain comprises various parties including distributors, manufacturers, raw material suppliers, regulators, pharmacies, hospitals, and patients. Due to the product's complexity and transaction flows, an efficient traceability system is needed in the pharma supply chain to identify the current and all previous product owners. Digitizing the track and trace process significantly improves regulatory oversight and guarantees product quality. A distributed platform for shared data that is immutable, trustworthy, accountable, and transparent in the pharmaceutical supply chain could be built using blockchain-based drug traceability. This review aims to shed light on blockchain technology's significance and necessity for pharmaceutical supply chain management systems. A comprehensive literature review was performed between January 2017 and September 2023. The search was conducted to elaborate on blockchain technology. Blockchain is a software-based technology that logs and records transactions using a block structure arranged chronologically. Cryptography technology links and secures these blocks on a peer-to-peer network. Blockchain is anticipated to transform the pharmaceutical supply chain by giving all participants access to a single, straightforward system that provides transparency, security, and oversight of the end-to-end delivery of goods. In all, various literature data were included in this review. Using a supply chain powered by blockchain has many benefits. To begin with, it gives a thorough account of the entire procedure from start to finish. A single piece of software can manage the entire supply chain. Additionally, it increases communication between parties with permission. The enhanced security and traceability that blockchain offers is another important benefit. A blockchain system can track, trace, and recall products. Blockchain-based pharmaceutical supply chain management enables the tracking of medicinal drug transactions from raw materials suppliers to end consumers. The pharma blockchain has the potential to enhance the security, integrity, data provenance, and functionality of the supply chain due to its transparency, immutability, and auditability.


Enabling Data Discovery with the Astrobiology Resource Metadata Standard

Abstract: As scientific investigations increasingly adopt Open Science practices, reuse of data becomes paramount. However, despite decades of progress in internet search tools, finding relevant astrobiology datasets for an envisioned investigation remains challenging due to the precise and atypical needs of the astrobiology researcher. In response, we have developed the Astrobiology Resource Metadata Standard (ARMS), a metadata standard designed to uniformly describe astrobiology "resources," that is, virtually any product of astrobiology research. Those resources include datasets, physical samples, software (modeling codes and scripts), publications, websites, images, videos, presentations, and so on. ARMS has been formulated to describe astrobiology resources generated by individual scientists or smaller scientific teams, rather than larger mission teams who may be required to use more complex archival metadata schemes. In the following, we discuss the participatory development process, give an overview of the metadata standard, describe its current use in practice, and close with a discussion of additional possible uses and extensions.


Implementing and Testing a U-Space System: Lessons Learnt

Abstract: Within the framework of the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program, one of the main goals of the Labyrinth project was to develop and test the Conflict Management services of a U-space-based Unmanned Traffic Management (UTM) system. The U-space concept of operations (ConOps) provides a high-level description of the architecture, requirements and functionalities of these systems, but the implementer has a certain degree of freedom in aspects like the techniques used or some policies and procedures. The current document describes some of those implementation decisions. The prototype included part of the services defined by the ConOps, namely e-identification, Tracking, Geo-awareness, Drone Aeronautical Information Management, Geo-fence Provision, Operation Plan Preparation/Optimization, Operation Plan Processing, Strategic Conflict Resolution, Tactical Conflict Resolution, Emergency Management, Monitoring, Traffic Information and Legal Recording. Moreover, a Web app interface was developed for the operator/pilot. The system was tested in simulations and real visual line of sight (VLOS) and beyond VLOS (BVLOS) flights, with both vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) and fixed-wing platforms, while assisting final users interested in incorporating drones to support their tasks. The development and testing of the environment provided lessons at different levels: functionalities, compatibility, procedures, information, usability, ground control station (GCS) integration and aircrew roles.


How to create and use a national cross-domain ontology and data infrastructure on the Semantic Web

Abstract: This paper presents a model and lessons learned for creating a cross-domain national ontology and Linked (Open) Data (LOD) infrastructure. The idea is to extend the global, domain agnostic “layer cake model” underlying the Semantic Web with domain specific and local features needed in applications. To test and demonstrate the infrastructure, a series of LOD services and portals in use have been created in 2002–2023 that cover a wide range of application domains. They have attracted millions of users in total suggesting feasibility of the proposed model. This line of research and development is unique due to its systematic national level nature and long time span of over twenty years.


Examining different cost ratio frameworks for decision rule machine learning algorithms in diagnostic application

