butterfly/kb
1
0
Fork 0
Code Issues Pull Requests Actions Packages Projects Releases Wiki Activity

Scrape wikipedia-science: 119 new, 1 updated, 121 total (kb-cron)

Browse Source
This commit is contained in:
turtle89431 2026-05-04 19:59:17 -07:00
parent 6613cc1e8e
commit 7ceec3419c
19 changed files with 681 additions and 0 deletions
Show Stats Download Patch File Download Diff File Expand all files Collapse all files

BIN
_index.db
View File

Binary file not shown.

37
data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Sueño_de_Arquímedes-0.md Normal file
View File

@ -0,0 +1,37 @@
---
title: "El Sueño de Arquímedes"
chunk: 1/1
source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Sueño_de_Arquímedes"
category: "reference"
tags: "science, encyclopedia"
date_saved: "2026-05-05T02:59:06.911884+00:00"
instance: "kb-cron"
---
El Sueño de Arquímedes was a Spanish science podcast and radio program which was broadcast by Radio Nacional de España (RNE) from September 2006 until June, 2007. The program was created by Ángel Rodríguez Lozano. A total of 35 programs are still available for download. In addition to El Sueño de Arquímedes, Ángel Rodríguez Lozano also hosted Vanguardia de la Ciencia, which was broadcast weekly without interruption from April 1995 until June 2007. The name of the program means "the dream of Archimedes", and alludes to Archimedes' statement that given a lever and a fixed point, he could move the world. To Ángel Rodríguez Lozano, the dream was moving the world by popularizing and sharing knowledge.
== Format ==
Before the startup of El Sueño de Arquímedes, Ángel Rodríguez Lozano had been hosting Vanguardia de la Ciencia for more than a decade. When RNE
asked if he would host a second popular science program, Ángel Rodríguez Lozano realised that the scheduled timing, Sundays between 3 and 4 p.m, meant that it would be sandwiched between sports broadcasts. Therefore, he would have to capture the attention of listeners who were not looking for this type of program. The intention was therefore to make the program even more accessible than Vanguardia de la Ciencia, with shorter interviews and more music. Ángel Rodríguez Lozano stated that it had been a marvellous experience, and that the response had been tremendous.
The program included science news, interviews, and biographies of great scientists, written by Carmen Buergo. In the final, humorous section of the program, Ángel Rodríguez Lozano paid a visit to the archetypical mad scientist
Alejandro Laguna, who supposedly lived and worked in a hidden laboratory in the basements of Radio Nacional de España, seven floors below ground level. Alejandro would demonstrate one of his latest inventions, which usually defied the laws of physics, and Ángel played the role of a rather gullible spectator. Alejandro then explained the physics of the corresponding real-world device. Finally, the demonstration of his invention usually had some highly unpleasant consequence for Ángel.
== Termination of El Sueño de Arquímedes ==
In June 2007, El Sueño de Arquímedes and Vanguardia de la Ciencia were abruptly terminated. In the correspondence section of one of the last programs of Vangurardia de la Ciencia, Ángel Rodríguez Lozano explained, in response to a letter from an outraged listener, that the decision to terminate the program was made due to a re-structuration of RNE, and that he was but one of 4,150 employees who had to leave.
In the previously referenced interview, he explained that everyone older than 52 years had to retire early, and that he was 54 years old at the time.
The decision to terminate the programs was widely criticized in Spanish-speaking blogs.
== Available programs ==
At the web-site of RNE, 36 programs are still available.
== Notes and references ==
== External links ==
Official website
Web site of Vanguardia de la Ciencia http://www.rtve.es/programas/vanguardia
El Vanguardia de la Ciencia at eSnips: https://web.archive.org/web/20110121042457/http://www.esnips.com/web/VanguardiaDeLaCiencia

48
data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geographic_information_science-0.md Normal file
View File

@ -0,0 +1,48 @@
---
title: "Geographic information science"
chunk: 1/1
source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geographic_information_science"
category: "reference"
tags: "science, encyclopedia"
date_saved: "2026-05-05T02:59:15.725750+00:00"
instance: "kb-cron"
---
Geographic information science (GIScience, GISc) or geoinformation science is a scientific discipline at the crossroads of computational science, social science, and natural science that studies geographic information, including how it represents phenomena in the real world, how it represents the way humans understand the world, and how it can be captured, organized, and analyzed. It is a sub-field of geography, specifically part of technical geography. It has applications to both physical geography and human geography, although its techniques can be applied to many other fields of study as well as many different industries.
As a field of study or profession, it can be contrasted with geographic information systems (GIS), which are the actual repositories of geospatial data, the software tools for carrying out relevant tasks, and the profession of GIS users. That said, one of the major goals of GIScience is to find practical ways to improve GIS data, software, and professional practice; it is more focused on how GIS is applied in real life as opposed to being a geographic information system tool in and of itself. The field is also sometimes called geographical information science.
British geographer Michael Goodchild defined this area in the 1990s and summarized its core interests, including spatial analysis, visualization, and the representation of uncertainty. GIScience is conceptually related to geomatics, information science, computer science, and data science, but it claims the status of an independent scientific discipline. Recent developments in the field have expanded its focus to include studies on human dynamics in hybrid physical-virtual worlds, quantum GIScience, the development of smart cities, and the social and environmental impacts of technological innovations. These advancements indicate a growing intersection of GIScience with contemporary societal and technological issues. Overlapping disciplines are: geocomputation, geoinformatics, geomatics and geovisualization. Other related terms are geographic data science (after data science)
and geographic information science and technology (GISci&T), with job titles geospatial information scientists and technologists.
== Definitions ==
Since its inception in the 1990s, the boundaries between GIScience and cognate disciplines are contested, and different communities might disagree on what GIScience is and what it studies. In particular, Goodchild stated that "information science can be defined as the systematic study according to scientific principles of the nature and properties of information. Geographic information science is the subset of/or information science that is about geographic information." Another influential definition is that by geographic information scientist (GIScientist) David Mark, which states:Geographic Information Science (GIScience) is the basic research field that seeks to redefine geographic concepts and their use in the context of geographic information systems. GIScience also examines the impacts of GIS on individuals and society, and the influences of society on GIS. GIScience re-examines some of the most fundamental themes in traditional spatially oriented fields such as geography, cartography, and geodesy, while incorporating more recent developments in cognitive and information science. It also overlaps with and draws from more specialized research fields such as computer science, statistics, mathematics, and psychology, and contributes to progress in those fields. It supports research in political science and anthropology, and draws on those fields in studies of geographic information and society.
In 2009, Goodchild summarized the history of GIScience and its achievements and open challenges.
== See also ==
Category:Geographic information scientists
Geographic Information Science and Technology Body of Knowledge
Geostatistics
Organizations
Association of Geographic Information Laboratories for Europe
National Center for Geographic Information and Analysis
UCSB Center for Spatial Studies
University Consortium for Geographic Information Science
United States Geospatial Intelligence Foundation
Journals
GIScience & Remote Sensing
International Journal of Applied Earth Observation and Geoinformation
International Journal of Geographical Information Science
Journal of Spatial Information Science
== References ==
== External links ==
Official website of GIScience
List of GIScience Conferences Archived 2023-05-30 at the Wayback Machine
Conference on Spatial Information Theory (COSIT)

42
data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geomatics-0.md Normal file
View File

