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Copyright of E-Beratungsjournal is the property of E-beratungsjournal.net and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

A new technique is introduced for digital background calibration in pipeline analog to digital converters (ADCs). The technique is based on the decision points of the voltage transfer characteristic (VTC) of the pipeline stages, which means the residual VTC is used to estimate the output code of the decision points. By applying the proposed technique, the capacitor mismatch error, the residual amplifier error, and the nonlinearity errors are corrected. To attain proper decision points, the sub-ADC is considered and one of its threshold levels is changed. The mathematical relations of the errors are extracted, and then by applying error coefficients to the final digital outputs, the pipeline ACD is calibrated. This method has a simple digital logic and does not require a particular analog circuit. The proposed technique is applied to the first five stages of a 12-bit 100 MS/s pipeline ADC, and about 0.7 × 106 samples are used. The results show that the presented technique improves the signal-to-noise and distortion ratio (SNDR) and spurious-free dynamic range (SFDR) from 34.1 and 35.1 dB to 69.2 and 77.6 dB, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The demand for larger bandwidth to carry high capacity data in optical networks is increasing. Thus, it is expected to replace all digital logic with optical logic soon. Privacy and data security are also of utmost importance in all-optical networks. Generally, all-optical encryption has been carried out using (i) highly nonlinear fiber (HNLF) and (ii) Semiconductor Optical Amplifier (SOA) with interferometric structures. However, the former is limited by the requirement of a lengthy fiber and the latter one with more number of nonlinear components. In this work, an all-optical encryption process using nonlinear effects and four-wave mixing (FWM) in SOA without interferometric structure is presented for different number systems. The basic idea of the proposed system is to use delay operations which are carried out by duo binary modulation units whereas the encryption using single SOA is possible by FWM nonlinear effect. This combination of novel design for different number systems is optimized through SOA structural parameters, pump and probe signal power, and wavelength. Through optimization, the performance improvement is assured by a good extinction ratio of 11.5 dB for the active region length of less than 200 µm. Compared to the existing techniques, the quality factor is 2.28 times and 1.52 times better than HNLF and SOA-MZI, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Employing a critical approach typical of humanities-based research, this article investigates the changing nature of toxic leadership in our digital world. Drawing on the perspective of media ecology, which asserts that the prevailing communication technologies at a given moment create the social conditions that, in turn, condition us, the authors illustrate how the digital logics of publicity, intransigence, impertinence, and impulsivity remake the contours of leadership. Based on a critical case study of Elon Musk's public management of Twitter, which has subsequently been rebranded as "X", it is argued that the four digital logics transform toxic leadership into digital authoritarianism, an unabashed form of authoritarian rule. A concluding section of the essay explores the implications of this evolution for traditional categories of leadership; the importance of attending to communication technologies in leadership research; and the individual, institutional, and social harms of digital authoritarianism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Humans have always sought to grasp nature's working principles and apply acquired intelligence to artefacts since nature has always been the source of inspiration, solution and creativity. For this reason, there is a comprehensive interrelationship between the philosophy of nature and architecture. After Charles Darwin's revolutionary work, living beings have started to be comprehended as changing, evolving and developing dynamic entities. Evolution theory has been accepted as the interpretive power of biology after several discussions and objections among scientists. In time, the working principles of evolutionary mechanisms have begun to be explained from genetic code to organism and environmental level. Afterwards, simulating nature's evolutionary logic in the digital interface has become achievable with computational systems' advancements. Ultimately, architects have begun to utilise evolutionary understanding in design theories and methodologies through computational procedures since the 1990s. Although several studies about technical and pragmatic elements of evolutionary tools in design, there is still little research on the historical, theoretical and philosophical foundations of evolutionary understanding in digital architecture. This paper fills this literature gap by critically reviewing the evolutionary understanding embedded in digital architecture theories and designs since the beginning of the 1990s. The original contribution is the proposed intellectual framework seeking to understand and conceptualise how evolutionary processes were defined in biology and philosophy, then represented through computational procedures, to be finally utilised by architectural designers. The network of references and concepts is deeply connected with the communication between natural processes and their computational simulations. For this reason, another original contribution is the utilisation of theoretical limits and operative principles of computation procedures to shed light on the limitations, shortcomings and potentials of design theories regarding their speculations