Abstract: Artificial Intelligence (AI) plays a pivotal role in the diagnosis of health conditions ranging from general well-being to critical health issues. In the realm of health diagnostics, an often overlooked but critical aspect is the consideration of cost-sensitive learning, a facet that this study prioritizes over the non-invasive nature of the diagnostic process whereas the other standard metrics such as accuracy and sensitivity reflect weakness in error profile.This research aims to investigate the total cost of misclassification (Total Cost) by decision rule Machine Learning (ML) algorithms implemented in Java platforms such as DecisionTable, JRip, OneR, and PART. An augmented dataset with conjunctiva images along candidates' demographic and anthropometric features under supervised learning is considered with a specific emphasis on cost-sensitive classification.The opted decision rule classifiers use the text features, additionally the image feature 'a* value of CIELAB color space' extracted from the conjunctiva digital images as input attributes. The pre-processing consists of amalgamating text and image features on a uniform scale, normalizing. Then the 10-fold cross-validation enables the classification of samples into two categories: the presence or absence of the anemia. This study utilizes the Cost Ratio (ρ) extracted from the cost matrix to meticulously monitor the Total Cost in four different cost ratio methodologies namely Uniform (U), Uniform Inverted (UI), Non-Uniform (NU), and Non-Uniform Inverted (NUI).It has been established that the PART classifier stands out as the top performer in this binary classification task, yielding the lowest mean total cost of 629.9 compared to other selected classifiers. Moreover, it demonstrates a comparatively lower standard deviation 335.9, and lower total cost across all four different cost ratio methodologies. The ranking of algorithm performance goes as follows: PART, JRIP, DecisionTable, and OneR.The significance of adopting a cost-sensitive learning approach is emphasized showing the PART classifier's consistent performance within the proposed framework for learning the anemia dataset. This emphasis on cost-sensitive learning not only enhances the recommendations in diagnosis but also holds the potential for substantial cost savings and makes it a noteworthy focal point in the advancement of AI-driven health care.


VSDHS-CIEA: Color image encryption algorithm based on novel variable-structure discrete hyperchaotic system and cross-plane confusion strategy

Abstract: Recently, the color image encryption algorithm based on chaos theory has become the focus of current research. When encrypting color images, the common practice is to treat color images as different gray components and process them severally, which results in more redundancy and low efficiency. The security of chaotic cryptosystems also depends on the performance of the chaotic systems adopted. The structures of many current chaotic systems are fixed, making their behaviors highly predictable. Additionally, the range of chaotic region parameters is limited and discontinuous. To solve the above-mentioned problems, a new color image encryption algorithm (CIEA) using fractal and chaos theory is presented, which fully considers the inherent connection among the RGB components of color images. First, we propose a variable-structure discrete hyperchaotic system (VSDHS) to solve the dilemma encountered by existing chaotic systems. The excellent dynamic properties of VSDHS are verified by rigorous mathematical proof and simulation performance analyses. Then, VSDHS-CIEA is designed using fractal theory and VSDHS. The algorithm makes full use of the inherent connection among the different components of color images and performs cross-plane confusion. Simulations and performance analyses prove that VSDHS-CIEA has higher security and better performance than some representative image encryption algorithms.


Data-driven multinomial random forest: a new random forest variant with strong consistency

Abstract: Abstract In this paper, we modify the proof methods of some previously weakly consistent variants of random forest into strongly consistent proof methods, and improve the data utilization of these variants in order to obtain better theoretical properties and experimental performance. In addition, we propose the Data-driven Multinomial Random Forest (DMRF) algorithm, which has the same complexity with BreimanRF (proposed by Breiman) while satisfying strong consistency with probability 1. It has better performance in classification and regression tasks than previous RF variants that only satisfy weak consistency, and in most cases even surpasses BreimanRF in classification tasks. To the best of our knowledge, DMRF is currently a low-complexity and high-performing variation of random forest that achieves strong consistency with probability 1.


What can machine vision do for lymphatic histopathology image analysis: a comprehensive review

Abstract: Abstract Over the past 10 years, machine vision (MV) algorithms for image analysis have been developing rapidly with computing power. At the same time, histopathological slices can be stored as digital images. Therefore, MV algorithms can provide diagnostic references to doctors. In particular, the continuous improvement of deep learning algorithms has further improved the accuracy of MV in disease detection and diagnosis. This paper reviews the application of image processing techniques based on MV in lymphoma histopathological images in recent years, including segmentation, classification and detection. Finally, the current methods are analyzed, some potential methods are proposed, and further prospects are made.


New improved model for joint segmentation and registration of multi-modality images: application to medical images

Abstract: Joint segmentation and registration of images is a focused area of research nowadays. Jointly segmenting and registering noisy images and images having weak boundaries/intensity inhomogeneity is a challenging task. In medical image processing, joint segmentation and registration are essential methods that aid in distinguishing structures and aligning images for precise diagnosis and therapy. However, these methods encounter challenges, such as computational complexity and sensitivity to variations in image quality, which may reduce their effectiveness in real-world applications. Another major issue is still attaining effective joint segmentation and registration in the presence of artifacts or anatomical deformations. In this paper, a new nonparametric joint model is proposed for the segmentation and registration of multi-modality images having weak boundaries/noise. For segmentation purposes, the model will be utilizing local binary fitting data term and for registration, it is utilizing conditional mutual information. For regularization of the model, we are using linear curvature. The new proposed model is more efficient to segmenting and registering multi-modality images having intensity inhomogeneity, noise and/or weak boundaries. The proposed model is also tested on the images obtained from the freely available CHOAS dataset and compare the results of the proposed model with the other existing models using statistical measures such as the Jaccard similarity index, relative reduction, Dice similarity coefficient and Hausdorff distance. It can be seen that the proposed model outperforms the other existing models in terms of quantitatively and qualitatively.


