Technology

comScore Veteran Amy Weinberger Appointed Vice President for Australia and New Zealand

*comScore Continues Emphasis on Expansion in Asia Pac*

Sydney, Australia, November 12, 2010 – comScore, Inc., a leader in measuring the digital world, today announced the appointment of Amy Weinberger as vice president for Australia and New Zealand. Ms. Weinberger brings nearly 12 years of digital research industry experience to her new role, including 8 years of experience with comScore in its San Francisco office where she was responsible for developing relationships and delivering value to some of the leading global technology brands. Ms. Weinberger will be responsible for new and existing business in Australia and New Zealand and will be based in Sydney. (more…)

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Women Do Not Detect Internet Scams As Well as Men Do

Women are significantly more likely than men to fall for Internet scams, a new piece of research has claimed after conducting an online test.

In six out of seven tests, women were less likely to detect a scam than men, with females in the supposedly tech-savvy 25-34 age group especially easy to fool, according to Nominet-backed website, Knowthenet. (more…)

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Usability Experts Discuss How to Make Life Easier for the Rest of Us

*Today, Microsoft sponsors an afternoon of workshops to mark World Usability Day, the annual event for usability professionals to raise awareness for their field and discuss research, best practices and products.* 

REDMOND, Wash. – Nov. 11, 2010 – Making the world work better, helping people communicate better, enhancing communication between people and computers – these are all things that interest Steve Seow and other usability experts around the world. 

As part of World Usability Day today, members of the Usability Professionals’ Association (UPA) worldwide will host events to discuss usability and to share research and best practices.  (more…)

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Researchers Find Cancer News May Contribute to Confusion About Cancer

New research from North Carolina State University shows that most online news stories about cancer contain language that likely contributes to public uncertainty about the disease – a significant finding, given that at least one-third of Americans seek health information online.

“Previous studies show that more than 100 million Americans seek health information online, and that their findings affect their health decisions,” says Dr. Kami Kosenko, an assistant professor of communication at NC State and co-author of a paper describing the study. “But, while people facing uncertainty about cancer issues are likely to seek out additional information, we’ve found that there are features of the information they’re seeking that may actually exacerbate the uncertainty.” (more…)

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IBM Completes Acquisition of Netezza

ARMONK, N.Y. – 11 Nov 2010: IBM today announced the closing of its acquisition of Netezza Corporation. Netezza will expand IBM’s business analytics initiatives to help clients gain faster insights into their business information, with increased performance at a lower cost of ownership. IBM announced a definitive agreement to acquire Netezza on September 20, 2010.  (more…)

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‘Nightmare’ Economy Still a Source of Restless Nights, says Krugman

Paul Krugman. Image credit: Yale University

Nobel Prize-winning economist and New York Times columnist Paul Krugman had some generally dismal news for the near capacity audience that came to Sprague Hall on Tuesday for his Jackson Institute-sponsored town hall meeting.

The gathering, aimed at undergraduates, was held in conjunction with Krugman’s visit to Yale to receive the Henry E. Howland Memorial Prize, one of the highest honors that the University bestows.

Krugman was introduced by President Richard C. Levin; the two were briefly colleagues in Yale’s Department of Economics in the 1970s. He kicked off the Q&A with background on the current economic situation. (more…)

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Timely Depression Diagnosis Critical to Maintain Health of Elderly

*MU researchers find non-mood changes related to depression in elderly* 

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Depression affects approximately 30 to 40 percent of nursing home residents, but it often goes unrecognized, according to American Geriatrics Society, which can lead to lower quality of life or even suicide. Now, researchers at the University of Missouri have found a series of indicators, other than changes in mood that are associated with the development of depression in nursing home residents. 

“Prompt diagnosis and treatment of depression is essential to improve the quality of life for nursing home residents,” said Lorraine Phillips, assistant professor in the Sinclair School of Nursing. “Many elderly people develop certain clinical characteristics at the same time they develop depression. Understanding these changes is essential to quickly and accurately diagnosing depression in nursing home residents.”  (more…)

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Researchers Discover How Key Drug Kills Worms in Tropical Diseases

Charles Mackenzie, a professor of veterinary pathology, works with elephantiasis patients in Tanzania. Image credit: Michigan State University

EAST LANSING, Mich. — In a major breakthrough that comes after decades of research and nearly half a billion treatments in humans, scientists have finally unlocked how a key anti-parasitic drug kills the worms brought on by the filarial diseases river blindness and elephantitis.

Understanding how the drug ivermectin works has the potential to lead to new treatments for the diseases, in which the body is infected with parasitic worms, said Charles Mackenzie, a professor of veterinary pathology in the College of Veterinary Medicine and researcher on the project. The diseases afflict about 140 million people worldwide, doing much of their damage in equatorial Africa.

“Ivermectin is one of the most important veterinary and human anti-parasitic agents ever,” Mackenzie said. “Knowing specifically how it interacts with the body’s own immune system and kills parasitic worms opens up whole new treatment avenues.”

The research appears in the current edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. (more…)

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