AI For Business Guide

AI For Business Guide — independent reviews, comparisons, pricing and step-by-step guides on Aizhi.

  • Memory color effect

    Memory color effect

    The memory color effect is the phenomenon that the canonical hue of a type of object acquired through experience (e.g. the sky, a leaf, or a strawberry) can directly modulate the appearance of the actual colors of objects. Human observers acquire memory colors through their experiences with instances of that type. For example, most human observers know that an apple typically has a reddish hue; this knowledge about the canonical color which is represented in memory constitutes a memory color. As an example of the effect, normal human trichromats, when presented with a gray banana, often perceive the gray banana as being yellow - the banana's memory color. In light of this, subjects typically adjust the color of the banana towards the color blue - the opponent color of yellow - when asked to adjust its surface to gray to cancel the subtle activation of banana's memory color. Subsequent empirical studies have also shown the memory color effect on man-made objects (e.g. smurfs, German mailboxes), the effect being especially pronounced for blue and yellow objects. To explain this, researchers have argued that because natural daylight shifts from short wavelengths of light (i.e., bluish hues) towards light of longer wavelengths (i.e., yellowish-orange hues) during the day, the memory colors for blue and yellow objects are recruited by the visual system to a higher degree to compensate for this fluctuation in illumination, thereby providing a stronger memory color effect. == Form identification == Memory color plays a role when detecting an object. In a study where participants were given objects, such as an apple, with two alternate forms for each, a crooked apple and a circular apple, researchers changed the colors of the alternate forms and asked if they could identify them. Most of the participants answered "unsure," suggesting that we use memory color when identifying an object. The research redefined memory color as a phenomenon when "a form's identity affects the phenomenal hue of that form." == Color effect on memorization == Memory color effect can be derived from the human instinct to memorize objects better. Comparing the effect of recognizing gray-scaled images and colored images, results showed that people were able to recall colored images 5% higher compared to gray-scaled images. An important factor was that higher level of contrast between the object and background color influences memory. In a specific study related to this, participants reported that colors were 5% to 10% easier to recognize compared to black and white. == Color constancy and memory color effect == Color constancy is the phenomenon where a surface to appear to be of the same color under a wide rage of illumination. A study tested two hypotheses with regards to color memory; the photoreceptor hypothesis and the surface reflectance hypothesis. The test color was surround either by various color patches forming a complex pattern or a uniform “grey” field at the same chromaticity as that of the illuminant. The test color was presented on a dark background for the control group. It was observed that complex surround results where in line with the surface-reflectance hypothesis and not the photoreceptor hypothesis, showing that the accuracy and precision of color memory are fundamentals to understanding the phenomenon of color constancy. == Significance to the evolution of trichromacy == While objects that possess canonical hues make up a small percentage of the objects which populate humans’ visual experience, the human visual system evolved in an environment populated with objects that possess canonical hues. This suggests that the memory color effect is related to the emergence of trichromacy because it has been argued that trichromacy evolved to optimize the ability to detect ripe fruits—objects that appear in canonical hues. == In perception research == In perception research, the memory color effect is cited as evidence for the opponent color theory, which states that four basic colors can be paired with its opponent color: red—green, blue—yellow. This explains why participants adjust the ripe banana color to a blueish tone to make its memory color yellow as gray. Researchers have also found empirical evidence that suggests memory color is recruited by the visual system to achieve color constancy. For example, participants had a lower percentage of color constancy when looking at a color incongruent scene, such as a purple banana, compared to a color diagnostical scene, a yellow banana. This suggests that color constancy is influenced by the color of objects that we are familiar with, which the memory color effect takes part.

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  • Information

    Information

    Information is an abstract concept that refers to something which has the power to inform. At the most fundamental level, it pertains to the interpretation (perhaps formally) of that which may be sensed, or their abstractions. Any natural process that is not completely random and any observable pattern in any medium can be said to convey some amount of information. Whereas digital signals and other data use discrete signs to convey information, other phenomena and artifacts such as analogue signals, poems, pictures, music or other sounds, and currents convey information in a more continuous form. Information is not knowledge itself, but the meaning that may be derived from a representation through interpretation. The concept of information is relevant to and connected with various concepts, including constraint, communication, control, data, form, education, knowledge, meaning, understanding, mental stimuli, pattern, perception, proposition, representation, and entropy. Information is often processed iteratively: Data available at one step are processed into information to be interpreted and processed at the next step. For example, in written text each symbol or letter conveys information relevant to the word it is part of, each word conveys information relevant to the phrase it is part of, each phrase conveys information relevant to the sentence it is part of, and so on until at the final step information is interpreted and becomes knowledge in a given domain. In a digital signal, bits may be interpreted into the symbols, letters, numbers, or structures that convey the information available at the next level up. The key characteristic of information is that it is subject to interpretation and processing. The derivation of information from a signal or message may be thought of as the resolution of ambiguity or uncertainty that arises during the interpretation of patterns within the signal or message. Information may be structured as data. Redundant data can be compressed up to an optimal size, which is the theoretical limit of compression. The information available through a collection of data may be derived by analysis. For example, a restaurant collects data from every customer order. That information may be analyzed to produce knowledge that is put to use when the business subsequently wants to identify the most popular or least popular dish. Information can be transmitted in time, via data storage, and space, via communication and telecommunication. Information is expressed either as the content of a message or through direct or indirect observation. That which is perceived can be construed as a message in its own right, and in that sense, all information is always conveyed as the content of a message. Information can be encoded into various forms for transmission and interpretation (for example, information may be encoded into a sequence of signs, or transmitted via a signal). It can also be encrypted for safe storage and communication. The uncertainty of an event is measured by its probability of occurrence. Uncertainty is proportional to the negative logarithm of the probability of occurrence. Information theory takes advantage of this by concluding that more uncertain events require more information to resolve their uncertainty. The bit is the standard unit of information. It is 'that which reduces uncertainty by half'. Other units such as the nat may be used. For example, the information encoded in one "fair" coin flip is log2(2/1) = 1 bit, and in two fair coin flips is log2(4/1) = 2 bits. A 2011 Science article estimates that 97% of technologically stored information was already in digital bits in 2007 and that the year 2002 was the beginning of the digital age for information storage (with digital storage capacity bypassing analogue for the first time). == Etymology and history of the concept == The English word "information" comes from Middle French enformacion/informacion/information 'a criminal investigation' and its etymon, Latin informatiō(n) 'conception, teaching, creation'. In English, "information" is an uncountable mass noun. References on "formation or molding of the mind or character, training, instruction, teaching" date from the 14th century in both English (according to Oxford English Dictionary) and other European languages. In the transition from Middle Ages to Modernity the use of the concept of information reflected a fundamental turn in epistemological basis – from "giving a (substantial) form to matter" to "communicating something to someone". Peters (1988, pp. 12–13) concludes: Information was readily deployed in empiricist psychology (though it played a less important role than other words such as impression or idea) because it seemed to describe the mechanics of sensation: objects in the world inform the senses. But sensation is entirely different from "form" – the one is sensual, the other intellectual; the one is subjective, the other objective. My sensation of things is fleeting, elusive, and idiosyncratic. For Hume, especially, sensory experience is a swirl of impressions cut off from any sure link to the real world... In any case, the empiricist problematic was how the mind is informed by sensations of the world. At first informed meant shaped by; later it came to mean received reports from. As its site of action drifted from cosmos to consciousness, the term's sense shifted from unities (Aristotle's forms) to units (of sensation). Information came less and less to refer to internal ordering or formation, since empiricism allowed for no preexisting intellectual forms outside of sensation itself. Instead, information came to refer to the fragmentary, fluctuating, haphazard stuff of sense. Information, like the early modern worldview in general, shifted from a divinely ordered cosmos to a system governed by the motion of corpuscles. Under the tutelage of empiricism, information gradually moved from structure to stuff, from form to substance, from intellectual order to sensory impulses. In the modern era, the most important influence on the concept of information is derived from the Information theory developed by Claude Shannon and others. This theory, however, reflects a fundamental contradiction. Northrup (1993) wrote: Thus, actually two conflicting metaphors are being used: The well-known metaphor of information as a quantity, like water in the water-pipe, is at work, but so is a second metaphor, that of information as a choice, a choice made by :an information provider, and a forced choice made by an :information receiver. Actually, the second metaphor implies that the information sent isn't necessarily equal to the information received, because any choice implies a comparison with a list of possibilities, i.e., a list of possible meanings. Here, meaning is involved, thus spoiling the idea of information as a pure "Ding an sich." Thus, much of the confusion regarding the concept of information seems to be related to the basic confusion of metaphors in Shannon's theory: is information an autonomous quantity, or is information always per SE information to an observer? Actually, I don't think that Shannon himself chose one of the two definitions. Logically speaking, his theory implied information as a subjective phenomenon. But this had so wide-ranging epistemological impacts that Shannon didn't seem to fully realize this logical fact. Consequently, he continued to use metaphors about information as if it were an objective substance. This is the basic, inherent contradiction in Shannon's information theory." (Northrup, 1993, p. 5). In their seminal book The Study of Information: Interdisciplinary Messages, Almach and Mansfield (1983) collected key views on the interdisciplinary controversy in computer science, artificial intelligence, library and information science, linguistics, psychology, and physics, as well as in the social sciences. Almach (1983, p. 660) himself disagrees with the use of the concept of information in the context of signal transmission, the basic senses of information in his view all referring "to telling something or to the something that is being told. Information is addressed to human minds and is received by human minds." All other senses, including its use with regard to nonhuman organisms as well to society as a whole, are, according to Machlup, metaphoric and, as in the case of cybernetics, anthropomorphic. Hjørland (2007) describes the fundamental difference between objective and subjective views of information and argues that the subjective view has been supported by, among others, Bateson, Yovits, Span-Hansen, Brier, Buckland, Goguen, and Hjørland. Hjørland provided the following example: A stone on a field could contain different information for different people (or from one situation to another). It is not possible for information systems to map all the stone's possible information for every individual. Nor is any one mapping the one "true" mapping. But peop

