Running large-scale simulations is a crucial aspect of modern scientific research, yet it often requires a vast amount of computational resources. As we approach the era of exascale computing, which will be marked by the introduction of highly performing supercomputers, researchers have been trying to develop new architectures and codes to meet the huge computational requirements of our times. An important property to consider when developing codes for the exascale computing era is performance portability, which prevents the repeated, non-trivial refactoring of a code for different architectures.
* This article was originally published here
Friday, 31 May 2019
Simplifying soft robots
A soft robot developed by researchers from the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) could pave the way to fully untethered robots for space exploration, search and rescue systems, biomimetics, medical surgery, rehabilitation and more.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Video: What are the northern lights?
Every winter, thousands of tourists head north hoping to catch a glimpse of the luminous auroras dancing in the sky.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Research reveals role of fat storage cells in anti-obesity intervention
New research from a team at the Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine establishes a role of adipocyte Na/K-ATPase signaling in worsening obesity and its companion diseases, including neurodegeneration and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), that was enhanced by specific targeting of NaKtide, an antagonist of Na/K-ATPase signaling, to the adipocyte.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Community impacts from extreme weather shape climate beliefs
Recent studies have suggested that people who experience the impacts of hurricanes, catastrophic flooding or other severe weather events are more likely to believe in, and be concerned about, climate change in the wake of the disaster.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
REPLAB: A low-cost benchmark platform for robotic learning
Researchers at UC Berkeley have developed a reproducible, low-cost and compact benchmark platform to evaluate robotic learning approaches, which they called REPLAB. Their recent study, presented in a paper pre-published on arXiv, was supported by Berkeley DeepDrive, the Office of Naval Research (ONR), Google, NVIDIA and Amazon.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Outsmarting deep fakes: AI-driven imaging system protects authenticity
To thwart sophisticated methods of altering photos and video, researchers at the NYU Tandon School of Engineering have demonstrated an experimental technique to authenticate images throughout the entire pipeline, from acquisition to delivery, using artificial intelligence (AI).
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Certain antidepressants could provide treatment for multiple infectious diseases
Some antidepressants could potentially be used to treat a wide range of diseases caused by bacteria living within cells, according to work by researchers in the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine and collaborators at other institutions.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Hydrogen-power electric flying vehicle: Long road to liftoff
A transportation company is betting its sleek new hydrogen-powered electric flying vehicles will someday serve as taxis, cargo carriers and ambulances of the sky, but experts say they will have to clear a number of regulatory hurdles before being approved for takeoff years in the future.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Stanford Doggo: a highly agile quadruped robot
Researchers at Stanford University have recently created an open-source quadruped robot called Stanford Doggo. Their robot, presented in a paper pre-published on arXiv and set to be published by IEEE Explore, exceeds the performance of many state-of-the-art legged robots in vertical jumping agility.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Tornado outbreaks reminder to make smartphones disaster-ready
Tornadoes have torn their way across the country as the natural disaster season starts, leaving hundreds displaced from their homes and lives in disarray.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
A common skin bacterium put children with severe eczema at higher risk of food allergy
In a new study published today in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, scientists from King's College London have found that young children with severe eczema infected with Staphylococcus aureus (SA) bacterium, are at a higher risk of developing a food allergy.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
PULP Dronet: A 27-gram nano-UAV inspired by insects
Researchers at ETH Zürich and the University of Bologna have recently created PULP Dronet, a 27-gram nano-size unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) with a deep learning-based visual navigation engine. Their mini-drone, presented in a paper pre-published on arXiv, can run aboard an end-to-end, closed-loop visual pipeline for autonomous navigation powered by a state-of-the-art deep learning algorithm.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Researchers try to recreate human-like thinking in machines
Researchers at Oxford University have recently tried to recreate human thinking patterns in machines, using a language guided imagination (LGI) network. Their method, outlined in a paper pre-published on arXiv, could inform the development of artificial intelligence that is capable of human-like thinking, which entails a goal-directed flow of mental ideas guided by language.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Transgender no longer classified as mental health disorder by WHO
(HealthDay)—Transgender people will no longer be classified as having a mental disorder by the World Health Organization.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
New algorithm may help people store more pictures, share videos faster
The world produces about 2.5 quintillion bytes of data every day. Storing and transferring all of this enormous—and constantly growing—number of images, videos, Tweets, and other forms of data is becoming a significant challenge, one that threatens to undermine the growth of the internet and thwart the introduction of new technologies, such as the Internet of Things.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
James Webb Space Telescope emerges successfully from final thermal vacuum test
NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has successfully cleared another critical testing milestone, taking this ambitious observatory one step closer to its 2021 launch. The spacecraft has gone through its final thermal vacuum test meant to ensure that its hardware will function electronically in the vacuum of space, and withstand the extreme temperature variations it will encounter on its mission.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Scientists engineer unique 'glowing' protein
Biophysicists from the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology have joined forces with colleagues from France and Germany to create a new fluorescent protein. Besides glowing when irradiated with ultraviolet and blue light, it is exceedingly small and stable under high temperatures. The authors of the paper, published in the journal Photochemical & Photobiological Sciences, believe the protein holds prospects for fluorescence microscopy. This technique is used in research on cancer, infectious diseases, and organ development, among other things.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Thursday, 30 May 2019
Electrified methane reformer produces far less carbon dioxide
A team of researchers from several institutions in Denmark, along with colleagues from Sintex and Haldor Topsoe, has developed an electrified methane reformer that produces far less CO2 than conventional steam-methane reformers. In their paper published in the journal Science, the group describes their new technology and how well it works. Kevin Van Geem, Vladimir Galvita and Guy Marin with the Laboratory for Chemical Technology and Center for Sustainable Chemistry in Ghent have published a Perspective piece on the work done by the team in the same journal issue.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
'Slothbot' takes a leisurely approach to environmental monitoring
For environmental monitoring, precision agriculture, infrastructure maintenance and certain security applications, slow and energy efficient can be better than fast and always needing a recharge. That's where "SlothBot" comes in.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Laser technique could unlock use of tough material for next-generation electronics
In 2004, researchers discovered a super thin material that is at least a 100 times stronger than steel and the best known conductor of heat and electricity.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Physicists 'teleport' logic operation between separated ions
Physicists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have teleported a computer circuit instruction known as a quantum logic operation between two separated ions (electrically charged atoms), showcasing how quantum computer programs could carry out tasks in future large-scale quantum networks.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
How kids benefit from doing chores
(HealthDay)—Chores. Whether you're an adult or a child, the very word makes any job sound less than fun.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Winter could pose solar farm 'ramping' snag for power grid
By adding utility-scale solar farms throughout New York state, summer electricity demand from conventional sources could be reduced by up to 9.6% in some places.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Wednesday, 29 May 2019
How to quell a cytokine storm: New ways to dampen an overactive immune system
BRCA—the family of DNA-repair proteins associated with breast, ovarian prostate, and pancreatic cancers—interacts with a multipart, molecular complex that is also responsible for regulating the immune system. When certain players in this pathway go awry, autoimmune disorders, like lupus, can arise. Now, researchers in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and colleagues at the University of Leeds, United Kingdom, have deciphered the structure of the complex and have found new molecular targets for fighting autoimmunity. Their findings are published this week in Nature.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Three convolutional neural network models for facial expression recognition in the wild
Two researchers at Shanghai University of Electric Power have recently developed and evaluated new neural network models for facial expression recognition (FER) in the wild. Their study, published in Elsevier's Neurocomputing journal, presents three models of convolutional neural networks (CNNs): a Light-CNN, a dual-branch CNN and a pre-trained CNN.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Thinning forests, prescribed fire before drought reduced tree loss
Thinning forests and conducting prescribed burns may help preserve trees in future droughts and bark beetle epidemics expected under climate change, suggests a study from the University of California, Davis.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Italy team cheers robot pulling a passenger plane
This four-legged robot has pull—3 tons of it—and its engineers were proud to show it off on May 23 as rugged and powerful as it is.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
A quicker eye for robotics to help in our cluttered, human environments
In a step toward home-helper robots that can quickly navigate unpredictable and disordered spaces, University of Michigan researchers have developed an algorithm that lets machines perceive their environments orders of magnitude faster than similar previous approaches.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Tuesday, 28 May 2019
Doping soldiers so they fight better—is it ethical?
