11,063 research outputs found

    GRASE: Granulometry Analysis with Semi Eager Classifier to Detect Malware

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    Technological advancement in communication leading to 5G, motivates everyone to get connected to the internet including ‘Devices’, a technology named Web of Things (WoT). The community benefits from this large-scale network which allows monitoring and controlling of physical devices. But many times, it costs the security as MALicious softWARE (MalWare) developers try to invade the network, as for them, these devices are like a ‘backdoor’ providing them easy ‘entry’. To stop invaders from entering the network, identifying malware and its variants is of great significance for cyberspace. Traditional methods of malware detection like static and dynamic ones, detect the malware but lack against new techniques used by malware developers like obfuscation, polymorphism and encryption. A machine learning approach to detect malware, where the classifier is trained with handcrafted features, is not potent against these techniques and asks for efforts to put in for the feature engineering. The paper proposes a malware classification using a visualization methodology wherein the disassembled malware code is transformed into grey images. It presents the efficacy of Granulometry texture analysis technique for improving malware classification. Furthermore, a Semi Eager (SemiE) classifier, which is a combination of eager learning and lazy learning technique, is used to get robust classification of malware families. The outcome of the experiment is promising since the proposed technique requires less training time to learn the semantics of higher-level malicious behaviours. Identifying the malware (testing phase) is also done faster. A benchmark database like malimg and Microsoft Malware Classification challenge (BIG-2015) has been utilized to analyse the performance of the system. An overall average classification accuracy of 99.03 and 99.11% is achieved, respectively

    Unsupervised learning-based approach for detecting 3D edges in depth maps

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    3D edge features, which represent the boundaries between different objects or surfaces in a 3D scene, are crucial for many computer vision tasks, including object recognition, tracking, and segmentation. They also have numerous real-world applications in the field of robotics, such as vision-guided grasping and manipulation of objects. To extract these features in the noisy real-world depth data, reliable 3D edge detectors are indispensable. However, currently available 3D edge detection methods are either highly parameterized or require ground truth labelling, which makes them challenging to use for practical applications. To this extent, we present a new 3D edge detection approach using unsupervised classification. Our method learns features from depth maps at three different scales using an encoder-decoder network, from which edge-specific features are extracted. These edge features are then clustered using learning to classify each point as an edge or not. The proposed method has two key benefits. First, it eliminates the need for manual fine-tuning of data-specific hyper-parameters and automatically selects threshold values for edge classification. Second, the method does not require any labelled training data, unlike many state-of-the-art methods that require supervised training with extensive hand-labelled datasets. The proposed method is evaluated on five benchmark datasets with single and multi-object scenes, and compared with four state-of-the-art edge detection methods from the literature. Results demonstrate that the proposed method achieves competitive performance, despite not using any labelled data or relying on hand-tuning of key parameters.</p

    Exploiting Structural Properties in the Analysis of High-dimensional Dynamical Systems

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    The physical and cyber domains with which we interact are filled with high-dimensional dynamical systems. In machine learning, for instance, the evolution of overparametrized neural networks can be seen as a dynamical system. In networked systems, numerous agents or nodes dynamically interact with each other. A deep understanding of these systems can enable us to predict their behavior, identify potential pitfalls, and devise effective solutions for optimal outcomes. In this dissertation, we will discuss two classes of high-dimensional dynamical systems with specific structural properties that aid in understanding their dynamic behavior. In the first scenario, we consider the training dynamics of multi-layer neural networks. The high dimensionality comes from overparametrization: a typical network has a large depth and hidden layer width. We are interested in the following question regarding convergence: Do network weights converge to an equilibrium point corresponding to a global minimum of our training loss, and how fast is the convergence rate? The key to those questions is the symmetry of the weights, a critical property induced by the multi-layer architecture. Such symmetry leads to a set of time-invariant quantities, called weight imbalance, that restrict the training trajectory to a low-dimensional manifold defined by the weight initialization. A tailored convergence analysis is developed over this low-dimensional manifold, showing improved rate bounds for several multi-layer network models studied in the literature, leading to novel characterizations of the effect of weight imbalance on the convergence rate. In the second scenario, we consider large-scale networked systems with multiple weakly-connected groups. Such a multi-cluster structure leads to a time-scale separation between the fast intra-group interaction due to high intra-group connectivity, and the slow inter-group oscillation, due to the weak inter-group connection. We develop a novel frequency-domain network coherence analysis that captures both the coherent behavior within each group, and the dynamical interaction between groups, leading to a structure-preserving model-reduction methodology for large-scale dynamic networks with multiple clusters under general node dynamics assumptions

    The Cheeger problem in abstract measure spaces

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    We consider nonnegative (Formula presented.) -finite measure spaces coupled with a proper functional (Formula presented.) that plays the role of a perimeter. We introduce the Cheeger problem in this framework and extend many classical results on the Cheeger constant and on Cheeger sets to this setting, requiring minimal assumptions on the pair measure space perimeter. Throughout the paper, the measure space will never be asked to be metric, at most topological, and this requires the introduction of a suitable notion of Sobolev spaces, induced by the coarea formula with the given perimeter

