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Internet research to level the playing field
Protein-Based Coating Could Help Rehabilitate Long-Term Brain Function
Adding a '3D print' button to animation software
Economic Recession Leads to Increased Entrepreneurship, MU Study Finds
Computational analysis identifies drugs to treat drug-resistant breast cancer
Researchers discover that fluoxetine (a.k.a. Prozac) is effective as an anti-viral
Critically endangered whales sing like birds; new recordings hint at rebound
Study of zebra fish mouth formation may speak to Fraser syndrome hearing loss
Seniors with Serious Illness Find Smoking, Drinking Tough Habits to Break
Eating garbage: Bacteria for bioremediation

Internet research to level the playing field

Posted: 01 Aug 2012 05:25 AM PDT

Short delays on the Internet can have serious consequences for share-traders or players of online computer games. Norwegian ICT researchers intend to do something about it.

The Internet as we know it today has been optimised to transmit large amounts of data or “greedy streams” - the type of transmission involved in downloading large files or watching online TV.

Protein-Based Coating Could Help Rehabilitate Long-Term Brain Function

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 12:46 PM PDT

Brain-computer interfaces are at the cutting edge for treatment of neurological and psychological disorder, including Parkinson's, epilepsy, and depression. Among the most promising advance is deep brain stimulation (DBS) — a method in which a silicon chip implanted under the skin ejects high frequency currents that are transferred to the brain through implanted electrodes that transmit and receive the signals. These technologies require a seamless interaction between the brain and the hardware.

Adding a '3D print' button to animation software

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 12:33 PM PDT

Watch out, Barbie: omnivorous beasts are assembling in a 3D printer near you.

A group of graphics experts led by computer scientists at Harvard have created an add-on software tool that translates video game characters—or any other three-dimensional animations—into fully articulated action figures, with the help of a 3D printer.

The project is described in detail in the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) Transactions on Graphics and will be presented at the ACM SIGGRAPH conference on August 7.

Economic Recession Leads to Increased Entrepreneurship, MU Study Finds

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 12:00 PM PDT

The recent economic recession has caused many changes in the business landscape across the country, including high unemployment rates. Due to these high rates and the struggling economy, University of Missouri researchers have found that in recent years the number of Americans engaging in entrepreneurship has risen significantly. Maria Figueroa-Armijos, a doctoral candidate in the University of Missouri Truman School of Public Affairs, says that this trend could be positive for the future.

Computational analysis identifies drugs to treat drug-resistant breast cancer

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 11:35 AM PDT

Researchers have used computational analysis to identify a new Achilles heel for the treatment of drug-resistant breast cancer. The results, which are published in Molecular Systems Biology, reveal that the disruption of glucose metabolism is an effective therapeutic strategy for the treatment of tumours that have acquired resistance to front-line cancer drugs such as Lapatinib.

Researchers discover that fluoxetine (a.k.a. Prozac) is effective as an anti-viral

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 11:31 AM PDT

UCLA researchers have come across an unexpected potential use for fluoxetine – commonly known as Prozac – which shows promise as an antiviral agent. The discovery could provide another tool in treating human enteroviruses that sicken and kill people in the U.S. and around the world.

Critically endangered whales sing like birds; new recordings hint at rebound

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 11:19 AM PDT

When a University of Washington researcher listened to the audio picked up by a recording device that spent a year in the icy waters off the east coast of Greenland, she was stunned at what she heard: whales singing a remarkable variety of songs nearly constantly for five wintertime months.

Study of zebra fish mouth formation may speak to Fraser syndrome hearing loss

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 10:57 AM PDT

Using mutant zebra fish, researchers studying the earliest formation of cartilage of the mouth believe they may have gotten a look at a mechanism involved in a genetic defect linked to Fraser syndrome deafness in humans.

Seniors with Serious Illness Find Smoking, Drinking Tough Habits to Break

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 10:49 AM PDT

A recent study of adults age 50 to 85 found that only 19 percent of those diagnosed with lung disease quit smoking within two years. Furthermore, the research showed that the vast majority of older adults who learn they have a chronic condition do not adopt healthier behaviors, according to data presented in the Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences.

Eating garbage: Bacteria for bioremediation

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 10:44 AM PDT

A 150-foot-high garbage dump in Colombia, South America, may have new life as a public park. Researchers at the University of Illinois have demonstrated that bacteria found in the dump can be used to neutralize the contaminants in the soil.