Computers

The coronavirus pandemic has drawn new attention to the digital divide, as the need for online schooling and working from home has disproportionately hurt those without computer equipment and skills. Research by Paul A. Pavlou, dean of the C. T. Bauer College of Business at the University of Houston, found that people with basic Information Technology (IT) skills -- including … [Read more...] about New research highlights impact of the digital divide: Bauer dean offers solutions to improve job status of at-risk populations

When you think about your carbon footprint, what comes to mind? Driving and flying, probably. Perhaps home energy consumption or those daily Amazon deliveries. But what about watching Netflix or having Zoom meetings? Ever thought about the carbon footprint of the silicon chips inside your phone, smartwatch or the countless other devices inside your home? Every aspect of modern … [Read more...] about Environmental impact of computation and the future of green computing

When quantum computers become more powerful and widespread, they will need a robust quantum internet to communicate. Purdue University engineers have addressed an issue barring the development of quantum networks that are big enough to reliably support more than a handful of users. The method, demonstrated in a paper published in Optica, could help lay the groundwork for when a … [Read more...] about A quantum internet is closer to reality, thanks to this switch: New approach could help quantum networks to support more users without losing data

Researchers at Tel Aviv University report that they have successfully connected the ear of a dead locust to a robot that receives the ear's electrical signals and responds accordingly. The result is extraordinary: When the researchers clap once, the locust's ear hears the sound and the robot moves forward; when the researchers clap twice, the robot moves backwards. The … [Read more...] about A robot able to ‘hear’ through the ear of a locust

Travellers looking to book a hotel should trust their gut instinct when it comes to online reviews rather than relying on computer algorithms to weed out the fake ones, a new study suggests. Research, led by the University of York in collaboration with Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, shows the challenges of online 'fake' reviews for both users and computer … [Read more...] about Human instinct can be as useful as algorithms in detecting online ‘deception’

A recent study of how human resources professionals review online information and social media profiles of job candidates highlights the ways in which so-called "cybervetting" can introduce bias and moral judgment into the hiring process. "The study drives home that cybervetting is ultimately assessing each job candidate's moral character," says Steve McDonald, corresponding … [Read more...] about Study highlights pitfalls associated with ‘cybervetting’ job candidates

Nearly everything author Malcolm Gladwell said about how information spreads in his 2000 bestseller "The Tipping Point" is wrong, according to a recent study led by UCLA professor of sociology Gabriel Rossman. "The main point of 'The Tipping Point' is if you want your idea to spread, you find the most popular person in the center of any given network and you sell them on your … [Read more...] about Even just a bit of advertising changes the game in word-of-mouth marketing: Whether selling products or communicating about vaccines, the tiniest bit of advertising changes the game

In the group of Prof. Karl Leo, physicists, material scientists and engineers are working jointly on the development of novel organic materials and devices for high performance, flexible and possibly even biocompatible electronics and optoelectronics of the future. Increasing the performance of organic devices is one of the key challenges in their research. It was only last … [Read more...] about New strategy for efficient OLED active matrix displays

A novel computer algorithm that could create a broadly reactive influenza vaccine for swine flu also offers a path toward a pan-influenza vaccine and possibly a pan-coronavirus vaccine as well, according to a new paper published in Nature Communications. "This work takes us a step closer to a pan-swine flu virus vaccine," said Bette Korber, a computational biologist at Los … [Read more...] about Vaccine development software shows promise in influenza effort, could help defeat coronavirus: Korber’s Epigraph algorithm used for HIV, Ebola, Marburg thus far

A team of researchers concludes that a game-theory approach may offer new insights into both the spread and disruption of viruses, such as SARS-CoV-2. Its work, described in the journal Royal Society Interface, applies a "signaling game" to an analysis of cellular processes in illuminating molecular behavior. "We need new models and technologies at many levels in order to … [Read more...] about Game theory may be useful in explaining and combating viruses