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Teaching PDC in the Time of COVID: Hands-on Materials for Remote Learning
No full textIn response to shifts in the hardware foundations of computing, parallel and distributed computing (PDC) is now a key piece of the core CS curriculum. For CS educators, the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting switch to remote-learning add new challenges to the tasks of helping learners understand abstract PDC concepts and equipping them with hands-on practical skills. This paper presents several novel teaching materials for teaching PDC remotely, including: (i) using a Runestone Interactive virtual handout to learn how to run OpenMP multithreaded programs on a Raspberry Pi, and (ii) using Google Colab and Jupyter notebooks to run mpi4py instances on remote systems and thus learn about MPI distributed multiprocessing. The authors piloted these strategies during a multi-day faculty development workshop on teaching PDC. Assessment data indicates that the materials greatly aided professional development and preparedness to teach PDC
New Tail for China’s ‘Wolf Warrior’ Diplomats
No full textChinese president Xi Jinping is gaining a reputation for adapting one of the most famous works of ancient Chinese literature to help legitimize his policies—the Tao-te Ching, commonly attributed to the sixth century BCE sage Laozi. What might the United States learn from President Xi’s use of this philosophical text
0.5-W Few-Cycle Frequency Comb at 4 μm from an Efficient Simulton-based Optical Parametric Oscillator
No full textExplaining Autonomous Drones: An XAI Journey
No full textCOGLE (COmmon Ground Learning and Explanation) is an explainable artificial
intelligence (XAI) system where autonomous drones deliver supplies to
field units in mountainous areas. The mission risks vary with topography,
flight decisions, and mission goals. The missions engage a human plus AI team
where users determine which of two AI-controlled drones is better for each
mission. This article reports on the technical approach and findings of the project
and reflects on challenges that complex combinatorial problems present
for users, machine learning, user studies, and the context of use for XAI systems.
COGLE creates explanations in multiple modalities. Narrative “What”
explanations compare what each drone does on a mission and “Why” based on
drone competencies determined from experiments using counterfactuals.
Visual “Where” explanations highlight risks on maps to help users to interpret
flight plans. One branch of the research studied whether the explanations helped
users to predict drone performance. In this branch, a model induction user
study showed that post-decision explanations had only a small effect in teaching
users to determine by themselves which drone is better for a mission. Subsequent
reflection suggests that supporting human plus AI decision making
with pre-decision explanations is a better context for benefiting from explanations
on combinatorial tasks
Renewable Electrolysis in Texas: Pipelines versus Power Lines
No full textUsing wind and solar generation to power electrolysis facilities and produce “green” hydrogen at scale would require infrastructure investment. Using current technology, we identify at least one situation in which producing hydrogen at the point of electricity generation and transporting it to the point of use via pipeline costs about one third that of transmitting the electricity and generating hydrogen at the point of use. This raises the possibility that hydrogen pipelines might provide an alternative to high voltage transmission lines for connecting renewable generation with demand. In this white paper, we explore the tradeoffs of those two options
A Risk Analysis and Data Driven Approach to Combating Sex Trafficking
No full textSex trafficking is a heinous criminal act that compels victims in the United States and worldwide to perform commercial sex acts through force, fraud, coercion, or age (TVPA, 2000). This dissertation takes a risk-analysis and data-driven approach to attain a better understanding of the problem, with the goal of showing that such an approach can help comprehend misallocation of resources, reform policy, reinforce social services, or support populations vulnerable to sex trafficking. Sex trafficking is a complex problem and must be studied both qualitatively and quantitatively in order to provide those in a position of influence with an improved basis for decision-making. In Chapter 2 of this dissertation, I outline the risks associated with sex trafficking and suggest that risk analysis tools can be useful for antitrafficking efforts, as they can provide context-sensitive, empirical knowledge as well as a way to communicate neutrally about a charged topic. Building on the understanding of this complex crime, in Chapter 3 I analyze online commercial sex work advertisements to draw conclusions about the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on sex trafficking, showing a measurable impact of the pandemic-related stay-at-home orders on advertising, and likely on the vulnerability of at-risk populations to trafficking. Finally, in Chapter 4 I use data collected by myself and a collaborator on sex work advertisements as a basis to explore three quantitative methods for detecting anomalies in time-series data. Based on the results of this sex trafficking case study, I evaluate the benefits and drawbacks of each method for risk-based decision-makers and discuss how these methods can be integrated into a broader risk framework. This dissertation contributes to the field of sex trafficking research by offering improved methods for detecting anomalous behaviors in the system and advancing the application of these techniques for the risk analysis community. Although they are specifically designed for sex trafficking, analysts can apply these methods to many of the risk-related challenges of our future
Adapting a Military System for Other Markets Early in the Development Lifecycle
No full textMilitary technologies are typically the product of long-term development efforts. These technologies are often adapted late in the development process for use by other users, including other members of the defense enterprise, foreign militaries, or the commercial sector. The need to adapt a technology can arise from cost over-runs or changing operational requirements. This article describes a value-based methodology for developing a transition plan early in the development process, when the system is still in the conceptual phase. Performing this analysis early in the design phase allows for design choices that will support adapting the system for other users. Moreover, it provides a risk mitigation strategy against cost over-run and changes in operational requirements. The process begins by capturing the functional architecture of the technology and analyzing them against a set of tasks associated with different military positions. From there, the adapted technology is evaluated for its projected adequacy based on the value added and the effort required for adaptation. The end-state of this analysis is a value-based model that identifies a portfolio of possible alternative markets and/or uses, which can be comparatively analyzed. A case study is presented for adapting a military augmented reality system for a different market
