A Bayesian approach to Hybrid Choice models

Tableau d’honneur de la Faculté des études supérieures et postdoctorales, 2010-2011Les modèles microéconométriques de choix discrets ont pour but d’expliquer le processus du choix individuel des consommateurs parmi un ensemble limité et exhaustive d’options mutuellement exclusives. Les modèles dits de choix hybrides sont une généralisation des modèles de choix discrets standard, où des modèles indépendants plus sophistiqués sont considérés simultanément. Dans cette thèse des techniques d’estimation simultanée sont analysées et appliquées pour un modèle de choix hybride qui, sous la forme d’un système complexe d’équations structurelles généralisées, intègre à la fois des choix discrets et des variables latentes en tant que facteurs explicatifs des processus décisionnels. Ce qui motive l’étude de ce genre de modèles est que pour comprendre le processus du choix il faut incorporer des attitudes, des perceptions et des attributs qualitatifs à l’intérieur de modèles décisionnels économiques conventionnels, tout en prenant ce qui dit la recherche en sciences cognitives ainsi qu’en psychologie sociale. Quoique l’estimation du système d’équations d’un modèle de choix hybride requière l’évaluation d’intégrales multidimensionnelles complexes, on résoudre empiriquement ce problème en applicant la méthode du maximum de vraisemblance simulée. Ensuite on dérive une procédure d’échantillonnage de Gibbs pour l’estimation simultanée bayésienne du modèle qui offre des estimateurs convergents et efficaces. Ceci devient une méthode plus avantageuse comparativement aux méthodes classiques dans un cadre analytique avec un grand nombre de variables latentes. En effet, en vertu de l’approche bayésienne il suffit de considérer des régressions ordinaires pour les variables latentes. Par ailleurs, dériver les intervalles de confiance bayésiennes pour les parts de marché ainsi que pour des dispositions à payer devient trivial. De par sa grande géneralité, le modèle de choix hybride est capable de s’adapter à des situations pratiques. En particulier, la réponse des consommateurs suite à l’innovation technologique est analysée. Par exemple, on étudie les préférences pro-environnementales dans un modèle économique des décisions d’achat de véhicules verts selon lequel les consommateurs soucieux de l’environnement sont prêts à payer davantage pour des véhicules à faibles émissions, en dépit des inconvénients potentiels. En outre, en utilisant un noyau probit et des indicateurs dichotomiques on montre que des connaissances préalables ainsi que des attitudes positives envers l’adoption de nouvelles technologies favorisent l’adoption de la téléphonie IP.Microeconometric discrete choice models aim to explain the process of individual choice by consumers among a mutually exclusive, exhaustive and finite group of alternatives. Hybrid choice models are a generalization of standard discrete choice models where independent expanded models are considered simultaneously. In my dissertation I analyze, implement, and apply simultaneous estimation techniques for a hybrid choice model that, in the form of a complex generalized structural equation model, simultaneously integrates discrete choice and latent explanatory variables, such as attitudes and qualitative attributes. The motivation behind hybrid choice models is that the key to understanding choice comes through incorporating attitudinal and perceptual data to conventional economic models of decision making, taking elements from cognitive science and social psychology. The Bayesian Gibbs sampler I derive for simultaneous estimation of hybrid choice models offers a consistent and efficient estimator that outperforms frequentist full information simulated maximum likelihood. Whereas the frequentist estimator becomes fairly complex in situations with a large choice set of interdependent alternatives with a large number of latent variables, the inclusion of latent variables in the Bayesian approach translates into adding independent ordinary regressions. I also find that when using the Bayesian estimates it is easier to consider behavioral uncertainty; in fact, I show that forecasting and deriving confidence intervals for willingness to pay measures is straightforward. Finally, I confirm the capacity of hybrid choice modeling to adapt to practical situations. In particular, I analyze consumer response to innovation. For instance, I incorporate proenvironmental preferences toward low-emission vehicles into an economic model of purchase behavior where environmentally-conscious consumers are willing to pay more for sustainable solutions despite potential drawbacks. In addition, using a probit kernel and dichotomous effect indicators I show that knowledge as well as a positive attitude toward the adoption of new technologies favor the adoption of IP telephony

Energy efficient hardware acceleration of multimedia processing tools

The world of mobile devices is experiencing an ongoing trend of feature enhancement and generalpurpose multimedia platform convergence. This trend poses many grand challenges, the most pressing being their limited battery life as a consequence of delivering computationally demanding features. The envisaged mobile application features can be considered to be accelerated by a set of underpinning hardware blocks Based on the survey that this thesis presents on modem video compression standards and their associated enabling technologies, it is concluded that tight energy and throughput constraints can still be effectively tackled at algorithmic level in order to design re-usable optimised hardware acceleration cores. To prove these conclusions, the work m this thesis is focused on two of the basic enabling technologies that support mobile video applications, namely the Shape Adaptive Discrete Cosine Transform (SA-DCT) and its inverse, the SA-IDCT. The hardware architectures presented in this work have been designed with energy efficiency in mind. This goal is achieved by employing high level techniques such as redundant computation elimination, parallelism and low switching computation structures. Both architectures compare favourably against the relevant pnor art in the literature. The SA-DCT/IDCT technologies are instances of a more general computation - namely, both are Constant Matrix Multiplication (CMM) operations. Thus, this thesis also proposes an algorithm for the efficient hardware design of any general CMM-based enabling technology. The proposed algorithm leverages the effective solution search capability of genetic programming. A bonus feature of the proposed modelling approach is that it is further amenable to hardware acceleration. Another bonus feature is an early exit mechanism that achieves large search space reductions .Results show an improvement on state of the art algorithms with future potential for even greater savings

