Simultaneous feature selection and feature weighting using Hybrid Tabu Search/K-nearest neighbor classifier

Feature selection and feature weighting are useful techniques for improving the classification accuracy of K-nearest-neighbor (K-NN) rule. The term feature selection refers to algorithms that select the best subset of the input feature set. In feature weighting, each feature is multiplied by a weight value proportional to the ability of the feature to distinguish pattern classes. In this paper, a novel hybrid approach is proposed for simultaneous feature selection and feature weighting of K-NN rule based on Tabu Search (TS) heuristic. The proposed TS heuristic in combination with K-NN classifier is compared with several classifiers on various available data sets. The results have indicated a significant improvement in the performance in classification accuracy. The proposed TS heuristic is also compared with various feature selection algorithms. Experiments performed revealed that the proposed hybrid TS heuristic is superior to both simple TS and sequential search algorithms. We also present results for the classification of prostate cancer using multispectral images, an important problem in biomedicine.

Job Search Methods and Outcomes

Using Portuguese data, this paper investigates the effects of job search methods on escape rates from unemployment and of job-finding methods on earnings. The effectiveness of the job search process is also evaluated in terms of the periodicity of the resulting job match. Emphasis is accorded the role of the public employment service. Despite its frequency as a search vehicle, the state employment agency is shown to have a low hit rate, and to lead to lower-paying, shorter-lasting jobs.

Polynomials on Banach spaces with unconditional bases

We study the classes of homogeneous polynomials on a Banach space with unconditional Schauder basis that have unconditionally convergent monomial expansions relative to this basis. We extend some results of Matos, and we show that the homogeneous polynomials with unconditionally convergent expansions coincide with the polynomials that are regular with respect to the Banach lattices structure of the domain.