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Caltech Researchers Introduce Novel Error-Correction Technique for Quantum Computers

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Researchers at the California Institute of Technology have developed a quantum erasure device to correct “erasure” errors in quantum computing systems. The technique allows fluorescent error detection and correction by manipulating alkaline earth neutral atoms with laser light “tweezers.” This innovation leads to a 10-fold increase in the entanglement rate of Rydberg neutral atomic systems, and is an important step forward in making quantum computers more reliable and scalable.

For the first time, researchers have successfully demonstrated the identification and removal of “erasure” errors.

Future quantum computers are expected to revolutionize problem-solving in a variety of fields, including creating sustainable materials, developing new drugs, and solving complex problems in fundamental physics. However, these pioneering quantum systems are more error-prone than the classical computers we use today. Wouldn’t it be great if researchers could whip out a special quantum eraser and remove mistakes?

Report in magazine Nature, A group of researchers led by the California Institute of Technology has demonstrated for the first time a type of quantum erasure device. Physicists have shown that mistakes can be pinpointed and corrected. quantum computing A system known as an “erasure” error.

“Typically, it’s very difficult to detect errors in quantum computers, because just the act of looking for errors creates more errors,” said Manuel Endres, co-lead author of the new study and co-author of the study. says Adam Shaw, a graduate student in the room. Professor of Physics at California Institute of Technology. “However, we found that with careful control, certain errors can be precisely identified and erased without significant impact. This is where the name erasure comes from.”

How quantum computing works

Quantum computers are based on the physical laws that govern the subatomic realm, such as entanglement, a phenomenon in which particles mimic each other while remaining connected without direct contact. In the new study, researchers focused on a type of quantum computing platform that uses arrays of neutral atoms, or atoms that carry no electric charge. Specifically, they manipulated individual alkaline earth neutral atoms trapped inside “tweezers” made with laser light. The atoms are excited to a high-energy state, or “Rydberg” state, and neighboring atoms begin to interact.

Errors are typically difficult to spot in quantum devices, but researchers have shown that if carefully controlled, some errors can cause atoms to emit light. The researchers used this ability to perform quantum simulations using atomic arrays and laser beams, as shown in this artist’s concept. Experiments show that quantum simulations can be run more efficiently by discarding erroneous atoms that are glowing.Credit: Caltech/Lance Hayashida

“The atoms in our quantum systems interact with each other and generate entanglements,” said the study’s other co-lead author, a former postdoctoral fellow at the California Institute of Technology and now at a French quantum computing company. Pascal Scholl, who works at PASQAL, explains.

Entanglement is what allows quantum computers to outperform classical computers. “But nature doesn’t like to stay in this entangled state,” Scholl explains. “Eventually an error will occur and the entire quantum state will be destroyed. You can think of these entangled states like a basket full of apples, where the atoms are the apples. Over time , some apples will start to rot. If you don’t remove these apples from the basket and replace them with fresh apples, all the apples will quickly rot. It’s not clear how to completely prevent these errors from occurring. Therefore, the only viable option at this time is to detect and remediate them.”

Innovation in error detection and correction

The new error-trapping system is designed so that atoms with errors fluoresce, or glow, when hit by a laser. “We have images of glowing atoms that show us where the errors are, so we can either exclude them from the final statistics or actively correct them by applying additional laser pulses.” says Scholl.

Implementation theory of erasure detection in neutral atom The system was first developed by Jeff Thompson, a professor of electrical and computer engineering. princeton university, and his colleagues.The team recently reported a demonstration of the technique in the journal Nature.

The Caltech team says that by removing and identifying errors in the Rydberg atomic system, the overall rate of entanglement, and therefore fidelity, can be improved. In the new study, the researchers report that only one out of every 1,000 pairs of atoms failed to entangle. This is a 10-fold improvement over what was previously achieved and the highest entanglement rate ever observed for this type of system.

Ultimately, these results bode well for quantum computing platforms that use Rydberg neutral atomic arrays. “Neutral atoms are the most scalable type of quantum computer, but until now they have not had the high degree of entanglement fidelity,” Shaw says.

References: “Elimination Transformations in High-Fidelity Rydberg Quantum Simulators” Pascal Scholl, Adam L. Shaw, Richard Bing-Shiun Tsai, Ran Finkelstein, Joonhee Choi, Manuel Endres, October 11, 2023. Nature.
DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06516-4

The research was funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) through the Institute for Quantum Information and Materials (IQIM), based at the California Institute of Technology. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. NSF Career Award. Air Force Office of Scientific Research. NSF Quantum Leap Challenge Laboratory. Department of Energy’s Quantum Systems Accelerator. Fellowships in Taiwan and California Institute of Technology. and a Troesch Postdoctoral Fellowship. Other Caltech-related authors include graduate student Richard Bing-Shiun Tsai; Ran Finkelstein, Troesch Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Physics. Former postdoc Joonhee Choi is now a professor at Stanford University.

Source: scitechdaily.com

An Intriguing Puzzle: Deja Vu

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Déjà vu, the feeling of reliving an experience, is a subject that intrigues many people. Recent scientific research suggests that this phenomenon may be caused by spatial similarities between the new scene and the unrecalled memory. Various studies, including those using virtual reality, aim to learn more about the causes of déjà vu. Credit: SciTechDaily.com

What is déjà vu? Psychologists are investigating this eerie feeling that you may have already experienced before.

Have you ever felt that strange feeling? I went through the exact same situation before, even if it’s impossible? Sometimes it even seems like you are reliving something that has already happened. This phenomenon, known as déjà vuIt baffled philosophers, but neurologistand Writer for for a very long time.

Since the late 1800s, Many theories began to emerge About the cause of “déjà vu”, which means “already seen” in French. People thought maybe it was due to mental dysfunction, or maybe some kind of brain problem. Or maybe it was a temporary glitch in the normal workings of human memory. However, this topic has only recently reached the realm of science.

Transition from paranormal to science

At the beginning of this century, a scientist named Alan Brown All reviews written by researchers about Déjà Vu Until that point. Much of what he found had a paranormal flavour, relating to past lives, psychic powers, and other supernatural things. But he also found studies that surveyed ordinary people about their déjà vu experiences. From all these papers, Brown was able to glean some fundamental discoveries about the phenomenon of déjà vu.

For example, Brown determined that approximately two-thirds of people experience deja vu at some point in their lives. He determined that the most common trigger for déjà vu was a scene or location, and the second most common trigger was a conversation. He also reported hints across a century or so of medical literature about a possible link between déjà vu and certain types of seizure activity in the brain.

Brown’s book review brought the topic of déjà vu into the realm of more mainstream science. This is because these are the scientific journals that scientists who study cognition tend to read; in the book Intended for scientists. His research inspired scientists to design experiments to investigate déjà vu.

The layout of your new place may be very similar to places you’ve visited before, but you may not consciously remember it. Credit: SciTechDaily.com

Testing déjà vu in a psychology lab

Inspired by Brown’s work, my own research team began an experiment aimed at testing hypotheses about the mechanism of déjà vu.we investigated a nearly century-old hypothesis It suggests that déjà vu can occur when there is a spatial similarity between the current scene and a scene that cannot be recalled in memory. Psychologists called this the Gestalt affinity hypothesis.

For example, suppose you are on your way to visit a sick friend and pass a nursing station in a hospital ward. You had never been to this hospital before, but you had a certain feeling. The root cause of this feeling of déjà vu may be that the layout of the scene, including the placement of furniture and certain objects in the space, is the same layout as another scene experienced in the past.