@ -0,0 +1,42 @@
---
title: "Geomatics"
chunk: 1/2
source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geomatics"
category: "reference"
tags: "science, encyclopedia"
date_saved: "2026-05-05T02:59:16.916119+00:00"
instance: "kb-cron"
---
Geomatics is defined in the ISO/TC 211 series of standards as the "discipline concerned with the collection, distribution, storage, analysis, processing, presentation of geographic data or geographic information". Under another definition, it consists of products, services and tools involved in the collection, integration and management of geographic (geospatial) data. Surveying engineering was the common name used for geomatics engineering in the past. The term was placed by the UNESCO Encyclopedia of Life Support Systems under the branch of technical geography, which is geared towards interpreting and communicating spatial data. In Germany, "geodesy and geoinformatics" or "geodesy and geoinformation" is commonly used for describing this discipline. In addition, geospatial engineering is an alternative term to geomatic(s) engineering.
== History and etymology ==
The term was proposed in French ("géomatique") at the end of the 1960s by scientist Bernard Dubuisson to reflect at the time recent changes in the jobs of surveyor and photogrammetrist. On June 1, 1971, 'geomatics' was first employed in a French Ministry of Public Works memorandum instituting a "standing committee of geomatics" in the government.
At the centennial congress of the Canadian Institute of Surveying (now known as the Canadian Institute of Geomatics) in April 1982, the new classification was further popularised in English by French-Canadian surveyor Michel Paradis in keynote address. Paradis claimed that at the end of the 20th century the needs for geographical information would reach a scope without precedent in history and that, in order to address these needs, it was necessary to integrate in a new discipline both the traditional disciplines of land surveying and the new tools and techniques of data capture, manipulation, storage and diffusion.
Evolving from its Canadian origins, the term has since been adopted by recognized governmental groups, like the International Organization for Standardization and the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors. Many other international authorities, such as those in the United States, have shown a preference for the term geospatial technology, which may be defined as a synonym of "geospatial information and communications technology".
== Types of geomatics ==
Geomatics is an umbrella term that includes the tools and techniques used to analyze the Earth's surface. These can range from land surveying, remote sensing, nautical charts, geographic information systems (GIS), and several other related forms of earth mapping. Some scientists and researchers intend to restrict geomatics to the perspective of surveying and engineering toward geographic information in order to avoid forming a vague concept. Geoinformatics and Geographic information science has been proposed as alternative comprehensive term; however, their popularity is, like geomatics, largely dependent on country.
=== Land surveying ===
The methodology of land surveying includes the measurement and analysis of points on the ground. These readings relay information regarding the angles, distances, and heights, of the points. It is often regarded as the art and science that helped established land boundaries that cultivated into current, legal property.
Land surveying is heavily involved with subdivision planning and design, civil engineering, and construction.
=== Geovisualization ===
Geovisualization combines both cartography and computer science to bring spatial data to life. The interactive tools and techniques used assist in supporting exploration and communicate a finished conclusion. As such, the process of knowledge construction is emphasized, unlike traditional maps. These can be presented in the form of 3D models, time-lapse animations, and manipulated images.
The computer processing involved allows users to quickly change visual parameters through filter data layers, which produces an image of higher clarity in relation to static, paper maps. In relation to geomatics, a geomatics engineer will gather raw data and geovisualization will make this information easily understandable.
=== Hydro geomatics ===
The related field of hydrogeomatics covers the area associated with surveying work carried out on, above, or below the surface of the sea or other areas of water. The subfield is otherwise, and more commonly, known as hydrography, which was coined in the mid-16th century.
One pioneer of hydro geomatics is Alexander Dalrymple, the first hydrographer and was appointed by the British navy in 1795. His job was to prep and print charts for travel, thus contributing to naval and merchant shipping. Dalrymple's history ties directly into the foundational militant ties that the field possesses, and its modern-day scope has widened to include more aspects of hydrogeography from military surveillance to oceanic habitat conservation. After the UK Hydrographic Office (UKHO) was founded in 1795, the U.S. Naval Observatory and Hydrographic Office (USNO) was officially instituted in 1854, paving the way for safe navigation, global shipping, and defense.
A U.S. governmental agency called the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is one example of how hydro geomatics/hydrography is applied. Underwater topography (or bathymetry) is sought after, and common geomatics technology like multibeam sonars are used to accomplish seabed mapping.
=== Health geomatics ===
Health geomatics can improve our understanding of the important relationship between location and health, and thus assist us in Public Health tasks like disease prevention, and also in better healthcare service planning. An important area of research is the use of open data in planning lifesaving activities.
=== Mining geomatics ===
Mining geomatics is the branch of geomatics dedicated to mining. It focuses on acquiring, processing and analysing spatial data about objects and phenomena in mining environments to support monitoring, modelling, prediction, visualisation and decision-making in mining operations. Its development is increasingly linked with specialized education and the formation of professional competences adapted to the needs of modern mining.
A growing number of university departments which were once titled "surveying", "survey engineering" or "topographic science" have re-titled themselves using the terms "geomatics" or "geomatics engineering", while others have switched to program titles such as "spatial information technology", and similar names.
The rapid progress and increased visibility of geomatics since the 1990s has been made possible by advances in computer hardware, computer science, and software engineering, as well as by airborne and space observation remote-sensing technologies.
=== Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) ===

48
data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geomatics-1.md Normal file
View File

@ -0,0 +1,48 @@
---
title: "Geomatics"
chunk: 2/2
source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geomatics"
category: "reference"
tags: "science, encyclopedia"
date_saved: "2026-05-05T02:59:16.916119+00:00"
instance: "kb-cron"
---
Global navigation satellite systems are a collection of geospatial systems that provide global coverage. The technology has a variety of purposes from communications to mobile navigation. The six GNSS constellations in operation are the U.S. GPS Operational Constellation, GLObal NAvigation Satellite System (GLONASS) stemming from Russia, the European Galileo, China's BeiDou/Compass, Japan's Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS), and The Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS).
== Geomatics engineering ==
Geomatics engineering is a rapidly developing engineering discipline which focuses on spatial information (i.e. information that has a location). The location is the primary factor used to integrate a very wide range of data for spatial analysis and visualization. Geomatics engineers design, develop, and operate systems for collecting and analyzing spatial information about the land, the oceans, natural resources, and manmade features. Geomatics engineers or geomatician apply engineering principles to spatial information and implement relational data structures involving measurement sciences, thus using geomatics and acting as spatial information engineers. They sit at the nexus of geography and computer science. A geomatician practices geomatics, by combining "geo", (the earth) with information and automation.
Geomatics engineers manage local, regional, national and global spatial data infrastructures. Geomatics engineering also involves aspects of Computer Engineering, Software Engineering and Civil Engineering. Geomatic engineers acquire, measure, create, and process data using a geographic information system (GIS) and then model phenomena associated with places. Geomaticians have alternative titles, including Geographic Information System (GIS) technologist, spatial data analyst, city/urban planner and cartographer.
Geomaticians are often found working in the public sector, in land registry, urban planning departments where they are involved in surveying and cadastral mapping. They also work in the private sector, in mapping companies, publishing houses or in remote sensing companies.
=== Required skills ===
Geomaticians handle the entire value chain associated with processing geodata. Their work begins with data collection and acquisition. Geomatics specialists must be able to distinguish between topographic methods (e.g., total station or differential GPS) (which involve going to the point to be measured) and remote sensing methods (e.g., photogrammetry or lidar) (remote measurement). They must also be able to perform planimetric measurements (x, y or latitude, longitude), altimetric surveys (z or H), or satellite telemetry measurements (analysis of measurements taken from space). The collected data is then cleaned and made available for further processing.
=== Education ===
Geomaticians are responsible for verifying the accuracy (spatial and temporal), completeness, and, if verification is impossible (e.g., inaccessible terrain), the plausibility of geodata. Despite attempts at automation, they are still called to calculate the location and the geographic coordinate system, then at least two coordinates: latitude and longitude, and sometimes altitude of entities (points, lines, areas) and their associated attributes (e.g., their nature, area, volume, population, and whether or not they are connected to a drinking water network). Their geodata then undergoes processing and analysis to create data models and thus databases. If necessary, the data is formatted (selection of scale, colors, line thicknesses, and legend) to create maps.
Skilled geomaticians are in short supply, and there are not sufficient professionals in the pipeline who can distinguish between different data exchange formats, convert them, and evaluate, interpret, and merge data from various sources.
=== Spatial statistics ===
The work of geomatics engineers includes the analysis of spatial data and statistics. This information models "spatially-indexed dependence structures", which combats the idea of an independent and identically distributed set of data. It is also known as geospatial analytics, and is the information pertaining to a specific location in geospace. The analysis done by geomatics engineers in this field provides actionable insight in accordance to what is being examined.
=== Subdivision planning ===
Working alongside civil engineers, geomatics engineers will utilize the GNSS and high precision instruments to determine legal and geographic boundaries of an area. The raw data is processed through a Geographic Information System (GIS) database, which will then be used as a source by a team.
To assess the most optimal layout, the proposed design is run through constraint data such as floodplains, wetlands, and steep slopes. A Subdivision Plat is prepared, which is the legally recorded map illustrating boundaries, dimensions, and associated partitions.
== Impact ==
Geomatics and the technology associated with it has made several breakthroughs in climate change efforts, population health, and oceanic activities. This application is especially evident in the use of photogrammetry, where images utilized by geomatics can be turned into 3D models. Furthermore, data from geospatial techniques are employed for governmental use to ameliorate the issues on Earth's surface.
=== Sustainability ===
The ability to interpret geodata is pushing companies in the industry to achieve net-zero emissions. Agreements and plans across the globe promote climate neutrality such as the Sustainable Developmental Goals (SDGs) and the various editions of the United Nations Climate Change conference series.
The Earth Archive Initiative, launched by Christopher Fisher, aims to create a digital baseline of Earth and mitigate the climate crisis. LiDAR, a remote sensing technology, will be used to carry out scans of the planet's landmass, which estimates to about 30% of the Earth's surface area. The LiDAR scans would provide a dataset of present data available and the Earth's future state. Doing so will assist in understanding and combating the climate change crisis with a visual representation.
== See also ==
Geographic Information Science
Geoinformatics
== References ==
== External links ==
Media related to Geomatics at Wikimedia Commons

