ECONOMIC RESEARCH PROGRAMS FOR COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT--WHY DO IT?

Community/Rural/Urban Development,

RURAL IMPACTS OF INCOME MAINTENANCE PROGRAMS

Agricultural Finance,

Interaction Templates for Multi-Robot Systems

This work describes a framework for multi-robot problems that require or utilize interactions between robots. Solutions consider interactions on a motion planning level to determine the feasibility and cost of the multi-robot team solution. Modeling these problems with current integrated task and motion planning (TMP) approaches typically requires reasoning about the possible interactions and checking many of the possible robot combinations when searching for a solution. We present a multi-robot planning method called Interaction Templates (ITs) which moves certain types of robot interactions from the task planner to the motion planner. ITs model interactions between a set of robots with a small roadmap. This roadmap is then tiled into the environment and connected to the robots’ individual roadmaps. The resulting combined roadmap allows interactions to be considered by the motion planner. We apply ITs to homogeneous and heterogeneous robot teams under both required and optional cooperation scenarios which previously required a task planning method. We show improved performance over a current TMP planning approach

Breeding for organic crops: Course material development

Concerns over pesticide usage and the desire to build the soil creating a sustainable farming environment grew the organic farming movement. As the organic industry developed, organizations formed to provide oversight, standards, and regulations. The organic farming industry has continued to grow and does not appear to be slowing down. The consumption of organic foods is increasing as well as the number of hectares of organic production. With this expansion, the industry has recognized the need for plant breeding programs to produce plant varieties with traits to survive and thrive under low-input conditions as well compete with weeds and not succumb to the stress of insects and diseases. Several different plant breeding approaches are being used to produce new varieties better suited for organic systems. As new varieties are developed, another hurdle in seed production has been realized. Production of quality organic seed in quantities that facilitate large scale production will keep the industry moving forward and help meet the demands of consumers

Pioneer Inventors, Sea Devils, and Infernal Machines: Submarine Development in the United States From the American Revolution Through the American Civil War

This thesis is a study of the history of early American submarine development, from the American Revolution through the American Civil War, with a brief discussion of what happened afterwards. Early American-made submarines are often not studied in detail with the exception of the most famous vessels like the H. L. Hunley and the Turtle. Few people realize just how many submarine projects were worked on in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, and many do not know anything about these submarines at all. This paper will cover the history of submarine development, the men behind them, what contemporaries thought of them, and ultimately what effect, if any, they had on American history. Because information on some of these submarines is scarce, some educated guesses and speculation will be used where necessary. The reasons for submarine development and what compelled people to develop submarines will also be discussed. In writing this paper, I hope to provide a better understanding of the long history of American submarines and encourage others to research these early submarines, perhaps making discoveries of their own

Routes Towards Optical Quantum Technology --- New Architectures and Applications

This thesis is based upon the work I have done during my PhD candidature at Macquarie University. In this work we develop quantum technologies that are directed towards realising a quantum computer. Specifically, we have made many theoretical advancements in a type of quantum information processing protocol called BosonSampling. This device efficiently simulates the interaction of quantum particles called bosons, which no classical computer can efficiently simulate. In this thesis we explore quantum random walks, which are the basis of how the bosons in BosonSampling interfere with each other. We explore implementing BosonSampling using the most readily available photon source technology. We invented a completely new architecture which can implement BosonSampling in time rather than space and has since been used to make the worlds largest BosonSampling experiment ever performed. We look at variations to the traditional BosonSampling architecture by considering other quantum states of light. We show a worlds first application inspired by BosonSampling in quantum metrology where measurements may be made more accurately than with any classical method. Lastly, dealing with BosonSampling, we look at reformulating the formalism of BosonSampling using a quantum optics approach. In addition, but not related to BosonSampling, we show a protocol for efficiently generating large-photon Fock states, which are a type of quantum state of light, that are useful for quantum computation. Also, we show a method for generating a specific quantum state of light that is useful for quantum error correction --- an essential component of realising a quantum computer --- by coupling together light and atoms.Comment: PhD Thesi

Investigating the Modulation of Aggregating Amyloid Beta 40

Amyloid beta protein has been linked to the formation of Alzheimer’s disease in patients.¹ Plaques form from amyloid beta fibrils. The formation of these plaques between neural connections in the brain are associated with Alzheimer’s disease.² The reduction of the formation of fibrils can be linked to utilizing protein mimics. The protocols that are used to reproduce the simulation of amyloid beta in the brain can be very important. Also, the structure of the protein mimic that is being used to inhibit the formation of fibrils can determine how the amyloid beta plaques are reduced. The structure of sequence KLLFFLFFLLK peptoid was synthesized to test with amyloid beta. The amyloid beta must first be monomerized to the desired monomer 40 or 42 which are believed to be the main amino acid residues associated with the formation of plaques.³ This was accomplished through both 1,1,1,3,3,3 hexaprop-2-flouro treatment and fast protein liquid chromatography. The peptoid was synthesized by hand, purified by high pressure liquid chromatography, and tested by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization

Multi-Agent Persistent Task Performance

A method to control a system of robots to persistently perform a task while operating under a constraint such as battery life is presented. Persistently performing a task is defined as continuously executing the task without a break or stopping due to low battery constraints or lack of capabilities of a particular agent. If an agent is no longer able to execute the task it must be replaced by one that can continue the execution of the task. This is achieved through the utilization of two distinctions of agent roles: workers and helpers. This method is focused on addressing problems that require task handoffs where a second robot physically replaces a robot that has run low on battery. The worker agents are assigned the tasks, and perform the tasks until the constraint prevents further performance. Once a worker agent has reached a low battery threshold a task handoff is performed with a helper agent. This method utilizes a proactive approach in performing these handoffs by predicting the time and place that a worker will reach a low battery threshold and need to perform a handoff. This decreases the time necessary to respond to a low battery in these problems compared to prior developed reactive methods. As a result the total time needed by the multi agent team to complete a set of tasks is decreased. In this paper, the method is demonstrated utilizing a physics based simulator to model the behavior of the multi agent team. Experiments are run over three standard problems requiring agent task handoffs: sentry, inspection, and coverage. These demonstrate the effectiveness of the method when compared against the existing reactive methods