Perhaps the way the nurse’s station is arranged – the way it is connected to the furniture, the items on the counter and the corners of the hallway – may be the same as the way a set of welcome tables are arranged in relation to the signs and furniture in a hospital corridor. not. Admission to a school event I attended a year ago. According to the Gestalt familiarity hypothesis, only a strong sense of familiarity may remain in a current situation if no previous situation with a similar layout to the current situation comes to mind.

To investigate this idea in the lab, my team used virtual reality to place people in a scene. This allows people to manipulate the environment in which they find themselves. Some scenes share the same spatial layout, while others are distinct. As I expected, There was a high possibility of déjà vu occurring. When people are in a scene that contains the same spatial arrangement of elements as a previous scene that they have seen but do not remember.

This study suggests that one factor that causes déjà vu may be the spatial similarity of a new scene to a scene in memory that is not consciously recalled at that moment. However, spatial similarity is not the only cause of deja vu. Many factors can contribute to making a scene or situation feel familiar. Further research is underway to investigate additional factors that may be involved in this mysterious phenomenon.

Written by Ann Cleary, Professor of Cognitive Psychology, Colorado State University.

This article was first published conversation.

Source: scitechdaily.com

Harvard team makes significant strides in error correction technology

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Quantum computing has advanced significantly with a new platform from Harvard University that is capable of dynamic reconfiguration and can demonstrate low error rates in two-qubit entangled gates. This breakthrough, highlighted in a recent Nature paper, represents a major advance in overcoming the challenges of quantum error correction and places Harvard’s technology alongside other leading quantum computing methods. Masu. This research, in collaboration with MIT and others, represents an important step toward scalable, error-correcting quantum computing. Credit: SciTechDaily.com

A method developed by a team at Harvard University to reduce errors addresses a critical hurdle in scaling up technology.

Quantum computing technology has the potential to achieve unprecedented speed and efficiency, vastly exceeding the capabilities of even the most advanced supercomputers currently available. However, this innovative technology has not been widely scaled or commercialized, primarily due to inherent limitations in error correction. Quantum computers, unlike classical computers, cannot correct errors by copying encoded data over and over again. Scientists had to find another way.

Now, a new paper Nature depicting Harvard University quantum computing A potential platform to solve a long-standing problem known as quantum error correction.

The Harvard team is led by quantum optics expert Mikhail Lukin, Joshua and Beth Friedman Professor of Physics and co-director of the Harvard Quantum Initiative. The research reported in Nature was a collaboration between Harvard University. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Boston-based QuEra Computing. George Busmer Leverett Professor of Physics and Marcus Greiner’s group also participated.

Unique Harvard Platform

The Harvard University platform, an effort over the past several years, is built on an array of very cold rubidium atoms captured by a laser.Each atom They act as bits (called “qubits” in the quantum world) that can perform extremely fast calculations.

The team’s main innovation is configuring a “neutral atomic array” so that the layout can be dynamically changed by moving and connecting atoms during calculations. This is called “entanglement” in physics terms. 2 Operations that entangle pairs of atoms called qubit logic gates are units of computing power.

Running complex algorithms on a quantum computer requires many gates. However, these gating operations are known to be error-prone, and the accumulation of errors renders the algorithm useless.

In a new paper, the team reports near-perfect performance of the two-qubit entanglement gate with extremely low error rates. For the first time, they demonstrated the ability to entangle atoms with an error rate of less than 0.5 percent. In terms of operational quality, this puts the performance of the company’s technology on par with other major types of quantum computing platforms, such as superconducting qubits and trapped ion qubits.

Benefits and future prospects

However, Harvard’s approach has significant advantages over these competitors due to its large system size, efficient qubit control, and the ability to dynamically reconfigure the atomic layout.

“We demonstrate that the physical errors of this platform are low enough that we can actually imagine large-scale error correction devices based on neutral atoms,” said lead author and Harvard University Griffin School of Arts and Sciences. student Simon Evered said. group. “Currently, our error rates are low enough that if we group atoms into logical qubits (information is stored non-locally between the constituent atoms), we can Errors can be even lower than individual atoms.”

The Harvard team’s progress was tracked by former Harvard graduate student and current princeton university, former Harvard University postdoctoral fellow Manuel Endres, now at the California Institute of Technology. Taken together, these advances lay the foundation for quantum error correction algorithms and large-scale quantum computing. All of this means that quantum computing on neutral atomic arrays is reaching its full potential.

“These contributions open the door to very special opportunities in scalable quantum computing, and truly exciting times ahead for the field as a whole,” Lukin said.

Reference: “High-fidelity parallel entanglement gates on neutral atom quantum computers” Simon J. Evered, Dolev Bluvstein, Marcin Kalinowski, Sepehr Ebadi, Tom Manovitz, Hengyun Zhou, Sophie H. Li, Alexandra A. Geim, Tout T Wang, Nishad Maskara, Harry Levine, Julia Semeghini, Markus Greiner, Vladan Vretić, Mikhail D. Lukin, October 11, 2023. Nature.
DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06481-y

This research was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Quantum Systems Accelerator Center. Ultracold Atom Center. National Science Foundation. Army Research Office Interdisciplinary University Research Initiative.And thatDARPAOptimization with a noisy intermediate-scale quantum device program.

Source: scitechdaily.com

The Impact of Plasma Instability on Our Understanding of the Universe

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Scientists have discovered a new instability in plasma, revolutionizing our understanding of cosmic rays. This groundbreaking discovery reveals that cosmic rays generate electromagnetic waves within plasma and influence their paths. This collective behavior of cosmic rays, similar to waves formed by water molecules, challenges previous theories and holds promise for insights into intragalactic cosmic ray transport and its role in galaxy evolution. Credit: SciTechDaily.com

Scientists at the Potsdam Leibniz Institute for Astrophysics (AIP) have discovered a new substance. plasma This instability is expected to revolutionize our understanding of the origin of cosmic rays and their dynamic impact on galaxies.

At the beginning of the last century, Victor Hess discovered a new phenomenon called cosmic rays, for which he was later awarded the Nobel Prize. He conducted high-altitude balloon flights and discovered that the Earth’s atmosphere was not ionized by ground radiation. Instead, he confirmed that the origin of ionization was extraterrestrial. Later, it was discovered that cosmic “rays” are composed of charged particles that travel from space at speeds close to the speed of light. radiation. However, the name “cosmic rays” outlasted these discoveries.

Recent advances in cosmic ray research

In the new study, AIP scientist and lead author of the study, Dr. Mohammad Shalaby, and his collaborators performed numerical simulations to trace the trajectories of many cosmic ray particles, showing that these particles We studied how the plasma interacts with the surrounding plasma, which is made up of electrons and electrons. proton.

Simulation of cosmic rays flowing in the opposite direction to the background plasma and causing plasma instability. The distribution of background particles in response to streaming cosmic rays is shown in phase space spanned by the particle’s position (horizontal axis) and velocity (vertical axis). Color visualizes number density, and holes in phase space represent the highly dynamic nature of instabilities that break up ordered motion into random motion. Credit: Shalaby/AIP

When researchers studied cosmic rays flying from one side of the simulation to the other, they discovered a new phenomenon that excites electromagnetic waves in the background plasma. These waves exert a force on the cosmic rays, causing them to change their meandering paths.

