Month: November 2017
https://www.macworld.com/article/3237673/macs/apples-imac-pro-iphone-a10-fusion-cpu.html
Apple’s upcoming iMac Pro might have an iPhone chip
Always-on Siri could be coming to macOS.
MORE LIKE THIS
The new iMac Pro set to release month will be Apple’s fastest Mac by a country mile. With 18 CPU cores, Radeon Vega graphics, and 128GB of RAM, there isn’t much Apple’s newest all-in-one won’t be able to do. But a recent discovery by Apple code spelunker Steven Troughton-Smith suggest an iPhone chip might be along for the ride.
Troughton-Smith has gotten his hands on Apple’s new BridgeOS 2.0 software, which will presumably be part of the upcoming iMac Pro’s software package. And while it didn’t divulge quite as much as the HomePod firmware leak earlier this year that spilled the beans on the iPhone X, it does include some very interesting things. Chief among them is a reference to a version of Apple’s A10 Fusion chip, the same silicon that powers the iPhone 7.
Why this matters: One of the secret weapons that makes the iPhone so great is Apple’s home-grown iOS chips, and it seems to be inevitable that Apple will one day use then to power a MacBook. In fact, the A11 Bionic chip inside iPhone 8 and X is as fast as the latest 13-inch MacBook Pros in some workloads. So, while most people probably won’t even notice the A10 Fusion chip in the iMac Pro, it brings Apple one step closer to building a Mac that isn’t powered by an x86 chip.
Power move
Using iOS-style processors isn’t foreign to Apple—the MacBook Pro with Touch Bar uses a T1 chip that runs a variant of iOS—but this would mark the first time an A series chip makes an appearance inside a Mac. There has been speculation for years that Apple has plans to use its iOS chips to power mainstream MacBooks, but the inclusion inside a $5,000 iMac already powered by an Intel Xeon processor is certainly a surprise.
Troughton-Smith surmises that the chip will be responsible for opening up hands-free Siri support on the Mac. When we learned the new iMac will finally allow you to speak to your Mac, it was assumed that a specialized chip like the T1 would be the catalyst, not a full-fledged A10 chip. Currently, the only way to summon Apple’s digital assistant on a Mac is to click the icon on the screen or Touch Bar, or set up a keyboard shortcut. Presumably, the new functionality would allow users to say, “Hey Siri,” to activate the assistant.
The new chip will also seemingly be used for macOS boot & security process, a move that “lets Apple experiment with tighter control without the rest of the userbase freaking out,” says Troughton-Smith. Based on his findings, the A10 chip could be responsible for booting up the Intel chips, and he reckons that “it’s safe to assume this A10 is in charge.” Additionally, the chip could be used for controlling the FaceTime camera.
Apple’s new space gray iMac is due to start shipping next month at a starting price of $5,000. It will be customizable with up to 18-core Intel Xeon CPUs, Radeon Pro Vega graphics, 128GB of RAM, and 4TB of storage.
http://bgr.com/2017/11/20/iphone-x-2018-specs-dual-sim-support/
The next iPhone X might finally do something no iPhone has ever done before
Every new iPhone brings over various features that were never available on previous models, and the same is expected for next year’s models. We could tell you that much even if there were no early rumors to dissect. But one of the iPhone X’s successors will finally do something no other iPhone has been capable of, even though competing devices had the beloved and incredibly useful feature for years. That’s right, dual-SIM support is supposedly coming to a future iPhone.
A report on Friday from well-known Apple insider Ming-Chi Kuo revealed that next year’s iPhones will have pre-5G speeds, and that Apple will utilize both Intel and Qualcomm models to achieve faster data speeds. Buried in that same report, however, was a second huge revelation. At least one of Apple’s 2018 iPhones will come with built-in dual-SIM support, which would represent a first for Apple handsets.
Just as with wireless charging, which you could add to pre-iPhone 8 devices with the help of specialized hardware, you can add dual-SIM support to any existing iPhone. It’s usually a less than elegant solution, and many iPhone fans would probably appreciate an out-of-the-box solution that just works.
Kuo expects that at least one of next year’s iPhones will support two SIM cards, with both of slots ready to deliver 4G LTE speeds. “2H18 iPhone models won’t only offer faster LTE transmission speed: We predict that at least one of the 2H18 new iPhone models will support dual-SIM dual standby (DSDS),” Kuo predicts, per MacRumors. “Unlike existing DSDS phones, which commonly support LTE+3G connections, we believe next-generation iPhone models will support LTE+LTE connections, in a bid to enhance the user experience.”
