Developers get ready for the latest in Google Play Gaming features
Google has just rolled out a huge number of features related to gaming at Google I/O 2013, and even on day 1 over a dozen developers are partnering to have the new services ready at launch. Popular names like Miniclip, Glu, Spryfox, Ironhide Game Studio, HandyGames, Hemisphere and several more are all on board to provide multiplayer game services, the new game data syncing feature, and more. These are the developers that make many of the top games we know and love, which will be great to get multiplayer gaming the exposure it needs right from the start.
We'll continue to bring you more from the Google I/O 2013 keynote as it becomes available.
May 15, 2013 ? A class of water-loving, jelly-like materials with uses ranges ranging from the mundane, such as superabsorbent diaper liners, to the sophisticated, such as soft contact lenses, could be tapped for a new line of serious work: testing the biological effects of nanoparticles now being eyed for a large variety of uses.
New research by scientists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) demonstrates that three-dimensional scaffolds made with cells and supporting materials known as hydrogels can serve as life-like measurement platforms for evaluating how tiny engineered materials interact with cells and tissues. Their proof-of-concept study suggests that hydrogel tissue scaffolds can be a "powerful bridge" between current laboratory tests and tests that use animal models.
Today, laboratory tests of nanoparticles usually entail exposing a two-dimensional layer of cells to the material of interest. Besides being questionable substitutes for the complex cellular frameworks that make up tissues and organs inside the body, these tests can yield conflicting results, explains analytical chemist Elisabeth Mansfield, lead researcher on the new NIST study.
"Our study shows that hydrogel-based, tissue-engineering scaffolds can provide more realistic environments to study nanoparticle-influenced cell biology over extended periods," she says. Importantly, the NIST research shows that studies employing the scaffold do not require exposing cells to nanoparticles in doses that exceed normal exposure levels.
Hydrogels are networks of stringy, branching polymer molecules with ends that latch onto water molecules -- so much so that 99.9 percent of a hydrogel may consist of water. Depending on the spacing between the strands (the so-called mesh size) and other factors, hydrogels can support and promote the growth and differentiation of cell populations.
While hydrogels occur naturally -- an example is cartilage -- the NIST team chose to craft its own, giving them control over the mesh size in the scaffolds they created.
In their experiment, the team used polyethylene glycol -- a common polymer used in skin creams, toothpaste, lubricants and other products -- to create three hydrogels with different mesh sizes. One set of hydrogels was populated with rat cells containing ultrasmall semiconducting materials known as quantum dots. When exposed to light, quantum dots emit strong fluorescent signals that enabled the researchers to track the fate of treated cells in the synthetic scaffolds.
Results were compared with those for similarly treated cells grown in a single layer on a substrate, akin to standard laboratory toxicology tests.
The NIST researchers found that cells diffused through the hydrogel scaffold, forming a persisting tissue-like structure. Quantum dots attached to cell membranes and, over time, were absorbed into the cells.
Three-dimensional scaffolds often are used to test cells for multi-week experiments, and NIST researchers found quantum dots can be detected for four or more days inside the scaffold.
As significant, cells that populated the hydrogel scaffolds were exposed to lower levels of quantum dots, yielding a more representative scenario for evaluating biological effects.
The NIST team concludes that, compared with conventional cell cultures, hydrogel scaffolds provide a more realistic, longer-lived biological environment for studying how engineering nanoparticles interact with cells. In addition, the scaffolds will accommodate studies of how these interactions evolve over time and of how the physical features of nanoparticles may change.
Researchers studying a filament of hydrogen between the Andromeda and Triangulum galaxies found rotating clumps of gas the size of dwarf galaxies. But questions remain.
By Pete Spotts / May 8, 2013
This combined graphic shows new, high-resolution GBT imaging of recently discovered hydrogen clouds between M31 (upper r.) and M33.
Bill Saxton, NRAO/AUI/NSF
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New observations of a bridge of tenuous hydrogen gas stretching between two nearby galaxies may help solve a longstanding puzzle: Billions of years after star formation peaked in the universe, what continues to fuel the formation of new stars in spiral galaxies like the Milky Way?
