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The Worldwide Quantum Computing Industry is Expected to Reach $1.7 Billion by 2026 – PRNewswire

Posted on February 20, 2021 by Danzig

DUBLIN, Feb. 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Global Quantum Computing Market with COVID-19 Impact Analysis by Offering (Systems, Services), Deployment (On Premises, Cloud-based), Application, Technology, End-use Industry and Region - Forecast to 2026" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The Global Quantum Computing Market is expected to grow from USD 472 million in 2021 to USD 1,765 million by 2026, at a CAGR of 30.2%.

The early adoption of quantum computing in the banking and finance sector is expected to fuel the growth of the market globally. Other key factors contributing to the growth of the quantum computing market include rising investments by governments of different countries to carry out research and development activities related to quantum computing technology.

Several companies are focusing on the adoption of QCaaS post-COVID-19. This, in turn, is expected to contribute to the growth of the quantum computing market. However, stability and error correction issues is expected to restrain the growth of the market.

Services segment is attributed to hold the largest share of the Quantum Computing market

The growth of services segment can be attributed to the increasing number of startups across the world that are investing in research and development activities related to quantum computing technology. This technology is used in optimization, simulation, and machine learning applications, thereby leading to optimum utilization costs and highly efficient operations in various end-use industries.

Cloud-based deployment to witness the highest growth in Quantum Computing market in coming years

With the development of highly powerful systems, the demand for cloud-based deployment of quantum computing systems and services is expected to increase. This, in turn, is expected to result in a significant revenue source for service providers, with users paying for access to noisy intermediate-scale quantum (NISQ) systems that can solve real-world problems. The limited lifespan of rapidly advancing quantum computing systems also favors cloud service providers. The flexibility of access offered to users is another factor fueling the adoption of cloud-based deployment of quantum computing systems and services. For the foreseeable future, quantum computers are expected not to be portable. Cloud can provide users with access to different devices and simulators from their laptops.

Optimization accounted for a major share of the overall Quantum Computing market

Optimization is the largest application for quantum computing and accounted for a major share of the overall Quantum Computing market. Companies such as D-Wave Systems, Cambridge Quantum Computing, QC Ware, and 1QB Information Technologies are developing quantum computing systems for optimization applications. Networked Quantum Information Technologies Hub (NQIT) is expanding to incorporate optimization solutions for resolving problems faced by the practical applications of quantum computing technology.

Trapped ions segment to witness highest CAGR of Quantum Computing market during the forecast period

The trapped ions segment of the market is projected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period as quantum computing systems based on trapped ions offer more stability and better connectivity than quantum computing systems based on other technologies. IonQ, Alpine Quantum Technologies, and Honeywell are a few companies that use trapped ions technology in their quantum computing systems.

Banking and finance is attributed to hold major share of Quantum Computing market during the forecast period

In the banking and finance end-use industry, quantum computing is used for risk modeling and trading applications. It is also used to detect the market instabilities by identifying stock market risks and optimize the trading trajectories, portfolios, and asset pricing and hedging. As the financial sector is difficult to understand; the quantum computing approach is expected to help users understand the complexities of the banking and finance end-use industry. Moreover, it can help traders by suggesting them solutions to overcome financial challenges.

APAC to witness highest growth of Quantum Computing market during the forecast period

APAC region is a leading hub for several industries, including healthcare and pharmaceuticals, banking and finance, and chemicals. Countries such as China, Japan, and South Korea are the leading manufacturers of consumer electronics, including smartphones, laptops, and gaming consoles, in APAC. There is a requirement to resolve complications in optimization, simulation, and machine learning applications across these industries. The large-scale development witnessed by emerging economies of APAC and the increased use of advanced technologies in the manufacturing sector are contributing to the development of large and medium enterprises in the region. This, in turn, is fueling the demand for quantum computing services and systems in APAC.

Key Topics Covered:

1 Introduction

2 Research Methodology

3 Executive Summary

4 Premium Insights4.1 Attractive Opportunities in Quantum Computing Market4.2 Market, by Offering4.3 Market, by Deployment4.4 Market in APAC, by Application and Country4.5 Market, by Technology4.6 Quantum Computing Market, by End-use Industry4.7 Market, by Region

5 Market Overview5.1 Introduction5.2 Market Dynamics5.2.1 Drivers5.2.1.1 Early Adoption of Quantum Computing in Banking and Finance Industry5.2.1.2 Rise in Investments in Quantum Computing Technology5.2.1.3 Surge in Number of Strategic Partnerships and Collaborations to Carry Out Advancements in Quantum Computing Technology5.2.2 Restraints5.2.2.1 Stability and Error Correction Issues5.2.3 Opportunities5.2.3.1 Technological Advancements in Quantum Computing5.2.3.2 Surge in Adoption of Quantum Computing Technology for Drug Discovery5.2.4 Challenges5.2.4.1 Dearth of Highly Skilled Professionals5.2.4.2 Physical Challenges Related to Use of Quantum Computers5.3 Value Chain Analysis5.4 Ecosystem5.5 Porter's Five Forces Analysis5.6 Pricing Analysis5.7 Impact of COVID-19 on Quantum Computing Market5.7.1 Pre-COVID-195.7.2 Post-COVID-195.8 Trade Analysis5.9 Tariff and Regulatory Standards5.9.1 Regulatory Standards5.9.1.1 P1913 - Software-Defined Quantum Communication5.9.1.2 P7130 - Standard for Quantum Technologies Definitions5.9.1.3 P7131 - Standard for Quantum Computing Performance Metrics and Benchmarking5.10 Technology Analysis5.11 Patent Analysis5.12 Case Studies

6 Quantum Computing Market, by Offering6.1 Introduction6.2 Systems6.2.1 Deployment of on Premises Quantum Computers at Sites of Clients6.3 Services6.3.1 Quantum Computing as a Service (QCaaS)6.3.1.1 Risen Number of Companies Offering QCaaS Owing to Increasing Demand for Cloud-Based Systems and Services6.3.2 Consulting Services6.3.2.1 Consulting Services Provide Customized Roadmaps to Clients to Help Them in Adoption of Quantum Computing Technology

7 Quantum Computing Market, by Deployment7.1 Introduction7.2 on Premises7.2.1 Deployment of on Premises Quantum Computers by Organizations to Ensure Data Security7.3 Cloud-based7.3.1 High Costs and Deep Complexity of Quantum Computing Systems and Services Drive Enterprises Toward Cloud Deployments

8 Quantum Computing Market, by Application8.1 Introduction8.2 Optimization8.2.1 Optimization Using Quantum Computing Technology Resolves Problems in Real-World Settings8.3 Machine Learning8.3.1 Risen Use of Machine Learning in Various End-use Industries8.4 Simulation8.4.1 Simulation Helps Scientists Gain Improved Understanding of Molecule and Sub-Molecule Level Interactions8.5 Others

9 Quantum Computing Market, by Technology9.1 Introduction9.2 Superconducting Qubits9.2.1 Existence of Superconducting Qubits in Series of Quantized Energy States9.3 Trapped Ions9.3.1 Surged Use of Trapped Ions Technology in Quantum Computers9.4 Quantum Annealing9.4.1 Risen Use of Quantum Annealing Technology for Solving Optimization Problems in Enterprises9.5 Others (Topological and Photonic)

10 Quantum Computing Market, by End-use Industry10.1 Introduction10.2 Space and Defense10.2.1 Risen Use of Quantum Computing in Space and Defense Industry to Perform Multiple Operations Simultaneously10.3 Banking and Finance10.3.1 Simulation Offers Assistance for Investment Risk Analysis and Decision-Making Process in Banking and Finance Industry10.4 Healthcare and Pharmaceuticals10.4.1 Surged Demand for Robust and Agile Computing Technology for Drug Simulation in Efficient and Timely Manner10.5 Energy and Power10.5.1 Increased Requirement to Develop New Energy Sources and Optimize Energy Delivery Process10.6 Chemicals10.6.1 Establishment of North America and Europe as Lucrative Markets for Chemicals10.7 Transportation and Logistics10.7.1 Surged Use of Quantum-Inspired Approaches to Optimize Traffic Flow10.8 Government10.8.1 Increased Number of Opportunities to Use Quantum Computing to Solve Practical Problems of Climate Change, Traffic Management, Etc.10.9 Academia10.9.1 Risen Number of Integrated Fundamental Quantum Information Science Research Activities to Fuel Market Growth

11 Geographic Analysis11.1 Introduction11.2 North America11.3 Europe11.4 APAC11.5 RoW

12 Competitive Landscape12.1 Introduction12.2 Revenue Analysis of Top Players12.3 Market Share Analysis, 201912.4 Ranking Analysis of Key Players in Market12.5 Company Evaluation Quadrant12.5.1 Quantum Computing Market12.5.1.1 Star12.5.1.2 Emerging Leader12.5.1.3 Pervasive12.5.1.4 Participant12.5.2 Startup/SME Evaluation Matrix12.5.2.1 Progressive Company12.5.2.2 Responsive Company12.5.2.3 Dynamic Company12.5.2.4 Starting Block12.6 Competitive Scenario12.7 Competitive Situations and Trends12.7.1 Other Strategies

