Welcome to the February 11, 2022, edition of ACM TechNews, providing timely information for IT professionals three times a week.

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COVID molecules on a declining bar graph. Computer Model Shows Best Ways to Slow the Spread of COVID-19
University of Waterloo News (Canada)
February 9, 2022


A computational model developed by researchers at Canada’s University of Waterloo is the first to simulate numerous variables impacting COVID-19 transmission, in an effort to slow the spread of variants. The researchers incorporated raw data to forecast case numbers and hospitalizations, and factors like vaccination rates, mask use, lockdowns, and the number of breakthrough infections, into the model. The model can simulate what would happen with a new variant and what measures would be needed to stop new, more contagious variants, such as optimal vaccination levels or certain restrictions. Waterloo's Mehrshad Sadria said the model incorporates "vaccination and different vaccine types, delays in second and third doses, the impacts of restrictions, and even the competition among different variants of concern. We want policymakers and stakeholders to have the most pertinent information so they can make the best decisions."

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A Programming Language for High-Performance Computers
MIT News
Steve Nadis
February 7, 2022


Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the University of California, Berkeley have developed a tensor language (ATL) prototype in which "speed and correctness do not have to compete," said MIT's Amanda Liu. "Instead, they can go together, hand-in-hand, in the programs we write." ATL is designed to produce either a single number or a tensor, a generalization of vectors and matrices that forms an n-dimensional array. Liu said ATL was developed to adjust programs to contend with high-performance computing's resource-heavy requirements. An associated toolkit or framework for ATL could show how processes could be transformed to speed things up, while a proof assistant from the Coq language can help to ensure the optimization's correctness.

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A quantum computer system. AI Efficiently Fixes Mistakes in Error-Prone Quantum Computers
New Scientist
Matthew Sparkes
February 10, 2022


Artificial intelligence (AI) can eliminate errors from a group of quantum bits, thanks to Lorenzo Cardarelli and colleagues at Germany's RWTH Aachen University. The researchers used a small quantum computer model to generate a quantum version of a machine learning autoencoder algorithm. They fed data into the system to see which errors it produced, creating pairs of correct and error-saturated data with which they trained the quantum autoencoder to detect and fix errors. Cardarelli said the AI could be trained on a specific quantum computer and learn to correct errors unique to that system. "This is almost like custom designing an error-correction code according to the characteristics of the particular hardware," said Sonika Johri at U.S.-based quantum computing firm IonQ.

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Icons on a vehicle entertainment system display. As Automakers Add Technology to Cars, Software Bugs Follow
The New York Times
Jack Ewing
February 8, 2022


Automakers are grappling with buggy software, which complicates their efforts to develop in-vehicle systems that operate as well as those developed by Apple and Google. Big software makers have the advantage of massive financial resources and expertise, while Axel Schmidt at consulting firm Accenture explained that major automakers "are not used to dealing with partners that are much stronger and bigger than themselves." Software makers' sway over the car industry will continue to expand as vehicles increasingly add digital technology. Lawsuits driven by faulty software have targeted automakers, rather than software makers; Serhat Kurt, operator of Apple advice Website macReports, blames the former for being "not very good with software," and the latter for doing too little to guarantee software updates work with older vehicles.

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Time-Shifted Computing Could Slash Datacenter Energy Costs Up to 30%
Ars Technica
Tim De Chant
February 8, 2022


The University of California, San Diego's Jennifer Switzer and the University of Southern California's Barath Raghavan determined that datacenters could cut 30% of their energy costs by conducting certain computations in advance, during periods when power is less expensive. An information battery (IB) could store precomputed results for later retrieval, without requiring extra infrastructure. An IB manager optimizes the workload based on both the price of electricity and the availability of tasks that can be performed in advance, through the use of a price-prediction engine, a pre-computation engine, and a scheduler. Switzer and Raghavan found their model was effective at reducing the need for expensive “grid power”; in a typical large datacenter, they said, the system could predict workloads around 90 minutes in advance, with about 90% accuracy.

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Fuzzy images in front of a mirrored image of the Google logo. French Watchdog Says Google Analytics Poses Data Privacy Risks
Reuters
Mathieu Rosemain
February 10, 2022


France's data privacy regulator CNIL (Commission nationale de l'informatique et des libertés) warns the Google Analytics service risks the exposure of French Website users' data to U.S. intelligence services. In a decision involving an unnamed French Website manager, the CNIL said Google failed to sufficiently protect data privacy rights under EU rules in transferring data between Europe and the U.S. Google’s security measures “are not sufficient to exclude the accessibility of this data to U.S. intelligence services," the watchdog declared. "There is therefore a risk for French Website users who use this service and whose data is exported." Google, which did not comment on the CNIL warning, previously asserted Google Analytics does not track people online, and that organizations using it can control the data they collect.

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A person wearing virtual reality goggles. Researchers Discover Security Vulnerabilities in VR Headsets
Rutgers Today
Emily Everson Layden
February 10, 2022


Rutgers University-New Brunswick scientists determined that hackers could exploit voice-command features on popular augmented reality/virtual reality (AR/VR) headsets to launch eavesdropping attacks. The Face-Mic attack harnesses the headsets' built-in motion sensors to record speech-associated facial dynamics to steal sensitive information communicated through voice command. The researchers analyzed three types of vibrations recorded by AR/VR headsets' motion sensors: speech-associated facial movements, bone-transmitted vibrations, and vibrations in the air. The researchers found bone-borne vibrations can carry gender, identity, and speech information, and that the headsets’ motion sensors do not require permission to access.

