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New magnetometer designed to be integrated into microelectronic chips

Researchers at the UPC’s Department of Electronic Engineering have developed a new type of magnetometer that can be integrated into microelectronic chips and that is fully compatible with the current integrated circuits. Of great interest for the miniaturization of electronic systems and sensors, the study has been recently published in Microsystems & Nanoengineering.

Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) are electromechanical systems miniaturized to the maximum, so much so that they can be integrated into a chip. They are found in most of our day-to-day devices, such as computers, car braking systems and mobile phones. Integrating them into has clear advantages in terms of size, cost, speed and energy efficiency. But developing them is expensive, and their performance is often compromised by incompatibilities with other electronic systems within a device.

MEMS can be used, among many others, to develop magnetometers—a device that measures to provide direction during navigation, much like a compass—for integration into smartphones and wearables or for use in the automotive industry. Therefore, one of the most promising lines of work are Lorentz force MEMS magnetometers.

The neural architecture of language: Integrative modeling converges on predictive processing

The neuroscience of perception has recently been revolutionized with an integrative modeling approach in which computation, brain function, and behavior are linked across many datasets and many computational models. By revealing trends across models, this approach yields novel insights into cognitive and neural mechanisms in the target domain. We here present a systematic study taking this approach to higher-level cognition: human language processing, our species’ signature cognitive skill. We find that the most powerful “transformer” models predict nearly 100% of explainable variance in neural responses to sentences and generalize across different datasets and imaging modalities (functional MRI and electrocorticography). Models’ neural fits (“brain score”) and fits to behavioral responses are both strongly correlated with model accuracy on the next-word prediction task (but not other language tasks). Model architecture appears to substantially contribute to neural fit. These results provide computationally explicit evidence that predictive processing fundamentally shapes the language comprehension mechanisms in the human brain.

Chiral orbit currents create new quantum state

Physicists have discovered a new quantum state in a material with the chemical formula Mn3SiTe6. The new state forms due to long-theorized but never previously observed internal currents that flow in loops around the material’s honeycomb-like structure. According to its discoverers, this new state could have applications for quantum sensors and memory storage devices for quantum computers.

Mn3SiTe6 is a ferrimagnet, meaning that its component atoms have opposing but unequal magnetic moments. It usually behaves like an insulator, but when physicists led by Gang Cao of the University of Colorado, Boulder, US, exposed it to a magnetic field applied along a certain direction, they found that it became dramatically more conducting – almost like it had morphed from being a rubber to a metal.

This effect, known as colossal magnetoresistance (CMR), is not itself new. Indeed, physicists have known about it since the 1950s, and it is now employed in computer disk drives and many other electronic devices, where it helps electric currents shuttle across along distinct trajectories in a controlled way.

Tesla sets up semiconductor joint venture with Swiss auto chip company

Tesla has plans to ramp its electric vehicle production by a notable degree in the coming years, and with the company’s constant innovations, it would need to secure a lot of resources, from battery raw materials to computer chips.

In this light, reports have emerged suggesting that Tesla has established a semiconductor joint venture in Jinan of eastern China’s Shandong Province. The joint venture is intended to supply automotive chip and electronics solutions. Tesla partnered with Swiss automotive semiconductor company Annex for the joint venture, which boasts a registered capital of $150 million.

As per a report from Chinese tech publication ijiwei, Tesla holds a 5% equity in the company for now, while Annex holds a 55% stake, and the Jinan Zurich Annex Equity Investment Fund Partnership holds a 40% stake. It should be noted that the Jinan Zurich fund acquired Annex this past June in a $5 billion deal.

2001: A Space Odyssey

https://youtube.com/watch?v=XVaRhggkFJQ&feature=share

http://www.hbomax.com Stanley Kubrick redefined the limits of filmmaking in his classic science fiction masterpiece, a contemplation on the nature of humanity, 2001: A Space Odyssey. Stone Age Earth: In the presence of a mysterious black obelisk, pre-humans discover the use of tools—and weapons—violently taking first steps toward intelligence. 1999: On Earth’s moon astronauts uncover another mysterious black obelisk. 2001: Between Earth and Jupiter, the spacecraft’s intelligent computer makes a mistake that kills most of the human crew—then continues to kill to hide its error. Beyond Time: The sole survivor of the journey to Jupiter ascends to the next level of humanity.

Unprecedented Detail: Researchers Capture How Genes Fold and Work

The technology, which was created by Barcelona-based researchers at the Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG) and the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona), combines high-resolution microscopy with sophisticated computer modeling. It is the most comprehensive technique to date for studying the shape of genes.

The new technique allows researchers to create and digitally navigate three-dimensional models of genes, seeing not just their architecture but also information on how they move or how flexible they are. Understanding how genes function might help us better understand how they influence the human body in both health and disease since almost every human disease has some genetic basis.

Bulk localized transport states in infinite and finite quasicrystals via magnetic aperiodicity

Infinite hard drive for computers essentially :3.


Topological edge states can form when a charged particle confined to a crystalline lattice interacts with a magnetic field. These edge states are localized to the boundary and can support transport along the edge even with an insulating bulk. Here, the authors show that a different state that supports transport in the bulk can emerge when the charged particle is on a quasicrystalline lattice. Utilizing a recently developed spectral computation technique, they show that these new bulk localized transport (BLT) states survive in the infinite-size limit.

Quantum computing pioneer D-Wave looks at the technology’s past, present and future

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Quantum computing could be a disruptive technology. It’s founded on exotic-sounding physics and it bears the promise of solving certain classes of problems with unprecedented speed and efficiency. The problem, however, is that to this day, there has been too much promise and not enough delivery in the field, some say. Perhaps with the exception of D-Wave.

The company that helped pioneer quantum computing over 15 years ago has clients such as BASF, Deloitte, Mastercard and GlaxoSmithKline today. Alan Baratz went from running D-Wave’s R&D to becoming its CEO, taking the company public while launching products and pursuing new research directions.

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