13 Company Profiles13.1 Key Players13.1.1 International Business Machines (IBM)13.1.2 D-Wave Systems13.1.3 Microsoft13.1.4 Amazon13.1.5 Rigetti Computing13.1.6 Google13.1.7 Intel13.1.8 Toshiba13.1.9 Honeywell International13.1.10 QC Ware13.1.11 1QB Information Technologies13.1.12 Cambridge Quantum Computing13.20 Other Companies13.2.1 Huawei Technologies13.2.2 Bosch13.2.3 NEC13.2.4 Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HP)13.2.5 Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (NTT)13.2.6 Hitachi13.2.7 Northrop Grumman13.2.8 Accenture13.2.9 Fujitsu13.2.10 Quantica Computacao13.2.11 Zapata Computing13.2.12 Xanadu13.2.13 IonQ13.2.14 Riverlane13.2.15 Quantum Circuits13.2.16 EvolutionQ13.2.17 ABDProf13.2.18 Anyon Systems

14 Appendix14.1 Discussion Guide14.2 Knowledge Store: The Subscription Portal14.3 Available Customizations

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/8pglda

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Research and Markets Laura Wood, Senior Manager [emailprotected]

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Light and a Single Electron Used to Detect Quantum Information Stored in 100,000 Nuclear Quantum Bits – SciTechDaily

Posted on February 20, 2021 by Danzig

Researchers have found a way to use light and a single electron to communicate with a cloud of quantum bits and sense their behavior, making it possible to detect a single quantum bit in a dense cloud.

The researchers, from the University of Cambridge, were able to inject a needle of highly fragile quantum information in a haystack of 100,000 nuclei. Using lasers to control an electron, the researchers could then use that electron to control the behavior of the haystack, making it easier to find the needle. They were able to detect the needle with a precision of 1.9 parts per million: high enough to detect a single quantum bit in this large ensemble.

The technique makes it possible to send highly fragile quantum information optically to a nuclear system for storage, and to verify its imprint with minimal disturbance, an important step in the development of a quantum internet based on quantum light sources. The results are reported in the journalNature Physics.

The first quantum computers which will harness the strange behavior of subatomic particles to far outperform even the most powerful supercomputers are on the horizon. However, leveraging their full potential will require a way to network them: a quantum internet. Channels of light that transmit quantum information are promising candidates for a quantum internet, and currently there is no better quantum light source than the semiconductor quantum dot: tiny crystals that are essentially artificial atoms.

However, one thing stands in the way of quantum dots and a quantum internet: the ability to store quantum information temporarily at staging posts along the network.

The solution to this problem is to store the fragile quantum information by hiding it in the cloud of 100,000 atomic nuclei that each quantum dot contains, like a needle in a haystack, said Professor Mete Atatre from Cambridges Cavendish Laboratory, who led the research. But if we try to communicate with these nuclei like we communicate with bits, they tend to flip randomly, creating a noisy system.

The cloud of quantum bits contained in a quantum dot dont normally act in a collective state, making it a challenge to get information in or out of them. However, Atatre and his colleagues showed in 2019 that when cooled to ultra-low temperatures also using light, these nuclei can be made to do quantum dances in unison, significantly reducing the amount of noise in the system.

Now, they have shown another fundamental step towards storing and retrieving quantum information in the nuclei. By controlling the collective state of the 100,000 nuclei, they were able to detect the existence of the quantum information as a flipped quantum bit at an ultra-high precision of 1.9 parts per million: enough to see a single bit flip in the cloud of nuclei.

Technically this is extremely demanding, said Atatre, who is also a Fellow of St Johns College. We dont have a way of talking to the cloud and the cloud doesnt have a way of talking to us. But what we can talk to is an electron: we can communicate with it sort of like a dog that herds sheep.

Using the light from a laser, the researchers are able to communicate with an electron, which then communicates with the spins, or inherent angular momentum, of the nuclei.

By talking to the electron, the chaotic ensemble of spins starts to cool down and rally around the shepherding electron; out of this more ordered state, the electron can create spin waves in the nuclei.

If we imagine our cloud of spins as a herd of 100,000 sheep moving randomly, one sheep suddenly changing direction is hard to see, said Atatre. But if the entire herd is moving as a well-defined wave, then a single sheep changing direction becomes highly noticeable.

In other words, injecting a spin wave made of a single nuclear spin flip into the ensemble makes it easier to detect a single nuclear spin flip among 100,000 nuclear spins.

Using this technique, the researchers are able to send information to the quantum bit and listen in on what the spins are saying with minimal disturbance, down to the fundamental limit set by quantum mechanics.

Having harnessed this control and sensing capability over this large ensemble of nuclei, our next step will be to demonstrate the storage and retrieval of an arbitrary quantum bit from the nuclear spin register, said co-first author Daniel Jackson, a PhD student at the Cavendish Laboratory.

This step will complete a quantum memory connected to light a major building block on the road to realising the quantum internet, said co-first author Dorian Gangloff, a Research Fellow at St Johns College.

Besides its potential usage for a future quantum internet, the technique could also be useful in the development of solid-state quantum computing.

Reference: Quantum sensing of a coherent single spin excitation in a nuclear ensemble by D. M. Jackson, D. A. Gangloff, J. H. Bodey, L. Zaporski, C. Bachorz, E. Clarke, M. Hugues, C. Le Gall and M. Atatre, 15 February 2021, Nature Physics.DOI: 10.1038/s41567-020-01161-4

The research was supported in part by the European Research Council (ERC), the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and the Royal Society.

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Light and a Single Electron Used to Detect Quantum Information Stored in 100,000 Nuclear Quantum Bits - SciTechDaily

Ultra-Low IQ PMIC from ROHM Selected to Power NXP iMX8M Nano for High Performance Embedded Artists Industrial Control Board – EE Journal

Posted on February 20, 2021 by Danzig

Santa Clara, CA and Kyoto, Japan, Feb. 17, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) ROHMSemiconductor today announced thatEmbedded Artists, the producer of embedded SoMs and boards for use in industrial systems and as development platforms, is using a highly integrated PMIC from ROHM, together with NXPs i.MX 8M Nano processor, on its iMX8M Nano uCOM board to deliver a robust and cost-effective solution for industrial applications. ROHMsBD71847AMWVis a system PMIC for i.MX 8M Nano, as well as 8M Mini.

Developed in collaboration between Embedded Artists, NXP, and ROHM, the uCOM board measures just 45mm x 42mm, and features the i.MX 8M Nano processor with Quad-core ARM Cortex-A53 and Cortex-M7 running at up to 1.5GHz/750MHz. Its low power consumption suits it to long duty cycle, battery-powered remote applications. The 13,800 DMIPS high performance board also includes: 1 GByte DDR4 2400 MT/s; 16-bit databus; 8 GByte eMMC on-board Flash; MIPI-DSI graphical output and MIPI-CSI camera input; USB2.0, Gigabit Ethernet, and other interfaces; and an optional Murata 1MW Wi-Fi/BT module that supports 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac and BT/BLE 5.0.

Explains David Doan, Senior Product Manager at ROHM: Our PMIC was designed to support NXPs i.MX 8M Mini and Nano across their intended applications, in a broad range of consumer and industrial products. While flexibility software programmability and OTP configurability is a key feature, it is first and foremost a low-cost, all-in-one power solution for the SoC, memories, and common system peripherals.

Doan continues: The hysteretic synchronous topology provides good transient response and efficiency, even with light load. The PMICs pinout is tailored to that of the SoC to ease PCB layout; remote sensing is not needed. I hope it is reassuring for customers to know that this PMIC has been validated by NXP, is on its EVKs, and is fully supported in i.MX 8M Mini and Nano BSPs.

In addition to power rails, DVFS support, and programmable sequencer, BD71847AMWV integrates a programmable power button, 32 kHz crystal driver and buffered output clock, extensive fault detection and protection circuitry. These features and factors help reduce development time, decrease risk, and simplify application design.

Adds Anders Rosvall, Technical Director at Embedded Artists: The robust design of the BD71847AMWV is a perfect fit for the demanding designs of the industrial market. The high efficiency translates into lower operating temperature and improved reliability. We saved a considerable amount of engineering time by choosing this well-designed and well-documented PMIC.

Customers can useBD71847AMWVin i.MX 8M Mini and Nano designs using the same PCB. For customers who wish to optimize their PCB for i.MX Nano designs, ROHM also offers a pin-compatibleBD71850MWVsolution.

A video case study is availablehere. For more information, visithttps://www.rohm.com/imx8m-nano-ucomor view theBD71847AMWV digital data sheet.

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Ultra-Low IQ PMIC from ROHM Selected to Power NXP iMX8M Nano for High Performance Embedded Artists Industrial Control Board - EE Journal

Perseverance touches down on Mars and Jaguar going electric: 10 top stories of the week – Professional Engineering

Posted on February 20, 2021 by Danzig

Perseverance touches down on Mars

Space.com

The NASA Perseverance rover has safely touched down on Mars, successfully navigating a descent dubbed the seven minutes of terror. The car-sized rover will start to hunt for signs of ancient life and collect rock samples after completing a series of checks.

The Ingenuity helicopter accompanied the rover on its journey, and is expected to make its first flights soon. We previously spoke to project manager MiMi Aung about the challenges of flight on an alien planet and the innovative engineering designed to overcome them.

