04/06/2021
LOWELL, Mass. â UMass Lowell researcher Archana Kamal has won two early career development awards totaling more than $1 million from the U.S. Air Force and the National Science Foundation (NSF) for her research in the emerging field of quantum information processing (QIP) with open quantum systems.
QIP is based on the principles of quantum mechanics, which mathematically describe the behavior and interaction of matter and light on the atomic and subatomic scale.
While todayâs digital computers encode data in the form of binary digits, or âbits,â which are a series of zeros and ones, quantum computers convert information into quantum bits, or âqubits.â A qubit, which is the basic unit of quantum information, represents a two-state, or two-level, quantum system, such as the up and down spin of an electron or the horizontal and vertical polarization of a photon.
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Vladislav Yakovlev, professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Texas A&M University, is part of a multiuniversity team researching how electrical and optical pulses can benefit cell absorption of materials, including vaccines.
The team investigated the optical and electrical breakdown of materials. Those effects, which describe material modification in the presence of extreme optical or electrical fields, have been studied since the 1950s. However, the simultaneous application of optical and electrical fields, especially to biologically relevant systems, hasn’t been explored before.
Yakovlev said by investigating the synergistic action of electrical and optical pulses, the researchers were able to promote highly localized breakdown while reducing the threshold for such breakdown.
Quantum breakthroughs help Army, Air Force advance supercomputing 1 hour ago Army-funded research has led to recent breakthroughs in quantum computing. Such advances could lead to supercomputers vital to future military operations. (Army photo) As the Army builds its forces on the multi-domain operations concept for future warfighting, a core problem for today’s technologists is figuring out how to have a constant view of the battlefield and share that information across the globe. Today’s computers simply can’t handle the immense amount of data and speed necessary for commanders and soldiers to gain a clear picture of their surroundings and the ability to use that information.
Rice, C-Crete team optimizes conversion of tire waste into graphene for stronger concrete
Rice University scientists and their colleagues at C-Crete Technologies have optimized a process to convert waste from rubber tires into graphene that can, in turn, be used to strengthen concrete. The research led by Rice chemist James Tour and Rouzbeh Shahsavari of C-Crete is detailed in the journal
Carbon.
Concrete is the most-produced material in the world, and simply making it produces as much as 9% of the world’s carbon dioxide emissions. If we can use less concrete in our roads, buildings and bridges, we can eliminate some of the emissions at the very start.
FDR had the Great Depression, but Biden has Big Data
By Business Forum, | Noah Smith April 4, 2021 2:00pm Text size Copy shortlink:
President Joe Biden s multitrillion-dollar plans to revitalize the U.S. economy are rightfully drawing comparisons to his predecessor Franklin Delano Roosevelt. But while it s the same goal, the two have somewhat different approaches, reflecting both the distinctive circumstances and the better data available to Biden.
Biden s initiatives are a lot like a newer New Deal in some respects. The recently announced infrastructure spending plan includes money for roads, bridges, housing, schools and a better electrical grid all things that FDR spent big on as well. If passed, Biden s bill will alter the physical landscape of the nation, leaving a legacy of shiny new construction and improved living standards for the poor. Biden s support for unions also echoes FDR s creation of the modern sy