Outside of a few smartphones, 4K video capture has largely been limited to pro-level hardware; the SD cards in regular cameras frequently can't handle so many pixels at once. That won't be a problem in the near future, as the SD Association has just unveiled an Ultra High Speed Class 3 (U3) card ...
Keiichi Matsuda is excited about this invention and I can't blame him: A solid table that reproduces a virtual version of anything that you put under its sensors—in realtime. You can see how it reproduces the hands moving in the clip above, but there's more:
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PUBLIC RELEASE DATE: 24-Oct-2013
ShareContact: Morgan Kelly
[email protected]
609-258-5729
Princeton University
Like any task, there is an easy and a hard way to control atoms and molecules as quantum systems, which are driven by tailored radiation fields. More efficient methods for manipulating quantum systems could help scientists realize the next generation of technology by harnessing atoms and molecules to create small but incredibly powerful devices such as molecular electronics or quantum computers.
Of course, controlling quantum systems is as painstaking as it sounds, and requires scientists to discover the ideal radiation field that leads to the desired response from the system. Scientists know that reaching that state of quantum nirvana can be a long and expensive slog, but Princeton University researchers have found that the process might be more straightforward than previously thought.
The researchers report in the journal Physical Review A that quantum-control "landscapes" the path of a system's response from the initial field to the final desired field appears to be unexpectedly simple. Although still a mountain of a task, finding a good control radiation field turns out to be very much like climbing a mountain, and scientists need only choose the right path. Like a hiker, a scientist can take a difficult, twisting path that requires frequent stops to evaluate which step to take next. Or, as the Princeton researchers show, they can opt for a straighter trail that cuts directly to the summit.
The researchers observe in their paper that these fast tracks toward the desired control field actually exist, and are scattered all over the landscape. They provide an algorithm that scientists can use to identify the starting point of the straight path to their desired quantum field.
The existence of nearly straight paths to reach the best quantum control was surprising because the landscapes were assumed to be serpentine, explained first author Arun Nanduri, who received his bachelor's degree in physics from Princeton in 2013 and is working in the laboratory of Herschel Rabitz, Princeton's Charles Phelps Smyth '16 *17 Professor of Chemistry.
"We found that not only can you always climb to the top, but you can climb along a simple path to the top," Nanduri said. "If we could consistently identify where these paths are located, a scientist could efficiently climb the landscape. Looking around for the next good step along an unknown path takes great effort. However, starting along a straight path requires you to look around once, and you can keep walking forward with your eyes closed, as it were."
Following a straighter path could be a far more efficient way of achieving control of atoms and molecules for a host of applications, including manipulating chemical reactions and operating quantum computers, Nanduri said. The source of much scientific excitement, quantum computers would use "qubits" that can be entangled to potentially give them enormous storage and computational capacities far beyond the capabilities of today's digital computers.
If the Princeton research helps scientists quickly and easily find the control fields they need, it could also allow them to carry out improved measurements of quantum systems and design new ones, Nanduri said.
"We don't know if our discovery will directly lead to futuristic quantum devices, but this finding should spur renewed research," Nanduri said. "If straight paths to good quantum control solutions can be routinely found, it would be remarkable."
###
The paper, "Exploring quantum control landscape structure," was published in the journal Physical Review A. The work was funded by the Program in Plasma Science and Technology at Princeton University, the Army Research Office, and the U.S. Department of Energy.
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
PUBLIC RELEASE DATE: 24-Oct-2013
ShareContact: Morgan Kelly
[email protected]
609-258-5729
Princeton University
Like any task, there is an easy and a hard way to control atoms and molecules as quantum systems, which are driven by tailored radiation fields. More efficient methods for manipulating quantum systems could help scientists realize the next generation of technology by harnessing atoms and molecules to create small but incredibly powerful devices such as molecular electronics or quantum computers.
Of course, controlling quantum systems is as painstaking as it sounds, and requires scientists to discover the ideal radiation field that leads to the desired response from the system. Scientists know that reaching that state of quantum nirvana can be a long and expensive slog, but Princeton University researchers have found that the process might be more straightforward than previously thought.
