OpenRaiser/Intern-Atlas huggingface dataset:
Self Regulated Learning Mechanism for Data Efficient Knowledge Distillation
Venue: arXiv cs.LG 2021
Year: 2021

Existing methods for distillation do not efficiently utilize the training data. This work presents a novel approach to perform distillation using only a subset of the training data, making it more data-efficient. For this purpose, the training of the teacher model is modified to include self-regulation wherein a sample in the training set is used for updating model parameters in the backward pass either if it is misclassified or the model is not confident enough in its prediction. This modification restricts the participation of samples, unlike the conventional training method. The number of times a sample participates in the self-regulated training process is a measure of its significance towards the model's knowledge. The significance values are used to weigh the losses incurred on the corresponding samples in the distillation process. This method is named significance-based distillation. Two other methods are proposed for comparison where the student model learns by distillation and incorporating self-regulation as the teacher model, either utilizing the significance information computed during the teacher's training or not. These methods are named hybrid and regulated distillations, respectively. Experiments on benchmark datasets show that the proposed methods achieve similar performance as other state-of-the-art methods for knowledge distillation while utilizing a significantly less number of samples.
A novel key pre-distribution scheme based on $μ$-PBIBD combinatorial design in the resource-constrained IoT network
Venue: arXiv cs.CR 2021
Year: 2021

In a resource-constrained IoT network, end nodes like WSN, RFID, and embedded systems are used which have memory, processing, and energy limitations. One of the key distribution solutions in these types of networks is to use the key pre-distribution scheme, which accomplishes the key distribution operation offline before the resource-constrained devices deployment in the environment. Also, in order to reduce the shared key discovery computing and communication overhead, the use of combinatorial design in key pre-distribution has been proposed as a solution in recent years. In this study, a $μ$-PBIBD combinatorial design is introduced and constructed and the mapping of such design as a key pre-distribution scheme in the resource-constrained IoT network is explained. Through using such key pre-distribution scheme, more keys are obtained for communication between two devices in the IoT network. This means that there will be a maximum of q + 2 keys between the two devices in the network, where q is the prime power, that is, instead of having a common key for a direct secure connection, the two devices can have q + 2 common keys in their key chain. Accordingly, we would increase the resilience of the key pre-distribution scheme compared to the SBIBD, TD, Trade-KP, UKP *, RD * and 2-D $μ$-PBIBD designs. Keywords: resource-constrained IoT network; combinatorial design; $μ$-PBIBD; resilience.
Perceptually Constrained Adversarial Attacks
Venue: arXiv cs.LG 2021
Year: 2021

Motivated by previous observations that the usually applied $L_p$ norms ($p=1,2,\infty$) do not capture the perceptual quality of adversarial examples in image classification, we propose to replace these norms with the structural similarity index (SSIM) measure, which was developed originally to measure the perceptual similarity of images. Through extensive experiments with adversarially trained classifiers for MNIST and CIFAR-10, we demonstrate that our SSIM-constrained adversarial attacks can break state-of-the-art adversarially trained classifiers and achieve similar or larger success rate than the elastic net attack, while consistently providing adversarial images of better perceptual quality. Utilizing SSIM to automatically identify and disallow adversarial images of low quality, we evaluate the performance of several defense schemes in a perceptually much more meaningful way than was done previously in the literature.
Distillation based Multi-task Learning: A Candidate Generation Model for Improving Reading Duration
Venue: arXiv cs.IR 2021
Year: 2021

In feeds recommendation, the first step is candidate generation. Most of the candidate generation models are based on CTR estimation, which do not consider user's satisfaction with the clicked item. Items with low quality but attractive title (i.e., click baits) may be recommended to the user, which worsens the user experience. One solution to this problem is to model the click and the reading duration simultaneously under the multi-task learning (MTL) framework. There are two challenges in the modeling. The first one is how to deal with the zero duration of the negative samples, which does not necessarily indicate dislikes. The second one is how to perform multi-task learning in the candidate generation model with double tower structure that can only model one single task. In this paper, we propose an distillation based multi-task learning (DMTL) approach to tackle these two challenges. We model duration by considering its dependency of click in the MTL, and then transfer the knowledge learned from the MTL teacher model to the student candidate generation model by distillation. Experiments conducted on dataset gathered from traffic logs of Tencent Kandian's recommender system show that the proposed approach outperforms the competitors significantly in modeling duration, which demonstrates the effectiveness of the proposed candidate generation model.
Adversarial Attack on Network Embeddings via Supervised Network Poisoning
Venue: arXiv cs.LG 2021
Year: 2021

