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Based on the resource-based view that identifies both CSR and innovation as resourceful and competitive advantage-generating activities, the current paper examines the effect of innovation spending...

Face recognition technology has recently become controversial over concerns about possible bias due to accuracy varying based on race or skin tone. We explore three important aspects of face recognition technology related to this controversy. Using two different deep convolutional neural network face matchers, we show that for a fixed decision threshold, the African-American image cohort has a higher false match rate (FMR), and the Caucasian cohort has a higher false nonmatch rate. We present an analysis of the impostor distribution designed to test the premise that darker skin tone causes a higher FMR, and find no clear evidence to support this premise. Finally, we explore how using face recognition for one-to-many identification can have a very low false-negative identification rate and still present concerns related to the false-positive identification rate. Both the ArcFace and VGGFace2 matchers and the MORPH dataset used in our experiments are available to the research community so that others should be able to reproduce or reanalyze our results.

A mechanically stabilized earth (MSE) wall is an engineered system consisting of alternating layers of soil reinforcement and compacted backfill material fixed to the wall facing and supported on a foundation. The present study is focused on parametric analysis of MSE walls using an analytical method, GEO5 MSE to determine the factor of safety of the wall. The factor of safety of a 10 m high MSE wall was computed with respect to varying environments of backfill soil, the length of reinforcement to height of the wall (L/H), reinforcement characteristic strength and spacing of reinforcement. This study mainly focuses on finding out how variations in the factors affect the behaviour of the wall and its factor of safety. It was observed that improvement in the angle of friction leads to an increase the factor of safety. It was also noted that, increase in L/H ratio from 0.4 to 1.0 showed an increase in factor of safety by 15.92% and increase in reinforcement spacing from 0.2 m to 1 m showed a decrease in factor of safety by 74.52%. Factor of safety was also found to increase with an increase in characteristic strength of embedded reinforcement. From the parametric analysis, MSE walls were developed to replace the failed retaining walls at various locations in India.

Microcoils provide significant applications in biomedical microdevices. Lab-on-chip systems make use of electromagnetic microactuators for controlling fluid flow within microscopic devices. Microcoils are inevitable components in electromagnetic microactuators. The effect of the geometrical parameters of a coplanar microcoil on the electromagnetic force of a microactuator is analysed and presented in this work. An optimized coil geometry is also presented to produce required electromagnetic force for the microactuating applications.

The emerging field of micro dimensioned biomedical sensors involves tremendous research to detect biomolecules and pathogens with an improved sensitivity and a low limit of detection. The use of magnetic labels in biosensors has increased so much over the past years due to unique advantages of magnetic sensing techniques. Planar microcoil based magnetic biosensors help to reduce the system size and improve the sensitivity. This paper proposes non-spiral planar microcoil based magnetic sensors which are advantageous over conventional spiral coil based sensors regarding fabrication easiness and heating losses. The method of microfabrication of the coil sensor described in this paper makes use of a single mask process which is the simplest among all existing processes. Non-spiral planar microcoil sensors based on induction-balance and differential sensing principles are studied in this work. Also, an analytical model is developed to design the dimensions of the sensing coil. Comprehensive finite element analysis of the sensors is performed, and the results are compared with the experimental outcomes. A comparative study of the proposed sensors with the existing planar coil magnetic sensors is also presented to show the advantages of the proposed coil sensors over the existing ones.

Lab-on-chip (LoC) systems such as point of care (PoC) testing biomedical devices have wide applications, and their significance is increasing tremendously. PoC devices use immunodiagnostic assays to detect the presence of specific pathogens or biomolecules. Micropumps and micromotors are inevitable parts of such LoC devices to control the flow of biofluids. Magnetic sensors are gaining attention for the performance that they can provide in magnetic immunodiagnostic assays for PoC devices (Zheng et al. 2016).