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  • Hall circles

    Hall circles

    Hall circles (also known as M-circles and N-circles) are a graphical tool in control theory used to obtain values of a closed-loop transfer function from the Nyquist plot (or the Nichols plot) of the associated open-loop transfer function. Hall circles have been introduced in control theory by Albert C. Hall in his thesis. == Construction == Consider a closed-loop linear control system with open-loop transfer function given by transfer function G ( s ) {\displaystyle G(s)} and with a unit gain in the feedback loop. The closed-loop transfer function is given by T ( s ) = G ( s ) 1 + G ( s ) {\textstyle T(s)={\frac {G(s)}{1+G(s)}}} . To check the stability of T(s), it is possible to use the Nyquist stability criterion with the Nyquist plot of the open-loop transfer function G(s). Note, however, that the Nyquist plot of G(s) does not give the actual values of T(s). To get this information from the G(s)-plane, Hall proposed to construct the locus of points in the G(s)-plane such that T(s) has constant magnitude and also the locus of points in the G(s)-plane such that T(s) has constant phase angle. Given a positive real value M representing a fixed magnitude, and denoting G(s) by z, the points satisfying M = | T ( s ) | = | G ( s ) | | 1 + G ( s ) | = | z | | 1 + z | {\displaystyle M=|T(s)|={\frac {|G(s)|}{|1+G(s)|}}={\frac {|z|}{|1+z|}}} are given by the points z in the G(s)-plane such that the ratio of the distance between z and 0 and the distance between z and -1 is equal to M. The points z satisfying this locus condition are circles of Apollonius, and this locus is known in the context of control systems as M-circles. Given a positive real value N representing a phase angle, the points satisfying N = arg ⁡ [ G ( s ) 1 + G ( s ) ] = arg ⁡ [ G ( s ) ] − arg ⁡ [ 1 + G ( s ) ] = arg ⁡ [ z ] − arg ⁡ [ 1 + z ] {\displaystyle N=\arg \left[{\frac {G(s)}{1+G(s)}}\right]=\arg[G(s)]-\arg[1+G(s)]=\arg[z]-\arg[1+z]} are given by the points z in the G(s)-plane such that the angle between -1 and z and the angle between 0 and z is constant. In other words, the angle opposed to the line segment between -1 and 0 must be constant. This implies that the points z satisfying this locus condition are arcs of circles, and this locus is known in the context of control systems as N-circles. == Usage == To use the Hall circles, a plot of M and N circles is done over the Nyquist plot of the open-loop transfer function. The points of the intersection between these graphics give the corresponding value of the closed-loop transfer function. Hall circles are also used with the Nichols plot and in this setting, are also known as Nichols chart. Rather than overlaying directly the Hall circles over the Nichols plot, the points of the circles are transferred to a new coordinate system where the ordinate is given by 20 log 10 ⁡ ( | G ( s ) | ) {\displaystyle 20\log _{10}(|G(s)|)} and the abscissa is given by arg ⁡ ( G ( s ) ) {\displaystyle \arg(G(s))} . The advantage of using Nichols chart is that adjusting the gain of the open loop transfer function directly reflects in up and down translation of the Nichols plot in the chart.

