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No full textThe allocation of teaching duties to graduate students is a critical yet time-consuming
administrative task in academic institutions. The current process at the College of Computing
and Data Science (CCDS) at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) involves manual
handling of graduate student preferences, lab schedules, and constraints via email and Excel
sheets. This system is inefficient, error-prone and difficult to scale. Thus, to address these
challenges, this project proposes the Graduate Student Lab Allocation System (GSLAS), a
centralized web-based portal designed to automate and streamline the lab allocation process. The
portal enables students to submit preferences in a standardized format and incorporates a flexible
allocation algorithm that optimizes lab assignments based on constraints like student preferences
and workload fairness. GSLAS provides a scalable solution to Graduate Student Lab Allocation,
with potential for future enhancements such as Tutorial allocation and integration with faculty
scheduling systems.Bachelor's degre
Cognitive variation reflects amyloid, tau, and neurodegenerative biomarkers in Alzheimer's disease
No full textIn Alzheimer's disease (AD), the accumulation of neuropathological markers such as amyloid-β plaques, neurofibrillary tangles, and cortical neurodegeneration occurs over many years before overt manifestation of cognitive impairment. There is thus a need for neuropsychological markers that are indicative of pathological changes in the early stages of the disease. Intra-individual cognitive variability (IICV), defined as the variation of an individual's performance across cognitive domains, is a promising neuropsychological marker measuring heterogeneous changes in cognition that may reflect these early pathological changes. In this study, we comprehensively evaluated the global and regional associations of IICV with positron emission tomography (PET) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) measures of AD biomarkers in cognitively normal (CN) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) participants. We found that higher IICV was robustly associated with increased Aβ, increased tau, decreased brain glucose metabolism, and reduced cortical thickness. Higher IICV was also associated with tau (OR = 2.53, P < .001) and fluorodeoxyglucose (OR = 1.34, P < .001) positivity but not Aβ positivity (OR = 1.15, P = .107). In regional analyses, IICV showed widespread associations with AD biomarkers, with the strongest Aβ and tau effects in the frontal and temporal regions, respectively. The strongest regional cortical thickness effects were found in the entorhinal and parahippocampal cortices. Our findings suggest that IICV may be a useful neuropsychological marker for increased Aβ, and especially increased tau and neurodegeneration that are reflective of emerging AD pathology in individuals without dementia.Nanyang Technological UniversitySubmitted/Accepted versionThis project was supported by the Nanyang Technological University under the URECA Undergraduate Research Programme
An accountable GAKA protocol with changeable thresholds and verifiable shares in UAVs-assisted IoVs for emergency rescue
No full textUnmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) equipped with high line-of-sight communications have been explored as a complement to emergency communication vehicles (ECVs), particularly when ground Internet of Vehicles (IoVs) is dysfunctional resulting from natural disasters. To protect the communication security and integrity of this air-ground integrated networks created in an untrusted and open wireless environment, authentication and key agreement (AKA) is an essential mechanism to establish a secure communication channel by negotiating a session key. Nonetheless, general AKA protocols are typically not ideal for time-sensitive and computing-intensive UAVs-assisted IoVs emergency rescue, in that they are unable to simultaneously satisfy efficiency and key security requirements including accountability, resilience, thresholds changeability, shares verifiability, group adaptability, and key update. To address this challenge, this paper proposes an accountable group authentication and key agreement (GAKA) protocol with changeable thresholds and verifiable shares supporting adaptive group memberships and updatable keys (i.e. SecER). To safeguard accurate rescue decisions for ground ECVs enabled by reliable collaboration among multiple UAVs, we propose a pseudonym mechanism that aims to provide accountability for UAVs. To achieve resilience and thresholds changeability, our SecER utilizes secret sharing coupled with random parameters to seamlessly transform our GAKA protocol into one running with a new threshold in one round (i.e. round-optimal), rather than two rounds. Finally, verifiable parameters and updatable keys are respectively applied to counter deception attacks caused by maliciously distributed shares and to support adaptive network topology (i.e. UAVs joining and leaving). Extensive simulations show that compared to the state-of-the-art approaches, our SecER is superior in balancing security and efficiency.National Research Foundation (NRF)Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA)Submitted/Accepted versionThis work was supported in part by the National Key
Research and Development Program of China under Grant 2024YFB3108400;
in part by Hubei Province Key Research and Development Program under
Grant 2024BAB051; in part by EU HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-SE Project
TRACE-V2X under Grant 101131204; in part by the National Research
Foundation, Singapore, and Infocomm Media Development Authority under
its Trust Tech Funding Initiative; and in part by the Indonesian Endowment
Fund for Education (LPDP) on behalf of the Indonesian Ministry of Education,
Culture, Research, and Technology and managed under the INSPIRASI.