This paper presents a finite element analysis of a non-spiral planar microcoil based biomedical wireless power link. Non-spiral planar microcoils provide distinct advantages over the conventional microcoils concerning fabrication easiness and heating losses. Microfabrication of non-spiral planar microcoils requires only a single metal level lithography. Optimum geometry of coils for realizing wireless link is selected as a circular one. The coupling factor of wireless links making use of such coplanar coils is found to reach up to 90% with an additional Neodymium magnetic shield layer by optimizing its position.

The gene for receptor tyrosine kinase ErbB2 is amplified in breast and ovarian tumours. The linear pathway by which signals are transduced through ErbB2 are well known. However, second generation questions that address spatial aspects of signaling remain. To address this, we have undertaken a mass spectrometry approach to identify phosphoproteins specific for ErbB2 using the inhibitors Lapatinib and CP724714 in ovarian cancer cells. The ErbB2 specific proteins identified in SKOV-3 cells were Myristoylated alanine-rich C-kinase substrate, Protein capicua homolog, Protein peptidyl isomerase G, Protein PRRC2C, Chromobox homolog1 and PRP4 homolog. We have evaluated three phosphoproteins PKM2, Aldose reductase and MARCKS in SKOV-3 cells. We observed that PKM2 was phosphorylated by EGF but was not inhibited by Lapatinib and CP724714. The activity of aldose reductase in reducing NADPH as a substrate was significantly higher in EGF stimulated cells which was inhibited by Lapatinib and CP724714 but not by Geftinib (EGFR inhibitor). MARCKS was phosphorylated on stimulation of SKOV-3 cells with EGF that was inhibited by Lapatinib and CP724714 which was dependent on the kinase activity of ErbB2. These results have identified phosphoproteins that are specific to ErbB2 which have not been previously reported and sets the basis for future experiments.

Planar microcoils are essential components in magnetic biosensors for the detection of magnetic micro or nanoparticles. The particles are surface-functionalized to recognize specific molecular targets. Various nonspiral planar coil geometries are analyzed in this work to select the most suitable geometry for biosensing applications. Nonspiral planar coils have the advantage of the easier fabrication process and lower coil parasitics than that of its spiral counterparts. The microcoils are fabricated using a single mask level lithography and characterized to extract the electrical parameters of the microcoil. The results suggest that the circular geometry possesses the lowest series coil resistance and a uniform magnetic field distribution along the coil turns suitable for biosensing applications among the various nonspiral planar microcoils under consideration.

We present a comprehensive analysis of how and why face recognition accuracy differs between men and women. We show that accuracy is lower for women due to the combination of (1) the impostor distribution for women having a skew toward higher similarity scores, and (2) the genuine distribution for women having a skew toward lower similarity scores. We show that this phenomenon of the impostor and genuine distributions for women shifting closer towards each other is general across datasets of African-American, Caucasian, and Asian faces. We show that the distribution of facial expressions may differ between male/female, but that the accuracy difference persists for image subsets rated confidently as neutral expression. The accuracy difference also persists for image subsets rated as close to zero pitch angle. Even when removing images with forehead partially occluded by hair/hat, the same impostor/genuine accuracy difference persists. We show that the female genuine distribution improves when only female images without facial cosmetics are used, but that the female impostor distribution also degrades at the same time. Lastly, we show that the accuracy difference persists even if a state-of-the-art deep learning method is trained from scratch using training data explicitly balanced between male and female images and subjects., Paper will appear at The 2nd Workshop on Demographic Variation in the Performance of Biometric Systems at WACV 2020

