Sparsely Aggregated Convolutional Networks

We explore a key architectural aspect of deep convolutional neural networks: the pattern of internal skip connections used to aggregate outputs of earlier layers for consumption by deeper layers. Such aggregation is critical to facilitate training of very deep networks in an end-to-end manner. This is a primary reason for the widespread adoption of residual networks, which aggregate outputs via cumulative summation. While subsequent works investigate alternative aggregation operations (e.g. concatenation), we focus on an orthogonal question: which outputs to aggregate at a particular point in the network. We propose a new internal connection structure which aggregates only a sparse set of previous outputs at any given depth. Our experiments demonstrate this simple design change offers superior performance with fewer parameters and lower computational requirements. Moreover, we show that sparse aggregation allows networks to scale more robustly to 1000+ layers, thereby opening future avenues for training long-running visual processes.Comment: Accepted to ECCV 201

Structural and geometric applications of the geodesic dynamic relaxation method

The Geodesic Dynamic Relaxation method1 is an extension of the existing Dynamic Relaxation method that allows the user to incorporate equality constraint conditions to minimization problems of strain energy functions. The existing Dynamic Relaxation method has been widely adopted as a form-finding method for mechanically and pneumatic pre-stressed tensile and bending active systems. While each structural component is usually modelled using an elastic material in the Dynamic Relaxation method, equality constraint conditions are introduced in the Geodesic Dynamic Relaxation Method as an alternative way to model some of the structural components in form-finding problems. While the Geodesic Dynamic Relaxation method directly relates to the structural behavior of systems, the algorithm can also be used in a purely geometric context. More specifically, it allows the user to construct a geodesic line on an implicit surface. his paper explains the Geodesic Dynamic Relaxation method briefly, and demonstrates both its structural and geometric applications. The structural applications relate to pre-stressed tensile structures, whereas the geometric application demonstrates the generation of fractal trees with geodesic branches on given implicit surfaces. The paper concludes and makes suggestions for future works. This paper will be of interest to structural and architectural engineers with an interest in computational design as well as computer scientists

Kompics: a message-passing component model for building distributed systems

The Kompics component model and programming framework was designedto simplify the development of increasingly complex distributed systems. Systems built with Kompics leverage multi-core machines out of the box and they can be dynamically reconfigured to support hot software upgrades. A simulation framework enables deterministic debugging and reproducible performance evaluation of unmodified Kompics distributed systems. We describe the component model and show how to program and compose event-based distributed systems. We present the architectural patterns and abstractions that Kompics facilitates and we highlight a case study of a complex distributed middleware that we have built with Kompics. We show how our approach enables systematic development and evaluation of large-scale and dynamic distributed systems

The concept of equilibrium and its effects of change from static to dynamic on architectural end-products

Thesis (Master)--İzmir Institute of Technology, Architecture, İzmir, 1999Includes bibliographical references (leaves: 108-114)Text in English; Abstract: Turkish and Englishxiv, 114 leavesAll of the objectslbuildings on the earth can stand due to their structural orders.Standing of a structural order without suffering any damage (broken down, collapsing ... ) is the result of their state of equilibrium. The most important factor effecting the state of equilibrium of any structural order is the force of gravity.Differantiation in the structural orders formed under this stable effect can be explained by the change in the concept of equilibrium. Therefore, analysing the change in architectural and engineering end-products could only be done by understanding the change in the concept of equilibrium.Scientific developments are the basic factors causing the changes in the concept of equilibrium. Reflections of these developments on concrete products is both in the types of load transfer of structural order and in visual expression of order.Consequently, in the scope of the thesis, depending on developments in the science reflections of the change in the concept of equilibrium on concrete products is tried to be explained by structural and geometrical analses. Expression of these analyses are made through the relationship between equilibrium and movement. It is concluded that the change in the structural orders basing on an acceptance of basic physics that "an object is either stable or movable "; is from structures having no motion to structures having any kind of motion (having tendency to move and/or moving). In other words, it can be said that, this change is from immobile structures having whole connection with the ground, to structures trying to remove from the ground.At the end, in today, it is possible to discuss about solutions having different equilibrium orders that is seen/will be seen basing on scientific developments.Generally it is possible to classify these solutions as solutions that can be expressed by different geometrical orders or solutions towards to be independent from the force of gravity.in the light of these determinations the aim of the thesis is to determine changes in the concept of equilibrium and to analyse their effects on structural end-products and to give some clues about their future effects.Keywords: Structural equilibrium, structural balance, gravity, geometry, energy, structural order