Personalized multi-attribute recommendation method based on partial order set

Abstract: With the rapid development of big data and continuous optimization of online shopping platforms, personalized recommendation has become a standard feature of recommendation methods. In order to effectively provide personalized recommendations to customers, improve recommendation accuracy, and customer satisfaction, it is necessary to consider customers’ preferences for multiple product attributes when making product recommendations. However, existing recommendation methods require precise calculation of product attribute weights, which is computationally expensive, complex, and often results in unstable weight values. This paper proposes a multi-attribute recommendation method based on consumer decision preference information that overcomes the need for weights and reflects personalized customer preferences. Based on the acquisition of customer product attribute preference sequences, a partial order relation for recommended products is constructed using partial order set theory. Finally, the recommended products are determined through the partial order Hasse diagram, where the top layer elements of the Hasse diagram represent the recommended product set. This method addresses challenges that traditional content-based recommendations cannot overcome. The experiment in this paper uses a dataset of 30,000 records from Beeradvocate beer reviews. The experimental results show that, compared to traditional multi-attribute recommendation methods, this method only requires decision-maker preference information to complete product recommendations, requiring less information and having lower computational costs, resulting in more robust results.


Analyzing Biomedical Datasets with Symbolic Tree Adaptive Resonance Theory

Abstract: Biomedical datasets distill many mechanisms of human diseases, linking diseases to genes and phenotypes (signs and symptoms of disease), genetic mutations to altered protein structures, and altered proteins to changes in molecular functions and biological processes. It is desirable to gain new insights from these data, especially with regard to the uncovering of hierarchical structures relating disease variants. However, analysis to this end has proven difficult due to the complexity of the connections between multi-categorical symbolic data. This article proposes symbolic tree adaptive resonance theory (START), with additional supervised, dual-vigilance (DV-START), and distributed dual-vigilance (DDV-START) formulations, for the clustering of multi-categorical symbolic data from biomedical datasets by demonstrating its utility in clustering variants of Charcot–Marie–Tooth disease using genomic, phenotypic, and proteomic data.


Robustness test-time augmentation via learnable aggregation and anomaly detection

Abstract: Test-time augmentation (TTA) has become a widely adopted technique in the computer vision field, which can improve the prediction performance of models by aggregating the predictions of multiple augmented test samples without additional training or hyperparameter tuning. While previous research has demonstrated the effectiveness of TTA in visual tasks, its application in natural language processing (NLP) tasks remains challenging due to complexities such as varying text lengths, discretization of word elements, and missing word elements. These unfavorable factors make it difficult to preserve the label invariance of the standard TTA method for augmented text samples. Therefore, this paper proposes a novel TTA technique called Defy, which combines nearest-neighbor anomaly detection algorithm and an adaptive weighting network architecture with a bidirectional KL divergence entropy regularization term between the original sample and the aggregated sample, to encourage the model to make more consistent and reliable predictions for various augmented samples. Additionally, by comparing with Defy, the paper further explores the problem that common TTA methods may impair the semantic meaning of the text during augmentation, leading to a shift in the model’s prediction results from correct to corrupt. Extensive experimental results demonstrate that Defy consistently outperforms existing TTA methods in various text classification tasks and brings consistent improvements across different mainstream models.


Slender loris optimization algorithm for solving optimization problems

Abstract: Over the years, numerous optimization problems have been addressed utilizing meta-heuristic algorithms. Continuing initiatives have always been to create and develop new, practical algorithms. This work proposes a novel meta-heuristic approach employing the slender Loris optimization algorithm (SLOA), miming slender Loris behavior. The behavior includes foraging, hunting, migration and communication with each other. The ultimate goal of the devised algorithm is to replicate the food-foraging behaviour of Slender Loris (SL) and the quick movement of SL when threatened (i.e.) their escape from predators and also mathematically modelled the special communication techniques of SL using their urine scent smell. SLOA modelled SL’s slow food foraging behaviour as the exploitation phase, and moving between the tree and escaping from a predator is modelled as the exploration phase. The Eyesight of slender Loris plays a vital role in food foraging during nighttime in dim light. The operator’s Eyesight is modelled based on the angle of inclination of SL. The urine scent intensity is used here to be instrumental in preventing already exploited territory activities, which improves algorithm performance. The suggested algorithm is assessed and tested against nineteen benchmark test operations and evaluated for effectiveness with standard widely recognized meta-heuristics algorithms. The result shows SLOA performing better and achieving near-optimal solutions and dominance in exploration–exploitation balance in most cases than the existing state-of-the-art algorithms.


Feature selection for sentiment analysis using hybrid multiobjective evolutionary algorithm

Abstract: As the volume of data continues to grow, the significance of text classification is on the rise. This vast amount of data majorly exists in the form of texts. Effective data preparation is essential to extract sentiment data from this vast amount of text, as irrelevant and redundant information can impede valuable insights. Feature selection is an important step in the data preparation phase as it eliminates irrelevant and insignificant features from the huge features set. There exist a large body of work related to feature selection for image processing but limited research is done for text data. While some studies recognize the significance of feature selection in text classification, but there is still need for more efficient sentiment analysis models that optimize feature selection and reduce computational. This manuscript aims to bridge these gaps by introducing a hybrid multi-objective evolutionary algorithm as a feature selection mechanism, combining the power of multiple objectives and evolutionary processes. The approach combines two feature selection techniques within a binary classification model: a filter method, Information Gain (IG), and an evolutionary wrapper method, Binary Multi-Objective Grey Wolf Optimizer (BMOGWO). Experimental evaluations are conducted across six diverse datasets. It achieves a reduction of over 90 percent in feature size while improving accuracy by nearly nine percent. These results showcase the model’s efficiency in terms of computational time and its efficacy in terms of higher classification accuracy which improves sentiment analysis performance. This improvement can be beneficial for various applications, including recommendation systems, reviews analysis, and public opinion observation. However, it’s crucial to acknowledge certain limitations of this study. These encompass the need for broader classifier evaluation, and scalability considerations with larger datasets. These identified limitations serve as directions for future research and the enhancement of the proposed approach.


