43 research outputs found
Intelligence Processing Units Accelerate Neuromorphic Learning
Spiking neural networks (SNNs) have achieved orders of magnitude improvement
in terms of energy consumption and latency when performing inference with deep
learning workloads. Error backpropagation is presently regarded as the most
effective method for training SNNs, but in a twist of irony, when training on
modern graphics processing units (GPUs) this becomes more expensive than
non-spiking networks. The emergence of Graphcore's Intelligence Processing
Units (IPUs) balances the parallelized nature of deep learning workloads with
the sequential, reusable, and sparsified nature of operations prevalent when
training SNNs. IPUs adopt multi-instruction multi-data (MIMD) parallelism by
running individual processing threads on smaller data blocks, which is a
natural fit for the sequential, non-vectorized steps required to solve spiking
neuron dynamical state equations. We present an IPU-optimized release of our
custom SNN Python package, snnTorch, which exploits fine-grained parallelism by
utilizing low-level, pre-compiled custom operations to accelerate irregular and
sparse data access patterns that are characteristic of training SNN workloads.
We provide a rigorous performance assessment across a suite of commonly used
spiking neuron models, and propose methods to further reduce training run-time
via half-precision training. By amortizing the cost of sequential processing
into vectorizable population codes, we ultimately demonstrate the potential for
integrating domain-specific accelerators with the next generation of neural
networks.Comment: 10 pages, 9 figures, journa
EBBINNOT: A Hardware Efficient Hybrid Event-Frame Tracker for Stationary Dynamic Vision Sensors
As an alternative sensing paradigm, dynamic vision sensors (DVS) have been
recently explored to tackle scenarios where conventional sensors result in high
data rate and processing time. This paper presents a hybrid event-frame
approach for detecting and tracking objects recorded by a stationary
neuromorphic sensor, thereby exploiting the sparse DVS output in a low-power
setting for traffic monitoring. Specifically, we propose a hardware efficient
processing pipeline that optimizes memory and computational needs that enable
long-term battery powered usage for IoT applications. To exploit the background
removal property of a static DVS, we propose an event-based binary image
creation that signals presence or absence of events in a frame duration. This
reduces memory requirement and enables usage of simple algorithms like median
filtering and connected component labeling for denoise and region proposal
respectively. To overcome the fragmentation issue, a YOLO inspired neural
network based detector and classifier to merge fragmented region proposals has
been proposed. Finally, a new overlap based tracker was implemented, exploiting
overlap between detections and tracks is proposed with heuristics to overcome
occlusion. The proposed pipeline is evaluated with more than 5 hours of traffic
recording spanning three different locations on two different neuromorphic
sensors (DVS and CeleX) and demonstrate similar performance. Compared to
existing event-based feature trackers, our method provides similar accuracy
while needing approx 6 times less computes. To the best of our knowledge, this
is the first time a stationary DVS based traffic monitoring solution is
extensively compared to simultaneously recorded RGB frame-based methods while
showing tremendous promise by outperforming state-of-the-art deep learning
solutions.Comment: 16 pages, 13 figure
Pretreatment with a Heat-Killed Probiotic Modulates the NLRP3 Inflammasome and Attenuates Colitis-Associated Colorectal Cancer in Mice.
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common malignancies worldwide. Inflammation contributes to cancer development and inflammatory bowel disease is an important risk factor for CRC. The aim of this study is to assess whether a widely used probiotic Enterococcus faecalis can modulate the NLRP3 inflammasome and protect against colitis and colitis-associated CRC. We studied the effect of heat-killed cells of E. faecalis on NLRP3 inflammasome activation in THP-1-derived macrophages. Pretreatment of E. faecalis or NLRP3 siRNA can inhibit NLRP3 inflammasome activation in macrophages in response to fecal content or commensal microbes, P. mirabilis or E. coli, according to the reduction of caspase-1 activation and IL-1β maturation. Mechanistically, E. faecalis attenuates the phagocytosis that is required for the full activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome. In in vivo mouse experiments, E. faecalis can ameliorate the severity of intestinal inflammation and thereby protect mice from dextran sodium sulfate (DSS)-induced colitis and the formation of CRC in wild type mice. On the other hand, E. faecalis cannot prevent DSS-induced colitis in NLRP3 knockout mice. Our findings indicate that application of the inactivated probiotic, E. faecalis, may be a useful and safe strategy for attenuation of NLRP3-mediated colitis and inflammation-associated colon carcinogenesis
Efficient Hydrogen Production from Methanol Using a Single-Site Pt1/CeO2 Catalyst.
Hydrogen is regarded as an attractive alternative energy carrier due to its high gravimetric energy density and only water production upon combustion. However, due to its low volumetric energy density, there are still some challenges in practical hydrogen storage and transportation. In the past decade, using chemical bonds of liquid organic molecules as hydrogen carriers to generate hydrogen in situ provided a feasible method to potentially solve this problem. Research efforts on liquid organic hydrogen carriers (LOHCs) seek practical carrier systems and advanced catalytic materials that have the potential to reduce costs, increase reaction rate, and provide a more efficient catalytic hydrogen generation/storage process. In this work, we used methanol as a hydrogen carrier to release hydrogen in situ with the single-site Pt1/CeO2 catalyst. Moreover, in this reaction, compared with traditional nanoparticle catalysts, the single site catalyst displays excellent hydrogen generation efficiency, 40 times higher than 2.5 nm Pt/CeO2 sample, and 800 times higher compared to 7.0 nm Pt/CeO2 sample. This in-depth study highlights the benefits of single-site catalysts and paves the way for further rational design of highly efficient catalysts for sustainable energy storage applications
NeuroBench: Advancing Neuromorphic Computing through Collaborative, Fair and Representative Benchmarking
The field of neuromorphic computing holds great promise in terms of advancing
computing efficiency and capabilities by following brain-inspired principles.
