In 2005, pop star Nick Jonas was 13 years old, singing his heart out on tour with his band the Jonas Brothers, when he landed in the hospital.

I was in really bad shape, actually. I lost about 20 pounds in 2 weeks. I couldnt drink enough water, was going to the bathroom all the time; very irritable, which is a symptom of high blood sugar, he told Healthline.

When doctors discovered his blood sugar level was over 900 mg/dL (less than 140 mg/dL is considered normal range), Jonas was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.

That was alarming and the start to my life with this disease. Its pretty wild to think back that had it gone untreated just a few more days, it could have been really, really bad, but I got the care I needed when I needed it, Jonas said.

A few days after his hospital stay, he was back on tour performing with his brothers.

Ive always been very determined and passionate about the work that I do. This was a scary kind of reality that I had to face, but not something where I was going to, for a single second, let it slow me down, he said.

In addition to the support of his friends and family, Jonas credits the care of doctors and innovations in diabetes management tools for helping him move forward.

I think technology is incredibly important when it comes to life with diabetes, and it is a pretty crazy thing to think that even in my 16 years as a type 1 diabetic, how much has changed and how far the tech has come, Jonas said.

Jonas teamed up with The Global Movement for Time in Range, an initiative that aims to accelerate the adoption of time in range as an important metric in diabetes management.

Dr. Minisha Sood, endocrinologist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York, explained that time in range is the duration of time during which a persons glucose levels are in the goal range.

We know that increasing time in range lowers hemoglobin A1c, and lower A1C is associated with a decrease in complications from diabetes, Sood told Healthline. Most health practitioners and patients use A1C to gauge someones glucose control, but time in range and using glycemic variability are important tools to give us the whole picture.

For Jonas, time in range has been a helpful metric.

Life-changing, in fact, to have a better sense where Im at and where Im headed in real time, and a bigger, broader view of my life with diabetes and how to live my happiest and healthiest life, he said.

Jonas recently discovered that his A1C was the best its been since receiving his diagnosis, and said time in range is part of the reason.

By joining The Global Movement for Time in Range, he hopes to raise awareness for the need for greater global access to diabetes technology that can measure time in range.

In addition to advocating for improved access to diabetes care, during November, Jonas is using his Instagram to help the world #SeeDiabetes by featuring inspiring stories of people around the world living with diabetes.

Hell also speak candidly about his own diabetes journey on Nov. 16 the anniversary of his diagnosis.

Whats interesting about diabetes is that it affects so many people, not just the individual themselves, but their friends, family should someone see something on my channel whether they are diabetic or not and being able to share that with someone they know who lives with the disease, is a really interesting and exciting thing to get to do, Jonas said.

In 2020, The Global Movement for Time in Range conducted a survey of people with insulin-treated diabetes.

The survey found that 84 percent of respondents with insulin-treated diabetes believe they deserve the most cutting-edge technology available to manage their disease. However, many are still unable to access it.

The underserved and overlooked individuals with diabetes do not have access to the best medications and devices, knowledgeable [healthcare professionals], proper education, and support, Dr. Steven Edelman, professor at the University of California, San Diego, told Healthline. We really need to do something to help these people living with diabetes and their family members.

Sood agreed, and noted that people living with diabetes constantly fight against increasing costs of supplies and medications used to manage their condition.

They also struggle to gain access to the new and breakthrough medications due to high cost and other factors. When people with diabetes are hospitalized, they often must advocate for themselves because in-hospital diabetes management is woefully inadequate, generally speaking, Sood said.

By teaming up with The Global Movement for Time in Range, Jonas aims to help people understand they are deserving of adequate care, and give hope that they can manage their condition well.

When I was diagnosed, being in the hospital was bleak and honestly overwhelming and scary, he said.

Jonas believes if he had heard someone he was a fan of or looked up to talk about living with diabetes, it could have created normalcy around his experience.

He hopes to help his fans in this way.

I think the encouraging thing for them to know is that this is a manageable disease, and there may be a bump along the way, but you can do it, Jonas said.

If you can just take the pressure off yourself and allow yourself to go on that journey and do the best you can each day, then thats all that matters, he said.

Cathy Cassata is a freelance writer who specializes in stories around health, mental health, medical news, and inspirational people. She writes with empathy and accuracy and has a knack for connecting with readers in an insightful and engaging way. Read more of her work here.

Originally posted here:
How Nick Jonas Is Living His Healthiest Life with Type 1 Diabetes - Healthline

An inquest into the death of aFirst Nations manwho died after falling eightmetres while trying to escape custodyhas heard that a "real lack of humanity" by correctional staff contributed to the man's avoidable death.

NSW deputy state coroner Elaine Truscott heard that Wiradjuri man Bailey Mackander was taken to hospital in November 2019 after he reported swallowing batteries and razor blades.

