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Locomotion control and simulation of a 2-legged robot for tracking
No full textThe development of locomotion control methods has always been a research topic due
to the sheer versatility and capability of a robot in a multitude of environments. There
are different types of gaits and control methods that has been researched for
implementation of a bipedal robot. The locomotion control method of a bipedal robot
has always been challenging due to the multiple joints a robot will have, the balancing
of a non-linear body structure. This research paper aims to discuss on the multiple gait
control methods that have been researched and the potential implementation of a
tracking system to improve autonomy.Bachelor's degre
A comparative study of Xunzi’s political philosophy and enlightenment social contract theories
No full textXunzi made a notable departure from Mengzi and Kongzi, by insisting that people are inherently bad and need to be shaped by social institutions. This may represent the beginnings of institutional politics in ancient China, which focused on establishing social order from chaos. There are obvious and interesting similarities with Thomas Hobbes’s social contract theory in their shared cynicism of human nature which have received only partial attention. Structurally, the institutionalism found in Xunzi is comparable to the social contract theory, making politics an objective, external and measurable set of institutional rules rather than virtues. There have been no notable attempts at this comparison. The Anglophone scholarship has not paid much attention to the structural and institutional dimensions of Xunzi’s political philosophy. The Sinophone scholarship has not paid as much attention to the comparative elements between the social contract theory and Xunzi’s social-moral institutions. This thesis attempts to supply a comparative interpretation of several key concepts in the Xunzi: 1. order zhi 治; chaos luan 亂, which are Xunzi’s foundational moral concerns; 2. duties yi 義; public gong 公, which alludes to a way public duties are generated from internal impulses; 3. rituals li 禮, which is a means of distributing esteem as a scarce social resource; 4. reason/coherence LI* 理, which is an externally accessible set of quasi-empirical principles that justifies political prescriptions; 5. the way and hierarchy dao 道/ fen 分, which show that hierarchies as the device that makes social order possible. Through these explications, I argue that Xunzi’s systematic political philosophy amounts to an alternative way to achieve civility through social institutions distinct from but comparable to the social contract theory familiar to Western philosophy.Doctor of Philosoph
DeCoMa: detecting and purifying code dataset watermarks through dual channel code abstraction
No full textWatermarking is a technique to help identify the source of data points, which can be used to help prevent the misuse of protected datasets. Existing methods on code watermarking, leveraging the idea from the backdoor research, embed stealthy triggers as watermarks. Despite their high resilience against dilution attacks and backdoor detections, the robustness has not been fully evaluated. To fill this gap, we propose DeCoMa, a dual-channel approach to Detect and purify Code dataset waterMarks. To overcome the high barrier created by the stealthy and hidden nature of code watermarks, DeCoMa leverages dual-channel constraints on code to generalize and map code samples into standardized templates. Subsequently, DeCoMa extracts hidden watermarks by identifying outlier associations between paired elements within the standardized templates. Finally, DeCoMa purifies the watermarked dataset by removing all samples containing the detected watermark, enabling the silent appropriation of protected code. We conduct extensive experiments to evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of DeCoMa, covering 14 types of code watermarks and 3 representative intelligent code tasks (a total of 14 scenarios). Experimental results demonstrate that DeCoMa achieves a stable recall of 100% in 14 code watermark detection scenarios, significantly outperforming the baselines. Additionally, DeCoMa effectively attacks code watermarks with embedding rates as low as 0.1%, while maintaining comparable model performance after training on the purified dataset. Furthermore, as DeCoMa requires no model training for detection, it achieves substantially higher efficiency than all baselines, with a speedup ranging from 31.5 to 130.9×. The results call for more advanced watermarking techniques for code models, while DeCoMa can serve as a baseline for future evaluation.Published versionThis work is partially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (U24A20337, 62372228), the Shenzhen-Hong Kong-Macau Technology Research Programme (Type C) (Grant No.SGDX20230821091559018), and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities(14380029)
China's speed dilemma: efficiency vs legitimacy
No full textChina’s rapid rise has delivered breathtaking infrastructure, technological feats, and global influence. But this efficiency comes with high political, social, and environmental costs. This commentary examines the trade-offs between speed and legitimacy, asking whether China’s model is sustainable or replicable in a more rights-conscious world.Published versio
Design of a 10-bit asynchronous successive approximation register (SAR) analog-to-digital converter (ADC)
No full textThis project presents the schematic design of a 10-bit asynchronous successive
approximation register (SAR) analog-to-digital converter (ADC). The ADC converts
a sampled input signal of range 0-1V to 10 discrete binary outputs, with 1.8V
representing logic level “1” and 0V as logic level “0”.
The ADC system incorporates bootstrapped switches, VCM-based capacitive digital-to-analog converter (CDAC) arrays,
a high-speed dynamic comparator, an asynchronous
latch loop, and a SAR logic array. For performance evaluation, D flip-flops (DFF) and
ideal DACs are also used to reconstruct the binary bits into analog signals. The
maximum sampling frequency is 40MHz.
