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At least 109 records · Page 6

Fast likelihood classification

A multistage classification that reduces the processing time substantially is proposed. This classification algorithm consists of several stages, and in each stage likelihood values of classes are calculated and compared. If a class has a likelihood value less than a threshold, the class if truncated at that stage as an unlikely class, thus reducing the number of classes for which likelihood values are to be calculated at the next stage. Thus a host of classes can be truncated using a small portion of the total features at early stages, resulting in substantial reduction of computing time. Several truncation criteria are developed, and the relationship between thresholds and the error caused by the truncation is investigated. Experiments show that the proposed algorithm reduces the processing time by the factor of 3-7, depending on the number of classes and features, while maintaining essentially the same accuracies.

Lee, Chulhee↗

Maximum-likelihood soft-decision decoding of block codes using the A* algorithm

The A* algorithm finds the path in a finite depth binary tree that optimizes a function. Here, it is applied to maximum-likelihood soft-decision decoding of block codes where the function optimized over the codewords is the likelihood function of the received sequence given each codeword. The algorithm considers codewords one bit at a time, making use of the most reliable received symbols first and pursuing only the partially expanded codewords that might be maximally likely. A version of the A* algorithm for maximum-likelihood decoding of block codes has been implemented for block codes up to 64 bits in length. The efficiency of this algorithm makes simulations of codes up to length 64 feasible. This article details the implementation currently in use, compares the decoding complexity with that of exhaustive search and Viterbi decoding algorithms, and presents performance curves obtained with this implementation of the A* algorithm for several codes.

Ekroot, L.↗

Function Based Risk Assessment: Mapping Function to Likelihood

The concept of function offers a high potential for thinking and reasoning about designs as well as providing a common thread for relating together other design information. This paper focuses specifically on the relation between function and risk by presenting a mathematical mapping from product function to risk likelihood. This risk information is composed of design parameters, failure modes, and likelihood values. A spacecraft orientation subsystem, subsystem used to guide science instruments, and a Bell 206 rotorcraft are used to test the mapping which continues research on these products relating function to failure. Finally, a case study is presented in which the risk element likelihood is calculated for a fuel cell which is in the conceptual design phase at NASA JPL.

Tumer, Irem Y.↗

Risk Presentation Using the Three Dimensions of Likelihood, Severity, and Level of Control

Traditional hazard analysis techniques utilize a two-dimensional representation of the results determined by relative likelihood and severity of the residual risk. These matrices present a quick-look at the Likelihood (Y-axis) and Severity (X-axis) of the probable outcome of a hazardous event. A three-dimensional method, described herein, utilizes the traditional X and Y axes, while adding a new, third dimension, shown as the Z-axis, and referred to as the Level of Control. The elements of the Z-axis are modifications of the Hazard Elimination and Control steps (also known as the Hazard Reduction Precedence Sequence). These steps are: 1. Eliminate risk through design. 2. Substitute less risky materials for more hazardous materials. 3. Install safety devices. 4. Install caution and warning devices. 5. Develop administrative controls (to include special procedures and training.) 6. Provide protective clothing and equipment. When added to the two-dimensional models, the level of control adds a visual representation of the risk associated with the hazardous condition, creating a tall-pole for the leastwell-controlled failure while establishing the relative likelihood and severity of all causes and effects for an identified hazard. Computer modeling of the analytical results, using spreadsheets and three-dimensional charting gives a visual confirmation of the relationship between causes and their controls.

