Regrow your teeth with lasers!

We show that non-ionizing, low-power laser (LPL) treatment can instead be used as a minimally invasive tool to activate an endogenous latent growth factor complex, transforming growth factor–β1 (TGF-β1), that subsequently differentiates host stem cells to promote tissue regeneration. LPL treatment induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) in a dose-dependent manner, which, in turn, activated latent TGF-β1 (LTGF-β1) via a specific methionine residue (at position 253 on LAP). Laser-activated TGF-β1 was capable of differentiating human dental stem cells in vitro. Further, an in vivo pulp capping model in rat teeth demonstrated significant increase in dentin regeneration after LPL treatment. These in vivo effects were abrogated in TGF-β receptor II (TGF-βRII) conditional knockout (DSPPCreTGF-βRIIfl/fl) mice or when wild-type mice were given a TGF-βRI inhibitor. These findings indicate a pivotal role for TGF-β in mediating LPL-induced dental tissue regeneration. More broadly, this work outlines a mechanistic basis for harnessing resident stem cells with a light-activated endogenous cue for clinical regenerative applications

via Photoactivation of Endogenous Latent Transforming Growth Factor–β1 Directs Dental Stem Cell Differentiation for Regeneration.

Police voice recording systems hackable with backdoors

"NICE Recording eXpress is designed specifically for the audio recording needs of the small and medium sized Public Safety organisation. This advanced recording solution offers a comprehensive, advanced, easy-to-install and affordable platform built for the Public Safety environment and Command and Control operations delivering optimal recording functionality and quality management."

Source: http://www.nice.com/sites/default/files/nicerecordingexpress050112.pdf.pdf.pdf

Business recommendation: ========================

Attackers are able to completely compromise the voice recording / surveillance solution as they can gain access to the system and database level and listen to recorded calls without prior authentication. Furthermore, attackers would be able to use the voice recording server as a jumphost for further attacks of the internal voice VLAN, depending on the network setup.

via .

NVidia optimised games are being crippled for AMD by NVidia

Because NVidia has a program called Gameworks, which developers can sign up for to optimise their game for NVidia cards – 60% of the market. The closed and proprietary Gameworks makes it almost impossible to optimse for AMD, which means that $500,- AMD cards perform worse than $300,- NVidia cards, unless the developer has spent a huge time and investment from the start of the project to optimise for both brands. AMD can’t fix this with a driver update, because reverse engineering the NVidia Gamesworks is difficult and the system is filled with obscure cruft and worthless junk, making it difficult to find out how to optimise the driver for it.

Why 'Watch Dogs' Is Bad News For AMD Users — And Potentially The Entire PC Gaming Ecosystem – Forbes.

The ProDesk3D full colour 3d printer

The ProDesk3D is the first 3D desktop printer to offer true full color printing – changing the way the creator thinks about what they are printing. Just like normal ink printers, the ProDesk3D uses its proprietary 5-color PLA cartridge system, capable of mixing primary printing colors to generate the colors of choice for the object you wish to print.

via botObjects • Our Product – The ProDesk3D from botObjects.

Not bad for €3499.00

Recruiters look at your CV like this: Eye tracking study

Interestingly, recruiters spend only 6 seconds reviewing an individual resume!

They spend that time looking at:
Name
Current title / company
Previous title / company
Previous position start and end dates
Current position start and end dates
Education

If you add a picture, they spend 19% of that time looking at the picture, not the information.

Professionally re-written resumes score 60% better on “usability” – they are easier to read.

Professional resumes had less data, were evenly formatted and
were described as “clearer.” They scored 40% better than before a re-write.

Note that the study is commissioned by TheLadders, a professional CV writing company, so the results are clearly interpreted in their favor, but the above points remain valid.

TheLadders-EyeTracking-StudyC2.pdf.

Jet fuel from trees!

