275 research outputs found
Associations of childhood head growth with health and human capital in adult life and in the next generation
No full textNature of the work undertaken: Most studies of the ‘developmental origins of health and disease hypothesis’ have related early weight and height measurements to later life outcomes, but few have considered head size. I study the association of early head size and growth with adult cognitive and cardiometabolic outcomes, and intergenerational outcomes, using the New Delhi Birth Cohort (NDBC). This was set up in 1969 in New Delhi, India and enrolled 20,755 married women in the reproductive age-group resulting in 9,169 pregnancies whose anthropometric data, including head circumference were collected from birth till early adulthood at defined time points. I develop and compare suitable statistical models and advise on the choice of method for analysis of such data. Contribution to subject knowledge in the area: Head size and disproportion of head size relative to other body measurements at birth, and childhood head growth were unrelated to either educational attainment or blood pressure, and therefore early head size is not an indicator of early life programing in this population. Improving childhood nutrition and promoting linear growth up to age 2 years may be important for higher adult cognitive development. Contrastingly, becoming a heavier adolescent is associated with an increased risk of adult hypertension. Similar associations of early life maternal and paternal head growth with next generation birth weight suggest that they result from genetic factors which are non-modifiable or persisting environment between generations. Understanding the environmental factors influencing brain growth might help increase next-generation birth weight. Conditional and spline approaches provide similar goodness of fit in my data, and associations of head growth with the different adult outcomes were similar. Conditional growth modelling is suitable for studies with a small number of body measurements per individual, while spline models might be better for datasets with a larger number of measurements.<br/
THE BHARATIYA SAKSHYA BILL, 2023
No full text<p>This review article provides a detailed analysis of the Bharatiya Sakshya Bill, 2023, which</p><p>proposes modernising evidential practices in India's legal system. The study covers the Bill's</p><p>historical background, global impact, social implications, technical adjustments, and ethical</p><p>considerations. It explores the Bill's provisions on related facts, confessions, digital signatures,</p><p>judicial notices, primary and secondary sources of evidence, and electronic evidence,</p><p>highlighting the challenges and opportunities presented by the digital age. The article stresses</p><p>the importance of balancing tradition and progress in evidentiary practices and emphasises the</p><p>need to protect individual rights while promoting justice. It concludes by recommending a</p><p>thorough review of the Bill to ensure compliance with established legal principles and effective</p><p>implementation.</p>
sj-docx-1-sel-10.1177_17585732221132545 - Supplemental material for Physical therapy intervention versus corticosteroid injection for lateral elbow tendinopathy. Does slow and steady win the race? – A systematic review
No full textSupplemental material, sj-docx-1-sel-10.1177_17585732221132545 for Physical therapy intervention versus corticosteroid injection for lateral elbow tendinopathy. Does slow and steady win the race? – A systematic review by Shivam Sharma, Prerana Berwal, Nishank Verma, Avaneesh Kumar Pandey, Somya Saxena and Nanda Gamad in Shoulder & Elbow</p
Mega projects in India Environmental and Land Acquisition Issues in the Road Sector
No full textMega projects (primarily infrastructure) receive a sizable investment (~10%) of the gross fixed capital formation in India. Environmental clearances and land acquisitions have been the two major reasons for delays in the projects. However, there has been a steady increase in the proportion of projects running on schedule and a sharp decline in the proportion of projects with cost overruns. These accomplishments have been achieved due to better financing, project management, and reform in the regulatory frameworks related to environmental and land acquisition aspects. The acceptance of a user fee and development of alternate sources of revenue have helped attract larger investments in mega projects. With increasing private sector participation, delays due to project management are expected to reduce. The modifications in the regulatory framework on environmental and land acquisition issues are moves in the right direction. However, methods used for assessments related to environmental impact and land acquisition are still manual, making the whole process time consuming. Technology could be a good instrument in reducing the time required for these assessments as well as in bringing transparency in the system. Decentralization with capacity building at the state level would also help in the long run in reducing these delays.
Reinforcement learning using reservoir computing for soft robotic control: A bio-inspired system
No full textSubmission published under a 24 month embargo labeled 'Closed Access', the embargo will last until 2023-12-01The student, Keshav Shivam, accepted the attached license on 2021-12-09 at 11:12.The student, Keshav Shivam, submitted this Thesis for approval on 2021-12-09 at 11:34.This Thesis was approved for publication on 2021-12-09 at 13:34.DSpace SAF Submission Ingestion Package generated from Vireo submission #17433 on 2022-04-29 at 16:10:47Made available in DSpace on 2022-04-29T21:58:42Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2
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Previous issue date: 2021-12-09Embargo set by: Seth Robbins for item 123478
Lift date: 2024-04-29T21:58:46Z
Reason: Author requested closed access (OA after 2yrs) in Vireo ETD systemAuthor requested closed access (OA after 2yrs) in Vireo ETD systemLimitedModern approaches in machine learning and artificial intelligence are dominated by deep learning. Although inspired by the brain, these network architectures are not biologically plausible. In contrast, the reservoir computing paradigm has a single sparsely and recurrently connected hidden layer, with the linear readout layer being the only learned parameter. We apply reservoir computing in a reinforcement learning context to actuate a soft, slender muscular arm. The arm must track a moving target in a partially observable environment. Soft robots present an especially challenging test bed for reinforcement learning due to their nonlinear, continuum dynamics. We propose learning strategies for two classes of reservoirs: Echo State Networks (ESNs) built using tanh neurons and Liquid State Machines (LSMs) built using Leaky Integrate and Fire (LIF) neurons. Unlike traditional activation functions, LIF neurons provide discrete spike trains with respect to time, and LSM-like structures are found in vivo. Crucially, we prohibit any additional feedforward layers, making the reservoir the sole neural computing unit. Our ESN policy significantly outperforms the state-of-the-art algorithm Proximal Policy Optimization (PPO) and our LSM policy matches PPO. Finally, we deploy a LSM directly on neuromorphic hardware, opening up opportunities for energy efficient reinforcement learning and robotic control. End-to-end, our soft robot controlled with a spiking reservoir is a novel bio-inspired system
MoC Concert: Dastaa Student Band Performing Activist Songs
No full textThe band Dastaa invites you to explore the harmonious continuum between student political participation and the classical music repertoire of Bihar. Songs include Hum dekhenge, written by Faiz Ahmed Faiz [1/3], Aise dastoor ko main nahi maanta, written by Habib Jalib [2/3], Inquilab chahta hu [2/3], Ghulamiya, written by Gorakh Pandey [3/3] and Jogira sararara [3/3]. Lead singer: Shashibhushan Samad. Violin: Shairik Sengupta. Guitar: Shivam Srivastava. Associate singers: Sarfaraz Hamid, Shas..
