Wednesday 8 May 2019

Collision-detecting suitcase, wayfinding app help blind people navigate airports

Carnegie Mellon University researchers say a smart suitcase that warns blind users of impending collisions and a wayfinding smartphone app can help people with visual disabilities navigate airport terminals safely and independently.

* This article was originally published here

New database: Water sources in 43 states contain potentially unsafe chemical levels

More than 610 drinking water sources in 43 states contain potentially unsafe levels of chemical compounds that have been linked to birth defects, cancers, infertility and reduced immune responses in children, according to a new database compiled by the Environmental Working Group and Northeastern University.

* This article was originally published here

Understanding the power of honey through its proteins

Honey is a culinary staple that can be found in kitchens around the world. Humans have used honey throughout history, and its long shelf life and medicinal properties make it a unique, multipurpose natural product. Although it seems that a lot is known about the sweet substance, surprisingly little is known about its proteins. Now, researchers report in ACS' Journal of Natural Products new data on honey proteins that could lead to new medicinal applications.

* This article was originally published here

VisiBlends, a new approach to disrupt visual messaging

Visual blends, which join two objects in an unusual, eye-catching way, are an advanced graphic design technique used in advertising, marketing, and the media to draw attention to a specific message. These visual marriages are designed to precipitate an "aha!" moment in the viewer who grasps one idea from the union of two images. For instance, blending an image of an orange with an image of the sun could convey a beverage with Vitamin C.

* This article was originally published here

Physical and mental health of seniors linked to optimism, wisdom and loneliness

Ten thousand Baby Boomers turn 65 every day. By 2029, the entire generation born between 1946 and 1964 will be at least that old. What happens next concerns millions of Americans.

* This article was originally published here

Making a case for robotic objects as anger outlets

Coochi coo. Robots have undergone impressive designs and engineering for social use, manifested in puppy-like robots with expressive, blinking eyes, to little space robots. These little pals and helpers appeal to the home-confined elderly and children. These are social robots designed to understand and respond to cues.

* This article was originally published here

Management of radial scars diagnosed on core biopsy during transition to tomosynthesis

It may be safe to follow-up pure radial scars (RSs) diagnosed on core needle biopsy (CNB) instead of surgical excision, according to a study to be presented at the ARRS 2019 Annual Meeting, set for May 5-10 in Honolulu, HI.

* This article was originally published here

Most EU countries cut CO2 emissions last year: estimates

Most European Union countries reduced carbon dioxide emissions last year, estimates showed Wednesday, marking a turnaround in the battle against greenhouse gases as campaigners urged faster action to avoid the most damaging effects of climate change.

* This article was originally published here

AMD's tech to power new supercomputer for Department of Energy

Advanced Micro Devices announced Tuesday that its technology will help power a new supercomputer at Tennessee-based Oak Ridge National Laboratory in 2021.

* This article was originally published here

Obesity rising faster in rural areas than cities

Obesity is increasing more rapidly in the world's rural areas than in cities, according to a new study of global trends in body-mass index (BMI).

* This article was originally published here

Google's AI Assistant aims to transcend the smart speaker

When Google launched its now distinctive digital assistant in 2016, it was already in danger of being an also-ran.

* This article was originally published here

Show your hands: Smartwatches sense hand activity

We've become accustomed to our smartwatches and smartphones sensing what our bodies are doing, be it walking, driving or sleeping. But what about our hands? It turns out that smartwatches, with a few tweaks, can detect a surprising number of things your hands are doing.

* This article was originally published here

"Classical ways of conserving nature are insufficient"

Earlier this week, the Global Assessment on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services was been published by IPBES, the science-policy platform that serves under the flag of the United Nations. In the assessment major concerns are raised on the state and trends of biodiversity. The way currently deal with the loss of nature will not suffice in turning the tide, the researchers state. But what should be done? Wieteke Willemen, who is an associate professor at the ITC Faculty of Geo-information Science and Earth Observation of the University of Twente, reflects on the global decline in biodiversity.

* This article was originally published here

Territorial management and governance of the Columbian Amazon by indigenous people

In the Colombian Amazon, we find an indigenous organization that manages the protection of around two million hectares of rainforest. As we covered in a previous article, this organization, called Azicatch, worked in association with WWF-Colombia and Fundación Puerto Rastrojo in 2016 to identify its territory's ecosystem services and the risks of losing them using their own methodologies as a key tool for the territorial management and governance of La Chorrera and as inspiration for other Indigenous Peoples in the Amazon.

* This article was originally published here

AI can detect depression in a child's speech

A machine learning algorithm can detect signs of anxiety and depression in the speech patterns of young children, potentially providing a fast and easy way of diagnosing conditions that are difficult to spot and often overlooked in young people, according to new research published in the Journal of Biomedical and Health Informatics.

* This article was originally published here

Smarter training of neural networks

These days, nearly all the artificial intelligence-based products in our lives rely on "deep neural networks" that automatically learn to process labeled data.

* This article was originally published here

Fewer than half of British men and women have sex at least once a week

Fewer than half of men and women in Britain aged 16-44 have sex at least once a week, reveals a large study published by The BMJ today.

* This article was originally published here

Electroconvulsive therapy reboots certain brain networks to help depressed individuals

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) helps people with severe depression by "pushing the reset button" on brain networks involved in creating a mental picture, according to recent Baycrest findings.

* This article was originally published here