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08.31.2012

Over the last 20 – 30 years, pharmaceutical companies have heralded new breakthroughs in the discovery of new drugs. All of these were based on the promises made by modern advances in the computing capabilities of those times.

The first of these techniques was computer aided drug discovery (CADD). This relied on complex modeling techniques and high end graphical workstations that opened up a new field called ‘rational drug design’. While this did result in some important drugs, even including the early treatment for AIDS, it did not revolutionize drug research.

A few years later came a new technique called high throughput screening (HTS). Once again medical science thought it was on the verge of a disruption in discovery techniques of new medicines but the same story repeated. There were some discoveries, but not enough to justify the huge amounts of outlay required.

Part of the problem lay in the amounts of approximations that the researchers were forced to make. Drug discovery relied on modeling 3-D molecules of candidate drugs and creating 3-D models of receptor sites in the human body and then finding if there were possible matches that worked. This technique was so computationally heavy that it was just not possible to model tens of thousands of prospective drug molecules in a practical time frame. As a result, researchers worked on a large degree of approximation to get a reasonable degree of performance from computer systems of that period. Some simulations could last months even after simplifying the assumptions and making many compromises.

These compromises and approximations greatly affected the process of discovery. What worked in a computer model, often did not work in real life situations and the entire process had to be repeated. In the final analysis, this pushed up the cost of producing new drugs.

The Cloud Changes Drug Discovery

The entire scenario has changed with the advent of cloud computing. Rather than wait for 10 CPUs to work 100 hours to throw up a possible solution, it suddenly became possible to harness 1000 CPUs and get results within an hour. With this kind of performance improvement, the need for compromises and approximations vanished. The programs could be made as realistic and accurate as possible and yet the enormous computing power which was on call ensured that answers were forthcoming in a few hours at the most.

In one well publicized case, a large cluster was set up on a cloud computing platform, the work was done and the cluster shut down all in 20 minutes flat. And the cost? Essentially loose change at $6.40! In the traditional drug discovery world, it would have taken months to procure and set up the cluster itself and the costs would have been astronomical – all to be recovered from the end user.

Taking advantage of this capability, specialist software for drug design and discovery have begun to be available, these have a molecule database of more than 100 million  compounds each with their individual physical properties, shapes, stereochemistry and chemical properties. There is no way this kind of data could have been used, had it not been for cloud computing services.

Yet another advantage of the liaison between drug discovery programs and cloud computing is that it had made experimentation and innovation possible. Previously, when a single simulation would run a month, every step had to be a deliberate, well thought out affair. There was just no room to follow a sudden train of thought or an inspiration. No ‘what if’ scenarios were possible. Today, however, with a simulation costing a few dollars and taking a few minutes, there is much greater experimentation going on. The results will be visible soon in new drugs and more radical treatment.

Finally, cloud computing has given the researcher the magic wand he always wanted. Maybe it will banish some deadly diseases and save some impoverished people by giving them access to cheap yet powerful drugs. This is the true disruptive power of cloud computing.

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About the Guest Author:

Sanjay Srivastava has been active in computing infrastructure and has participated in major projects on cloud computing, networking, VoIP and in creation of applications running over distributed databases. Due to a military background, his focus has always been on stability and availability of infrastructure. Sanjay was the Director of Information Technology in a major enterprise and managed the transition from legacy software to fully networked operations using private cloud infrastructure. He now writes extensively on cloud computing and networking and is about to move to his farm in Central India where he plans to use cloud computing and modern technology to improve the lives of rural folk in India.

08.30.2012

Just recently, comScore Inc. has released new information on the state of smartphone usage in the Japanese market. Based on their survey, 1 out of 4 mobile users in Japan is using a smartphone. The number of smartphone consumers has jumped by 43% this year compared to last year. This data establishes how smartphones have become an integral part of the mobile market in the country and how it is going stronger in the coming years.

Since many of the locals enjoy various mobile features as well as its flexibility when they are on the go, mobile phones have become a main medium to engage in different activities. With the production of smartphones, the Japanese will not allow to get left behind as this innovative gadget obviously has better technology and capabilities. They are able to enjoy more games and applications thru their iPhones or Samsung Galaxy phones that are constantly being upgraded for their satisfaction.

