Neural Networks for Predicting Algorithm Runtime Distributions

Many state-of-the-art algorithms for solving hard combinatorial problems in artificial intelligence (AI) include elements of stochasticity that lead to high variations in runtime, even for a fixed problem instance. Knowledge about the resulting runtime distributions (RTDs) of algorithms on given problem instances can be exploited in various meta-algorithmic procedures, such as algorithm selection, portfolios, and randomized restarts. Previous work has shown that machine learning can be used to individually predict mean, median and variance of RTDs. To establish a new state-of-the-art in predicting RTDs, we demonstrate that the parameters of an RTD should be learned jointly and that neural networks can do this well by directly optimizing the likelihood of an RTD given runtime observations. In an empirical study involving five algorithms for SAT solving and AI planning, we show that neural networks predict the true RTDs of unseen instances better than previous methods, and can even do so when only few runtime observations are available per training instance

Schillers Gott : Bemerkungen zu den "Göttern Griechenlands"

In his poem "Die Götter Griechenlands", Schiller highlights the difference between an idealised classical Greek society conceived as an organic whole in harmony with itself, on one hand, and modern eighteenthcentury Europe, on the other, with its fragmentation and challenging materialism. It is argued that the author is more interested in emphasizing the task of art than condemning Christianity. In the last stanza, the beautiful in art is offered as the only possible means to preserve Sinn and humanity. The almost religious status which is given to art by Schiller is crucial for the German literary and cultural thought throughout the nineteenth century.No poema "Die Götter Griechenlands", Schiller elabora a diferença entre uma Grécia clássica idealizada, entendida como totalidade orgânica em harmonia consigo mesmo, e a Europa moderna do sec. XVIII com sua fragmentação e seu materialismo temível. Afirma-se que o autor está menos condenando o cristianismo do que enfatizando a função da arte. Na última estrofe, a beleza da arte é oferecida como último recurso de preservar sentido e humanidade. O status quase religioso que Schiller reserva para a arte é crucial para entender o pensar literário e cultural na Alemanha do sec. XIX

A peça radiofônica alemã dos últimos sessenta anos

This lecture deals with the development of the post-war radio drama in Germany. After a short introduction to the genre, we discuss three exemplary radio dramas: Günter Eich’s "Träume", NWDR 1951, typical for the literary radio drama, and "Träume 1951 - Musikalischer Epilog" by Hans Schüttler, NDR 2007, a small play which could be considered as representative of contemporary German audio art. The last example comes from a radio drama following the current pop culture trends. "Eisstadt" (WDR 2005, by Schorsch Kamerun), mixes high and low culture, different speeches and music styles and shows the same political ambitions present in the play "Träume". Recently, the German radio play has been going through a period of revitalization, even though under quite different conditions from those observed in the fifties.O artigo aborda a trajetória da peça radiofônica alemã do pós-guerra. Depois de uma introdução ao gênero da radiopeça, são comentados três peças exemplares: "Träume" de Günter Eich, NWDR 1951, como exemplo típico de uma radiopeça literária, e "Träume 1951 - Musikalischer Epilog" de Hans Schüttler, NDR, do ano 2007, uma obra representativa da Audio-Art contemporânea. O último exemplo é de uma radiopeça pop, "Eisstadt", WDR 2005, de Schorsch Kamerun. Eisstadt, uma bricolagem com a mesma pretensão política de "Träume", mistura a cultura erudita com a cultura de massa e combina os mais diversos estilos de língua e de música. Ultimamente, com a valorização do audio na Alemanha, a peça radiofônica está passando por uma fase de revitalização, porém sob condições diversas daquelas dos anos cinquenta

