Phosphors to brighten your future

Don't leave your future to chance.

Let the Avatar Brighten Your Smile: Effects of Enhancing Facial Expressions in Virtual Environments

Previous studies demonstrated the positive effects of smiling on interpersonal outcomes. The present research examined if enhancing one's smile in a virtual environment could lead to a more positive communication experience. In the current study, participants' facial expressions were tracked and mapped on a digital avatar during a real-time dyadic conversation. The avatar's smile was rendered s...

Charting your company's future.

Few companies have a clear strategic vision. The problem, say the authors, stems from the strategic-planning process itself, which usually involves preparing a large document, culled from a mishmash of data provided by people with conflicting agendas. That kind of process almost guarantees an unfocused strategy. Instead, companies should design the strategic-planning process by drawing a pictur...

Tuning the proteasome to brighten the end of the journey.

Degradation by the proteasome is the fate for a large portion of cellular proteins, and it plays a major role in maintaining protein homeostasis, as well as in regulating many cellular processes like cell cycle progression. A decrease in proteasome activity has been linked to aging and several age-related neurodegenerative pathologies and highlights the importance of the ubiquitin proteasome sy...

Your chance to quiz a potential future UK health secretary.

The BMJ is co-hosting a UK general election hustings with representatives from the main political parties and is asking readers to join the debate by submitting questions. Participants in the event, which will be streamed live from the British Library at 11 am on Tuesday 21 April, will include Jeremy Hunt, Conservative health secretary; Norman Lamb, Liberal Democrat healthminister; AndyBurnham,...