Microsoft's Science Fair Is So Cool. So Why Aren't Its Products?

Attending Microsoft?s TechFest is always an opportunity to stretch the mind.

Redmond?s annual science fair is literally a sneak peek into the future. Going from booth to booth, one gets a sense of where computing is headed, from new ways of viewing data and interacting machines to better ways of fighting spam and viruses.

But as mind-bending and enlighting as the event always is, it also can leave one scratching one?s head.

How can the company be doing such pioneering work and yet not be better at being the first one to succeed in many of these same areas?

There are areas where Microsoft has been successfully first, of course. The Xbox team?s Kinect is a great example of that.

?That?s a whole new product that was created ? based around Microsoft Research technology,? says Rick Rashid, who has led Microsoft Research since its inception in 1991.

In addition to whole products that have shifted from labs into consumers? hands, many individual features also trace their roots to the labs.

And Microsoft clearly gets a lot of bang for its research buck. The company?s 22-year-old research arm employs just 1 percent of the company?s workforce but accounts for a quarter of the company?s patents. It?s also designed to be an ?early warning? system for impending new technologies.

?We need to be constantly pushing the envelope,? Rashid said.

A Microsoft tool called GeoFlow presents Excel data visually ? in this case, Chicago drug arrest data.

On Tuesday, Microsoft showed off GeoFlow ? a new way to visualize data from Microsoft Excel. Researcher Curtis Wong, who created the Worldwide Telescope, used drug-arrest data to show how Seattle Chicago police are actually spending a lot of time busting people for small amounts of pot.

Tracking pot arrests is interesting, of course, but the idea is to use it for all kinds of large data sets. Retailers, for example, can break down sales data in much the same way.

Wong has been working on what is now GeoFlow since his earliest days creating the global online telescope. He told me years ago that the space project was itself built on a platform he one day hoped to share with others.

GeoFlow is just one of a few dozen projects that Microsoft is showing publicly ahead of the internal portion of the Science Fair later this week. There, the main work of TechFest will take place ? showing the research work to product teams, in the hope that they will see how things that work in the labs can be added to future products.

But Redmond also needs to be not just commercializing its research efforts but using them to deliver the next generation of mainstream products that consumers will want. Apple, by contrast, doesn?t have a basic research lab. They do years-out work, of course, but not in the academic way that Rashid and his team do.

And yet it is their research efforts, when brought to market, that have been doing a better job of capturing consumer attention.

AllThingsD will be checking out some of the research projects in Redmond all day Tuesday ? at least those being shown publicly ? and we?ll report back on some of the most interesting.

Source: http://allthingsd.com/20130305/microsofts-science-fair-a-head-scratcher-in-more-ways-than-one/

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SparkFun's 2013 National Education Tour plans to bring DIY electronics to all 50 states

SparkFun is looking to further its educational push this summer, announcing its 2013 National Education Tour. The intiative, set to kick off in June, will bring the Hacker supplier to schools in all 50 states, teaching six to eight hour courses aimed at getting students started in the world of DIY. The courses will focus on topics like the PicoBoard Scratch sensor, SparkFun Inventor Kit and e-textiles, teaching kids programming and hardware concepts. SparkFun will be footing a portion of the bills, to the tune of $1,000 per location and leaving hardware behind so education doesn't have to stop when the company's RV pulls away. SparkFun is also looking toward libraries as resources for its educational initiative, with programs aimed at educating librarians in the ways of Arduinos and the like. More information on the program can be found after the break.

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/f-EVM6SHQFU/

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Is baby still breathing? Is mom's obsession normal?

Mar. 4, 2013 ? A new mother may constantly worry and check to see if her baby is still breathing. Or she may fret about germs, obsessing whether she's properly sterilized the bottles, then wash and rewash them.

A new Northwestern Medicine? study found that women who have recently given birth have a much higher rate of obsessive-compulsive symptoms than the general population.

The study found 11 percent of women at two weeks and six months postpartum experience significant obsessive-compulsive symptoms compared to 2 to 3 percent in the general population. This is the first large-scale longitudinal study of obsessive-compulsive symptoms in the postpartum period.

These symptoms, including fear of injuring the baby and worry about germs, are usually temporary and could result from hormonal changes or be an adaptive response to caring for a new baby, researchers said. But if the compulsions interfere with a mother's functioning, they may indicate a psychological disorder.