Bi-DNE: bilayer evolutionary pattern preserved embedding for dynamic networks

Abstract: Abstract Network embedding is a technique used to generate low-dimensional vectors representing each node in a network while maintaining the original topology and properties of the network. This technology enables a wide range of learning tasks, including node classification and link prediction. However, the current landscape of network embedding approaches predominantly revolves around static networks, neglecting the dynamic nature that characterizes real social networks. Dynamics at both the micro- and macrolevels are fundamental drivers of network evolution. Microlevel dynamics provide a detailed account of the network topology formation process, while macrolevel dynamics reveal the evolutionary trends of the network. Despite recent dynamic network embedding efforts, a few approaches accurately capture the evolution patterns of nodes at the microlevel or effectively preserve the crucial dynamics of both layers. Our study introduces a novel method for embedding networks, i.e., bilayer evolutionary pattern-preserving embedding for dynamic networks (Bi-DNE), that preserves the evolutionary patterns at both the micro- and macrolevels. The model utilizes strengthened triadic closure to represent the network structure formation process at the microlevel, while a dynamic equation constrains the network structure to adhere to the densification power-law evolution pattern at the macrolevel. The proposed Bi-DNE model exhibits significant performance improvements across a range of tasks, including link prediction, reconstruction, and temporal link analysis. These improvements are demonstrated through comprehensive experiments carried out on both simulated and real-world dynamic network datasets. The consistently superior results to those of the state-of-the-art methods provide empirical evidence for the effectiveness of Bi-DNE in capturing complex evolutionary patterns and learning high-quality node representations. These findings validate the methodological innovations presented in this work and mark valuable progress in the emerging field of dynamic network representation learning. Further exploration demonstrates that Bi-DNE is sensitive to the analysis task parameters, leading to a more accurate representation of the natural evolution process during dynamic network embedding.


The Emergency Braking Game: a game theoretic approach for maneuvering in a dense crowd of pedestrians

Abstract: Abstract We introduce an algorithm that maneuvers a vehicle through an area with randomly moving pedestrians. In non-critical situations, our strategy is to avoid pedestrians by steering, whereas dangerously moving pedestrians are avoided by braking, possibly coming to a complete stop. The distinction between non-critical and dangerous situations, as well as proof of safety, is based on a continuous optimization problem that we define. In this abstract problem, called Emergency Braking Game, one pedestrian is actively trying to collide with a continuously decelerating car. We show how to determine the outcome of the game based on the initial states of the car and the pedestrian. Using this information, our algorithm can initiate deceleration in the real scenario in time to avoid collision. The method’s safety is proven theoretically, and its efficiency is shown in simulations with randomly moving pedestrians.


Some entanglement survives most measurements

Abstract: To prepare quantum states and extract information, it is often assumed that one can perform a perfectly projective measurement. Such measurements can achieve an uncorrelated system and environment state. However, perfectly projective measurements can be difficult or impossible to perform in practice. We investigate the limitations of repeated nonprojective measurements in preparing a quantum system. For an $n$-qubit system initially entangled with its environment and subsequently prepared with measurements, using a sequence of weak measurements, we show that some entanglement remains unless one of the measurement operators becomes perfectly projective through an extreme limiting process. Removing initial (unentangled) correlations between a system and its environment and the scenario where measurement outcomes are not tracked are also discussed. We present results for $n$-qubit and $n$-dimensional input states.


Multipartite entanglement from consecutive scatterings

Abstract: We study how the successive scattering of spin-1/2 particles with a central spin-1/2 target particle can generate entanglement between the helicity degrees of freedom of all scattered particles, effectively producing a multipartite entangled state. We show that the bipartite entanglement between each pair of scattered particles, as quantified by the concurrence, is largest for reflected particles and decreases with the number of scatterings. We study the entanglement generation as a function of the scattered particles momenta, angular distribution, and mass ratios, and show that there is always a combination of optimal helicities and momentum, which generate the largest amount of bipartite entanglement.


Interaction-induced transition in quantum many-body detection probability

Abstract: The authors introduce the concept of quantum many-body detection probability. They use this to demonstrate the possibility of observing a non-equilibrium transition in a quantum many-body system using single-shot stroboscopic measurements, bypassing the need to repeat the experiment several times to obtain expectation values.


Adaptive Evolutionary Reinforcement Learning with Policy Direction

Abstract: Abstract Evolutionary Reinforcement Learning (ERL) has garnered widespread attention in recent years due to its inherent robustness and parallelism. However, the integration of Evolutionary Algorithms (EAs) and Reinforcement Learning (RL) remains relatively rudimentary and lacks dynamism, which can impact the convergence performance of ERL algorithms. In this study, a dynamic adaptive module is introduced to balance the Evolution Strategies (ES) and RL training within ERL. By incorporating elite strategies, this module leverages advantageous individuals to elevate the overall population's performance. Additionally, RL strategy updates often lack guidance from the population. To address this, we incorporate the strategies of the best individuals from the population, providing valuable policy direction. This is achieved through the formulation of a loss function that employs either L1 or L2 regularization to facilitate RL training. The proposed framework is referred to as Adaptive Evolutionary Reinforcement Learning (AERL). The effectiveness of our framework is evaluated by adopting Soft Actor-Critic (SAC) as the RL algorithm and comparing it with other algorithms in the MuJoCo environment. The results underscore the outstanding convergence performance of our proposed Adaptive Evolutionary Soft Actor-Critic (AESAC) algorithm. Furthermore, ablation experiments are conducted to emphasize the necessity of these two improvements. It is worth noting that the enhancements in AESAC are realized at the population level, enabling broader exploration and effectively reducing the risk of falling into local optima.


