1,026 research outputs found
Akshay Sharma (3MT 2021 Competition)
No full textEntry in the 2021 3MT (Three Minute Thesis) Competition. Title: Mathematics, a sword for fighting cancer
The Vanishing
No full textThe Vanishing is an ongoing series of artistic projects that investigate the forced foeticide of Indian girls, realized as an audio installation it is an inspiring and arresting event. The Vanishing is produced by Virginia Tech academics, Akshay and Manisha Sharma and Kim Cunio
Cnemaspis goaensis Sharma 1976
No full textCnemaspis goaensis Sharma 1976 (Table 1 & 2) Cnemaspis indraneildasii Bauer, 2002 Holotype. ZSI 22110 (adult male), 27.5 mm SVL; “ ca. 3 km South of Forest Rest House, Canacona (Poinguinim), Goa ” (south-western India). Paratypes. ZSI 22213 –22215 (adult males), ZSI 22216 (adult female) same locality data as holotype. ......continued on the next page Referred material. NRC-AA-1124 ( VG 403), NRC-AA-1125 (VG 404), ZSI/WGRC-3150 (VG 405), adult males, NRC-AA-1127 (VG 406), Adult female, from Botanical garden of Smt. Kasturbai Walchand College, Sangli, (16.862° N, 74.577° E; ca. 550 m asl.), Sangli district, Maharashtra state, India, collected by Akshay Khandekar and Ninad Gosavi on 24 March 2018. ZSI/WGRC-3151 (AK 359), adult male, ZSI/WGRC-3152 (AK 358), ZSI/WGRC- 3153 (AK 361), adult females, on a laterite wall of a wine shop located between Canacona and Poinguinim, (14.991° N, 74.099° E; ca. 90 m asl.), South Goa District, Goa state, India, collected by Akshay Khandekar, Abhilash Kadam, Nilesh Natavade, Ninad Gosavi and Omkar Kinkar on 17 July 2018. BNHS 2801 (VG 380), BNHS 2802 (VG 385), adult males, BNHS 2804 (VG 382), BNHS 2803 (VG 387), adult females, from near Gund, (15.088° N, 74.541° E; ca. 440 m asl.), NRC-AA-1126 (VG 388), adult male, from near Ganeshgudi bus stop, (15.282° N, 74.529° E; ca. 430 m asl.), Uttara Kanada District, Karnataka state, India, collected by Akshay Khandekar, Nikhil Gaitonde, Ninad Gosavi and Swapnil Pawar on 15 March 2018. Redescription of the holotype. See Manamendra-Arachchi et al. (2007). Diagnosis. A small-sized Cnemaspis, snout to vent length less than 34 mm. Dorsal pholidosis heterogeneous; weakly keeled, granular scales in the vertebral and paravertebral region with a few scattered, enlarged, keeled tubercles, intermixed with about three or four irregularly arranged rows of large, keeled tubercles on each side of flank, tubercles in lowest row largest and spine-like, 6–8 rows of dorsal tubercles at mid-body; ventral scales on belly smooth, imbricate, scales on gular and pectoral region smooth or weakly carinate, 27–32 scales across belly, 111–126 longitudinal scales from mental to cloaca; subdigital scansors smooth, entire, unnotched, 10–12 lamellae under digit I of manus and pes, 14–17 lamellae under digit IV of manus and 17–21 lamellae under digit IV of pes; males with three or four femoral pores on each thigh separated on either side by 8–12 poreless scales from a continuous series of two or three precloacal pores; tail with enlarged, strongly keeled, distinctly pointed, conical tubercles forming whorls; a median row of sub-caudal scales slightly enlarged, smooth only at anterior half of the tail, rest strongly keeled. Notes on the status of C. indraneildasii. Cnemaspis indraneildasii was originally described by Bauer (2000) based on a single sub-adult female specimen housed at Zoologisches Museum Hamburg (ZMH) that was collected from Gund, Karnataka during the German-Indian expedition of 1955–1958. No further data was published on the species and it remained poorly known for nearly two decades until recently, Sayyed et al. (2018) described four new Cnemaspis from NWG based on morphology and presented a16S mitochondrial phylogeny with 18 of the then 35 described Indian Cnemaspis including topotypic C. goaensis and C. indraneildasii. The genetic divergence between these two species were strikingly low which suggested C. indraneildasii could be a junior synonym of C. goaensis. Subsequently, Khandekar et al. (2019b) described two more new Cnemaspis of the C. girii clade from Maharashtra and provided major diagnostic morphological characters and ND2 phylogeny for all other described Cnemaspis from NWG. In their work, they treated C. indraneildasii as a junior synonym of C. goaensis based on the low genetic divergence between topotypical specimens of both species (1.6 % uncorrected pairwise ND2 sequence divergence) but did not provide detailed morphological data to support the synonymy. However, the detailed morphological dataset based on topotypic specimens of C. goaensis & C. indraneildasii as well as specimens from additional localities provided in this work (see Table 3 & 4) suggests that these two species are morphologically indistinguishable from one another, and C. indraneildasii is a junior synonym of the relatively widely distributed species C. goaensis.Published as part of Khandekar, Akshay, Thackeray, Tejas & Agarwal, Ishan, 2021, A novel small-bodied rupicolous Cnemaspis Strauch, 1887 (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from the northern Western Ghats, Maharashtra, India, with comments on the status of C. indraneildasii, Bauer 2000, pp. 331-350 in Zootaxa 4969 (2) on pages 332-336, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4969.2.6, http://zenodo.org/record/474911
Architecture validation of VFP control for the WiNC2R platform
No full textA Cognitive Radio processing requires intelligent transceiver which can be easily programmed and reconfigured dynamically to support multiple protocols. The Winlab Network Centric Cognitive Radio (WiNC2R) platform is based on the concept of Virtual Flow Pipelining Paradigm. WiNC2R can support per packet protocol adaption through the reconfiguration of function sequencing. Since WiNC2R platform can be programmed by adding additional functions in software, and flow sequencing reprogramming architecturally supported in hardware, it can easily support future protocols. The latest version of WiNC2R has advanced shared VFP control unit, cluster based SoC architecture with all the processing engines in an 802.11a like OFDM transmitter flow. It is very important to characterize the VFP overhead with the realistic protocol processing examples to understand the performance and cost penalties of added flexibility, and establish the base for the comparison with Software Defined Radio approach. The performance analysis of the VFP will give detailed insight about the various latencies involved in the VFP processing. VFP Architecture is validated to see that the current implementation does meet the requirements of the WiNC2R platform. This performance analysis will help in characterizing VFP overhead under varying throughput requirements. Architectural validation of VFP will characterize certain parameters of the system programming, like reschedule period, guard time, etc.M.S.Includes bibliographical referencesby Akshay Jo