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  • Holographic algorithm

    Holographic algorithm

    In computer science, a holographic algorithm is an algorithm that uses a holographic reduction. A holographic reduction is a constant-time reduction that maps solution fragments many-to-many such that the sum of the solution fragments remains unchanged. These concepts were introduced by Leslie Valiant, who called them holographic because "their effect can be viewed as that of producing interference patterns among the solution fragments". The algorithms are unrelated to laser holography, except metaphorically. Their power comes from the mutual cancellation of many contributions to a sum, analogous to the interference patterns in a hologram. Holographic algorithms have been used to find polynomial-time solutions to problems without such previously known solutions for special cases of satisfiability, vertex cover, and other graph problems. They have received notable coverage due to speculation that they are relevant to the P versus NP problem and their impact on computational complexity theory. Although some of the general problems are #P-hard problems, the special cases solved are not themselves #P-hard, and thus do not prove FP = #P. Holographic algorithms have some similarities with quantum computation, but are completely classical. == Holant problems == Holographic algorithms exist in the context of Holant problems, which generalize counting constraint satisfaction problems (#CSP). A #CSP instance is a hypergraph G=(V,E) called the constraint graph. Each hyperedge represents a variable and each vertex v {\displaystyle v} is assigned a constraint f v . {\displaystyle f_{v}.} A vertex is connected to an hyperedge if the constraint on the vertex involves the variable on the hyperedge. The counting problem is to compute ∑ σ : E → { 0 , 1 } ∏ v ∈ V f v ( σ | E ( v ) ) , ( 1 ) {\displaystyle \sum _{\sigma :E\to \{0,1\}}\prod _{v\in V}f_{v}(\sigma |_{E(v)}),~~~~~~~~~~(1)} which is a sum over all variable assignments, the product of every constraint, where the inputs to the constraint f v {\displaystyle f_{v}} are the variables on the incident hyperedges of v {\displaystyle v} . A Holant problem is like a #CSP except the input must be a graph, not a hypergraph. Restricting the class of input graphs in this way is indeed a generalization. Given a #CSP instance, replace each hyperedge e of size s with a vertex v of degree s with edges incident to the vertices contained in e. The constraint on v is the equality function of arity s. This identifies all of the variables on the edges incident to v, which is the same effect as the single variable on the hyperedge e. In the context of Holant problems, the expression in (1) is called the Holant after a related exponential sum introduced by Valiant. == Holographic reduction == A standard technique in complexity theory is a many-one reduction, where an instance of one problem is reduced to an instance of another (hopefully simpler) problem. However, holographic reductions between two computational problems preserve the sum of solutions without necessarily preserving correspondences between solutions. For instance, the total number of solutions in both sets can be preserved, even though individual problems do not have matching solutions. The sum can also be weighted, rather than simply counting the number of solutions, using linear basis vectors. === General example === It is convenient to consider holographic reductions on bipartite graphs. A general graph can always be transformed it into a bipartite graph while preserving the Holant value. This is done by replacing each edge in the graph by a path of length 2, which is also known as the 2-stretch of the graph. To keep the same Holant value, each new vertex is assigned the binary equality constraint. Consider a bipartite graph G=(U,V,E) where the constraint assigned to every vertex u ∈ U {\displaystyle u\in U} is f u {\displaystyle f_{u}} and the constraint assigned to every vertex v ∈ V {\displaystyle v\in V} is f v {\displaystyle f_{v}} . Denote this counting problem by Holant ( G , f u , f v ) . {\displaystyle {\text{Holant}}(G,f_{u},f_{v}).} If the vertices in U are viewed as one large vertex of degree |E|, then the constraint of this vertex is the tensor product of f u {\displaystyle f_{u}} with itself |U| times, which is denoted by f u ⊗ | U | . {\displaystyle f_{u}^{\otimes |U|}.} Likewise, if the vertices in V are viewed as one large vertex of degree |E|, then the constraint of this vertex is f v ⊗ | V | . {\displaystyle f_{v}^{\otimes |V|}.} Let the constraint f u {\displaystyle f_{u}} be represented by its weighted truth table as a row vector and the constraint f v {\displaystyle f_{v}} be represented by its weighted truth table as a column vector. Then the Holant of this constraint graph is simply f u ⊗ | U | f v ⊗ | V | . {\displaystyle f_{u}^{\otimes |U|}f_{v}^{\otimes |V|}.} Now for any complex 2-by-2 invertible matrix T (the columns of which are the linear basis vectors mentioned above), there is a holographic reduction between Holant ( G , f u , f v ) {\displaystyle {\text{Holant}}(G,f_{u},f_{v})} and Holant ( G , f u T ⊗ ( deg ⁡ u ) , ( T − 1 ) ⊗ ( deg ⁡ v ) f v ) . {\displaystyle {\text{Holant}}(G,f_{u}T^{\otimes (\deg u)},(T^{-1})^{\otimes (\deg v)}f_{v}).} To see this, insert the identity matrix T ⊗ | E | ( T − 1 ) ⊗ | E | {\displaystyle T^{\otimes |E|}(T^{-1})^{\otimes |E|}} in between f u ⊗ | U | f v ⊗ | V | {\displaystyle f_{u}^{\otimes |U|}f_{v}^{\otimes |V|}} to get f u ⊗ | U | f v ⊗ | V | {\displaystyle f_{u}^{\otimes |U|}f_{v}^{\otimes |V|}} = f u ⊗ | U | T ⊗ | E | ( T − 1 ) ⊗ | E | f v ⊗ | V | {\displaystyle =f_{u}^{\otimes |U|}T^{\otimes |E|}(T^{-1})^{\otimes |E|}f_{v}^{\otimes |V|}} = ( f u T ⊗ ( deg ⁡ u ) ) ⊗ | U | ( f v ( T − 1 ) ⊗ ( deg ⁡ v ) ) ⊗ | V | . {\displaystyle =\left(f_{u}T^{\otimes (\deg u)}\right)^{\otimes |U|}\left(f_{v}(T^{-1})^{\otimes (\deg v)}\right)^{\otimes |V|}.} Thus, Holant ( G , f u , f v ) {\displaystyle {\text{Holant}}(G,f_{u},f_{v})} and Holant ( G , f u T ⊗ ( deg ⁡ u ) , ( T − 1 ) ⊗ ( deg ⁡ v ) f v ) {\displaystyle {\text{Holant}}(G,f_{u}T^{\otimes (\deg u)},(T^{-1})^{\otimes (\deg v)}f_{v})} have exactly the same Holant value for every constraint graph. They essentially define the same counting problem. === Specific examples === ==== Vertex covers and independent sets ==== Let G be a graph. There is a 1-to-1 correspondence between the vertex covers of G and the independent sets of G. For any set S of vertices of G, S is a vertex cover in G if and only if the complement of S is an independent set in G. Thus, the number of vertex covers in G is exactly the same as the number of independent sets in G. The equivalence of these two counting problems can also be proved using a holographic reduction. For simplicity, let G be a 3-regular graph. The 2-stretch of G gives a bipartite graph H=(U,V,E), where U corresponds to the edges in G and V corresponds to the vertices in G. The Holant problem that naturally corresponds to counting the number of vertex covers in G is Holant ( H , OR 2 , EQUAL 3 ) . {\displaystyle {\text{Holant}}(H,{\text{OR}}_{2},{\text{EQUAL}}_{3}).} The truth table of OR2 as a row vector is (0,1,1,1). The truth table of EQUAL3 as a column vector is ( 1 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 1 ) T = [ 1 0 ] ⊗ 3 + [ 0 1 ] ⊗ 3 {\displaystyle (1,0,0,0,0,0,0,1)^{T}={\begin{bmatrix}1\\0\end{bmatrix}}^{\otimes 3}+{\begin{bmatrix}0\\1\end{bmatrix}}^{\otimes 3}} . Then under a holographic transformation by [ 0 1 1 0 ] , {\displaystyle {\begin{bmatrix}0&1\\1&0\end{bmatrix}},} OR 2 ⊗ | U | EQUAL 3 ⊗ | V | {\displaystyle {\text{OR}}_{2}^{\otimes |U|}{\text{EQUAL}}_{3}^{\otimes |V|}} = ( 0 , 1 , 1 , 1 ) ⊗ | U | ( [ 1 0 ] ⊗ 3 + [ 0 1 ] ⊗ 3 ) ⊗ | V | {\displaystyle =(0,1,1,1)^{\otimes |U|}\left({\begin{bmatrix}1\\0\end{bmatrix}}^{\otimes 3}+{\begin{bmatrix}0\\1\end{bmatrix}}^{\otimes 3}\right)^{\otimes |V|}} = ( 0 , 1 , 1 , 1 ) ⊗ | U | [ 0 1 1 0 ] ⊗ | E | [ 0 1 1 0 ] ⊗ | E | ( [ 1 0 ] ⊗ 3 + [ 0 1 ] ⊗ 3 ) ⊗ | V | {\displaystyle =(0,1,1,1)^{\otimes |U|}{\begin{bmatrix}0&1\\1&0\end{bmatrix}}^{\otimes |E|}{\begin{bmatrix}0&1\\1&0\end{bmatrix}}^{\otimes |E|}\left({\begin{bmatrix}1\\0\end{bmatrix}}^{\otimes 3}+{\begin{bmatrix}0\\1\end{bmatrix}}^{\otimes 3}\right)^{\otimes |V|}} = ( ( 0 , 1 , 1 , 1 ) [ 0 1 1 0 ] ⊗ 2 ) ⊗ | U | ( ( [ 0 1 1 0 ] [ 1 0 ] ) ⊗ 3 + ( [ 0 1 1 0 ] [ 0 1 ] ) ⊗ 3 ) ⊗ | V | {\displaystyle =\left((0,1,1,1){\begin{bmatrix}0&1\\1&0\end{bmatrix}}^{\otimes 2}\right)^{\otimes |U|}\left(\left({\begin{bmatrix}0&1\\1&0\end{bmatrix}}{\begin{bmatrix}1\\0\end{bmatrix}}\right)^{\otimes 3}+\left({\begin{bmatrix}0&1\\1&0\end{bmatrix}}{\begin{bmatrix}0\\1\end{bmatrix}}\right)^{\otimes 3}\right)^{\otimes |V|}} = ( 1 , 1 , 1 , 0 ) ⊗ | U | ( [ 0 1 ] ⊗ 3 + [ 1 0 ] ⊗ 3 ) ⊗ | V | {\displaystyle =(1,1,1,0)^{\otimes |U|}\left({\begin{bmatrix}0\\1\end{bmatrix}}^{\otimes 3}+{\begin{bmatrix}1\\0\end{bmatrix}}^{\otimes 3}\right)^{\otimes |V|}} = NAND 2 ⊗ | U | EQUAL 3 ⊗ | V | , {\displaystyle ={\text{NAND}}_{2}^{\otim

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  • Artifact (app)

    Artifact (app)

    Artifact was a personalized social news aggregator app that uses recommender systems to suggest articles. Launched in January 2023 by Nokto, Inc., a company founded by co-founders of Instagram Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger, the app is available for iOS and Android. The app's name is a portmanteau of the words "articles", "artificial intelligence", and "fact". The app shut down in January 2024 as a result of low interest. == History == Nokto, Inc. was established on March 3, 2022, as a foreign stock company in California, with its headquarters in San Francisco. The company's main product, Artifact, is the first new product launched by Krieger and Systrom since their 2018 resignation from Instagram after conflicts with parent company Meta, which acquired Instagram in 2012. Artifact launched on January 31, 2023, after the team had been working on it for over a year, offering the option to sign up for a waiting list for its private beta, which grew to about 160,000 people, and then launching in open beta on February 22, 2023. With a team of seven employees in San Francisco, the app was free throughout its lifetime, with the founders explaining at the time that different business models - such as advertising or subscription fees - could be explored in the future. In January 2024, cofounder Kevin Systrom announced that the app would be shutting down after concluding that "the market opportunity isn’t big enough to warrant continued investment in this way." In April 2024, it was announced Artifact had been acquired by Yahoo, who intended to use the service's technology in an upgraded Yahoo! News app. == Features == Frequently described as "TikTok for text" and a competitor to Twitter, Artifact was a news aggregator that used machine learning to make personalized recommendations based on topics, news sources, and authors that the reader is interested in. In addition to reading articles, the app offered the ability to like articles, leave comments, or listen to an audio version of an article read by AI-generated voices, including a simulation of the voices of Snoop Dogg or Gwyneth Paltrow. AI also would rewrite clickbait headlines that users flagged. Artifact later expanded to a social network where users could post links, images and text to their profile, which could be liked or commented on by other users. Similar to other social news websites like Reddit, reader accounts had profiles with reputation scores.

