Wolfram Research has released a new computational software platform for finance, the Wolfram Finance platform. The platform promises to deliver a much higher level of computational integrity, automated workflows, speed, accuracy, and effectiveness than has previously been possible.

Known for being the computational power behind science and engineering with their Mathematica and Wolfram/Alpha technologies, Wolfram focusses on accelerating computational workflows in finance.

Wolfram Finance platform is a suite of technologies for software development that integrates computation, data analysis, visualization, and reporting, which combine to deliver smarter results faster.

“As algorithmic agility comes centrestage in finance, platform integration and automation become crucial for competitiveness,” says Conrad Wolfram, CEO of Wolfram Research Europe Ltd.

“Finance tools often are outmoded compared with modern, smart computation in other fields. That’s a key facet of what Wolfram Finance platform fixes–injecting the smartest algorithmic tools into finance workflows.”

“Wolfram Finance Platform is ideal for organizations that understand the need for a coherent enterprise computation strategy,” says Jamie Smith, senior finance account manager. “It brings together workflows for traders, front office, and risk managers and reporting, back-office, and senior management, as well as improving our offering for quants who already rely on our Mathematica technology.”

Wolfram Finance platform will be introduced at launch events in May in London, Paris and New York.

Source:http://www.theasset.com/article/21812.html

Financial Results

Revenues for the first quarter of 2012 were approximately $11.8 million, an increase of $1.7 million, or 17%, in comparison to the first quarter of 2011. The increase in revenue was due to a $0.3 million increase in the Financial Management Applications Segment from increased new software sales and support revenues, a $1.3 million increase in the Technology Solutions Segment from increased infrastructure hardware sales, and a $0.1 million increase in the Cloud Services Segment from increased hosted email and hosted VoIP sales.

Gross Profit for the first quarter of 2012 was approximately $0.2 million, a decrease of $1.5 million, or 89%, compared to the same period of the prior year. The decrease was due to a $1.7 million decrease from the Cloud Services Segment, primarily as a result of a $1.3 million write-down of our Cloud Email software asset, and a $0.1 million decrease from the Financial Management Applications Segment reflecting a shift from capitalization of software costs to increased maintenance for the dozens of new-release modules now placed in the market. We have not reduced our software development spend which continues at the same rate, as we continue to enhance our newer releases and develop new modules and functionality and are expanding our research and development efforts as we move forward. The decrease in gross profit from our Cloud Services and Financial Management Applications segments was partially offset by a $0.3 million increase from the Technology Solutions Segment from improved solutions sales and engineering services performance.

The write-down of the Cloud Email software assets resulted from a changed estimate of net realizable value reflecting revised forecasts following the first quarter’s E-Rate contracting season. In light of this downward revision and other considerations, such as the benefits of deploying resources elsewhere in our operations, management and the board have decided to reduce emphasis on the email solution going forward. This decision resulted in a reduction in force (RIF) of approximately eight (8) people which will result in charges of $91 thousand (before tax effect) in the second quarter. The Company anticipates quarterly savings estimated at $300 thousand (before tax effect) going forward, beginning with the third quarter.

Operating loss for the first quarter of 2012 was approximately $3.2 million, an increase of $2.4 million, or 343%, compared to the same period of the prior year. The increase in operating loss came from the decrease in gross profit and an increase in operating expenses, particularly selling expenses and public company costs, and accelerated amortization from a change in estimated useful life of an acquired logo.

Net loss for the first quarter of 2012 was approximately $2.0 million, or a $0.31 loss per basic and diluted share, compared to a net loss of $0.5 million, or a $0.08 loss per basic and diluted share for the first quarter of 2011.

Earnings before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, and Amortization (“EBITDA”) for the first quarter of 2012 was approximately ($1.8) million, a decrease of $1.6 million, or 791%, compared to the same period of the prior year, with the decline primarily a result of the write-off of $1.3 million in capitalized software assets. This amount is added back to our Adjusted EBITDA due to the non-cash nature of the charge. Accordingly, Adjusted EBITDA declined $0.3 million primarily as a result of the impact from ongoing Cloud investment activities. (EBITDA is a non-GAAP financial measure. See reconciliation to GAAP measure Net Income (Loss) which follows).

Nancy Hedrick, CEO of CSI, stated, “Our team remains focused on improving gross margins and earnings and providing value to our shareholders while delivering excellent solutions and services to our customers. We continue to make investments toward enhancement of our intellectual property portfolio, particularly in the Financial Management Applications Segment of our business while continuing to focus on sales from our Technology Solutions Segment. While we felt it was necessary to make some adjustments in our Cloud Email investment in order to protect the health of our business overall, we remain committed to supporting our existing email contracts and to continue to grow our Cloud VoIP and Cloud Identity Management revenue.”

