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Dec 18, 2023

Mathematics and Engineering

Posted by in categories: engineering, mathematics

Advances in Civil Engineering Using Recycled Concrete Powder, Waste Glass Powder, and Plastic Powder to Improve the Mechanical Properties of Compacted Concrete: Cement Elimination Approach Erfan Najaf and Hassan Abbasi.

International Journal of Rotating Machinery Experimental and Numerical Studies of the Film Cooling Effectiveness Downstream of a Curved Diffusion Film Cooling Hole Fan Yang and Mohammad E. Taslim.

Dec 18, 2023

‘Teleporting’ images across a network securely using only light

Posted by in categories: quantum physics, satellites, security

Nature Communications published research by an international team from Wits and ICFO-The Institute of Photonic Sciences, which demonstrates the teleportation-like transport of “patterns” of light—this is the first approach that can transport images across a network without physically sending the image and a crucial step towards realizing a quantum network for high-dimensional entangled states.

Quantum communication over long distances is integral to and has been demonstrated with two-dimensional states (qubits) over very long distances between satellites. This may seem enough if we compare it with its classical counterpart, i.e., sending bits that can be encoded in 1s (signal) and 0s (no signal), one at a time.

However, quantum optics allow us to increase the alphabet and to securely describe more in a single shot, such as a unique fingerprint or a face.

Dec 18, 2023

Mind-reading AI can translate brainwaves into written text

Posted by in category: robotics/AI

A system that records the brain’s electrical activity through the scalp can turn thoughts into words with help from a large language model – but the results are far from perfect.

By James Woodford

Dec 18, 2023

Frankish_Illusionism as a theory of consciousness_eprint (1).pdf

Posted by in category: neuroscience

Shared with Dropbox.

Dec 18, 2023

Discovery of Massive Stars Stripped of Hydrogen Envelopes in Binary Systems

Posted by in categories: physics, space

“This was such a big, glaring hole,” said Dr. Maria Drout. “If it turned out that these stars are rare, then our whole theoretical framework for all these different phenomena is wrong, with implications for supernovae, gravitational waves, and the light from distant galaxies. This finding shows these stars really do exist.”


Can binary stars steal material from each other? This is what a recent study published in Science hopes to address as a team of international researchers examined how the interaction between binary stars can cause one star to strip material from its companion star over time, resulting in one massive star and one much smaller star. While this study could help astronomers better understand precursor signs to supernovae, scientists have only identified one candidate for being stripped of its hydrogen material, despite longstanding hypotheses that one in three binary stars are stripped of their hydrogen.

Dec 18, 2023

Updating how we measure quantum quality and speed

Posted by in categories: computing, quantum physics

IBM introduces introducing two new metrics — error per layered gate (EPLG) and CLOPSh — to fully encapsulate the performance of 100+ qubit processors powering this utility-scale era.


Layer fidelity provides a benchmark that encapsulates the entire processor’s ability to run circuits while revealing information about individual qubits, gates, and crosstalk. It expands on a well-established way to benchmark quantum computers, called randomized benchmarking. With randomized benchmarking, we add a set of randomized Clifford group gates (that’s the basic set of gates we use: X, Y, Z, H, SX, CNOT, ECR, CZ, etc.) to the circuit, then run an operation that we know, mathematically, should represent the inverse of the sequence of operations that precede it.

If any of the qubits do not return to their original state by the inverse operation upon measurement, then we know there was an error. We extract a number from this experiment by repeating it multiple times with more and more random gates, plotting on a graph how the errors increase with more gates, fitting an exponential decay to the plot, and using that line to calculate a number between 0 and 1, called the fidelity.

Continue reading “Updating how we measure quantum quality and speed” »

Dec 18, 2023

Why Can No One Think Rationally Anymore?

Posted by in category: neuroscience

George Mack is a writer, marketer and an entrepreneur. Thinking for yourself is one of the most important skills you can develop. However it’s hard. It’s a difficult task to overcome the boring, negative, irrational trends around you. Which is why you need some new tools in your mental models box. Expect to learn what the Keynsian Beauty Contest is, why memes are so influential in society today, which behaviours appear positive but actually harm you in disguise, what the forgetting paradox is, what the most useful emotional state is, why “ignorance is bliss” is a putdown in 2023 and much more…

Dec 18, 2023

ARC 2023 Opening Speech Highlights Importance of Upholding Freedom and Rule of Law

Posted by in category: law

Welcome to the ARC Conference 2023! This was the opening speech at the ARC Conference, from day 1 of the ARC Conference. Baroness Philippa Stroud is co-founder and CEO of ARC and Member of the House of Lords. Previously, she was CEO of the Legatum Institute and the Centre for Social Justice, and served as Special Advisor for both the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions and Prime Minister David Cameron.

