bil IP Warming – An Overlooked Email Deliverability Influence By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Thu, 30 Apr 2020 13:36:45 +0000 For many marketers, emails are the lifeline for most marketing efforts. Every SPAM complaint, unsubscribe, or bounce has an impact on the current ROI as well as on the sender’s reputation which affects the ROI of the future campaigns. Yet the sender reputation, that you accumulate over the period of multiple email campaigns, is only... Full Article Essentials
bil eSports: How mobile AR and VR will help shape the industry By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Mon, 04 May 2020 11:49:04 +0000 If there’s one industry that is known for openly embracing innovative technologies and techniques, it is undeniably Gaming. The Gaming industry, over the last decade, has never seen being sitting still and letting the opportunities pass it by. It has, in fact, been declared as the earliest adopter of technologies that eventually go mainstream. A... Full Article Essentials
bil Everything You Need to Know About Web Accessibility By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Wed, 06 May 2020 08:26:09 +0000 Are you sure everyone on the web can easily access your website? ‘Cause if it is not accessible to everyone, you are losing some great business opportunities! This article is going to put some shades on this “web accessibility” term. Also, you will get to know why it holds so much importance in today’s digital... Full Article Development UI UI/UX Web Development Web Development Trends
bil William "Bill" Young By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Wed, 06 May 2020 20:23:30 PDT WILLIAM "BILL" YOUNGMount VernonWilliam "Bill" Young, 99, of Mount Vernon, passed away Tuesday, May 5, 2020, at Hallmark Care Center. Visitation: 2 to 6 p.m. Friday, May 8, at Stewart Baxter Funeral & Memorial Services in Mount Vernon. A maximum of 10 people will be allowed into the funeral home at one time. Please follow social distancing requirements and plan to wait outside for your turn. Private family burial: Lisbon Cemetery.Survivors include his children, Sandra (Donald) Meyers of Fort Myers, Fla., Debra (Allen) Forest of Cedar Rapids, and son, Kenneth Billman of Cedar Rapids; son-in-law, Howard Hemmer of Beloit, Wis.; 10 grandchildren; 21 great-grandchildren; and many extended family members and friends.William Young was born Nov. 11, 1920, in Chemung, Ill., to Chris and Sophia (Mutchow) Young. He married Edna (Ohrt) Billman on April 15, 1961, in Lisbon. He was a lifelong resident of the Mount Vernon/Lisbon area. Bill was a jack of all trades. He worked in construction and farmed in the latter part of his life. He loved growing and selling his famous sweet corn. He enjoyed dancing, playing cards, mainly Euchre, the out-doors, and especially playing pranks on and razzin' the grandkids.Bill is preceded in death by his parents; wife, Edna; daughters, Amy Hemmer, Linda Hill and Ronda Malcom; his eight siblings; and beloved dog, Rascal.The family would like to give special thanks to the Hallmark Care Center staff for the loving care Billy received the last several years.Please share your support and memories with Bill's family on his tribute wall at www.stewartbaxter.com under obituaries. Full Article Obituaries
bil Governor preaches ‘personal responsibility.’ But for whom? By www.thegazette.com Published On :: Wed, 6 May 2020 16:05:53 -0400 Another day, another devastating new uptick in Iowa’s COVID-19 figures.Several times in the past few weeks, Gov. Kim Reynolds has announced a new daily high in Iowa’s positive COVID-19 tests or deaths. On Tuesday, yet another striking record — 19 deaths in a 24-hour period, or nearly 10 percent of the state’s total COVID-19 deaths to date.For a governor who says she is staking her pandemic response on data and metrics, those grim numbers don’t seem to weigh heavily on Reynolds’ decision-making.“The fact is we can’t prevent people from getting the COVID-19 virus,” Reynolds said at her Tuesday news conference. “If we weren’t testing in these areas, people would still have the virus and without being tested, diagnosed and isolated it could spread even further.”In one breath, Reynolds tells Iowans we are helpless to stop the virus’s spread. In the very next breath, she explains how testing and isolation can help prevent the spread.It’s just one example of the confusing guidance Iowans are getting from the governor and her team. Iowans looking for answers about how to protect themselves and their families are finding seemingly conflicting answers.They report we have reached the peak, only to backtrack. They say we’re in this together and there’s a statewide plan to confront the outbreak, but then they tell us it’s really about “personal responsibility.” They tell us to stay home as much as possible, then pivot to emphasizing the need for people who feel sick to stay home.Sometimes, it almost feels as if Reynolds is blaming Iowans for getting sick.Early on, Reynolds used a regional strategy to track the virus, based on factors such as hospitalizations and health care resources in six multicounty regions across the state. That approach has been brushed aside with little explanation to the public.Instead, Iowa now has “open” and “closed” counties — 22 where significant restrictions remain intact, and 77 where businesses can open in a limited manner. After less than a week under the county-by-county strategy, there are early signs that the 77 counties are seeing an uptick in confirmed COVID-19 cases.