Understanding cosmic rays as a collective phenomenon

Most importantly, this new phenomenon is best understood if we think of cosmic rays as supporting collective electromagnetic waves rather than acting as individual particles. When these waves interact with the background fundamental waves, they are strongly amplified and a transfer of energy occurs.

“This insight allows us to think of cosmic rays in this context as behaving more like radiation than individual particles, as Victor Hess originally believed,” said AIP Cosmology and High Energy Astrophysics. says Professor Christoph Pfrommer, head of the section. .

Momentum distribution of protons (dashed lines) and electrons (solid lines). The appearance of a high-energy electron tail in a slowly moving shock is shown. This is the result of interactions with electromagnetic waves caused by newly discovered plasma instabilities (red) that are absent from faster shocks (black). This shows the importance of understanding the physics of the acceleration process, since only high-energy electrons produce observable radio radiation. Credit: Shalaby/AIP

A good analogy for this behavior is that individual water molecules come together to form waves that break on the shore. “This progress was only made possible by taking into account smaller scales, which had been overlooked until now and called into question the use of effective fluid dynamics theory when studying plasma processes,” explains Dr. Mohammad Shalaby. To do.

Meaning and application

This newly discovered plasma instability has many applications, including the first study of how electrons from thermal interstellar plasma are accelerated to high energies in supernova remnants. It also includes an explanation.

“This newly discovered plasma instability represents a major advance in our understanding of acceleration processes and finally explains why these supernova remnants glow in radio waves and gamma rays.” Mohammad Shalaby reports.

Moreover, this breakthrough opens the door to a deeper understanding of the fundamental processes of cosmic ray transport in galaxies. This represents the biggest mystery in understanding the processes that form galaxies during the evolution of the universe.

References:

“Deciphering the physical basis of mesoscale instability” by Mohammad Shalaby, Timon Thomas, Christoph Pfrommer, Reuven Lemmerz, and Virginia Bresci, December 12, 2023, Plasma Physics Journal.
DOI: 10.1017/S0022377823001289

“Mechanism of efficient electron acceleration in parallel non-relativistic shocks” by Mohammad Shalaby, Reuven Lemmerz, Timon Thomas, and Christoph Pfromer, May 4, 2022, Astrophysics > High-energy astrophysical phenomena.
arXiv:2202.05288

“New Cosmic Ray Instabilities” by Mohammad Shalaby, Timon Thomas, and Christoph Pfrommer, February 24, 2021, of astrophysical journal.
DOI: 10.3847/1538-4357/abd02d

Source: scitechdaily.com

Behavior and evolution illuminated by 312-million-year-old fossil

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Department of Biological and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University
December 15, 2023

Scientists at Harvard University’s Department of Biological and Evolutionary Biology have made an incredible discovery in the 312-million-year-old fossil of an insect. This discovery has pushed back the presumed origins of leaf mining behavior by 70 million years and provided new insights into the evolution of early insects. Their study shows that this behavior is linked to the evolution of early insects. The study was published on October 5, 2023, in New Phytologist.

The delicacy of prehistoric insects’ soft bodies makes them difficult to preserve as fossils. Due to this fragility, the bodies of these insects are often fragmented or incomplete, making scientific study difficult. As a result, paleontologists often rely on trace fossils to learn about these ancient insects, but they are almost exclusively found as traces of fossil plants. According to Dr. Richard J. Knecht, a candidate in the Department of Biological and Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University, the excellent preservation of fossil plants provides valuable insights into insect evolution and behavior.

In their study, researchers discovered endoparasitic trace fossils from the leaves of 312-million-year-old Carboniferous seed ferns. These trace fossils show the earliest signs of internal feeding within leaves, known as leaf mining. This discovery pushes the age of leaf mining behavior about 70 million years earlier than once believed.

The study also sheds light on the process and importance of internal nutrition in early insects. Feeding on plants internally is common in holometamorphic insects such as Lepidoptera (moths), Coleoptera (beetles), Diptera (flies), and Hymenoptera (wasps and sawflies), as the larvae make holes in the leaves and feed on the internal tissue, leaving a distinct trail. This behavior, identified in the Rhode Island Formation of the Carboniferous Period, shows how the exceptional preservation of this site allows for valuable insights into the behavior of ancient insects.

The study, led by Knecht and his team, highlights the significance of this discovery in furthering our understanding of early insect evolution and behavior and provides new insights into the origins of leaf mining by linking it to the evolution of early insects.

Source: scitechdaily.com

NASA captures starscape as Sun releases powerful X2.8 flare

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NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory

NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) captured this image of a solar flare on December 14 (as seen by the bright flash in the top right).

This image shows a subset of extreme ultraviolet light that highlights the very hot material within the flare, color-coded teal. Credit: NASA/SDO

NASA observed a significant X2.8 solar flare on December 14, 2023, with potential impacts on Earth’s technological systems. NOAASpace Weather Forecast Center.

The sun emitted a strong solar flare, reaching its peak at 12:02 p.m. EST, December 14, 2023. NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory, which constantly monitors the Sun, captured images of the event.

A solar flare is a powerful explosion of energy. Flares and solar eruptions can affect radio communications, power grids, and navigation signals, posing a danger to spacecraft and astronauts.

This flare is classified as an X2.8 flare. The X class indicates the most powerful flare, and the numbers provide more information about its strength.

Solar flares like this one, captured by NASA satellites orbiting the sun, emit large amounts of radiation. Credit: NASA

Solar flares are intense bursts of radiation emitted from the release of magnetic energy associated with sunspots. These are among the most powerful phenomena in the solar system and can have significant effects on Earth’s space environment.

These flares are classified according to their intensity. The classification is as follows.
X class flare: The most intense flare. They can cause global radio interference and long-term radiation storms that can affect satellites and astronauts. X-class flares are further classified by number, with higher numbers indicating more powerful flares. For example, an X2 flare is twice as strong as an X1 flare and four times as strong as an X0.5 flare.
M class flare: Medium intensity flare. In polar regions, it can cause short-term radio interference and small radiation storms. While not as powerful as an X-class flare, they can still have a noticeable impact on Earth’s space weather.
C class flare: These are small flares that have little noticeable impact on Earth. These are more common than M-class and X-class flares, but are usually too weak to significantly affect space weather.
B class and A class flares: These are even smaller flares and are often undetectable without specialized solar observation equipment. They have minimal, if any, impact on the planet.

This classification is based on the peak luminous flux (number of photons) in watts per square meter measured in Earth’s orbit by the GOES spacecraft. This system allows you to quickly and easily communicate the strength of solar flares and their potential impact on space weather and Earth.

Artist’s concept for the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO). Credit: NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center Conceptual Image Lab

NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory

NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) is a pivotal mission in the study of the Sun, playing a key role in understanding our closest star. Launched on February 11, 2010, SDO is specifically designed to observe and understand solar activity that influences weather on Earth and in space.

The primary goal of SDO is to better understand the Sun’s influence on Earth and near-Earth space by studying the solar atmosphere simultaneously at small space and time scales and at many wavelengths. This is very important for understanding the influence of the Sun on the Earth, especially the magnetic field and the space environment.

The SDO is equipped with a range of advanced equipment. The Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) acquires high-resolution images of the solar atmosphere, the Solar Seismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI) studies the solar magnetic field and the dynamic motion of the Sun’s interior, and the Extreme Ultraviolet Fluctuations Experiment (EVE) studies the solar magnetic field. Measure. UV output.

