OpenRaiser/Intern-Atlas huggingface dataset:
RSBuilding: Towards General Remote Sensing Image Building Extraction and Change Detection with Foundation Model
Venue: arXiv cs.CV 2024
Year: 2024

The intelligent interpretation of buildings plays a significant role in urban planning and management, macroeconomic analysis, population dynamics, etc. Remote sensing image building interpretation primarily encompasses building extraction and change detection. However, current methodologies often treat these two tasks as separate entities, thereby failing to leverage shared knowledge. Moreover, the complexity and diversity of remote sensing image scenes pose additional challenges, as most algorithms are designed to model individual small datasets, thus lacking cross-scene generalization. In this paper, we propose a comprehensive remote sensing image building understanding model, termed RSBuilding, developed from the perspective of the foundation model. RSBuilding is designed to enhance cross-scene generalization and task universality. Specifically, we extract image features based on the prior knowledge of the foundation model and devise a multi-level feature sampler to augment scale information. To unify task representation and integrate image spatiotemporal clues, we introduce a cross-attention decoder with task prompts. Addressing the current shortage of datasets that incorporate annotations for both tasks, we have developed a federated training strategy to facilitate smooth model convergence even when supervision for some tasks is missing, thereby bolstering the complementarity of different tasks. Our model was trained on a dataset comprising up to 245,000 images and validated on multiple building extraction and change detection datasets. The experimental results substantiate that RSBuilding can concurrently handle two structurally distinct tasks and exhibits robust zero-shot generalization capabilities.
Multiple Latent Space Mapping for Compressed Dark Image Enhancement
Venue: arXiv cs.CV 2024
Year: 2024

Dark image enhancement aims at converting dark images to normal-light images. Existing dark image enhancement methods take uncompressed dark images as inputs and achieve great performance. However, in practice, dark images are often compressed before storage or transmission over the Internet. Current methods get poor performance when processing compressed dark images. Artifacts hidden in the dark regions are amplified by current methods, which results in uncomfortable visual effects for observers. Based on this observation, this study aims at enhancing compressed dark images while avoiding compression artifacts amplification. Since texture details intertwine with compression artifacts in compressed dark images, detail enhancement and blocking artifacts suppression contradict each other in image space. Therefore, we handle the task in latent space. To this end, we propose a novel latent mapping network based on variational auto-encoder (VAE). Firstly, different from previous VAE-based methods with single-resolution features only, we exploit multiple latent spaces with multi-resolution features, to reduce the detail blur and improve image fidelity. Specifically, we train two multi-level VAEs to project compressed dark images and normal-light images into their latent spaces respectively. Secondly, we leverage a latent mapping network to transform features from compressed dark space to normal-light space. Specifically, since the degradation models of darkness and compression are different from each other, the latent mapping process is divided mapping into enlightening branch and deblocking branch. Comprehensive experiments demonstrate that the proposed method achieves state-of-the-art performance in compressed dark image enhancement.
A Framework for Controlling Multiple Industrial Robots using Mobile Applications
Venue: arXiv cs.RO 2024
Year: 2024

Purpose: Over the last few decades, the development of the hardware and software has enabled the application of advanced systems. In the robotics field, the UI design is an intriguing area to be explored due to the creation of devices with a wide range of functionalities in a reduced size. Moreover, the idea of using the same UI to control several systems arouses a great interest considering that this involves less learning effort and time for the users. Therefore, this paper will present a mobile application to control two industrial robots with four modes of operation. Design/methodology/approach: The smartphone was selected to be the interface due to its wide range of capabilities and the MIT Inventor App was used to create the application, whose environment is supported by Android smartphones. For the validation, ROS was used since it is a fundamental framework utilised in industrial robotics and the Arduino Uno was used to establish the data transmission between the smartphone and the board NVIDIA Jetson TX2. In MIT Inventor App, the graphical interface was created to visualize the options available in the app whereas two scripts in python were programmed to perform the simulations in ROS and carry out the tests. Findings: The results indicated that the use of the sliders to control the robots is more favourable than the Orientation Sensor due to the sensibility of the sensor and human limitations to hold the smartphone perfectly still. Another important finding was the limitations of the autonomous mode, in which the robot grabs an object. In this case, the configuration of the Kinect camera and the controllers has a significant impact on the success of the simulation. Finally, it was observed that the delay was appropriate despite the use of the Arduino UNO to transfer the data between the Smartphone and the Nvidia Jetson TX2.
OmniMatch: Effective Self-Supervised Any-Join Discovery in Tabular Data Repositories
Venue: arXiv cs.DB 2024
Year: 2024

