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Romanian National Computing Initiative Selects IBM

By Guest PostNovember 3, 2010Technologyaerolink, bladecenter, computing initiative, computing initiative (rogrid), doina banciu, mihail tudor, romania's national, technical university of cluj-napoca, university of craiova, western university of timisoara

Leading Romanian Universities and Research Organizations Connected Through Cloud Computing Technologies from IBM

BUCHAREST, Romania, – 03 Nov 2010: IBM (NYSE: IBM) today announced it has been selected a RoGrid will use 286 compute nodes of IBM System x and BladeCenter servers at six Romanian universities that are linked together using cloud computing technologies to provide RoGrid with an overall computing capacity of 25.7 trillion calculations per second and a storage capacity equivalent to the contents of books made from 6.5 million trees. (more…)

Nuclear Materials Detector Shows Exact Location of Radiation Sources

By Guest PostNovember 3, 2010Science18 cubes, cadmium zinc telluride, conventional detectors, gamma ray detector, gamma rays, high energy photons, nuclear engineering, nuclear materials, nuclear weapons, particles of light, polaris, radiation, radiation source, semiconductor, university of michigan, zhong he

The new Polaris gamma ray detector can pinpoint the location of special nuclear materials, such as those used for dirty bombs or nuclear weapons. Image credit: Zhong He

ANN ARBOR, Mich.— A table-top gamma-ray detector created at the University of Michigan can not only identify the presence of dangerous nuclear materials, but can pinpoint and show their exact location and type, unlike conventional detectors.

“Other gamma ray detectors can tell you perhaps that nuclear materials are near a building, but with our detector, you can know the materials are in room A, or room B, for example,” said Zhong He, an associate professor in the Department of Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Sciences.

“This is the first instrument for this purpose that can give you a real-time image of the radiation source. Not only can we tell you what material is there, but we can tell you where it is, and you can find it and walk towards it.” (more…)

Kinect for Xbox 360: Science Fiction Comes to Your Living Room

By Guest PostNovember 3, 20101 commentTechnologyboys and girls clubs of america, controller-free entertainment, don mattrick, ducati, Entertainment, karen mcdonald, kinect, kinect for xbox 360, kinect joy ride, kinectimals game, magical, Microsoft, morgan walters, netflix, play dead, space invaders, tsunoda, xbox, xbox voice command

*Microsoft is rolling out its new gesture- and voice-controlled Kinect for Xbox 360 sensor on Thursday. Nine-year-old Morgan Walters is one of 1,200 kids, moms, and others who helped get the gaming device ready for launch. “It was really, really cool,” Morgan said after playing the Kinectimals game.*

REDMOND, Wash. – Nov. 3, 2010 – Kinect for Xbox 360 goes on sale in North America Thursday, bringing with it a new era of controller-free gaming and entertainment.

Once it meets you, Kinect recognizes you. With just a wave of the hand or a voice command, Kinect comes to life, bringing games, movies, TV, music, exercise, dancing and sports to your fingertips.

No, it’s not a space-age movie; it’s your living room. (more…)

comScore Reports September 2010 U.S. Mobile Subscriber Market Share

By Guest PostNovember 3, 2010Technologyamericans, Comscore, comscore mobilens, digital world, Google, google android, lg, Microsoft, mobile subscribers, motorola, nokia, oems, operating system, original equipment manufacturers, rim, Samsung, smartphone, u.s. mobile phone, US

*Android Platform Now Reaches More than 1 in 5 U.S. Smartphone Subscribers*

RESTON, VA, November 3, 2010 – comScore, Inc., a leader in measuring the digital world, today released data from the comScore MobiLens service, reporting key trends in the U.S. mobile phone industry during the three month average period ending September 2010. The report ranked the leading mobile original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and smartphone operating system (OS) platforms in the U.S. according to their share of current mobile subscribers ages 13 and older, and reviewed the most popular activities and content accessed via the subscriber’s primary mobile phone. The September report found Samsung to be the top handset manufacturer overall with 23.5 percent market share, while RIM led among smartphone platforms with 37.3 percent market share. (more…)

