Operational Interpretation Research Articles

Minimax Learning for Distributed Inference

The classical problem of supervised learning is to infer an accurate estimate of a target variable Y from a measured variable X using a set of labeled training samples. Motivated by the increasingly distributed nature of data and decision making, this paper considers a variation of this classical problem in which the inference is distributed between two nodes, e.g., a mobile device and a cloud, with a rate constraint on the communication between them. The mobile device observes X and sends a description M of X to the cloud, which computes an estimate Y̑ of Y. We follow the recent minimax learning approach to study this inference problem and show that it corresponds to a one-shot minimax noisy lossy source coding problem. We then establish information theoretic bounds on the risk-rate Lagrangian cost, leading to a general method for designing a near-optimal descriptor-estimator pair. A key ingredient in the proof of our result is a refined version of the strong functional representation lemma previously used to establish several one-shot source coding theorems. Our results show that a naive estimate-compress scheme for rate-constrained inference is not optimal in general. When the distribution of (X, Y) is known and the error is measured by the logarithmic loss, our bounds on the risk-rate Lagrangian cost provide a new one-shot operational interpretation of the information bottleneck. We also demonstrate a way to bound the excess risk of the descriptor-estimator pair obtained by our method.

An operational construction of the sum of two non-commuting observables in quantum theory and related constructions

The existence of a real linear space structure on the set of observables of a quantum system—i.e., the requirement that the linear combination of two generally non-commuting observables A, B is an observable as well—is a fundamental postulate of the quantum theory yet before introducing any structure of algebra. However, it is by no means clear how to choose the measuring instrument of a general observable of the form aA+bB (a,bin {{mathbb {R}}}) if such measuring instruments are given for the addends observables A and B when they are incompatible observables. A mathematical version of this dilemma is how to construct the spectral measure of f(aA+bB) out of the spectral measures of A and B. We present such a construction with a formula which is valid for general unbounded self-adjoint operators A and B, whose spectral measures may not commute, and a wide class of functions f: {{mathbb {R}}}rightarrow {{mathbb {C}}}. In the bounded case, we prove that the Jordan product of A and B (and suitably symmetrized polynomials of A and B) can be constructed with the same procedure out of the spectral measures of A and B. The formula turns out to have an interesting operational interpretation and, in particular cases, a nice interplay with the theory of Feynman path integration and the Feynman–Kac formula.

Monads, Partial Evaluations, and Rewriting

Monads can be interpreted as encoding formal expressions, or formal operations in the sense of universal algebra. We give a construction which formalizes the idea of “evaluating an expression partially”: for example, “2+3” can be obtained as a partial evaluation of “2+2+1”. This construction can be given for any monad, and it is linked to the famous bar construction [Saunders Mac Lane, Categories for the Working Mathematician, Springer, 2000, VII.6], of which it gives an operational interpretation: the bar construction is a simplicial set, and its 1-cells are partial evaluations.We study the properties of partial evaluations for general monads. We prove that whenever the monad is weakly cartesian, partial evaluations can be composed via the usual Kan filler property of simplicial sets, of which we give an interpretation in terms of substitution of terms.For the case of probability monads, partial evaluations correspond to what probabilists call conditional expectation of random variables, and partial evaluation relation is known as second-order stochastic dominance.In terms of rewritings, partial evaluations give an abstract reduction system which is reflexive, confluent, and transitive whenever the monad is weakly cartesian. This manuscript is part of a work in progress on a general rewriting interpretation of the bar construction.

