Underlying

Apple and the App Store are again at the center of a legal spat that revolves around the way the former manages the latter — and how it forces app developers to work within its frameworks.Following a ruling in 2021 that Apple must not prevent app developers from offering “buttons, external links, or other calls to action” informing users of payment options outside of their apps, Microsoft, Meta, and others have filed an amicus brief that alleges Apple simply isn't playing nicely. In fact, it argues that the company is…

A Tetris board. Credit: Brandenads/Wikimedia Commons With its bright colors, easy-to-learn rules and familiar music, the video game Tetris has endured as a pop culture icon over the last 40 years. Many people, like me, have been playing the game for decades, and it has evolved to adapt to new technologies like game systems, phones and tablets. But until January 2024, nobody had ever been able to beat it.…

Researchers have made a groundbreaking discovery about Long COVID’s neurological effects, including brain fog and cognitive decline. By identifying blood vessel disruption in the brain, they offer new insights for diagnosing and treating the condition, potentially transforming the approach to post-viral neurological syndromes. Credit: SciTechDaily.comScientists uncover crucial links between Long COVID and brain blood vessel integrity, offering hope for new treatments and diagnostic methods.A team of scientists from…

We may be one step closer to developing a treatment for Parkinson’s disease, thanks to new Australian research that has discovered how a protein called optineurin works in a distinct way to clear damaged mitochondria from the brain.Mitochondria are the powerhouses of our cells. They combine oxygen with fuel molecules – sugars and fats – from food, breaking them down to produce energy. When mitochondria are defective, cells don’t have enough energy, and the unused oxygen and fuel molecules build up in the cells, causing…

In the fast-paced logistics and transportation management world, the quest for efficiency is never-ending. Businesses strive to optimize delivery processes to achieve streamlined operations, reduced costs, and delighted customers. The essence of this article is to give you a clear idea of the principles behind delivery route optimization. Let’s start with an overview of delivery route planning software: How Software Drives Delivery Route Optimization One of the key drivers behind successful delivery route optimization is…

Graph ML meets Game TheoryNetwork games are a powerful tool for modelling strategic interactions between individuals or organisations played out on networks, where a player’s payoff depends not only on their own actions but also on those of their neighbours. Such games have numerous applications in economics and social sciences, including studying the spread of influence in social networks, the dynamics of financial markets, and the formation of alliances in international relations. The study of network games typically…

(left) Cosimo I de''Medici in armor by Agnolo Bronzini c1545 Art Gallery of NSW and (right) Composite XRF scan map showing mercury (red) and iron (green). Credit: Australia's Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation Conservators and curators from the Art Gallery of New South Wales have used an advanced imaging technique at the Australian Synchrotron to gain more information about an underpainting in a famous Renaissance…

The data collected by atmospheric researchers in Innsbruck now indicate that computational shortcuts result in inaccurate outcomes in the presence of high nitrogen monoxide emissions.The ozone levels near the surface in urban areas are lower than anticipated.The 40-meter monitoring tower at the Innsbruck Atmospheric Observatory, located near the city center of Innsbruck, Austria in Europe, continuously supplies information on the atmospheric composition near the surface. It records 36,000 data points every hour using a…

Part 1: On the Markov Decision Model which forms the theoretical foundation of reinforcement learning problemsExample of a simple MDP with three states (green circles) and two actions (orange circles), with two rewards (Image source: Wikipedia)Reinforcement learning (RL) is a type of machine learning that enables an agent to learn to achieve a goal in an uncertain environment by taking actions. An important aspect of reinforcement learning is that it evaluates the actions taken rather than instructs by giving correct…

Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain Starbucks, the coffee chain giant, is modifying its rewards program, and the news is full of stories of outraged consumers. The main focus of their ire is that, starting Feb. 13, 2023, it will cost twice as many of the program's reward points, called stars, to earn a free cup of hot coffee. When…