One of SDO’s most important contributions is its ability to continuously observe the Sun in detail at multiple wavelengths. These observations provide a comprehensive view of solar activity, including flares, coronal mass ejections, and changes in the solar magnetic field. Data from SDO has helped advance our understanding of the Sun’s complex and dynamic magnetic field, its energy output, and how these factors interact to drive space weather.

In summary, NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory is a key asset in solar science, providing valuable data that helps scientists better understand the behavior of the Sun and its effects on space weather and Earth.


Source: scitechdaily.com

Unveiling the Reality of Sleep Disorders: When a Night Shift Becomes a Nightmare

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A new study investigated the relationship between shift work patterns, sociodemographic factors, and sleep disorders. They found that shift work, especially night shifts, significantly disrupted sleep, with about a third of all participants reporting at least one sleep disorder. The study also found that demographic factors such as gender, age, and education level influence sleep health.

A new study shows that working night shifts increases the incidence of sleep disorders, especially in young people with low levels of education.

Sleep is important not only for physical and mental health, but also for daytime and neurocognitive function. When people work in shifts (21% of workers in the European Union worked shifts in 2015), their circadian sleep-wake rhythms are often disrupted. Now, Dutch researchers have investigated the relationship between different shift work patterns, sociodemographic factors, and sleep disorders.

“Compared to working regular shifts during the day, working other shift types has been shown to have a higher incidence of sleep disturbances, especially those working rotational or regular night shifts,” GGZ Drenthe said Dr. Marike Lancel, a state mental health researcher.Institute and lead author of the study published in frontiers of psychiatry. “Notably, 51% of those working night shifts tested positive for at least one sleep disorder.”

ask about sleep

“There is a lot of evidence that shift work reduces sleep quality. However, there is little evidence of the impact that different types of shifts have on the prevalence of different sleep disorders and how this varies depending on demographic characteristics. “We know very little about whether they will,” Lancel continued.

To fill these gaps, researchers recruited more than 37,000 participants and provided demographic information indicating their shift work patterns (regular morning, evening, night, or switching between shifts).

They also completed a questionnaire screening on six common sleep disorder categories: insomnia, hypersomnia, parasomnias, sleep-related breathing disorders, sleep-related movement disorders, and circadian rhythm sleep-wake disorders.

Responses suggested that regular night shifts are the most debilitating condition when it comes to sleep. Half of night shift workers reported sleeping less than 6 hours in a 24-hour period, 51% reported one sleep disorder, and 26% reported two or more sleep disorders.

In the overall study population, approximately one-third tested positive for at least one sleep disorder and 12.6% tested positive for two or more sleep disorders.

Demographic factors and sleep health

Researchers also investigated whether demographic factors such as gender, age, and highest level of education influenced sleep health. We also considered whether participants lived alone, with a partner or children, or with others, such as friends or parents.

The results showed that although men slept less than women, sleep problems were more common in women. Age also affected sleep health. Although older participants tended to sleep less, most sleep disorders and their comorbidities were found to be more prevalent in the youngest participant group, those under 30 years of age.

Researchers found a correlation between education level and the likelihood of having disrupted sleep. “The effects of shift work on sleep are most pronounced among young people with low levels of education,” Lancel said. This group had shorter sleep duration and significantly higher prevalence of sleep disorders and their comorbidities.

Night shifts and sleep challenges

Researchers found that some people who work night shifts may have fewer sleep-related problems than others, but for the average night shift worker, this irregular work pattern can lead to less regular sleep-related problems. They said they would be more likely to struggle with healthy sleep. sleep. “People who work night shifts are unlikely to be completely immune to all the negative effects of night shifts, as they remain focused on their day jobs and out of sync with the environment in which they live,” Lancell said. explained.

The researchers also noted that their study had certain limitations. For example, people with sleep disorders may be more likely to participate in studies focused on sleep than people who sleep well. Nevertheless, the authors said their findings may provide important information for employers in occupations where shift work is common. It may also be used to educate strategies on how to best address and reduce the effects of night work and sleep days.

References: “Shift work is associated with widespread sleep disturbances, especially when working at night,” GJ Boersma, T. Mijnster, P. Vantyghem, GA Kerkhof, Marike Lancel, October 17, 2023. frontiers of psychiatry.
DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1233640

Source: scitechdaily.com

NASA conducts swarm experiment with Starling CubeSats

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NASA’s Starling mission will test new technologies for autonomous swarm navigation on four CubeSats in low Earth orbit.Credit: NASA Ames Research Center

NASAThe four Starling spacecraft, Blinky, Pinky, Inky, and Clyde, have successfully completed commissioning and are now in group experiment configuration. The spacecraft successfully completed several mission activities aimed at advancing satellite constellation technology.

Payload commissioning was delayed due to several anomalies that the team had to investigate.
GPS Satellite data is included more than expected at the spacecraft-to-payload interface. Software updates have resolved most of these issues and the CubeSat has begun its planned work.

Starling’s mission will include network communications between spacecraft, maintaining relative navigation and understanding each satellite’s position, autonomous swarm reconfiguration and reconfiguration to ensure the swarm can adapt as it moves as a group. It includes four main features of decentralized scientific autonomy: maintenance, and proving the ability to coordinate experiments. own activities.

NASA’s six-month Starling mission will use a team of four CubeSats in low-Earth orbit to test technologies that allow spacecraft to operate synchronously without using resources from the ground. This technology will advance capabilities in swarm maneuver planning and execution, communications networking, relative navigation, and autonomous coordination between spacecraft. Credit: NASA/Conceptual Image Lab/Ross Walter

NASA’s Starling Mission

NASA’s Starling mission represents a significant advance in the field of satellite technology. The mission features a group of small satellites named Blinky, Pinky, Inky, and Clyde, known as CubeSats. These CubeSats are designed to operate in swarms and demonstrate advanced concepts in autonomous satellite interaction.

The main objectives of the Starling mission are:

  1. Network communication: CubeSats have the ability to communicate with each other, forming complex networks in space. This allows for coordinated activities and data sharing between satellites.
  2. Relative navigation: A key feature of this mission is that each CubeSat can accurately understand its position relative to other CubeSats. This ensures precise maneuvering and positioning within the swarm.
  3. Autonomous Swarm reconfiguration: Satellites can autonomously reconfigure their positions within the swarm. This capability is critical to adapting to varying mission requirements and maintaining optimal formation during operations.
  4. Autonomy of decentralized science: CubeSats can independently coordinate experimental activities. This feature indicates the potential for future space missions to adapt and respond to environmental changes and mission objectives without requiring direct intervention from Earth.

Through these innovative CubeSats, the Starling mission aims to improve the understanding and capabilities of satellite constellation technology and potentially revolutionize the way we approach space exploration and satellite operations.

Source: scitechdaily.com

Breakthrough in New Coronavirus Treatment: Discovery of New Antiviral Drug

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The Coronavirus Moonshot Consortium report focuses on the discovery of a new class of inhibitors against the main protease of SARS-CoV-2. This global collaboration has generated promising lead compounds, openly shared thousands of compound designs, and represents significant progress in coronavirus drug development.

The COVID Moonshot breakthrough study introduced new non-peptide inhibitors. SARS-CoV-2showcases global collaboration and open science in advancing coronavirus treatments. Although the group’s results have been freely available since its founding in March 2020, the Coronavirus Moonshot Consortium has finally officially reported its results.

Coronavirus Moonshot – An open science, crowdsourced, patent-free drug discovery campaign targeting SARS-CoV-2 virus – A wealth of data has been obtained about the virus’s major proteases, including insights that may pave the way for the development of new and better treatments. “The main treatments described by [these researchers] “Given drug approval timelines and challenges, we may not be ready in time to make an impact on the current pandemic,” write Brian Shoichet and Charles Craik in a related perspective. “Yet, the compounds and the techniques used to identify them may have implications for human health in the future.”

