http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/computers_math/ Computer and Mathematics News. From quantum computers to the value of statistics, read the latest math and computer news. Updated daily. en-us Sat, 07 Nov 2009 23:05:01 EST Sat, 07 Nov 2009 23:05:01 EST 60 http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/logosmall.gif http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/computers_math/ For more science articles, visit ScienceDaily. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091106102658.htm Researchers in Spain have designed a system for the mobility of military troops within a battlefield following the mechanisms used by ant colonies to move. The scientists have used settings of Panzer General, a commercial war video game, for the development of this software. Sat, 07 Nov 2009 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091106102658.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091104085232.htm Scientists have developed and experimentally tested a technique to predict new target diseases for existing drugs. The researchers developed a computational method that compares how similar the structures of all known drugs are to the naturally occurring binding partners -- known as ligands -- of disease targets within the cell. Sat, 07 Nov 2009 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091104085232.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091027162009.htm Cyber criminals are using fake messages claiming to be from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation to deliver a virus capable of stealing unsuspecting victims' bank passwords and other sensitive personal information, says a computer forensics specialist. Sat, 07 Nov 2009 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091027162009.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091105121209.htm A computer scientist has new evidence regarding a photograph of accused JFK assassin Lee Harvey Oswald. He digitally analyzed the iconic image of Oswald pictured in a backyard setting holding a rifle in one hand and Marxist newspapers in the other, and he says the photo almost certainly was not altered. Fri, 06 Nov 2009 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091105121209.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091105132500.htm LifeFlow is a new device that applies a sophisticated algorithm to a computer-controlled IV drip to improve the efficiency of disaster response in the field. Fri, 06 Nov 2009 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091105132500.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091105102729.htm A team of researchers in Spain has developed a protocol to distort the user profile generated by Internet search engines, in such a way that they cannot save the searches undertaken by Internet users and thus preserve their privacy. Fri, 06 Nov 2009 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091105102729.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091106195810.htm Economists presenting their annual forecast are confident that 2010 is going to be better than this year. Unfortunately, 2009 was "really, really awful." Some have declared that the national recession is over. Others have said that any economic progress will continue to be weakened by the aftermath of a historically severe downturn. Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091106195810.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091106102700.htm An international team of scientists has shown how the chemistry of surface reactions underpinning catalysis can be modeled accurately with computers. Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091106102700.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091104101547.htm Those oft-maligned, and highly embellished, graphs and charts in newspapers may actually help people understand data more effectively than traditional graphs, according to new research. Thu, 05 Nov 2009 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091104101547.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091104101628.htm The eyes may be the mirror to the soul, but the iris reveals a person's true identity. A new report demonstrates that iris recognition algorithms can maintain their accuracy even with compact images, affirming their potential for large-scale identity management applications. Thu, 05 Nov 2009 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091104101628.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091104132708.htm Professor Yosi Shacham-Diamand of Tel Aviv University's Department of Engineering, working with a team of European Union scientists, has successfully wired a state-of-the-art artificial hand to existing nerve endings in the stump of a severed arm. The device, called "SmartHand," resembles -- in function, sensitivity and appearance -- a real hand. Thu, 05 Nov 2009 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091104132708.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091104132812.htm Researchers have found that readers were better able to understand, remember and emotionally respond to material found through "searching" compared to content found while "surfing." "If, as these data suggest, the cognitive and emotional impact of online content is greatest when acquired by searching, then Web site sponsors might consider increasing their advertising on pages that tend to be accessed via search engines," said one of the researchers. Thu, 05 Nov 2009 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091104132812.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091104101537.htm Three-dimensional computer graphics is moving into museums. Works of art are being digitally archived in 3-D, simplifying research into related artifacts and providing the public with fascinating three-dimensional displays. Thu, 05 Nov 2009 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091104101537.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091102112050.htm A telemedicine system based on a modified version of the Bluetooth wireless protocol can transfer patient data, such as medical images from patient to the health-care provider's mobile device for patient assessment almost four times as fast as conventional Bluetooth and without the intermittent connectivity problems. Thu, 05 Nov 2009 02:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091102112050.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091103144826.htm The details of your personal life, such as grocery purchases and pizza topping preferences, are collected every day -- online and by club and discount cards from the gym, department store and supermarket. Though this data seems innocent enough, when it's put together it can tell a whole lot about your health, finances and behavior. That information, researchers remind us, could eventually be used against you. Wed, 04 Nov 2009 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091103144826.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091103112247.htm When searching for basketball videos online, a long list of Web sites appears, which may contain a picture or a word describing a basketball. But what if the computer could search inside videos for a basketball? Researchers are developing software that would enable computers to search inside videos, detect humans and specific objects, and perform other video analysis tasks. Wed, 04 Nov 2009 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091103112247.