Source:http://www.marketwatch.com/story/computer-software-innovations-inc-announces-first-quarter-2012-financial-results-2012-05-14?reflink=MW_news_stmp

Computer and software retailers experienced continuous change over the past five years. While computers become smaller, faster and more powerful than ever before, the introduction of new technology in the form of tablet computers created a new wave of demand for retailers. Continued demand from a growing list of consumer groups gave the Computer and Software Retailing industry in Australia annualised sales growth of 4.0% over the five years through 2011-12. According to IBISWorld industry analyst Claudia Burgio-Ficca, ‘while growth in the early part of this five-year period was largely from the replacement market, growth in the later years was attributed to the increasing popularity of tablet computers following the launch of the iPad by Apple in May 2010.’ Industry sales during this period were also aided by strong demand for storage and network devices following increased consumer access to digital media. Trends in real household disposable income, consumer sentiment, growth in internet connections, a rise in PC density and growth in the IT and telecommunications literacy of Australian consumers also influenced industry sales over this period. Industry sales will rise 4.7% in 2011-12 to reach $6.86 billion.
Computer and software retail sales are forecast to rise over the next five years. ‘Demand will largely be driven by unprecedented growth in tablet computers, which are viewed as a turning point for the largely saturated computing market,’ adds Burgio-Ficca. As a result of the shift in consumer demand, laptop sales are expected to suffer. Smartphones are expected to become the latest threat to desktop computers, with a growing number of consumers set to undertake more internet searches via smartphones rather than desktop systems. Demand for mobile internet will be driven by the retail segment as more consumers use their smartphones for internet browsing while out shopping.
Market share concentration levels in the industry have been subject to increasing competition over the past five years. Continued demand for the latest technology placed pressure on operators to supply a range of goods at discount prices. In addition, a growing number of smaller operators were affected by the dominance of larger players like Harvey Norman, which were able to offer bundle packages and excess stock sales. In 2011-12, the Computer and Software Retailing industry is deemed to have a medium level of market share concentration. The concentration held by players in the industry grew significantly over the past five years, albeit from a low base. The largest players in the industry are Harvey Norman, JB Hi-Fi and Woolworths.

Source:http://www.prweb.com/releases/2012/4/prweb9449844.htm

The Mumbai police did make a brief but unsuccessful attempt to improve the quality of sketches by using a computer software. However, the results were less than encouraging, prompting the police to revert to sketching artists.

Explaining how the software worked RS Agarwal, senior
inspector, Shivaji Nagar police station said, “The software only had limited variations of facial characteristics, which did not help. For example, there would be a total of only around 10 to15 types of noses or moustaches. So, the witnesses were asked to pick on the variation of a nose that bore the closest resemblance to the nose of the accused.”

An inspector talking on condition of anonymity said, “On many occasions the nose, moustache or eyes of the accused did not match the variations allowed by the software. We realised the futility of the exercise.”

Another crime branch officer said, “After the manual sketch is prepared, we ask the witness to give us a percentage match with that of the accused. On most occasions, witnesses tell us that the sketch resembled the person about 65% to 70%. There are times, when we are lucky and the victim said that there was a 90% to 95% match.”

In cases where an accused is arrested based on a sketch, the sketch artist, most of whom are students of institutes such as JJ School of Arts, may be called by the court once the trial begins.

Source:http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/Mumbai/Sketches-created-by-computer-software-far-from-accurate/Article1-848276.aspx

A computer scientist and former deputy governor of Anambra State, Dr. Chinedu Emeka, has developed a computer software that could be used to track criminals and check their activities in the country.

Emeka, who was deputy governor under Governor Chinwoke Mbadinuju’s administration, said he decided to embark on the research and develop the system as criminals were not being punished for offences committed.

Emeka, who just bagged a Phd in computer science from Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, said if criminals were caught and punished, prospective criminals would have a rethink before venturing into crimes.

He said there was a need for a national data base of criminals, such as the one he developed, that would be easily accessible to security agencies in the country.

He called on government and private institutions to patronize the Ivory Towers when seeking for solutions to challenges such as provision of power supply, computer software, alternative raw materials/ enhancement of existing raw materials and staff training.

Emeka called on politicians to always provide funds for universities to carry out research and development in the universities and advocated that energy should be re-channeled towards recognition of excellence in research and development.

He said government and private sector could encourage this by setting out annual prizes for most useful indigenous scientific discoveries, best made Nigeria computer software and most useful implement designed for farming.

Source:http://www.vanguardngr.com/2012/04/scientist-invents-computer-software-to-track-criminals/

Computer Software Innovations Inc. (CSWI.OB: News ) announced that it will review a US$1.00 per share acquisition proposal from Constellation Software Inc. (CSU.TO: News ). Computer Software Innovations advised its stockholders that they need not take any action at this time in response to Constellation’s letter.

