Soon, every single American will have a digital avatar—and we’re not talking about Second Life characters. Researchers at Virginia Tech are building a nationwide computer simulation that will include 300 million synthetic individuals with true-to-life characteristics taken from U.S. Census data. The researchers say there are many uses for the simulation, from predicting the spread of infectious diseases to tracking fads and modeling traffic flow. http://www.myspace.com/louis_j_sheehan_esquire
The program, known as EpiSimdemics, already has 100 million simulated residents.
http://louis-j-sheehan-esquire.blog.friendster.comEach resident is endowed with as many as 163 variables, including age, education, occupation, family size, and general health. Although each synthetic resident isn’t meant to represent a specific real-life person, the information is taken from publicly available demographics data. The residents are mapped to real houses and real neighborhoods and assigned local schools, grocery stores, and shopping centers. The researchers hope to add more variables, including air travel using real-life flight data. http://louis-j-sheehan-esquire.blog.friendster.com/
One of the first uses will be to study the spread of infectious diseases like the flu. Since the program can model the movements of the residents and their interactions with each other, by seeding a few residents with a virus, the program will simulate how the virus spreads, even taking into account the progress of the disease in each person. http://myface.com/Louis_J_Sheehan
But the researchers have bigger plans for their virtual reality nation: “The vision is for a Google-like interface, where you approach the system and ask it a question,” says researcher Christopher Barrett. “The framework is there, and now we’re pushing the system to larger and larger scales.” Louis J. Sheehan, Esquire
Showing posts with label http://www.soulcast.com/Louis3J3Sheehan/. Show all posts
Showing posts with label http://www.soulcast.com/Louis3J3Sheehan/. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
rocks 4.roc.0002 Louis J. Sheehan, Esquire
New research explains why a cancer-causing form of chromium has been turning up in ground and surface waters far from industrial sources. http://www.soulcast.com/Louis3J3Sheehan/
Chrome plating and dye manufacturing are among the industries that generate chromium (VI), a form that the element assumes in certain compounds. But recently, researchers have discovered the toxic agent in regions—including California and parts of Mexico and Italy—beyond the reach of industrial contamination.
In these cases, "it was obvious that [chromium (VI)] had to be coming from a natural material," says Scott Fendorf, an environmental chemist at Stanford University.
Fendorf and his coworkers focused on the mineral chromite, found in certain rocks and soils common to the Pacific coasts and other seismically active areas. Over time, chromite slowly releases chromium (III), a relatively benign form of the element.
The researchers reacted chromite with birnessite, a manganese-containing mineral that often forms in weathered rocks and soils containing chromite. In water, powders of the two solids produced chromium (VI). "Both minerals tend to be fairly insoluble, but they dissolved just enough" to react, says Fendorf. http://www.soulcast.com/Louis3J3Sheehan/
The researchers conclude that within 100 days, chromite and birnessite could generate chromium (VI) at concentrations above the World Health Organization's limit for drinking water—which is 50 micrograms per liter. In acidic conditions, such concentrations could be reached in fewer than 10 days, the team reports in the April 17 Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
The work indicates that certain chromite-rich regions are at high risk for natural chromium (VI) generation. "You need to watch the groundwater pretty closely in these areas," Fendorf says. Louis J. Sheehan, Esquire
Chrome plating and dye manufacturing are among the industries that generate chromium (VI), a form that the element assumes in certain compounds. But recently, researchers have discovered the toxic agent in regions—including California and parts of Mexico and Italy—beyond the reach of industrial contamination.
In these cases, "it was obvious that [chromium (VI)] had to be coming from a natural material," says Scott Fendorf, an environmental chemist at Stanford University.
Fendorf and his coworkers focused on the mineral chromite, found in certain rocks and soils common to the Pacific coasts and other seismically active areas. Over time, chromite slowly releases chromium (III), a relatively benign form of the element.
