Approximate and Compensate: A Method for Risk-Sensitive Meta-Deliberation and Continual Computation

We present a flexible procedure for a resource-bounded agent to allocate limited computational resources to on-line problem solving. Our APPROXIMATE AND COMPENSATE methodology extends a well-known greedy time-slicing approach to conditions in which performance profiles may be non-concave and there is uncertainty in the environment and/or problem-solving procedures of an agent. With this method, the agent first approximates problem-solving performance and problem parameters with standard parameterized models. Second, the agent computes a risk-management factor that compensates for the risk inherent in the approximation. The risk-management factor represents a mean-variance tradeoff that may be derived optimally off-line using any available information. Theoretical and experimental results demonstrate that APPROXIMATE AND COMPENSATE extends existing methods to new problems and expands the practical application of meta-deliberation.Engineering and Applied Science

Soil Erodibility: How Is It Determined and Used?

The nation\u27s concern about soil erosion has focused on tillage practices used to produce row crops. Because of this concern, legislation now requires grain producers to adopt soil conservation practices if they want to participate in many government programs. The 1985 Farm Bill\u27s conservation provisions classify soils into different erodibility categories. Soils designated as highly erodible must have an approved conservation plan if the producer wants to plant crops on them as part of a government program\u27s acreage base. On what basis is a soil determined to be highly erodible? Experience and common sense point out that several factors such as rainfall intensity, soil properties, slope, crop and tillage system affect soil erodibility. After many years of research aimed at quantifying the combined effect of these factors, an equation was developed to help predict soil erosion losses. The Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE), developed at the National Runoff and Soil Loss Data Center, incorporates environmental and topographic factors affecting soil erosion. It predicts how much erosion a given site will have in terms of tons/acre/year

Analysis and Geometric Optimization of Single Electron Transistors for Read-Out in Solid-State Quantum Computing

The single electron transistor (SET) offers unparalled opportunities as a nano-scale electrometer, capable of measuring sub-electron charge variations. SETs have been proposed for read-out schema in solid-state quantum computing where quantum information processing outcomes depend on the location of a single electron on nearby quantum dots. In this paper we investigate various geometries of a SET in order to maximize the device's sensitivity to charge transfer between quantum dots. Through the use of finite element modeling we model the materials and geometries of an Al/Al2O3 SET measuring the state of quantum dots in the Si substrate beneath. The investigation is motivated by the quest to build a scalable quantum computer, though the methodology used is primarily that of circuit theory. As such we provide useful techniques for any electronic device operating at the classical/quantum interface.Comment: 13 pages, 17 figure