Interpretation of frequency modulation TN-LCD embedded with metal nanoparticles using equivalent circuit analysis

A twisted nematic (TN) liquid crystal display (LCD) with embedded Ag nanoparticles (NPs) covered with a diffusion cloud exhibits peculiar frequency dependent behavior. In particular, no TN response is observed below the dielectric relaxation frequency, fR, whereas above this frequency, revival of the TN response occurs. Such a device is called a frequency modulation (FM) TN-LCD, and its behavior is attributed to the reduction of the dielectric anisotropy Δɛ far below the relaxation frequency, fR. However, above this frequency, the revival of the torque driving the TN-LCD occurs, and the TN-LCD operation is revived with a fast response speed. The reduction of Δɛ may be due to the prevalence of the amplified dielectric constant caused by the inclusions covering the entire region. However, above fR, this amplification gradually vanishes, and the normal TN-operation is revived due to the revival of dielectric torque force. In this paper, an interpretation of the FM-LCD operation through dielectric spectroscopy and equivalent circuit analysis is presented. Interpretation of the dielectric constant amplification [whose factor, AC, is equal to 52 through a postulation of negative ɛ2 for the inclusions (NPs and diffusion cloud)] is also presented.

Assessment of Implicit and Explicit Measures of Mental Workload in Working Situations: Implications for Industry 4.0

Nowadays, in the context of Industry 4.0, advanced working environments aim at achieving a high degree of human–machine collaboration. This phenomenon occurs, on the one hand, through the correct interpretation of operators’ data by machines that can adapt their functioning to support workers, and on the other hand, by ensuring the transparency of the actions of the system itself. This study used an ad hoc system that allowed the co-registration of a set of participants’ implicit and explicit (I/E) data in two experimental conditions that varied in the level of mental workload (MWL). Findings showed that the majority of the considered I/E measures were able to discriminate the different task-related mental demands and some implicit measures were capable of predicting task performance in both tasks. Moreover, self-reported measures showed that participants were aware of such differences in MWL. Finally, the paradigm’s ecology highlights that task and environmental features may affect the reliability of the various I/E measures. Thus, these factors have to be considered in the design and development of advanced adaptive systems within the industrial context.

Operational Interpretation of Weight-Based Resource Quantifiers in Convex Quantum Resource Theories.

We introduce the resource quantifier of weight of resource for convex quantum resource theories of states and measurements with arbitrary resources. We show that it captures the advantage that a resourceful state (measurement) offers over all possible free states (measurements) in the operational task of exclusion of subchannels (states). Furthermore, we introduce information-theoretic quantities related to exclusion for quantum channels and find a connection between the weight of resource of a measurement and the exclusion-type information of quantum-to-classical channels. Our results apply to the resource theory of entanglement in which the weight of resource is known as the best-separable approximation or Lewenstein-Sanpera decomposition introduced in 1998. Consequently, the results found here provide an operational interpretation to this 21-year-old entanglement quantifier.

Artificial Intelligence-Assisted Loop Mediated Isothermal Amplification (AI-LAMP) for Rapid Detection of SARS-CoV-2.

Until vaccines and effective therapeutics become available, the practical solution to transit safely out of the current coronavirus disease 19 (CoVID-19) lockdown may include the implementation of an effective testing, tracing and tracking system. However, this requires a reliable and clinically validated diagnostic platform for the sensitive and specific identification of SARS-CoV-2. Here, we report on the development of a de novo, high-resolution and comparative genomics guided reverse-transcribed loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay. To further enhance the assay performance and to remove any subjectivity associated with operator interpretation of results, we engineered a novel hand-held smart diagnostic device. The robust diagnostic device was further furnished with automated image acquisition and processing algorithms and the collated data was processed through artificial intelligence (AI) pipelines to further reduce the assay run time and the subjectivity of the colorimetric LAMP detection. This advanced AI algorithm-implemented LAMP (ai-LAMP) assay, targeting the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase gene, showed high analytical sensitivity and specificity for SARS-CoV-2. A total of ~200 coronavirus disease (CoVID-19)-suspected NHS patient samples were tested using the platform and it was shown to be reliable, highly specific and significantly more sensitive than the current gold standard qRT-PCR. Therefore, this system could provide an efficient and cost-effective platform to detect SARS-CoV-2 in resource-limited laboratories.

