Physical Representation-based Predicate Optimization for a Visual Analytics Database

Querying the content of images, video, and other non-textual data sources requires expensive content extraction methods. Modern extraction techniques are based on deep convolutional neural networks (CNNs) and can classify objects within images with astounding accuracy. Unfortunately, these methods are slow: processing a single image can take about 10 milliseconds on modern GPU-based hardware. As massive video libraries become ubiquitous, running a content-based query over millions of video frames is prohibitive. One promising approach to reduce the runtime cost of queries of visual content is to use a hierarchical model, such as a cascade, where simple cases are handled by an inexpensive classifier. Prior work has sought to design cascades that optimize the computational cost of inference by, for example, using smaller CNNs. However, we observe that there are critical factors besides the inference time that dramatically impact the overall query time. Notably, by treating the physical representation of the input image as part of our query optimization---that is, by including image transforms, such as resolution scaling or color-depth reduction, within the cascade---we can optimize data handling costs and enable drastically more efficient classifier cascades. In this paper, we propose Tahoma, which generates and evaluates many potential classifier cascades that jointly optimize the CNN architecture and input data representation. Our experiments on a subset of ImageNet show that Tahoma's input transformations speed up cascades by up to 35 times. We also find up to a 98x speedup over the ResNet50 classifier with no loss in accuracy, and a 280x speedup if some accuracy is sacrificed.Comment: Camera-ready version of the paper submitted to ICDE 2019, In Proceedings of the 35th IEEE International Conference on Data Engineering (ICDE 2019

Rapid Steel Tooling Via Solid Freeform Fabrication

With increasing part complexity and requirements for long production runs, tooling has become an expensive process that requires long lead times to manufacture. This lengthens the amount oftime from "art to part". Rapid tooling via stereolithography (SLA), filled epoxies, etc. have been stopgap measures to produce limited prototyping runs from (10 to 500 parts). This gives poor dimensional analysis and does not allow for limited production runs of 1000+ parts. The method ofproducing prototype tooling with a powdered metal process has been developed that produces tooling with a hardness greater than 35 HRC and total shrinkage less than 0.5%. This tooling process manufactures production ready tooling that will perform extended cycle runs (100,000+). Manufacturing ofthis tooling takes 1 to 2 weeks and will compare favorably with production grade steel tooling. Originals drawn in 3D CAD can be used to prototype the master that will allow for the production ofthe rapid metal tool set. process starts with a rapid prototyped model made by whatever process is desired or a machined master. For this paper a Sander's Model Maker II® rapid prototyping machine was used to fabricate the model. After the model ofthe tool set is made, a silicone rubber negative is cast around that model. After the silicone rubber model is made, a heated slurry ofmetal powders and polymers is poured into the mold to create the green tool set. The tool set is left to cool, and then removed from the silicone rubber mold. The tool set is then debound and sintered to produce a final tool set with properties approaching hardened tool steel.Mechanical Engineerin

Warrior\u27s Home

Brighter lands, other homes the warrior may seeThe home of his heart on his own land must beAnd how heartfelt the cry as that home meets his glanceas that home meets his glanceAnd how heartfelt the cry as that home meets his glanceOf L\u27Amour, le Roi et vive la Belle FranceOf L\u27Amour, le Roi et vive la Belle France All he loves gather round to bless and be blestHis age seeks repose where his childhood found restEach echoes his cry at the feast song or danceOf L\u27Amour, le Roi et vive la Belle Franc

A cryptic promoter in potato virus X vector interrupted plasmid construction

BACKGROUND: Potato virus X has been developed into an expression vector for plants. It is widely used to express foreign genes. In molecular manipulation, the foreign genes need to be sub-cloned into the vector. The constructed plasmid needs to be amplified. Usually, during amplification stage, the foreign genes are not expressed. However, if the foreign gene is expressed, the construction work could be interrupted. Two different viral genes were sub-cloned into the vector, but only one foreign gene was successfully sub-cloned. The other foreign gene, canine parvovirus type 2 (CPV-2) VP1 could not be sub-cloned into the vector and amplified without mutation (frame shift mutation). RESULTS: A cryptic promoter in the PVX vector was discovered with RT-PCR. The promoter activity was studied with Northern blots and Real-time RT-PCR. CONCLUSION: It is important to recognize the homologous promoter sequences in the vector when a virus is developed as an expression vector. During the plasmid amplification stage, an unexpected expression of the CPV-2 VP1 gene (not in the target plants, but in E. coli) can interrupt the downstream work

Ground failure along the New River caused by the October 1979 Imperial Valley earthquake sequence