With millions of users, the Japanese market is utilizing their smartphones to access the Internet for varied purposes from research, emails, social sites and work-related functions. The wide array of features in the smartphone allows for greater flexibility especially when they need to access the web. Its connectivity to the Internet brings about the hot topic in the market today, that is, mobile cloud computing.

With mobile cloud computing, smartphone users can access mobile applications through their browsers instead of buying or downloading applications from the mobile company’s store. Japanese consumers can definitely benefit from easy-to-access web-based applications that will not cost a buck. Instead of paying a mobile app developer, they can do their work anywhere and anytime they want by accessing their stored information through the cloud. They won’t need to bring tons of papers or external hard drives when they travel in order to carry out their business. Mobile cloud computing could then complement the fast-paced lifestyle of the Japanese who love the latest technology not merely to stay ahead but more importantly to enhance their lives.

Companies wanting to promote their applications could also connect to more smartphone users through a cloud-based application with a mere Internet access. Consumers also won’t need to get higher versions of their smartphones to use their favorite applications or update the application every single time on their mobile since all they need is the web. Instead of draining their batteries when installing that application, they can just click on that website and save on power and electricity bills.

With these many advantages, mobile cloud computing is seen to further expand in the Japanese smartphone market. Though it still has to resolve important issues on security and unreliability when it comes to Internet access, more and more people are starting to value what it has to offer especially for the young generation of professionals. As smartphone users continue to multiply, mobile cloud computing is seeing a great number of patrons especially with those who have integrated an Internet access in their smartphone plan.

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About the Guest Author:

Rodolfo Lentejas, Jr. is a fulltime freelance writer based in Toronto. He is the founder of the PostSckrippt, a growing online writing business dedicated to producing top quality, original and fresh content. To know more about him, please visit www.postsckrippt.ca. Like him on Facebook or follow him on Twitter, Google+ and Pinterest.

08.29.2012

The land of electronics or the land of gadgets, we should say – Japan has been a forerunner when it comes to all kinds of gadgets. People in Japan are often the first to lay their hands on the latest and the coolest gadgets ever made. It is no surprise that the smartphone mania bug that hit the rest of the world did not spare the shores of the Land of the Rising Sun. The Japanese embraced smartphones long before they were called smartphones. Almost all major smartphone manufacturers have established their presence in the Japanese market. Besides, no multinational company would want to ignore the business prospects in the world’s second largest economy.

Over the years, smartphones have become a lifestyle gadgets among the Japanese with almost all the latest smartphone models and variants sold throughout the country. However with the exception of Sony no domestic player is prominently present in the international smartphone manufacturing sector. Nevertheless, these domestic players contribute a significant part to the smartphone population of Japan. The main reason being the several general public service facilities available in such locally sourced smartphones like for example Metro Tickets, Mobile TV broadcasts, etc.

A recent survey conducted by comScore revealed that Japan’s smartphone usage increased phenomenally over the preceding years. comScore studied over 4000 mobile subscribers to analyse the recent trends in the Smartphone usage in Japan. Survey results indicate a near 43% increase in the smartphone adoptation as compared to the previous years. Falling smartphone prices and introduction of new generation operating systems were found as two key factors contributing to this phenomenal growth.

Until a couple of years ago Apple used to have lion’s share in the smartphone market in Japan, but today over two thirds of the country’s smartphone users are using Android based smartphones. Google will be pleased to hear this as they have achieved their primary objective of beating Apple in one of the key smartphone markets, but Apple just cannot be written off. With the global launch of the iPhone 5 around the corner, the company may have the final say by the end of the year.

Despite being shadowed by the remarkable feats achieved by Google’s Android and Apple’s iOS, Microsoft continues to maintain a noteworthy presence. Although statistically Microsoft finds itself at the bottom of the table with only 3.2 per cent of the smartphone users opting for Windows-based phones, but they, too, are hoping for a strong comeback very soon with Windows 8 OS.

So what exactly is driving smartphone companies to introduce new variants into a market which comprises of most technologically advanced consumers on the planet? The answer is simple: Japanese people embrace any new form of innovation or technology with an open heart. Their tendency to always try out the latest in the market compels manufacturers to introduce newer models on a continuous basis. Though the global economic turmoil may affect smartphone sales elsewhere, the Japanese are in no way going to compromise on their quest for modern day technologies.