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Newly published radiotelescope observations of this segment of what researchers have dubbed the ?cosmic web? reveal that about half of the neutral hydrogen gas in the bridge is contained in rotating clumps the size of dwarf galaxies. Neutral hydrogen ? atoms with one proton and one electron ? represents the raw material for new stars.
?If this gas is being accreted by the galaxies, then we need to understand how they're doing that. That information could, in principle, help us understand how galaxies like Andromeda, like our own Milky Way, can acquire gas to form new stars,? says Spencer Wolfe, a PhD candidate in astronomy at West Virginia University and the lead scientist on the project.
Over the past decade, astronomers have come to appreciate the potential of gas between galaxies to provide fresh fuel for making stars in spiral galaxies.
Star formation in the universe appears to have peaked some 10 billion to 11 billion years ago. Stellar birthrates these days are less than 10 percent of what they were then, notes Robert Braun, an astronomer at the Australia Telescope National Facility in Epping, New South Wales.
Left to their own devices, galaxies have on average about 1 billion to 2 billion years worth of gas in the cosmic tank, a condition that has existed throughout most of the universe's history, Dr. Braun writes in an e-mail. Many of them, therefore, should have stopped forming stars billions of years ago.?Moreover, the total mass of stars in the universe today is about five times higher than the amount of neutral hydrogen available 12 billion years ago, suggesting that the universe's larger inventory of ionized hydrogen kept star formation going in some way.
Researchers have identified other mechanisms for the galactic equivalent of in-flight refueling. For instance, gas gets recycled for a time through successive generations of stars. Collisions, mergers, and even near-misses between galaxies can trigger bursts of star formation.?But filaments of ionized hydrogen appear to be the only features persistent enough to keep galaxies stocked with stars over billions of years of cosmic history. Somehow, within those filaments, enough of the ionized gas condenses into the neutral form to serve as new stellar nurseries.
The filament or bridge Mr. Wolfe and his team studied appears between the Milky Way's nearest neighbor, the Andromeda Galaxy, and the Triangulum Galaxy. Andromeda is some 2.5 million light-years from Earth, while the Triangulum is roughly 3 million light-years away.
The presence of neutral hydrogen in the bridge was first reported in 2004 and confirmed in follow-up observations published last year. But it's fiendishly difficult to detect. One way neutral hydrogen betrays its presence is via radio waves, with a tell-tale signal at about the same frequency that a typical cell-phone uses. But the clumps are so wispy that their radio emissions were too faint for detailed studies with the radio telescopes used in the early work.
Memorial Day is something of a misunderstood holiday. It has come to be celebrated as the official kickoff of summer, and that?s where we will focus our content spotlight this week. Initially it was called Decoration Day, in remembrance of the Civil War dead. Each soldier?s grave was ?decorated? with an American flag. It then became more prominent after World War I. In 1971, Congress declared Memorial Day a national holiday to be celebrated on the last Monday of May. Several southern states, however, have an additional, separate day for honoring the Confederate war dead: January 19 in Texas; April 26 in Alabama, Florida, Georgia and Mississippi; May 10 in South Carolina; and June 3 in Louisiana and Tennessee.
Now you know a little bit more about the holiday. On Zinio, you can explore the history and the celebration of summer that has become Memorial Day:
American History:
Not a primer in history here. This is a deep, expert dive into American issues, personalities and events. Great writing and the artwork shines on the digital platform.
5280 Traveler:
If you?re traveling to Colorado or dream of traveling there, check this out. It?s the getaways issue for 5280 and presents all the advantages of digital publishing: access to content, great art, and interactivity.
Best Of Summer:
This is a recipe collection from Hearst featuring the best picnic and barbecue tips from Good Housekeeping, Redbook, Country Living, and Woman?s Day. A lot of sharable and clippable content here. Plus there are tips on choosing the freshest, juiciest produce, and clever ideas for easy entertaining. Every recipe is 400 calories or less.
Backyard & Garden Design Ideas:
An Australian magazine that shows you how to make the most out of tight spaces. Backyard & Garden Design Ideas covers layout, furniture, products, plants, pools, structures and maintenance with a focus on outdoor makeovers.