The military is constantly using technology to build better ships, warplanes, guns and armor. Shouldn't it also use drugs to build better soldiers?
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Researchers crack an enduring physics enigma
For decades, physicists, engineers and mathematicians have failed to explain a remarkable phenomenon in fluid mechanics: the natural tendency of turbulence in fluids to move from disordered chaos to perfectly parallel patterns of oblique turbulent bands. This transition from a state of chaotic turbulence to a highly structured pattern was observed by many scientists, but never understood.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Researchers find more evidence of 14th-century tsunami that wiped out Sumatran villages
A team of researchers with members from Singapore, Indonesia, Ireland and the U.K. has found more evidence of a tsunami approximately 600 years ago that destroyed communities in the same part of Sumatra as the 2004 tsunami. In their paper published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the group describes their study of gravestones and pottery in the area and what they found.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Driverless cars working together can speed up traffic by 35%
A fleet of driverless cars working together to keep traffic moving smoothly can improve overall traffic flow by at least 35 percent, researchers have shown.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Monday, 27 May 2019
Historic flooding predicted along Arkansas River
Residents in parts of Arkansas are preparing for what meteorologists are predicting will be the worst flooding in recorded history along parts of the Arkansas River over the coming week.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Britain wakes up to student mental health plight
Former business student Greg used to resort to drink and drugs to get to sleep—a common story at British universities struggling to adapt to growing concerns about student mental health problems.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
A gut check for heart failure patients
Heart failure patients who consume more dietary fibre tend to have healthier gut bacteria, which is associated with reduced risk of death or need of a heart transplant. The fibre study was presented today at Heart Failure 2019, a scientific congress of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC).
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Fake Facebook accounts: the never-ending battle against bots
The staggering figure of more than three billion fake accounts blocked by Facebook over a six-month period highlights the challenges faced by social networks in curbing automated accounts, or bots, and other nefarious efforts to manipulate the platforms.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Sunday, 26 May 2019
Tapping the power of AI and high-performance computing to extend evolution to superconductors
Owners of thoroughbred stallions carefully breed prizewinning horses over generations to eke out fractions of a second in million-dollar races. Materials scientists have taken a page from that playbook, turning to the power of evolution and artificial selection to develop superconductors that can transmit electric current as efficiently as possible.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Short-term use of opioids increases subjective pleasure
The human opioid system contributes to the regulation of emotions, pleasure and pain. Opioids are strong analgesics. In addition to effectively relieving pain, external opioids may improve mood and reduce negative emotions. However, not much has been known about the effect of opioids on emotional responses caused by external stimuli.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Lonely patients with heart failure least likely to follow treatment recommendations
Less than 10% of heart failure patients comply with advice on salt and fluid restrictions, daily weighing, and physical activity, reports a study presented today at Heart Failure 2019, a scientific congress of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC).
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
This robot helps you lift objects—by looking at your biceps
We humans are very good at collaboration. For instance, when two people work together to carry a heavy object like a table or a sofa, they tend to instinctively coordinate their motions, constantly recalibrating to make sure their hands are at the same height as the other person's. Our natural ability to make these types of adjustments allows us to collaborate on tasks big and small.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Malaria back with a vengeance in crisis-hit Venezuela
If it weren't for the Center for Malaria Studies in Caracas, Francelis Pacheco would have been unable to get treatment for a disease she has contracted around 20 times.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
New approaches to study the genetics of autism spectrum disorder may lead to new therapies
Canadian neuroscientists are using novel experimental approaches to understand autism spectrum disorder, from studying multiple variation in a single gene to the investigation of networks of interacting genes to find new treatments for the disorder.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
CycleMatch: a new approach for matching images and text
Researchers at Leiden University and the National University of Defense Technology (NUDT), in China, have recently developed a new approach for image-text matching, called CycleMatch. Their approach, presented in a paper published in Elsevier's Pattern Recognition journal, is based on cycle-consistent learning, a technique that is sometimes used to train artificial neural networks on image-to-image translation tasks. The general idea behind cycle-consistency is that when transforming source data into target data and then vice versa, one should finally obtain the original source samples.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Engineered bacteria could be missing link in energy storage
One of the big issues with sustainable energy systems is how to store electricity that's generated from wind, solar and waves. At present, no existing technology provides large-scale storage and energy retrieval for sustainable energy at a low financial and environmental cost.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Soil communities threatened by destruction, instability of Amazon forests
The clearing and subsequent instability of Amazonian forests are among the greatest threats to tropical biodiversity conservation today.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Vertical plating offers benefit for mandibular body fractures
(HealthDay)—For treatment of mandibular body fractures, vertical plating offers equal or greater resistance to torsional forces and is associated with reduced incidence of postoperative complications and operative time, according to a study published online May 23 in JAMA Facial Plastic Surgery.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Sea dragons captivate visitors at California aquarium
At first glance, it looks like a branch of kelp, but then an eye moves among its leafy appendages, and ridges of tiny, translucent fins start to flutter, sending the creature gliding through the water like something from a fairy tale.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Obstructive sleep apnea linked to cancer diagnosis in women
(HealthDay)—Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is associated with cancer diagnosis, especially among women, according to a research letter published online May 20 in the European Respiratory Journal.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Private, stable and landed: Meet Tor Browser 8.5
A Tor browser has arrived as a stable release for Android. Ultraprivate. And some Tor wish-listers will say, finally. "Until recently, it was only available on desktop devices. Now, the stable version is available for Android, too," said George Burduli, XDA Developers.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Samsung at foundry event talks about 3nm, MBCFET developments
"The nanometer process deals with the space between the transistors mounted on a substrate at a nanometer level," said Pulse.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
World celebrates centenary of confirmation of relativity
Celebrations are underway across the globe to commemorate 100 years since a UK-led expedition confirmed Einstein's general theory of relativity. The theory fundamentally changed our understanding of physics and astronomy, and underpins critical modern technologies such as the satellite-based Global Positioning System (GPS). A series of public events in the UK and around the world will mark this seminal anniversary.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Comet inspires chemistry for making breathable oxygen on Mars
Science fiction stories are chock full of terraforming schemes and oxygen generators for a very good reason—we humans need molecular oxygen (O2) to breathe, and space is essentially devoid of it. Even on other planets with thick atmospheres, O2 is hard to come by.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
100% renewables doesn't equal zero-carbon energy, and the difference is growing
While 160 companies around the world have committed to use "100 percent renewable energy," that does not mean "100 percent carbon-free energy." The difference will grow as power grids become less reliant on fossil power, according to a new Stanford study published today in Joule. Entities committed to fighting climate change can and should measure the environmental benefits of their renewable strategies accurately, the authors write.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Saturday, 25 May 2019
