Quantum Biomimetics

136 p.En esta tesis proponemos el concepto de Biomimética Cuántica orientado hacia la reproducción de comportamientos propios de los seres vivos en protocolos de información cuántica. En concreto, las propiedades que aspiramos a imitar emergen como resultado de fenómenos de interacción en diferentes escalas, resultando inaccesibles para un tratamiento matemático acorde al ofrecido por las plataformas de tecnologías cuánticas. Por tanto, el objetivo de la tesis es el de diseñar modelos con cabida para las mencionadas características biológicas pero simplificados de forma que puedan ser adaptados en protocolos experimentales. La tesis se divide en tres partes, una por cada rasgo biológico diferente empleado como inspiración: selección natural, memoria e inteligencia. El estudio presentado en la primera parte culmina con la obtención de un modelo de vida artificial con una identidad exclusivamente cuántica, que no solo permite la escenificación del modelo de selección natural a escala microscópica si no que proporciona un posible marco para la implementación de algoritmos genéticos y problemas de optimización en plataformas cuánticas. En la segunda parte se muestran algoritmos asociados con la simulación de evolución temporal regida por ecuaciones con una dependencia explicita en términos deslocalizados temporalmente. Estos permiten la incorporación de la retroalimentación y posalimentación al conjunto de herramientas en información cuántica. La tercera y última parte versa acerca de la posible simbiosis entre los algoritmos de aprendizaje y los protocolos cuánticos. Mostramos como aplicar técnicas de optimización clásicas para tratar problemas cuánticos así como la codificación y resolución de problemas en dinámicas puramente cuánticas

A game theory model to explore the role of cooperation and diversity in community food security: the case of Southern Malawi

The Sustainable Development Goals aim at ending food insecurity by 2030. Therefore, civil society needs to understand the inherent complexities of both socio-economic and ecological dynamics and their interdependencies. In particular, the behavioural dynamics that underpin human agents are crucial in driving the final outcomes in terms of community food security and require further attention. Using household behaviour within a rural village of Southern Malawi as an example, we describe a game theory model representing cropping strategies: (1) cooperation, as driven by other-regarding preferences, and (2) conformation, the tendency to converge to similar crop planting choices as opposed to differentiation (and thus crop diversity). We find that the latter plays a crucial role in driving the system towards successful strategies: how individuals relate to social norms has greater effect. Cooperation is only necessary for community success when the community converges on crop planting choices. On the contrary, differentiation, the affirmation of the individual unique identity, can succeed with or without cooperation. We further elaborate on the idea that community level sustainability can be reached through different pathways, which might require food exchange mechanisms within and beyond the system boundaries. © 2020, Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.This research is supported by the Basque Government through the BERC 2018-2021 program and by the Ikertzaile Doktoreentzako Hobekuntzarako doktoretza-ondoko Programa and by Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness MINECO through BC3 María de Maeztu excellence accreditation MDM-2017-0714 and by the Leverhulme TrustResearch Fellowship “CREATE: the network components of creativity and success. This work was also inspired and partially funded by the ASSETS (Attaining Sustainable Services from Ecosystems) project (NERC/ESPA NE-J002267-1)

Quantum Artificial Life in an IBM Quantum Computer

We present the first experimental realization of a quantum artificial life algorithm in a quantum computer. The quantum biomimetic protocol encodes tailored quantum behaviors belonging to living systems, namely, self-replication, mutation, interaction between individuals, and death, into the cloud quantum computer IBM ibmqx4. In this experiment, entanglement spreads throughout generations of individuals, where genuine quantum information features are inherited through genealogical networks. As a pioneering proof-of-principle, experimental data fits the ideal model with accuracy. Thereafter, these and other models of quantum artificial life, for which no classical device may predict its quantum supremacy evolution, can be further explored in novel generations of quantum computers. Quantum biomimetics, quantum machine learning, and quantum artificial intelligence will move forward hand in hand through more elaborate levels of quantum complexity. © 2018, The Author(s).We acknowledge support from Spanish MINECO/FEDER FIS2015-69983-P, UPV/EHU new PhD program, Basque Government Programa Posdoctoral de Perfeccionamiento de Personal Investigador Doctor, Basque Government IT986-16, and Ramón y Cajal Grant RYC-2012-11391

