Yuhua Qian

Positive approximation: An accelerator for attribute reduction in rough set theory

Feature selection is a challenging problem in areas such as pattern recognition, machine learning and data mining. Considering a consistency measure introduced in rough set theory, the problem of feature selection, also called attribute reduction, aims to retain the discriminatory power of original features. Many heuristic attribute reduction algorithms have been proposed however, quite often, these methods are computationally time-consuming. To overcome this shortcoming, we introduce a theoretic framework based on rough set theory, called positive approximation, which can be used to accelerate a heuristic process of attribute reduction. Based on the proposed accelerator, a general attribute reduction algorithm is designed. Through the use of the accelerator, several representative heuristic attribute reduction algorithms in rough set theory have been enhanced. Note that each of the modified algorithms can choose the same attribute reduct as its original version, and hence possesses the same classification accuracy. Experiments show that these modified algorithms outperform their original counterparts. It is worth noting that the performance of the modified algorithms becomes more visible when dealing with larger data sets.

Incomplete Multigranulation Rough Set

The original rough-set model is primarily concerned with the approximations of sets described by a single equivalence relation on a given universe. With granular computing point of view, the classical rough-set theory is based on a single granulation. This correspondence paper first extends the rough-set model based on a tolerance relation to an incomplete rough-set model based on multigranulations, where set approximations are defined through using multiple tolerance relations on the universe. Then, several elementary measures are proposed for this rough-set framework, and a concept of approximation reduct is introduced to characterize the smallest attribute subset that preserves the lower approximation and upper approximation of all decision classes in this rough-set model. Finally, several key algorithms are designed for finding an approximation reduct.

Multigranulation decision-theoretic rough sets

The Bayesian decision-theoretic rough sets propose a framework for studying rough set approximations using probabilistic theory, which can interprete the parameters from existing forms of probabilistic approaches to rough sets. Exploring rough sets in the viewpoint of multigranulation is becoming one of desirable directions in rough set theory, in which lower/upper approximations are approximated by granular structures induced by multiple binary relations. Through combining these two ideas, the objective of this study is to develop a new multigranulation rough set model, called a multigranulation decision-theoretic rough set. Many existing multigranulation rough set models can be derived from the multigranulation decision-theoretic rough set framework.

A Group Incremental Approach to Feature Selection Applying Rough Set Technique

Many real data increase dynamically in size. This phenomenon occurs in several fields including economics, population studies, and medical research. As an effective and efficient mechanism to deal with such data, incremental technique has been proposed in the literature and attracted much attention, which stimulates the result in this paper. When a group of objects are added to a decision table, we first introduce incremental mechanisms for three representative information entropies and then develop a group incremental rough feature selection algorithm based on information entropy. When multiple objects are added to a decision table, the algorithm aims to find the new feature subset in a much shorter time. Experiments have been carried out on eight UCI data sets and the experimental results show that the algorithm is effective and efficient.

Concept learning via granular computing

Abstract Concepts are the most fundamental units of cognition in philosophy and how to learn concepts from various aspects in the real world is the main concern within the domain of conceptual knowledge presentation and processing. In order to improve efficiency and flexibility of concept learning, in this paper we discuss concept learning via granular computing from the point of view of cognitive computing. More precisely, cognitive mechanism of forming concepts is analyzed based on the principles from philosophy and cognitive psychology, including how to model concept-forming cognitive operators, define cognitive concepts and establish cognitive concept structure. Granular computing is then combined with the cognitive concept structure to improve efficiency of concept learning. Furthermore, we put forward a cognitive computing system which is the initial environment to learn composite concepts and can integrate past experiences into itself for enhancing flexibility of concept learning. Also, we investigate cognitive processes whose aims are to deal with the problem of learning one exact or two approximate cognitive concepts from a given object set, attribute set or pair of object and attribute sets.