We recognized a number of ground failures along the south bank of the New River north of Brawley, California, following the 15 October 1979 Imperial Valley, California, earthquake sequence. The zone includes a large pond and numerous sand boils, apparently caused by liquefaction, near the Del Rio Country Club. These ground failures, together with failures at the New River bridge west of Brawley and at Wiest Lake, form a discontinuous zone 10 km long. While this zone appears to coincide with the aftershocks following the 16 October 1979, M_L 5.8, Brawley earthquake (the largest aftershock of the Imperial Valley earthquake), a cause and effect relationship cannot be demonstrated. No evidence of tectonic surface faulting could be found

Investigation of extractable organic compounds in deep-sea hydrothermal vent fluids along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge

Author Posting. © The Author(s), 2015. This is the author's version of the work. It is posted here by permission of Elsevier for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 156 (2015): 122-144, doi:10.1016/j.gca.2015.02.022.The possibility that deep-sea hydrothermal vents may contain organic compounds produced by abiotic synthesis or by microbial communities living deep beneath the surface has led to numerous studies of the organic composition of vent fluids. Most of these studies have focused on methane and other light hydrocarbons, while the possible occurrence of more complex organic compounds in the fluids has remained largely unstudied. To address this issue, the presence of higher molecular weight organic compounds in deep-sea hydrothermal fluids was assessed at three sites along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge that span a range of temperatures (51 to >360 °C), fluid compositions, and host-rock lithologies (mafic to ultramafic). Sample were obtained at several sites within the Lucky Strike, Rainbow, and Lost City hydrothermal fields. Three methods were employed to extract organic compounds for analysis, including liquid:liquid extraction, cold trapping on the walls of a coil of titanium tubing, and pumping fluids through cartridges filled with solid phase extraction (SPE) sorbents. The only samples to consistently yield high amounts of extractable organic compounds were the warm (51-91 °C), highly alkaline fluids from Lost City, which contained elevated concentrations of C8, C10, and C12 n-alkanoic acids and, in some cases, trithiolane, hexadecanol, squalene, and cholesterol. Collectively, the C8-C12 acids can account for about 15% of the total dissolved organic carbon in the Lost City fluids. The even-carbon-number predominance of the alkanoic acids indicates a biological origin, but it is unclear whether these compounds are derived from microbial activity occurring within the hydrothermal chimney proximal to the site of fluid discharge or are transported from deeper within the system. Hydrothermal fluids from the Lucky Strike and Rainbow fields were characterized by an overall scarcity of extractable dissolved organic compounds. Trace amounts of aromatic hydrocarbons including phenanthrenes and benzothiophene were the only compounds that could be identified as indigenous components of these fluids. Although hydrocarbons and fatty acids were observed in some samples, those compounds were likely derived from particulate matter or biomass entrained during fluid collection. In addition, extracts of some fluid samples from the Rainbow field were found to contain an unresolved complex mixture (UCM) of organic compounds. This UCM shared some characteristics with organic matter extracted from bottom seawater, suggesting that the organic matter observed in these samples might represent seawater-derived compounds that had persisted, albeit with partial alteration, during circulation through the hydrothermal system. While there is considerable evidence that Rainbow and Lost City vent fluids contain methane and other light hydrocarbons produced through abiotic reduction of inorganic carbon, we found no evidence for more complex organic compounds with an abiotic origin in the same fluids.This research was supported by the NSF Ocean Sciences directorate through grants MGG-OCE 0550800 to T.M.M. and MGG-OCE 0549829 to J.S.S. and C.R.G

Zero emission passenger vehicles in the United States, anticipating future automobile industry trends based on stakeholder interview analysis

Thesis (M.B.A.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management, 2012.Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.Includes bibliographical references (p. 80-82).My personal interest in automobile evolution is the primary motivation for this thesis. My engineering education and a fifteen year career in professional automobile racing were also inspired by personal passion for automobile development. This thesis was an opportunity to apply technical and business knowledge to an emerging industry challenge. Large, complex, interconnected problems are difficult to comprehend and challenging to solve. Today, the global automobile industry is facing such a problem. Global transportation sector greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are increasing and the technology to mitigate this increasing threat is not penetrating the consumer market. The thesis objective is to determine how zero emission vehicle adoption may change the Automobile Industry structure in the next fifteen years. Both interviews and literature sources provide the data for this thesis. Sixteen interviews were conducted across five stakeholder groups: automobile industry, government, petroleum industry, utility industry, and academia. The conclusions aggregate interviews, literature sources, and my analysis. The cumulative data suggests transportation sector emissions are a threat to environmental stability. However, significant zero emission vehicle adoption is not expected in the next fifteen years. U.S. CAFE standards, as well as, emission standards in other countries are expected to improve new vehicle fuel efficiency. In China, local pollution problems may inspire zero emission vehicle adoption. But, these incremental improvements are not expected to mitigate the increase in transportation GHG emissions driven by population growth and industrialization. Finally, four concepts are presented to accelerate zero emission vehicle development and adoption. Utilizing existing technology, retiring older technology, modular vehicle architecture, and competition driven development may contribute to faster development and increased adoption. Ultimately, faster development may lead to the better value proposition needed to inspire adoption.by Thomas M. German.M.B.A