on the relationship between natural and computational ontologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work presents the development of a 64-channel application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), implemented to detect the optical Cherenkov light from sub-orbital and orbital altitudes. These kinds of signals are generated by ultra-high energy cosmic rays (UHECRs) and cosmic neutrinos (CNs). The purpose of this front-end electronics is to provide a readout unit for a matrix of silicon photo-multipliers (SiPMs) to identify extensive air showers (EASs). Each event can be stored into a configurable array of 256 cells where the on-board digitization can take place with a programmable 12-bits Wilkinson analog-to-digital converter (ADC). The sampling, the conversion process, and the main digital logic of the ASIC run at 200 MHz, while the readout is managed by dedicated serializers operating at 400 MHz in double data rate (DDR). The chip is designed in a commercial 65 nm CMOS technology, ensuring a high configurability by selecting the partition of the channels, the resolution in the interval 8–12 bits, and the source of its trigger. The production and testing of the ASIC is planned for the forthcoming months. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the early days of artificial intelligence (AI), many logics have been explored as tools for knowledge representation and reasoning. In the spirit of the Crossley Festscrift and recognizing John Crossley's diverse interests and his legacy in both mathematical logic and computer science, I discuss examples from my own research that sit in the overlap of logic and AI, with a focus on supporting human–AI interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A low-power SAR ADC with capacitor-splitting energy-efficient switching scheme is proposed for wearable biosensor applications. Based on capacitor-splitting, additional reference voltage Vcm, and common-mode techniques, the proposed switching scheme achieves 93.76% less switching energy compared to the conventional scheme with common-mode voltage shift in one LSB. With the switching scheme, the proposed SAR ADC can lower the dependency on the accuracy of Vcm and the complexity of digital control logic and DAC driver circuits. Furthermore, the SAR ADC employs low-noise and low-power dynamic comparators utilizing multi-clock control, low sampling error sampling switches based on the bootstrap technique, and dynamic SAR logic. The simulation results demonstrate that the ADC achieves a 61.77 dB SNDR and a 78.06 dB SFDR and consumes 4.45 μW of power in a 180 nm process with a 1 V power supply, a full-swing input signal frequency of 93.33 kHz, and a sampling rate of 200 kS/s. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Informacije MIDEM: Journal of Microelectronics, Electronic Components & Materials is the property of MIDEM Society and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

A set of laboratory exercises are presented, which use the video game Minecraft as the environment for teaching combinational digital logic in an introductory electronics lab. Several advantages are noted when students use the virtual Minecraft environment prior to building any real digital circuits. Editor's Note: Looking for new ways to connect with your students or to get your students to connect with each other? If so, Minecraft may be for you! In this paper you'll learn how to use the best-selling video game in history to develop digital electronics activities that teach concepts as simple as basic logic gates or as complicated as the emulation of a whole working computer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An important transport process for particles and gases from the atmosphere to aquatic and terrestrial environments is through dry and wet deposition. An open-source, modular, off-grid, and affordable instrument that can automatically collect wet deposition samples allows for more extensive deployment of deposition samplers in fieldwork and would enable more comprehensive monitoring of remote locations. Precipitation events selectively sampled using a conductivity sensor powered by a battery-based supply are central to off-grid capabilities. The prevalence of conductive precipitation, initially containing high solute levels and progressing through trace level concentrations to ultrapure water in full atmospheric washout, depends on the sampling location but is ubiquitous. This property is exploited here to trigger an electric motor via limit switches to open and close a lid resting over a funnel opening. The motors are operated via a custom-built and modular digital logic control board, which have low energy demands. All components, their design and rationale, and assembly are provided for community use. The modularity of the control board allows operation of up to six independent wet deposition units, such that replicate measurements (e.g., canopy throughfall) or different collection materials for various targeted pollutants can be implemented as necessary. We demonstrate that these platforms are capable of continuous operation off-grid for integrated monthly and bimonthly collections performed across the Newfoundland and Labrador Boreal Ecosystem Latitudinal Transect (47° to 53° N) during the growing seasons of 2015 and 2016. System performance was assessed through measured power consumption from 115 volts of alternating current (VAC; grid power) or 12 volts of direct current from battery supplies during operation under both standby (40 or 230 mA, respectively) and in-use (78 or 300 mA, respectively) conditions. In the field, one set of triplicate samplers was deployed in the open to collect incident precipitation (open fall) while another set was deployed under the experimental forest canopy (throughfall). The proof-of-concept systems were validated with basic measurements of rainwater