How can we discover join relationships among columns of tabular data in a data repository? Can this be done effectively when metadata is missing? Traditional column matching works mainly rely on similarity measures based on exact value overlaps, hence missing important semantics or failing to handle noise in the data. At the same time, recent dataset discovery methods focusing on deep table representation learning techniques, do not take into consideration the rich set of column similarity signals found in prior matching and discovery methods. Finally, existing methods heavily depend on user-provided similarity thresholds, hindering their deployability in real-world settings. In this paper, we propose OmniMatch, a novel join discovery technique that detects equi-joins and fuzzy-joins betwen columns by combining column-pair similarity measures with Graph Neural Networks (GNNs). OmniMatch's GNN can capture column relatedness leveraging graph transitivity, significantly improving the recall of join discovery tasks. At the same time, OmniMatch also increases the precision by augmenting its training data with negative column join examples through an automated negative example generation process. Most importantly, compared to the state-of-the-art matching and discovery methods, OmniMatch exhibits up to 14% higher effectiveness in F1 score and AUC without relying on metadata or user-provided thresholds for each similarity metric.
Analyzing Adversarial Attacks on Sequence-to-Sequence Relevance Models
Venue: arXiv cs.IR 2024
Year: 2024

Modern sequence-to-sequence relevance models like monoT5 can effectively capture complex textual interactions between queries and documents through cross-encoding. However, the use of natural language tokens in prompts, such as Query, Document, and Relevant for monoT5, opens an attack vector for malicious documents to manipulate their relevance score through prompt injection, e.g., by adding target words such as true. Since such possibilities have not yet been considered in retrieval evaluation, we analyze the impact of query-independent prompt injection via manually constructed templates and LLM-based rewriting of documents on several existing relevance models. Our experiments on the TREC Deep Learning track show that adversarial documents can easily manipulate different sequence-to-sequence relevance models, while BM25 (as a typical lexical model) is not affected. Remarkably, the attacks also affect encoder-only relevance models (which do not rely on natural language prompt tokens), albeit to a lesser extent.
MoralBERT: A Fine-Tuned Language Model for Capturing Moral Values in Social Discussions
Venue: arXiv cs.CL 2024
Year: 2024

Moral values play a fundamental role in how we evaluate information, make decisions, and form judgements around important social issues. Controversial topics, including vaccination, abortion, racism, and sexual orientation, often elicit opinions and attitudes that are not solely based on evidence but rather reflect moral worldviews. Recent advances in Natural Language Processing (NLP) show that moral values can be gauged in human-generated textual content. Building on the Moral Foundations Theory (MFT), this paper introduces MoralBERT, a range of language representation models fine-tuned to capture moral sentiment in social discourse. We describe a framework for both aggregated and domain-adversarial training on multiple heterogeneous MFT human-annotated datasets sourced from Twitter (now X), Reddit, and Facebook that broaden textual content diversity in terms of social media audience interests, content presentation and style, and spreading patterns. We show that the proposed framework achieves an average F1 score that is between 11% and 32% higher than lexicon-based approaches, Word2Vec embeddings, and zero-shot classification with large language models such as GPT-4 for in-domain inference. Domain-adversarial training yields better out-of domain predictions than aggregate training while achieving comparable performance to zero-shot learning. Our approach contributes to annotation-free and effective morality learning, and provides useful insights towards a more comprehensive understanding of moral narratives in controversial social debates using NLP.
Balancing Fairness and Accuracy in Data-Restricted Binary Classification
Venue: arXiv cs.LG 2024
Year: 2024

Applications that deal with sensitive information may have restrictions placed on the data available to a machine learning (ML) classifier. For example, in some applications, a classifier may not have direct access to sensitive attributes, affecting its ability to produce accurate and fair decisions. This paper proposes a framework that models the trade-off between accuracy and fairness under four practical scenarios that dictate the type of data available for analysis. Prior works examine this trade-off by analyzing the outputs of a scoring function that has been trained to implicitly learn the underlying distribution of the feature vector, class label, and sensitive attribute of a dataset. In contrast, our framework directly analyzes the behavior of the optimal Bayesian classifier on this underlying distribution by constructing a discrete approximation it from the dataset itself. This approach enables us to formulate multiple convex optimization problems, which allow us to answer the question: How is the accuracy of a Bayesian classifier affected in different data restricting scenarios when constrained to be fair? Analysis is performed on a set of fairness definitions that include group and individual fairness. Experiments on three datasets demonstrate the utility of the proposed framework as a tool for quantifying the trade-offs among different fairness notions and their distributional dependencies.
Uncertainty Quantification with Deep Ensembles for 6D Object Pose Estimation
Venue: arXiv cs.CV 2024
Year: 2024

