Articles
Understanding neural networks with neural-symbolic integration
Dr Joe Townsend, Dr Theodoros Kasioumis, and Dr Hiroya Inakoshi, from the Artificial Intelligence Research Division at Fujitsu Research of Europe Ltd, used Neural-Symbolic Integration to better understand the reasoning of Artificial Intelligence (AI). They developed two solutions. The first solution – ERIC: Extracting Relations Inferred from Convolutions – opens the so-called ‘black box’ of AI and attempts to translate […]
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Dousing the flames: A model approach to fire management
Fire management is complex, and strategies that work in one geographic area are unlikely to work in another owing to the unique geographical, ecological, and socioeconomic conditions. Professor Trent Penman at the University of Melbourne, Australia, is using Bayesian decision networks to model cost-effective wildfire management options (ie, types of prescribed burning). The model shows that no single cost-effective solution […]
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Blotches and spots: Understanding blemishes of faba bean
Over the last decade, grain legumes such as faba beans have been cultivated widely in the Nordic and Baltic countries. Faba bean is the world’s second-highest grain-yielding legume, yet the occurrence and spread of specific diseases of faba bean grown in Europe have not been studied in great detail. Dr Biruta Bankina and colleagues Dāvids Fridmanis, Gunita Bimšteine, Jānis Kaņeps, […]
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Rethinking the Tree of Life with new tools
Professor Sung-Hou Kim and his colleagues from the University of California, Berkeley, have applied a new way of thinking to the Tree of Life, a concept that has been around since Darwin’s time. Drawing from their collective expertise, they applied an Information Theory-based non-alignment method to compare whole-proteome sequences, the protein sequences coded by all genes of each organism. Their […]
A solution-focused project to address the challenges of COVID-19 restrictions on children and young people
Apart from the severe health complications, the Coronavirus pandemic has posed other significant challenges to our society: loss of economic stability, social isolation, and deterioration of mental health are among some of them. Arguably one of the most affected demographics are the vulnerable and the young. Children and young people (CYP) living with physical and mental disabilities, especially in low- […]
The Platform: A novel non-invasive fish monitoring method
Estuary environments are incredibly variable, both spatially and temporally, which can make fish monitoring using traditional sampling gear difficult. Dr Joseph Merz, of Cramer Fish Sciences, has developed a new non-invasive sampling gear for this purpose. The Single-Platform Aquatic Species and Habitat Sampling System (or The Platform) is able to monitor fish communities and their habitat interactions across various habitat […]
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Significance of patient positioning guidelines in endoscopic procedures
Patients are placed on an operating table for surgery or, in the event of endoscopic treatment, on a trolley. Surgery may need patient placement that is not at all comfortable, posing challenges for the patient. There are well-established rules for patient positioning during surgical operations, but no such criteria are available for endoscopic treatments. A study conducted by Dr Vera […]
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The role of testosterone in SARS-CoV-2 infection
Data from multiple countries has shown gender imbalances in COVID-19 severity and risk of mortality, with worse outcomes seen in men. To explore why male gender is a major risk factor for more severe disease, Marta Camici, of The Lazzaro Spallanzani National Institute for Infectious Diseases (IRCCS), has explored the links between testosterone and COVID-19. Her research findings suggest that […]
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Philosophy and Critical Theory: Shining a light on Saladdin Ahmed’s research
Saladdin Ahmed is a philosopher and critical theorist. His works focus on the philosophy of resistance, antifascism, totalitarianism, and political space. For the last three years, he has been teaching political theory, international relations, and comparative politics at Union College in Schenectady, New York. During that time, he has published, among other works, a book Totalitarian Space and the Destruction […]
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Nanotechnology and metal-organic frameworks for carbon capture
Greenhouse gases pose a major environmental threat that needs to be tackled. Nanotechnology offers great potential, with novel nanomaterials such as metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) being strong candidates for the adsorption of greenhouse gases. Dr Ocean Cheung, assistant professor at Uppsala University in Sweden, looked into a MOF sub-category, zeolite imidazolate frameworks (ZIFs), and examined how mixing raw materials for ZIF […]
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