Ultrasound implant can help chemo drugs reach brain tumors
One of the biggest problems with brain cancer treatment is that only a limited amount of chemotherapy drugs make it through. See, our brain’s blood vessels are tightly lined with cells to keep out toxins and pathogens. The bad news is that it also hinders medicine from reaching tumors. A team of French scientists have recently tested a promising answer to that issue: an ultrasound implant that they designed to temporarily make this “blood-brain barrier” permeable. They ran a pilot with 15 patients suffering from glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer, and results showed that their technique successfully allowed more medicine to pass through.
Doctors can implant the small (11.5mm-diameter) device, officially named SonoCloud, when they remove parts of a tumor or take tissue samples for biopsy. When it’s time to administer chemo, they’ll inject microscopic bubbles into the patient’s bloodstream, which pass through those tightly guarded blood vessels. They’ll then activate the device to beam ultrasound into the brain for two minutes to excite the microbubbles. The vibrating bubbles open the barrier to chemotherapy drugs for up for six hours, letting in five to seven times the amount of medicine that typically make it to tumors in the brain.
Despite demonstrating that the technique works, the team still has to conduct a bigger clinical trial. Dr. Ekokobe Fonkem, a neuro-oncologist from Texas, told HealthDay News that the researchers still have to prove that it doesn’t cause side effects. “They have to make sure there is no room for bacteria to get into the brain and cause meningitis, which can be fatal.” And that’s exactly what the team wants to do. The team plans to raise money to conduct a bigger clinical trial in 2017, involving 200 patients from Europe and the US. If everything goes well, the team said SonoCloud could be commercially available as soon as 2020.
Via: Scientific American
Source: Science Translational Medicine, US National Library of Medicine
Fully-autonomous drone launcher never needs a pilot
Having UAVs conduct routine aerial surveillance is already having a transformative effect on farming and and energy production but they can only operate when there’s a human at the controls. That’s about to change thanks to an autonomous drone system that not only flies but also maintains itself. Tel Aviv-based UAV Airobotics has debuted a completely automated patrol drone system of the same name that is capable of operating with virtually no human intervention.
The system is composed of three parts: the drone itself, the “Airbase” robotic base station and the command software. It uses an “Optimus” UAV that can carry a 1-kilogram payload for up to 30 minutes. When the UAV finishes its patrol, it will land atop the base station whereupon a robotic arm will automatically swap out its battery and payload. All of this is controlled by the integrated software which enables users to pre-program flight paths as well as view real-time video and data feeds. The Airobotic system will likely find use in the mining and oil and gas industries as an aerial mapping platform, though it could easily be applied to any repetitive delivery or flyover task.
Source: Airobotics
Ultimate Ears’ UE Boom 2 and UE Megaboom Updated With Siri and Google Now Integration
Ultimate Ears today announced a firmware update that brings Siri and Google Now integration to its UE Boom 2 and UE Megaboom speakers, making it easier for iPhone and Android users to play and control music on the devices without needing to access their phones.
With Siri integration, pushing the Bluetooth button on the UE Boom 2 or the UE Megaboom activates Apple’s virtual assistant, allowing users to do things like request specific songs through Apple Music, place phone calls, and more. Google Now integration offers similar capabilities on Android devices.
“Music lovers can now truly stay in the moment, playing their favorite song from the middle of the pool or even while diving off a cliff with their UE speaker in hand,” said Charlotte Johs, general manager of Ultimate Ears. “No matter how wet, muddy or wild the situation, with Siri and Google Now voice integration on UE BOOM 2 and UE MEGABOOM, fans no longer need to pick up their phone to play DJ. Now, they can just say it to play it.”
Ultimate Ears is known for creating waterproof, shockproof speakers that are able to hold up to the elements for listening to music at home and on the go, and Siri integration should be a welcome addition for iPhone users who often use their UE speakers in wet or dirty conditions.
The firmware update can be installed through an update to the UE Boom and UE Megaboom apps, which is available today.
The UE Boom 2 and the UE Megaboom can be purchased from the Ultimate Ears website for $200 and $300, respectively. Both the UE Boom 2 and the UE Megaboom are also available from Amazon.com at slightly lower prices.
Tag: Ultimate Ears
Discuss this article in our forums
Microsoft Launches ‘Flow’ Workflow Service Management App for iOS
Microsoft yesterday launched a management app for its online workflow service and IFTTT competitor, called Flow.
For those unfamiliar with the idea, services like IFTTT let you connect different digital platforms and automate actions between them, like having all Gmail attachments save to a Dropbox account, or making every new entry added to a contact list sync to a Google spreadsheet.
