Autonomous Vehicle Controllers that Mimic Responsible Human Driving Behaviors: Review and Data Collection Recommendations

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Description

The future of driving is largely headed towards autonomous vehicles, and this is clear with companies such as Tesla, Waymo, and even tech giant Apple. Many professionals predict that autonomous vehicles will likely be commercially available and legal to use

The future of driving is largely headed towards autonomous vehicles, and this is clear with companies such as Tesla, Waymo, and even tech giant Apple. Many professionals predict that autonomous vehicles will likely be commercially available and legal to use in some places by the late 2020s [15]. There are some benefits to the rapid development of autonomous vehicle controllers, such as more independence for those who can’t drive due to impairments, the potential for reduced traffic, as well as possibly decreasing the number of accidents. Though these are promising prospects, there are ethical concerns regarding the implementation of such technology. The goal of this thesis is to provide an introductory literature review that discusses the history of autonomous vehicles, different levels of autonomy, ethical considerations in autonomous systems, and prior work on characterizing human driving behaviors and implementing these behaviors with autonomous vehicle controllers. Finally, recommendations are proposed for data collection on human driving behaviors in an ongoing NSF-funded project at Arizona State University, “Embodiment of Human Values Profiles in Autonomous Vehicles via Psychomimetic Controller Design.”

Date Created
2022-05
Agent

C*-Algebra in Quantum Mechanics: Proving the Limitations of Our Typical Representations and the Need for C*-Algebra

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Description

In thesis we will build up our operator theory for finite and infinite dimensional systems. We then prove that Heisenberg and Schrodinger representations are equivalent for systems with finite degrees of freedom. We will then make a case to switch

In thesis we will build up our operator theory for finite and infinite dimensional systems. We then prove that Heisenberg and Schrodinger representations are equivalent for systems with finite degrees of freedom. We will then make a case to switch to a C*-algebra formulation of quantum mechanics as we will prove that the Schrodinger and Heisenberg pictures become inadequate to full describe systems with infinitely many degrees of freedom because of inequivalent representations. This becomes important as we shift from single particle systems to quantum field theory, statistical mechanics, and many other areas of study. The goal of this thesis is to introduce these mathematical topics rigorously and prove that they are necessary for further study in particle physics.

Date Created
2022-05
Agent

Addition of Predatory Bacteria Decreases the Mortality of C. elegans

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Description

Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus (BB) is a gram negative predatory bacteria that uses other gram negative bacteria to proliferate non-binarily. Due to the predatory nature of BB researchers have proposed to use it as a potential biocontrol agent against other gram negative

Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus (BB) is a gram negative predatory bacteria that uses other gram negative bacteria to proliferate non-binarily. Due to the predatory nature of BB researchers have proposed to use it as a potential biocontrol agent against other gram negative bacteria. The in vivo effect of predatory bacteria on a living host lacks thorough investigation. This paper explores BB inside and outside of the C. elegans. BB acts internally by pre- infecting C. elegans with E. coli and then treating the worms with BB. After BB treatment worm survivavbility increased and morbidity decreased. Ex- ternally, BB modulated the environment around the nematode which reduced infection rates and increased nematode lifespan and survivability. Together, the internal and external results suggest BB has the capability to act as a living antibiotic acting topically and internally to reduce infection rates.

Date Created
2022-05
Agent

Production of HIV-1 Virus-Like Particles in Nicotiana benthamiana Using an Enhanced Geminivirus-Based Expression Vector

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Description

Plant-made virus-like particles (VLPs), composed of HIV-1 Gag and deconstructed gp41 proteins, have been shown to be safe and immunogenic in mice. Here, we report the successful production of HIV-1 Gag/dgp41 VLPs in Nicotiana benthamiana, using an enhanced geminivirus-based expression

Plant-made virus-like particles (VLPs), composed of HIV-1 Gag and deconstructed gp41 proteins, have been shown to be safe and immunogenic in mice. Here, we report the successful production of HIV-1 Gag/dgp41 VLPs in Nicotiana benthamiana, using an enhanced geminivirus-based expression vector. This novel vector results in unique expression kinetics, with peak protein accumulation and minimal necrosis achieved on day 4 post-infiltration. In comparing various purification strategies, it was determined that a 20% ammonium sulfate precipitation is an effective and efficient method for removing plant proteins and purifying the recombinant VLPs of interest. If further purification is required, this may be achieved through ultracentrifugation. VLPs are a useful platform for a variety of biomedical applications and developing the technology to efficiently produce VLPs in the plant expression system is of critical importance.

Date Created
2022-05
Agent

Quantitative Image Corrections for EMCCD Camera

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Description

Electron Multiplying Charge Coupled Device (EMCCD) cameras are widely used for fluorescence microscopy experiments. However, the quantitative determination of biological parameters uniquely depends on characteristics of the unavoidably inhomogenous illumination profile as it gives rise to an image. It is

Electron Multiplying Charge Coupled Device (EMCCD) cameras are widely used for fluorescence microscopy experiments. However, the quantitative determination of biological parameters uniquely depends on characteristics of the unavoidably inhomogenous illumination profile as it gives rise to an image. It is therefore of interest to learn this inhomogenous illumination profiles that can dramatically vary across images alongside the camera parameters though a detailed camera model. In this manuscript we create a detailed model to learn inhomogeneous illumination profiles as well as learn all associated camera parameters. We achieve this within a Bayesian paradigm allowing us to determine full distributions over the unknowns.