The researchers report in the journal Physical Review A that quantum-control "landscapes" the path of a system's response from the initial field to the final desired field appears to be unexpectedly simple. Although still a mountain of a task, finding a good control radiation field turns out to be very much like climbing a mountain, and scientists need only choose the right path. Like a hiker, a scientist can take a difficult, twisting path that requires frequent stops to evaluate which step to take next. Or, as the Princeton researchers show, they can opt for a straighter trail that cuts directly to the summit.
The researchers observe in their paper that these fast tracks toward the desired control field actually exist, and are scattered all over the landscape. They provide an algorithm that scientists can use to identify the starting point of the straight path to their desired quantum field.
The existence of nearly straight paths to reach the best quantum control was surprising because the landscapes were assumed to be serpentine, explained first author Arun Nanduri, who received his bachelor's degree in physics from Princeton in 2013 and is working in the laboratory of Herschel Rabitz, Princeton's Charles Phelps Smyth '16 *17 Professor of Chemistry.
"We found that not only can you always climb to the top, but you can climb along a simple path to the top," Nanduri said. "If we could consistently identify where these paths are located, a scientist could efficiently climb the landscape. Looking around for the next good step along an unknown path takes great effort. However, starting along a straight path requires you to look around once, and you can keep walking forward with your eyes closed, as it were."
Following a straighter path could be a far more efficient way of achieving control of atoms and molecules for a host of applications, including manipulating chemical reactions and operating quantum computers, Nanduri said. The source of much scientific excitement, quantum computers would use "qubits" that can be entangled to potentially give them enormous storage and computational capacities far beyond the capabilities of today's digital computers.
If the Princeton research helps scientists quickly and easily find the control fields they need, it could also allow them to carry out improved measurements of quantum systems and design new ones, Nanduri said.
"We don't know if our discovery will directly lead to futuristic quantum devices, but this finding should spur renewed research," Nanduri said. "If straight paths to good quantum control solutions can be routinely found, it would be remarkable."
###
The paper, "Exploring quantum control landscape structure," was published in the journal Physical Review A. The work was funded by the Program in Plasma Science and Technology at Princeton University, the Army Research Office, and the U.S. Department of Energy.
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| E-mail
Share
]
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
I'll freely admit I'm still trying to wrap my head around BBM. I was never a BlackBerry Messenger user in the past, and it's entirely possible I won't be in the future. But obviously someone is using BBM — the app passed into the 5 million to 10 million downloads category in Google Play in just its second day. There's no denying how impressive that is.
Those who know and love BBM continue to sing its praises. Those of us who don't are still wondering what the big deal is.
So, after the break, a quick poll. If you're using BBM on Android — as in really using it — were you a BBM user before Android? Or are you new to the game?
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There was much to love and little to hate about UFC 166 on Saturday night. Cain Velasquez proved he's the best heavyweight in MMA and perhaps in history, two Mexican-American lightweights put on the fight of a lifetime and nearly an entire fight card delivered fans the appropriate level of excitement and MMA skill.
Still, not everything was perfect. It's time to separate the signal from the noise, the best from the worst and the winners from the losers from UFC 166: Velasquez vs. dos Santos 3.
This Is Why We Do This Award: UFC 166
I've probably been accused of being everything from unfair in criticism about MMA to an outright detractor of the sport. Some of the criticism is true, although I also would offer the defense that the amount of combat sports I consume has made anything but the highest level, most unusual returns totally humdrum to my palate.
But if there was ever a reminder why I tried to get a job in the industry years ago after already being a fan, UFC 166 was it. In short, that is why I do this. This is why we watch this. That event was a refresher in why MMA is so appealing and what we're drawn to as interested observers.
MMA is an incomprehensibly chaotic contest filled with peaks and troughs that appear either at once or with accumulating doom. It's a sport whose unsurpassed, frighteningly visceral and beautiful action is brought to life by highly-elite athletes pushing themselves past any point of rational return. They do this for money, but also to achieve what is glory and other times merely proof of a stubborn point.
It is a game that is hugely rewarding and bitterly cruel, often simultaneously. While labeled barbaric by the uninitiated, it's truthfully and exquisitely human, both because of the actors and by what those actors reveal through their simple, merciless crucible.
On Saturday, it was never banal.
Within the ranks of the converted, MMA has too many reflexive cheerleaders. Without exception, there is at least one or two prominent voices, if not a cadre of the faithful, who will find any reason to cheer on any UFC or Bellator or WSOF or Invicta or KOTC or KSW or Shooto or whatever event it may be, rendering the capacity to judge good from bad impossible.