23
data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_volunteer_computing_projects-0.md Normal file
View File

@ -0,0 +1,23 @@
---
title: "List of volunteer computing projects"
chunk: 1/1
source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_volunteer_computing_projects"
category: "reference"
tags: "science, encyclopedia"
date_saved: "2026-05-05T02:59:11.620291+00:00"
instance: "kb-cron"
---
Volunteer computing projects are a type of distributed computing where volunteers donate computing time to specific causes. The donated computing power comes from idle CPUs and GPUs in personal computers, video game consoles, and Android devices. Each project seeks to utilize the computing power of many internet connected devices to solve problems and perform large scale computational research in a cost-effective manner.
== Active projects ==
== Completed projects ==
== See also ==
== References ==

29
data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spinhenge@Home-0.md Normal file
View File

@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
---
title: "Spinhenge@Home"
chunk: 1/1
source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spinhenge@Home"
category: "reference"
tags: "science, encyclopedia"
date_saved: "2026-05-05T02:59:05.740814+00:00"
instance: "kb-cron"
---
Spinhenge@home was a volunteer computing project on the BOINC platform, which performs extensive numerical simulations concerning the physical characteristics of magnetic molecules. It is a project of the Bielefeld University of Applied Sciences, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, in cooperation with the University of Osnabrück and Ames Laboratory.
The project began beta testing on September 1, 2006, and used the Metropolis Monte Carlo algorithm to calculate and simulate spin dynamics in nanoscale molecular magnets.
On September 28, 2011, a hiatus was announced while the project team reviewed results and upgraded hardware. As of July 10, 2022 the hiatus continues and it is likely that the project has been closed down permanently.
== See also ==
Spintronics
BOINC
List of volunteer computing projects
== References ==
== External links ==
Project Website
Spinhenge@home screensaver video on YouTube
More Information about Spinhenge@Home
Project Statistics at BOINCStats

67
data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TheSkyNet-0.md Normal file
View File

@ -0,0 +1,67 @@
---
title: "TheSkyNet"
chunk: 1/1
source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TheSkyNet"
category: "reference"
tags: "science, encyclopedia"
date_saved: "2026-05-05T02:59:08.071585+00:00"
instance: "kb-cron"
---
theSkyNet was a research project that used volunteer Internet-connected computers to carry out research in astronomy. It was an initiative of the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR), a joint venture of Curtin University and the University of Western Australia. theSkyNet had two projects, Sourcefinder and POGS. Both projects have been completed. theSkyNet Sourcefinder aimed to test and refine automatic radio sourcefinding algorithms in preparation for radio galaxy surveys using the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder and the Square Kilometre Array. theSkyNet POGS used Spectral Energy Distribution fitting to calculate characteristics of many galaxies using images taken by the Pan-STARRS PS1 optical telescope in Hawaii.
== History ==
theSkyNet Sourcefinder project was introduced publicly on 13 September 2011, operating on a Java-based user platform, processing data using new distributed computing software called Nereus.
One year later, theSkyNet celebrated its first birthday and at the same time theSkyNet POGS project became the first public Australian based project to participate in the well established volunteer computing platform BOINC. The acronym POGS is a reference to a game played with discs that originated on Maui, Hawaii, in the 1920s, and the fact that the Pan-STARRS PS1 telescope, is situated on Mount Haleakala, Maui. However, the project recast "POGS" as the backronym for "Pan-STARRS Optical Galaxy Survey".
== Scientific objectives ==
The aim of theSkyNet POGS project is to:
Combine the spectral coverage of GALEX, Pan-STARRS1, and WISE to generate a multi-wavelength (ultra-violet, optical and near infra-red) galaxy atlas for the nearby Universe.
Calculate the physical parameters of each galaxy, including: star formation rate, stellar mass of the galaxy, dust attenuation, and the total dust mass on a pixel-by-pixel basis using spectral energy distribution fitting techniques.
The aim of theSkyNet Sourcefinder project is to:
Refine the use of the Duchamp Sourcefinding algorithm for very large datasets in preparation for next generation radio telescope surveys using Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder and the Square Kilometre Array.
== Software ==
theSkyNet POGS volunteer computing software runs continuously in the background on a computer while a user works, making use of any processor time that would otherwise be unused. It is one of many projects which utilise the Berkeley Open Infrastructure for Network Computing (BOINC) Project Management software platform, which allows users to contribute to a range of volunteer computing projects at the same time.
After a volunteer downloads the BOINC Manager software and elects to join theSkyNet POGS project, work units are requested automatically by the BOINC Manager. These are downloaded and processed automatically on the user's computer, using a percentage of the computer's idle time, according to the parameters set by the volunteer.
On completion of a work unit, the results of the data processing are automatically transmitted back to theSkyNet via the Internet, the user is credited with the work done; and further work is requested.
theSkyNet Sourcefinder, before its closure in early 2014 to undergo redevelopment, used a Java-based custom software either via a browser or installed software. theSkyNet Sourcefinder was redeveloped to use BOINC and VirtualBox.
== Hardware ==
The software runs on Windows, Unix/Linux, Macintosh and Android systems. Some discrepancies have been noted between the results created by Androids and those created by other devices.
theSkyNet POGS project utilised CPUs but did not utilise the power of graphics processing units (GPUs).
== Participation ==
The project is operated by ICRAR in Perth, Western Australia, under the team leadership of Associate Professor Kevin Vinsen.
On 13 October 2014, the project's server status page claimed 13,770 unpaid volunteer users worldwide with credit (5,268 with recent credit); and 40,847 computers with credit (16,508 with recent credit).
== Scientific results ==
On 7 June 2013 a paper entitled "A BOINC based, citizen-science project for pixel Spectral Energy Distribution fitting of resolved galaxies in multi-wavelength surveys" was submitted for publication. It was last revised on 3 October 2013.
On 23 September 2014, the project Team Leader announced that the project was about to process its 50,000th galaxy.
== Future projects ==
theSkyNet has stated that it may expand to include other projects processing data from new sources, such as the Murchison Widefield Array telescope in Western Australia and perhaps even the Square Kilometre Array.
== See also ==
List of volunteer computing projects
== References ==
== External links ==
Official website
BOINC_MAGPHYS
BOINC website

32
data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UFluids@Home-0.md Normal file
View File

@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
---
title: "UFluids@Home"
chunk: 1/1
source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UFluids@Home"
category: "reference"
tags: "science, encyclopedia"
date_saved: "2026-05-05T02:59:14.044004+00:00"
instance: "kb-cron"
---
μFluids@Home is a computer simulation of two-phase flow behavior in microgravity and microfluidics problems at Purdue University, using the Surface Evolver program.
== About ==
The project's purpose is to develop better methods for the management of liquid rocket propellants in microgravity, and to investigate two-phase flow in microelectromechanical systems, taking into account factors like surface tension. Systems using electrowetting, channel geometry, and hydrophobic or hydrophilic coatings to allow the smooth passage of fluids can then be designed. Such systems include compact medical devices, biosensors, and fuel cells.
== Computing platform ==
μFluids@Home uses the BOINC volunteer computing platform.
Application notes
There is no screensaver.
Work unit CPU times are generally less than 20 hours.
Work units average in size around 500 kB.
You must run many work units to get levels of credit comparable to SETI@home or climateprediction.net BOINC projects.
== References ==
== External links ==
Website archive

