Information Technology

Two at a time

A computer scientist at Washington University in St. Louis has developed a novel technique to extract more DNA from a single sequence reaction than is normally possible, reducing both cost and time of the sequencing process.

Michael R. Brent, Ph.D., associate professor of computer science, has applied software developed in his Washington University laboratory that sorts through the maze of genetic information and finds predicted sequences.

“Normally,

Technical Research Centre of Finland, VTT is serving as an expert in a European project for developing processing methods for mobile videos. In the near future, consumers will be able to store videos taken by video camera and video phones to their personal digital archives, where they can search and browse them, share them with their friends and view them on their own devices. The videos are easy to find and view on a computer, mobile phone or handheld computer. The new methods promote the commercial

Microchip miniaturization is making quality control-related measurement of features during the production process increasingly difficult. New National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) software and research results* should help manufacturers reduce errors in measuring microchip features which today measure less than 37 nanometers (about 1.5 millionths of an inch) in width and are expected to shrink to 25 nanometers (about 1 millionth of an inch) by 2007.

Currently, most semicondu

Project will examine potential for artificial intelligence

A project jointly led by Cardiff University and Salford University will examine whether it is possible for a computer to make a judgement about the acoustic quality of a space, such as a concert hall or pop music arena.

Professor Jonathon Chambers of the School of Engineering at Cardiff and Professor Trevor Cox at Salford’s Acoustics Research Centre aim to discover whether an artificial intelligence system could

’Virtual’ technology could change how experiments are done

Tidewater Community College has found a groundbreaking way to “virtualize” real-life experiments through cutting-edge software programs. Determined to mine the latest technology for better – and affordable – learning methods, professors in TCC’s electronic engineering technology (EET) program have succeeded in bringing “virtual instruments” to life for their students.

The result: a virtually functionin

An error in a spreadsheet or Web page calculation sounds harmless enough, unless you’re the person whose retirement funds, credit history or medical treatment rely on decisions based on that calculation. A six-campus team of computer scientists led by Margaret Burnett at Oregon State University is working to help exterminate the bugs that infest the spreadsheets and other “programs” created by millions of computer users. You may not think of yourself as a programmer, but that’s jus