While that may sound exciting, it’ll be interesting to see how Apple plans to accommodate a second SIM card inside the iPhone. Kuo didn’t explain that. Maybe next year’s iPhones will come out with built-in support for eSIM cards, which would certainly qualify as skating towards where the puck is going.
http://www.businessinsider.com/apple-watch-black-friday-deals-cyber-monday-2017-11
The Apple Watch might be really cheap on Black Friday — here are the deals that are worth your time
Black Friday deals will likely be on older Apple Watch models. Victor Boyko / Getty
- The Apple Watch is expensive, and it doesn’t often go on sale.
- Shoppers aren’t likely to find Apple Watch discounts at the Apple store.
- But Black Friday deals for older models should be available at some stores.
If you’ve been eyeing the Apple Watch, you might be able to save big if you buy it on Black Friday.
With the help of deal-tracking website BestBlackFriday.com and Macrumors.com, which keeps track of the latest Apple news, we gathered a list of the retailers who will be offering deals on Apple Watches this Black Friday.
The deals announced so far are primarily for older Apple Watch models, but they’re still great gets — especially for people who don’t necessarily need the latest model.
Apple Watch Series 1
- Macy’s — $70 off on 38mm models that retail for $179.99 and 42mm models that retail for $229 on (November 22-November 25)
- Target — $70 off for prices starting at $179.99
- Best Buy — $50 off on 38mm aluminum models priced at $199
Apple Watch Series 2
Dick’s Sporting Goods already has some discounts on the Apple Watch Series 2:
- Nike+ version — $90 off $279 models
- Non-Nike+ version — $70 off $329 models
Apple Watch Series 3
So far, we haven’t found a pure discount on an Apple Watch Series 3. And since it’s the newest edition, it’s possible there won’t be any major cuts here.
However, we did find an interesting deal at Kohl’s were you can get Kohl’s Cash with the purchase of an Apple Watch Series 3. Available online starting 5 p.m. local time on November 23:
- $90 in Kohl’s Cash with the purchase of a 38mm GPS gold Apple Watch Series 3 with Pink Sand Sport Band ($329)
- You can also get $75 in Kohl’s Cash with the purchase of a 38mm Space Gray Apple Watch Series 1 with Black Sport Band ($249)
Accessories
- Best Buy — Apple watch bands up to 30% off select models
- HEDocks — An Apple Watch stand for 40% off with promo code “HEDOCKBF17”
We will update this list if/when we stumble upon more deals. Keep checking back!
http://www.bionews.org.uk/page_910948.asp
Gene conferring long-life identified in US Amish community
A rare genetic mutation leading to longer and healthier lives has been discovered in an Amish community in the USA.
Researchers at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, identified the mutation by analysing a gene called SERPINE1 in 177 members of the Old Order Amish community in Berne, Indiana. SERPINE1 codes for the protein PAI-1, which is involved in cell ageing, and also impairs the breakdown of blood clots.
Having two mutated copies of SERPINE1 results in problems with blood clotting, which can lead to excessive bleeding after injury. But having one mutated copy of SERPINE1 gave people a significant health advantage, according to the study published in Science Advances.
These health benefits and increased lifespan were seen in the 43 members of the Amish community who had one normal and one mutated copy of the gene, and as a result had about 50 percent less PAI-1 in their blood. They had lower blood sugar levels between meals, a lower incidence of diabetes and an average lifespan of 85 years – 10 years longer than members of the community with two normal copies of SERPINE1.
People with one mutated copy of the gene also had telomeres that stayed longer into old age. Longer telomeres offer more protection to the DNA and indicate slower ageing of the cells.
It is the first time that these molecular and metabolic markers have been found in a community known for long lives with few age-related illnesses, said Dr Douglas Vaughan, a cardiologist at Northwestern University’s Feinburg School of Medicine and lead author of the study.
‘That played out in them having a longer lifespan. Not only do they live longer, they live healthier. It’s a desirable form of longevity,’ Dr Vaughan said.
