Group Importance Sampling for Particle Filtering and MCMC

Bayesian methods and their implementations by means of sophisticated Monte Carlo techniques have become very popular in signal processing over the last years. Importance Sampling (IS) is a well-known Monte Carlo technique that approximates integrals involving a posterior distribution by means of weighted samples. In this work, we study the assignation of a single weighted sample which compresses the information contained in a population of weighted samples. Part of the theory that we present as Group Importance Sampling (GIS) has been employed implicitly in different works in the literature. The provided analysis yields several theoretical and practical consequences. For instance, we discuss the application of GIS into the Sequential Importance Resampling framework and show that Independent Multiple Try Metropolis schemes can be interpreted as a standard Metropolis-Hastings algorithm, following the GIS approach. We also introduce two novel Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) techniques based on GIS. The first one, named Group Metropolis Sampling method, produces a Markov chain of sets of weighted samples. All these sets are then employed for obtaining a unique global estimator. The second one is the Distributed Particle Metropolis-Hastings technique, where different parallel particle filters are jointly used to drive an MCMC algorithm. Different resampled trajectories are compared and then tested with a proper acceptance probability. The novel schemes are tested in different numerical experiments such as learning the hyperparameters of Gaussian Processes, two localization problems in a wireless sensor network (with synthetic and real data) and the tracking of vegetation parameters given satellite observations, where they are compared with several benchmark Monte Carlo techniques. Three illustrative Matlab demos are also provided.Comment: To appear in Digital Signal Processing. Related Matlab demos are provided at https://github.com/lukafree/GIS.gi

Rotor burst protection program initial test results, phase 4 Final report

High speed photographic recording of turbine wheel failure in containment devic

Diffusion Processes and Coherent States

It is shown that stochastic processes of diffusion type possess, in all generality, a structure of uncertainty relations and of coherent and squeezed states. This fact is used to obtain, via Nelson stochastic formulation of quantum mechanics, the harmonic-oscillator coherent and squeezed states. The method allows to derive new minimum uncertainty states in time-dependent oscillator potentials and for the Caldirola-Kanai model of quantum damped oscillator.Comment: 11 pages, plain LaTe

Quantum Groups, Coherent States, Squeezing and Lattice Quantum Mechanics

By resorting to the Fock--Bargmann representation, we incorporate the quantum Weyl--Heisenberg ($q$-WH) algebra into the theory of entire analytic functions. The main tool is the realization of the $q$--WH algebra in terms of finite difference operators. The physical relevance of our study relies on the fact that coherent states (CS) are indeed formulated in the space of entire analytic functions where they can be rigorously expressed in terms of theta functions on the von Neumann lattice. The r\^ole played by the finite difference operators and the relevance of the lattice structure in the completeness of the CS system suggest that the $q$--deformation of the WH algebra is an essential tool in the physics of discretized (periodic) systems. In this latter context we define a quantum mechanics formalism for lattice systems.Comment: 22 pages, TEX file, DFF188/9/93 Firenz

Management of functional neurological disorder.

Functional neurological disorder (FND) is a common cause of persistent and disabling neurological symptoms. These symptoms are varied and include abnormal control of movement, episodes of altered awareness resembling epileptic seizures and abnormal sensation and are often comorbid with chronic pain, fatigue and cognitive symptoms. There is increasing evidence for the role of neurologists in both the assessment and management of FND. The aim of this review is to discuss strategies for the management of FND by focusing on the diagnostic discussion and general principles, as well as specific treatment strategies for various FND symptoms, highlighting the role of the neurologist and proposing a structure for an interdisciplinary FND service