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  • Discoverability

    Discoverability

    Discoverability is the degree to which something, especially a piece of content or information, can be found in a search of a file, database, or other information system. Discoverability is a concern in library and information science, many aspects of digital media, software and web development, and in marketing, since products and services cannot be used if people cannot find it or do not understand what it can be used for. In human-computer interaction the term is further used to describe the discoverability of interactions, features and interactive systems overall . Metadata, or "information about information", such as a book's title, a product's description, or a website's keywords, affects how discoverable something is on a database or online. Adding metadata to a product that is available online can make it easier for end users to find the product. For example, if a song file is made available online, making the title, band name, genre, year of release, and other pertinent information available in connection with this song means the file can be retrieved more easily. The organization of information through the implementation of alphabetical structures or the integration of content into search engines exemplifies strategies employed to enhance the discoverability of information. The concept of discoverability, while related to but distinct from accessibility and usability, which are other qualities that affect the usefulness of a piece of information, is a critical aspect of information retrieval. == Etymology == The concept of "discoverability" in an information science and online context is a loose borrowing from the concept of the similar name in the legal profession. In law, "discovery" is a pre-trial procedure in a lawsuit in which each party, through the law of civil procedure, can obtain evidence from the other party or parties by means of discovery devices such as a request for answers to interrogatories, request for production of documents, request for admissions and depositions. Discovery can be obtained from non-parties using subpoenas. When a discovery request is objected to, the requesting party may seek the assistance of the court by filing a motion to compel discovery. == Purpose == The usability of any piece of information directly relates to how discoverable it is, either in a "walled garden" database or on the open Internet. The quality of information available on this database or on the Internet depends upon the quality of the meta-information about each item, product, or service. In the case of a service, because of the emphasis placed on service reusability, opportunities should exist for reuse of this service. However, reuse is only possible if information is discoverable in the first place. To make items, products, and services discoverable, the process is as follows: Document the information about the item, product or service (the metadata) in a consistent manner. Store the documented information (metadata) in a searchable repository. while technically a human-searchable repository, such as a printed paper list would qualify, "searchable repository" is usually taken to mean a computer-searchable repository, such as a database that a human user can search using some type of search engine or "find" feature. Enable search for the documented information in an efficient manner. supports number 2, because while reading through a printed paper list by hand might be feasible in a theoretical sense, it is not time and cost-efficient in comparison with computer-based searching. Apart from increasing the reuse potential of the services, discoverability is also required to avoid development of solution logic that is already contained in an existing service. To design services that are not only discoverable but also provide interpretable information about their capabilities, the service discoverability principle provides guidelines that could be applied during the service-oriented analysis phase of the service delivery process. === Specific to digital media === In relation to audiovisual content, according to the meaning given by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) for the purpose of its 2016 Discoverability Summit, discoverability can be summed up to the intrinsic ability of given content to "stand out of the lot", or to position itself so as to be easily found and discovered. A piece of audiovisual content can be a movie, a TV series, music, a book (eBook), an audio book or podcast. When audiovisual content such as a digital file for a TV show, movie, or song, is made available online, if the content is "tagged" with identifying information such as the names of the key artists (e.g., actors, directors and screenwriters for TV shows and movies; singers, musicians and record producers for songs) and the genres (for movies genres, music genres, etc.). When users interact with online content, algorithms typically determine what types of content the user is interested in, and then a computer program suggests "more like this", which is other content that the user may be interested in. Different websites and systems have different algorithms, but one approach, used by Amazon (company) for its online store, is to indicate to a user: "customers who bought x also bought y" (affinity analysis, collaborative filtering). This example is oriented around online purchasing behaviour, but an algorithm could also be programmed to provide suggestions based on other factors (e.g., searching, viewing, etc.). Discoverability is typically referred to in connection with search engines. A highly "discoverable" piece of content would appear at the top, or near the top of a user's search results. A related concept is the role of "recommendation engines", which give a user recommendations based on his/her previous online activity. Discoverability applies to computers and devices that can access the Internet, including various console video game systems and mobile devices such as tablets and smartphones. When producers make an effort to promote content (e.g., a TV show, film, song, or video game), they can use traditional marketing (billboards, TV ads, radio ads) and digital ads (pop-up ads, pre-roll ads, etc.), or a mix of traditional and digital marketing. Even before the user's intervention by searching for a certain content or type of content, discoverability is the prime factor which contributes to whether a piece of audiovisual content will be likely to be found in the various digital modes of content consumption. As of 2017, modes of searching include looking on Netflix for movies, Spotify for music, Audible for audio books, etc., although the concept can also more generally be applied to content found on Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram, and other websites. It involves more than a content's mere presence on a given platform; it can involve associating this content with "keywords" (tags), search algorithms, positioning within different categories, metadata, etc. Thus, discoverability enables as much as it promotes. For audiovisual content broadcast or streamed on digital media using the Internet, discoverability includes the underlying concepts of information science and programming architecture, which are at the very foundation of the search for a specific product, information or content. === Human-Computer Interaction === In human–computer interaction (HCI), discoverability refers to the ability of users to perceive and comprehend a system, function, or input method upon encountering it, despite a lack of prior awareness or knowledge, whether through intentional effort or serendipitously . The concept was popularised by Don Norman, who framed it around whether users can determine what actions are possible and how to perform them . Discoverability is considered a precondition for learnability, though the two concepts are frequently conflated in the literature . == Applications == === Within a webpage === Within a specific webpage or software application ("app"), the discoverability of a feature, content or link depends on a range of factors, including the size, colour, highlighting features, and position within the page. When colour is used to communicate the importance of a feature or link, designers typically use other elements as well, such as shadows or bolding, for individuals, who cannot see certain colours. Just as traditional paper printing created other physical locations that stood out, such as being "above the fold" of a newspaper versus "below the fold", a web page or app's screenview may have certain locations that give features additional visibility to users, such as being right at the bottom of the web page or screen. The positional advantages or disadvantages of various locations depend on different cultures and languages (e.g., left to right vs. right to left). Some locations have become established, such as having toolbars at the top of a screen or webpage. Some designers have argued t

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  • FAIR data

    FAIR data

    FAIR data is data which meets the 2016 FAIR principles of findability, accessibility, interoperability, and reusability (FAIR). The FAIR principles emphasize machine-actionability (i.e., the capacity of computational systems to find, access, interoperate, and reuse data with none or minimal human intervention) because humans increasingly rely on computational support to deal with data as a result of the increase in the volume, complexity, and rate of production of data. The abbreviation FAIR/O data is sometimes used to indicate that the dataset or database in question complies with the FAIR principles and also carries an explicit data‑capable open license. == FAIR principles published by GO FAIR == Findable The first step in (re)using data is to find them. Metadata and data should be easy to find for both humans and computers. Machine-readable metadata are essential for automatic discovery of datasets and services, so this is an essential component of the FAIRification process. F1. (Meta)data are assigned a globally unique and persistent identifier F2. Data are described with rich metadata (defined by R1 below) F3. Metadata clearly and explicitly include the identifier of the data they describe F4. (Meta)data are registered or indexed in a searchable resource Accessible Once the user finds the required data, they need to know how they can be accessed, possibly including authentication and authorisation. A1. (Meta)data are retrievable by their identifier using a standardised communications protocol A1.1 The protocol is open, free, and universally implementable A1.2 The protocol allows for an authentication and authorisation procedure, where necessary A2. Metadata are accessible, even when the data are no longer available Interoperable The data usually need to be integrated with other data. In addition, the data need to interoperate with applications or workflows for analysis, storage, and processing. I1. (Meta)data use a formal, accessible, shared, and broadly applicable language for knowledge representation I2. (Meta)data use vocabularies that follow FAIR principles I3. (Meta)data include qualified references to other (meta)data Reusable The ultimate goal of FAIR is to optimise the reuse of data. To achieve this, metadata and data should be well-described so that they can be replicated and/or combined in different settings. R1. (Meta)data are richly described with a plurality of accurate and relevant attributes R1.1. (Meta)data are released with a clear and accessible data usage license R1.2. (Meta)data are associated with detailed provenance R1.3. (Meta)data meet domain-relevant community standards The principles refer to three types of entities: data (or any digital object), metadata (information about that digital object), and infrastructure. For instance, principle F4 defines that both metadata and data are registered or indexed in a searchable resource (the infrastructure component). === Acceptance and implementation === Before FAIR, a 2007 OECD report was the most influential paper discussing similar ideas related to data accessibility. In January 2014, the Lorentz Centre at Leiden University hosted a workshop entitled "Jointly designing a data FAIRPORT" where the participants first formulated the FAIR principles. After further discussions, they were published in the March 2016 issue of Scientific Data. At the 2016 G20 Hangzhou summit, the G20 leaders issued a statement endorsing the application of FAIR principles to research. Also in 2016, a group of Australian organisations developed a Statement on FAIR Access to Australia's Research Outputs, which aimed to extend the principles to research outputs more generally. In 2017, Germany, Netherlands and France agreed to establish an international office to support the FAIR initiative, the GO FAIR International Support and Coordination Office. Other international organisations active in the research data ecosystem, such as CODATA or Research Data Alliance (RDA) also support FAIR implementations by their communities. FAIR principles implementation assessment is being explored by FAIR Data Maturity Model Working Group of RDA, CODATA's strategic Decadal Programme "Data for Planet: Making data work for cross-domain challenges" mentions FAIR data principles as a fundamental enabler of data driven science. The Association of European Research Libraries recommends the use of FAIR principles. A 2017 paper by advocates of FAIR data reported that awareness of the FAIR concept was increasing among various researchers and institutes, but also, understanding of the concept was becoming confused as different people apply their own differing perspectives to it. Guides on implementing FAIR data practices state that the cost of a data management plan in compliance with FAIR data practices should be 5% of the total research budget. In 2019 the Global Indigenous Data Alliance (GIDA) released the CARE Principles for Indigenous Data Governance as a complementary guide. The CARE principles extend principles outlined in FAIR data to include Collective benefit, Authority to control, Responsibility, and Ethics to ensure data guidelines address historical contexts and power differentials. The CARE Principles for Indigenous Data Governance were drafted at the International Data Week and Research Data Alliance Plenary co-hosted event, "Indigenous Data Sovereignty Principles for the Governance of Indigenous Data Workshop", held 8 November 2018, in Gaborone, Botswana. The lack of information on how to implement the guidelines have led to inconsistent interpretations of them. In January 2020, representatives of nine groups of universities around the world produced the Sorbonne declaration on research data rights, which included a commitment to FAIR data, and called on governments to provide support to enable it. In 2021, researchers identified the FAIR principles as a conceptual component of data catalog software tools, with the other components being metadata management, business context and data responsibility roles. In April 2022, Matthias Scheffler and colleagues argued in Nature that FAIR principles are "a must" so that data mining and artificial intelligence can extract useful scientific information from the data. There have been moves in the geosciences to establish FAIR data by use of decimal georeferencing However, making data (and research outcomes) FAIR is a challenging task, and it is challenging to assess the FAIRness. In 2020, the FAIR Data Maturity Model Working Group published a set of guidelines for assessing "FAIRness".