Hamptons:
It is what it says it is. For more than 28 years, Hamptons Magazine has focused on the finest in the worlds of art, beauty, business, fine dining, entertainment, fashion, interior design, jewelry and nightlife ? along with the latest society buzz and the hottest parties.
Coast:
Think Great Britain and you think fog. But the UK has a summer and sunshine and a coastline. Zinio?s international edition gives readers a chance to explore what its like to be a Brit for the summer with Coast Magazine. By its own admission it?s ?a perfect read for anyone who lives or dreams of living by the sea or who have a particular fondness for the many and varying aspects of the British coastline, both natural and man-made. Coast Magazine offers its readers escapism.? It is a nostalgic, beautifully photographed magazine.
Best Educational Apps, Handpicked By Experts
Appolicious is pleased to introduce appoLearning.com, where parents, teachers and students find great education apps. Check out our introduction video here!
Crop rotation with nematode-resistant wheat can protect tomatoesPublic release date: 14-May-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Valerie Williamson vmwilliamson@ucdavis.edu American Society of Agronomy
In a study published online today in Crop Science, scientists describe a nematode-resistant wheat. But while the wheat carries the resistance to the pest, the benefits are actually seen in the crop that is grown after it.
Root-knot nematodes cause crop losses around the world, and they can be difficult to control. In order to reproduce, nematodes need to infect a living plant root. Once they are present in soil, they can survive winter in a fallow field and infect plants during the next growing season. Trap crops unsuitable hosts that "trick" the nematodes into starting their life cycle but then prevent them from reproducing are often a better option than leaving the field fallow.
"Once nematodes commit to being a parasite, they have to complete their life cycle," explains Valerie Williamson, lead author of the study and professor at University of California Davis. "If they don't reproduce, the population dies out."
Trap crops can reduce the number of parasites in the soil and lessen the effects of the pests on the next crop in the rotation. But crops resistant to nematodes can be hard to find due to the pest's wide range of hosts, and trap crops are often plants that are less valuable to farmers. In the present study, researchers found a resistant strain of wheat that can reduce nematode numbers in soil and protect the next rotation of tomato plants.
"What's nice about this finding is that wheat is what farmers often use as a rotation crop in California," says Williamson.
The researchers were surprised to find the resistant wheat. They had tried a number of different rotation crops before turning to wheat. Wheat breeder and senior co-author Jorge Dubcovsky then gave Williamson a strain of wheat called Lassik. Lassik is similar to wheat that is commonly grown, but it has a slight difference. A small segment of genes from another wheat strain relocated, through breeding, into Lassik.
This relocated segment has no effect on yield or behavior of the crop, but Williamson and her co-authors found that it did have a benefit it made the wheat resistant to nematodes. "Dubcovsky gave us this strain because it had other resistance genes in it," says Williamson. "It turned out, to our surprise, that it also had nematode resistance."
Once they realized that the Lassik wheat was more resistant to nematodes than the wheat normally grown, the research team validated the source of the resistance by comparing pairs of strains with and without the relocated segment. Then to determine if rotating the resistant wheat with tomato plants would help protect the tomatoes, the authors grew Lassik wheat and used some of the soil to plant tomato seedlings. The wheat had the effect they were hoping for the tomatoes grown in soil from the resistant wheat plots were less damaged by nematodes.
"If farmers use a wheat that does not have the resistant genes, more nematodes survive, and they'll be there when they plant tomatoes," explains Williamson. "But if they plant the resistant wheat, there won't be as many nematodes in the soil." Dubcovsky noted that the last three bread wheat varieties released by the University of California Wheat breeding program and the USDA- supported Triticeae-CAP project all carry this resistance gene and are readily available to growers.
The results from the study offer a promising option for reducing nematode damage. The next step is to verify the findings on a larger scale. Williamson and her team grew plants both in greenhouses and in small microplots. They are now anticipating that agronomists will try the rotation on a field scale.
"We wanted to get the results out there so that people who work in the field, farm advisers for example, can see if it works in practice as well as it did in a controlled experiment."
