Indian Institute of Technology Palakkad&nbsp;(IIT Palakkad or IIT PKD) is a public autonomous&nbsp;engineering&nbsp;and&nbsp;research&nbsp;institute located in&nbsp;Palakkad,&nbsp;Kerala. It was&nbsp;one of the five new&nbsp;IITs&nbsp;proposed in the&nbsp;2014 Union budget of India. The campus was inaugurated on 3 August 2015. The institute has 94 faculty, 978 students, and 63 non-teaching staffs.

IT Palakkad currently offers four-year Bachelor of Technology (B.Tech) and two years MS programmes in 8 different engineering disciplines including&nbsp;Computer Science, Electrical, Mechanical, Civil among others.

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IIT Palakkad

Deep Neural Networks (DNN) are very effective in high performance applications such as computer vision, natural language processing and speech recognition. However, these networks are vulnerable to adversarial attacks that infuses perturbations in the input data which are imperceptible to human eyes. In this paper, we propose a novel decision-based targeted adversarial attack algorithm which exposes the vulnerability of the underlying DNN when implemented on a resource constrained computing edge. Experimental results show that the proposed model performs 4 seconds(s) faster on an average, in a single perturbed image generation than the state of the art RED-attack, while consuming 15% less time for the entire dataset. © 2020 IEEE.

World University root node

Department of Computer Science and Engineering

Department of Data Science

IEEE Workshop on Signal Processing Systems, SiPS: Design and Implementation

Fast and Efficient Decision-Based Attack for Deep Neural Network on Edge

In this article, we consider the condition pseudospectrum of bounded linear operators on a Banach space. The condition pseudospectrum of normal matrices and Jordan blocks are characterized and condition pseudospectral radius of the classes are found. Sub-additivity and sub-multiplicativity of the condition pseudospectral radius for commuting pairs of bounded linear operators are proved. It is shown that the condition pseudospectral radius becomes a complete algebra norm in a commutative complex unital Banach algebra. Certain examples are given to illustrate the results. The results developed are also extended to a general setting. © 2020, © 2020 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

Department of Mathematics

Linear and Multilinear Algebra

Condition pseudospectral radius of bounded linear operators

This project aims to increase the wear resistance of aluminium alloy 5052 (AA5052), which has very good corrosion resistance, ductility, excellent thermal and electrical conductivity. Composites were fabricated using AA5052 reinforced with silicon carbide 3% and alumina 3 & 4% by weight of the matrix, melting temperature 700 & 750 °C and stirring time 3 & 5 min. Maximum micro-hardness and tensile Strength were achieved for the combination of silicon carbide—3%, alumina—4%, melting temperature—750 °C and stirring time—3 min. Composite fabricated for the above said condition is used for wear analysis. The design of experiments was planned in full factorial method with load, speed, time and track diameter as input factors and wear as the response or output factor. The test was performed in pin-on-disc tribometer as per design of experiments. The process parameter combination of 2 kg load, 500 rpm speed, 5 min time and 70 cm track diameter was found to be the optimum condition for minimum wear of the fabricated hybrid composite. Wear resistance was increased by 51%. Speed has the maximum influence with 45.52% contribution, whereas time has the least influence with 7.02% contribution. © 2020, Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.

Department of Mechanical Engineering

Lecture Notes in Mechanical Engineering

Investigation on Wear Behaviour of AA5052/SiC/Al2O3 Hybrid Composite Fabricated Using Stir Casting Process

Recent critiques of the BIM literature describe it as largely devoid of critical theoretical perspectives and theorization capable of explaining the nature of change in work practices in a holistic manner. In response, the authors argue that, from a theoretical standpoint, implementing BIM within professional work practices (as activity systems) induces their evolution through dysfunctions created within the systems and their resolution. Cases of professional organizations in South Africa that have implemented BIM within their organization and in multi-organizational projects helped to develop new theoretical insights into how professional work practices evolve using activity theory-based re-description of the data. Changes in professional work practices were analyzed sequentially within the framework, confirming theoretical propositions and revealing the dynamics between and within the interconnected system of actors, their object, tools, rules guiding work, roles they assume and the stakeholders. Essentially, the findings imply that the implementation of BIM significantly changes work practices within organizations, but gradually and over time. This supports an evolutionary, rather than a radical or revolutionary, view of BIM-induced change. This theoretical perspective could explain future dimensions of change in professional work practices involving BIM and indeed similar work mediating tools.