• Gov. Reynolds is disrupting her own virus response planReynolds’ response in this phase of the pandemic is just as crucial as the initial phase, to prevent a deadlier wave. Shifting to the personal responsibility path also decentralizes leadership, which creates more uncertainty.If Iowa’s “open” counties see a surge, will Reynolds relent and reimpose restrictions?We have reason to doubt it. Just this week, Reynolds co-authored a Washington Post guest column with other governors, arguing “our approach worked.”In Reynolds’ mind, she has already defeated the virus, so she’s retreating from the fight. That’s bad news for Iowans who are still very much on the front lines of this pandemic.(319) 398-8262; editorial@thegazette.com Full Article Staff Editorial
bil Neumorphism in Mobile Design Concepts By design4users.com Published On :: Sat, 09 May 2020 04:14:46 PDT https://design4users.com/neuomorphism-mobile-design/ Full Article
bil Invisible Disabilities: Break Down The Barriers By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Mon, 23 Mar 2020 10:29:53 EDT Many people think the word “disability” means people who require a wheelchair or walker. In reality, however, there is much more to disability than meets the eye. Full Article
bil Trump officials say people with disabilities must not be denied lifesaving coronavirus care By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Mon, 30 Mar 2020 14:09:48 EDT Patients with disabilities must receive the same level of lifesaving medical treatment from hospitals during the coronavirus pandemic as able-bodied patients, the Trump administration said. Full Article
bil How to use social proof for gaining credibility and boosting conversions By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Fri, 21 Feb 2020 05:59:00 +0000 The internet has given many web companies the chance to rise and meet new audiences. The challenge for these companies is the competition to grow the customer base and build the companies’ credibility. One of the ways to do that is to use social proof as a marketing tool. Many people make decisions regarding a […] Full Article Blog How-to & tutorials UX Web design
bil 5 Important Tips When Building Your First Mobile App By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Tue, 07 Apr 2020 07:50:35 +0000 Building a mobile application is a complex process, and mistake can be costly in time and money. To make sure that your mobile app projects are a success, here are a few tips that will be helpful. 1. Plan Ahead When building anything complex, you should never start without a plan. Building a mobile app […] Full Article Blog How-to & tutorials App design Web design
bil How to personalize the mobile experience for app users By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Sun, 03 May 2020 08:42:02 +0000 Mobile user experience somehow ‘imposed itself’ with all the development and improvement of mobile communication devices. In fact, it is the quality of user experience that divides outstanding apps from their less outstanding counterparts. The same factor enables startups to learn from big brands and to improve their products. User experience for mobile applications – […] Full Article Blog How-to & tutorials UX Web design
bil Mobile App Website Inspiration: 20 Application Websites and Tips to Help You Design One By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Tue, 10 Dec 2019 00:01:17 +0000 It may seem a bit curious that more than a few app websites are only given a cursory inspection by app owners. It is given before being largely ignored because visitors have gone elsewhere. The reason for a given website may be completely valid in that it addresses a well-established need. It has a poor […] The post Mobile App Website Inspiration: 20 Application Websites and Tips to Help You Design One appeared first on WebAppers. Full Article Uncategorized
bil Four Elements of Truly Mobile-Friendly Responsive Menus By webdesignerwall.com Published On :: Wed, 01 Feb 2017 16:00:23 +0000 There are hundreds of ways to create responsive navigation, limited only by your creativity and the boundaries of what CSS can accomplish. Good responsive navigation is a little harder – a responsive menu must become a mobile menu, adhering to the needs and rules of touch-driven devices. Mobile design is rapidly changing, and so the […] The post Four Elements of Truly Mobile-Friendly Responsive Menus appeared first on Web Designer Wall. Full Article Tutorials CSS jQuery
bil Which Programming Language Should Mobile Developers Choose? By icanbecreative.com Published On :: Fri, 27 Mar 2020 08:11:50 PDT When building new apps, the most important thing developers must decide is which language to program in. There are several languages out there, and some are preferred for certain operating... Full Article Learning