Professional Engineering

On Monday (15 February), Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) announced that all new Jaguars will be electric from 2025. Automotive industry expert David Bailey said the shift is very welcome, but he said big questions remain about the necessary workforce, potential partners and car models.

Airforce Technology

The Royal Air Force has awarded a three-year contract to UK aircraft developer Aeralis for further R&D on its modular jet design. The design combines a core fuselage with different wings and engines, letting operators create the ideal plane for a variety of tasks.

Professional Engineering

A new affordable zero-emission truck could form the basis of an Uber-style transport ecosystem in emerging markets, its developers have said. Warwickshire and Rwanda-based Ox has secured three grants worth 1.2m in the last four months for its project, which will combine the electric truck with a mobility-as-a-service model to enable low-cost sustainable transport, even in rural areas.

Professional Engineering

Companies such as Boom Supersonic are bringing commercial supersonic flight back to the skies. Supersonic conditions create huge safety, noise and efficiency challenges, but innovative new materials are helping tackle them.

E&T

Animate materials that adapt to their environment such as self-healing paints or soft robotics have the potential to revolutionise a huge number of sectors, according to a new report from the Royal Society. Promising applications could include clothes that adapt to the wearers body temperature, or electronics that automatically disassemble after completing their task.

The Engineer

An international team of researchers has developed a 3D-printed material that can kill the Covid-19 virus. The team, including researchers from Wolverhampton University, used selective laser melting to print the material made of copper, silver and tungsten.

Professional Engineering

Engineers at the University of California in San Diego have developed a soft, stretchy skin patch that can continuously track blood pressure and heart rate, and measure levels of glucose, lactate or caffeine. The patch, designed to be worn on the neck, is the first wearable that can monitor cardiovascular signals and biochemical levels in the human body at the same time.

The Engineer

A new disease detection device can reportedly sniff out diseases with greater sensitivity than dogs noses. The device, developed and tested by a team including researchers from MIT, uses mammalian olfactory receptors and machine learning to detect traces of prostate cancer.

Professional Engineering

Physicists at the University of Sussex have developed a technique for making tiny microchips from graphene and other 2D materials, using a form of nano-origami. By creating kinks in the structure of the graphene, the researchers were able to make the nanomaterial behave like a transistor. When a strip of graphene is kinked in this way, it acts like a microchip, but one that is 100 times smaller than conventional microchips.

Want the best engineering stories delivered straight to your inbox? TheProfessional Engineeringnewslettergives you vital updates on the most cutting-edge engineering and exciting new job opportunities. To sign up, clickhere.

Content published by Professional Engineering does not necessarily represent the views of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.

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Perseverance touches down on Mars and Jaguar going electric: 10 top stories of the week - Professional Engineering

mHealth Wearable Boosts Remote Patient Monitoring, Connected Health – mHealthIntelligence.com

Posted on February 20, 2021 by Danzig

February 17, 2021 -Researchers at the University of California San Diego (UC San Diego) have developed a mHealth wearable that uses a patch to monitor cardiovascular signs and multiple biomarkers simultaneously, signifying a breakthrough in remote patient monitoring and connected health.

The wearable is a product of collaboration between Joseph Wang, PhD and Sheng Xu, PhD, two UC San Diego nanoengineering professors.

Wangs lab, which focuses on the development of wearables capable of monitoring multiple signals simultaneously in the body, joined forces with Xus lab, which has been developing soft, stretchy skin patches that monitor blood pressure.

Together, the researchers created the first stretchable wearable that can continuously track blood pressure and heart rate while also measuring multiple biochemical levels at the same time.

We can collect so much information with this one wearable and do so in a non-invasive way, without causing discomfort or interruptions to daily activity, Wang, who was co-corresponding author of the study, said.

READ MORE: A New mHealth Patch Could Help Clinicians With Remote Monitoring

The novelty here is that we take completely different sensors and merge them together on a single small platform as small as a stamp, continued Wang, who also serves director of the UC San Diego Center for Wearable Sensors.

The wearable is equipped with a blood pressure sensor and two chemical sensors. One chemical sensor measures glucose levels in interstitial fluid, and the other measures levels of caffeine, alcohol, and lactate (a biomarker for physical exertion), in sweat. The patch can measure three parameters at once, or one parameter from each sensor.

Each sensor provides a separate picture of a physical or chemical change. Integrating them all in one wearable patch allows us to stitch those different pictures together to get a more comprehensive overview of whats going on in our bodies, said Xu, a co-corresponding author of the study published inNature Biomedical Engineering.

The researchers were interested in measuring levels of caffeine, alcohol, and lactate because these biomarkers impact blood pressure.

We chose parameters that would give us a more accurate, more reliable blood pressure measurement, said co-first author Juliane Sempionatto, a nanoengineering PhD student in Wangs lab.

READ MORE: Stanford Researchers Use an mHealth Patch to Measure Teenager Stress

Lets say you are monitoring your blood pressure, and you see spikes during the day and think that something is wrong. But a biomarker reading could tell you if those spikes were due to an intake of alcohol or caffeine. This combination of sensors can give you that type of information, she said.

The mHealth patch could offer a convenient alternative for patients in intensive care units who need continuous monitoring of vital signs, eliminating the need for patients to be tethered to multiple hospital monitors and/or a catheter.

This type of wearable would be very helpful for people with underlying medical conditions to monitor their own health on a regular basis, said Lu Yin, a nanoengineering PhD student at UC San Diego and co-first author of the study.

Additionally, the mHealth wearable could allow physicians to leverage remote patient monitoring in their practices, Yin noted. This connected health device may be especially useful during COVID-19 when many patients are avoiding in-person visits.

The researchers tested the wearable by observing the biomarkers of subjects who wore the patch while performing several combinations of the following tasks: exercising on a stationary bicycle, eating a high-sugar meal, drinking an alcoholic beverage, and drinking a caffeinated beverage.

READ MORE: mHealth Patch is Put to the Test at Brigham and Womens Hospital

To determine whether the wearable gave accurate patient data, the researchers verified that the measurements collected from the patch matched measurements from the following commercial monitoring devices: blood pressure cuff, blood lactate meter, glucometer, and breathalyzer.

Measurements of the wearers caffeine levels were verified with measurements of sweat samples spiked with caffeine.

When designing the mHealth patch, the research team was met with several engineering challenges.

The researchers are continuing to develop the wearable further. Ongoing work includes shrinking the blood pressure sensor electronics, because currently the sensor needs to be connected to a power source and a benchtop machine to display its readings. The teams goal is to make the wearable completely wireless.

We want to make a complete system that is fully wearable, Lin said.

The development of wearable skin patch sensors has been underway for several years now, laying the groundwork for the new mHealth device.

Back in 2019, researchers from the Georgia Institute of Technology and Washington Universityworked on developing an mHealth wearable that would capture interstitial fluid to monitor patients biomarkers. The researchers hoped to design a patch that would allow clinicians to monitor patients at risk of developing cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and other health concerns.

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mHealth Wearable Boosts Remote Patient Monitoring, Connected Health - mHealthIntelligence.com

New Skin Patch Brings Us Closer to Wearable, All-In-One Health Monitor – I-Connect007

Posted on February 20, 2021 by Danzig

Engineers at the University of California San Diego have developed a soft, stretchy skin patch that can be worn on the neck to continuously track blood pressure and heart rate while measuring the wearers levels of glucose as well as lactate, alcohol or caffeine. It is the first wearable device that monitors cardiovascular signals and multiple biochemical levels in the human body at the same time.

This type of wearable would be very helpful for people with underlying medical conditions to monitor their own health on a regular basis, said Lu Yin, a nanoengineering Ph.D. student at UC San Diego and co-first author of the study published Feb. 15 in Nature Biomedical Engineering. It would also serve as a great tool for remote patient monitoring, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic when people are minimizing in-person visits to the clinic.

Such a device could benefit individuals managing high blood pressure and diabetesindividuals who are also at high risk of becoming seriously ill with COVID-19. It could also be used to detect the onset of sepsis, which is characterized by a sudden drop in blood pressure accompanied by a rapid rise in lactate level.

One soft skin patch that can do it all would also offer a convenient alternative for patients in intensive care units, including infants in the NICU, who need continuous monitoring of blood pressure and other vital signs. These procedures currently involve inserting catheters deep inside patients arteries and tethering patients to multiple hospital monitors.

The novelty here is that we take completely different sensors and merge them together on a single small platform as small as a stamp, said Joseph Wang, a professor of nanoengineering at UC San Diego and co-corresponding author of the study. We can collect so much information with this one wearable and do so in a non-invasive way, without causing discomfort or interruptions to daily activity.

The new patch is a product of two pioneering efforts in the UC San Diego Center for Wearable Sensors, for which Wang serves as director. Wangs lab has been developing wearables capable of monitoring multiple signals simultaneouslychemical, physical and electrophysiologicalin the body. And in the lab of UC San Diego nanoengineering professor Sheng Xu, researchers have been developing soft, stretchy electronic skin patches that can monitor blood pressure deep inside the body. By joining forces, the researchers created the first flexible, stretchable wearable device that combines chemical sensing (glucose, lactate, alcohol and caffeine) with blood pressure monitoring.