chemistry including: i) pH ranging from 4.14 to 5.71 in incident open fall rainwater; ii) conductivity ranging from 21 to 166 uS/cm; and iii) dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentrations in open fall and canopy throughfall of 16 ± 10 mg/L and 22 ± 12 mg/L, respectively; with incident fluxes spanning 600 to 4200 mg C m-2 a-1 across the transect. Ultimately, this demonstrates that the customized precipitation sampling design of this new platform enables more universal accessibility of deposition samples to the atmospheric observation community-for example, those who have made community calls for targeting biogeochemical budgets and/or contaminants of emerging concern in sensitive and remote regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper expounds the theoretical logic among digital inclusive finance, urbanization, and agricultural mechanization level, puts forward the research hypothesis, and then selects the county unbalanced panel data of 1309 counties in China from 2014 to 2020 based on the two-way fixed model with standard error clustering to county level and mediating effect model for empirical data regression analysis. Through baseline regression analysis, mediation effect analysis, and heterogeneity analysis, the findings of this paper are as follows. First, digital financial inclusion has a significant positive effect on the growth of agricultural mechanization. Second, digital inclusive finance at the county level can also indirectly affect the growth of agricultural mechanization through urbanization. That is, agricultural mechanization has an intermediary effect between the financial agglomeration at the county level and the growth of farmers' income. Third, the impact of county-level digital financial inclusion on the growth of agricultural mechanization level is significantly heterogeneous, and the promoting effect is significant in areas with balanced grain production, national-level poor county or contiguous areas of dire poverty, and areas with a good foundation for digital financial inclusion. By analyzing digital inclusive finance, urbanization, and agricultural mechanization, this paper proposes targeted policy recommendations. First, the government can promote agricultural mechanization by developing digital financial inclusion. Second, the government should guide and accelerate the process of digital financial inclusion, promoting urbanization thereby amplifying the positive impact of digital financial inclusion on agricultural mechanization. Third, given the heterogeneity of the impact of digital financial inclusion on agricultural mechanization, local development should focus on developing different dimensions of digital financial inclusion according to specific conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of AugenBlick is the property of Schueren Verlag GmbH and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This survey paper summarizes the main results of Professor Victor Selivanov's research, which together highlight the important advances he achieved in mathematical logic and theoretical computer science. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a unique memristor-based design scheme for a balanced ternary digital logic circuit. First, a design method of a single-variable logic function circuit is proposed. Then, by combining with a balanced ternary multiplexer, some common application-type combinational logic circuits are proposed, including a balanced ternary half adder, multiplier and numerical comparator. The above circuits are all simulated and verified in LTSpice, which demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed scheme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many types of decision problems can be solved using mathematical modeling and analysis. Such techniques are also developed on the border of mathematical logic and computer science. A good example is the translation of the issues examined into the Satisfiability Problem (SAT) of a logical propositional formula. Unfortunately, this method is not always practical, considering the high computational complexity of solving the SAT problem. It often happens that in the studied cases, the encoding formulas contain even hundreds of thousands of clauses and propositional variables. However, even in these cases, modern SAT solvers can sometimes successfully solve these problems. This approach can be used to cryptanalyze some symmetric ciphers or parts/modifications. In this case, the encryption algorithm is first translated into a boolean formula. Then additional formulas are created to encode randomly selected plaintext and the key bits. Using the SAT solver; we can count the values of the ciphertext bits. Then, using the SAT solver again, we proceed to the cryptanalysis of the cipher with the selected plaintext and proper ciphertext, looking for the bits of the encryption key. In this paper, we will present the new results of how SAT techniques behave against representative fragments of the AES cipher, the current standard for symmetric encryption. We also compare the results obtained in this case by several SAT solvers. In addition, we present the results of the SAT-solver CryptoMiniSat obtained during the attack on the 1st round of the AES-128 cipher. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents an interview with Dr. María José Frápolli, a philosopher and professor of logic and philosophy of science. Dr. Frápolli reflects on her career and her interest in understanding what kind of animal we are and how different philosophical positions help us understand ourselves. She also talks about her commitment to the cause of female philosophers and how the ethical evolution of feminisms is influencing the development of philosophy. The article highlights the importance of Dr. Frápolli's academic production in the fields of logic and semantics research. In this interview, Dr. María José Frápolli discusses the distinction between logic and calculations, stating that calculations are instruments for representing and evaluating inferences. She points out that classical logic calculations derive from Frege's proposal in Conceptography and are designed for the foundation of arithmetic. Additionally, she mentions that non-classical logics arise due to the need to represent inferences in different areas of discourse and that each proposal of non-classical logic can vary according to its purposes of representation and evaluation. Finally, she comments that it is possible to classify existing logics in different ways, but she does not see scientific or philosophical advantages in doing so. She also highlights Susan Haack's distinction between extensions and divergent logics, considering it intuitive and showing the complexity of inferential relationships between propositions. In this interview, Dr. María José Frápolli talks about the changes in research objectives in logic from the early 20th century to the present. She mentions that there has been a greater interest in representing semantic features of natural language and pragmatic aspects. She also highlights the development of computer theory and artificial intelligence. Regarding logical pluralism, Dr. Frápolli mentions that she would not bet on any particular calculation and that each one has its own presuppositions and purposes. Additionally, she points out that logic has not been very useful as an applied discipline in other scientific areas. The text presents an interview with Dr. María José Frápolli about the application of logic in different disciplines. It is mentioned that fuzzy logics and computer theory are exceptions in their application. Dr. Frápolli mentions that logic has a promising field of application in proof theory, computing, and artificial intelligence. The general usefulness of logic in the current world is also discussed, and its role in the development of critical thinking and reasoning is highlighted. As for branches of logic with promising applications, those related to programming languages and artificial intelligence are mentioned as the most prominent. [Extracted from the article]

Quantum mechanically designed hardware of molecular NMR and ESR quantum computers are presented. Maximal lengths of these quantum information processing logic gates are no more than few nanometers. There are designed several single supermolecule and supramolecular devices containing biliverdin derivatives and their dimers. Composition of molecular electronics digital logic gates, photoactive molecular machines and elements of molecular NMR quantum computers allowed to design several supramolecular CNOT NMR quantum computing gates. Geometry of neutral radical molecules were optimized by using DFT Unrestricted B3LYP (Becke exchange and Lee-Yang-Parr correlation functionals) model with polarization 6-311G** basis functions. Composition of molecular electronics digital logic gates, and neutral radical molecules were used for the construction of NOT and CNOT logical gates of molecular ESR quantum computers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are presented several two and three variable gates of molecular electronics digital computers. Maximal length of these molecular electronics digital logic gates are no more than four nanometers and maximal width 2.5 nm. The results of light induced internal molecular motions in azo-dyes molecules [1-3] have been used for the design of light driven logically controlled (OR, AND, NOR, NAND) molecular machines composed from organic photoactive electron donor dithieno[3,2-b:2',3'-d]- thiophene, tetrathiofulvalene (TTF) or ferrocene molecules and electron accepting 4,5-dinitro-9-(dicyanomethylidene)-fluorene (DN9(CN)2F), tetracyano-indane, and moving azo-benzene fragment. Density functional theory (DFT) B3PW91/6-311G model calculations were performed for the geometry optimization of these molecular electronics logical gates. Applied DFT time dependent (DFT-TD/B3PW91) method and our visualization program give absorption spectra of designed molecular gates and show from which fragments electrons are hopping in various excited states. There are designed set of single supermolecule fluorescencing devices containing OR and AND logic functions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is commonly known that the conjunctive query entailment problem for certain extensions of (the well-known ontology language) ALC is computationally harder than their knowledge base satisfiability problem while for others the complexities coincide, both under the standard and the finite-model semantics. We expose a uniform principle behind this divide by identifying a wide class of (finitely) locally-forward description logics, for which we prove that (finite) query entailment problem can be solved by a reduction to exponentially many calls of the (finite) knowledge base satisfiability problem. Consequently, our algorithm yields tight ExpTime upper bounds for locally-forward logics with ExpTime-complete knowledge base satisfiability problem, including logics between ALC and μALCHbregQ (and more), as well as ALCSCC with global cardinality constraints, for which the complexity of querying remained open. Moreover, to make our technique applicable in future research, we provide easy-to-check sufficient conditions for a logic to be locally-forward based on several novel versions of the model-theoretic notion of unravellings. Together with existing results, this provides a nearly complete classification of the "benign" vs. "malign" primitive modelling features extending ALC, missing out only the Self operator. We then show a rather surprising result, namely that the conjunctive entailment problem for ALCSelf is exponentially harder than for ALC. This places the seemingly innocuous Self operator among the "malign" modelling