bil What Stephen Hawking Taught Us About Living with Disability By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Monday, March 19, 2018 - 9:16am Stephen Hawking, a world-renowned scientist who recently passed away, had a brilliant mind that was trapped inside a paralyzed body, and I could not stop thinking about how the opposite is often the case with traumatic brain injury. Full Article
bil Adobe to forgo Flash plug-in for mobile devices By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Sun, 13 Nov 2011 00:04:13 +0000 Earlier this week, Adobe VP and General Manager Danny Winokur disclosed that the company has concluded that HTML5 is ”the best solution for creating and deploying content in the browser across mobile platforms.” The company said it would stop building Flash to run on mobile browsers. In a blog post on the new focus of Read the rest... Full Article Flash Front Page html5
bil Mobile Proxies: A New Era Dawns By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Fri, 08 Mar 2013 02:35:14 +0000 This week, Chrome For Android M26 was announced. It has the literally-awesome ability to record video via `getUserMedia()`, but enough about making Skype irrelevant. What’s even more interesting is the new data compression feature. Which, to be clear, is experimental, has to be switched on, doesn’t apply to secure (SSL) sites, and it’s only running Read the rest... Full Article Chrome Front Page Mobile
bil ‘A World Without Clouds. Think About That a Minute’: New Study Details Possibility of Devastating Climate Feedback Loop By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Tue, 26 Feb 2019 21:16:30 +0000 By Jessica Corbett Common Dreams “We face a stark choice [between] radical, disruptive changes to our physical world or radical, disruptive changes to our political and economic systems to avoid those outcomes.” As people across the globe mobilize to demand … Continue reading → Full Article Climate & Climate Change ET News Climate Change clouds
bil ‘A World Without Clouds. Think About That a Minute’: New Study Details Possibility of Devastating Climate Feedback Loop By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Tue, 26 Feb 2019 21:16:30 +0000 By Jessica Corbett Common Dreams “We face a stark choice [between] radical, disruptive changes to our physical world or radical, disruptive changes to our political and economic systems to avoid those outcomes.” As people across the globe mobilize to demand … Continue reading → Full Article Climate & Climate Change ET News Climate Change clouds
bil ‘A World Without Clouds. Think About That a Minute’: New Study Details Possibility of Devastating Climate Feedback Loop By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Tue, 26 Feb 2019 21:16:30 +0000 By Jessica Corbett Common Dreams “We face a stark choice [between] radical, disruptive changes to our physical world or radical, disruptive changes to our political and economic systems to avoid those outcomes.” As people across the globe mobilize to demand … Continue reading → Full Article Climate & Climate Change ET News Climate Change clouds
bil Usability task scenarios: The beating heart of a usability test By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Mon, 2 Dec 2019 07:22:13 GMT Usability tests are unique. We ask people to do real tasks with the system and watch. As the person completes the task, we watch their behaviour and listen to their stream-of-consciousness narrative. But what makes a good usability task scenario? Full Article
bil Using Funds from Disability Compensation and the GI Bill for Going Back to School By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Mon, 11 Nov 2013 00:00:00 EST Receiving service-related disability compensation does not interfere with the funds veterans receive from the GI Bill, explains Adam. Full Article
bil Mobility Pricing Relieves Congestion, Helps People Breathe Easier By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Fri, 01 Jun 2018 19:54:22 +0000 By David Suzuki with contributions from Senior Editor Ian Hanington David Suzuki Foundation By 2002, drivers in London, England, were spending as much as half their commuting time stalled in traffic, contributing to much of the city centre’s dangerous particulate … Continue reading → Full Article Transportation air pollution auto emissions Commuting Eco-Conscious Drivers Transport for London
bil 10 Cool & Free Mobile Wallpapers By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Wed, 26 Jul 2017 11:03:04 +0000 Guys, great news! Our friends at Freepik has released exclusively for s2o readers 10 Cool & Free Mobile Wallpapers in several awesome styles. They come in AI, EPS and jpg files. The wallpapers are easily resizable for any kind of mobile —or any other project ;)— so you can adapt them in a no time … 10 Cool & Free Mobile Wallpapers Read More » Full Article Freebies
