ScienceDaily: Computers & Math News

Machines teach astronomers about stars Posted: 16 Jan 2015 11:56 AM PST Astronomers are enlisting the help of machines to sort through thousands of stars in our galaxy and learn their sizes, compositions and other basic traits. The research is part of the growing field of machine learning, in which computers learn from large data sets, finding patterns that humans might not otherwise see.

Solving an organic semiconductor mystery Posted: 16 Jan 2015 08:03 AM PST The mysterious source of performance issues in organic semiconductors have been uncovered by scientists -- nanocrystallites cluttering domain interfaces.

Software that knows the risks Posted: 16 Jan 2015 07:44 AM PST New planning algorithms developed by researchers can evaluate a probability of success, and suggest low-risk alternatives. For example, if you told your computer that you want to drive from your house in Boston to a hotel in upstate New York, that you want to stop for lunch at an Applebee's at about 12:30, and that you don't want the trip to take more than four hours. Just imagine if software could then tell you that you have only a 66 percent chance of meeting those criteria -- but that if you can wait until 1:00 for lunch, or if you're willing to eat at TGI Friday's instead, it can get that probability up to 99 percent.

Satellite telemetry tracks bearded vultures Posted: 16 Jan 2015 06:30 AM PST The Pyrenees are home to continental Europe's only wild population of bearded vultures, a species classified as endangered in Spain. A study compiled by Spanish researchers reveals -- in a level of detail until now unseen -- the size of the home range of this bird species using satellite tracking technologies.

2,500-year-old Pythagoras theorem helps to show when a patient has turned a corner Posted: 16 Jan 2015 06:24 AM PST A medical researcher has found the 2,500 year-old Pythagoras theorem could be the most effective way to identify the point at which a patient’s health begins to improve.

Tool helps measure patients' readiness to make decisions about starting dialysis Posted: 16 Jan 2015 05:56 AM PST A new algorithm is a useful tool for measuring chronic kidney disease patients' readiness for making decisions about initiating dialysis. Patients who have knowledge about their options and have fewer lifestyle barriers to home dialysis are more likely to be ready to make decisions. Doctors who explain all of the treatment options that are available can increase patients' readiness for decision-making, say authors of a new study.

Finding farmland: New maps offer a clearer view of global agriculture Posted: 16 Jan 2015 05:55 AM PST A new global cropland map combines multiple satellite data sources, reconciled using crowdsourced accuracy checks, to provide an improved record of total cropland extent as well as field size around the world.

Online training to help stop violence against children, young people Posted: 12 Jan 2015 04:13 PM PST A ground-breaking set of online training tools will help teachers, youth workers and health professionals across Europe identify and challenge controlling and abusive behaviour against young people.