Few MMA events are actually deserving of praise. Even fewer are so good that they merit nothing but praise. UFC 166 reached that measure of good. It was the sort of good where you didn't worry about it ending because it's value can stand the test of time.
UFC 166 was the event where you experience the meta moment of understanding why you're there and why you're watching. You aren't merely entranced by what you're seeing. The ritualization of the experience is part of who you are, be you fan, media, fighter or other participant. You're there not because you wouldn't be anywhere else, but because you couldn't possibly imagine anywhere else to be.
Greatest Demonstration of Indefatigable Will: Diego Sanchez, Junior dos Santos
I included the photo at the top of the article for a very specific reason. This is merely moments before the main event is over. Dos Santos, who doesn't even know he's there, manages to threaten Velasquez with a power guillotine that forced the champion into evasive maneuvers, lest the bout be stopped due to his unconsciousness. Grasp what is happening here: this fighter doesn't even have to be his own conscious agent of affecting change; his body will take up the task - and expertly so - should he not be in control.
Then there's Sanchez. The Jackson's product is not a black belt in jiu-jitsu the most expert practitioner of jiu-jitsu in MMA, nor an expert in wrestling nor a Glory-level striker. He is not the best technician nor the best fighter in his division. What he does possess, however, is a mind that has completely stamped out any sense of rational self-preservation in pursuit of a goal. The mechanism of helping one's self when the body demands it no longer exists. While it goes without saying such an outcome would be undesirable, Sanchez is the type of person who would unequivocally fight to the death if we let him. His mind has been trained to dismiss every instinct normal humans are born with. For all the talk of working on one's triangle choke or jab or double leg takedown, few take as seriously as Sanchez the task of altering one's mind until it morphs into an engine of war when the cage door shuts.
There is a downside of their impossible will, namely, it will drag them into drowning themselves if left unchecked. When it is time to hang them up, their minds will have been conditioned to not recognize the moment. We can only hope there are those around them who can help ease the pain of and shorten that transition when it's time to happen.
Best Photo: Diego Sanchez, Gilbert Melendez put on their war faces
I'm picking two photos for this one. Above you see Melendez being introduced, pacing as he's introduced. He's going through the ritual of battle before stepping into the breach, both as procedure and an act of steeling his will.
Then there's Diego Sanchez. He's not as bloody here as he would eventually become in the fight, but he's already bleeding, battered and losing. His response to all of this? To ask the person shelling it out for more of it.
The 'Re-Write the Ending' Distinction: Gabriel Gonzaga
Maybe Gonzaga wasn't ever really done. Perhaps when he called it quits previously he was just doing what many fighters do, namely, saying 'I'm done...for now.' Whatever the case, he issued his own pink slip at a moment of deep loss, frustration and despair.
Very few of us get a second chance to achieve the highest level attainable in our professional endeavors. Almost no one finds an opportunity to re-write the ending to one of the most important chapters in our lives. Gonzaga summoned the will, despite himself and his failings, to try again. What he's found is that no matter what happens next, he was right to believe there was a next to go after.
Most Impressive Prospect: Adlan Amagov
I've heard stories from within the walls at Jackson's MMA in Albuquerque, New Mexico that Amagov is a terror for everyone who has the terrible task of being his sparring partner. Naturally, we hear this sort of story all of the time from trainers, friends and other parties close to camps about the abilities and exploits of fighters on the move. Very few times do said athletes compete in such a way that make their lackeys and support staff prescient.
Amagov is a destroyer. He's an excellent athlete with unusual skills and a ferocious appetite for violence. There's an open question of how far he can be, but on a card filled with top-level prospects across numerous weight classes, few displayed the level of finishing skill and consistent improvement against respected competition as the Chechen.
Hitting The Wall Award: Nate Marquardt, George Sotiropoulos
Not everyone benefited from UFC 166. Two fighters on the losing end of their particular bouts, Marquardt and Sotiropoulos, not only walked away with loses, but are, in all likelihood, facing elimination from the UFC. Both fighters are well into their thirties (the Australian is closer to forty than thirty). Marquardt is on a three-fight losing streak. Sotiropoulos is at four.