"It may be that certain kinds of obsessions and compulsions are adaptive and appropriate for a new parent, for example those about cleanliness and hygiene," said study senior author Dana Gossett, M.D., chief and assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and a physician at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. "But when it interferes with normal day-to-day functioning and appropriate care for the baby and parent, it becomes maladaptive and pathologic."

The study will be published the March/April issue of The Journal of Reproductive Medicine.

Gossett and colleagues' recollections of their own obsessive and upsetting thoughts after giving birth led them to investigate if the experience was universal.

Obsessions are unwanted and repeated thoughts or images that create anxiety.

"A compulsion is a response to those obsessive thoughts, a ritualistic behavior that temporary allays the anxiety but can't rationally prevent the obsession from occurring," explained Emily Miller, M.D., lead study author and a clinical fellow in maternal fetal medicine at Feinberg.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) may be triggered by stress, research shows. Thus, stressful situations, such as pregnancy and the postpartum period, may exacerbate or predispose women to OCD.

The most prevalent thoughts women reported in the study were concern about dirt or germs followed by compulsions to check that they did not "make a mistake," Miller said. New mothers may check and recheck baby monitors are working, the baby's crib side is properly latched or bottles are properly sterilized, for example.

Some women in the study reported intrusive thoughts that they would harm the baby. "That can be emotionally painful," Miller said. "You don't intend to harm the baby, but you're fearful that you will."

For postpartum women with obsessive-compulsive symptoms who otherwise are functioning normally, Gossett said, "It would be reassuring to hear that their thoughts and behaviors are very common and should pass."

Gossett recalled that after she gave birth to her first child, she routinely worried about falling down the stairs with her baby or the baby would fall out of bed. "It comes into your mind unbidden and it's frightening," she said.

Researchers now need to determine what behavior is normal and what's pathologic, Gossett said.

The women in the study were recruited during their delivery hospitalization at Northwestern Memorial and completed screening tests for anxiety, depression and OCD two weeks and six months after going home. A total of 461 women completed the surveys at two weeks and 329 of the original group completed them at six months. The women's symptoms were self-reported and they did not receive a clinical diagnosis by a psychologist.

About 50 percent of the women reported an improvement in their symptoms by six months, but at that time point new women developed symptoms whom had not experienced them at two weeks.

"If those symptoms are developing much later after delivery, they are less likely to be hormonal or adaptive," Gossett said. The risk for psychological disorders persists for up to a year after delivery, she noted.

About 70 percent of the women who screened positive for obsessive-compulsive symptoms also screened positive for depression. That overlap and the unique subset of obsessions and compulsions could indicate postpartum OCD represents a distinct postpartum mental illness that is not well classified, Miller said.

"There is some debate as to whether postpartum depression is simply a major depressive episode that happens after birth or its own disease with its own features," Miller said. "Our study supports the idea that it may be its own disease with more of the anxiety and obsessive-compulsive symptoms than would be typical for a major depressive episode."

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Northwestern University, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

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Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/~3/bFyDH6IDxaE/130304151807.htm

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Inspiration Mars ship using human waste as a radiation shield: no really, it's fine

Dennis Tito is planning an ambitious private flyby of Mars for 2018 that will carry all kinds of logistical challenges during its proposed 501-day span, not the least of which is shielding the crew from radiation without consuming valuable resources. The team's solution is a clever one, if not especially pretty: human waste. While the walls of the Inspiration Mars spacecraft will initially be lined with water-filled bags to guard against cosmic rays, their contents will be gradually replaced with er, byproduct that will be dehydrated through the bag (possibly using polyethylene) to reclaim and purify water for drinking. As water-based materials are better at stopping radiation than metal, the approach theoretically represents the best of all worlds with less bulk, a simpler life support system and maximum room for supplies. If the Inspiration Mars group can keep the bags working at high efficiency in space, it won't have to worry about its travelers' safety; their comfort with being surrounded by their own waste may be another matter.

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Source: New Scientist

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/03/03/inspiration-mars-mission-will-use-human-waste-for-radiation-shield/

Inauguration 2013

Environmental economist to speak on river-basin regulation, small ...

TERRE HAUTE ? Lea-Rachel Kosnik, a professor at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, will give two lectures on small-scale hydropower and the regulatory environment in Indiana State University?s Cunningham Memorial Library?s Events Area on March 6.

