Science and Enterprise

Tag: computer science

  • Software Helps Farmers Determine Pesticide Spray Dates

    The U.S. Department of Agriculture has developed software that helps farmers decide on the best days to spray pesticides on their fields. The software was developed by USDA’s Agricultural Research Service at its Fort Collins, Colorado research facility. The software, called PhenologyMMS (Modular Modeling System), was developed by agronomist Greg McMaster and plant science technician…

  • New 3D Prostate Biopsy Combines MRI, Ultrasound

    Researchers from the UCLA Health System in Los Angeles and medical device company Eigen Inc. have developed more targeted biopsies of prostate cancer that combine MRI and ultrasound technologies. The team reported its early results in the online issue of the journal  Urologic Oncology (subscription required). National Cancer Institute estimates nearly 218,000 new cases of…

  • Math Model Developed to Determine Vaccine Combinations

    Engineers and computer scientists at Rochester Institute of Technology in New York and University of Illinois in Urbana have developed a mathematical model to determine the optimum combination of vaccines for children that keeps the injections affordable yet remains financially attractive to manufacturers. The team led by RIT’s Rubén Proaño published their findings last month…

  • Neural Network Simulates Human Schizophrenia Symptoms

    A research team from Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut and University of Texas in Austin developed a simulation of schizophrenia using a computer network model. Their findings appear in the April issue of the journal Biological Psychiatry (paid subscription required). The researchers used a virtual computer model called a neural network to simulate the…

  • One Nation, Under Geeks

    Review: Geek Nation by Angela Saini. Hodder & Stoughton (3 Mar 2011). Science writer Angela Saini describes the rise of science and engineering in India in her new book Geek Nation. But if you’re looking for a triumphant Indian victory march you may be disappointed. The book instead offers a sophisticated and nuanced analysis of…

  • Researchers, Designer Develop Lighter Sound-Absorbing Fabric

    Researchers at the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (French acronym EMPA), along with a silk weaving company and textile designer, have developed lightweight, translucent curtain materials that absorb room noise. The Swiss textile maker Weisbrod-Zürrer AG and designer Annette Douglas were part of the team. Sound absorbing surfaces that decrease sound wave…

  • Dutch-Chinese Project to Simulate Shipping Port Traffic

    Delft University of Technology (TU Delft) in the Netherlands and Jiao Tong University in Shanghai, China will develop a traffic model for shipping in congested port areas, which they hope will provide a better understanding of the ports’ capacity and improve safety. The project is part of a program by the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific…

  • Electronic Field Guide Created in iPhone App

    Columbia University in New York, the University of Maryland in College Park, and the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. have created a tree identification guide called Leafsnap that operates as a smartphone app. The guide is available free of charge for the Apple iPhone; Android and iPad versions are planned for later this year. This…

  • ARPA-E to Fund $130 Million for New Energy R&D

    The Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) announced the availability of funding of five new research areas in its fourth round of grants for new energy technologies. The projects to be funded will involve rare earth alternatives, biofuels, thermal storage, grid controls, and solar power electronics. ARPA-E is modeled after the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency…

  • Remote-Control Intubation Device Developed for Anesthesia

    Physicians and engineers at McGill University Health Centre in Montreal, Canada have developed a remote-control system for intubation in anesthesia, and used the device for the first time on a live patient. Endotracheal intubation is a medical procedure in which a tube is placed into the windpipe, through the mouth or the nose to deliver…