Content-based image retrieval of digitized histopathology via boosted spectral embedding (BoSE)
No full textContent-based image retrieval (CBIR) systems allow for retrieval of images from a database that are similar in visual content to a query image. This is particularly useful in scenarios such as digital pathology, where text-based descriptors alone might be inadequate to accurately describe image content. By representing images via a set of quantitative image descriptors, the similarity between a query image with respect to archived, annotated images in a database can be computed and the most similar images retrieved. Recently, non-linear dimensionality reduction (NLDR) methods have become popular for embedding high dimensional data into a reduced dimensional space while preserving local object adjacencies, thereby allowing for object similarity to be determined more accurately in the reduced dimensional space. However, most dimensionality reduction (DR) methods implicitly assume, in computing the reduced dimensional representation, that all features are equally important. Erroneous or noisy features could potentially result in dissimilar images being mapped close to each other in the reduced embedding space. In this work we present Boosted Spectral Embedding (BoSE), a variant of the traditional Spectral Embedding (SE) NLDR method, which unlike SE utilizes a boosted distance metric (BDM) to selectively weight individual features to subsequently map the data into a reduced dimensional space. In this work BoSE is evaluated against SE (which employs equal feature weighting) in the context of CBIR of digitized prostate and breast cancer histopathology images. Across 154 hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) stained histopathology images corresponding to benign and malignant prostate cancer biopsy images, low and high grade ER+ breast cancer studies, and HER2+ breast cancer H&E images, BoSE outperformed SE both in terms of CBIR-based (area under the precision recall curve) and classifier-based (classification accuracy) performance measures. Consistent trends were observed when embedding the data into spaces with different dimensions. Our results suggest that BoSE could serve as an important tool for CBIR and classification of high dimensional biomedical data.M.S.Includes bibliographical referencesIncludes vitaby Akshay Sridha
Weighted K-nearest neighbor algorithm as an object localization technique using passive RFID tags
No full textTechnologies using identification by radio frequencies (RFID) are experiencing rapid development and healthcare is a major application area benefiting from it. Highly pervasive RFID enables remote identification, tracking and localization of the medical staff, patients, medications and equipment, thus increasing safety, optimizing in real-time management and providing support for new ambient-intelligent services. This thesis describes and evaluates an algorithm that enables object localization and tracking using passive RFID tags. This thesis also describes scenarios of how this technology can be used as a part of building a smart trauma resuscitation room by tracking the equipments. The main contribution of this thesis is the adaptation of the Weighted K-Nearest Neighbor Algorithm as a localization technique to track objects in a confined and crowded space by using passive RFID tags. The input parameter to the algorithm is the received signal strength indicator (RSSI), which gives a measure of back-scattered radio frequencies from passive tags. While using RFID technology special attention has to be given to the placement of antennas to get the optimum result. Therefore, we analyzed various antenna placement configurations with mean error and error consistency as the two performance parameters. The detection of multiple tags and human occlusion are two major concerns while tracking tags in a confined space with many team members collaborating on solving a problem. The RF signal can be interrupted by people walking around randomly and holding multiple (tagged) instruments at the same time. While the algorithm worked fine when tracking multiple tags, we had to modify the experimental set-up and attach an antenna onto the ceiling (which we call a vertical antenna), so that even if all the wall antennas are blocked we get at least one input parameter to base our localization decision on. We evaluated the algorithm for different combinations of configurations and number of neighbors, and achieved the following results. The best results were obtained for the 3 antennae (placed orthogonally) configuration considering the 4 nearest neighbors wherein a mean error rate of 15% of the maximum possible error was achieved under ideal conditions. We tested the algorithm for different human occlusion scenarios i.e. blocking 1 or 2 wall antennas, standing in random positions and then roaming in the field area randomly. The mean error rate for the standing scenario was measured as 20% of the maximum possible error and 18% in the case of roaming configuration. The error was found to be consistently within our defined maximum error for 100% of the recorded readings. The results obtained were found to be satisfactory for our application where, more than the exact location of the object, knowing whether the object is within a particular region is good enough for the users to know what task is being carried out in the trauma bay. Also the algorithm holds good in an indoor environment having a lot of factors and materials which affect the RF signal disrupting accurate calculation of the location co-ordinates. The algorithm does not require extensive data collection prior to implementation which makes it easily deployable in any environment. Apart from the problems mentioned there are some other factors like materials on which the tags are attached and orientation of tags which were found to be potential hindrances for accurate localization. Acceptable solutions to these problems form a part of our future work.M.S.Includes bibliographical referencesby Akshay Shett
The Artistic Exploration of Wood Joinery
Full text linkThis abstract presents an innovative and interactive wooden box designed to provide an engaging educational experience focused on wood joinery techniques. The box incorporates a comprehensive collection of various wood joints, allowing users to explore and learn about different joinery methods commonly used in woodworking.