Each sensor provides a separate picture of a physical or chemical change. Integrating them all in one wearable patch allows us to stitch those different pictures together to get a more comprehensive overview of whats going on in our bodies, said Xu, who is also a co-corresponding author of the study.

Patch of All Trades

The patch is a thin sheet of stretchy polymers that can conform to the skin. It is equipped with a blood pressure sensor and two chemical sensorsone that measures levels of lactate (a biomarker of physical exertion), caffeine and alcohol in sweat, and another that measures glucose levels in interstitial fluid.

The patch is capable of measuring three parameters at once, one from each sensor: blood pressure, glucose, and either lactate, alcohol or caffeine. Theoretically, we can detect all of them at the same time, but that would require a different sensor design, said Yin, who is also a Ph.D. student in Wangs lab.

The blood pressure sensor sits near the center of the patch. It consists of a set of small ultrasound transducers that are welded to the patch by a conductive ink. A voltage applied to the transducers causes them to send ultrasound waves into the body. When the ultrasound waves bounce off an artery, the sensor detects the echoes and translates the signals into a blood pressure reading.

The chemical sensors are two electrodes that are screen printed on the patch from conductive ink. The electrode that senses lactate, caffeine and alcohol is printed on the right side of the patch; it works by releasing a drug called pilocarpine into the skin to induce sweat and detecting the chemical substances in the sweat. The other electrode, which senses glucose, is printed on the left side; it works by passing a mild electrical current through the skin to release interstitial fluid and measuring the glucose in that fluid.

The researchers were interested in measuring these particular biomarkers because they impact blood pressure. We chose parameters that would give us a more accurate, more reliable blood pressure measurement, said co-first author Juliane Sempionatto, a nanoengineering Ph.D. student in Wangs lab.

In tests, subjects wore the patch on the neck while performing various combinations of the following tasks: exercising on a stationary bicycle; eating a high-sugar meal; drinking an alcoholic beverage; and drinking a caffeinated beverage. Measurements from the patch closely matched those collected by commercial monitoring devices such as a blood pressure cuff, blood lactate meter, glucometer and breathalyzer. Measurements of the wearers caffeine levels were verified with measurements of sweat samples in the lab spiked with caffeine.

Engineering Challenges

One of the biggest challenges in making the patch was eliminating interference between the sensors signals. To do this, the researchers had to figure out the optimal spacing between the blood pressure sensor and the chemical sensors. They found that one centimeter of spacing did the trick while keeping the device as small as possible.

The researchers also had to figure out how to physically shield the chemical sensors from the blood pressure sensor. The latter normally comes equipped with a liquid ultrasound gel in order to produce clear readings. But the chemical sensors are also equipped with their own hydrogels, and the problem is that if any liquid gel from the blood pressure sensor flows out and makes contact with the other gels, it will cause interference between the sensors. So instead, the researchers used a solid ultrasound gel, which they found works as well as the liquid version but without the leakage.

Finding the right materials, optimizing the overall layout, integrating the different electronics together in a seamless fashionthese challenges took a lot of time to overcome, said co-first author Muyang Lin, a nanoengineering Ph.D. student in Xus lab. We are fortunate to have this great collaboration between our lab and Professor Wangs lab. It has been so fun working together with them on this project.

Next Steps

The current prototype of the patch needs to be connected with cables to a benchtop machine and power source.

The team is already at work on a new version of the patch, one with even more sensors. There are opportunities to monitor other biomarkers associated with various diseases. We are looking to add more clinical value to this device, Sempionatto said.

Ongoing work also includes shrinking the electronics for the blood pressure sensor. Right now, the sensor needs to be connected to a power source and a benchtop machine to display its readings. The ultimate goal is to put these all on the patch and make everything wireless.

We want to make a complete system that is fully wearable, Lin said.

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New Skin Patch Brings Us Closer to Wearable, All-In-One Health Monitor - I-Connect007

Next: Superconducting nanowires could be used in circuits – Electronics Weekly

Posted on February 20, 2021 by Danzig

Researchers from Karl Berggrens group in MITs Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science have found that,although traditionally operated as single photon detectors, superconducting nanowires host a suite of attractive characteristics that have recently inspired their use in digital circuit applications for amplification, addressing, and memory.

Here, I take advantage of the electrothermal feedback that occurs in resistively shunted nanowires to develop two new technologies: (1) A multilevel memory cell made by incorporating a shunted nanowire into a superconducting loop, allowing flux to be controllably added and stored; and (2) An artificial neuron for use in spiking neural networks, consisting of two nanowire-based relaxation oscillators acting analogously to the two ion channels in a biological neuron. By harnessing the intrinsic dynamics of superconducting nanowires, these devices offer competitive energy performance and a step towards bringing memory and processing closer together on the same platform, writes Berggren.

Berggren is resurrecting the Cryotron a concept described in1956, by MITs Dudley Buck and he calls his device a nano-cryotron.

In Berggrens device, current runs through a superconducting, supercooled wire called the channel. That channel is intersected by an even smaller wire called a choke like a multilane highway intersected by a side road. When current is sent through the choke, its superconductivity breaks down and it heats up. Once that heat spreads from the choke to the main channel, it causes the main channel to also lose its superconducting state.

Berggrens group has already demonstrated proof-of-concept for the nano-cryotrons use as an electronic component.

A former student of Berggrens, Adam McCaughan, developed a device that uses nano-cryotrons to add binary digits.

Berggren has used nano-cryotrons as an interface between superconducting devices and classical, transistor-based electronics.

He thinks the nano-cryotron could one day find a home in superconducting quantum computers and supercooled electronics for telescopes. Wires have low power dissipation, so they may also be handy for energy-hungry applications, he said.

Its probably not going to replace the transistors in your phone, but if it could replace the transistor in a server farm or data center? That would be a huge impact says Berggren.

Next: Superconducting nanowires could be used in circuits - Electronics Weekly

Pendse named 2021 Distinguished Maine Professor – UMaine News – University of Maine – University of Maine

Posted on February 20, 2021 by Danzig

Hemant Pendse

Hemant Pendse, an internationally recognized leader in forest bioproducts research, has been named the University of Maine 2021 Distinguished Maine Professor.

The annual Distinguished Maine Professor Award honors a UMaine professor who exemplifies the highest qualities of teaching, research and public service. It is sponsored by the University of Maine Alumni Association and its classes of 1942 and 2002.

Pense was nominated for the award by College of Engineering Dean Dana Humphrey. The selection process is conducted by a 17-person committee of alumni, current and retired faculty, and a representative of the student body. Each nominee is evaluated on three criteria related to UMaines land-grant mission: teaching performance based on peer and student evaluations; the quality and productivity of the nominees research, scholarship, and creative activities; and the nominees contributions of professional expertise in a volunteer capacity in support of university and public causes, services, and initiatives.

The UMaine Alumni Association will honor Pendse at the annual Alumni Achievement Awards and Recognition Ceremony on Thursday, April 29. Due to COVID-19 precautions, this years event will be held online and streamed on YouTube.

Since joining the university in 1979, the professor of chemical engineering and chair of the Department of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering has spearheaded innovative research that has earned two patents, produced 82 publications, given more than 200 technical papers and garnered $17 million in external funding. He also has yielded new economic opportunities for Maine through his work on forest bioproducts.

Students know Pendse as an educator who challenges them to think critically, provides clear and concise lessons, is always willing to help, and dedicates himself to their success.

Dr. Pendse is a gifted leader who provides tremendous service to the university and industry, wrote UMaine College of Engineering Dean Dana Humphrey in his nomination. He is able to visualize the potential of the organizations and then work collaboratively with students, faculty, staff, administration and outside constituencies to achieve this vision.

Pendse founded the Forest Bioproducts Research Institute in 2010, and serves as its director. FBRI aims to identify the logistic, scientific, economic and policy factors that would allow forest-based products to be made at a commercial scale and inspire the creation of a biorefinery in Maine.

Under Pendses leadership, FBRI built the nations first pilot-scale plant for manufacturing nano-fibrillated cellulose, or nanocellulose. The institute earned $48 million for various projects, $17 million of which is attributable to Pendses efforts.

FBRI developed and secured patents for its breakthrough thermal deoxygenation process (TDO) for making biofuels for jets and marine engines, and for its process to create advanced materials like nanocellulose. Pendse was instrumental in scale up to continuous pilot operations that benefit researchers and private business alike.

Jake Ward, vice president of innovation and economic development at UMaine, wrote in his letter of recommendation that Pendses ability to not only lead, but collaborate with fellow faculty members and external partners from other academic institutions, communities and the private sector brought FBRI and the benefits it yields to fruition. His efforts have bolstered the universitys capacity for serving the public and fostering economic growth.

The success of this project has not only resulted in stronger research programs and more grant funding at UMaine, but true economic development success with the partnership with Old Town and a variety of owners of the mill. Ward wrote.

The UMaine chemical engineers research interests involve pulp and paper manufacturing, colloid systems, particulate and multiphase processes and sensor development. During his studies, he has developed forest biorefinery pilot-scale industrial process systems, an ultrasonic slurry characterization system, a laboratory instrument for particle surface charge characterization in concentrated colloids and an online particle size distribution sensor system for concentrated slurries. He also has developed multiple theories and methodologies to assist in particulate systems characterization and processing.

