Maximum Persistency in Energy Minimization

We consider discrete pairwise energy minimization problem (weighted constraint satisfaction, max-sum labeling) and methods that identify a globally optimal partial assignment of variables. When finding a complete optimal assignment is intractable, determining optimal values for a part of variables is an interesting possibility. Existing methods are based on different sufficient conditions. We propose a new sufficient condition for partial optimality which is: (1) verifiable in polynomial time (2) invariant to reparametrization of the problem and permutation of labels and (3) includes many existing sufficient conditions as special cases. We pose the problem of finding the maximum optimal partial assignment identifiable by the new sufficient condition. A polynomial method is proposed which is guaranteed to assign same or larger part of variables than several existing approaches. The core of the method is a specially constructed linear program that identifies persistent assignments in an arbitrary multi-label setting.Comment: Extended technical report for the CVPR 2014 paper. Update: correction to the proof of characterization theore

Maximum Persistency via Iterative Relaxed Inference with Graphical Models

We consider the NP-hard problem of MAP-inference for undirected discrete graphical models. We propose a polynomial time and practically efficient algorithm for finding a part of its optimal solution. Specifically, our algorithm marks some labels of the considered graphical model either as (i) optimal, meaning that they belong to all optimal solutions of the inference problem; (ii) non-optimal if they provably do not belong to any solution. With access to an exact solver of a linear programming relaxation to the MAP-inference problem, our algorithm marks the maximal possible (in a specified sense) number of labels. We also present a version of the algorithm, which has access to a suboptimal dual solver only and still can ensure the (non-)optimality for the marked labels, although the overall number of the marked labels may decrease. We propose an efficient implementation, which runs in time comparable to a single run of a suboptimal dual solver. Our method is well-scalable and shows state-of-the-art results on computational benchmarks from machine learning and computer vision.Comment: Reworked version, submitted to PAM

Russia and the European Far Right

This thesis explores contemporary relations between various Russian actors and European far right ideologues, movements, organisations and parties. The thesis demonstrates that each side of this relationship is driven by evolving and, at times, circumstantial political and pragmatic considerations that involve, on the one hand, the need to attain or restore declining or deficient domestic or international legitimacy and, on the other hand, the ambition to reshape the apparently hostile domestic or international environments in accordance with one’s own interests. Introduction discusses the research background of the thesis, and outlines its conceptual framework, methodology and structure. Chapter 1 discusses pro-Russian elements of the European far right milieu before the Second World War. Chapter 2 looks at the active cooperation between Russian and Western far right politicians after the fall of the Soviet Union. Chapter 3 examines the right-wing authoritarian evolution of Vladimir Putin’s regime – an evolution that facilitated the deepening of the relations between Russian pro-Kremlin actors and the European far right. Chapters 4 and 5 consider two areas of dynamic cooperation between various Russian actors and European far right politicians and organisations aimed at supporting and consolidating alternative institutions that aim at challenging and undermining liberaldemocratic practices and traditions: electoral monitoring and the media. Chapter 6 looks at openly pro-Russian activities that Austrian, French and Italian far right parties have carried out in their national contexts, and identifies several types of operators who furthered cooperation between them and Russian actors. Chapter 7 explores the performance of European far right politicians on high-profile discussion platforms in Moscow and at sessions of the European Parliament in Strasbourg and Brussels, and analyses the narratives that they promote within these settings. Conclusion presents main findings of this research

Towards assessing simulated service qualities by business stakeholders outside the system boundary

The paper describes an approach for collecting opinions on quality of service-oriented systems from the specific category of real business stakeholders (which do not interact with such systems directly on theirboundary). This approach enhances the ISAREAD-S method for collecting assessments of simulated service qualities on the system boundary in context defined by the service usage process. We introduce special Service Dependency Model taking into account dependencies between usage process activities accessible by real stakeholders and boundary activities representing services under development.В работе описана технология сбора мнений реальных заинтересованных лиц (которые не взаимодействуют с системой на ее границе) о качестве сервис-ориентированных программных систем. Данная технология является расширением метода ISAREAD-S, реализующего сбор таких мнений на основе оценивания характеристик качества программных сервисов, представленных имитационными моделями, на границе системы в контексте процессов их использования. Это расширение сводится к реализации специальной модели зависимости сервисов, учитывающей зависимости между показателями качества деятельностей процессов, доступных для реальных заинтересованных лиц и показателями качества деятельностей, определенных на границе системы, которые представляют разрабатываемые сервисы