The Fitbit Products Blog.: 07/04/19

Thursday, 4 July 2019

A new genetic algorithm for traffic control optimization

Researchers at the University of Technology Sydney and DATA61 have recently developed a new method for optimizing the timing of signals in urban environments under severe traffic conditions. Their approach, presented in a paper pre-published on arXiv, entails the use of genetic algorithms (GAs), a popular computer science technique for solving optimization problems.

* This article was originally published here

Four steps to make your lawn a wildlife haven – from green desert to miniature rainforest

If you could ask British insects about the habitats they prefer, they'd probably tell you that you can't improve on grassland that's rich with wildflowers. For farmers, though, grassland is said to be "improved" if it has been treated with fertiliser and sown with fast growing grasses.

* This article was originally published here

Researchers validate optimum composites structure created with additive manufacturing

Additive manufacturing built an early following with 3-D printers using polymers to create a solid object from a Computer-Aided Design model. The materials used were neat polymers—perfect for a rapid prototype, but not commonly used as structural materials.

* This article was originally published here

Substantial increase in body weight since 1960s due to interplay between genes and environment

People with a genetic predisposition to obesity are not only at greater risk of excess weight, their genes interact with an increasingly "obesogenic" environment, resulting in higher body mass index (BMI) in recent decades, finds a study from Norway published by The BMJ today.

* This article was originally published here

Ossia suits up for new day in wireless charging

Technology advances by leaps, bounds—and stagnates in a stubborn flat line. Technology has showcased machines that can learn how to make a sophisticated pizza, identify individuals by heartbeat and bring self-driving cars to move, stop and park. We are still, however, sentenced to charging pads and holding patterns on walls to juice our devices.

* This article was originally published here

The mission of a lifetime: a drone on Titan in 2034

Elizabeth Tuttle was overjoyed when, on June 26, she received a call from NASA: her project to send a drone copter to Titan, Saturn's largest moon, was given the green light and a budget of nearly a billion dollars.

* This article was originally published here

Scientists discover autoimmune disease associated with testicular cancer

Using advanced technology, scientists at Chan Zuckerberg (CZ) Biohub, Mayo Clinic and University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), have discovered an autoimmune disease that appears to affect men with testicular cancer.

* This article was originally published here

Don't let fireworks deafen you

(HealthDay)—Fireworks are a beautiful sight to behold, but they can damage your hearing if you're not careful.

* This article was originally published here

Why the 'molecular scissors' metaphor for understanding CRISPR is misleading

Last week I read an article about CRISPR, the latest tool scientists are using to edit DNA. It was a great piece—well researched, beautifully written, factually accurate. It covered some of the amazing projects scientist are working on using CRISPR, like bringing animals back from extinction and curing diseases. It also gave me the heebies, but not for the reason you might expect.

* This article was originally published here

Harvard researcher: New meat alternatives mainstream veganism

Some Burger Kings recently introduced a new version of the iconic Whopper with its signature flame-broiled beef patty swapped for a meatless replica that the company claims is virtually indistinguishable from the real thing.

* This article was originally published here

Simpler name for cancer genetic syndrome could save lives

As medical science links certain genetic mutations with a greater variety of cancers, the names for these risk syndromes are falling out of step.

* This article was originally published here

New Zealand slams Google over murder case gaffe

Google was accused of "giving the middle finger" by New Zealand's Justice Minister Thursday, after the US tech giant refused to tighten publication standards after breaching court suppression orders in a high-profile murder case.

* This article was originally published here

Genes could play a role in tooth decay and gum disease

Tooth decay and gum disease impact on illness and healthcare spending, yet the role of genetics in dental problems is largely unknown. New research led by an international team, including researchers at the University of Bristol, suggests hereditary traits and factors such as obesity, education and personality could play a role in tooth decay and gum disease.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/genes-could-play-a-role-in-tooth-decay-and-gum-disease

Stromboli clears up ash after deadly volcano eruption

The village of Ginostra on Stromboli began sweeping away layers of ash on Thursday, the day after a dramatic volcanic eruption on the tiny Italian island killed a hiker.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/stromboli-clears-up-ash-after-deadly-volcano-eruption

Scientists combine light and matter to make particles with new behaviors

Every type of atom in the universe has a unique fingerprint: It only absorbs or emits light at the particular energies that match the allowed orbits of its electrons. That fingerprint enables scientists to identify an atom wherever it is found. A hydrogen atom in outer space absorbs light at the same energies as one on Earth.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/scientists-combine-light-and-matter-to-make-particles-with-new-behaviors

New Zealand slams Google over murder case gaffe

Chinese official: Pig fever outbreak 'complicated and grim'

The death toll from a disease outbreak in China's pig herds that has pushed up global pork prices has risen to 1.2 million animals, but its spread has "significantly slowed," a deputy agriculture minister said Thursday.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/chinese-official-pig-fever-outbreak-complicated-and-grim