Program under Grant 023321-0001
Ponder the path of thy feet: How China's security-development nexus works in the Mekong region
No full textThis article explores China's evolving approach to South-South security cooperation, focusing on its use of the security-development nexus in its relations with Global South countries, particularly in the Mekong region. The central research question is: under what circumstances will China adjust the balance between security and development in its cooperation with the Global South? This article uses two case studies in the Mekong region, where China has applied contrasting approaches to address different security-related issues, to explore how China justifies its security choices through the security-development nexus in its relations with Global South countries. The varying security priorities and complex regional dynamics have led to variations in the nature and scope of its security cooperation with the Global South. Drawing on Chinese official documents, media reports, and interviews with scholars and policy advisors, this article argues that China adapts its security-development approach based on three key factors: its perception of security risks, its ability to dominate an issue, and the urgency of its interests. The significance of this research lies in its contribution to the ongoing debate about China's role in South-South security cooperation. The study also offers insights into the challenges China faces in managing its dual role as both a development partner and a security actor, with implications for its influence in the Mekong region and beyond.Ministry of Education (MOE)Published versionThis work is supported by the AcRF Tier 1 grant RG 43/22 from the Ministry of Education, Republic of Singapore
In-memory computing
No full textIn-memory computing refers to the cutting-edge technology of data storage and
processing within computers. All computers today adopt the von Neumann
architecture. This structure consists of the Central Processing Unit (CPU), Memory
Unit and Input/Output. The memory storage system used in this architecture is
known as random access memory (RAM). RAM is a short-term memory storage
within a software that allows the processor to run optimally. In recent years, RAM
has become a fundamental part of our everyday lives. It propels every sector’s basic
task performance on computers smoothly and efficiently. However, with
up-and-coming developments like the Internet of Things (IoT) and big data, large
amounts of information are required to be processed and retrieved at real time that
cannot be managed by RAM. The data deluge in RAM then poses an imminent
challenge – the memory bottleneck. The memory bottleneck is resulted by the
communication latency between the processor and memory units in the traditional
von Neumann architecture. As such, an alternative strategy of integrating the
memory and processor units within one chip has been implemented. This can be seen
in many new types of RAM designs, of which include the Static Random Access
Memory (SRAM), Resistive Random Access Memory (RRAM) and more. This
report examines the feasibility of SRAM in the new age of in-memory computing,
the plausible SRAM cell designs, and future works to be done for better performance
of computer memory. The results and findings within this report are generated with
the use of Cadence Virtuoso with components within the TSMC65nm technology
library.Bachelor's degre
Game design and development
No full textThe COVID-19 virus was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization on March
11, 2020, classified as a widespread occurrence of the infectious disease across the world.
The public and private healthcare sectors worldwide faced the full impact of this crisis.
Healthcare workers had no choice but to step up and risk their lives on the frontlines, treating
the infected while the private healthcare sector collaborated to develop a vaccine.
The main objective of this project is the design and development of a game that focuses on
portraying the story of COVID-19. With the intention of spreading awareness of its impact on
the world and the role that healthcare plays in it.