bil Little Details That Matter on a Mobile Website By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Fri, 29 Dec 2017 13:23:51 +0000 Oftentimes, the focus on mobile websites isn’t on adding as much information as possible or even as much detail. It’s all about making the mobile viewing experience as simple and enjoyable as the web designer possibly can. People who use their mobile devices for browsing and research do not have as much time or patience … Little Details That Matter on a Mobile Website Read More » Full Article Reference
bil Join Our New Online Workshops On CSS, Accessibility, Performance, And UX By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Thu, 30 Apr 2020 12:00:00 +0000 It has been a month since we launched our first online workshop and, to be honest, we really didn’t know whether people would enjoy them — or if we would enjoy running them. It was an experiment, but one we are so glad we jumped into! I spoke about the experience of taking my workshop online on a recent episode of the Smashing podcast. As a speaker, I had expected it to feel very much like I was presenting into the empty air, with no immediate feedback and expressions to work from. Full Article
bil Readability Algorithms Should Be Tools, Not Targets By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Fri, 01 May 2020 11:30:00 +0000 The web is awash with words. They’re everywhere. On websites, in emails, advertisements, tweets, pop-ups, you name it. More people are publishing more copy than at any point in history. That means a lot of information, and a lot of competition. In recent years a slew of ‘readability’ programs have appeared to help us tidy up the things we write. (Grammarly, Readable, and Yoast are just a handful that come to mind. Full Article
bil Complete reducibility: Variations on a theme of Serre. (arXiv:2004.14604v2 [math.GR] UPDATED) By arxiv.org Published On :: In this note, we unify and extend various concepts in the area of $G$-complete reducibility, where $G$ is a reductive algebraic group. By results of Serre and Bate--Martin--R"{o}hrle, the usual notion of $G$-complete reducibility can be re-framed as a property of an action of a group on the spherical building of the identity component of $G$. We show that other variations of this notion, such as relative complete reducibility and $sigma$-complete reducibility, can also be viewed as special cases of this building-theoretic definition, and hence a number of results from these areas are special cases of more general properties. Full Article
bil Topology Identification of Heterogeneous Networks: Identifiability and Reconstruction. (arXiv:1909.11054v2 [math.OC] UPDATED) By arxiv.org Published On :: This paper addresses the problem of identifying the graph structure of a dynamical network using measured input/output data. This problem is known as topology identification and has received considerable attention in recent literature. Most existing literature focuses on topology identification for networks with node dynamics modeled by single integrators or single-input single-output (SISO) systems. The goal of the current paper is to identify the topology of a more general class of heterogeneous networks, in which the dynamics of the nodes are modeled by general (possibly distinct) linear systems. Our two main contributions are the following. First, we establish conditions for topological identifiability, i.e., conditions under which the network topology can be uniquely reconstructed from measured data. We also specialize our results to homogeneous networks of SISO systems and we will see that such networks have quite particular identifiability properties. Secondly, we develop a topology identification method that reconstructs the network topology from input/output data. The solution of a generalized Sylvester equation will play an important role in our identification scheme. Full Article
bil Integrability of moduli and regularity of Denjoy counterexamples. (arXiv:1908.06568v4 [math.DS] UPDATED) By arxiv.org Published On :: We study the regularity of exceptional actions of groups by $C^{1,alpha}$ diffeomorphisms on the circle, i.e. ones which admit exceptional minimal sets, and whose elements have first derivatives that are continuous with concave modulus of continuity $alpha$. Let $G$ be a finitely generated group admitting a $C^{1,alpha}$ action $ ho$ with a free orbit on the circle, and such that the logarithms of derivatives of group elements are uniformly bounded at some point of the circle. We prove that if $G$ has spherical growth bounded by $c n^{d-1}$ and if the function $1/alpha^d$ is integrable near zero, then under some mild technical assumptions on $alpha$, there is a sequence of exceptional $C^{1,alpha}$ actions of $G$ which converge to $ ho$ in the $C^1$ topology. As a consequence for a single diffeomorphism, we obtain that if the function $1/alpha$ is integrable near zero, then there exists a $C^{1,alpha}$ exceptional diffeomorphism of the circle. This corollary accounts for all previously known moduli of continuity for derivatives of exceptional diffeomorphisms. We also obtain a partial converse to our main result. For finitely generated free abelian groups, the existence of an exceptional action, together with some natural hypotheses on the derivatives of group elements, puts integrability restrictions on the modulus $alpha$. These results are related to a long-standing question of D. McDuff concerning the length spectrum of exceptional $C^1$ diffeomorphisms of the circle. Full Article