French lawmakers approve 3% tax on online giants

France's lower house of parliament approved Thursday a small, pioneering tax on internet giants like Google, Amazon and Facebook—and the French government hopes other countries will follow suit.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/french-lawmakers-approve-3-tax-on-online-giants

Hot weather in Greek capital shuts down Acropolis

Greece's most famous archaeological site, the Acropolis in Athens, has shut down to visitors for four hours because of hot weather in the capital.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/hot-weather-in-greek-capital-shuts-down-acropolis

Jakarta residents sue Indonesia government over air pollution

Residents of Indonesia's capital on Thursday filed a lawsuit against the government over the toxic levels of air pollution that regularly blanket the city.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/jakarta-residents-sue-indonesia-government-over-air-pollution

Deep-CEE: The AI deep learning tool helping astronomers explore deep space

Galaxy clusters are some of the most massive structures in the cosmos, but despite being millions of lightyears across, they can still be hard to spot. Researchers at Lancaster University have turned to artificial intelligence for assistance, developing "Deep-CEE" (Deep Learning for Galaxy Cluster Extraction and Evaluation), a novel deep learning technique to speed up the process of finding them. Matthew Chan, a Ph.D. student at Lancaster University, is presenting this work at the Royal Astronomical Society's National Astronomy meeting on 4 July at 3:45pm in the Machine Learning in Astrophysics session.

* This article was originally published here

Judge to reassess $80 million award in Monsanto cancer case

A federal judge will reconsider a jury's $80 million damage award to a cancer victim who used Monsanto's Roundup weed-killer.

* This article was originally published here

New technique could brighten screens and make smartphone batteries last longer

Our future TV and smartphone screens could have double the energy efficiency, thanks to a technique invented by Imperial scientists.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/new-technique-could-brighten-screens-and-make-smartphone-batteries-last-longer

Sharing control with robots may make manufacturing safer, more efficient

Hulking robots common to assembly line manufacturing tend to be loners. They often cut, bend and weld metal inside cages and behind barriers meant to safely separate them from human workers.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/sharing-control-with-robots-may-make-manufacturing-safer-more-efficient

Uber Eats bows to fans and removes green from Marseille shirt logo

Uber Eats has changed the colour of the logo that will appear on Marseille shirts next season to placate the club's fans.

* This article was originally published here

Simpler name for cancer genetic syndrome could save lives

As medical science links certain genetic mutations with a greater variety of cancers, the names for these risk syndromes are falling out of step.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/simpler-name-for-cancer-genetic-syndrome-could-save-lives

Creation of big data tool leads to new ideas on form and function of insect eggs

Sometimes disproving an old hypothesis is as important as proving a new one. In a new paper in Nature, Cassandra G. Extavour manages to do both, while helping create a tool that will enable similar big-data studies moving forward.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/creation-of-big-data-tool-leads-to-new-ideas-on-form-and-function-of-insect-eggs

Further insight needed into potential development delays in preterm children

Executive functioning delays—such as difficulties with attention, concentration and self-control—which frequently occur in preterm children actually persist beyond early infancy, through to school-entry age, new research has found.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/further-insight-needed-into-potential-development-delays-in-preterm-children

Researchers map crystals to advance treatments for stroke, diabetes, dementia

Medications attach to the proteins in our bodies the way spacecrafts dock into the International Space Station. Describing that process in detail can reveal a lot about how the medications work—and what form new medications should take.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/researchers-map-crystals-to-advance-treatments-for-stroke-diabetes-dementia

Incarceration and economic hardship strongly associated with drug-related deaths in the US

Growing rates of incarceration in the USA since the mid-1970s may be linked with a rise in drug-related mortality, and may exacerbate the harmful health effects of economic hardship, according to an observational study involving 2,640 US counties between 1983 and 2014, published in The Lancet Public Health journal.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/incarceration-and-economic-hardship-strongly-associated-with-drug-related-deaths-in-the-us

More money, skills and knowledge needed for social prescribing to serve as route into work

New funding, greater expertise and wider awareness in the system—and beyond—are needed to embed work outcomes into social prescribing practice.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/more-money-skills-and-knowledge-needed-for-social-prescribing-to-serve-as-route-into-work

Scientists discover autoimmune disease associated with testicular cancer

One in 10 UK hospital inpatients is alcohol dependent

A new review of evidence from the UK has found high levels of alcohol dependence among hospital inpatients. The researchers estimate one in five patients in the UK hospital system uses alcohol harmfully, and one in ten is alcohol dependent.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/one-in-10-uk-hospital-inpatients-is-alcohol-dependent

Facebook services back online after worldwide outage

Facebook said it was "back at 100 percent" Wednesday evening after an outage on all of its services affected users in various parts of the world.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/facebook-services-back-online-after-worldwide-outage

Tornado kills 6, injures nearly 200 in China

A tornado has left six people dead and nearly 200 injured after ripping through a northeastern Chinese city, local authorities said Thursday.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/tornado-kills-6-injures-nearly-200-in-china