28
data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_technology_transfer_offices-0.md Normal file
View File

@ -0,0 +1,28 @@
---
title: "University technology transfer offices"
chunk: 1/2
source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_technology_transfer_offices"
category: "reference"
tags: "science, encyclopedia"
date_saved: "2026-05-05T02:59:09.263963+00:00"
instance: "kb-cron"
---
University technology transfer offices (TTOs), or technology licensing offices (TLOs), are responsible for technology transfer and other aspects of the commercialization of research that takes place in a university. TTOs engage in a variety of commercial activities that are meant to facilitate the process of bringing research developments to market, often acting as a channel between academia and industry. Most major research universities have established TTOs in the past decades in an effort to increase the impact of university research and provide opportunities for financial gain. While TTOs are commonplace, many studies have questioned their financial benefit to the university.
== History ==
The history of technology transfer is intimately linked with the history of the science policy of the United States. The foundation for modern American science policy laid way out in Vannevar Bush's letter in response to President Roosevelt's query about whether the US should maintain the high level of research funding it had been pouring into the Office of Scientific Research and Development, which had coordinated large private-public partnership research projects as part of the war effort, including the Manhattan Project. Bush's answer was Science - the Endless Frontier. In that letter, Bush advocated that the US should continue to fund basic research at high levels, arguing that while the US no longer had a geographic frontier, extending the boundaries of science would allow the creation of new technologies, which in turn would spur new industries, create jobs, generate wealth, and maintain US power. As the US worked out its approach to funding science in the 1950s, Congress decided that the federal government should maintain ownership of patents on inventions funded by the federal government.
Federal research funding drove the growth of the research university. Many universities in the early 20th century did not engage in patenting and licensing, since the government owned most inventions, and out of fear of interfering with their missions of supporting the growth of knowledge and objective inquiry. Prior to the postwar period, universities relied mostly on external patent management organizations such as the Research Corporation, while few set up their own research foundations that were independent from but affiliated to the university. Some universities, such as Stanford University and the University of Wisconsin, had active licensing programs of their own. There was a shift in universities' approaches to technology transfer between 1970 and 1980. During this period, universities began taking commercialization efforts into their own hands and setting up TTOs.
The Bayh–Dole Act of 1980 led many US universities to set up tech transfer offices. The Act was created to try to spur the stagnant US economy of the 1970s, harking back to Vannevar Bush's vision of the role of federal research funding in the US economy. The Act decentralized ownership of inventions funded with federal grants, allowing universities that received federal grant funding to maintain ownership of such inventions, obligating them to try to patent and license the inventions to US companies, and requiring universities to share license income with inventors.
== Functions ==
While the broad goal of TTOs is to commercialize university research, they engage in numerous activities that not only bring these developments to market but also encourage and support faculty and students in the entire technology transfer process. Such encouragement may increase the chances of faculty and students creating research developments that can be commercialized. Some of the major functions of TTOs include:
=== Industry partnerships ===
An important task of many TTOs is to create and maintain industry partnerships that may be crucial for collaboration and bringing technologies to market. Some universities such as MIT and Northwestern have separate offices for industry and corporate relations which typically work in conjunction with the TTO of the institution. In this case, TTOs often exploit the relationships developed by the corporate relations office, focusing more specifically on the technology transfer process itself. TTOs often employ two methods when engaging with industry partners: 1) the "pull" method, in which TTOs receive interest from industry partners in bringing specific technologies at the university to market, and 2) the "push" method, in which TTOs actively seek industry partners for this purpose.
=== Intellectual property ===
The Bayh-Dole Act obligated universities to seek patent protection, when appropriate, for inventions to which they elect title; after passage of the Bayh-Dole Act many US universities created intellectual property policies that obligated faculty to assign inventions to the university. Universities typically license the patent to a company that will invest money in developing the invention into a product, which it will then be able to sell at a premium, recouping its investment and making profit before the patent expires.
=== Counseling and incubation for startups ===
TTOs at many universities often provide general business and legal counseling to foster entrepreneurship among faculty and students. By providing resources, funding, and connections to university spin-off companies, TTOs attempt to increase the chances of startup success, which may result in financial gain if the university owns the intellectual property of the invention or has an equity stake in the company. Hence, many TTOs establish business incubators and programs for faculty and students in an attempt to enhance the entrepreneurial atmosphere among researchers at the university. Some examples of such incubators and programs include the Blavatnik Biomedical Accelerator as well as the Physical Sciences and Engineering Accelerator at Harvard University, and Fab Lab MSI, affiliated with the University of Chicago. Research has suggested that incubators at TTOs have not had a high incidence of technology transfer, despite this being one of the reasons they were established, and may even negatively impact the success of TTOs and technology transfer at the university.

39
data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_technology_transfer_offices-1.md Normal file
View File

@ -0,0 +1,39 @@
---
title: "University technology transfer offices"
chunk: 2/2
source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_technology_transfer_offices"
category: "reference"
tags: "science, encyclopedia"
date_saved: "2026-05-05T02:59:09.263963+00:00"
instance: "kb-cron"
---
== Structure and organization ==
The structure and organization of TTOs can affect its overall performance and can vary among universities. Since TTOs deal with both academic research and industry, they consist of a diverse set of individuals, including scientists, lawyers, analysts, licensing experts, and business managers. By having individuals (particularly different scientists, engineers, and analysts) with varying sets of expertise in research, TTOs attempt to more effectively assess, protect, and profit from the research developments taking place in multiple disciplines throughout the university.
TTOs can by classified into three different types:
internal: existing as an integrated part of the university and controlled by university administration
external: existing as an independent company that does not operate under the control of university administration
mixed: having components of both internal and external TTOs
As of 2012 the "internal" type was most common in the US.
TTOs of different universities can also collaborate between them to grow, thus originating new organizational structures. Such structures are:
Network structure: the existing organizational forms of each TTO are maintained and the single organizations operate together in a virtual manner creating a subset of links between the existing TTOs involved in the consortium
Strong Hub structure: a new central TTO is created and it works for each university involved in the consortium
Light Hub structure: a new central TTO with the functions of a hub is created, but each university involved in the consortium maintains internally some technology transfer activities in a dedicated internal office.
== Strategies ==
TTOs attempt to capitalize on the research developments made at the university by employing strategies focused on providing the university with opportunities for financial gain and increased research impact. A common strategy that TTOs engage in is licensing their inventions, either to an industry partner or back to the university inventor if the inventor started a company (i.e. a university spin-off). Through this approach, TTOs can bring university technologies to market without having to engage in production and distribution themselves. TTOs can also take an equity stake in the spin-off company rather than licensing the technology. Some research has suggested that equity in spin-off companies may provide higher returns than licensing, but this strategy seems to be more common with TTOs that are financially independent from the parent university (i.e. external TTO structure). While these strategies vary greatly among TTOs at different universities, a majority of them employ some combination of licensing and equity stakes, with licensing being a more standard practice.
== International diffusion and TTOs outside the US ==
As many major research universities across the US began to adopt TTOs, institutions outside the US became attracted to the idea of taking control of their commercialization activities as well. Prior to the 2000s, many German-speaking and Scandinavian countries had a policy of "professor's privilege", in which faculty retain the right to control the intellectual property of their inventions. In addition, in recent years many OECD and EU nations have created legislation that emulates Bayh-Dole, in an attempt to increase the commercialization activities and impact of their respective research universities. Denmark was among the first to abolish professor's privilege, followed by Germany, Austria, Norway and Finland between 2000 and 2007. Countries such as France and the UK, which already had policies in place that grant intellectual property rights to universities during this period, began heavily encouraging and enforcing these institutional ownership rights. As of 2011, most European countries grant universities the rights to the intellectual property of inventions developed by faculty researchers, yet a few countries such as Italy and Sweden still employ professor's privilege. Hence, there has been a marked increase in the commercialization activities of universities and creation of TTOs in Europe.
Several Asian countries such as Japan, China, and India have also shifted towards a Bayh-Dole type legislation, although some countries such as Malaysia have a shared ownership model. Moreover, there has been a general shift towards increased commercialization and the establishment of TTOs across higher education institutions in Asian countries.
== Criticisms ==
Although universities created TTOs with hopes of financial gain, many TTOs have retained losses in their commercialization activities and have not generated significant local economic development. It has been argued that protecting intellectual property and patenting is a costly process, and of all the patents and licenses a university issues, there may be a limited number of inventions that actually yield enough revenue to cover or surpass these costs. Research has shown that larger, more established TTOs are sufficiently profitable, whereas many smaller, more recent TTOs are not, and that an estimated half of TTOs retain losses in their commercialization activities (of those that do not have losses, a majority do no better than to cover their costs). Even the most profitable TTOs only produce revenue that amounts to 1-3% of the total research expenditures at the university. Moreover, less than 1% of licensed technologies actually yield over $1M in revenue. Another criticism of TTOs is its role in the research atmosphere of the university, with many scholars arguing that its presence and purpose of engaging in commercialization activities conflicts with a university's mission of furthering knowledge and objective academic inquiry.
Rebecca Eisenberg and Michael Heller have argued that the Bayh-Dole Act spurred university tech transfer offices to become too aggressive in patenting, creating patent thickets and a tragedy of the anticommons especially in the field of biomedical research. As of 2012, evidence for such an anticommons effect in the practice of biomedical science was lacking.
== See also ==
Intellectual property policy
== References ==

