Using a simulation framework to study spine behaviors of quadruped robots

Researchers at the Robert Bosch center for cyber physical systems in Bangalore, India, have recently proposed a simulation framework to systematically study the effects of spinal joint actuation on the locomotion performance of quadruped robots. In their study, outlined in a paper pre-published on arXiv, they used this framework to investigate the spine behaviors of a quadruped robot called Stoch 2 and their effects on its bounding performance.

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Do medical-alert bracelets benefit patients with chronic kidney disease?

In a pilot study of patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD), wearing a medical-alert bracelet or necklace was associated with a lower risk of developing kidney failure compared with usual care. The findings, which appear in an upcoming issue of CJASN, call for a randomized trial to fully evaluate the promise of medical-alert accessories for individuals with kidney dysfunction.

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300-year-old piston design reinvented with soft flexible materials

Since their invention in the late 1700s when French-born British physicist Denis Papin, the inventor of the pressure cooker, proposed the piston principle, pistons have been used to harness the power of fluids to perform work in numerous machines and devices.

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Earthquake, flood, hurricane: Google Maps adds tools to help you navigate a crisis

Google is adding tools to Google Maps and search to help you survive a natural disaster.

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Under the surface: Understanding the (ultra-small) structure of silicon nanocrystals

New research provides insight into the structure of silicon nanocrystals, a substance that promises to provide efficient lithium ion batteries that power your phone to medical imaging on the nanoscale.

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'Sell By' or what? US pushes for clarity on expiration dates

If milk is a few days past its "Sell By" date, is it safe to drink?

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Survey indicates physician misconduct is underreported

(HealthDay)—Physician misconduct is being underreported and most Americans do not know where to file a complaint, according to a report published by the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB).

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New global warming model highlights strong impact of social learning

A new climate modeling approach suggests that social processes strongly affect global warming predictions, and mitigation efforts should account for this influence. Thomas Bury of the Universities of Waterloo and Guelph, Canada, and colleagues present these findings in PLOS Computational Biology.

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How flow shapes bacterial biofilms

EPFL biophysicists have taken a systematic look into how bacterial biofilms are affected by fluid flow. The findings can give us clues about the physical rules guiding biofilm architecture, but also about the social dynamics that shape evolution.

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How old are your organs? To scientists' surprise, organs are a mix of young and old cells

Scientists once thought that neurons, or possibly heart cells, were the oldest cells in the body. Now, Salk Institute researchers have discovered that the mouse brain, liver and pancreas contain populations of cells and proteins with extremely long lifespans—some as old as neurons. The findings, demonstrating "age mosaicism," were published in Cell Metabolism on June 6, 2019. The team's methods could be applied to nearly any tissue in the body to provide valuable information about lifelong function of non-dividing cells and how cells lose control over the quality and integrity of proteins and important cell structures during aging.

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Investigating the implications of social robots in religious contexts

Researchers at Siegen University and Würzberg University, in Germany, have recently carried out a study investigating the user experience and acceptability associated with the use of social robots in religious contexts. Their paper, published in Springer's International Journal of Social Robotics, offers interesting insight into how people perceive blessing robots compared to other robots for more conventional purposes.

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Sediment from fishing choking out sea sponges, study shows

Sediment stirred up from fishing activity has a detrimental effect on reef-building sea sponges in northern British Columbia, according to a new study by University of Alberta biologists.

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Freshwater stingray venom varies according to sex and age

There is no antidote or specific treatment for freshwater stingray venom, although accidents involving these animals are frequent on rivers in the Amazon and other regions.

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App Store in crosshairs as Apple courts developers

Apple is set to court software savants at its annual developers conference beginning Monday while contending with criticism that the iPhone maker has made its App Store a walled garden.

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Study suggests new computer analytics may solve the hospital readmission puzzle

A University of Maryland School of Medicine study suggests that a novel machine learning model developed at the University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS), called the Baltimore score (B score), may help hospitals better predict which discharged patients are likely to be readmitted.

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Maestro: a new attack that orchestrates malicious flows with BGP

Researchers at the University of Tennessee have recently identified the Maestro attack, a new link flooding attack (LFA) that leverages plane traffic control engineering techniques to concentrate botnet-sourced distributed denial of service (DDos) flows on transit links. In their paper, recently published on arXiv, the researchers outlined this type attack, tried to understand its scope and presented effective mitigations for network operators who wish to insulate themselves from it.

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Opioid maker Insys agrees to pay $225 million over bribes

Insys Therapeutics has agreed to pay $225 million to settle criminal and civil probes of its unlawful marketing of an opioid painkiller, the Justice Department said Wednesday.

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Childhood respiratory disorders may be diagnosed with a smartphone

Automated cough analysis technology incorporated in a smartphone app could help to diagnose childhood respiratory disorders, according to a study published in the open access journal Respiratory Research.

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