Integrating State-of-the-Art Approaches for Anomaly Detection and Localization in the Continual Learning Setting

openThe significant attention surrounding the application of anomaly detection (AD) in identifying defects within industrial environments using only normal samples has prompted research and development in this area. However, traditional AD methods have been primarily focused on the current set of examples, resulting in a limitation known as catastrophic forgetting when encountering new tasks. The inflexibility of these methods and the challenges posed by real-world industrial scenarios necessitate the urgent enhancement of the adaptive capabilities of AD models. Therefore, this thesis presents an integrated framework that combines the concepts of continual learning (CL) and anomaly detection (AD) to achieve the objective of anomaly detection in continual learning (ADCL). To evaluate the efficacy of the framework, a thorough comparative analysis is conducted to assess the performance of three specific methods for the AD task: the EfficientAD, Patch Distribution Modeling Framework (PaDiM) and the Discriminatively Trained Reconstruction Anomaly Embedding Model (DRAEM). Moreover, the framework incorporates the use of replay techniques to enable continual learning (CL). In order to determine the superior technique, a comprehensive evaluation is carried out using diverse metrics that measure the relative performance of each method. To validate the proposed approach, a robust real-world dataset called MVTec AD is employed, consisting of images with pixel-based anomalies. This dataset serves as a reliable benchmark for Anomaly Detection in the context of Continual Learning, offering a solid foundation for further advancements in this field of study.The significant attention surrounding the application of anomaly detection (AD) in identifying defects within industrial environments using only normal samples has prompted research and development in this area. However, traditional AD methods have been primarily focused on the current set of examples, resulting in a limitation known as catastrophic forgetting when encountering new tasks. The inflexibility of these methods and the challenges posed by real-world industrial scenarios necessitate the urgent enhancement of the adaptive capabilities of AD models. Therefore, this thesis presents an integrated framework that combines the concepts of continual learning (CL) and anomaly detection (AD) to achieve the objective of anomaly detection in continual learning (ADCL). To evaluate the efficacy of the framework, a thorough comparative analysis is conducted to assess the performance of three specific methods for the AD task: the EfficientAD, Patch Distribution Modeling Framework (PaDiM) and the Discriminatively Trained Reconstruction Anomaly Embedding Model (DRAEM). Moreover, the framework incorporates the use of replay techniques to enable continual learning (CL). In order to determine the superior technique, a comprehensive evaluation is carried out using diverse metrics that measure the relative performance of each method. To validate the proposed approach, a robust real-world dataset called MVTec AD is employed, consisting of images with pixel-based anomalies. This dataset serves as a reliable benchmark for Anomaly Detection in the context of Continual Learning, offering a solid foundation for further advancements in this field of study

Austerity Union and the Transformation of Europe

The EU »economic constitution« systematically biases EU policy making in a neoliberal direction. Historically speaking, this was not the intent of the EU founding fathers. The original constitutional settlement of embedded liberalism was significantly redefined in the next major revisions of the Rome Treaty. The neo-liberal foundations of the single market and the EMU have imposed real and significant institutional constraints for progressive policy making. However, the role of the European Left was crucial in this alteration of the EU constitutional order. Despite the strong neoliberal consensus among the key political actors of that time, such a change would have not be possible without the Left' retreat towards »centreleftism «, particularly in France. Furthermore, while constrains of the EU economic constitution are significant, we should avoid the »naturalization« of the EU project. The European Left, while in power, failed to leave its distinct imprint on the EU economic constitution. The Left policy agenda remained firmly embedded in the logic of the nation state. The euro crisis pushed these developments even further and, for the first time in the EU history, explicitly challenged the constitutional balance of the EU legal order. The new Austerity Union, a project in the making, profoundly altered this constitutional balance

Academics should be careful not to exaggerate the progress made in Central and Eastern Europe since the fall of the Berlin Wall

On 9 November, Europe marked the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. Ivan T. Berend and Bojan Bugaric write that while the anniversary has motivated several commentators to celebrate the achievements made in the region during the post-communist period, we should be careful not to exaggerate the progress made within Central and Eastern European states. They argue that significant challenges still remain, including the danger of ‘democratic regression’ in countries such as Hungary and Slovenia

The populist backlash against Europe : why only alternative economic and social policies can stop the rise of populism in Europe