Abstract 3641: Successful classification of hematological neoplasm by array profile

Abstract In addition to structural chromosome aberrations resulting in fusion genes, the genome profile of haematological malignancies is characterized by copy number changes (gains and losses) relative to the ploidy level. Array comparative genome hybridization (aCGH)1 Combined with FISH and/or multiplex PCR array screening offers a reliable tool for assessment of genome complexity in haematological malignancies in diagnostic settings. The aCGH assay in our diagnostic algorithm uses 8 × 60K SurePrint G3 (Agilent, USA). The slides are scanned to measure the fluorescence ratio (FR), software evaluates imbalances. We recognize that the raw data in the form of log ratios, some 64,000 data points, contain sufficient information to identify the disease category without resorting to converting the log ratios to gains and losses and mapping them to individual chromosomes, a process open to operator interpretation. As an alternative and bearing in mind the current interest in machine learning, we attempted to auto-classify the data for the modest collection of 2,300 patient samples in our archive, according to their WHO classification. We were able to collect 175 samples for each group classified as myelodisplasia (MDS), acute myeloid leukemia (AML), myeloma (MM) and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), We used a Logistic Regression Classifier implemented in Mathematica 12. The classifier took only 2 minutes on average to complete the training. We took a total of 700 array sample files, each of 59,032 data points, of which 100 were randomly selected as a validation set. The balance of 600 files, distributed evenly and randomly over the 4 test diseases were used as a training set. We used a Confusion Matrix to evaluate and display the results as shown in the table. Confusion MatrixAMLCLLMDSMMTotalAML1609025CLL0150116MDS0116017MM1021417Predicted17162715 In spite of the small training set we correctly classified the MDS (16/17), CLL (15/16) and MM (14/17), 9 AML were reported as MDS a due to sharing genome imbalances. There was also confusion between the B cell disorders, MM and CLL known to carry overlapping genome aberrations. The auto classification offered by this method is a promising attempt to support a speedy and reliable assessment of genome complexity. There is no doubt that a better classifier would have been created with a larger training set. 1 Kallioniemi A et al., Kallioniemi OP, Sudar DA, Rutovitz D, Gray JW, Waldman F, Pinkel D (1992). “Comparative genomic hybridization for molecular cytogenetic analysis of solid tumors”. Science. 258 (5083): 818-821). Citation Format: Colin Grace, Temenuzhka Boneva, Elisabeth P. Nacheva. Successful classification of hematological neoplasm by array profile [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research 2020; 2020 Apr 27-28 and Jun 22-24. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(16 Suppl):Abstract nr 3641.

Sustainable Development and Ecological Modernization: Boundary Discourses between “Strong” and “Weak” Approaches

The concepts of “sustainable development” and “ecological modernization” are todays’ main discourses of action on the global environmental crisis. However, the quest of priorities interpretation within concepts is raised: there is a path dependence of the hegemonic worldview of techno-economic progress that was supposed to be overcome. The objective of this text is to analyse how this dependence influenced the evolution of such concepts and their operational proposals. Methodologically, the research is based on a literature review on discourses of these concepts. A typology of “strong” and “weak” discourses highlights the possibilities of “business as usual” in its operational interpretation as well as the ways to overcome it. The results show that the confrontation between them lead to a conceptual evolution of sustainable development and ecological modernization that merges into a common agenda: the governance of ambivalence between economic and social progress and environmental frontiers. The text concludes by proposing the existence of a discursive game between “survival” and “tranquillity”. This highlights an essential tension between environmental mitigation and institutional change that has accompanied the political agenda in the past 50 years. The resulting reflexive governance as a choice implies a broad participation in decision-making processes so that environmental trade-offs are collectively discussed, and responsibilities are shared. Notwithstanding, the article claims that this essential tension further implies questioning if governance may not also be a new discourse of appeasement and political unaccountability.

