Tag Archives: Mexico

Software Piracy Costs Billions in Time, Money for Consumers and Businesses

By Guest PostMarch 6, 2013Technologyadware, billions, brazil, businesses, chief information officers, China, computer users, consumers, cost, david finn, emotional strain, Germany, idc, identity theft, India, infection, it managers, john gantz, malware induced cyberattack, Mexico, microsoft corp., microsoft cybercrime center, money, pirated software, play it safe, poland, russia, software piracy, Thailand, time, trojans, unexpected malware, united kingdom, united states, website

New Microsoft-commissioned study also highlights dangers for those that use counterfeit software.

REDMOND, Wash. — Although some computer users may actively seek pirated software in hopes of saving money, the chances of infection by unexpected malware are one in three for consumers and three in 10 for businesses, according to a new study commissioned by Microsoft Corp. and conducted by IDC. As a result of these infections, the research shows that consumers will spend 1.5 billion hours and US$22 billion identifying, repairing and recovering from the impact of malware, while global enterprises will spend US$114 billion to deal with the impact of a malware-induced cyberattack.

The global study analyzed 270 websites and peer-to-peer networks, 108 software downloads, and 155 CDs or DVDs, and it interviewed 2,077 consumers and 258 IT managers or chief information officers in Brazil, China, Germany, India, Mexico, Poland, Russia, Thailand, the United Kingdom and the United States. Researchers found that of counterfeit software that does not come with the computer, 45 percent comes from the Internet, and 78 percent of this software downloaded from websites or peer-to-peer networks included some type of spyware, while 36 percent contained Trojans and adware. (more…)

Immigration among Latin American Countries Fails to Improve Income

By Guest PostFebruary 23, 2013Politicsdeveloping nations, donald bogue, economic opportunities, foreign born, foreign immigrants, immigration, improve income, industrialized nations, ipums international, lack of data, latin american countries, Mexico, migration context, popular, populations, strata of migrants, theories of immigration, theory on immigration, typical immigrant, united states, university of minnesota, us immigrants

New study challenges theory of upward mobility in developing nations

Although immigration to the United States from Latin American countries, particularly Mexico, has captured much public attention, immigrants who move between countries in Latin America have more difficulty than those moving to the United States.

Donald Bogue, professor emeritus in sociology and a distinguished scholar of demography, has found that unlike immigrants to the United States, immigrants between nations in Latin America frequently do not improve their lives by moving. (more…)

Argentina Ranks First in Worldwide Desktop Social Networking Engagement at Nearly 10 Hours per Visitor Each Month

By Guest PostDecember 20, 2012Technologyalejandro fosk, analysis, Argentina, ask, brazil, Chile, Comscore, Facebook, hi5, latin america, leading social network, level of engagement, linkedIn, market, Mexico, peru, slideshare, social networking activity, social networking markets, tumblr

Analysis of Social Networking in Latin America Shows LinkedIn Grabbing #2 Position with35 Million Monthly Visitors

Santiago, Chile, December 20, 2012 – comScore, a leader in measuring the digital world, today released an analysis of social networking activity in Latin America, which found that Argentina and Brazil led as the most engaged social networking markets worldwide with visitors spending an average of near 10 hours on social networking sites in November 2012. The study also found that LinkedIn, which has grown strongly in the past year due to both organic growth and the acquisition of Slideshare.net, is now the second most visited social network in Latin America. (more…)

CU Mathematicians Show How Shallow Waves May Help Explain Tsunami Power

By Guest PostSeptember 19, 2012Scienceboulder, colorado, douglas baldwin, earthquake, interaction height, Japan, los angeles, low tide, mark ablowitz, mathematical equation, Mexico, nonlinear, nonlinearity, nuevo vallarta, ocean wave, pacific ocean, physics, tsunami, university, venice beach, wave height, wave watching

While wave watching is a favorite pastime of beachgoers, few notice what is happening in the shallowest water. A closer look by two University of Colorado Boulder applied mathematicians has led to the discovery of interacting X- and Y-shaped ocean waves that may help explain why some tsunamis are able to wreak so much havoc.

