Novel support vector machines for diverse learning paradigms

This dissertation introduces novel support vector machines (SVM) for the following traditional and non-traditional learning paradigms: Online classification, Multi-Target Regression, Multiple-Instance classification, and Data Stream classification. Three multi-target support vector regression (SVR) models are first presented. The first involves building independent, single-target SVR models for each target. The second builds an ensemble of randomly chained models using the first single-target method as a base model. The third calculates the targets\u27 correlations and forms a maximum correlation chain, which is used to build a single chained SVR model, improving the model\u27s prediction performance, while reducing computational complexity. Under the multi-instance paradigm, a novel SVM multiple-instance formulation and an algorithm with a bag-representative selector, named Multi-Instance Representative SVM (MIRSVM), are presented. The contribution trains the SVM based on bag-level information and is able to identify instances that highly impact classification, i.e. bag-representatives, for both positive and negative bags, while finding the optimal class separation hyperplane. Unlike other multi-instance SVM methods, this approach eliminates possible class imbalance issues by allowing both positive and negative bags to have at most one representative, which constitute as the most contributing instances to the model. Due to the shortcomings of current popular SVM solvers, especially in the context of large-scale learning, the third contribution presents a novel stochastic, i.e. online, learning algorithm for solving the L1-SVM problem in the primal domain, dubbed OnLine Learning Algorithm using Worst-Violators (OLLAWV). This algorithm, unlike other stochastic methods, provides a novel stopping criteria and eliminates the need for using a regularization term. It instead uses early stopping. Because of these characteristics, OLLAWV was proven to efficiently produce sparse models, while maintaining a competitive accuracy. OLLAWV\u27s online nature and success for traditional classification inspired its implementation, as well as its predecessor named OnLine Learning Algorithm - List 2 (OLLA-L2), under the batch data stream classification setting. Unlike other existing methods, these two algorithms were chosen because their properties are a natural remedy for the time and memory constraints that arise from the data stream problem. OLLA-L2\u27s low spacial complexity deals with memory constraints imposed by the data stream setting, and OLLAWV\u27s fast run time, early self-stopping capability, as well as the ability to produce sparse models, agrees with both memory and time constraints. The preliminary results for OLLAWV showed a superior performance to its predecessor and was chosen to be used in the final set of experiments against current popular data stream methods. Rigorous experimental studies and statistical analyses over various metrics and datasets were conducted in order to comprehensively compare the proposed solutions against modern, widely-used methods from all paradigms. The experimental studies and analyses confirm that the proposals achieve better performances and more scalable solutions than the methods compared, making them competitive in their respected fields

Intrinsic reward driven exploration for deep reinforcement learning

Deep reinforcement learning has become one of the hottest research topics in machine learning. In reinforcement learning, agents interact with the environment and try to maximise the expected cumulative reward. The goal of reinforcement learning is to find a policy to maximise the agent’s total cumulative rewards. Unfortunately, some environments can only provide extremely sparse rewards, so the agent needs to learn a strategy to explore in its environment more efficiently to find these rewards. However, it is known that exploration in complex environments is a key challenge of deep reinforcement learning, especially for tasks where rewards are very sparse. In this thesis, intrinsic reward driven exploration strategies are investigated. The agent driven by this intrinsic reward can explore expeditiously, so as to find the sparse extrinsic rewards provided by the environment. Recently, surprise has been used as an intrinsic reward that encourages systematic and efficient exploration. We first define a novel intrinsic reward function called assorted surprise, and propose Variational Assorted Surprise Exploration (VASE) algorithm to approximate this assorted surprise in a tractable way, with the help of Bayesian neural networks. Then we apply VASE algorithm to continuous control problems and large scale Atari video games respectively. Experimental results show that VASE performs well across these tasks. Then we discover that all surprise based exploration methods will lose exploration efficiency in areas where the environmental transition is discontinuous. To solve this problem, we propose Mutual Information Minimising Exploration (MIME) algorithm. We show that MIME can explore as efficiently as surprise based methods in other areas of the environment but much better in areas with discontinuous transitions

Bibliography of Lewis Research Center technical publications announced in 1993

This compilation of abstracts describes and indexes the technical reporting that resulted from the scientific and engineering work performed and managed by the Lewis Research Center in 1993. All the publications were announced in the 1993 issues of STAR (Scientific and Technical Aerospace Reports) and/or IAA (International Aerospace Abstracts). Included are research reports, journal articles, conference presentations, patents and patent applications, and theses

Aeronautical engineering: A continuing bibliography with indexes (supplement 269)

This bibliography lists 539 reports, articles, and other documents introduced into the NASA scientific and technical information system in August, 1991. Subject coverage includes: design, construction and testing of aircraft and aircraft engines; aircraft components, equipment and systems; ground support systems; and theoretical and applied aspects of aerodynamics and general fluid dynamics

IberSPEECH 2020: XI Jornadas en Tecnología del Habla and VII Iberian SLTech

IberSPEECH2020 is a two-day event, bringing together the best researchers and practitioners in speech and language technologies in Iberian languages to promote interaction and discussion. The organizing committee has planned a wide variety of scientific and social activities, including technical paper presentations, keynote lectures, presentation of projects, laboratories activities, recent PhD thesis, discussion panels, a round table, and awards to the best thesis and papers. The program of IberSPEECH2020 includes a total of 32 contributions that will be presented distributed among 5 oral sessions, a PhD session, and a projects session. To ensure the quality of all the contributions, each submitted paper was reviewed by three members of the scientific review committee. All the papers in the conference will be accessible through the International Speech Communication Association (ISCA) Online Archive. Paper selection was based on the scores and comments provided by the scientific review committee, which includes 73 researchers from different institutions (mainly from Spain and Portugal, but also from France, Germany, Brazil, Iran, Greece, Hungary, Czech Republic, Ucrania, Slovenia). Furthermore, it is confirmed to publish an extension of selected papers as a special issue of the Journal of Applied Sciences, “IberSPEECH 2020: Speech and Language Technologies for Iberian Languages”, published by MDPI with fully open access. In addition to regular paper sessions, the IberSPEECH2020 scientific program features the following activities: the ALBAYZIN evaluation challenge session.Red Española de Tecnologías del Habla. Universidad de Valladoli

Abstracts on Radio Direction Finding (1899 - 1995)

The files on this record represent the various databases that originally composed the CD-ROM issue of "Abstracts on Radio Direction Finding" database, which is now part of the Dudley Knox Library's Abstracts and Selected Full Text Documents on Radio Direction Finding (1899 - 1995) Collection. (See Calhoun record https://calhoun.nps.edu/handle/10945/57364 for further information on this collection and the bibliography). Due to issues of technological obsolescence preventing current and future audiences from accessing the bibliography, DKL exported and converted into the three files on this record the various databases contained in the CD-ROM. The contents of these files are: 1) RDFA_CompleteBibliography_xls.zip [RDFA_CompleteBibliography.xls: Metadata for the complete bibliography, in Excel 97-2003 Workbook format; RDFA_Glossary.xls: Glossary of terms, in Excel 97-2003 Workbookformat; RDFA_Biographies.xls: Biographies of leading figures, in Excel 97-2003 Workbook format]; 2) RDFA_CompleteBibliography_csv.zip [RDFA_CompleteBibliography.TXT: Metadata for the complete bibliography, in CSV format; RDFA_Glossary.TXT: Glossary of terms, in CSV format; RDFA_Biographies.TXT: Biographies of leading figures, in CSV format]; 3) RDFA_CompleteBibliography.pdf: A human readable display of the bibliographic data, as a means of double-checking any possible deviations due to conversion