http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/computers_math/information_technology/ Information Technology. Read the latest in IT research from research institutes around the world. Updated daily, full-text, images, free. en-us Wed, 15 Feb 2012 19:05:01 EST Wed, 15 Feb 2012 19:05:01 EST 60 http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/logosmall.gif http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/computers_math/information_technology/ For more science articles, visit ScienceDaily. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120215143105.htm Computer engineers may have just provided the medical community a new way of figuring out exactly how one of the three building blocks of life forms and functions. They have used a complex computer program to analyze RNA motifs – the subunits that make up RNA. Wed, 15 Feb 2012 14:31:31 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120215143105.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120215082827.htm Even the most exact construction plan lacks many details and design options. The building owner needs imagination to obtain an idea of the constructed building. Now, new 3D video glasses provide a true representation in virtual reality. With the help of integrated high-resolution motion sensors, the virtual environment adapts to the natural movement of the head in real time. Wed, 15 Feb 2012 08:28:28 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120215082827.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120214121856.htm Caffeinated drinks such as coffee and soda are the pick-me-ups of choice for many people, but too much caffeine can cause nervousness and sleep problems. Caffeine Zone, a new software app developed by researchers, can help people determine when caffeine may give them a mental boost and when it could hurt their sleep patterns. The software takes information on caffeine use and integrates it with information on the effects of caffeine to produce a graph of how the caffeine will affect the users over time. Tue, 14 Feb 2012 12:18:18 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120214121856.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120209135831.htm A new study suggests that parents and carers could be putting children at risk if they upload digital photos that are automatically "geotagged" by their camera. Thu, 09 Feb 2012 13:58:58 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120209135831.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120209135341.htm Researchers have developed a new nanotechnology platform for the development of molecule-based electronic components using the wonder material graphene. Thu, 09 Feb 2012 13:53:53 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120209135341.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120208145955.htm Scientists have tapped onto the visual cortex of the congenitally blind by using sensory substitution devices (SSDs), enabling the blind in effect to "see" and even describe objects. SSDs are non-invasive sensory aids that provide visual information to the blind via their existing senses. For example, using a visual-to-auditory SSD in a clinical or everyday setting, users wear a miniature video camera connected to a small computer (or smart phone) and stereo headphones. The images are converted into "soundscapes," using a predictable algorithm, allowing the user to listen to and then interpret the visual information coming from the camera. Wed, 08 Feb 2012 14:59:59 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120208145955.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120207202803.htm Scientists have developed a "biological computer" made entirely from biomolecules that is capable of deciphering images encrypted on DNA chips. Tue, 07 Feb 2012 20:28:28 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120207202803.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120207133506.htm Scientists have demonstrated a revolutionary new way of magnetic recording which will allow information to be processed hundreds of times faster than by current hard drive technology. The researchers found they could record information using only heat -- a previously unimaginable scenario. They believe this discovery will not only make future magnetic recording devices faster, but more energy-efficient too. Tue, 07 Feb 2012 13:35:35 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120207133506.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120207095531.htm Researchers have developed a new technique that allows graphics processing units (GPUs) and central processing units (CPUs) on a single chip to collaborate – boosting processor performance by an average of more than 20 percent. Tue, 07 Feb 2012 09:55:55 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120207095531.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120205163752.htm For the first time, researchers have developed crystalline materials that allow an optical fiber to have integrated, high-speed electronic functions. The potential applications of such optical fibers include improved telecommunications and other hybrid optical and electronic technologies, improved laser technology, and more-accurate remote-sensing devices. Sun, 05 Feb 2012 16:37:37 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120205163752.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120202201735.htm The world can deliver sudden and nasty shocks. Economies can crash, fisheries can collapse, and climates can pass tipping points. Providing early warning of such changes currently requires the collection of enormous and often prohibitive amounts of data. A new method could change this. In a newly published paper, researchers present a mathematical methodology that uses easily obtainable information to greater effect and can therefore reduce the amount of additional data that needs to be collected. Thu, 02 Feb 2012 20:17:17 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120202201735.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120202164819.htm Internet information giant Google updated ocean data in its Google Earth application this week, reflecting new bathymetry data assembled by researchers from around the world. The newest version of Google Earth includes more accurate imagery in several key areas of ocean using data collected by research cruises over the past three years. Thu, 02 Feb 2012 16:48:48 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120202164819.