Army Corps approves $778M plan to block Asian carp advance
The head of the Army Corps of Engineers has sent Congress a $778 million plan to fortify an Illinois waterway with noisemakers, electric cables and other devices in the hope that they will prevent Asian carp from reaching the Great Lakes, where the aggressive invaders could leave other fish with too little to eat.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Friday, 24 May 2019
Dog-like robot jumps, flips and trots
Putting their own twist on robots that amble through complicated landscapes, the Stanford Student Robotics club's Extreme Mobility team has developed a four-legged robot that is not only capable of performing acrobatic tricks and traversing challenging terrain but is also designed with reproducibility in mind. Anyone who wants their own version of the robot, dubbed Stanford Doggo, can consult comprehensive plans, code and a supply list that the students have made freely available online.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Thursday, 23 May 2019
Study reveals the evolution and diversity of Leptospira bacteria
Leptospirosis is an emerging zoonotic disease that affects more than one million people around the world each year. Researchers reporting in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases have now sequenced the genomes of Leptospira collected from environments around the globe and revealed 30 new species and new patterns of species diversity.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Building a better salt trap: Scientists synthesize a molecular 'cage' to trap chloride
Indiana University researchers have created a powerful new molecule for the extraction of salt from liquid. The work has potential to help increase the amount of drinkable water on Earth.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Marching for climate change may sway people's beliefs and actions
Americans have a long tradition of taking to the streets to protest or to advocate for things they believe in. New research suggests that when it comes to climate change, these marches may indeed have a positive effect on the public.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
What we think we know—but might not—pushes us to learn more
(Spoiler alert if you haven't watched the "Game of Thrones" season finale)
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Barcelona taxi drivers to lodge legal case against Uber
A Barcelona-based association of taxi drivers on Thursday announced it would lodge a legal complaint against ride-hailing services Uber and Cabify for fraud and other offences.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Huawei could be stripped of Google services after US ban
Huawei could lose its grip on the No. 2 ranking in worldwide cellphone sales after Google announced it would comply with U.S. government restrictions meant to punish the Chinese tech powerhouse.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Politics, killings stifle wolf recovery amid hefty price tag
Illegal killings and longstanding political resistance have undercut the return of two species of endangered wolves to the wild, frustrating government efforts that already cost more than $80 million but have failed to meet recovery targets.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Video: Could there be life without carbon?
One element is the backbone of all forms of life we've ever discovered on Earth: carbon.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Why a patient may need a companion to speak for them—and the difficult choices they face
When a person whose communication is affected by a developmental disability (like Down syndrome or autism) needs to speak with a doctor, they often have to rely on a companion to help them. Whether it's a family member, a friend, or a professional support worker, that companion has to gauge very carefully what to say and when to say it.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Trace metal exposure among pregnant women living near fracking wells in Canada
The Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology last week revealed the findings of a 2016 pilot study that measured pregnant women's exposure to environmental contaminants in northeastern British Columbia, an area of intensive natural-gas production through hydraulic fracturing (fracking). The study, directed by Marc-André Verner, a professor at the School of Public Health (ESPUM) of Université de Montréal (UdeM), showed that the women had higher concentrations of some metals, especially barium, aluminum, strontium and manganese, in their hair and urine compared to the general population.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Soft, social robot brings coziness to home robotics
A few years ago, when social robots began appearing in stores and homes, Guy Hoffman wondered why they all looked so much alike.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Microsoft and Sony team up for video games in the cloud, but what's it mean for gamers?
Microsoft and Sony usually battle it out for dominance in console video games. But in the growing realm of cloud gaming, in which games stream over the internet just as Netflix does, the two tech titans have decided to team up.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Wednesday, 22 May 2019
New framework improves performance of deep neural networks
North Carolina State University researchers have developed a new framework for building deep neural networks via grammar-guided network generators. In experimental testing, the new networks—called AOGNets—have outperformed existing state-of-the-art frameworks, including the widely-used ResNet and DenseNet systems, in visual recognition tasks.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Want to eliminate workplace bias? Watch your rating system, study says
What's the difference between a 10-point and a six-point performance rating scale, besides four points?
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
A social perception scheme for behavior planning of autonomous cars
To navigate dynamic environments, autonomous vehicles (AVs) should be able to process all information available to them and use it to generate effective driving strategies. Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, have recently proposed a social perception scheme for planning the behavior of autonomous cars, which could help to develop AVs that are better equipped to deal with uncertainty in their surrounding environment.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Tuesday, 21 May 2019
With a hop, a skip and a jump, high-flying robot leaps over obstacles with ease
Topping out at less than a foot, Salto the robot looks like a Star Wars imperial walker in miniature. But don't be fooled by its size—this little robot has a mighty spring in its step. Salto can vault over three times its height in a single bound.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Monday, 20 May 2019
Study aims to improve capturing wind power for energy production
Scientists have released the first of several reports outlining major results that could help wind industry officials manage wind power facilities more efficiently and increase renewable energy production.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Researchers imagine a cheaper, fairer marketplace for digital goods
E-commerce is sizzling. Last year, consumers spent more than $517 billion online with US merchants, up 15 percent from the year before, according to Internet Retailer.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Reverse-engineered computer model provides new insights into larval behavior
Scientists have developed a new approach to describe the behaviours of microscopic marine larvae, which will improve future predictions of how they disperse and distribute.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Novel technique reduces obstruction risk in heart valve replacement
Researchers at the National, Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), part of the National Institutes of Health, have developed a novel technique that prevents the obstruction of blood flow, a common fatal complication of transcatheter mitral valve replacement (TMVR). The new method, called LAMPOON, may increase treatment options for high-risk patients previously ineligible for heart valve procedures. The Journal of the American College of Cardiology published the findings online on May 20.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Resilience of Yellowstone's forests tested by unprecedented fire
In August 2016, areas of Yellowstone National Park that burned in 1988 burned again. Shortly after, in October 2016, ecologist Monica Turner and her team of graduate students visited the park to begin to assess the landscape.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Iron selenide revealed as 'garden-variety iron-based superconductor'
In the pantheon of unconventional superconductors, iron selenide is a rock star. But new experiments by U.S., Chinese and European physicists have found the material's magnetic persona to be unexpectedly mundane.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Sunday, 19 May 2019
HP Enterprise buying supercomputer star Cray
Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) on Friday announced a $1.3 billion deal to buy supercomputer maker Cray, part of a move to expand into data analysis from connected devices .