Generation of normal distributions revisited

Abstract: Abstract Normally distributed random numbers are commonly used in scientific computing in various fields. It is important to generate a set of random numbers as close to a normal distribution as possible for reducing initial fluctuations. Two types of samples from a uniform distribution are examined as source samples for inverse transform sampling methods. Three types of inverse transform sampling methods with new approximations of inverse cumulative distribution functions are also discussed for converting uniformly distributed source samples to normally distributed samples.


Image Encryption Algorithms: A Survey of Design and Evaluation Metrics

Abstract: Ensuring confidentiality and privacy is critical when it comes to sharing images over unsecured networks such as the internet. Since widely used and secure encryption methods, such as AES, Twofish, and RSA, are not suitable for real-time image encryption due to their slow encryption speeds and high computational requirements, researchers have proposed specialized algorithms for image encryption. This paper provides an introduction and overview of the image encryption algorithms and metrics used, aiming to evaluate them and help researchers and practitioners starting in this field obtain adequate information to understand the current state of image encryption algorithms. This paper classifies image encryption into seven different approaches based on the techniques used and analyzes the strengths and weaknesses of each approach. Furthermore, this paper provides a detailed review of a comprehensive set of security, quality, and efficiency evaluation metrics for image encryption algorithms, and provides upper and lower bounds for these evaluation metrics. Finally, this paper discusses the pros and cons of different image encryption approaches as well as the suitability of different image encryption approaches for different applications.


New Vessel Extraction Method by Using Skew Normal Distribution for MRA Images

Abstract: Vascular-related diseases pose significant public health challenges and are a leading cause of mortality and disability. Understanding the complex structure of the vascular system and its processes is crucial for addressing these issues. Recent advancements in medical imaging technology have enabled the generation of high-resolution 3D images of vascular structures, leading to a diverse array of methods for vascular extraction. While previous research has often assumed a normal distribution of image data, this paper introduces a novel vessel extraction method that utilizes the skew normal distribution for more accurate probability distribution modeling. The proposed method begins with a preprocessing step to enhance vessel structures and reduce noise in Magnetic Resonance Angiography (MRA) images. The skew normal distribution, known for its ability to model skewed data, is then employed to characterize the intensity distribution of vessels. By estimating the parameters of the skew normal distribution using the Expectation-Maximization (EM) algorithm, the method effectively separates vessel pixels from the background and non-vessel regions. To extract vessels, a thresholding technique is applied based on the estimated skew normal distribution parameters. This segmentation process enables accurate vessel extraction, particularly in detecting thin vessels and enhancing the delineation of vascular edges with low contrast. Experimental evaluations on a diverse set of MRA images demonstrate the superior performance of the proposed method compared to previous approaches in terms of accuracy and computational efficiency. The presented vessel extraction method holds promise for improving the diagnosis and treatment of vascular-related diseases. By leveraging the skew normal distribution, it provides accurate and efficient vessel segmentation, contributing to the advancement of vascular imaging in the field of medical image analysis.


A new CNN-based semantic object segmentation for autonomous vehicles in urban traffic scenes

Abstract: Abstract Semantic segmentation is the most important stage of making sense of the visual traffic scene for autonomous driving. In recent years, convolutional neural networks (CNN)-based methods for semantic segmentation of urban traffic scenes are among the trending studies. However, the methods developed in the studies carried out so far are insufficient in terms of accuracy performance criteria. In this study, a new CNN-based semantic segmentation method with higher accuracy performance is proposed. A new module, the Attentional Atrous Feature Pooling (AAFP) Module, has been developed for the proposed method. This module is located between the encoder and decoder in the general network structure and aims to obtain multi-scale information and add attentional features to large and small objects. As a result of experimental tests with the CamVid data set, an accuracy value of approximately 2% higher was achieved with a mIoU value of 70.59% compared to other state-of-art methods. Therefore, the proposed method can semantically segment objects in the urban traffic scene better than other methods.


Incidental Data: A Survey towards Awareness on Privacy-Compromising Data Incidentally Shared on Social Media

Abstract: Sharing information with the public is becoming easier than ever before through the usage of the numerous social media platforms readily available today. Once posted online and released to the public, information is almost impossible to withdraw or delete. More alarmingly, postings may carry sensitive information far beyond what was intended to be released, so-called incidental data, which raises various additional security and privacy concerns. To improve our understanding of the awareness of incidental data, we conducted a survey where we asked 192 students for their opinions on publishing selected postings on social media. We found that up to 21.88% of all participants would publish a posting that contained incidental data that two-thirds of them found privacy-compromising. Our results show that continued efforts are needed to increase our awareness of incidental data posted on social media.


