Turing machines are widely believed to be universal, in the sense that any computation done by any system can also be done by a Turing machine. In a new article, researchers present their work exploring the energetic costs of computation within the context of Turing machines. At a high level, these machines are similar to…

Enzymes are biological catalysts that facilitate biochemical transformations. An international team of bioinformatics researchers has developed a new process for predicting Michaelis constants, which determine reaction kinetics. To describe metabolic processes facilitated by enzymes, scientists refer to what is known as the Michaelis-Menten equation. The equation describes the rate of an enzymatic reaction depending on…

Adapting a traditional endless runner video game and using a raccoon as the protagonist, researchers have developed a platform that allows the identification and evaluation of the degree of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children and adolescents. ADHD is a neurodevelopmental disorder with an estimated prevalence of 7.2% in children and adolescents, according to…

A new computational model suggests that certain mutations that block infection by the most dangerous species of malaria have not become widespread in people because of the parasite’s effects on the immune system. Malaria is a potentially lethal, mosquito-borne disease caused by parasites of the Plasmodium genus. Several protective adaptations to malaria have spread widely…

New artificial intelligence (AI) technology is capable of assessing the severity of COVID-19 cases with a promising degree of accuracy, researchers report. A study, which is part of the COVID-Net open-source initiative launched more than a year ago, involved researchers from Waterloo and spin-off start-up company DarwinAI, as well as radiologists at the Stony Brook…

The images and accompanying data available for training artificial intelligence (AI) to spot skin cancer are insufficient and include very few images of darker skin, according to new research. AI is increasingly being used in medicine as it can make diagnosis of diseases like skin cancer quicker and more effective. However, AI needs to be…

New research has revealed that a simple but robust algorithm can help engineers to improve the design of cellular materials that are used in a variety of diverse applications ranging from defense, bio-medical to smart structures and the aerospace sector. The way in which cellular materials will perform can be uncertain and so calculations to…

A team of researchers have developed a deep learning model that is capable of classifying a brain tumor as one of six common types using a single 3D MRI scan, according to a new study. «This is the first study to address the most common intracranial tumors and to directly determine the tumor class or…

There’s been a rapid resurgence of interest in understanding the energy cost of computing. Recent advances in this ‘thermodynamics of computation’ are now summarized. These questions are not limited to the digital machines constructed by us. The human brain can be seen as a computer — one that gobbles an estimated 10 to 20 percent…

Scientists are now using new quantum chemistry computing procedures to categorize hypothetical electrocatalysts that are ‘too slow’ or ‘too expensive’, far more thoroughly and quickly than was considered possible a few years ago. University of Pittsburgh Associate Professor John A. Keith and his lab group at the Swanson School of Engineering are using new quantum…