Global cooperation and drug discovery efforts This novel collaboration involved more than 200 volunteer scientists from 47 academic and industrial organizations across 25 countries. “The coronavirus moonshot provides an example of open science drug discovery that could lead to advances in infectious disease drug discovery. This research area is of great public importance but chronically underfunded from the private sector. “There is a shortage,” Melissa et al. write. SARS-CoVB-2 main protease (Mpro) is an attractive target for antiviral drug development due to its important role in viral replication. Current SARS-CoV-2 Mpro inhibitors, such as those drawn from existing antiviral pipelines such as Paxlovid and Xocova, have shown clinical success. However, the use of these compounds remains relatively limited, and their peptidomimetics and covalent scaffolds pose problems for synthesis and administration.

Impact on innovative drug design and open science Hey, Bobby other. describe the discovery of a novel noncovalent and nonpeptidic inhibitor scaffold that is chemically distinct from current Mpro inhibitors. By leveraging a crowdsourcing approach combined with the expertise of hundreds of individuals around the world, Bobby other. We will explain the open science drug discovery campaign. machine learningutilize molecular simulations, and high-throughput structural biology and chemistry to assemble a detailed structural map of the major proteases of SARS-CoV-2 and their biochemical activities.

From over 18,000 compound designs generated by the COVID Moonshot Consortium, the authors identified several non-covalent, non-peptidomimetic compounds, including lead compounds with promising bioavailability, safety, and antiviral activity. identified sex inhibitors. All compound designs from the project are openly shared, building a rich, open, intellectual property-free knowledge base for future anti-coronavirus drug discovery.

Reference:
DOI: 10.1126/science.abo7201

Source: scitechdaily.com

Ancient Mayan water systems: A solution to today’s water crisis

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Water lily symbol Mayan vessel

Mayan ships in Guatemala (c. 700-800 AD). It depicts a king wearing a water lily headdress sitting on a throne. Water lilies (Nymphaea ampla) on the surface of the reservoir indicated clean water and symbolized classical Mayan kingship (ca. 250-900 CE).Credit: Provided by the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

Ancient Mayan reservoirs, which used aquatic plants to filter and purify water, “serve as prototypes for natural, sustainable water systems to address future water demands,” according to a new paper. There is a possibility.”

Lisa Lucero, an anthropology professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, writes from one perspective that the Maya built and maintained reservoirs that they used for more than 1,000 years. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. These reservoirs provided drinking water for thousands to tens of thousands of people in the city during the five-month dry season and prolonged drought each year.

“Many of the major cities in the southern Maya lowlands arose in areas that had excellent agricultural soils but no surface water,” Lucero said. “They compensated by building reservoir systems that started small and increased in size and complexity.”

Innovative water filtration technology

Over time, the Maya built canals, dams, locks, and dog runs to channel, store, and transport water. They used silica sand to filter water, sometimes importing it from far away to large cities like Tikal in what is now northern Guatemala. Sediment cores from one of Tikal’s reservoirs also revealed that zeolite sand was used in its construction. Previous studies have shown that this volcanic sand can filter impurities and disease-causing microorganisms from water. The zeolite is also believed to have been imported from some 30 kilometers away.

“Tikal’s reservoir can store more than 900,000 cubic meters of water,” Lucero wrote. Estimates suggest that up to 80,000 people lived in and around the city during the Late Classic period, approximately 600 to 800 AD. The reservoir kept people and crops hydrated during the dry season, Lucero said.

LIDAR map of Tikal highlighting several reservoirs. Credit: (Image adapted from his Tankersley et al. 2020). LiDAR-derived hillshade image created by Francisco Estrada-Belli of the PAQUNAM LiDAR Initiative. Used with permission. Graphics modified by Bryan Lin.

Mayan royalty derived much of their status from their ability to provide water to their people.

“Clean water and political power were closely linked, as shown by the fact that the largest reservoirs were built near palaces and temples,” Lucero wrote. Kings also performed rituals to gain favor with their ancestors and the rain god Chak.

Aquatic plants of Maya reservoir

A key challenge was to prevent water in reservoirs from becoming stagnant and undrinkable, and for this the Maya likely relied on aquatic plants, many of which still live in the wetlands of Central America. Lucero said. These include cattails, sedges, and reeds. Some of these plants have been identified in sediment cores from Mayan reservoirs.

These plants filtered the water, reducing turbidity and absorbing nitrogen and phosphorus, Lucero said.

“The Maya would have had to dredge every few years… (and) harvest and replenish aquatic plants,” she writes. The nutrient-rich soil and plants extracted from the reservoir could be used to fertilize urban fields and gardens.

Symbolism and practicality of water lilies

The most iconic aquatic plant associated with the ancient Maya is the water lily. water lily ampuraThey only breed in clean water, Lucero said. Its pollen has been found in sediment cores of several Mayan reservoirs. The water lily symbolized “classic Mayan kingship,” Lucero wrote.

“The kings also wore headdresses decorated with flowers, and they are depicted with water lilies in Mayan art,” Lucero said.

“Water lilies are intolerant of acidic conditions, excess calcium, such as limestone, and high concentrations of certain minerals, such as iron and manganese,” she writes.

The Maya built and maintained self-purifying wetland reservoirs that served urban populations for thousands of years. University of Illinois anthropology professor Lisa Lucero writes that the water-related crises they faced hold lessons for today.Credit: Fred Zwicky

To keep the lily pads alive, water managers would have had to line the reservoir with clay, Lucero said. Plant roots require a layer of sediment. Next, water lilies, trees, and shrubs planted near the reservoir covered the water surface, cooling the water and suppressing algae growth.

“The Maya generally did not build their homes near the edges of reservoirs, so pollution seeping through karst terrain would not have been a problem,” Lucero wrote.

Lessons from Mayan Reservoirs for the Modern Age

Lucero said evidence collected from several southern lowland cities shows that Mayan reservoirs were built as wetlands to provide drinking water to people for more than 1,000 years, and that the region was built between 800 and 900 AD. He said the results showed that it only stopped working during the most severe droughts. She points out that current climate trends will require many of the same approaches taken by the Maya, such as the use of aquatic plants to naturally improve and maintain water quality.

“Constructed wetlands have many advantages over traditional wastewater treatment systems,” she writes. “We offer processing techniques that are economical, low technology, low cost and highly energy efficient.”

Constructed wetlands not only provide clean water, but can also be a source of nutrients to feed aquatic animals and replenish agricultural soils, she wrote. “The next step moving forward is to combine our respective expertise and put into practice the lessons embodied in ancient Mayan reservoirs, combined with what is now known about constructed wetlands.” she wrote.

References: “Ancient Maya Reservoirs, Constructed Wetlands, and Future Water Needs” by Lisa J. Lucero, October 9, 2023. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2306870120

Source: scitechdaily.com

Can Lentils Transmit Secret Quantum Messages Through Biophotons?

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In the hills south of Rome is Italy’s premier nuclear physics laboratory, the Frascati National Laboratory. It has all the equipment you’d expect from a state-of-the-art scientific facility, including giant magnets, powerful particle accelerators, and exposed electrical wires strung throughout. Many of the researchers here are trying to unlock the secrets of the Standard Model, the best theory of how reality works at the most fundamental level. And then there’s the room where Catalina Cruceanu is keeping watch over a small box of lentils.