###
View the abstract at: http://dx.doi.org/doi:10.2135/cropsci2012.12.0681
To obtain a copy of the complete article, please contact Madeline Fisher at 608-268-3973, mfisher@sciencesocieties.org or Caroline Schneider at 608-268-3976, cschneider@sciencesocieties.org.
The corresponding author, Valerie Williamson, can be contacted at vmwilliamson@ucdavis.edu.
The full article is available for no charge for 30 days following the date of this summary. View the abstract at https://www.crops.org/publications/cs/abstracts/0/0/cropsci2012.12.0681.
Crop Science is the flagship journal of the Crop Science Society of America. Original research is peer-reviewed and published in this highly cited journal. It also contains invited review and interpretation articles and perspectives that offer insight and commentary on recent advances in crop science. For more information, visit http://www.crops.org/publications/cs
The Crop Science Society of America (CSSA), founded in 1955, is an international scientific society comprised of 6,000+ members with its headquarters in Madison, WI. Members advance the discipline of crop science by acquiring and disseminating information about crop breeding and genetics; crop physiology; crop ecology, management, and quality; seed physiology, production, and technology; turfgrass science; forage and grazinglands; genomics, molecular genetics, and biotechnology; and biomedical and enhanced plants.
CSSA fosters the transfer of knowledge through an array of programs and services, including publications, meetings, career services, and science policy initiatives. For more information, visit http://www.crops.org
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
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.
Crop rotation with nematode-resistant wheat can protect tomatoesPublic release date: 14-May-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Valerie Williamson vmwilliamson@ucdavis.edu American Society of Agronomy
In a study published online today in Crop Science, scientists describe a nematode-resistant wheat. But while the wheat carries the resistance to the pest, the benefits are actually seen in the crop that is grown after it.
Root-knot nematodes cause crop losses around the world, and they can be difficult to control. In order to reproduce, nematodes need to infect a living plant root. Once they are present in soil, they can survive winter in a fallow field and infect plants during the next growing season. Trap crops unsuitable hosts that "trick" the nematodes into starting their life cycle but then prevent them from reproducing are often a better option than leaving the field fallow.
"Once nematodes commit to being a parasite, they have to complete their life cycle," explains Valerie Williamson, lead author of the study and professor at University of California Davis. "If they don't reproduce, the population dies out."
Trap crops can reduce the number of parasites in the soil and lessen the effects of the pests on the next crop in the rotation. But crops resistant to nematodes can be hard to find due to the pest's wide range of hosts, and trap crops are often plants that are less valuable to farmers. In the present study, researchers found a resistant strain of wheat that can reduce nematode numbers in soil and protect the next rotation of tomato plants.
"What's nice about this finding is that wheat is what farmers often use as a rotation crop in California," says Williamson.
The researchers were surprised to find the resistant wheat. They had tried a number of different rotation crops before turning to wheat. Wheat breeder and senior co-author Jorge Dubcovsky then gave Williamson a strain of wheat called Lassik. Lassik is similar to wheat that is commonly grown, but it has a slight difference. A small segment of genes from another wheat strain relocated, through breeding, into Lassik.
This relocated segment has no effect on yield or behavior of the crop, but Williamson and her co-authors found that it did have a benefit it made the wheat resistant to nematodes. "Dubcovsky gave us this strain because it had other resistance genes in it," says Williamson. "It turned out, to our surprise, that it also had nematode resistance."
Once they realized that the Lassik wheat was more resistant to nematodes than the wheat normally grown, the research team validated the source of the resistance by comparing pairs of strains with and without the relocated segment. Then to determine if rotating the resistant wheat with tomato plants would help protect the tomatoes, the authors grew Lassik wheat and used some of the soil to plant tomato seedlings. The wheat had the effect they were hoping for the tomatoes grown in soil from the resistant wheat plots were less damaged by nematodes.