Flow first debuted in April as a web service for creating workflows for two or more cloud services, simplifying things like file synchronization and data organization. But Flow also supports a number of other triggers, like receiving a text message when a particular person emails you, or automatically following a Twitter account that mentions your business in a tweet and adding it to a database.
With the launch of the iOS app, Flow now supports workflow options for more services, but keeps the focus on integrations with Microsoft’s own business tools, such as Office 365, Dynamics CRM, PowerApps, and Yammer. Automation for business-related services like MailChip, GitHub, Salesforce, and Slack are also supported.
The iOS app lets users manage existing ‘flows’ created from the web service, allowing users to disable them, view their properties, and generate error checking reports to ensure they’re working properly. There’s also a searchable activity feed in the app that shows all recent Flow actions, which can be tapped to get more details on.
The app also supports push notifications for trigger issues, and Microsoft promises it will soon include the ability to create new workflows without having to sign into the web-based service.
Microsoft Flow is a free download for iPhone and iPad on the App Store. [Direct Link]
Tag: Microsoft
Discuss this article in our forums
New York energy company is using drones for inspection
Different industries and companies use drones for different tasks. For New York energy provider Con Edison, that task is to inspect 10-story boilers that produce steam and energy for some of the most iconic buildings in NYC, including the Empire State. The company has begun testing the use of drones (equipped with cameras and thermal systems) for inspection at one of its steam plants on the East Side of Manhattan. Workers typically have to go through confined-space training and to build tall scaffoldings to check a plant’s boilers. Con Edison’s round, 1.1-pound carbon fiber machines can simply fly all over the place, capturing videos and photos.
The company’s UAVs sound like they have what it takes to be effective inspectors: they can can roam plants for 10 minutes at a time, were designed to withstand collisions and can capture 1280x1080p resolution videos. However, human personnel still play a part by analyzing footage and images to figure out what the company needs to repair. Margarett Jolly, Con Edison director of Research and Development, said using drones can help them “speed up the process while still upholding and perhaps improving quality and safety.” The energy company has uploaded videos of the inspection below, if you’re interested in seeing what a steam plant looks like from the inside.
Source: Con Edison
Apple Pay users can withdraw money from select BoA ATMs
If you’re an Apple Pay user with access to the cardless ATMs Bank of America installed earlier this year, you might be able to withdraw cash from the machines using your phone. Reports that BoA’s machines will support Cupertino’s mobile wallet began circulating back in January. Now a Redditor who goes by the moniker “WhatWhatTech” successfully used Apple Pay to withdraw cash from his account through a machine in Redondo Beach, California. These cardless ATMs have an NFC logo right beside the card slot — simply tap your phone on that logo, and you’ll be prompted to key in your PIN before the screen displays all the available transaction options.
Before you get too excited, though, take note that the feature hasn’t been enabled for all cardless machines just yet. Further, you can only get the ATM to spit out cash if you’re using a BoA card, and you can’t deposit money using the service. Still, it’s worth a shot if you have access to one of them. According to BoA’s website, its cardless machines now also support Samsung Pay, in addition to the Android Pay support announced in May. It’s likely being rolled out slowly, as well, so don’t be surprised if it doesn’t work on your first try.
[Image credit: WhatWhatTech]
Via: 9to5Mac
Source: WhatWhatTech (Reddit), (Imgur), Bank of America
CBS names an exec to develop shows for its streaming service
Like it or not, CBS will be creating more series for its year-old streaming service. CEO Les Moonves promised the addition of “three to four original series per year,” starting with a new Star Trek show and a spinoff of The Good Wife. To keep things running smoothly, CBS has moved Julie McNamara from drama development at CBS Television — where she was already overseeing the two original All Access series — to a newly created position: Executive Vice President, Original Content, CBS All Access.
CBS won’t catch up to Netflix’s pace at this rate, but it does have a deep library of content that it owns to back the $6 per month service, plus live TV (in some areas). Adding a few originals could make it a very interesting competitor to the other streaming services — especially if back episodes of older series become harder to find elsewhere.
Source: CBS
Sphero’s SPRK robot for kids can now withstand more abuse
Nearly two years ago, Sphero decided to turn its robot ball into more than a toy. The company launched SPRK, an educational program for kids to build up their coding skills, as a complement to its charming connected device. Then, in 2015, it followed that up with the Sphero SPRK Edition, a redesigned version with a clear shell and a companion app that let users set up commands for the robot to follow. Now Sphero is introducing the second generation of its education-focused ball, dubbed SPRK+. It’s a minor but still noteworthy upgrade compared to the original version.