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  • NCSA Brown Dog

    NCSA Brown Dog

    NCSA Brown Dog is a research project to develop a method for easily accessing historic research data stored in order to maintain the long-term viability of large bodies of scientific research. It is supported by the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA) that is funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF). == History == Brown Dog is part of the DataNet partners program funded by NSF in 2008. DataNet was conceived to address the increasingly digital and data-intensive nature of science, engineering and education. Brown Dog is part of a follow-on effort called Data Infrastructure Building Blocks (DIBBs), focused on building software to support DataNet. The project was proposed by researchers at NCSA and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign as well as researchers from Boston University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. == Unstructured, uncurated, long tail data == Much scientific data is smaller, unstructured and uncurated and thus not easily shared. Such data is sometimes referred to as "long tail" data. This borrows a term from statistics and refers to the tail of the distribution of project sizes. The majority of smaller projects lack the resources to properly steward the data they produce. This so-called "long tail" data, both past and present, has the potential to inform future research in many study areas. Much of this data has become inaccessible due to obsolete software and file formats. The resulting impossibility of reviewing data from older research disrupts the overall scientific research project. == Approach == Brown Dog describes itself as the "super mutt" of software (thus the name "Brown Dog"), serving as a low-level data infrastructure to interface digital data content across the internet. Its approach is to use every possible source of automated help (i.e., software) in existence in a robust and provenance-preserving manner to create a service that can deal with as much of this data as possible. The project sees the broader impact of its work in its potential to serve the general public as a sort of "DNS for data", with the goal of making all data and all file formats as accessible as webpages are today. == Technology == Brown Dog seeks to address problems involving the use of uncurated and unstructured data collections through the development of two services: the Data Access Proxy (DAP) to aid in the conversion of file formats and the Data Tilling Services (DTS) for the automatic extraction of metadata from file contents. Once developed, researchers and general public users will be able to download browser plugins and other tools from the Brown Dog tool catalog. === Data Tilling Service === Data Tilling Service (DTS) will allow users to search data collections using an existing file to discover other similar files in a collection. A DTS search field will be appended to configured browsers where example files can be dropped. This tells DTS to search all the files under a given URL for files similar to the dropped file. For example, while browsing an online image collection, a user could drop an image of three people into the search field, and the DTS would return all images in the collection that also contain three people. If DTS encounters a foreign file format, it will utilize DAP to make the file accessible. DTS also indexes the data and extract and appends metadata to files and collections enabling users to gain some sense of the type of data they are encountering. This service runs on port 9443. === Data Access Proxy === Data Access Proxy (DAP) allows users to access data files that would otherwise be unreadable. Similar to an internet gateway or Domain Name Service, the DAP configuration would be entered into a user's machine and browser settings. Data requests over HTTP would first be examined by DAP to determine if the native file format is readable on the client device. If not, DAP converts the file into the best available format readable by the client machine. Alternatively, the user could specify the desired format themselves. This service runs on port 8184. == Use cases == Brown Dog targets three use cases proposed by groups within the EarthCube research communities. Developers and researchers from these communities will work together on use cases that span geoscience, engineering, biology and social science. === Long tail vegetation data in ecology and global change biology === This use case is led by Michael Dietze, Boston University Data on the abundance, species composition, and size structure of vegetation is critically important for a wide array of sub-disciplines in ecology, conservation, natural resource management, and global change biology. However, addressing many of the pressing questions in these disciplines will require that terrestrial biosphere and hydrologic models are able to assimilate the large amount of long-tail data that exists but is largely inaccessible. The Brown Dog team in cooperation with researches from Dietze's lab will facilitate the capture of a huge body of smaller research-oriented vegetation data sets collected over many decades and historical vegetation data embedded in Public Land Survey data dating back to 1785. This data will be used as initial conditions for models, to make sense of other large data sets and for model calibration and validation. === Designing green infrastructure considering storm water and human requirements === This use case is led by Barbara Minsker], University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign]; William Sullivan, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; Arthur Schmidt, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. This case study involves developing novel green infrastructure design criteria and models that integrate requirements for storm water management and ecosystem and human health and well being. To address the scientific and social problems associated with the design of green spaces, data accessibility and availability is a major challenge. This study will focus on identified areas of the Green Healthy Neighborhood Planning region within the City of Chicago where existing local sewer performance is most deficient and where changes in impervious area through green infrastructure would be beneficial to under served neighborhoods. Brown Dog will be used to extract long-tail experimental data on human landscape preferences and health impacts. This data will be used to develop a human health impacts model that will then be linked together with a terrestrial biosphere model and a storm water model using Brown Dog technology. === Development and application for critical zone studies === This use case is led by Praveen Kumar, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Critical Zone (CZ) is the "skin" of the earth that extends from the treetops to the bedrock that is created by life processes working at scales from microbes to biomes. The Critical Zone supports all terrestrial living systems. Its upper part is the bio-mantle. This is where terrestrial biota live, reproduce, use and expend energy, and where their wastes and remains accumulate and decompose. It encompasses the soil, which acts as a geomembrane through which water and solutes, energy, gases, solids, and organisms interact with the atmosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, and lithosphere. A variety of drivers affect this bio-dynamic zone, ranging from climate and deforestation to agriculture, grazing and human development. Understanding and predicting these effects is central to managing and sustaining vital ecosystem services such as soil fertility, water purification, and production of food resources, and, at larger scales, global carbon cycling and carbon sequestration. The CZ provides a unifying framework for integrating terrestrial surface and near-surface environments, and reflects an intricate web of biological and chemical processes and human impacts occurring at vastly different temporal and spatial scales. The nature of these data create significant challenges for inter-disciplinary studies of the CZ because integration of the variety and number of data products and models has been a barrier. On the other hand, CZ data provides an excellent opportunity for defining, testing and implementing Brown Dog technologies. In this context "unstructured" data is viewed broadly as consisting of a collection of heterogeneous data with formats that reflect temporal and disciplinary legacies, data from emerging low cost open hardware based sensors and embedded sensor networks that lack well defined metadata and sensor characteristics, as well as data that are available as maps, images and text. == NSF Award == CIF21 DIBBs: Brown Dog was awarded in the winter of 2013 with a start date of October 1, 2013. Estimated expiration date is September 30, 2018. The award amount was $10,519,716.00, the largest DIBB award. The principal investigator is Kenton McHenry of NCSA at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Coleaders are Jong Lee NCSA/UIU

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  • The Master Algorithm

    The Master Algorithm

    The Master Algorithm: How the Quest for the Ultimate Learning Machine Will Remake Our World is a book by Pedro Domingos released in 2015. Domingos wrote the book in order to generate interest from people outside the field. == Overview == The book outlines five approaches of machine learning: inductive reasoning, connectionism, evolutionary computation, Bayes' theorem and analogical modelling. The author explains these tribes to the reader by referring to more understandable processes of logic, connections made in the brain, natural selection, probability and similarity judgments. Throughout the book, it is suggested that each different tribe has the potential to contribute to a unifying "master algorithm". Towards the end of the book the author pictures a "master algorithm" in the near future, where machine learning algorithms asymptotically grow to a perfect understanding of how the world and people in it work. Although the algorithm doesn't yet exist, he briefly reviews his own invention of the Markov logic network. == In the media == In 2016 Bill Gates recommended the book, alongside Nick Bostrom's Superintelligence, as one of two books everyone should read to understand AI. In 2018 the book was noted to be on Chinese Communist Party general secretary Xi Jinping's bookshelf. === Reception === A computer science educator stated in Times Higher Education that the examples are clear and accessible. In contrast, The Economist agreed Domingos "does a good job" but complained that he "constantly invents metaphors that grate or confuse". Kirkus Reviews praised the book, stating that "Readers unfamiliar with logic and computer theory will have a difficult time, but those who persist will discover fascinating insights." A New Scientist review called it "compelling but rather unquestioning".