Connected component identification and cluster update on GPU

Cluster identification tasks occur in a multitude of contexts in physics and engineering such as, for instance, cluster algorithms for simulating spin models, percolation simulations, segmentation problems in image processing, or network analysis. While it has been shown that graphics processing units (GPUs) can result in speedups of two to three orders of magnitude as compared to serial codes on CPUs for the case of local and thus naturally parallelized problems such as single-spin flip update simulations of spin models, the situation is considerably more complicated for the non-local problem of cluster or connected component identification. I discuss the suitability of different approaches of parallelization of cluster labeling and cluster update algorithms for calculations on GPU and compare to the performance of serial implementations.Comment: 15 pages, 14 figures, one table, submitted to PR

Entwicklung eines Planungs- und Entscheidungsunterstützungssystems als Baustein für Smart Regions

Aktuell werden eine Reihe von Initiativen zu Smart City und Smart Region gestartet. Darunter ist u.a. der Prozess der digitalen Vernetzung, den dadurch bedingten neuen Formen der Kommunikation und des Know-how-Transfers sowie die Vermehrung des Wissens durch Informationsaustausch zu verstehen. In einer Smart Region sind dazu entsprechende Dienste auf der Grundlage einer intelligenten Infrastruktur zu entwickeln. Der dazu benötigte Datenprozess lässt sich in die Bereiche Datensammlung, Datenübermittlung und Datenauswertung trennen (Schaaf 2015). Im Ergebnis sollen Beiträge für intelligente Mobilitätskonzepte, die Verwaltungsvereinfachung, Beiträge zum Umgang mit den Anforderungen des demographischen Wandels und weitere Beiträge geleistet werden (Bitkom/Deutscher Städte und Gemeindebund 2018). Im vorliegendenBeitrag soll am Beispiel dreier Landkreise in Sachsen-Anhalt gezeigt werden, wie in den vergangenen Jahren entsprechende Systeme aufgebaut werden konnten und damit ein Beitrag zur digitalen Transformation geleistet wurde. Dabei wurde deutlich das im Umfeld der öffentlichen Verwaltung eine Vielzahl an Datenund Informationen zur Unterstützung des Planungsprozesses benötigt werden, diese oft aber nicht in geeigneter Aktualität oder Qualität vorliegen und häufig aufwendig und Teils mehrfach ausgetauscht werden. Um dem Ziel einer besseren Vernetzung näher zu kommen wurde in den Landkreisen Harz, Mansfeld-Südharz und Börde durch das Land Sachsen-Anhalt die Entwicklung von Planungs- und Entscheidungsunterstützungssystemen auf den Weg gebracht. Um die nachhaltige Nutzung und Weiterentwicklung sicherzustellen, wurde eine entsprechende Verwaltungsvereinbarung unter den Kreisen formuliert und unterzeichnet damit Ergebnisse aus dem einen Förderprojekt vollständig den anderen Kreisen zur Verfügung stehen. Aufbauend auf einer bereits existierenden grundlegenden (Geo-)Dateninfrastrukturwurden in den Weiterentwicklungsschritten Themen wie Austausch von Bauleitplanungsdaten unter Nutzung von XPlanung (Pietsch et al., 2016), Flächenmanagement, kleinräumige Bevölkerungsdaten, Demographie- und Daseinsvorsorge umgesetzt. Die Datenhaltung und Bereitstellung der weiteren IT-Infrastruktur erfolgt zentral beim Landkreis und wird durch Vereinbarungen zur interkommunalen Zusammenarbeit der Mitgliedsgemeinden der jeweiligen Landkreise geregelt. Kernidee ist dabei die Einbeziehung der Gemeinden durch die zur Verfügung Stellung der nötigen Werkzeuge und Datenhaltungsinfrastruktur bei gleichzeitiger Nutzbarmachung der (aggregierten und eingeschränkten) kommunalen Daten für die Kreisplanung. Ein umfangreiches Nutzer- und Rollenkonzept wahrt die Souveränität der Kommunen und sichert die Einhaltung rechtlicher-, vertraglicher- und der gültigen Datenschutz-Rahmenbedingungen (z.B. der Verfügbarkeit von Geobasisdaten, Einwohnermeldeamtsdaten etc.). Zentraler technischer Baustein ist dabei eine Kombination aus Datenhaltung, WebGIS und einfacher Administrationskomponente um die Daten und Werkzeuge durch die Administratoren des jeweiligen Landkreises und beteiligter Fachplaner der Kreise und der Kommunen verwalten zu können. Mit diesen Werkzeugen ist es den Kommunen und Landkreisen möglich wichtige Planungs- und Entscheidungsgrundlagen aus den vorhandenen Daten verschiedenster Ebenen für ihre Arbeit zu nutzen. Durch Erfassungswerkzeuge, z.B. für Potentialflächen, können auch Daten von Kommunen gepflegt werden ohne eigene Software zu beschaffen. Durch den Charakter der zentralen Datenhaltung und Visualisierung über WebGIS Technologie wird ein einheitlicher Datenbestand und Darstellungsregeln gewährleistet, die als Baustein für eine smarte Region anzusehen sind