Coherence measures with respect to general quantum measurements

Quantum coherence with respect to orthonormal bases has been studied extensively in the past few years. Recently, Bischof, et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 123, 110402 (2019)] generalized it to the case of general positive operator-valued measure (POVM) measurements. Such POVM-based coherence, including the block coherence as a special case, have significant operational interpretations in quantifying the advantage of quantum states in quantum information processing. In this work we first establish an alternative framework for quantifying the block coherence and provide several block coherence measures. We then present several coherence measures with respect to POVM measurements, and prove a conjecture on the $l_{1}$-norm related POVM coherence measure.

O wykładni prawa i jej wymiarze praktycznym. Kontekst sądowego stosowania prawa

The aim of the study is to identify those aspects of legal interpretation which may strengthen its practical dimension. The operative interpretation, distinguished in the theory of law, needs to be developed, inter alia, in order to strengthen the legal discourse as a whole and to contribute to better communication and deeper integration between dogmatic and theoretical legal studies. As a result, the theory of interpretation itself would become more complete. Three most important aspects of giving a practical dimension to various interpretive approaches are analysed in the paper. The first of them is the use of the so-called decision-making character of the operative interpretation, when such interpretation is made in connection with the findings of fact, which limits its scope, while at the same time broadening the number of the established normative bases for decisions, and also in the context of the subsequently-formulated justification of the interpretative decision. The second one is its validation-derivative approach, indicating the phases of operative interpretation, the multiplicity of carriers of law taken into account and the distinction of roles played at particular phases by the each type of rules of interpretation. Finally, the third aspect points to the need to include operative interpretation in the comparative approach, the main determinant of which are the differences of interpretation in particular branches of law.

Axiology of Judicial Application of Enforcement Law: View on the Bailiff’s Discretion

<p class="Standard">In the article, the author focused on three theoretical and philosophical issues of the judicial enforcement law in Poland, connected with the new enforcement acts which entered into force on 1 January 2019. First, the judicial enforcement proceedings were presented as an element of the law application process. The axiological dimension of this law, the place and function of a court bailiff in the law application process and the introduction of general clauses, combined with the basic values of the court enforcement law in the form of efficiency, effectiveness and reliability, form the new picture of the judicial enforcement law. Secondly, the problem of a general clause as a “carrier” of extralegal criteria was discussed, which takes an important place in the process of enforcement law application in the new bailiff’s law. There is the special role of the “public interest” and the “interest of justice” clauses as normative constructions introduced by the legislator to judicial enforcement. Thirdly, an attempt was made to answer the question about the presence and possible limits of discretion (free decision-making) of a court bailiff in the surrounding of the new axiology of enforcement law, and especially the formulation of this issue in the process of operative interpretation of law by a court bailiff.</p>

Dynamical resource theory of quantum coherence

Decoherence is all around us. Every quantum system that interacts with the environment is doomed to decohere. The preservation of quantum coherence is one of the major challenges faced in quantum technologies, but its use as a resource is very promising and can lead to various operational advantages, for example in quantum algorithms. Hence, much work has been devoted in recent years to quantify the coherence present in a system. In the present paper, we formulate the quantum resource theory of dynamical coherence. The underlying physical principle we follow is that the free dynamical objects are those that cannot preserve or distribute coherence. This leads us to identify classical channels as the free elements in this theory. Consequently, even the quantum identity channel is not free as all physical systems undergo decoherence and hence, the preservation of coherence should be considered a resource. In our work, we introduce four different types of free superchannels (analogous to MIO, DIO, IO, and SIO) and discuss in detail two of them, namely, dephasing-covariant incoherent superchannels (DISC), maximally incoherent superchannels (MISC). The latter consists of all superchannels that do not generate non-classical channels from classical ones. We quantify dynamical coherence using channel-divergence-based monotones for MISC and DISC. We show that some of these monotones have operational interpretations as the exact, the approximate, and the liberal coherence cost of a quantum channel. Moreover, we prove that the liberal asymptotic cost of a channel is equal to a new type of regularized relative entropy. Finally, we show that the conversion distance between two channels under MISC and DISC can be computed using a semi-definite program (SDP).

