ScienceDaily: Computers & Math News

Float like a mosquito: Mechanical logic may inspire aquatic robots, better boats Posted: 03 Mar 2015 09:37 AM PST By examining the forces that the segments of mosquito legs generate against a water surface, researchers have unraveled the mechanical logic that allows the mosquitoes to walk on water, which may help in the design of biomimetic structures, such as aquatic robots and small boats.

UK cities including London not as 'smart' as global counterparts Posted: 03 Mar 2015 07:57 AM PST Major cities in the UK are falling behind their international counterparts in terms of their use of smart technologies, according to a new study. The research has found that smart cities in the UK, such as London, are not as advanced as the leading smart cities across the globe, such as San Francisco, Barcelona and Amsterdam, because of a lack of citizen engagement with new smart technologies.

Modeling chimp behavior? Try using laws that govern matter Posted: 03 Mar 2015 07:55 AM PST To simulate chimp behavior, scientists created a computer model based on equations normally used to describe the movement of atoms and molecules in a confined space. An interdisciplinary research team has turned to the physical laws that govern matter to explore one facet of the question of climate change: how the animals will cluster and travel through their territory as the terrain they share with other members of their species shrinks.

Computer simulator will improve radiation therapy for cancer patients, experts say Posted: 03 Mar 2015 06:57 AM PST A project to develop a computer simulator of dual foil scattering systems used in radiation therapy is underway. "The user user-friendly interface and real-time nature of the simulator also make it an effective educational tool for gaining a better understanding of the effects that various system parameters have on dose profiles," an author said. "In other words, it will help medical physicists and linear accelerator designers to better understand the physics behind the equipment with which they will be working."

The taming of magnetic vortices: A unified theory for skyrmion-materials Posted: 03 Mar 2015 04:51 AM PST Magnetic vortex structures, so-called skyrmions, could in future store and process information very efficiently. They could also be the basis for high-frequency components. For the first time, a team of physicists succeeded in characterizing the electromagnetic properties of insulating, semiconducting and conducting skyrmion-materials and developed a unified theoretical description of their behavior. This lays the foundation for future electronic components with purpose-designed properties.

Reading speed harnessed to automatically control text display rates Posted: 03 Mar 2015 04:49 AM PST Reading a text is something that each of us does at our own individual pace. This simple fact has been exploited by computer scientists who have developed a software system that recognizes how fast a text on a display screen is being read and then allows the text to scroll forward line by line at the right speed. The technology makes use of commercially available eye-tracking glasses, which are able to capture the motion of the user’s eyes and convert this into a reading speed.

New technique improves forecasts for Canada's prized salmon fishery Posted: 02 Mar 2015 03:25 PM PST A method for analyzing and predicting nature's dynamic and interconnected systems has improved forecasts of populations of Fraser River Sockeye Salmon, a highly prized fishery in British Columbia, has been developed by scientists.