Monday 3 June 2019

Cracking open the black box of automated machine learning

Researchers from MIT and elsewhere have developed an interactive tool that, for the first time, lets users see and control how automated machine-learning systems work. The aim is to build confidence in these systems and find ways to improve them.

* This article was originally published here

Simplifying soft robots

A soft robot developed by researchers from the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) could pave the way to fully untethered robots for space exploration, search and rescue systems, biomimetics, medical surgery, rehabilitation and more.

* This article was originally published here

Shared control allows a robot to use two hands working together to complete tasks

A team of researchers from the University of Wisconsin and the Naval Research Laboratory has designed and built a robotic system that allows for bimanual robot manipulation through shared control. In their paper published in the journal Science Robotics, the group explains the ideas behind their work and how well they worked in practice.

* This article was originally published here

Implementation of Oregon paid family leave to ensure equality critical, research finds

Oregon is considering a bill to implement paid family leave, House Bill 2005, following in the footsteps of Washington, which approved a similar policy in 2017.

* This article was originally published here

New genetic weapons challenge sickle cell disease

Help for patients with sickle cell disease may soon come from gene editing to fix the mutation that causes the disease and boost the patient's own protective fetal hemoglobin.

* This article was originally published here

ASCO: low-dose chemo benefits advanced gastroesophageal cancer

(HealthDay)—For frail and elderly patients with advanced gastroesophageal cancer (aGOAC), low-dose chemotherapy is noninferior to high-dose chemotherapy for progression-free survival, according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the American Society for Clinical Oncology, held from May 31 to June 4 in Chicago.

* This article was originally published here

Anti hypertensive drug use was associated with a decreased dementia risk

Various clinical trials indicate what effects can be expected from standardized intervention programs on the basis of existing evidence. Little is known about the way in which such programs can be implemented in actual care practice. However, it may be possible to use data from clinical practice to estimate the potential of drug prescriptions to delay or reduce the development of dementia.

* This article was originally published here

Lithium boosts muscle strength in mice with rare muscular dystrophy

Standing up from a chair, climbing stairs, brushing one's hair—all can be a struggle for people with a rare form of muscular dystrophy that causes progressive weakness in the shoulders and hips. Over time, many such people lose the ability to walk or to lift their arms above their heads.

* This article was originally published here

In the aftermath of company scandals, auditors charge higher fees or leave

When thousands of fake Wells Fargo accounts came to light in 2016, the media scrutinized everyone behind the scandal, with the bank's external auditor, KPMG, sharing print space in nearly every article. A new study from researchers at University of Colorado Denver, Bentley University, and Northeastern University found that the media blowback related to environmental, social and governance (ESG) scandals is now landing on the shoulders of financial auditors. With their reputations increasingly tied in with the companies that contract their work, auditors are now increasing their fees or leaving altogether in the wake of company misconduct

* This article was originally published here

Researchers find seaweed helps trap carbon dioxide in sediment

Every beachgoer can spot seaweed in the ocean or piling up on the beach, but Florida State University researchers working with colleagues in the United Kingdom have found that these slimy macroalgae play an important role in permanently removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

* This article was originally published here

The dangers of being a people-pleaser

(HealthDay)—Being thoughtful and caring are great qualities to have, but if you go out of your way to get people to like you, you could be a people-pleaser, with unfortunate consequences for your own well-being.

* This article was originally published here

New algorithm may help people store more pictures, share videos faster

The world produces about 2.5 quintillion bytes of data every day. Storing and transferring all of this enormous—and constantly growing—number of images, videos, Tweets, and other forms of data is becoming a significant challenge, one that threatens to undermine the growth of the internet and thwart the introduction of new technologies, such as the Internet of Things.

* This article was originally published here