Water-Column Variability Assessment for Underway Profilers to Improve Efficiency and Accuracy of Multibeam Surveys

With the advent of underway profilers, sampling the water-column to obtain sound speed corrections is no longer a detriment to hydrographic survey efficiency. Instead, the challenge has become deciding how many casts are necessary to maintain a desired level of multibeam sounding accuracy, while not needlessly overworking the profiler. Ray tracing uncertainty analysis can determine in hindsight whether a particular sampling interval is adequate or not. Based on this methodology, an algorithm was developed to generate recommended sampling intervals based on successively acquired sound speed profiles, allowing the MVP to run in a “cruise-control” mode where the sampling interval is altered in response to changing oceanographic conditions. In collaboration with Rolls Royce, the algorithm was implemented in Python and loosely couples with the MVP controller software such that the recommended sampling interval can be adjusted without operator intervention. Integration of the software with the MVP controller was successfully tested aboard the NOAA Ship Ferdinand R. Hassler in September of 2012. Initial results from field trials and from analysis of existing data sets are presented

Examination of Ice Impactor and Mold

This research project investigates impact and damage response of composite sandwich structures impacted with solid ice at extreme low-temperature. Composite sandwich structures of carbon fiber reinforced polymer sheets lining a polyvinyl chloride foam core are subjected to low-velocity impact at arctic temperatures. This impact will be delivered by a solid ice tool-tip via a drop impact testing machine. Data and test results acquired will be composed into a research report that will be submitted to The University of Akron and published in a scientific journal. This project builds upon the earlier study by Elamin, Li, & Tan (2018)

Housing Needs of Ageing Veterans Who Have Experienced Limb Loss

Military veterans can experience limb loss as a direct result of conflict, an accident, illness or injury. Whatever the cause, there is a need to recognise the long-term consequences and challenges of limb loss on maintaining independence in one’s home. This study aimed to examine the housing needs of veterans experiencing limb loss, and the impact of limb loss on housing needs and home adaptations of ageing military veterans. Thirty-two military veterans (aged 43–95) participated in this study and up to three life-story interviews were carried out with each participant. Two themes were generated: availability of support and changing housing needs. It is evident from the findings that military veterans are unique in various ways, specifically due to military culture, geographical relocation and the additional support that is available to the Armed Forces Community. This must be considered in long-term support to maintain independence in the home

Geometry Optimization of Crystals by the Quasi-Independent Curvilinear Coordinate Approximation

The quasi-independent curvilinear coordinate approximation (QUICCA) method [K. N\'emeth and M. Challacombe, J. Chem. Phys. {\bf 121}, 2877, (2004)] is extended to the optimization of crystal structures. We demonstrate that QUICCA is valid under periodic boundary conditions, enabling simultaneous relaxation of the lattice and atomic coordinates, as illustrated by tight optimization of polyethylene, hexagonal boron-nitride, a (10,0) carbon-nanotube, hexagonal ice, quartz and sulfur at the $\Gamma$-point RPBE/STO-3G level of theory.Comment: Submitted to Journal of Chemical Physics on 7/7/0

Free Polycategories for Unitary Supermaps of Arbitrary Dimension

We provide a construction for holes into which morphisms of abstract symmetric monoidal categories can be inserted, termed the polyslot construction pslot[C], and identify a sub-class srep[C] of polyslots that are single-party representable. These constructions strengthen a previously introduced notion of locally-applicable transformation used to characterize quantum supermaps in a way that is sufficient to re-construct unitary supermaps directly from the monoidal structure of the category of unitaries. Both constructions furthermore freely reconstruct the enriched polycategorical semantics for quantum supermaps which allows to compose supermaps in sequence and in parallel whilst forbidding the creation of time-loops. By freely constructing key compositional features of supermaps, and characterizing supermaps in the finite-dimensional case, polyslots are proposed as a suitable generalization of unitary-supermaps to infinite dimensions and are shown to include canonical examples such as the quantum switch. Beyond specific applications to quantum-relevant categories, a general class of categorical structures termed path-contraction groupoids are defined on which the srep[C] and pslot[C] constructions are shown to coincide

A Mathematical Framework for Transformations of Physical Processes

We observe that the existence of sequential and parallel composition supermaps in higher order physics can be formalized using enriched category theory. Encouraged by physically relevant examples such as unitary supermaps and layers within higher order causal categories (HOCCs), we treat the modeling of higher order physics with enriched monoidal categories in analogy with the process theoretic framework in which physical theories are modeled with monoidal categories. We use the enriched monoidal setting to construct a suitable definition of structure-preserving map between higher order physical theories via the Grothendieck construction. We then show that the convenient feature of currying in higher order physical theories can be seen as a consequence of combining the primitive assumption of the existence of parallel and sequential composition supermaps with an additional feature of "linking". In a second application, we show more generally that categories containing infinite towers of enriched monoidal categories with full and faithful structure-preserving maps between them inevitably lead to closed monoidal structure. The aim of the proposed definitions is to give a broad framework for the study and comparison of novel causal structures in quantum theory, and, more broadly, provide a paradigm of physical theory where static and dynamical features are treated in a unified way

On the Origin of Linearity and Unitarity in Quantum Theory

We reconstruct the transformations of quantum theory using a physically motivated postulate. This postulate states that transformations should be locally applicable, and singles out the linear unitary maps of pure quantum theory, as well as the completely positive, trace-preserving maps of mixed quantum theory. Notably, in the pure case, linearity with respect to the superposition rule on Hilbert spaces is derived rather than assumed (and without any continuity assumptions)

Catastrophic Risk from Rapid Developments in Artificial Intelligence: what is yet to be addressed and how might New Zealand policymakers respond?

This article describes important possible scenarios in which rapid advances in artificial intelligence (AI) pose multiple risks, including to democracy and for inter-state conflict. In parallel with other countries, New Zealand needs policies to monitor, anticipate and mitigate global catastrophic and existential risks from advanced new technologies. A dedicated policy capacity could translate emerging research and policy options into the New Zealand context. It could also identify how New Zealand could best contribute to global solutions. It is desirable that the potential benefits of AI are realised, while the risks are also mitigated to the greatest extent possible