bil Nonlinear stability of explicit self-similar solutions for the timelike extremal hypersurfaces in R^{1+3}. (arXiv:1907.01126v2 [math.AP] UPDATED) By arxiv.org Published On :: This paper is devoted to the study of the singularity phenomenon of timelike extremal hypersurfaces in Minkowski spacetime $mathbb{R}^{1+3}$. We find that there are two explicit lightlike self-similar solutions to a graph representation of timelike extremal hypersurfaces in Minkowski spacetime $mathbb{R}^{1+3}$, the geometry of them are two spheres. The linear mode unstable of those lightlike self-similar solutions for the radially symmetric membranes equation is given. After that, we show those self-similar solutions of the radially symmetric membranes equation are nonlinearly stable inside a strictly proper subset of the backward lightcone. This means that the dynamical behavior of those two spheres is as attractors. Meanwhile, we overcome the double roots case (the theorem of Poincar'{e} can't be used) in solving the difference equation by construction of a Newton's polygon when we carry out the analysis of spectrum for the linear operator. Full Article
bil Simulation of Integro-Differential Equation and Application in Estimation of Ruin Probability with Mixed Fractional Brownian Motion. (arXiv:1709.03418v6 [math.PR] UPDATED) By arxiv.org Published On :: In this paper, we are concerned with the numerical solution of one type integro-differential equation by a probability method based on the fundamental martingale of mixed Gaussian processes. As an application, we will try to simulate the estimation of ruin probability with an unknown parameter driven not by the classical L'evy process but by the mixed fractional Brownian motion. Full Article
bil A reducibility problem for even Unitary groups: The depth zero case. (arXiv:2005.03386v1 [math.RT]) By arxiv.org Published On :: We study a problem concerning parabolic induction in certain p-adic unitary groups. More precisely, for $E/F$ a quadratic extension of p-adic fields the associated unitary group $G=mathrm{U}(n,n)$ contains a parabolic subgroup $P$ with Levi component $L$ isomorphic to $mathrm{GL}_n(E)$. Let $pi$ be an irreducible supercuspidal representation of $L$ of depth zero. We use Hecke algebra methods to determine when the parabolically induced representation $iota_P^G pi$ is reducible. Full Article
bil On the Incomparability of Systems of Sets of Lengths. (arXiv:2005.03316v1 [math.AC]) By arxiv.org Published On :: Let $H$ be a Krull monoid with finite class group $G$ such that every class contains a prime divisor. We consider the system $mathcal L (H)$ of all sets of lengths of $H$ and study when $mathcal L (H)$ contains or is contained in a system $mathcal L (H')$ of a Krull monoid $H'$ with finite class group $G'$, prime divisors in all classes and Davenport constant $mathsf D (G')=mathsf D (G)$. Among others, we show that if $G$ is either cyclic of order $m ge 7$ or an elementary $2$-group of rank $m-1 ge 6$, and $G'$ is any group which is non-isomorphic to $G$ but with Davenport constant $mathsf D (G')=mathsf D (G)$, then the systems $mathcal L (H)$ and $mathcal L (H')$ are incomparable. Full Article
bil Fourier transformation and stability of differential equation on $L^1(Bbb{R})$. (arXiv:2005.03296v1 [math.FA]) By arxiv.org Published On :: In the present paper by the Fourier transform we show that every linear differential equations of $n$-th order has a solution in $L^1(Bbb{R})$ which is infinitely differentiable in $Bbb{R} setminus {0}$. Moreover the Hyers-Ulam stability of such equations on $L^1(Bbb{R})$ is investigated. Full Article
bil On the list recoverability of randomly punctured codes. (arXiv:2005.02478v2 [math.CO] UPDATED) By arxiv.org Published On :: We show that a random puncturing of a code with good distance is list recoverable beyond the Johnson bound. In particular, this implies that there are Reed-Solomon codes that are list recoverable beyond the Johnson bound. It was previously known that there are Reed-Solomon codes that do not have this property. As an immediate corollary to our main theorem, we obtain better degree bounds on unbalanced expanders that come from Reed-Solomon codes. Full Article
bil PACT: Privacy Sensitive Protocols and Mechanisms for Mobile Contact Tracing. (arXiv:2004.03544v4 [cs.CR] UPDATED) By arxiv.org Published On :: The global health threat from COVID-19 has been controlled in a number of instances by large-scale testing and contact tracing efforts. We created this document to suggest three functionalities on how we might best harness computing technologies to supporting the goals of public health organizations in minimizing morbidity and mortality associated with the spread of COVID-19, while protecting the civil liberties of individuals. In particular, this work advocates for a third-party free approach to assisted mobile contact tracing, because such an approach mitigates the security and privacy risks of requiring a trusted third party. We also explicitly consider the inferential risks involved in any contract tracing system, where any alert to a user could itself give rise to de-anonymizing information. More generally, we hope to participate in bringing together colleagues in industry, academia, and civil society to discuss and converge on ideas around a critical issue rising with attempts to mitigate the COVID-19 pandemic. Full Article
