Information Algebras

Information Algebras
Author: Juerg Kohlas
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 274
Release: 2012-12-06
Genre: Mathematics
ISBN: 1447100093

Information usually comes in pieces, from different sources. It refers to different, but related questions. Therefore information needs to be aggregated and focused onto the relevant questions. Considering combination and focusing of information as the relevant operations leads to a generic algebraic structure for information. This book introduces and studies information from this algebraic point of view. Algebras of information provide the necessary abstract framework for generic inference procedures. They allow the application of these procedures to a large variety of different formalisms for representing information. At the same time they permit a generic study of conditional independence, a property considered as fundamental for knowledge presentation. Information algebras provide a natural framework to define and study uncertain information. Uncertain information is represented by random variables that naturally form information algebras. This theory also relates to probabilistic assumption-based reasoning in information systems and is the basis for the belief functions in the Dempster-Shafer theory of evidence.

Incomplete Information: Structure, Inference, Complexity

Incomplete Information: Structure, Inference, Complexity
Author: Stephane P. Demri
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 415
Release: 2013-04-18
Genre: Mathematics
ISBN: 366204997X

This monograph presents a systematic, exhaustive and up-to-date overview of formal methods and theories for data analysis and inference inspired by the concept of rough set. Throughout, Demri studies structures with incomplete information from the logical, algebraic and computational perspective. The formalisms developed are non-invasive in that only the actual information that is needed in the process of analysis without external sources of information being required. The book is self-contained to a large degree, providing detailed derivations of most of the technical results, and is intended for researchers, lecturers and graduate students.

Formal Theories of Information

Formal Theories of Information
Author: Giovanni Sommaruga
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 275
Release: 2009-04-07
Genre: Computers
ISBN: 3642006590

It is commonly assumed that computers process information. But what is inf- mation? In a technical, important, but nevertheless rather narrow sense, Sh- non’sinformationtheorygivesa?rstanswertothisquestion.Thistheoryfocuses on measuring the information content of a message. Essentially this measure is the reduction of the uncertainty obtained by receiving a message. The unc- tainty of a situation of ignorance in turn is measured by entropy. This theory hashad an immense impact on the technologyof information storage,data c- pression, information transmission and coding and still is a very active domain of research. Shannon’s theory has also attractedmuch interest in a more philosophic look at information, although it was readily remarked that it is only a “syntactic” theory of information and neglects “semantic” issues. Several attempts have been made in philosophy to give information theory a semantic ?avor, but still mostly based on or at least linked to Shannon’s theory. Approaches to semantic informationtheoryalsoveryoftenmakeuseofformallogic.Thereby,information is linked to reasoning, deduction and inference, as well as to decision making. Further, entropy and related measure were soon found to have important connotations with regard to statistical inference. Surely, statistical data and observation represent information, information about unknown, hidden para- ters. Thus a whole branch of statistics developed around concepts of Shannon’s information theory or derived from them. Also some proper measurements - propriate for statistics, like Fisher’s information, were proposed.

Incomplete Information: Rough Set Analysis

Incomplete Information: Rough Set Analysis
Author: Ewa Orlowska
Publisher: Physica
Total Pages: 615
Release: 2013-03-14
Genre: Computers
ISBN: 3790818887

In 1982, Professor Pawlak published his seminal paper on what he called "rough sets" - a work which opened a new direction in the development of theories of incomplete information. Today, a decade and a half later, the theory of rough sets has evolved into a far-reaching methodology for dealing with a wide variety of issues centering on incompleteness and imprecision of information - issues which playa key role in the conception and design of intelligent information systems. "Incomplete Information: Rough Set Analysis" - or RSA for short - presents an up-to-date and highly authoritative account of the current status of the basic theory, its many extensions and wide-ranging applications. Edited by Professor Ewa Orlowska, one of the leading contributors to the theory of rough sets, RSA is a collection of nineteen well-integrated chapters authored by experts in rough set theory and related fields. A common thread that runs through these chapters ties the concept of incompleteness of information to those of indiscernibility and similarity.

Theory of Information

Theory of Information
Author: Mark Burgin
Publisher: World Scientific
Total Pages: 689
Release: 2010
Genre: Computers
ISBN: 9812835482

Presents a fresh approach to scientific understanding of information phenomena. Based on an analysis of information processes in nature, technology, and society, as well as on the main directions in information theory, this book offers a theory that synthesizes various directions into a unified system.