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  • Artificial intelligence in India

    Artificial intelligence in India

    The artificial intelligence (AI) market in India is projected to reach $8 billion by 2025, growing at 40% CAGR from 2020 to 2025. This growth is part of the broader AI boom, a global period of rapid technological advancements with India being pioneer starting in the early 2010s with NLP based Chatbots from Haptik, Corover.ai, Niki.ai and then gaining prominence in the early 2020s based on reinforcement learning, marked by breakthroughs such as generative AI models from Krutrim, Sarvam, CoRover, OpenAI and Alphafold by Google DeepMind. In India, the development of AI has been similarly transformative, with applications in healthcare, finance, and education, bolstered by government initiatives like NITI Aayog's 2018 National Strategy for Artificial Intelligence. Institutions such as the Indian Statistical Institute and the Indian Institute of Science published breakthrough AI research papers and patents. India's transformation to AI is primarily being driven by startups and government initiatives & policies like Digital India. By fostering technological trust through digital public infrastructure, India is tackling socioeconomic issues by taking a bottom-up approach to AI. NASSCOM and Boston Consulting Group estimate that by 2027, India's AI services might be valued at $17 billion. According to 2025 Technology and Innovation Report, by UN Trade and Development, India ranks 10th globally for private sector investments in AI. According to Mary Meeker, India has emerged as a key market for AI platforms, accounting for the largest share of ChatGPT's mobile app users and having the third-largest user base for DeepSeek in 2025. While AI presents significant opportunities for economic growth and social development in India, challenges such as data privacy concerns, skill shortages, and ethical considerations need to be addressed for responsible AI deployment. The growth of AI in India has also led to an increase in the number of cyberattacks that use AI to target organizations. == History == === Early days (1960s-1980s) === The TIFRAC (Tata Institute of Fundamental Research Automatic Calculator) was designed and developed by a team led by Rangaswamy Narasimhan between 1954 and 1960. He worked on pattern recognition from 1961 to 1964 at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign's Digital Computer Laboratory. In order to conduct research on database technology, computer networking, computer graphics, and systems software, he and M. G. K. Menon founded the National Centre for Software Development and Computing Techniques. In 1965, he established the Computer Society of India and supervised the initial research work on AI at Tata Institute of Fundamental Research. Jagdish Lal launched the first computer science program in 1976 at Motilal Nehru Regional Engineering College. H. K. Kesavan from the University of Waterloo and Vaidyeswaran Rajaraman from the University of Wisconsin–Madison joined the IIT Kanpur Electrical Engineering Department in 1963–1964 as Assistant Professor and Head of Department, respectively. H.N. Mahabala, who was employed at Bendix Corporation's Computer Division, joined the department in 1965. He previously worked with Marvin Minsky. The IIT Kanpur Computer Center was led by H. K. Kesavan, with Vaidyeswaran Rajaraman serving as his deputy. Kesavan informally permitted Rajaraman and Mahabala to introduce artificial intelligence into computer science classes. The computer science program was approved by IIT Kanpur in 1971 and split out from the electrical engineering department. In 1973, an IBM System/370 Model 155 was installed at IIT Madras. John McCarthy, head of the Artificial Intelligence Laboratory at Stanford University visited IIT Kanpur in 1971. He donated PDP-1 with a time-sharing operating system. During the 1970s, the balance of payments deficit in India restricted import of computers. The Department of Computer Science and Automation at the Indian Institute of Science established in 1969, played an important role in nurturing the development of data science and artificial intelligence in India. First course on AI was introduced in the 1970s by G. Krishna. B. L. Deekshatulu introduced the first course on pattern recognition in the early 1970s. === Foundation phase === ==== 1980s ==== In the 1980s, the Indian Statistical Institute's Optical Character Recognition Project was one of the country's first attempts at studying artificial intelligence and machine learning. OCR technology has benefited greatly from the work of ISI's Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition Unit, which is headed by Bidyut Baran Chaudhuri. He also contributed in the development of computer vision and digital image processing. As part of the Indian Fifth Generation Computer Systems Research Programme, the Department of Electronics, with support from the United Nations Development Programme, initiated the Knowledge Based Computer Systems Project in 1986, marking the beginning of India's first major AI research program. Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi requested that the Department of Electronics and IISc to initiate the Parallel Processing Project in 1986–1987. The Center for Development of Advanced Computing eventually joined those efforts. IIT Madras was selected to develop system diagnosis, ISI for image processing, National Centre for Software Technology for natural language processing and TIFR for speech processing. In 1987, the proposal of N. Seshagiri, Director General of the National Informatics Centre for the prototype development of supercomputer was cleared. Negotiations for a Cray supercomputer were underway between the Reagan administration and the Rajiv Gandhi government. US Defense Secretaries Frank Carlucci and Caspar Weinberger visited New Delhi after the US approved the transfer in 1988. The sale of a lower-end XMP-14 supercomputer was permitted in lieu of the Cray XMP-24 supercomputer due to security concerns. The Center for Development of Advanced Computing was formally established in March 1988 by the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (previously the Ministry of IT) within the Department of Information Technology (formerly the Department of Electronics) in response to a recommendation made to the Prime Minister by the Scientific Advisory Council. The National Initiative in Supercomputing, which produced the PARAM series, was led by Vijay P. Bhatkar. For the first ten years, supercomputing and Indian language computing were the two main focus areas. C-DAC has expanded its operations in order to meet the needs in a number of domains, including network and internet software, real-time systems, artificial intelligence, and NLP. Under the direction of Professor KV Ramakrishnamacharyulu from National Sanskrit University and Professor Rajeev Sangal from the International Institute of Information Technology, Hyderabad, the Akshar Bharati Research Group was established in 1984 with support from IIT Kanpur and the University of Hyderabad for computational processing of Indian languages. They focused on computational linguistics, NLP with ontological database systems, and Indian language/translation theories with linguistic tradition. ==== 1990s ==== From IIT Kanpur, Mohan Tambe joined C-DAC in the 1990s to work on Graphics and Intelligence based Script Technology (GIST), which addressed the challenge of adapting personal computer software based on Latin script to Devanagiri and a number of other Indian language scripts. He was previously working on the Machine Translation for Indian languages Project. Within C-DAC, he established the GIST group. The technology was expanded to encompass NLP, artificial intelligence-based machine-aided language learning and translation, multimedia and multilingual computing solutions, and more. GIST resulted in the creation of G-CLASS (GIST cross language search plug-ins suite), a cross-language search engine. The Applied Artificial Intelligence Group at C-DAC has developed some basic and novel applications in the field of NLP, including machine translation, information extraction/retrieval, automatic summarization, speech recognition, text-to-speech synthesis, intelligent language teaching, and natural language-based document management with Decision Support Systems. These applications are the result of the foundation laid by previous language technology activities. Software firms in the Indian private sector began looking into AI applications, mostly in the area of business process automation. In order to allow machines to read, comprehend, and interpret human languages, the Language Technologies Research Center was founded in October 1999 at the International Institute of Information Technology, Hyderabad. It focused on the advancements in semantic parsing, information extraction, natural language generation, sentiment analysis, and dialogue systems. Some of the early AI research in India was driven by societal needs. For example; Eklavya, a knowledge-based program created by I

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  • AI-driven design automation

    AI-driven design automation

    AI-driven design automation is the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to automate and improve different parts of the electronic design automation (EDA) process. It is particularly important in the design of integrated circuits (chips) and complex electronic systems, where it can potentially increase productivity, decrease costs, and speed up design cycles. AI Driven Design Automation uses several methods, including machine learning, expert systems, and reinforcement learning. These are used for many tasks, from planning a chip's architecture and logic synthesis to its physical design and final verification. == History == === 1980s–1990s: Expert systems and early experiments === The use of AI for design automation originated in the 1980s and 1990s, mainly with the creation of expert systems. These systems tried to capture the knowledge and practical rules used by human design experts, and used these rules, along with reasoning engines, to direct the design process. A notable early project was the ULYSSES system from Carnegie Mellon University. ULYSSES was a CAD tool integration environment that let expert designers turn their design methods into scripts that could be run automatically. It treated design tools as sources of knowledge that a scheduler could manage. Another example was the ADAM (Advanced Design AutoMation) system at the University of Southern California, which used an expert system called the Design Planning Engine. This engine figured out design strategies on the fly and handled different design jobs by organizing specialized knowledge into structured formats called frames. Other systems like DAA (Design Automation Assistant) used a rule-based approach for specific jobs, such as register transfer level (RTL) design for systems like the IBM 370. Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University also created TALIB, an expert system for mask layout that used over 1200 rules, and EMUCS/DAA for CPU architectural design which used about 70 rules. These projects showed that AI worked better for problems where relatively few rules were required to describe much larger amounts of data. At the same time, there was a surge of tools called silicon compilers like MacPitts, Arsenic, and Palladio. They used algorithms and search techniques to explore different design paradigms. This was another way to automate design, even if it was not always based on expert systems. Early tests with neural networks in VLSI design also happened during this time, although they were not as common as systems based on rules. === 2000s: Introduction of machine learning === In the 2000s, interest in AI for design automation increased. This was mostly because of better machine learning (ML) algorithms and more available data from design and manufacturing. For example, they were used to model and reduce the effects of small manufacturing differences in semiconductor devices. This became very important as the size of components on chips became smaller. The large amount of data created during chip design provided the foundation needed to train smarter ML models. This allowed for predicting outcomes and optimizing in areas that were hard to automate before. === 2016–2020: Reinforcement learning and large scale initiatives === A major turning point happened in the mid to late 2010s, sparked by successes in other areas of AI. The success of DeepMind's AlphaGo in mastering the game of Go inspired researchers. They began to apply reinforcement learning (RL) to difficult EDA problems. These problems often require searching through many options and making a series of decisions. In 2018, the U.S. DARPA started the Intelligent Design of Electronic Assets (IDEA) program. A main goal of IDEA was to create a fully automated layout generator that required no human intervention, able to produce a chip design ready for manufacturing from RTL specifications in 24 hours. Another big initiative was the OpenROAD project, a large effort under IDEA led by UC San Diego with industry and university partners, aimed to build an open source, independent toolchain. It used machine learning, parallelization and divide and conquer approaches. A much-publicized but controversial demonstration of RL's potential came from Google researchers between 2020 and 2021. They created a deep reinforcement learning method for planning the layout of a chip, known as floorplanning. They reported that this method created layouts that were as good as or better than those made by human experts, and it did so in less than six hours. This method used a type of network called a graph convolutional neural network. It showed that it could learn general patterns that could be applied to new problems, getting better as it saw more chip designs. The technology was later used to design Google's Tensor Processing Unit (TPU) accelerators. However, in the original paper, the improvement (if any) from AI was not demonstrated. There was no comparison with existing non-AI tools performing the same task, and since the data is proprietary, no ability for anyone else to perform this comparison. Various efforts to reproduce the AI algorithm, and compare its results with various commercial and academic tools, have yielded mixed results with no conclusive advantage to AI. === 2020s: Autonomous systems and agents === Entering the 2020s, the industry saw the commercial launch of autonomous AI driven EDA systems. For example, Synopsys launched DSO.ai (Design Space Optimization AI) in early 2020, calling it the first autonomous artificial intelligence application for chip design in the industry. This system uses reinforcement learning to search for the best ways to optimize a design within the huge number of possible solutions, trying to improve power, performance, and area (PPA). By 2023, DSO.ai had been used to produce over 100 commercial chips, showing mainstream adoption. Synopsys later grew its AI tools into a suite called Synopsys.ai. The goal was to use AI in the entire EDA workflow, including verification and testing. These advancements, which combine modern AI methods with cloud computing and large data resources, have led to talks about a new phase in EDA. Industry experts and participants sometimes call this 'EDA 4.0'. This new era is defined by the widespread use of AI and machine learning to deal with growing design complexity, automate more of the design process, and help engineers handle the huge amounts of data that EDA tools create. The purpose of EDA 4.0 is to optimize product performance, get products to market faster and make development and manufacturing smoother through intelligent automation. == Applications == Artificial intelligence (AI) is now used in many stages of the electronic design workflow. It aims to improve productivity, get better results, and handle the growing complexity of modern integrated circuits. AI helps designers from the very first ideas about architecture all the way to manufacturing and testing. === High level synthesis and architectural exploration === In the first phases of chip design, AI helps with High Level Synthesis (HLS) and exploring different system level design options (DSE). These processes are key for turning general ideas into detailed hardware plans. AI algorithms, often using supervised learning, are used to build simpler, substitute models. These models can quickly guess important design measurements like area, performance, and power for many different architectural options or HLS settings. For example, the Ithemal tool uses deep neural networks to estimate how fast basic code blocks will run, which helps in making processor architecture decisions. Similarly, PRIMAL uses machine learning estimate power use at the register transfer level (RTL), giving early information about how much power the chip will use. Reinforcement learning (RL) and Bayesian optimization are also used to guide the DSE process. They help search through the many parameters to find the best HLS settings or architectural details like cache sizes. LLMs are also being tested for creating architectural plans or initial C code for HLS, as seen with GPT4AIGChip. === Logic synthesis and optimization === Logic synthesis starts from a high level hardware description and generates an optimized list of electronic gates, known as a gate level netlist, that is ready for placement, routing, and then construction in a specific manufacturing process. AI methods help with different parts of this process, including logic optimization, technology mapping, and making improvements after mapping. Supervised learning, especially with Graph Neural Networks (GNNs), is good at handling data or problems that can be represented as graphs. Since circuit diagrams are instances of directed graphs, supervised learning can help create models that predict design properties like power or error rates in circuits. In logic synthesis and optimization reinforcement learning is used to perform logic optimization directly. In some cases ag