SPRK+ sports a more scratch-resistant body and tap-to-connect features, which will make it easier to pair it with iOS and Android smartphones or tablets. The new, tougher UV coating is important because this model is intended to be used in schools, where the robot ball is prone to drops and other situations that could scratch its shell heavily. It’s less prone to scratches this way, according to Sphero. Of course, like its predecessor, SPRK+ is water-resistant as well.
To go along with SPRK+, Sphero also revamped the SPRK Lighting Lab app for iOS and Android. There’s now more of a community aspect to it, where teachers and students can share their lessons, activities and programs with others. Sphero says the Lightning Lab application is what ties the entire experience together, as it allows it to continue promoting skills to anyone through robotics. “We just want to make toys that inspire,” a Sphero representative said to Engadget during the SPRK+ demo.
The SPRK+ arrives today for $129 on Sphero’s site, as well as Apple stores and retailers like Amazon and Best Buy.
Apple Once Again Blocks Older Versions of Adobe Flash Player Due to Vulnerability
Last week Adobe issued a security advisory for Flash Player, indicating that version 21.0.0.242 and earlier had a critical vulnerability that could potentially cause a crash and allow an attacker to take control of the infected system. Adobe issued a fix a couple days later.
Apple today published a support document explaining that users with out-of-date versions of the Adobe Flash Player plug-ins will see a “Blocked plug-in,” “Flash Security Alert,” or “Flash out-of-date” message when attempting to view Flash content in Safari.
Plug-ins like Adobe Flash Player have long been an issue for Apple, requiring forced updates and security fixes to patch vulnerabilities. When vulnerabilities arise, Apple has been consistent in blocking older versions of the web plug-ins. Apple is looking to reduce the risk of potential issues with macOS Sierra, in which Safari will deactivate Flash Player and other plug-ins by default in an effort to push the more modern HTML5.
To continue using Flash, users must download the latest Adobe Flash Player update from Adobe’s website.
Tags: Safari, Adobe Flash Player, Vulnerabiltiies
Discuss this article in our forums
Everything you need to know about Amazon X-Ray for TV shows and movies – CNET
You’ve seen that face before. That actor… so familiar, yet it’s driving you nuts because you can’t place the face. Wasn’t he in that thing? With that gal?
And that song! The one playing in the background while the two characters meet-cute. It’s so great! But what is it? Sure, you might be able to Shazam it — if not for all the onscreen dialogue getting in the way.
X-Ray to the rescue. I consider this feature one of Amazon’s unsung heroes, as it’s equal parts interesting, informative and practical. And it’s available almost everywhere Amazon Video can play.
Most Amazon X-Ray features are just a tap or two away.
Screenshot by Rick Broida/CNET
Officially known as X-Ray for Movies & TV Shows, the tool instantly provides extra information about what you’re seeing onscreen at any given time: the names of actors and other shows or movies they’ve appeared in; the name of whatever music is currently playing; even trivia about a particular scene, location, bit of dialog and so on.
Where does all this data come from? X-Ray is powered by IMDb, and it’s integrated into the following devices/platforms:
- Amazon Fire tablets (excluding first-generation Kindle Fires)
- Amazon Fire TV devices
- Android phones and tablets
- iPhone and iPads
- Nintendo Wii U console
- Web browsers that support HTML5
Yes, sadly, Roku doesn’t appear on that list. Although IMDb’s X-Ray info page indicates support for both Roku and Xbox, Amazon either hasn’t deployed that support yet or has decided not to. (I double-checked my Roku box and, sure, enough, no X-Ray.)
For everything else, the service is activated by default, though it requires a live internet connection. Thus, if you’re watching, say, an Amazon Video download on your next flight and you’re not connected to Wi-Fi, you won’t get the feature.
But when you’re online, activating X-Ray is as easy as tapping the screen on your phone or tablet. If you’re watching in a browser, just move the mouse. And Wii U users can select the X-Ray menu on the GamePad.
Those actions cause the X-Ray overlay to appear, at which point you can tap or click any actor or song name to get more information. (Surprise: You can also purchase songs directly, provided they’re available from Amazon.) Once X-Ray is visible, hit View All for a wider selection of options, including a list of scenes, a complete list of actors and music and any available trivia.
That scene-list option can be useful, as it lets you quickly jump to a particular scene rather than trying to manually scan the timeline.
Beyond that, X-Ray is just a cool little extra that people tend to forget exists. Next time you’re having trouble placing that actor’s face, just X-Ray it!
AIVAnet 