1,009 research outputs found
Adaptive Neural Compilation
This paper proposes an adaptive neural-compilation framework to address the
problem of efficient program learning. Traditional code optimisation strategies
used in compilers are based on applying pre-specified set of transformations
that make the code faster to execute without changing its semantics. In
contrast, our work involves adapting programs to make them more efficient while
considering correctness only on a target input distribution. Our approach is
inspired by the recent works on differentiable representations of programs. We
show that it is possible to compile programs written in a low-level language to
a differentiable representation. We also show how programs in this
representation can be optimised to make them efficient on a target distribution
of inputs. Experimental results demonstrate that our approach enables learning
specifically-tuned algorithms for given data distributions with a high success
rate.Comment: Submitted to NIPS 2016, code and supplementary materials will be
available on author's pag
Efficient Linear Programming for Dense CRFs
The fully connected conditional random field (CRF) with Gaussian pairwise
potentials has proven popular and effective for multi-class semantic
segmentation. While the energy of a dense CRF can be minimized accurately using
a linear programming (LP) relaxation, the state-of-the-art algorithm is too
slow to be useful in practice. To alleviate this deficiency, we introduce an
efficient LP minimization algorithm for dense CRFs. To this end, we develop a
proximal minimization framework, where the dual of each proximal problem is
optimized via block coordinate descent. We show that each block of variables
can be efficiently optimized. Specifically, for one block, the problem
decomposes into significantly smaller subproblems, each of which is defined
over a single pixel. For the other block, the problem is optimized via
conditional gradient descent. This has two advantages: 1) the conditional
gradient can be computed in a time linear in the number of pixels and labels;
and 2) the optimal step size can be computed analytically. Our experiments on
standard datasets provide compelling evidence that our approach outperforms all
existing baselines including the previous LP based approach for dense CRFs.Comment: 24 pages, 10 figures and 4 table
Efficient Relaxations for Dense CRFs with Sparse Higher Order Potentials
Dense conditional random fields (CRFs) have become a popular framework for
modelling several problems in computer vision such as stereo correspondence and
multi-class semantic segmentation. By modelling long-range interactions, dense
CRFs provide a labelling that captures finer detail than their sparse
counterparts. Currently, the state-of-the-art algorithm performs mean-field
inference using a filter-based method but fails to provide a strong theoretical
guarantee on the quality of the solution. A question naturally arises as to
whether it is possible to obtain a maximum a posteriori (MAP) estimate of a
dense CRF using a principled method. Within this paper, we show that this is
indeed possible. We will show that, by using a filter-based method, continuous
relaxations of the MAP problem can be optimised efficiently using
state-of-the-art algorithms. Specifically, we will solve a quadratic
programming (QP) relaxation using the Frank-Wolfe algorithm and a linear
programming (LP) relaxation by developing a proximal minimisation framework. By
exploiting labelling consistency in the higher-order potentials and utilising
the filter-based method, we are able to formulate the above algorithms such
that each iteration has a complexity linear in the number of classes and random
variables. The presented algorithms can be applied to any labelling problem
using a dense CRF with sparse higher-order potentials. In this paper, we use
semantic segmentation as an example application as it demonstrates the ability
of the algorithm to scale to dense CRFs with large dimensions. We perform
experiments on the Pascal dataset to indicate that the presented algorithms are
able to attain lower energies than the mean-field inference method
Recovery of Total Chromium from Tannery Wastewater by Carbonization Application
A carbonization process was carried out for the recovery of chromium from wastewater by chemical treatment with sodium hydroxide as a basic solution in contact with the precursor material at different concentrations [1:0.15 (%w/w) - 1:0.20 (%w/w)]. The physical treatment was carried out with carbonization at 700∘C for a period of 2 hours. The obtained samples were characterized by elemental analysis, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), atomic absorption spectroscopy, and surface area analysis (BET) to validate the evidence of metal recovery. The results indicate that the percentage of total chromium recovery was 47.62% with respect to the uncarbonized material, establishing that the best carbonization variables are at 700∘C and concentration 1:0.20% w/w for 2 hours.
