OpenRaiser/Intern-Atlas huggingface dataset:
Cross-Modal Retrieval Meets Inference:Improving Zero-Shot Classification with Cross-Modal Retrieval
Venue: arXiv cs.CV 2023
Year: 2023

Contrastive language-image pre-training (CLIP) has demonstrated remarkable zero-shot classification ability, namely image classification using novel text labels. Existing works have attempted to enhance CLIP by fine-tuning on downstream tasks, but these have inadvertently led to performance degradation on unseen classes, thus harming zero-shot generalization. This paper aims to address this challenge by leveraging readily available image-text pairs from an external dataset for cross-modal guidance during inference. To this end, we propose X-MoRe, a novel inference method comprising two key steps: (1) cross-modal retrieval and (2) modal-confidence-based ensemble. Given a query image, we harness the power of CLIP's cross-modal representations to retrieve relevant textual information from an external image-text pair dataset. Then, we assign higher weights to the more reliable modality between the original query image and retrieved text, contributing to the final prediction. X-MoRe demonstrates robust performance across a diverse set of tasks without the need for additional training, showcasing the effectiveness of utilizing cross-modal features to maximize CLIP's zero-shot ability.
Understanding the Privacy Risks of Popular Search Engine Advertising Systems
Venue: arXiv cs.CY 2023
Year: 2023

We present the first extensive measurement of the privacy properties of the advertising systems used by privacy-focused search engines. We propose an automated methodology to study the impact of clicking on search ads on three popular private search engines which have advertising-based business models: StartPage, Qwant, and DuckDuckGo, and we compare them to two dominant data-harvesting ones: Google and Bing. We investigate the possibility of third parties tracking users when clicking on ads by analyzing first-party storage, redirection domain paths, and requests sent before, when, and after the clicks. Our results show that privacy-focused search engines fail to protect users' privacy when clicking ads. Users' requests are sent through redirectors on 4% of ad clicks on Bing, 86% of ad clicks on Qwant, and 100% of ad clicks on Google, DuckDuckGo, and StartPage. Even worse, advertising systems collude with advertisers across all search engines by passing unique IDs to advertisers in most ad clicks. These IDs allow redirectors to aggregate users' activity on ads' destination websites in addition to the activity they record when users are redirected through them. Overall, we observe that both privacy-focused and traditional search engines engage in privacy-harming behaviors allowing cross-site tracking, even in privacy-enhanced browsers.
Longest-chain Attacks: Difficulty Adjustment and Timestamp Verifiability
Venue: arXiv cs.CR 2023
Year: 2023

We study an adversary who attacks a Proof-of-Work (POW) blockchain by selfishly constructing an alternative longest chain. We characterize optimal strategies employed by the adversary when a difficulty adjustment rule alà Bitcoin applies. As time (namely the times-tamp specified in each block) in most permissionless POW blockchains is somewhat subjective, we focus on two extreme scenarios: when time is completely verifiable, and when it is completely unverifiable. We conclude that an adversary who faces a difficulty adjustment rule will find a longest-chain attack very challenging when timestamps are verifiable. POW blockchains with frequent difficulty adjustments relative to time reporting flexibility will be substantially more vulnerable to longest-chain attacks. Our main fining provides guidance on the design of difficulty adjustment rules and demonstrates the importance of timestamp verifiability.
Practice of Alibaba Cloud on Elastic Resource Provisioning for Large-scale Microservices Cluster
Venue: arXiv cs.DC 2023
Year: 2023