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
New machine learning algorithm can predict age and gender from just your Twitter profile
A new "demographic inference" tool developed by academics can make predictions based solely on the information in a person's social media profile (i.e. screen name, biography, profile photo, and name). The tool—which works in 32 languages—could pave the way for views expressed on social media to be factored in to popular survey methods.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Changes in subsistence hunting threaten local food security
Scientists with the Universidad San Francisco de Quito and WCS Ecuador Program publishing in the journal BioTropica say that subsistence hunting in Neotropical rain forests—the mainstay of local people as a source of protein and a direct connection to these ecosystems—is in jeopardy from a variety of factors.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Metals influence C-peptide hormone related to insulin
Metals such as zinc, copper and chromium bind to and influence a peptide involved in insulin production, according to new work from chemists at the University of California, Davis. The research is part of a new field of "metalloendocrinology" that takes a detailed look at the role of metals in biological processes in the body.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Early dengue virus infection could 'defuse' Zika virus
"We now know for sure that Zika virus infection during pregnancy can affect the unborn foetus in such a way that the child develops microcephaly and other severe symptoms," explains Prof Felix Drexler, a virologist at Charité who has been developing diagnostic tests for Zika and other viruses at the DZIF. Just a few years ago, pictures of affected newborns were cause for worldwide dismay and perplexity. "However, what we did not understand then was that high incidence of microcephaly seemed to occur particularly in northeastern Brazil," says Drexler. Why are expecting mothers in these regions at a higher risk of developing a severe Zika-associated disease than in other regions? The scientists consequently began to search for cofactors that have an influence on whether a Zika infection during pregnancy will develop fatal consequences or not.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Black women more likely to die of breast cancer, especially in the South
When Felicia Mahone was 27, she felt her breast and found a mass. Breast cancer had killed nearly all the women in her family—her mother, two aunts and two cousins. Her doctor, though, downplayed the lump, assuring her everything would be all right.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Eyes in the sky project will show power plant pollution marks
Air pollution is responsible for millions of deaths every year, worldwide. According to a State of Global Air report, air pollution is the fifth greatest global mortality risk.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Earliest evidence of the cooking and eating of starch
New discoveries made at the Klasies River Cave in South Africa's southern Cape, where charred food remains from hearths were found, provide the first archaeological evidence that anatomically modern humans were roasting and eating plant starches, such as those from tubers and rhizomes, as early as 120,000 years ago.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Artificial intelligence shines light on the dark web
Beneath the surface web, the public form of the internet you use daily to check email or read news articles, exists a concealed "dark web." Host to anonymous, password-protected sites, the dark web is where criminal marketplaces thrive in the advertising and selling of weapons, drugs, and trafficked persons. Law enforcement agencies work continuously to stop these activities, but the challenges they face in investigating and prosecuting the real-world people behind the users who post on these sites are tremendous.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Fuel subsidies defy green trend amid rising climate alarm
Even as warnings of climate catastrophe and calls for greener economies grow ever louder, the world is still spending hundreds of billions of dollars every year to subsidise the fossil fuels that are causing the planet to overheat.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Avelumab and axitinib approved for treatment of renal cell carcinoma
(HealthDay)—Avelumab (BAVENCIO) was approved this week for first-line treatment of advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC) in combination with axitinib, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Polymers jump through hoops on pathway to sustainable materials
Recyclable plastics that contain ring-shaped polymers may be a key to developing sustainable synthetic materials. Despite some promising advances, researchers said, a full understanding of how to processes ring polymers into practical materials remains elusive. In a new study, researchers identified a mechanism called "threading" that takes place when a polymer is stretched—a behavior not witnessed before. This new insight may lead to new processing methods for sustainable polymer materials.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Being sick in the morning can be different from being sick at night
In a review published May 17 in the journal Trends in Immunology, researchers discuss how time of day affects the severity of afflictions ranging from allergies to heart attacks.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Saturday, 18 May 2019
Integrated stepped alcohol treatment for people in HIV care improves both HIV and alcohol outcomes
New clinical research supported by the National Institutes of Health shows that increasing the intensity of treatment for alcohol use disorder (AUD) over time improves alcohol-related outcomes among people with HIV. This stepped approach to AUD treatment also improves HIV-related disease measures in this patient population. A report of the new study, led by researchers at Yale University, is now online in The Lancet HIV.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Life goes on under cloud of smog in Mexico City
Scientists say breathing the heavily polluted air in Mexico City these days is like smoking somewhere between a quarter- and a half-pack of cigarettes a day.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Making the best of sparse information
New findings reported by LMU researchers challenge a generally accepted model of echolocation in bats. They demonstrate that bats require far less spatial information than previously thought to navigate effectively.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Wearable cooling and heating patch could serve as personal thermostat and save energy
Engineers at the University of California San Diego have developed a wearable patch that could provide personalized cooling and heating at home, work, or on the go. The soft, stretchy patch cools or warms a user's skin to a comfortable temperature and keeps it there as the ambient temperature changes. It is powered by a flexible, stretchable battery pack and can be embedded in clothing. Researchers say wearing it could help save energy on air conditioning and heating.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Augmented reality affects people's behavior in the real world
As major technology firms race to roll out augmented reality products, Stanford researchers are learning how it affects people's behavior – in both the physical world and a digitally enhanced one.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
'Brand Me' presentations increase students' confidence and enhance their employability
The University of Portsmouth is helping its students build a strong personal brand to increase their confidence and enhance their employability.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
After the Moon, people on Mars by 2033... or 2060
On December 11, 2017, US President Donald Trump signed a directive ordering NASA to prepare to return astronauts to the Moon "followed by human missions to Mars and other destinations."
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Researchers unravel mechanisms that control cell size
Working with bacteria, a multidisciplinary team at the University of California San Diego has provided new insight into a longstanding question in science: What are the underlying mechanisms that control the size of cells?
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
How the Trump prescription for drug prices transparency could make health care well again
When it comes to the prescription drugs America use, too often money is the last thing consumers think about. Formulaic prescription drug ads are part of the reason why.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
New AI sees like a human, filling in the blanks
Computer scientists at The University of Texas at Austin have taught an artificial intelligence agent how to do something that usually only humans can do—take a few quick glimpses around and infer its whole environment, a skill necessary for the development of effective search-and-rescue robots that one day can improve the effectiveness of dangerous missions. The team, led by professor Kristen Grauman, Ph.D. candidate Santhosh Ramakrishnan and former Ph.D. candidate Dinesh Jayaraman (now at the University of California, Berkeley) published their results today in the journal Science Robotics.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Human capital benefits of military boost economy by billions
A recent study from North Carolina State University finds that U.S. government spending on military personnel has a positive impact on the nation's human capital—essentially improving the American workforce. Using a new computer model, the study estimates the economic impact of this human capital improvement to be $89.8 billion for 2019 alone.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
A new approach to targeting cancer cells
A University of California, Riverside, research team has come up with a new approach to targeting cancer cells that circumvents a challenge faced by currently available cancer drugs.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Could hypnotherapy be alternative to opioids for pain?
