1,134 research outputs found
Locality-aware parallel block-sparse matrix-matrix multiplication using the Chunks and Tasks programming model
We present a method for parallel block-sparse matrix-matrix multiplication on
distributed memory clusters. By using a quadtree matrix representation, data
locality is exploited without prior information about the matrix sparsity
pattern. A distributed quadtree matrix representation is straightforward to
implement due to our recent development of the Chunks and Tasks programming
model [Parallel Comput. 40, 328 (2014)]. The quadtree representation combined
with the Chunks and Tasks model leads to favorable weak and strong scaling of
the communication cost with the number of processes, as shown both
theoretically and in numerical experiments.
Matrices are represented by sparse quadtrees of chunk objects. The leaves in
the hierarchy are block-sparse submatrices. Sparsity is dynamically detected by
the matrix library and may occur at any level in the hierarchy and/or within
the submatrix leaves. In case graphics processing units (GPUs) are available,
both CPUs and GPUs are used for leaf-level multiplication work, thus making use
of the full computing capacity of each node.
The performance is evaluated for matrices with different sparsity structures,
including examples from electronic structure calculations. Compared to methods
that do not exploit data locality, our locality-aware approach reduces
communication significantly, achieving essentially constant communication per
node in weak scaling tests.Comment: 35 pages, 14 figure
Constellation Queries over Big Data
A geometrical pattern is a set of points with all pairwise distances (or,
more generally, relative distances) specified. Finding matches to such patterns
has applications to spatial data in seismic, astronomical, and transportation
contexts. For example, a particularly interesting geometric pattern in
astronomy is the Einstein cross, which is an astronomical phenomenon in which a
single quasar is observed as four distinct sky objects (due to gravitational
lensing) when captured by earth telescopes. Finding such crosses, as well as
other geometric patterns, is a challenging problem as the potential number of
sets of elements that compose shapes is exponentially large in the size of the
dataset and the pattern. In this paper, we denote geometric patterns as
constellation queries and propose algorithms to find them in large data
applications. Our methods combine quadtrees, matrix multiplication, and
unindexed join processing to discover sets of points that match a geometric
pattern within some additive factor on the pairwise distances. Our distributed
experiments show that the choice of composition algorithm (matrix
multiplication or nested loops) depends on the freedom introduced in the query
geometry through the distance additive factor. Three clearly identified blocks
of threshold values guide the choice of the best composition algorithm.
Finally, solving the problem for relative distances requires a novel
continuous-to-discrete transformation. To the best of our knowledge this paper
is the first to investigate constellation queries at scale
Towards Building Deep Networks with Bayesian Factor Graphs
We propose a Multi-Layer Network based on the Bayesian framework of the
Factor Graphs in Reduced Normal Form (FGrn) applied to a two-dimensional
lattice. The Latent Variable Model (LVM) is the basic building block of a
quadtree hierarchy built on top of a bottom layer of random variables that
represent pixels of an image, a feature map, or more generally a collection of
spatially distributed discrete variables. The multi-layer architecture
implements a hierarchical data representation that, via belief propagation, can
be used for learning and inference. Typical uses are pattern completion,
correction and classification. The FGrn paradigm provides great flexibility and
modularity and appears as a promising candidate for building deep networks: the
system can be easily extended by introducing new and different (in cardinality
and in type) variables. Prior knowledge, or supervised information, can be
introduced at different scales. The FGrn paradigm provides a handy way for
building all kinds of architectures by interconnecting only three types of
units: Single Input Single Output (SISO) blocks, Sources and Replicators. The
network is designed like a circuit diagram and the belief messages flow
bidirectionally in the whole system. The learning algorithms operate only
locally within each block. The framework is demonstrated in this paper in a
three-layer structure applied to images extracted from a standard data set.Comment: Submitted for journal publicatio
A quadtree-polygon-based scaled boundary finite element method for image-based mesoscale fracture modelling in concrete
A quadtree-polygon scaled boundary finite element-based approach for image-based modelling of concrete fracture at the mesoscale is developed. Digital images representing the two-phase mesostructure of concrete, which comprises of coarse aggregates and mortar are either generated using a take-and-place algorithm with a user-defined aggregate volume ratio or obtained from X-ray computed tomography as an input. The digital images are automatically discretised for analysis by applying a balanced quadtree decomposition in combination with a smoothing operation. The scaled boundary finite element method is applied to model the constituents in the concrete mesostructure. A quadtree formulation within the framework of the scaled boundary finite element method is advantageous in that the displacement compatibility between the cells are automatically preserved even in the presence of hanging nodes. Moreover, the geometric flexibility of the scaled boundary finite element method facilitates the use of arbitrary sided polygons, allowing better representation of the aggregate boundaries. The computational burden is significantly reduced as there are only finite number of cell types in a balanced quadtree mesh. The cells in the mesh are connected to each other using cohesive interface elements with appropriate softening laws to model the fracture of the mesostructure. Parametric studies are carried out on concrete specimens subjected to uniaxial tension to investigate the effects of various parameters e.g. aggregate size distribution, porosity and aggregate volume ratio on the fracture of concrete at the meso-scale. Mesoscale fracture of concrete specimens obtained from X-ray computed tomography scans are carried out to demonstrate its feasibility
Sparse component separation for accurate CMB map estimation
The Cosmological Microwave Background (CMB) is of premier importance for the
cosmologists to study the birth of our universe. Unfortunately, most CMB
experiments such as COBE, WMAP or Planck do not provide a direct measure of the
cosmological signal; CMB is mixed up with galactic foregrounds and point
sources. For the sake of scientific exploitation, measuring the CMB requires
extracting several different astrophysical components (CMB, Sunyaev-Zel'dovich
clusters, galactic dust) form multi-wavelength observations. Mathematically
speaking, the problem of disentangling the CMB map from the galactic
foregrounds amounts to a component or source separation problem. In the field
of CMB studies, a very large range of source separation methods have been
applied which all differ from each other in the way they model the data and the
criteria they rely on to separate components. Two main difficulties are i) the
instrument's beam varies across frequencies and ii) the emission laws of most
astrophysical components vary across pixels. This paper aims at introducing a
very accurate modeling of CMB data, based on sparsity, accounting for beams
variability across frequencies as well as spatial variations of the components'
spectral characteristics. Based on this new sparse modeling of the data, a
sparsity-based component separation method coined Local-Generalized
Morphological Component Analysis (L-GMCA) is described. Extensive numerical
experiments have been carried out with simulated Planck data. These experiments
show the high efficiency of the proposed component separation methods to
estimate a clean CMB map with a very low foreground contamination, which makes
L-GMCA of prime interest for CMB studies.Comment: submitted to A&
- …