Grammatikalisierung bei jiddischen Modalverben

This paper deals with selected semantic, morphological and syntactic characteristics of Yiddish modal verbs, compared to their cognates in German and other Germanic language. In particular, it focuses on the modal ker, the subjunctive zoln and the conditional with volt. The synchronic description is completed by diachronic observations which refer to the Middle High German basis of Yiddish.Este artigo apresenta algumas características semânticas, morfológicas e sintáticas dos verbos modais em ídiche, comparando-os com os seus cognatos em alemão e outras línguas germanicas. Em particular, são focalizados o verbo modal ker, o subjuntivo com zoln e o condicional com volt. A descrição sincrônica é completada com observações diacrónicas, considerando especialmente o médio alto alemão como base do ídiche

Ideias napoleônicas e o grande inquisidor : sobre a militância comunista de Anna Seghers e Jorge Amado

The lifelong friendship between Anna Seghers and Jorge Amado began in the late 1940s, when both were engaged in the international communist struggle for world peace. After becoming disillusioned with the Stalinist tyranny, Amado left the PC, whereas Seghers officially continued to follow the party line. She concealed her critique of (post-) stalinist theory and practice in some essays on literature history, especially on Tolstoy, Dostoevsky and Schiller – essays which she dedicated to Amado, who would understand the problems and contradictions within her political involvement

Efficient Benchmarking of Algorithm Configuration Procedures via Model-Based Surrogates

The optimization of algorithm (hyper-)parameters is crucial for achieving peak performance across a wide range of domains, ranging from deep neural networks to solvers for hard combinatorial problems. The resulting algorithm configuration (AC) problem has attracted much attention from the machine learning community. However, the proper evaluation of new AC procedures is hindered by two key hurdles. First, AC benchmarks are hard to set up. Second and even more significantly, they are computationally expensive: a single run of an AC procedure involves many costly runs of the target algorithm whose performance is to be optimized in a given AC benchmark scenario. One common workaround is to optimize cheap-to-evaluate artificial benchmark functions (e.g., Branin) instead of actual algorithms; however, these have different properties than realistic AC problems. Here, we propose an alternative benchmarking approach that is similarly cheap to evaluate but much closer to the original AC problem: replacing expensive benchmarks by surrogate benchmarks constructed from AC benchmarks. These surrogate benchmarks approximate the response surface corresponding to true target algorithm performance using a regression model, and the original and surrogate benchmark share the same (hyper-)parameter space. In our experiments, we construct and evaluate surrogate benchmarks for hyperparameter optimization as well as for AC problems that involve performance optimization of solvers for hard combinatorial problems, drawing training data from the runs of existing AC procedures. We show that our surrogate benchmarks capture overall important characteristics of the AC scenarios, such as high- and low-performing regions, from which they were derived, while being much easier to use and orders of magnitude cheaper to evaluate

“E como eu não me entenderia com a terra?”: Aspectos da botânica de Henry David Thoreau

In this paper we present aspects of a thoreauvian romantic botany. Until the end of his life, the writer was active as a field botanist who collected empirical data on the flora of his region. At the same time, he harshly criticized positivist sciences and propagated in his works an access to the plant world from a pantheistic aesthetic, involving affectivity and spirituality. In addition, he took a clear stand against the advance of internal colonialism and capitalism in the countryside, a process that implied the instrumentalization and commodification of life in general. Henry David Thoreau's combination of empirical research with aesthetic sensibility and anti-colonial stance is of more interest today than ever before.Apresentamos neste artigo aspectos de uma botânica romântica thoreauviana. Até o final de sua vida, o escritor era ativo como botânico de campo que levantava dados empíricos sobre a flora da sua região. Ao mesmo tempo, criticou duramente as ciências positivistas e propagava em suas obras um acesso ao mundo vegetal a partir de uma estética panteísta, envolvendo afetividade e espiritualidade. Além disso, se posicionava de forma clara contra o avanço do colonialismo interno e do capitalismo no campo, processo que implicava na instrumentalização e mercantilização da vida em geral. A combinação de pesquisa empírica com sensibilidade estética e posicionamento anticolonial de Henry David Thoreau interessa atualmente mais do que nunca.&nbsp