bil Imitation Learning for Human-robot Cooperation Using Bilateral Control. (arXiv:1909.13018v2 [cs.RO] UPDATED) By arxiv.org Published On :: Robots are required to operate autonomously in response to changing situations. Previously, imitation learning using 4ch-bilateral control was demonstrated to be suitable for imitation of object manipulation. However, cooperative work between humans and robots has not yet been verified in these studies. In this study, the task was expanded by cooperative work between a human and a robot. 4ch-bilateral control was used to collect training data for training robot motion. We focused on serving salad as a task in the home. The task was executed with a spoon and a fork fixed to robots. Adjustment of force was indispensable in manipulating indefinitely shaped objects such as salad. Results confirmed the effectiveness of the proposed method as demonstrated by the success of the task. Full Article
bil Subtle Sensing: Detecting Differences in the Flexibility of Virtually Simulated Molecular Objects. (arXiv:2005.03503v1 [cs.HC]) By arxiv.org Published On :: During VR demos we have performed over last few years, many participants (in the absence of any haptic feedback) have commented on their perceived ability to 'feel' differences between simulated molecular objects. The mechanisms for such 'feeling' are not entirely clear: observing from outside VR, one can see that there is nothing physical for participants to 'feel'. Here we outline exploratory user studies designed to evaluate the extent to which participants can distinguish quantitative differences in the flexibility of VR-simulated molecular objects. The results suggest that an individual's capacity to detect differences in molecular flexibility is enhanced when they can interact with and manipulate the molecules, as opposed to merely observing the same interaction. Building on these results, we intend to carry out further studies investigating humans' ability to sense quantitative properties of VR simulations without haptic technology. Full Article
bil Ensuring Fairness under Prior Probability Shifts. (arXiv:2005.03474v1 [cs.LG]) By arxiv.org Published On :: In this paper, we study the problem of fair classification in the presence of prior probability shifts, where the training set distribution differs from the test set. This phenomenon can be observed in the yearly records of several real-world datasets, such as recidivism records and medical expenditure surveys. If unaccounted for, such shifts can cause the predictions of a classifier to become unfair towards specific population subgroups. While the fairness notion called Proportional Equality (PE) accounts for such shifts, a procedure to ensure PE-fairness was unknown. In this work, we propose a method, called CAPE, which provides a comprehensive solution to the aforementioned problem. CAPE makes novel use of prevalence estimation techniques, sampling and an ensemble of classifiers to ensure fair predictions under prior probability shifts. We introduce a metric, called prevalence difference (PD), which CAPE attempts to minimize in order to ensure PE-fairness. We theoretically establish that this metric exhibits several desirable properties. We evaluate the efficacy of CAPE via a thorough empirical evaluation on synthetic datasets. We also compare the performance of CAPE with several popular fair classifiers on real-world datasets like COMPAS (criminal risk assessment) and MEPS (medical expenditure panel survey). The results indicate that CAPE ensures PE-fair predictions, while performing well on other performance metrics. Full Article
bil Successfully Applying the Stabilized Lottery Ticket Hypothesis to the Transformer Architecture. (arXiv:2005.03454v1 [cs.LG]) By arxiv.org Published On :: Sparse models require less memory for storage and enable a faster inference by reducing the necessary number of FLOPs. This is relevant both for time-critical and on-device computations using neural networks. The stabilized lottery ticket hypothesis states that networks can be pruned after none or few training iterations, using a mask computed based on the unpruned converged model. On the transformer architecture and the WMT 2014 English-to-German and English-to-French tasks, we show that stabilized lottery ticket pruning performs similar to magnitude pruning for sparsity levels of up to 85%, and propose a new combination of pruning techniques that outperforms all other techniques for even higher levels of sparsity. Furthermore, we confirm that the parameter's initial sign and not its specific value is the primary factor for successful training, and show that magnitude pruning cannot be used to find winning lottery tickets. Full Article