Satellite Image Representations for Quantum Classifiers

Abstract: Abstract Existing quantum hardware is limited in the number of bits and length of the series of operations. Nevertheless, by shifting parts of the computation on classical hardware, hybrid quantum-classical systems utilize quantum hardware for scaled-down machine learning approaches, which is quantum machine learning. Due to the theoretically possible computational speed-up of quantum computers compared to classical computers and the increasing volume and speed of data generated in earth observation, attempts are now being made to use quantum computers for satellite image processing. However, satellite imagery is too large and high dimensional, and transformations that reduce the dimensionality are necessary to fit the classical data in the limited input domain of quantum circuits. This paper presents and compares several dimensionality reduction techniques as part of hybrid quantum-classical systems to represent satellite images with up to $$256\times 256\times 3$$ <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> <mml:mrow> <mml:mn>256</mml:mn> <mml:mo>×</mml:mo> <mml:mn>256</mml:mn> <mml:mo>×</mml:mo> <mml:mn>3</mml:mn> </mml:mrow> </mml:math> values with only 16 values. We evaluate the representations of two benchmark datasets with supervised classification by four different quantum circuit architectures. We demonstrate the potential use of quantum machine learning for satellite image classification and give a comprehensive overview of the impact of various satellite image representations on the performance of quantum classifiers. It shows that autoencoder models are best suited to create small-scale representations, outperforming commonly used methods such as principle component analysis.


4.6-Bit Quantization for Fast and Accurate Neural Network Inference on CPUs

Abstract: Quantization is a widespread method for reducing the inference time of neural networks on mobile Central Processing Units (CPUs). Eight-bit quantized networks demonstrate similarly high quality as full precision models and perfectly fit the hardware architecture with one-byte coefficients and thirty-two-bit dot product accumulators. Lower precision quantizations usually suffer from noticeable quality loss and require specific computational algorithms to outperform eight-bit quantization. In this paper, we propose a novel 4.6-bit quantization scheme that allows for more efficient use of CPU resources. This scheme has more quantization bins than four-bit quantization and is more accurate while preserving the computational efficiency of the later (it runs only 4% slower). Our multiplication uses a combination of 16- and 32-bit accumulators and avoids multiplication depth limitation, which the previous 4-bit multiplication algorithm had. The experiments with different convolutional neural networks on CIFAR-10 and ImageNet datasets show that 4.6-bit quantized networks are 1.5–1.6 times faster than eight-bit networks on the ARMv8 CPU. Regarding the quality, the results of the 4.6-bit quantized network are close to the mean of four-bit and eight-bit networks of the same architecture. Therefore, 4.6-bit quantization may serve as an intermediate solution between fast and inaccurate low-bit network quantizations and accurate but relatively slow eight-bit ones.


Quantum Leap and Uptake for Technological Advances in Africa in the Era of the COVID-19 Crisis

Abstract: This chapter explores how the COVID-19 pandemic affected technology in Africa, focusing on technological innovations and uptake. The COVID-19 pandemic has encouraged industrial innovation and digital transformation in Africa. The COVID-19 pandemic has shown that traditional methods are ineffectual, and technology is needed. African nations need digital technology to improve healthcare, education, e-commerce, and governance. Technology narrows the digital divide by improving productivity, access to critical services, and promoting economic development. Telemedicine, e-learning, digital payments, and remote working made Africa resilient in the face of the pandemic. The chapter evaluates African technical problems and potential. Poor infrastructure, internet connectivity, high fees, and digital illiteracy are critical issues that need to be addressed. The chapter suggests that government, industry, and international organizations work together to solve these problems. COVID-19 might boost African technology. Technology may boost African economies and living standards through digital transformation if the aforementioned critical issues are overcome.


Intelligent Upgrading and Transformation of Multimedia Classrooms in Universities Under the Smart Teaching Environment

Abstract: In the context of classroom revolution promoting the transformation of smart teaching environment, to solve the problems of small number of classrooms, few seats, complex equipment operation, and high management difficulty in existing smart classrooms. Based on the concept of intelligent teaching, new technologies such as high-speed networks and intelligent cloud boxes are applied to conduct practical research on the intelligent upgrading and transformation of ordinary multimedia classrooms in universities. On the base of not changing the original equipment, tables, and chairs in the classroom, utilizing the existing teaching resources of the school, adding intelligent teaching functions such as multi-channel projection, multi windows, and live streaming. Since the outbreak of the epidemic, the information technology capabilities of teachers and students and the transformation of teaching methods have greatly improved, promoting the process of intelligent classroom upgrading and transformation, and laying a good foundation for the transformation of more advanced smart classrooms.


Enhancing Zero Trust Models in the Financial Industry through Blockchain Integration: A Proposed Framework

Abstract: As financial institutions navigate an increasingly complex cyber threat landscape and regulatory ecosystem, there is a pressing need for a robust and adaptive security architecture. This paper introduces a comprehensive, Zero Trust model-based framework specifically tailored for the finance industry. It encompasses identity and access management (IAM), data protection, and device and network security and introduces trust through blockchain technology. This study provides a literature review of existing Zero Trust paradigms and contrasts them with cybersecurity solutions currently relevant to financial settings. The research adopts a mixed methods approach, combining extensive qualitative analysis through a literature review and assessment of security assumptions, threat modelling, and implementation strategies with quantitative evaluation using a prototype banking application for vulnerability scanning, security testing, and performance testing. The IAM component ensures robust authentication and authorisation processes, while device and network security measures protect against both internal and external threats. Data protection mechanisms maintain the confidentiality and integrity of sensitive information. Additionally, the blockchain-based trust component serves as an innovative layer to enhance security measures, offering both tamper-proof verification and increased integrity. Through analysis of potential threats and experimental evaluation of the Zero Trust model’s performance, the proposed framework offers financial institutions a comprehensive security architecture capable of effectively mitigating cyber threats and fostering enhanced consumer trust.


