7,284 research outputs found

    Proceedings of the 10th International congress on architectural technology (ICAT 2024): architectural technology transformation.

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    The profession of architectural technology is influential in the transformation of the built environment regionally, nationally, and internationally. The congress provides a platform for industry, educators, researchers, and the next generation of built environment students and professionals to showcase where their influence is transforming the built environment through novel ideas, businesses, leadership, innovation, digital transformation, research and development, and sustainable forward-thinking technological and construction assembly design

    Backpropagation Beyond the Gradient

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    Automatic differentiation is a key enabler of deep learning: previously, practitioners were limited to models for which they could manually compute derivatives. Now, they can create sophisticated models with almost no restrictions and train them using first-order, i. e. gradient, information. Popular libraries like PyTorch and TensorFlow compute this gradient efficiently, automatically, and conveniently with a single line of code. Under the hood, reverse-mode automatic differentiation, or gradient backpropagation, powers the gradient computation in these libraries. Their entire design centers around gradient backpropagation. These frameworks are specialized around one specific task—computing the average gradient in a mini-batch. This specialization often complicates the extraction of other information like higher-order statistical moments of the gradient, or higher-order derivatives like the Hessian. It limits practitioners and researchers to methods that rely on the gradient. Arguably, this hampers the field from exploring the potential of higher-order information and there is evidence that focusing solely on the gradient has not lead to significant recent advances in deep learning optimization. To advance algorithmic research and inspire novel ideas, information beyond the batch-averaged gradient must be made available at the same level of computational efficiency, automation, and convenience. This thesis presents approaches to simplify experimentation with rich information beyond the gradient by making it more readily accessible. We present an implementation of these ideas as an extension to the backpropagation procedure in PyTorch. Using this newly accessible information, we demonstrate possible use cases by (i) showing how it can inform our understanding of neural network training by building a diagnostic tool, and (ii) enabling novel methods to efficiently compute and approximate curvature information. First, we extend gradient backpropagation for sequential feedforward models to Hessian backpropagation which enables computing approximate per-layer curvature. This perspective unifies recently proposed block- diagonal curvature approximations. Like gradient backpropagation, the computation of these second-order derivatives is modular, and therefore simple to automate and extend to new operations. Based on the insight that rich information beyond the gradient can be computed efficiently and at the same time, we extend the backpropagation in PyTorch with the BackPACK library. It provides efficient and convenient access to statistical moments of the gradient and approximate curvature information, often at a small overhead compared to computing just the gradient. Next, we showcase the utility of such information to better understand neural network training. We build the Cockpit library that visualizes what is happening inside the model during training through various instruments that rely on BackPACK’s statistics. We show how Cockpit provides a meaningful statistical summary report to the deep learning engineer to identify bugs in their machine learning pipeline, guide hyperparameter tuning, and study deep learning phenomena. Finally, we use BackPACK’s extended automatic differentiation functionality to develop ViViT, an approach to efficiently compute curvature information, in particular curvature noise. It uses the low-rank structure of the generalized Gauss-Newton approximation to the Hessian and addresses shortcomings in existing curvature approximations. Through monitoring curvature noise, we demonstrate how ViViT’s information helps in understanding challenges to make second-order optimization methods work in practice. This work develops new tools to experiment more easily with higher-order information in complex deep learning models. These tools have impacted works on Bayesian applications with Laplace approximations, out-of-distribution generalization, differential privacy, and the design of automatic differentia- tion systems. They constitute one important step towards developing and establishing more efficient deep learning algorithms

    LIPIcs, Volume 251, ITCS 2023, Complete Volume

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    LIPIcs, Volume 251, ITCS 2023, Complete Volum

    Digital Innovations for a Circular Plastic Economy in Africa

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    Plastic pollution is one of the biggest challenges of the twenty-first century that requires innovative and varied solutions. Focusing on sub-Saharan Africa, this book brings together interdisciplinary, multi-sectoral and multi-stakeholder perspectives exploring challenges and opportunities for utilising digital innovations to manage and accelerate the transition to a circular plastic economy (CPE). This book is organised into three sections bringing together discussion of environmental conditions, operational dimensions and country case studies of digital transformation towards the circular plastic economy. It explores the environment for digitisation in the circular economy, bringing together perspectives from practitioners in academia, innovation, policy, civil society and government agencies. The book also highlights specific country case studies in relation to the development and implementation of different innovative ideas to drive the circular plastic economy across the three sub-Saharan African regions. Finally, the book interrogates the policy dimensions and practitioner perspectives towards a digitally enabled circular plastic economy. Written for a wide range of readers across academia, policy and practice, including researchers, students, small and medium enterprises (SMEs), digital entrepreneurs, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and multilateral agencies, policymakers and public officials, this book offers unique insights into complex, multilayered issues relating to the production and management of plastic waste and highlights how digital innovations can drive the transition to the circular plastic economy in Africa. The Open Access version of this book, available at https://www.taylorfrancis.com, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC-BY-NC-ND) 4.0 license

    Posthuman Creative Styling can a creative writer’s style of writing be described as procedural?