He is an inspiring scholar whose research has significantly impacted Maine industries, university faculty members and Maine research infrastructure, wrote colleagues Clayton Wheeler, chemical engineering professor and FBRI associate director, Jonathan Rubin, economics professor and director of the Margaret Chase Smith Policy Center, and Jeffrey Benjamin, former associate professor of forestry, in their joint recommendation letter.

Pendses numerous awards include the 2009 College of Engineering Ashley Campbell Award, 2012 Genco Award from the University of Maine Pulp and Paper Foundation, and the 2012 UMaine Presidential Research and Creative Achievement.

Pendses record of public service includes advising the Municipal Review Committee, a group of 115 Maine cities and towns united to tackle solid municipal waste problems; and serving on the Economic Development Assessment Team, Maine Innovation Economy Advisory Board, the Governors Wood-to-Energy Taskforce and more He and the FBRI have also aided with the Forest Opportunity Roadmap/Maine (FOR/Maine), a public-private partnership seeking new markets for wood products and bolstering technological innovation to support new commercial uses for wood. He has also served on the Corporate Advisory Council for Nelson Industries, Stoughton, Wisconsin, and the Transport & Energy Processes Division of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) in various capacities.

Perhaps his greatest value in this respect is his willingness and ability to serve these communities as an unbiased technical expert, expertise many communities lack and could not afford, when vetting opportunities, Ward wrote in his recommendation letter. He is often called upon by Maines federal delegation to play this role and as a technical advisor on state-wide/nation-wide initiatives.

Contact: Marcus Wolf, 207.581.3721; marcus.wolf@maine.edu

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Pendse named 2021 Distinguished Maine Professor - UMaine News - University of Maine - University of Maine

4 UCSD Researchers Win Sloan Research Fellowships for Early Career Scientists – Times of San Diego

Posted on February 20, 2021 by Danzig

Four UC San Diego researchers have been awarded 2021 Sloan Research Fellowships, which honor extraordinary early career scientists in the U.S. and Canada, the university announced Tuesday.

The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation has awarded the fellowships each year since 1955 to recipients whose creativity, innovation and research accomplishments make them stand out as the next generation of scientific leaders. A total of 140 faculty from UCSD have been awarded the fellowships.

The new Sloan Research Fellows from UCSD are:

Being named a Sloan Research Fellow is a remarkable achievement and Im delighted that four of our early career faculty members were named to the 2021 list of honorees, said UCSD Chancellor Pradeep K. Khosla. From biological oceanography to mathematics, nanoengineering to chemistry, this years recipients truly capture the stimulating breadth of research initiatives featured across the UC San Diego campus.

More than 1,000 researchers are nominated each year for 128 fellowship slots. Winners receive a two-year, $75,000 fellowship which can be spent to advance the fellows research.

Fifty-one fellows have received a Nobel Prize in their respective field, 17 have won the Fields Medal in mathematics, 69 have received the National Medal of Science, and 20 have won the John Bates Clark Medal in economics, including every winner since 2007.

Fellows from the 2021 cohort are drawn from 58 institutions across the U.S. and Canada, from large public university systems to Ivy League institutions and small liberal arts colleges.

Candidates must be nominated by fellow scientists. Winners are selected by independent panels of senior scholars on the basis of a candidates research accomplishments, creativity and potential to become a leader in his or her field.

City News Service

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4 UCSD Researchers Win Sloan Research Fellowships for Early Career Scientists - Times of San Diego

New Polymer Cores Added to Windows Could Solve Energy Issues for Buildings – AZoBuild

Posted on February 20, 2021 by Danzig

Written by AZoBuildFeb 17 2021

Engineers from Rice University have proposed a colorful solution to futuristic energy collectionadding luminescent solar concentrators (LSCs) to windows in buildings.

The team of researchers headed by Rafael Verduzco and postdoctoral researcher and lead author Yilin Li from Rices Brown School of Engineering engineered and developed foot square 'windows'in which a conjugated polymer is interspersed between two clear acrylic panels.

The thin middle layer is the secret to success. It has been designed to harness light in a particular wavelength and guide it to the edges of the panel that are lined with solar cells.

Conjugated polymers are chemical compounds that can be tailored with particular physical or chemical properties for a range of applications, such as conductive films or sensors for biomedical devices.

The polymer compound developed at Rice lab is named PNV (for poly[naphthalene-alt-vinylene]) and harnesses and discharges red light. However, tweaking its molecular ingredients should enable it to harness light in a range of colors.

The strategy is that the compound is a waveguide and accepts light from any direction but controls how it leaves, thereby focusing it onto the solar cells that transform it into electricity.

The motivation for this research is to solve energy issues for buildings through integrated photovoltaics. Right now, solar rooftops are the mainstream solution, but you need to orient them toward the sun to maximize their efficiency, and their appearance isnt very pleasing. We thought, why cant we make colorful, transparent or translucent solar collectors and apply them to the outside of buildings?

Yilin Li, Study Lead Author and Postdoctoral Researcher, Brown School of Engineering, Rice University

Li started the project as part of a 'smart glass'competition. The research was published in the Polymer International journal.

In fact, the quantity of juice produced by the test units developed by the Rice team is very less compared to that collected by even average commercial solar cells, which usually transform nearly 20% of sunlight into electricity.

However, LSC windows never cease working. They readily convert light from the inner side of the building into electricity when the sun sets. Tests demonstrated that they exhibited more efficiency at converting ambient light from LEDs than from direct sunlight, although the sunlight was 100 times stronger.

Even indoors, if you hold up a panel, you can see very strong photoluminescence on the edge, Li noted during the demonstration. The panels tested by him demonstrated a power conversion efficiency of nearly 3.6% under ambient LED light and 2.9% in direct sunlight.

In the past decade, researchers have developed various types of luminophores, but not many with conjugated polymers, stated Verduzco, a professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering and of materials science and nanoengineering.

Part of the problem with using conjugated polymers for this application is that they can be unstable and degrade quickly. But weve learned a lot about improving the stability of conjugated polymers in recent years, and in the future, we can engineer the polymers for both stability and desired optical properties.

Rafael Verduzco, Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Materials Science and Nanoengineering, Rice University

The lab also replicated the return of energy from panels measuring up to 120 square inches. According to the researchers, these panels would offer relatively less energy, but they can still be sufficient for a households power requirements.

Li added that the polymer may even be tweaked to transform energy from ultraviolet and infrared light, thus enabling the panels to remain transparent.

The polymers can even be printed in patterns in the panels, so they can be turned into artwork.

Yilin Li, Study Lead Author and Postdoctoral Researcher, Brown School of Engineering, Rice University

The co-authors of the study include University of Washington alumnus Yujian Sun; Yongcao Zhang, a graduate assistant at the University of Houston; and Yuxin Li, a graduate assistant at the University of Cincinnati.

This study was supported by Solera City Energy.

Li, Y., et al. (2020) Highperformance hybrid luminescentscattering solar concentrators based on a luminescent conjugated polymer. Polymer International. doi.org/10.1002/pi.6189.

Source: https://www.rice.edu/

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New Polymer Cores Added to Windows Could Solve Energy Issues for Buildings - AZoBuild

What will England be like 900 years in the future? Paul Kingsnorth offers an answer – Telegraph.co.uk

Posted on February 20, 2021 by Danzig

When the apocalypse comes, popular literary imagination has it that what will remain of mankind will be a linguistically challenged tribe of outlaws eking out what existence they can amid the wreckage of ecological collapse. Such is the Riddley Walker-style scenario that begins Paul Kingsnorths new novel, the third in his loose trilogy set in East Anglia that imagines how man might respond to violent or alienating social upheaval at discrete points in English history.

The 2014 Booker-longlisted The Wake was set during the Norman Conquests, while 2016s novella Beast inhabited, Pincher Martin-style, the disintegrating consciousness of a 21st-century man living in haunted self-exile from the aggressions of modernity. Alexandria, meanwhile, takes place nine hunnerd years in the future where, its no surprise to be told, the breakin, buildin, burnin of man has left civilisation and the natural world in a bad way. The only people left alive are seven members of the Nitrian Order, who have rejected the old destructive materialism in favour of a back-to-nature way of life in the Fens in accordance with the paganish creeds of their deity, Lady.

Their fragile existence, though, is under threat. In the woods lurks the Stalker, a hooded, engineered metahuman emissary of Wayland, which, we are invited to assume, is an all-powerful AI invented long ago by man, and who controls a transhumanist utopia called Alexandria. Every other member of the human race has uploaded themselves to Alexandria, where they can keep growing, keep exploring in blissful, incorporeal perpetuity. Known as K, the Stalker is determined to persuade the last remaining Nitrians, as they pick plastic out of the clay and talk to the birds, that their faith in the truth of the body and the land, a faith that feels as old as England itself, is false and that salvation is only to be found in an eternal digital enlightenment. Yet the Nitrians, who consider Wayland the enemy machine, have received a sign. Their oldest member, yrvidian, has dreamt of swans. And when the swans return, Alexandria will fall.