The estimation of 6D object poses is a fundamental task in many computer vision applications. Particularly, in high risk scenarios such as human-robot interaction, industrial inspection, and automation, reliable pose estimates are crucial. In the last years, increasingly accurate and robust deep-learning-based approaches for 6D object pose estimation have been proposed. Many top-performing methods are not end-to-end trainable but consist of multiple stages. In the context of deep uncertainty quantification, deep ensembles are considered as state of the art since they have been proven to produce well-calibrated and robust uncertainty estimates. However, deep ensembles can only be applied to methods that can be trained end-to-end. In this work, we propose a method to quantify the uncertainty of multi-stage 6D object pose estimation approaches with deep ensembles. For the implementation, we choose SurfEmb as representative, since it is one of the top-performing 6D object pose estimation approaches in the BOP Challenge 2022. We apply established metrics and concepts for deep uncertainty quantification to evaluate the results. Furthermore, we propose a novel uncertainty calibration score for regression tasks to quantify the quality of the estimated uncertainty.
Transforming Competition into Collaboration: The Revolutionary Role of Multi-Agent Systems and Language Models in Modern Organizations
Venue: arXiv cs.AI 2024
Year: 2024

This article explores the dynamic influence of computational entities based on multi-agent systems theory (SMA) combined with large language models (LLM), which are characterized by their ability to simulate complex human interactions, as a possibility to revolutionize human user interaction from the use of specialized artificial agents to support everything from operational organizational processes to strategic decision making based on applied knowledge and human orchestration. Previous investigations reveal that there are limitations, particularly in the autonomous approach of artificial agents, especially when dealing with new challenges and pragmatic tasks such as inducing logical reasoning and problem solving. It is also considered that traditional techniques, such as the stimulation of chains of thoughts, require explicit human guidance. In our approach we employ agents developed from large language models (LLM), each with distinct prototyping that considers behavioral elements, driven by strategies that stimulate the generation of knowledge based on the use case proposed in the scenario (role-play) business, using a discussion approach between agents (guided conversation). We demonstrate the potential of developing agents useful for organizational strategies, based on multi-agent system theories (SMA) and innovative uses based on large language models (LLM based), offering a differentiated and adaptable experiment to different applications, complexities, domains, and capabilities from LLM.
From Files to Streams: Revisiting Web History and Exploring Potentials for Future Prospects
Venue: arXiv cs.NI 2024
Year: 2024

Over the last 30 years, the World Wide Web has changed significantly. In this paper, we argue that common practices to prepare web pages for delivery conflict with many efforts to present content with minimal latency, one fundamental goal that pushed changes in the WWW. To bolster our arguments, we revisit reasons that led to changes of HTTP and compare them systematically with techniques to prepare web pages. We found that the structure of many web pages leverages features of HTTP/1.1 but hinders the use of recent HTTP features to present content quickly. To improve the situation in the future, we propose fine-grained content segmentation. This would allow to exploit streaming capabilities of recent HTTP versions and to render content as quickly as possible without changing underlying protocols or web browsers.
Cross-modality debiasing: using language to mitigate sub-population shifts in imaging
Venue: arXiv cs.CV 2024
Year: 2024

Sub-population shift is a specific type of domain shift that highlights changes in data distribution within specific sub-groups or populations between training and testing. Sub-population shift accounts for a significant source of algorithmic bias and calls for distributional robustness. Recent studies found inherent distributional robustness in multi-modality foundation models, such as the vision-language model CLIP, yet this robustness is vulnerable through parameter fine-tuning. In this paper, we propose leveraging the connection of robustness among different modalities and reshaping the distributional robustness of one modality with another. Specifically, in the context of the distributional robustness of CLIP, we propose to leverage natural language inputs to debias the image feature representations, to improve worst-case performance on sub-populations. Our extensive empirical studies show that image representations debiased by natural language can achieve significant performance improvement and reduction of performance instability under sub-population shifts.
Multiple Access in the Era of Distributed Computing and Edge Intelligence
Venue: arXiv cs.NI 2024
Year: 2024