Cloud-native architecture is becoming increasingly crucial for today's cloud computing environments due to the need for speed and flexibility in developing applications. It utilizes microservice technology to break down traditional monolithic applications into light-weight and self-contained microservice components. However, as microservices grow in scale and have dynamic inter-dependencies, they also pose new challenges in resource provisioning that cannot be fully addressed by traditional resource scheduling approaches. The various microservices with different resource needs and latency requirements can create complex calling chains, making it difficult to provide fine-grained and accurate resource allocation to each component while maintaining the overall quality of service in the chain. In this work, we aim to address the research problem on how to efficiently provision resources for the growing scale of microservice platform and ensure the performance of latency-critical microservices. To address the problem, we present in-depth analyses of Alibaba's microservice cluster and propose optimized resource provisioning algorithms to enhance resource utilization while ensuring the latency requirement. First, we analyze the distinct features of microservices in Alibaba's cluster compared to traditional applications. Then we present Alibaba's resource capacity provisioning workflow and framework to address challenges in resource provisioning for large-scale and latency-critical microservice clusters. Finally, we propose enhanced resource provisioning algorithms over Alibaba's current practice by making both proactive and reactive scheduling decisions based on different workloads patterns, which can improve resource usage by 10-15% in Alibaba's clusters, while maintaining the necessary latency for microservices.
Imperceptible Adversarial Attack on Deep Neural Networks from Image Boundary
Venue: arXiv cs.LG 2023
Year: 2023

Although Deep Neural Networks (DNNs), such as the convolutional neural networks (CNN) and Vision Transformers (ViTs), have been successfully applied in the field of computer vision, they are demonstrated to be vulnerable to well-sought Adversarial Examples (AEs) that can easily fool the DNNs. The research in AEs has been active, and many adversarial attacks and explanations have been proposed since they were discovered in 2014. The mystery of the AE's existence is still an open question, and many studies suggest that DNN training algorithms have blind spots. The salient objects usually do not overlap with boundaries; hence, the boundaries are not the DNN model's attention. Nevertheless, recent studies show that the boundaries can dominate the behavior of the DNN models. Hence, this study aims to look at the AEs from a different perspective and proposes an imperceptible adversarial attack that systemically attacks the input image boundary for finding the AEs. The experimental results have shown that the proposed boundary attacking method effectively attacks six CNN models and the ViT using only 32% of the input image content (from the boundaries) with an average success rate (SR) of 95.2% and an average peak signal-to-noise ratio of 41.37 dB. Correlation analyses are conducted, including the relation between the adversarial boundary's width and the SR and how the adversarial boundary changes the DNN model's attention. This paper's discoveries can potentially advance the understanding of AEs and provide a different perspective on how AEs can be constructed.
IndGIC: Supervised Action Recognition under Low Illumination
Venue: arXiv cs.CV 2023
Year: 2023

Technologies of human action recognition in the dark are gaining more and more attention as huge demand in surveillance, motion control and human-computer interaction. However, because of limitation in image enhancement method and low-lighting video datasets, e.g. labeling cost, existing methods meet some problems. Some video-based approached are effect and efficient in specific datasets but cannot generalize to most cases while others methods using multiple sensors rely heavily to prior knowledge to deal with noisy nature from video stream. In this paper, we proposes action recognition method using deep multi-input network. Furthermore, we proposed a Independent Gamma Intensity Corretion (Ind-GIC) to enhance poor-illumination video, generating one gamma for one frame to increase enhancement performance. To prove our method is effective, there is some evaluation and comparison between our method and existing methods. Experimental results show that our model achieves high accuracy in on ARID dataset.
Lie-Poisson Neural Networks (LPNets): Data-Based Computing of Hamiltonian Systems with Symmetries
Venue: arXiv cs.LG 2023
Year: 2023