Keywords: tannery industry, carbonization, recovery, total chromium.
Resumen
Se realizó un proceso de carbonización para la recuperación de cromo a partir de aguas residuales mediante un tratamiento quÃmico con hidróxido de sodio como solución básica en contacto con el material precursor a diferentes concentraciones [1:0,15 (%p/p)- 1:0,20 (%p/p)], el tratamiento fÃsico se realizó con la carbonización a 700∘C por un lapso de 2 horas. Las muestras obtenidas se caracterizaron mediante análisis elemental, análisis termogravimétrico (TGA), espectroscopia infrarroja por transformada de Fourier (FT-IR), espectroscopia de absorción atómica y análisis de área superficial (BET) para validar la evidencia de la recuperación del metal. Los resultados indican que el porcentaje de recuperación de cromo total es de 47,62% respecto del material sin carbonizar estableciendo que las mejores variables de carbonización son 700 ∘C y concentración 1:0.20 %p/p por 2 horas.
Palabras Clave: Industria curtiembre, carbonización, recuperación, cromo total
Perancangan Promosi Wisata Pantai Berbasis Videografi sebagai Upaya Pengenalan Pariwisata Kabupaten Kotabaru Kalimantan Selatan
Kotabaru District is one district in South Kalimantan Province is geographically quite unique, which in addition to having many islands, beaches and oceans as well as most of the island of Borneo also has mountains, valleys and plains as well as the persistence of the forest area or inland. This diversity is raised exotic nature so that it can be used as a tourist attraction. Therefore, as the introduction of South Kalimantan Kotabaru District tourism as well as to promote the tourism sector in Kotabaru, the authors put it in the form of beach-based tourism promotion design videography. The research method uses qualitative methods with data collection technique using observation, interviews, literature, and existing. The concept used in the design is the "beauty". That is the concept of beach tourism Kotabaru district, South Kalimantan has the beauty and uniqueness of each coast. The concept will be applied to any design that includes video and other supporting media. The results of the video and the media promotion of shore excursions are an attempt introduction of tourism in the district of South Kalimantan Kotabaru to attract tourists to visit. Besides promoting coastal tourism that can be enjoyed in various media
Associations between vaccination and antimicrobial consumption in Danish pig herds, 2013
Antimicrobial agents are being used in modern swine production worldwide, generating concern in regards to the development of antimicrobial resistance. Identifying efficient alternatives has therefore become a subject of interest. The aim of this study was to explore the impact of routinely used vaccination as an alternative to antimicrobial consumption in weaner pig herds. The hypothesis was that herds with increased use of vaccination would have a lower antimicrobial consumption. Data were obtained from the Danish VetStat database in which prescriptions of medication for livestock are recorded as well as the Danish Central Husbandry Register. All Danish one-site pig herds, active in year 2013, with \u3e50 sows and \u3e200 weaners were selected for the study. Initially, data were analysed using a univariable model, and secondly a multivariable linear regression model was applied. The analyses included use of three different vaccines against Porcine Circovirus Type 2 (PCV2), Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae (M_HYO) and Lawsonia intracellularis (LAW), respectively, as well as annual production measured as number of weaners produced in a year. The outcome was the average antimicrobial consumption measured in animal daily does (ADD) per weaner pig. Out of the 1,513 herds selected for the study, 1,415 herds had antimicrobials prescribed for gastrointestinal disorders, and 836 for respiratory disorders. PCV2 vaccine was used in 880 herds, M_HYO vaccine in 787 and LAW vaccine was the least used, with 115 herds using it. The results suggested that antimicrobials to some extent were being used for other disease categories than those officially prescribed by the veterinarians. On average, herds using the different combinations of vaccines had higher use of antimicrobials than herds not using the vaccines – probably as a result of health problems in the herds existing prior to the initiation of vaccine use. Information about vaccination protocols, health status, biosecurity, and management practices was not available limiting the ability to assess causality
Magnetic breakdown in a normal-metal - superconductor proximity sandwich
We study the magnetic response of a clean normal-metal slab of finite
thickness in proximity with a bulk superconductor. We determine its free energy
and identify two (meta-)stable states, a diamagnetic one where the applied
field is effectively screened, and a second state, where the field penetrates
the normal-metal layer. We present a complete characterization of the first
order transition between the two states which occurs at the breakdown field,
including its spinodals, the jump in the magnetization, and the latent heat.