features, like inverses, transitivity or nominals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In today's time more than 70% of the world's population suffer from eye disnormalities leading to the usage of eyewear or spectacles. Integrating profound technologies with daily utilities could serve some of the issues improving and optimizing our lifestyle to the most. One such way is to infuse nanosized chip in eyewear i.e., powered spectacles or shades to detect the location of the spectacles whenever it is necessary. The nanosized chip proposed has features including self-designed Bluetooth operating digital circuit, timer logic, clock generation using astable multivibrator circuit, emergency button, beep alarm and impact sensor. The values of resistance and capacitace is calculated to be 18 K ohm and 47 uF to obtain 1 Hz frequency. An optimal pin placement arrangement is analyzed, and the timing waveform is simulated using Verilog as proof of logical working of the chip. 13 D flipflops have been calculated to refrain from eye related strains. This paper suggests a bottom-up approach and develops the architectural framework of the chip, its working flow, system on chip top-view, digital logic description of each block and its implementation using Verilog hardware description language (HDL). The complexity and computational cost of the designed chip is minimal thus being commercially viable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Laamanen observes: "at the roots of prefigurative politics are the four anti-positions of anti-authoritarianism, anti-capitalism, anti-oppression, and anti-imperialism" (p. 192). The Future is Now: An Introduction to Prefigurative Politics. At the back of the book cover, prefigurative politics is aptly summarized as the act of "envisioning alternative futures", and I The Future is Now i is subtitled an "introduction to prefigurative politics.". [Extracted from the article]

Copyright of Dearq is the property of Universidad de los Andes and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Petri nets, also known as vector addition systems, are a long established model of concurrency with extensive applications in modeling and analysis of hardware, software, and database systems, as well as chemical, biological, and business processes. The central algorithmic problem for Petri nets is reachability: whether from the given initial configuration there exists a sequence of valid execution steps that reaches the given final configuration. The complexity of the problem has remained unsettled since the 1960s, and it is one of the most prominent open questions in the theory of verification. Decidability was proved by Mayr in his seminal STOC 1981 work, and, currently, the best published upper bound is non-primitive recursive Ackermannian of Leroux and Schmitz from Symposium on Logic in Computer Science 2019. We establish a non-elementary lower bound, i.e., that the reachability problem needs a tower of exponentials of time and space. Until this work, the best lower bound has been exponential space, due to Lipton in 1976. The new lower bound is a major breakthrough for several reasons. Firstly, it shows that the reachability problem is much harder than the coverability (i.e., state reachability) problem, which is also ubiquitous but has been known to be complete for exponential space since the late 1970s. Secondly, it implies that a plethora of problems from formal languages, logic, concurrent systems, process calculi, and other areas, which are known to admit reductions from the Petri nets reachability problem, are also not elementary. Thirdly, it makes obsolete the current best lower bounds for the reachability problems for two key extensions of Petri nets: with branching and with a pushdown stack. We develop a construction that uses arbitrarily large pairs of values with ratio R to provide zero testable counters that are bounded by R. At the heart of our proof is then a novel gadget, the so-called factorial amplifier that, assuming availability of counters that are zero testable and bounded by k, guarantees to produce arbitrarily large pairs of values whose ratio is exactly the factorial of k. Repeatedly composing the factorial amplifier with itself by means of the former construction enables us to compute, in linear time, Petri nets that simulate Minsky machines whose counters are bounded by a tower of exponentials, which yields the non-elementary lower bound. By refining this scheme further, we, in fact, already establish hardness for h-exponential space for Petri nets with h + 13 counters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Purpose] The purpose of this study is to determine ways to introduce artificial intelligence into the Ukrainian justice system. [Methodology/Approach/Design] The methodological basis of the study consists of theoretical and specialised legal methods: philosophical approaches, general and special methods of modern legal science, which are to interpret the law, and also general scientific styles. [Findings] During the study, the features of the use of artificial intelligence in the justice system were established and an analysis of international experience in the use of artificial intelligence in the justice system was conducted, which allowed identifying positive and negative aspects in the practice of other countries. In addition, problems that may hinder the development of artificial intelligence in the justice system of Ukraine and positive trends in the introduction of this innovative communication technology were identified. Based on the identified disadvantages and advantages of using artificial intelligence in justice, it was determined which systems should be implemented in the Ukrainian justice system, in particular the ‘judge's companion’ system. However, it is evident that at the moment artificial intelligence cannot completely replace people.

