Quantum Leap Research Articles

A PARADIGM SWITCH IN HIGHER EDUCATION LEARNING TREND: BLENDED LEARNING

Blended learning as a new paradigm in modern education offers an alternative model of learning where technology is incorporated into the educators’ courses along with classroom face-to-face activities. This learning trend has gained momentum, in Morocco, during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. BL does not only aim to cope with the global quantum leap in the field of education, but also to insure the learners’ effective involvement in the learning process. This paper aims to assess the learners’ willingness to switch to BL, to identify its most appropriate models for the learners, to value their efficiency in preparing future university graduates, and to inspect the constraints that hinder the prevalence of this type of teaching on a larger scale. This study uses a quantitative method to analyse data. Hence, we resorted to a survey of 200 university students from different tertiary institutions in the region of Fez-Meknes, most of whom testified to the efficiency of BL and expressed their joy to adopt this new trend. Because of logistical deficiency, a few learners expressed their worries. Consequently, our recommendations relate to allocating significant financial help to assist students in difficulty and provide them with technical assistance, in order to engage them in BL and attain equity among learners.<p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/edu_01/0204/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>

Functionally Graded Additive Manufacturing: Bridging the Gap between Design and Material Extrusion

Nowadays, the use of 3D printing is becoming a key process for on-demand and customized manufacturing. One of the most flexible 3D printing techniques is fused deposition modeling (FDM), where the combination of multiple materials was recently introduced. A quantum leap in part design is possible by integrating local variations between materials that allow for expanded functionality to be built into a single part. Therefore, the process of co-extrusion and material mixing is becoming more and more popular. The process of management and design of the engineered part are still complicated, and there are no commercially available tools that follow the process from design to production of these highly engineered products. This paper proposes a methodology to fill this gap and allow any designer to be able to produce multi-material parts by editing a G-code (computer numerical control programming language) with engineered gradients for FDM technology. More specifically, the proposed approach is based on the modification of the G-code according to a volumetric model describing the local combination of two or more materials. This original aspect allows for a wide extension of the current software capabilities. To explain and test the method, a simple test case was investigated, in which two components of an earphone are consolidated and developed gradually by combining polylactic acid and thermoplastic polyurethane. The results show the effectiveness of the proposed approach within the limits of the material coextrusion additive manufacturing process.

Integrated CO2 capture and electrochemical upgradation: the underpinning mechanism and techno-chemical analysis.

Coupling post-combustion CO2 capture with electrochemical utilization (CCU) is a quantum leap in renewable energy science since it eliminates the cost and energy involved in the transport and storage of CO2. However, the major challenges involved in industrial scale implementation are selecting an appropriate solvent/electrolyte for CO2 capture, modeling an appropriate infrastructure by coupling an electrolyser with a CO2 point source and a separator to isolate CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR) products, and finally selection of an appropriate electrocatalyst. In this review, we highlight the major difficulties with detailed mechanistic interpretation in each step, to find out the underpinning mechanism involved in the integration of electrochemical CCU to achieve higher-value products. In the past decades, most of the studies dealt with individual parts of the integration process, i.e., either selecting a solvent for CO2 capture, designing an electrocatalyst, or choosing an ideal electrolyte. In this context, it is important to note that solvents such as monoethanolamine, bicarbonate, and ionic liquids are often used as electrolytes in CO2 capture media. Therefore, it is essential to fabricate a cost-effective electrolyser that should function as a reversible binder with CO2 and an electron pool capable of recovering the solvent to electrolyte reversibly. For example, reversible ionic liquids, which are non-ionic in their normal forms, but produce ionic forms after CO2 capture, can be further reverted back to their original non-ionic forms after CO2 release with almost 100% efficiency through the chemical or thermal modulations. This review also sheds light on a focused techno-economic evolution for converting the electrochemically integrated CCU process from a pilot-scale project to industrial-scale implementation. In brief, this review article will summarize a state-of-the-art argumentation of challenges and outcomes over the different segments involved in electrochemically integrated CCU to stimulate urgent progress in the field.

IBM's Quantum Leap: The Company Will Take Quantum Tech Past the 1,000-Qubit Mark in 2023

IBM's Condor, the world's first universal quantum computer with more than 1,000 qubits, is set to debut in 2023. The year is also expected to see IBM launch Heron, the first of a new flock of modular quantum processors that the company says may help it produce quantum computers with more than 4,000 qubits by 2025.

Pathogenesis and treatment of chronic rhinosinusitis from the perspective of sinonasal epithelial dysfunction.

Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is a clinical syndrome primarily characterized by long-term mucosal inflammation of the nasal cavity and sinuses. The pathogenesis of CRS is still unclear due to its high heterogeneity. A number of studies have recently focused on the sinonasal epithelium. Thus, there has been a quantum leap in awareness of the role of the sinonasal epithelium, which is now understood as an active functional organ rather than simply an inert mechanical barrier. Undoubtedly, epithelial dysfunction plays a vital role in the onset and development of CRS. In this article, we discuss the potential contribution of sinonasal epithelium dysfunction to CRS pathogenesis and explore a few current and developing therapeutic options targeting the sinonasal epithelium. Impaired mucociliary clearance (MCC) and an abnormal sinonasal epithelial barrier are usually considered to be the main causative factors in CRS. Epithelial-derived bioactive substances, such as cytokines, exosomes, and complements, play a vital role in the regulation of innate and adaptive immunity and contribute to the pathophysiological alterations of CRS. The phenomena of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), mucosal remodeling, and autophagy observed in CRS offer some novel insights into the pathogenesis of this disease. In addition, existing treatment options targeting disorder of sinonasal epithelium can help to relieve the main symptoms associated with CRS to some extent. The presence of a normal epithelium is fundamental for maintaining homeostasis in the nasal and paranasal sinuses. Here, we describe various aspects of the sinonasal epithelium and highlight the contributions of epithelial dysfunction to CRS pathogenesis. Our review provides sound evidence of the need for in-depth study of the pathophysiological alterations of this disease and for the development of novel epithelium-targeting alternative treatments.

East African Rift Dynamics

The East African Rift (EAR) is a typical site for the study of dynamic processes leading to continental break-up and dislocation. In the context of global plate motion models, the kinematics of EAR system is less well defined. In this study, the analysis of repeated GPS geodetic data represents a quantum leap in accuracy that allows us to reassess the recent kinematics of EAR. Our results show that the Somali plate rotates at a velocity of 0.076°/m in the Nubian fixed reference frame the velocity increasing from south to north. We also found that the seismotectonic parameters of both sets of plate boundaries are embodied by lithospheric thinning and oceanic accretion, including a scissor-shaped opening. Normal faults are active along a series of fissure boundaries. This NubianSomalian divergence across the East African rift system implies a redistribution of deformation and stress regulation along rift segments connecting rigid blocks that allows for the heterogeneity of the East African basement. We also note the presence of very high-risk seismic zones.

How Dark Energy Might Be Produced by Black Holes

If confirmed, the new galactic observations in support of rapidly growing supermassive black holes in association with their production of dark energy may provide for a quantum leap forward in our understanding of black holes, dark energy, and universal expansion. The primary implication of these observations is that growth of black holes may well be coupled with universal expansion (“cosmological coupling”). Study of the Flat Space Cosmology (FSC) model, in conjunction with these new observations, suggests a novel mechanism of “black hole dark energy radiation”. This brief note gives a rationale for how the high gravitational energy density vacuum within or adjacent to a black hole horizon could be sufficiently energetic to pull entangled pairs of positive matter energy particles and negative dark energy “particles” of equal magnitude out of the horizon vacuum and send them off in opposite directions (i.e., gravitationally-attractive matter inward and gravitationally-repelling dark energy outward). One effect would be that a black hole can rapidly grow in mass-energy without mergers or the usual accretion of pre-existing matter. A second effect would be continual production of dark energy within the cosmic vacuum, fueling a continuous and finely-tuned light-speed expansion of the universe.

Sulfur poisoning mechanism of LSCF cathode material in the presence of SO2: a computational and experimental study

The Journal of Materials Informatics (JMI) is an international peer-reviewed, open access journal. The journal provides a platform for the presentation, publication and exchange of research related to materials informatics, aiming to break down the barriers between materials science and engineering, data science and engineering, and artificial intelligence. The journal also provides a venue to showcase innovative approaches to overcoming the difficulties in uncovering the complexity of data associated with numerous factors such as noise, uncertainty and small amounts, so as to make the quantum leap from data to knowledge.