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120202151035.htm Wonder material graphene has been touted as the next silicon, with one major problem -- it is too conductive to be used in computer chips. Now scientists have given its prospects a new lifeline. Scientists have now literally opened a third dimension in graphene research. Their research shows a transistor that may prove the missing link for graphene to become the next silicon. Thu, 02 Feb 2012 15:10:10 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120202151035.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120201123937.htm Scientists have found that the capacity of the human brain to process and record information - and not economic constraints - may constitute the dominant limiting factor for the overall growth of globally stored information. Wed, 01 Feb 2012 12:39:39 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120201123937.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120201120734.htm Twitter users choose the microblogs they follow, but that doesn't mean they always like what they get. Researchers found that users say only a little more than a third of the tweets they receive are worthwhile. Other tweets are either so-so or, in one out of four cases, not worth reading at all. Wed, 01 Feb 2012 12:07:07 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120201120734.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120201102829.htm The active learning algorithm is faster and more accurate in guessing the age of an individual than conventional algorithms. Wed, 01 Feb 2012 10:28:28 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120201102829.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120201102826.htm Magnetic random-access memory based on new spin transfer technology achieves higher storage density by packing multiple bits of data into each memory cell. Wed, 01 Feb 2012 10:28:28 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120201102826.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120131135753.htm Intensive screening of all airline passengers actually makes the system less secure by overtaxing security resources, while risk-based methods increase overall security, according to new research. The researchers developed three algorithms dealing with risk uncertainty in the passenger population. Then, they ran simulations to demonstrate how their algorithms could estimate risk in the overall passenger population and how errors in this estimation procedure can be mitigated to reduce the risk to the overall system. Tue, 31 Jan 2012 13:57:57 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120131135753.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120130093921.htm Scientists have created a new algorithm to detect virtual communities, designed to match the needs of real-life social, biological or information networks detection better than with current attempts. Mon, 30 Jan 2012 09:39:39 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120130093921.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120126152129.htm The driving bass rhythm of rap music can be harnessed to power a new type of miniature medical sensor designed to be implanted in the body. Thu, 26 Jan 2012 15:21:21 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120126152129.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120126115224.htm Researchers in the UK have been using touch screen technology to help give teenagers more of a say in community life. Thu, 26 Jan 2012 11:52:52 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120126115224.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120125151511.htm A quantum computer based on quantum particles instead of classical bits, can in principle outperform any classical computer. However, it still remains an open question, how fast and how efficient quantum computers really may be able to work. A critical limitation will be given by the velocity with which a quantum signal can spread within a processing unit. For the first time, a group of physicists has succeeded in observing such a process in a solid-state like system. Wed, 25 Jan 2012 15:15:15 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120125151511.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120125091053.htm Researchers in Italy have used two high-speed computer algorithms to analyze the connections between a large sub-set of the more than half a billion users of the social networking site Facebook to reveal that the system has a very strong structure. The study shows that Facebook has a well-defined community structure that follows a statistical power law in which there are a huge number of people with few connections and a much smaller number with a large number of connections. Wed, 25 Jan 2012 09:10:10 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120125091053.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120123175709.htm New research is adding to the arsenal of increasingly sophisticated medical imaging tools with a new signal-processing method for viewing muscle activation details never seen before. A novel method using ultrasound imaging, 3-D motion-capture technology and proprietary data-processing software can scan and capture 3-D maps of the muscle structure in just 90 seconds. Previous methods took 15 minutes -- far too long to ask people to hold a muscle contraction. Mon, 23 Jan 2012 17:57:57 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120123175709.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120122104630.htm The prevalence of computer networks for sharing resources places increasingly high requirements on the reliability of data centers. The simplest way to diagnose abnormalities in these systems is to monitor the output of each component but this is not always effective. Sun, 22 Jan 2012 10:46:46 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120122104630.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120119143326.htm Researchers have succeeded in combining the power of quantum computing with the security of quantum cryptography and have shown that perfectly secure cloud computing can be achieved using the principles of quantum mechanics. They have performed an experimental demonstration of quantum computation in which the input, the data processing, and the output remain unknown to the quantum computer. Thu, 19 Jan 2012 14:33:33 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120119143326.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120118173240.htm For some time, researchers have explored flammable ice for low-carbon or alternative fuel or as a place to store carbon dioxide. Now, a computer analysis of the ice and gas compound, known as a gas hydrate, reveals key details of its structure. The results show that hydrates can hold hydrogen at an optimal capacity of 5 weight-percent, a value that meets the goal of a U.S. Department of Energy standard and makes gas hydrates practical and affordable. Wed, 18 Jan 2012 17:32:32 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120118173240.