bil Kunster -- AR Art Video Maker -- Real time video neural style transfer on mobile devices. (arXiv:2005.03415v1 [cs.CV]) By arxiv.org Published On :: Neural style transfer is a well-known branch of deep learning research, with many interesting works and two major drawbacks. Most of the works in the field are hard to use by non-expert users and substantial hardware resources are required. In this work, we present a solution to both of these problems. We have applied neural style transfer to real-time video (over 25 frames per second), which is capable of running on mobile devices. We also investigate the works on achieving temporal coherence and present the idea of fine-tuning, already trained models, to achieve stable video. What is more, we also analyze the impact of the common deep neural network architecture on the performance of mobile devices with regard to number of layers and filters present. In the experiment section we present the results of our work with respect to the iOS devices and discuss the problems present in current Android devices as well as future possibilities. At the end we present the qualitative results of stylization and quantitative results of performance tested on the iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 6s. The presented work is incorporated in Kunster - AR Art Video Maker application available in the Apple's App Store. Full Article
bil Accessibility in 360-degree video players. (arXiv:2005.03373v1 [cs.MM]) By arxiv.org Published On :: Any media experience must be fully inclusive and accessible to all users regardless of their ability. With the current trend towards immersive experiences, such as Virtual Reality (VR) and 360-degree video, it becomes key that these environments are adapted to be fully accessible. However, until recently the focus has been mostly on adapting the existing techniques to fit immersive displays, rather than considering new approaches for accessibility designed specifically for these increasingly relevant media experiences. This paper surveys a wide range of 360-degree video players and examines the features they include for dealing with accessibility, such as Subtitles, Audio Description, Sign Language, User Interfaces, and other interaction features, like voice control and support for multi-screen scenarios. These features have been chosen based on guidelines from standardization contributions, like in the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) and the International Communication Union (ITU), and from research contributions for making 360-degree video consumption experiences accessible. The in-depth analysis has been part of a research effort towards the development of a fully inclusive and accessible 360-degree video player. The paper concludes by discussing how the newly developed player has gone above and beyond the existing solutions and guidelines, by providing accessibility features that meet the expectations for a widely used immersive medium, like 360-degree video. Full Article
bil Probabilistic Hyperproperties of Markov Decision Processes. (arXiv:2005.03362v1 [cs.LO]) By arxiv.org Published On :: We study the specification and verification of hyperproperties for probabilistic systems represented as Markov decision processes (MDPs). Hyperproperties are system properties that describe the correctness of a system as a relation between multiple executions. Hyperproperties generalize trace properties and include information-flow security requirements, like noninterference, as well as requirements like symmetry, partial observation, robustness, and fault tolerance. We introduce the temporal logic PHL, which extends classic probabilistic logics with quantification over schedulers and traces. PHL can express a wide range of hyperproperties for probabilistic systems, including both classical applications, such as differential privacy, and novel applications in areas such as robotics and planning. While the model checking problem for PHL is in general undecidable, we provide methods both for proving and for refuting a class of probabilistic hyperproperties for MDPs. Full Article
bil Expressing Accountability Patterns using Structural Causal Models. (arXiv:2005.03294v1 [cs.SE]) By arxiv.org Published On :: While the exact definition and implementation of accountability depend on the specific context, at its core accountability describes a mechanism that will make decisions transparent and often provides means to sanction "bad" decisions. As such, accountability is specifically relevant for Cyber-Physical Systems, such as robots or drones, that embed themselves into a human society, take decisions and might cause lasting harm. Without a notion of accountability, such systems could behave with impunity and would not fit into society. Despite its relevance, there is currently no agreement on its meaning and, more importantly, no way to express accountability properties for these systems. As a solution we propose to express the accountability properties of systems using Structural Causal Models. They can be represented as human-readable graphical models while also offering mathematical tools to analyze and reason over them. Our central contribution is to show how Structural Causal Models can be used to express and analyze the accountability properties of systems and that this approach allows us to identify accountability patterns. These accountability patterns can be catalogued and used to improve systems and their architectures. Full Article