On 30th March 2012, Constellation Software announced that it has submitted a letter to the board of directors of Computer Software Innovations proposing to acquire all of the Computer Software’s outstanding common and preferred stock, and outstanding options to acquire such shares, in a recommended cash tender offer at a price per share of US$1.00.

The Proposed Offer is subject to satisfactory completion of due diligence, the redemption or termination of the rights plan, or “poison pill”, that Computer Software has recently adopted, and negotiation and execution of a definitive written agreement.

Constellation had said that it expects to be able to complete such an agreement within two weeks from the beginning of the due diligence period. Constellation had also said it requested that Computer Software respond promptly, but not later than April 5, 2012 to the Proposed Offer.

Source:http://www.rttnews.com/1853684/computer-software-to-review-acquisition-proposal-from-constellation-software.aspx?type=qf

Trying to tell whether someone is lying to you can often prove difficult. But with the aid of a computer, the need to look for tell-tale signs could be made redundant.

Scientists have developed new software that focuses solely on the subject’s eyes, monitoring the movements of the pupils, which determines if someone is telling the truth or not.

Researchers at the University of Buffalo recorded a series of conversations in which a number of lies were told. And having tested their program against a trained human interrogator, they found that the software had a higher success rate.

While the specially-trained examiner correctly identify 65 percent of false statements, the computer recorded an impressive 82.5 percent reading.

Assistant professor Ifeoma Nwogu said: “What we wanted to understand was whether there are signal changes emitted by people when they are lying, and can machines detect them?”

The study centred around conversations in which subjects could choose whether or not to steal a cheque, before later being questioned on their decision.

Despite most of those interviewed being caught out, there were a few subjects who managed to keep their eye movements to a bare minimum and avoided having their lies picked up by the program. – Daily Mail

Source:http://www.iol.co.za/business/business-news/new-software-beats-experts-in-catching-liars-in-the-act-1.1268132?showComments=true

Tyler Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: TYL) today announced that it has acquired Computer Software Associates, Inc. (CSA), which provides financial management systems to schools and county governments. CSA, founded in 1982 and based in Billings, Mont., is a reseller of Tyler’s Infinite Visions® school enterprise solution, and sells proprietary CSA tax and recording solutions to county governments.

CSA had approximately $8.2 million in total revenue during 2011, and has more than 200 installations in 10 states throughout the United States. As a result of the transaction, CSA clients will become Tyler customers, and its approximately 60 employees will join Tyler.

The CSA transaction complements two other recent Tyler acquisitions — Windsor Management Group, L.L.C., and UniFund, L.L.C. — both of which provide financial and human capital management solutions to the K-12 education market.

In addition to being a reseller for Tyler’s Infinite Visions solution, CSA builds and maintains a robust line of proprietary software. This software includes solutions for land and vital record indexing for county recorders, and taxation solutions for county treasurers. Both products are highly competitive and complement Tyler’s existing application suites, while further increasing Tyler’s market share nationwide in the county recorder and tax markets.

“Acquiring CSA immediately increases Tyler’s presence in the Northwest, further unifies our Infinite Visions brand, and presents interesting new opportunities with local governments,” said Brett Cate, president of Tyler’s Local Government Division. “CSA is a nearly 30-year-old company that is well known for deep and long-lasting client relationships built on innovation and integrity — these qualities are shared and valued by Tyler, our employees and our customers alike.”

“Our mission statement has always been that we are committed to providing customers with excellent service and leading-edge software products. Tyler Technologies shares that same core value as witnessed by their high level of customer and employee retention,” said Jeff Melugin, vice president of CSA. “Combining with Tyler will provide our employees with opportunities to showcase their individual talents and continue to provide a solid foundation for our customers.”

Source:http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20120402006128/en/Tyler-Technologies-Acquires-Computer-Software-Associates

Now, you can easily spot if someone is lying to you, with the help of a computer, say scientists.

A team at the University of Buffalo has developed a new software that focuses solely on the subject’s eyes, monitoring the movements of the pupils, which determines if someone is telling you the truth or lying.

For their study, the scientists recorded a series conversations in which a number of lies were told. And having tested their program against a trained human interrogator, they found that the software had a higher success rate.

While the specially trained examiner correctly identify 65 per cent of false statements, the computer recorded an impressive 82.5 per cent reading.

“What we wanted to understand was whether there are signal changes emitted by people when they are lying, and can machines detect them?” a newspaper quoted Prof Ifeoma Nwogu as saying.

In fact, the study centred around conversations in which subjects could chose whether or not to steal a cheque, before later being questioned on their decision.

A wide range of individuals were selected, with varying skin colours, age and height with someone even wearing glasses in an attempt to conceal their lies.

Despite most of those interviewed being caught out, there were a select number who managed to keep their eye movements to a bare minimum, which consequently resulted in the wrong conclusions.