Mr Mackander, 20, had been isolated in an assessment or 'safe' cell at Kariong Correctional Centre, where he was reportedly heard screamingin distress for two days.

A decision was made to take him to Gosford Hospital.

ThePort Stephens mandied after escaping custody, climbingover a concrete barrier and falling 8metres.

The inquest heard the cell Mr Mackander was placed in was deemed unsafe for him as he suffered from anxiety.

Lawyer Georgia Lewer, who represented Mr Mackander's father and stepmother, was scathing in her closing submission.

"On numerous occasions, Bailey was dealt with in a contemptuous manner," she said.

"There was gross disregard for his deteriorating mental state;guards stepped over him and entirely ignored him in the cell.

"His request for dinneris ignored, a request to turn off the TV so he can sleep is ignored.

"This conduct by a number of corrective services staff shows a real lack of humanity in dealing with Bailey and reflects a culture where inmates are seen as less than human and disentitled to dignity."

Paperwork given to treating doctors atGosford Hospital byguards stated that Mr Mackander had a habit of "crying wolf".

The inquest heard the language was inappropriate and had the capacity to undermine [hospital]treatment Mr Mackander might have received.

In his closing submission, Bill de Mars, the lawyer for Mr Mackander's mother Tracey,said that following Mr Mackander'streatment, panic set in which resulted in the deceased scaling the ambulance bay wall and falling to his death.

"We find a key motivating factor in the action Bailey took was the fear and anxiety of returning to the observation cell based on his previous distress," Mr de Mars said.

"But for Baileys placement in the cell and the manner in which he was treated, he would not have taken the action that he did."

The lawyer for Bailey's father,David, and step-mother,Melissa, reached the same conclusion.

"With the horror of the conditions he thought confronted him in the assessment cell, he may have felt so distressed at the thought of returning," Ms Lewer said.

The inquest heard Mr Mackander had anxiety and mental health issues for at least nine weeks prior to his death.

The inquest heard he was meant to have weekly appointments with a psychologist, but that had notoccurred.

The lawyer for a treating nurse said in her submission that "there was tremendous pressure placed on her client and she didn't have specific mental health training".

The inquest heard Mr Mackanderhad not had a medication assessment or a comprehensive mental health assessment in the lead-up to his death.

Mr Mackander's family spoke of a kind, loving boy, who sought rehabilitation, despite notreatment places being available.

"The family wish me to emphasisethat Bailey was gentle and he was kind. He was still very young, with limited life or jail experience, struggling to find his place in the world," Ms Lewer said.

"[The family]want to acknowledge the loss of a unique individual in a prison system that has failed many, particularly Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men.

"It is a problem that requires wholesalepolitical and community support, and fundamental change."

Coroner Truscott previously described Mr Mackander as "abeautiful boy in a not-so-beautiful system".

On Tuesday, she reached out to the family again, noting that three days had past since the second anniversary of Mr Mackander's death.

Coroner Truscott will hand down herfindings on December 15.

ABC Newcastle will deliver a wrap of the week's news, stories and photos every Wednesday. Sign up here.

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Parents of Indigenous man Bailey Mackander say 'contemptuous' actions by correctional officers contributed to death - ABC News

CBD is a tried and tested substance that regulates our bodily functions and improves our cognitive abilities. Endless studies have proven CBDs effectiveness for body pains, mood improvement, and raised energy levels.

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Living Tree CBD Gummies Review: Scam or Legit? You Be the Judge! - Kirkland Reporter

From all black to All Blacks. Just as Ireland unfurled the emergence of a new identity last weekend, so too perhaps did winger Andrew Conway seek to re-establish his.

resuming Andy Farrell rewards the same contingent against New Zealand this weekend, the Munster man will hope to firmly frank his place in the international pecking order.

His hat-trick against the Japanese not merely crowned a revitalised Irish approach but also signalled the resurgence of one who had endured myriad difficulties in recent times; in the last campaign he had crossed just once in 12 starts during a hampered campaign.

When rugby resumed during the pandemic, the narrative had been a lot different; his name popped up in various notional Lions squad ruminations even his own such had been his scintillating form before the 2020 Nations hiatus, particularly in the win against Wales.

He did complete 2020 with a trio of international starts but the second half of the season was a frustrating one for the 30-year-old.

Since impressing in Munsters 27-25 defeat to Leinster in Dublin, instead of entering his peak, he plummeted into a trough.

A head injury complicated matters and he slipped from the international scene, though still featuring in selected gatherings, as James Lowe, Keith Earls Jordan Larmour and Hugo Keenan copper-fastened their roles.

His provincial appearances had also suffered, albeit a resurgent display against Edinburgh in the spring hinted at some semblance of a return to well-being, and he did make a brief return last summer against the USA.

Even then, Robert Baloucoune seemed to be the coming man after a mightily impressive debut.

Simon Zebos heralded return home could have added more storm clouds but instead they helped to clear them; a reinvigorated mental attitude combined with a restoration of physical fitness sparked new life.

