In the News

FBI taps into Pittsburgh social media chatter to chase criminal

Mashable Thursday, March 15, 2012

Mashable reports that law enforcement has turned to Facebook and Twitter in its search for Kenneth John Konias, suspected of stealing $2.3 million from an armored car in Pittsburgh and fatally shooting a coworker.

More than 100 commentators on the Facebook page mention Konias and more than 400 users shared the FBI’s post.

“I went to school with this kid and like someone said earlier he was very impulsive,” said Ryan Flaherty on the post.

Another commenter took to the FBI page to share his sentiments about the victim.

“I remember Michael Haines; a good, decent, well-liked man,” Tony Ruiz said. “I feel terrible for his family. I hope they find peace and justice.”

Original source: Mashable
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Pittsburgh and Philadelphia identified as two of 10 "comeback cities"

Forbes Thursday, March 08, 2012

Forbes finds 10 American cities, including Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, that were losing residents in 2005 but reversed these population losses by 2010.

"Pittsburgh's third renaissance is happening," says the city’s 32-year-old mayor, Luke Ravenstahl. Pittsburgh is one of several old-line cities that have rebounded during the recession. Assumed dead through dark years of suburbanization, industrial dismantlement and flight to the Sunbelt, many have turned to institutions founded during industrial heydays to successfully reconfigure their economies. They were rewarded in the last decade when they avoided the real estate bubble and subsequent bust and found themselves with broad-based, fundamentally strong economies during the recession. Allegheny County's unemployment rate stayed well below the national average.

In Pittsburgh, the renaissance Ravenstahl speaks of entailed partnerships with universities and philanthropies built on steel fortunes. Recognizing that the steel industry couldn’t support the city the way it had in the past, Pittsburgh's leaders in the 1980s encouraged the emergence of a new economy built around Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh as well as the city’s hospitals. The effort found 21st-century vindication when tech titan Google opened an office in the city last year, and Pittsburgh will soon boast the world’s largest “living” green building at the Phipps Conservatory.

Original source: Forbes
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Scientists at Pitt develop new tool for diagnosing traumatic brain injuries

CBS News Thursday, March 08, 2012

CBS News reports that doctors at the University of Pittsburgh have found a new way to visualize the damage caused by traumatic brain injuries.

How does it work? Brain cells communicate with each other through a system of nerve fibers that act like a telephone network, making up what's called the white matter of the brain. White matter runs along cable-like highways called fiber tracts that contain millions of connections. The new scan processes high-powered MRIs through a special computer program to map major fiber tracts, painting them in greens, yellows and purples that designate their functions. Researchers look for breaks in the fibers that could slow or stop those nerve connections from doing their job.

Original source: CBS News
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Duolingo teaches new languages while making online content readable for more people

Fast Company Thursday, March 08, 2012

Fast Company reports on Duolingo, a Carnegie Mellon-designed website where visitors can learn a new language while translating sentences on the Internet.

How it works: You pick a language that you want to learn (Duolingo offers Spanish, German, and English for now, with more to come). The program takes you through some initial training and then it pulls a sentence from somewhere on the Internet and asks you to translate it. If you do a good job, then your new sentence gets added to the Duolingo database, as a valid translation for the sentence in question.

"The whole idea was to translate the web into every language," says Luis von Ahn, founder of Dulingo. "We thought we needed computers but it turns out that (machine translation) won’t be any good for 20 years." So they decided they needed humans. You need a lot of humans to make it work, and you can’t pay them because of scaling issues -- it’s just not affordable. The question became how to make it possible.

The payment for translating sentences is that you get to learn a language through everyday drills mixed with lessons. Duolingo has enough intelligence to figure out the rough difficulty level of a sentence, but it hands the reigns over to you to make that sentence work. It aims to give you sentences that are appropriate to your skill level.

Original source: Fast Company
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A look at a decade of continuous growth for Pittsburgh company whose software helps manage hospitals

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Thursday, March 01, 2012

The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports that TeleTracking Technologies, which designs patient-tracking software, is enjoying steady growth.

TeleTracking's board chairman, Michael Zamagias, said the firm earned its position in spite of the faltering economy and complex challenges in the field.

"This focus on the hospital operational backbone has demonstrated value in both improved patient care and increased operating margins, addressing the primary challenges facing our nation's hospitals," he said.