Now, the scientists plan to carry out additional studies on a larger scale with a long-term view to developing a system that could work alongside human interrogators

Source:http://zeenews.india.com/news/technology/now-computer-can-spot-if-someone-is-lying_767667.html

The software physically packs you up into an archive file, which can then be sent to any location of your choice via internet. The archive compression converts matter weighing 1 pound into an archive that takes 1.73 MB in disk space. Thus, an average human of 160 pounds can be fit into an archive of approximately 277 MB.

This new state-of-the-art software has almost completed its beta stage and is expected to hit the market by mid-June 2012. Experts say that this software will replace the postal and courier services around the world. It might bring around a revolution in the transport sector. Traffic jams on the roads and highways will be replaced by server crashes.

Prophets predict it to be the cause of the “Fast approaching Doomsday”, although no strong evidence supporting the same can be gathered. Various blogs and forums over the internet have started discussing about the possibility of catching criminal suspects and other law offenders by enhancing the firewall and Anti-virus systems in various computers and servers.

Glenn has also brought to light the fact that, if any living organism or an object is stored as an archive on the system, any kind of hard-drive crash, system crash, formatting, etc. of the storage device may lead to permanent loss of data.Thus, an object can be lost forever, or a living organism can be teleported directly to Oblivion. Thus, it is always wise to create a backup/clone of the archive in question.

Keeping aside minor technical problems, this software looks very promising. One might also say that this is the best invention since sliced bread.

Source:http://www.thespoof.com/news/spoof.cfm?headline=s5i105604

A triple combo of protective software on your computer foolproofs it against identity or password theft, snooping and malware installation, according to a criminology study.

Computer users “have a much better chance of not getting credit card number stolen if (they) have all three forms of protective software,” said Thomas Holt, associate professor of criminal justice at Michigan State University.

The combo includes anti-virus software that detects and removes viruses and worms that can corrupt a computer, delete data and spread to other computers.

The other two softwares, anti-spyware and anti-adware are designed to protect against software that either self-installs stealthily or is installed by the user and enables information to be gathered covertly about a person’s Internet use, passwords and so on.

“When you think about anti-virus software protecting you, you might think about it keeping your files safe and not losing your music and photos,” said Holt, whose findings are based on a survey of more than 600 people, the journal Deviant Behaviour reports.

“The important thing we’re finding here is that it’s not just about protecting your files, but also about protecting you economically – about reducing your chances of being a victim of identity theft,” said Holt, who worked with Michael Turner, associate professor at the University of North Carolina-Charlotte.

About 15 percent of respondents said they had experienced computer-related identity theft in the past year. Males were more likely to be victims, Holt said, according to a Michigan University statement.

“We’re not sure what this might be a consequence of,” he said. “Is it that males are less careful about what they do online? Is it a difference in how they shop online or conduct online commerce?”

Those who engaged in “computer-related deviance” – such as downloading pirated music or pornographic images – were more likely to be victims of identity theft, the study found. This is a large risk for users because pirated movies and music may contain malware and place users at risk for harm.

Source:http://zeenews.india.com/news/technology/software-combo-that-turns-computers-impregnable_765500.html

A triple combo of protective software on your computer foolproofs it against identity or password theft, snooping and malware installation, according to a criminology study.

Computer users “have a much better chance of not getting credit card number stolen if (they) have all three forms of protective software,” said Thomas Holt, associate professor of criminal justice at Michigan State University.

The combo includes anti-virus software that detects and removes viruses and worms that can corrupt a computer, delete data and spread to other computers.

The other two softwares, anti-spyware and anti-adware are designed to protect against software that either self-installs stealthily or is installed by the user and enables information to be gathered covertly about a person’s Internet use, passwords and so on.

“When you think about anti-virus software protecting you, you might think about it keeping your files safe and not losing your music and photos,” said Holt, whose findings are based on a survey of more than 600 people, the journal Deviant Behaviour reports.

“The important thing we’re finding here is that it’s not just about protecting your files, but also about protecting you economically – about reducing your chances of being a victim of identity theft,” said Holt, who worked with Michael Turner, associate professor at the University of North Carolina-Charlotte.

About 15 percent of respondents said they had experienced computer-related identity theft in the past year. Males were more likely to be victims, Holt said, according to a Michigan University statement.

“We’re not sure what this might be a consequence of,” he said. “Is it that males are less careful about what they do online? Is it a difference in how they shop online or conduct online commerce?”

Those who engaged in “computer-related deviance” – such as downloading pirated music or pornographic images – were more likely to be victims of identity theft, the study found. This is a large risk for users because pirated movies and music may contain malware and place users at risk for harm.

Source:http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/software/software-combo-that-turns-computers-impregnable/articleshow/12366590.cms

Healthcare and business software supplier Advanced Computer Software (LON:ASW) was applauded by analysts after releasing an upbeat trading update this morning.

ACS said all of its divisions grew sales, with managed services up by 16 per cent, healthcare up by 8 per cent and business solutions by 6 per cent.