Hes still one of the premier wingers in Ireland and still one of the important players phenomenal in the air, his finishing ability, his X-factor, Johann van Graan had reminded us last March.

Last Saturday, after an energising return to Munster red in the seasons early throes, vividly illustrated that assertion from his provincial coach.

Now he should get the opportunity to line out against the All Blacks for the first time in his career, after the all-court game helped to tear the hapless Japanese to shreds last weekend.

Probably my training plan, he reveals when prodded to explain his explosive return to the pulsing heartbeat of the international stage for the 27th time, as a second career hat-trick lifted his try tally to 13.

Just trying to get the balance between my training habits and not overthinking it.

At different stages of your career theres an experience you can fall back on, theres adapting and taking whats been good and leaving what hasnt served you. Just enjoying rugby I suppose and getting out there and taking it for what it is, a game of rugby. Sometimes they work out great, other times they dont.

From a wingers perspective I was at the end of three tries at the weekend but its the other parts of the game that you wouldnt necessarily see unless you are in camp and you really know what you are looking at.

Its really great to score a few tries and be involved in a really strong team performance. I just try to enjoy it as much as I can.

Irelands 11th-minute try typified Conway, winning a Japanese box-kick 30 metres from his own line before finishing the try 45 seconds later after Jamison Gibson-Parks neat grubber.

His second and third tries affirmed the art of a consummate finisher but all facets of his play, on and off the ball, were prominent.

It was just great to get the confidence boost to be selected first and foremost. Coming in here, the great thing about this squad is a lot of people didnt necessarily know where they stood in terms of the perceived pecking order. So to get picked was obviously brilliant and I just knew that was only half the battle.

The bulk of the battle is to then perform when youre given the opportunity. It was obviously an enjoyable day and it was nice to be back playing in front of a full crowd and everything that goes with it. So yeah it was a positive day.

Of course its great to score, dont get me wrong, but sometimes other things are more satisfying. I wont go through every wicked detail but sometimes youve been working on (something), talking about it behind the scenes, you can put it into action in training.

And then to be involved in different things. It is great to be on the end of scoring a try but to be able to add a few more strings to you bow and see a bit of positive gains in other areas that I might not necessarily have done before. Thats probably more satisfying.

Despite their allure, Conway will try not to be distracted by the looming challenge of a side he has never faced.

Theyre the standard-bearers in world rugby for as long as Ive ever been watching rugby. Its going to be very intense. But todays training session was very intense. And last week was also intense, adds Conway.

Whenever we are playing an international, we dont take anyone less or more you know what I mean? Obviously there is going to be more chat around this, the public are going to be that little but more excited. You get a few more text messages during the week.

But thats the only change really. You have to try and keep to your process, as cliched as it sounds.

You want to make weeks as similar as they can be. Youre going to be up some weeks and its not always going to be like for like. You try to keep it all as level as you possibly can.

At the end of the day, it is a rugby match on Saturday and you dont want to make it bigger than it is. You want to go out and perform to the level were capable of but not overthinking it at the same time.

Calibrating the balance between thought and deed has served him well so far this season.

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Andrew Conway still winging it with the best of them after getting another chance to prosper - Independent.ie

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Roger Sloan is preparing for some Canadian visitors to his home in Houston this week.

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The PGA Tour player from B.C. isnt waiting on the arrival of sun-seeking snowbirds though, with five other Canucks in the field beginning Thursday at Memorial Park Golf Course, Sloan is preparing for a home game of sorts as the PGA Tour lands in his adopted city.

Weve got a few of the Canadian guys coming over tonight, Sloan said during a virtual press conference for the Houston Open on Tuesday. Well have some good steaks, well have some good wine, well hang out with the kids. Yeah, its going to be a good week.

Sloan has reason to enjoy himself as he begins his fifth PGA Tour season, his fourth in a row since gaining and losing tour status in his rookie 2015 season.

Earlier this year, the 34-year-old was well outside the FedEx Cup top-125 as the tour playoffs approached. Sloan, however, saved his best for last, finishing the regular season with a sixth-place finish at the Barracuda Championship, and a T2 finish birdieing two of his final three holes to join a playoff at the regular season-ending Wyndham Championship. The impressive results saw him jump from 137th to 92nd in the standings, make the playoffs, and secure his status for the 2021-22 season.

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I kind of attribute it a little bit to my Canadian background, a little bit blue collar, Sloan said. I just never give up. I was a third-line grinder type of hockey player, so I never give up. Doesnt matter whether Im teeing it up on Sunday in 65th or teeing it up in 5th, Im going to put a solid effort in and Im never going to give up, Im always going to put my best foot forward.