Classifying EEG Signals of Mind-Wandering Across Different Styles of Meditation
No full textIn the modern world, it is easy to get lost in thought, partly because of the vast knowledge available at our fingertips via smartphones that divide our cognitive resources and partly because of our intrinsic thoughts. In this work, we aim to find the differences in the neural signatures of mind-wandering and meditation that are common across different meditative styles. We use EEG recording done during meditation sessions by experts of different meditative styles, namely shamatha, zazen, dzogchen, and visualization. We evaluate the models using the leave-one-out validation technique to train on three meditative styles and test the fourth left-out style. With this method, we achieve an average classification accuracy of above 70%, suggesting that EEG signals of meditation techniques have a unique neural signature across meditative styles and can be differentiated from mind-wandering states. In addition, we generate lower-dimensional embeddings from higher-dimensional ones using t-SNE, PCA, and LLE algorithms and observe visual differences in embeddings between meditation and mind-wandering. We also discuss the general flow of the proposed design and contributions to the field of neuro-feedback-enabled mind-wandering detection and correction devices.Green Open Access added to TU Delft Institutional Repository 'You share, we take care!' - Taverne project https://www.openaccess.nl/en/you-share-we-take-care Otherwise as indicated in the copyright section: the publisher is the copyright holder of this work and the author uses the Dutch legislation to make this work public.Design Aesthetic
Buzz Buzz: Haptic Cuing of Road Conditions in Autonomous Cars for Drivers Engaged in Secondary Tasks
No full textCan drivers’ situation awareness during automated driving be maintained using haptic cues which provide information about road and traffic scenarios while the drivers are engaged in a secondary task and without disengaging them from the secondary task? Multiple Resource Theory predicts that using different sensory channels can improve multiple-task performance. Using haptics to provide information avoids the audio-visual channels likely occupied by the secondary task. Drivers played Fruit Ninja as the secondary task while seated in a driving simulator with a Level 4 autonomous system driving. A mixed design was used for the experiment with the presence of haptic cues and the presentation time of situation awareness questions as the between-subjects conditions. Five road and traffic scenarios comprised the within-subjects part of the design. Subjects who received haptic cues had a higher number of correct responses to the situation awareness questions and looked up at the simulator screen fewer times than those who were not provided cues. Subjects did not find the cues to be disruptive and gave good satisfaction scores to the haptic device. Additionally, subjects across all conditions seemed to have performed equally well in playing Fruit Ninja. It appears that haptic cuing can maintain drivers’ situation awareness during automated driving while drivers are engaged in a secondary task. Practical implications of these findings for implementing haptic cues in autonomous vehicles are also discussed
HUGGING AND KISSING IN PUBLIC: INDIA'S LEGAL PERSPECTIVE (SECTION 294 IPC)
No full text<p>The topic of public displays of affection (PDA), encompassing behaviours such as embracing or kissing, has been a matter of significant contemplation and discussion within the Indian context. While certain individuals interpret these exhibitions as a traditional expression of love and affection, others contend that they violate cultural norms and principles of decorum. The legal oversight of public displays of affection (PDA) is governed by Section 294 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), which pertains to the regulation of indecent acts or songs in public areas. While Section 294 of the Indian legal code does not explicitly list hugging or kissing as offences, the determination of what is considered "indecent" or constitutes an obscene act is a matter of subjective interpretation and remains a topic of controversy within Indian society. According to legal pronouncements, the act of engaging in public displays of affection, such as kissing, does not warrant punishment under Section 294 of the Indian Penal Code. Nevertheless, there is a prevailing perception within specific segments of Indian society that these exhibitions are not deemed culturally suitable. A more comprehensive examination of this subject reveals the intricacies and paradoxes associated with public displays of affection (PDA) and its reception within Indian society.</p>
MULTIDISCIPLINARY RECENT TRENDS IN RESEARCH VOLUME - 5
No full text<p>International Peer-Reviewed Edited Book on MULTIDISCIPLINARY RECENT TRENDS IN RESEARCH VOLUME - 5</p>
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