The European Union is facing an unprecedented political crisis. This club of liberal and democratic countries has been confronted by a nationalist and populist backlash that threatens the core principles at the very heart of the EU. Capitalizing on the European sovereign debt crisis, the backlash against refugees streaming in from the Middle East, public angst over the growing terror threat, and Brexit, previously fringe populist political parties are growing with alarming speed. Populists not only attack policies that are based on core institutional pillars of the European integration project, but quite often they also challenge the very foundations of the project as such. Instead of focusing only on sanctions, European political leaders should articulate a coherent alternative to the failed neo-liberal economic policies of the last decade. What counts this time are sensible economic, social and environmental policies promising to improve daily lives of European citizens. The EU needs to regain credibility by delivering simple and palpable benefits, such as good salaries, decent pensions, high-quality social services, and high environmental standards. In other words, it needs to improve what political theorists define as “output legitimacy.”. Only an economic policy that promotes growth, better jobs, wages, and social inclusion can stem the nationalist tide. To prevent history from repeating itself, Europe must act now

How populism emerged from the shadow of neoliberalism in Central and Eastern Europe

Hungary and Poland have pursued a notably ‘populist’ approach to the economy in recent years, which has begun to spread to other countries in Central and Eastern Europe. Mitchell A. Orenstein and Bojan Bugarič argue that Central and Eastern European states’ dependence on foreign capital initially constrained them to follow neoliberal economic policies following their democratic transition. After the global financial crisis, populist parties began to break from this consensus, embracing a populist agenda which includes an economic programme built on a conservative developmental ‘statism’

The two faces of populism: Between authoritarian and democratic populism

Populism is Janus-faced; simultaneously facing different directions. There is not a single form of populism, but rather a variety of different forms, each with profoundly different political consequences. Despite the current hegemony of authoritarian populism, a much different sort of populism is also possible: Democratic and anti-establishment populism, which combines elements of liberal and democratic convictions. Without understanding the political economy of the populist revolt, it is difficult to understand the true roots of populism, and consequently, to devise an appropriate democratic alternative to populism

Central Europe’s descent into autocracy : a constitutional analysis of authoritarian populism

The article offers an analysis of the particular type of populism that has evolved in Eastern and Central Europe, most notably in Hungary and Poland. The new populism in ECE differs from other populisms because it combines the elements of populism, ethnonationalism, and authoritarianism. Adhering to a similar script, which consists of sustained attacks on rule of law institutions, civil rights and freedoms, the media, and electoral rules, both populist governments in a relatively short period of time dismantled almost all the key cornerstones of democracy in Hungary and Poland. The current surge of populism in ECE demonstrates that constitutional democracy is in great danger when its core principles no longer enjoy wide democratic support. Paradoxically, constitutional democracy can play its “counter-majoritarian” role only when a majority of the people believe that it is the only game in town. Ultimately, democratic political parties and social movements with credible political ideas and programs offer the best hope for the survival of constitutional democracy. The role of law and constitutional checks and balances is less of an essential bulwark against democratic backsliding than is traditionally presumed in the legal literature

UPORABA UMJETNIH NEURONSKIH MREŽA U PREDVIĐANJU PROFESIONALNIH KRETANJA MATURANATA

Aim of this paper is to examine the possibility of predicting professional choice of secondary school graduates by using artificial neural network for the needs of enrolment policy planning at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering in Belgrade. The problem of professional choices prediction for graduates has been carried out on the sample of 119 graduates from two Belgrade vocational schools. Factors influencing professional choice of secondary school students grouped in twelve input variables proved to be as suitable for predicting professional movements of graduates. Results of this research represent the base for the further researches aiming to improve the Faculty enrolment policy.Svrha ovog rada je istražiti mogućnosti predviđanja izbora profesije maturanata uporabom umjetnih neuronskih mreža zbog potrebe planiranja upisne politike Strojarskog fakulteta u Beogradu. Istraživanje predviđanja odabira profesije provedeno je na uzorku od 119 maturanata dvije beogradske strukovne srednje škole. Svrstavanje čimbenika koji utječu na izbor profesije kod srednjoškolaca u dvanaest ulaznih varijabli pokazalo se odgovarajućim za predviđanje profesionalnih kretanja maturanata. Rezultati ovog istraživanja predstavljaju osnovu za daljnja istraživanja usmjerena poboljšanju upisne politike Fakulteta