Efficient independent component analysis

Independent component analysis (ICA) has been widely used for blind source separation in many fields such as brain imaging analysis, signal processing and telecommunication. Many statistical techniques based on M-estimates have been proposed for estimating the mixing matrix. Recently, several nonparametric methods have been developed, but in-depth analysis of asymptotic efficiency has not been available. We analyze ICA using semiparametric theories and propose a straightforward estimate based on the efficient score function by using B-spline approximations. The estimate is asymptotically efficient under moderate conditions and exhibits better performance than standard ICA methods in a variety of simulations.Comment: Published at http://dx.doi.org/10.1214/009053606000000939 in the Annals of Statistics (http://www.imstat.org/aos/) by the Institute of Mathematical Statistics (http://www.imstat.org

The method of moments and degree distributions for network models

Probability models on graphs are becoming increasingly important in many applications, but statistical tools for fitting such models are not yet well developed. Here we propose a general method of moments approach that can be used to fit a large class of probability models through empirical counts of certain patterns in a graph. We establish some general asymptotic properties of empirical graph moments and prove consistency of the estimates as the graph size grows for all ranges of the average degree including $\Omega(1)$. Additional results are obtained for the important special case of degree distributions.Comment: Published in at http://dx.doi.org/10.1214/11-AOS904 the Annals of Statistics (http://www.imstat.org/aos/) by the Institute of Mathematical Statistics (http://www.imstat.org

An Access Control Model for Protecting Provenance Graphs

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Heralded phase-contrast imaging using an orbital angular momentum phase-filter

We utilise the position and orbital angular momentum (OAM) correlations between the signal and idler photons generated in the down-conversion process to obtain ghost images of a phase object. By using an OAM phase filter, which is non-local with respect to the object, the images exhibit isotropic edge-enhancement. This imaging technique is the first demonstration of a full-field, phase-contrast imaging system with non-local edge enhancement, and enables imaging of phase objects using significantly fewer photons than standard phase-contrast imaging techniques

Validating Sample Average Approximation Solutions with Negatively Dependent Batches

Sample-average approximations (SAA) are a practical means of finding approximate solutions of stochastic programming problems involving an extremely large (or infinite) number of scenarios. SAA can also be used to find estimates of a lower bound on the optimal objective value of the true problem which, when coupled with an upper bound, provides confidence intervals for the true optimal objective value and valuable information about the quality of the approximate solutions. Specifically, the lower bound can be estimated by solving multiple SAA problems (each obtained using a particular sampling method) and averaging the obtained objective values. State-of-the-art methods for lower-bound estimation generate batches of scenarios for the SAA problems independently. In this paper, we describe sampling methods that produce negatively dependent batches, thus reducing the variance of the sample-averaged lower bound estimator and increasing its usefulness in defining a confidence interval for the optimal objective value. We provide conditions under which the new sampling methods can reduce the variance of the lower bound estimator, and present computational results to verify that our scheme can reduce the variance significantly, by comparison with the traditional Latin hypercube approach

Coanalysis of GWAS with eQTLs reveals disease-tissue associations.

Expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL), or genetic variants associated with changes in gene expression, have the potential to assist in interpreting results of genome-wide association studies (GWAS). eQTLs also have varying degrees of tissue specificity. By correlating the statistical significance of eQTLs mapped in various tissue types to their odds ratios reported in a large GWAS by the Wellcome Trust Case Control Consortium (WTCCC), we discovered that there is a significant association between diseases studied genetically and their relevant tissues. This suggests that eQTL data sets can be used to determine tissues that play a role in the pathogenesis of a disease, thereby highlighting these tissue types for further post-GWAS functional studies

A model of a dual-core matter-wave soliton laser

We propose a system which can generate a periodic array of solitary-wave pulses from a finite reservoir of coherent Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC). The system is built as a set of two parallel quasi-one-dimensional traps (the reservoir proper and a pulse-generating cavity), which are linearly coupled by the tunneling of atoms. The scattering length is tuned to be negative and small in the absolute value in the cavity, and still smaller but positive in the reservoir. Additionally, a parabolic potential profile is created around the center of the cavity. Both edges of the reservoir and one edge of the cavity are impenetrable. Solitons are released through the other cavity's edge, which is semi-transparent. Two different regimes of the intrinsic operation of the laser are identified: circulations of a narrow wave-function pulse in the cavity, and oscillations of a broad standing pulse. The latter regime is stable, readily providing for the generation of an array containing up to 10,000 permanent-shape pulses. The circulation regime provides for no more than 40 cycles, and then it transforms into the oscillation mode. The dependence of the dynamical regime on parameters of the system is investigated in detail.Comment: Journal of Physics B, in pres