Broker Collins Stewart said although it had anticipated good growth in managed services, “the progress in health & care and business solutions is very pleasing against an uncertain economic backdrop”.

Collin Stewart said it was leaving forecasts for ACS unchanged but it expects to move them up in June when the preliminary results are released.

ACS said that underlying profits increased by 9 per cent and will be at least £24m against £22.1 million.

The software company is also to consider paying dividends next year.

Ongoing revenue in the year to February rose by 10 per cent to £98 million from £89.2 million, with organic growth at 8 per cent.

ACS added it had benefited from cross selling of cloud-based solutions, which included a £17 million contract with the Northern Ireland Department of Health, Social care and Public Safety.

Vin Murria, ACS’s chief executive, said that the sales growth was also underpinned by growing demand for its mobile applications for the health and community care markets.

ACS’ iNurse and iConnect applications now have over 13,000 users in total, a 200 per cent rise on the previous year.

This demand is being driven by continued expansion of the mobile solutions market and increasing demand for cost-effective, cloud-based shared services and outsourcing solutions, Murria added.

Net debt at the year was down to £1 million from £31 million and Murria said the company will move into net cash position by the next half-year.

“The group is trading well and is positioned for further growth in the year ahead, both organically and by acquisition,” Murria added.

The share price rose by 2.5 per cent to 51.4 pence.

Source:http://www.proactiveinvestors.com.au/companies/news/26748/broker-applauds-advanced-computer-software-for-growth-in-tough-economic-climate–26748.html

Glitches in the Department of Children’s Services expensive new computer system have resulted in some foster care parents receiving duplicate monthly room and board payments from the state while others weren’t paid at all.

More than $2.5 million in duplicate and missed payments have been identified by DCS already, and officials said last week that they are hurrying to address continued problems with the system.

The software system, which is called the Tennessee Family and Child Tracking System, or TFACTS, was the subject of a scathing audit released last week by the state comptroller of the treasury. TFACTS was rolled out in the autumn of 2010 at a price tag of $37 million.

TFACTS was touted as a system that would streamline DCS operations and better track services provided to children in state care. But shortly after the program was installed, foster care parents began experiencing problems with their monthly room and board payments.

The Tennessean published a report in May 2011 showing that back and missed payments due foster care parents each month totaled $600,000.

But the audit published last week by the comptroller found that, in addition to missed payments, DCS was also accidentally sending extra payments to some foster parents and nonprofit organizations that arrange foster care.

DCS, in an internal review of TFACTS, found $2.5 million worth of duplicate, missed or inaccurate foster care payments.

Foster parents and the nonprofit providers will have their future room and board checks deducted, DCS spokeswoman Molly Sudderth said. Approximately $600,000 in duplicate payments still needs to be recouped from foster care providers and parents. Sudderth said the department expects to be repaid but is working with the organizations and parents who received duplicate payments so the deductions don’t take place all at once.

Significant glitches
According to the audit, state officials were aware of the problems with TFACTS before it was rolled out statewide in 2010, yet the system was launched anyway.

“Before and during the pilot implementation of TFACTS, steering committee officials knew that the system had significant problems, including deficient system functionality and missing payments,” the audit stated.

According to a letter from Comptroller Justin Wilson to Department of Finance and Administration Commissioner Mark Emkes, the bigger issue for state government is how such systems are developed and implemented. In addition to TFACTS, the accounting program Edison has experienced glitches.

State Rep. Glen Casada, who chairs the House Committee on Health and Human Resources, said he was frustrated that problems persisted with TFACTS 18 months after it was implemented.

“It hurts people that can ill afford to be hurt,” Casada said. “From the state government’s perspective, from a legislator’s perspective, we’ve gone through this before.

“I don’t have enough info to say who’s at fault. But somebody is at fault. At the end of the day, the head coach still has to shoulder the blame and give a vision and a way to correct. That’s what we’ll be waiting for from the Department of Children’s Services.”

DCS Commissioner Kate O’Day said the department has taken several steps, including hiring coding experts to study the software, hiring new staff and setting up an internal troubleshooting team for customers.

In one of O’Day’s first steps, she hired Deputy Commissioner Lee Gregory specifically to fix TFACTS.

Gregory said problems with the system ranged from coding errors in the original software to a lack of appropriate training of state employees to use and troubleshoot problems. He acknowledged that the system was rolled out too soon.

Cost to fix unknown
O’Day said problems persisted after she took office at the beginning of 2011 but claimed her hands were tied in part because civil service rules prevented her from making the staffing decisions necessary to address the issue.

DCS does not yet know the final price tag for fixing TFACTS, O’Day said. Already two special consulting contracts totaling more than $500,000 have been awarded in response to the issue.

TFACTS was installed by Massachusetts-based Dynamic Research Corp. O’Day did not rule out seeking reimbursement from the company or any other outside groups that might be responsible.