Best Available Techniques (BAT) Reference Document for the Production of Chlor-alkali. Industrial Emissions Directive 2010/75/EU (Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control)

The BAT reference document entitled ‘Production of Chlor-alkali’ forms part of a series presenting the results of an exchange of information between EU Member States, the industries concerned, non-governmental organisations promoting environmental protection, and the Commission, to draw up, review and, where necessary, update BAT reference documents as required by Article 13(1) of the Directive 2010/75/EU on industrial emissions. This document is published by the European Commission pursuant to Article 13(6) of the Directive. This BREF for the production of chlor-alkali covers certain industrial activities specified in Sections 4.2(a) and 4.2(c) of Annex I to Directive 2010/75/EU, namely the production of chlor-alkali chemicals (chlorine, hydrogen, potassium hydroxide and sodium hydroxide) by the electrolysis of brine. In particular, this document covers the following processes and activities: - the storage of salt; - the preparation, purification and resaturation of brine; - the electrolysis of brine; - the concentration, purification, storage and handling of sodium/potassium hydroxide; - the cooling, drying, purification, compression, liquefaction, storage and handling of chlorine; - the cooling, purification, compression, storage and handling of hydrogen; - the conversion of mercury cell plants to membrane cell plants; - the decommissioning of mercury cell plants; - the remediation of chlor-alkali production sites. Important issues for the implementation of Directive 2010/75/EU in the chlor-alkali industry are the conversion and decommissioning of mercury cell plants, the conversion of asbestos diaphragm cell plants and the use of non-asbestos diaphragms, electricity consumption, and emissions of chlorine to air and water. The BREF contains seven chapters. Chapters 1 and 2 provide general information on the chlor-alkali industry and on the industrial processes and techniques used within this sector. Chapter 3 provides data and information concerning the environmental performance of installations in terms of current emissions, consumption of raw materials, water and energy, and generation of waste. Chapter 4 describes the techniques to prevent or reduce the environmental impact of installations in the sector. In Chapter 5 the BAT conclusions, as defined in Article 3(12) of the Directive, are presented for the chlor-alkali industry. Chapters 6 and 7 are dedicated to emerging techniques as well as to concluding remarks and recommendations for future work in the sector, respectively.JRC.J.5-Sustainable Production and Consumptio

Best Available Techniques (BAT) Reference Document for the Food, Drink and Milk Industries. Industrial Emissions Directive 2010/75/EU (Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control)

The Best Available Techniques (BAT) Reference Document (BREF) for the Food, Drink and Milk Industries is part of a series of documents presenting the results of an exchange of information between EU Member States, the industries concerned, non-governmental organisations promoting environmental protection, and the Commission, to draw up, review and – where necessary – update BAT reference documents as required by Article 13(1) of Directive 2010/78/EU on Industrial Emissions (the Directive). This document is published by the European Commission pursuant to Article 13(6) of the Directive. The BREF for the Food, Drink and Milk Industries covers the treatment and processing, other than exclusively packaging, of the animal and/or vegetable raw materials, whether previously processed or unprocessed, intended for the production of food or feed, as specified in Section 6.4 (b) of Annex I to Directive 2010/75/EU. Important issues for the implementation of Directive 2010/75/EU in the food, drink and milk (FDM) sector are emissions to water, energy and water consumption. Chapter 1 provides general information on the FDM sector and on the industrial processes and techniques used within this sector. Chapter 2 provides information on the common industrial processes, abatement systems and general techniques that are used across the FDM sector. General techniques to consider in the determination of BAT (i.e. those techniques to consider that are widely applied in the FDM sector) are reported in Chapter 2. Chapters 3 to 15 give the applied processes, current emission and consumption levels, techniques to consider in the determination of BAT and emerging techniques for the FDM sectors that are covered by these chapters. Chapter 16 provides thumbnail descriptions of additional FDM sectors, for which a data collection via questionnaires has not been carried out. Chapter 17 presents the BAT conclusions as defined in Article 3(12) of the Directive, both general and sector-specific. Concluding remarks and recommendations for future work are presented in Chapter 18.JRC.B.5-Circular Economy and Industrial Leadershi