BLOCKGRID: A BLOCKCHAIN-MEDIATED CYBER-PHYSICAL INSTRUCTIONAL PLATFORM

Includes supplementary material, which may be found at https://calhoun.nps.edu/handle/10945/66767Blockchain technology has garnered significant attention for its disruptive potential in several domains of national security interest. For the United States government to meet the challenge of incorporating blockchain technology into its IT infrastructure and cyber warfare strategy, personnel must be educated about blockchain technology and its applications. This thesis presents both the design and prototype implementation for a blockchain-mediated cyber-physical system called a BlockGrid. The system consists of a cluster of microcomputers that form a simple smart grid controlled by smart contracts on a private blockchain. The microcomputers act as private blockchain nodes and are programmed to activate microcomputer-attached circuits in response to smart-contract transactions. LEDs are used as visible circuit elements that serve as indicators of the blockchain’s activity and allow demonstration of the technology to observers. Innovations in networking configuration and physical layout allow the prototype to be highly portable and pre-configured for use upon assembly. Implementation options allow the use of BlockGrid in a variety of instructional settings, thus increasing its potential benefit to educators.Civilian, CyberCorps: Scholarship for ServiceApproved for public release. distribution is unlimite

Beyond the pavement: How to take on cross-country mountain biking

Mountain biking began for me as an escape from the commotion of urban society. I was looking for a way to get out of life’s normal grind and take advantage of my love for being active and outside. Mountain biking was the perfect sport to meet my desires. I have become an advocate for mountain biking early on. I am now taking this opportunity to teach people about the sport I have come to love. The objectives of this book are two fold. Part I serves as a comprehensive guide to cross-country mountain biking that will provide new comers with the information they need to “slingshot” themselves into mountain biking. Part II will provide tips and knowledge that can help everyone improve their performance. For some, the transition from the road to the dirt is a simple task, but for others the process can be much more difficult. This book is designed for those beginners who are having a tough time adapting to the new challenges of off-road riding. It is also a book for those recreational riders who wish to gain an edge or enhance their skill level. When using the information provided in Part II, it is important to put theory into practice. After reading this section, take one of the key points into mind and hit the trails. Ride the same as before, with the exception of the key point you chose to work on. With practice, the skill becomes automatic. A rider who practices often will develop a schema, or automatic path of action for each skill. Continue working on other key points, one or two at a time, until they too become automatic. I hope that all new mountain bikers will enjoy being closer to nature, take pride in being active, and fall in love with the amazing adventure waiting on every trail. I encourage all new riders to “take on” cross-country mountain biking

Elliptic Genera and 3d Gravity

We describe general constraints on the elliptic genus of a 2d supersymmetric conformal field theory which has a gravity dual with large radius in Planck units. We give examples of theories which do and do not satisfy the bounds we derive, by describing the elliptic genera of symmetric product orbifolds of $K3$, product manifolds, certain simple families of Calabi-Yau hypersurfaces, and symmetric products of the "Monster CFT." We discuss the distinction between theories with supergravity duals and those whose duals have strings at the scale set by the AdS curvature. Under natural assumptions we attempt to quantify the fraction of (2,2) supersymmetric conformal theories which admit a weakly curved gravity description, at large central charge.Comment: 50 pages, 9 figures, v2: minor corrections to section

Challenges in Teaching Climate Science Literacy in Alabama, Part I: Climate Change and the Southeast U.S. Warming Hole

The overwhelming scientific consensus is that the earth’s climate is changing rapidly, and that human activity is largely responsible. However, a significant percentage of the population remains skeptical, due in large part to misinformation and political polarization of the topic. This in itself makes it especially challenging to improve climate science literacy. The challenge increases in the Southeast United States, where a “warming hole” experienced significant cooling beginning in the late 1950’s while the rest of the world was warming. Temperature data from the Northwest Alabama Regional Weather Station since 1940, as well as average temperatures for Alabama since 1895, demonstrate the presence of this warming hole. Climate system drivers are complex; however, by addressing this complexity and encouraging exploration into the causation of anomalous evidence on a regional scale, it is easier to explain the broader patterns and implications of global climate change

Rhabdomyolysis in an HIV cohort: epidemiology, causes and outcomes.

BackgroundThe Literature on rhabdomyolysis in the HIV-positive population is sparse and limited. We aimed to explore the incidence, patient characteristics, etiologies and outcomes of rhabdomyolysis in a cohort of HIV-positive patients identified through the Johns Hopkins HIV clinical registry between June 1992 and April 2014.MethodsA retrospective analysis of 362 HIV-positive patients with non-cardiac CK elevation ≥1000 IU/L was performed. Both inpatients and outpatients were included. Incidence rate and potential etiologies for rhabdomyolysis were ascertained. The development of acute kidney injury (AKI, defined as doubling of serum creatinine), need for dialysis, and death in the setting of rhabdomyolysis were determined. Logistic regression was used to evaluate the association of peak CK level with the development of AKI.ResultsThree hundred sixty two cases of rhabdomyolysis were identified in a cohort of 7079 patients with a 38,382 person years follow-up time. The incidence rate was nine cases per 1000 person-years (95% CI: 8.5-10.5). Infection was the most common etiology followed by compression injury and drug/alcohol use. One-third of cases had multiple potential etiologies. AKI developed in 46% of cases; 20% of which required dialysis. Thirteen percent died during follow-up. After adjustment, AKI was associated with higher CK (OR 2.05 for each 1-log increase in CK [95% CI: 1.40-2.99]), infection (OR 5.48 [95% CI 2.65-11.31]) and higher HIV viral load (OR 1.22 per 1-log increase [95% CI: 1.03-1.45]).ConclusionRhabdomyolysis in the HIV-positive population has many possible causes and is frequently multifactorial. HIV-positive individuals with rhabdomyolysis have a high risk of AKI and mortality

Search complexity and resource scaling for the quantum optimal control of unitary transformations

The optimal control of unitary transformations is a fundamental problem in quantum control theory and quantum information processing. The feasibility of performing such optimizations is determined by the computational and control resources required, particularly for systems with large Hilbert spaces. Prior work on unitary transformation control indicates that (i) for controllable systems, local extrema in the search landscape for optimal control of quantum gates have null measure, facilitating the convergence of local search algorithms; but (ii) the required time for convergence to optimal controls can scale exponentially with Hilbert space dimension. Depending on the control system Hamiltonian, the landscape structure and scaling may vary. This work introduces methods for quantifying Hamiltonian-dependent and kinematic effects on control optimization dynamics in order to classify quantum systems according to the search effort and control resources required to implement arbitrary unitary transformations

Exact S-Matrix for 2D String Theory

We formulate simple graphical rules which allow explicit calculation of nonperturbative $c=1$ $S$-matrices. This allows us to investigate the constraint of nonperturbative unitarity, which indeed rules out some theories. Nevertheless, we show that there is an infinite parameter family of nonperturbatively unitary $c=1$ $S$-matrices. We investigate the dependence of the $S$-matrix on one of these nonperturbative parameters. In particular, we study the analytic structure, background dependence, and high-energy behavior of some nonperturbative $c=1$ $S$-matrices. The scattering amplitudes display interesting resonant behavior both at high energies and in the complex energy plane.Comment: 42p