This paper focuses on the latest research and innovations in fundamental next-generation multiple access (NGMA) techniques and the coexistence with other key technologies for the sixth generation (6G) of wireless networks. In more detail, we first examine multi-access edge computing (MEC), which is critical to meeting the growing demand for data processing and computational capacity at the edge of the network, as well as network slicing. We then explore over-the-air (OTA) computing, which is considered to be an approach that provides fast and efficient computation of various functions. We also explore semantic communications, identified as an effective way to improve communication systems by focusing on the exchange of meaningful information, thus minimizing unnecessary data and increasing efficiency. The interrelationship between machine learning (ML) and multiple access technologies is also reviewed, with an emphasis on federated learning, federated distillation, split learning, reinforcement learning, and the development of ML-based multiple access protocols. Finally, the concept of digital twinning and its role in network management is discussed, highlighting how virtual replication of physical networks can lead to improvements in network efficiency and reliability.
Adaptation of the Multi-Concept Multivariate Elo Rating System to Medical Students Training Data
Venue: arXiv cs.CY 2024
Year: 2024

Accurate estimation of question difficulty and prediction of student performance play key roles in optimizing educational instruction and enhancing learning outcomes within digital learning platforms. The Elo rating system is widely recognized for its proficiency in predicting student performance by estimating both question difficulty and student ability while providing computational efficiency and real-time adaptivity. This paper presents an adaptation of a multi concept variant of the Elo rating system to the data collected by a medical training platform, a platform characterized by a vast knowledge corpus, substantial inter-concept overlap, a huge question bank with significant sparsity in user question interactions, and a highly diverse user population, presenting unique challenges. Our study is driven by two primary objectives: firstly, to comprehensively evaluate the Elo rating systems capabilities on this real-life data, and secondly, to tackle the issue of imprecise early stage estimations when implementing the Elo rating system for online assessments. Our findings suggest that the Elo rating system exhibits comparable accuracy to the well-established logistic regression model in predicting final exam outcomes for users within our digital platform. Furthermore, results underscore that initializing Elo rating estimates with historical data remarkably reduces errors and enhances prediction accuracy, especially during the initial phases of student interactions.
ACTrack: Adding Spatio-Temporal Condition for Visual Object Tracking
Venue: arXiv cs.CV 2024
Year: 2024

Efficiently modeling spatio-temporal relations of objects is a key challenge in visual object tracking (VOT). Existing methods track by appearance-based similarity or long-term relation modeling, resulting in rich temporal contexts between consecutive frames being easily overlooked. Moreover, training trackers from scratch or fine-tuning large pre-trained models needs more time and memory consumption. In this paper, we present ACTrack, a new tracking framework with additive spatio-temporal conditions. It preserves the quality and capabilities of the pre-trained Transformer backbone by freezing its parameters, and makes a trainable lightweight additive net to model spatio-temporal relations in tracking. We design an additive siamese convolutional network to ensure the integrity of spatial features and perform temporal sequence modeling to simplify the tracking pipeline. Experimental results on several benchmarks prove that ACTrack could balance training efficiency and tracking performance.
Redefining Aerial Innovation: Autonomous Tethered Drones as a Solution to Battery Life and Data Latency Challenges
Venue: arXiv cs.RO 2024
Year: 2024

The emergence of tethered drones represents a major advancement in unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) offering solutions to key limitations faced by traditional drones. This article explores the potential of tethered drones with a particular focus on their ability to tackle issues related to battery life constraints and data latency commonly experienced by battery operated drones. Through their connection to a ground station via a tether, autonomous tethered drones provide continuous power supply and a secure direct data transmission link facilitating prolonged operational durations and real time data transfer. These attributes significantly enhance the effectiveness and dependability of drone missions in scenarios requiring extended surveillance, continuous monitoring and immediate data processing needs. Examining the advancements, operational benefits and potential future progressions associated with tethered drones, this article shows their increasing significance across various sectors and their pivotal role in pushing the boundaries of current UAV capabilities. The emergence of tethered drone technology not only addresses existing obstacles but also paves the way for new innovations within the UAV industry.
Corruption-Robust Offline Two-Player Zero-Sum Markov Games
Venue: arXiv cs.GT 2024
Year: 2024

We study data corruption robustness in offline two-player zero-sum Markov games. Given a dataset of realized trajectories of two players, an adversary is allowed to modify an $ε$-fraction of it. The learner's goal is to identify an approximate Nash Equilibrium policy pair from the corrupted data. We consider this problem in linear Markov games under different degrees of data coverage and corruption. We start by providing an information-theoretic lower bound on the suboptimality gap of any learner. Next, we propose robust versions of the Pessimistic Minimax Value Iteration algorithm, both under coverage on the corrupted data and under coverage only on the clean data, and show that they achieve (near)-optimal suboptimality gap bounds with respect to $ε$. We note that we are the first to provide such a characterization of the problem of learning approximate Nash Equilibrium policies in offline two-player zero-sum Markov games under data corruption.