Learning low-level node embeddings using techniques from network representation learning is useful for solving downstream tasks such as node classification and link prediction. An important consideration in such applications is the robustness of the embedding algorithms against adversarial attacks, which can be examined by performing perturbation on the original network. An efficient perturbation technique can degrade the performance of network embeddings on downstream tasks. In this paper, we study network embedding algorithms from an adversarial point of view and observe the effect of poisoning the network on downstream tasks. We propose VIKING, a supervised network poisoning strategy that outperforms the state-of-the-art poisoning methods by upto 18% on the original network structure. We also extend VIKING to a semi-supervised attack setting and show that it is comparable to its supervised counterpart.
Corrective Shared Autonomy for Addressing Task Variability
Venue: arXiv cs.RO 2021
Year: 2021

Many tasks, particularly those involving interaction with the environment, are characterized by high variability, making robotic autonomy difficult. One flexible solution is to introduce the input of a human with superior experience and cognitive abilities as part of a shared autonomy policy. However, current methods for shared autonomy are not designed to address the wide range of necessary corrections (e.g., positions, forces, execution rate, etc.) that the user may need to provide to address task variability. In this paper, we present corrective shared autonomy, where users provide corrections to key robot state variables on top of an otherwise autonomous task model. We provide an instantiation of this shared autonomy paradigm and demonstrate its viability and benefits such as low user effort and physical demand via a system-level user study on three tasks involving variability situated in aircraft manufacturing.
A note on VNP-completeness and border complexity
Venue: arXiv cs.CC 2021
Year: 2021

In 1979 Valiant introduced the complexity class VNP of p-definable families of polynomials, he defined the reduction notion known as p-projection and he proved that the permanent polynomial and the Hamiltonian cycle polynomial are VNP-complete under p-projections. In 2001 Mulmuley and Sohoni (and independently Bürgisser) introduced the notion of border complexity to the study of the algebraic complexity of polynomials. In this algebraic machine model, instead of insisting on exact computation, approximations are allowed. This gives VNP the structure of a topological space. In this short note we study the set VNPC of VNP-complete polynomials. We show that the complement VNP \ VNPC lies dense in VNP. Quite surprisingly, we also prove that VNPC lies dense in VNP. We prove analogous statements for the complexity classes VF, VBP, and VP. The density of VNP \ VNPC holds for several different reduction notions: p-projections, border p-projections, c-reductions, and border c-reductions. We compare the relationship of the completeness notions under these reductions and separate most of the corresponding sets. Border reduction notions were introduced by Bringmann, Ikenmeyer, and Zuiddam (JACM 2018). Our paper is the first structured study of border reduction notions.
Distribution Free Uncertainty for the Minimum Norm Solution of Over-parameterized Linear Regression
Venue: arXiv cs.LG 2021
Year: 2021

A fundamental principle of learning theory is that there is a trade-off between the complexity of a prediction rule and its ability to generalize. Modern machine learning models do not obey this paradigm: They produce an accurate prediction even with a perfect fit to the training set. We investigate over-parameterized linear regression models focusing on the minimum norm solution: This is the solution with the minimal norm that attains a perfect fit to the training set. We utilize the recently proposed predictive normalized maximum likelihood (pNML) learner which is the min-max regret solution for the distribution-free setting. We derive an upper bound of this min-max regret which is associated with the prediction uncertainty. We show that if the test sample lies mostly in a subspace spanned by the eigenvectors associated with the large eigenvalues of the empirical correlation matrix of the training data, the model generalizes despite its over-parameterized nature. We demonstrate the use of the pNML regret as a point-wise learnability measure on synthetic data and successfully observe the double-decent phenomenon of the over-parameterized models on UCI datasets.
Improved Bengali Image Captioning via deep convolutional neural network based encoder-decoder model
Venue: arXiv cs.CV 2021
Year: 2021

Image Captioning is an arduous task of producing syntactically and semantically correct textual descriptions of an image in natural language with context related to the image. Existing notable pieces of research in Bengali Image Captioning (BIC) are based on encoder-decoder architecture. This paper presents an end-to-end image captioning system utilizing a multimodal architecture by combining a one-dimensional convolutional neural network (CNN) to encode sequence information with a pre-trained ResNet-50 model image encoder for extracting region-based visual features. We investigate our approach's performance on the BanglaLekhaImageCaptions dataset using the existing evaluation metrics and perform a human evaluation for qualitative analysis. Experiments show that our approach's language encoder captures the fine-grained information in the caption, and combined with the image features, it generates accurate and diversified caption. Our work outperforms all the existing BIC works and achieves a new state-of-the-art (SOTA) performance by scoring 0.651 on BLUE-1, 0.572 on CIDEr, 0.297 on METEOR, 0.434 on ROUGE, and 0.357 on SPICE.
Why Talking about ethics is not enough: a proposal for Fintech's AI ethics
Venue: arXiv cs.AI 2021
Year: 2021

