Friday 28 June 2019

How the local strength of faith can impact a company's ethical behavior

Companies are less likely to engage in unethical accounting practices when their headquarters are in areas of high religious observance, new research by academics at the universities of Sussex and East London has revealed.

* This article was originally published here

S.Africa halts Cape Town octopus fishing after 2 whales die

South Africa on Friday halted octopus fishing off Cape Town after two whales died when they became entangled in lines attached to octopus traps, the government said.

* This article was originally published here

NASA needs your help: Do you know how to grow plants in space?

Do you know how to maintain a family-sized garden without unlimited soil, natural sunlight and Earth's gravity? If the answer is yes, then call NASA.

* This article was originally published here

Using game theory to model poisoning attack scenarios

Poisoning attacks are among the greatest security threats for machine learning (ML) models. In this type of attack, an adversary tries to control a fraction of the data used to train neural networks and injects malicious data points to hinder a model's performance.

* This article was originally published here

A bite acquisition framework for robot-assisted feeding systems

According to a survey released by the U.S. Census Bureau, around 12.3 million Americans require assistance with activities of daily living (ADLs) or instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs), one of which is feeding. Robots could be of great help to people affected by severe disabilities, allowing them to eat meals and complete other daily tasks without reliance on constant assistance from other human beings.

* This article was originally published here

Social media use tied to esteem, cosmetic surgery acceptance

(HealthDay)—Users of some social media platforms and photo editing have lower self-esteem and increased acceptance of cosmetic surgery, according to a study published online June 27 in JAMA Facial Plastic Surgery.

* This article was originally published here

Scientists find thirdhand smoke affects cells in humans

Thirdhand smoke can damage epithelial cells in the respiratory system by stressing cells and causing them to fight for survival, a research team led by scientists at the University of California, Riverside, has found. The finding could assist physicians treating patients exposed to thirdhand smoke.

* This article was originally published here

Intel researchers develop an eye contact correction system for video chats

When participating in a video call or conference, it is often hard to maintain direct eye contact with other participants, as this requires looking into the camera rather than at the screen. Although most people use video calling services on a regular basis, so far, there has been no widespread solution to this problem.

* This article was originally published here

Who's helping smokers quit? Probably not their heart doctor

Smoking doesn't just wreck the lungs. It's a leading cause of heart disease and stroke, and a new study says most cardiologists aren't doing enough to help patients snuff out their cigarettes.

* This article was originally published here

New type of glass inspired by nature is more resistant to impacts

Using the iridescent mother-of-pearl often found lining seashells, researchers have engineered a new composite glass with a greatly boosted resistance to impacts.

* This article was originally published here

Dutch government presents measures to cut carbon emissions

The Dutch government is presenting a comprehensive raft of measures aimed at slashing the Netherlands' emission of carbon blamed for warming the Earth's atmosphere by 50% by 2030.

* This article was originally published here

Smart materials provide real-time insight into wearers' emotions

Smart wearable technology that changes colour, heats up, squeezes or vibrates as your emotions are heightened has the potential to help people with affective disorders better control their feelings.

* This article was originally published here

A snapshot in time: Study captures fleeting cell differences that can alter disease risk

In cinema and science fiction, one small change in the past can have major, sometimes life-changing effects in the future. Using a series of snapshots, researchers recently captured such so-called "butterfly effects" in heart muscle cell development, and say this new view into the sequence of gene expression activity may lead to better understanding disease risk.

* This article was originally published here

Solar energy could turn the Belt and Road Initiative green

The region covered by the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has significant potential to be powered by solar energy, researchers report June 27 in the journal Joule. Less than 4 percent of the maximum solar potential of the region could meet the BRI's electricity demand for 2030. The research suggests a possible solution to reduce BRI countries' need for fossil fuels as they develop. This is the first time the renewable energy potential of the region is quantified.

* This article was originally published here

What journalism professors are teaching students—about their futures

As the journalism industry rapidly evolves, what are professors in the field telling students about their job prospects?

* This article was originally published here

Enhancing face recognition tools with generative face completion

Researchers at the USC Information Sciences Institute (ISI) in California have recently carried out a study investigating whether completing obstructed faces using artificial neural networks (ANN) can improve the accuracy of face recognition tools. Their study originated from the IARPA Odin research project, which is aimed at identifying true and false faces in images, ultimately to enhance the performance of biometric authentication tools.

* This article was originally published here

France prepares for new heat record, as Spain battles wildfire

Temperatures in France are expected to reach a record-breaking high on Friday, as Europe continues to endure a sweltering heatwave which sparked an out-of-control wildfire in Spain.

* This article was originally published here

Researchers study hip fracture probability on women in late life

New University of Minnesota Medical School research evaluates the impact of multimorbidity on the probability of hip fractures.

* This article was originally published here