"If farmers use a wheat that does not have the resistant genes, more nematodes survive, and they'll be there when they plant tomatoes," explains Williamson. "But if they plant the resistant wheat, there won't be as many nematodes in the soil." Dubcovsky noted that the last three bread wheat varieties released by the University of California Wheat breeding program and the USDA- supported Triticeae-CAP project all carry this resistance gene and are readily available to growers.
The results from the study offer a promising option for reducing nematode damage. The next step is to verify the findings on a larger scale. Williamson and her team grew plants both in greenhouses and in small microplots. They are now anticipating that agronomists will try the rotation on a field scale.
"We wanted to get the results out there so that people who work in the field, farm advisers for example, can see if it works in practice as well as it did in a controlled experiment."
###
View the abstract at: http://dx.doi.org/doi:10.2135/cropsci2012.12.0681
To obtain a copy of the complete article, please contact Madeline Fisher at 608-268-3973, mfisher@sciencesocieties.org or Caroline Schneider at 608-268-3976, cschneider@sciencesocieties.org.
The corresponding author, Valerie Williamson, can be contacted at vmwilliamson@ucdavis.edu.
The full article is available for no charge for 30 days following the date of this summary. View the abstract at https://www.crops.org/publications/cs/abstracts/0/0/cropsci2012.12.0681.
Crop Science is the flagship journal of the Crop Science Society of America. Original research is peer-reviewed and published in this highly cited journal. It also contains invited review and interpretation articles and perspectives that offer insight and commentary on recent advances in crop science. For more information, visit http://www.crops.org/publications/cs
The Crop Science Society of America (CSSA), founded in 1955, is an international scientific society comprised of 6,000+ members with its headquarters in Madison, WI. Members advance the discipline of crop science by acquiring and disseminating information about crop breeding and genetics; crop physiology; crop ecology, management, and quality; seed physiology, production, and technology; turfgrass science; forage and grazinglands; genomics, molecular genetics, and biotechnology; and biomedical and enhanced plants.
CSSA fosters the transfer of knowledge through an array of programs and services, including publications, meetings, career services, and science policy initiatives. For more information, visit http://www.crops.org
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
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.
International Culture Festival: From May 17-19, you're invited to attend the Shanghai International Culture festival, a multicultural bash at Wharf 1846 featuring latino dances, capoeira, live music, an outdoor cinema, a kid's area, and more! Catering is provided by Kebab King, Tandoor, La Creperie, Haya, Go Get Waffles, Fat Mama, Amelia?s, Azul, Mr. V Banh Mi, Mexico Lindo, among others. 50RMB, free for kids // 3pm-12am May 17, 11am-12am May 18, 11am-9pm May 19 // Wharf 1846 // 600 Waima Lu, near Maojiayuan Lu (???600?, ?????).
Bread baking class: Tired of your baking experiments resulting in loaves as hard as petrified dinosaur turds? Don't disparage because on May 21, Restaurant-Ecole Institut Paul Bocuse is teaching you how to properly prepare a variety of baked goods including baguette, rye bread, Italian focaccia, cheese breads and ham and cheese croissants. Best of all, you get to take the piping hot fruits of your labor home! 380RMB // 7pm // Restaurant-Ecole Institut Paul Bocuse // 379 Baotun Lu, near Zhongshan Nan Lu (???379?, ?????).
Jean Georges cooking class: Jean Georges is returning to Three on the Bund from May 30th to June 2nd to host his legendary cooking master class. Reserve here.
Head to our calendar for more.
Benjamin Cost is Shanghaiist's Food Editor. Email tips, recommendations, and news updates on Shanghai's dining scene to food@shanghaiist.com.
American History:
It is what it says it is. For more than 28 years, Hamptons Magazine has focused on the finest in the worlds of art, beauty, business, fine dining, entertainment, fashion, interior design, jewelry and nightlife ? along with the latest society buzz and the hottest parties. ![[ Back to EurekAlert! ]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_uEcEz9P3b8iibI7-_wAoecOnoul7x5Fd0oVc5mBDZG0i0F28N9crh1Ah3JSgi0odjo5BxDP0p3p1TVuq5MfAD2d70_TFzxv_TWVSkJ4Ao=s0-d){kind=small}
Public release date: 14-May-2013
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