Find out more about the ARC here and subscribe the our newsletter for our latest updates: https://www.arcforum.com.

Dec 18, 2023

Konstantin Kisin’s Powerful Speech at ARC Conference 2023

Posted by in categories: futurism, neuroscience

“There are some people whose brains have been broken. To them our past is abominable and our future is one of managed decline. My message is simple. How Dare You!? You will not steal my son’s future with empty words”. Konstantin Kisin started day 2 of the ARC Conference 2023 with a bang. Konstantin Kisin is a Sunday Times bestselling author, satirist, social commentator, and creator and co-host of the free speech podcast TRIGGERnometry. In 2022, he published An Immigrant’s Love Letter to the West. @triggerpod Watch the talks as they are uploaded on our channel. Subscribe to the Channel to keep up-to-date with all the talks from the ARC Conference 2023. https://www.youtube.com/@arc_forum Find out more about the ARC here and subscribe the our newsletter for our latest updates: https://www.arcforum.

Dec 18, 2023

Improving Gut Health with Microbiome and Probiotics

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, chemistry, evolution, life extension, neuroscience

View show notes here: https://bit.ly/3GJjQKz Become a member to receive exclusive content: https://peterattiamd.com/subscribe/ Sign up to receive Peter’s email newsletter: https://peterattiamd.com/newsletter/ Colleen Cutcliffe is an expert in molecular biology and co-founder of Pendulum Therapeutics, a company working to develop treatments for a variety of diseases by targeting the microbiome. In this episode, Colleen delves into the complexity of the microbiome, how it is tested, and how it changes over time. She explores how probiotics, prebiotics, and postbiotics affect the gut and makes a compelling case that well-developed products have the potential not only to enhance gut health but also to positively influence overall metabolic well-being. Colleen emphasizes the significance of a high-fiber diet in sustaining a thriving gut microbiome, shares insights on minimizing microbiome damage during antibiotic use, provides tips for fostering and preserving a healthy gut, and much more. We discuss: 0:00:00 — Intro 0:00:34 — Colleen’s background and current focus 0:03:08 — The basics of the microbiome 0:12:37 — The study of the human microbiome 0:17:42 — Categories of bacteria, and the implications on health of the rapid evolution of bacteria 0:27:51 — Methods for measuring and understanding the microbiome, and key indicators of microbiome health 0:39:52 — The important role of fiber for promoting gut health through the production of butyrate 0:47:21 — The case for manipulating gut bacteria via fecal microbiota transplant (FMT) 0:53:25 — Dynamics of the microbiome: the gut-brain connection and how antibiotics, nutrition, stress, and more impact the microbiome’s diversity and function 0:59:16 — Factors that influence the vaginal microbiom 1:03:46 — The effect of gut microbes on obesity and challenges with fecal transplants in people 1:06:25 — Beneficial strains of gut bacteria and strains commonly found in probiotics 1:16:35 — The difference between a probiotic and prebiotic, and how CFUs are a measure of the “active ingredient” 1:21:47 — Considerations about how probiotic strains are produced, and more on the meaning of CFU 1:31:12 — Mitigating the effect of antibiotics on the microbiome 1:39:58 — What do we know about the effect of artificial sweeteners on the gut microbiome? 1:47:02 — Why Akkermansia is a keystone strain with implications for metabolic health and an individual’s response to dietary interventions 1:58:14 — The essential steps necessary to develop a robust probiotic for optimal health support 2:01:45 — How Akkermansia helps control blood glucose, and potential implications of Akkermansia in weight loss, diabetes management, and more 2:22:46 — Pendulum Therapeutics’ commitment to rigorous product develop 2:29:54 — Details about the probiotic “Glucose Control” and other probiotics developed by Pendulum Therapeutics 2:38:43 — Further studies of Akkermansia that have been proposed or are underway ——– About: The Peter Attia Drive is a deep-dive podcast focusing on maximizing longevity, and all that goes into that from physical to cognitive to emotional health. With over 70 million episodes downloaded, it features topics including exercise, nutritional biochemistry, cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, mental health, and much more. Peter Attia is the founder of Early Medical, a medical practice that applies the principles of Medicine 3.0 to patients with the goal of lengthening their lifespan and simultaneously improving their healthspan.