An efficient accelerator for attribute reduction from incomplete data in rough set framework

Feature selection (attribute reduction) from large-scale incomplete data is a challenging problem in areas such as pattern recognition, machine learning and data mining. In rough set theory, feature selection from incomplete data aims to retain the discriminatory power of original features. To address this issue, many feature selection algorithms have been proposed, however, these algorithms are often computationally time-consuming. To overcome this shortcoming, we introduce in this paper a theoretic framework based on rough set theory, which is called positive approximation and can be used to accelerate a heuristic process for feature selection from incomplete data. As an application of the proposed accelerator, a general feature selection algorithm is designed. By integrating the accelerator into a heuristic algorithm, we obtain several modified representative heuristic feature selection algorithms in rough set theory. Experiments show that these modified algorithms outperform their original counterparts. It is worth noting that the performance of the modified algorithms becomes more visible when dealing with larger data sets.

Knowledge structure, knowledge granulation and knowledge distance in a knowledge base

One of the strengths of rough set theory is the fact that an unknown target concept can be approximately characterized by existing knowledge structures in a knowledge base. Knowledge structures in knowledge bases have two categories: complete and incomplete. In this paper, through uniformly expressing these two kinds of knowledge structures, we first address four operators on a knowledge base, which are adequate for generating new knowledge structures through using known knowledge structures. Then, an axiom definition of knowledge granulation in knowledge bases is presented, under which some existing knowledge granulations become its special forms. Finally, we introduce the concept of a knowledge distance for calculating the difference between two knowledge structures in the same knowledge base. Noting that the knowledge distance satisfies the three properties of a distance space on all knowledge structures induced by a given universe. These results will be very helpful for knowledge discovery from knowledge bases and significant for establishing a framework of granular computing in knowledge bases.

A new measure of uncertainty based on knowledge granulation for rough sets

In rough set theory, accuracy and roughness are used to characterize uncertainty of a set and approximation accuracy is employed to depict accuracy of a rough classification. Although these measures are effective, they have some limitations when the lower/upper approximation of a set under one knowledge is equal to that under another knowledge. To overcome these limitations, we address in this paper the issues of uncertainty of a set in an information system and approximation accuracy of a rough classification in a decision table. An axiomatic definition of knowledge granulation for an information system is given, under which these three measures are modified. Theoretical studies and experimental results show that the modified measures are effective and suitable for evaluating the roughness and accuracy of a set in an information system and the approximation accuracy of a rough classification in a decision table, respectively, and have a much simpler and more comprehensive form than the existing ones.

Set-valued ordered information systems

Set-valued ordered information systems can be classified into two categories: disjunctive and conjunctive systems. Through introducing two new dominance relations to set-valued information systems, we first introduce the conjunctive/disjunctive set-valued ordered information systems, and develop an approach to queuing problems for objects in presence of multiple attributes and criteria. Then, we present a dominance-based rough set approach for these two types of set-valued ordered information systems, which is mainly based on substitution of the indiscernibility relation by a dominance relation. Through the lower/upper approximation of a decision, some certain/possible decision rules from a so-called set-valued ordered decision table can be extracted. Finally, we present attribute reduction (also called criteria reduction in ordered information systems) approaches to these two types of ordered information systems and ordered decision tables, which can be used to simplify a set-valued ordered information system and find decision rules directly from a set-valued ordered decision table. These criteria reduction approaches can eliminate those criteria that are not essential from the viewpoint of the ordering of objects or decision rules.

Interval ordered information systems

Interval information systems are generalized models of single-valued information systems. By introducing a dominance relation to interval information systems, we propose a ranking approach for all objects based on dominance classes and establish a dominance-based rough set approach, which is mainly based on substitution of the indiscernibility relation by the dominance relation. Furthermore, we discuss interval ordered decision tables and dominance rules. To simplify knowledge representation and extract much simpler dominance rules, we propose attribute reductions of interval ordered information systems and decision tables that eliminate only the information that are not essential from the viewpoint of the ordering of objects or dominance rules. The approaches show how to simplify an interval ordered information system and find dominance rules directly from an interval ordered decision table. These results will be helpful for decision-making analysis in interval information systems.