As well as getting it from sunlight, it also grows on trees…

A study, Sustainable Mallee Jet Fuel, commissioned by Airbus and undertaken at the Future Farm Industries Cooperative Research Centre, found that carbon emissions from jet fuel sourced entirely from mallee crops would emit 40 per cent less carbon than those using petroleum-based jet fuel.

It proposes using the mallee – a family of eucalypts that has a low-growing multi-stem growth habit – as the source of the oil to act as feed-stock for the jet fuel.

Fuel for jets DOES grow on trees • The Register.

eBay Hacked, Change Your Passwords Now

If you have an eBay account, it’s time to change your password. The company released a statement today saying their internal and customer databases were compromised earlier this year, and starting today they’ll prompt everyone to change their passwords.

Attackers made off with names, addresses, email addresses, phone numbers, birth dates, and of course, encrypted passwords. eBay explained that financial info like credit card numbers and other sensitive data (like PayPal accounts) are kept in a separate encrypted database which wasn’t compromised. They also said they’ve found no evidence of unauthorized access or activity by registered eBay users—which is code for "we don’t think anyone’s used these passwords yet." According to the statement, intruders compromised employee accounts first, and used their access to get the data they really wanted. They discovered the breach about two weeks ago, but the actual attack took place back in late February and early March.

via eBay Hacked, Change Your Passwords Now.

Drones being used for package delivery by criminals

In November 2013:

There have been local reports of a mini helicopter drone dropping 250 grams worth of what is thought to be cocaine onto a Brazilian prison. According to Brazilian news source Globo, the prison, Centro de Detenção Provisória 1 is 60 miles north of São José dos Campos and currently holds 1,605 prisoners.

São Paulo’s secretary of Corrections claims that at 10am on 7th March, the drone dropped the package onto the prison yard. The prisoners are said to have crowded around the parcel making it impossible for prison officers to gain access to the mysterious load until later that day when a search of each individual cell had to be carried out.

Drone drops supposed cocaine package into São Paulo Prison | euronews, world news.

Now, May 2014:

A Lithuanian self-made drone detained in Russia’s westernmost Kaliningrad region last week was used for smuggling cigarettes into Russia, Oleg Dzhurayev, the press service chief of the Kaliningrad border department of the Russian Federal Security service, told ITAR-TASS on Wednesday.

A Russian-Lithuanian criminal group used the self-made drone aircraft for illegally smuggling cigarettes across the Lithuanian border into Russia. Dzhurayev said huge boxes with cigarettes had been found inside the drone when the border guards detained the aircraft on Lithuania’s border with Russia. He did not rule out the drone could have been used for other purposes, including unlawful actions in Russia’s territory.

Lithuanian drone detained in Russia last week was used for cigarette smuggling

Bradley Manning now Chelsea Manning

Bradley Manning of WikiLeaks fame is now a woman, which raises special problems for the US Military.

“The soldier has asked for hormone therapy and to be able to live as a woman.

The request was the first ever made by a transgender military inmate and set up a dilemma for the Defense Department: How to treat a soldier for a diagnosed disorder without violating long-standing military policy. Transgender people are not allowed to serve in the U.S. military and the Defense Department does not provide such treatment, but Manning can’t be discharged from the service while serving her 35-year prison sentence. […]

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel last month gave the Army approval to try to work out a transfer plan with the Federal Bureau of Prisons, which does provide such treatment”

So it’s a breakout from military prison to go to a civil one…

Pentagon OKs Manning Transfer for Gender Treatment | Military.com.

Science Has Finally Figured Out How to Win Rock-Paper-Scissors

“if a player wins over her opponent in one play, her probability of repeating the same action in the next play is considerably higher than her probabilities of shifting actions.”

On the other hand, if a player loses two or more times in a row, he or she will not play the same sign, but will instead play whichever sign would have beaten the one that had just allowed his or her opponent to win

Science Has Finally Figured Out How to Win Rock-Paper-Scissors.