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120118123054.htm Researchers have developed a new algorithm that, in a large range of practically important cases, improves on the fast Fourier transform. Under some circumstances, the improvement can be dramatic -- a tenfold increase in speed. The new algorithm could be particularly useful for image compression, enabling, say, smartphones to wirelessly transmit large video files without draining their batteries or consuming their monthly bandwidth allotments. Wed, 18 Jan 2012 12:30:30 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120118123054.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120118122829.htm An expert comments on the Zappos web site breach by hackers. He said that information about a customer can be used to 'de-anonymize' other databases on other Web sites, further invading customer privacy. Wed, 18 Jan 2012 12:28:28 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120118122829.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120118122618.htm As an estimated 24 million Zappos.com customers begin receiving notifications that some of their personal data have been compromised, an expert is warning those affected to be on the lookout for targeted fraud attempts. Wed, 18 Jan 2012 12:26:26 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120118122618.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120118101415.htm Norwegian researchers have borrowed a page from game developers to devise simulation technology that can save lives in many parts of the world by helping to reduce the damage from catastrophic floods. Wed, 18 Jan 2012 10:14:14 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120118101415.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120117145236.htm Scientists have achieved a 100-fold increase in the ability to maintain control the spins of electrons in a solid material, a key step in the development of ultrafast quantum computers. Tue, 17 Jan 2012 14:52:52 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120117145236.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120113093820.htm As tissue slides are more routinely digitized to aid interpretation, a software program is proving its utility. In bladder cancer test case, a new software tool separates malignancy from background tissue. Fri, 13 Jan 2012 09:38:38 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120113093820.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120111103902.htm Firefighters often put their lives at risk during operations, so it is essential they have reliable tools to help them do their job. Now, a modular simulation kit is set to help develop new information and communication technologies -- and ensure they are tailored to firefighters' needs from the outset. Wed, 11 Jan 2012 10:39:39 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120111103902.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120111085628.htm Computer scientists have developed a visualization tool known as DNSViz to help network administrators within the federal government and global IT community better understand Domain Name System Security (DNSSEC) and to help them troubleshoot problems. Wed, 11 Jan 2012 08:56:56 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120111085628.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120109211557.htm Engineers have discovered that the new material graphene conducts heat about 20 times faster than silicon, making it an option as a semiconductor material that could produce quieter and longer-lasting computers, cellphones and other devices. Mon, 09 Jan 2012 21:15:15 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120109211557.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120106164915.htm A revolutionary new technology helps with cyber security. Fri, 06 Jan 2012 16:49:49 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120106164915.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120104111910.htm Smartphones could help save hundreds of thousands of lives in the aftermath of a disaster or humanitarian crisis, new research has found. Wed, 04 Jan 2012 11:19:19 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120104111910.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111225194725.htm Sequence comparisons are an essential tool for the prediction and analysis of the structure and functions of proteins. A new method developed by computational biologists permits sequence comparisons to be performed faster and more accurately than ever before. Sun, 25 Dec 2011 19:47:47 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111225194725.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111222152014.htm Researchers have created a new type of optical device small enough to fit millions on a computer chip that could lead to faster, more powerful information processing and supercomputers. Thu, 22 Dec 2011 15:20:20 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111222152014.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111221140706.htm A new study demonstrates several crucial advances in "brain reading" or "brain decoding" using computerized machine learning methods. Researchers classified data taken from people being scanned while watching videos meant to induce nicotine cravings and detected whether people were watching and resisting cravings, indulging in them, or watching videos that were unrelated to smoking or cravings. Wed, 21 Dec 2011 14:07:07 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111221140706.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111221105829.htm A newly revised NIST publication expands the options for government agencies that need to verify the identity of users of their web-based services. Wed, 21 Dec 2011 10:58:58 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111221105829.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111221105826.htm A new draft computer security publication provides guidance for vendors and security professionals as they work to protect personal computers as they start up. Wed, 21 Dec 2011 10:58:58 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111221105826.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111221105811.htm An advance in sensor design could unshackle a powerful yet high-maintenance technique for exploring material, expanding the scope of neutron interferometry from a test of quantum mechanics to a tool for industry. Wed, 21 Dec 2011 10:58:58 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111221105811.