Quantum autoencoders via quantum adders with genetic algorithms

The quantum autoencoder is a recent paradigm in the field of quantum machine learning, which may enable an enhanced use of resources in quantum technologies. To this end, quantum neural networks with less nodes in the inner than in the outer layers were considered. Here, we propose a useful connection between quantum autoencoders and quantum adders, which approximately add two unknown quantum states supported in different quantum systems. Specifically, this link allows us to employ optimized approximate quantum adders, obtained with genetic algorithms, for the implementation of quantum autoencoders for a variety of initial states. Furthermore, we can also directly optimize the quantum autoencoders via genetic algorithms. Our approach opens a different path for the design of quantum autoencoders in controllable quantum platforms. (c) 2018 IOP Publishing Ltd.The authors acknowledge support from Spanish MINECO FIS2015-69983-P, Ramón y Cajal Grant RYC-2012-11391, UPV/EHU Postdoctoral Grant, and Basque Government Postdoctoral Grant POS_2017_1_0022 and IT986-16

Source identification of amphetamine-like stimulants in Spanish wastewater through enantiomeric profiling

Amphetamine (AMP), methamphetamine (MAMP) and 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) occur in wastewater not only as a result of illicit consumption, but also, in some cases, from prescription drug use or by direct drug disposal into the sewage system. Enantiomeric profiling of these chiral drugs could give more insight into the origin of their occurrence. In this manuscript, a new analytical methodology for the enantiomeric analysis of amphetamine-like substances in wastewater has been developed. The method consists of a solid-phase extraction (SPE) followed by liquid chromatography-triple quadrupole-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), which showed low quantification limits in the 2.4–5.5 ng L−1 range. The LC-MS/MS method was first applied to characterize a total of 38 solid street drug samples anonymously provided by consumers. The results of these analysis showed that AMP and MDMA trafficked into Spain are synthesized as racemate, while MAMP is exclusively produced as the S(+)-enantiomer. Then, the analytical method was employed to analyse urban wastewater samples collected from the wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) of five different cities in 2018 and 2019. Consumption estimated through normalized population loads in wastewater showed an increased pattern of AMP use in the Basque Country. Furthermore, the enantiomeric profiling of wastewater samples was contrasted to lisdexamfetamine (LIS) and selegiline (SEL) prescription figures, two pharmaceuticals which metabolize to S(+)-AMP, and to R(-)-AMP and R(-)-MAMP, respectively. From this analysis, and considering uncertainties derived from metabolism and adherence to treatment, it was concluded that LIS is a relevant source of AMP in those cases with low wastewater loads, i.e. up to a maximum of 60% of AMP detected in wastewater in some samples could originate from LIS prescription, while SEL does not represent a significant source of AMP nor MAMP. Finally, removal efficiencies could be evaluated for the WWTP (serving ca. 860,000 inhabitants) with higher AMP influent concentrations. The removal of AMP was satisfactory with rates higher than 99%, whereas MDMA showed an average removal of approximately 60%, accompanied by an enrichment of R(-)-MDMAThis study was supported by MINECO/MICINN/AEI projects (CTM2016-81935-REDT, CTM2017-84763-C3-2-R, CTM2017-84763-C3-1-R, CTM2017-84763-C3-3-R, PID2020-117686RB-C32, PID2020-117686RB-C31, PID2020-117686RB-C33), Galician Council of Culture, Education and Universities (ED481D-2017/003, ED431C-2017/36, ED481A-2020/258 and ED431C 2021/06), cofounded by FEDER/ERDF. UJI authors acknowledge the financial support of Generalitat Valenciana (Excellence Research Group, Prometeo 2019/040). Alberto Celma acknowledges the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness for his predoctoral Grant (BES-2016-076914). Vanessa Gutmann acknowledges the support of the ERASMUS+ program.S

Fomentar el raonament crític i analític en el treball individual i grupal en l’alumnat de Psicologia

