Tech | Page 1129 | Science Codex

Smartphone face recognition by acting more like a brain

Face recognition security on smartphones can be significantly improved if users store an 'average' photo of themselves, according to new research by scientists at the University of York.

A research team led by Dr David Robertson, of the Department of Psychology's FaceVar laboratory at York, found that combining different pictures of the user, rather than a single 'target' image, leads to much better recognition across all kinds of daily settings. The research is published in the journal PLOS ONE.

Fasting plus less-toxic cancer drug may work as well as chemotherapy

Fasting in combination with chemotherapy has already been shown to kill cancer cells, but a pair of new studies in mice suggests that a less-toxic class of drugs combined with fasting may kill breast, colorectal and lung cancer cells equally well.

If shown to work in humans, this combination could replace chemotherapy and make fasting a potent component of a long-term strategy to treat cancer, according to senior author Valter Longo of USC.

Koko: Crowdsourcing depression

A new peer-to-peer networking tool enables sufferers of anxiety and depression to build online support communities and practice therapeutic techniques. A study involving 166 subjects who had exhibited symptoms of depression allowed researchers to compare their tool with an established technique known as expressive writing.

1 of 32 hockey helmets earn 3-star rating

Virginia Tech has released its five-star ratings of hockey helmets, judging their abilities to help prevent concussions. The findings so far: Only one of 32 tested helmets earned three stars with all other models faring worse in laboratory impact tests representative of the blows experienced by hockey players.

The first-of-their-kind ratings are three years in the making and follow Virginia Tech's ratings of football helmets.

Zeiss semiconductor imaging tech creates a 'Google Maps' for the body

Semiconductor imaging technology originally developed to scan silicon wafers for defects has been modified to zoom through the human body down to the level of a single cell and could be a game-changer for medicine.

Atomic chicken-wire is key to faster DNA sequencing

An unusual and very exciting form of carbon - that can be created by drawing on paper- looks to hold the key to real-time, high throughput DNA sequencing, a technique that would revolutionize medical research and testing. Led by Dr Jiri Cervenka and PhD candidate Nikolai Dontschuk from the University of Melbourne, the study also included scientists from the Australian Synchrotron and La Trobe University and is published in Nature Communications.

First fully-implantable micropacemaker designed for fetal use

A team of investigators at Children's Hospital Los Angeles and the University of Southern California have developed the first fully implantable micropacemaker designed for use in a fetus with complete heart block. The team has done preclinical testing and optimization as reported in a recent issue of the journal Heart Rhythm. The micropacemaker has been designated a Humanitarian Use Device by the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA). The investigators anticipate the first human use of the device in the near future.

Big data finds genetic clues in humans

Big Data is a term we read and hear about often, but outside the obvious terms, 'big' and 'data', and what they casually mean, it can be hard to grasp. Computer scientists at Washington University in St. Louis' School of Engineering & Applied Science tackled some big data about an important protein and discovered its connection in human history as well as clues about its role in complex neurological diseases.

Positive Preclinical Proof-of-Concept Results For Mitochondrial Protein Replacement Platform in Friedreich's Ataxia

BioBlast Pharma Ltd. has announced positive preclinical in vitro and in vivo proof-of-concept study results for its mitochondrial protein replacement therapy drug candidate (BB-FA) for Friedreich's Ataxia.

Wearable device helps vision-impaired avoid collision

People who have lost some of their peripheral vision, such as those with retinitis pigmentosa, glaucoma, or brain injury that causes half visual field loss, often face mobility challenges and increased likelihood of falls and collisions. As therapeutic vision restoration treatments are still in their infancy, rehabilitation approaches using assistive technologies are often times viable alternatives for addressing mobility challenges related to vision loss.

CRISPR-Cas9 edit technique for mosquito that transmits chikungunya yellow fever

Traditionally, to understand how a gene functions, a scientist would breed an organism that lacks that gene - "knocking it out" - then ask how the organism has changed. Are its senses affected? Its behavior? Can it even survive? Thanks to the recent advance of gene editing technology, this gold standard genetic experiment has become much more accessible in a wide variety of organisms.

Locked and non-locked plating for fractures: In debated surgical procedure, technique trumps technology

Modern technology for healing distal femur fractures is as safe and effective as its more established alternative, but without the potential shortfall of the older approach.

A new study found that when done correctly, there are no significant differences between "locked plating" and "non-locked plating" in terms of healing rates, need for corrective surgery, or hardware failure.

Middle-age hip replacements double since 2002

The number of total hip replacements (THRs) nearly doubled among middle-aged patients between 2002-2011, primarily due to the expansion of the middle-aged population in the U.S., according to a new study presented today at the 2015 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS).

Human respiratory tissue model for toxicity of inhaled pollutants

A 3-dimensional model of human respiratory tissue has been shown to be an effective platform for measuring the impact of chemicals, like those found in cigarette smoke, or other aerosols on the lung.

Effective lab-based tests are required to eliminate the need for animal testing in assessing the toxicological effects of inhaled chemicals and safety of medicines. Traditional lab-based tests use cell lines that do not reflect normal lung structure and physiology, and in some cases have reduced, or loss of, key metabolic processes.

Health information exchanges don't show much evidence of benefits

Health information exchanges are supposed to improve the speed, quality, safety and cost of patient care, but there is little evidence of that in existing health information exchange benefit studies, according to a research paper published this month in the prestigious journal Health Affairs.