ADaPTION: Toolbox and Benchmark for Training Convolutional Neural Networks with Reduced Numerical Precision Weights and Activation

Deep Neural Networks (DNNs) and Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) are useful for many practical tasks in machine learning. Synaptic weights, as well as neuron activation functions within the deep network are typically stored with high-precision formats, e.g. 32 bit floating point. However, since storage capacity is limited and each memory access consumes power, both storage capacity and memory access are two crucial factors in these networks. Here we present a method and present the ADaPTION toolbox to extend the popular deep learning library Caffe to support training of deep CNNs with reduced numerical precision of weights and activations using fixed point notation. ADaPTION includes tools to measure the dynamic range of weights and activations. Using the ADaPTION tools, we quantized several CNNs including VGG16 down to 16-bit weights and activations with only 0.8% drop in Top-1 accuracy. The quantization, especially of the activations, leads to increase of up to 50% of sparsity especially in early and intermediate layers, which we exploit to skip multiplications with zero, thus performing faster and computationally cheaper inference.Comment: 10 pages, 5 figure

Ideology and existence of 50%-majority equilibria in multidimensional spatial voting models

When aggregating individual preferences through the majority rule in an n-dimensional spatial voting model, the `worst-case' scenario is a social choice configuration where no political equilibrium exists unless a super majority rate as high as 1-1/n is adopted. In this paper we assume that a lower d-dimensional (d smaller than n) linear map spans the possible candidates' platforms. These d `ideological' dimensions imply some linkages between the n political issues. We randomize over these linkages and show that there almost surely exists a 50%-majority equilibria in the above worst-case scenario, when n grows to infinity. Moreover the equilibrium is the mean voter. The speed of convergence (toward 50%) of the super majority rate guaranteeing existence of equilibrium is computed for d=1 and 2.

Delta Networks for Optimized Recurrent Network Computation

Many neural networks exhibit stability in their activation patterns over time in response to inputs from sensors operating under real-world conditions. By capitalizing on this property of natural signals, we propose a Recurrent Neural Network (RNN) architecture called a delta network in which each neuron transmits its value only when the change in its activation exceeds a threshold. The execution of RNNs as delta networks is attractive because their states must be stored and fetched at every timestep, unlike in convolutional neural networks (CNNs). We show that a naive run-time delta network implementation offers modest improvements on the number of memory accesses and computes, but optimized training techniques confer higher accuracy at higher speedup. With these optimizations, we demonstrate a 9X reduction in cost with negligible loss of accuracy for the TIDIGITS audio digit recognition benchmark. Similarly, on the large Wall Street Journal speech recognition benchmark even existing networks can be greatly accelerated as delta networks, and a 5.7x improvement with negligible loss of accuracy can be obtained through training. Finally, on an end-to-end CNN trained for steering angle prediction in a driving dataset, the RNN cost can be reduced by a substantial 100X

Ideology and existence of 50%-majority equilibria in multidimensional spatial voting models

When aggregating individual preferences through the majority rule in an n-dimensional spatial voting model, the "worst-case" scenario is a social choice configuration where no political equilibrium exists unless a super majority rate as high as 1-1/n is adopted. In this paper the authors assume that a lower d-dimensional (dspatial voting; super majority; ideology; mean voter theorem; random point set

Enhanced perversities

open2sipartially_openD'Agnolo, Andrea; Kashiwara, MasakiD'Agnolo, Andrea; Kashiwara, Masak

Implementation of Arithmetic Operations And Conversion Between Number Systems in the Matlab Software Environment