The more interesting question than 'will they or won't they be cut?' is 'what happens if they are cut?'. Both could probably continue fighting at the sub-UFC level and accumulate some wins if they so chose, but even then it wouldn't necessarily be a guarantee. That's especially true for Sotiropoulos, who lost to an opponent as equally on the UFC bubble as he.
It'll be worth keeping an eye on what path they take, but one thing's for sure: their days as elite, ranked fighters is over. Maybe their careers are, too.
Best Example of Getting Back on the Horse: Tony Ferguson, Hector Lombard, Tim Boetsch, K.J. Noons, and John Dodson
Another remarkable feature of UFC 166's greatness were the numerous moments of redemption. To be sure, every fighter's situation was unique. Some were on the chopping block. Others did not have UFC employment in jeopardy necessarily and simply wished to get back in the winner's circle. In MMA, there's really no other place to be. Either way, there was instance after instance of jubilation, relief, justified pride, a sense of accomplishment born from struggle and sacrifice as well as a hint of 'damn right'.
Generally speaking, the figures we celebrate and revere most in MMA are the ones who win the most. That's because in the binary world of competition, winning in MMA, more often than not, has more ability to transform, augment and enhance than anything else. Perhaps most importantly, being able to capture that moment when it was previously taken from you has to be the most restorative and empowering act they can do in their professional career.
Public release date: 16-Oct-2013 Share
]
Contact: Leslie Stein
[email protected]
267-519-4707
Monell Chemical Senses Center
PHILADELPHIA (October 16, 2013) -- New research from the Monell Chemical Senses Center and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) reveals how diseases can modify animal odors in subtle ways. In a recent study published in the public access journal PLOS ONE, scientists examined how infection with avian influenza (AIV) alters fecal odors in mallards.
Using both behavioral and chemical methods, the findings reveal that AIV can be detected based on odor changes in infected birds.
"The fact that a distinctive fecal odor is emitted from infected ducks suggests that avian influenza infection in mallards may be 'advertised' to other members of the population," notes Bruce Kimball, PhD, a research chemist with the USDA National Wildlife Research Center (NWRC) stationed at the Monell Center. "Whether this chemical communication benefits non-infected birds by warning them to stay away from sick ducks or if it benefits the pathogen by increasing the attractiveness of the infected individual to other birds, is unknown."
In the study, laboratory mice were trained to discriminate between feces from AIV-infected and non-infected ducks, indicating a change in odor. Chemical analysis then identified the chemical compounds associated with the odor changes as acetoin and 1-octen-3-ol.
The same compounds also have been identified as potential biomarkers for diagnosing gastrointestinal diseases in humans. Kimball and colleagues hypothesize that metabolites resulting from viral infection interact in concert with bacteria in the gastro-intestinal system of ducks to produce "odor signatures" indicating presence of the AI virus.
"Avian influenzas are typically asymptomatic in ducks and waterfowl. Infection in these species can only be diagnosed by directly detecting the virus, requiring capture of birds and collection of swab samples. Our results suggest that rapid and simple detection of influenzas in waterfowl populations may be possible through exploiting this odor change phenomenon," said Monell behavioral biologist Gary Beauchamp, PhD, also an author on the paper.
Future work will assess whether odor changes can be used for surveillance of AIV in waterfowl. In particular, researchers are interested in whether the odor change is specific to the AIV pathogen or if it is merely a general response to a variety of pathogens normally found in birds. Other studies will explore communicative functions of the AIV odor to gain greater understanding of how odors can shape social behavior in wildlife populations.
###
The paper can be accessed at http://dx.plos.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0075411. Also contributing to the research, which was funded by the National Wildlife Research Center, were Kunio Yamazaki and Maryanne Opiekun of Monell and Richard Bowen and Jack Muth from Colorado State University. Dr. Yamazaki, who actively contributed to the design and realization of this work, died in April 2103.
The NWRC has maintained a Field Station at Monell for over 40 years. To date, more than 200 publications on bird and wildlife chemical senses have resulted from the Monell-USDA affiliation, disseminating information on the biology and behavior of many animal and avian species, along with knowledge to aid in effective management of wildlife resources.
