Distribution-Based Categorization of Classifier Transfer Learning

Transfer Learning (TL) aims to transfer knowledge acquired in one problem, the source problem, onto another problem, the target problem, dispensing with the bottom-up construction of the target model. Due to its relevance, TL has gained significant interest in the Machine Learning community since it paves the way to devise intelligent learning models that can easily be tailored to many different applications. As it is natural in a fast evolving area, a wide variety of TL methods, settings and nomenclature have been proposed so far. However, a wide range of works have been reporting different names for the same concepts. This concept and terminology mixture contribute however to obscure the TL field, hindering its proper consideration. In this paper we present a review of the literature on the majority of classification TL methods, and also a distribution-based categorization of TL with a common nomenclature suitable to classification problems. Under this perspective three main TL categories are presented, discussed and illustrated with examples

Marketing mix and new product diffusion models

In this paper we analyze the relationship between the marketing mix and new product diffusion models. The goal is to obtain a general new product diffusion model that incorporates the classic 4Ps model of the Marketing Mix: Product, Price, Place, Promotion. An empirical study was conducted using mobile broadband adoption data in Japan.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Technical-economical evaluation of pavement recycling alternatives

Pavement recycling is becoming an increasingly important alternative worldwide for maintenance of highways, once sustainability and environmental issues have continued to receive more attention. The reference point is that of considering the use of road materials in a closed cycle, in which a natural material, previously used in road construction, should not be rejected in the following life-cycle. The objective of this paper is that of analysing flexible pavement recycling alternatives techniques, including reclaimed material from flexible pavements recycled with emulsion, cement and reused in a hot-mix. Based on the results obtained from field and laboratory tests (stiffness modulus, resistance to fatigue and permanent deformation), carried out using different materials, a set of numerical simulations were made for the design of pavement structures where those mixtures would be used, according to their characteristics and traffic specifications. The results of pavement design were obtained using the linear elastic theory in the BISAR program. With the results obtained from the pavement design, the cost savings of using recycled materials in the different pavement structures were quantified and compared to a standard option, where new natural aggregates and binders would be used. In this analysis, the consideration of the reduction in the disposal of reclaimed pavement materials was also addressed. The results of this research will support the production of specifications, thus facilitating a more accurate reuse of natural resources, assisting in the protection of the environment, as well as in a more effective use of financial resources available for the activity of pavement maintenance and rehabilitation

Traffic noise changes due to water on porous and dense asphalt surfaces

The standards for the environmental quality required by the European Community are very demanding in what concerns traffic noise. The interaction tire/road is undoubtedly one of the main sources of traffic noise. Nevertheless, standards do not account for the increase in the noise level caused by rain falling onto road surfaces. Therefore, the aim of this work is to study the effects of water on pass-by noise since the weather is rainy about 25 per cent of the year in Portugal. Thus, it addresses two currently used pavement surfaces, porous asphalt and dense asphalt, constructed in a motorway. A version of the Statistical Pass-By Method was used to assess noise levels with dry and wet surfaces, using a selected set of heavy and light vehicles. The results include analysis of the statistical pass-by index, pressure noise levels and noise spectrum. Noise levels increase significantly with the presence of water, shifting the overall noise by 4 dB(A). The benefits of porous asphalt are null for heavy vehicles, particularly at high speeds. CE Database subject headings: traffic noise, water, porous asphalt, dense asphalt, statistical pass-by method, noise level, noise spectrum.(undefined

Mechanical behaviour of two crushed materials used in portuguese UGL

The crushed materials of extensive granulometry (UGM) are often used as unbound granular layers of road pavements, namely as granular sub-base and base. The behaviour of these materials on pavement layers is not sufficiently characterized, in spite of several studies already performed on this matter, due to reasons connected to the heterogeneity of the rock masses from which they come from. This has special importance for the Portuguese pavement technology. In the attempt of contributing for a better knowledge of that behaviour, a work was developed with the objective of obtaining the mechanical characterization and the establishment of behaviour models for crushed materials coming from different lithologies, namely limestone and granite, susceptible of being used as UGM. This paper describes the principal results obtained from this work and points out the main directives that can be extracted from it, in terms of the global behaviour of a road pavement

Effects of dual-task interventions on gait performance of patients with parkinson’s disease: a systematic review