An Introduction to Nonassociative Algebras

An Introduction to Nonassociative Algebras
Author: Richard D. Schafer
Publisher: Courier Dover Publications
Total Pages: 177
Release: 2017-11-15
Genre: Mathematics
ISBN: 0486164179

Concise graduate-level introductory study presents some of the important ideas and results in the theory of nonassociative algebras. Places particular emphasis on alternative and (commutative) Jordan algebras. 1966 edition.

Power Algebras over Semirings

Power Algebras over Semirings
Author: Jonathan S. Golan
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 207
Release: 2013-04-17
Genre: Mathematics
ISBN: 9401592411

This monograph is a continuation of several themes presented in my previous books [146, 149]. In those volumes, I was concerned primarily with the properties of semirings. Here, the objects of investigation are sets of the form RA, where R is a semiring and A is a set having a certain structure. The problem is one of translating that structure to RA in some "natural" way. As such, it tries to find a unified way of dealing with diverse topics in mathematics and theoretical com puter science as formal language theory, the theory of fuzzy algebraic structures, models of optimal control, and many others. Another special case is the creation of "idempotent analysis" and similar work in optimization theory. Unlike the case of the previous work, which rested on a fairly established mathematical foundation, the approach here is much more tentative and docimastic. This is an introduction to, not a definitative presentation of, an area of mathematics still very much in the making. The basic philosphical problem lurking in the background is one stated suc cinctly by Hahle and Sostak [185]: ". . . to what extent basic fields of mathematics like algebra and topology are dependent on the underlying set theory?" The conflicting definitions proposed by various researchers in search of a resolution to this conundrum show just how difficult this problem is to see in a proper light.

Algebraic Methodology and Software Technology

Algebraic Methodology and Software Technology
Author: V.S. Alagar
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 612
Release: 1995-05-21
Genre: Computers
ISBN: 9783540600435

This volume constitutes the proceedings of the 4th International Conference on Algebraic Methodology and Software Technology, held in Montreal, Canada in July 1995. It includes full papers or extended abstracts of the invited talks, refereed selected contributions, and research prototype tools. The invited speakers are David Gries, Jeanette Wing, Dan Craigen, Ted Ralston, Ewa Orlowska, Krzysztof Apt, Joseph Goguen, and Rohit Parikh. The 29 refereed papers presented were selected from some 100 submissions; they are organized in sections on algebraic and logical foundations, concurrent and reactive systems, software technology, logic programming and databases.

Handbook of Defeasible Reasoning and Uncertainty Management Systems

Handbook of Defeasible Reasoning and Uncertainty Management Systems
Author: Dov M. Gabbay
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 518
Release: 2013-04-17
Genre: Mathematics
ISBN: 9401717370

Reasoning under uncertainty is always based on a specified language or for malism, including its particular syntax and semantics, but also on its associated inference mechanism. In the present volume of the handbook the last aspect, the algorithmic aspects of uncertainty calculi are presented. Theory has suffi ciently advanced to unfold some generally applicable fundamental structures and methods. On the other hand, particular features of specific formalisms and ap proaches to uncertainty of course still influence strongly the computational meth ods to be used. Both general as well as specific methods are included in this volume. Broadly speaking, symbolic or logical approaches to uncertainty and nu merical approaches are often distinguished. Although this distinction is somewhat misleading, it is used as a means to structure the present volume. This is even to some degree reflected in the two first chapters, which treat fundamental, general methods of computation in systems designed to represent uncertainty. It has been noted early by Shenoy and Shafer, that computations in different domains have an underlying common structure. Essentially pieces of knowledge or information are to be combined together and then focused on some particular question or domain. This can be captured in an algebraic structure called valuation algebra which is described in the first chapter. Here the basic operations of combination and focus ing (marginalization) of knowledge and information is modeled abstractly subject to simple axioms.

Generic Inference

Generic Inference
Author: Marc Pouly
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 380
Release: 2012-01-10
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 1118010868

This book provides a rigorous algebraic study of the most popular inference formalisms with a special focus on their wide application area, showing that all these tasks can be performed by a single generic inference algorithm. Written by the leading international authority on the topic, it includes an algebraic perspective (study of the valuation algebra framework), an algorithmic perspective (study of the generic inference schemes) and a "practical" perspective (formalisms and applications). Researchers in a number of fields including artificial intelligence, operational research, databases and other areas of computer science; graduate students; and professional programmers of inference methods will benefit from this work.