An accurate data-based prediction of the long-term evolution of Hamiltonian systems requires a network that preserves the appropriate structure under each time step. Every Hamiltonian system contains two essential ingredients: the Poisson bracket and the Hamiltonian. Hamiltonian systems with symmetries, whose paradigm examples are the Lie-Poisson systems, have been shown to describe a broad category of physical phenomena, from satellite motion to underwater vehicles, fluids, geophysical applications, complex fluids, and plasma physics. The Poisson bracket in these systems comes from the symmetries, while the Hamiltonian comes from the underlying physics. We view the symmetry of the system as primary, hence the Lie-Poisson bracket is known exactly, whereas the Hamiltonian is regarded as coming from physics and is considered not known, or known approximately. Using this approach, we develop a network based on transformations that exactly preserve the Poisson bracket and the special functions of the Lie-Poisson systems (Casimirs) to machine precision. We present two flavors of such systems: one, where the parameters of transformations are computed from data using a dense neural network (LPNets), and another, where the composition of transformations is used as building blocks (G-LPNets). We also show how to adapt these methods to a larger class of Poisson brackets. We apply the resulting methods to several examples, such as rigid body (satellite) motion, underwater vehicles, a particle in a magnetic field, and others. The methods developed in this paper are important for the construction of accurate data-based methods for simulating the long-term dynamics of physical systems.
Detect, Augment, Compose, and Adapt: Four Steps for Unsupervised Domain Adaptation in Object Detection
Venue: arXiv cs.CV 2023
Year: 2023

Unsupervised domain adaptation (UDA) plays a crucial role in object detection when adapting a source-trained detector to a target domain without annotated data. In this paper, we propose a novel and effective four-step UDA approach that leverages self-supervision and trains source and target data concurrently. We harness self-supervised learning to mitigate the lack of ground truth in the target domain. Our method consists of the following steps: (1) identify the region with the highest-confidence set of detections in each target image, which serve as our pseudo-labels; (2) crop the identified region and generate a collection of its augmented versions; (3) combine these latter into a composite image; (4) adapt the network to the target domain using the composed image. Through extensive experiments under cross-camera, cross-weather, and synthetic-to-real scenarios, our approach achieves state-of-the-art performance, improving upon the nearest competitor by more than 2% in terms of mean Average Precision (mAP). The code is available at https://github.com/MohamedTEV/DACA.
Bayesian Integration of Information Using Top-Down Modulated WTA Networks
Venue: arXiv cs.AI 2023
Year: 2023

Winner Take All (WTA) circuits a type of Spiking Neural Networks (SNN) have been suggested as facilitating the brain's ability to process information in a Bayesian manner. Research has shown that WTA circuits are capable of approximating hierarchical Bayesian models via Expectation Maximization (EM). So far, research in this direction has focused on bottom up processes. This is contrary to neuroscientific evidence that shows that, besides bottom up processes, top down processes too play a key role in information processing by the human brain. Several functions ascribed to top down processes include direction of attention, adjusting for expectations, facilitation of encoding and recall of learned information, and imagery. This paper explores whether WTA circuits are suitable for further integrating information represented in separate WTA networks. Furthermore, it explores whether, and under what circumstances, top down processes can improve WTA network performance with respect to inference and learning. The results show that WTA circuits are capable of integrating the probabilistic information represented by other WTA networks, and that top down processes can improve a WTA network's inference and learning performance. Notably, it is able to do this according to key neuromorphic principles, making it ideal for low-latency and energy efficient implementation on neuromorphic hardware.
Sampling for Remote Estimation of an Ornstein-Uhlenbeck Process through Channel with Unknown Delay Statistics
Venue: arXiv cs.IT 2023
Year: 2023

In this paper, we consider sampling an Ornstein-Uhlenbeck (OU) process through a channel for remote estimation. The goal is to minimize the mean square error (MSE) at the estimator under a sampling frequency constraint when the channel delay statistics is unknown. Sampling for MSE minimization is reformulated into an optimal stopping problem. By revisiting the threshold structure of the optimal stopping policy when the delay statistics is known, we propose an online sampling algorithm to learn the optimum threshold using stochastic approximation algorithm and the virtual queue method. We prove that with probability 1, the MSE of the proposed online algorithm converges to the minimum MSE that is achieved when the channel delay statistics is known. The cumulative MSE gap of our proposed algorithm compared with the minimum MSE up to the $(k+1)$-th sample grows with rate at most $\mathcal{O}(\ln k)$. Our proposed online algorithm can satisfy the sampling frequency constraint theoretically. Finally, simulation results are provided to demonstrate the performance of the proposed algorithm.
A Review of Differentiable Digital Signal Processing for Music & Speech Synthesis
Venue: arXiv cs.SD 2023
Year: 2023