Rohinton Mistry is a Parsi Indian born Cannadian writer. He writes about the Parsi community in his works. To survive he endorsed exhausting bank job, yet to slip off from the customary life he studied English and philosophy in part time. Mistry became writer almost by accident. His renowned works are Tales From Firozsha Baag, Such a long journey, A Fine Balance and Family Matters. In hisworkshecentersthe historical backdrop of his country and Parsi communityand culture and national identity. This article aims to analyse the identity of Parsi community in select novels of Mistry., {"references":["1.\tBala, Suman. The writer Par Excellence, New Delhi: Khosla Book House, 2013. Print. 2.\tBijalwan,Richa. \"Diasporic Consciousness and Parsi identity in Rohinton Mistry's Such a Long Journey.\"Journal of English Languarge Teaching and Literary Studies: Vol. 5, 2016. 3.\tDodiya, Jayadipsingh Ed. \"The Parsi community in such a Long Journey\".The Fiction of Rohinton Mistry: Critical Studies. New Delhi: Prestige Books, 1998. 4.\tDodiya, Jayadipsingh Ed. \"The Parsi community in such a Long Journey\".The Fiction of Rohinton Mistry: Critical Studies. Op. Cit. 5.\tDodiya, Jayadipsingh. Perspectives on the novels of Rohinton Mistry. New Delhi: Sarup and sons, 2006. 6.\tDuresh, J.G. \"Reclaiming Racial Identity: an analysis of Parsi Community in Rohinton Mistry's Family Matters.\"The Literary Criterion 42.2(2007) 7.\tDuresh, J.G. \"Reclaiming Racial Identity: an analysis of Parsi Community in Rohinton Mistry's Family Matters.\" The Atlantic Literary Review Quarterly 7.3 (july- Sep 2006) 8.\tGoldberg, David Theo. Multiculturalism: A Critical Reader. USA: Blackwell Publications, 1996. 9.\tKapadia Novy. \"The Parsis: An Introduction\". Parsi Fiction. Vol. I. Op. Cit. 10.\tMistry, Rohinton. A Fine Balance. London: Faber and Faber, 1995. Print. 11.\tMistry, Rohinton. Family Matters. London: Faber and Faber, 2002. Print. 12.\tMistry, Rohinton. Such A Long Journey. London: Faber and Faber, 1992. Print. 13.\tSidhwa, Bapsi. An American Brat. New Delhi: Penguin Books, 1994. Print. 14.\tSingh, Avadhesh Kumar. \"The sense of Community in the Parsi Novels.\" The Literary Criterion 31.3 (1996) 15.\tSrinivas, Sunitha.C. Funtionalism and Indian English Fiction. New Delhi: Atlantic Publishers, 2010, 147. Print. 16.\tVinodhini, The Portrayal of Parsi Culture abd Religion in Rohinton Mistry's Such a Long Journey, IRWLE VOL. 8 NO. II July 2012 17.\tVV.L.V.N.Narendra Kumar, Parsee Novel, Prestige Books, New Delhi, 2002."]}

The paper presents a modified dynamic comparator suitable for successive approximation register (SAR) analog-to-digital converter. Improvisations incorporated in the circuit ensure the ultra low power operation of the comparator, maintaining all beneficial attributes of its predecessors. Additional advantages of this circuit are the reduction in the response time of the comparator and die area. The performance of the modified comparator is ensured by the design and simulation using 0.18µm technology in Cadence Virtuoso suit. The results shows power consumption of 142pW at clock frequency of 0.1MHz and 1.5V supply.

Magnetic microbeads have acquired broad scope in immunoassay applications to detect pathogens causing dreadful diseases. In this work, we propose magnetic sensors using non-spiral planar microcoils to sense the presence of the microbeads with better sensitivity and fabrication simplicity. Experiments are performed by measuring the current induced in the sensing coil in the presence of iron oxide microbeads. Meanwhile, simulation studies of the sensors are conducted to verify the experimental results. A comparison of the proposed and the reported works on planar coil sensors are also presented. Improved limit of detection with reduced power consumption is observed to be the significant advantage of the induction-balance and differential sensors compared to the reported works.

