Web-Based IDE for Interfacing View Controller

The main idea of this project is to develop a web-based IDE, which helps users to avoid installing or configuring the Desktop IDE. It also enables users to create XHTML pages using the drag and drop mechanism in Struts. Struts extends the Java Servlet API to encourage developers to adopt the MVC (Model-View- Controller) architecture. In this project, a web application for interfacing the view and controller parts of the MVC architecture was developed. This web-based IDE connects the View and Controller components when the user drags and drops HTML elements in the UI of the IDE. With this project, users can create dynamic web pages without having any knowledge in XHTML or any server side language

How Much is 131 Million Dollars? Putting Numbers in Perspective with Compositional Descriptions

How much is 131 million US dollars? To help readers put such numbers in context, we propose a new task of automatically generating short descriptions known as perspectives, e.g. "$131 million is about the cost to employ everyone in Texas over a lunch period". First, we collect a dataset of numeric mentions in news articles, where each mention is labeled with a set of rated perspectives. We then propose a system to generate these descriptions consisting of two steps: formula construction and description generation. In construction, we compose formulae from numeric facts in a knowledge base and rank the resulting formulas based on familiarity, numeric proximity and semantic compatibility. In generation, we convert a formula into natural language using a sequence-to-sequence recurrent neural network. Our system obtains a 15.2% F1 improvement over a non-compositional baseline at formula construction and a 12.5 BLEU point improvement over a baseline description generation

Dynamic input match correction in R.F. low noise amplifiers

An R.F. circuit that recognizes its faults, and then corrects its performance in real-time has been the holy-grail of RFIC design. This work presents, for the first time, a complete architecture and successful implementation of such a circuit. It is the first step towards the grand vision of fault-free, package independent, integrated R.F. Front End circuitry. The performance of R.F. front-end circuitry can degrade significantly due to process faults and parasitic package inductances at its input. These inductances have wide tolerances and are difficult to co-design for. A novel methodology, which overcomes current obstacles plaguing such an objective, is proposed wherein the affected performance metric of the circuit is quantified, and the appropriate design parameter is modified in real-time, thus enabling self-correction. This proof of concept is demonstrated by designing a cascode LNA and the complete self-correction circuit in IBM 0.25 µm CMOS RF process. The self-correction circuitry ascertains the input match frequency of the circuit by measuring its performance and determines the frequency interval by which it needs to be shifted to restore it to the desired value. It then feeds back a digital word to the LNA which adaptively corrects its input-match. It offers the additional flexibility of using different packages for the front-end since it renders the circuitry independent of package parasitics, by re-calibrating the input match on-the-fly. The circuitry presented in this work offers the advantages of low power, robustness, absence of DSP cores or processors, reduction in design cycle times, guaranteed optimal performance under varying conditions and fast correction times (less than 30 µs)

Fault-tolerant design of RF front-end circuits

The continuing trends of scaling in the CMOS industry have, inevitably, been accompanied by an ever-increasing array of process faults and fabrication complexities. The relentless march towards miniaturization and massive integration, in addition to increasing operating frequencies has resulted in increasing concerns about the reliability of integrated RF front-ends. Coupled with rising cost per chip, the fault-tolerant paradigm has become pertinent in the RFIC domain. Two main reasons have contributed to the fact that fault-tolerant solutions for circuits that operate in the GHz domain have not been realized so far. First, GHz signals are extremely sensitive to higher-order effects such as stray pick-ups, interference, package & on-chip parasitics, etc. Secondly, the use of passives, especially inductors, in the feedback path poses huge area overheads, in addition to a slew of instability problems due to wide variations and soft faults. Hence traditional fault-tolerance methods used in digital and low frequency analog circuits cannot be applied in the RF domain. This work presents a unique methodology to achieve fault-tolerance in RF circuits through dynamic sensing and on-chip self-correction, along with the development of robust algorithms. This technique is minimally intrusive and is transparent during \u27normal\u27 use of the circuit. It is characterized by low area and power overheads, does not need any off-chip computing or DSP cores, and is characterized by self-correction times in the range of a few hundreds of microseconds. It compares very well with existing commercial RF test solutions that use DSP cores and require hundreds of milliseconds. The methodology is demonstrated on a LNA, since it is critical for the performance of the entire front-end. It is validated with simulation and fabrication results of the system designed in IBM 0.25 µm CMOS 6RF process

Acardia twin-twin reversal arterial perfusion sequence

Acardia twin is a rare, unique complication of monochorionic twin pregnancy. A 2.6% incidence among monochorionic twins has been cited. In such complications a twin with abnormal or non-functional heart is perfused by its co-twin via placental arterial anastomosis. The acardia twin has a poorly developed heart and upper torso. We present a case in which the fetal demise of one fetus of twin pregnancy has been diagnosed in the first trimester, but the patient wishes to continue the pregnancy. This resulted in the unexpected occurrence of an acardia twin after delivery along with one normal twin, placenta was single. A review is presented on therapeutic opportunities and necessity of thorough sonographic evaluation in monochorionic multifetal pregnancies.

Toward Understanding the Nature of Leadership in Alleviating State Fragility

Approximately sixty countries have been designated `Fragile States\u27 by international development agencies. Home to two billion of the world\u27s poorest people, these fragile states are characterized by violence, weak institutions and shattered economies. Not only do they pose a challenge to regional security, they often become the breeding grounds for terrorism. Donor agencies pour billions of dollars annually into these countries - through policy advice and conditional loans - to alleviate fragility and promote development. Development, however it is defined, involves economic, social and political transformation. Such a transformation is shaped by ideas, engages multiple interests, and proceeds within rules and norms set by political institutions. Since the structure of political institutions is influenced by human agency, leadership becomes important to study. Leadership is crucial particularly in fragile states, where institutions are weak or have been destroyed by conflict; however, a systematic effort to examine the role of leaders and coalitions in fragile states is lacking. This dissertation seeks to create a methodology to improve understanding of the role of different leadership strategies in bringing about transitions in and out of fragility. To make the scope manageable, the study focuses on: (i) leadership at the national level; and (ii) fragile states in Africa. It does so by examining: (i) evidence from country level panel data on leadership (regime) change and fragility; and (ii) in-depth analytical case studies of transitions in and out of fragility in four countries: Zimbabwe, Uganda, Rwanda, and South Africa. The analysis looks at the relationship between the change agent\u27s leadership strategy (the independent variable: political participation and inclusion, economic growth and inclusion, and security and justice) and fragility outcomes (dependent variable: conflict and security indicators, economic indicators, and the approach to political inclusion). The results of the regression analysis exhibit a robust association between leadership change and fragility. Furthermore, the country cases show how different types of leadership strategies lead to varying trajectories of fragile states\u27 post-transition. The case studies reveal different approaches to sequencing of political inclusion and the role of leadership exit in transitions from fragility

Enhancing malaria research

As part of a National University of Singapore (NUS) research project, Dr Martin Lear from NUS Department of Chemistry and Dr Kevin Tan from the NUS Department of Microbiology successfully tagged a fluorescent marker to chloroquine, a drug that has been used in the treatment of malaria since 1947