The protein PAI-1 has already been studied in mice, where lower levels of the protein seemed to protect against age-related diseases and prolonged lifespan. Those results had previously not been confirmed in humans. The relative isolation of the Amish community of Berne means that their naturally lower levels of PAI-1 have been preserved, making them an ideal cohort to study the effects of PAI-1 in humans.
‘This is the only kindred on the planet that has this mutation,’ Dr Vaughan said. ‘It’s a “private mutation”.’
In the general population PAI-1 levels have been found to dramatically increase in people suffering from obesity, type 2 diabetes or cardiovascular disease. ‘We are very optimistic about its potential role not just in slowing ageing but in reducing age-related morbidities,’ said Dr Vaughan.
However, geriatrician Dr Nir Barzilai of Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City, New York, warned that the data was collected from only one small group of people, Science magazine reported. Nevertheless, researchers at Tohoku University in Japan are trialling a therapy targeting PAI-1 blood levels in humans, despite concerns about potential side effects such as problems with blood clotting.
SOURCES & REFERENCES
| Science Advances | 15 November 2017 |
| Science | 15 November 2017 |
| The Guardian | 15 November 2017 |
| Northwestern University | 15 November 2017 |
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/11/171120085448.htm
MRI uncovers brain abnormalities in people with depression, anxiety
- Date:
- November 20, 2017
- Source:
- Radiological Society of North America
- Summary:
- Researchers using MRI have discovered a common pattern of structural abnormalities in the brains of people with depression and social anxiety, according to a new study.
Researchers using MRI have discovered a common pattern of structural abnormalities in the brains of people with depression and social anxiety, according to a study presented being next week at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).
Major depressive disorder (MDD), often simply referred to as depression, is a serious condition. The condition can have a debilitating effect on an individual’s life. People with MDD often lose interest in activities they once enjoyed and sometimes find it difficult just to get out of bed. At times, they may feel suicidal. About 16 million Americans have MDD.
Social anxiety disorder, or SAD, is an intense fear of being watched and judged by others. Symptoms can be extreme enough to interfere with daily activities. People with this disorder have difficulty developing and maintaining social and romantic relationships. About 15 million American adults have social anxiety disorder.
Both conditions share some clinical symptoms, suggesting the two disorders may have similar brain mechanisms. However, few studies have directly compared the brain structural effects of the two disorders, said the author of the new study, Youjin Zhao M.D., Ph.D., from Sichuan University in Chengdu, China.
Dr. Zhao and co-author Su Lui, M.D., used MRI to assess alterations in the brain’s gray matter among MDD and SAD patients. They focused on the thickness of the cortex, which is the outer layer of the cerebrum, or principal part of the brain.
The researchers acquired and analyzed high-resolution images from 37 MDD patients, 24 SAD patients and 41 healthy control individuals. Both MDD and SAD patients, relative to healthy controls, showed gray matter abnormalities in the brain’s salience and dorsal attention networks. The salience network is a collection of brain regions that determine which stimuli are deserving of our attention, while the dorsal attention network plays an important role in focus and attentiveness.
“Our findings provide preliminary evidence of common and specific gray matter changes in MDD and SAD patients,” Dr. Zhao said. “Future studies with larger sample sizes combined with machine learning analysis may further aid the diagnostic and prognostic value of structural MRI.”
The differences between the MDD and SAD patients and the healthy controls related to either thickening or thinning of the cortex. For instance, both MDD and SAD patients, relative to healthy controls, showed cortical thickening in the insular cortex, a brain region vital to perception and self-awareness.
It is still unclear exactly what the relationship is between the clinical manifestations of MDD and SAD and cortical thickening in brain regions like the anterior cingulate cortex, a part of the brain associated with emotion, Dr. Zhao said.
“First, it is possible that a greater cortical thickness may reflect a compensatory mechanism that is related to inflammation or other aspects of the pathophysiology,” she said. “Second, greater anterior cingulate cortical thickness could be the result of both the continuous coping efforts and emotion regulation attempts of MDD and SAD patients.”
As for cortical thinning, Dr. Zhao said that other research provides convincing evidence to support the theory that reduced cortical layer thickness in some brain regions may result in the decreased thickness of the frontal lobe, a large part of the brain that is involved in variety of functions, including emotion.
The researchers also found disorder-specific involvement of the brain’s “fear circuitry” in patients with SAD and involvement of the visual recognition network in patients with MDD. Alterations in the brain within the region of the visual recognition network might be related to impaired selective attention and working memory in MDD, Dr. Zhao indicated.