Sloan attributes his recent success to an improved mental attitude, but the blue collar philosophy he brought with him from Merritt, B.C., could also sabotage him at times. In his rookie season he had a hard time coming to terms with the idea that in one good week he could make more than his father and friends back home could make in a year. Even more recently he would allow his mind to go through some dangerous what-ifs as he was chasing a good finish.

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Sometimes I get caught up in the magnitude of the situation, I can go down the storylines of what that shot represents or what a good finish that week represents, he said. Meanwhile, Im just sitting in the middle of the 16th fairway with a 6-iron in my hand and Ive gone down this pipeline of all these thoughts and it just builds the shot up too much to where its not a 6-iron anymore, now its the most crucial shot Ive ever hit in my career. Just being able to separate myself from the storylines and really turning a 6-iron into just a 6-iron.

His clutch late-season finishes are proof to him that the work on the mental side is paying off.

Sloan attended college at the University of Texas-El Paso and has lived in the state since graduating in 2009. His wife Casey is a Houston native and the area has become home for the couple and their two children. He confirmed on Tuesday that neighbours arent likely to forget the outdoor skating rink he built during a freak ice storm last winter.

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Everyone needs a Canadian in their neighborhood when the freeze comes, he said.

Although there has been plenty to smile about recently, the pandemic and travel restrictions have taken a toll on the Sloans, who continue to travel the U.S. as a family on the PGA Tour.

Honestly, its been really tough, he said. I havent been back to Canada since the pandemic started. Ive got a soon-to-be 2-year-old son, hes never been to Canada. Its really tough. Ive had two grandparents pass away in the last eight months and not being able to go home right away and go see my family in those moments is really difficult.

With borders re-opening, some sense of normality returning and a little time off coming up before the 2022 PGA Tour schedule kicks off in Hawaii in January, perhaps the Sloans will be able to make the long-awaited trip north. This week though, hell be enjoying the comfort of his adopted-home, and hosting some hungry Canadians.

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EUROPEAN TOUR GETS NEW CASH AND MORE MONEY

Golf has a new world tour but its not a rival upstart and its coming from the old world.

Beginning next year, the European Tour will be rebranded the DP World Tour in a deal that will see total prize money double to more than $200 million.

The launch of the DP World Tour in 2022 will herald a new era in global golf, and crucially it will benefit everybody involved all our players, caddies, fans and partners, said chief executive of the European Tour Keith Pelley.

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The Canadian-raised Pelley, who was previously president of Rogers Media, went on to say the change in title better reflects the tours global reach. With DP World as the title sponsor, the tour also announced minimum tournament purses of $2 million, and a $10 million US purse for the season-ending DP World Tour Championship.

With just 23 of the tours 47 scheduled events set to take place in Europe, it seems a fitting change for a tour that had its share of troubles coming out of the pandemic.

The European Tour throughout COVID and coming out of COVID, there has been a lot of events that are not up to the standard that the tour is at, or should be at, Irishman Shane Lowry told the Golf Channel. Im delighted for everyone that plays the tour full time. DP World is a Dubai-based logistics company that has been associated with the European Tour for more than a decade.

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McCARTHY: Sloan the Canadian host at Houston Open - Toronto Sun

An IBM quantum computer.

Cryptocurrencies hold the potential to change finance, eliminating middlemen and bringing accounts to millions of unbanked people around the world. Quantum computers could upend the way pharmaceuticals and materials are designed by bringing their extraordinary power to the process.

Here's the problem: The blockchain accounting technology that powers cryptocurrencies could be vulnerable to sophisticated attacks and forged transactions if quantum computing matures faster than efforts to future-proof digital money.

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Cryptocurrencies are secured by a technology called public key cryptography. The system is ubiquitous, protecting your online purchases and scrambling your communications for anyone other than the intended recipient. The technology works by combining a public key, one that anyone can see, with a private key that's for your eyes only.

If current progress continues, quantum computers will be able to crack public key cryptography, potentially creating a serious threat to the crypto world, where some currencies are valued at hundreds of billions of dollars. If encryption is broken, attackers can impersonate the legitimate owners of cryptocurrency, NFTs or other such digital assets.

"Once quantum computing becomes powerful enough, then essentially all the security guarantees will go out of the window," Dawn Song, a computer security entrepreneur and professor at the University of California, Berkeley, told the Collective[i] Forecast forum in October. "When public key cryptography is broken, users could be losing their funds and the whole system will break."

Quantum computers get their power by manipulating data stored on qubits, elements like charged atoms that are subject to the peculiar physics governing the ultrasmall. To crack encryption, quantum computers will need to harness thousands of qubits, vastly more than the dozens corralled by today's machines. The machines will also need persistent qubits that can perform calculations much longer than the fleeting moments possible right now.

But makers of quantum computers are working hard to address those shortcomings. They're stuffing ever more qubits into machines and working on quantum error correction methods to help qubits perform more-sophisticated and longer calculations.

"We expect that within a few years, sufficiently powerful computers will be available" for cracking blockchains open, said Nir Minerbi, CEO of quantum software maker Classiq Technologies.

