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Category: computing – Page 92

In kids, EEG monitoring of consciousness can safely reduce anesthetic use

Results of a randomized, controlled clinical trial in Japan among more than 170 children aged 1 to 6 who underwent surgery show that by using EEG readings of brain waves to monitor unconsciousness, an anesthesiologist can significantly reduce the amount of the anesthesia administered to safely induce and sustain each patient’s anesthetized state.

On average, the patients experienced significant improvements in several post-operative outcomes, including quicker recovery and reduced incidence of delirium.

“I think the main takeaway is that in kids, using the EEG, we can reduce the amount of anesthesia we give them and maintain the same level of unconsciousness,” said study co-author Emery N. Brown, Edward Hood Taplin Professor of Medical Engineering and Computational Neuroscience at MIT and an anesthesiologist at Massachusetts General Hospital. The study appears in JAMA Pediatrics.

Stimulating the retina to allow people to see a brand new color

A team of engineers, computer scientists and ophthalmologists at the University of California, Berkeley, working with a pair of colleagues at the University of Washington, has developed a technique for stimulating the retina that allows people to see a color not normally seen by humans.

In their study published in the journal Science Advances, the group identified certain photoreceptors in volunteers and then stimulated them to allow those volunteers to see the unique color, which the team has named “olo.”

The human eye has two types of photoreceptors, rods and cones. Rods are used mostly to see in dark conditions. Cones are further divided into long, medium and short cones (L, M and S) depending on which they process most efficiently. Prior research has shown that there is some overlap in light processing between the , and the researchers wondered what would happen if light were only processed by one type, such as M.

Scientists Think the Universe Is a Quantum Computer — Here’s The Physics Behind It!

There is no “outside.” No other system. The universe is not on a computer. It is the computer. It is the thing performing the computation. It doesn’t need anyone watching it. It doesn’t need a server farm or a control panel. It simply is what it is: a system that processes information according to its own rules.
In other words, when we talk about the universe as a quantum computer, we’re not saying it’s pretending to be real. We’re saying this is what real is.

1:19 Reality as Code.
8:35 What Is a Quantum Computer, Anyway?
13:37 Evidence and Models That Support the Quantum Universe Idea.
20:04 What Would It Mean If the Universe Is a Quantum Computer?
26:14 Could We Simulate the Universe from Within It?
32:37 The Dark Implications.
39:53 Is This the Best Description We’ll Ever Get?

Quantum Telepathy Goes Real: How Lasers and Ions Outsmarted Logic

Physicists have successfully played a mind-bending “quantum game” using a real-world quantum computer, in which lasers shuffle around ions on a chip to explore the strange behavior of qubits. By creating a special, knotted structure of entangled particles, the team demonstrated that today’s quant

Tiny Diamonds, Big Spark: A Laser-Free Leap in Quantum Spin Detection

A research team at HZB has developed a clever technique to read quantum spin states in diamonds using electrical signals instead of light. This breakthrough could dramatically simplify quantum sensors and computing hardware.

Diamonds that contain specific optically active defects, known as color centers, can serve as highly sensitive sensors or as qubits for quantum computers, with quantum information stored in their electron spin states. Traditionally, reading these spin states requires optical methods, which are often complex and difficult to implement. Now, researchers at HZB have developed a more streamlined approach: using photovoltage to detect the spin states of individual defects. This method could pave the way for much smaller and more compact quantum sensors.

Harnessing Defects for Spin States.

Lasers in a Loop: How a Micro Ring Just Shattered Quantum Limits

Researchers in China have achieved a major leap in quantum photonics by generating a massive 60-mode entangled cluster state directly on a chip using optical microresonators.

By leveraging a deterministic, continuous-variable approach and a multiple-laser pump technique, they overcame traditional limitations in scalability. The team confirmed high-quality entanglement using advanced detection methods, paving the way for powerful quantum technologies like chip-based computers, secure communications, and cutting-edge sensors.

Breakthrough in On-Chip Quantum Entanglement.

Quantum confinement explains the dramatic rise of electrical resistivity in few-nanometers-thick silicon sheets

Consumer electronic devices are made from materials that we have been using for more than 60 years, mainly silicon, germanium and copper. Why have semiconductor electronics become increasingly fast over this time?

I would argue that this is due to miniaturization, or the ability to stack an increasingly large number of transistors in a dense integrated circuit (microchip). Some may argue that we are starting to reach limits in that miniaturization, as approach a thickness of just about 10 nanometers, or even lower.

These nearly two-dimensional (2D) materials could be used to build the next-generation electronics. However, as electronic materials like silicon are miniaturized, they become less energy efficient.

Scientists Develop New Gene Editing Tool that Replaces Entire Genes

Scientists from Mass General Brigham and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center have developed a novel gene editing tool called STITCHR. Unlike traditional CRISPR, STITCHR inserts entire genes at precise locations, minimizing unintended mutations. This gene editing tool simplifies use and offers potential as a one-time treatment for genetic disorders.

The technology uses retrotransposons, naturally occurring “jumping genes” found in all eukaryotic organisms, which can move and integrate into genomes. Using computational screening, the researchers identified and reprogrammed a specific retrotransposon to work with the nickase enzyme from CRISPR, forming the complete STITCHR system that allows a precise, seamless gene insertion into the genome.

STITCHR offers the potential to replace or supplement entire genes, creating a more universal treatment option for various genetic diseases. The research team is now working to improve its efficiency and move it toward clinical use. Their study, published in Nature, highlights how insights from basic cellular biology can drive innovation in genetic medicine and lead to new therapeutic tools.

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