The bistable regime terminates at a critical temperature above which the sharp
transition is replaced by a continuous cross-over. We compare the theory with
experiments on normal-superconducting cylinders.Comment: 7 pages Revtex, 3 Postscript figures, needs psfig.te
Breastfeeding and Respiratory Tract Infections during the First 2 Years of Life.
Breastfeeding protects against respiratory tract infections (RTIs) in infants [1–3], but whether its effects
persist beyond that age is not well understood. Some studies have reported that protection diminishes soon
after weaning [2], while others have found that it extends until the age of 2 years [4] or more [5, 6]. It is
noteworthy that many previous studies grouped RTIs broadly into upper or lower tract infections, rather
than studying specific diseases [3, 7], and few adjusted adequately for confounding factors [5] or
investigated a possible effect modification by sex, which had been suggested by several studies showing a
stronger protection in girls [8, 9].
This study aimed to quantify the protective effect of breastfeeding against RTIs during the first 2 years of
life, while adjusting for potential confounding factors and testing whether the effect varied by sex.
We analysed data from the Leicester Respiratory Cohorts, a population-based random sample of children
from Leicestershire, UK, which has been described in detail elsewhere [10]. For this analysis we included
only children born between 1996 and 1997 who were aged 1–1.99 years at the date of the first survey in
1998. Parents completed a standardised questionnaire that requested detailed information on breastfeeding
and respiratory symptoms. We assessed the duration of breastfeeding (no breastfeeding, ⩽6 months or
>6 months), the prevalence of frequent colds (>6 episodes), ear infections and croup within the last
12 months, and any episodes of bronchiolitis or pneumonia. We extracted perinatal data and demographic
information from maternity records. The Leicestershire Health Authority Research Ethics Committee
approved the study.
The survey requested information on a number of RTIs for each child, so we first performed an omnibus
logistic regression to determine whether breastfeeding was associated with the occurrence of any RTI. By
reforming the data into long format, this omnibus logistic regression also adjusted for the clustering of
observations within each child [11]. Following a significant omnibus test, we performed unadjusted and
adjusted logistic regressions to determine which RTIs were affected by breastfeeding practice. Adjusted
models controlled for sex, ethnicity, socioeconomic status (Townsend deprivation score [12]), perinatal
factors (gestational age, birthweight, birth season), environmental factors ( pre- and post-natal maternal
smoking, number of older siblings, day care attendance) and parental history of asthma, hay fever and
bronchitis. We tested for effect modification by sex by adding interaction terms into adjusted models.
Finally, we performed a sensitivity analysis including a subgroup of children with information on exact
breastfeeding duration, by using breastfeeding as a continuous exposure, rather than categorical. All
analyses were performed in Stata (version 14.2, Stata Corporation, Austin, TX, USA).
The survey in 1998 was sent to 5400 families with children aged between 1 and 1.99 years. Questionnaires
were returned by 4100 parents (response rate of 76%). After excluding 47 children who had no
breastfeeding information and 13 children born extremely prematurely (gestational age of <28 weeks [13]),
4040 children remained in the analysis. Of these, 52% were boys, 81% were white and 19% were of South
Asian ethnic origin, 1659 (41%) had never been breastfed, 1639 (41%) had been breastfed for ⩽6 months
and 742 (18%) for >6 months. Of the 4040 included children, 769 (19%) were reported by their parents to
have had frequent colds, 1685 (42%) ear infections and 293 (7%) croup within the last 12 months. Any
episodes of bronchiolitis were reported for 453 children (11%) and pneumonia for 53 (1%)Peer-reviewedPublisher Versio
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