Watson, Clifford↗

Risk Assessment Using the Three Dimensions of Probability (Likelihood), Severity, and Level of Control

Traditional hazard analysis techniques utilize a two-dimensional representation of the results determined by relative likelihood and severity of the residual risk. These matrices present a quick-look at the Likelihood (Y-axis) and Severity (X-axis) of the probable outcome of a hazardous event. A three-dimensional method, described herein, utilizes the traditional X and Y axes, while adding a new, third dimension, shown as the Z-axis, and referred to as the Level of Control. The elements of the Z-axis are modifications of the Hazard Elimination and Control steps (also known as the Hazard Reduction Precedence Sequence). These steps are: 1. Eliminate risk through design. 2. Substitute less risky materials for more hazardous materials. 3. Install safety devices. 4. Install caution and warning devices. 5. Develop administrative controls (to include special procedures and training.) 6. Provide protective clothing and equipment. When added to the twodimensional models, the level of control adds a visual representation of the risk associated with the hazardous condition, creating a tall-pole for the least-well-controlled failure while establishing the relative likelihood and severity of all causes and effects for an identified hazard. Computer modeling of the analytical results, using spreadsheets and threedimensional charting gives a visual confirmation of the relationship between causes and their controls

Watson, Clifford↗

Risk Assessment Using the Three Dimensions of Probability (Likelihood), Severity, and Level of Control

Traditional hazard analysis techniques utilize a two-dimensional representation of the results determined by relative likelihood and severity of the residual risk. These matrices present a quick-look at the Likelihood (Y-axis) and Severity (X-axis) of the probable outcome of a hazardous event. A three-dimensional method, described herein, utilizes the traditional X and Y axes, while adding a new, third dimension, shown as the Z-axis, and referred to as the Level of Control. The elements of the Z-axis are modifications of the Hazard Elimination and Control steps (also known as the Hazard Reduction Precedence Sequence). These steps are: 1. Eliminate risk through design. 2. Substitute less risky materials for more hazardous materials. 3. Install safety devices. 4. Install caution and warning devices. 5. Develop administrative controls (to include special procedures and training.) 6. Provide protective clothing and equipment. When added to the two-dimensional models, the level of control adds a visual representation of the risk associated with the hazardous condition, creating a tall-pole for the least-well-controlled failure while establishing the relative likelihood and severity of all causes and effects for an identified hazard. Computer modeling of the analytical results, using spreadsheets and three-dimensional charting gives a visual confirmation of the relationship between causes and their controls.

Watson, Clifford C.↗

A Maximum Likelihood Approach to Determine Sensor Radiometric Response Coefficients for NPP VIIRS Reflective Solar Bands

Optical sensors aboard Earth orbiting satellites such as the next generation Visible/Infrared Imager/Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) assume that the sensors radiometric response in the Reflective Solar Bands (RSB) is described by a quadratic polynomial, in relating the aperture spectral radiance to the sensor Digital Number (DN) readout. For VIIRS Flight Unit 1, the coefficients are to be determined before launch by an attenuation method, although the linear coefficient will be further determined on-orbit through observing the Solar Diffuser. In determining the quadratic polynomial coefficients by the attenuation method, a Maximum Likelihood approach is applied in carrying out the least-squares procedure. Crucial to the Maximum Likelihood least-squares procedure is the computation of the weight. The weight not only has a contribution from the noise of the sensor s digital count, with an important contribution from digitization error, but also is affected heavily by the mathematical expression used to predict the value of the dependent variable, because both the independent and the dependent variables contain random noise. In addition, model errors have a major impact on the uncertainties of the coefficients. The Maximum Likelihood approach demonstrates the inadequacy of the attenuation method model with a quadratic polynomial for the retrieved spectral radiance. We show that using the inadequate model dramatically increases the uncertainties of the coefficients. We compute the coefficient values and their uncertainties, considering both measurement and model errors.

Lei, Ning↗

Frequency Domain Quasi Maximum Likelihood Identification of Low Order Aeroservoelastic Models from Flight-Test Data

In this paper a quasi maximum likelihood method for estimating a low order model of a flexible vehicle has been developed and demonstrated. The quasi maximum likelihood method uses a large number of sensors to estimate the parameters and covariance in a method consistent with the maximum likelihood filter-error method. The cost function has been defined in a frequency domain to improve computational efficiency and to enable estimation of an unstable plant. The method has been demonstrated using flight data from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration X-56A Multi-Utility Technology Testbed flex wing tests, which include unstable flutter modes. The method was able to effectively estimate the frequency and damping of the dynamics of the aircraft and generate a transfer function that is useful for control system evaluations.

