Fisher Information inequalities and the Central Limit Theorem

We give conditions for an O(1/n) rate of convergence of Fisher information and relative entropy in the Central Limit Theorem. We use the theory of projections in L2 spaces and Poincare inequalities, to provide a better understanding of the decrease in Fisher information implied by results of Barron and Brown. We show that if the standardized Fisher information ever becomes finite then it converges to zero.Comment: 19 page

Predicting Out-of-View Feature Points for Model-Based Camera Pose Estimation

In this work we present a novel framework that uses deep learning to predict object feature points that are out-of-view in the input image. This system was developed with the application of model-based tracking in mind, particularly in the case of autonomous inspection robots, where only partial views of the object are available. Out-of-view prediction is enabled by applying scaling to the feature point labels during network training. This is combined with a recurrent neural network architecture designed to provide the final prediction layers with rich feature information from across the spatial extent of the input image. To show the versatility of these out-of-view predictions, we describe how to integrate them in both a particle filter tracker and an optimisation based tracker. To evaluate our work we compared our framework with one that predicts only points inside the image. We show that as the amount of the object in view decreases, being able to predict outside the image bounds adds robustness to the final pose estimation.Comment: Submitted to IROS 201

Mutational analysis of the gene start sequences of pneumonia virus of mice

The transcriptional start sequence of pneumonia virus of mice is more variable than that of the other pneumoviruses, with five different nine-base gene start (GS) sequences found in the PVM genome. The sequence requirements of the PVM gene start signal, and the efficiency of transcriptional initiation of the different virus genes, was investigated using a reverse genetics approach with a minigenome construct containing two reporter genes. A series of GS mutants were created, where each of the nine bases of the gene start consensus sequence of a reporter gene was changed to every other possible base, and the resulting effect on initiation of transcription was assayed. Nucleotide positions 1, 2 and 7 were found to be most sensitive to mutation whilst positions 4, 5 and 9 were relatively insensitive. The L gene GS sequence was found to have only 20% of the activity of the consensus sequence whilst the published M2 gene start sequence was found to be non-functional. A minigenome construct in which the two reporter genes were separated by the F-M2 gene junction of PVM was used to confirm the presence of two alternative, functional, GS sequences that could both drive the transcription of the PVM M2 gene

Parallel Simulations for Analysing Portfolios of Catastrophic Event Risk

At the heart of the analytical pipeline of a modern quantitative insurance/reinsurance company is a stochastic simulation technique for portfolio risk analysis and pricing process referred to as Aggregate Analysis. Support for the computation of risk measures including Probable Maximum Loss (PML) and the Tail Value at Risk (TVAR) for a variety of types of complex property catastrophe insurance contracts including Cat eXcess of Loss (XL), or Per-Occurrence XL, and Aggregate XL, and contracts that combine these measures is obtained in Aggregate Analysis. In this paper, we explore parallel methods for aggregate risk analysis. A parallel aggregate risk analysis algorithm and an engine based on the algorithm is proposed. This engine is implemented in C and OpenMP for multi-core CPUs and in C and CUDA for many-core GPUs. Performance analysis of the algorithm indicates that GPUs offer an alternative HPC solution for aggregate risk analysis that is cost effective. The optimised algorithm on the GPU performs a 1 million trial aggregate simulation with 1000 catastrophic events per trial on a typical exposure set and contract structure in just over 20 seconds which is approximately 15x times faster than the sequential counterpart. This can sufficiently support the real-time pricing scenario in which an underwriter analyses different contractual terms and pricing while discussing a deal with a client over the phone.Comment: Proceedings of the Workshop at the International Conference for High Performance Computing, Networking, Storage and Analysis (SC), 2012, 8 page

The database management of piling induced ground vibrations

The storing of ground vibration signals produced by pile driving have been stored in a database on a Nimbus personnel computer. The signals were recorded on a purpose built data logger in the form of time history traces, analysed to calculate the maximum values and then these values transferred. This report covers the design of the transfer systems and the database itself, the manner in which the transfers were effected and a description of the support software produced. Data acquisition is also covered to provide an insight into why certain database design features were included. An expert shell system has also been designed, allowing predictive estimations of ground vibration levels to be achieved. Comparisons between the two systems suggest a good level of compatibility

Beyond Markov Chains, Towards Adaptive Memristor Network-based Music Generation

We undertook a study of the use of a memristor network for music generation, making use of the memristor's memory to go beyond the Markov hypothesis. Seed transition matrices are created and populated using memristor equations, and which are shown to generate musical melodies and change in style over time as a result of feedback into the transition matrix. The spiking properties of simple memristor networks are demonstrated and discussed with reference to applications of music making. The limitations of simulating composing memristor networks in von Neumann hardware is discussed and a hardware solution based on physical memristor properties is presented.Comment: 22 pages, 13 pages, conference pape