(HealthDay)—Hypnosis might sound like a magic trick to some, but the therapy can be an effective pain reliever, a new review shows.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Researchers develop electric field-based dressing to help heal wound infections
Researchers at Indiana University School of Medicine have found a way to charge up the fight against bacterial infections using electricity.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Cyber attacks are rewriting the 'rules' of modern warfare—and we aren't prepared for the consequences
Governments are becoming ever more reliant on digital technology, making them more vulnerable to cyber attacks. In 2007, Estonia was attacked by pro-Russian hackers who crippled government servers, causing havoc. Cyber attacks in Ukraine targeted the country's electricity grid, while Iran's nuclear power plants were infected by malware that could have led to a nuclear meltdown.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Thresholds found for unilateral optic nerve lesions in MS
(HealthDay)—A new anatomic threshold may be useful for identifying unilateral optic nerve lesions in patients with multiple sclerosis, according to a study published in the May issue of the Annals of Neurology.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Friday, 17 May 2019
Heroin overdose ED visits decreased from 2017 to 2018
(HealthDay)—From 2017 to 2018, there was a decrease in heroin overdose emergency department visits, although the declines were not consistent among states, according to a study published online May 16 in the American Journal of Public Health.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Ultra-clean fabrication platform produces nearly ideal 2-D transistors
Semiconductors, which are the basic building blocks of transistors, microprocessors, lasers, and LEDs, have driven advances in computing, memory, communications, and lighting technologies since the mid-20th century. Recently discovered two-dimensional materials, which feature many superlative properties, have the potential to advance these technologies, but creating 2-D devices with both good electrical contacts and stable performance has proved challenging.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Mission control 'saves science'
Every minute, ESA's Earth observation satellites gather dozens of gigabytes of data about our planet—enough information to fill the pages on a 100-metre long bookshelf. Flying in low-Earth orbits, these spacecraft are continuously taking the pulse of our planet, but it's teams on the ground at ESA's Operations Centre in Darmstadt, Germany, that keep these explorers afloat.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Helping robots remember: Hyperdimensional computing theory could change the way AI works
The Houston Astros' José Altuve steps up to the plate on a 3-2 count, studies the pitcher and the situation, gets the go-ahead from third base, tracks the ball's release, swings ... and gets a single up the middle. Just another trip to the plate for the three-time American League batting champion.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Sugary drinks and fruit juice may increase risk of early death
(HealthDay)—Most folks know that sugary drinks aren't healthy, but a new study finds fruit juices are not much better.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Earthquake in 2009 intensified American Samoa's rising sea levels
The 2009, magnitude-8.1 Samoa earthquake dealt a great deal of damage to the Samoan Islands: Tsunami waves as high as 14 meters (46 feet) wiped out multiple villages, claiming nearly 200 lives and severely damaging water and electrical systems.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Virtual reality game simulates experiences with race
Video games that use virtual reality to create immersive experiences have become increasingly popular for entertainment and for research. However, the representation of race in these simulations is often shallow—and fails to go beyond physical appearance attributes like skin color.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
New computer program can help crack precision medicine
Researchers from ANU have helped develop a new computer program to find out a person's genetic make-up, bringing us a step closer to an era of precision medicine.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Hydropower dams can harm coastal areas far downstream
Thousands of hydroelectric dams are under construction around the world, mainly in developing countries. These enormous structures are one of the world's largest sources of renewable energy, but they also cause environmental problems.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Museum volunteers discover new species of extinct heron at North Florida fossil site
When the bones of an ancient heron were unearthed at a North Florida fossil site, the find wasn't made by researchers but by two Florida Museum of Natural History volunteers.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Wild wheat relative genes to aid in battle against trio of pests
Wheat curl mite, greenbug and Hessian fly have long been troublemaker pests for Texas wheat, but a team of Texas A&M AgriLife Research scientists is ready to go high tech to help control them.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
The deadly odds of pigeon racing in the Philippines
It is a brutal 600-kilometre gauntlet during which competitors face searing heat, wild seas, vicious predators, and the threat of kidnapping.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Scientists develop technology to capture tumor cells
Instead of searching for a needle in a haystack, what if you were able to sweep the entire haystack to one side, leaving only the needle behind? That's the strategy researchers in the University of Georgia College of Engineering followed in developing a new microfluidic device that separates elusive circulating tumor cells (CTCs) from a sample of whole blood.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
'Smart' insulin could prevent hypoglycemia during diabetes treatment
UCLA bioengineers and their colleagues have developed a new type of insulin that could help prevent hypoglycemia in people who use the drug to manage diabetes.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Thursday, 16 May 2019
Teens with obesity find artificial intelligence coach helpful in weight-loss program
Researchers at Nemours Children's Health System have found that an artificial intelligence (AI) behavioral coach, nicknamed Tess (X2ai, Inc), is feasible and useful for behavioral counseling of adolescent patients in a weight management program. The study, published today in the journal Translational Behavioral Medicine, demonstrates adolescents' willingness and positive reaction to engaging in SMS text conversations with the chatbot technology that simulates human interactions.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
New security flaw in Intel chips could affect millions
Intel has revealed another hardware security flaw that could affects millions of machines around the world.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Children who use asthma tracking app have better disease control and fewer hospital visits
An app that allows parents and doctors to monitor a child's asthma has a big impact on managing the disease. When families monitored symptoms with eAsthma Tracker and adjusted care accordingly, children had better asthma control and made fewer visits to the emergency department. Using the app also meant that children missed fewer days of school and parents took fewer days off work, improving quality of life. Results of the study were published online in the journal Pediatrics.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Malnourished fruit flies preserve genital size to ensure reproductive success
In most animals, body size shrinks when food becomes scarce, but some parts are protected from shrinkage. In humans without enough food, the body becomes small, but the size of the head stays the same, hinting at biological mechanisms that act to preserve the all-important brain.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
New Horizons team publishes first Kuiper Belt flyby science results
NASA's New Horizons mission team has published the first profile of the farthest world ever explored, a planetary building block and Kuiper Belt object called 2014 MU69.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Just like toothpaste: Fluoride radically improves the stability of perovskite solar cells
Solar cells made of perovskite hold much promise for the future of solar energy. The material is cheap, easy to produce and almost as efficient as silicon, the material traditionally used in solar cells. However, perovskite degrades quickly, severely limiting its efficiency and stability over time. Researchers from Eindhoven University of Technology, energy research institute DIFFER, Peking University and University of Twente have discovered that adding a small amount of fluoride to the perovskite leaves a protective layer, increasing stability of the materials and the solar cells significantly. The solar cells retain 90 percent of their efficiency after 1000 hours operation at various extreme testing conditions. The findings are published today in the leading scientific journal Nature Energy.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Video: How do plants communicate with each other?