Conditional Proxy Re-Encryption-Based Key Sharing Mechanism for Clustered Federated Learning

Abstract: The need of data owners for privacy protection has given rise to collaborative learning, and data-related issues heterogeneity faced by federated learning has further given rise to clustered federated learning; whereas the traditional privacy-preserving scheme of federated learning using homomorphic encryption alone fails to fulfill the privacy protection demands of clustered federated learning. To address these issues, this research provides an effective and safeguarded answer for sharing homomorphic encryption keys among clusters in clustered federated learning grounded in conditional representative broadcast re-encryption. This method constructs a key sharing mechanism. By combining the functions of the bilinear pairwise accumulator and specific conditional proxy broadcast re-ciphering, the mechanism can verify the integrity of homomorphic encryption keys stored on cloud servers. In addition, the solution enables key management centers to grant secure and controlled access to re-encrypted homomorphic encryption keys to third parties without disclosing the sensitive information contained therein. The scheme achieves this by implementing a sophisticated access tree-based mechanism that enables the cloud server to convert forwarded ciphertexts into completely new ciphertexts customized specifically for a given group of users. By effectively utilizing conditional restrictions, the scheme achieves fine-grained access control to protect the privacy of shared content. Finally, this paper showcases the scheme’s security against selective ciphertext attacks without relying on random prediction.


Adaptive Influence Maximization: Adaptability via Nonadaptability

Abstract: Adaptive influence maximization is an important research problem in computational social networks, which is also a typical problem in the study of adaptive processing of information and adaptive construction of objects. In this paper, we propose a new method that reduces the adaptive influence maximization problem into a nonadaptive one in a different social network, so that an adaptive optimization can be solved by those methods for nonadaptive optimization. In addition, we provide a new approximation algorithm for the submodular maximization problem with a knapsack constraint, which runs in [Formula: see text] time and has performance ratio [Formula: see text], where n is the number of nodes in the network. The ratio is better than the best known previous one with the same running time. History: Accepted by Erwin Pesch, Area Editor for Heuristic Search & Approximation Algorithms. Funding: This research is supported in part by the National Natural Science Foundation of China [Grant U20A2068].


A Multi-Task Learning and Knowledge Selection Strategy for Environment-Induced Color-Distorted Image Restoration

Abstract: Existing methods for restoring color-distorted images in specific environments typically focus on a singular type of distortion, making it challenging to generalize their application across various types of color-distorted images. If it were possible to leverage the intrinsic connections between different types of color-distorted images and coordinate their interactions during model training, it would simultaneously enhance generalization, address potential overfitting and underfitting issues during data fitting, and consequently lead to a positive performance boost. In this paper, our approach primarily addresses three distinct types of color-distorted images, namely dust-laden images, hazy images, and underwater images. By thoroughly exploiting the unique characteristics and interrelationships of these types, we achieve the objective of multitask processing. Within this endeavor, identifying appropriate correlations is pivotal. To this end, we propose a knowledge selection and allocation strategy that optimally distributes the features and correlations acquired by the network from the images to different tasks, enabling a more refined task differentiation. Moreover, given the challenge of difficult dataset pairing, we employ unsupervised learning techniques and introduce novel Transformer blocks, feedforward networks, and hybrid modules to enhance context relevance. Through extensive experimentation, we demonstrate that our proposed method significantly enhances the performance of color-distorted image restoration.


Multimodal meta-learning through meta-learned task representations

Abstract: Abstract Few-shot meta-learning involves training a model on multiple tasks to enable it to efficiently adapt to new, previously unseen tasks with only a limited number of samples. However, current meta-learning methods assume that all tasks are closely related and belong to a common domain, whereas in practice, tasks can be highly diverse and originate from multiple domains, resulting in a multimodal task distribution. This poses a challenge for existing methods as they struggle to learn a shared representation that can be easily adapted to all tasks within the distribution. To address this challenge, we propose a meta-learning framework that can handle multimodal task distributions by conditioning the model on the current task, resulting in a faster adaptation. Our proposed method learns to encode each task and generate task embeddings that modulate the model’s activations. The resulting modulated model become specialized for the current task and leads to more effective adaptation. Our framework is designed to work in a realistic setting where the mode from which a task is sampled is unknown. Nonetheless, we also explore the possibility of incorporating auxiliary information, such as the task-mode-label, to further enhance the performance of our method if such information is available. We evaluate our proposed framework on various few-shot regression and image classification tasks, demonstrating its superiority over other state-of-the-art meta-learning methods. The results highlight the benefits of learning to embed task-specific information in the model to guide the adaptation when tasks are sampled from a multimodal distribution.