    Computational techniques to interpret the neural code underlying complex cognitive processes

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    Advances in large-scale neural recording technology have significantly improved the capacity to further elucidate the neural code underlying complex cognitive processes. This thesis aimed to investigate two research questions in rodent models. First, what is the role of the hippocampus in memory and specifically what is the underlying neural code that contributes to spatial memory and navigational decision-making. Second, how is social cognition represented in the medial prefrontal cortex at the level of individual neurons. To start, the thesis begins by investigating memory and social cognition in the context of healthy and diseased states that use non-invasive methods (i.e. fMRI and animal behavioural studies). The main body of the thesis then shifts to developing our fundamental understanding of the neural mechanisms underpinning these cognitive processes by applying computational techniques to ana lyse stable large-scale neural recordings. To achieve this, tailored calcium imaging and behaviour preprocessing computational pipelines were developed and optimised for use in social interaction and spatial navigation experimental analysis. In parallel, a review was conducted on methods for multivariate/neural population analysis. A comparison of multiple neural manifold learning (NML) algorithms identified that non linear algorithms such as UMAP are more adaptable across datasets of varying noise and behavioural complexity. Furthermore, the review visualises how NML can be applied to disease states in the brain and introduces the secondary analyses that can be used to enhance or characterise a neural manifold. Lastly, the preprocessing and analytical pipelines were combined to investigate the neural mechanisms in volved in social cognition and spatial memory. The social cognition study explored how neural firing in the medial Prefrontal cortex changed as a function of the social dominance paradigm, the "Tube Test". The univariate analysis identified an ensemble of behavioural-tuned neurons that fire preferentially during specific behaviours such as "pushing" or "retreating" for the animal’s own behaviour and/or the competitor’s behaviour. Furthermore, in dominant animals, the neural population exhibited greater average firing than that of subordinate animals. Next, to investigate spatial memory, a spatial recency task was used, where rats learnt to navigate towards one of three reward locations and then recall the rewarded location of the session. During the task, over 1000 neurons were recorded from the hippocampal CA1 region for five rats over multiple sessions. Multivariate analysis revealed that the sequence of neurons encoding an animal’s spatial position leading up to a rewarded location was also active in the decision period before the animal navigates to the rewarded location. The result posits that prospective replay of neural sequences in the hippocampal CA1 region could provide a mechanism by which decision-making is supported

    Robustness, Heterogeneity and Structure Capturing for Graph Representation Learning and its Application

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    Graph neural networks (GNNs) are potent methods for graph representation learn- ing (GRL), which extract knowledge from complicated (graph) structured data in various real-world scenarios. However, GRL still faces many challenges. Firstly GNN-based node classification may deteriorate substantially by overlooking the pos- sibility of noisy data in graph structures, as models wrongly process the relation among nodes in the input graphs as the ground truth. Secondly, nodes and edges have different types in the real-world and it is essential to capture this heterogeneity in graph representation learning. Next, relations among nodes are not restricted to pairwise relations and it is necessary to capture the complex relations accordingly. Finally, the absence of structural encodings, such as positional information, deterio- rates the performance of GNNs. This thesis proposes novel methods to address the aforementioned problems: 1. Bayesian Graph Attention Network (BGAT): Developed for situations with scarce data, this method addresses the influence of spurious edges. Incor- porating Bayesian principles into the graph attention mechanism enhances robustness, leading to competitive performance against benchmarks (Chapter 3). 2. Neighbour Contrastive Heterogeneous Graph Attention Network (NC-HGAT): By enhancing a cutting-edge self-supervised heterogeneous graph neural net- work model (HGAT) with neighbour contrastive learning, this method ad- dresses heterogeneity and uncertainty simultaneously. Extra attention to edge relations in heterogeneous graphs also aids in subsequent classification tasks (Chapter 4). 3. A novel ensemble learning framework is introduced for predicting stock price movements. It adeptly captures both group-level and pairwise relations, lead- ing to notable advancements over the existing state-of-the-art. The integration of hypergraph and graph models, coupled with the utilisation of auxiliary data via GNNs before recurrent neural network (RNN), provides a deeper under- standing of long-term dependencies between similar entities in multivariate time series analysis (Chapter 5). 4. A novel framework for graph structure learning is introduced, segmenting graphs into distinct patches. By harnessing the capabilities of transformers and integrating other position encoding techniques, this approach robustly capture intricate structural information within a graph. This results in a more comprehensive understanding of its underlying patterns (Chapter 6)

    Enhancing grid reliability with coordination and control of distributed energy resources