The term "differentiable digital signal processing" describes a family of techniques in which loss function gradients are backpropagated through digital signal processors, facilitating their integration into neural networks. This article surveys the literature on differentiable audio signal processing, focusing on its use in music & speech synthesis. We catalogue applications to tasks including music performance rendering, sound matching, and voice transformation, discussing the motivations for and implications of the use of this methodology. This is accompanied by an overview of digital signal processing operations that have been implemented differentiably. Finally, we highlight open challenges, including optimisation pathologies, robustness to real-world conditions, and design trade-offs, and discuss directions for future research.
PEM: Representing Binary Program Semantics for Similarity Analysis via a Probabilistic Execution Model
Venue: arXiv cs.SE 2023
Year: 2023

Binary similarity analysis determines if two binary executables are from the same source program. Existing techniques leverage static and dynamic program features and may utilize advanced Deep Learning techniques. Although they have demonstrated great potential, the community believes that a more effective representation of program semantics can further improve similarity analysis. In this paper, we propose a new method to represent binary program semantics. It is based on a novel probabilistic execution engine that can effectively sample the input space and the program path space of subject binaries. More importantly, it ensures that the collected samples are comparable across binaries, addressing the substantial variations of input specifications. Our evaluation on 9 real-world projects with 35k functions, and comparison with 6 state-of-the-art techniques show that PEM can achieve a precision of 96% with common settings, outperforming the baselines by 10-20%.
A Comparative Study of Loss Functions: Traffic Predictions in Regular and Congestion Scenarios
Venue: arXiv cs.LG 2023
Year: 2023

Spatiotemporal graph neural networks have achieved state-of-the-art performance in traffic forecasting. However, they often struggle to forecast congestion accurately due to the limitations of traditional loss functions. While accurate forecasting of regular traffic conditions is crucial, a reliable AI system must also accurately forecast congestion scenarios to maintain safe and efficient transportation. In this paper, we explore various loss functions inspired by heavy tail analysis and imbalanced classification problems to address this issue. We evaluate the efficacy of these loss functions in forecasting traffic speed, with an emphasis on congestion scenarios. Through extensive experiments on real-world traffic datasets, we discovered that when optimizing for Mean Absolute Error (MAE), the MAE-Focal Loss function stands out as the most effective. When optimizing Mean Squared Error (MSE), Gumbel Loss proves to be the superior choice. These choices effectively forecast traffic congestion events without compromising the accuracy of regular traffic speed forecasts. This research enhances deep learning models' capabilities in forecasting sudden speed changes due to congestion and underscores the need for more research in this direction. By elevating the accuracy of congestion forecasting, we advocate for AI systems that are reliable, secure, and resilient in practical traffic management scenarios.
Chunked Lists versus Extensible Arrays for Text Inversion
Venue: arXiv cs.IR 2023
Year: 2023

In our 2017 work on in-memory list-based text inversion [Hawking and Billerbeck. Efficient In-Memory, List-Based Text Inversion. ADCS 2017] we compared memory use and indexing speed of a considerable number of variants of chunked linked lists. In the present work we compare the best performing of those variants (FBB - dynamic Fibonacci chunking) with the extensible SQ array technique (SQA) presented in [Moffat and Mackenzie. Immediate-Access Indexing Using Space-Efficient Extensible Arrays. ADCS 2023].
Document AI: A Comparative Study of Transformer-Based, Graph-Based Models, and Convolutional Neural Networks For Document Layout Analysis
Venue: arXiv cs.CL 2023
Year: 2023

