Wednesday 19 June 2019

New platform flips traditional on-demand supply chain approach on its head

Imagine you are heading to the grocery store and receive a phone alert asking if you'd also be willing to bring your neighbor's groceries home. Or you are on your way to a concert and see you could fill the seats of your car—and your wallet—if you picked up a few other music fans along the way. As the supplier in these scenarios, you have the choice of which services you provide and when. This may very well be the way commerce is headed.

* This article was originally published here

Applying active inference body perception to a humanoid robot

A key challenge for robotics researchers is developing systems that can interact with humans and their surrounding environment in situations that involve varying degrees of uncertainty. In fact, while humans can continuously learn from their experiences and perceive their body as a whole as they interact with the world, robots do not yet have these capabilities.

* This article was originally published here

Facebook's currency Libra faces financial, privacy pushback

Facebook is getting a taste of the regulatory pushback it will face as it creates a new digital currency with corporate partners.

* This article was originally published here

Survey sees biggest US honeybee winter die-off yet

Winter hit U.S. honeybees hard with the highest loss rate yet, an annual survey of beekeepers showed.

* This article was originally published here

Researchers reproduce micro-scale 'Great Wave' painting with inkless technology

Katsushika Hokusai (1760 - 1849) is the titan of Japanese art, as revered in his homeland as are Da Vinci, Van Gogh and Rembrandt Van Rijn in the West. Of all his famed masterpieces, the "Great Wave" stands out as the ultimate testament to his artistic genius.

* This article was originally published here

How to head off a pain in the neck

(HealthDay)—Neck pain can sneak up on you over time. While it can be caused by an accident or injury, your everyday posture and body mechanics can also be to blame, from the way you carry a shoulder bag, cradle your phone while multitasking or sit at your desk. These tips will help you better protect your neck.

* This article was originally published here

'Self-healing' polymer brings perovskite solar tech closer to market

A protective layer of epoxy resin helps prevent the leakage of pollutants from perovskite solar cells (PSCs), according to scientists from the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University (OIST). Adding a "self-healing" polymer to the top of a PSC can radically reduce how much lead it discharges into the environment. This gives a strong boost to prospects for commercializing the technology.

* This article was originally published here

Researchers develop new method to evaluate artificial heart valves

Researchers at Concordia have devised a technique to detect obstructions in a type of mechanical heart valve they believe will contribute to safer follow-up methods for cardiologists and their patients.

* This article was originally published here

Vitamin D may not help your heart

While previous research has suggested a link between low levels of vitamin D in the blood and an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, a new Michigan State University study has found that taking vitamin D supplements did not reduce that risk.

* This article was originally published here

Distinguishing helpful and harmful gut immune cells offers new view on inflammatory diseases

A type of immune cell that contributes to inflammatory bowel disease exists in two forms, 'good' and 'bad'. A new Crick-led study in Immunity has characterised these distinct populations, which could help scientists to develop treatments targeting inflammation while preserving healthy gut function.

* This article was originally published here

Researchers explore RAMBleed attack in pilfering data

Do you remember Rowhammer, where an attacker could flip bits in the memory space of other processes?

* This article was originally published here

Researchers use facial quirks to unmask 'deepfakes'

After watching hours of video footage of former President Barack Obama delivering his weekly address, Shruti Agarwal began to notice a few quirks about the way Obama speaks.

* This article was originally published here

High postural sway doubles older women's fracture risk

Postural sway is an independent risk factor for bone fractures in postmenopausal women, according to a new study from the University of Eastern Finland and Kuopio University Hospital. Women with the highest postural sway had a two times higher fracture risk compared to women with the lowest postural sway.

* This article was originally published here

3-D technology might improve body appreciation for young women

3-D technology has transformed movies and medical imaging, and now it might be able to help young women better appreciate their bodies.

* This article was originally published here

Toward artificial intelligence that learns to write code

Learning to code involves recognizing how to structure a program, and how to fill in every last detail correctly. No wonder it can be so frustrating.

* This article was originally published here

Students restore motion to five-year-old boy's arms

His arms paralyzed by a rare virus three years ago, Max Ng has struggled to push, pull and poke his way through the world with the gleeful ease that most 5 year olds enjoy.

* This article was originally published here

A dietary supplement improves skills of an atypical Rett syndrome patient

A multicentric translational research study carried out by groups of the Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL), Sant Joan de Déu Hospital (HSJD) , the University of Barcelona (UB), Hospital Clínic (IDIBAPS), the University of Vic (UVic), Sant Pau i la Santa Creu Hospital (IIB Sant Pau), the Rare Diseases Networking Biomedical Research Centre (CIBERER) and the Commissariat à l'Énergie Atomique (CEA, France), has demonstrated the potential of the amino acid L-serine—administered as a dietary supplement—to improve the neuronal function of a patient with a mutation of glutamate receptors associated with atypical Rett syndrome with severe encephalopathy.

* This article was originally published here

Microfluidics device captures circulating cancer cell clusters

Cancer touches nearly everyone in one way or another, and regrettably, it will claim another 600,000 lives in the U.S. in 2019, according to the American Cancer Society. Researchers from San Diego State University, TumorGen MDx Inc., and Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute set out to explore a seemingly basic question: What is it about cancer that kills?

* This article was originally published here

Atrial fibrillation linked to increased risk of dementia, even in stroke-free patients

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is linked to an increased risk of dementia, even in people who have not suffered a stroke, according to the largest study to investigate the association in an elderly population.

* This article was originally published here