Zamagias said 2011 was the 10th consecutive year of growth for the private firm, which employs 300 people at its Pittsburgh headquarters and offices in Raleigh, N.C., and St. Paul, Minn.

Original source: Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
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Studio's new partnerships bring more filmmaking activities into Pittsburgh

Essential Public Radio Thursday, March 01, 2012

Essential Public Radio reports on Pittsburgh's 31st Street Studios, which is expected to bring digital production and other movie-making activities into the city through partnerships with others in the industry.

Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald called Pittsburgh the Hollywood of the East. He said it’s been an exciting time with the industry bringing stars like Tom Cruise and Christian Bale to Pittsburgh, but he said that’s not the best part of what’s happening.

"What it really means to us is jobs, the fact that $300 million has come into our economy over the last four years because of the movie industry, the fact that we’re converting an old steel mill, going from steelmaking to movie making," said Fitzgerald.

When complete, 31st Street Studios will be the largest sound stage outside of Los Angeles. The 300,000 square foot facility includes 10 stages and the capacity to host any size production.

Original source: Essential Public Radio
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New battery maker to open factory near Pittsburgh, creating 400 jobs

GigaOM Thursday, February 23, 2012

GigaOM reports that Aquion Energy, a Carnegie Mellon University spin-out company that makes sodium-based batteries, plans to open its first factory next year.

Founded in 2007, and developed out of Carnegie Mellon University, the company’s battery pairs a carbon anode with a sodium-based cathode. Water-based electrolytes shuttle ions between the two electrodes during charging and discharging, as opposed to solvent-based electrolytes.

Founder and chief technology officer Jay Whitacre told us that as a professor at CMU he “wanted to do something different,” and with assistance from students, he set out to identify materials that could be “massively used” and “incredibly scalable.” He focused on stationary applications, like the grid, where lower energy density can be an acceptable trade-off for lower costs and longer life.

The company says its battery can withstand a wide range of temperatures without losing storage capacity. That means the devices could be installed alongside a solar installation without sapping energy for air conditioning to keep the batteries cool.

Original source: GigaOM
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After hours, Dollar Bank customers will soon be able to talk to tellers via video

Pittsburgh Business Times Thursday, February 23, 2012

The Pittsburgh Business Times reports that locally based Dollar Bank will introduce ATMs that enable customers to speak remotely to a live bank teller outside of business hours.

The services, known as NCR APTRA Interactive Teller, provide banking customers with a convenient yet personal alternative to a live teller, Dollar said in a release, enabling customers to do their banking at non-traditional times or experience faster in-branch service by accessing a live remote teller via a video connection through an ATM machine.

Dollar said it is working with NCR Corp. and uGenius Technology LLC, companies whose 2011 collaboration built the first ATM that lets a consumer talk and bank with a live, remote teller.

Original source: Pittsburgh Business Times
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Pittsburgh Symphony asking YouTube viewers to vote on possible soloists

Associated Press Thursday, February 16, 2012

Four winners of a contest on YouTube will get the chance to audition to perform with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, the Associated Press reports.

Orchestras typically find new musicians through talent agencies. (Conductor Manfred) Honeck usually holds auditions arranged in cities where the orchestra travels or, more often, by having the musicians come to the city.

But Honeck and (senior VP Robert) Mori have increasingly shared online video clips of musicians who are creating a buzz in symphony circles and figured, why not formalize the online screening process just once and see what happens?

The orchestra currently has no musicians who have auditioned by video, though Moir and Honeck said their concertmaster, or first violinist, did come to their attention through a video clip.

Original source: Associated Press
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Pennsylvania helping pay for wind farms being built across the commonwealth

EarthTechling Thursday, February 16, 2012

EarthTechling spotlights several wind power projects funded partially with state money, including planned wind farms near Altoona, Johnstown and Somerset.

The Twin Ridges Wind Farm in Somerset County, being developed by New York City-based EverPower Wind Holdings, received a $12.7 million Renewable Energy Program construction grant. The grant is the largest ever awarded by the program, which has also provided grants to the 30-MW Patton Wind Farm in Cambria County and enXco’s 38-MW Chestnut Flats Wind Farm in Blair County. Once completed, Twin Ridges will generate 20 percent of Pennsylvania’s wind power.

The $238.8 million project is expected to generate an additional $226.2 million in private economic investment, and is expected to be operational by the end of 2012.

In addition to Twin Ridges, funded projects include a ground-mounted photovoltaic (PV) array in Chester County, a solar thermal system for the Franklin County YMCA, two residential geothermal systems, and a high-performance building project in Bucks County, among others.