OBJECTIVE: Parkinson’s disease is characterized by motor and non-motor symptoms that impair patients’ gait performance, especially while performing dual/concurrent tasks. These deficits impair patients’ daily function, because dual-tasking is a crucial ability in terms of everyday living. The aim of this study was to systematically review the effects of dual task interventions on gait performance of patients with Parkinson’s disease. METHOD: Studies were retrieved from MEDLINE/PubMed, LILACS and SciELO. We used the PICOS strategy to determine eligibility criteria. The search strategy included an advanced search on the included databases, using the following search query: “Parkinson’s Disease” AND “Double Task” OR “Concurrent Tasks” OR “Gait” AND “Walk”. Study selection was carried out by two independent researchers and a third one was called when consensus was needed. RESULTS: A total of 188 articles were identified: 169 articles from Medline/PubMed, 10 articles in SciELO, 8 articles in LILACS and 1 item from manual searches. A total of 56 articles were analyzed regarding the eligibility and exclusion criteria based on full text. A final total of 7 studies were included in the systematic review. CONCLUSION: The different types of dual-task interventions reported (dance, sound stimuli, visual and somatosensory) were associated to improvements in several gait performance indicators of Parkinson’s disease patients, including gait speed, stride time and length, cadence and step length. External stimuli seem to play a critical role on specific training effects on dual-task gait performance.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Stacked Denoising Autoencoders and Transfer Learning for Immunogold Particles Detection and Recognition

In this paper we present a system for the detection of immunogold particles and a Transfer Learning (TL) framework for the recognition of these immunogold particles. Immunogold particles are part of a high-magnification method for the selective localization of biological molecules at the subcellular level only visible through Electron Microscopy. The number of immunogold particles in the cell walls allows the assessment of the differences in their compositions providing a tool to analise the quality of different plants. For its quantization one requires a laborious manual labeling (or annotation) of images containing hundreds of particles. The system that is proposed in this paper can leverage significantly the burden of this manual task. For particle detection we use a LoG filter coupled with a SDA. In order to improve the recognition, we also study the applicability of TL settings for immunogold recognition. TL reuses the learning model of a source problem on other datasets (target problems) containing particles of different sizes. The proposed system was developed to solve a particular problem on maize cells, namely to determine the composition of cell wall ingrowths in endosperm transfer cells. This novel dataset as well as the code for reproducing our experiments is made publicly available. We determined that the LoG detector alone attained more than 84\% of accuracy with the F-measure. Developing immunogold recognition with TL also provided superior performance when compared with the baseline models augmenting the accuracy rates by 10\%

The influence of construction quality control data variability on pavements evolution

Predicting pavement evolution is a fundamental component in pavement maintenance and rehabilitation management work. However, it is very complex to carry out due to several drawbacks, namely a common use of inadequate quality control procedures or a lack of reproducibility of quality control data. This paper describes the main conclusions of a study on the influence of construction quality control data on pavement evolution. It was possible to develop a methodology for this purpose based on stiffness modulus evolution, which will also allow for the assessment of the pavement’s design. The study involved the establishment of a statistical analysis procedure in order to analyse construction quality variability data, and the use of deflection tests, stiffness modulus tests, back-analysis of FWD data and the development of a procedure to correct the effect of temperature within the pavement on stiffness modulus. Results analysis showed that control quality data variability has an important influence on pavements’ evolution prediction. It is expected that the integration of the proposed methodology on quality control plans will improve the data accuracy and all the decisions based on it.(undefined

Multiplier adjustment in data envelopment analysis

Congresso organizado pela Efiusco, realizado em Córdoba de 19-20 de Maio de 2011Weights restriction is a well-known technique in the DEA field. When those techniques are applied,weights cluster around its new limits, making its evaluation dependent of its levels. This paper introduces a new approach to weights adjustment by Goal Programming techniques, avoiding the imposition of hard restrictions that can even lead to unfeasibility. This method results in models that are more flexible

A influência da água no ruído produzido pelo tráfego rodoviário

A qualidade ambiental preconizada na legislação europeia, no que respeita ao ruído produzido pelo tráfego rodoviário, é cada vez mais exigente. Por sua vez, a prática portuguesa no domínio da avaliação do ruído rodoviário e o conhecimento dos factores que o determinam ainda são insuficientes para satisfazer os requisitos europeus. Assim, neste artigo estuda-se a influência da presença da água no nível de ruído em dois tipos de superfícies usadas correntemente em Portugal. No estudo consideram-se dois trechos consecutivos, integrados na A41/IC24, uma com camada de desgaste em betão betuminoso drenante e a outra com camada de desgaste em betão betuminoso. A avaliação dos níveis sonoros em cada uma das secções foi realizada pelo Método Estatístico de Passagem. A análise dos resultados integra 3 abordagens, as quais se baseiam no índice estatístico de passagem, no nível de pressão sonora dos veículos de ensaio e no espectro de ruído. Verificou-se que o nível de ruído aumenta significativamente com a presença da água. Esse aumento é determinado pelos níveis de pressão sonora correspondentes a frequências superiores a 500 Hz, quando se trata de veículos pesados. No caso dos veículos ligeiros esse aumento é mais significativo a frequências superiores a 1000 Hz, particularmente na camada em betão betuminoso