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  • Lion algorithm

    Lion algorithm

    Lion algorithm (LA) is one among the bio-inspired (or) nature-inspired optimization algorithms (or) that are mainly based on meta-heuristic principles. It was first introduced by B. R. Rajakumar in 2012 in the name, Lion’s Algorithm. It was further extended in 2014 to solve the system identification problem. This version was referred as LA, which has been applied by many researchers for their optimization problems. == Inspiration from lion’s social behaviour == Lions form a social system called a "pride", which consists of 1–3 pair of lions. A pride of lions shares a common area known as territory in which a dominant lion is called as territorial lion. The territorial lion safeguards its territory from outside attackers, especially nomadic lions. This process is called territorial defense. It protects the cubs till they become sexually matured. The maturity period is about 2–4 years. The pride undergoes survival fights to protect its territory and the cubs from nomadic lions. Upon getting defeated by the nomadic lions, the dominating nomadic lion takes the role of territorial lion by killing or driving out the cubs of the pride. The lioness of the pride give birth to cubs though the new territorial lion. When the cubs of the pride mature and considered to be stronger than the territorial lion, they take over the pride. This process is called territorial take-over. If territorial take-over happens, either the old territorial lion, which is considered to be laggard, is driven out or it leaves the pride. The stronger lions and lioness form the new pride and give birth to their own cubs == Terminology == In the LA, the terms that are associated with lion’s social system are mapped to the terminology of optimization problems. Few of such notable terms are related here. Lion: A potential solution to be generated or determined as optimal (or) near-optimal solution of the problem. The lion can be a territorial lion and lioness, cubs and nomadic lions that represent the solution based on the processing steps of the LA. Territorial lion: The strongest solution of the pride that tends to meet the objective function. Nomadic lion: A random solution, sometimes termed as nomad, to facilitate the exploration principle Laggard lion: Poor solutions that are failed in the survival fight. Pride: A pool of potential solutions i.e. a lion, lioness and their cubs, that are potential solutions of the search problem. Fertility evaluation: A process of evaluating whether the territorial lion and lioness are able to provide potential solutions in the future generations i.e. It ensures that the lion or lioness converge at every generation. Survival fight: It is a greedy selection process, which is often carried out between the pride and nomadic lion. == Algorithm == The steps involved in LA are given below: Pride Generation: Generate X m a l e {\displaystyle X^{male}} , X f e m a l e {\displaystyle X^{female}} and X 1 n o m a d {\displaystyle X_{1}^{nomad}} Determine f ( X m a l e ) {\displaystyle f(X^{male})} , f ( X f e m a l e ) {\displaystyle f(X^{female})} , f ( X 1 n o m a d ) {\displaystyle f(X_{1}^{nomad})} Initialize f r e f {\displaystyle f^{ref}} as f ( X m a l e ) {\displaystyle f(X^{male})} and N g {\displaystyle N_{g}} as 0 Memorize X m a l e {\displaystyle X^{male}} and X f e m a l e {\displaystyle X^{female}} Apply Fertility evaluation Process Generation of cubpool by mating Gender clustering: Define X c u b m a l e {\displaystyle X_{cub}^{male}} and X c u b f e m a l e {\displaystyle X_{cub}^{female}} Initialize a g e c u b {\displaystyle age_{cub}} as zero Apply Cub growth function Territorial defense: If X m a l e {\displaystyle X^{male}} (or pride) fails in the survival fight i.e. X 1 n o m a d {\displaystyle X_{1}^{nomad}} defeats the pride, go to step 4, else continue Increase a g e c u b {\displaystyle age_{cub}} by 1 and check whether cub attains maturity i.e., if a g e c u b > a g e m a x {\displaystyle age_{cub}>age_{max}} , go to Step 9, else continue Territorial takeover: If X c u b m a l e {\displaystyle X_{cub}^{male}} and X c u b f e m a l e {\displaystyle X_{cub}^{female}} are found to be closer to optimal solution, update X m a l e {\displaystyle X^{male}} and X f e m a l e {\displaystyle X^{female}} Increment N g {\displaystyle N_{g}} by 1 Repeat from Step 5, if termination criterion is not violated, else return X m a l e {\displaystyle X^{male}} as the near-optimal solution == Variants == The LA has been further taken forward to adopt in different problem areas. According to the characteristics of the problem area, significant amendment has been done in the processes and the models used in the LA. Accordingly, diverse variants have been developed by the researchers. They can be broadly grouped as hybrid LAs and non-hybrid LAs. Hybrid LAs are the LAs that are amended by the principle of other meta-heuristics, whereas the Non-hybrid LAs take any scientific amendment inside its operation that are felt to be essential to attend the respective problem area. == Applications == LA is applied in diverse engineering applications that range from network security, text mining, image processing, electrical systems, data mining and many more. Few of the notable applications are discussed here. Networking applications: In WSN, LA is used to solve the cluster head selection problem by determining optimal cluster head. Route discovery problem in both the VANET and MANET are also addressed by the LA in the literature. It is also used to detect attacks in advanced networking scenarios such as Software-Defined Networks (SDN) Power Systems: LA has attended generation rescheduling problem in a deregulated environment, optimal localization and sizing of FACTS devices for power quality enhancement and load-frequency controlling problem Cloud computing: LA is used in optimal container-resource allocation problem in cloud environment and cloud security

