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In the century following its discovery, applications for quantum physics are opening a new world of technological possibilities. With the current decade witnessing quantum supremacy, quantum technologies are already starting to change the ways information is generated, transmitted, stored and processed. The next major milestone in quantum technology is already rapidly emerging -- the quantum internet. Since light is the most logical candidate for quantum communication, quantum photonics is a critical enabling technology. This paper reviews the hardware aspects of the quantum internet, mainly from a photonics perspective. Though a plethora of quantum technologies and devices have emerged in recent years, we are more focused on devices or components that may enable the quantum internet. Our approach is primarily qualitative, providing a broad overview of the necessary technologies for a large-scale quantum internet., 38 pages, 1 table

Learning internal representations from data using no or few labels is useful for machine learning research, as it allows using massive amounts of unlabeled data. In this work, we use the Bayesian Confidence Propagation Neural Network (BCPNN) model developed as a biologically plausible model of the cortex. Recent work has demonstrated that these networks can learn useful internal representations from data using local Bayesian-Hebbian learning rules. In this work, we show how such representations can be leveraged in a semi-supervised setting by introducing and comparing different classifiers. We also evaluate and compare such networks with other popular semi-supervised classifiers.

In this paper, we present a passive linear optics error correction scheme for qudits using W-state encoding, based on post selection, which reduces the effects of dephasing noise in photonic quantum communication.

Since ancient times, medicinal plants have been widely used against dreadful pathogens due to their ability to kill microbes. Also, the limitations of the present treatment methods have led the researchers to explore for new formulations with aspects of better wound healing and control of infections. In the present study antimicrobial, antioxidant and cytotoxicity properties of a polyherbal formulation prepared from the barks of three medicinal plants for treating wound infection were investigated. The polyherbal formulation was tested for broad spectrum antimicrobial activity against gram-positive bacteria Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and gram-negative bacteria such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhi and antifungal activity against Fluconazole resistant Candida albicans. The result reveals that the polyherbal formulation exhibited antimicrobial activity against antibiotic resistant gram-positive MRSA and C. albicans and moderate against gram-negative P. aeruginosa, E. coli and S. typhi. The antioxidant activities like 1,1′-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl and hydrogen peroxide scavenging ability of the formulation was compared with standard ascorbic acid. The higher antioxidant activity was found mostly due to the presence of higher amount of phenols and flavonoids. The phenol was found to be 48.63 ± 0.35 mg/g and flavonoids was 29.52 ± 1.13 mg/g. The polyherbal formulation helps in the proliferation of fibroblast cells without affecting the viability. The above result reveals that the formulation has good antimicrobial and antioxidant activity without affecting the viability of the cell.

Modelling and simulation of pedestrian crowds require agents to reach pre-determined goals and avoid collisions with static obstacles and dynamic pedestrians, while maintaining natural gait behaviour. We model pedestrians as autonomous, learning, and reactive agents employing Reinforcement Learning (RL). Typical RL-based agent simulations suffer poor generalization due to handcrafted reward function to ensure realistic behaviour. In this work, we model pedestrians in a modular framework integrating navigation and collision-avoidance tasks as separate modules. Each such module consists of independent state-spaces and rewards, but with shared action-spaces. Empirical results suggest that such modular framework learning models can show satisfactory performance without tuning parameters, and we compare it with the state-of-art crowd simulation methods. QC 20190123

In order to develop a hybrid vehicle with lithium ion battery packs, it is necessary to understand the thermal behaviour of the lithium ion batteries used. This paper focuses on predicting the temperature rise of lithium ion batteries during a drive cycle in hybrid two wheeler applications. To predict the rise in temperature, a model is developed in Simulink, parameterized using the empirical parameters. The model is based on the Joule heating effect and heat capacity equation while considering the variation of internal resistance with respect to ambient temperature of operation, state of charge and C rate of operation. The internal resistance is measured by parameter evaluation testing through the pulse power characterisation method. To validate the Simulink model, the lithium ion batteries are tested on standard drive cycles and constant current discharges, and the rise in temperature is measured. The accuracy of the Simulink model was found to be ± 2.2°C, which is acceptable for this study and comparable to the other available models in the literature.