The researchers reacted chromite with birnessite, a manganese-containing mineral that often forms in weathered rocks and soils containing chromite. In water, powders of the two solids produced chromium (VI). "Both minerals tend to be fairly insoluble, but they dissolved just enough" to react, says Fendorf. http://www.soulcast.com/Louis3J3Sheehan/
The researchers conclude that within 100 days, chromite and birnessite could generate chromium (VI) at concentrations above the World Health Organization's limit for drinking water—which is 50 micrograms per liter. In acidic conditions, such concentrations could be reached in fewer than 10 days, the team reports in the April 17 Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
The work indicates that certain chromite-rich regions are at high risk for natural chromium (VI) generation. "You need to watch the groundwater pretty closely in these areas," Fendorf says. Louis J. Sheehan, Esquire
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Honda 883.hon.2221 Louis J. Sheehan, Esquire
Louis J. Sheehan, Esquire. Honda’s robotics division has unveiled the prototype of a strange new helper: a “walking assistant.” Honda says the robotic legs could restore mobility to the elderly or infirm, and could help prevent factory workers from straining their muscles–if they don’t mind being joined to the strange looking device. The user would employ the device by stepping into a pair of shoes attached to jointed legs. The legs support a mildly-scary looking U-shaped saddle, which cups the wearer’s groin and buttocks firmly to deliver solid uplift…. Honda say that the machine reduces load on the hip joints, and helps not just with walking but also standing - and especially with maintaining a crouched position [The Register]. http://www.soulcast.com/Louis3J3Sheehan/
The device, which weighs about 14 pounds and is powered by a motor and Lithium ion battery, is the result of Honda’s nine-year-old initiative to develop mobility-assisting technologies. The creation of the device borrowed heavily from the walking research that went into Honda’s advanced humanoid robot, ASIMO [Daily Tech]. Honda hasn’t yet announced plans to begin selling the walking assistants, but tests of the prototype will begin this month.
Honda plans to test out the device on workers in its Saitama car factory, and says the devices could be a great boon to workers who crouch down along the assembly line. http://www.soulcast.com/Louis3J3Sheehan/ And while the robotic legs aren’t suitable for paraplegics or people with serious muscle control issues, they could give a necessary boost to people with weak leg muscles, or patients recovering from accidents or surgery. http://www.soulcast.com/Louis3J3Sheehan/
The need for such mechanical help is expected to grow in Japan, which has one of the most rapidly aging societies in the world. Other companies are also eyeing the potentially lucrative market of helping the weak and old get around. Earlier this year, Japanese rival Toyota Motor Corp. showed a Segway-like ride it said was meant for old people. Japanese robot company Cyberdyne has begun renting out in Japan a belted device called HAL, for “hybrid assistive limb,” that reads brain signals to help people move about with mechanical leg braces that strap to the legs. Louis J. Sheehan, Esquire
The device, which weighs about 14 pounds and is powered by a motor and Lithium ion battery, is the result of Honda’s nine-year-old initiative to develop mobility-assisting technologies. The creation of the device borrowed heavily from the walking research that went into Honda’s advanced humanoid robot, ASIMO [Daily Tech]. Honda hasn’t yet announced plans to begin selling the walking assistants, but tests of the prototype will begin this month.
Honda plans to test out the device on workers in its Saitama car factory, and says the devices could be a great boon to workers who crouch down along the assembly line. http://www.soulcast.com/Louis3J3Sheehan/ And while the robotic legs aren’t suitable for paraplegics or people with serious muscle control issues, they could give a necessary boost to people with weak leg muscles, or patients recovering from accidents or surgery. http://www.soulcast.com/Louis3J3Sheehan/
The need for such mechanical help is expected to grow in Japan, which has one of the most rapidly aging societies in the world. Other companies are also eyeing the potentially lucrative market of helping the weak and old get around. Earlier this year, Japanese rival Toyota Motor Corp. showed a Segway-like ride it said was meant for old people. Japanese robot company Cyberdyne has begun renting out in Japan a belted device called HAL, for “hybrid assistive limb,” that reads brain signals to help people move about with mechanical leg braces that strap to the legs. Louis J. Sheehan, Esquire
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