Thursday, November 23, 2006

The Mathematics of Neuroscience. eldavojohn writes "An academic paper on math [PDF] has been released by Paul Bressloff, resulting in much ado about the mathematical modeling of the brain's memory storage. The paper deals with specific receptors called AMPA and how memories are held while synapses still fire. Scientific American is running a more detailed report on the subject." From the article "At any given time, some AMPA receptors are moving inside the nerve cell where they are unable to receive signals. But to maintain memory, a number of AMPA receptors are anchored in place with what are known as scaffolding proteins, Bressloff said. The computer models examined how many AMPA receptors are anchored at the receiving area on the surface as opposed to those found elsewhere in the nerve cell. The more AMPA receptors that are anchored in place, the stronger the synapse."[Slashdot] 11:07:58 AM      Google It!.

Breakthrough in Human Genetics. Many readers have submitted this story about a breakthrough in our understanding of human DNA. In particular how much variation can exist between peoples genes and how genes are involved with certain diseases. "One person's DNA code can be as much as 10 percent different from another's, researchers said on Wednesday in a finding that questions the idea that everyone on Earth is 99.9 percent identical genetically. They said their new version of the human genetic map, or "book of life," fills in many missing pages and chapters to explain how genes are involved in common diseases. The Human Genome Project mapped the billions of letters that make up the human genetic code. Scientists later refined the map by looking for single variations called SNPs or single nucleotide polymorphisms. The CNV map gives researchers a different way to look for genes linked to diseases by identifying gains, losses and alterations in the genome." [Slashdot] 8:42:05 AM      Google It!.

Cell Phone Owners Allowed to Break Software Locks. An anonymous reader writes "The library of congress approved many copyright exemptions today. Among the exemptions were new rules about cell phones, DVDs, and electronic books." From the article: "Cell phone owners will be allowed to break software locks on their handsets in order to use them with competing carriers under new copyright rules announced Wednesday. Other copyright exemptions approved by the Library of Congress will let film professors copy snippets from DVDs for educational compilations and let blind people use special software to read copy-protected electronic books. All told, Librarian of Congress James H. Billington approved six exemptions, the most his Copyright Office has ever granted. For the first time, the office exempted groups of users. The new rules will take effect Monday and expire in three years. In granting the exemption for cell phone users, the Copyright Office determined that consumers aren't able to enjoy full legal use of their handsets because of software locks that wireless providers have been placing to control access to phones' underlying programs."[Slashdot] 8:40:25 AM      Google It!.

Elgg Spaces zooms ahead. Elgg, the social software tool created by Dave Tosh and Ben Werdmuller, seems to be going from strength to strength. Dave and Ben recently set up Curverider Ltd. to provide paid-for professional-level support to those who are running their own Elgg system. You can check out Josie Fraser's recent interview with Dave and Ben on EdTechUK. Ironically, the duo are now singing the praises of offline social networking (or at least Ben is :-), in a way that oddly mirrors a PR campaign slogan by a certain mobile phone company, "Good Things Happen When Your Phone's Off". Clever use of reverse (consumer) psychology? Maybe. Well, good on 'em for getting in some business acumen and expanding their reach. Just launched is Elgg Spaces, which offers a subscription service for those who want to set up their own Elgg, but who don't want the bother or the technical hassle of installing and maintaining it themselves. A Cambridge graduate research seminar in modern literature and languages has just chosen Elgg Spaces as its preferred web solution. Elgg Spaces is an interesting choice, pointing perhaps to the huge popularity of Facebook in Cambridge -- questioned in the media as offering a different, newly-mediated variety of an already-existing social exclusivity, just an online extension of the old school tie. I would see it more as evidence that students wish to carry out their activities in what you might call "semi-private" environments. Not the "walled gardens" appropriate for young children -- these are young adults. They want a degree of independence from the University, but they also want to belong to a defined community. The French Graduate Research Seminar is entirely student-owned and student-run; it provides a kind of "pre-professional" identity space where graduates can try out a "professional" online persona in a safe environment. In a non-earth-shattering way, I see this choice as offering further proof that grad students are looking for the same kinds of tools and affordances, and more particularly, the same kind of informal, personalised environments, that they already access in their non-study-related online environments. [EDUCAUSE CONNECT blogs] 8:35:53 AM      Google It!.

Free and open standards win, again. USB has just been standardised as the new way for mobile phones to talk to extremely large SIM cards. USB won not because it was the best option, nor because it answered a burning need, nor because the big players wanted it; it looks like it won because it was patent free (unlike MMC, another contender) and open (allowing to be perceived as neutral). It still faces the battle of getting implemented, but I suspect that implementation costs will continue to drop as the cost and quality of the silicon designs to implement the the standard continue to fall, driven by the use of USB in other fields. cheers stuart[EDUCAUSE CONNECT blogs] 8:32:35 AM      Google It!.