47
data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VA_(Public_&_Science)-0.md Normal file
View File

@ -0,0 +1,47 @@
---
title: "VA (Public & Science)"
chunk: 1/1
source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VA_(Public_&_Science)"
category: "reference"
tags: "science, encyclopedia"
date_saved: "2026-05-05T02:59:10.450322+00:00"
instance: "kb-cron"
---
VA (Public & Science) (Swedish: "Vetenskap & Allmänhet") is a Sweden-based non-profit association focusing on citizen science, responsible research and innovation, and science communication to the Swedish and European public. Its projects include: web games, books, and festivals for public engagement; studies and surveys to measure public scientific knowledge and engagement; and national and international research policy advocacy.
== Projects ==
VA is currently a partner in three EU-funded Horizon 2020 projects SciShops: ORION, Open Responsible research and Innovation to further Outstanding Knowledge, is aimed at fostering RRI and open science in research performing and research funding organisations. SciShops will expand the ecosystem of Science Shops in Europe and BLOOM is aimed at raising public awareness and interest in the bioeconomy through dialogue and co-creation activities.
== Membership ==
VA's members consist of some 100 organizations, authorities, universities, companies and associations. In addition, it has a number of individual members. The organization is funded through membership fees, project grants and a grant from the Swedish Ministry of Education and Research.
VA is a member of EUSEA (European Science Events Association), ECSA (European Citizen Science Association) and the Living Knowledge network.
== Board of Representatives ==
VA's board consists of representatives from the association's members; each representative serves a term of two years. The following are the representatives as of 2021.
Board President - Ann Fust
Young Researchers Representative - Anna Hedlund
Foundation for Strategic Research Representative - Lars Hultman
IKEM Innovations and the chemical industry Representative - Magnus Huss
KTH - Kungl. Institute of Technology Representative - Sigbritt Karlsson
Engineers of Sweden Representative - Ulrika Lindstrand
Chairman of the RIFO Society members of parliament and researchers - Betty Malmberg
The Swedish Museum of Natural History - Lisa Månsson
Student Unions Representative - David Samuelsson
The Swedish Research Council - Sven Stafström
IVA - Kungl. Academy of Engineering Sciences - Tuula Teeri
Consultant - Urban Wass
Freelance Journalist - Jack Werner
== References ==
== External links ==
Vetenskap & Allmänhet website Archived 2021-08-29 at the Wayback Machine
Researchers' Night in Sweden
Researchers' Grand Prix

34
data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Community_Grid-0.md Normal file
View File

@ -0,0 +1,34 @@
---
title: "World Community Grid"
chunk: 1/7
source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Community_Grid"
category: "reference"
tags: "science, encyclopedia"
date_saved: "2026-05-05T02:59:12.872858+00:00"
instance: "kb-cron"
---
World Community Grid (WCG) is an effort to create the world's largest volunteer computing platform to perform scientific research that benefits humanity. Launched on November 16, 2004, with proprietary Grid MP client from United Devices and adding support for Berkeley Open Infrastructure for Network Computing (BOINC) in 2005, World Community Grid eventually discontinued the Grid MP client and consolidated on the BOINC platform in 2008. In September 2021, it was announced that IBM transferred ownership to the Krembil Research Institute of University Health Network in Toronto, Ontario.
World Community Grid uses unused processing power of consumer devices (PCs, Laptops, Android Smartphones, etc.) to analyse data created by the research groups that participate in the grid. WCG projects have analysed data related to the human genome, the human microbiome, HIV, dengue, muscular dystrophy, cancer, influenza, Ebola, Zika virus, virtual screening, rice crop yields, clean energy, water purification and COVID-19, among other research areas.
There are currently four active projects and 28 completed projects. Several of these projects have published peer-reviewed papers based on the analysis of the data generated by WCG. These include an OpenZika project paper on the discovery of a compound (FAM 3) that inhibits the NS3 Helicase protein of the Zika virus, thus reducing viral replication by up to 86%; a FightAIDS@home paper on the discovery of new vulnerabilities on the HIV-1 Capsid protein which may allow for a new drug target; and a FightAIDS@home paper on new computational drug discovery techniques for more refined and accurate results.
== History ==
In 2003, IBM and other research participants sponsored the Smallpox Research Grid Project to accelerate the discovery of a cure for smallpox. The smallpox study used a massive distributed computing grid to analyse compounds' effectiveness against smallpox. The project allowed scientists to screen 35 million potential drug molecules against several smallpox proteins to identify good candidates for developing into smallpox treatments. In the first 72 hours, 100,000 results were returned. By the end of the project, 44 strong treatment candidates had been identified. Based on the success of the Smallpox study, IBM announced the creation of World Community Grid on November 16, 2004, with the goal of creating a technical environment where other humanitarian research could be processed.
World Community Grid initially only supported Windows, using the proprietary Grid MP software from United Devices which powered the grid.org distributed computing projects. Demand for Linux support led to the addition in November 2005 of open source Berkeley Open Infrastructure for Network Computing (BOINC) software which powers projects such as SETI@home and Climateprediction. Mac OS and Linux support was added since the introduction of BOINC. In 2007, the World Community Grid migrated from Grid MP to BOINC for all of its supported platforms.
In September 2021, IBM announced that it had transferred ownership of the World Community Grid to the Krembil Research Institute.
=== Scale of the project ===
As of January 8, 2023, World Community Grid had over 23,000 active user accounts, with over 57,000 active devices. Over the course of the project, more than 2,000,000 cumulative years of computing time have been donated, and over 6,000,000,000 work units have been completed.
== Operation ==
The World Community Grid software uses the unused computing time of Internet-connected devices to perform research calculations. Users install WCG client software onto their devices. This software works in the background, using spare system resources to process work for WCG. When a piece of work or workunit is completed, the client software sends it back to WCG over the Internet and downloads a new workunit. To ensure accuracy, the WCG servers send out multiple copies of each workunit. Then, when the results are received, they are collected and validated against each other.
World Community Grid offers multiple humanitarian projects under a single umbrella.
Users are included in a subset of projects by default, but may opt out of projects as they choose.
Even though WCG makes use of open source client software, the actual applications that perform the scientific calculations may not be. However, several of the science applications are available under a free license, although the source is not available directly from WCG.
=== Potential problems ===
The World Community Grid software increases CPU usage by consuming unused processing time; in the late 1990s and early 2000s, such calculations were meant to reduce "wasted" CPU cycles. With modern CPUs, where dynamic frequency scaling is prevalent, increased usage makes the processor run at higher frequency, increasing power usage and heating counter to power management. Additionally, because of an increasing focus on power performance, or performance per watt, connecting old/inefficient computers to the grid will increase the total/average power required to complete the same calculations.
The BOINC client avoids slowing the computer by using a variety of limits that suspend computation when there are insufficient free resources. Unlike other BOINC projects, World Community Grid set the BOINC defaults conservatively, making the chances of computer damage extremely small. The default CPU throttle is 60%. The throttle is coarse-grained; for example, if usage is set to 60% it will work at 100% for 3 seconds, then at 0% for 2 seconds, resulting in an average decrease of processor use.
An add-on program for Windows computers – TThrottle – can solve the problem of overheating by directly limiting the BOINC project's use of the host computer. It does this by measuring the CPU and/or the GPU temperature and adjusts the run time accordingly. It also uses a shorter switching time of less than one second, resulting in less temperature change during switching.