The good news for cryptocurrency fans is the quantum computing problem can be fixed by adopting the same post-quantum cryptography technology that the computing industry already has begun developing. The US government's National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), trying to get ahead of the problem, is several years into a careful process to find quantum-proof cryptography algorithms with involvement from researchers around the globe.

Indeed, several cryptocurrency and blockchain efforts are actively working on quantum resistant software:

A problem with the post-quantum cryptography algorithms under consideration so far, though, is that they generally need longer numeric encryption keys and longer processing times, says Peter Chapman, CEO of quantum computer maker IonQ. That could substantially increase the amount of computing horsepower needed to house blockchains.

Many cryptocurrencies, like Bitcoin, are decentralized by design, overseen in effect by anyone who participates in each cryptocurrency network. To update a cryptocurrency's inner workings, people trying to upgrade a cryptocurrency must convince more than half of participants to "fork" the cryptocurrency into a new version.

The real quantum test for cryptocurrencies will be governance structures, not technologies, says Hunter Jensen, chief technology officer of Permission.io, a company using cryptocurrency for a targeted advertising system.

Such governance could reward cryptocurrencies that have stronger central powers, such as Dash with its masternodes or even "govcoins" issued by central banks, that can in principle move more swiftly to adopt post-quantum protection. But it presents a conundrum in the crypto community, which often rejects the idea of authority.

"It will be the truly decentralized currencies which will get hit if their communities are too slow and disorganized to act," said Andersen Cheng, chief executive at Post Quantum, a London based company that sells post-quantum encryption technology.

Another risk is that blockchains rely on a digital fingerprinting technology called hashing that quantum computers could disrupt. That's likely to be fixable with more-modest technology updates, though.

The cryptocurrency wallets people use to keep track of their digital assets could also be vulnerable to quantum computing. These wallets store private keys people need to access their assets recorded on the blockchain. A successful attack could empty a wallet.

"How do you force users to upgrade keys? That answer is not so straightforward and likely the most dangerous part," said Joe Genereux, senior cryptography and security engineer at browser maker Brave, which uses its own Basic Attention Token (BAT) cryptocurrency for an ad system that pays users. "I think cryptocurrencies that have better governance or post-quantum designs baked in early can get around this issue better."

Ultimately, though, cryptocurrency's organic, self-directed development suggests people will update the digital asset technology to surmount quantum computing's challenges, says David Sacco, who teaches at the University of New Haven.

"The beauty of the ecosystem," he said, "is that anyone can do it if they understand the technology."

See the rest here:

Cryptocurrency faces a quantum computing problem - CNET

Quantum computing has the potential to fundamentally transform the technology industry by applying the weird effects of the quantum realm to complex business problems. But right now, quantum computing faces a more mundane problem itself: finding enough recruits.

Demand for digital skills in the workplace has been on a steady upward trend for years, but the sudden increased reliance on technology since the start of 2020 has made competition in tech recruitment even more fierce.

The CIO's guide to Quantum computing

Quantum computers offer great promise for cryptography and optimization problems, and companies are racing to make them practical for business use. ZDNet explores what quantum computers will and wont be able to do, and the challenges that remain.

Read More

The challenge is even greater for organizations dealing in highly specialized technologies. Quantum computing, for example, combines a variety of specialist fields such as quantum theory, advanced mathematics, and computer science that aren't seen on your typical CV, shrinking the talent pool considerably for companies looking to hire in this nascent, but increasingly competitive, industry.

SEE:Quantum computing's next big challenge: A quantum skills shortage

"It is incredibly small," says Samantha Edmondson, head of talent at British quantum computing startup, Universal Quantum, which is on a mission to build the world's first million-qubit quantum computer.

"Say if we were looking to hire an experienced quantum physicist that had the kind of expertise we needed, then yes, you're looking at a small handful of academic groups across the world that you can really pick from."

Quantum computers operate on inherently different principles to classical computers, requiring a new approach to problem-solving and a workforce consisting of academic, technical, and businesses expertise.

No one candidate is going to possess all of these. "It involves so many different skills: we need classical hardware engineers, we need software engineers, we need mathematicians, we need simulation and modelling experts," says Edmondson.

"I think the challenge for us is, if we go to hire a classical engineer, they don't have the physics background; if we hire a physicist, they're not used to working with classical hardware engineering analogue design is new to them."

Another fundamental challenge for businesses is getting people interested in technical fields to begin with.

Not only are fewer young people taking IT and STEM-related subjects at school, but research also suggests that younger generations aren't all too confident about their chances of landing a career in tech either.

Robert Liscouski, CEO of Quantum Computing Inc (QCI), says this is reflective of endemic problems in how young people are educated, which doesn't necessarily include skills that are transferrable into the modern, professional workforce. "I think we're not doing a very good job at all of preparing young people for these technology jobs," he tells ZDNet.