This game is designed as a 2D Role Playing Game (RPG) on the game development
platform, Unity 3D. It features a simulated world where characters and communities are
affected by the COVID-19 virus and how the healthcare sector, with patient care and
vaccines, ended the pandemic. The use of gamification engages users in an interactive way
while teaching users more about the pandemic.Bachelor's degre
Semi-automatic segmentation of brain lesions/tumours from CT head scans
No full textSegmentation brain lesions and tumours from medical scans is a critical medical imaging
challenge that enables timely treatment planning and accurate diagnosis. However, radiologists’
manual segmentation takes a long time and is prone to error, so effective semi-automated
approaches must be established. This project utilises state-of-the-art (SOTA) deep learning
models to investigate a semi-automatic method for brain lesion and tumour segmentation.
These models address the unique challenges provided by CT scans, such as low contrast and
subtle features, while improving segmentation efficiency and accuracy through the use prompt
design of pre-trained architectures.
An algorithm is developed and evaluated using Python and deep learning frameworks such as
PyTorch and TensorFlow to expedite the segmentation process. This method aims to reduce
radiologists’ workloads, improve patient care, and speed up turnaround times by delivering
accurate and effective segmentation solutions. The findings demonstrate how SOTA models
can enhance clinical procedures and improve lesion and tumour segmentation accuracy.Bachelor's degre
Grating metasurface for narrow band MID-IR absorption
No full textAbsorbers serve as critical components across multiple optoelectronic domains, including photon detection systems, infrared thermography, spectroscopic analyzers, and photovoltaic conversion systems. Particularly in the Mid-Infrared (MIR) spectral region (3-20 μm), these devices demonstrate enhanced functionality owing to their unique photon-matter interaction characteristics. The focus of this study is on the modulation of mid-infrared light at 3.7 μm wavelength using a MIM-structured one-dimensional grating metasurface for maximum absorption conversion, as well as the use of gradient arrays to achieve the difference in electric field strengths in the left-right direction. Due to the complex preparation process and high cost, past metamaterial designs in the mid-infrared wavelength band often encounter challenges in practical applications. In contrast, the present study consists of one-dimensional structural units at sub-wavelength scales, which are highly preparable and do not require complex new preparation processes as well as the development of new materials, and can be prepared using conventional metal-oxide semiconductor preparation processes. The one-dimensional grating structure metasurface exhibits good absorption of 3.7 μm wavelength light up to 50.8%, and good electric field strength difference in the left-right direction is achieved by the gradient array, which fills the gap in the study of one-dimensional gradient grating arrays in the narrow-band mid-infrared region. The absorptivity of the grating structure can be adjusted by adjusting the parameters such as the width, thickness and period of the grating, and the difference in the electric field strength between the left and right directions can be adjusted by adjusting the gradient of the grating array. The FDTD method was used for obtaining numerical results. This study may contribute to the development of new optical devices in the mid-infrared band, as well as the tunability of the difference in field strength between the left and right directions at the metal-dielectric interface by adjusting the structural parameters of the gratings, which may also facilitate the development of devices such as optoelectronic sensors with higher efficiency.Master's degre
Expression and purification strategies for nanobodies and their interaction studies with Drosophila olfactory co-receptor (Orco) for structural analysis
No full textThis study aimed to stabilise the Olfactory co-receptor of Drosophila melanogaster (Dorco) using a
nanobody-based structural stabilization approach to provide insights into its structure
and function.Bachelor's degre
Generalized Wigner-Smith analysis of resonance perturbations in arbitrary Q non-Hermitian systems
No full textPerturbing resonant systems causes shifts in their associated scattering poles in the complex plane. In a previous study [N. Byrnes and M. R. Foreman, arXiv:2408.11360], we demonstrated that these shifts can be calculated numerically by analyzing the residue of a generalized Wigner-Smith operator associated with the perturbation parameter. In this work, we extend this approach by connecting the Wigner-Smith formalism with results from standard electromagnetic perturbation theory applicable to open systems with resonances of arbitrary quality factors. We further demonstrate the utility of the method through several numerical examples, including the inverse design of a multilayered nanoresonator sensor and an analysis of the enhanced sensitivity of scattering zeros to perturbations.Ministry of Education (MOE)Nanyang Technological UniversityPublished versionN.B. was supported by Singapore Ministry of Education Academic Research Fund (Tier 1) Grant No. 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 and by Nanyang Technological University Grant No. SUG:022824-00001