“The visual recognition network is involved in emotional facial processing, which is crucial for social functioning,” she said. “Depression has been associated with structural alterations in these regions.”
http://www.ancient-origins.net/news-history-archaeology/8000-year-old-engravings-arabian-desert-are-oldest-known-depictions-dogs-021727
8,000-Year-Old Engravings in Arabian Desert Are Oldest Known Depictions of Dogs on Leashes
Archaeologists have discovered a set of engravings in Saudi Arabia dating back at least 8,000 years, which depict a hunter accompanied by 13 dogs, 2 of which appear to be on leashes attached to the man’s waist. The engravings are the earliest known depictions of dogs on leads and suggests that humans were training dogs to assist them with hunting thousands of years earlier than previously thought.
S reports that the engravings were made on a sandstone cliff in Shuwaymis, a region in the northwest of Saudi Arabia, where more than 1400 rock art panels have already been found. The petroglyphs were known by local Bedouin for centuries, but were only drawn to the attention of authorities in 2001. Since then, the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History in Jena, Germany and the Saudi Commission for Tourism & National Heritage have been working to catalog the rock art panels
Dogs on Leashes
Among the massive collection of engravings, researchers were particularly interested in the ones that showed hunting parties involving both man and canine. A number of scenes that have been recently catalogued show dogs being used as hunting partners, some running loose beside a hunter and others tethered to the waist of their master.
“It’s truly astounding stuff,” Melinda Zeder, an archaeozoologist at the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C. told ScienceMag “It’s the only real demonstration we have of humans using early dogs to hunt.”
reports that the engravings were made on a sandstone cliff in Shuwaymis, a region in the northwest of Saudi Arabia, where more than 1400 rock art panels have already been found. The petroglyphs were known by local Bedouin for centuries, but were only drawn to the attention of authorities in 2001. Since then, the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History in Jena, Germany and the Saudi Commission for Tourism & National Heritage have been working to catalog the rock art panels
Dogs on Leashes
Among the massive collection of engravings, researchers were particularly interested in the ones that showed hunting parties involving both man and canine. A number of scenes that have been recently catalogued show dogs being used as hunting partners, some running loose beside a hunter and others tethered to the waist of their master.
“It’s truly astounding stuff,” Melinda Zeder, an archaeozoologist at the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C. told ScienceMag “It’s the only real demonstration we have of humans using early dogs to hunt.”
- From Mighty Bear Dogs to Breathless Bulldogs: How Human Manipulation Has Changed the Shape of Canines Forever
- New Study Suggests that Man and Dog Have Been Close Friends for 33,000 Years
- 26,000-Year-Old Child Footprints Found Alongside Paw Prints Reveal Oldest Evidence of Human-Canine Relationship
One of the rock art scenes at Shuwaymis showing dogs on leashes. Credit: Maria Guagnin
The dogs depicted in the rock art are medium-sized with pricked up ears, short snouts and curled tails, common features of domestic canines. In particular, the characteristics are similar to that of the Canaan breed of dog, which has been in existence in the Middle East for thousands of years. Today, there are about 2,000 to 3,000 Canaan dogs across the world.
The ancient hunting dogs of Saudi Arabia (bottom) may have resembled the Canaan breed of dog (top). (Top to bottom): Alexandra Baranova/Wikimedia Commons; M.Guagnin et al., Journal of Anthropological Archaeology, 2017
Man’s Best Friend
Archaeologists have long known that dogs have served as man’s best friend for thousands of years.
A study in 2015 , which examined a variety of ancient canine DNA, enabled researchers to create a map of the journey of the domestic dog around the world. Results showed that domesticated dogs most likely descended from grey wolves in South East Asia about 33,000 years ago. Then, around 15,000 years ago, a subset of dogs started migrating to the Middle East, Africa and Europe, reaching Europe around 10,000 years ago.
But dogs were much more than companions in ancient times. The relationship between man and canine would have been critical to helping people survive in harsh environments. In particular, the rock art at Shuwaymis suggests that dogs played a crucial role in helping people to hunt and acquire food. The fact that more than 150 dogs have been depicted in scenes at Shuwaymis indicates just how central the dogs were to hunter-gatherer life in the Arabian Desert around 8,000 years ago.
https://www.engadget.com/2017/11/20/chrome-os-in-line-notification-replies/
Chrome OS will let you reply to messages from notifications
You won’t have to leave what you’re doing to respond to a chat.
