Samsung has been accused of rigging its Samsung Galaxy S4 smartphone to give inflated benchmark test results.
An Anandtech investigation revealed that Samsung was only allowing the Samsung Galaxy S4's GPU to run at full capacity when being benchmarked.
There are a couple of hardware variants found within the Samsung Galaxy S4 in different regions, but the ultimate original configuration involved the first generation of Samsung's own Exynos 5 Octa SoC.
As well as an impressive eight core CPU set-up (though only four are used at a time depending on the task), this Exynos 5 Octa chip sports a PowerVR SGX 544MP3 GPU capable of running at 533MHz.
However, the investigation found that this GPU clock speed was only in evidence during certain major benchmark tests - GLBenchmark 2.5.1, AnTuTu and Quadrant. When even the most demanding 3D game was run on the Samsung Galaxy S4, by contrast, the GPU clock speed only ever hits a peak of 480MHz.
That's a difference of almost 11 percent.
The result: some deeply impressive initial benchmark results that don't accurately portray the kind of performance users can attain with the device.
It turns out that the Exynos 5 Octa's elaborate CPU set-up is also maximised for these particular benchmarks, running the maximum 1.6GHz quad-core set-up regardless of the benchmark task being presented to them. Other benchmarks reveal the 500MHz power-saving cores kicking in for more common tasks.
Even the Qualcomm Snapdragon variants of the Galaxy S4 exhibit this CPU behaviour, it was found.
This isn't quite the same as the GPU fiddle, as this maximum CPU performance is also available to users in certain demanding apps. It's just that these CPUs have deliberately been forced to maximum output for the purpose of benchmarking.
That Samsung has given specific attention to boosting the S4's benchmark results is made all the more explicit by a code string that was discovered, called "BenchmarkBooster," which seemingly exists with the sole purpose of maximising benchmark results. Next, read our Samsung Galaxy S4 vs iPhone 5 comparison.
Head coach Colin Miller says the team is looking to get Daryl Fordyce, one of the team leaders in scoring in the first half, into the box more in the second half of the season. (Amber Bracken, Edmonton Sun)
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EDMONTON?-?
FC Edmonton is in need of goals.
The biggest issue for the local club in the first half of the North American Soccer League season was their inability to put the ball in the net.
They finished the first half as the lowest-scoring team in the league, registering just 13 goals in 12 games.
Heading into the second half of the season, FC Edmonton is bringing in a couple of strikers, hoping to cure their scoring woes.
?We will have an announcement (Thursday) of another player that is arriving,? said FC Edmonton head coach Colin Miller, who was unable to disclose the player pending league approval. ?That will be good. He?s just coming off a little bit of a minor knee surgery, so he?ll be available about 10 days after arriving.
?We have also signed Anthony Adur. He?s a centre forward who we?re very excited to get in. He?s the same size as Michael Cox with just as much pace. He?s played in a number of different countries and has scored some goals. So we?re excited to get some new faces attacking-wise.?
FC Edmonton finished the first half of the NASL season with three wins, four losses and five ties. Their 14 points put them in a fifth-place tie with Minnesota United FC in the seven-team league.
The second half will feature eight teams, with the New York Cosmos joining the fold.
?We won?t change our approach defensively. I think we hammer that home on a daily basis about people doing the job defensively,? said Miller. ?Offensively we didn?t score a bad goal, but I would settle to have doubled our total, scoring some terrible goals. I?d settle for that, rather than having scored pretty goals all the time.
?I?m well aware of the fact we need to commit more bodies forward and our final pass in the final third has to be better. We need to hit the target. We?ve had some great situations and not hit the target. We?ve had some breakaways and not hit the target. So the players have to stand up and be counted for in terms of taking the responsibility to shoot more.?
Cox and Daryl Fordyce led the way for Edmonton in the first half with three goals apiece. Neil Hlavaty and Shaun Saiko each scored a pair.
In order for the club to contend for a second-half title and earn a berth into the championship game against the first-half winner, the Atlanta Silverbacks, they?ll need more production from everyone.
?The key for us is finding that gem that is going to score 10 goals for us,? said Miller. ?Fordyce was starting to score goals for us at the end of the season, creating things all the time.
?Some of the goals that Daryl scored have been fabulous, so we?re hoping to get him in the box a bit more. Saiko is due to hit a bit of form as far as hitting the target, because he wants to shoot all the time. He?s hitting the ball very well in training. So we want to commit more people forward at the same time.?
FC Edmonton kicks off the second half of the schedule Saturday in Carolina against the RailHawks. They?ll return to Edmonton a week later to host Minnesota United FC.
Carolina finished second in the first-half standings, a point back of the Silverbacks. If the Silverbacks go on to claim the second-half title as well, then the team with most cumulative points through the first and second half will join them in the final.
?I think for us, it was a huge learning curve in the first half of the season,? said Miller. ?We?re now well aware of the standard of the opposition. We?re well aware of the facilities around the league. I think we?re in a better place than we were at the start of the season.
?With the greatest respect we don?t fear anyone in the league. There might have been some apprehension as to whether we were at that level, and now we?ve proven that we can play at this level.?
Source: www.nytimes.com --- Tuesday, July 30, 2013 Wang Lin, a practitioner of qigong, says Chinese government charges of swindling, dodging taxes and cavorting with criminals are part of a vendetta against him. ...