Explainable Heart Disease Prediction Using Ensemble-Quantum Machine Learning Approach

Nowadays, quantum machine learning is attracting great interest in a wide range of fields due to its potential superior performance and capabilities. The massive increase in computational capacity and speed of quantum computers can lead to a quantum leap in the healthcare field. Heart disease seriously threatens human health since it is the leading cause of death worldwide. Quantum machine learning methods can propose effective solutions to predict heart disease and aid in early diagnosis. In this study, an ensemble machine learning model based on quantum machine learning classifiers is proposed to predict the risk of heart disease. The proposed model is a bagging ensemble learning model where a quantum support vector classifier was used as a base classifier. Furthermore, in order to make the model’s outcomes more explainable, the importance of every single feature in the prediction is computed and visualized using SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) framework. In the experimental study, other stand-alone quantum classifiers, namely, Quantum Support Vector Classifier (QSVC), Quantum Neural Network (QNN), and Variational Quantum Classifier (VQC) are applied and compared with classical machine learning classifiers such as Support Vector Machine (SVM), and Artificial Neural Network (ANN). The experimental results on the Cleveland dataset reveal the superiority of QSVC compared to the others, which explains its use in the proposed bagging model. The Bagging-QSVC model outperforms all aforementioned classifiers with an accuracy of 90.16% while showing great competitiveness compared to some state-of-the-art models using the same dataset. The results of the study indicate that quantum machine learning classifiers perform better than classical machine learning classifiers in predicting heart disease. In addition, the study reveals that the bagging ensemble learning technique is effective in improving the prediction accuracy of quantum classifiers.

Recent progress in the stabilization of low band-gap black-phase iodide perovskite solar cells.

All-inorganic and organic-inorganic hybrid perovskite solar cells (PSCs) have taken a quantum leap owing to their high performance and low-cost solution processability. Their efficiency has been dramatically increased up to ∼26%, matching the conventional inorganic photovoltaics like monocrystalline Si (26.1%), polycrystalline Si (21.6%), CdTe (22.1%), and CIGS (22.3%). Such outstanding performance has been achieved due to their excellent optoelectronic properties, such as a direct bandgap in the visible region, a very high absorption coefficient, a long charge-carrier diffusion length, and ambipolar carrier transport characteristics. FAPbI3 (FA = formamidinium) and CsPbI3 perovskites among the pool of perovskites are recommended for solar cell applications because they meet all the requirements for photovoltaic applications. However, the fundamental problem of these perovskites is that their photoactive black phase is highly unstable under ambient conditions due to small and large sizes of Cs+ and FA+ ions, respectively. The instability of the black phase of these perovskites hinders their applications in photovoltaic devices as a high-quality light absorber layer. Several approaches have been employed to prevent the formation of the photo-inactive yellow phase or to enhance the stability of the black phase of perovskites, such as dimensional and compositional engineering, the addition of external additives, and dimensional engineering. This perspective summarizes the various methods for stabilizing the black phase of CsPbI3 and FAPbI3 perovskites at room temperature as well as their application in photovoltaic devices.

Time-dependent exfoliation study of MoS2 for its use as a cathode material in high-performance hybrid supercapacitors.

Quick and precise exfoliation of bulk molybdenum sulphide into few layers can bring a quantum leap in the electrochemical performance of this material. Such a cost-effective exfoliation route to obtain few layers of MoS2 nanosheets with a high mass yield of ∼75% is presented in this study. The electrochemical behaviours of three types of samples, namely pristine MoS2 and MoS2 exfoliated for 3 h and 5 h, were compared and the reasons leading to their performance modulation are explained. The performance could be tuned by changing the nature of the electrolytes, as shown using three different electrolytes, i.e. H2SO4, Na2SO4, and KOH. The electrochemical performance of a supercapacitor device fabricated using the 5 h-exfoliated sample showed many fold improvement. The strategy of combining with a 2D material-based anode is an interesting way forward for such devices. In addition, the anode material has to be carefully chosen so that high performance can be ensured. The usefulness of 2D flake-like WO3 as an anode was investigated first before establishing its worthiness in a hybrid device. The hybrid device was able to deliver an excellent energy density of 33.74 W h kg-1 with long-term cycling stability and coulombic efficiency, thus proving its applicability for high-performance energy-storage devices.

Ethical Issues in Archiving and Reusing Interviewees’ Documents

The advance of digitization has meant a quantum leap in oral history (extensive dissemination of sound and image recordings, efficiency of data processing, extended research subjects, new relationship to public space, new possibilities for analysis). This situation raises methodological and ethical questions for analysis and archiving. If oral historians have developed guidelines to promote the dignity and protection of project participants, the new opportunities afforded by technological changes imply to agree on new ethical standards related to new technologies (internet, storage media) and future usage. This article is an exploration of the ethical issues around reusing interview documents. To this end, the author outlines various professional standards and discusses specific questions based on her own project experiences. Finally, with reference to existing guidelines, the author proposes a way of addressing research ethical issues related to the historiographical reuse of interview documents.