"I think we still have this 19th Century education going on that's really focused on educating children so they can work in factories."

Better education, meanwhile, remains out of reach for most. "Where I live in Northern Virginia, we have a couple of academies that are geared for really advanced education in the secondary school and high schoolThe admission requirements in those programmes are so competitive that kids need to be at the absolute top of their game," says Liscouski.

"That's great you want that advanced thinking. But we need to figure out how we kind of bring that into the entire high school system and inculcate these kids into thinking about technology differently."

One solution for the shortage of specialist tech talent is for employers to bring on employees that are not necessarily already experts in the field, and then train them up on the job.

For a field like quantum computing, this still means being selective in the candidates you can hire higher-level education and expertise in mathematics, physics, engineering, and coding are always going to rank highly, for instance. Even so, internships and training programs can help to lower the barriers to entry.

Universal Quantum runs a three-month internship scheme that's open to graduates who hold a master's in physics or mathematics. Typically, interns take on a specific project that they are given total responsibility for, with Universal Quantum providing support through one-on-one mentoring and drop-in sessions with quantum physicists.

SEE:What is quantum computing? Everything you need to know about the strange world of quantum computers

The internship culminates in them presenting their work to a large section of the company. "Typically, we'll speak to them at the beginning and get a sense of what their interests are, and then we'll match that to a company need we have," says Edmondson.

"They'll often say, 'I don't know anything about quantum' or 'I've never worked in quantum,' and we have to reassure them and say 'that's completely fine, we're happy to teach you that when you come here.' That's quite exciting to them."

Liscouski too believes that deep quantum expertise isn't necessarily a requirement for enterprises to begin taking advantage of quantum computing, although he acknowledges that not all companies have the resources to offer comprehensive training programmes. "It's very hard for small companies and it's very hard for medium-sized companies because you don't have that luxury of taking 10% of your workforce out and putting them in training for a period of time," he says.

"Typically, you hire people because you need them now, not because you need them in six months."

One alternative is to target students at university, college, or even school: something that QCI previously offered with its quantum computing clubs, where participants learn to use the company's software, Qatalyst.

"We're moving into actually the academic instructional program, where professors are using our software as part of their curriculum, and we've got a whole curriculum development programme for that," says Liscouski.

"We're trying to push this down to the lowest common denominator in terms of who can access it. We're even trying to get into high schools to help that workforce development."

Qatalyst is a quantum application accelerator that enables end users to transform real-world problems into quantum-ready requests, and then it processes those requests on a combination of classical computers and cloud-based quantum processors, including Ion-Q, D-Wave, and Rigetti.

SEE:Quantum computing: Getting it ready for business

It enables businesses to make use of quantum applications without needing to have their own quantum computers or specialists.

"It's intended to try to put that technology in the hands of folks who are trying to solve business problems without having to be quantum programmers," says Liscouski.

"Our focus on our platform and the development that we've done to connect to any number of quantum platforms, is to disintermediate, or de-emphasise, the need for this high-end talent that's going to make a program run on a quantum computer."

In many ways, QCI proposes a technical solution to a shortage of specialist skills -- although Liscouski acknowledges that technology on its own is not the be-all to end-all. "We still have this shortcoming of all of this talent that's going to make this stuff work at scale," he adds.

"Quantum programmes are different than classical programmes. The way you look at a problem classically is different to the way you look at a problem from a quantum point of viewThinking about those problems requires a different level of thinking than classical computers."

Given the scant interest in technology careers shown by Generation Z, outreach is going to play a significant role in putting burgeoning, next-generation technologies like quantum computing on their radars undoubtedly the first step to addressing any skills gaps.

Edmondson says tech organizations need to become involved in attracting young people at a grassroots level within schools, as well as getting more creative in how they portray opportunities in the tech sector. "It's definitely a responsibility of businesses to try to nurture the talent pool coming forward and undertake outreach that will assist with that and that's just getting young people excited about things," she says.

SEE:Tech jobs have an image problem, and it's making the skills shortage worse

"We set up a lab in Spitalfields Market in London in a huge shipping container and were giving live demonstrations and experiments. People would come in and we'd talk to them about what we were doing and get them excited. That's relatively small-scale right now, but if somebody goes away and because of that becomes excited to learn something or do a new subject, that's a win."

Liscouski says that exposure to new technologies from an early age will also play an important role in equipping the next-generation workforce with key digital skills and have them working on real-world problems. "I think there has to be either post-high school training capability, or post-college training capability, or colleges have to extend and think more broadly about what they're preparing students to do," he adds.

"Because, at the end of the day, quantum computing like any computer that we know of unless there is end-user adoption, unless there is a focus on what problems can be solved, it becomes a science experiment and is just going to stay in the research world."