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Illustration of matchsticks configured in the shape of a facial profile. Facial Analysis Improves Diagnosis
University of Bonn (Germany)
February 10, 2022


The latest version of the "GestaltMatcher" artificial intelligence (AI) system, created by an international team of researchers led by Germany's University of Bonn, can diagnose rare genetic diseases with greater accuracy that its predecessor, DeepGestalt, through the use of facial analysis. The AI focuses on certain facial characteristics, calculates similarities, and automatically connects them to clinical symptoms and genetic data of patients. GestaltMatcher requires fewer patients as a reference for feature matching than DeepGestalt, and considers similarities with as-yet-undiagnosed patients, so it can "recognize" and suggest diagnoses for previously unknown diseases. The team trained the system on 17,560 patient photos; said University Hospital Bonn's Peter Krawitz, "This wide variation in appearance trained the AI so well that we can now diagnose with relative confidence even with only two patients as our baseline at best, if that's possible."

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A pilotless Black Hawk helicopter. Black Hawk Helicopter Flies Without Pilot on Board
CNN
Ellie Kaufman
February 9, 2022


The U.S. Department of Defense's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) announced that a Black Hawk helicopter recently performed its first autonomous flight at Fort Campbell in Kentucky. The helicopter flew for 30 minutes without any passengers on board as part of DARPA's Aircrew Labor In-Cockpit Automation System (ALIAS) program. The UH-60A model Black Hawk was equipped with Sikorsky MATRIX autonomous technology from Lockheed Martin, in order to fly without a pilot. Said DARPA's Stuart Young, "With ALIAS, the Army will have much more operational flexibility. This includes the ability to operate aircraft at all times of the day or night, with and without pilots, and in a variety of difficult conditions, such as contested, congested, and degraded visual environments."

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Illustration of a physics-guided deep learning framework. Computing Carbon Storage
Texas Advanced Computing Center
Aaron Dubrow
February 10, 2022


The University of Texas at Austin's Sahar Bakhshian showed how carbon dioxide (CO2) storage works at the level of micrometer-wide pores in rock, using supercomputers at the Texas Advanced Computing Center. The research aims to determine how to optimize the amount of carbon dioxide that can be stored as part of efforts to remove it from the atmosphere. Bakhshian examined the efficiency of trapping carbon dioxide by dissolving the gas into the resident brine in saline aquifers. She determined the extent to which carbon dioxide molecules adhere to the surface of the rock, and the speed at which supercritical carbon dioxide is pushed into the reservoir, each significantly impact the amount that can be stored in the rock's pores. Explained Bakhshian, ""Our research is basically trying to characterize geologic settings suitable for storage and exploring the way we inject CO2 to make sure it's safe, effective and poses no threat to people or groundwater resources."

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A collage of multicolored digital fingerprints. Cloud-Based Repository Creates Digital Fingerprint of Engineered Microorganisms
News-Medical Life Sciences
Emily Henderson
February 9, 2022


CellRepo is a global, cloud-based species and strain repository designed by an international team of scientists to generate digital fingerprints of engineered microorganisms. The database employs cell barcodes to monitor the microorganisms, organize digital data produced during cell engineering, and molecularly connect that information to associated living samples. CellRepo is based on version control, a software engineering principle for recording and tracking changes; its creators think this will open up cell engineering and render it more reproducible, easier to trace and share, and more reliable. Said Natalio Krasnogor at the U.K.'s Newcastle University, "By enabling more collaboration and the seamless sharing of engineered strains, we hope to accelerate and improve synthetic biology processes and reporting for everybody."

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An electronic chip held by clips. Researchers Make Chip That Can Be Rewired Like the Human Brain
Silicon Republic
Leigh McGowran
February 9, 2022


A multi-institutional research effort led to the invention of a reprogrammable-on-demand electronic chip, which could eventually lead to the creation a computer that learns continuously, like the human brain. The chip is made from hydrogen-sensitive perovskite nickelate in order to adapt and learn in a way similar to the brain. The researchers applied electrical impulses at different voltages to refine the concentration of hydrogen ions on the chip, generating states that could be mapped out to corresponding brain functions. "Using our reconfigurable artificial neurons and synapses, simulated dynamic networks outperformed static networks for incremental learning scenarios," the researchers explained. "The ability to fashion the building blocks of brain-inspired computers on demand opens up new directions in adaptive networks."

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A slug on a leaf. Computational Modeling Experts Pioneer Pest-Busting Model
University of Leicester (U.K.)
February 10, 2022


Researchers at the U.K.'s universities of Leicester and Birmingham and agricultural institution Harper Adams University have developed a mathematical model that could make pest control more efficient and minimize its environmental damage. The approach is founded on individual-based modelling methods to explain and forecast high slug density patches in tillable fields. The model simulates distribution trends by factoring in the movements of individual pests, and could enhance pest control by focusing the use of pesticides and other crop protection measures. Said Sergei Petrovski of the University of Leicester, “This study is an example of how a fundamental ecological concept, when applied to a real-world problem, can lead to breakthrough findings and ultimately helps to make agriculture more sustainable”

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