Notes on Whitney towers in 4-manifolds, focusing on local surface manipulations and invariants.
problem Classifying and understanding Whitney towers in 4-manifolds.
method Local manipulations of surfaces, definitions of Whitney towers and trees, geometric Jacobi identities, classification of twisted Whitney towers.
result Classification of order n twisted Whitney towers in the 4-ball and related invariants.
Exposes two methods for constructing flat surfaces in 4D spaces.
problem Building locally flat embedded surfaces in 4-manifolds.
method Direct methods and surgery theory.
result Every primitive second homology class in a closed, simply connected 4-manifold is represented by a locally flat embedded torus.
The study of dexterous manipulation has provided important insights in humans sensorimotor control as well as inspiration for manipulation strategies in robotic hands. Previous work focused on experimental environment with restrictions. Here we describe a method using the deformation and color distribution of the finge…
Paper presents a new port-Hamiltonian model for vehicle manipulators.
problem Complex mechanical systems' energy flow and conservation.
method Derives port-Hamiltonian dynamics from Hamiltonian reduction theory.
result Establishes mathematical equivalence with existing formulations.
The paper analyzes how leverage affects manipulation in event-linked markets, offering new insights into regulation.
problem Manipulation and insider information in leveraged event-linked markets.
method Develops a two-axis manipulation taxonomy and analyzes leverage's effects on market-price and outcome manipulation.
result Leverage scales market-price manipulation linearly but shifts the cost-benefit threshold for outcome manipulation.
Humans are capable of building holistic representations for images at various levels, from local objects, to pairwise relations, to global structures. The interpretation of structures involves reasoning over repetition and symmetry of the objects in the image. In this paper, we present the Program-Guided Image Manipula…
StealthRank subtly boosts LLM rankings without detectable anomalies.
problem Adversarial manipulation of LLM-driven ranking systems.
method Energy-based optimization with Langevin dynamics for stealthy prompt generation.
result StealthRank outperforms existing methods in covertly boosting rankings.
Study on costs of manipulating AMM-based price oracles.
problem Cost of manipulation in AMM-based on-chain price oracles.
method Analyzes the robustness of AMM-based oracles to strategic manipulation, considering different aggregation methods and market conditions.
result Manipulation costs depend on the total quote depth and can be minimized by optimal liquidity weights.
New system resists meme coin copy trading bots.
problem Manipulative bots exploit copy trading in illiquid meme coins.
method Multi-agent architecture with LLM and CoT reasoning.
result System outperforms other methods in prediction and economic performance.
Paper proposes a method for optimizing local policies for trajectory-centric reinforcement learning.
problem Challenges in global policy optimization for non-linear systems and poor performance of open-loop trajectory optimization.
method Formulates trajectory optimization and local policy synthesis as a single optimization problem and solves it as a nonlinear programming instance.
result Demonstrates improved performance of the proposed technique under simplifying assumptions.
The study examines how backrun auctions can protect traders from price manipulation.
problem Price manipulation by arbitrageurs in batched trading venues.
method Developed a laminated queueing model to study price manipulation and introduced a price manipulation coefficient.
result Bound the price manipulation coefficient and found it approximated by a 'zeta value' with measurable parameters.
SAVO actor improves reinforcement learning by avoiding local optima in complex Q-functions.
problem Gradient ascent in complex Q-functions leads to suboptimal solutions.
method SAVO actor generates multiple action proposals and truncates poor local optima.
result SAVO actor finds optimal actions more frequently and outperforms other architectures.
A new model for simulating cloth manipulation in robots, accurate to within 1cm.
problem Accurately simulating cloth manipulation in robots, especially in moderate stress environments.
method A continuous, isometric strain model for textiles, treating them as inextensible surfaces with only isometric motions. Aerodynamic effects are incorporated through virtual uncoupling of mass.
result Simulations are accurate to within 1cm compared to real-world manipulation, even with coarse meshes.
Sig-PCA integrates model outputs and observations to correct model biases.
problem Improving model accuracy and reliability by correcting biases and numerical approximations.
method Sig-PCA framework that combines summary statistics from model outputs with localized observations via a neural network.
result Corrects model outputs to align closely with observational data, preserving essential statistical information.
Robots detect and recognize objects in real-time for better manipulation.
problem Real-time object detection and recognition for humanoid robots.
method Modified YOLOv3 algorithm, quantization, and re-arrangement of layers for low-compute NAO robots.
result Robots can perform real-time detection, recognition, and localization of objects.