The interactive wooden box serves as a tangible educational tool, enabling students, enthusiasts, and professionals to gain hands-on experience and deepen their understanding of wood joinery. The box features a wide range of joints, including but not limited to dovetail, mortise and tenon, box joint, rabbet, tongue and groove, and many others. Each joint is meticulously crafted and labeled for easy identification and reference.
Users can manipulate the joints within the box, experiment with different combinations, and observe firsthand how the joints interlock and create sturdy connections. The tactile nature of the box encourages a multi-sensory learning experience, fostering a deeper appreciation for the craftsmanship and design principles involved in woodworking
Unnamed Coffee Machine (UCM)
No full textMy project, the Unnamed Coffee Machine (UCM), is a drip style coffee machine inspired by American Brutalist architecture. It employs materials such as concrete, steel, and glass, and exhibits a raw, imposing stature directly reminiscent of its source materials. This document discusses the initial design brief, the research, ideation, planning, and design stages, and it showcases the construction process of the first functioning model of the UCM, including changes made and challenges encountered
A Global Analysis on Microgrids through the PESTEL Framework
No full textMicrogrids enable distribution of electricity with higher shares of variable renewables, higher power quality, greater reliability and higher efficiency. There are a large number of factors in addition to the technology, which affect their shift towards market competitiveness and widespread adoption. The PESTEL framework, covering Political, Economic, Social, Technical, Environmental and Legislative factors, is used to identify and describe the drivers and barriers for microgrid development at the global level. The framework enables a broader approach to describe potential for microgrid applications. The results aim to provide engineers, project developers and microgrid specialists with an overview of the prospects for microgrid deployment.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.Energy Technolog
How does trade impact agricultural productivity?
Full text linkThe student, Akshay Pandit, submitted this Thesis for approval on 2020-07-22 at 15:29.This Thesis was approved for publication on 2020-07-23 at 10:50.DSpace SAF Submission Ingestion Package generated from Vireo submission #15729 on 2020-10-02 at 15:34:07Made available in DSpace on 2020-10-07T22:44:48Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2
PANDIT-THESIS-2020.pdf: 10275210 bytes, checksum: bdf6f32a4714aaadf246aa27560ec60f (MD5)
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Previous issue date: 2020-07-23"Agricultural production has faced increased demands over the last half century from an expanding economy and population. We live in a globalized world, in which agriculture is deeply intertwined in international markets and trade. In this paper, we address the overarching research question: ""What is the impact of trade on agricultural productivity?''. To this end, we present a comprehensive statistical and econometric analysis on the relationship between international trade and agricultural production. We use national-scale data on crop yield, area harvested, production, and trade for the last half century (1961-2016) from the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations. We introduce novel weighting and decomposition analyses to explore the relationship between trade and crop productivity. To determine the causal impact of trade on agriculture we implement instrumental variable (IV) econometric methods. We find that trade has led to an increase in global agricultural productivity over time (e.g. through increased productivity, the intensive margin). Global productivity gains have accrued primarily through the participation of more countries in global trade (e.g. expanding the area of contribution, the extensive margin). Additionally, we find that trade has enabled global crop consumption to increase. These findings indicate that trade openness leads to greater productivity in agriculture in general. This work highlights that trade can help to achieve productivity gains in agriculture and potentially help the world to address remaining yield gaps."Submission published under a 24 month embargo labeled 'U of I Access', the embargo will last until 2022-08-01The student, Akshay Pandit, accepted the attached license on 2020-07-22 at 15:28.Embargo set by: Seth Robbins for item 116267
Lift date: 2022-10-07T22:44:53Z
Reason: Author requested U of Illinois access only (OA after 2yrs) in Vireo ETD systemAuthor requested U of Illinois access only (OA after 2yrs) in Vireo ETD systemU of I Onl
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