Science and Enterprise

Tag: mathematics

  • Algorithm Mines FDA Reports for Drug Interactions

    Researchers at Stanford University’s medical school and bioengineering program have devised a computer algorithm that can query millions of adverse drug reports to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) by patients and their physicians, and identify many more drug interactions and side effects than were previously known. Their work is described in the journal…

  • Algorithms Plot Optimal Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Routes

    Engineers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology have devised mathematical methods to plot the optimal routes for autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs), increasingly used for industrial, research, and security applications. The team led by mechanical engineering professor Pierre Lermusiaux will discuss its work in May 2012 at the IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation. Setting an…

  • Grant to Fund R&D on Oil-Producing Plants for Biofuels

    A research team at University of Illinois, with other academic and national lab colleagues, has received a $3.2 million grant to study bioengineering sugar cane and sorghum to produce oil for biofuels. The Department of Energy funding for this project also supports researchers at University of Florida, University of Nebraska, and the Brookhaven National Laboratory,…

  • Universal Vaccines Assessed for Widespread Flu Prevention

    Researchers In the U.S. and the U.K. have developed a simulation model to assess the ability of universal vaccines — those that cover a number of disease variations — to prevent the spread of influenza. The team from Princeton University and Duke University, Imperial College London, National Institutes of Health, and Food and Drug Administration…

  • Math Model Gauges Potential Tylenol Overdose, Liver Damage

    Researchers at University of Utah and Baylor College of Medicine have devised a set of calculus equations to quickly estimate the amount of Tylenol ingested by a patient, and if the patient may need a liver transplant. Their work is scheduled to appear in an upcoming issue of the journal Hepatology. Acetaminophen is the generic…

  • iPhone App Tells Best and Worst Times for Coffee

    Computer scientists at Pennsylvania State University in University Park have devised an iPhone application that tells the best time for coffee to get a mental kick, and when caffeine can ruin your sleep. Frank Ritter, who is on the IT, psychology, and computer science faculties at Penn State and Kuo-Chuan (Martin) Yeh, computer science and…

  • Study: 4.5 Million Americans Had Knee Replacement Surgery

    Researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston calculate that more than 4.5 million Americans have had a total knee replacement (TKR), becoming one of the most common conditions affecting people in the U.S. age 50 and over. The team led by Elena Losina of the hospital’s Orthopedic and Arthritis Center for Outcomes Research, presents…

  • Online Simulator Optimizes Solar Cell Materials Efficiency

    An online tool offered by MIT helps companies and researchers determine the tradeoffs in manufacturing strategies for solar cells based on planned materials and processing steps. The simulator, which takes about a minute to run, can provide a preview of the efficiency of resulting solar cells in converting sunlight to electricity, a process previously determined…

  • Ignore the Sticker Shock, Electric Trucks Can Pay You Back

    A new MIT study indicates that electric vehicles have the potential to improve the bottom line for many kinds of businesses, in addition to being good for the environment. The findings from the study, conducted by researchers at MIT’s Center for Transportation and Logistics (CTL), were presented last month at the IEEE Power and Energy…

  • Risk-Based Air Passenger Screening Could Improve Security

    A University of Illinois computer scientist has developed algorithms to assess the relative risk of air passengers that can improve the effectiveness of pre-flight security checks. The work of Sheldon Jacobson in Urbana, Illinois, with Springfield researcher Adrian Lee, appears in the December 2011 issue of the journal Transportation Science (paid subscription required). Jacobson —…