High-Rate Vector Quantization for the Neyman-Pearson Detection of Correlated Processes

This paper investigates the effect of quantization on the performance of the Neyman-Pearson test. It is assumed that a sensing unit observes samples of a correlated stationary ergodic multivariate process. Each sample is passed through an N-point quantizer and transmitted to a decision device which performs a binary hypothesis test. For any false alarm level, it is shown that the miss probability of the Neyman-Pearson test converges to zero exponentially as the number of samples tends to infinity, assuming that the observed process satisfies certain mixing conditions. The main contribution of this paper is to provide a compact closed-form expression of the error exponent in the high-rate regime i.e., when the number N of quantization levels tends to infinity, generalizing previous results of Gupta and Hero to the case of non-independent observations. If d represents the dimension of one sample, it is proved that the error exponent converges at rate N^{2/d} to the one obtained in the absence of quantization. As an application, relevant high-rate quantization strategies which lead to a large error exponent are determined. Numerical results indicate that the proposed quantization rule can yield better performance than existing ones in terms of detection error.Comment: 47 pages, 7 figures, 1 table. To appear in the IEEE Transactions on Information Theor

Secure Multiterminal Source Coding with Side Information at the Eavesdropper

The problem of secure multiterminal source coding with side information at the eavesdropper is investigated. This scenario consists of a main encoder (referred to as Alice) that wishes to compress a single source but simultaneously satisfying the desired requirements on the distortion level at a legitimate receiver (referred to as Bob) and the equivocation rate --average uncertainty-- at an eavesdropper (referred to as Eve). It is further assumed the presence of a (public) rate-limited link between Alice and Bob. In this setting, Eve perfectly observes the information bits sent by Alice to Bob and has also access to a correlated source which can be used as side information. A second encoder (referred to as Charlie) helps Bob in estimating Alice's source by sending a compressed version of its own correlated observation via a (private) rate-limited link, which is only observed by Bob. For instance, the problem at hands can be seen as the unification between the Berger-Tung and the secure source coding setups. Inner and outer bounds on the so called rates-distortion-equivocation region are derived. The inner region turns to be tight for two cases: (i) uncoded side information at Bob and (ii) lossless reconstruction of both sources at Bob --secure distributed lossless compression. Application examples to secure lossy source coding of Gaussian and binary sources in the presence of Gaussian and binary/ternary (resp.) side informations are also considered. Optimal coding schemes are characterized for some cases of interest where the statistical differences between the side information at the decoders and the presence of a non-zero distortion at Bob can be fully exploited to guarantee secrecy.Comment: 26 pages, 16 figures, 2 table

Secure Lossy Source Coding with Side Information at the Decoders

This paper investigates the problem of secure lossy source coding in the presence of an eavesdropper with arbitrary correlated side informations at the legitimate decoder (referred to as Bob) and the eavesdropper (referred to as Eve). This scenario consists of an encoder that wishes to compress a source to satisfy the desired requirements on: (i) the distortion level at Bob and (ii) the equivocation rate at Eve. It is assumed that the decoders have access to correlated sources as side information. For instance, this problem can be seen as a generalization of the well-known Wyner-Ziv problem taking into account the security requirements. A complete characterization of the rate-distortion-equivocation region for the case of arbitrary correlated side informations at the decoders is derived. Several special cases of interest and an application example to secure lossy source coding of binary sources in the presence of binary and ternary side informations are also considered. It is shown that the statistical differences between the side information at the decoders and the presence of non-zero distortion at the legitimate decoder can be useful in terms of secrecy. Applications of these results arise in a variety of distributed sensor network scenarios.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figures, 1 table, to be presented at Allerton 201

Bose-Glass behaviour in Bi_{2}Sr_{2}Ca_{1-x}Y_{x}Cu_{2}O_{8} crystals with columnar defects: experimental evidence for variable-range hopping

We report on vortex transport in Bi_{2}Sr_{2}Ca_{1-x}Y_{x}Cu_{2}O_{8} crystals irradiated at different doses of heavy ions. We show evidence of a flux-creep resistivity typical of a variable-range vortex hopping mechanism as predicted by Nelson and Vinokur.Comment: 5 pages LaTeX2e (uses elsart.cls), 1 Encapsulated PostScript figur

Polygons vs. clumps of discs: a numerical study of the influence of grain shape on the mechanical behaviour of granular materials