AI learns market manipulation through simulation, suggesting regulation.
problem Regulating AI to prevent market manipulation.
method Used a genetic algorithm in an artificial market simulation.
result AI discovered market manipulation as an optimal strategy.
Machine learning models are increasingly used in the industry to make decisions such as credit insurance approval. Some people may be tempted to manipulate specific variables, such as the age or the salary, in order to get better chances of approval. In this ongoing work, we propose to discuss, with a first proposition…
New model improves neural network robustness against input manipulations.
problem Improving neural network robustness against input manipulations.
method Causal view and deep causal manipulation augmented model (deep CAMA) with data augmentation and test-time fine-tuning.
result Deep CAMA shows superior robustness against unseen manipulations compared to traditional models.
This paper studies poisoning attacks in episodic RL and discovers their effectiveness depends on reward bounds.
problem Understanding security threats to RL algorithms through poisoning attacks.
method Examined two types of poisoning attacks: reward and action manipulation, in bounded and unbounded reward settings.
result The effectiveness of poisoning attacks depends on reward bounds, with different attack costs and success rates.
Manipulating video content is easier than ever. Due to the misuse potential of manipulated content, multiple detection techniques that analyze the pixel data from the videos have been proposed. However, clever manipulators should also carefully forge the metadata and auxiliary header information, which is harder to do …
In this work we propose a model that can manipulate individual visual attributes of objects in a real scene using examples of how respective attribute manipulations affect the output of a simulation. As an example, we train our model to manipulate the expression of a human face using nonphotorealistic 3D renders of a f…
Prediction markets can be manipulated by traders who can move contract settlements, harming price discovery.
problem Manipulation of settlement times in prediction markets leads to unfair wealth transfer and harms price discovery.
method Developed a model showing how settlement manipulation transfers wealth and harms price discovery, and observed real-world effects on Polymarket's Bitcoin contract.
result Manipulators capture significant profits from retail traders, especially when settlement times are short.
DIGIT is a low-cost tactile sensor for in-hand manipulation.
problem Difficulty in sensing contact forces limits robotic manipulation.
method DIGIT miniaturizes and improves a vision-based tactile sensor.
result DIGIT enables better control of interactions with the environment.
Volunteer labor can temporarily yield lower benefits to charities than its costs. In such instances, organizations may wish to defer volunteer donations to a later date. Exploiting a discontinuity in blood donations' eligibility criteria, we show that deferring donors reduces their future volunteerism. In our setting, …
Manipulating data, such as weighting data examples or augmenting with new instances, has been increasingly used to improve model training. Previous work has studied various rule- or learning-based approaches designed for specific types of data manipulation. In this work, we propose a new method that supports learning d…
Paper tackles causal effect estimation in observational data with hidden variables.
problem Estimating causal effects in observational data with hidden confounders.
method Developed a theorem for local search to find superset of adjustment variables, proposing a data-driven algorithm.
result Proposed algorithm produces more accurate causal effect estimates than existing methods.
Optimal benchmark design varies based on costs in financial manipulation.
problem Manipulation of price benchmarks in finance.
method Analyzes empirical pattern and cost structures to determine optimal benchmark design.
result The optimal benchmark depends on the relative sizes of fixed and variable costs.
Study examines reasons for Nutek India's share price drop.
problem Deep fall in Nutek India Limited's share price.
method Analyzed transactions and market forces to identify manipulation.
result Identified intentional interference in supply and demand.
New method uses statistical physics to detect financial market manipulation.
problem Detecting financial market manipulation activities like spoofing and layering.
method Modeling order book dynamics as particle motion and using momentum measure.
result Method outperforms conventional Z-score-based anomaly detection.
In this paper, we introduce an unsupervised learning approach to automatically discover, summarize, and manipulate artistic styles from large collections of paintings. Our method is based on archetypal analysis, which is an unsupervised learning technique akin to sparse coding with a geometric interpretation. When appl…
Market manipulation is a strategy used by traders to alter the price of financial securities. One type of manipulation is based on the process of buying or selling assets by using several trading strategies, among them spoofing is a popular strategy and is considered illegal by market regulators. Some promising tools h…
Adversarial attacks can manipulate ML-aided visualizations, tricking analysts.
problem Adversarial attacks on ML-aided visualizations.
method Identifying attack surface and exemplifying five adversarial attacks.
result Adversaries can induce various attacks, like creating arbitrary and deceptive visualizations.
