Thursday 27 June 2019

Drag-and-drop data analytics

In the Iron Man movies, Tony Stark uses a holographic computer to project 3-D data into thin air, manipulate them with his hands, and find fixes to his superhero troubles. In the same vein, researchers from MIT and Brown University have now developed a system for interactive data analytics that runs on touchscreens and lets everyone—not just genius, billionaire, playboy philanthropists—tackle real-world issues.

* This article was originally published here

Phones and wearables combine to assess worker performance

Using smartphones, fitness bracelets and a custom app, researchers have created a mobile-sensing system that judges employee performance.

* This article was originally published here

Brain structure determines individual differences regarding music sensitivity

The white matter structure in the brain reflects music sensitivity, according to a study by the research group on Cognition and Brain Plasticity of the Institute of Neurosciences of the University of Barcelona (UB) and the Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (UB-IDIBELL).

* This article was originally published here

BMW puts traffic light recognition to the test

The BMW Group is investing in the future of self-driving vehicles. Getting people to adopt self-driving cars will require lots of attention to how these cars can behave safely not just on highways but in urban settings.

* This article was originally published here

A Trojan horse? Immune cells ferry deadly fungus from mouse lung into the blood

A report today in PLOS Pathogens shows how inhaled fungal spores exit the lung and trigger a fatal infection in mice.

* This article was originally published here

How you charge your mobile phone could compromise its battery lifespan

Researchers at WMG at the University of Warwick have found that use of inductive charging, whilst highly convenient, risks depleting the life of mobile phones using typical LIBs (Lithium-ion batteries)

* This article was originally published here

Study examines association of naloxone coprescription laws on naloxone Rx dispensing

In a new study published in JAMA Network Open, University of Kentucky researchers, in collaboration with researchers from Ferris State University, examined whether legal mandates on naloxone coprescription in certain states increased naloxone dispensing.

* This article was originally published here

Airline group advocates more training for Boeing 737 Max

A trade group representing hundreds of airlines is renewing its push for additional pilot training and coordination among global aviation regulators to ensure that the Boeing 737 Max is safe before it is allowed to fly again after two deadly crashes.

* This article was originally published here

Robot arm tastes with engineered bacteria

A robotic gripping arm that uses engineered bacteria to "taste" for a specific chemical has been developed by engineers at the University of California, Davis, and Carnegie Mellon University. The gripper is a proof-of-concept for biologically-based soft robotics.

* This article was originally published here

EU okays IBM's $34 bn buyout of Red Hat

The EU's powerful anti-trust authority on Thursday cleared the buyout by IBM of open source software company Red Hat, one of the biggest tech mergers in history which the computing giant said would enhance its cloud offerings.

* This article was originally published here

Spanish court rules Deliveroo riders are employees

A Spanish court ruled Thursday that online food delivery group Deliveroo wrongly hired 97 riders as self-employed contractors instead of as regular workers, which costs less for the firm.

* This article was originally published here

Children living in countryside outperform children living in metropolitan areas in motor skills

In a recent study, 3 to 7-year-old children provided an example of how children's daily living environment and motor skills are closely related in the Finnish context. The main finding revealed that residential density is related to children's motor skills, engagement in outdoor play and organised sports. It was found that Finnish children living in the countryside spent more time outdoors and had better motor skills than their age-matched peers in the metropolitan area. On the other hand, children living in the metropolitan area participated the most in organised sports.

* This article was originally published here

Hydrogel offers real promise in treating diabetes

Researchers at EPFL have developed a hydrogel that offers unrivaled protection against transplanted cell rejection. The School's Technology Transfer Office has licensed the new product to Cell-Caps, a Geneva-based startup specialized in cell encapsulation for treating diabetes.

* This article was originally published here

Ebola in Uganda, and the dynamics of a new and different outbreak

The 2018 Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo(DRC), has been a very different kind of outbreak than the massive West African outbreak that occurred in 2014 and 2015. For starters, it is much smaller, with just over 2,000 cases compared to the more than 28,000 cases of the West African outbreak. Because of that, many Western news organizations have devoted much less attention to the current epidemic.

* This article was originally published here

Camera joins Apple band in patent for smartwatch

Camera at the end of a smartwatch strap, anyone? It is being suggested as a way to overcome some hurdles in smartwatch picture-taking.

* This article was originally published here

Artificial intelligence controls robotic arm to pack boxes and cut costs

Rutgers computer scientists used artificial intelligence to control a robotic arm that provides a more efficient way to pack boxes, saving businesses time and money.

* This article was originally published here

LGBTQ Asian-Americans seen as more 'American'

The fastest-growing racial group in the United States—Asian Americans—is also one that is consistently perceived as "foreign."

* This article was originally published here

A hidden truth: Hospital faucets are often home to slime and biofilm

Hand hygiene is a critical component of infection prevention in hospitals, but the unintended consequences include water splashing out of a sink to spread contaminants from dirty faucets according to new research presented last week in Philadelphia at the 46th Annual Conference of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC).

* This article was originally published here

Corals can survive in acidified ocean conditions, but have lower density skeletons

Coral reefs face many challenges to their survival, including the global acidification of seawater as a result of rising carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere. A new study led by scientists at UC Santa Cruz shows that at least three Caribbean coral species can survive and grow under conditions of ocean acidification more severe than those expected to occur during this century, although the density of their skeletons was lower than normal.

* This article was originally published here