RaDAR: Relation-aware Diffusion-Asymmetric Graph Contrastive Learning for Recommendation

Collaborative filtering (CF) recommendation has been significantly advanced by integrating Graph Neural Networks (GNNs) and Graph Contrastive Learning (GCL). However, (i) random edge perturbations often distort critical structural signals and degrade semantic consistency across augmented views, and (ii) data sparsity hampers the propagation of collaborative signals, limiting generalization. To tackle these challenges, we propose RaDAR (Relation-aware Diffusion-Asymmetric Graph Contrastive Learning Framework for Recommendation Systems), a novel framework that combines two complementary view generation mechanisms: a graph generative model to capture global structure and a relation-aware denoising model to refine noisy edges. RaDAR introduces three key innovations: (1) asymmetric contrastive learning with global negative sampling to maintain semantic alignment while suppressing noise; (2) diffusion-guided augmentation, which employs progressive noise injection and denoising for enhanced robustness; and (3) relation-aware edge refinement, dynamically adjusting edge weights based on latent node semantics. Extensive experiments on three public benchmarks demonstrate that RaDAR consistently outperforms state-of-the-art methods, particularly under noisy and sparse conditions.

SurvReLU: Inherently Interpretable Survival Analysis via Deep ReLU Networks

Survival analysis models time-to-event distributions with censorship. Recently, deep survival models using neural networks have dominated due to their representational power and state-of-the-art performance. However, their "black-box" nature hinders interpretability, which is crucial in real-world applications. In contrast, "white-box" tree-based survival models offer better interpretability but struggle to converge to global optima due to greedy expansion. In this paper, we bridge the gap between previous deep survival models and traditional tree-based survival models through deep rectified linear unit (ReLU) networks. We show that a deliberately constructed deep ReLU network (SurvReLU) can harness the interpretability of tree-based structures with the representational power of deep survival models. Empirical studies on both simulated and real survival benchmark datasets show the effectiveness of the proposed SurvReLU in terms of performance and interoperability. The code is available at \href{https://github.com/xs018/SurvReLU}{\color{magenta}{ https://github.com/xs018/SurvReLU}}.

Quantifying Uncertainty in Deep Learning Classification with Noise in Discrete Inputs for Risk-Based Decision Making

The use of Deep Neural Network (DNN) models in risk-based decision-making has attracted extensive attention with broad applications in medical, finance, manufacturing, and quality control. To mitigate prediction-related risks in decision making, prediction confidence or uncertainty should be assessed alongside the overall performance of algorithms. Recent studies on Bayesian deep learning helps quantify prediction uncertainty arises from input noises and model parameters. However, the normality assumption of input noise in these models limits their applicability to problems involving categorical and discrete feature variables in tabular datasets. In this paper, we propose a mathematical framework to quantify prediction uncertainty for DNN models. The prediction uncertainty arises from errors in predictors that follow some known finite discrete distribution. We then conducted a case study using the framework to predict treatment outcome for tuberculosis patients during their course of treatment. The results demonstrate under a certain level of risk, we can identify risk-sensitive cases, which are prone to be misclassified due to error in predictors. Comparing to the Monte Carlo dropout method, our proposed framework is more aware of misclassification cases. Our proposed framework for uncertainty quantification in deep learning can support risk-based decision making in applications when discrete errors in predictors are present.

UVOSAM: A Mask-free Paradigm for Unsupervised Video Object Segmentation via Segment Anything Model

Unsupervised video object segmentation has made significant progress in recent years, but the manual annotation of video mask datasets is expensive and limits the diversity of available datasets. The Segment Anything Model (SAM) has introduced a new prompt-driven paradigm for image segmentation, unlocking a range of previously unexplored capabilities. In this paper, we propose a novel paradigm called UVOSAM, which leverages SAM for unsupervised video object segmentation without requiring video mask labels. To address SAM's limitations in instance discovery and identity association, we introduce a video salient object tracking network that automatically generates trajectories for prominent foreground objects. These trajectories then serve as prompts for SAM to produce video masks on a frame-by-frame basis. Our experimental results demonstrate that UVOSAM significantly outperforms current mask-supervised methods. These findings suggest that UVOSAM has the potential to improve unsupervised video object segmentation and reduce the cost of manual annotation.