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Quantum computing skills are hard to find. Here's how companies are tackling the shortage - ZDNet

The latest breakthrough in the field of quantum computing could pave the way for complex simulations that tell us about the earliest moments of the universe and more.

A team of researchers from the University of Waterloo, Canada, claims to have performed the first ever simulation of baryons (a highly complex type of subatomic particle) on a quantum computer.

To achieve this goal, the researchers paired a traditional computer with a quantum machine in the cloud, and developed from scratch a quantum algorithm that was resource-efficient enough to allow the system to shoulder the workload.

Until now, computers have only been able to simulate the composite elements of baryons (which are made up of three quarks), but the research paper shows its possible to perform detailed quantum simulations with many baryons.

Although the science is complex, the broad significance is this: scientists will be able to simulate aspects of physics completely out of reach for traditional supercomputers.

According to the researchers, the breakthrough represents a landmark step towards overcoming the limitations of classical computing and allowing the massive potential of quantum computers to be realized.

This is an important step forward - it is the first simulation of baryone on a quantum computer ever, said Christine Muschik, faculty member at the Institute for Quantum Computing (IQC). Instead of smashing particles in an accelerator, a quantum computer may one day allow us to simulate these interactions that we use to study the origins of the universe and so much more.

More specifically, researchers will be able to simulate complex lattice gauge theories, which describe the physics of reality. So-called non-Abelian gauge theories are said to be particularly attractive candidates for quantum simulation, as they relate to the stability of matter in the universe.

While the most powerful traditional computers are able to simulate simple non-Abelian gauge theories, only a quantum computer (as has now been proven) can perform the complex simulations necessary to unpack the inner workings of the universe.

Whats exciting about these results for us is that the theory can be made so much more complicated, added Jinglei Zhang, another researcher at the IQC. We can consider simulating matter at higher densities, which is beyond the capability of classical computers.

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Quantum computing breakthrough may help us learn about the earliest moments of the universe - TechRadar

PARIS, FRANCE - JUNE 25: In this photo illustration, a visual representation of the digital ... [+] Cryptocurrency, Bitcoin is displayed in front of the Bitcoin course's graph on June 25, 2019 in Paris, France.

Everyone was stunned when the new mayor of New York City Eric Adams announced he was planning to receive his first three paychecks in Bitcoin, the cryptocurrency thats been dominating the financial headlines for the past year. The mayor of Miami, Francis Suarez, had already announced he would accept his first paycheck 100% in Bitcoin.

The mayoral announcements are still more signs that cryptocurrencies are no longer esoteric investments for the super-rich (or super-crooks) but have entered the financial mainstream.Back in May Deutsche Bank pronounced Bitcoin the third biggest world currency in terms of circulation. Only the euro and the U.S. dollar are bigger.

Mayor Adams himself says he intends to make New York City the center of the cryptocurrency industry.

Of course, the history of markets teaches us that what goes up must eventually come downespecially a commodity like crypto, whose rise has been fueled as much by media hype as by financial realities. Whether the current crypto boom turns out to be a crypto bubble, is impossible to say. What Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies do have going for them are two virtues.

The first is that they are not state-denominated currencies, whose heads around the world have turned out to be inept or corrupt or both.

The other is cryptocurrencys reliance on blockchain, or Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT), to protect and authenticate its transactions.The on-going ledger of cryptocurrency transactions is never stored in any single location, which means no centralized version exists for a hacker to corrupt.Since the data is hosted by millions of computers simultaneously, its accessible to anyone on the internet. But its also protected because after every transaction within the shared ledger; and once all the ledgers match for every computer in the network; the transaction is encrypted with the rest in whats known as a block. The new block is then added to existing previous blocks to form a chain of blockshence the term blockchain.

All in all, blockchain is a built-in security system that prohibits a hacker or attacker from forcing open the distributed ledger without everyone knowing it.

As tech guru George Gilder argues in his book, Life After Google, using blockchain to share but also protect data poses a greater threat to Big Tech dominance of the internet than any government regulation or legislationjust as cryptocurrencies pose a useful challenge to the elites who control our state-denominated currencies.

But as always theres a catch. Blockchain is an adequate safeguard against existing cyber threats, but not against the future one posed by large-scale quantum computers.

As I mentioned in a previous column, blockchains encryption is based on Elliptical Curve Cryptography, which will be vulnerable to factorization by quantum computers that can decrypt the complex algorithms used by asymmetric encryption systems to secure almost all electronic data, including blockchain.The quantum attacker will simply look like another member of the shared ledger, in a cyber assault that will be undetectable and persistent.

CHICAGO, IL - DECEMBER 19: Traders trade VIX contracts at the Cboe Global Markets exchange ... [+] (previously referred to as CBOE Holdings, Inc.) on December 19, 2017 in Chicago, Illinois. Last week the exchange became the first in the Unites States to begin trading Bitcoin futures. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

How vulnerable will cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin be?