Tato bakalářská práce se zabývá reprezentací čísel a aritmetickými operacemi v číslicových systémech. Cílem bylo vytvořit programy pro převod do formátů, které se používají pro vyjádření reálných čísel ve výpočetní technice, ale také programy, které by uměly základní aritmetické operace v daném formátu. Další skupinou jsou skripty, které slouží ke kódování znaků pro reprezentaci a zpracování textů ve výpočetní technice. Teoretická část práce se tak skládá ze základního popisu jednotlivých formátů, ukázky převodů a aritmetických operací. Skripty byly implementovány ve výpočetním prostředí Matlab. Díky této technologie bylo možné jednotlivé aplikace nasadit na MatlabServer Katedry telekomunikační techniky, díky kterému je možné k těmto aplikacím přistupovat prostřednictvím internetu a využívat je přes webové rozhraní. Potenciální využití jednotlivých programů vidím ve výuce. Součástí bakalářské práce jsou také podpůrné materiály ke studiu předmětu Základy číslicových systémů (ZDS).This bachelor thesis focuses on the representation of numbers and arithmetic operations in digital systems. The aim was to create programs for conversion to formats that are used to express real numbers in computer technologies, but also programs that would be able to perform basic arithmetic operations in a given format. Another group are scripts that are used to encode characters for the representation and processing of texts in computer technology.The theoretical part of the work consists of a basic description of individual formats, examples of conversions and arithmetic operations. The scripts were implemented in the Matlab computing environment. Thanks to this technology, it was possible to deploy individual applications on the MatlabServer of the Department of Telecommunications, thanks to that it is possible to access applications via the Internet and use them via the web interface. I see the potential use of individual programs in teaching. The bachelor's thesis also includes supporting materials for the study of the subject Basics of Numeric Systems.440 - Katedra telekomunikační technikyvýborn

Does Copyright Enforcement Encourage Piracy?

More intensive copyright enforcement reduces piracy, raises prices, and lowers consumer surplus. We show that these results do not hold regarding the extent rather than intensity of enforcement. When enforcement is targeted at high-value buyers such as corporate and government users, the copyright holder has an incentive to charge super-monopoly prices, thereby encouraging piracy among low-value buyers. Extending enforcement down the demand curve broadens the copyright holder’s captive market, leading to lower prices and higher sales that can increase both profits and consumer surplus. The standard tradeoff between the incentive to generate intellectual property and the cost of monopoly power is therefore avoided. Private enforcement by copyright holders may be insuciently extensive since consumers can also benefit from more extensive enforcement. Similarly, new technologies which lead to stronger control over illicit use can paradoxically benefit consumers.piracy; internet; intellectual property; copyright protection; super-monopoly pricing

Adaptabilidade e estabilidade da produtividade de grãos de genótipos de caupi enramador de tegumento mulato.

O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar a adaptabilidade e a estabilidade da produtividade de grãos de 16 genótipos de feijão caupi (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.) utilizando o modelo de efeitos aditivos principais e interação multiplicativa. Os ensaios foram realizados em nove ambientes, locais e anos, da região Meio-Norte do Brasil, Estados do Piauí (PI) e Maranhão (MA), no período de 1999 a 2001. Os efeitos de ambientes e interação genótipos x ambientes, e os dois primeiros eixos da análise de componentes principais da interação foram significativos (P<0,01). A análise de componentes principais explicou 61,25% da soma de quadrados da interação genótipos x ambientes. Os genótipos TE93-244-23F e TE93-213-12F-1 reuniram genes para adaptabilidade e estabilidade, os quais podem ser cultivados em todos os ambientes. Os genótipos BR 17-Gurguéia, Canapuzinho e EPACE-10 apresentaram as maiores médias de produtividade, mas foram instáveis e com adaptação específica a ambientes de alta qualidade. Os ambientes mais favoráveis para a produtividade de grãos foram Bom Jesus, PI, 2000; Palmeira do Piauí, PI, 2001 e Sambaíba, MA, 2000. Não houve tendência de agrupamento de locais por Estado e a distribuição foi equilibrada em termos de qualidade ambiental

Single-Particle Green Functions in Exactly Solvable Models of Bose and Fermi Liquids

Based on a class of exactly solvable models of interacting bose and fermi liquids, we compute the single-particle propagators of these systems exactly for all wavelengths and energies and in any number of spatial dimensions. The field operators are expressed in terms of bose fields that correspond to displacements of the condensate in the bose case and displacements of the fermi sea in the fermi case. Unlike some of the previous attempts, the present attempt reduces the answer for the spectral function in any dimension in both fermi and bose systems to quadratures. It is shown that when only the lowest order sea-displacement terms are included, the random phase approximation in its many guises is recovered in the fermi case, and Bogoliubov's theory in the bose case. The momentum distribution is evaluated using two different approaches, exact diagonalisation and the equation of motion approach. The novelty being of course, the exact computation of single-particle properties including short wavelength behaviour.Comment: Latest version to be published in Phys. Rev. B. enlarged to around 40 page