Today's state-of-the-art image classifiers fail to correctly classify carefully manipulated adversarial images. In this work, we develop a new, localized adversarial attack that generates adversarial examples by imperceptibly altering the backgrounds of normal images. We first use this attack to highlight the unnecessa…
New foundation for Shapley value immune to coalitional manipulations.
problem Coalitional manipulations in game theory.
method Revised Shapley value criteria for coalitional games.
result Shapley value is immune to coalitional manipulations under new criteria.
Framework detects covert financial market manipulation using LOB representations.
problem Detecting covert financial market manipulation (spoofing) from complex anomaly patterns in multilevel prices.
method Cascaded contrastive representation learning of LOB data.
result Transformer-based architectures achieve state-of-the-art results in detection performance.
Study reveals widespread manipulation of meme coins, leading to significant economic losses.
problem Widespread manipulation of meme coins leading to economic losses.
method Cross-chain analysis of 34,988 tokens across Ethereum, BNB Smart Chain, Solana, and Base.
result 82.8% of high-return tokens show evidence of artificial growth strategies.
This paper focuses on an extension of the Limit Order Book (LOB) model with general shape introduced by Alfonsi, Fruth and Schied. Here, the additional feature allows a time-varying LOB depth. We solve the optimal execution problem in this framework for both discrete and continuous time strategies. This gives in partic…
A new method for robot manipulation tasks using imagined object goals.
problem Learning robot manipulation in sparse reward environments.
method Train objects to reach target positions, then use predictions to create a curriculum of tasks.
result Higher success rates in challenging learning scenarios compared to alternatives.
This work tackles force control for contact-rich manipulation tasks with rigid robots using RL.
problem Challenges in working with real robotic hardware, especially position-controlled robots.
method Combines RL with traditional force control techniques, implementing parallel position/force control and admittance control.
result Validated methods on both simulation and real robot (UR3 e-series) for force control.
Manipulation is an important issue for both developed and emerging stock markets. For the study of manipulation, it is critical to analyze investor behavior in the stock market. In this paper, an analysis of the full transaction records of over a hundred stocks in a one-year period is conducted. For each stock, a tradi…
Many problems in image processing and computer vision (e.g. colorization, style transfer) can be posed as 'manipulating' an input image into a corresponding output image given a user-specified guiding signal. A holy-grail solution towards generic image manipulation should be able to efficiently alter an input image wit…
Investigates optimal execution under time-varying liquidity, preventing price manipulation.
problem Optimal execution with time-varying liquidity impacts and price manipulation prevention.
method Almgren-Chriss framework, deterministic time variation, well-posedness, second-order conditions, price manipulation prevention.
result Sufficient conditions for a unique solution and prevention of price manipulation.
Tool manipulation is vital for facilitating robots to complete challenging task goals. It requires reasoning about the desired effect of the task and thus properly grasping and manipulating the tool to achieve the task. Task-agnostic grasping optimizes for grasp robustness while ignoring crucial task-specific constrain…
New attack manipulates UCB algorithm, new defense algorithm reduces pseudo-regret.
problem Adversarial attacks on stochastic bandit algorithms.
method Introducing action-manipulation attacks and proposing a robust defense algorithm.
result Proposed defense algorithm reduces pseudo-regret to O(max{log T, A}).
We propose a mathematical model for the word-of-mouth communications among stock investors through social networks and explore how the changes of the investors' social networks influence the stock price dynamics and vice versa. An investor is modeled as a Gaussian fuzzy set (a fuzzy opinion) with the center and standar…
A new reward shaping method balances learning efficiency and effectiveness for robot manipulation.
problem Efficient and effective learning in robot manipulations with system uncertainty.
method Dense2Sparse reward shaping method combining dense and sparse rewards.
result Dense2Sparse method achieves higher expected reward and better system uncertainty tolerance.
In financial markets, liquidity is not constant over time but exhibits strong seasonal patterns. In this article we consider a limit order book model that allows for time-dependent, deterministic depth and resilience of the book and determine optimal portfolio liquidation strategies. In a first model variant, we propos…
As the decade turns, we reflect on nearly thirty years of successful manipulation of the world's public equity markets. This reflection highlights a few of the key enabling ingredients and lessons learned along the way. A quantitative understanding of market impact and its decay, which we cover briefly, lets you move l…