Skyline: Interactive In-Editor Computational Performance Profiling for Deep Neural Network Training

Training a state-of-the-art deep neural network (DNN) is a computationally-expensive and time-consuming process, which incentivizes deep learning developers to debug their DNNs for computational performance. However, effectively performing this debugging requires intimate knowledge about the underlying software and hardware systems---something that the typical deep learning developer may not have. To help bridge this gap, we present Skyline: a new interactive tool for DNN training that supports in-editor computational performance profiling, visualization, and debugging. Skyline's key contribution is that it leverages special computational properties of DNN training to provide (i) interactive performance predictions and visualizations, and (ii) directly manipulatable visualizations that, when dragged, mutate the batch size in the code. As an in-editor tool, Skyline allows users to leverage these diagnostic features to debug the performance of their DNNs during development. An exploratory qualitative user study of Skyline produced promising results; all the participants found Skyline to be useful and easy to use.Comment: 14 pages, 5 figures. Appears in the proceedings of UIST'2

ToScA North America (6 – 8 June 2017, The University of Texas, Austin, TX) Program

ToScA North America will address key areas of science, including Multi-modal Imaging, Geosciences, Forensics, Increasing Contrast, Educational Outreach, Data, Materials Science and Medical and Biological Science.University of Texas High-Resolution X-ray CT Facility (UTCT); Jackson School of Geosciences, The University of Texas at Austin; Natural History Museum (London); Royal Microscopical Society (Oxford, UK)Geological Science

A survey on 3D CAD model quality assurance and testing

[EN] A new taxonomy of issues related to CAD model quality is presented, which distinguishes between explicit and procedural models. For each type of model, morphologic, syntactic, and semantic errors are characterized. The taxonomy was validated successfully when used to classify quality testing tools, which are aimed at detecting and repairing data errors that may affect the simplification, interoperability, and reusability of CAD models. The study shows that low semantic level errors that hamper simplification are reasonably covered in explicit representations, although many CAD quality testers are still unaffordable for Small and Medium Enterprises, both in terms of cost and training time. Interoperability has been reasonably solved by standards like STEP AP 203 and AP214, but model reusability is not feasible in explicit representations. Procedural representations are promising, as interactive modeling editors automatically prevent most morphologic errors derived from unsuitable modeling strategies. Interoperability problems between procedural representations are expected to decrease dramatically with STEP AP242. Higher semantic aspects of quality such as assurance of design intent, however, are hardly supported by current CAD quality testers. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.This work was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness and the European Regional Development Fund, through the ANNOTA project (Ref. TIN2013-46036-C3-1-R).González-Lluch, C.; Company, P.; Contero, M.; Camba, J.; Plumed, R. (2017). A survey on 3D CAD model quality assurance and testing. Computer-Aided Design. 83:64-79. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cad.2016.10.003S64798

An Augmented Interaction Strategy For Designing Human-Machine Interfaces For Hydraulic Excavators

Lack of adequate information feedback and work visibility, and fatigue due to repetition have been identified as the major usability gaps in the human-machine interface (HMI) design of modern hydraulic excavators that subject operators to undue mental and physical workload, resulting in poor performance. To address these gaps, this work proposed an innovative interaction strategy, termed “augmented interaction”, for enhancing the usability of the hydraulic excavator. Augmented interaction involves the embodiment of heads-up display and coordinated control schemes into an efficient, effective and safe HMI. Augmented interaction was demonstrated using a framework consisting of three phases: Design, Implementation/Visualization, and Evaluation (D.IV.E). Guided by this framework, two alternative HMI design concepts (Design A: featuring heads-up display and coordinated control; and Design B: featuring heads-up display and joystick controls) in addition to the existing HMI design (Design C: featuring monitor display and joystick controls) were prototyped. A mixed reality seating buck simulator, named the Hydraulic Excavator Augmented Reality Simulator (H.E.A.R.S), was used to implement the designs and simulate a work environment along with a rock excavation task scenario. A usability evaluation was conducted with twenty participants to characterize the impact of the new HMI types using quantitative (task completion time, TCT; and operating error, OER) and qualitative (subjective workload and user preference) metrics. The results indicated that participants had a shorter TCT with Design A. For OER, there was a lower error probability due to collisions (PER1) with Design A, and lower error probability due to misses (PER2)with Design B. The subjective measures showed a lower overall workload and a high preference for Design B. It was concluded that augmented interaction provides a viable solution for enhancing the usability of the HMI of a hydraulic excavator

The Anti-Internet Crusade: A Rhetorical Analysis

Honors Research Project. Advised by Michelle Gibbons. The purpose of this analysis is to understand the successful uses of rhetorical strategies in “tech backlash” discourse, taking Tristan Harris’s TEDTalk “How a Handful of Tech Companies Control Billions of Minds Every Day” and the website Center For Humane Technology as examples. Harris is one of the few speaking out on the necessity for a “tech backlash.” The tech back lash is a term created to explain the current reaction to increased technology use and internet dependence. I will introduce research completed on the creation of the digital society over the last 20 years, and the inherent addictive strategies in commonly used social media applications. This sets the stage for Harris’s TEDTalk. Using these research articles support the claims Harris makes enforce his use of successful rhetorical strategies. From a thorough analysis of Harris’s TEDTalk and the Center for Humane Technology, I was able to identify Harris’s use of deliberative rhetoric, which he uses to ask the audience for their support regarding a societal change in how we use technology. Identifying and analyzing his rhetorical strategies within deliberative rhetoric will reveal which strategies are currently at work within tech backlash discourse. He used the persuasive rhetorical devices and effective tools to demonstrate the existence of this societal problem, while still offering applicable solutions

A visual exploration of cybersecurity concepts

Funding: This research was funded by the UK EPSRC under grant EP/N028228/1 (PACTMAN).Cybersecurity-related concepts can be difficult to explain or summarise. The complexity associated with these concepts is compounded by the impact of rapid technological changes and the contextual nature of the meaning ascribed to the various themes. Since visual imagery is often employed in articulation and explanation, we conducted a study in which we asked participants to sketch their understanding of cybersecurity concepts. Based on an analysis of these sketches and subsequent discussions with participants, we make the case for the use of sketching and visuals as a tool for cybersecurity research. Our collection of sketches and icons can further serve as the seed for a visual vocabulary for cybersecurity-related interfaces and communication