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In this paper, we propose an object-aware holistic superpixel selection (HPS) method to automatically select the discriminative superpixels of an image for image classification purpose. Through only considering the selected superpixels, the interference of cluttered background on the object can be alleviated effectively and thus the classification performance is significantly enhanced. In particular, for an image, HPS first selects the discriminative superpixels for the characteristics of certain class, which can together match the object template of this class well. In addition, these superpixels compose a class-specific matching region. Through performing such superpixel selection for several most probable classes, respectively, HPS generates multiple class-specific matching regions for a single image. Then, HPS merges these matching regions into an integral object region through exploiting their pixel-level intersection information. Finally, such object region instead of the original image is used for image classification. An appealing advantage of HPS is the ability to alleviate the interference of cluttered background yet not require the object to be segmented out accurately. We evaluate the proposed HPS on four challenging image classification benchmark datasets: Oxford-IIIT PET 37, Caltech-UCSD Birds 200, Caltech 101, and PASCAL VOC 2011. The experimental results consistently show that the proposed HPS can remarkably improve the classification performance.

In this brief, we consider extracting generalized eigenvectors in parallel for the generalized eigendecomposition problem. The problem is formulated as an optimization problem of minimizing an unconstrained quartic cost function based on the weighted rule. It is shown that the proposed weighted cost function has a unique global minimum, which corresponds to the principal generalized eigenvectors. In order to estimate the principal generalized eigenvector matrix efficiently, we simplify the quartic cost function as a quadric one by making an appropriate approximation, and then derive a fast algorithm for extracting the principal generalized eigenvector in parallel. We also show the application of the proposed algorithm in blind source separation. Numerical simulations are performed, and the results demonstrate the performance of the proposed algorithm.

The sensitivity-based optimization of Markov systems has become an increasingly important area. From the perspective of performance sensitivity analysis, policy-iteration algorithms and gradient estimation methods can be directly obtained for Markov decision processes (MDPs). In this correspondence, the sensitivity-based optimization is extended to average reward partially observable MDPs (POMDPs). We derive the performance-difference and performance-derivative formulas of POMDPs. On the basis of the performance-derivative formula, we present a new method to estimate the performance gradients. From the performance-difference formula, we obtain a sufficient optimality condition without the discounted reward formulation. We also propose a policy-iteration algorithm to obtain a nearly optimal finite-state-controller policy.

We consider adaptively extracting multiple principal generalized eigenvectors, which can be widely applied in modern signal processing. By using the deflation technique, the problem is reformulated into an unconstrained minimization problem. An adaptive sequential algorithm based on the Newton method is proposed to solve this problem. To improve its real-time performance, a parallel version of this algorithm is provided on the basis of certain approximation. Furthermore, a two-layer neural network is constructed to execute the adaptive algorithm. The asymptotic convergence of this algorithm is rigorously proved by stochastic approximation theory. The simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Readahead is an important technique to deal with the huge gap between disk drives and applications. It has become a standard in modern operating systems and advanced storage systems. However, it is difficult to develop the common kernel readahead and to achieve full testing coverage of all cases. In this paper, we formulate the kernel read handling, caching and readahead behavior as an absorbing Markov decision process, and present performance evaluations to compare or verify various readaheads. We also introduce algorithms to find optimal prefetching policies for specific read pattern and present the convergence analysis. By exploiting sample-path-based methods, it becomes much easier to evaluate and optimize prefetching policies, which can provide valuable informations to help the design and improvement of practical readaheads. For illustration and verification, we present two examples and some experiments on the readaheads in Linux kernel. The results show that the model-based evaluations agree with the practice and the improved prefetching policy significantly outperforms the original one in Linux kernel for the specified workloads. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In this paper, hidden semi-Markov model (HSMM) is introduced into intrusion detection. Hidden Markov model (HMM) has been applied in intrusion detection systems several years, but it has a major weakness: the inherent duration probability density of a state in HMM is exponential, which may be inappropriate for the modeling of audit data of computer systems. We can handle this problem well by developing an HSMM for perfect normal processes of computer systems. Based on this HSMM, an algorithm of anomaly detection is presented in this paper, which computes the distance between the processes monitored by intrusion detection system and the perfect normal processes. In this algorithm, we use the average information entropy (AIE) of fixed-length observed sequence as the anomaly detection metric based on maximum entropy principle (MEP). To improve accuracy, the segmental K-means algorithm is applied as training algorithm for the HSMM. By comparing the accurate rate with the experimental results of previous research, it shows that our method can perform a more accurate detection. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Cao's work shows that, by defining an α-dependent equivalent infinitesimal generator Aα, a semi-Markov decision process (SMDP) with both average- and discounted-cost criteria can be treated as an α-equivalent Markov decision process (MDP), and the performance potential theory can also be developed for SMDPs. In this work, we focus on establishing error bounds for potential and Aα-based iterative optimization methods. First, we introduce an α-uniformized Markov chain (UMC) for a SMDP via Aα and a uniformized parameter, and show their relations. Especially, we obtain that their performance potentials, as solutions of corresponding Poisson equations, are proportional, so that the studies of a SMDP and the α-UMC based on potentials are unified. Using these relations, we derive the error bounds for a potential-based policy-iteration algorithm and a value-iteration algorithm, respectively, when there exist various calculation errors. The obtained results can be applied directly to the special models, i.e., continuous-time MDPs and Markov chains, and can be extended to some simulation-based optimization methods such as reinforcement learning and neuro-dynamic programming, where estimation errors or approximation errors are common cases. Finally, we give an application example on the look-ahead control of a conveyor-serviced production station (CSPS), and show the corresponding error bounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]