You’ve had the option to reply to message notifications on Android for years, so why can’t you do that on your shiny new Chromebook? You can soon. Google has started implementing support for in-line replies to messages from notifications. Much as on Android, you can respond to a message from a supporting app (Hangouts is one example) in the pop-up box rather than switching tasks entirely and losing your focus.
The feature isn’t yet included in public builds, and it’s clearly unfinished.Google itself warns that there aren’t even animations and a “submit” icon to send a message with a click. It’ll likely take weeks before you can easily try this yourself. When it does arrive, though, it should make your life considerably easier if you want to keep a conversation going while you’re in the midst of a Netflix marathon.
http://www.kurzweilai.net/how-to-open-the-blood-brain-barrier-with-precision-for-safer-drug-delivery
How to open the blood-brain-barrier with precision for safer drug delivery
November 17, 2017
Schematic representation of the feedback-controlled focused ultrasound drug delivery system. Serving as the acoustic indicator of drug-delivery dosage, the microbubble emission signal was sensed and compared with the expected value. The difference was used as feedback to the ultrasound transducer for controlling the level of the ultrasound transmission. The ultrasound transducer and sensor were located outside the rat skull. The microbubbles were generated in the bloodstream at the target location in the brain. (credit: Tao Sun/Brigham and Women’s Hospital; adapted by KurzweilAI)
Researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital have developed a safer way to use focused ultrasound to temporarily open the blood-brain barrier* to allow for delivering vital drugs for treating glioma brain tumors — an alternative to invasive incision or radiation.
Focused ultrasound drug delivery to the brain uses “cavitation” — creating microbubbles — to temporarily open the blood-brain barrier. The problem with this method has been that if these bubbles destabilize and collapse, they could damage the critical vasculature in the brain.
To create a finer degree of control over the microbubbles and improve safety, the researchers placed a sensor outside of the rat brain to listen to ultrasound echoes bouncing off the microbubbles, as an indication of how stable the bubbles were.** That data was used to modify the ultrasound intensity, stabilizing the microbubbles to maintain safe ultrasound exposure.
The team tested the approach in both healthy rats and in an animal model of glioma brain cancer. Further research will be needed to adapt the technique for humans, but the approach could offer improved safety and efficacy control for human clinical trials, which are now underway in Canada.
The research, published this week in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, was supported by the National Institutes of Health in Canada.
* The blood brain barrier is an impassable obstacle for 98% of drugs, which it treats as pathogens and blocks them from passing from patients’ bloodstream into the brain. Using focused ultrasound, drugs can administered using an intravenous injection of innocuous lipid-coated gas microbubbles.
** For the ultrasound transducer, the researchers combined two spherically curved transducers (operating at a resonant frequency at 274.3 kHz) to double the effective aperture size and provide significantly improved focusing in the axial direction.
Abstract of Closed-loop control of targeted ultrasound drug delivery across the blood–brain/tumor barriers in a rat glioma model
Cavitation-facilitated microbubble-mediated focused ultrasound therapy is a promising method of drug delivery across the blood–brain barrier (BBB) for treating many neurological disorders. Unlike ultrasound thermal therapies, during which magnetic resonance thermometry can serve as a reliable treatment control modality, real-time control of modulated BBB disruption with undetectable vascular damage remains a challenge. Here a closed-loop cavitation controlling paradigm that sustains stable cavitation while suppressing inertial cavitation behavior was designed and validated using a dual-transducer system operating at the clinically relevant ultrasound frequency of 274.3 kHz. Tests in the normal brain and in the F98 glioma model in vivo demonstrated that this controller enables reliable and damage-free delivery of a predetermined amount of the chemotherapeutic drug (liposomal doxorubicin) into the brain. The maximum concentration level of delivered doxorubicin exceeded levels previously shown (using uncontrolled sonication) to induce tumor regression and improve survival in rat glioma. These results confirmed the ability of the controller to modulate the drug delivery dosage within a therapeutically effective range, while improving safety control. It can be readily implemented clinically and potentially applied to other cavitation-enhanced ultrasound therapies.
Bruce's Blog 