Kosnik?s first talk at 10 a.m. will focus on small-scale hydroelectric power and river-basin regulation while her noon talk will concern completeness of contracts for small-scale hydropower development. Both talks are free and open to the community.

Debra Israel, Indiana State associate professor of economics, said she was excited to bring Kosnik to speak to students and the community.

?Her work on river basin regulation and small scale hydropower will show students a practical application of the environmental economics concepts that they have been learning in class,? Israel said. ?When we think of hydropower we usually think of large dams which are associated with large environmental impacts ? the surprising aspect of Dr. Kosnik?s area of research is that small scale hydropower has the potential as an alternate energy source without major environmental disruption.?

Kosnik?s research also examines the regulatory environment, using small scale hydropower as an example, but with broader implications for other alternate energy technologies.

?Given the interest on campus in alternative energy, now symbolized in our new wind turbine, and the excitement in Terre Haute about the 2013 Year of the River, this is a perfect time to bring in a speaker who is thinking about river basin regulation in innovative ways,? Israel said.

In Kosnik?s 10 a.m. talk, ?River Basin Regulation and Small Scale Hydropower,? she will discuss the demands such as irrigation, recreation, hydropower and municipal use, made on the United States? limited water resources.

?Looking forward, this situation of water resource scarcity is only projected to worsen as climate change effects and continued population growth are added to the mix,? Kosnik wrote in her presentation?s abstract.

Kosnik conducted an assessment of river-basin water regulation using small scale hydropower permitting in the United States to see if reform was needed. Her research found that reform is essential.

In the noon brownbag session, Kosnik will speak on ?Determinants of Contract Completeness: A Renewable Energy Application.?

?There is a tradeoff that must be addressed any time a contract is written; whether or not to make a contract flexible but incomplete or rigid but comprehensive,? she said in the presentation?s abstract.

She investigated hydroelectric contracts spanning nearly three decades and found that as environmental concerns increase so did contract flexibility. Her presentation will focus on the historical look of U.S. hydroelectric dam license as it ages and responds to growing environmental concerns.

Kosnik joined the economics department at the University of Missouri-St. Louis in 2004, after receiving her Ph.D. from the University of California, Los Angeles. Her main areas of expertise include environmental economics, energy economics, and behavioral economics. She received her B.A. in economics from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and spent a year as a Fulbright Scholar in Ankara, Turkey. She is a member of the American Economic Association, the Midwest Economics Association, the Committee on the Status of Women in the Economics Profession, the Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, the Society for the Advancement of Behavioral Economics, and the Transportation and Public Utilities Group.

The talks are sponsored by Interdisciplinary Programs, the department of economics, the College of Arts and Sciences, the Foundational Studies Program and Cunningham Memorial Library.

Source: http://tribstar.com/local/x273857078/Environmental-economist-to-speak-on-river-basin-regulation-small-scale-hydropower

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Five dead after police fight protesters in Egypt's Port Said

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Florida, March 3 (Reuters) - Tiger Woods struggled to a four-over par 74 in the final round of the Honda Classic on Sunday, ending the week without breaking par once and left saying he need to "clean up" his play. "I just made too many penalties this week. Today is a perfect example, I didn't play that poorly. I had two water balls and a lost ball," he told reporters. "Take those away, and I missed two short birdie putts, and it was actually a decent score. ...

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/five-dead-police-fight-protesters-egypts-port-said-091636434.html

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Is nanosilver toxic?

Feb. 28, 2013 ? According to Finnish-Estonian joint research with data obtained on two crustacean species, there is apparently no reason to consider silver nanoparticles more dangerous for aquatic ecosystems than silver ions. The results were reported in the journal Environmental Science and Pollution Research late last year. Jukka Niskanen has utilised the same polymerisation and coupling reactions in his doctoral dissertation studying several hybrid nanomaterials, i.e. combinations of synthetic polymers and inorganic (gold, silver and montmorillonite) nanoparticles. Niskanen will defend his doctoral thesis at the University of Helsinki in April.

Part of the magic of nano-science is that on the scale of a billionth of a metre, matter and materials behave in ways that are not yet known. Neither is it always known what types of effects the nano version of the parent matter will have on its environment.