Department of Civil Engineering

Fulltext

Construction Management and Economics

Understanding BIM's impact on professional work practices using activity theory

Sugarcane bagasse ash (SCBA), a by-product from sugar industry, has been evidently reported as a potential alternative cementitious material that can partially replace cement. In spite of its high valorization potential in cement production, the large quantity of bagasse ash generated from Indian sugar plants (44,220 tonnes/day) is entirely unutilized and disposed as waste. Lack of comprehensive SCBA availability and accessibility studies are the major deterrents for the effective utilization of SCBA in industrial scale applications. This study investigated the availability of bagasse ash, fly ash and slag in India and their accessibility to existing cement plants. A comparative network analysis using ArcGIS was adopted, to assess the benefits of using bagasse ash in cement plants. Bagasse ash was found to be a potentially viable supplementary cementitious material in three out of the five major sugar-producing states of India. It is shown that switching over to bagasse ash results in significant reduction of carbon emissions associated with logistics (5.41 million tonnes/year). Strategic locations for new cement plants were identified based on availability of bagasse ash, using location-allocation analysis. A practical framework has also been presented for the effective utilization and recycling of sugar industry wastes in the construction sector. © 2020, Springer Japan KK, part of Springer Nature.

Journal of Material Cycles and Waste Management

Effective utilization of sugar industry waste in Indian construction sector: A geospatial approach

Sensor technology, particularly disposable, field-deployable devices offer considerable promise for addressing major security demands, in general, and in particular the urgent needs for selective and rapid field detection of highly toxic G-type organophosphate (OP) nerve agents. Herein, we report on the first example of a disposable electrochemical biosensor chip for decentralized field detection of diisopropyl fluorophosphate (DFP), as the simulant compound of G-type nerve agents (e.g., Sarin and Soman), based on the integration of an all-solid-state fluoride potentiometric transducer with the enzyme organophosphorus acid anhydrolase (OPAA) in connection to a hand-held potentiometric analyzer. Such solid-contact fluoride ion-selective electrodes were realized by comparing different fluoride ionophores to select the bis(fluorodioctylstannyl)methane molecule, along with systematic optimization of the experimental parameters. This first solid-contact fluoride detection chip displayed a favorable analytical performance, with near-Nernstian behavior at neutral pH in different buffers, high selectivity against various anions along with excellent reproducibility. Combining such desirable merits of the new fluoride sensor with the selective biocatalytic hydrolysis via an immobilized OPAA, to break the P[sbnd]F bond of G-type neurotoxins and release detectable fluoride ions, thereby enabled an attractive analytical performance. Both the fluoride and the nerve-agent recognition layers have thus been systematically optimized. The resulting biosensor chip thus displays a fast, sensitive and selective response towards DFP (including efficient discrimination against OP pesticides), along with a wide dynamic range of 250–3000 μM. Key challenges towards developing the nerve-agent detection chip were carefully addressed, including the pH incompatibility of the enzymatic and detection processes. By providing effective discrimination against common OP pesticides and minimizing related false alarms, the resultant disposable potentiometric biochip platform is expected to provide an instantaneous reliable warning of chemical attack and exposure towards a timely countermeasure action, and hence, would dramatically advance the protection of our military personnel. © 2020 Elsevier B.V.

Department of Chemistry

Sensors and Actuators, B: Chemical

OPAA/fluoride biosensor chip towards field detection of G-type nerve agents

This work provides a succinct insight into the recent developments in electrochemical quantification of vital biomedical markers using hybrid metallic composite nanostructures. After a brief introduction to the biomarkers, five types of crucial biomarkers, which require timely and periodical monitoring, are shortlisted, namely, cancer, cardiac, inflammatory, diabetic and renal biomarkers. This review emphasizes the usage and advantages of hybrid nanostructured materials as the recognition matrices toward the detection of vital biomarkers. Different transduction methods (fluorescence, electrophoresis, chemiluminescence, electrochemiluminescence, surface plasmon resonance, surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy) reported for the biomarkers are discussed comprehensively to present an overview of the current research works. Recent advancements in the electrochemical (amperometric, voltammetric, and impedimetric) sensor systems constructed with metal nanoparticle-derived hybrid composite nanostructures toward the selective detection of chosen vital biomarkers are specifically analyzed. It describes the challenges involved and the strategies reported for the development of selective, sensitive, and disposable electrochemical biosensors with the details of fabrication, functionalization, and applications of hybrid metallic composite nanostructures. © 2020 The Authors. Published by WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim

Advanced Science

Recent Trends in Electrochemical Sensors for Vital Biomedical Markers Using Hybrid Nanostructured Materials

There are urgent needs for sensing devices capable of distinguishing between episodes of opioid overdose and nerve agent poisoning. This work presents a wearable microneedle sensor array for minimally invasive continuous electrochemical detection of opioid (OPi) and organophosphate (OP) nerve agents on a single patch platform. The new multimodal microneedle sensor array relies on unmodified and organophosphorus hydrolase (OPH) enzyme-modified carbon paste (CP) microneedle electrodes for square wave voltammetric (SWV) detection of the fentanyl and nerve agent targets, respectively. Such real-time simultaneous sensing provides distinct unique information, along with attractive analytical performance, including high sensitivity, selectivity, and stability, for real-time on-body OPi-OP analysis. The patch represents the first sensing device capable of continuously monitoring fentanyl down to the nanomolar level through a nanomaterial-based multilayered surface architecture. Applicability of the sensor array toward opioids screening is demonstrated for morphine and norfentanyl. Successful OPi-OP detection conducted in a skin-mimicking phantom gel demonstrates the suitability of the device for rapid on-body sensing. Such progress toward continuous minimally invasive transdermal analysis of drugs of abuse and nerve agents holds promise for rapid countermeasures for protecting soldiers, civilians, and healthcare personnel. Copyright © 2020 American Chemical Society.

Journal of the American Chemical Society

Continuous Opioid Monitoring along with Nerve Agents on a Wearable Microneedle Sensor Array

Supervised learning algorithms require sufficient amount of labeled training data for learning robust prediction models. The field of Transfer Learning (TL) (also known as knowledge transfer) deals with utilizing knowledge from data-rich auxiliary domains to learn a reliable predictor for the domain of interest. This chapter presents a condensed review of the shallow TL literature (prior to the deep learning era). The chapter motivates the need for TL using an application. After an informal introduction to TL, a categorization of TL approaches based on the characteristics of the domains is presented. Next, the different transfer settings along with the challenges in each setting are described. The TL frameworks are delineated using a generic optimization problem. The chapter also discusses a few real-world applications used for benchmarking experiments for each transfer setting. Finally, the chapter concludes with some unexplored avenues in the TL research. © Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020.

Domain Adaptation in Computer Vision with Deep Learning

Shallow Domain Adaptation

Reactions of a series of magnesium(I) compounds with ethylene, in the presence of an N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC), have been explored. Treating [{(MesNacnac)Mg}2] (MesNacnac=[HC(MeCNMes)2]−, Mes=mesityl) with an excess of ethylene in the presence of two equivalents of :C{(MeNCMe)2} (TMC) leads to the formal reductive coupling of ethylene and formation of the 1,2-dimagnesiobutane complex, [{(MesNacnac)(TMC)Mg}2(μ-C4H8)]. In contrast, when the reaction is repeated in the presence of three equivalents of TMC, a mixture of the β-diketiminato magnesium ethyl, [(MesNacnac)(TMC)MgEt] and the NHC coordinated magnesium diamide, [(MesNacnac-H)Mg(TMC)2], results. Four related products, [(ArNacnac)(TMC)MgEt] (Ar=2,6-dimethylphenyl (Xyl) or 2,6-diisopropylphenyl (Dip)) and [(ArNacnac-H)Mg(TMC)2] (Ar=Xyl or Dip), were similarly synthesised and crystallographically characterized. Computational studies have been employed to investigate the mechanisms of the two observed reaction types, which appear dependent on the substitution pattern of the magnesium(I) compound and the stoichiometric equivalents of TMC used in the reactions. © 2020 Wiley-VCH GmbH