Welcome to the December 20, 2023 edition of ACM TechNews, providing timely information for IT professionals three times a week.
ACM TechNews mobile apps are available for Android phones and tablets (click here) and for iPhones (click here) and iPads (click here).
To view "Headlines at a glance," hit the link labeled "Click here to view this online" found at the top of the page in the HTML version.
The online version now has a button at the top labeled "Show Headlines."
|
|
|
Drones Hunt for Climate Disease
The Washington Post
Ana Campoy; Niko Kommenda; Sarah L. Voisin
December 15, 2023; et al.
Drones deployed by Gabriel Carrasco of Peru's Cayetano Heredia University gather data to improve the detection of dengue, malaria, and other diseases in the Peruvian Amazon. The data helps map likely breeding sites for disease-carrying mosquitos. Carrasco's team also has deployed sensors to identify the sounds of power saws, which may be indicative of residents who could increase exposure risks by creating new breeding grounds entering the area.
*May Require Paid Registration
|
Open-Source Chip Design Takes Hold in Silicon Valley
The Wall Street Journal
Belle Lin
December 14, 2023
Because RISC-V, the open-source standard developed in 2010 for designing semiconductors, is free, it allows for the development of lower-cost, potentially more efficient processors for artificial intelligence and mobile devices. Google and Meta have said the open standard enables greater customization. Forrester Research's Glenn O'Donnell said RISC-V is particularly attractive for companies because it does not require upfront licensing fees. However, Dell's John Roese said the "middleware" software supporting RISC-V has not been fully developed for datacenters and other high-performance applications. Roese explained, "Until you have enough of a software and developer ecosystem, these things stay very niche."
*May Require Paid Registration
|
Tech Gives Sound Directionality to Hearing Aids
IEEE Spectrum
Michelle Hampson
December 18, 2023
Researchers at Taiwan's National Cheng Kung University have developed a hearing aid system with sound directionality. The device features a dual-layer microphone array for the user's ears, and a wearable device worn around the neck incorporating a camera with computer vision AI. An algorithm helps predict a sound's origin, either by identifying faces in the scene or based on the angle and time of arrival. The device achieved an accuracy rate of 94% or higher in identifying a sound's source at distances of 160 cm (a little more than five feet) or less, and more than 90% for sounds detected by the microphones but out of range of the wearable device.
|
U.S., China Race to Shield Secrets from Quantum Computers
Reuters
David Lague
December 14, 2023
When Q-day, the day quantum computers are able to defeat current encryption methods, will occur is up for debate, given that quantum computing is still in its early days. In the meantime, nations including the U.S. and China reportedly are harvesting vast amounts of encrypted data in hopes of decrypting it later. Meanwhile, the U.S. and its allies are working on post-quantum cryptography, and China is working on a theoretically hack-proof quantum communications network. The World Economic Forum predicts that 20 billion devices will need to be upgraded or replaced over the next 20 years to meet quantum security standards.
|
Tech Sector Gender Gap Could Take 'Nearly 300 Years' to Close Without Intervention
ITPro
Ross Kelly
December 18, 2023
At the U.K.’s BCS, the Chartered Institute for IT, researchers found it could take as long as 283 years for that nation’s tech industry to close the gender gap, based on current workforce trends. BCS's annual Diversity Report revealed an increase in female U.K. tech workers from 16% in 2018 to just 20% in 2021. Said BCS's Julia Adamson, "A massive pool of talent and creativity is being overlooked when it could benefit employers and the economy. Having greater diversity means that what is produced is more relevant to, and representative of, society at large."
|
Study Reveals Hidden Fortunes, Surprising Overestimations in Cybercrime Revenue
IMDEA Software Institute News (Spain)
December 18, 2023
Researchers at Spain's IMDEA Software Institute analyzed more than 30,000 payment addresses used by different cybercriminal groups to develop a better estimate of cybercrime revenue. For example, they found revenue associated with DeadBolt ransomware totaled $2.47 million, which was 39 times greater than prior estimates. The researchers also found that some estimation methodologies significantly overestimate cybercrime revenues. In response, they developed an estimation tool to help avoid such errors.
|
Pitt Launches Online Master's Program to Make Data Science More Accessible
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Maddie Aiken
December 16, 2023
The University of Pittsburgh will begin enrolling students in its new data science master's program in February, with the goal of bolstering affordability and accessibility in the field. The online degree program is open to anyone with a bachelor's degree, at a cost of $15,000, which Pitt officials said was 38% more affordable than the average online master’s program in the discipline. The program, said Pitt's Bruce Childers, "removes entry barriers, reassesses admission processes, and harnesses technology to deliver an exceptionally accessible program that embodies Pitt's high-quality, internationally recognized education."
|
Researchers to Study Computer Code for Clues to Hackers’ Identities
WSJ Pro Cybersecurity
Catherine Stupp
December 15, 2023
The U.S. Defense Department’s Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA), the lead research agency for the U.S. intelligence community, is accepting proposals from researchers on technologies that could speed investigations to identify perpetrators of cyberattacks. Tools developed as part of the planned 30-month research project will not replace human analysts, but the analysis of code used in cyberattacks by artificial intelligence will make investigations more efficient, said IARPA’s Kristopher Reese.
*May Require Paid Registration
|
Pushing Compressed Sensing to Real-Time Edge Applications
Peking University (China)
December 14, 2023
Researchers at China's Peking University developed an analog matrix computing circuit that offers one-step, real-time compressed sensing (CS) recovery within microseconds. The design is based on a memristor array for performing matrix-matrix-vector multiplication (MMVM) instantly. To avoid the pre-calculation of matrix-matrix multiplication, the researchers developed an analog in-memory computer module that allows for one-step MMVM. They then established a feedback loop by connecting the MMVM module with other analog components, creating a circuit that accurately maps the local competitive algorithm and enables one-step CS recovery.
|
DeepMind AI with Built-In Fact-Checker Makes Mathematical Discoveries
New Scientist
Matthew Sparkes
December 14, 2023
Google DeepMind researchers developed an AI chatbot that can produce new scientific knowledge and ideas with the help of a fact-checker that filters out useless outputs. The researchers developed FunSearch, a generalized large language model based on Google's PaLM2 model, which includes an "evaluator" that generates computer code that solves mathematics and computing problems. Although the underlying AI still can generate inaccurate results, the evaluator filters out everything but reliable solutions.
*May Require Paid Registration
|
Hidden Pattern in Children's Eyes Can Reveal Autism
ScienceAlert
David Nield
December 18, 2023
Researchers at South Korea's Yonsei University College of Medicine demonstrated the use of AI to screen for and determine the severity of autism in children and teens based on images of their retinas. The researchers said structural retinal changes are present in people with Autism Spectrum Disorder. After training the deep learning model on images of subjects with and without autism, the AI analyzed 958 retinas of children and teens, half with autism diagnoses. Although the AI was 100% accurate in identifying whether or not the subject had autism, it was only 48% to 66% accurate in predicting symptom severity.
|
Researchers 3D-Print Steam Turbine Blades
Interesting Engineering
Can Emir
December 14, 2023
In collaboration with Siemens Technology, Oak Ridge National Laboratory researchers demonstrated the use of 3D printing for objects weighing more than 25 pounds by producing large rotating steam turbine blades for power plants using wire arc additive manufacturing. The wire arc technology involves using an electric arc controlled by a robotic arm to melt metal wire and create intricate shapes out of thin metal layers. Using the process, the researchers printed a large steam turbine blade in just 12 hours.
|
|