A Segmented Hybrid Algorithm for Beam Shaping Combining Iterative and Simulated Annealing Approaches

Abstract: In recent years, laser technology has made significant advancements, yet there are specific requirements for the energy concentration and uniformity of lasers in various fields, such as optical communication, laser processing, 3D printing, etc. Beam shaping technology enables the transformation of ordinary Gaussian-distributed laser beams into square or circular flat-top uniform beams. Currently, LCOS-based beam shaping algorithms do not adequately meet these requirements, and most of these algorithms do not simultaneously consider the impact of phase quantization and zero-padding, leading to a decrease in the practicality of phase holograms. To address these issues, this paper proposes a novel segmented beam shaping algorithm that combines iterative and simulated annealing approaches. This paper validated the reliability of the proposed algorithm through numerical simulations. Compared to other algorithms, the proposed algorithm can effectively reduce the root mean square error by an average of nearly 37% and decrease the uniformity error by almost 39% without a significant decrease in diffraction efficiency.


Remote Sensing for Maritime Monitoring and Vessel Identification

Abstract: According to the statistics published by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development [1], the total fleet worldwide consisted of more than 2 [...]


Unbiased, Effective, and Efficient Distillation from Heterogeneous Models for Recommender Systems

Abstract: In recent years, recommender systems have achieved remarkable performance by using ensembles of heterogeneous models. However, this approach is costly due to the resources and inference latency proportional to the number of models, creating a bottleneck for production. Our work aims to transfer the ensemble knowledge of heterogeneous teachers to a lightweight student model using knowledge distillation (KD), reducing inference costs while maintaining high accuracy. We find that the efficacy of distillation decreases when transferring knowledge from heterogeneous teachers. To address this, we propose a new KD framework, named HetComp, that guides the student model by transferring easy-to-hard sequences of knowledge generated from teachers’ trajectories. HetComp uses dynamic knowledge construction to provide progressively difficult ranking knowledge and adaptive knowledge transfer to gradually transfer finer-grained ranking information. Although HetComp improves accuracy, it exacerbates popularity bias, resulting in a high popularity lift. To mitigate this issue, we introduce two strategies that leverage models’ disagreement knowledge (i.e., dissensus) for heterogeneous comparison. Our experiments demonstrate that HetComp significantly enhances distillation quality and the student model’s generalization capabilities. Furthermore, we provide extensive experimental results supporting the effectiveness of our dissensus-based debiasing techniques in mitigating the popularity lift caused by HetComp.


Blockchain consensus mechanisms comparison in fog computing: A systematic review

Abstract: Numerous consensus mechanisms have been suggested to cater to the specific characteristics of fog computing. To comprehensively understand their unique features, performance, and applications in fog computing, it is crucial to conduct a systematic analysis of these mechanisms. For this study, 79 relevant articles were carefully selected based on predefined criteria. Among these articles, 35 employed work-proof-based consensus mechanisms, 24 utilized voting-based mechanisms, and 22 adopted capability-based mechanisms. Among the 26 identified consensus mechanisms, proof of work remains the most prevalent one. It’s important to note that the scope of this paper is limited to the research available in the predominant databases at the time of writing. Future research may expand to include additional databases and more recent literature in this domain.


Improving classification accuracy of fine-tuned CNN models: Impact of hyperparameter optimization

Abstract: The immense popularity of convolutional neural network (CNN) models has sparked a growing interest in optimizing their hyperparameters. Discovering the ideal values for hyperparameters to achieve optimal CNN training is a complex and time-consuming task, often requiring repetitive numerical experiments. As a result, significant attention is currently being devoted to developing methods aimed at tailoring hyperparameters for specific CNN models and classification tasks. While existing optimization methods often yield favorable image classification results, they do not provide guidance on which hyperparameters are worth optimizing, the appropriate value ranges for those hyperparameters, or whether it is reasonable to use a subset of training data for the optimization process. This work is focused on the optimization of hyperparameters during transfer learning, with the goal of investigating how different optimization methods and hyperparameter selections impact the performance of fine-tuned models. In our experiments, we assessed the importance of various hyperparameters and identified the ranges within which optimal CNN training can be achieved. Additionally, we compared four hyperparameter optimization methods-grid search, random search, Bayesian optimization, and the Asynchronous Successive Halving Algorithm (ASHA). We also explored the feasibility of fine-tuning hyperparameters using a subset of the training data. By optimizing the hyperparameters, we observed an improvement in CNN classification accuracy of up to 6%. Furthermore, we found that achieving a balance in class distribution within the subset of data used for parameter optimization is crucial in establishing the optimal set of hyperparameters for CNN training. The results we obtained demonstrate that hyperparameter optimization is highly dependent on the specific task and dataset at hand.


Systematic Literature Review on Hybrid Robotic Vehicles

Abstract: Autonomous vehicles are a continuously rising technology in several industry sectors. Examples of these technologies lie in the advances in self-driving cars and can be linked to extraterrestrial exploration, such as NASA’s Mars Exploration Rovers. These systems present a leading methodology allowing for increased task performance and capabilities, which are no longer limited to active human support. However, these robotic systems may vary in shape, size, locomotion capabilities, and applications. As such, this report presents a systematic literature review (SLR) regarding hybrid autonomous robotic vehicles focusing on leg–wheel locomotion. During this systematic review of the literature, a considerable number of articles were extracted from four different databases. After the selection process, a filtered sample was reviewed. A brief description of each document can be found throughout this report.