The National Wildlife Research Center is the research arm of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Wildlife Services program. It is the federal institution devoted to resolving problems caused by the interaction of wild animals and society. The Center applies scientific expertise to the development of practical methods to resolve these problems and to maintain the quality of the environments shared with wildlife. For more information, visit http://www.aphis.usda.gov/wildlife_damage/nwrc/index.shtml
The Monell Chemical Senses Center is an independent nonprofit basic research institute based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. For 45 years, Monell has advanced scientific understanding of the mechanisms and functions of taste and smell to benefit human health and well-being. Using an interdisciplinary approach, scientists collaborate in the programmatic areas of sensation and perception; neuroscience and molecular biology; environmental and occupational health; nutrition and appetite; health and well-being; development, aging and regeneration; and chemical ecology and communication. For more information about Monell, visit http://www.monell.org.
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Public release date: 16-Oct-2013 Share
]
Contact: Leslie Stein
[email protected]
267-519-4707
Monell Chemical Senses Center
PHILADELPHIA (October 16, 2013) -- New research from the Monell Chemical Senses Center and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) reveals how diseases can modify animal odors in subtle ways. In a recent study published in the public access journal PLOS ONE, scientists examined how infection with avian influenza (AIV) alters fecal odors in mallards.
Using both behavioral and chemical methods, the findings reveal that AIV can be detected based on odor changes in infected birds.
"The fact that a distinctive fecal odor is emitted from infected ducks suggests that avian influenza infection in mallards may be 'advertised' to other members of the population," notes Bruce Kimball, PhD, a research chemist with the USDA National Wildlife Research Center (NWRC) stationed at the Monell Center. "Whether this chemical communication benefits non-infected birds by warning them to stay away from sick ducks or if it benefits the pathogen by increasing the attractiveness of the infected individual to other birds, is unknown."
In the study, laboratory mice were trained to discriminate between feces from AIV-infected and non-infected ducks, indicating a change in odor. Chemical analysis then identified the chemical compounds associated with the odor changes as acetoin and 1-octen-3-ol.
The same compounds also have been identified as potential biomarkers for diagnosing gastrointestinal diseases in humans. Kimball and colleagues hypothesize that metabolites resulting from viral infection interact in concert with bacteria in the gastro-intestinal system of ducks to produce "odor signatures" indicating presence of the AI virus.
"Avian influenzas are typically asymptomatic in ducks and waterfowl. Infection in these species can only be diagnosed by directly detecting the virus, requiring capture of birds and collection of swab samples. Our results suggest that rapid and simple detection of influenzas in waterfowl populations may be possible through exploiting this odor change phenomenon," said Monell behavioral biologist Gary Beauchamp, PhD, also an author on the paper.
Future work will assess whether odor changes can be used for surveillance of AIV in waterfowl. In particular, researchers are interested in whether the odor change is specific to the AIV pathogen or if it is merely a general response to a variety of pathogens normally found in birds. Other studies will explore communicative functions of the AIV odor to gain greater understanding of how odors can shape social behavior in wildlife populations.
###
The paper can be accessed at http://dx.plos.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0075411. Also contributing to the research, which was funded by the National Wildlife Research Center, were Kunio Yamazaki and Maryanne Opiekun of Monell and Richard Bowen and Jack Muth from Colorado State University. Dr. Yamazaki, who actively contributed to the design and realization of this work, died in April 2103.
The NWRC has maintained a Field Station at Monell for over 40 years. To date, more than 200 publications on bird and wildlife chemical senses have resulted from the Monell-USDA affiliation, disseminating information on the biology and behavior of many animal and avian species, along with knowledge to aid in effective management of wildlife resources.
The National Wildlife Research Center is the research arm of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Wildlife Services program. It is the federal institution devoted to resolving problems caused by the interaction of wild animals and society. The Center applies scientific expertise to the development of practical methods to resolve these problems and to maintain the quality of the environments shared with wildlife. For more information, visit http://www.aphis.usda.gov/wildlife_damage/nwrc/index.shtml
The Monell Chemical Senses Center is an independent nonprofit basic research institute based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. For 45 years, Monell has advanced scientific understanding of the mechanisms and functions of taste and smell to benefit human health and well-being. Using an interdisciplinary approach, scientists collaborate in the programmatic areas of sensation and perception; neuroscience and molecular biology; environmental and occupational health; nutrition and appetite; health and well-being; development, aging and regeneration; and chemical ecology and communication. For more information about Monell, visit http://www.monell.org.
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| Share
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
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