A Study on Multi-Antenna and Pertinent Technologies with AI/ML Approaches for B5G/6G Networks

The quantum leap in mobile data traffic and high density of wireless electronic devices, coupled with the advancements in industrial radio monitoring and autonomous systems, have created great challenges for smooth wireless network operations. The fifth-generation and beyond (B5G) (also being referred to as sixth-generation (6G)) wireless communication technologies, due to their compatibility with the previous generations, are expected to overcome these unparalleled challenges. Accompanied by traditional and new techniques, the massive multiple input multiple output (mMIMO) approach is one of the evolving technologies for B5G/6G systems used to control the ever-increasing user stipulations and the emergence of new cases efficiently. However, the major challenges in deploying mMIMO systems are their high computational intricacy and high computing time latencies, as well as difficulties in fully exploiting the multi-antenna multi-frequency channels. Therefore, to optimize the current and B5G/6G wireless network elements proficiently, the use of the mMIMO approach in a HetNet structure with artificial intelligence (AI) techniques, e.g., machine learning (ML), distributed learning, federated learning, deep learning, and neural networks, has been considered as the prospective efficient solution. This work analyzes the observed problems and their AI/ML-enabled mitigation techniques in different mMIMO deployment scenarios for 5G/B5G networks. To provide a complete insight into the mMIMO systems with emerging antenna and propagation precoding techniques, we address and identify various relevant topics in each section that may help to make the future wireless systems robust. Overall, this work is designed to guide all B5G/6G stakeholders, including researchers and operators, aiming to understand the functional behavior and associated techniques to make such systems more agile for future communication purposes.

Osteochondral regenerative engineering: challenges, state-of-the-art and translational perspectives.

Despite quantum leaps, the biomimetic regeneration of cartilage and osteochondral regeneration remains a major challenge, owing to the complex and hierarchical nature of compositional, structural and functional properties. In this review, an account of the prevailing challenges in biomimicking the gradients in porous microstructure, cells and extracellular matrix (ECM) orientation is presented. Further, the spatial arrangement of the cues in inducing vascularization in the subchondral bone region while maintaining the avascular nature of the adjacent cartilage layer is highlighted. With rapid advancement in biomaterials science, biofabrication tools and strategies, the state-of-the-art in osteochondral regeneration since the last decade has expansively elaborated. This includes conventional and additive manufacturing of synthetic/natural/ECM-based biomaterials, tissue-specific/mesenchymal/progenitor cells, growth factors and/or signaling biomolecules. Beyond the laboratory-based research and development, the underlying challenges in translational research are also provided in a dedicated section. A new generation of biomaterial-based acellular scaffold systems with uncompromised biocompatibility and osteochondral regenerative capability is necessary to bridge the clinical demand and commercial supply. Encompassing the basic elements of osteochondral research, this review is believed to serve as a standalone guide for early career researchers, in expanding the research horizon to improve the quality of life of osteoarthritic patients affordably.

Nanofiber Dressings; A Quantum Leap in the World of Wound Healing

Nanofiber Dressings; A Quantum Leap in the World of Wound Healing

Secure quantum computing for healthcare sector: A short analysis

AbstractQuantum computing research might lead to “quantum leaps,” and it could have unanticipated repercussions in the medical field. This technique has the potential to be used in a broad range of contexts, some of which include the development of novel drugs, the individualization of medical treatments, and the speeding of deoxyribonucleic acid sequencing. This work has assembled a list of the numerous methodologies presently employed in quantum medicine and other disciplines pertaining to healthcare. This work has created a list of the most critical concerns that need to be addressed before the broad use of quantum computing can be realized. In addition, this work investigates in detail the ways in which potential future applications of quantum computing might compromise the safety of healthcare delivery systems from the perspective of the medical industry and the patient‐centric healthcare system. The primary objective of this investigation into quantum cryptography is to locate any potential flaws in the cryptographic protocols and strategies that have only very recently been the focus of scrutiny from academic research community members.

От «трёх принципов» Дэн Сяопина к «дипломатии волков-воителей»: трансформация внешнеполитической стратегии современного Китая

The article attempts to analyze the evolution of China's foreign policy concept, starting from the Three Principles of Deng Xiaoping to the Wolf Warrior diplomacy of modern China. Since the beginning of the reform and opening-up policy in China, various ideological trends began to emerge as the basis for the country's foreign policy strategy to build. In recent years, however, the media and experts have increasingly associated Chinese diplomacy with the term of wolf warrior and warned of China's increased assertiveness and efforts against the western-centered world in foreign affairs. The Wolf Warrior diplomacy, named after two famous Chinese films, describes the offensive actions of Chinese diplomats to protect China's national interests, often in confrontational ways. However, there is no systematic research on the level of how official wolf warrior diplomacy is or how it relates to Chinese diplomacy under the leadership of Xi Jinping. As a result of the conducted research, the stages of the evolution of China's extra political strategy were revealed. Despite its «youth», the doctrine of the wolf warriors has made a quantum leap in its development, determining the actions of the entire state in the foreign policy arena. This policy will develop and acquire new forms and outlines, which will further lead the country step away from the «peaceful development» and the «three principles» of Deng Xiaoping's foreign policy strategy.