“We’re going to keep track of those costs, as well as who delivered what appropriately and who did not,” O’Day said. “So if there are things we need to address on behalf of the state of Tennessee, we’ll have the documentation to do that.”

Source:http://www.tennessean.com/article/20120312/NEWS0201/303120014/TN-s-faulty-software-overpays-underpays-foster-care

A computer software monitoring program provides early warning signs that an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) might malfunction. — Using the software during the testing and approval process for devices could decrease the risks of patients receiving defective ICDs.

EMBARGOED UNTIL 3 p.m. CT/4 p.m. ET, Tuesday, Mar. 6

DALLAS, March 6, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — A software monitoring program that tracks implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) function could detect problems with the devices earlier than current monitoring processes, according to new research in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes, an American Heart Association journal.

ICDs monitor heart rhythms and deliver electric shocks to restore normal rhythm when life-threatening, irregular heartbeats occur. But the surgically implanted devices can malfunction, particularly in the leads, or wires, that connect them to the heart, causing injury or death.

Device manufacturers track repeated malfunctions and issue recalls if they’re widespread. However, often by the time of the recall, thousands of the devices have been implanted in patients worldwide.

“Current monitoring approaches aimed at reducing harm from malfunctioning medical devices rely largely on voluntary reporting of adverse events by manufacturers, possibly leading to missed warning signs and delayed responses to the problems, such as late recalls,” said Robert G. Hauser, M.D., lead study author and senior consulting cardiologist at the Minneapolis Heart Institute at Abbott Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis, Minn. “We looked at whether using an automated software program to monitor large databases of ICD patients might help us detect potential device-related problems earlier.”

Hauser and colleagues used a commercially available software surveillance program to compare data from about 1,000 patients with recalled leads to about 1,600 patients implanted with ICD leads still on the market. Patients in both databases had their ICDs implanted between 2001 and 2008.

Using the surveillance software, researchers simulated what occurred years earlier. The software detected problems with the recalled leads at least a year before the company had recalled them.

“The software works,” Hauser said. “Looking at ICD patients implanted years ago, we showed that the automated program detects medical device problems faster than current approaches. Pinpointing the malfunction a year earlier in this case could have spared thousands of patients the health risks, costs and inconvenience of receiving a device prone to failure.”

Monitoring newly approved devices could help identify potential problems before the ICDs are introduced on a large scale, he said.

The next step, according to Hauser, is to apply the software to large populations of newly implanted ICD patients, in order to reduce gaps in warning sign detection and action.

Co-authors are Andrew S. Mugglin, Ph.D.; Paul A. Friedman, M.D.; Daniel B. Kramer, M.D.; Linda M. Kallinen, B.S.; Deepa M. McGriff, B.S.; David L. Hayes, M.D. Author disclosures are on the manuscript.

The Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation and the Abbott Northwestern Hospital Foundation funded the research.

Statements and conclusions of study authors published in American Heart Association scientific journals are solely those of the study authors and do not necessarily reflect the association’s policy or position. The association makes no representation or guarantee as to their accuracy or reliability. The association receives funding primarily from individuals; foundations and corporations (including pharmaceutical, device manufacturers and other companies) also make donations and fund specific association programs and events. The association has strict policies to prevent these relationships from influencing the science content.

Source:http://www.marketwatch.com/story/computer-software-monitoring-detects-icd-malfunctions-sooner-2012-03-06

A $35 computer with Toronto-designed software stormed the tech world Wednesday, selling out in minutes.

Back orders hit “the tens of thousands,” Ebden Upton, executive director of the Raspberry Pi Foundation, told the Star.

“We’re absolutely blown away by the interest,” he said.

“It’s caught peoples’ imaginations. I think there’s just a large body of people who want to have a cheap computer.”

Upton and colleagues at the University of Cambridge in England developed the Raspberry Pi after realizing new computer science students lacked the creative hacking spirit the Commodore 64 generation grew up with.

The results aren’t pretty. The Raspberry Pi, about the size of a credit card, looks like the miniaturized guts of a Mac without the slick Steve Jobs package.

“This is not sugar-coated. I imagine the inside of an iPad looks exactly like that. It’s not wrapped up in pretty plastic.”

What the Raspberry Pi can do, though, is fully equip a classroom in the developing world with computers for under $1,000, said Upton.

The classroom connection is strong. Its brains and heart were created in a Toronto classroom.

Seneca College’s Chris Tyler used one of his fall semester software building courses to create and refine the software for the Raspberry Pi launched Wednesday.

Does that mean an A for everyone? “Well, it depends on how well their piece of the software works,” he said with a laugh.

Seneca’s Centre for the Development of Open Technology hooked up with the Raspberry Pi Foundation last August because of Seneca’s work on the free software Fedora Project Linux operating system.