bil Multi-view data capture using edge-synchronised mobiles. (arXiv:2005.03286v1 [cs.MM]) By arxiv.org Published On :: Multi-view data capture permits free-viewpoint video (FVV) content creation. To this end, several users must capture video streams, calibrated in both time and pose, framing the same object/scene, from different viewpoints. New-generation network architectures (e.g. 5G) promise lower latency and larger bandwidth connections supported by powerful edge computing, properties that seem ideal for reliable FVV capture. We have explored this possibility, aiming to remove the need for bespoke synchronisation hardware when capturing a scene from multiple viewpoints, making it possible through off-the-shelf mobiles. We propose a novel and scalable data capture architecture that exploits edge resources to synchronise and harvest frame captures. We have designed an edge computing unit that supervises the relaying of timing triggers to and from multiple mobiles, in addition to synchronising frame harvesting. We empirically show the benefits of our edge computing unit by analysing latencies and show the quality of 3D reconstruction outputs against an alternative and popular centralised solution based on Unity3D. Full Article
bil Distributed Stabilization by Probability Control for Deterministic-Stochastic Large Scale Systems : Dissipativity Approach. (arXiv:2005.03193v1 [eess.SY]) By arxiv.org Published On :: By using dissipativity approach, we establish the stability condition for the feedback connection of a deterministic dynamical system $Sigma$ and a stochastic memoryless map $Psi$. After that, we extend the result to the class of large scale systems in which: $Sigma$ consists of many sub-systems; and $Psi$ consists of many "stochastic actuators" and "probability controllers" that control the actuator's output events. We will demonstrate the proposed approach by showing the design procedures to globally stabilize the manufacturing systems while locally balance the stock levels in any production process. Full Article
bil On the Learnability of Possibilistic Theories. (arXiv:2005.03157v1 [cs.LO]) By arxiv.org Published On :: We investigate learnability of possibilistic theories from entailments in light of Angluin's exact learning model. We consider cases in which only membership, only equivalence, and both kinds of queries can be posed by the learner. We then show that, for a large class of problems, polynomial time learnability results for classical logic can be transferred to the respective possibilistic extension. In particular, it follows from our results that the possibilistic extension of propositional Horn theories is exactly learnable in polynomial time. As polynomial time learnability in the exact model is transferable to the classical probably approximately correct model extended with membership queries, our work also establishes such results in this model. Full Article
bil AVAC: A Machine Learning based Adaptive RRAM Variability-Aware Controller for Edge Devices. (arXiv:2005.03077v1 [eess.SY]) By arxiv.org Published On :: Recently, the Edge Computing paradigm has gained significant popularity both in industry and academia. Researchers now increasingly target to improve performance and reduce energy consumption of such devices. Some recent efforts focus on using emerging RRAM technologies for improving energy efficiency, thanks to their no leakage property and high integration density. As the complexity and dynamism of applications supported by such devices escalate, it has become difficult to maintain ideal performance by static RRAM controllers. Machine Learning provides a promising solution for this, and hence, this work focuses on extending such controllers to allow dynamic parameter updates. In this work we propose an Adaptive RRAM Variability-Aware Controller, AVAC, which periodically updates Wait Buffer and batch sizes using on-the-fly learning models and gradient ascent. AVAC allows Edge devices to adapt to different applications and their stages, to improve computation performance and reduce energy consumption. Simulations demonstrate that the proposed model can provide up to 29% increase in performance and 19% decrease in energy, compared to static controllers, using traces of real-life healthcare applications on a Raspberry-Pi based Edge deployment. Full Article
bil Fault Tree Analysis: Identifying Maximum Probability Minimal Cut Sets with MaxSAT. (arXiv:2005.03003v1 [cs.AI]) By arxiv.org Published On :: In this paper, we present a novel MaxSAT-based technique to compute Maximum Probability Minimal Cut Sets (MPMCSs) in fault trees. We model the MPMCS problem as a Weighted Partial MaxSAT problem and solve it using a parallel SAT-solving architecture. The results obtained with our open source tool indicate that the approach is effective and efficient. Full Article