Modelling of propagation path loss using adaptive hybrid artificial neural network approach for outdoor environments.

Doctor of Philosophy in Electronic Engineering. University of KwaZulu-Natal. Durban, 2018.Prediction of signal power loss between transmitter and receiver with minimal error is an important issue in telecommunication network planning and optimization process. Some of the basic available conventional models in literature for signal power loss prediction includes the Free space, Lee, COST 234 Hata, Hata, Walficsh- Bertoni, Walficsh-Ikegami, dominant path and ITU models. But, due to poor prediction accuracy and lack of computational efficiency of these traditional models with propagated signal data in different cellular network environments, many researchers have shifted their focus to the domain of Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) models. Different neural network architectures and models exist in literature, but the most popular one among them is the Multi-Layer Perceptron (MLP) ANN which can be attributed to its superb architecture and comparably clear algorithm. Though standard MLP networks have been employed to model and predict different signal data, they suffer due to the following fundamental drawbacks. Firstly, conventional MLP networks perform poorly in handling noisy data. Also, MLP networks lack capabilities in dealing with incoherence datasets which contracts with smoothness. Firstly, in this work, an adaptive neural network predictor which combines MLP and Adaptive Linear Element (ADALINE) is developed for enhanced signal power prediction. This is followed with a resourceful predictive model, built on MLP network with vector order statistic filter based pre-processing technique for improved prediction of measured signal power loss in different micro-cellular urban environments. The prediction accuracy of the proposed hybrid adaptive neural network predictor has been tested and evaluated using experimental field strength data acquired from Long Term Evolution (LTE) radio network environment with mixed residential, commercial and cluttered building structures. By means of first order statistical performance evaluation metrics using Correlation Coefficient, Root Mean Squared Error, Standard Deviation and Mean Absolute Error, the proposed adaptive hybrid approach provides a better prediction accuracy compared to the conventional MLP ANN prediction approach. The superior performance of the hybrid neural predictor can be attributed to its capability to learn, adaptively respond and predict the fluctuating patterns of the reference propagation loss data during training

Partition-based Model Representation Learning

Modern machine learning consists of both task forces from classical statistics and modern computation. On the one hand, this field becomes rich and quick-growing; on the other hand, different convention from different schools becomes harder and harder to communicate over time. A lot of the times, the problem is not about who is absolutely right or wrong, but about from which angle that one should approach the problem. This is the moment when we feel there should be a unifying machine learning framework that can withhold different schools under the same umbrella. So we propose one of such a framework and call it ``representation learning''. Representations are for the data, which is almost identical to a statistical model. However, philosophically, we would like to distinguish from classical statistical modeling such that (1) representations are interpretable to the scientist, (2) representations convey the pre-existing subject view that the scientist has towards his/her data before seeing it (in other words, representations may not align with the true data generating process), and (3) representations are task-oriented. To build such a representation, we propose to use partition-based models. Partition-based models are easy to interpret and useful for figuring out the interactions between variables. However, the major challenge lies in the computation, since the partition numbers can grow exponentially with respect to the number of variables. To solve the problem, we need a model/representation selection method over different partition models. We proposed to use I-Score with backward dropping algorithm to achieve the goal. In this work, we explore the connection between the I-Score variable selection methodology to other existing methods and extend the idea into developing other objective functions that can be used in other applications. We apply our ideas to analyze three datasets, one is the genome-wide association study (GWAS), one is the New York City Vision Zero, and, lastly, the MNIST handwritten digit database. On these applications, we showed the potential of the interpretability of the representations can be useful in practice and provide practitioners with much more intuitions in explaining their results. Also, we showed a novel way to look at causal inference problems from the view of partition-based models. We hope this work serve as an initiative for people to start thinking about approaching problems from a different angle and to involve interpretability into the consideration when building a model so that it can be easier to be used to communicate with people from other fields

On derivation of MLP backpropagation from the Kelley-Bryson optimal-control gradient formula and its application

The well-known backpropagation (BP) derivative computation process for multilayer perceptrons (MLP) learning can be viewed as a simplified version of the Kelley-Bryson gradient formula in the classical discrete-time optimal control theory [1]. We detail the derivation in the spirit of dynamic programming, showing how they can serve to implement more elaborate learning whereby teacher signals can be presented to any nodes at any hidden layers, as well as at the terminal output layer. We illustrate such an elaborate training scheme using a small-scale industrial problem as a concrete example, in which some hidden nodes are taught to produce specified target values. In this context, part of the hidden layer is no longer "hidden." 1 Introduction Backpropagation has been a core procedure for computing derivatives in MLP learning, since Rumelhart et al. formulated it specially geared to MLPs in 1980s [2]. Similar formulations were derived by other individuals; often, Werbos's Ph.D thesis [..

Artificial Intelligence for Science in Quantum, Atomistic, and Continuum Systems

Advances in artificial intelligence (AI) are fueling a new paradigm of discoveries in natural sciences. Today, AI has started to advance natural sciences by improving, accelerating, and enabling our understanding of natural phenomena at a wide range of spatial and temporal scales, giving rise to a new area of research known as AI for science (AI4Science). Being an emerging research paradigm, AI4Science is unique in that it is an enormous and highly interdisciplinary area. Thus, a unified and technical treatment of this field is needed yet challenging. This work aims to provide a technically thorough account of a subarea of AI4Science; namely, AI for quantum, atomistic, and continuum systems. These areas aim at understanding the physical world from the subatomic (wavefunctions and electron density), atomic (molecules, proteins, materials, and interactions), to macro (fluids, climate, and subsurface) scales and form an important subarea of AI4Science. A unique advantage of focusing on these areas is that they largely share a common set of challenges, thereby allowing a unified and foundational treatment. A key common challenge is how to capture physics first principles, especially symmetries, in natural systems by deep learning methods. We provide an in-depth yet intuitive account of techniques to achieve equivariance to symmetry transformations. We also discuss other common technical challenges, including explainability, out-of-distribution generalization, knowledge transfer with foundation and large language models, and uncertainty quantification. To facilitate learning and education, we provide categorized lists of resources that we found to be useful. We strive to be thorough and unified and hope this initial effort may trigger more community interests and efforts to further advance AI4Science

A complex systems approach to education in Switzerland

The insights gained from the study of complex systems in biological, social, and engineered systems enables us not only to observe and understand, but also to actively design systems which will be capable of successfully coping with complex and dynamically changing situations. The methods and mindset required for this approach have been applied to educational systems with their diverse levels of scale and complexity. Based on the general case made by Yaneer Bar-Yam, this paper applies the complex systems approach to the educational system in Switzerland. It confirms that the complex systems approach is valid. Indeed, many recommendations made for the general case have already been implemented in the Swiss education system. To address existing problems and difficulties, further steps are recommended. This paper contributes to the further establishment complex systems approach by shedding light on an area which concerns us all, which is a frequent topic of discussion and dispute among politicians and the public, where billions of dollars have been spent without achieving the desired results, and where it is difficult to directly derive consequences from actions taken. The analysis of the education system's different levels, their complexity and scale will clarify how such a dynamic system should be approached, and how it can be guided towards the desired performance