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    The growing utilization of renewable energy resources (RES) within power systems has brought about new challenges due to the inherent uncertainty associated with RES, which makes it challenging to accurately forecast available generation. Further- more, the replacement of synchronous machines with inverter-based RES results in a reduction of power system inertia, complicating the task of maintaining a balance between generation and consumption. In this dissertation, coordinating Distributed Energy Resources (DER) is presented as a viable solution to these challenges.DERs have the potential to offer different ancillary services such as fast frequency response (FFR) when efficiently coordinated. However, the practical implementation of such services demands both effective local sensing and control at the device level and the ability to precisely estimate and predict the availability of synthetic damping from a fleet in real time. Additionally, the inherent trade-off between a fleet being available for fast frequency response while providing other ancillary services needs to be characterized. This dissertation introduces a fully decentralized, packet-based controller for a diverse range of flexible loads. This controller dynamically prioritizes and interrupts DERs to generate synthetic damping suitable for primary frequency control. Moreover, the packet-based control methodology is demonstrated to accu- rately assess the real-time availability of synthetic damping. Furthermore, spectral analysis of historical frequency regulation data is employed to establish a probabilis- tic bound on the expected synthetic damping available for primary frequency control from a fleet and the trade-off of concurrently offering secondary frequency control. It is noteworthy that coordinating a large number of DERs can potentially result in grid constraint violations. To tackle this challenge, this dissertation employs con- vex inner approximations (CIA) of the AC power flow to address the optimization problem of quantifying the capacity of a three-phase distribution feeder to accommo- date DERs. This capacity is often referred to as hosting capacity (HC). However, in this work, we consider separate limits for positive and negative DER injections at each node, ensuring that injections within these nodal limits adhere to feeder voltage and current constraints. The methodology dissects a three-phase feeder into individual phases and applies CIA-based techniques to each phase. Additionally, new approaches are introduced to modify the per-phase optimization problems to mitigate the inherent conservativeness associated with CIA methods and enhance HC. This includes selectively adjusting the per-phase impedances and proposing an iterative relaxation method for per-phase voltage bounds

    Investigating ecosystem connections in the shelf sea environment using complex networks

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    We use complex network theory to better represent and understand the ecosystem connectivity in a shelf sea environment. The baseline data used for the analysis are obtained from a state-of-the-art coupled marine physics–biogeochemistry model simulating the North West European Shelf (NWES). The complex network built on model outputs is used to identify the functional groups of variables behind the biogeochemistry dynamics, suggesting how to simplify our understanding of the complex web of interactions within the shelf sea ecosystem. We demonstrate that complex networks can also be used to understand spatial ecosystem connectivity, identifying both the (geographically varying) connectivity length-scales and the clusters of spatial locations that are connected. We show that the biogeochemical length-scales vary significantly between variables and are not directly transferable. We also find that the spatial pattern of length-scales is similar across each variable, as long as a specific scaling factor for each variable is taken into account. The clusters indicate geographical regions within which there is a large exchange of information within the ecosystem, while information exchange across the boundaries between these regions is limited. The results of this study describe how information is expected to propagate through the shelf sea ecosystem, and how it can be used in multiple future applications such as stochastic noise modelling, data assimilation, or machine learning

    Face Emotion Recognition Based on Machine Learning: A Review

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    Computers can now detect, understand, and evaluate emotions thanks to recent developments in machine learning and information fusion. Researchers across various sectors are increasingly intrigued by emotion identification, utilizing facial expressions, words, body language, and posture as means of discerning an individual's emotions. Nevertheless, the effectiveness of the first three methods may be limited, as individuals can consciously or unconsciously suppress their true feelings. This article explores various feature extraction techniques, encompassing the development of machine learning classifiers like k-nearest neighbour, naive Bayesian, support vector machine, and random forest, in accordance with the established standard for emotion recognition. The paper has three primary objectives: firstly, to offer a comprehensive overview of effective computing by outlining essential theoretical concepts; secondly, to describe in detail the state-of-the-art in emotion recognition at the moment; and thirdly, to highlight important findings and conclusions from the literature, with an emphasis on important obstacles and possible future paths, especially in the creation of state-of-the-art machine learning algorithms for the identification of emotions

    On the Control of Microgrids Against Cyber-Attacks: A Review of Methods and Applications

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    Nowadays, the use of renewable generations, energy storage systems (ESSs) and microgrids (MGs) has been developed due to better controllability of distributed energy resources (DERs) as well as their cost-effective and emission-aware operation. The development of MGs as well as the use of hierarchical control has led to data transmission in the communication platform. As a result, the expansion of communication infrastructure has made MGs as cyber-physical systems (CPSs) vulnerable to cyber-attacks (CAs). Accordingly, prevention, detection and isolation of CAs during proper control of MGs is essential. In this paper, a comprehensive review on the control strategies of microgrids against CAs and its defense mechanisms has been done. The general structure of the paper is as follows: firstly, MGs operational conditions, i.e., the secure or insecure mode of the physical and cyber layers are investigated and the appropriate control to return to a safer mode are presented. Then, the common MGs communication system is described which is generally used for multi-agent systems (MASs). Also, classification of CAs in MGs has been reviewed. Afterwards, a comprehensive survey of available researches in the field of prevention, detection and isolation of CA and MG control against CA are summarized. Finally, future trends in this context are clarified
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