In fact, it was the release last Wednesday of the Raspberry Pi Fedora Remix software that potential buyers had to download that gave Tyler and Upton an inkling of the flood to come.

“We had 120,000 views on the video,” said Tyler. “The mailing list of people who wanted to be informed was over 100,000.”

By piling all of the functions onto a single chip, the Raspberry Pi can compute, run robotics, configure spread sheets, browse the web and speak several tech languages.

“There’s still work to be done. Software needs some optimization for the 2-D. Ironically, the 3-D graphics work well,” said Tyler.

The startling slide in computer geek creativity had been apparent at Seneca as well, Tyler said.

“They’d come in with less hands-on experimenting than 10 or 20 years ago. The Commodore 64 or the TR-80 started up with the word, “Ready. That was an open invitation to experiment. Now, you have to do a lot to get a computer to where you can program with it.”

He envisions devices like the Raspberry Pi inspiring “a whole new Commodore 64 generation.”

For his Seneca students, “it’s exciting to work on something that’s real code that’s going to be used by hundreds of thousands of people.”

The Cambridge team created the Raspberry Pi Foundation, a charity, when they launched their dream project six years ago. Two British companies, Premier Farnell and RS Components, have since been signed to handle manufacturing and distribution.

Fruity monikers for computers like BlackBerry and Apple inspired the name, which Upton had to learn to love.

“This is a little university project that we thought might sell a few hundred units,” said Upton.

Who buys a $35 Raspberry Pi?

“I think there are going to be people who use them for programming, as a gaming machine, as a media planner, as a utility machine.”

The bare bones computer comes without a keyboard, mouse or monitor, but is designed to be plugged into a TV.

“A mouse and a keyboard are very cheap,” said Upton.

“It uses a mobile phone charger for the power supply. And people already have a high value expensive piece of electronic equipment, a television, in their homes they can use for display.”

All of the first units sold were Model B, an upgrade from the $25 Model A with an Ethernet port and two USB ports. The Model A, which has also been reworked to include 256 megabytes of RAM, “will go into production immediately.”

Source:http://www.thestar.com/business/article/1138709–35-computer-with-toronto-designed-software-sells-out-worldwide-in-minutes

VT iDirect, Inc. (iDirect), a company of VT Systems, Inc. (VT Systems), today announced that Turksat, Turkey’s only satellite operator, has upgraded its global satellite network with iDirect’s latest operating software, iDX 3.0. With the purchase of a new Series 15100 Universal Satellite Hub, as well as Evolution X5 and X3 routers and Evolution line cards, Turksat has significantly enhanced its existing investment in iDirect’s Intelligent Platform(TM) to pursue new market opportunities. iDirect is the world leader in satellite-based IP communications technology.

Turksat’s upgrade to iDX 3.0 will augment the company’s TurksatVSAT offering, which provides support for voice and data transmission, Internet, VPN, and video conferencing. The multi-channel demodulation technology of iDX 3.0 brings significant efficiency improvements to Turksat’s VSAT services. By combining up to eight inbound channels on a single satellite line card, Turksat can reduce its hardware and bandwidth costs and maximize hub capacity, which is critical as the company scales to meet greater customer demand and enter new vertical markets.

“At Turksat, communication is everything. Whether we are working with the government or the private sector, we must be able to deliver the highest quality satellite solutions to our customers. That’s why we partnered with iDirect. Upgrading to iDirect’s iDX 3.0 software has provided significant efficiency gains and will help us as we continue to grow.”

Source:http://www.marketwatch.com/story/turksat-upgrades-global-satellite-network-with-idirects-idx-30-software-2012-02-28

The buzz around the school is the new syncing program, Impero. The technology department instituted the student-monitoring software this month after looking for ways to improve or replace the SmartSync program. Under the old SmartSync program, students refused to listen when told to sync to the teacher, often unsyncing during a class period so the teacher could no longer see what they were doing. Impero is highly effective in counteracting this problem and is now working on over three hundred computers in the district.

“I don’t like Impero, because you could be connected to a teacher that you are not even in their classroom and they could have one site blocked, but you need it for that class and then it’s a hassle because you have to go back to the classroom you were in to get unblocked,” said Kylie Dunn.

Impero was selected because there were no other programs on the market that did the blocking in such an automatic way. According to Shane Steckelberg, it was the “most feature-rich application in the support department and the company is very helpful.”

This program was made to limit distractions and to get students to focus more on schoolwork. I think that Impero has made a difference within the school district. Even though that it is stricter, going from classroom to classroom it seems to be working. I see less games, and more OneNote or word.

In my opinion, Impero can be positive, but negative at the same time. I think that it has some flaws, but it can be worked with. I think it helps, because teachers don’t have to worry about so many people not focusing on their class work because they can block whatever they want for their classrooms. I think it gets annoying, because if a student leaves early and forgets to get disabled, then they go home and have websites blocked that they had blocked when they were at school. There are students, however, that don’t like anything about the program.