Spring is in the air! It's time to mow the lawn and breathe in the smell of freshly cut grass.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Microsoft alerts hospitals to fix potential security risk
Computer experts inside hospitals were working diligently on Wednesday to address a serious new security vulnerability in older versions of the Windows operating system, which is still used in many health care devices even though Microsoft hasn't actively supported the older software in years.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
NTSB: Autopilot was in use before Tesla hit semitrailer
A Tesla Model S involved in a fatal crash with a semitrailer in Florida March 1 was operating on the company's semi-autonomous Autopilot system, federal investigators have determined.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Study paves way for better treatment of lingering concussion symptoms
A La Trobe University study has lifted the lid on the debilitating effects of persistent post-concussion symptoms (PCS) felt by many—10% of concussion-sufferers—after a knock to the head.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Researchers find way to build potassium-oxygen batteries that last longer
Researchers have built a more efficient, more reliable potassium-oxygen battery, a step toward a potential solution for energy storage on the nation's power grid and longer-lasting batteries in cell phones and laptops.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Exploring people's perception of geometric features, personalities and emotions in videos with virtual humans
Researchers at Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul have recently carried out a study aimed at evaluating people's perceptions of geometric features, personalities and emotions presented in video sequences with virtual humans. Their study, outlined in a paper pre-published on arXiv, merges computer science tools with psychology research practices.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Cancer drugs promote stem cell properties of colorectal cancer
Scientists from the German Cancer Research Center (Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, DKFZ) and the Mannheim University Medical Center have now discovered that a certain group of cancer drugs (MEK Inhibitors) activates the cancer-promoting Wnt signaling pathway in colorectal cancer cells. This can lead to the accumulation of tumor cells with stem cell characteristics that are resistant to many therapies and can lead to relapses. The researchers thus provide a possible explanation for why these drugs are not effective in colorectal cancer.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Framework improves 'continual learning' for artificial intelligence
Researchers have developed a new framework for deep neural networks that allows artificial intelligence (AI) systems to better learn new tasks while "forgetting" less of what it has learned regarding previous tasks. The researchers have also demonstrated that using the framework to learn a new task can make the AI better at performing previous tasks, a phenomenon called backward transfer.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Tester eyes unhackable claim on USB flash drive
When the unhackable turns hackable you know there will be lots of noise. Case in point: The eyeDisk USB flash drive. Passwords exposed in clear text were discovered.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Energy-free superfast computing invented by scientists using light pulses
Superfast data processing using light pulses instead of electricity has been created by scientists.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Calling attention to gender bias dramatically changes course evaluations
With growing evidence of gender bias on student course evaluations, a new intervention developed by Iowa State University researchers may help reduce bias against women instructors.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Wednesday, 15 May 2019
Bullet train champion in Japan will debut in 2030, now being tested
Testing for a train capable of 249mph (400 kph) speeds is to happen about twice a week at night. Bloomberg said ALFA-X is the world's fastest bullet train— well, for now, it is holding that title. Japan has also been working on a maglev train.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Coherent? Voice disorders significantly affect listeners, too
"Fly heading two three zero, runway two seven left, cleared for takeoff." Air traffic controllers are among the 25 to 45 percent of the workforce in the United States who use their voices professionally. It is imperative for their listeners to understand what they are communicating. Air traffic controllers, teachers and university professors have a high prevalence of voice disorders referred to as "dysphonia." Other professions also are at risk including clergy, attorneys, counselors and performers.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Cellular rivalry promotes healthy skin development
Not all cells are destined for greatness. Deemed unfit to serve in the body, some are killed off during early development through a process called cell competition. This phenomenon has previously been documented in flies and is now turning out to occur in mammals as well.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Stop gambling with black box and explainable models on high-stakes decisions
As the buzzwords "machine learning" continue to grow in popularity, more industries are turning to computer algorithms to answer important questions, including high-stakes fields such as healthcare, finance and criminal justice. While this trend can lead to major improvements in these realms, it can also lead to major problems when the machine learning algorithm is a so-called "black box."
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Study finds scientific reproducibility does not equate to scientific truth
Reproducible scientific results are not always true and true scientific results are not always reproducible, according to a mathematical model produced by University of Idaho researchers. Their study, which simulates the search for that scientific truth, will be published Wednesday, May 15, in the journal PLOS ONE.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Flying cars mooted for Paris' public transport network
European aerospace giant Airbus and Paris underground operator RATP will study the viability of adding flying vehicles to the city's urban transport network, the companies said Wednesday.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Atlas is rockstar cross-stepper over tricky terrain
Robot enthusiasts were sending up cheers this month to the team advancing Atlas into an even more human-like walker through obstacles including a bunch of cinder blocks and a balance beam. They have turned Atlas into the very credible hulk, who wins the spotlight with its display of walking, which was recorded May 1.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Study identifies how cancer drug inhibits DNA repair in cancer cells
According to researchers at Yale Cancer Center, a cancer drug thought to be of limited use possesses a superpower of sorts: It is able to stop certain cancer cells from repairing their DNA in order to survive. The study, published today in the journal Science Translational Medicine, suggests that combining this drug, cediranib, with other agents could potentially deliver a lethal blow in cancer that uses a specific pathway—or process—to create DNA repair cells.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Video: Fly over Mount Sharp on Mars
Ever wanted to visit Mars? A new animated video shows what it would be like to soar over Mount Sharp, which NASA's Curiosity rover has been climbing since 2014.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
How climate change will affect the rural northeast: Expect three weeks of heat
While extreme cold and snow often make headlines in the Northeast, by 2060, there will be far more record heat. Imagine the most sweltering day of the year. By 2060, you will experience that type of hot day for approximately three weeks of the year, assuming we don't substantially reduce greenhouse gas emissions. According to a Dartmouth study, of the rural Northeast counties represented, those in the bottom two lowest income quartiles will be hit hardest, as their communities will be disproportionately affected by increases in extremely hot days relative to wealthier counties. The findings are published in the Annals of the American Association of Geographers.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Optimizing device implantation in patients with atrial fibrillation and risk of stroke
According to clinical studies, about a third of patients with atrial fibrillation will suffer a stroke during their lifetime. Between 70 and 90% of these strokes are caused by a thrombus formed in the left atrial appendage.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Chronic insomnia and memory problems: A direct link is established
Chronic insomnia disorder, which affects approximately 10 percent of adults, has a direct negative impact on cognitive function of people aged 45 and over, independent of the effect of other health issues.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
An approach for securing audio classification against adversarial attacks
Adversarial audio attacks are small perturbations that are not perceivable by humans and are intentionally added to audio signals to impair the performance of machine learning (ML) models. These attacks raise serious concerns about the security of ML models, as they can cause them to make mistakes and ultimately generate wrong predictions.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Like a lot of things, women's gut microbiomes appear to mature earlier than men's
The human gut microbiome is a complex microbial ecosystem that plays an important role in our health. For example, these microbes—bacteria, viruses, fungi—help regulate metabolism, fend off infections, produce essential vitamins and break down dietary fiber. They may also be biomarkers of health and disease.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Researchers identify new therapeutic target for metastatic prostate cancer
Researchers in New York have found that treating human prostate cancer cells with a drug that targets a protein called PHLPP2 may prevent the cancer cells from spreading to other organs in the body. The study, which will be published May 15 in the Journal of Cell Biology, reveals that inhibiting PHLPP2 lowered the levels of MYC, an oncogenic protein that causes many different types of cancer that cannot be targeted by conventional drug therapies.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
A new way to wind the development clock of cardiac muscle cells
These days, scientists can collect a few skin or blood cells, wipe out their identities, and reprogram them to become virtually any other kind of cell in the human body, from neurons to heart cells.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Tuesday, 14 May 2019
Measuring chromosome imbalance could clarify cancer prognosis
Most human cells have 23 pairs of chromosomes. Any deviation from this number can be fatal for cells, and several genetic disorders, such as Down syndrome, are caused by abnormal numbers of chromosomes.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Study expands understanding of bacterial communities for global next-generation wastewater treatment and reuse systems
A University of Oklahoma-led interdisciplinary global study expands the understanding of activated sludge microbiomes for next-generation wastewater treatment and reuse systems enhanced by microbiome engineering. Wastewater treatment and reuse are critical to global health and sustaining a world population predicted to reach 10 billion by 2050.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Scientists use historical data to create first assessment of human impacts on biodiversity
The way humans use land across the British Isles has changed beyond recognition during the past 8,000 years. But what impact has that had on biodiversity and are there lessons from the past that could enhance conservation practices now and in the future?