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091104140812.htm Physicists have created a quantum gas microscope that can be used to observe single atoms at temperatures so low the particles follow the rules of quantum mechanics, behaving in bizarre ways. The work represents the first time scientists have detected single atoms in a crystalline structure made solely of light, called a Bose Hubbard optical lattice. Wed, 04 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091104140812.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091104101543.htm Researchers are working to develop futuristic communications systems that could help protect frontline troops. Building on work completed recently for the UK Ministry of Defence, the project is aimed at investigating the use of arrays of highly specialized antennas that could be worn by combat troops to provide covert short-range person-to-person battleground communications. Wed, 04 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091104101543.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091103102246.htm The spread of malware, or computer viruses, is a growing problem that can lead to crashed computer systems, stolen personal information, and billions of dollars in lost productivity every year. One of the most insidious types of malware is a "rootkit," which can effectively hide the presence of other spyware or viruses from the user. But now researchers have devised a way to block rootkits and prevent them from taking over your computer systems. Tue, 03 Nov 2009 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091103102246.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091102085834.htm More than 50 international experts in endangered languages are convening to take the first step in cataloging endangered and dying languages in a comprehensive online database. Tue, 03 Nov 2009 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091102085834.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091102121632.htm A wireless digital "plaster" that can monitor vital signs continuously and remotely is being tried out with patients and healthy volunteers in a new clinical trial run by researchers in the UK. The digital "plaster" or "patch" is a disposable device that sticks to a patient's chest. It is designed to allow patients to have their health monitored continuously without being wired up to bulky, fixed monitoring machines. Mon, 02 Nov 2009 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091102121632.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091027132959.htm Researchers are investigating long-distance, mobile optical links imperative for secure quantum communications capabilities in theater. They have conducted high data-rate experiments using an optical laser link, a tool which exploits the quantum noise of light for higher security. Mon, 02 Nov 2009 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091027132959.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091029141215.htm Each year, the influenza virus evolves. And each year, public health officials try to predict what the new strain will be and how it will affect the population in order to best combat it. A new study may make their task a little easier. The study breaks ground by working across scales and linking sub-molecular changes in the influenza virus to the likelihood of influenza outbreaks. Mon, 02 Nov 2009 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091029141215.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091102171611.htm Shoppers could see lower prices but less variety to choose from as more manufacturers sell directly to consumers through the Internet, according to new research. Mon, 02 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091102171611.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091031003511.htm What are the odds that your digital identity will be stolen by cyber criminals? Why do bank payment systems crash when everybody is trying to pay for Christmas gifts by credit card? Cyber criminals are everywhere. Now, help is just a click away. Researchers have developed a new, ultrafast digital signature scheme that is 17,000 times faster than current systems for verification, and 10,000 times faster in providing a digital signature. Sun, 01 Nov 2009 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091031003511.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091012100514.htm New tools and systems developed by European researchers are helping astronomers access data centres from anywhere in the world. From charting new stars to finding new meaning in old stellar objects, the result will be virtual observatories with very real impact. Sun, 01 Nov 2009 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091012100514.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091028113948.htm Scientists are using an adapted version of VPIC, a particle-in-cell plasma physics code, to model the nonlinear physics of laser backscatter energy transfer and plasma instabilities in an attempt to reach fusion ignition. Sat, 31 Oct 2009 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091028113948.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091029160532.htm High-performance energy storage technologies for the automotive industry or mobile phone batteries and notebooks providing long battery times – these visions of the future are being brought one step nearer. Researchers have developed a new method that utilizes silicon for lithium-ion batteries. Its storage capacity is ten times higher than the graphite substrate which has been used up to now, and promises considerable improvements for users. Fri, 30 Oct 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091029160532.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091027162001.htm Scientists have always attempted to develop spin transistors by incorporating local ferromagnets into device architectures. A far better and practical way to manipulate the orientation of an electron's spin would be by using purely electrical means. Researchers have now found an innovative and novel way to control an electron's spin orientation using purely electrical means. Fri, 30 Oct 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091027162001.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091029120858.htm Does your laptop sometimes get so hot that it can almost be used to fry eggs? New technology may help cool it and give information technology a unique twist. Fri, 30 Oct 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091029120858.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091029134342.htm Many of us have been rescued from unfamiliar territory by directions from a Global Positioning System navigator. GPS satellites send signals to a receiver in your GPS navigator, which calculates your position based on the location of the satellites and your distance from them. The distance is determined by how long it took the signals from various satellites to reach your receiver. Fri, 30 Oct 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091029134342.