PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Brain-on-a-chip would need little training

Brain-on-a-chip would need little training
2021-04-20
(Press-News.org) A biomimicking "spiking" neural network on a microchip has enabled KAUST researchers to lay the foundation for developing more efficient hardware-based artificial intelligence computing systems.

Artificial intelligence technology is developing rapidly, with an explosion of new applications across advanced automation, data mining and interpretation, healthcare and marketing, to name a few. Such systems are based on a mathematical artificial neural network (ANN) composed of layers of decision-making nodes. Labeled data is first fed into the system to "train" the model to respond a certain way, then the decision-making rules are locked in and the model is put into service on standard computing hardware.

While this method works, it is a clunky approximation of the far more complex, powerful and efficient neural network that actually makes up our brains.

"An ANN is an abstract mathematic model that bears little resemblance to real nervous systems and requires intensive computing power," says Wenzhe Guo, a Ph.D. student in the research team. "A spiking neural network, on the other hand, is constructed and works in the same way as the biological nervous system and can process information in a faster and more energy-efficient way."

Spiking neural networks (SNNs) emulate the structure of the nervous system as a network of synapses that transmit information via ion channels in the form of action potential, or spikes, as they occur. This event-driven behavior, implemented mathematically as a "leaky integrate-and-fire model," makes SNNs very energy efficient. Plus, the structure of interconnected nodes provides a high degree of parallelization, which further boosts processing power and efficiency. It also lends itself to implementation directly in computing hardware as a neuromorphic chip.

"We used a standard low-cost FPGA microchip and implemented a spike-timing-dependent plasticity model, which is a biological learning rule discovered in our brain," says Guo.

Importantly, this biological model does not need teaching signals or labels, allowing the neuromorphic computing system to learn real-world data patterns without training.

"Since SNN models are very complex, our main challenge was to tailor the neural network settings for optimal performance," says Guo. "We then designed the optimal hardware architecture considering a balance of cost, speed and energy consumption."

The team's brain-on-a-chip proved to be more than 20 times faster and 200 times more energy efficient than other neural network platforms.

"Our ultimate goal is to build a compact, fast and low-energy brain-like hardware computing system. The next step is to improve the design and optimize product packaging, miniaturize the chip and customize it for various industrial applications through collaboration," Guo says.

INFORMATION:


[Attachments] See images for this press release:
Brain-on-a-chip would need little training

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Atomic-level insights gained for a key lipid-binding protein implicated in cancer

Atomic-level insights gained for a key lipid-binding protein implicated in cancer
2021-04-20
LA JOLLA, CALIF. - April 20, 2021 Scientists at Sanford Burnham Prebys have identified, at an atomic level, how a part of a protein called PLEKHA7 interacts with a cell's membrane to regulate important intercellular communications. The research, published in the journal Structure, points to hotspots within PLEKHA7 as targets for drugs. These targets could be key in designing treatments for advanced colon, breast and ovarian cancers. The region, or domain, in PLEKHA7 that the researchers examined, pleckstrin homology (PH), is commonly found in proteins ...

Little Foot fossil shows early human ancestor clung closely to trees

2021-04-20
A long-awaited, high-tech analysis of the upper body of famed fossil "Little Foot" opens a window to a pivotal period when human ancestors diverged from apes, new USC research shows. Little Foot's shoulder assembly proved key to interpreting an early branch of the human evolutionary tree. Scientists at the END ...

Growth in home health care failing to keep up with surging demand, study finds

Growth in home health care failing to keep up with surging demand, study finds
2021-04-20
Recent growth in the number of healthcare workers providing home care for Medicare patients is "small and inadequate" compared with the increasing demand in an aging America, a new study suggests. To have hope of keeping up, Medicare likely will need to reconsider how it compensates providers for home care, the researchers say. "Only 0.7 percent of physicians in Medicare provided home care regularly," said Nengliang "Aaron" Yao, PhD, a researcher with the University of Virginia School of Medicine's Section of Geriatric Medicine. "Targeted policies are needed to support home-based medical care." Trends in Home Care Growth in the field of home care was "modest but steady" between 2012 and 2016, with most of the growth coming from increasing numbers of nurse practitioners providing home ...

Cool and COVID-safe: How radiant cooling could keep our cities comfortable and healthy

Cool and COVID-safe: How radiant cooling could keep our cities comfortable and healthy
2021-04-20
A novel system of chilled panels that can replace air conditioning can also help reduce the risk of indoor disease transmission, suggests new analysis from the University of British Columbia, University of Pennsylvania and Princeton University. The researchers computed air conditioning requirements in 60 of the world's most populous cities--with the additional ventilation required due to COVID-19. Then, they compared the energy costs with their cooling method, using the chilled panels and natural ventilation. The results, published in the COVID-19 edition of Applied Energy, showed that the alternative solution can save up to 45 per cent of the required energy, while ensuring building occupants are comfortable ...

Human land use wasn't always at nature's expense

Human land use wasnt always at natures expense
2021-04-20
Nearly three-quarters of Earth's land had been transformed by humans by 10,000BC, but new research shows it largely wasn't at the expense of the natural world. A study involving University of Queensland researchers combined global maps of population and land use over the past 12,000 years with current biodiversity data, demonstrating the effective environmental stewardship of Indigenous and traditional peoples. UQ's Professor James Watson said the findings challenged the modern assumption that human 'development' inevitably led to environmental destruction. "There's a paradigm among natural scientists, conservationists and policymakers that ...