Donada la pluralitat d’opcions teòriques, metodològiques i d’intervenció en l’àrea psicosocial, aquest àmbit requereix de professionals amb competències d’anàlisi, reflexió crítica i treball en equip. En els actuals estudis de grau de Psicologia, la primera d’aquestes competències està present en 4 assignatures obligatòries de l’àmbit de la psicologia social i, la segona, en 2. Malgrat tot, en la pràctica docent, ambdues es retroalimenten, ja que el raonament analític i crític es nodreix del diàleg en el treball en equip i a la inversa. A partir d’aquí, l’objectiu del present projecte ha sigut, a través de les diferents assignatures obligatòries, desenvolupar una seqüència coordinada d’activitats formatives per millorar l’assoliment d’aquelles competències i posar en pràctica uns sistemes d’avaluació de les mateixes. A l’hora de redactar el projecte es preveia introduir unes practiques docents que de manera seqüenciada l’alumnat donés mostres de les competències assolides en termes de raonament crític i treball en grup. Els resultats aconseguits responen a los objectius plantejats tot i que d’acord amb les noves practiques i eines docents s’han d’anar any darrera any adaptant a les noves realitats.Vicerectorat de Política Docent i PMI

Artificial Life in Quantum Technologies

We develop a quantum information protocol that models the biological behaviours of individuals living in a natural selection scenario. The artificially engineered evolution of the quantum living units shows the fundamental features of life in a common environment, such as self-replication, mutation, interaction of individuals, and death. We propose how to mimic these bio-inspired features in a quantum-mechanical formalism, which allows for an experimental implementation achievable with current quantum platforms. This study paves the way for the realization of artificial life and embodied evolution with quantum technologies.The authors acknowledge inspiring discussions with O. Boada and Y. Omar, and support from Spanish MINECO FIS2012-36673-C03-02; Ramon y Cajal Grant RYC-2012-11391; UPV/EHU UFI 11/55 and EHUA14/04, Basque Government IT472-10 and BFI-2012-322; PROMISCE and SCALEQIT EU projects

Biomimetic Cloning of Quantum Observables

We propose a bio-inspired sequential quantum protocol for the cloning and preservation of the statistics associated to quantum observables of a given system. It combines the cloning of a set of commuting observables, permitted by the no-cloning and no-broadcasting theorems, with a controllable propagation of the initial state coherences to the subsequent generations. The protocol mimics the scenario in which an individual in an unknown quantum state copies and propagates its quantum information into an environment of blank qubits Finally, we propose a realistic experimental implementation of this protocol in trapped ions.The authors acknowledge funding from Basque Government BFI-2012-322 and IT472-10 grants, Spanish MINECO FIS2012-36673-C03-02, Ramon y Cajal Grant RYC-2012-11391, UPV/EHU UFI 11/55, CCQED, PROMISCE, and SCALEQIT European projects

Quantum Artificial Life in an IBM Quantum Computer

We present the first experimental realization of a quantum artificial life algorithm in a quantum computer. The quantum biomimetic protocol encodes tailored quantum behaviors belonging to living systems, namely, self-replication, mutation, interaction between individuals, and death, into the cloud quantum computer IBM ibmqx4. In this experiment, entanglement spreads throughout generations of individuals, where genuine quantum information features are inherited through genealogical networks. As a pioneering proof-of-principle, experimental data fits the ideal model with accuracy. Thereafter, these and other models of quantum artificial life, for which no classical device may predict its quantum supremacy evolution, can be further explored in novel generations of quantum computers. Quantum biomimetics, quantum machine learning, and quantum artificial intelligence will move forward hand in hand through more elaborate levels of quantum complexity.We thank Armando Perez-Leija and Alexander Szameit for enthusiastic and enlightening discussions. We acknowledge the use of IBM Quantum Experience for this work. The views expressed are those of the authors and do not reflect the official policy or position of IBM or the IBM Quantum Experience team. We acknowledge support from Spanish MINECO/FEDER FIS2015-69983-P, UPV/EHU new PhD program, Basque Government Programa Posdoctoral de Perfeccionamiento de Personal Investigador Doctor, Basque Government IT986-16, and Ramon y Cajal Grant RYC-2012-11391