As the potential applications of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the financial sector increases, ethical issues become gradually latent. The distrust of individuals, social groups, and governments about the risks arising from Fintech's activities is growing. Due to this scenario, the preparation of recommendations and Ethics Guidelines is increasing and the risks of being chosen the principles and ethical values most appropriate to companies are high. Thus, this exploratory research aims to analyze the benefits of the application of the stakeholder theory and the idea of Social License to build an environment of trust and for the realization of ethical principles by Fintech. The formation of a Fintech association for the creation of a Social License will allow early-stage Fintech to participate from the beginning of its activities in the elaboration of a dynamic ethical code and with the participation of stakeholders.
Thank you for Attention: A survey on Attention-based Artificial Neural Networks for Automatic Speech Recognition
Venue: arXiv cs.SD 2021
Year: 2021

Attention is a very popular and effective mechanism in artificial neural network-based sequence-to-sequence models. In this survey paper, a comprehensive review of the different attention models used in developing automatic speech recognition systems is provided. The paper focuses on the development and evolution of attention models for offline and streaming speech recognition within recurrent neural network- and Transformer- based architectures.
PCM-trace: Scalable Synaptic Eligibility Traces with Resistivity Drift of Phase-Change Materials
Venue: arXiv cs.ET 2021
Year: 2021

Dedicated hardware implementations of spiking neural networks that combine the advantages of mixed-signal neuromorphic circuits with those of emerging memory technologies have the potential of enabling ultra-low power pervasive sensory processing. To endow these systems with additional flexibility and the ability to learn to solve specific tasks, it is important to develop appropriate on-chip learning mechanisms.Recently, a new class of three-factor spike-based learning rules have been proposed that can solve the temporal credit assignment problem and approximate the error back-propagation algorithm on complex tasks. However, the efficient implementation of these rules on hybrid CMOS/memristive architectures is still an open challenge. Here we present a new neuromorphic building block,called PCM-trace, which exploits the drift behavior of phase-change materials to implement long lasting eligibility traces, a critical ingredient of three-factor learning rules. We demonstrate how the proposed approach improves the area efficiency by >10X compared to existing solutions and demonstrates a techno-logically plausible learning algorithm supported by experimental data from device measurements
Confidence-Aware Learning Assistant
Venue: arXiv cs.HC 2021
Year: 2021

Not only correctness but also self-confidence play an important role in improving the quality of knowledge. Undesirable situations such as confident incorrect and unconfident correct knowledge prevent learners from revising their knowledge because it is not always easy for them to perceive the situations. To solve this problem, we propose a system that estimates self-confidence while solving multiple-choice questions by eye tracking and gives feedback about which question should be reviewed carefully. We report the results of three studies measuring its effectiveness. (1) On a well-controlled dataset with 10 participants, our approach detected confidence and unconfidence with 81% and 79% average precision. (2) With the help of 20 participants, we observed that correct answer rates of questions were increased by 14% and 17% by giving feedback about correct answers without confidence and incorrect answers with confidence, respectively. (3) We conducted a large-scale data recording in a private school (72 high school students solved 14,302 questions) to investigate effective features and the number of required training samples.
Field Evaluations of A Deep Learning-based Intelligent Spraying Robot with Flow Control for Pear Orchards
Venue: arXiv cs.RO 2021
Year: 2021

This paper proposes a variable flow control system in real time with deep learning using the segmentation of fruit trees in a pear orchard. The flow rate control in real time, undesired pressure fluctuation and theoretical modeling may differ from those in the real world. Therefore, two types of preliminary experiments were designed to examine the linear relationship of the flow rate modeling. Through a preliminary experiment, the parameters of the pulse width modulation (PWM) controller were optimized, and an actual field experiment was conducted to confirm the performance of the variable flow rate control system. As a result of the field experiment, the performance of the proposed system was satisfactory, as it showed that it could reduce pesticide use and the risk of pesticide exposure. Especially, since the field experiment was conducted in an unstructured environment, the proposed variable flow control system is expected to be sufficiently applicable to other orchards.
A Further Note on an Innovations Approach to Viterbi Decoding of Convolutional Codes
Venue: arXiv cs.IT 2021
Year: 2021

