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03/25/08 Chip Can Detect Bird Flu

Newk's Nook: This article interested me because it's a very different use for a computer chip. I would normally put this on the website, but I wanted to ensure you saw it.

by Reuters  

SINGAPORE (Reuters ) - Europe 's top semiconductor maker, STMicroelectronics , said it has developed a portable chip to detect influenza viruses including bird flu in humans.

The device, which functions as a mini laboratory on a chip, can screen and identify multiple classes of pathogens and genes in a single diagnostic test within two hours, unlike other tests available on the market that can detect only one strain at a time and require days or weeks to obtain results.

The chip can differentiate human strains of the Influenza A and B viruses, drug-resistant strains and mutated variants, including the Avian Flu or H5N1 strain.

There have been 236 human deaths globally from the H5N1 strain, according to the World Health Organisation, though it remains mainly a bird virus.

"ST sees new high growth opportunities in the healthcare market, especially in areas like patient care," said Francois Guibert, STMicro's Asia Pacific chief executive, at a briefing in Singapore on Monday marking the commercial launch.

The VereFlu Chip was developed by the Franco-Italian chipmaker together with Singapore's privately held Veredus Laboratories after more than a year of research. The application underwent extensive evaluation trials at Veredus Chief Executive Rosemary Tan said the company had obtained "very promising" sales orders from hospitals and non-hospital customers, but declined to provide details.

Another big potential market is the screening of travelers at airports and border checkpoints, Tan said.

Experts are monitoring the H5N1 virus for signs of mutation into a form easily transmitted from person to person, a development that could trigger a deadly pandemic. So far most human cases can be traced to contact with infected birds.

STMicro and Veredus have set up a joint laboratory in Singapore, where their experts will work on developing new biomedical applications using STMicro's chip platform for other infectious diseases, oncology and heart-disease markers.

This article was very short so I added this Q & A about router passwords. I've answered this question many times, but here it is officially.

Q. Everyone always says to change the password on your home wireless router from the default one. Why is this, and how do I change my password when the router is already up and running?
A. What you are asking about is different from the password you have undoubtedly set up for your wireless network to keep just anybody from using your bandwidth. (Those are the ones displayed by your computer when you ask it to find available wireless networks).
Wireless routers, whether they are made by Linksys, Netgear, Apple, D-Link or any number of small manufacturers, come with a default user name and password intended to protect the router's settings from others who may be connected to it. Changing your router password is recommended because the default passwords are quite well known -- and all over the Web. Just check out sites like www.phenoelit-us.org/dpl/dpl.html and www.routerpasswords.com.
In theory, anyone within range of your network's signal with a computer and bad intentions could use that information to take over your router and redirect your Web traffic to identity-theft sites or burrow into your home network.
To change your router's password, check its manual for the specific steps. If you threw out your paper version, just about all router makers have copies on their Web sites. Generally speaking, when you installed the router's software, you probably deposited a configuration program on your hard drive that you can use to change the password.
Some routers also offer a browser-based configuration page that you can get to by typing an Internet Protocol address like ''192.168.1.1'' in the address bar. Once you locate the configuration program or page, look for the administration or password settings; you'll probably need to enter the default user name and password first to give the router a new one.

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