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    This thesis is about creative styling — the styling a creative writer might use to make their writing unique. It addresses the question as to whether such styling can be described as procedural. Creative styling is part of the technique a creative writer uses when writing. It is how they make the text more ‘lively’ by use of tips and tricks they have either learned or discovered. In essence these are rules, ones the writer accrues over time by their practice. The thesis argues that the use and invention of these rules can be set as procedures. and so describe creative styling as procedural. The thesis follows from questioning why it is that machines or algorithms have, so far, been incapable of producing creative writing which has value. Machine-written novels do not abound on the bookshelves and writing styled by computers is, on the whole, dull in comparison to human-crafted literature. It came about by thinking how it would be possible to reach a point where writing by people and procedural writing are considered to have equal value. For this reason the thesis is set in a posthuman context, where the differences between machines and people are erased. The thesis uses practice to inform an original conceptual space model, based on quality dimensions and dynamic-inter operation of spaces. This model gives an example of the procedures which a posthuman creative writer uses when engaged in creative styling. It suggests an original formulation for the conceptual blending of conceptual spaces, based on the casting of qualities from one space to another. In support of and informing its arguments are ninety-nine examples of creative writing practice which show the procedures by which style has been applied, created and assessed. It provides a route forward for further joint research into both computational and human-coded creative writing

    Simulation of metal powder packing behaviour in laser-based powder bed fusion

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    Laser-based powder bed fusion (L-PBF) is a method of additive manufacturing, in which metal powder is fused into solid parts, layer by layer. L-PBF shows high promise for manufacture of functional Tungsten parts, but the development of Tungsten powder feedstock for L-PBF processing is demanding and expensive. Therefore, computer simulation is explored as a possible tool for Tungsten powder feedstock development at EOS Finland Oy, with whom this thesis was made. The aim of this thesis was to develop a simulation model of the recoating process of an EOS M 290 L-PBF system, as well as a validation method for the simulation. The validated simulation model can be used to evaluate the applicability of the used simulation software (FLOW-3D DEM) in powder material development, and possibly use the model as a platform for future application with Tungsten powder. In order to reduce complexity and uncertainties, the irregular Tungsten powder is not yet simulated, and a well-known, spherical EOS IN718 powder feedstock was used instead. The validation experiment is based on building a low, enclosed wall using the M 290 L-PBF system. Recoated powder is trapped inside as the enclosure is being built, making it possible to remove the sampled powder from a known volume. This enables measuring the powder packing density (PD) of the powder bed. The experiment was repeated five times and some sources of error were also quantified. Average PD was found to be 52 % with a standard deviation of 0.2 %. The simulation was modelled after the IN718 powder and corresponding process used in the M 290 system. Material-related input values were found by dynamic image analysis, pycnometry, rheometry, and from literature. PD was measured with six different methods, and the method considered as most analogous to the practical validation experiment yielded a PD of 52 %. Various particle behavior phenomena were also observed and analyzed. Many of the powder bed characterization methods found in literature were not applicable to L-PBF processing or were not representative of the simulated conditions. Many simulation studies were also found to use no validation, or used a validation method which is not based on the investigated phenomena. The validation model developed in this thesis accurately represents the simulated conditions and is found to produce reliable and repeatable results. The simulation model was parametrized with values acquired from practical experiments or literature and closely matched the validation experiment, and could therefore be considered a truthful representation of the powder recoating process of an EOS M 290. The model can be used as a platform for future development of Tungsten powder simulation