Consider: in 2020 the total market cap of cryptocurrencies was $330 billion. Today it is approaching $2 trillion. Institutional investors account for 63% of trading in cryptos, compared to just 10% in 2017, which means a collapse of crypto value is bound to ripple through balance sheets all around Wall Street-and around the world.

Our most recent study conducted here at the Quantum Alliance Initiative done in conjunction with the econometric firm Oxford Economics indicates that a quantum attack on crypto precipitating a 99.2% collapse of value, would inflict $1.865 Trillion in immediate losses to owners, with nearly $1.5 trillion in indirect losses to the whole economy due to that collapse.

All in all, we are looking at a $3.3 trillion blow to the U.S. economy.

Thats a calculation based on cryptos current value. By the time a large-scale quantum computer emerges, by 2030 or so, cryptocurrencies will be even more imbedded in the global financial systemand the losses even greater.

Fortunately, theres a solution. The most immediate is post-quantum cryptography, i.e., deploying algorithm-based encryption that is impenetrable to future quantum attack but also to classical attack right now. Crypto exchanges have already drawn highly damaging attacks, like the one in 2018 on Bithumb, the South Korean crypto-currency exchange, which cost $30 million, or the assault on Poly Network this past August in which cyber thieves stole more than $600 million.

BEIJING, Dec. 4, 2020 A research team including renowned Chinese quantum physicist Pan Jianwei on ... [+] Dec. 4, 2020 announced a significant computing breakthrough, achieving quantum computational advantage. (Photo by An Zhiping/Xinhua via Getty) (Xinhua/An Zhiping via Getty Images)

The National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) is working on standards for post-quantum cryptography for rollout starting in 2024, but there is no reason to wait.Companies in the USA and Canada can offer solutions now, including hybrid solutions that offer the best of both post-quantum and quantum-based technologieswhile others are creating versions of DLT that incorporates quantum solutions from the start.

Make no mistake; regardless of Bitcoin and Ethereums ups and downs in the current marketseven if a Bitcoin bubble burstscrypto currencies are here to stay.Quantum-safe solutions can make sure they are stable and secure for a long time to come.

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Will Quantum Computers Burst The Bitcoin Boom? - Forbes

TEL-AVIV, Nov. 12, 2021 Classiq, which provides a breakthrough Quantum Algorithm Design platform, announced today that it is collaborating with the Fraunhofer Institute, the leading organization for applied research in Europe, as well as other major academic centers, on the development of software for industrial use of quantum computers.

The SEQUOIA Project, part of the Competence Center Quantum Computing Baden-Wrttemberg, focuses on the software engineering of industrial hybrid quantum applications and algorithms. The project is researching, developing, and testing new methods, tools, and procedures for quantum computing in order to enable future industrial use. It includes the Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Engineering IAO, then Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation IPA, the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Solid State Physics IAF, the University of Tubingen, the FZI Research Center, and the University of Stuttgart with the institutes IAAS and HLRS.

The SEQUOIA project focuses on three central aspects with the main results:

The quantum application center with applications and algorithms, e.g. for manufacturing, production, logistics, energy, and engineering.

The quantum software component kit as the basis for the implementation of application components, algorithms, hybrid quantum-classical solutions, and demonstrators. The quantum software engineering model with its own methods, procedures, technologies, and experiences from the project.

We are pleased for the opportunity to collaborate with the Fraunhofer Institute on groundbreaking software work for the benefit of industrial customers, says Shai Lev, Head of Business Development and Partnerships at Classiq, this collaboration leverages the unique abilities of Classiq and Fraunhofer, two leaders in their fields.

Specifically, Classiq would work within the SEQUOIA framework and with the SEQUOIA partners on two main problems:

Solving mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) problems with state-of-the art (gate-based) quantum computers. MILP problems are a special class of linear programming problems that is used for production planning and scheduling, optimization of cellular and telecommunications networks, and more.

Solving coupled partial differential equations with the Harrow Hassidim Lloyd (HHL) quantum algorithm. These are applicable to numerous problems such as fluid flow, electrodynamics, and more.

We welcome Classiq into the Sequoia partnership, says Dr. ChristianTutschku, from the Fraunhofer Institute. We are looking forward to work with the Classiq team on novel methods of generating quantum algorithms.

About Classiq

Quantum is disrupting computing. Classiqs Quantum Algorithm Design platform is revolutionizing quantum software development. Forward-thinking companies use our platform to solve real-world problems with quantum circuits that could not be created otherwise. Our patented breakthrough technology automatically transforms high-level functional models into optimized quantum circuits for a wide range of back-end systems, turning months into minutes of work and making it possible to harness the true power of todays andtomorrows computers.To learn more, follow Classiq onLinkedIn,TwitterorYouTubeor visitwww.classiq.io.

Source: Classiq

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Classiq to Collaborate with The Fraunhofer Institute and other Leading Universities on New Methods for Industrial Quantum Use - HPCwire