Regular readers of Kingsnorth will know that the principal challenge and pleasure of his fiction is his use of invented first person narrative voices that point up the intimate relationship between language and selfhood, although his dialect is becoming more simple (and less invigorating) with each passing novel. His human characters here, who narrate alternate chapters and who consist of a married couple and their young daughter el, a lusty young chap called Lorenso, plus Mother, father and old yrvidian, speak in a minimalist, stumpy present tense that dispenses with articles and conventional capitalisation (we come to Land at dusk) and has an erratic dislike of the letter G. Their elemental language is a sort of rag-tag dream poetry littered with classical allusions, bits of Arthurian legend and echoes of early Christianity that hark back to a romanticised, fabled, ancient rural England, and some of it is mysteriously beautiful. outside Sun comin down, says mother. day is green like birth.

Some of it, though, is wincingly po-faced. Theres a lot of portentous talk of the i am woman. i am blood variety. More fundamental a problem is that Kingsnorths didactic message is in competition with his formidable imagination. Its hard not to see K who at times is oddly the most human character here, with an unexpected sense of humour as both an avatar of the encroaching hi-tech omnipotence Kingsnorth is writing against and a mouthpiece for his own beliefs, which he has detailed extensively as a member of the radical writerss eco collective Dark Mountain.

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To save Iraq from economic collapse and fight ISIS, contain Irans proxies – Brookings Institution

Posted on February 20, 2021 by Danzig

The day after President Biden was inaugurated, Baghdad was hit by two suicide bombers who, in macabre fashion, killed at least 32 people and wounded at least 100. The attack was a stark reminder that the Iraq theater is still a critical one for combatting ISIS and preventing it from mounting a resurgence. With this in mind, U.S.-Iraq ties are worth salvaging after their deterioration over the past four years. ISIS is strongly positioned to carry out more routine mass-casualty attacks. While the January bombing was its first major terrorist attack in Baghdad in over three years, ISIS carries out near-daily attacks in the rest of the country and could develop a momentum similar to that which preceded its declaration of a caliphate in 2014.

There are two underlying challenges that makes ISIS capable of carnage and launching a resurgence: Iraqs desperate need for an economic revival and the threat from Shiite militia groups. Addressing both requires that Washington adopt a set of guiding principles for its engagement with Iraq an approach premised on the fact that Iraqs economic crisis and the threat from Iran-aligned Shiite militia groups are two sides of the same coin.

Iraqs economic crisis will produce untold poverty levels if it is not addressed. The COVID-19 pandemic, together with the decline in oil prices, has added to the urgency of stabilizing the precarious security environment and reviving the economy. According to the World Bank, 12 million Iraqis could soon become vulnerable to poverty. Iraq has a budget shortfall of around $4.5 billion monthly and debt in excess of $80 billion. At least 700,000 Iraqis enter the job market every year but struggle to find jobs.

In this environment of destitution and lawlessness, the influence of Iran-aligned militias will increase; their reach and strength within Iraqi society is underscored by a complex web of inter-personal and inter-organizational links that make their elimination difficult, if not impossible. Central to their predominance is their capacity to exploit socio-economic conditions to swell their ranks with the impoverished and reinforce their patronage networks. When combined with their ongoing and systemic violence against political rivals and the civilian population, this allows them to impose a stranglehold over Iraqs institutions.

On the surface, the Baghdad government has effectively outsourced security to some of these groups in the territories that were previously occupied by ISIS, but in reality the government is too weak to confront them and impose its authority in strategically important territories. The militias are disdained by the local population as a result of their human rights abuses and ongoing sectarian crimes. This allows ISIS to exploit the resulting grievances and cracks in the security environment, and potentially mount a resurgence.

These militia groups also lack the professionalism and discipline to contain ISIS their primary focus is not to secure ISIS defeat, but to secure broader political and territorial objectives, in direct coordination with Iran. Mondays rocket attack on Erbil by Iran-aligned groups shows that they will continue undermining the coalitions efforts to secure the enduring defeat of ISIS. In addition to consolidating their control over illicit economies, the militia groups are augmenting their bastions in Iraqs north. From places like Sinjar, the militias and Iran can pursue cross-border objectives in Syria.

Under President Trump, U.S.-Iraq relations were volatile. While the Biden team in charge of the Iraq portfolio should not emulate the Trump administrations stance regarding Iran and its proxies, it should not assume either that long-term security-sector reform efforts will actually rein in these actors. Biden should focus on empowering Iraqi actors who can hold Iran-aligned groups to account, and who can constrain their ability to shape Iraqs political, economic, and security environment. In the process, Washington can enable economic reforms that will reduce those groups stranglehold over the state.

While there was some hope that security sector reform would result in the integration of Iran-aligned militias into the armed forces, as well as their demobilization and disarmament, this has proven to be a costly miscalculation for which the average Iraqi is paying the price. Through their control of the Popular Mobilization Force (the 100,000-strong umbrella militia organization led and dominated by Irans proxies, which was integrated into the state in 2016), the interior ministry, and an array of other militias, Iran-aligned groups exert undue influence over the Iraqi state. They coerce or kill champions of reform and good governance such as Hisham al-Hashimi and Riham Yaqoob.

These groups have also assassinated government officials and are responsible for killing at least 700 protesters and wounding thousands. Yes, Iraq has an array of armed groups as a consequence of its recent history and its pre-war legacies but it is this particular group of militias that negotiates with its rivals through systemic violence, including assassinations, rocket attacks, and improvised explosive device attacks on coalition personnel. And it is this group of militias that, at Irans bidding, attacks prospective and much-needed investors from the Gulf to prevent Iraq from developing its relations with the Arab world and saving its economy in the process.

The Biden administration has an opportunity to establish new guiding principles for its relations with Iraq. It should focus on possible near- and medium-term wins.

Washington should view two issues as interconnected: its economic support for Iraq and the threat that the Baghdad government faces from Iran-backed militia groups. The resources and energy it spends on Iraqs institutions must no longer indirectly empower the actors that use violence to shape the direction of the political environment. That also means U.S. military support which is designed to strengthen the Baghdad government so that it can undertake the economic regeneration of the country free from the threat of violence must not become an enabler of militia violence. For example, U.S. Abrams tanks and other equipment supplied to Baghdad in the past are now in the hands of Irans deadliest and most powerful partners. Iraqs protesters, civil society, and wider population pay the price.

Washingtons counterterrorism strategy, in coordination with Baghdad, should seek to address Iran-backed militia atrocities in addition to the threat of ISIS. The former ultimately enables the latter. As part of this, Washington should pressure Baghdad to stop expanding the purse that allows militia groups to grow. Iraqs federal budget proposal for 2021 has been criticized. As my Brookings colleague Marsin Alshamarys analysis shows, it proposes to increase the budget allocation for the Ministry of Defense by 9.9%, the Ministry of Interior by 9.7%, the Counter Terrorism Force by 10.1%, and the Popular Mobilization Forces by a staggering 45.7% from the previous budget of 2019.

Irans allies and enablers in Baghdad have sowed confusion and distorted their own complicity in human rights atrocities by adding more militia groups to their growing network of partners. They blame these so-called rogue groups for human rights violations, rocket attacks, attacks on protesters, and assassinations. The Biden administration should not fall for this sophisticated effort to create a degree of plausible deniability that allows them to escape culpability.

Washington should also help the Iraqi security forces insulate reformists from the threat of intimidation and assassination, to include politicians and activists. As a start, the U.S. should work with Iraqi civil society to improve its capacity to expose the nexus between Irans proxies and their front groups, a key part of the accountability process. This could empower (and pressure) Kadhimi to take more action on Irans proxy network in Iraq, and pressure the judiciary to act.

The reason its so important to promote broad reform in Iraq is because, as I wrote last year, economic revival will diminish the resources and manpower that Iran-aligned groups depend on. Iraq must work to erode the patronage networks that allow them to exploit the impoverished, and improve accountability and transparency to constrain their ability to carry out atrocities with impunity. The U.S. should support the pillars of economic regeneration including the prime ministers office, the finance ministry, and the Trade Bank of Iraq, among others to enhance Iraqi efforts vis--vis strategic partnerships with the Gulf, financial assistance from the International Monetary Fund and World Bank, and the establishment of a modern banking infrastructure in the country.

Iran-aligned militias are a major political force as much as they are a military one. Prime Minister Kadhimi should avoid making rivals out of political actors that also want to contain these groups. U.S. engagement with Iraq should consequently focus on mediation between actors that have strong ties to Washington. Efforts to ensure these groups are unified on critical policy issues like revenue-sharing agreements, budget allocations, and the disputed territories should be central to U.S. engagement with Iraq. Moreover, Washington should not be averse to the idea of making support to the Kadhimi government conditional on its ability to reconcile at least some of its differences with U.S. aligned groups. Otherwise, short-term support for Iraq risks becoming either sunk costs, or long-term gains for Iran-aligned groups.

Iraqs struggle with its Iran-aligned militia groups is very multifaceted, and no one policy solution out of Baghdad or Washington will be enough on its own. But given the way these groups exploit Iraqs dire economic situation, in particular, economic reform from within and support from without should be considered a key part of the overall response to these nefarious armed actors.

