Optimizing Continuous-Variable Functions with Quantum Annealing

Quantum annealing (QA) can be competitive to classical algorithms in optimizing continuous-variable functions when running on appropriate hardware, show researchers from Tokyo Tech. By comparing the performance of QA running on a D-Wave quantum computer to that of state-of-the-art classical algorithms, they find that a sufficient suppression of thermal noise can enable QA to significantly outperform classical algorithms.

Quantum annealing (QA) is a cutting-edge algorithm that leverages the unique properties of quantum computing to tackle complex combinatorial optimization problems (a class of mathematical problems dealing with discrete-variable functions). Quantum computers use the rules of quantum physics to solve such problems potentially faster than classical computers. In essence, they can explore multiple solutions to a problem simultaneously, giving them a significant speed advantage for certain tasks over classical computers. In particular, QA harnesses the phenomenon of "quantum tunneling," where particles can "tunnel" through energy barriers without the requisite energy to cross over them, to find solutions for combinatorial optimization problems.

Up until now, QA has almost exclusively been used to solve discrete-variable functions (functions that have discrete-valued variables). The potential of QA for optimizing continuous-variable functions has remained largely unexplored.

Wastewater detects signs of antimicrobial resistance in aged care

Photo Credit: Jsme MILA

A new study published today, analyzing wastewater samples from several aged care and retirement homes in Adelaide, has uncovered worrying signs of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in at least one facility.

High levels of bacterial resistance against three common antibiotics – ceftazidime, cefepime and ciprofloxacin – were identified in one aged care residential home. A second facility recorded above average levels of antimicrobial resistance to gentamicin, putting residents’ health at risk.

The listed antibiotics are used to treat a variety of bacterial infections, including pneumonia, gynecological, urinary and respiratory tract infections, and those affecting bones and joints.

University of South Australia microbiologist, Associate Professor Rietie Venter, who led the study, says AMR is a concerning trend in aged care facilities.

“Antimicrobial resistance is projected to lead to 300 million deaths worldwide by 2060, and aged care residents are among the most vulnerable due to frequent, inappropriate use of medicines,” Assoc Prof Venter says.

Study raises concerns over powdered infant formula preparation machines

Photo Credit: Lucy Wolski

A study by Swansea University academics into powdered infant formula preparation safety has revealed that 85% of the 74 infant formula preparation machines tested by parents in UK homes did not appear to produce water that would be hot enough to kill all harmful bacteria in infant formula, and this could pose a serious risk to infant health.

This was compared to 69 parents in the study who used a kettle to heat the water used to prepare infant formula, where 22% reported water temperatures that were not hot enough to kill all harmful bacteria.

Almost three quarters of infants in the UK are fed infant formula in the first six weeks of life and this rises to 88% by six months of age. 

Formula-fed infants have a higher risk of gastrointestinal infections compared to breastfed infants1 which can be attributed, in part, to bacterial contamination from: the powdered infant formula itself (which cannot be made sterile), the equipment used for feeding, and also preparing infant formula with unclean hands. To help reduce the risk of such infections, the NHS has adopted the World Health Organization (WHO) recommendation that water used to make infant formula should be boiled and cooled, so that it is at a temperature of at least 70oC to eliminate bacteria.

Potential genetic screening for aggressive melanoma

Photo Credit: cottonbro studio

Researchers from The University of Queensland and The Alfred hospital in Melbourne have identified gene variants which may contribute to people being at higher risk for nodular melanoma.

Dr Mitchell Stark from UQ’s Frazer Institute said nodular melanoma only accounts for around 14 per cent of invasive melanoma cases, but the aggressive subtype is the largest contributor to melanoma deaths.

“Melanoma is highly curable by surgery when diagnosed early, but nodular melanoma is often detected later because of its rapid growth rate and short window of opportunity for detection and diagnosis,” Dr Stark said.

“Up to 27 per cent of nodular melanoma cases appear as a skin-colored tumor, as opposed to other more pigmented melanomas, adding an additional challenge to early diagnosis.

“We hope that by identifying these rare variants, it could help establish screening programs to determine the people most at risk.”

Scientists illuminate the mechanics of solid-state batteries

The image conceptualizes the processing, structure and mechanical behavior of glassy ion conductors for solid state lithium batteries.
Illustration Credit: Adam Malin/ORNL, U.S. Dept. of Energy

As current courses through a battery, its materials erode over time. Mechanical influences such as stress and strain affect this trajectory, although their impacts on battery efficacy and longevity are not fully understood.

A team led by researchers at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory developed a framework for designing solid-state batteries, or SSBs, with mechanics in mind. Their paper, published in Science, reviewed how these factors change SSBs during their cycling.

“Our goal is to highlight the importance of mechanics in battery performance,” said Sergiy Kalnaus, a scientist in ORNL’s Multiphysics Modeling and Flows group. “A lot of studies have focused on chemical or electric properties but have neglected to show the underlying mechanics.”

The team spans several ORNL research areas including computation, chemistry and materials science. Together, their review painted a more cohesive picture of the conditions that affect SSBs by using perspectives from across the scientific spectrum. “We’re trying to bridge the divide between disciplines,” said Kalnaus.