Admittedly, this is not at all normal behavior for a physicist, but Cruceanu explains why the equipment and methods of nuclear physics cause lentils and other organisms to constantly emit extremely weak photons and particles. We hope to solve the 100-year-old mystery. light’s. Some people think that these “biophotons” are not important. Others argue that they are a subtle form of lentil communication. Cruceanu leans towards the latter position, and even has a hunch that the pulses between pulses may contain secret quantum signals. “These are just the first steps, but it looks like it’s going to be very interesting,” she says.

There are already hints that living things exploit quantum phenomena, and there is also inconclusive evidence that quantum phenomena have features in things like photosynthesis and the way birds move. But lentils may be the most surprising example of quantum biology yet, because their complex behavior is poorly understood, he says. Michal Shifra At the Czech Academy of Sciences in Prague. “That would be great,” Shifra says. “If that’s true.” Because so many living things emit biophotons, such a discovery could indicate that quantum effects are ubiquitous…

Source: www.newscientist.com

Top Science News of 2023: New Scientist’s Selections

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Space News Highlights of 2023

Spiral galaxy M51 seen with the James Webb Space Telescope

ESA/Webb, NASA, and CSA, A. Adamo (Stockholm University)/FEAST JWST Team

From extreme heat to stunning space footage, new scientist covers a wide range of the biggest developments, discoveries and events in science, technology, health and the environment in 2023. Here we summarize some of the best news of the year.

Environment

In July 2023, a forest fire broke out on the Greek island of Rhodes. Angelos Tsolzinis/AFP via Getty Images

The number of heat records broken in 2023 is staggering. We won’t know for sure until next month’s official statistics are released, but there is little doubt that this year was the hottest on record. As a sign that abnormal temperatures continue, new scientist We already reported on this possibility in mid-June, long before summer in the northern hemisphere was in full swing. A few weeks later, a particularly surreal series of events occurred. The average global temperature, which is recorded 2 meters above the Earth’s surface and is basically a way to measure global temperatures, hit an all-time high on July 3rd, which was 7. It was quickly broken on the 4th of May, and then the record was broken on the 5th. July came and the next day it broke again. By the end of August, it was the hottest three months on record, followed by the hottest September on record. In November, researchers announced the hottest 12 months on record. Against this backdrop, negotiations at the COP28 climate change summit held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, were extremely difficult. A key point of disagreement was whether the world would finally take action against fossil fuels, and at one point it looked like the summit might collapse. Ultimately, the world agreed to begin a “transition” away from fossil fuels, but this was the first time fossil fuels were mentioned in a COP document, although what that actually meant was unclear. Many questions remain.

Health

Demand for weight loss drug Wegoby will surge in 2023 Carsten Snejbjerg/Bloomberg via Getty Images

This year’s demand for Wigovy, a weight-loss formulation of semaglutide, has been like no other drug in history. In addition to being incredibly effective for weight loss, early trials this year showed it may reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes and may even help treat addiction. Despite some moralizing about “quick cures” for obesity, and despite drug shortages and difficulty in obtaining them, it is clear that a health revolution has begun. This past year also marked the first time since 2019 that Covid-19 was not on everyone’s mind. The World Health Organization’s announcement on May 5 that the viral disease is no longer a public health emergency means, in a sense, the coronavirus pandemic is over, at least for some people. Millions of people are still experiencing long-term symptoms of COVID-19, which are still poorly understood.

Artificial Intelligence

London writers hold rally in solidarity with striking US screenwriters to protect their jobs from AI Vuk Valcic / Alamy Stock Photo

Roughly counting, new scientist has published around 150 articles on artificial intelligence this year. Tech companies were competing against each other, with OpenAI claiming “human-level performance” for its GPT-4 large-scale language model and Google claiming its Gemini model was even better. There have been concerns about the rise of misinformation through AI, from images of the Pope in a down jacket to the risk of bias feedback loops to attempts to detect AI-generated text. AI has also been the subject of high-level discussions across politics and business. This led to a major stalemate in the Hollywood writers’ and actors’ strike, but in November world leaders, researchers and businessmen gathered at Bletchley Park in the UK to sign a declaration on the risks of new technologies. Indeed, this year was the year that AI became mainstream.

Space

The dense center of the Milky Way seen with the James Webb Space Telescope NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Samuel Crow (UVA)

This year’s biggest space mission is also the cheapest, with India’s low-budget Chandrayaan-3 moon landing costing just £60 million. India’s success makes it the fourth country to safely land on the moon, after the United States, the Soviet Union, and China. It also happened just days after a Russian spacecraft crash-landed on the moon in a bid to restore it to its Soviet-era glory. Further out in space, the James Webb Space Telescope continues to shine, providing stunning images and advancing our understanding of the universe, from the fastest-growing galaxies to the most distant black holes ever seen.


Source: www.newscientist.com

Carbon and nitrogen-based substance nearly as hard as diamond.

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This carbon nitride is almost as hard as diamond.

Dominic Ranier and others

An elusive material that scientists have wanted to create for decades has finally been synthesized under tremendous heat and pressure. Its hardness is almost the same as diamond. It can be used as cutting tools, sensors, and even explosives.

In 1989, researchers theorized that materials made from carbon and nitrogen would be less compressible and more resistant to shear than the hardest known material, diamond. However, efforts to achieve this have failed.

now, dominique raniel He and his colleagues at the University of Edinburgh in the UK created a small sample of the material, a type of carbon nitride. They achieved this by compressing carbon and nitrogen between the points of the diamond at a pressure 700,000 times that of atmospheric pressure and heating it to 3000°C with a laser.

Diamond has a hardness of approximately 90 gigapascals, and the second hardest material known to date, cubic boron nitride, has a hardness of 50 to 55 GPa. Ranier said the new material scores between 78 and 86 GPa, depending on which of the three crystal structures it forms.

Quote from Works from 1989 The idea that the hardness of this substance exceeds that of diamond has now been overturned, and it is now believed that no substance exceeds it.

“There is a huge gap between diamonds and diamonds.” [previous] Second best. So we’re starting to bridge that gap and close it,” Lanier says. He said the new material is called carbon nitride, even though there are existing materials made from these two very different elements, adding that the more chemically accurate name is “a bit of an overstatement.” The researchers said they welcome proposals.

The samples are only 5 micrometers wide and 3 micrometers deep, which could make large-scale production difficult. Compressing the sample using larger diamonds could theoretically create larger pieces of material, but more intense compression would be required to form them.

This would make carbon nitride much more expensive to purchase than diamond. But Lanier said the material has advantages over diamond, such as generating electrical signals under pressure, which could be useful in sensors. Its high energy density also has the potential to make it a powerful explosive that is less toxic to the environment than current alternatives, Lanier said.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

China successfully sends experimental spacecraft into orbit for the third time in 2020

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BEIJING — China has successfully launched a reusable robotic spacecraft on Thursday for the third time since 2020 in a series of secret orbital test flights aimed at developing reusable technology to reduce the cost of space missions.

The unmanned spacecraft flew atop a Long March 2F rocket, the same rocket series China uses to transport astronauts into space, on Thursday at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern China, state media said. It was launched in

The spacecraft will operate in orbit for a “certain period” before returning to a designated landing site in China. State media reported that reusable technology would be “validated” and space experiments carried out during the flight, but gave no other details.

of final launch The spacecraft was launched in August 2022 and returned to Earth after a 276-day orbit. Details such as what technology was tested or how high the plane flew were not disclosed. Images of the spacecraft have never been released to the public.