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To save Iraq from economic collapse and fight ISIS, contain Irans proxies - Brookings Institution

Is there a Tripoli Exception? Arab Reform Initiative –

Posted on February 20, 2021 by Danzig

DATE: Monday 22 Feb. 2021 | TIME: 4:00 - 6:30 (Beirut Time)

Click to Register

Tripoli, the capital of northern Lebanon, is in the news once again. Over the past few weeks, the city has been the site of protests and clashes amidst the countrys deteriorating economic situation. Discourse on Tripoli is often a dichotomy, portraying the city as a hub of extremists as well as nicknaming it the Bride of the Revolution in 2019 after the outbreak of widespread national protests against the countrys corrupt political leadership. Politicians and pundits are warning that the most recent violent protests in Tripoli will spread elsewhere throughout the country.

The Arab Reform Initiative and the Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center are hosting two joint public panel discussions that aim to offer a deeper understanding of the current events in Tripoli. They will examine the city at the intersection of the crisis of the political system and political leadership, the deteriorating socio-economic situation, and potential regional influences.

The panels will take place on Monday, February 22 from 4:00 p.m. Beirut (GMT+2). The discussions will be held on Zoom in Arabic and broadcast live on Facebook with simultaneous interpretation to English available on Zoom only. Viewers may submit their questions for the panelists during the live event.

You can register to attend by clicking on the button above. You will receive a Zoom confirmation email should your registration be successful. Alternatively, you can watch the event live on our Facebook page.

4:00-5:00 p.m. Beirut (EET) with Alia Ibrahim, Nawaf Kabbara, Khaled Ziadeh, and Jamil Mouawad.

Panelists will explore the key political and socioeconomic dynamics in Tripoli by linking them to the history of the city and developments in Lebanon. This will include the citys historic socioeconomic marginalization and its place at one time as a hub for Islamists and leftists and a gateway to Syria, as well as a city over which the Syrian regime maintained tight control starting in the late 1980s until their withdrawal from Lebanon in 2005. The city is also host to the wealthiest politicians in the country. Consequently, speakers will explore the interplay between regional intervention, identity politics, local political competition, and local developments in the panel.

5:30-6:30 p.m. Beirut (EET) with Mustafa Aweek, Jana Dhaiby, Samer Hajjar, and Darine Helwe.

The speakers will discuss Tripolis protest movements and analyze their prospects and political impact on both the local and national levels. This panel will pay particular attention to the initiatives and projects that were planned for Tripoli but never implemented and which need to be undertaken to revive the struggling city. It will examine the protest movements ability to change the narrative around Tripoli, as well as the projects that can be adopted given the countrys collapse.

The webinar will be in Arabic with simultaneous interpretation to English available on Zoom only.

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Is there a Tripoli Exception? Arab Reform Initiative -

What Is Osteopathic Medicine – Its History & Philosophy

Posted on February 20, 2021 by Danzig

Read the Osteopathic Pledge of Commitment

Osteopathic physicians, also known as DOs, work in partnership with their patients. They consider the impact that lifestyle and community have on the health of each individual, and they work to break down barriers to good health. DOs are licensed to practice the full scope of medicine in all 50 states. They practice in all types of environments, including the military, and in all types of specialties, from family medicine to obstetrics, surgery, and aerospace medicine.

DOs are trained to look at the whole person from their first days of medical school, which means they see each person as more than just a collection of organ systems and body parts that may become injured or diseased. This holistic approach to patient care means that osteopathic medical students learn how to integrate the patient into the health care process as a partner. They are trained to communicate with people from diverse backgrounds, and they get the opportunity to practice these skills in their classrooms and learning laboratories, frequently with standardized and simulated patients.

Today, when the challenge of ensuring an adequate number of primary care physicians extends to osteopathic medicine, more than one-third of osteopathic medical school graduates choose careers in primary care. Osteopathic medicine also has a special focus on providing care in rural and urban underserved areas, allowing DOs to have a greater impact on the U.S. population's health and well-being than their numbers would suggest. Over the past three years, more than a third of osteopathic medical school graduates indicated they plan to practice in a rural or underserved area.

Osteopathic medicine is also rapidly growing! One in five medical students in the United States is attending an osteopathic medical school.

One key concept osteopathic medical students learn is that structure influences function. Thus, if there is a problem in one part of the bodys structure, function in that area, and possibly in other areas, may be affected.

Another integral tenet of osteopathic medicine is the bodys innate ability to heal itself. Many of osteopathic medicines manipulative techniques are aimed at reducing or eliminating the impediments to proper structure and function so the self-healing mechanism can assume its role in restoring a person to health.

Link:

What Is Osteopathic Medicine - Its History & Philosophy

Trauma expert from Yale Medicine says to take caution when heading outside this winter – WTNH.com

Posted on February 20, 2021 by Danzig

(WTNH) If your weekend plans include shoveling, or better yet, something more fun like snowmobiling, proceed with caution. News 8 speaks with a trauma expert from Yale Medicine about what he has seen this winter.

The Connecticut Shoreline has already seen 43 inches of snow this winter season with 30 inches falling in February alone.

Whether youre taking advantage of the snow by doing something fun or just having to deal with it, pain and injury are common when performing a wintertime activity.

We reached out to Yale Medicine and Dr. Michael Leslie, Trauma Chief at Yale Medicine Orthopedics and Rehabilitation. He said with the isolation and stress caused by the pandemic, people arent easing into their winter activities.

Now we see a lot of people who are just looking for something to do. And maybe they havent skied for the last fifteen years and they just take a day and just want to do something. Or theyve never been on a snowmobile before, but, one of their friends or neighbors has one and they just want to get out. Its really quite traumatic when people get hurt in these ways.

Dr. Leslie said they have seen patients come in with an injury only to be diagnosed with COVID. Once they have the stress of the trauma on their body, and COVID, patients exhibit an acute inflammatory response and get much sicker than they might have otherwise, he said.

Indiana Regenerative Medicine Welcomes Annamarie Salyer to the Practice – Zionsville Monthly Magazine

Posted on February 20, 2021 by Danzig

February 2021

Indiana Regenerative Medicine (IRM), a cutting-edge and innovative clinic specializing in the latest nonsurgical interventions to treat chronic joint pain and other neuropathic pain syndromes, announced that Annamarie Salyer, NP, is joining their team. Annamarie adds her vast professional experience to the IRMs team of Leann Emery (nurse practitioner), Charrissee (registered nurse), Dr. Preston Peachee II (chiropractic physician) and the therapy staff.

Annamarie Salyer is a board-certified Family Nurse Practitioner who partners closely with Dr. Preston Peachee.She received Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in nursing from Indiana Wesleyan University in Marion, Indiana.

As a registered nurse, Annamarie worked in intensive care, progressive care and medical/surgical care. As a nurse practitioner, she has worked in internal medicine, functional medicine, acute care and addiction medicine. She is a member of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners.

Annamarie and her husband, Jason, reside in Indianapolis. She loves spending time with her two daughters, Josephine and Gabriella, traveling, and being outdoors. Annamarie is currently practicing in the Castleton location and will be seeing patients in IRMs new office when it opens this summer.

Annamarie is a caring and compassionate practitioner who takes the time to individually evaluate and educate her patients, discussing their concerns to deliver the best care for her patients. She is excited to be part of a team that offers regenerative medicine, a holistic approach to the body healing itself with one of the safest methods of recovery for patients with neuropathy.

Fortunately, Annamarie also has great expertise in treating those who suffer chronic knee pain that is otherwise unresponsive to care. Many patients who have osteoarthritis of the knee and are bone on bone respond well to IRMs treatments, including specialized therapy and rehab, laser therapy, hyaluronic acid injections (which lubricate the joint and act like a shock absorber for the bone-on-bone pain), stem cell therapy and now exosome treatments. This protocol has been used to help thousands of patients to find relief from knee pain without cortisone injections, surgery or pain meds. In most cases, the pain can be eliminated or reduced to the point where patients can walk again without pain and return to simple things, like going up and down stairs, cleaning the house and enjoying the grandkids again.

Neuropathy is weakness, numbness and pain, usually in the hands or feet, caused by damage to the peripheral nerves (nerves outside of the brain and spinal cord). It can be caused by diabetes, chemotherapy, physical injury or chemical exposure. The condition can become so severe that patients are unable to walk, develop wounds that dont heal or, even worse, may be facing amputation of toes, the foot or the leg.

Diabetic and other forms of neuropathy are very difficult to treat because they usually do not respond well to care. Many who suffer from neuropathy pain find little or no relief with conventional care, such as physical therapy, pain meds or the drugs used in treatment such as Neurontin and Lyrica. These drugs can sometimes cause side effects which can be worse than the original problem and increasing doses are needed to maintain the benefits, if there are any at all. People struggle with this condition as there is usually no cure, and it will continue to progress with fewer options for relief as time goes on. Eventually, it results in there being no other treatment options.

Neuropathy patients may feel as if they have fallen through the cracks of the health care system and dont know where to turn or who to trust. It is easy to give up or become depressed with chronic pain, but there is hope. IRM uses a combined approach to effectively treat the condition and not just mask the symptoms.

IRM specializes in helping the peripheral nerves to heal, which removes the pain, numbness and tingling, as well as the burning and prickling sensations their patients experience. This helps to halt and even reverse the effects of neuropathy. Most patients respond well to the treatment that holistically treats all facets of the condition and addresses the nutritional component, the physical degeneration of the nerves, poor circulation and lack of blood flow. Additionally, it addresses the physical symptoms, such as poor coordination, falling and wounds not healing properly or slowly.