-Due to the fact that silver in nanoparticle form is bactericidal and also fungicidal and also prevents the reproduction of those organisms, it is now used in various consumer goods ranging from wound dressing products to sportswear, says Jukka Niskanen from the Laboratory of Polymer Chemistry at the University of Helsinki, Finland.

While the usefulness of silver has been established, the debate over the toxicity mechanisms of its various forms to microorganisms but also to non-target species continues. Anne Kahru, Head of the Laboratory of Environmental Toxicology at the National Institute of Chemical Physics and Biophysics, Estonia, talks about a whole new field of ecotoxicology: nanoecotoxicology.

So far, little is known about the environmental effects of silver nanoparticles and their toxicity to aquatic organisms. A joint study from the University of Helsinki and the National Institute of Chemical Physics and Biophysics (Tallinn, Estonia), Toxicity of two types of silver nanoparticles to aquatic crustaceans Daphnia magna and Thamnocephalus platyurus , shows that silver nanoparticles are apparently no more hazardous to aquatic ecosystems than a water-soluble silver salt. The study compared the ecotoxicity of silver nanoparticles and a water-soluble silver salt.

-Our conclusion was that the environmental risks caused by silver nanoparticles are seemingly not higher than those caused by a silver salt. However, more research is required to reach a clear understanding of the safety of silver-containing particles, Niskanen says.

Indeed, silver nanoparticles were found to be ten times less toxic than the soluble silver nitrate -- a soluble silver salt used for the comparison..

The bioavailability of silver varies in different test media

To explain this phenomenon, the researchers refer to the variance in the bioavailability of silver to crustaceans in different tested media.

University lecturer Olli-Pekka Penttinen from the Department of Environmental Sciences of the University of Helsinki goes on to note that the inorganic and organic compounds dissolved in natural waters (such as humus), water hardness and sulfides have a definite impact on the bioavailability of silver. Due to this, the toxicity of both types of tested nanoparticles and the silver nitrate measured in the course of the study was lower in natural water than in artificial fresh water.

The toxicity of silver nanoparticles and silver ions was studied using two aquatic crustaceans, a water flea (Daphnia magna) and a fairy shrimp (Thamnocephalus platyurus). Commercially available protein-stabilised particles and particles coated with a water-soluble, non-toxic polymer, specifically synthesised for the purpose, were used in the study. First, the polymers were produced utilising a controlled radical polymerisation method. Synthetic polymer-grafted silver particles were then produced by attaching the water-soluble polymer to the surface of the silver with a sulfur bond.

Jukka Niskanen has utilised such polymerisation and coupling reactions in his doctoral dissertation, Polymeric and hybrid materials: polymers on particle surfaces and air-water interfaces, studying several hybrid nanomaterials , i.e., combinations of synthetic polymers and inorganic (gold, silver and montmorillonite) nanoparticles. Niskanen will defend his doctoral thesis in the field of polymer chemistry at the University of Helsinki in April 2013.

It was previously known from other studies and research results that silver changes the functioning of proteins and enzymes. It has also been shown that silver ions can prevent the replication of DNA. Concerning silver nanoparticles, tests conducted on various species of bacteria and fungi have indicated that their toxicity varies. For example, gram-negative bacteria such as Escherichia coli are more sensitive to silver nanoparticles than gram-positive ones (such as Staphylococcus aureus). The difference in sensitivity is caused by the structural differences of the cell membranes of the bacteria. The cellular toxicity of silver nanoparticles in mammals has been studied as well. It has been suggested that silver nanoparticles enter cells via endocytosis and then function in the same manner as in bacterial cells, damaging DNA and hindering cell respiration. Electron microscope studies have shown that human skin is permeable to silver nanoparticles and that the permeability of damaged skin is up to four times higher than that of healthy skin.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Helsingin yliopisto (University of Helsinki), via AlphaGalileo.

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Journal Reference:

1. Irina Blinova, Jukka Niskanen, Paula Kajankari, Liina Kanarbik, Aleksandr K?kinen, Heikki Tenhu, Olli-Pekka Penttinen, Anne Kahru. Toxicity of two types of silver nanoparticles to aquatic crustaceans Daphnia magna and Thamnocephalus platyurus. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 2012; DOI: 10.1007/s11356-012-1290-5

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Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/health_medicine/genes/~3/Dadnq8WV2ZE/130228080338.htm

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