Jeffrey Ouellette↗

New Machine Learning Techniques for Simulation-Based Inference: InferoStatic Nets, Kernel Score Estimation, and Kernel Likelihood Ratio Estimation

We propose an intuitive, machine-learning approach to multiparameter inference, dubbed the InferoStatic Networks (ISN) method, to model the score and likelihood ratio estimators in cases when the probability density can be sampled but not computed directly. The ISN uses a backend neural network that models a scalar function called the inferostatic potential $\varphi$. In addition, we introduce new strategies, respectively called Kernel Score Estimation (KSE) and Kernel Likelihood Ratio Estimation (KLRE), to learn the score and the likelihood ratio functions from simulated data. We illustrate the new techniques with some toy examples and compare to existing approaches in the literature. We mention en passant some new loss functions that optimally incorporate latent information from simulations into the training procedure.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Likelihood-Based Particle Identification in the Short-Baseline Near Detector

Accurate particle identification is crucial in any high-energy physics experiment, allowing scientists to understand the unique interactions and mechanisms at play in a detector. In this project, I develop and study a new particle identification (PID) algorithm for the Short-Baseline Near Detector, a likelihood-based approach, different from out current $\chi^2$ method. A likelihood estimation offers a more physically motivated strategy for PID. The distribution random energy losses of charged particles traveling through a medium are described by the Vavilov probability density function. By using this model, we can account for random energy losses and construct likelihood functions specific to each particle type, potentially enabling a more accurate method for PID.

Vanderwaal, Sophia [U. Alabama, Huntsville] (ORCID↗

Using Likelihood for Combined Data Set Analysis

The joint likelihood is a simple extension of the standard likelihood formalism that enables the estimation of common parameters across disjoint datasets. Joining the likelihood, rather than the data itself, means nuisance parameters can be dealt with independently. Application of this technique, particularly to Fermi-LAT dwarf spheroidal analyses, has already been met with great success. We present a description of the method's general implementation along with a toy Monte-Carlo study of its properties and limitations.

Anderson, Brandon↗

Development and application of marginal likelihood optimization for integral parameter adjustment

When adjusting nuclear data with integral experiments, care must be taken that spurious adjustments are not made by assimilating poorly characterized integral parameters. If there are unaccounted for biases or poorly estimated uncertainties in the calculated and experimental values for an integral parameter, the Bayesian data assimilation may adjust the nuclear data in a manner that does not reflect the physics of the integral parameter. To identify and lessen the impact of these inconsistent integral parameters, in this study we present a Marginal Likelihood Optimization algorithm. In a data-driven way, the marginalized likelihood is used to modulate hyperparameter terms that decrease the influence of inconsistent integral parameters on the adjustment. The advantage of this approach over other methods in the literature is that it incorporates correlation information and does not remove an integral parameter from the adjustment. Herein, we present and motivate the algorithm, and apply it to an integral data assimilation case study.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Solving high-dimensional inverse problems using amortized likelihood-free inference with noisy and incomplete data

Here, we present a likelihood-free probabilistic inversion method based on normalizing flows for high-dimensional inverse problems. The proposed method is composed of two complementary networks: a summary network for data compression and an inference network for parameter estimation. The summary network encodes raw observations into a fixed-size vector of summary features, while the inference network generates samples of the approximate posterior distribution of the model parameters based on these summary features. The posterior samples are produced in a deep generative fashion by sampling from a latent Gaussian distribution and passing these samples through an invertible transformation. We construct this invertible transformation by sequentially alternating conditional invertible neural network and conditional neural spline flow layers. The summary and inference networks are trained simultaneously. We apply the proposed method to an inversion problem in groundwater hydrology to estimate the posterior distribution of the log-conductivity field conditioned on spatially sparse time-series observations of the system’s hydraulic head responses. The conductivity field is represented with 706 degrees of freedom in the considered problem. Comparison with the likelihood-based iterative ensemble smoother PEST-IES method demonstrates that the proposed method accurately estimates the parameter posterior distribution and the observations’ predictive posterior distribution at a fraction of the inference time of PEST-IES.