Original source: EarthTechling
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Upcoming weather predictions don't depend on a groundhog in Punxsutawney

SPACE.com Thursday, February 09, 2012

Punxsutawney Phil may have predicted six more weeks of winter, but SPACE.com explains why we can expect to see more sunlight in the coming days.

However, it is in the second half of winter that the effects of the northward shift of the sun's direct rays start becoming much more noticeable. In fact, by March 20, the date of the vernal equinox, the length of daylight will have increased by 2 hours and 5 minutes since Feb. 4. And because daylight saving time begins on March 11 this year, by March 20 the sun will be setting just a few minutes shy of 7 p.m.

Interestingly, for many northern locales, long-term records indicate the first four days of February are the coldest of the winter. But average daily temperatures rise rapidly thereafter, so that by the last week of the month they are higher than any day in January. Meteorologists, in fact, consider the winter season to be over at the end of February; they think of "meteorological winter" as defined by the three coldest months of the year: December, January and February.

So for all those winter-weary souls, take heart: In the days and weeks to come, you'll more readily be able to sense the greater amounts of daily light and see the more northerly position of the afternoon sunsets on the horizon. And soon the weather will correspondingly respond as well.

Original source: SPACE.com
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Wind energy project in southwestern PA chosen for $12.7M grant

The Tribune-Democrat Thursday, February 02, 2012

The Tribune-Democrat reports on a $12.7 million state grant awarded to help build what would be Pennsylvania's largest wind farm.

The 68-turbine farm has a $239 million price tag.

“It (the grant) really is a significant factor in our decision to build in Pennsylvania,” said Jim Spencer, EverPower president and CEO.

"In a tough power market, this really tips the scales for Pennsylvania."

Original source: The Tribune-Democrat
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Study at Pitt might explain teens' predisposition to addiction and mental illness

Medscape Medical News Thursday, January 26, 2012

Two scientists from the University of Pittsburgh have found that an area of the brain that's more active in adolescents might explain why teenagers are more susceptible than adults to mental illness and addiction, Medscape Medical News reports.

Adolescence is a "critical time period" when symptoms of addiction and most mental illnesses, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and depression, are apt to manifest, Dr. (Bita) Moghaddam explained. Therefore, this is a "critical period to try to prevent disease."

"Traditionally, the focus of treatment and research has been to try to treat the disease after it develops. By better understanding what's happening in the adolescent brain, we can potentially understand what mechanisms go awry and perhaps intervene in high-risk individuals," Dr. Moghaddam said.

Original source: Medscape Medical News
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Carnegie Mellon challenges students to invent futuristic products

Associated Press Thursday, January 26, 2012

The Associated Press reports on an event in which engineering students at Carnegie Mellon University invented gadgets like a drink-mixing machine and an alarm clock that posts oversleepers' photos on Facebook.

At the other end of a hallway crowded with gifted minds, Neil Abcouwer had a thoughtful look on his face as a motorized toy car zoomed around the floor.

That's because Abcouwer was controlling the car's direction with his mind. A headset he wore picked up a specific type of brain wave then sent a wireless signal to the car.

"This one is a fairly simple one that measures beta waves," Abcouwer, 21, said of the headset.

Original source: Associated Press
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Manganese may prevent deadly infections from E. coli, Carnegie Mellon research finds

Bloomberg Thursday, January 26, 2012

Bloomberg reports on Carnegie Mellon research finding that an element called manganese might be key to preventing E. coli infections like one that led to an outbreak in Europe in 2011.

Manganese, commonly found in nature, protected cells against as much as 4,000 times the amount of that toxin required to cause death in the lab, according to scientists in the journal Science. In a study, mice dosed with manganese were resistant to the poison.

That toxin, called Shiga, caused the severe diarrhea and kidney damage seen in the European outbreak. Antibiotics aren’t effective and may make the poison worse by causing the bacteria to burst open, releasing more Shiga and making patients sicker. There is no treatment for the infections, which sicken 150 million worldwide and kill more than 1 million each year, according to the study authors.

"An inexpensive, accessible treatment -- not a designer drug -- is the ideal solution," said Adam Linstedt, a biologist at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh and a study author, in a statement. Most of the illnesses from Shiga take place in the developing world, so cheapness is important, he said.

Original source: Bloomberg
Read the full story here.

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