MetaMix: Meta-state Precision Searcher for Mixed-precision Activation Quantization

Mixed-precision quantization of efficient networks often suffer from activation instability encountered in the exploration of bit selections. To address this problem, we propose a novel method called MetaMix which consists of bit selection and weight training phases. The bit selection phase iterates two steps, (1) the mixed-precision-aware weight update, and (2) the bit-search training with the fixed mixed-precision-aware weights, both of which combined reduce activation instability in mixed-precision quantization and contribute to fast and high-quality bit selection. The weight training phase exploits the weights and step sizes trained in the bit selection phase and fine-tunes them thereby offering fast training. Our experiments with efficient and hard-to-quantize networks, i.e., MobileNet v2 and v3, and ResNet-18 on ImageNet show that our proposed method pushes the boundary of mixed-precision quantization, in terms of accuracy vs. operations, by outperforming both mixed- and single-precision SOTA methods

CSGM Designer: a platform for designing cross-species intron-spanning genic markers linked with genome information of legumes.

BackgroundGenetic markers are tools that can facilitate molecular breeding, even in species lacking genomic resources. An important class of genetic markers is those based on orthologous genes, because they can guide hypotheses about conserved gene function, a situation that is well documented for a number of agronomic traits. For under-studied species a key bottleneck in gene-based marker development is the need to develop molecular tools (e.g., oligonucleotide primers) that reliably access genes with orthology to the genomes of well-characterized reference species.ResultsHere we report an efficient platform for the design of cross-species gene-derived markers in legumes. The automated platform, named CSGM Designer (URL: http://tgil.donga.ac.kr/CSGMdesigner), facilitates rapid and systematic design of cross-species genic markers. The underlying database is composed of genome data from five legume species whose genomes are substantially characterized. Use of CSGM is enhanced by graphical displays of query results, which we describe as "circular viewer" and "search-within-results" functions. CSGM provides a virtual PCR representation (eHT-PCR) that predicts the specificity of each primer pair simultaneously in multiple genomes. CSGM Designer output was experimentally validated for the amplification of orthologous genes using 16 genotypes representing 12 crop and model legume species, distributed among the galegoid and phaseoloid clades. Successful cross-species amplification was obtained for 85.3% of PCR primer combinations.ConclusionCSGM Designer spans the divide between well-characterized crop and model legume species and their less well-characterized relatives. The outcome is PCR primers that target highly conserved genes for polymorphism discovery, enabling functional inferences and ultimately facilitating trait-associated molecular breeding

A Case of Gastritis Associated with Gastric Capillariasis

This report is about the case of gastritis associated with capillariasis. The patient was a 52-yr-old Korean woman who occasionally ate raw fish and chicken. She complained of mild abdominal pain and nausea, but not diarrhea. An endoscopic examination revealed an exudative flat erosive change on the gastric mucosa of the antrum. She was microscopically diagnosed as chronic gastritis with numerous eosinophil infiltrations. The sectioned worms and eggs in mucosa were morphologically regarded as belonging to the genus Capillaria. This is the first case of gastric capillariasis reported in the Republic of Korea

Thermal Effects of Microwave Reduced-Graphene-Oxide Coated Polyester Fabric on a Simulated Human Skin in Cool and Neutral Air Temperatures

Batteryless wearable technology has wide applications. In particular, human body surface temperature controlling fabrics can help regulate skin temperature in heat or cold. This study investigated surface temperature distribution of the fabrics coated with reduced graphene oxide (rGO) on simulated human body skin conditions at 18 degrees C (cool) and 27 degrees C (neutral) ambient air temperatures. Polyester fabrics were spin-coated with a graphene-oxide (GO) solution of 0.2 wt%. Preparation of rGO was processed by using a microwave oven (MW-rGO). Non-treated fabric (CON) was compared to GO and MW-rGO. The surface temperature of a hot plate was maintained at 35 degrees C or 40 degrees C. The test fabrics were put on the heated hot plate or non-heated-outer portions of the hot plate. Surface temperatures of MW-rGO on the heated hot plate at an air temperature of 18 degrees C (cool) were higher than those of non-treated fabric (CON) under the same conditions (p < 0.01). No effects from the graphene treatment were found on non-heated portions of the graphene oxide fabric (GO) or the reduced graphene oxide fabric (MW-rGO). On the non-heated portions, surface temperatures were higher at the location closer to the hot plate compared to the location farther from the hot plate (p < 0.05). These results partially represent thermal effects of MW-rGO under a specific environment and heat source. Our findings enable an application of reduced graphene oxide to body temperature regulating clothing.