AI copilot enhances human precision for safer aviation

With Air-Guardian, a computer program can track where a human pilot is looking (using eye-tracking technology), so it can better understand what the pilot is focusing on. This helps the computer make better decisions that are in line with what the pilot is doing or intending to do.
Illustration Credit: Alex Shipps/MIT CSAIL via Midjourney

Imagine you're in an airplane with two pilots, one human and one computer. Both have their “hands” on the controllers, but they're always looking out for different things. If they're both paying attention to the same thing, the human gets to steer. But if the human gets distracted or misses something, the computer quickly takes over.

Meet the Air-Guardian, a system developed by researchers at the MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL). As modern pilots grapple with an onslaught of information from multiple monitors, especially during critical moments, Air-Guardian acts as a proactive copilot; a partnership between human and machine, rooted in understanding attention.

But how does it determine attention, exactly? For humans, it uses eye-tracking, and for the neural system, it relies on something called "saliency maps," which pinpoint where attention is directed. The maps serve as visual guides highlighting key regions within an image, aiding in grasping and deciphering the behavior of intricate algorithms. Air-Guardian identifies early signs of potential risks through these attention markers, instead of only intervening during safety breaches like traditional autopilot systems. 

New strategy for eye condition could replace injections with eyedrops

Yulia Komarova, UIC associate professor in the department of pharmacology and regenerative medicine at the College of Medicine
Photo Credit: Komarova

A new compound developed at the University of Illinois Chicago could potentially offer an alternative to injections for the millions of people who suffer from an eye condition that causes blindness.

Wet age-related macular degeneration causes vision loss due to the uncontrolled growth and leakage of blood vessels in the back of the eye. A new paper in Cell Reports Medicine led by UIC researcher Yulia Komarova finds that a small-molecule inhibitor can reverse damage from AMD and promote regenerative and healing processes. 

The drug can also be delivered via eyedrops — an improvement over current treatments for AMD, which require repeated injections into the eye. 

“The idea was to develop something that can be more patient-friendly and doesn’t require a visit to the doctor’s office,” said Komarova, associate professor of pharmacology at the College of Medicine. 

Pulling carbon dioxide straight from the air

John Hegarty and Ben Shindel with new ions to facilitate carbon capture
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Northwestern University

Even as the world slowly begins to decarbonize industrial processes, achieving lower concentrations of atmospheric carbon requires technologies that remove existing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere — rather than just prevent the creation of it.

Typical carbon capture catches CO2 directly from the source of a carbon-intensive process. Ambient carbon capture, or “direct air capture” (DAC) on the other hand, can take carbon out of typical environmental conditions and serves as one weapon in the battle against climate change, particularly as reliance on fossil fuels begins to decrease and with it, the need for point-of-source carbon capture.

New research from Northwestern University shows a novel approach to capture carbon from ambient environmental conditions that looks at the relationship between water and carbon dioxide in systems to inform the “moisture-swing” technique, which captures CO2 at low humidities and releases it at high humidities. The approach incorporates innovative kinetic methodologies and a diversity of ions, enabling carbon removal from virtually anywhere.

Study suggests large mound structures on Kuiper belt object Arrokoth may have common origin

The large mound structures that dominate one of the lobes of the Kuiper belt object Arrokoth are similar enough to suggest a common origin, according to a new study led by Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) Planetary Scientist and Associate Vice President Dr. Alan Stern.
Graphic Credit: Courtesy of SwRI

A new study led by Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) Planetary Scientist and Associate Vice President Dr. Alan Stern posits that the large, approximately 5-kilometer-long mounds that dominate the appearance of the larger lobe of the pristine Kuiper Belt object Arrokoth are similar enough to suggest a common origin. The SwRI study suggests that these “building blocks” could guide further work on planetesimal formational models. Stern presented these findings this week at the American Astronomical Society’s 55th Annual Division for Planetary Sciences (DPS) meeting in San Antonio. These results are now also published in the peer-reviewed Planetary Science Journal.

NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft made a close flyby of Arrokoth in 2019. From those data, Stern and his coauthors identified 12 mounds on Arrokoth’s larger lobe, Wenu, which are almost the same shape, size, color and reflectivity. They also tentatively identified three more mounds on the object’s smaller lobe, Weeyo..

Understanding the behavior of light and matter - key to future technologies

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If we can understand how and why light and matter behave as they do, we are one step closer to solving some of the most fundamental problems in physics. Finding the answers to these questions drives Ville Maisi, Associate Professor of Solid States Physics at NanoLund.

As long as he can remember he has been interested in electric circuits and physics. With the support of a new ERC Consolidator Grant, he has now started to bring these two fields together to develop ultra-sensitive detectors for high frequency electronic signals – building on the principles of quantum physics.

Measuring microwaves

His research project aims to design ultra-sensitive microwave detectors that can be used to measure tiny microwave light signals consisting of elementary particles, called photons. They will be 100 times more sensitive detectors than currently exists. Microwave measurements are important in quantum technology, astronomy, communications, and other technology areas such as radars.