Science

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Analytics Weighs Costs, Benefits of Cloud

Manufacturing resource planning (MRP) tools have become routine for many industries, but now IT executives have their own decision-support tools for deciding when and how to make best use of cloud computing resources.

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Sentilla Analytics for Cloud allows IT to input the types of tasks and resources needed for them into a form (bottom) from which analytics produce a cost-comparison chart for dedicated versus virtualized, private- or public-cloud implementations.

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Facial-Recognition Software Identifies Apes in the Wild

New facial-recognition software is aiding research on endangered species by providing more accurate and detailed information about individual animals.

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The software uses features like eyes and mouth to identify
individuals within a wild population.

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NASA Launches Mission to Study Moon From Crust to Core

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NASA's GRAIL spacecraft successfully launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., at 9:08 EDT (6:08 PDT) on Sept. 10, 2011. As depicted in the artist's concept on the right, the twin spacecraft, GRAIL-A and GRAIL-B will work in tandem to study the lunar interior, from crust to core, and to advance understanding of the thermal evolution of the moon.

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Telecast Fiber Systems Launches CommLink Fiber Optic Intercom Link

New Transceiver Solution Ideal for OB and Other Applications Requiring Communications Systems That Span Long Distances

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NASA Space Laser to Make Radio Obsolete

Radio-based space communications could be made obsolete by a laser-based long-haul optical connection that runs 10 to 100 times faster.

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Laser Communications Relay Demonstration (LCRD) will act as a long-haul fiber-optic network--sans the fiber.

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Simulations Guarantee Earthquake-Proof Stadium

California Memorial Stadium was slowly being pulled apart by a fault line that runs down its middle, but computer simulations have enabled a face lift that secures fans even if "the big one" hits during a game.

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Even if a quake splits the California Memorial Stadium in half, computer simulations assure fans they will be safe atop modular stands that slide around without coming apart.

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Tracking Cholera Outbreaks in Post-Earthquake Haiti

Cholera has recently returned to Haiti, where it poses a deadly threat. A new computer-forecasting tool is enabling researchers to predict how the disease is spreading in order to contain it.

Technological tools have recently helped track epidemics of influenza and tropical diseases such as dengue fever. With a new project, researchers are using computer forecasting to predict outbreaks of cholera, a highly contagious and deadly disease.

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Social Net Saves Fuel With Smartphone

Crowd-sourcing the state of traffic-lights from dash-mounted smartphones enables smart social networkers to keep cars rolling through green lights, thus cutting fuel consumption by up to 20 percent.

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Where previous experimental traffic-light advisory systems used GPS data or data from traffic sensors, SignalGuru uses visual data from cellphone cameras.

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Smart Cities Will Require Smarter Sensors

A team of German scientists is working to create better sensors in order to enable “smart cities.” In such cities, all major aspects of infrastructure would be connected to increase efficiencies, cut costs, and save energy.

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In a smart city, all aspects of city infrastructure would be connected.

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New Pipe Simulation Could Have Predicted Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill

Researchers recently applied car-crash models to oil pipes in order to better predict dangerous explosions. In a simulation of the Deepwater Horizon explosion, the team accurately predicted the location and spread of damage.

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The team’s simulation (bottom) closely matches real pictures taken from the Deepwater Horizon site (top).