4,276 research outputs found
Data-efficient Neuroevolution with Kernel-Based Surrogate Models
Surrogate-assistance approaches have long been used in computationally
expensive domains to improve the data-efficiency of optimization algorithms.
Neuroevolution, however, has so far resisted the application of these
techniques because it requires the surrogate model to make fitness predictions
based on variable topologies, instead of a vector of parameters. Our main
insight is that we can sidestep this problem by using kernel-based surrogate
models, which require only the definition of a distance measure between
individuals. Our second insight is that the well-established Neuroevolution of
Augmenting Topologies (NEAT) algorithm provides a computationally efficient
distance measure between dissimilar networks in the form of "compatibility
distance", initially designed to maintain topological diversity. Combining
these two ideas, we introduce a surrogate-assisted neuroevolution algorithm
that combines NEAT and a surrogate model built using a compatibility distance
kernel. We demonstrate the data-efficiency of this new algorithm on the low
dimensional cart-pole swing-up problem, as well as the higher dimensional
half-cheetah running task. In both tasks the surrogate-assisted variant
achieves the same or better results with several times fewer function
evaluations as the original NEAT.Comment: In GECCO 201
Searching for bosons decaying to gluons
The production and decay of a new heavy vector boson, a chromophilic
vector boson, is described. The chromophilic couples only to two gluons,
but its two-body decays are absent, leading to a dominant decay mode of
. The unusual nature of the interaction predicts a
cross-section which grows with for a fixed coupling and an
accompanying gluon with a coupling that rises with its energy. We study the
decay mode, proposing distinct reconstruction techniques for the
observation of an excess and for the measurement of . We estimate the
sensitivity of current experimental datasets.Comment: For submission to PR
Dynamic Fuzzy c-Means (dFCM) Clustering and its Application to Calorimetric Data Reconstruction in High Energy Physics
In high energy physics experiments, calorimetric data reconstruction requires
a suitable clustering technique in order to obtain accurate information about
the shower characteristics such as position of the shower and energy
deposition. Fuzzy clustering techniques have high potential in this regard, as
they assign data points to more than one cluster,thereby acting as a tool to
distinguish between overlapping clusters. Fuzzy c-means (FCM) is one such
clustering technique that can be applied to calorimetric data reconstruction.
However, it has a drawback: it cannot easily identify and distinguish clusters
that are not uniformly spread. A version of the FCM algorithm called dynamic
fuzzy c-means (dFCM) allows clusters to be generated and eliminated as
required, with the ability to resolve non-uniformly distributed clusters. Both
the FCM and dFCM algorithms have been studied and successfully applied to
simulated data of a sampling tungsten-silicon calorimeter. It is seen that the
FCM technique works reasonably well, and at the same time, the use of the dFCM
technique improves the performance.Comment: 15 pages, 10 figures. It is accepted for publication in NIM
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Detecting errors and anomalies in computerized materials control and accountability databases
The Automated MC and A Database Assessment project is aimed at improving anomaly and error detection in materials control and accountability (MC and A) databases and increasing confidence in the data that they contain. Anomalous data resulting in poor categorization of nuclear material inventories greatly reduces the value of the database information to users. Therefore it is essential that MC and A data be assessed periodically for anomalies or errors. Anomaly detection can identify errors in databases and thus provide assurance of the integrity of data. An expert system has been developed at Los Alamos National Laboratory that examines these large databases for anomalous or erroneous data. For several years, MC and A subject matter experts at Los Alamos have been using this automated system to examine the large amounts of accountability data that the Los Alamos Plutonium Facility generates. These data are collected and managed by the Material Accountability and Safeguards System, a near-real-time computerized nuclear material accountability and safeguards system. This year they have expanded the user base, customizing the anomaly detector for the varying requirements of different groups of users. This paper describes the progress in customizing the expert systems to the needs of the users of the data and reports on their results
Reusing historical interaction data for faster online learning to rank for IR
Online learning to rank for information retrieval (IR) holds promise for allowing the development of "self-learning" search engines that can automatically adjust to their users. With the large amount of e.g., click data that can be collected in web search settings, such techniques could enable highly scalable ranking optimization. However, feedback obtained from user interactions is noisy, and developing approaches that can learn from this feedback quickly and reliably is a major challenge. In this paper we investigate whether and how previously collected (historical) interaction data can be used to speed up learning in online learning to rank for IR. We devise the first two methods that can utilize historical data (1) to make feedback available during learning more reliable and (2) to preselect candidate ranking functions to be evaluated in interactions with users of the retrieval system. We evaluate both approaches on 9 learning to rank data sets and find that historical data can speed up learning, leading to substantially and significantly higher online performance. In particular, our pre-selection method proves highly effective at compensating for noise in user feedback. Our results show that historical data can be used to make online learning to rank for IR much more effective than previously possible, especially when feedback is noisy
New Particles Working Group Report of the Snowmass 2013 Community Summer Study
This report summarizes the work of the Energy Frontier New Physics working
group of the 2013 Community Summer Study (Snowmass)
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