A Chemical Modeling Roadmap Linking Protoplanetary Disks and Exoplanet Atmospheres

Exoplanet atmospheres and protoplanetary disk chemistry are both active fields of research. Chronologically, they represent opposite ends of the process of planet formation: planets form in protoplanetary disks, and the composition of planets and their atmospheres should reflect the composition of the disk material they form from. The past decade of discoveries and insights by the ALMA observatory has provided a quantum leap in our understanding of the structures and chemical compositions of protoplanetary disks. Likewise, both ground- and space-based facilities have provided peeks into the compositions of exoplanet atmospheres. However, the near future, with, first and foremost, the James Webb Space Telescope, and later also ESO’s Extremely Large Telescope and ESA’s Ariel mission are expected to provided constraints on exoplanet atmospheric composition with unprecedented precision and, also, to shed new light on gas and ice compositions of protoplanetary disks. It is therefore timely to evaluate the current state of modeling efforts attempting to link protoplanetary disk chemistry and planet formation to exoplanet atmospheric compositions. The author has a background in astrochemistry related to planet formation. As such, this review discusses the differences between the simpler chemical approach of “iceline chemistry” and the more chemically rigorous approach of utilizing chemical kinetics. It is outlined which chemical effects may be at play in a planet-forming disk midplane, which effects are relevant under different conditions, and which tools are available for modeling chemical kinetics in a disk midplane. The review goes on to discuss some important efforts in the planet formation modeling community to treat chemical evolution and, vice versa, efforts in the chemical modeling community to implement more physical effects related to planet formation into the chemical modeling. The aim of this review is both to outline some concepts related to planet formation chemistry but also to encourage not just collaboration between the planet formation modeling community and the astrochemical community but also assistance and guidance from one community to the other. Guidance, regarding which effects, out of many, might be more relevant than others under certain planet formation conditions and regarding why certain included effects lead to certain important modeling outcomes. As the research fields of exoplanet atmospheres and protoplanetary disks near new frontiers in observational insights with upcoming facilities, developing appropriate modeling frameworks (including physical and chemical effects) is paramount to ultimately enable the linking of a chemically characterized exoplanet atmosphere to its formation history in its natal protoplanetary disk.

The branch‐cut cosmology: A topological canonical quantum‐mechanics approach

AbstractIn this contribution, we sketch a branch‐cut quantum formulation of the Wheeler‐DeWitt equation analytically continued to the complex plane. As a starting point, we base our approach on the Hořava‐Lifshitz formulation of gravity, which employs higher spatial‐derivative terms of the spacetime curvature for renormalization reasons. Following standard procedures, the quantization of the Lagrangian density is achieved by raising the Hamiltonian, the dynamical variable , which represents the the branch‐cut complex scale factor, and the conjugate momentum pln to the category of operators. We arrive at a Schrödinger‐type equation with a non‐linear potential. Solutions are then obtained and discussed for different potential parameterizations. The results reinforce the conception of a quantum leap between the contraction and expansion phases of the branch‐cut universe, in good agreement with the Bekenstein criterion.

Olfactory Neuroblastoma: Morphological Reappraisal and Molecular Insights with Quantum Leap in Clinical Perspectives.

The purpose of review is to provide a comprehensive review of the literature focusing on the recent advances in the diagnosis, molecular underpinning, and targeted therapy of olfactory neuroblastoma (ONB). Studies focused on the molecular fingerprinting of ONB are critical to engage new promising treatment strategies. Molecular-based subtype classifications have been proposed (basal-like ONB and neural-like ONB) but are not widely used. The rationale for implementation of DNA methylation analysis and IDH2 sequencing in routine work-up for ONB is gaining recognition. Expression of somatostatin receptors (SSTR) in ONB open new avenues for both, diagnostic (especially metastatic disease) and new treatment protocols with somatostatin analogs. Olfactory carcinoma is proposed as a unifying diagnostic terminology pertinent to epithelial divergent differentiation in olfactory neuroblastoma. Molecular (genetic and epigenetic) efforts on olfactory neuroblastoma are promising; however further refinement is needed for employment of these biomarkers as clinical standard of care. Ongoing and future multi-institutional collaborative studies will contribute to further understanding of ONB biology and aid the development of targeted treatments for this disease.