22
data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Community_Grid-1.md Normal file
View File

@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
---
title: "World Community Grid"
chunk: 2/7
source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Community_Grid"
category: "reference"
tags: "science, encyclopedia"
date_saved: "2026-05-05T02:59:12.872858+00:00"
instance: "kb-cron"
---
== Statistics and competition ==
The contributions of each user are recorded and user contribution statistics are publicly available. Due to the fact that the processing time of each workunit varies from computer to computer, depending on the difficulty of the workunit, the speed of the computer, and the amount of idle resources available, contributions are usually measured in terms of points. Points are awarded for each workunit depending on the effort required to process it.
Upon completing a workunit, the BOINC client will request the number of points it thinks it deserves based on software benchmarks (see BOINC Credit System#Cobblestones). Since multiple computers process the same workunit to ensure accuracy, the World Community Grid servers can look at the points claimed by each of those computers. The WCG servers disregard statistical outliers, average the remaining values and award the resulting number of points to each computer.
Within the grid, users may join teams that have been created by organizations, groups, or individuals. Teams allow for a heightened sense of community identity and can also inspire competition. As teams compete against each other, more work is done for the grid overall.
== Outreach ==
World Community Grid recognizes companies and organizations as partners if they promote WCG within their company or organization. As of April 2021, WCG had 452 partners.
Also, as part of its commitment to improving human health and welfare, the results of all computations completed on World Community Grid are released into the public domain and made available to the scientific community.
== Scientific results ==
Since its launch, more than thirty projects have run in the World Community Grid. Some of the results include:

22
data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Community_Grid-2.md Normal file
View File

@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
---
title: "World Community Grid"
chunk: 3/7
source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Community_Grid"
category: "reference"
tags: "science, encyclopedia"
date_saved: "2026-05-05T02:59:12.872858+00:00"
instance: "kb-cron"
---
In February 2014, the Help Fight Childhood Cancer project scientists announced the discovery of 7 compounds that destroy neuroblastoma cancer cells without any apparent side effects. This discovery, made with the support of the WCG volunteers, is a positive step towards a new treatment. The project has announced that it is seeking a collaboration with a pharmaceutical company in order to develop the compounds into treatments. Given the success of the project, the scientists have stated that they are already planning a follow-up project which will focus on other pediatric cancers, possibly in collaboration with a newly formed Pan-Asian oncology group, of which they are a founding member.
As of July 2012, the Human Proteome Folding Project has published several papers using data from WCG. These include a paper on validation methods and a new database of protein structure and function predictions; a paper on the identification of proteins that regulate human processes; a paper on the analysis of the genomes from five plant families and their proteomes, for which WCG was used in the creation of over 29,000 protein structures; a paper on the proteome of Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
The GO Fight Against Malaria project reported the discovery of several molecules that are effective against Malaria and Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis (including TDR-TB, for which there is no treatment available). The project also tested for new molecules against MRSA, Filariasis and Bubonic Plague. Laboratory testing continues in order to turn those molecules into possible treatments. GFAM was also the first project ever to perform a billion different docking calculations. A paper was published in January 2015, with two more pending submission. In June 2015, the project reported that of the two "hits" discovered against a drug-resistant tuberculosis strain, several "analogs" have been synthesized, the best one of which inhibits the growth of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and is relatively non-toxic to mammalian cells. Lack of funding prevented further research into the data.
The Discovering Dengue Drugs - Together project scientists reported the discovery of several new Dengue protease inhibitors, most of which also inhibit the West Nile virus protease. A handful of these have already entered "crucial pre-clinical pharmacokinetic and efficacy studies". In November 2014, an update reported that the scientists have a drug lead that disables a key enzyme that allows the Dengue virus to replicate. It has also shown the same behaviour in other flaviviruses, such as the West Nile virus. No negative side effects such as toxicity, carcinogenicity or mutagenicity have been observed, making this drug lead a very strong antiviral drug candidate for these viruses. The scientists are now working to synthesize variants of the molecule to improve its activity and enter planned pre-clinical and clinical trials. However, in an October 2018 update, the research team reported that none of their current designs had produced a highly potent dengue protease inhibitor that could be tested in vivo.
In June 2013, the Clean Energy Project published a database of over 2.3 million organic molecules which have had their properties characterized. Of these, 35,000 molecules have shown the potential to double the efficiency over organic solar cells currently being produced. Before this initiative, scientists knew of just a handful of carbon-based materials that were able to convert sunlight into electricity efficiently.
In February 2010, the FightAIDS@Home project scientists announced that they have found two compounds which make a potentially new class of AIDS-fighting drugs possible. The compounds attach to the virus at newly discovered binding sites, and thus can be used to "enhance existing therapies, treat drug-resistant strains of the disease, and slow the evolution of drug resistance in the virus."
In July 2015, the Drug Search for Leishmaniasis project announced it had tested the top 10 compounds with highest predicted efficiency out of over 100 identified via WCG workunits. Of those 10, 4 showed "positive results" in in vitro testing, with one showing "an exceptionally promising result". In August 2017, in vivo testing of the 4 compounds on hamsters showed favourable results, with one compound inducing "an almost complete curing of the lesions in two out of five hamsters." However, in a March 2018 update, the research team announced none of the 10 tested compounds had sufficient anti-leishmaniasis activity.
In July 2015, the Computing for Clean Water project announced that a paper had been published in the Nature Nanotechnology journal describing a new type of water filter efficiently utilising nanotubes. "[The] nanotubes are made of single-atom-thick sheets of carbon atoms, called graphene, rolled up into tiny tubes, with diameters of just a few nanometers - one ten-thousandth the diameter of a human hair. The size of the tubes allows water molecules to pass through, but blocks larger pathogens and contaminants, purifying the water." By running simulations on WCG, the scientists discovered that certain kinds of natural vibrations called phonons, under specific conditions, can lead to more than 300% increased flow of water through the nanotubes, compared to previous theoretical predictions.
In April 2015, the Say No To Schistosoma project scientists reported that subsequent analysis had been performed, and the three most promising candidate substances had been identified for in vitro testing.
In March 2019, FightAIDS@Home researchers published a paper describing a "Novel Intersubunit Interaction Critical for HIV-1 Core Assembly" that "defines a Potentially Targetable Inhibitor Binding Pocket". Using World Community Grid, more than 1.6 million compounds were used to target 20 conformations of this pocket. Preliminary results suggest it to be a plausible binding site for antiviral compounds. Further analysis of these compounds are the subject of an independent study.
== Active subprojects ==

47
data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Community_Grid-3.md Normal file
View File