Online Display Advertising Market Grows 34 Percent in the UK Versus Year Ago

By Guest PostNovember 3, 2010Technologyad recession, christmas, Comscore, Facebook, Google, Microsoft, mike read, online advertising, online display ad market, telefonica europe, uk, uk internet users, uk online display advertising market, virgin group, webinar

*British Consumers Exposed to 221 Billion Display Ads During Q3 2010*

LONDON, UK, November 3, 2010 – comScore, Inc., a leader in measuring the digital world, today released an overview of the UK online display advertising market for Q3 2010, which showed strong gains compared to Q3 2009. Data from comScore’s Ad Metrix services showed that UK internet users received more than 221 billion display ads during the third quarter, marking a 34-percent increase versus year ago. (more…)

Study Improves Accuracy of Models for Predicting Ozone Levels in Urban Areas

By Guest PostNovember 3, 2010Environmentanne mccoy, aos angeles basin, chemical reaction, computer models, formation of nitric acid, ground-level ozone, health hazards, hydroxyl radical, mitchio okumura, nitric acid, nitrogen dioxide, ozone, poor air quality, smoggy days, urban areas

*Current computer models may underestimate levels of ground-level ozone*

A team of scientists has, for the first time, completely characterized an important chemical reaction that is critical to the formation of ground-level ozone in urban areas. The team’s results indicate that computer models may be underestimating ozone levels in urban areas during episodes of poor air quality (smoggy days) by as much as five to 10 percent.

Ground level ozone poses significant health hazards to people, animals and plants; is the primary ingredient of smog; and gives polluted air its characteristic odor. It is known that even small increases in ozone concentrations can lead to increases in death from respiratory problems. Because of the health hazards caused by ozone exposure, the research team’s results may have regulatory implications. (more…)

Hostile Environments Encourage Political Action In Immigrant Communities

By Guest PostNovember 2, 2010Culture, Politicsafrican communities, anti-immigrant legislation, anti-immigrant practices, asian american, backfire, Chicago, dina okamoto, immigrant, immigrant communities, kim ebert, latino, los angeles, memphis, miami, middle eastern, united states

A new study from North Carolina State University finds that anti-immigrant practices – such as anti-immigrant legislation or protests – are likely to backfire, and spur increased political action from immigrant communities. The study examined political activity in 52 metropolitan areas across the United States.

“U.S. Census data indicate that 60 percent of the foreign-born in the U.S. are not citizens,” says Dr. Kim Ebert, an assistant professor of sociology and co-author of a paper describing the research. “Non-citizens can’t vote, so we wanted to determine how they are participating in political life.” (more…)

Turning the Tide on South Africa’s HIV/AIDS Epidemic

By Guest PostNovember 2, 20102 commentsHealthaids activists, aids epidemic, epidemic of aids, picture of aids

Dr. Thembi Xulu. Image credit: Yale University

Thirty years after it was given a name, the epidemic of AIDS and its related illnesses continues to kill millions of people around the world. But nowhere are the numbers as high today as in sub-Saharan Africa, and in particular, the nation of South Africa.

Last week, a physician who has watched her country seesaw from denial to resolve delivered the seventh annual C. Davenport Cook Grand Rounds Lecture in International Child Health at Yale School of Medicine, speaking about how things are changing in South Africa and, perhaps, all of sub-Saharan Africa. Some of the changes she described are medical, others, attitudinal.

Dr. Thembi Xulu is medical director of Right to Care, a leading non-profit HIV/AIDS organization based in Johannesburg, as well as one of this year’s Yale World Fellows. Xulu has for many years been a persistent advocate for educating South Africans about the causes of AIDS and ways to prevent it, and for bringing affordable medication to those afflicted with it. She has grappled with governments in denial, unyielding cultural traditions, lack of funding and victims too ashamed to seek help. (more…)

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