China’s plans for a reusable spacecraft (referred to by some as Shenlong, or “Shenron” in Chinese) coincide with a similar secret plan by the United States to fly an autonomous spacecraft known as the X-37B.

Thursday’s launch in China came hours after the launch countdown for the new rocket. X-37B SpaceX has canceled its mission for the third time this week due to weather and technical issues at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

A new launch date for the X-37B has not yet been announced. The X-37B was scheduled to launch for its seventh mission aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket that can carry secret robotic spaceplanes to much higher orbits than ever before.

The Pentagon has provided few details about the mission, which will be overseen by the U.S. Space Command under the military’s National Security Space Launch Program.

But Space Force Gen. B. Chance Saltzman told reporters at an industry conference this week that he expects China to launch Shenron around the same time as the upcoming He said he expected further developments in the growing competition.

“It is no surprise that the Chinese are very interested in our spaceplanes. According to the US aerospace magazine Air & Space Force Magazine, we are very interested in theirs. ,” Saltzman said.

“These are two of the most-watched objects in orbit. It’s probably no coincidence that they’re trying to grab us at this timing and sequence.”

of Made by Boeing(Ban) The X-37B is about the size of a small bus and resembles a small space shuttle ship, and is designed to deploy a variety of payloads and conduct technology experiments on long orbital flights.

On its previous mission, the unmanned X-37B returned to Earth in November 2022 after more than 900 days in orbit.

China successfully launches reusable spacecraft for the first time September 2020 This happened after it had been in orbit for just two days.

The development of reusable spacecraft is considered important to ultimately achieving the goal of increasing the frequency of space flights and lowering the cost per mission.

Source: www.nbcnews.com

A spectacular first photo of a snow leopard captured under the stars

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Looking for ghosts requires special patience. The chances of finding it are low, but doubting means giving up, so keep looking.

This is a technique for tracking snow leopards. Morap Namgair learned that early. He was five years old when he first saw the animal in his remote village of Ulay in Ladakh, India. The area is full of wildlife and is a paradise for aspiring photographers like Molap and his younger brother Stanzin. These big cats are called locally. Shanimmortalized in the BBC series Planet Earth II They were mainly grateful to their father, Norbu, who followed them as a crew member.

Ladakh had just become famous for its sightings, but everything was shut down due to the pandemic. That’s when the brothers vowed to photograph something no one had ever photographed before: a snow leopard under the stars. They hoped the image would highlight the beauty of this mountain region and its apex predator, thereby spurring efforts to conserve both. The region is warming twice as fast as the rest of the world, threatening landscapes and wildlife. The brothers believed that if the outside world could only see what was at stake, that would influence the government’s actions.

They spent months blanketing the area with cameras. However, halfway through the project, Stanzin died of heart disease. Although it was difficult, Morap pushed forward on his own.

Last August, on a 33°C (91°F) day, he climbed a ridge at 4,900 meters above sea level. “What I found on camera was a dream come true,” Morap says. He was bittersweet though. “Buddhism believes in reincarnation. I always look at snow leopards and often think, ‘What would happen if Stan Jin was reincarnated as a snow leopard?’ Perhaps he will stop for a photo or perhaps say hello. Maybe he did.”

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Ineffective Common Shoulder Treatments Identified

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A new study concludes that a combination of saline injection and ultrasound-guided irrigation in the treatment of shoulder calcific tendinopathy is no more effective than a placebo treatment, calling into question current treatments and calling for further treatment. The need for research and alternative approaches is emphasized.

Results from recent trials suggest that the use of this therapy should be reevaluated.

Recently published clinical trials BMJ A saline injection treatment commonly employed to treat calcific tendinopathy, a painful condition caused by calcium buildup in the rotator cuff tendons of the shoulder, has a significant It turns out that there is no advantage.

The study found that the perceived benefits of ultrasound-guided irrigation (a procedure in which calcium deposits are injected with saline to dissolve them), even when combined with steroid injections, are no greater than those gained from sham (placebo) treatment. It has been demonstrated that it is equivalent to

Researchers say the findings call into question the use of ultrasound-guided irrigation for this condition and should lead to a “significant reconsideration” of existing treatment guidelines.

Research background and methodology

Despite its widespread use, ultrasound-guided irrigation has never been compared to sham treatment, and it remains unclear whether the reported improvements are due to the treatment itself, natural recovery over time, or It is unclear whether this is due to a placebo effect.

To fill this important evidence gap, researchers from Norway and Sweden are the first to test the true effectiveness of ultrasound-guided irrigation with steroid injections in patients with shoulder calcific tendinopathy. A sham control study was conducted.

Their findings show that between April 2015 and March 2020, 218 adults (average age 50 years old, approximately 65% ​​female).

At the beginning of the trial, patients provided information about various health and lifestyle factors, and X-rays were taken to assess the size of their calcium deposits.

Patients were then randomly divided into three treatment groups. Washing and steroid injection (73 participants), sham washing and steroid injection (74 participants), and sham only (71 participants). After treatment, all patients were asked to complete a home exercise program.

Evaluation and results

The primary measures of interest were pain intensity and functional disability on the Oxford Shoulder Score (0-48 point scale) reported by the patient at 2 weeks, 6 weeks, and 4, 8, 12, and 24 months. was.

At 4 months, there were no significant differences in pain and functional limitations between the three groups. At subsequent evaluations, scores remained similar even in patients whose calcium deposits had disappeared, which the researchers say casts doubt on the notion that lysis of periarticular calcium resolves symptoms. Says.

The steroid injection group reported better pain relief than the sham group at 2 and 6 weeks post-treatment, but of note, after 4 months the improvement was no different than the sham group. did not.

Findings and recommendations

Although the researchers acknowledge some limitations, including the lack of an untreated group to assess the natural course of symptoms, the double-blind, three-group design, including a sham group, They stated that they were able to evaluate the true clinical efficacy. Active treatment.

Therefore, they wrote, “Our results question existing recommendations for the treatment of calcific tendinopathy and may require a critical reexamination of established treatment concepts for these patients.” ” concludes.

Future studies should investigate alternative treatments, such as defined physical therapy programs, and should also include no treatment groups to assess the impact of the natural history of calcific tendinopathy on outcomes. the researchers added.

In a linked editorial, US researchers say that cleaning appears to be overused and may not be as effective as we think. However, it would be premature to conclude that ultrasound-guided irrigation or subacromial corticosteroid injections no longer have a role in the treatment of shoulder calcific tendinopathy.

These new findings should inform discussions with patients suffering from similar long-term symptom courses in which time resolves and corticosteroids may promote short-term pain relief. may provide some reassurance to the population,” the researchers added.

And they say future studies should include sham control groups, assess treatment response earlier in the course of symptoms, and investigate whether ultrasound classification systems can better predict treatment response. suggests.

Reference: “Ultrasound-guided lavage with corticosteroid injection versus sham lavage with corticosteroid injection for calcific tendinopathy of the shoulder: a randomized double-blind multi-arm study” Stefan Moosmayer, Ole Marius Ekeberg, Hanna Björnsson Hallgren, Ingar Heier, Synnove Kvalheim, Niels Gunnar Jewell, Jesper Blomquist, Hugo Ripp, Jens Ivor Brox, October 11, 2023, BMJ.
DOI: 10.1136/bmj-2023-076447

This study was funded by the Bergersen Foundation, the Aase Bye and Trygve J.B. Hoffs Foundation, Smith and Nephew, and the Medical Research Council of South East Sweden.