@ -0,0 +1,47 @@
---
title: "World Community Grid"
chunk: 4/7
source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Community_Grid"
category: "reference"
tags: "science, encyclopedia"
date_saved: "2026-05-05T02:59:12.872858+00:00"
instance: "kb-cron"
---
=== OpenPandemics - COVID-19 ===
On April 1, 2020, IBM announced OpenPandemics - COVID-19. The project aims to identify possible treatments for the Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) which is responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic. WCG will partner with Scripps Research, with whom it has partnered in the past, notably in FightAIDS@Home projects. The project runs on CPUs and GPUs and will also serve to create a "fast-response, open source tool that will help all scientists quickly search for treatments for future pandemics."
The project launched on May 14, 2020.
=== Mapping Cancer Markers ===
Mapping Cancer Markers (launched November 8, 2013). The project aims to identify the markers associated with various types of cancer, and is analyzing millions of data points collected from thousands of healthy and cancerous patient tissue samples. These include tissues with lung, ovarian, prostate, pancreatic and breast cancers. By comparing these different data points, researchers aim to identify patterns of markers for different cancers and correlate them with different outcomes, including responsiveness to various treatment options. The project is focusing on 4 types of cancer, with the first focus being on lung cancer, and will move on to ovarian cancer, prostate cancer and sarcoma.
=== Africa Rainfall Project ===
The Africa Rainfall Project (launched October 2019) will use the computing power of World Community Grid, data from The Weather Company, and other data to improve rainfall modelling, which can help farmers in sub-Saharan Africa successfully raise their crops.
The amount of RAM that can be involved in calculations is from 1 to 16 gigabytes.
== Completed subprojects ==
=== Human Proteome Folding – Phase 1 ===
The first project launched on World Community Grid was the Human Proteome Folding Project, or HPF1, which aims to predict the structure of human proteins. The project was launched on November 16, 2004, and completed on July 18, 2006. This project was unique in that computation was done in tandem with the grid.org distributed computing project. Devised by Richard Bonneau at the Institute for Systems Biology, the project used grid computing to produce the likely structures for each of the proteins using a Rosetta Score. From these predictions, researchers hope to predict the function of the myriad proteins. This increased understanding of the human proteins could prove vital in the search for cures to human diseases. Computing for this project was officially completed on July 18, 2006. Research results for the yeast portion of HPF1 have been published.
=== Human Proteome Folding – Phase 2 ===
Human Proteome Folding - Phase 2 (HPF2) (launched June 23, 2006) was the third project to run on World Community Grid, and completed in 2013. This project, following on from HPF1, focused on human-secreted proteins, with special focus on biomarkers and the proteins on the surface of cells as well as Plasmodium, the organism that causes malaria. HPF2 generates higher-resolution protein models than HPF1. Though these higher-resolution models are more useful, they also require more processing power to generate.
In a July 2012 status report, the project scientists reported that the results generated by the WCG calculations are being used by Dr. Markus Landthaler of the Max Delbruch Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC) in Berlin. The HPF2 results helped Dr. Markus Landthaler and his collaborators in writing up a new paper on "The mRNA-Bound Proteome and Its Global Occupancy Profile on Protein-Coding Transcripts"
=== Help Defeat Cancer ===
The Help Defeat Cancer project seeks to improve the ability of medical professionals to determine the best treatment options for patients with breast, head, or neck cancer. The project was launched on July 20, 2006, and completed in April 2007. The project worked by identifying visual patterns in large numbers of tissue microarrays taken from archived tissue samples. By correlating the pattern data with information about treatment and patient outcome, the results of this project could help provide better targeted treatment options.
=== Genome Comparison ===
The Genome Comparison project is sponsored by the Brazilian research institution Fiocruz. The project was launched on November 21, 2006, and completed on July 21, 2007. The project seeks to compare gene sequences of different organisms against each other in order to find similarities between them. Scientists hope to discover what purpose a particular gene sequence serves in a particular function of one organism, via comparing it to a similar gene sequence of known function in another organism.
=== Help Cure Muscular Dystrophy – Phase 1 ===
Help Cure Muscular Dystrophy is run by Décrypthon, a collaboration between French Muscular Dystrophy Association, French National Center for Scientific Research and IBM. Phase 1 was launched on December 19, 2006, and completed on June 11, 2007. The project investigated protein–protein interactions for 40,000 proteins whose structures are known, with particular focus on those proteins that play a role in neuromuscular diseases. The database of information produced will help researchers design molecules to inhibit or enhance binding of particular macromolecules, hopefully leading to better treatments for muscular dystrophy and other neuromuscular diseases. This project was available only to agents running the Grid MP client, making it unavailable to users running BOINC.
=== Discovering Dengue Drugs – Together ===
Discovering Dengue Drugs – Together was sponsored by scientists at the University of Texas and the University of Chicago and will run in two phases. Phase 1, launched August 21, 2007, used AutoDock 2007 (the same software used for FightAIDS@Home) to test potential antiviral drugs (through NS3 protease inhibition) against viruses from the family flaviviridae and completed on August 11, 2009. Phase 2 "[uses] a more computationally intensive program to screen the candidates that make it through Phase 1." The drug candidates that make it through Phase 2 will then be lab-tested.

39
data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Community_Grid-4.md Normal file
View File

@ -0,0 +1,39 @@
---
title: "World Community Grid"
chunk: 5/7
source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Community_Grid"
category: "reference"
tags: "science, encyclopedia"
date_saved: "2026-05-05T02:59:12.872858+00:00"
instance: "kb-cron"
---
=== AfricanClimate@Home ===
The mission of AfricanClimate@Home was to develop more accurate climate models of specific regions in Africa. It was intended to serve as a basis for understanding how the climate will change in the future so that measures designed to alleviate the adverse effects of climate change could be implemented. World Community Grid's tremendous computing power was used to understand and reduce the uncertainty with which climate processes were simulated over Africa. Phase 1 of African Climate@Home launched on September 3, 2007, and ended in July 2008.
=== Help Conquer Cancer ===
Help Conquer Cancer project (launched November 1, 2007) is sponsored by the Ontario Cancer Institute (OCI), Princess Margaret Hospital and University Health Network of Toronto, Canada. The project involves X-ray crystallography. The mission of Help Conquer Cancer is to improve the results of protein X-ray crystallography, which helps researchers not only annotate unknown parts of the human proteome, but importantly improves their understanding of cancer initiation, progression and treatment.
The HCC project was the first WCG project benefiting from graphics processing units (GPU)s which helped finish it a lot earlier than initially projected due to the massive power of GPUs. In the April 2013 status report the scientists report there is still a lot of data to analyze but that they are preparing a new project that will search for prognostic and predictive signatures (sets of genes, proteins, microRNAs, etc.) that help predict patient survival and response to treatment.
The project finished in May 2013.
=== Nutritious Rice for the World ===
The Nutritious Rice for the World project is carried out by Ram Samudrala's Computational Biology Research Group Archived 2008-06-14 at the Wayback Machine at the University of Washington. The project was launched on May 12, 2008, and completed on April 6, 2010. The purpose of this project is to predict the structure of proteins of major strains of rice, in order to help farmers breed better rice strains with higher crop yields, promote greater disease and pest resistance, and utilize a full range of bioavailable nutrients that can benefit people around the world, especially in regions where malnutrition is a critical concern. The project has been covered by more than 200 media outlets since its inception. On April 13, 2010, World Community Grid officially announced that the Nutritious Rice for the World project finished on April 6, 2010.
In April 2014, an update was posted stating that the research team was able to publish structural information about thousands of proteins, and advance the field of computational protein modeling. These results – which were only possible because of the massive amount of donated computing power they had available – are expected to guide future research and plant science efforts.
=== The Clean Energy Project ===
The Clean Energy project is sponsored by the scientists of Harvard University's Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology. The mission of the Clean Energy Project is to find new materials for the next generation of solar cells and later, energy storage devices. Researchers are employing molecular mechanics and electronic structure calculations to predict the optical and transport properties of molecules that could become the next generation of solar cell materials.
Phase 1 was launched on December 5, 2008, and completed on October 13, 2009. By harnessing the computing power of the World Community Grid, researchers were able to calculate the electronic properties of tens of thousands of organic materials – many more than could ever be tested in a lab – and determine which candidates are most promising for developing affordable solar energy technology.
Phase 2 was launched June 28, 2010, sponsored by the scientists of Harvard University's Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology. Further calculations about optical, electronic and other physical properties of the candidate materials are being conducted with the Q-Chem quantum chemistry software. Their findings have been submitted to the Energy & Environmental Science journal.
=== Help Fight Childhood Cancer ===
Help Fight Childhood Cancer project (launched March 13, 2009) is sponsored by the scientists at Chiba Cancer Center Research Institute and Chiba University. The mission of the Help Fight Childhood Cancer project is to find drugs that can disable three particular proteins associated with neuroblastoma, one of the most frequently occurring solid tumors in children. Identifying these drugs could potentially make the disease much more curable when combined with chemotherapy treatment.
=== Influenza Antiviral Drug Search ===
Influenza Antiviral Drug Search project is sponsored by Dr. Stan Watowich and his research team at The University of Texas Medical Branch (Galveston, Texas, USA). The project was launched on May 5, 2009, and completed on October 22, 2009. The mission of the Influenza Antiviral Drug Search project is to find new drugs that can stop the spread of an influenza infection in the body. The research will specifically address the influenza strains that have become drug resistant as well as new strains that are appearing. Identifying the chemical compounds that are the best candidates will accelerate the efforts to develop treatments that would be useful in managing seasonal influenza outbreaks, and future influenza epidemics and even pandemics. Phase 1 of The Influenza Antiviral Drug Search project has already finished on October 22, 2009. Now the researchers are performing post-processing on the results from Phase 1 and are preparing for Phase 2.
In November 2012, the project's scientists stated that, given the fact that there is no immediate danger of an influenza outbreak, all of the project's results would be posted online and their resources would be refocused on the Dengue Project.
=== Help Cure Muscular Dystrophy – Phase 2 ===