However, the rich diversity of techniques employed in neuromorphic research has
resulted in a lack of clear standards for benchmarking, hindering effective
evaluation of the advantages and strengths of neuromorphic methods compared to
traditional deep-learning-based methods. This paper presents a collaborative
effort, bringing together members from academia and the industry, to define
benchmarks for neuromorphic computing: NeuroBench. The goals of NeuroBench are
to be a collaborative, fair, and representative benchmark suite developed by
the community, for the community. In this paper, we discuss the challenges
associated with benchmarking neuromorphic solutions, and outline the key
features of NeuroBench. We believe that NeuroBench will be a significant step
towards defining standards that can unify the goals of neuromorphic computing
and drive its technological progress. Please visit neurobench.ai for the latest
updates on the benchmark tasks and metrics
NeuroBench:Advancing Neuromorphic Computing through Collaborative, Fair and Representative Benchmarking
The field of neuromorphic computing holds great promise in terms of advancing computing efficiency and capabilities by following brain-inspired principles. However, the rich diversity of techniques employed in neuromorphic research has resulted in a lack of clear standards for benchmarking, hindering effective evaluation of the advantages and strengths of neuromorphic methods compared to traditional deep-learning-based methods. This paper presents a collaborative effort, bringing together members from academia and the industry, to define benchmarks for neuromorphic computing: NeuroBench. The goals of NeuroBench are to be a collaborative, fair, and representative benchmark suite developed by the community, for the community. In this paper, we discuss the challenges associated with benchmarking neuromorphic solutions, and outline the key features of NeuroBench. We believe that NeuroBench will be a significant step towards defining standards that can unify the goals of neuromorphic computing and drive its technological progress. Please visit neurobench.ai for the latest updates on the benchmark tasks and metrics
Mechanism and disease-association of E2 conjugating enzymes:lessons from UBE2T and UBE2L3
Ubiquitin signalling is a fundamental eukaryotic regulatory system, controlling diverse cellular functions. A cascade of E1, E2, and E3 enzymes is required for assembly of distinct signals, whereas an array of deubiquitinases and ubiquitin-binding modules edit, remove, and translate the signals. In the centre of this cascade sits the E2-conjugating enzyme, relaying activated ubiquitin from the E1 activating enzyme to the substrate, usually via an E3 ubiquitin ligase. Many disease states are associated with dysfunction of ubiquitin signalling, with the E3s being a particular focus. However, recent evidence demonstrates that mutations or impairment of the E2s can lead to severe disease states, including chromosome instability syndromes, cancer predisposition, and immunological disorders. Given their relevance to diseases, E2s may represent an important class of therapeutic targets. In the present study, we review the current understanding of the mechanism of this important family of enzymes, and the role of selected E2s in disease
Women with endometriosis have higher comorbidities: Analysis of domestic data in Taiwan
AbstractEndometriosis, defined by the presence of viable extrauterine endometrial glands and stroma, can grow or bleed cyclically, and possesses characteristics including a destructive, invasive, and metastatic nature. Since endometriosis may result in pelvic inflammation, adhesion, chronic pain, and infertility, and can progress to biologically malignant tumors, it is a long-term major health issue in women of reproductive age. In this review, we analyze the Taiwan domestic research addressing associations between endometriosis and other diseases. Concerning malignant tumors, we identified four studies on the links between endometriosis and ovarian cancer, one on breast cancer, two on endometrial cancer, one on colorectal cancer, and one on other malignancies, as well as one on associations between endometriosis and irritable bowel syndrome, one on links with migraine headache, three on links with pelvic inflammatory diseases, four on links with infertility, four on links with obesity, four on links with chronic liver disease, four on links with rheumatoid arthritis, four on links with chronic renal disease, five on links with diabetes mellitus, and five on links with cardiovascular diseases (hypertension, hyperlipidemia, etc.). The data available to date support that women with endometriosis might be at risk of some chronic illnesses and certain malignancies, although we consider the evidence for some comorbidities to be of low quality, for example, the association between colon cancer and adenomyosis/endometriosis. We still believe that the risk of comorbidity might be higher in women with endometriosis than that we supposed before. More research is needed to determine whether women with endometriosis are really at risk of these comorbidities
Shared leadership and technology tools in ISD process
Shared leadership has been found to have positive impacts on project outcomes. ISD project teams adopt shared leadership in practice such as in agile methodology. At the same time, ISD teams rely heavily on technology tools to support collaboration because of its inherent knowledge-intensive nature and task complexity. This study addresses the question, how can ISD teams that heavily use information and communication technologies (ICT) technologies be effective in shared leadership process? The task-technology fit theory is used as a theoretical basis for the proposed research model. This study proposes that how ISD teams can match available technology tools with shared leadership behaviors to generate positive impacts on project outcomes. This study outlines two technological functionalities of ICT, empowerment and decentralization, with the needs of shared leadership process in ISD teams. A future empirical study plan is provided, and the potential contribution is discussed at the end