The development of speech coding and the first standard coder for public mobile telephony

This thesis describes in its core chapter (Chapter 4) the original algorithmic and design features of the ??rst coder for public mobile telephony, the GSM full-rate speech coder, as standardized in 1988. It has never been described in so much detail as presented here. The coder is put in a historical perspective by two preceding chapters on the history of speech production models and the development of speech coding techniques until the mid 1980s, respectively. In the epilogue a brief review is given of later developments in speech coding. The introductory Chapter 1 starts with some preliminaries. It is de- ??ned what speech coding is and the reader is introduced to speech coding standards and the standardization institutes which set them. Then, the attributes of a speech coder playing a role in standardization are explained. Subsequently, several applications of speech coders - including mobile telephony - will be discussed and the state of the art in speech coding will be illustrated on the basis of some worldwide recognized standards. Chapter 2 starts with a summary of the features of speech signals and their source, the human speech organ. Then, historical models of speech production which form the basis of di??erent kinds of modern speech coders are discussed. Starting with a review of ancient mechanical models, we will arrive at the electrical source-??lter model of the 1930s. Subsequently, the acoustic-tube models as they arose in the 1950s and 1960s are discussed. Finally the 1970s are reviewed which brought the discrete-time ??lter model on the basis of linear prediction. In a unique way the logical sequencing of these models is exposed, and the links are discussed. Whereas the historical models are discussed in a narrative style, the acoustic tube models and the linear prediction tech nique as applied to speech, are subject to more mathematical analysis in order to create a sound basis for the treatise of Chapter 4. This trend continues in Chapter 3, whenever instrumental in completing that basis. In Chapter 3 the reader is taken by the hand on a guided tour through time during which successive speech coding methods pass in review. In an original way special attention is paid to the evolutionary aspect. Speci??cally, for each newly proposed method it is discussed what it added to the known techniques of the time. After presenting the relevant predecessors starting with Pulse Code Modulation (PCM) and the early vocoders of the 1930s, we will arrive at Residual-Excited Linear Predictive (RELP) coders, Analysis-by-Synthesis systems and Regular- Pulse Excitation in 1984. The latter forms the basis of the GSM full-rate coder. In Chapter 4, which constitutes the core of this thesis, explicit forms of Multi-Pulse Excited (MPE) and Regular-Pulse Excited (RPE) analysis-by-synthesis coding systems are developed. Starting from current pulse-amplitude computation methods in 1984, which included solving sets of equations (typically of order 10-16) two hundred times a second, several explicit-form designs are considered by which solving sets of equations in real time is avoided. Then, the design of a speci??c explicitform RPE coder and an associated eÆcient architecture are described. The explicit forms and the resulting architectural features have never been published in so much detail as presented here. Implementation of such a codec enabled real-time operation on a state-of-the-art singlechip digital signal processor of the time. This coder, at a bit rate of 13 kbit/s, has been selected as the Full-Rate GSM standard in 1988. Its performance is recapitulated. Chapter 5 is an epilogue brie y reviewing the major developments in speech coding technology after 1988. Many speech coding standards have been set, for mobile telephony as well as for other applications, since then. The chapter is concluded by an outlook

Wavelet-based multi-carrier code division multiple access systems

EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Final report on the evaluation of RRM/CRRM algorithms

Deliverable public del projecte EVERESTThis deliverable provides a definition and a complete evaluation of the RRM/CRRM algorithms selected in D11 and D15, and evolved and refined on an iterative process. The evaluation will be carried out by means of simulations using the simulators provided at D07, and D14.Preprin

New VLSI design of a MAP/BCJR decoder.

Any communication channel suffers from different kinds of noises. By employing forward error correction (FEC) techniques, the reliability of the communication channel can be increased. One of the emerging FEC methods is turbo coding (iterative coding), which employs soft input soft output (SISO) decoding algorithms like maximum a posteriori (MAP) algorithm in its constituent decoders. In this thesis we introduce a design with lower complexity and less than 0.1dB performance loss compare to the best performance observed in Max-Log-MAP algorithm. A parallel and pipeline design of a MAP decoder suitable for ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuits) is used to increase the throughput of the chip. The branch metric calculation unit is studied in detail and a new design with lower complexity is proposed. The design is also flexible to communication block sizes, which makes it ideal for variable frame length communication systems. A new even-spaced quantization technique for the proposed MAP decoder is utilized. Normalization techniques are studied and a suitable technique for the Max-Log-MAP decoder is explained. The decoder chip is synthesized and implemented in a 0.18 mum six-layer metal CMOS technology. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)Dept. of Electrical and Computer Engineering. Paper copy at Leddy Library: Theses & Major Papers - Basement, West Bldg. / Call Number: Thesis2004 .S23. Source: Masters Abstracts International, Volume: 43-05, page: 1783. Adviser: Majid Ahmadi. Thesis (M.A.Sc.)--University of Windsor (Canada), 2004

Internet Traffic Engineering : An Artificial Intelligence Approach

Dissertação de Mestrado em Ciência de Computadores, apresentada à Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade do Port