This study mainly deals with cenosphere-filled phenolic resin-based composite that is prepared using ceramic-ceramic fiber as reinforcement by traditional hand layup technique. The effect of cenosphere at various percentage is investigated on the mechanical, ablative, and thermal properties of the filled composites. Mechanical investigation revealed that the addition of microsized cenosphere up to 10% concentration increased the tensile strength of the composite. It is also observed that the addition of cenosphere increased the compressive strength and impact resistance of the composites. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and ablative test revealed that the addition of cenosphere not only decreased both linear and mass ablative rates but also increased the upper working temperature of the filled ceramic/phenolic composites. POLYM. COMPOS., 37:1906–1913, 2016. © 2015 Society of Plastics Engineers

Since 2011 under Indian law broadcasts and films that show tobacco use must include health messages as flashing subtitles for the duration of the scene, with announcements before, during, and after. But, asks Balaji Ravichandran, does this deter would-be smokers?

US endocrinologist Robert Lustig is on a crusade against sugar. He talks to Balaji Ravichandran about why he believes we are getting fatter and how he hopes to start tackling the sugar industry

Small molecules are important tools to measure and modulate intracellular signaling pathways. A longstanding limitation for using chemical compounds in complex tissues has been the inability to target bioactive small molecules to a specific cell class. Here, we describe a generalizable esterase–ester pair capable of targeted delivery of small molecules to living cells and tissue with cellular specificity. We used fluorogenic molecules to rapidly identify a small ester masking motif that is stable to endogenous esterases, but is efficiently removed by an exogenous esterase. This strategy allows facile targeting of dyes and drugs in complex biological environments to label specific cell types, illuminate gap junction connectivity, and pharmacologically perturb distinct subsets of cells. We expect this approach to have general utility for the specific delivery of many small molecules to defined cellular populations.

Do we need another 400 minute radio series on the history of medicine, excellent though it is, asks Balaji Ravichandran

Darwinist Richard Dawkins9 latest book, The God Delusion, is out soon. Balaji Ravichandran asks how he keeps his faith in science and reason

About 500 doctors attended a protest march to Whitehall, London, on 21 April, against the rapid implementation of new immigration rules for international medical graduates in the United Kingdom. Under the proposals, doctors from outside the …

The US state of Oregon's legalisation on assisted dying has in no way affected the high standards of palliative care in the state, according to Ann Jackson, visiting head of the Oregon Hospice Association. She was speaking at a press conference in London held by the campaigning organisation Dignity in Dying, before a House of Lords debate on 12 May on the Joffe …

T he term “science play” might make many teenagers wince. But Judith Johnson's Every Breath —a science play targeted at teenagers—is likely to do just the opposite, despite dealing with a topic as delicate as the ethical dimensions surrounding the use of animals for biomedical research. Sonny, an 18 year old with asthma, is a fervent opponent of medical research involving animals. His 21 year old sister, Anita, a scientist, is set to join a new animal research centre in their town, against …

Ever dreamt of being part of the next biomedical revolution? Well, if you have a computer and an internet connection, here is your chance. The concept, called “distributed computing infrastructure,” is simple. For a given project, massive amounts of data are collected by central servers, split up into small units, and sent to your computer through the internet. A piece of software called BOINC (Berkeley Open Infrastructure for Network Computing; http://boinc.berkeley.edu) analyses these bits of data in the background as you continue working normally on a …

Unsung heroes of modern medicine, page turning legends from Chinese medicine, and juicy anecdotes about Nobel prize winners—Balaji Ravichandran savours a new dictionary of medical biography

“Do you, Dr Godlee, consider yourself a climate criminal? If yes, what punishment would you consider for yourself?” The question comes from MedGadget (www.medgadget.com), a web only publication, in response to an editorial co-written by the BMJ 's editor, Fiona Godlee, which called for doctors “to lead by example on climate change by reducing the carbon footprint of medical conferences” ( BMJ 2007;334:324-5 doi: 10.1136/bmj.39125.468171.80). Tracking Dr Godlee's carbon footprint from her flights, the editors of the website wrote: “What we can say is that Dr Godlee is a ‘has been there, done that' kind of person. And we mean around the world, most likely in business class”—and accused her of hypocrisy. In response, Hugh Montgomery of University College London, a member of the BMJ 's Carbon Council (http://resources.bmj.com/bmj/about-bmj/carbon-council-1), drew attention to the fact that …

Susan Greenfield is a professor of pharmacology at the University of Oxford; director of the Royal Institution; author of many bestselling popular science books; and a leading neuroscience researcher with hundreds of papers to her credit. And she has presented television programmes and documentaries. Balaji Ravichandran attempts to understand what drives her