Document AI aims to automatically analyze documents by leveraging natural language processing and computer vision techniques. One of the major tasks of Document AI is document layout analysis, which structures document pages by interpreting the content and spatial relationships of layout, image, and text. This task can be image-centric, wherein the aim is to identify and label various regions such as authors and paragraphs, or text-centric, where the focus is on classifying individual words in a document. Although there are increasingly sophisticated methods for improving layout analysis, doubts remain about the extent to which their findings can be generalized to a broader context. Specifically, prior work developed systems based on very different architectures, such as transformer-based, graph-based, and CNNs. However, no work has mentioned the effectiveness of these models in a comparative analysis. Moreover, while language-independent Document AI models capable of knowledge transfer have been developed, it remains to be investigated to what degree they can effectively transfer knowledge. In this study, we aim to fill these gaps by conducting a comparative evaluation of state-of-the-art models in document layout analysis and investigating the potential of cross-lingual layout analysis by utilizing machine translation techniques.
Adversarial Style Transfer for Robust Policy Optimization in Deep Reinforcement Learning
Venue: arXiv cs.LG 2023
Year: 2023

This paper proposes an algorithm that aims to improve generalization for reinforcement learning agents by removing overfitting to confounding features. Our approach consists of a max-min game theoretic objective. A generator transfers the style of observation during reinforcement learning. An additional goal of the generator is to perturb the observation, which maximizes the agent's probability of taking a different action. In contrast, a policy network updates its parameters to minimize the effect of such perturbations, thus staying robust while maximizing the expected future reward. Based on this setup, we propose a practical deep reinforcement learning algorithm, Adversarial Robust Policy Optimization (ARPO), to find a robust policy that generalizes to unseen environments. We evaluate our approach on Procgen and Distracting Control Suite for generalization and sample efficiency. Empirically, ARPO shows improved performance compared to a few baseline algorithms, including data augmentation.
A Pseudo-Boolean Polynomials Approach for Image Edge Detection
Venue: arXiv cs.CV 2023
Year: 2023

We introduce a novel approach for image edge detection based on pseudo-Boolean polynomials for image patches. We show that patches covering edge regions in the image result in pseudo-Boolean polynomials with higher degrees compared to patches that cover blob regions. The proposed approach is based on reduction of polynomial degree and equivalence properties of penalty-based pseudo-Boolean polynomials.
Benchmarks for Detecting Measurement Tampering
Venue: arXiv cs.LG 2023
Year: 2023

When training powerful AI systems to perform complex tasks, it may be challenging to provide training signals which are robust to optimization. One concern is \textit{measurement tampering}, where the AI system manipulates multiple measurements to create the illusion of good results instead of achieving the desired outcome. In this work, we build four new text-based datasets to evaluate measurement tampering detection techniques on large language models. Concretely, given sets of text inputs and measurements aimed at determining if some outcome occurred, as well as a base model able to accurately predict measurements, the goal is to determine if examples where all measurements indicate the outcome occurred actually had the outcome occur, or if this was caused by measurement tampering. We demonstrate techniques that outperform simple baselines on most datasets, but don't achieve maximum performance. We believe there is significant room for improvement for both techniques and datasets, and we are excited for future work tackling measurement tampering.
Interactively Robot Action Planning with Uncertainty Analysis and Active Questioning by Large Language Model
Venue: arXiv cs.RO 2023
Year: 2023

The application of the Large Language Model (LLM) to robot action planning has been actively studied. The instructions given to the LLM by natural language may include ambiguity and lack of information depending on the task context. It is possible to adjust the output of LLM by making the instruction input more detailed; however, the design cost is high. In this paper, we propose the interactive robot action planning method that allows the LLM to analyze and gather missing information by asking questions to humans. The method can minimize the design cost of generating precise robot instructions. We demonstrated the effectiveness of our method through concrete examples in cooking tasks. However, our experiments also revealed challenges in robot action planning with LLM, such as asking unimportant questions and assuming crucial information without asking. Shedding light on these issues provides valuable insights for future research on utilizing LLM for robotics.