The meteoric rise of Android is attributed to it being available as an open source platform, which results in most smartphone makers churning out smartphones loaded with an Android operating system. Locally manufactured Android phones are way cheaper than international brands and hence Android became the technology of the masses. Though not as popular as Apple’s iTunes, Google’s Play Store is quite rich in terms of number of applications and most of top rated applications offered as free. More and more local manufacturers are adopting Android OS because it adds global appeal to their already economical smartphone models.

According to the comScore survey, Sharp is considered as the top smartphone brand in Japan, followed closely by Panasonic, Fujitsu, NEC and Sony. The survey figures show that Smartphones have literally taken over PC’s as the dominant gadget of the new millennia. With a host of new smartphones slated to be launched later this year by top brands, the scene is only going to get better in the days to come.

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About the Guest Author:

Mandira Srivastava is a fulltime freelance writer who specializes in technology, health and fitness, politics, and financial writing. Equipped with degree of mass communication and having worked for both private and corporate clients, I have experience meeting a wide range of writing requirements and styles.

08.28.2012

The digital media market in Japan is huge and expectedly booming. This is made possible by the new generation of Japanese youth who gladly accepted modern lifestyle and embraced all manners of new digital technologies for communication, socializing and business purposes.

Japanese use digital media in variety of platforms: Blogs, microblogging, social networking websites, bulletin board systems (BBS)/forums, instant messaging, video-sharing sites, search engines, e-commerce etc. The invention of mobile devices and smartphones has also increased the number of digital media users in the country, a trend that is expected to grow even as 3-G and 4-G devices are mass-produced to facilitate quick access to the internet.

Blogging is a popular activity in Japan; even the Washington Post has described the Japanese as “wild bloggers”. Millions of Japanese are also reportedly engaged in microblogging on their cell phones and other hand-held devices. People blog about fashion, entertainment, sports and other non-controversial topics, while shying away from discussing knotty issues like politics and religious tension. Majority of bloggers in Japan do so anonymously, and when they participate in online forums they tend to hide their identity from other users.

Social media sites like Mixi, Facebook, Myspace and other less-known ones are springing up to catch Japanese users’ attention. Users are patronizing these sites to find out information about their preferred products/services; they are using them to network with friends and business associates; and a few Japanese businesses have started turning to social media websites nowadays to market their services/products and win the hearts of new customers. There is no doubt that the use of social media technology in Japan will increase in the coming years as business owners find ways to reduce the cost of marketing and advertizing using the social media avenues.

As more and more Japanese people utilize e-commerce sites like Yahoo Japan, Rakuten, Amazon, etc. to purchase their goods and merchandise, this practice has definitely increased the frequency at which people used the search engines to find the products they are looking for. A survey that was conducted in 2009 revealed that Yahoo Japan remains the most popular search engine in Japan, followed by the Google sites.

Similarly, Youtube has remained the most used site for video-sharing among Japanese people. This is followed by home-made video-sharing site named NicoNicoDouga, with an estimated 13 hours per view. Using the digital media for bulletin boards and forums is gaining popularity gradually, and there is every possibility that more Japanese forum-posters or forum-managers will emerge in the coming years.

While all these instances point to a booming and prosperous digital media marketing in the near future, any new entrants (foreign companies, especially) into the country will have to immediately face two major obstacles:

1. Customizing their services to suit the purpose of Japanese customers who mainly prefer to interact only in Japanese language;
2. Adoption of cloud computing in order to be able to manage the bulk of data that will be generated, processed and stored in the course of operating in Japan.

While it is possible to easily localize one’s services in Japan to satisfy the requirements of Japanese customers, most foreign entrants to the Japanese digital media market will have to soon contend with the issue of creating enough storage capacity to store the large amount of electronic files, data, and digital content arising from their operations. Also, they will be required to provide a fast and reliable access to their services on a regular basis.

Cloud computing offers incomparable opportunity for companies to enlarge their storage capacity as well as increase their service performance, because customers can confidently use the digital media without worrying about losing important files or having their personal information or data omitted due to the small space available for storage on some foreign companies’ servers.

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About the Guest Author:

Jerry Olasakinju, a Bachelor of Technology (B.Tech) degree holder, is a passionate researcher and writer whose interest in everything computing is unparalleled. He blogs about his literary works at http://jerryolasakinju.blogspot.jp/