Computers

Wealthier northeastern US states and Western European countries tended to have significantly lower mortality rates during second-wave COVID-19 infections, new research from the University of Sydney and Tsinghua University has shown. However, the pattern was not as general as expected, with notable exceptions to this trend in Sweden and Germany. Researchers say mortality change … [Read more...] about Second-wave COVID mortality dropped markedly in (most) wealthier zones: Mathematical analysis of Europe and U.S. deaths shows change from first wave

Research led by the Cavendish Laboratory at the University of Cambridge has identified a material that could help tackle speed and energy, the two biggest challenges for computers of the future. Research in the field of light-based computing -- using light instead of electricity for computation to go beyond the limits of today's computers -- is moving fast, but barriers remain … [Read more...] about From a window to a mirror: New material paves the way to faster computing

Researchers have developed a new statistical model that predicts which cities are more likely to become infectious disease hotspots, based both on interconnectivity between cities and the idea that some cities are more suitable environments for infection than others. Brandon Lieberthal and Allison Gardner of the University of Maine present these findings in the open-access … [Read more...] about New statistical model predicts which cities could become ‘superspreaders’: Model efficiently combines connectivity between cities with cities’ varying suitability for spread

Superconductivity is a complete loss of electrical resistance. Superconductors are not merely very good metals: it is a fundamentally different electronic state. In normal metals, electrons move individually, and they collide with defects and vibrations in the lattice. In superconductors, electrons are bound together by an attractive force, which allows them to move together in … [Read more...] about Spontaneous superconducting currents in Sr2RuO4

A Florida State University professor's research could help quantum computing fulfill its promise as a powerful computational tool. William Oates, the Cummins Inc. Professor in Mechanical Engineering and chair of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering, and postdoctoral researcher Guanglei Xu found a way to automatically infer parameters … [Read more...] about Researchers enhance quantum machine learning algorithms

If you want to build a fully functional nanosized robot, you need to incorporate a host of capabilities, from complicated electronic circuits and photovoltaics to sensors and antennas. But just as importantly, if you want your robot to move, you need it to be able to bend. Cornell researchers have created micron-sized shape memory actuators that enable atomically thin … [Read more...] about Nanotech scientists create world’s smallest origami bird

During the swarming of birds or fish, each entity coordinates its location relative to the others, so that the swarm moves as one larger, coherent unit. Fireflies on the other hand coordinate their temporal behavior: within a group, they eventually all flash on and off at the same time and thus act as synchronized oscillators. Few entities, however, coordinate both their … [Read more...] about ‘Swarmalation’ used to design active materials for self-regulating soft robots

Researchers from Louisiana State University have introduced a smart quantum technology for the spatial mode correction of single photons. In a paper featured on the cover of the March 2021 issue of Advanced Quantum Technologies, the authors exploit the self-learning and self-evolving features of artificial neural networks to correct the distorted spatial profile of single … [Read more...] about Smart quantum technologies for secure communication

Increased internet-access spending by Texas public schools improved academic performance but also led to more disciplinary problems among students, a study of 9,000 schools conducted by a research team from Rice University, Texas A&M University and the University of Notre Dame shows. Whether students benefit from increased internet access in public schools has been an open … [Read more...] about Internet-access spending improves academic outcomes, according to study of Texas public schools

Trillions of commensal microbes live on the mucosal and epidermal surfaces of the body and it is firmly established that this microbiome affects its host's tolerance and sensitivity of the host to a variety of pathogens. However, host tolerance to infection with pathogens is not equally developed in all organisms. For example, it is known that the gut microbiome of mice … [Read more...] about Of mice and men and their different tolerance to pathogens