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  • Biometric device

    Biometric device

    A biometric device is a security identification and authentication device. Such devices use automated methods of verifying or recognising the identity of a living person based on a physiological or behavioral characteristic. These characteristics include fingerprints, facial images, iris and voice recognition. == History == Biometric devices have been in use for thousands of years. Non-automated biometric devices have been in use since 500 BC, when ancient Babylonians would sign their business transactions by pressing their fingertips into clay tablets. Automation in biometric devices was first seen in the 1960s. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in the 1960s, introduced the Indentimat, which started checking for fingerprints to maintain criminal records. The first systems measured the shape of the hand and the length of the fingers. Although discontinued in the 1980s, the system set a precedent for future Biometric Devices. == Subgroups == The characteristic of the human body is used to access information by the users. According to these characteristics, the sub-divided groups are Chemical biometric devices: Analyses the segments of the DNA to grant access to the users. Visual biometric devices: Analyses the visual features of the humans to grant access which includes iris recognition, face recognition, Finger recognition, and Retina Recognition. Behavioral biometric devices: Analyses the Walking Ability and Signatures (velocity of sign, width of sign, pressure of sign) distinct to every human. Olfactory biometric devices: Analyses the odor to distinguish between varied users. Auditory biometric devices: Analyses the voice to determine the identity of a speaker for accessing control. == Uses == === Workplace === Biometrics are being used to establish better and accessible records of the hour's employee's work. With the increase in "Buddy Punching" (a case where employees clocked out coworkers and fraudulently inflated their work hours) employers have looked towards new technology like fingerprint recognition to reduce such fraud. Additionally, employers are also faced with the task of proper collection of data such as entry and exit times. Biometric devices make for largely fool proof and reliable ways of enabling to collect data as employees have to be present to enter biometric details which are unique to them. === Immigration === As the demand for air travel grows and more people travel, modern-day airports have to implement technology in such a way that there are no long queues. Biometrics are being implemented in more and more airports as they enable quick recognition of passengers and hence lead to lower volume of people standing in queues. One such example is of the Dubai International Airport which plans to make immigration counters a relic of the past as they implement IRIS on the move technology (IOM) which should help the seamless departures and arrivals of passengers at the airport. === Handheld and personal devices === Fingerprint sensors can be found on mobile devices. The fingerprint sensor is used to unlock the device and authorize actions, like money and file transfers, for example. It can be used to prevent a device from being used by an unauthorized person. It is also used in attendance in number of colleges and universities. == Present day biometric devices == === Personal signature verification systems === This is one of the most highly recognised and acceptable biometrics in corporate surroundings. This verification has been taken one step further by capturing the signature while taking into account many parameters revolving around this like the pressure applied while signing, the speed of the hand movement and the angle made between the surface and the pen used to make the signature. This system also has the ability to learn from users as signature styles vary for the same user. Hence by taking a sample of data, this system is able to increase its own accuracy. === Iris recognition system === Iris recognition involves the device scanning the pupil of the subject and then cross referencing that to data stored on the database. It is one of the most secure forms of authentication, as while fingerprints can be left behind on surfaces, iris prints are extremely hard to be stolen. Iris recognition is widely applied by organisations dealing with the masses, one being the Aadhaar identification system issued by the Government of India to keep records of its population. The reason for this is that iris recognition makes use of iris prints of humans, which change little over the course of one's lifetime. == Problems with present day biometric devices == === Biometric spoofing === Biometric spoofing is a method of fooling a biometric identification management system, where a counterfeit mold is presented in front of the biometric scanner. This counterfeit mold emulates the unique biometric attributes of an individual so as to confuse the system between the artifact and the real biological target and gain access to sensitive data/materials. One such high-profile case of Biometric spoofing came to the limelight when it was found that German Defence Minister, Ursula von der Leyen's fingerprint had been successfully replicated by Chaos Computer Club. The group used high quality camera lenses and shot images from 6 feet away. They used a professional finger software and mapped the contours of the Ministers thumbprint. Although progress has been made to stop spoofing. Using the principle of pulse oximetry — the liveliness of the test subject is taken into account by measure of blood oxygenation and the heart rate. This reduces attacks like the ones mentioned above, although these methods aren't commercially applicable as costs of implementation are high. This reduces their real world application and hence makes biometrics insecure until these methods are commercially viable. === Accuracy === Accuracy is a major issue with biometric recognition. Passwords are still extremely popular, because a password is static in nature, while biometric data can be subject to change (such as one's voice becoming heavier due to puberty, or an accident to the face, which could lead to improper reading of facial scan data). When testing voice recognition as a substitute to PIN-based systems, Barclays reported that their voice recognition system is 95 percent accurate. This statistic means that many of its customers' voices might still not be recognised even when correct. This uncertainty revolving around the system could lead to slower adoption of biometric devices, continuing the reliance of traditional password-based methods. == Benefits of biometric devices over traditional methods of authentication == Biometric data cannot be lent and hacking of Biometric data is complicated hence it makes it safer to use than traditional methods of authentication like passwords which can be lent and shared. Passwords do not have the ability to judge the user but rely only on the data provided by the user, which can easily be stolen while Biometrics work on the uniqueness of each individual. Passwords can be forgotten and recovering them can take time, whereas Biometric devices rely on biometric data which tends to be unique to a person, hence there is no risk of forgetting the authentication data. A study conducted among Yahoo! users found that at least 1.5 percent of Yahoo users forgot their passwords every month, hence this makes accessing services more lengthy for consumers as the process of recovering passwords is lengthy. These shortcomings make Biometric devices more efficient and reduces effort for the end user. == Future == Researchers are targeting the drawbacks of present-day biometric devices and developing to reduce problems like biometric spoofing and inaccurate intake of data. Technologies which are being developed are- The United States Military Academy are developing an algorithm that allows identification through the ways each individual interacts with their own computers; this algorithm considers unique traits like typing speed, rhythm of writing and common spelling mistakes. This data allows the algorithm to create a unique profile for each user by combining their multiple behavioral and stylometric information. This can be very difficult to replicate collectively. A recent innovation by Kenneth Okereafor and, presented an optimized and secure design of applying biometric liveness detection technique using a trait randomization approach. This novel concept potentially opens up new ways of mitigating biometric spoofing more accurately, and making impostor predictions intractable or very difficult in future biometric devices. A simulation of Kenneth Okereafor's biometric liveness detection algorithm using a 3D multi-biometric framework consisting of 15 liveness parameters from facial print, finger print and iris pattern traits resulted in a system efficiency of the 99.2% over a cardinality of 125 distinct randomization combinat

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  • Semantic translation

    Semantic translation

    Semantic translation is the process of using semantic information to aid in the translation of data in one representation or data model to another representation or data model. Semantic translation takes advantage of semantics that associate meaning with individual data elements in one dictionary to create an equivalent meaning in a second system. An example of semantic translation is the conversion of XML data from one data model to a second data model using formal ontologies for each system such as the Web Ontology Language (OWL). This is frequently required by intelligent agents that wish to perform searches on remote computer systems that use different data models to store their data elements. The process of allowing a single user to search multiple systems with a single search request is also known as federated search. Semantic translation should be differentiated from data mapping tools that do simple one-to-one translation of data from one system to another without actually associating meaning with each data element. Semantic translation requires that data elements in the source and destination systems have "semantic mappings" to a central registry or registries of data elements. The simplest mapping is of course where there is equivalence. There are three types of Semantic equivalence: Class Equivalence - indicating that class or "concepts" are equivalent. For example: "Person" is the same as "Individual" Property Equivalence - indicating that two properties are equivalent. For example: "PersonGivenName" is the same as "FirstName" Instance Equivalence - indicating that two individual instances of objects are equivalent. For example: "Dan Smith" is the same person as "Daniel Smith" Semantic translation is very difficult if the terms in a particular data model do not have direct one-to-one mappings to data elements in a foreign data model. In that situation, an alternative approach must be used to find mappings from the original data to the foreign data elements. This problem can be alleviated by centralized metadata registries that use the ISO-11179 standards such as the National Information Exchange Model (NIEM).

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  • DPVweb

    DPVweb

    DPVweb is a database for virologists working on plant viruses combining taxonomic, bioinformatic and symptom data. == Description == DPVweb is a central web-based source of information about viruses, viroids and satellites of plants, fungi and protozoa. It provides comprehensive taxonomic information, including brief descriptions of each family and genus, and classified lists of virus sequences. It makes use of a large database that also holds detailed, curated, information for all sequences of viruses, viroids and satellites of plants, fungi and protozoa that are complete or that contain at least one complete gene. There are currently about 10,000 such sequences. For comparative purposes, DPVweb also contains a representative sequence of all other fully sequenced virus species with an RNA or single-stranded DNA genome. For each curated sequence the database contains the start and end positions of each feature (gene, non-translated region, etc.), and these have been checked for accuracy. As far as possible, the nomenclature for genes and proteins are standardized within genera and families. Sequences of features (either as DNA or amino acid sequences) can be directly downloaded from the website in FASTA format. The sequence information can also be accessed via client software for personal computers. == History == The Descriptions of Plant Viruses (DPVs) were first published by the Association of Applied Biologists in 1970 as a series of leaflets, each one written by an expert describing a particular plant virus. In 1998 all of the 354 DPVs published in paper were scanned, and converted into an electronic format in a database and distributed on CDROM. In 2001 the descriptions were made available on the new DPVweb site, providing open access to the now 400+ DPVs (currently 415) as well as taxonomic and sequence data on all plant viruses. == Uses == DPVweb is an aid to researchers in the field of plant virology as well as an educational resource for students of virology and molecular biology. The site provides a single point of access for all known plant virus genome sequences making it easy to collect these sequences together for further analysis and comparison. Sequence data from the DPVweb database have proved valuable for a number of projects: survey of codon usage bias amongst all plant viruses, two-way comparisons between comprehensive sets of sequences from the families Flexiviridae and Potyviridae that have helped inform taxonomy and clarify genus and species discrimination criteria, a survey and verification of the polyprotein cleavage sites within the family Potyviridae.

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