Electromagnetic microactuators offer several advantages for robotic applications such as relatively large stroke and low input voltage requirements. Micro coils are significant components for electromagnetic microactuators for generating force required for micro robots. Non-spiral planar microcoils of square and circular geometries are analyzed here considering the fabrication easiness and low power consumption of non-spiral planar coils. Microfabrication of non-spiral planar coil is simpler and requires a single mask process only. Comparison between non-spiral coils and conventional spiral coils are also discussed. Series resistance of non-spiral coil is found out to be lesser than that of spiral coils though magnetic field is slightly lesser for non-spiral coils. The fabrication advantages and low power dissipation of non-spiral structures make them a strong alternative for conventional spiral planar microcoils. Comparison of different planar microcoils shows that the circular non-spiral coil gives better performance than other coil geometries considered here for robotic applications. Circular coil is found to provide a uniform field with lesser parasitic resistance. Electromagnetic microactuator using non-spiral planar circular and square microcoils are also analyzed to compare the performance between the two coil types. The results show that the force generated using non-spiral circular microcoil in the microactuator is adequate for microrobotic applications with an added advantage of uniform magnetic field provided by the circular coils.

Microcoils are essential components in magnetic sensors made using Micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) technology. Nonspiral microcoils have fabrication advantages over conventional spiral coils and can be effectively used in MEMS micro sensors for generation and detection of magnetic fields. In this work, an analytical model of peak flux density, sensitivity, and resolution for the nonspiral planar microcoil is reported for the first time. Self and mutual inductances of a non-spiral coil are used to calculate the flux density at the innermost turn of the coil. The model derived is compared with standard fabrication results, and it is found to be in good agreement with the experimental results.

Planar microcoils are significant components of inductive devices used for biomedical wireless power transfer applications. Biomedical devices implanted inside the human body needs to be powered up at regular intervals which can be done electromagnetically through a planar microcoils’ setup. Different types of planar microcoils such as spiral and non-spiral planar microcoils are compared in this work in terms of their electrical parameters. An analytical model is also developed which is validated using experimental results. The fabrication advantages and low power dissipation of non-spiral coil structures make them a strong alternative for conventional spiral planar coils. Though the magnitude of magnetic flux density is slightly lesser for non-spiral coils, series resistance required for wireless power link is found to be better for the same. The fabrication of non-spiral planar microcoils of various geometries is shown using a single mask level. Coupling factors of various wireless power links are also simulated using different non-spiral planar microcoil geometries to select the optimum geometry for the wireless power link application.

Microcoils are significant components for micro magnetic sensors and actuators especially in biomedical devices such as micropumps. Non-spiral planar microcoil is an emerging type of planar microcoil which can reduce the overall device dimensions with an easier fabrication process. Coil inductance of the order of 1 mH and series resistance as low as 0.25 Ω are obtained. Non-spiral planar microcoils of the common square and circular geometries are studied here by analyzing their electrical parameters. Comparison between the experimental and theoretical model is also done. Inductance, series resistance and parasitic capacitance of circular and square non-spiral coil geometries are compared along with their magnetic field distributions. Results show that the circular non-spiral coil gives better performance over the square counterpart.

A regulated power supply with ultra-low-power consumption, high current efficiency, line, load and thermal stability is an essential part of any high precision electronic system with stringent power budget such as biomedical sensors or military surveillance systems. In this paper, we propose an ultra-low-power, MOSFET only, voltage reference to regulator convertor, proficient to work below 1 V with reduced power consumption. The proposed idea incorporates the provision to integrate any voltage reference module to a comparator-based circuit so as to transform it to a voltage regulator having similar temperature coefficient (TC) and line regulation as that of the interfaced voltage reference. It is also able to produce a reliable output accounting to load fluctuations. The circuit is simulated in 0.18[Formula: see text][Formula: see text]m CMOS technology using Cadence Virtuoso simulation suit. The complete circuit was found to draw a quiescent current of 319.9 pA with a notable current efficiency of 99.99997% at 27∘C on driving a load of 1[Formula: see text]mA along with a Power Supply Rejection Ratio (PSRR) of [Formula: see text][Formula: see text]dB additional to that of the reference. The proposed circuit will occupy an area of 0.00064[Formula: see text]mm2 and offer a TC as low as 1.7077 ppm/∘C. The whole MOS approach facilitates a reduction in die area and process simplicity.