Date Created
2022-05
Agent

Votes that Count: Building a Tool to Facilitate Understanding of the Effects of Voting Procedure on Electoral Outcomes

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Description

The goal of this project was to develop a prototype for an educational tool that will help users understand how the voting system deployed by a government can affect the outcomes of elections. This tool was developed in Java SE,

The goal of this project was to develop a prototype for an educational tool that will help users understand how the voting system deployed by a government can affect the outcomes of elections. This tool was developed in Java SE, consisting of a model for the simulation of elections capable of supporting various voting systems, along with a variety of fairness measures, and educational and explanatory material. While a completed version of this tool would ideally be fully self-contained, easily accessible in-browser, and provide detailed visualizations of the simulated elections, the current prototype version consists of a GitHub repository containing the code, with the educational material and explanations contained within the thesis paper. Ultimately, the goal of this project was to be a stepping stone on the path to create a tool that will instill a measure of systemic skepticism in the user; to give them cause to question why our systems are built the way they are, and reasons to believe that they could be changed for the better. In undertaking this project, I hope to help in providing people with the political education needed to make informed decisions about how they want the government to function. The GitHub repository containing all the code can be found at, https://github.com/SpencerDiamond/Votes_that_Count

Date Created
2022-05
Agent

Mathematically Modeling the Magnetic Monopole

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Description

In a hypothetical Grand Unified Theory, magnetic monopoles are a particle which would act as a charge carrier for the magnetic force. Evidence of magnetic monopoles has yet to be found and based off of their relatively high mass (4-10

In a hypothetical Grand Unified Theory, magnetic monopoles are a particle which would act as a charge carrier for the magnetic force. Evidence of magnetic monopoles has yet to be found and based off of their relatively high mass (4-10 TeV) will be difficult to find with current technology. The goal of my thesis is to mathematically model the magnetic monopole by finding numerical solutions to the equations of motion. In my analysis, I consider four cases: kinks, cosmic strings, global monopoles, and magnetic monopoles. I will also study electromagnetic gauge fields to prepare to include gauge fields in the magnetic monopole case. Numerical solutions are found for the cosmic string and global monopole cases. As expected, the energy is high at small distance r and drops off as r goes to infinity. Currently numerical solutions are being worked towards for electromagnetic gauge fields and the magnetic monopole case.

Date Created
2022-05
Agent

Pulse Sequence Programming for Magnetic Resonance Imaging: Deuterium Imaging and Glioblastoma Detection

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Description
Glioblastoma brain tumors are among the most lethal human cancers. Treatment efforts typically involve both surgical tumor removal, as well as ongoing therapy. In this work, we propose the use of deuterium magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to delineate tumor boundaries

Glioblastoma brain tumors are among the most lethal human cancers. Treatment efforts typically involve both surgical tumor removal, as well as ongoing therapy. In this work, we propose the use of deuterium magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to delineate tumor boundaries based on spatial distributions of deuterated leucine, as well as resolve the metabolism of leucine within the tumor. Accurate boundary identification contributes to effectiveness of tumor removal efforts, while amino acid metabolism information may help characterize tumor malignancy and guide ongoing treatment. So, we first examine the fundamental mechanisms of deuterium MRI. We then discuss the use of spin-echo and gradient recall echo sequences for mapping spatial distributions of deuterated leucine, and the use of single-voxel spectroscopy for imaging metabolites within a tumor.
Date Created
2022-05
Agent

Measuring Beam Energy and Energy Jitter on the Compact X-Ray Light Source

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Description

For this thesis, the energy of the CXLS electron beam was measured and the beam’s energy jitter was calculated. It is essential to characterize the beam’s en- ergy and energy jitter in order to ensure that the powerful x-rays produced

For this thesis, the energy of the CXLS electron beam was measured and the beam’s energy jitter was calculated. It is essential to characterize the beam’s en- ergy and energy jitter in order to ensure that the powerful x-rays produced by CXLS will be of a consistent and desirable energy. The energy of the electrons within the electron beam can be calculated through utilizing basic physics prin- ciples and the geometry of the beamline. The energy of the beam for the data collected was found to be 3.426 MeV at POP module 1 and 12.3 MeV at POP module 9. The energy jitter of the beam was determined for four different angle settings of the VPSPD for linac 1 and found to be lowest when the linac 1 VPSPD was set to an angle of 97°. The energy jitter of the beam was 1.50e-03 MeV when the VPSPD for linac 1 was set to 97°.

Date Created
2022-05
Agent

Taiwanese Parental Involvement Toward Children’s English Learning

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Description
Research has shown that English language development among L2 learners can be greatly enhanced through at-home parental involvement. However, few pieces of research have studied how parents involve themselves in their child’s English education. In this study, questions revolving around

Research has shown that English language development among L2 learners can be greatly enhanced through at-home parental involvement. However, few pieces of research have studied how parents involve themselves in their child’s English education. In this study, questions revolving around the parents’ level of involvement with their child’s English education are addressed to help analyze what Taiwanese parents are doing to enhance or hinder their child’s language-learning growth. Through the questionnaire data provided by forty-four of parental respondents, results suggest that parents’ involvement efforts are often not considered proportional to the child’s English educational success. Solutions to help parents nurture effective academic growth in children’s English learning endeavors are discussed to help parents better approach English educational involvement.
Date Created
2022-05
Agent