“I don’t like impero because it blocks everything I do even if it’s not bad, such as Google or webmail,” said sophomore Chance Morgan.

With the new program, come many confusions and errors as well. A teacher told me that I had been looking at something I shouldn’t have been when my computer was shut at the time. Another student has a similar story.

“I got a message saying that I had been looking at basketball stuff when I have never looked at anything on my computer that was basketball related. A minute later, someone next to me got the same message,” said Courtney Mollet.

Despite the disabling and the blocked-site annoyances, I believe Impero has the ability to enhance students learning and will further enrich the students of Dakota Valley. Weigh in. What do you think? Send us a letter to the editor and let your voice be heard.

Source:http://my.hsj.org/Schools/Newspaper/tabid/100/view/frontpage/articleid/500343/newspaperid/605/New_computermonitoring_software_draws_mixed_reviews.aspx

Green River’s Municipal Court is looking at new software to help them become more efficient in completing daily court tasks.

Lynn Birch, clerk of court for the city, told the Green River City Council the current computer software used by the court will not receive any new updates from the company they purchased it from.

Birch said the software has been the source of problems for the court staff, such as it adding funds to a defendant’s deposition — an error staff has to find and correct immediately.

Birch said the court has been isolated from other departments, which causes it to still rely on hand written receipts and only accept payment through cash, money orders and cashiers checks. She added the court’s inability to process credit and debit cards is an inconvenience to residents trying to pay fines and other fees through the court.

The court looked for a system able to share data with other agencies, such as the Green River Police Department and city finance department; contained scheduling and document management features; had minimal reliance on third-party software programs and had customer support and service available to the court.

The program the court decided to seek city funding for is inCode by Tyler Technologies.

Birch said the program would eliminate the need for duplicating entries and could be integrated to electronic hand-held devices. With the software, the court could use a scanner to link attachments such as photos, proof of insurance and police and court cards to any court record.

Additionally, it would allow the court to directly integrate with the city’s finance department to transfer funds to the city. Currently, the court has to write a check to the finance department to transfer money.

Birch said she would be able to use the program from any location through an internet-connected computer, and Judge Jason Petri would be able to approve documents from any location using an Apple computer or iPad.

With payments, people could pay court fees online and defendants could request a driving class or similar court-ordered training while posting bond for their situations.

Birch said they tried a demonstration version of the program and found it to be very user friendly and accessible.

While discussing what the program cost, two options are available to the court. The first is a subscription-based service where all the court’s documents would be hosted from a remote server and accessible from the Internet. That service would cost $46,675, plus travel, during the first year and $20,340 each year after.

The second option would be to purchase the hardware and software needed to host the court’s documents at the court itself. That total, which includes services, license fees, web modules and travel is $68,295, with an annual maintenance fee of $12,333 due 90 days after installation.

Birch said she believes the subscription service would be better for the city because it would allow court staff to access records from any computer and would eliminate the worry about purchasing and installation of new software if the inCode program becomes obsolete.

Birch told the Council she called a number of courts around the country using the software already and hasn’t heard anything but good comments from court employees. She added one court went as far to say it was the best program they had ever used.

Councilwoman Lisa Maes said from what she’s seen, it would integrate well with the rest of the city.

Councilman Adam Coppolo said he doesn’t understand why the municipal court is so far behind everyone else.

“I’ve seen you going through the card files, and that looks very tedious, to say the least,” Coppolo said.

In general, the Council voiced support for the new software, with the exception of Councilman Tom McCullough, who claimed not to believe in the “black hole of computers.”

McCullough said for the cost of the subscription, the city could hire a part-time employee without benefits at $15,000 a year and save money. He also said he expects to hear about problems after the software is implemented due to employees learning how to use the court program, which would cut into the productivity of the court’s staff.

However, McCullough also acknowledged that he was the lone dissenting voice on the issue.

Birch said she hopes the city will budget funds for the program in the 2012-2013 budget .

Source:http://www.greenriverstar.com/articles/2012/01/11/news/doc4f0e1bbea6285950741766.txt

The city clerk and tax and finance offices will be closed Jan. 26 and 27 for a computer software upgrade.

Interim City Manager Don Gerrish said the departments are doing a major upgrade to the financial services software.

Residents can use the city’s website, www.auburnmaine.org, to take care of clerk and finance department business while the Auburn Hall offices are closed. Residents can purchase dog and hunting licenses online and can get information about marriage licenses, garage sale permits and voter information on the city clerk’s page on the Web site.

Residents can re-register most cars off a link from the Finance Department’s page on the website.

No other city offices will be closed. The clerk and finance offices will reopen at 8 a.m. Monday, Jan. 30.

Source:http://www.sunjournal.com/news/city/2012/01/12/software-upgrade-closing-city-offices-auburn/1139166