We performed a series of numerical vertical compression tests on assemblies of 2D granular material using a Discrete Element code and studied the results with regard to the grain shape. The samples consist of 5,000 grains made from either 3 overlapping discs (clumps - grains with concavities) or six-edged polygons (convex grains). These two grain type have similar external envelopes, which is a function of a geometrical parameter $\alpha$. In this paper, the numerical procedure applied is briefly presented followed by the description of the granular model used. Observations and mechanical analysis of dense and loose granular assemblies under isotropic loading are made. The mechanical response of our numerical granular samples is studied in the framework of the classical vertical compression test with constant lateral stress (biaxial test). The comparison of macroscopic responses of dense and loose samples with various grain shapes shows that when $\alpha$ is considered a concavity parameter, it is therefore a relevant variable for increasing mechanical performances of dense samples. When $\alpha$ is considered an envelope deviation from perfect sphericity, it can control mechanical performances for large strains. Finally, we present some remarks concerning the kinematics of the deformed samples: while some polygon samples subjected to a vertical compression present large damage zones (any polygon shape), dense samples made of clumps always exhibit thin reflecting shear bands. This paper was written as part of a CEGEO research project www.granuloscience.comComment: This version of the paper doesn't include figures. Visit the journal web site to download the final version of the paper with the figure

Fast Computation of Minimal Interpolation Bases in Popov Form for Arbitrary Shifts

We compute minimal bases of solutions for a general interpolation problem, which encompasses Hermite-Pad\'e approximation and constrained multivariate interpolation, and has applications in coding theory and security. This problem asks to find univariate polynomial relations between $m$ vectors of size $\sigma$; these relations should have small degree with respect to an input degree shift. For an arbitrary shift, we propose an algorithm for the computation of an interpolation basis in shifted Popov normal form with a cost of $\mathcal{O}\tilde{~}(m^{\omega-1} \sigma)$ field operations, where $\omega$ is the exponent of matrix multiplication and the notation $\mathcal{O}\tilde{~}(\cdot)$ indicates that logarithmic terms are omitted. Earlier works, in the case of Hermite-Pad\'e approximation and in the general interpolation case, compute non-normalized bases. Since for arbitrary shifts such bases may have size $\Theta(m^2 \sigma)$, the cost bound $\mathcal{O}\tilde{~}(m^{\omega-1} \sigma)$ was feasible only with restrictive assumptions on the shift that ensure small output sizes. The question of handling arbitrary shifts with the same complexity bound was left open. To obtain the target cost for any shift, we strengthen the properties of the output bases, and of those obtained during the course of the algorithm: all the bases are computed in shifted Popov form, whose size is always $\mathcal{O}(m \sigma)$. Then, we design a divide-and-conquer scheme. We recursively reduce the initial interpolation problem to sub-problems with more convenient shifts by first computing information on the degrees of the intermediate bases.Comment: 8 pages, sig-alternate class, 4 figures (problems and algorithms

La Chine (postmoderne) créée par le tourisme: Le tai-chi, l'opium, Mao et la techno

This article discusses the contradictory representations of an imaginary China as invented by the French tourist industry discourse : on the one hand the traditional Orientalist representation of a mythic, reified and timeless China, and on the other hand, the increasingly obvious assessment of China as modern and contemporary. The fact that the tourist industry evokes a contemporary, ambitious and active China, tends, however, to deconstruct the Orientalist imaginary of a timeless China which they themselves describe. Tourist industry discourse negotiates this contradiction by insisting on a post-modern dimension. As they adapt their products to new Chinese realities, the travel agents present an “Oriental post-modernity” - a world where an eternal, both contemporary and a-historic, present prevails - instead of a “lost Orient”. They sell the utopian dream of a harmonious world, a seamless modernity which would not have “melted into air” local cultures and traditional practices.Cette étude discute des représentations contradictoires de la Chine imaginaire telle qu'elle est inventée par le discours touristique français : la représentation orientaliste traditionnelle d'une Chine mythique réifiée et intemporelle d'un côté, et la prise en compte, de plus en plus flagrante, non seulement d'une Chine moderne mais aussi contemporaine de l'autre. L'évocation récurrente par le discours touristique d'une Chine au présent, ambitieuse et agissante, n'est-elle cependant pas susceptible de déconstruire l'imaginaire orientaliste d'une Chine a-historique telle que la présentent les voyagistes ? Nous postulons que le discours touristique négocie cette contradiction par l'insistance qu'il met à donner une dimension postmoderne à la Chine. Adaptant leurs produits aux nouvelles réalités chinoises, les voyagistes substituent un “Orient postmoderne” à l'ancienne représentation d'un “Orient-passé”: la condition chinoise serait celle d'une “postmodernité orientale”, un monde de l'éternel présent, sans histoire mais contemporain. Ils vendent à leur clients l'utopie d'un monde apaisé, une modernité sans rupture qui n'aurait pas bouleversé les pratiques et cultures locales traditionnelles

Asymptotically fast polynomial matrix algorithms for multivariable systems

We present the asymptotically fastest known algorithms for some basic problems on univariate polynomial matrices: rank, nullspace, determinant, generic inverse, reduced form. We show that they essentially can be reduced to two computer algebra techniques, minimal basis computations and matrix fraction expansion/reconstruction, and to polynomial matrix multiplication. Such reductions eventually imply that all these problems can be solved in about the same amount of time as polynomial matrix multiplication