This paper presents BlockCode, a web application developed to create board games that support the learning of computer programming logic. The goal of the games created with BlockCode is to move a bunny around a board using block-based programming in order to collect all the carrots that are placed on the board. In every game, the bunny has to deal with obstacles, represented by rocks and holes, which have to be avoided using the commands available. BlockCode was designed for teachers and students: teachers can create games, specifying the arrangement of the boards; and students play the games, specifying the sequence of commands with the aim of collecting all the carrots. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hypertension retinopathy is a retinal disease caused due to hypertension which leads to vision loss and blindness. Ophthalmologists use clinical methods to perform the diagnosis, which takes more time and money. Still, the computer-aided diagnostic system detects and grades Hypertensive Retinopathy with no time and is less expensive. This paper introduces an automated system that identifies hypertension retinopathy in the early stage of hypertension. Retinal image segmentation efficiently detects eye ailments, which are the signs of major eye diseases caused by hypertension, diabetes, and age-related macular disorders. This study uses fuzzy logic techniques in digital image processing and mainly concentrates on the early detection of hypertension retinopathy by using a nature-inspired optimization algorithm. Improved Fuzzy C-Means clustering identifies the lesion regions in hypertensive retinopathy accurately. The present model is tested on the publicly available online dataset, and its outcomes are compared with distinguished published methods. This study calculates the segmented output on the optimized features using the improved loss function in the Resnet-152 model. The proposed approach improves performance and surpasses the existing state-of-the-art models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aims to investigate the logic between digital transformation and export performance by analysing a large sample of Vietnamese exporters. The theoretical model is further extended by investigating the driving role of digital transformational leadership and mediating effects of firm digital capabilities and employee exploration and exploitation innovation. Design/methodology/approach: The study sample comprised 364 middle managers at 107 export firms in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The data are analysed using a partial least square-structural equation model (PLS-SEM). Findings: Digital transformation may be an indispensable tool for enhancing the export performance of businesses. Moreover, digital transformational leadership may drive digital transformation through the mediating mechanisms of firm digital capabilities and employee exploration and exploitation innovations to achieve high export performance. Originality/value: This initial study contributes significantly to international business theory through the lens of dynamic capabilities theory, which reveals the role of digital transformation in export performance via mechanisms of digital transformational leadership, firm digital capabilities and employee exploration and exploitation innovation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Artificial intelligence (AI) possesses high adaptability and potential to replace human mental labor. However, only environments with high-performance computing resources and large power supplies can handle AI processing. Current computing technology is based on digital logic devices, leading to the inevitability of endless fetching of data among processors and memories. Moreover, acceleration of AI has been mainly studied at the software level, e.g., pruning of neural networks, which is insufficient for overcoming processing environment restrictions. Meanwhile, in-memory computing by physically composed neural networks is an emerging field. Resistive switching memory (RRAM) is a promising option, which is yet to be implemented because of the stochastic nature of the switching process. In this work, the temporal reliability of tantalum oxide-based RRAM was dramatically enhanced (∼1%) by the insertion of a rough titanium oxide thin film. The enhanced devices exhibited a classification accuracy of ∼88%, showing superior performance and application potential for neuromorphic computing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The platform economy has invaded social relations in every way. Products of the information revolution, artificial intelligence and big data, the platforms constitute a sign of the times that crosses and deepens the set of pre-existing mercantile relations while commodifying a series of activities that, until their arrival, were outside to data extractive logic. The consequences of this irruption for the world of work are multiple and profound. Objectives: Here we propose to analyze the control practices and working conditions at UBER, the company that constitutes a paradigm of the new work management logics through digital platforms. Methodology: The study is qualitative in nature, based on ten in-depth interviews with UBER drivers during the years 2019 and 2020, in which, among other dimensions, working conditions, control mechanisms and meanings of work were investigated. Likewise, periodic monitoring of two driver and passenger forums was carried out. Results: Throughout the writing, a multiplicity of daily practices developed by the Uber company to influence the behavior and control the activity of drivers is observed. The platform's capacity to algorithmically manage work in a massive and personalized way is verified, with significant effects on working conditions. Conclusions: The study concludes that, far from the situation of autonomy proposed from business narratives, uberized work supposes significant degrees of dependency, control and exploitation of the workforce. Likewise, it is observed that the irruption of the platforms supposes a new stage in the deepening and extension of the relative vulnerability of work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sometimes there are clear and natural limits to the scope of action of a science, and in other cases they are simply convenient ones. Geographic Information Science (GISc) is a transversal science, with contacts with all geosciences but also