Tag: computer science
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Columbia Team to Study Electric Power Switching Transistors
An engineering research group at Columbia University in New York received a $3 million grant from U.S. Department of Energy to create high-power electric switching devices with the speed and efficiency of electronic transistor circuits. The team led by electrical and biomedical engineering professor Ken Shepard — that includes members from MIT, IBM, and the…
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Sugar Beet Genome Sequenced, Human Impact on Species Noted
Geneticists and computer scientists in Germany, Spain, and Sweden sequenced the genome of the sugar beet, a plant contributing a large segment of the world’s sugar production. The study offers an analytical reference for advances in biotechnology with implications for agriculture and renewable energy. The team led by biology professor Bernd Weisshaar at Bielefeld University…
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Neurotherapies Require Collaboration, Team Science, Big Data
In a briefing today on Capitol Hill, University of Pennsylvania biomedical engineer and neurologist Brian Litt outlined requirements for harnessing promising research for patients suffering from brain disorders. The briefing in Washington, D.C. was organized by the journal Science Translational Medicine and its publisher American Association for the Advancement of Science. Litt, who is on…
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New Process Speeds 3-D Printing of Multiple Materials
Engineers at University of Southern California in Los Angeles developed a new, faster technique for three-dimensional printing of objects made with multiple materials. Industrial engineering professor Yong Chen and colleagues from USC described their process yesterday at a meeting of the engineering organization ASME in San Diego. Despite the promise and potential of 3-D printing…
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Less Expensive Method Devised to Assemble DNA Sequence Data
Genome scientists at University of Washington in Seattle developed a technique of assembling DNA sequencing data along entire chromosomes that is less expensive and as accurate as current methods. The team from Washington’s medical school led by Jay Shendure published its findings earlier this week in the journal Nature Biotechnology (paid subscription required). Shendure and…
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Inkblots Add Extra Layer to Online Password Security
Computer scientists at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh devised a technique using inkblots to provide an extra layer of security for passwords stored for authenticating online user accounts. The developers — doctoral student Jeremiah Blocki, and faculty members Manuel Blum and Anupam Datta — described their system called Generating panOptic Turing Tests to Tell Computers and…
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Research Consortium Applies X-ray Lasers to Drug Molecules
A group of eight universities and research institutes in the U.S. is advancing the use of X-ray laser technology in biology, with direct applications in finding molecular targets for new therapies. The Center for Biology with X-ray Laser, or BioXFEL, is funded by a $25 million grant from National Science Foundation, led by University at…
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Computer Learning Process Developed for Robotic Arm Movement
Computer scientists at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York developed an algorithm to fine-tune movements of industrial robotic arms, through feedback and learning from interactions with humans. A team from the lab of computer science professor Ashutosh Saxena will present its findings next month at the Neural Information Processing Systems conference in Lake Tahoe, California.…
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Algorithm Improves Activity Tracking for Wellness Apps
Engineers and physiologists at Northwestern University in Chicago developed an algorithm to improve the way health and wellness apps on smartphones track a user’s physical movements. Professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation Konrad Kording, with colleagues Stephen Antos and Mark Albert, published an advance version of their findings online in the Journal of Neuroscience Methods…
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Software Design Found to Influence Lab Test Choices
A psychologist at University of Missouri in Columbia found the design of software used by physicians influences their choice of diagnostic tests when admitting new patients to hospitals, with implications for the quality of patient care and health care costs. Victoria Shaffer in Missouri’s Department of Health Sciences, with Adam Probst from Baylor Scott &…