Teleporting quantum information encoded in fermionic modes

Quantum teleportation is considered a basic primitive in many quantum information processing tasks and has been experimentally confirmed in various photonic and matter-based setups. Here, we consider teleportation of quantum information encoded in modes of a fermionic field. In fermionic systems, superselection rules lead to a more differentiated picture of entanglement and teleportation. In particular, one is forced to distinguish between single-mode entanglement swapping, and qubit teleportation with or without authentication via Bell inequality violation, as we discuss here in detail. We focus on systems subject to parity superselection where the particle number is not fixed, and contrast them with systems constrained by particle number superselection which are relevant for possible practical implementations. Finally, we analyze the consequences for the operational interpretation of fermionic mode entanglement and examine the usefulness of so-called mixed maximally entangled states for teleportation.

Collisional effects on resonant particles in quasilinear theory

A careful examination of the effects of collisions on resonant wave–particle interactions leads to an alternate interpretation and deeper understanding of the quasilinear operator originally formulated by Kennel & Engelmann (Phys. Fluids, vol. 9, 1966, pp. 2377–2388) for collisionless, magnetized plasmas, and widely used to model radio frequency heating and current drive. The resonant and nearly resonant particles are particularly sensitive to collisions that scatter them out of and into resonance, as for Landau damping as shown by Johnston (Phys. Fluids, vol. 14, 1971, pp. 2719–2726) and Auerbach (Phys. Fluids, vol. 20, 1977, pp. 1836–1844). As a result, the resonant particle–wave interactions occur in the centre of a narrow collisional boundary when the collision frequency $\unicode[STIX]{x1D708}$ is very small compared to the wave frequency $\unicode[STIX]{x1D714}$ . The diffusive nature of the pitch angle scattering combined with the wave–particle resonance condition enhances the collision frequency by $(\unicode[STIX]{x1D714}/\unicode[STIX]{x1D708})^{2/3}\gg 1$ , resulting in an effective resonant particle collisional interaction time of $\unicode[STIX]{x1D70F}_{\text{int}}\sim (\unicode[STIX]{x1D708}/\unicode[STIX]{x1D714})^{2/3}/\unicode[STIX]{x1D708}\ll 1/\unicode[STIX]{x1D708}$ . A collisional boundary layer analysis generalizes the standard quasilinear operator to a form that is fully consistent with Kennel–Englemann, but allows replacing the delta function appearing in the diffusivity with a simple integral (having the appropriate delta function limit) retaining the new physics associated with the narrow boundary layer, while preserving the entropy production principle. The limitations of the collisional boundary layer treatment are also estimated, and indicate that substantial departures from Maxwellian are not permitted.

Negation and entropy: Effectual knowledge management equipment for learning organizations

The present paper aims to put forward negation and entropy as novel perspectives for knowledge management in learning organizations. The present work considers the surrounding factors of information to enumerate the effectiveness of information in the knowledge management field. Moreover, by utilizing the effectiveness of surrounding factors, a framework inspired by Dempster-Shafer theory has been presented to generate negation. Finally, the present paper defines and calculates entropy for information. We have applied negation and entropy concepts to two well-known cases of organizational systems and management domains to study their impact on the knowledge management domain. The cases have supported our decisions taken after the calculation of proposed negation and entropy concepts. The proposed method has a quality interpretation of the information operators and has the merit of simplifying knowledge management and decision making problems in the context of a learning organization. The present study combines multiple aspects of knowledge management, organizational systems, decision making, and organizational learning.