conditional invertible neural network↗

An optical-input Maximum Likelihood Estimation feedback system demonstrated on tokamak horizontal equilibrium control

A readily parallelized Maximum Likelihood Estimation (MLE) algorithm with linear computational complexity is demonstrated in real time using only measurements from an extreme ultraviolet (EUV) diagnostic to control the horizontal position of a tokamak plasma. A set of trial emissivity profiles are parameterized by the control quantity of interest (R m ), and the MLE is identified from the profile which minimizes the signal reconstruction residual. The algorithm depends on an empirically determined likelihood function with exponential form. EUV emission (λ ≈ 15eV-1keV) is captured in a poloidal plane by four 16-channel AXUV diodes mounted at different poloidal angles with radial and angular resolution sufficient to discern plasma equilibrium evolution in HBT-EP. Calculations of the plasma major radius by the system are consistent within diagnostic uncertainty for the majority of the discharge with those of: a weighted average of vertical soft X-ray or EUV chords, magnetic sensors, and an equilibrium reconstruction. The feedback system corrects for a horizontal displacement of the major radius equal to 20% of the plasma minor radius by adjusting the vertical field produced from 40 in-vessel control coils in real time. The MLE calculation is performed on a GPU in a 15 μs cycle, with similar performance in this application to a simple weighted average of vertical chords. Finally, results demonstrate horizontal position control using magnetic actuators and an optical observer.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Combined Neyman–Pearson chi-square: An improved approximation to the Poisson-likelihood chi-square

We describe an approximation to the widely-used Poisson-likelihood chi-square using a linear combination of Neyman’s and Pearson’s chi-squares, namely “combined Neyman–Pearson chi-square” ($X^2_{CNP}$). Through analytical derivations and toy model simulations, we show that leads to a significantly smaller bias on the best-fit model parameters compared to those using either Neyman’s or Pearson’s chi-square. When the computational cost of using the Poisson-likelihood chi-square is high, $X^2_{CNP}$ provides a good alternative given its natural connection to the covariance matrix formalism.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Application of maximum likelihood methods to laser Thomson scattering measurements of low density plasmas

Laser Thomson scattering (LTS) is an established plasma diagnostic technique that has seen recent application to low density plasmas. It is difficult to perform LTS measurements when the scattered signal is weak as a result of low electron number density, poor optical access to the plasma, or both. Photon counting methods are often implemented in order to perform measurements in these low signal conditions. However, photon counting measurements performed with photo-multiplier tubes are time consuming and multi-photon arrivals are incorrectly recorded. In order to overcome these shortcomings a new data analysis method based on maximum likelihood estimation was developed. The key feature of this new data processing method is the inclusion of non-arrival events in determining the scattered Thomson signal. Maximum likelihood estimation and its application to Thomson scattering at low signal levels is presented and application of the new processing method to LTS measurements performed in the plume of a 2-kW Hall-effect thruster is discussed.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

Uniqueness and global optimality of the maximum likelihood estimator for the generalized extreme value distribution

The three-parameter generalized extreme value distribution arises from classical univariate extreme value theory and is in common use for analysing the far tail of observed phenomena, yet important asymptotic properties of likelihood-based estimation under this standard model have not been established. In this paper, we prove that the maximum likelihood estimator is global and unique. An interesting secondary result entails the uniform consistency of a class of limit relations in a tight neighbourhood of the true shape parameter.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Evaluating crystallographic likelihood functions using numerical quadratures

Intensity-based likelihood functions in crystallographic applications have the potential to enhance the quality of structures derived from marginal diffraction data. Their usage, however, is complicated by the ability to efficiently compute these target functions. Here, a numerical quadrature is developed that allows the rapid evaluation of intensity-based likelihood functions in crystallographic applications. By using a sequence of change-of-variable transformations, including a nonlinear domain-compression operation, an accurate, robust and efficient quadrature is constructed. The approach is flexible and can incorporate different noise models with relative ease.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