The parasite that causes malaria is a genetic outlier, which has prevented scientists from discovering the functions of most of its genes. Researchers at National Jewish Health and Yale University School of Medicine have devised a technique to overcome the genetic oddity of Plasmodium falciparum, the major cause of human malaria.

The surge in Samsung’s smart-phone marketshare in 2011 may have surprised many. Earlier in 2011, the device manufacturer also surprised many when it announced 100 million downloads from its applications store, only a couple of months after opening. As TechCrunch’s John Biggs explains, the surprises may not be reducing soon for those who are not watching keenly. It is in this series of surprises that the local mobile applications developer in East Africa might want to watch for emerging opportunities.

Last year, the Canadian/Indian company Datawind, announced the $35 Aakash Android tablet computer as an ICT solution for education. While I still believe that the Aakash will fail education like OLPC did, do not take that as a mark of complete failure. The Aakash Ubislate 7 should be viewed as consumer electronics, and as such, it will be a roaring success.

Researchers at Duke University Medical Center have created synthetic nanoparticles that target lymph nodes and greatly boost vaccine responses, said lead author Ashley St. John, Ph.D., a researcher at Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School.
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Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyze standard setting and how a critical mass of users emerged in an industry in which multiple interface standards co-exist and a critical mass of users was created multiple times. Design/methodology/approach – This paper is based on research conducted for almost ten years using the case study approach. Data were gathered through more than 100 interviews with Japanese firms and through analyses of published sources.

Clues into the evolutionary diversification of brassicas have emerged from the draft Chinese cabbage genome sequence. Brassica crops include many agriculturally important vegetables, such as Chinese cabbage, pak choi, turnip, broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower, as well as various oilseed crops.
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(PhysOrg.com) — With the world’s showroom floors crammed with prototype smartphones promising advanced functions, bigger displays, stunning resolution, wouldn’t you think the biggest crowd-pleasers would dominate? The ultimate attraction in a smartphone, the one that never has to be charged again? This ultimate solution at least has scientists working toward that end, to bring in an easier time where users will not need to worry about the batteries wearing out.
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(PhysOrg.com) — The best performing solar cells are those that are thick enough to absorb light from the entire solar spectrum, while the cheapest solar cells are thin ones, since they require less, and potentially cheaper, material. In an attempt to combine the best of both worlds, a team of scientists has outlined designs for solar cells that can absorb light from the entire solar spectrum yet are as little as 10 nanometers thick. The new design approach, which could lead to improved low-cost solar cells, requires overcoming a thermodynamic light-trapping limit proposed in the 1980s.
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(PhysOrg.com) — By tweaking the smallest of parts, a trio of University at Buffalo engineers is hoping to dramatically increase the amount of sunlight that solar cells convert into electricity.
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This study extends the literature by integrating the resource-based view (RBV) and innovation theory to examine how human capital in banks affects innovative capability, and in turn, organizational performance. The case study is structured on the qualitative research of eight commercial banks in Taiwan. The results revealed that the influence of firms’ human
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