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091027185140.htm Electrical engineers recently pitted Genius -- the music recommendation system in Apple's iTunes -- against two experimental music recommender systems. Genius appears to capture acoustic similarities among songs within the same playlist, the researchers found. The electrical engineers also discovered that the music recommender they built from scratch can generate song playlists that human subjects thought were as good as those that Genius generates. Fri, 30 Oct 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091027185140.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091029141221.htm Scientists have built the first optical frequency comb -- a tool for precisely measuring different frequencies of visible light -- that actually looks like a comb. Fri, 30 Oct 2009 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091029141221.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091031002504.htm Social media sites, armed with the power of instant advocacy, have ushered in the era of "Community Relations 2.0," according to researchers. It's time for American businesses to evaluate the risks and rewards online communities like Facebook and Twitter present and devote social media teams to this rapidly changing landscape of community engagement. Fri, 30 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091031002504.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091028142237.htm People who watch forensic and crime dramas on TV are more likely than nonviewers to have a distorted perception of America's criminal justice system, according to new research. Thu, 29 Oct 2009 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091028142237.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091029162022.htm Scientists have designed smartphone technology, which includes interactive games and easy-to-use logging features, especially for elderly Chinese diabetics. Thu, 29 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091029162022.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091029141249.htm Computer scientists are using Android, the open-source mobile operating system championed by Google, to transform a cell phone into a flexible data-collection tool. Their free suite of tools, named Open Data Kit, is already used by organizations around the world that need inexpensive ways to gather information in areas with little infrastructure. Thu, 29 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091029141249.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090928095447.htm Service-centric software engineering is the latest paradigm in computing, and researchers have developed a platform they believe will launch the concept into the business world. Wed, 28 Oct 2009 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090928095447.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091027161536.htm In a new study the evolutionary history of more than 10,000 sequences from more than 400 HIV-infected individuals was compared. The idea is to identify common features of the transmitted virus, and attempt to create a vaccine that enables recognition the original transmitted virus before the body's immune response causes the virus to react and mutate. Wed, 28 Oct 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091027161536.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091027161539.htm Smokers who crushed computer-simulated cigarettes as part of a psychosocial treatment program in a virtual reality environment had significantly reduced nicotine dependence and higher rates of tobacco abstinence than smokers participating in the same program who grasped a computer-simulated ball, according to a new study. Wed, 28 Oct 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091027161539.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091027170850.htm A mathematician who has applied mathematical modeling techniques to elucidate the dynamics of run scoring in baseball has computed the probability of the Yankees and Phillies winning the World Series. He also has computed the most deserving of Major League Baseball's prestigious 2009 Most Valuable Player (MVP) and Cy Young awards. Wed, 28 Oct 2009 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091027170850.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091026152942.htm A new "Roadrunner Universe" model requires a petascale computer because, like the universe, it's mind-bendingly large. The model's basic unit is a particle with a mass of approximately one billion suns (in order to sample galaxies with masses of about a trillion suns), and it includes 64 billion and more of those particles. The model is one of the largest simulations of the distribution of matter in the universe, and aims to look at galaxy-scale mass concentrations above and beyond quantities seen in state-of-the-art sky surveys. Tue, 27 Oct 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091026152942.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091027103109.htm Electronic tools and technology applications for consumers can help improve health care processes, such as adherence to medication and clinical outcomes like smoking cessation, according to a new report. The analysis of consumer health informatics was based on an examination of 146 published research studies of patient-focused electronic tools. It is among the first to explore the potential value of consumer health informatics. Tue, 27 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091027103109.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091026125535.htm The world's fastest supercomputer, Roadrunner, at Los Alamos National Laboratory has completed its initial "shakedown" phase doing accelerated petascale computer modeling and simulations of a variety of unclassified, fundamental science projects. Mon, 26 Oct 2009 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091026125535.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091026133016.htm A robot is currently building a looping brick wall right in the middle of New York City. Over a period of three weeks, passers-by can watch the "Pike Loop" installation in the making on a traffic island. Mon, 26 Oct 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091026133016.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091016224157.htm Researchers have demonstrated some of the first commercially viable plasmonic devices, paving the way for a new era of high-speed communications and computing in which electronic and optical signals can be handled simultaneously. Mon, 26 Oct 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091016224157.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091020111427.htm More than 120 years after the discovery of the electromagnetic character of radiowaves by Heinrich Hertz, wireless data transmission dominates information technology. Higher and higher radio frequencies are applied to transmit more data. Some years ago, scientists found that light waves might also be used for radio transmission. So far, manufacture of the small antennas has required an enormous expenditure. Scientists have now succeeded in specifically and reproducibly manufacturing smallest optical nanoantennas from gold. Sun, 25 Oct 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091020111427.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091022153639.htm Investigating mysterious data in ultracold gases of rubidium atoms, scientists have found that properly tuned radio-frequency waves can influence how much the atoms attract or repel one another, opening up new ways to control their interactions. Sun, 25 Oct 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091022153639.htm