Fertility therapy not associated with long-term cardiovascular diseasePublic release date: 31-Jul-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Julie Saccone julie.saccone@wchospital.ca 416-323-6400 x4054 Women's College Hospital
Women who gave birth following fertility treatment had no long-term increased risk of death or major cardiovascular events compared to women who gave birth without fertility therapy, according to new research by the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES) and Women's College Hospital.
The findings, published today in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, are the first to show fertility medications, which can cause short-term pregnancy complications, are not associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease later in life.
"The speculated association between fertility therapy and subsequent cardiovascular disease is not surprising given that more women are waiting until an older age to have children, when they are at greater risk of developing heart disease," said Dr. Jacob Udell, lead author of the study and cardiologist at Women's College Hospital.
Fertility therapy is used in nearly one percent of all successful pregnancies in North America. But these medications are known to cause short-term complications such as gestational diabetes and hypertension. These short-term risks, however, do not translate into lasting cardiovascular damage according to the researchers.
In the study, researchers assessed the long-term risk of stroke, heart attack and heart failure following fertility therapy among 1.1 million women after delivery over a 17-year follow-up period in Ontario. They found:
A five-fold increase in the use of fertility therapy from 1993 to 2010, particularly among older women.
The use of fertility therapy was associated with an increase in pregnancy complications including a near 30 per cent increase of diabetes in pregnancy, 16 per cent increase in placental disorders and a 10 per cent increase in pre-eclampsia.
Women who delivered following fertility therapy had about half the risk of subsequent death compared to women who did not have fertility therapy.
Women who delivered following fertility therapy had nearly half the risk of major cardiovascular events such as stroke, heart attack and heart failure. The researchers do not believe that this is a direct effect of treatment; rather that women undergoing fertility therapy maintain a healthy lifestyle over a long period.
Researchers reported no increase in the risk of future breast or ovarian cancer in women who gave birth following fertility therapy.
Women who had fertility therapy also experienced fewer mental health events, including one-third the rate of depression and one-sixth the rate of self-harm.
"Our findings provide some reassurance that fertility therapy does not appear to increase long-term risk of cardiovascular events following successful pregnancy," says Dr. Donald Redelmeier, co-author of the study and a senior scientist at ICES. "The existing literature provides mixed messages, with our results yielding a relatively favourable assessment."
One theory is that women who seek fertility therapy maintain healthier behavior after a successful delivery a pattern that extends across age and income groups, the researchers say. "Those with successful outcomes may have a powerful and durable change to their lifestyle," says Dr. Redelmeier. "Unknown protective mechanism may also contribute."
"Our findings are encouraging but further research is necessary to explain the full impact of fertility therapy on women's health," Dr. Udell adds. "With a better understanding of the long-term health effects associated with fertility therapy, we can help inform decision making and reduce potential health risks to women."
###
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Fertility therapy not associated with long-term cardiovascular diseasePublic release date: 31-Jul-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Julie Saccone julie.saccone@wchospital.ca 416-323-6400 x4054 Women's College Hospital
Women who gave birth following fertility treatment had no long-term increased risk of death or major cardiovascular events compared to women who gave birth without fertility therapy, according to new research by the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES) and Women's College Hospital.
The findings, published today in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, are the first to show fertility medications, which can cause short-term pregnancy complications, are not associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease later in life.
"The speculated association between fertility therapy and subsequent cardiovascular disease is not surprising given that more women are waiting until an older age to have children, when they are at greater risk of developing heart disease," said Dr. Jacob Udell, lead author of the study and cardiologist at Women's College Hospital.
Fertility therapy is used in nearly one percent of all successful pregnancies in North America. But these medications are known to cause short-term complications such as gestational diabetes and hypertension. These short-term risks, however, do not translate into lasting cardiovascular damage according to the researchers.
In the study, researchers assessed the long-term risk of stroke, heart attack and heart failure following fertility therapy among 1.1 million women after delivery over a 17-year follow-up period in Ontario. They found:
A five-fold increase in the use of fertility therapy from 1993 to 2010, particularly among older women.
The use of fertility therapy was associated with an increase in pregnancy complications including a near 30 per cent increase of diabetes in pregnancy, 16 per cent increase in placental disorders and a 10 per cent increase in pre-eclampsia.
Women who delivered following fertility therapy had about half the risk of subsequent death compared to women who did not have fertility therapy.
Women who delivered following fertility therapy had nearly half the risk of major cardiovascular events such as stroke, heart attack and heart failure. The researchers do not believe that this is a direct effect of treatment; rather that women undergoing fertility therapy maintain a healthy lifestyle over a long period.
Researchers reported no increase in the risk of future breast or ovarian cancer in women who gave birth following fertility therapy.
Women who had fertility therapy also experienced fewer mental health events, including one-third the rate of depression and one-sixth the rate of self-harm.
"Our findings provide some reassurance that fertility therapy does not appear to increase long-term risk of cardiovascular events following successful pregnancy," says Dr. Donald Redelmeier, co-author of the study and a senior scientist at ICES. "The existing literature provides mixed messages, with our results yielding a relatively favourable assessment."
One theory is that women who seek fertility therapy maintain healthier behavior after a successful delivery a pattern that extends across age and income groups, the researchers say. "Those with successful outcomes may have a powerful and durable change to their lifestyle," says Dr. Redelmeier. "Unknown protective mechanism may also contribute."
"Our findings are encouraging but further research is necessary to explain the full impact of fertility therapy on women's health," Dr. Udell adds. "With a better understanding of the long-term health effects associated with fertility therapy, we can help inform decision making and reduce potential health risks to women."
###
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?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
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Public release date: 31-Jul-2013
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