The standard prediction process of SVM requires acquisition of all the feature values for every instance. In practice, however, a cost is associated with the mere act of acquisition of a feature, e.g. CPU time needed to compute the feature out of raw data, the dollar amount spent for gleaning more information, or the patient wellness sacrificed by an invasive medical test, etc. In such applicat...

We study the problem of containing spreading processes in arbitrary directed networks by distributing protection resources throughout the nodes of the network. We consider two types of protection resources are available: (i) Preventive resources able to defend nodes against the spreading (such as vaccines in a viral infection process), and (ii) corrective resources able to neutralize the spread...

We represent planning as a set of loosely coupled network flow problems, where each network corresponds to one of the state variables in the planning domain. The network nodes correspond to the state variable values and the network arcs correspond to the value transitions. The planning problem is to find a path (a sequence of actions) in each network such that, when merged, they constitute a fe...

This thesis analyses the way how theorems in network theory could be applied to choosing locations for placing each of bicycle stations in the city efficiently. Hence, it sets up a mathematical model for predicting paths and number of people interacting at the given time interval using graph theory and game theoretical techniques. Then, it evaluates the cost efficiency of such system and conclu...

This article discusses the experience of six conditional cash transfer programmes in Latin America, a model of social safety-nets which has grown to dominate the social protection sector in the region during the past decade. While they have been generally successful in terms of achieving their core objective, it is still not clear whether these programmes constitute the most cost-efficient or s...

Optimal synthesis of workflow structures, the formerly undefined problem, has been introduced. Mathematical programming model is presented for determining the cost optimal workflow system of a given workflow problem. On the basis of a methodology developed for process network synthesis, effective solvers are available for the systematic synthesis of workflow systems.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) mechanisms are more and more frequently applied to all sorts of civil engineering problems. New methods and algorithms which allow civil engineers to use these techniques in a different way on diverse problems are available or being made available. One AI techniques stands out over the rest: Artificial Neural Networks (ANN). Their most remarkable traits are their ab...

There is given a graph, that models a communication network of a multi-processor system, and there are tokens (jobs) allocated to nodes of the graph. The task is to distribute the tokens evenly, subject to the constraint that they may be moved only along the edges of the graph. The cost of a distribution strategy is measured as the total number of operations of moving a token along an edge. An ...

Online instruction is gaining an increasing presence due to the benefits associated with it, including the ability to consolidate education and training across geographical and time constraints, and the claim by many that online education and training is cost efficient. This paper provides a relatively concise and useful history of online learning, and a discussion of issues to be faced by the ...

In a simple model of network industry, where an upstream monopolist provides an essential input for downstream service supply, we analyze the competitive settings arising in the downstream market under alternative regulatory frameworks; we combine structural (i.e. vertical integration, functional/ownership separation) and conduct (discriminatory and nondiscriminatory access) regulatory remedies...