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Freedom of Information Laws Prevent Corruption, But Not a Quick Fix, MU Study Finds

By Guest PostJuly 9, 2013Politicsaejmc, charles davis, corruption level, corruption perception index, edson tandoc, foi, freedom of information, government, human development, human development index, laws, Transparency International, united nation, university of missouri

COLUMBIA, Mo. — Nations that have freedom of information (FOI) laws in place tend to have lower incidents of corruption than those with no similar laws, a new University of Missouri study found. In comparing data from 168 countries, Edson Tandoc, Jr., a doctoral candidate in the MU School of Journalism also found that having an FOI law is linked to higher levels of human development. He says governments of many countries enact FOI laws in an effort to stop corruption, but while FOI laws work to reduce corruption over time, they are not a quick fix.

“Because it takes years for these laws to become fully effective, FOI laws should not be considered only as a corrective measure,” Tandoc said. “Countries without FOI laws should not wait for corruption to strike before they get serious about passing these laws because they will not cure the problems overnight.” (more…)

Deep Biosphere Harbors Active, Growing Communities of Microorganisms

By Guest PostJuly 9, 2013Environmentamino acids, archaea, bacteria, bill orsi, biochemical mechanisms, carbon, cell, cell populations, data analysis, deep biosphere, ecologist, ecosystem, fungi, glenn christman, global biogeochemical cycles, messenger rna, metatranscriptome, microorganisms, model, molecule atp, mrna, nitrogen cycling, ocean drilling program, sulfate reduction, ud, university of delaware, virginia edgcomb, whoi

The deep biosphere—the realm of sediments far below the seafloor—harbors a vast ecosystem of bacteria, archaea, and fungi that are actively metabolizing, proliferating, and moving, according a new study by scientists at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) and the University of Delaware (UD).

“This is the first molecular evidence for active cell division in the deep biosphere,” says WHOI postdoctoral investigator Bill Orsi, who was the lead author on the study. Previous studies and models had suggested cells were alive, but whether the cells were actually dividing or not had remained elusive. (more…)

Microsoft study reveals channel partners selling cloud solutions experience nearly double gross profits and faster growth

By Guest PostJuly 8, 2013Technologycloud, cloud environment, cloud technology, darren bibby, hybrid approach, idc study, infographic, it solutions, Microsoft, money, worldwide partner group, wpc

New study conducted by research firm highlights hybrid cloud profitability opportunities for partners.

HOUSTON — July 8, 2013 — Partners with more than 50 percent of their revenue related to the cloud have been benefiting from higher gross profit, more new customers, increased revenue per employee and faster overall business growth, according to a new IDC study, sponsored by Microsoft Corp., released today at the company’s annual partner conference.

The study underscored the transformation taking place in the business world as more organizations of all sizes move their technology infrastructures to the cloud. In fact, according to the findings, cloud-oriented partners, defined as those that generate more than 50 percent of their revenue from the cloud, grow at double the rate, accrue new customers more than two times faster and generate 30 percent more revenue per employee compared with noncloud-oriented partners. (more…)

Teaching a Computer to Play ‘Concentration’ Advances Security, Understanding of the Human Mind

By Guest PostJuly 8, 2013Technologyact r, arpan chakraborty, automated bots, brent harrison, cognitive modeling, computer science researcher, computer simulation, david roberts, game concentration, how, human mind, memory, modeling, ottawa, play concentration, robert st amant, software system, titus barik, web applications, works

Computer science researchers have programmed a computer to play the game Concentration (also known as Memory). The work could help improve computer security – and improve our understanding of how the human mind works.

The researchers developed a program to get the software system called ACT-R, a computer simulation that attempts to replicate human thought processes, to play Concentration. In the game, multiple matching pairs of cards are placed face down in a random order, and players are asked to flip over two cards, one at a time, to find the matching pairs. If a player flips over two cards that do not match, the cards are placed back face down. The player succeeds by remembering where the matching cards are located. (more…)

Unusual Supernova is Doubly Unusual for Being Perfectly Normal

By Guest PostJuly 8, 2013Science2011fe data, berkeley lab, big dipper, expansion of universe, greg aldering, palomar transient factory, pinwheel galaxy, rollin thomas, rui pereira, snfactory, snfactory data, snifs, supernova 2011fe, type ia supernova

From the “Backyard Supernova,” the Berkeley Lab-led Nearby Supernova Factory has built a benchmark atlas for normal Type Ia’s

August, 2011, saw the dazzling appearance of the closest and brightest Type Ia supernova since Type Ia’s were established as “standard candles” for measuring the expansion of the universe. The brilliant visitor, labeled SN 2011fe, was caught by the Palomar Transient Factory less than 12 hours after it exploded in the Pinwheel Galaxy in the Big Dipper.

Easy to see through binoculars, 2011fe was soon dubbed the Backyard Supernova. Major astronomical studies from the ground and from space followed close on its heels, recording its luminosity and colors as it rapidly brightened and then slowly faded away. (more…)

Major secrets of YouTube marketing

By Guest PostJuly 7, 2013Small Businesssecrets, youtube marketing

YouTube is a video channel that has witnessed a phenomenal growth in the past decade. Also, it is expected to have a tenfold number of visitors in the next few years. There a number of video sharing and promotion sites other than YouTube such as Vimeo, Metacafe and so on. But since YouTube is directly linked to Google, it has more prominence when compared to the other video sharing sites. (more…)

Mystery of the mutant polyomavirus

By Guest PostJuly 7, 2013Health, Scienceaaron derdowski, astrocytes, bethany ohara, brain glial cells, brown university, carbohydrate, crystal structure, DNA, gretchen gee, infectious, jc polyomavirus, lstc, luisa ströh, melissa maginnis, mutant form, mutant polyomavirus, myelin, mystery, non infection, oligodendrocytes, pathogen, pml, progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy, thilo stehle, university of tübingen, ursula neu, vanderbilt university, virus, walter atwood, wild type, xray crystallography

A new study shows that common mutant forms of the deadly JC polyomavirus are not responsible for the pathogen’s main attack, which causes a brain-damaging disease in immunocompromised patients called progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy. But that finding raises the ominous question of what the mutants might be up to instead.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — The JC polyomavirus is clearly opportunistic. It infects half the population but lethally destroys brain tissue only in immunocompromised patients — and it may be outright sneaky, too. Even as a new research paper allays fears that common mutant forms of the virus are the ones directly responsible for the disease’s main attack, that same finding raises new questions about what the mutants are doing instead. (more…)

Women and HIV: A story of racial and ethnic health disparities

By Guest PostJuly 7, 2013Culture, Healthafrican american, aids, american women, behavioral, causes of death, cira, cultural factor, culture, discrimination, ethnic health disparities, hiv, hiv acquisition, hiv epidemic, hiv infection, hiv risk, intimate partner violence, ipv, known risk factors, latina women, lisa rosenthal, negative, non caucasian women, prep access, racial, sarah k calabrese, sexual experience, sexual partnership, sexual risk taking, sexual self concept, sexual stereotypes, sexually transmitted infections, society, stigma, stis, story, theory, united states, women

The history of women with HIV/AIDS in the United States is really a story of racial and ethnic health disparities.

Overall, the rate of American women contracting the disease relative to men has climbed from 8 percent in the 1980s to 25 percent today. But most of this burden is in underserved communities: one in 32 African-American women will be diagnosed with HIV in their lifetime, as will one in 106 Latina women. Meanwhile, one in 526 Caucasian and Asian women will contract the virus. Death rates are also higher for African-American and Latina women, making it one of the leading causes of death for those groups. (more…)

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