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Sunday, 12 May 2019
Hong Kong to cull 6,000 pigs as first swine fever case found
Hong Kong will cull 6,000 pigs after African swine fever was detected in an animal at a slaughterhouse close to the border with China, the first case of the disease in the densely populated financial hub.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
A friction reduction system for deformable robotic fingertips
Researchers at Kanazawa University have recently developed a friction reduction system based on a lubricating effect, which could have interesting soft robotics applications. Their system, presented in a paper published in Taylor & Francis' Advanced Robotics journal, could aid the development of robots that can efficiently manipulate objects under both dry and wet conditions.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Receiving weekend food improves school attendance among children living with hunger
Children living in food-insecure households are more likely to attend school on Fridays if they're participating in a food-distribution program that provides them with backpacks of meals for the weekend, researchers at the University of Illinois found in a new study.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Google's AI Assistant aims to transcend the smart speaker
When Google launched its now distinctive digital assistant in 2016, it was already in danger of being an also-ran.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Older fathers put health of partners, unborn children at risk, study finds
Men who delay starting a family have a ticking "biological clock"—just like women—that may affect the health of their partners and children, according to Rutgers researchers.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Saturday, 11 May 2019
Smart software tool could pave the way for changing how things get designed, made, and supplied
If you don't like wandering through big-box stores trying to find the furniture you need, and then struggle to assemble it, researchers have proposed a solution: Smart software that helps you design your own furniture, 3-D print the joints and assemble the whole structure at home.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
37 spotted seal pups rescued from China traffickers released
Animal rights groups have cheered the release of 37 spotted seal pups rescued from traffickers into the wild in northern China.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Study sheds new light on urinary tract infections in postmenopausal women
A UT Southwestern study suggests why urinary tract infections (UTIs) have such a high recurrence rate in postmenopausal women—several species of bacteria can invade the bladder walls.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Nanotubes enable travel of Huntington's protein
A toxic protein linked to Huntington's disease can move from neuron to neuron through a nanotube tunnel whose construction is initiated by a protein called Rhes, say scientists at Scripps Research.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Space-tourism dream edges toward reality in New Mexico
British billionaire Richard Branson and his space-tourism company Virgin Galactic announced new steps Friday toward offering thrill rides into the low reaches of space for paying passengers, with the company immediately starting to move personnel and space vehicles from California to a launch and landing facility in the New Mexico desert.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Good sleep quality and good mood lead to good working memory with age
A team of psychologists has found strong associations between working memory—a fundamental building block of a functioning mind—and three health-related factors: sleep, age, and depressed mood. The team also reports that each of these factors is associated with different aspects of working memory.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Sharing data with surgeons can reduce overuse of Mohs surgery
(HealthDay)—Sharing personalized practice pattern data with physicians that is benchmarked to national data for their peers can reduce overuse of Mohs micrographic surgery (MMS) among outliers, according to a study published online May 5 in JAMA Dermatology.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Prehospital Tx guidelines may improve outcomes in severe TBI
(HealthDay)—Implementation of prehospital traumatic brain injury (TBI) guidelines is associated with improvement in survival to hospital discharge for patients with severe TBI, according to a study published online May 8 in JAMA Surgery.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Can medical marijuana help kids with autism?
(HealthDay)—Medical marijuana extracts appear to help children with autism, reducing their disruptive behavior while improving their social responsiveness, a new Israeli clinical trial reports.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Instagram to start blocking hashtags with vaccine misinformation
Instagram will start blocking any hashtags spreading misinformation about vaccines, becoming the latest internet platform to crack down on bad health information.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Can recreational sports really make you a better student?
A new Michigan State University study adds to growing evidence that participating in recreational sports not only can help improve grades while attending college, but it also can help students return for another year.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Q&A: What to know about superfungus Candida auris
The multidrug-resistant fungus Candida auris has disproportionately affected New York health care facilities, raising questions about its origins, whether it's here to stay and which health care facilities have been impacted by it.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
A case of the chimp sniffles or major outbreak? Syndromic surveillance may hold the key
Two sniffling chimps could be one too many for a wild chimpanzee community susceptible to respiratory disease outbreaks, report Morris Animal Foundation-funded researchers at the University of Minnesota. The team's findings were a result of their development of a syndromic surveillance system to noninvasively and preemptively detect a potential outbreak of respiratory disease. The study recently was published in EcoHealth.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Research spotlights the role of cover crops in slowing herbicide resistance
An article in the most recent edition of the journal Weed Science shows that cover crops can play an important role in slowing the development of herbicide resistant weeds.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Friday, 10 May 2019
75 years later, French 'HistoPad' offers new view of D-Day
The French and the Americans are working together again on a D-Day project—this time to give museum visitors the opportunity to travel back in time and experience the milestone World War II invasion 75 years later.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Supply-chain hack attacks are worrying investigators
What do you know about supply-chain attacks? In January, an article in CSO said it's when a weak link in your enterprise security might lie with partners and suppliers. It's when someone infiltrates your system through an outside partner or provider with access to your systems and data.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Replanting oil palm may be driving a second wave of biodiversity loss
The environmental impact of palm oil production has been well publicised. Found in everything from food to cosmetics, the deforestation, ecosystem decline and biodiversity loss associated with its use is a serious cause for concern.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
New progress in developing an animal model of hepatitis C
Small differences in a liver cell protein have significant impacts on hepatitis C virus replication in mice and humans, findings that could facilitate the development of a mouse model of the infection. The report, led by researchers at Princeton University, was published today in the journal eLife.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Google bucks soaring smartphone prices with new Pixel
Google bucked the soaring smartphone price trend Tuesday, unveiling a high-performance Pixel handset aimed at the middle of the market as part of a wide-ranging pitch to developers of its new hardware, software and privacy efforts.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Measuring quality of life after pediatric kidney transplant
After receiving a kidney transplant, children may experience quality-of-life difficulties that underscore the importance of screening transplant recipients for psychosocial function, according to Children's research presented May 4, 2019, during the 10th Congress of the International Pediatric Transplant Association.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Show your hands: Smartwatches sense hand activity
We've become accustomed to our smartwatches and smartphones sensing what our bodies are doing, be it walking, driving or sleeping. But what about our hands? It turns out that smartwatches, with a few tweaks, can detect a surprising number of things your hands are doing.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
New study shows scientists who selfie garner more public trust
Many scientists today have embraced social media as tools to communicate their research and to engage broader audiences in scientific discovery and its outcomes. But the rise of the "social media scientist" has also led communicators and scholars to ask an important and often overlooked question: Do people trust the scientists who show up in their social media feeds?
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Pixel 3a vs. Pixel 3: Great camera for the price makes Google's $399 phone the better buy
Google's launch Tuesday of the $399 Pixel 3a and $479 Pixel 3a XL smartphones only seven months after the release of the pricier Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL handsets likely has you asking: "Why would I want to spend at least $400 more for Google's premium flagships, when these latest mid-priced devices offer so many overlapping features?"