The IRM clinical team addresses neuropathy by truly treating the source of the problem, which is nerve damage to the smaller nerves, generally accompanied by poor blood flow in the small arteries. This is why most people will lose the hair on their legs, have tight and shiny skin, have discoloration or itching, and eventually develop wounds that do not heal correctly or at all. Many will even develop edema, or swelling to the legs and feet, and will eventually have pain, difficulty walking, and may start to trip, fall or have their legs give out on them.

As IRM improves the circulation to the feet and toes, it restores oxygen to the tiny arteries. This improvement in circulation aids in getting the proper nutrition to the nerves, allowing them to heal.

IRM uses a very specific, innovative therapy to reestablish communication between the toes and the brain, which promotes healing of the nerves, helps to remove the pain and allows the damaged tissues to begin to heal and repair themselves. Once the damaged nerves have adequate oxygen and the proper nutrition to heal, most patients will see relief of their symptoms with specific rehabilitation.

New treatments like this are often not covered by insurance, so IRM is excited that this neuropathy treatment, as well as their knee pain protocols, are covered by most insurances, including Medicare in most cases. They can now help even more people than before.

Neuropathic conditions did not happen overnight,and IRM cant fix it all in one treatment, but with the right steps, relief is possible. Most people will see a positive change after just one treatment. The longer and the more severe the damage, the more intense the treatment will be, but if you want to get better, IRM has a solution for you.

Every patient is unique, and there is no one-size-fits-all solution, so the clinic staff always start with a thorough exam to determine if you are a candidate for care and how they can tailor an individual plan for you. Unfortunately, there is no magic pill that will make neuropathy go away, but if you are willing to get help, Indiana Regenerative Medicine can help you to get better and start enjoying life again!

IRM is currently accepting new neuropathy pain patients as well as knee pain patients, and they look forward to helping those who suffer.

Call (317) 653-4503 or visit indianaregen.com to set up your free consultation and start the road to recovery with Indiana Regenerative Medicine Institute.

Queen Naija Medicine Lyrics | Genius Lyrics

Posted on February 20, 2021 by Danzig

Me and my bro, we get real excited about music. Anytime I have just a piece of a song, I go sing it to him. We start jumping around the kitchen and getting so happy, like, This bout to be dope! This 'bout to be sweet, man! We was like, We got to record this ASAP. I was in Houston. I went to try to record it, because I had wrote this song literally in a day. Actually, I started writing it that night, but the next day I was finished with the song. I was finished the next day.

We went to this Houston studio. I didnt really like what he was doing to my voice. So, I was just like, Ill just wait, and Ill go to LA and record it there. But, my bros went to Atlanta, and I didnt wanna be by myself, because mind you, I left my house that I was living in with my husband. And I left there, and Id start staying with my brother. So, I didnt wanna stay home. I didnt wanna stay there by myself because they were going to Atlanta.

So, Im like, Lemme just get a ticket and go. It was a last-minute. I didnt have nothing planned, but when we got to Atlanta, my bro went to a studio to start recording his song. I was like, Ill pay for some more time. Can I record my song? And I recorded it like this, a night, and then dropped it three days later. It was a really quick process. I was ready to get it out by New Years.

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Queen Naija Medicine Lyrics | Genius Lyrics

ENMU Animal and Dairy Science Major Aims for Career in Veterinary Medicine – ENMU News

Posted on February 20, 2021 by Danzig

Written by Desiree Cooper February 19, 2021

Tara Mayes plans to graduate with a bachelor's degree in animal and dairy science from Eastern New Mexico University this summer. Her career goal is to work in veterinary medicine, helping "pets and all animals live long, healthy lives" and advancing the field by studying animals.

Tara enjoys aiding animals; she volunteers at animal shelters and an animal clinic and is a member of the ENMU Pre-Vet Club. Her interest in animal science began because she loved the "idea of learning about animals and helping them since they can't speak for themselves."

Her advice to students interested in her field of study is to "get as much experience as possible. When everything seems to feel overwhelming or difficult, remember your goal because the success you receive in the end is the best reward."

The senior was born and raised in Houston, Texas, and has three brothers and two sisters. Her mother is a pre-K teacher, and her father is a technician.

Tara chose to attend ENMU to run on the cross country team. She also liked that Eastern's "location in a small town allows one to focus on their studies with fewer distractions."

Her favorite class at ENMU was Common Veterinary Practice because learning the terminology of the field helped her excel in her volunteer work with animals.

Tara says that every professor she has encountered in the Department of Agriculture, Food Science and Kinesiology cares about students and is eager to help them. "ENMU has a great support system of teachers who want to see the students succeed," she shares.

Her go-to spots in Portales, New Mexico, are the Wesley Foundation and the Golden Student Success Center.

The Greyhound's hobbies include exercising, cooking and spending time with family. She dreams of traveling outside of the United States someday and owning a business.

ENMU Animal and Dairy Science Major Aims for Career in Veterinary Medicine - ENMU News

Fitness with Averee: Medicine ball slams – usatoday.com

Posted on February 20, 2021 by Danzig

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By Averee Dovsek |February 19, 2021 1:00 pm

A half-kneeling medicine ball slam is a great way to get your anger out over that triple bogey you had last week, but also helps increase stability in your core and works your upper and lower body.

In the latest episode of, Fitness with Averee, Averee Dovsek demonstrates how to do a half-kneeling medicine ball slam. This exercise is a great option for golfers with a tight hip flexor because the movement is free flowing.

Combine what you learn through Fitness with Averee withSteve Scotts instruction seriesand you will be a different golfer on and off the course.

Watch this episode of Fitness with Averee above andcheck here for previous episodes.

Golfweeks latest newsletter, Get Better which covers everything Instruction and Fitness related, is up and running.Sign up for Get Better here.

Averee, distance, Fitness, Golf Fitness, Video, Instruction, Videos

Sports Medicine Fellows’ Exposure to Hip Arthroscopy All Over the Map? – OrthoSpineNews

Posted on February 20, 2021 by Danzig

Elizabeth Hofheinz, M.P.H., M.Ed.

Do your sports medicine fellows have sufficient exposure to anterior shoulder dislocation, but dont do many arthroscopic hip procedures? How steady is their exposure to knee procedures? These and other questions are addressed in new work by the Department of Orthopaedics at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Sports Medicine Research Institute.

Their study, Orthopaedic Surgery Sports Medicine Fellows See Substantial Increase in Hip Arthroscopy Procedural Volume With High Variability From 2011 to 2016, was published in the February 1, 2021 edition of Arthroscopy.

Using 2011-2016 case logs from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), the researchers examined how much exposure that sports medicine fellows graduating from an ACGME-accredited program had to shoulder, hip and knee procedures.

Co-author William Vasileff, M.D., a sports medicine and hip preservation specialist at Wexner, told OSN, The amount of hip arthroscopy being performed has risen dramatically over the last decade or so, and the training surgeons receive when learning this procedure can be quite variable. In addition, there is a significant learning curve with hip arthroscopy to improve outcomes and reduce risks of less-than-optimal outcomes and complications. Fellowship is a big bulk of time where many surgeons get subspecialty training, including hip arthroscopy, and we recognized that there is potentially a wide variety of types of experiences during fellowship training.

To put numbers to their hypotheses, the researchers used linear regression to identify significant changes in case volumes over time for each surgical case/procedure. Also, for the first and last years of the study, the difference in case volume between fellows in the lowest (10th) and highest (90th) centile was determined.

The average number of total procedures per fellow minimally decreased by 3.5% from 2011 to 2016 (726 to 701 cases), wrote the authors. The mean total number of hip procedures significantly increased by 155% from 24.9 to 63.5. There were no significant differences in the mean total number of shoulder and knee procedures. Arthroscopic hip procedures had the largest increase from 2011 to 2016. There was greater than 2-fold difference in total procedural volume between fellows in the 10th and 90th percentile for 2011 and 2016, with the greatest variation (64-fold) for arthroscopic hip procedures.

Dr. Vasileff: There was a very significant increase in hip arthroscopy procedures performed for fellows in training from 2011-2016 reflecting the growth of the procedures being performed by attending surgeons and teaching fellows. There was also a large difference between the fellows who did the most hip arthroscopy procedures and those who did the fewest (10th vs 90th percentile)?

Opening up new lines of inquiry

The most interesting next step related to this would be to ask several different questions. Did the fellows near the top of the percentile for hip arthroscopy procedures in training go on to do more hip arthrosocpy when in independent practice? And also, for those who had more experience with hip arthrosocpy in fellowship training have fewer complication and poor outcomes, shortening the learning curve in those instances? Lastly, were the few fellows near the top of these percentiles from a handful of training programs, and was this large increase in hip procedures driven by a few high-volume hip practices?

Fellowship training experiences can be extremely variable from program to program, especially when it comes to exposure to hip arthroscopy procedures, said Dr. Vasileff to OSN. Subspecialty training in this sub-sub niche is extremely important to strong patient outcomes and reducing risk of harm. When choosing to pursue a career to include hip arthroscopy and hip preservation surgery, ensure that proper training via fellowship, visiting surgeon programs, educational lab courses and other avenues can all play an important role.

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Sports Medicine Fellows' Exposure to Hip Arthroscopy All Over the Map? - OrthoSpineNews

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