The Regional Impact of the Abraham Accords
No full textThe end of 2020 saw a number of important developments in the long-lasting Arab Israeli conflict. These began in September 2020, with the signing in the White House of the Abraham Accords—formally the Treaty of Peace, Diplomatic Relations and Full Normalization between the United Arab Emirates and the state of Israel (UAE)—which explicitly aimed to foster development and prosperity through cooperation in various civilian fields: health, agriculture, tourism, energy, environment, and innovation. Bahrain would join the Abraham Accords soon after, announcing it as the Declaration of Peace, Cooperation, and Constructive Diplomatic and Friendly Relations. They were followed by announcements in October and December 2020 of similar normalization agreements with Sudan and Morocco, respectively. There are reports in the media that other Arab states, including Saudi Arabia, may follow suit.1 None of the Arab states joining the accords (both current and prospective) share a border with Israel, nor has any participated in combat against it in any of the seven Arab Israeli wars between 1948 and 2006 (except for Morocco, briefly, during the October 1973 war). Also, Israel’s political relations with these countries prior to the accords were not the same across the board. Relations ranged from overt hostility (e.g., Sudan) to no relations (e.g., the UAE and Bahrain) to short-term diplomatic relations at the level of liaison offices (e.g., Morocco, 1995–2000). Nevertheless, this series of agreements is historic, as it is only the third instance of normalization between Israel and its Arab neighbors (following Egypt, in 1979 and Jordan in 1994) and embodies a rare renunciation of hostility in the conflict torn Middle East. Besides advancing bilateral economic and technological cooperation among the parties, the Abraham Accords have several implications for US security in the Middle East, including US arms sales and Iran’s hegemonic ambitions in the region, as well as implications for the nearly century-long Palestinian-Israeli conflict. The implications of the accords for US security in the Middle East, as well as for the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, 1 Joseph Hincks, “Will Saudi Arabia Be Next to Normalize Relations with Israel? Don’t Hold Your Breath, Experts Say,” Time, September 18, 2020, https://time.com/5890151/saudi-arabia-israel-abraham-accords/ The Regional Impact of the Abraham Accords 4 should be seen through the lens of how it reshapes and solidifies the alignment system governing the region, knowing that the accords themselves are the latest in a series of developments in this alignment system that started in the mid-1990s. This report provides a more coherent account of the accords, with a focus on the regional impact—that is, on the alignments and alliances in the Middle East—and its implications for US policy in the region. The report is therefore divided into three sections. Following this introduction, the first section is a background on the rival alignments in the Middle East, with an emphasis on the developments following the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings. The second section proceeds to explain the regional impact of the accords on these alignments, particularly the way the accords consolidate the status quo alignment vis-à-vis the revisionist. The third section concludes with implications and policy recommendations
Probabilistic Observation Model Correction Using Non-Gaussian Belief Fusion
No full textThis paper presents a framework for state estimation which tolerates uncertainty in observation model parameters by (1) incorporating this uncertainty in state observation, and (2) correcting model parameters to improve future state observations. The first objective is met by an uncertainty propagation approach, while the second is achieved by gradient-descent optimization. The novel framework allows state estimates to be represented by non-Gaussian probability distribution functions. By correcting observation model parameters, estimation performance is enhanced since the accuracy of observations is increased. Monte Carlo simulation experiments validate the efficacy of the proposed approach in comparison with conventional estimation techniques, showing that as model parameters converge to ground-truth over time, state estimation correspondingly improves when compared to a static model estimate. Because observation models cannot be known with perfect accuracy and existing approaches do not address parametric uncertainties in non-Gaussian estimation, this work has both novelty and usefulness in most state estimation contexts
AR/VR Tutorial System for Human-Robot Teaming
No full textThe role of human-robot teaming (HRT), or the interaction between humans and robots to complete tasks, is becoming increasingly important in the modern age. From medicine to military applications, robots have established themselves as powerful tools in the completion of human-directed objectives. Given the importance of this teaming, it is equally important that there exists a system to develop such partnerships. For this purpose we present a tutorial based on the framework of the Project Aquaticus human-robot teaming test-bed, where participants in previous experiments felt overwhelmed while working with an autonomous robot teammate. To improve and develop this participant-robot relationship, we developed a tutorial for HRT using the Unity game engine. The Project Aquaticus test-bed centers around a game of capture-the-flag played in boats on the water, where each team is equipped with two human-steered boats and two autonomous robot teammates. The tutorial is designed based on the analysis of previous literature and includes features found in other, effective training systems and tutorials. The creation of this automated tutorial system shows promise in improving the effectiveness of HRT in the context of Project Aquaticus. In the near future, the effectiveness of this tutorial system will be tested with human subjects to evaluate improvements to situational awareness and cognitive load