IBM and ETH Scientists Advance Supercomputing Simulations to Improve Diagnosis of Osteoporosis
Date: 26/07/2008
This computer tomography (CT) shows a healthy bone (left) and a fragile, osteoporotic bone (right). Such CTs provide detailed information obout bone structure and are the basis of today’s analysis of bone strength and fracture risk in diseases such as osteoporosis. However, they do not take into account the microstructure of the bone, which contributes significantly to the load-bearing capacity of the human skeleton. By coupling CT scans with an analysis of the microstructural strain, researchers aim to improve individual fracture risk prediction, which is important in the diagnosis and treatment of osteoporosis.
IBM Global Call Center
Date: 26/07/2008
IBM's global call centers deliver superior customer service through a range of secure voice-based services.
IBM and ETH Scientists Advance Supercomputing Simulations to Improve Diagnosis of Osteoporosis
Date: 26/07/2008
Researchers of ETH Zurich and the IBM Zurich Research Laboratory have demonstrated the most extensive simulations of a real human bone structure ever achieved. In order to analyze bone strength, the researchers used massively parallel simulations to obtain a “heat map” of strain, which changes with the load applied to the bone. The image shows the effective strain on a 5 by 5 by 5 mm human vertebra specimen under a load corresponding to the person's weight when standing. The areas in blue support a higher strain whereas weaker parts are shown in red. The simulations are based on a high-resolution scan (6 microns) using peripheral quantitative computer tomography (pQCT). The researchers created a very detailed mathematical model that required more that 400 million elements—so called "voxels"—in order to capture faithfully the intricate bone microstructure. In the next step, researchers computed the strain on the bone by applying different loads that simulate real-life conditions. The specimen in this image shows a healthy human bone.
TS1130b.jpgIBM System Storage TS1130 Tape Drive
Date: 26/07/2008
IBM today announced the industry's fastest one terabyte (TB) storage tape drive, the IBM System Storage TS1130, which allows clients to protect and archive more information with less cost and less energy usage - the highest capacity and performance of any tape drive in the market.