Source: scitechdaily.com

Experts Uncover the Key to Student Success in Education

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Research by the University of South Australia and its partners shows that increasing student engagement with complex learning tasks significantly improves critical thinking and problem-solving skills. This study suggests that teachers should focus on deep learning techniques to improve student outcomes.

High engagement, high returns. This is advice from education experts at the University of South Australia for teachers looking to improve student performance.

In a new study conducted in partnership with
flinders university
 Researchers from the Melbourne School of Education found that fewer than a third of teachers engage students in complex learning, limiting students’ opportunities to develop critical thinking and solve problems. Did.

Researchers who filmed and assessed classroom content in South Australia and Victoria found that nearly 70% of student assignments consisted of simple questions and answers and notes, rather than activities that engaged students on a deeper level. I found that it is related to superficial learning such as taking things and listening to the teacher.

Emphasis on deep learning

UniSA researcher Dr Helen Stevenson said teachers needed more support to plan interactive and constructive lessons that foster deep learning.

“When it comes to learning, the greater the engagement, the deeper the learning. But too often, students are not very active and do passive work,” says Dr. Stevenson. Masu

“Our research suggests that about 70% of classroom content may be ‘passive’ (students have little observable input), or doing something simple like answering questions on a fact sheet. was considered to be “active”. While there is certainly a place for such tasks in the classroom, student learning is greatly enhanced when students spend more time doing complex activities that promote deep conceptual learning. Deep learning requires organizing knowledge into conceptual structures, which has been shown to improve information retention and improve learning outcomes. Deep learning also supports the knowledge needed for innovation. Making small changes to teachers’ existing lesson plans and instruction can significantly increase student engagement, which in turn improves overall outcomes. ”

She continues: “At a basic level, teachers need to consider how they can adjust existing classroom activities to place more tasks deeper into the learning scale. For example, suppose you watch a video. . Students can watch the video silently (this is “passive”). Watch the video and take notes using the presenter’s words (this is considered “active”). Write any questions that arise while watching the video (this is “constructive”). Or watch the video and discuss it with other students to generate different ideas (this is ‘interactive’). Interactive classroom engagement involves students participating in activities with other students and receiving stimulation that fosters deeper understanding. They make judgments, propose and criticize arguments and opinions, and come up with solutions to problems. These activities also help develop critical thinking and reasoning skills. All of these are predictive of learning gains. ”

Survey results regarding teacher awareness

Interestingly, one of the study’s key findings is that many teachers do not recognize or fully appreciate the importance of how classroom assignments can stimulate different modes of student participation. It seems like it hasn’t.

“Simply changing class activities from ‘active’ to ‘constructive’ can go a long way in improving student learning,” says Dr. Stevenson.

“Teachers should be supported to engage in professional development to shift their thinking to practices that support deeper learning and better outcomes for students.”

References: “Using the Extended ICAP-Based Coding Guide as a Framework for Analyzing Classroom Observations,” by Stella Vosniadou, Michael J. Lawson, Erin Bodner, Helen Stephenson, David Jeffries, and I Gusti Ngurah Darmawan; April 13, 2023 Education and teacher education.
DOI: 10.1016/j.tate.2023.104133

This research was funded by the Australian Research Council.

Source: scitechdaily.com

Discovery of a ‘Quantum Switch’ Controlling Photosynthesis by Scientists

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A new study reveals the quantum switching mechanism of light-harvesting complex II (LHCII), which is critical for efficient photosynthesis. This discovery, achieved through advanced cryo-EM and theoretical calculations, supports a dynamic role for LHCII in regulating energy transfer in plants. Credit: SciTechDaily.com

Photosynthesis is an important process that allows plants to use sunlight to convert carbon dioxide into organic compounds. Light-harvesting complex II (LHCII) consists of dye molecules bound to proteins. It alternates between two main roles. Under strong light, excess energy is dissipated as heat through non-photochemical quenching, and under weak light, light is efficiently transferred to the reaction center.

Recent bioengineering research has revealed that faster switching between these functions can improve photosynthetic efficiency. For example, soybean crops showed yield increases of up to 33%. However, the precise atomic-level structural changes in LHCII that cause this control have not been known until now.

The molecular mechanism of NPQ and acidity-induced changes in several key structural factors cause the LHCII trimer to switch between light-harvesting and energy-quenching states.Credit: Institute of Physics

innovative research approach

In the new study, researchers led by Professor Weng Yuxiang from the Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, in collaboration with Professor Gao Jiali’s group from the Shenzhen Bay Institute, combined single-particle cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) research. Using multistate density functional theory (MSDFT) calculations of energy transfer between photosynthetic pigment molecules, we analyzed the dynamic structure of his LHCII at atomic resolution and identified photosynthetic pigment quantum switches for intermolecular energy transfer. Masu.

As part of the study, they developed a series of six cryogenic states, including energy transfer states with LHCII in solution and energy quenching states with laterally confined LHCII in membrane nanodisks under neutral and acidic conditions. reported the EM structure.

Comparing these different structures shows that LHCII undergoes a structural change upon acidification. This change allosterically changes the interpigment distance of the fluorescence quenching locus lutein 1 (Lut1)-chlorophyll 612 (Chl612) only when LHCII is confined to membrane nanodiscs, leading to the quenching of excited Chl612 by Lut1. cause. Therefore, lateral pressure-confined LHCII (e.g., aggregated LHCII) is a prerequisite for non-photochemical quenching (NPQ), whereas acidThe induced conformational change enhances fluorescence quenching.

Cryo-EM structures of LHCII in nanodiscs and surfactant solutions at pH 7.8 and 5.4. Credit: Institute of Physics

Quantum switching mechanism in photosynthesis

Through cryo-EM structures and MSDFT calculations of known crystal structures in the extinction state and transient fluorescence experiments, an important quantum switching mechanism of LHCII with the Lut1-Chl612 distance as a key factor was revealed.

This distance controls the energy transfer quantum channels in response to lateral pressure and conformational changes to LHCII. That is, a small change in the critical distance of 5.6 Å allows a reversible switch between light collection and excess energy dissipation. This mechanism allows for rapid response to changes in light intensity, achieving both high efficiency and efficiency. photosynthesis Balanced photoprotection using LHCII as a quantum switch.

Fluorescence decay rate, relationship of Lut1–Chl612 electronic bond strength to Lut1–Chl612 separation distance, and plot of Lut1–Chl612 distance versus crossing angle of TM helices A and B in different LHCII structures. Credit: Institute of Physics

Previously, these two research groups collaborated on molecular dynamics simulations and ultrafast infrared spectroscopy experiments to propose that LHCII is an allosterically controlled molecular machine. Their current experimental cryo-EM structure confirms previously theoretically predicted structural changes in his LHCII.

Reference: “Cryo-EM structure of LHCII in photoactive and photoprotected states reveals allosteric control of light harvesting and excess energy dissipation” Meixia Ruan, Hao Li, Ying Zhang, Ruoqi Zhao, Jun Zhang, Yingjie Wang , Jiali Gao, Zhuan Wang, Yumei Wang, Dapeng Sun, Wei Ding, Yuxiang Weng, August 31, 2023, natural plants.
DOI: 10.1038/s41477-023-01500-2

This research was supported by a project of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the National Natural Science Foundation of China, and the Shenzhen Science and Technology Innovation Committee.

Source: scitechdaily.com