The ADC is supplied with VDD of 1.8V and designed using GlobalFoundries 55 nm
CMOS technology. The circuit is designed using the Cadence® Virtuoso® Schematic
Editor and simulated with Cadence® Virtuoso® Analog Design Environment (ADE).Bachelor's degre
Coordinated model predictive control for split-source inverter with front-end boost converter
No full textIn this project, research is done on a coordinated model predictive control (MPC)
strategy and compared to the traditional control strategy of sinusoidal pulse width
modulation (SPWM) to highlight any improvements in harmonic performance and
transient response. Simulations using MATLAB Simulink are ran at different carrier
and sampling frequencies of 20 kHz and 40 kHz to compare how the different
methodologies contrast when generating asymmetrical multi-voltage levels with the
integration of an appropriate Proportional–Integral–Derivative (PID) controlled front-end boost converter. The MPC strategy demonstrated improved harmonic suppression
and improved transient response. These results suggest that MPC can be an effective
alternative for modern inverter control applications.Bachelor's degre
Towards the versioning of LLM-agent-based software
No full textLarge Language Models (LLMs) are redefining software practices by introducing agents that adapt rapidly to new data, tasks, and contexts. Conventional version control, optimized for source code updates, struggles to capture the evolving states of LLMs, prompts, training data, and agent behaviors. This paper proposes a multi-artifact approach that marries traditional code repositories with specialized registries for model weights, datasets, and prompt templates, tied together by metadata-rich descriptors. Through analogies to familiar computing layers and real-world scenarios, we illuminate the challenges of non-deterministic outputs, layered dependencies, and shifting user expectations. Our framework supports both "strict modes" for reproducibility in high-stakes contexts and "fluid modes" allowing iterative improvements with lower risk. By unifying versioning policies and tools across technical, organizational, and user-centric dimensions, we aim to foster more robust, transparent, and ethically informed LLM-agent systems that can reliably evolve alongside their expanding capabilities.Ministry of Education (MOE)National Research Foundation (NRF)Cyber Security AgencyPublished versionThis research is supported by the Ministry of Education, Singapore, under its Academic Research Fund Tier 1 (RG96/23). It is also supported by the National Research Foundation, Singapore, and DSO National Laboratories under the AI Singapore Programme (AISG Award No: AISG2-GC-2023-008); by the National Research Foundation Singapore and the Cyber Security Agency under the National Cybersecurity R&D Programme (NCRP25-P04-TAICeN) and CyberSG R&D Cyber Research Programme Office and by the National Research Foundation, Prime Minister’s Office, Singapore under the Campus for Research Excellence and Technological Enterprise(CREATE) programme. Any opinions, finding and conclusions, or recommendations expressed in these materials are those of the author(s) and do not reflect the views of National Research Foundation, Singapore, Cyber Security Agency of Singapore as well as CyberSG R&D Programme Office, Singapore
Perturbing scattering resonances in non-Hermitian systems: a generalized Wigner-Smith operator formulation
No full textPerturbations to resonant photonic systems cause changes in both the frequencies and linewidths of their resonant modes. These changes are conveniently captured by the motion of poles of the analytically continued scattering matrix in the complex plane as the system is perturbed. Understanding the dynamics of these shifts—particularly their sensitivity to perturbations—is critical for the design and optimization of nano-resonators, which have applications in sensing, targeted energy deposition, enhanced nonlinear optical processes, and the development of compact, high-performance lasers. In this work, we develop a complex-analytic formula to predict the shift in complex resonance frequencies resulting from arbitrary system perturbations, expressed in terms of generalized Wigner-Smith operators associated with the perturbation parameters. We further demonstrate how this formula connects to traditional electromagnetic cavity perturbation theory through energy conservation considerations under suitable approximations. Our results are validated by numerical simulations of perturbations in random photonic networks that support complex resonances. Additionally, we apply our formula to investigate optimal pumping schemes for frequency-targeted lasing in a random photonic network laser.Ministry of Education (MOE)Nanyang Technological UniversityPublished versionN.B. was supported by Singapore Ministry of Education Academic Research Fund (Tier 1) grant RG66/23. M.R.F. was supported by funding from the Institute for Digital Molecular Analytics and Science (IDMxS) under the Singapore Ministry of Education Research Centres of Excellence scheme (EDUN C-33-18-279-V12) and by Nanyang Technological University grant SUG:022824-00001
Trump's flip-floppery on the Ukraine-Russia war
No full textThe Trump 2.0 Administration’s betrayal of Ukraine and apparent alignment with Russia now seem to be subject to a reappraisal. The general implications of this pattern of behaviour, in which the only consistency is inconsistency, are not propitious for US policy or global security stability.Published versio
How Jemaah Islamiyah has morphed since its disbandment
No full textOne year after its formal disbandment, Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) has shifted from being a structured organisation to a diffuse ideological movement, with its narratives still resonating across Southeast Asia. The ongoing Gaza conflict and digital platforms have amplified JI’s worldview, making it emotionally relevant and easily spreadable. The challenge for ASEAN lies not in dismantling an organisation, but in disrupting the power of its ideas.Published versio