College developmental math students’ knowledge of the equal sign

Decades of research have documented young students’ misinterpretations of the equal sign and the impediments these present for children’s mathematical development. Much less is known about individual differences in adults’ knowledge of the equal sign. We assessed 182 college students from developmental math courses and present analyses from a subset of items on a previously validated assessment of mathematical equality. College students exhibited variability in their interpretations of the equal sign, and these individual differences were related both to their solutions for open equations with variables and to their interpretations of an algebraic expression. Students who provided a relational interpretation of the equal sign were most successful on target algebra problems and students who only provided an operational interpretation of the equal sign were least successful. These results show that misinterpretations of the equal sign can persist well beyond elementary school and can provide a critical indicator of broader mathematical reasoning among college students.

Diagnostic Performance of Three Rapid Diagnostic Test Kits for Malaria Parasite Plasmodium falciparum.

Malaria is a potent burden on public healthcare worldwide due to requiring rapid diagnosis and treatment. Nowadays, prompt diagnosis with rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) has been widely accepted as an effective diagnostic technique in malaria-endemic countries, primarily due to their easy operation, fast output, and straightforward interpretation. The global availability and use of RDTs have gradually grown over recent decades as field-applicable diagnostic tests for the reliable confirmation of malaria infection and proper case management. This study was conducted to evaluate diagnostic performance of 3 commercially available malaria RDT kits : BIOCREDITTM Malaria Ag Pf(pLDH), Malaria Ag Pf(pLDH/pHRPII), and Malaria Ag Pf/Pv(pLDH/pLDH) (where pLDH and pHRPII stand for plasmodium lactate dehydrogenase and histidine-rich protein 2, respectively) for the specific detection of Plasmodium falciparum. A total of 1,129 blood samples including 95 blood samples, confirmed as vivax malaria infection by microscopic examinations and a nested-PCR method, were tested for falciparum malaria infection. The overall sensitivity and specificity of Malaria Ag Pf(pLDH/pHRPII), Malaria Ag Pf/Pv(pLDH/pLDH), and Pf(pLDH) for P. falciparum were 99.0% and 100%, 95.8% and 100%, and 100% and 100%, respectively. It is proposed that the 3 RDT kits perform reliable level of diagnostic accuracy of detection for P. falciparum parasites.

The Impact of Elevation Sidelobe Contamination on Radar Data Quality for Operational Interpretation

AbstractTo fulfill the evolving observational needs of the National Weather Service (NWS), future weather radar systems will have to meet demanding requirements. Designing such systems will likely involve trade-offs between system cost and operational performance. A potential cost driver for future weather radars that could cause significant data-quality impacts on forecasters is the required angular resolution and sidelobe performance, which are mainly dictated by the antenna radiation pattern. Typical antenna radiation patterns can be characterized by the width of the main lobe and their sidelobe levels, which are traditionally measured across the azimuthal and elevation dimensions. In this work, we study the impact of increasing sidelobe levels on NWS forecasters’ data interpretation during warning operations. The resulting impact model can be used by decision-makers to better understand the cost–benefit trade-offs inherent in any radar system design.

Quantum Channel Simulation and the Channel’s Smooth Max-Information

We study the general framework of quantum channel simulation, that is, the ability of a quantum channel to simulate another one using different classes of codes. First, we show that the minimum error of simulation and the one-shot quantum simulation cost under no-signalling assisted codes are given by semidefinite programs. Second, we introduce the channel's smooth max-information, which can be seen as a one-shot generalization of the mutual information of a quantum channel. We provide an exact operational interpretation of the channel's smooth max-information as the one-shot quantum simulation cost under no-signalling assisted codes, which significantly simplifies the study of channel simulation and provides insights and bounds for the case under entanglement-assisted codes. Third, we derive the asymptotic equipartition property of the channel's smooth max-information; i.e., it converges to the quantum mutual information of the channel in the independent and identically distributed asymptotic limit. This implies the quantum reverse Shannon theorem in the presence of no-signalling correlations. Finally, we explore the simulation cost of various quantum channels.