Efficient Image Retrieval by Fuzzy Rules from Boosting and Metaheuristic

Evolutionary Algorithm for Selecting Dynamic Signatures Partitioning Approach

In the verification of identity, the aim is to increase effectiveness and reduce involvement of verified users. A good compromise between these issues is ensured by dynamic signature verification. The dynamic signature is represented by signals describing the position of the stylus in time. They can be used to determine the velocity or acceleration signal. Values of these signals can be analyzed, interpreted, selected, and compared. In this paper, we propose an approach that: (a) uses an evolutionary algorithm to create signature partitions in the time and velocity domains; (b) selects the most characteristic partitions in terms of matching with reference signatures; and (c) works individually for each user, eliminating the need of using skilled forgeries. The proposed approach was tested using Biosecure DS2 database which is a part of the DeepSignDB, a database with genuine dynamic signatures. Our simulations confirmed the correctness of the adopted assumptions.

Multi-Population-Based Algorithm with an Exchange of Training Plans Based on Population Evaluation

Population Based Algorithms (PBAs) are excellent search tools that allow searching space of parameters defined by problems under consideration. They are especially useful when it is difficult to define a differentiable evaluation criterion. This applies, for example, to problems that are a combination of continuous and discrete (combinatorial) problems. In such problems, it is often necessary to select a certain structure of the solution (e.g. a neural network or other systems with a structure usually selected by the trial and error method) and to determine the parameters of such structure. As PBAs have great application possibilities, the aim is to develop more and more effective search formulas used in them. An interesting approach is to use multiple populations and process them with separate PBAs (in a different way). In this paper, we propose a new multi-population-based algorithm with: (a) subpopulation evaluation and (b) replacement of the associated PBAs subpopulation formulas used for their processing. In the simulations, we used a set of typical CEC2013 benchmark functions. The obtained results confirm the validity of the proposed concept.

A Self-Adaptive Cuckoo Search Algorithm Using a Machine Learning Technique

Metaheuristics are intelligent problem-solvers that have been very efficient in solving huge optimization problems for more than two decades. However, the main drawback of these solvers is the need for problem-dependent and complex parameter setting in order to reach good results. This paper presents a new cuckoo search algorithm able to self-adapt its configuration, particularly its population and the abandon probability. The self-tuning process is governed by using machine learning, where cluster analysis is employed to autonomously and properly compute the number of agents needed at each step of the solving process. The goal is to efficiently explore the space of possible solutions while alleviating human effort in parameter configuration. We illustrate interesting experimental results on the well-known set covering problem, where the proposed approach is able to compete against various state-of-the-art algorithms, achieving better results in one single run versus 20 different configurations. In addition, the result obtained is compared with similar hybrid bio-inspired algorithms illustrating interesting results for this proposal.

Clustering-Based Binarization Methods Applied to the Crow Search Algorithm for 0/1 Combinatorial Problems

Metaheuristics are smart problem solvers devoted to tackling particularly large optimization problems. During the last 20 years, they have largely been used to solve different problems from the academic as well as from the real-world. However, most of them have originally been designed for operating over real domain variables, being necessary to tailor its internal core, for instance, to be effective in a binary space of solutions. Various works have demonstrated that this internal modification, known as binarization, is not a simple task, since the several existing binarization ways may lead to very different results. This of course forces the user to implement and analyze a large list of binarization schemas for reaching good results. In this paper, we explore two efficient clustering methods, namely KMeans and DBscan to alter a metaheuristic in order to improve it, and thus do not require on the knowledge of an expert user for identifying which binarization strategy works better during the run. Both techniques have widely been applied to solve clustering problems, allowing us to exploit useful information gathered during the search to efficiently control and improve the binarization process. We integrate those techniques to a recent metaheuristic called Crow Search, and we conduct experiments where KMeans and DBscan are contrasted to 32 different binarization methods. The results show that the proposed approaches outperform most of the binarization strategies for a large list of well-known optimization instances.

Detecting Visual Objects by Edge Crawling

Content-based image retrieval methods develop rapidly with a growing scale of image repositories. They are usually based on comparing and indexing some image features. We developed a new algorithm for finding objects in images by traversing their edges. Moreover, we describe the objects by histograms of local features and angles. We use such a description to retrieve similar images fast. We performed extensive experiments on three established image datasets proving the effectiveness of the proposed method.

Fast Image Index for Database Management Engines

Large-scale image repositories are challenging to perform queries based on the content of the images. The paper proposes a novel, nested-dictionary data structure for indexing image local features. The method transforms image local feature vectors into two-level hashes and builds an index of the content of the images in the database. The algorithm can be used in database management systems. We implemented it with an example image descriptor and deployed in a relational database. We performed the experiments on two image large benchmark datasets.