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111221105800.htm Researchers who studied the growth of the newly hatched Twitter from 2006 to 2009 say the site's growth in the United States actually relied primarily on media attention and traditional social networks based on geographic proximity and socioeconomic similarity. In other words, at least during those early years, birds of a feather flocked -- and tweeted -- together. Wed, 21 Dec 2011 10:58:58 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111221105800.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111221105738.htm Virginia Tech crashed the supercomputing arena in 2003 with System X, a machine that placed the university among the world's top computational research facilities. Now comes HokieSpeed, a new supercomputer that is up to 22 times faster and yet a quarter of the size of X. As researchers from around the world have used System X to crack riddles of the blood system and further DNA research, HokieSpeed will be a next-generation research tool for engineers, scientists, and others. Wed, 21 Dec 2011 10:57:57 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111221105738.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111221091922.htm A question confronting neuroscientists and computer vision researchers alike is how objects can be identified by simply "looking" at an image. But teaching a computer to "know" what it's looking at is far harder. Scientists have now modeled human brain structure to develop better programming approaches for computer object identification. Wed, 21 Dec 2011 09:19:19 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111221091922.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111219135221.htm Quantum computing -- considered the powerhouse of computational tasks -- may have applications in areas outside of pure electronics, according to experts. Mon, 19 Dec 2011 13:52:52 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111219135221.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111216112905.htm With the computerization of databases in healthcare, forensics, telecommunications, and other fields, ensuring security for such databases has become increasingly important. Researchers have now analyzed a new security-control model for statistical databases. Fri, 16 Dec 2011 11:29:29 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111216112905.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111215141611.htm Researchers have developed a tool that can tackle large data sets in a way that no other software program can. Part of a suite of statistical tools called MINE, it can tease out multiple patterns hidden in health information, statistics amassed from a season of major league baseball, data on the changing bacterial landscape of the gut, and more. Thu, 15 Dec 2011 14:16:16 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111215141611.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111215095454.htm New encryption research may lead to improved data security, even for operations performed on remote servers. Thu, 15 Dec 2011 09:54:54 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111215095454.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111214125901.htm Engineers have discovered a surprising new way to increase a material's thermal conductivity that provides a new tool for managing thermal effects in computers, lasers and a number of other powered devices. Wed, 14 Dec 2011 12:59:59 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111214125901.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111214105613.htm The microchip revolution has seen a steady shrinking of features on silicon chips, packing in more transistors and wires to boost chips' speed and data capacity. But in recent years, the technologies behind these chips have begun to bump up against fundamental limits, such as the wavelengths of light used for critical steps in chip manufacturing. Now, a new technique offers a way to break through one of these limits, possibly enabling further leaps in the computational power packed into a tiny sliver of silicon. Wed, 14 Dec 2011 10:56:56 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111214105613.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111213144715.htm Researchers have set a new world record for data transfer, helping to usher in the next generation of high-speed network technology. They transferred data in opposite directions at a combined rate of 186 gigabits per second (Gbps) in a wide-area network circuit. The rate is equivalent to moving two million gigabytes per day, fast enough to transfer nearly 100,000 full Blu-ray disks -- each with a complete movie and all the extras -- in a day. Tue, 13 Dec 2011 14:47:47 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111213144715.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111213110552.htm Consumer reactions to online comments depend on the number of comments and the reader's orientation (whether it's positive or negative), according to a new study. Tue, 13 Dec 2011 11:05:05 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111213110552.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111212092751.htm We are at the dawn of the age of IPv6, the Internet protocol that will succeed version 4, experts say. With 340 undecillion available addresses, IPv6 ensures that the Internet can continue growing and offers advantages in terms of stability, flexibility, and simplicity in network administration. Mon, 12 Dec 2011 09:27:27 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111212092751.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111211134004.htm A multi-purpose optical chip which generates, manipulates and measures entanglement and mixture -- two quantum phenomena which are essential driving forces for tomorrow's quantum computers -- has now been developed. This work represents an important step forward in the race to develop a quantum computer. Sun, 11 Dec 2011 13:40:40 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111211134004.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111207152313.htm Cities are wasting the potential of smart technologies by failing to realize the value of their hidden infrastructure and digital assets. Wed, 07 Dec 2011 15:23:23 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111207152313.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111207132920.htm Scientists have engineered one of the world's smallest electronic circuits. It is formed by two wires separated by only about 150 atoms or 15 nanometers. Wed, 07 Dec 2011 13:29:29 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111207132920.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111207000849.htm Supercomputer simulations are giving scientists unprecedented access to a key class of proteins involved in drug detoxification. Wed, 07 Dec 2011 00:08:08 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111207000849.htm