Professor Mark Ablowitz and doctoral student Douglas Baldwin repeatedly observed such wave interactions in ankle-deep water at both Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico, and Venice Beach, Calif., in the Pacific Ocean — interactions that were thought to be very rare but which actually happen every day near low tide. There they saw single, straight waves interacting with each other to form X- and Y-shaped waves as well as more complex wave structures, all predicted by mathematical equations, said Ablowitz. (more…)

Predatory Beetles Eavesdrop on Ants’ Chemical Conversations to Find Best Egg-Laying Sites

By Guest PostAugust 6, 2012Naturealarm pheromones, alarm signal, ant eating spiders, ants, azteca ants, azteca instabilis ants, azteca worker ants, catatonic state, chemical, chiapas, coffee bushes, coffee pest, coffee plantation, coffee plants, esteli soto jimenez, fly larvae, green coffee scale, heidi liere, honeydew, hsun yi hsieh, ivette perfecto, lady beetles, Mexico, Nature, overheard conversation, parasitic flies, pest control strategies, phorid alert pheromone, phorid flies, predatory beetles, predatory lady beetle

ANN ARBOR, Mich.— Predatory beetles can detect the unique alarm signal released by ants that are under attack by parasitic flies, and the beetles use those overheard conversations to guide their search for safe egg-laying sites on coffee bushes.

Azteca instabilis ants patrol coffee bushes and emit chemical alarm signals when they’re under attack by phorid flies. In an article published online July 27 in the journal Ecology and Evolution, University of Michigan researchers and their colleagues show that pregnant lady beetles intercept the ants’ alarm pheromones, which let the beetles know that it’s safe to deposit their eggs. (more…)

Detecting Cancer with Lasers Has Limited Use, Say Mu Researchers

By Guest PostAugust 1, 2012Healthamerican cancer society, cancerous cells, carbon nanotube, cellular tissue, enhancers, gerardo gutierrez juarez, gold, luis polo parada, malaria, markers, melanoma skin cancer, Mexico, nanoparticle, photoacoustics, pigmentation, united states, university of guanajuato, university of missouri, xrays

COLUMBIA, Mo. — One person dies every hour from melanoma skin cancer in the United States, according to the American Cancer Society. A technique known as photoacoustics can find some forms of melanoma even if only a few cancerous cells exist, but a recent study by University of Missouri researchers found that the technique was limited in its ability to identify other types of cancer. Attaching markers, called enhancers, to cancer cells could improve the ability of photoacoustics to find other types of cancer and could save lives thanks to faster diagnoses, but the technique is in its early stages.

“Eventually, a photoacoustic scan could become a routine part of a medical exam,” said Luis Polo-Parada, assistant professor of pharmacology and physiology and resident investigator at the MU Dalton Cardiovascular Research Center. “The technique doesn’t use X-rays like current methods of looking for cancer. It could also allow for much earlier detection of cancer. Now, a cancerous growth is undetectable until it reaches approximately one cubic centimeter in size. Photoacoustics could potentially find cancerous growths of only a few cells. Unfortunately, our research shows that, besides some cases of melanoma, the diagnostic use of photoacoustics still has major limitations. To overcome this problem, the use of photoacoustic enhancers like gold, carbon nanotubes or dyed nanoparticles is needed.” (more…)

First Satellite Tag Study for Manta Rays Reveals Habits And Hidden Journeys of Ocean Giants

By Guest PostMay 15, 2012Naturebaleen whales, brenden j godley, caribbean sharks, chinese medicinal trade, dan w castellanos, devilfish, ecological needs, fish eggs, francisco remolina, gill rakers, government of mexico, howard rosenbaum, iucn, lucy a hawkes, manta ray, matthew witt, Mexico, mysterious ocean giant, mythic fish, plankton, rachel graham, sara maxwell, satellite telemetry, satellite tracking technology, university of exeter, whale sharks, Wildlife Conservation Society, yucatan peninsula, zooplankton

Using the latest satellite tracking technology, conservationists from the Wildlife Conservation Society, the University of Exeter and the Government of Mexico have completed a ground-breaking study on a mysterious ocean giant: the manta ray.

The research team has produced the first published study on the use of satellite telemetry to track the open-ocean journeys of the world’s largest ray, which can grow up to 25 feet in width.

Researchers say the manta ray—listed as ‘Vulnerable’ by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN)—has become increasingly threatened by fishing and accidental capture and now needs more protection. (more…)

Homeland Security Chief Speaks About Challenges Facing U.S., Global Cooperation

By Guest PostApril 18, 2012Politicsagency, canada, central american border, costa rica, criminal law, cyber criminal, deportation, dream act, drug, education, globalized world, guatemala, homeland security, honduras, human smuggling, immigration reform, intellectual property, janet napolitano, korn hall, Mexico, panama, secretary, ucla, united states

The United States is stronger and more secure than it was prior to 9/11, but threats from overseas remain and must be proactively managed, said Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano, who visited campus April 16 for a public talk sponsored by the UCLA Burkle Center for International Relations.

In a globalized world, international cooperation is the key to identifying those who intend to do harm, she said, adding that threats to the global supply chain, the activities of drug and human smuggling organizations, and the prevalence of cyber-criminals who attempt to steal information and intellectual property and disrupt critical networks are among the major challenges facing the Department of Homeland Security. (more…)