Fruit juices sold for commercial purpose have a very large market. Classification of the same type of fruit juice belonging to different brands is however not well advanced. This aspect if studied could benefit the two major roles in the industry, which are the producers and the consumers. Commercial fruit juices unlike the real fruit juices have additives in different proportions. The concentrations and quantities of these additives need to be aggregated to evaluate the quality of the juice. Another major influencing factor in the producer-consumer relationship is the monetary benefit. Our study involves analysis of the nutrition facts claimed by the brand. These involve calories, sugars, carbohydrates, vitamin A, vitamin C and price per 1000ml. We aim to combine both these factors to suggest overall benefit of consuming the juice with respect to the brand.

Extracting thematic information from scientific papers has wide applications in information retrieval systems. Keywords give compact representation of a document. This paper proposes a document-centered approach for automatic keyword extraction and domain classification of research articles. Here, we induce a hybrid approach by adopting different methods in various phases of the system. Domain classification is important for researchers to identify the articles within their interest. The proposed system uses Rapid Automatic Keyword Extraction (RAKE) algorithm for automatic keyphrase extraction which gives best score of keywords. The classification process concerns semantic analysis which includes keyword score-matrix and cosine similarity. A comparative study of performance of RAKE algorithm which uses score-matrix against KEA based on term frequencies to extract relevant keyword was also performed.

Induction motor drive is used in almost all industries including oil and gas sectors, production plants and process industries. Speed control of induction motor is a major concern. The proposed technology implements a better speed control for induction motor drives using a multilevel inverter. The switching sequences are generated by optimized pre-calculated angles for controlling induction motor. And also with the use of a multi-level inverter there is lower distortion of output voltages and Total Harmonic Distortion (THD) of machine currents under steady state operating conditions can be minimized. THD can be further reduced by optimizing the switching angles. This technology can be extended to higher levels of output voltages by using an n state multilevel inverter. In this paper, a seven level multilevel inverter is proposed, its simulation is done in MATLAB/Simulink and the results were verified by experimenting on a hardware prototype. This could be extended to higher levels of voltage waveform and can be used in photovoltaics. A multilevel inverter could be a better choice as a dc-dc converter in solar power circuits.

The objective of this research work is to isolate and identify calcite precipitating bacteria and to check the suitability of these bacteria for use in concrete to improve its strength. Bacteria to be incorporated in concrete should be alkali resistant to endure the high pH of concrete and endospore forming to withstand the mechanical stresses induced in concrete during mixing. They must exhibit high urease activity to precipitate calcium carbonate in the form of calcite. Bacterial strains were isolated from alkaline soil samples of a cement factory and were tested for urease activity, potential to form endospores and precipitation of calcium carbonate. Based on these results, three isolates were selected and identified by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. They were identified as Bacillus megaterium BSKAU, Bacillus licheniformis BSKNAU and Bacillus flexus BSKNAU. The results were compared with B. megaterium MTCC 1684 obtained from Microbial Type Culture Collection and Gene Bank, Chandigarh, India. Experimental work was carried out to assess the influence of bacteria on the compressive strength and tests revealed that bacterial concrete specimens showed enhancement in compressive strength. The efficiency of bacteria toward crack healing was also tested. Substantial increase in strength and complete healing of cracks was observed in concrete specimens cast with B. megaterium BSKAU, B. licheniformis BSKNAU and B. megaterium MTCC 1684. This indicates the suitability of these bacterial strains for use in concrete. The enhancement of strength and healing of cracks can be attributed to the filling of cracks in concrete by calcite which was visualized by scanning electron microscope.