42
data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Community_Grid-5.md Normal file
View File

@ -0,0 +1,42 @@
---
title: "World Community Grid"
chunk: 6/7
source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Community_Grid"
category: "reference"
tags: "science, encyclopedia"
date_saved: "2026-05-05T02:59:12.872858+00:00"
instance: "kb-cron"
---
World Community Grid and researchers supported by Decrypthon, a partnership between AFM (French Muscular Dystrophy Association), CNRS (French National Center for Scientific Research), Universite Pierre et Marie Curie, and IBM were investigating protein–protein interactions for more than 2,200 proteins whose structures are known, with particular focus on those proteins that play a role in neuromuscular diseases. Phase 2 was launched on May 12, 2009, and completed on September 26, 2012. The database of information produced will help researchers design molecules to inhibit or enhance binding of particular macromolecules, hopefully leading to better treatments for muscular dystrophy and other neuromuscular diseases.
Phase 2 of the Help Cure Muscular Dystrophy project began once the results from the first phase had been analyzed. Phase 2 ran on the BOINC platform.
=== Discovering Dengue Drugs – Together – Phase 2 ===
Discovering Dengue Drugs – Together – Phase 2 (launched February 17, 2010) is sponsored by The University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) in Galveston, Texas, United States and the University of Chicago in Illinois, USA. The mission is to identify promising drug candidates to combat the Dengue, Hepatitis C, West Nile, Yellow Fever, and other related viruses. The extensive computing power of World Community Grid will be used to complete the structure-based drug discovery calculations required to identify these drug candidates.
=== Computing for Clean Water ===
Computing for Clean Water (launched September 20, 2010) is sponsored by the Center for Nano and Micro Mechanics of Tsinghua University in Beijing. The project's mission is to provide deeper insight on the molecular scale into the origins of the efficient flow of water through a novel class of filter materials. This insight will in turn guide future development of low-cost and more efficient water filters. It is estimated that 1.2 billion people lack access to safe drinking water, and 2.6 billion have little or no sanitation. As a result, millions of people die annually – an estimated 3,900 children a day due to a lack of clean water. On April 25, 2014, the project scientists released an update stating that they had exciting results to report when the paper is submitted and that the project on WCG was finished.
=== Drug Search for Leishmaniasis ===
Drug Search for Leishmaniasis (launched September 7, 2011) is spearheaded by the University of Antioquia in Medellín, Colombia, with assistance from researchers at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, Texas. The mission is to identify potential molecule candidates that could possibly be developed into treatments for Leishmaniasis. The extensive computing power of World Community Grid will be used to perform computer simulations of the interactions between millions of chemical compounds and certain target proteins. This will help find the most promising compounds that may lead to effective treatments for the disease.
=== GO Fight Against Malaria Project ===
The mission of the GO Fight Against Malaria project (launched November 16, 2011) is to discover promising drug candidates that could be developed into new drugs that cure drug resistant forms of malaria. The computing power of World Community Grid will be used to perform computer simulations of the interactions between millions of chemical compounds and certain target proteins, to predict their ability to eliminate malaria. The best compounds will be tested by scientists at The Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, California, U.S.A. and further developed into possible treatments for the disease.
=== Say No to Schistosoma ===
Say No to Schistosoma (launched February 22, 2012) was the 20th research project to be launched on World Community Grid. The researchers at Infórium University in Belo Horizonte and FIOCRUZ-Minas, Brazil, ran this project on World Community Grid to perform computer simulations of the interactions between millions of chemical compounds and certain target proteins in the hope of finding effective treatments for schistosomiasis. As of April 2015, subsequent analysis had been performed, and three of the most promising candidate substances had been identified for in-vitro testing.
=== Computing for Sustainable Water ===
Computing for Sustainable Water was the 21st research project to be launched on World Community Grid. The researchers at the University of Virginia were running this project on World Community Grid to study the effects of human activity on a large watershed and gain deeper insights into what actions can support the restoration, health and sustainability of this important water resource. The project was launched on April 17, 2012, and completed on October 17, 2012.
=== Uncovering Genome Mysteries ===
The Uncovering Genome Mysteries project launched on October 16, 2014, and is a joint collaboration between Australian and Brazilian scientists. The project aims to examine close to 200 million genes from many life forms and compare them with known genes in order to find out what their function is. The results could have an effect in fields such as medicine and environmental research.
=== Outsmart Ebola Together ===
Outsmart Ebola Together was a collaboration with the Scripps Research Institute to help find chemical compounds to fight Ebola virus disease. It was launched on 3 December 2014. The aim is to block crucial steps in the life cycle of the virus, by finding drugs with high binding affinity with certain of its proteins. There are two targets: a surface protein used by the virus to infect human cells, and "transformer" proteins which change shape to carry out different functions. The project officially completed December 6, 2018.
=== OpenZika ===
OpenZika was launched on May 18, 2016, to help combat the Zika virus. The project targets proteins that are believed to be used by the Zika virus to survive and spread in the body, based on known results from similar diseases like dengue fever and yellow fever. These results will help researchers develop an anti-Zika drug. The project officially completed December 13, 2019.
=== FightAIDS@Home ===

35
data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Community_Grid-6.md Normal file
View File

@ -0,0 +1,35 @@
---
title: "World Community Grid"
chunk: 7/7
source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Community_Grid"
category: "reference"
tags: "science, encyclopedia"
date_saved: "2026-05-05T02:59:12.872858+00:00"
instance: "kb-cron"
---
FightAIDS@Home (launched November 19, 2005) was World Community Grid's second project and its first to target a single disease. Each individual computer processes one potential drug molecule and tests how well it would dock with HIV protease, acting as a protease inhibitor. Scripps Research Institute published its first peer-reviewed scientific paper about the results of FightAIDS@Home on April 21, 2007. This paper explains that the results up to that point will primarily be used to improve the efficiency of future FightAIDS@Home calculations.
=== FightAIDS@Home Phase 2 ===
FightAIDS@Home Phase 2 (launched September 30, 2015) is looking more closely at the results of Phase 1. The project has two goals in the early experiments; the simulation architecture is functioning correctly and giving reliable results, and using BEDAM and AutoDock together provides better results than using just BEDAM or AutoDock.
=== Microbiome Immunity Project ===
Microbiome Immunity Project (launched August 2017) is a study of proteins in bacteria located in and on the human body; the human microbiome, which comprises around 3 million separate bacterial genes. By studying bacterial genes, researchers can determine their individual shapes, which in turn dictate the function of the bacteria. Collaborative institutions includes the University of California San Diego, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, and the Simons Foundation's Flatiron Institute.
=== Help Stop TB ===
Help Stop TB was launched in March 2016 to help combat tuberculosis, a disease caused by a bacterium that is evolving resistance to currently available treatments. The computations of this project target mycolic acids in the bacterium's protective coat, simulating the behaviour of these molecules to better understand how they offer protection to the bacteria.
=== Smash Childhood Cancer ===
Launched in January 2017, the Smash Childhood Cancer project builds on the work from the Help Fight Childhood Cancer project by looking for drug candidates targeting additional childhood cancers. Upon Dr. Akira Nakagawara's retirement in March 2020, the principal investigator changed to Dr. Godfrey Chan, who was one of the original members of the Smash Childhood Cancer team. Additionally, PRDM14 and Fox01 have been added as new targets for investigation. An inhibitor of the osteopontin protein was modeled.
== See also ==
BOINC
Folding@home
List of volunteer computing projects
World community
== References ==
== External links ==
Official website