Biophilic design of building façades from an Evolutionary Psychology framework

Built environments that integrate representations of the natural world into façades and interiors benefit occupant psycho-physiological well-being and behavior. However, the biophilic quality of buildings does not de-pend exclusively on “green”, but also upon “organized complexity” in their structure. In this exploratory study we compare quantitative (Visual Atten-tion Software) and qualitative approaches (self-rating scales) in the perception of biophilic design of building façades. Eight façades varying in their degree of biophilic design (High, Medium, Low, No biophilic qualities) were assessed on the Perceived Restorativeness Scale-11, on preference, and on a series of physical aesthetic attributes. The eight façades were scanned with Visual At-tention Software (VAS). These measures show many overlapping points. VAS can be considered a way to operationalize the engagement of attention in the first 3-5 seconds of gaze in exploring building design, and self-ratings assess-ments a measure of to what extent the building is perceived as restorative. Higher perceived restorativeness and preference match a higher degree of bi-ophilic design, which corresponds to a building where vegetation is integrated in an organic structure. Vegetation is not the only biophilic characteristic to be considered in biophilic design and this emerges clearly from self-ratings and VAS. Exploring organized complexity is fundamental for understanding human responses to architecture

Ultra-porous titanium oxide scaffold with high compressive strength

Highly porous and well interconnected titanium dioxide (TiO2) scaffolds with compressive strength above 2.5 MPa were fabricated without compromising the desired pore architectural characteristics, such as high porosity, appropriate pore size, surface-to-volume ratio, and interconnectivity. Processing parameters and pore architectural characteristics were investigated in order to identify the key processing steps and morphological properties that contributed to the enhanced strength of the scaffolds. Cleaning of the TiO2 raw powder removed phosphates but introduced sodium into the powder, which was suggested to decrease the slurry stability. Strong correlation was found between compressive strength and both replication times and solid content in the ceramic slurry. Increase in the solid content resulted in more favourable sponge loading, which was achieved due to the more suitable rheological properties of the ceramic slurry. Repeated replication process induced only negligible changes in the pore architectural parameters indicating a reduced flaw size in the scaffold struts. The fabricated TiO2 scaffolds show great promise as load-bearing bone scaffolds for applications where moderate mechanical support is required

The Neuropteris ovata frond and its cyclopteroids: Micromorphology-spectrochemistry-fractal taxonomy. Propositions for restructuring and taxonomy (Pennsylvanian, Canada)

The primary study material consists of the 65-cm frond Neuropteris ovata (Hoffmann) var. simonii, associate petiole with organically attached cyclopteroid leaflets and trunk. Ancillary N. ovata material is used, all from the Asturian-Cantabrian strata of the Sydney Coalfield, Canada. This material is appropriate for the objective of the study to present an ovata-frond Aufbau in terms of micromorphology coupled with chemistry using an holistic sampling design (co-ordinating epidermal microscopy with chemistry per sample location). Chemical analyses were obtained by the reliable FTIR technique (Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy) and interpreted via chemometrics by methods of principal component analysis. Fractal geometry is introduced as a promising taxonomic parameter. The main conclusions include that the N. ovata plant can be characterized by three distinct epidermal structures: (1) rectangular elongate (trunk and petiole), (2) elongate (rachides of three orders), and (3) undulate (pinnule), which to a certain extent agrees with the chemistry of the frond Aufbau. The frond was also complex - architecturally, histologically, physiologically, chemically and autecologically. It was photosynthetic, had secretory organs (implying a characteristic plant aroma), supporting rodlets, divers epicuticular features, and a distinct chemical composition/structure. The frond was likely 4 m long with complex-pinnate cyclopteroid leaflets, fimbriate or entire-margined, below and above the main bifurcation, which begs the question of cyclopteroid definition and function. The overall results will be beneficial to taxonomy/systematics, and guide pteridospermous reconstruction into a new paradigm.Fil: Zodrow, E. L.. Cape Breton University; CanadáFil: D`angelo, José Alejandro. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de Nivología, Glaciología y Ciencias Ambientales. Provincia de Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de Nivología, Glaciología y Ciencias Ambientales. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Instituto Argentino de Nivología, Glaciología y Ciencias Ambientales; ArgentinaFil: Cleal, C.. National Museum Wales; Reino Unid