    Complicated objects: artifacts from the Yuanming Yuan in Victorian Britain

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    The 1860 spoliation of the Summer Palace at the close of the Second Opium War by British and French troops was a watershed event within the development of Britain as an imperialist nation, which guaranteed a market for opium produced in its colony India and demonstrated the power of its armed forces. The distribution of the spoils to officers and diplomatic corps by campaign leaders in Beijing was also a sign of the British Army’s rising power as an instrument of the imperialist state. These conditions would suggest that objects looted from the site would be integrated into an imperialist aesthetic that reflected and promoted the material benefits of military engagement overseas and foregrounded the circumstances of their removal to Britain for campaign members and the British public. This study mines sources dating to the two decades following the war – including British newspapers, auction house records, exhibition catalogs and works of art – to test this hypothesis. Findings show that initial movements of looted objects through the military and diplomatic corps did reinforce notions of imperialist power by enabling campaign members to profit from the spoliation through sales of looted objects and trophy displays. However, material from the Summer Palace arrived at a moment when British manufacturers and cultural leaders were engaged in a national effort to improve the quality of British goods to compete in the international marketplace and looted art was quickly interpolated in this national conversation. Ironically, the same “free trade” imperatives that motivated the invasion energized a new design movement that embraced Chinese ornament. As a consequence, political interpretations of the material outside of military collections were quickly joined by a strong response to Chinese ornament from cultural institutions and design leaders. Art from the Summer Palace held a prominent place at industrial art exhibitions of the postwar period and inspired new designs in a number of mediums. While the availability of Chinese imperial art was the consequence of a military invasion and therefore a product of imperialist expansion, evidence presented here shows that the design response to looted objects was not circumscribed by this political reality. Chinese ornament on imperial wares was ultimately celebrated for its formal qualities and acknowledged links to the Summer Palace were an indicator of good design, not a celebration of victory over a failed Chinese state. Therefore, the looting of the Summer Palace was ultimately an essential factor in the development of modern design, the essence of which is a break with Classical ornament

    An empirical investigation of the relationship between integration, dynamic capabilities and performance in supply chains

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    This research aimed to develop an empirical understanding of the relationships between integration, dynamic capabilities and performance in the supply chain domain, based on which, two conceptual frameworks were constructed to advance the field. The core motivation for the research was that, at the stage of writing the thesis, the combined relationship between the three concepts had not yet been examined, although their interrelationships have been studied individually. To achieve this aim, deductive and inductive reasoning logics were utilised to guide the qualitative study, which was undertaken via multiple case studies to investigate lines of enquiry that would address the research questions formulated. This is consistent with the author’s philosophical adoption of the ontology of relativism and the epistemology of constructionism, which was considered appropriate to address the research questions. Empirical data and evidence were collected, and various triangulation techniques were employed to ensure their credibility. Some key features of grounded theory coding techniques were drawn upon for data coding and analysis, generating two levels of findings. These revealed that whilst integration and dynamic capabilities were crucial in improving performance, the performance also informed the former. This reflects a cyclical and iterative approach rather than one purely based on linearity. Adopting a holistic approach towards the relationship was key in producing complementary strategies that can deliver sustainable supply chain performance. The research makes theoretical, methodological and practical contributions to the field of supply chain management. The theoretical contribution includes the development of two emerging conceptual frameworks at the micro and macro levels. The former provides greater specificity, as it allows meta-analytic evaluation of the three concepts and their dimensions, providing a detailed insight into their correlations. The latter gives a holistic view of their relationships and how they are connected, reflecting a middle-range theory that bridges theory and practice. The methodological contribution lies in presenting models that address gaps associated with the inconsistent use of terminologies in philosophical assumptions, and lack of rigor in deploying case study research methods. In terms of its practical contribution, this research offers insights that practitioners could adopt to enhance their performance. They can do so without necessarily having to forgo certain desired outcomes using targeted integrative strategies and drawing on their dynamic capabilities

    Artists' Studio Archives

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    A guide for artists, their assistants, and others managing and preserving an artist's studio archives. The Artists' Studio Archives: Managing Personal Collections & Creative Legacies, is a guide for artists, their assistants, and others attempting to manage and preserve an artist's personal studio archives. This guide is based on real-life scenarios and best-practices in archiving and preservation. It will aid artists in every career stage, from emerging artists, to late-career artists; the yet-to-be-discovered and the well-established. Written by Neal Ambrose-Smith, Joan E. Beaudoin, Heather Gendron, and Eumie Imm Stroukoff

    The Slightest Attachment: When Psychiatric Spaces Enact Affinities

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    While the disciplinary architecture of hospitals has long prevailed in psychiatry, many care teams now work in smaller structures, within communities. The author explores one of these places: Drawing on fieldwork in a psychiatric day center for teenagers, she traces how spatial arrangements matter in the care practice. From a corner in which one can withdraw, to a kitchen inviting to hang around, or displayed artworks that pique one's curiosity, caregivers use the material environment to stir up the slightest affinity from teenagers. This study thus expands our idea of what attachment is, and makes us more able to recognize the subtle dynamics between care, things, and spaces. With a preface by Jeannette Pols
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