In this paper, we show that the soft-decision input to the main decoder in an SST Viterbi decoder is regarded as the innovation as well from the viewpoint of mutual information and mean-square error. It is assumed that a code sequence is transmitted symbol by symbol over an AWGN channel using BPSK modulation. Then we can consider the signal model, where the signal is composed of the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and the equiprobable binary input. By assuming that the soft-decision input to the main decoder is the innovation, we show that the minimum mean-square error (MMSE) in estimating the binary input is expressed in terms of the distribution of the encoded block for the main decoder. It is shown that the obtained MMSE satisfies indirectly the known relation between the mutual information and the MMSE in Gaussian channels. Thus the derived MMSE is justified, which in turn implies that the soft-decision input to the main decoder can be regarded as the innovation. Moreover, we see that the input-output mutual information is connected with the distribution of the encoded block for the main decoder.
AI Ethics Needs Good Data
Venue: arXiv cs.AI 2021
Year: 2021

In this chapter we argue that discourses on AI must transcend the language of 'ethics' and engage with power and political economy in order to constitute 'Good Data'. In particular, we must move beyond the depoliticised language of 'ethics' currently deployed (Wagner 2018) in determining whether AI is 'good' given the limitations of ethics as a frame through which AI issues can be viewed. In order to circumvent these limits, we use instead the language and conceptualisation of 'Good Data', as a more expansive term to elucidate the values, rights and interests at stake when it comes to AI's development and deployment, as well as that of other digital technologies. Good Data considerations move beyond recurring themes of data protection/privacy and the FAT (fairness, transparency and accountability) movement to include explicit political economy critiques of power. Instead of yet more ethics principles (that tend to say the same or similar things anyway), we offer four 'pillars' on which Good Data AI can be built: community, rights, usability and politics. Overall we view AI's 'goodness' as an explicly political (economy) question of power and one which is always related to the degree which AI is created and used to increase the wellbeing of society and especially to increase the power of the most marginalized and disenfranchised. We offer recommendations and remedies towards implementing 'better' approaches towards AI. Our strategies enable a different (but complementary) kind of evaluation of AI as part of the broader socio-technical systems in which AI is built and deployed.
Capturing Detailed Deformations of Moving Human Bodies
Venue: arXiv cs.CV 2021
Year: 2021

We present a new method to capture detailed human motion, sampling more than 1000 unique points on the body. Our method outputs highly accurate 4D (spatio-temporal) point coordinates and, crucially, automatically assigns a unique label to each of the points. The locations and unique labels of the points are inferred from individual 2D input images only, without relying on temporal tracking or any human body shape or skeletal kinematics models. Therefore, our captured point trajectories contain all of the details from the input images, including motion due to breathing, muscle contractions and flesh deformation, and are well suited to be used as training data to fit advanced models of the human body and its motion. The key idea behind our system is a new type of motion capture suit which contains a special pattern with checkerboard-like corners and two-letter codes. The images from our multi-camera system are processed by a sequence of neural networks which are trained to localize the corners and recognize the codes, while being robust to suit stretching and self-occlusions of the body. Our system relies only on standard RGB or monochrome sensors and fully passive lighting and the passive suit, making our method easy to replicate, deploy and use. Our experiments demonstrate highly accurate captures of a wide variety of human poses, including challenging motions such as yoga, gymnastics, or rolling on the ground.
QuickBrowser: A Unified Model to Detect and Read Simple Object in Real-time
Venue: arXiv cs.CV 2021
Year: 2021

There are many real-life use cases such as barcode scanning or billboard reading where people need to detect objects and read the object contents. Commonly existing methods are first trying to localize object regions, then determine layout and lastly classify content units. However, for simple fixed structured objects like license plates, this approach becomes overkill and lengthy to run. This work aims to solve this detect-and-read problem in a lightweight way by integrating multi-digit recognition into a one-stage object detection model. Our unified method not only eliminates the duplication in feature extraction (one for localizing, one again for classifying) but also provides useful contextual information around object regions for classification. Additionally, our choice of backbones and modifications in architecture, loss function, data augmentation and training make the method robust, efficient and speedy. Secondly, we made a public benchmark dataset of diverse real-life 1D barcodes for a reliable evaluation, which we collected, annotated and checked carefully. Eventually, experimental results prove the method's efficiency on the barcode problem by outperforming industrial tools in both detecting and decoding rates with a real-time fps at a VGA-similar resolution. It also did a great job expectedly on the license-plate recognition task (on the AOLP dataset) by outperforming the current state-of-the-art method significantly in terms of recognition rate and inference time.