with various formal sciences such as Mathematics, Logic and Computer Science. A first approach to specifying the limits of a science is through its definition. Definitions of GISc are often so expansive that they have been rightly criticized for practicing gerrymandering, in particular with the rest of the geosciences. To avoid this, an operational definition is proposed that places GISc among the sciences that handle Data and not Information. This solves the gerrymandering problem without really implying a significant cut of what is usually considered within GISc. As an unforeseen consequence, this delimitation will allow it to be characterized as Formal Science, leaving it as the only geoscience with this characteristic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article substantiates the hypothesis that there is no alternative to digital transformation of business, public administration, and society as a whole in the current composition of scientific and technological trends in global development. The article systematically identifies digital technologies based on big data, grid computing, blockchain and actually implemented in global business, such as the industrial Internet, robotics, digital marketing, fintech, govtech, e-medicine and education, etc. It is emphasised that they are the key drivers of the digital economy as a new phenomenon and a new reality. The author summarises the conceptual and categorical apparatus and shows the archetypes of the digital economy. Its status is illustrated in the format of indicators of influential global indices. The article states the obvious positive aspects of digitalisation of the economy - accessibility, transparency and efficiency of resource use, high productivity and cheaper services, fast access to markets, communication mobility, energy efficiency and environmental friendliness - and shows its possible negative aspects, such as cybercrime, electricity shocks, unemployment, insecurity of personal information, discrediting traditional cultural and behavioural values. A SWOT analysis of the digitalisation of the Ukrainian economy according to the Global Digital Competitiveness and Network Readiness indices is carried out and the ways and priority tasks of its intensification in the European integration direction of development are outlined - 4G mobile coverage, availability of clean energy, neutralisation of high investment risks, proper legal regulation of intellectual property and ICT activities. The key role of e-governance strategies and practices in the process of digital transformation of national economies is substantiated on the basis of a comparative cross-country analysis. The author's own logic of digital economy transformation is presented, based on promising scientific and technological trends generated by nano-, bio-, neuro-, quantum- and artificial intelligence. The author substantiates the objective conditionality of the formation of a smart economy, primarily in the format of smart enterprises, cities and communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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A hardware-based memory-efficient sequence alignment architecture is described in this paper. This paper expresses a comprehensive blueprint of the hardware implementation of compact sequence alignment for pair-wise global alignment technique to achieve high-throughput processing. This architecture uses SRAM and only a small amount of digital logic circuitry to perform elementary operations of sequence alignment in real time. Additionally, this alignment engine does not require any preprocessing operations like in most of the existing alignment approaches do. Furthermore, it does not call for any sort of comparison mechanism for preparing final sequence alignment by the alignment co-processor. The entire architecture is simulated and synthesized in FPGA board for numerous cases considering dissimilar pseudo-randomly generated sequence pairs with variable sequence lengths ranging from 16 to 2048 nucleotides. The proposed design exhibits compact alignment of the sequences that leads to the identification of close similarity between the sequences under test. Moreover, the proposed alignment engine takes significantly less amount of time, ≈64–95% less time, and ≈85–99% less amount of memory space than existing alignment approaches. The overall system performance is studied with respect to Millions Alignments Per Second (MAPS) and exhibits ≈55–75% more sequence alignments of same set of DNA sequences in a stipulated time compared to existing schemes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Here in the essay the internal logic of the digital transformation of the steel pipe-making company is described. The digital transformation strategy is worked out, and some cases concerning the digital construction are analyzed. It is regarded that during the process of implementation of the digital transformation, it is necessary to identify the positive and negative effects of the organizational inertia, properly grasp the scale of the transformational change, and meanwhile build the dynamic capabilities of the enterprise by means of the scientific strategies; furthermore during the digital transformation process, it is also necessary to pay attention to the constructions of the digital culture, talent and ability, etc; and it is suggested to learn relevant across-industrial experiences, and continuously carry out explorations associated with such aspects as new business format, lean production, operation situational awareness and full-flow delivery and so on. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The miasma of misinformation has become globally pervasive, infecting millions of people with false beliefs and conspiracies. This conceptual study examines the role of media in the creation, sustenance, and propagation of misinformation, by looking into the economic structuring of media industries. Traditionally, media relied on the dual product model that rendered their function of informing the public a secondary concern, as their profitability depended on expanding their viewership. Pervasiveness of misinformation in the contemporary media landscape is aided by the emerging "triple product model" as the economic logic of the digital media platforms. The valorization of the users' data has become a lucrative "third product." This shift in the form of communication processes takes place in social media platforms through the notion of "phatic communication," a concept that has been underexplored by media and consumer studies literature so far. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We formalize in Isabelle/HOL soundness and completeness of a one-sided sequent calculus for first-order logic. The completeness is shown via a translation from a semantic tableau calculus, whose completeness proof we base on the theory entry 'First-Order Logic According to Fitting' by Berghofer in the Archive of Formal Proofs. The calculi and proof techniques are taken from Ben-Ari's textbook Mathematical Logic for Computer Science (Springer, 2012). We thereby demonstrate that Berghofer's approach works not only for natural deduction but also constitutes a framework for mechanically checked completeness proofs for a range of proof systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] There is an unceasing quest to create novel forms of intelligent active matter that exhibits sensing, energy harvesting, actuating, computing, and communication functionalities. Realizing such capabilities can provide new road maps to autonomous and electronic materials with numerous applications in robotics, human–machine interfacing, micro/nano-electromechanical systems, and flexible electronics. Here, we introduce "mechanical metamaterial electronics (meta-mechanotronics)" as a platform for designing intelligent matter that can sense external stimuli, self-power and process the information to create an integrated closed-loop control system. We achieve these advanced functionalities by fusing mechanical metamaterials, digital electronics and triboelectric nano energy harvesting technologies. Meta-mechanotronic systems use only their constituent components and integrated nanogenerator mechanisms to perform self-powered mechanical–electrical-logic and information storage operations. Thus, they establish a direct interaction mechanism between the external environment and electronics, which is a radically different approach from conventional electrically-controlled units. We demonstrate digital unit cells as building blocks for meta-mechanotronics to perform various self-powered computation functionalities. Analytical models, numerical simulations and experimental studies are performed to design a suite of electronic mechanical metamaterials capable of synthesizing discrete mechanical configurations, performing binary/ternary computations, and realizing digital logic gates, i.e., AND, OR, XOR, NAND, NOR, and XNOR. We demonstrate the capability of the framework by creating self-powered mechanically-responsive data storage devices that can store various ASCII codes. Further discussion is provided on how meta-mechanotronics and the associated circuitry can lead to developing future mechanical metamaterial computers, complementing traditional electronics with electronics made of mechanical metamaterials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a novel design of an all-optical half-adder (HA) based on two two-ring resonators in a two-dimensional square-lattice photonic crystal (PC) structure without nonlinear materials is proposed. The all-optical HA comprises AND and XOR gates where each gate is composed of cross-shaped waveguides and two-ring resonators in a 2D square-lattice PC that are filled with silicon (Si) rods in silica (SiO2). The AND and XOR gates are analyzed and simulated using plane-wave expansion (PWE) and finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) methods. Simulation results show that light guiding inside the device functions as AND and XOR gates. Thus, the proposed device has the potential for use in optical arithmetic logic units for digital computing circuits. The structure comprises an optical AND gate and an optical XOR gate that were designed to work at the C-band spectrum. Results show that there is a clear distinction between logic states 1 and 0 with a narrow power range that leads to a better robust decision on the receiver side for minimized logic errors in the photonic decision circuit. Thus, the proposed HA can be a key component for designing a photonic arithmetic logic unit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Superconducting digital pulse-conserving logic and Josephson static random access memory (JSRAM) memory together enable scalable circuits with energy efficiency 100× beyond leading-node CMOS. Circuit designs support high throughput and low latency when implemented in an advanced fabrication stack with high-critical-current-density Josephson junctions of 1000 μA/μm2. Pulse-conserving logic produces one single-flux-quantum output for each input and includes a three-input, three-output gate producing logical or3, majority3, and and3. Gate macros using dual-rail data encoding eliminate inversion latency and produce efficient implementations of all standard logic functions. A full adder using 70 Josephson junctions has a carry-out latency of 5 ps corresponding to an effective 12 levels of logic at 30 GHz. JSRAM memory uses single-flux-quantum signals throughout an active array to achieve throughput at the same clock rate as the logic. The unit cell has eight Josephson junctions, a signal propagation latency of 1 ps, and a footprint of 2 μm2. Projected density of JSRAM is 4 MB/cm2, and computational density of pulse-conserving logic is on par with leading node CMOS accounting for power densities and clock rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Designers use third-party intellectual property (IP) cores and outsource various steps in the integrated circuit (IC) design and manufacturing flow. As a result, security vulnerabilities have been rising. This is forcing IC designers and end users to re-evaluate their trust in ICs. If attackers get hold of an unprotected IC, they can reverse engineer the IC and pirate the IP. Similarly, if attackers get hold of a design, they can insert malicious circuits or take advantage of “backdoors” in a design. Unintended design bugs can also result in security weaknesses. This tutorial paper provides an introduction to the domain of hardware security through two pedagogical examples of hardware security problems. The first is a walk-through of the scan chain-based side channel attack. The second is a walk-through of logic locking of digital designs. The tutorial material is accompanied by open access digital resources that are linked in this article. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]