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Uber begins trading nearly 7% below its IPO price
Uber began trading as a public company at $42 per share Friday, nearly 7% below its initial public offering price.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Luxembourg and US agree to deepen cooperation in space
The tiny EU country of Luxembourg and the United States agreed on Friday to work more closely on projects in space, including research and exploration as well as defence and commerce.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Medical emergency trial shows value of live video streaming
Using live video streaming from the scene of accidents and medical emergencies to the dispatch team of a Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) has public support and the potential to be rolled out across the UK's ambulance network , according to the team behind a scientific study.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
What happens when a raindrop hits a puddle?
Have you ever taken a walk through the rain on a warm spring day and seen that perfect puddle? You know, the one where the raindrops seem to touch down at just the right pace, causing a dance of vanishing circles?
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Researchers quicken drug discovery method via zombie-like cells
Researchers are using zombie-like cells that behave normally on the outside, but are filled with magnetic particles inside, to screen potential drugs from natural products.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Flame design in space may lead to soot-free fire
For decades, scientists have been able to burn fuels in a flame without creating any soot, and they think they know why. They've crunched the numbers and run experiments in high-tech facilities, but there's only one way to be certain about the fundamental relationship between flames and soot:
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Rare-Earth metals in the atmosphere of a glowing-hot exoplanet
KELT-9 b is the hottest exoplanet known to date. In the summer of 2018, a joint team of astronomers from the universities of Bern and Geneva found signatures of gaseous iron and titanium in its atmosphere. Now these researchers have also been able to detect traces of vaporized sodium, magnesium, chromium, and the rare-Earth metals scandium and yttrium.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
New method developed to detect and trace homemade bombs
Researchers at King's College London, in collaboration with Northumbria University, have developed a new way of detecting homemade explosives which will help forensic scientists trace where it came from.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Thursday, 9 May 2019
Climate change responsible for severe infectious disease in UK frogs
Climate change has already increased the spread and severity of a fatal disease caused by Ranavirus that infects common frogs (Rana temporaria) in the UK, according to research led by ZSL's Institute of Zoology, UCL and Queen Mary University of London published today in Global Change Biology.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Officials seek to open major spillway on Mississippi River
Army Corps of Engineers officials in Louisiana aim to open a historic flood control structure above New Orleans on Tuesday for an unprecedented second time in one year.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Weight-loss procedure works long-term, without surgery
Could people struggling with obesity make headway in their efforts to shed pounds without having to go under the knife?
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
A multi-scale body-part mask guided attention network for person re-identification
Person re-identification entails the automated identification of the same person in multiple images from different cameras and with different backgrounds, angles or positions. Despite recent advances in the field of artificial intelligence (AI), person re-identification remains a highly challenging task, particularly due to the many variations in a person's pose, as well as other differences associated with lighting, occlusion, misalignment and background clutter.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Mathematical framework explores how the brain keeps a beat
A new mathematical model demonstrates how neurons in the brain could work together to learn and keep a musical beat. The framework, developed by Amitabha Bose of New Jersey Institute of Technology and Aine Byrne and John Rinzel of New York University, is described in PLOS Computational Biology.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Gravitational waves leave a detectable mark, physicists say
Gravitational waves, first detected in 2016, offer a new window on the universe, with the potential to tell us about everything from the time following the Big Bang to more recent events in galaxy centers.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
VisiBlends, a new approach to disrupt visual messaging
Visual blends, which join two objects in an unusual, eye-catching way, are an advanced graphic design technique used in advertising, marketing, and the media to draw attention to a specific message. These visual marriages are designed to precipitate an "aha!" moment in the viewer who grasps one idea from the union of two images. For instance, blending an image of an orange with an image of the sun could convey a beverage with Vitamin C.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Scientists introduce novel perspective in robotic capability
University of Illinois researcher Amy LaViers has introduced a new point of view from which to observe robotic capabilities in her paper, "Counts of Mechanical, External Configurations Compared to Computational, Internal Configurations in Natural and Artificial Systems," published today in PLOS ONE, a leading interdisciplinary research journal.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Assessing battery performance: Compared to what?
Scientists must often ask themselves, compared to what? How do the results we generate in the laboratory compare with those obtained by others? How do our theoretical calculations compare with experimental data?
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Meditation needs more research: Study finds 25 percent suffer unpleasant experiences
More than a quarter of people who regularly meditate have had a 'particularly unpleasant' psychological experience related to the practice, including feelings of fear and distorted emotions, a UCL-led study has found.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Do most Americans believe in human-caused climate change?
What percentage of Americans believe in human-caused climate change?
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Smarter training of neural networks
These days, nearly all the artificial intelligence-based products in our lives rely on "deep neural networks" that automatically learn to process labeled data.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Secrets of fluorescent microalgae could lead to super-efficient solar cells
Tiny light-emitting microalgae, found in the ocean, could hold the secret to the next generation of organic solar cells, according to new research carried out at the Universities of Birmingham and Utrecht.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Making a case for robotic objects as anger outlets
Coochi coo. Robots have undergone impressive designs and engineering for social use, manifested in puppy-like robots with expressive, blinking eyes, to little space robots. These little pals and helpers appeal to the home-confined elderly and children. These are social robots designed to understand and respond to cues.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Box of Pain: A new tracer and fault injector for distributed systems
In computer science, distributed systems are systems with components located on different devices, which communicate with one another. While these systems have become increasingly common, they are typically filled with bugs.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Notre Dame's melted roof leaves astronomical lead levels
Notre Dame Cathedral's melted roof has left astronomically high lead levels in the plaza outside and adjacent roads.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Wireless movement-tracking system could collect health and behavioral data
We live in a world of wireless signals flowing around us and bouncing off our bodies. MIT researchers are now leveraging those signal reflections to provide scientists and caregivers with valuable insights into people's behavior and health.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Rideshare firms have snarled up San Francisco: study
The ride-hailing era ushered in by Uber and Lyft once promised to complement public transit, reduce car ownership and alleviate congestion.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Diabetes linked to numerous cancers in large Chinese study
A new Journal of Diabetes study from China, which has the highest number of people with diabetes among all countries, found that type 2 diabetes was linked with an elevated risk of 11 types of cancer in men and 13 types of cancer in women.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Design flaws create security vulnerabilities for 'smart home' internet-of-things devices
Researchers at North Carolina State University have identified design flaws in "smart home" Internet-of-Things (IoT) devices that allow third parties to prevent devices from sharing information. The flaws can be used to prevent security systems from signaling that there has been a break-in or uploading video of intruders.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
Wednesday, 8 May 2019
Nipah virus: Age and breathing difficulties increase the risk of disease spread
Nipah virus, a bat-borne paramyxovirus found throughout South and South East Asia, has been identified by WHO as an emerging infectious disease that may cause severe epidemics in the near future. Infections in humans result in severe respiratory and neurological disease with a high case fatality. With no available treatment or vaccine, the control of Nipah virus outbreaks must rely on a detailed understanding of factors that may facilitate inter-human transmission.
* This article was originally published here
* This article was originally published here
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