Asymmetric synthesis of aziridine with a new catalyst can help develop novel medicines

Asymmetric synthesis of aziridine with a new catalyst can help develop novel medicines
2021-04-20
Unless you've studied chemistry in college, it's unlikely you've come across the name aziridine. An organic compound with the molecular formula, C2H4NH, aziridines are well-known among medicinal chemists, who make use of the compound to prepare pharmaceutical drugs such as Mitomycin C, a chemotherapeutic agent known for its anti-tumor activity. Specifically, aziridines are what chemists call "enantiomers"--molecules that are mirror images of each other and cannot be superposed on one another. A peculiarity with enantiomers is that the biological activity ...

AI agent helps identify material properties faster

2021-04-20
A team headed by Dr. Phillip M. Maffettone (currently at National Synchrotron Light Source II in Upton, USA) and Professor Andrew Cooper from the Department of Chemistry and Materials Innovation Factory at the University of Liverpool joined forces with the Bochum-based group headed by Lars Banko and Professor Alfred Ludwig from the Chair of Materials Discovery and Interfaces and Yury Lysogorskiy from the Interdisciplinary Centre for Advanced Materials Simulation. The international team published their report in the journal Nature Computational Science from 19 April 2021. Previously manual, time-consuming, error-prone Efficient analysis of X-ray diffraction data (XRD) plays a crucial role in the discovery of new materials, for example for the energy ...

The British variant is 45% more contagious than the original virus

The British variant is 45% more contagious than the original virus
2021-04-20
A new study at Tel Aviv University found that the British variant (termed: B.1.1.7) of Covid-19 is 45% more contagious than the original virus. The researchers relied on data from about 300,000 PCR tests for Covid-19 obtained from the COVID-19 testing lab, which was established in collaboration with the Electra Group. The new study was conducted by Prof. Ariel Munitz and Prof. Moti Gerlitz of the Department of Clinical Microbiology and Immunology at the Sackler Faculty of Medicine, together with Dr. Dan Yamin and PhD student Matan Yechezkel from the Laboratory for Epidemic Modeling and Analysis (LEMA) at the Department of Industrial Engineering, all at Tel Aviv University. The study's results were published in the prominent scientific ...

Reliably detecting cocoa off-flavors

Reliably detecting cocoa off-flavors
2021-04-20
Musty, moldy, smoky or horse dung-like smelling cocoa is not suitable for chocolate production. As part of a larger research project, a team of scientists led by Martin Steinhaus from the Leibniz Institute for Food Systems Biology at the Technical University of Munich has identified the odorants responsible for such off-flavors. The food industry can now use these results to objectively assess the sensory quality of fermented cocoa based on odorant concentrations. The research team published the data in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. Who likes chocolate ...

Crucial action needed for coral reefs

2021-04-20
An international group of scientific experts co-directed by CNRS oceanographer Jean-Pierre Gattuso* has stated the requirements for coral reef survival in an article published in Biological Conservation. Over 500 million people rely on coral reefs for the protection they confer against submersion, the fishing resources they offer, and the tourism they help attract. Yet these ecosystems are among the most threatened by global warming: since the 1980s, there has been a rise in the number of bleaching episodes, during which corals expel the microscopic algae that keep them alive. While these events are reversible if the temperature change is only ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Pink skies

Monkeys are world’s best yodellers - new research

Key differences between visual- and memory-led Alzheimer’s discovered

% weight loss targets in obesity management – is this the wrong objective?

An app can change how you see yourself at work

NYC speed cameras take six months to change driver behavior, effects vary by neighborhood, new study reveals

New research shows that propaganda is on the rise in China

Even the richest Americans face shorter lifespans than their European counterparts, study finds

Novel genes linked to rare childhood diarrhea

New computer model reveals how Bronze Age Scandinavians could have crossed the sea

Novel point-of-care technology delivers accurate HIV results in minutes

Researchers reveal key brain differences to explain why Ritalin helps improve focus in some more than others

Study finds nearly five-fold increase in hospitalizations for common cause of stroke

Study reveals how alcohol abuse damages cognition

Medicinal cannabis is linked to long-term benefits in health-related quality of life

Microplastics detected in cat placentas and fetuses during early pregnancy

Ancient amphibians as big as alligators died in mass mortality event in Triassic Wyoming

Scientists uncover the first clear evidence of air sacs in the fossilized bones of alvarezsaurian dinosaurs: the "hollow bones" which help modern day birds to fly

Alcohol makes male flies sexy

TB patients globally often incur "catastrophic costs" of up to $11,329 USD, despite many countries offering free treatment, with predominant drivers of cost being hospitalization and loss of income

Study links teen girls’ screen time to sleep disruptions and depression

Scientists unveil starfish-inspired wearable tech for heart monitoring

Footprints reveal prehistoric Scottish lagoons were stomping grounds for giant Jurassic dinosaurs

AI effectively predicts dementia risk in American Indian/Alaska Native elders

First guideline on newborn screening for cystic fibrosis calls for changes in practice to improve outcomes

Existing international law can help secure peace and security in outer space, study shows

Pinning down the process of West Nile virus transmission

UTA-backed research tackles health challenges across ages

In pancreatic cancer, a race against time

Targeting FGFR2 may prevent or delay some KRAS-mutated pancreatic cancers

[Press-News.org] Brain-on-a-chip would need little training