2,917 research outputs found
Optimal measurement of visual motion across spatial and temporal scales
Sensory systems use limited resources to mediate the perception of a great
variety of objects and events. Here a normative framework is presented for
exploring how the problem of efficient allocation of resources can be solved in
visual perception. Starting with a basic property of every measurement,
captured by Gabor's uncertainty relation about the location and frequency
content of signals, prescriptions are developed for optimal allocation of
sensors for reliable perception of visual motion. This study reveals that a
large-scale characteristic of human vision (the spatiotemporal contrast
sensitivity function) is similar to the optimal prescription, and it suggests
that some previously puzzling phenomena of visual sensitivity, adaptation, and
perceptual organization have simple principled explanations.Comment: 28 pages, 10 figures, 2 appendices; in press in Favorskaya MN and
Jain LC (Eds), Computer Vision in Advanced Control Systems using Conventional
and Intelligent Paradigms, Intelligent Systems Reference Library,
Springer-Verlag, Berli
Free Energy and the Generalized Optimality Equations for Sequential Decision Making
The free energy functional has recently been proposed as a variational
principle for bounded rational decision-making, since it instantiates a natural
trade-off between utility gains and information processing costs that can be
axiomatically derived. Here we apply the free energy principle to general
decision trees that include both adversarial and stochastic environments. We
derive generalized sequential optimality equations that not only include the
Bellman optimality equations as a limit case, but also lead to well-known
decision-rules such as Expectimax, Minimax and Expectiminimax. We show how
these decision-rules can be derived from a single free energy principle that
assigns a resource parameter to each node in the decision tree. These resource
parameters express a concrete computational cost that can be measured as the
amount of samples that are needed from the distribution that belongs to each
node. The free energy principle therefore provides the normative basis for
generalized optimality equations that account for both adversarial and
stochastic environments.Comment: 10 pages, 2 figure
Prioritizing Invasive Species Threats Under Uncertainty
Prioritizing exotic or invasive pest threats in terms of agricultural, environmental, or human health damages is an important resource allocation issue for programs charged with preventing or responding to the entry of such organisms. Under extreme uncertainty, program managers may decide to research the severity of threats, develop prevention or control actions, and estimate cost-effectiveness in order to provide better information and more options when making decisions to choose strategies for specific pests. We examine decision rules based on the minimax and relative cost criteria in order to express a cautious approach for decisions regarding severe, irreversible consequences, discuss the strengths and weaknesses of these rules, examine the roles of simple rules and sophisticated analyses in decision making, and apply a simple rule to develop a list of priority plant pests.invasive species, decision criteria, uncertainty, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,
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