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IBM Powers Russian Pharmaceutical Company PROTEK

By Guest PostNovember 22, 2010Technologyandrey filatov, data processing center, hp, ibm, ibm power7 systems, it infrastructure, power systems, protek, roadmap, russian federation, russian pharmaceutical distributor, victor gorbunov

*IBM’s POWER7 systems replace HP servers*

MOSCOW, – 22 Nov 2010: IBM today announced that Russian pharmaceutical distributor PROTEK has switched to IBM POWER7 systems for its data processing center. The new systems from IBM replace the previous servers from HP, enabling PROTEK to improve the performance of critical business applications while reducing power consumption and increasing return on investment.

PROTEK is one of Russia’s largest pharmaceutical companies, distributing medicines to 44,000 pharmacies and health-care institutions across the Russian Federation. PROTEK’s rapid business growth and the implementation of a new ERP system across all of its offices resulted in a sharp increase in workload for the company’s IT infrastructure. PROTEK’s legacy IT system, based on HP SuperDome servers, failed to meet its growing performance requirements. In an effort to avoid further delays in critical business data processing, PROTEK’s management board decided to switch to a new server platform. (more…)

Lab Studies Show Promise for New Multiple Sclerosis Treatment

By Guest PostNovember 21, 2010Healthchronic pain, inflammatory disease, multiple sclerosis, neurological problems, neuropathic pain, pain signals, treatment

Successfully treating and reversing the effects of multiple sclerosis, or MS, may one day be possible using a drug originally developed to treat chronic pain, according to Distinguished Professor Linda Watkins of the University of Colorado at Boulder. (more…)

Video: Bob Woodward Discusses Investigative Journalism in the New Century

By Guest PostNovember 21, 2010Culture, Mediaart gallery, author, bob woodward, journalist, paul needham, pulitzer prize, steven brill, yale university

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author Bob Woodward ’65 discussed “Secrets: Uncovering Mysteries in the 21st Century” during a conversation with Steven Brill ’72, LAW ’75, founder of the Yale Journalism Initiative, and Paul Needham ’11, journalism scholar and former editor-in-chief of the Yale Daily News. (more…)

Does Sex Matter? It May When Evaluating Mental Status

By Guest PostNovember 20, 20101 commentHealthbrain abnormalities, brain function, schizophrenia, sex differences, sexual dimorphism

Adrianna Mendrek. Image credit : University of Montreal

Schizophrenia is a mental disorder that differs between the sexes in terms of age at onset, symptomatology, response to medication, and structural brain abnormalities.

Now, a new study from the Université de Montréal shows that there is gender difference between men and women’s mental ability – with women performing better than men. These findings, published recently in, Schizophrenia Research, have implications for the more than 300 000 affected Canadians.

“We are the first to report sex differences in brain function of schizophrenics,” says Université de Montréal professor, Adrianna Mendrek a researcher at the Centre de Recherche Fernand-Seguin, Hospital Louis-H Lafontaine. “We chose to study a task involving mental rotation of a three dimensional image because in healthy men and women, this consistently elicits differences in terms of reaction time and performance accuracy.” (more…)

Months of Geologic Unrest Signaled Reawakening of Icelandic Volcano

By Guest PostNovember 20, 2010Sciencegeologic unrest, icelandic volcano eyjafjallajökull, magma, monitoring volcanoes

Monitoring volcanoes helps researchers understand the processes that drive them to erupt

Months of volcanic restlessness preceded the eruptions this spring of Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajökull, providing insight into what roused it from its centuries of slumber. (more…)

YouTube PSAs: Comments More Persuasive than Videos

By Guest PostNovember 19, 20101 commentTechnologyannouncements, psas, public service, youtube page, youtube psas

Professor Joseph Walther led an MSU research project that found that comments accompanying YouTube public service announcements were more persuasive to viewers than the videos themselves. Image credit: Michigan State University

EAST LANSING, Mich. — Michigan State University researchers, studying public service announcements placed on YouTube about marijuana use, have found that the comments accompanying the PSAs are more influential among viewers than the videos themselves.

The researchers showed four anti-marijuana PSAs, and the accompanying comments, to college students and asked for their evaluations of the PSAs and their attitudes about marijuana.

What was found was that negative, derisive comments about the video led the students to perceive the video as worse than when the comments were positive, even though they watched the videos individually. And when students identified with the anonymous commenters, the comments affected their perceptions of marijuana’s harmful effects. (more…)

Report: IBM Supercomputers Are Most Energy Efficient in the World

By Guest PostNovember 19, 2010Technologyblue gene prototype, ibm supercomputers, ibm systems, next generation, quantum chromodynamics

Next Generation Blue Gene prototype judged most efficient by Green500.org

ARMONK, N.Y., – 19 Nov 2010: IBM supercomputers are the most energy efficient supercomputers in the world, according to the latest Supercomputing ‘Green500 List’ announced by Green500.org. A prototype of IBM’s next generation Blue Gene supercomputer is #1 on the list.

The list shows that 15 of the top 25 most energy efficient supercomputers in the world are built on IBM high-performance computing technology. The list includes supercomputers from China to Germany and the United States that are being used for a variety of applications such as astronomy, climate prediction and pharmaceutical research. IBM also holds over half of the top 100 positions on this list. (more…)

Amazon.com Announces Launch of New Visual Search Capability for Customers

By Guest PostNovember 19, 2010Technologya9, Amazon, amazon visual search technology, bill stasior, browse for shoes, new search capability, palo alto, product

*Amazon customers can now refine search results by using new shape picker technology*

SEATTLE, Nov 19, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) — Amazon.com, Inc. today announced a new search capability available to all customers in Amazon’s men’s and women’s shoe stores. This new capability allows customers to search and browse for shoes based on how they look, allowing them to find the styles they want easily and quickly.

“With the launch of this new search feature, finding the right pair of shoes becomes even easier for customers,” said Bill Stasior, president of A9. “The customer is presented with a palette of shapes, representing different styles of shoes and that palette is constantly changing to match the customer’s context. Because the styles are shown graphically as silhouettes, customers don’t even need to know the name of the styles they are exploring.” (more…)

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