The budget tablet realm was once strictly reserved for no-name devices that were shoddy at best. That's all changed with companies like Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Google itself offering up budget-friendly, high-quality tablets that put those fringe devices of yesteryear to shame. The Idolian Studio 10 falls somewhere in between, with a low $258 (direct) asking price, but some frustrating compromises. The sturdy aluminum frame and generous port selection are nice, but it suffers from Wi-Fi issues, bugs, and short battery life. If money is your greatest concern, I'd pony up the extra cash for a tablet like the Amazon Kindle Fire HD 8.9"?or save $50 with the Coby MID1065.
Design and Features Judging by outward appearances, the Studio 10 doesn't look or feel cheap. It's got a substantial, if somewhat hefty, aluminum body that feels sturdy in the hand and yields almost no flex. At 10.1 by 6.9 by 0.4 inches (HWD) and 1.29 pounds, it's in line with the MID1065 in terms of size and weight. A plastic panel along the left edge houses a microSD card slot, a 3.5mm headphone jack, micro USB and mini HDMI ports, and a DC power input. Like the MID1065, the Studio 10 syncs via micro USB, but requires the included power brick to charge. The micro USB port also supports USB OTG, and Idolian includes an adapter for plugging in peripherals like USB mice and keyboards?both of which worked fine in my tests. ?
The 1,280-by-800 pixel IPS display isn't bad, but it's unremarkable. It gets bright and viewing angles are good. Colors skew a little cool, as whites have a bit of a blue hue, and I noticed some backlight bleeding at the edges. It's neck and neck with the Coby MID1065 on the display front, while coming a bit short of tablets like the Toshiba Excite 10 SE.
This is a Wi-Fi-only tablet that connects to 802.11b/g/n networks on the 2.4GHz frequency. During testing, the Studio 10 had some trouble reconnecting to Wi-Fi when woken from sleep?there were noticeable delays even though saved networks were within range. The tablet also supports Bluetooth 2.1 and connected easily with a pair of wireless headphones
Performance and Android The Studio 10 is powered by a dual-core 1.6GHz Cortex-A9 processor with 1GB RAM and 16GB of internal storage. Performance is generally swift, and the Studio 10 did well on most of our benchmarks?besting the MID1065 in many categories. And while the MID1065 was plagued by choppy real-world performance, the Studio 10 feels much smoother in operation. Gaming performance is decent, with games like Temple Run 2 running without a hitch, but don't expect high framerates on more graphically intensive games like Real Racing 3.
The software loaded onto the Studio 10 is a mixed bag. It's running Android 4.1.1 "Jelly Bean," which is a step up from the MID1065's 4.0 "Ice Cream Sandwich," but buggy Google apps hold this tablet back. Google apps like the Play Store, Gmail, and Chrome are disabled by default?you have to dig into the settings, find Developer options, then uncheck "Hide Google Application." Idolian says it is still working out the kinks with its Google certification, but promised future firmware updates to resolve any bugs. As it stands, the Studio 10 can access the Play Store and its hundreds of thousands of apps, but I found frustrating deficiencies, like the fact that Chrome did not work during testing.
For media support, the Studio 10 handles Xvid, DivX, MPEG4, H.264, and AVI videos at up to 1080p resolution. For audio, you get MP3, AAC, FLAC, OGG, WAV, and WMA support. Screen mirroring worked fine using a mini HDMI cable, and the tablet was able to output video at 720p or 1080p resolution. If you absolutely need a camera on your tablet, there are front- and rear-facing 2-megapixel cameras, but they are not worth using?details are smudged, image noise is overwhelming, and dynamic range is non-existent.
In our battery rundown test, which loops a video with screen brightness set to max and Wi-Fi on, the Studio 10 lasted 3 hours, 56 minutes, which is disappointing. Compare that with the MID1065's 4 hours, 37 minutes or the Excite 10 SE's 7 hours, 37 minutes.
Conclusions The Idolian Studio 10 may look and feel like a more expensive tablet, but it makes a number of compromises to ring in at a budget-friendly price. Chief among them is haphazard Google apps implementation that can leave novices in the dark. And even if you know your way around Android, the Studio 10 can still give you problems. Performance-wise, it's right in line with budget options like the MID1065, which is even less expensive than the Studio 10. So if you have more room in your budget, I'd recommend a tablet like the Amazon Kindle Fire HD 8.9", which gets you a far sharper display, better performance, and a much smoother software experience.?
The Dolphins gritted their teeth and celebrated the success of the local NBA franchise that makes the local NFL franchise even less relevant locally.? And nationally.
There will be more cops at Bills games this year.? (Fans would prefer more points.)
The University of Florida connection isn?t working out for the Patriots.
Get to know Jets S Josh Bush.
Browns S T.J. Ward likes Ray Horton?s aggressive style; ?It?s an attack style, all downhill. We?re really getting after the guys. That?s what I?m most excited about,? Ward said, proving that the point can be conveyed without using terms like ?kill? or ?hurt? or ?inflict mild bruising.?
The Ravens last 2013 draft pick, CB Marc Anthony, hopes to win a job with ?physicality and versatility.?
Former Steelers K Jeff Reed did a little bragging recently about his ownership of two Super Bowl rings.
Bengals single-game tickets go on sale June 29; pre-registration was required for visits from the Steelers and the Packers.
Texans WR Andre Johnson and S Ed Reed made it to the teens on NFL Network?s Top 100 countdown.
Colts DL Ricky Jean Francois still gets advice from Donald Heaven, who played OT at Florida State when Jean Francois arrived in 2002.
Titans G Chance Warmack is trying to stay positive as he makes the transition from college to the NFL.
The enhancements to the Jaguars stadium will start after the 2013 season and are expected to be ready by the start of the 2014 season.
Chargers FB Le?Ron McClain is holding a free football camp for kids in Alabama on Saturday.
Ditto for Chiefs RB Jamaal Charles, who started his fourth annual free camp for 175 kids on Friday in Texas.
Whatever Broncos WR Wes Welker got paid this week to talk repeatedly about his hair plugs, it wasn?t nearly enough.
When news broke that actor James Gandolfini has passed, some fans thought Raiders assistant Tony Sparano had died.
Cowboys QB Tony Romo didn?t earn a spot on NFLN?s Top 100 list, after coming in at No. 91 in 2012 and No. 72 in 2011.
The Associated Press style book would seem to suggest that any publication adhering to it should not use the term Redskins.
A New Jersey accountant who allegedly scammed the state out of nearly $700,000 in false unemployment claims used the money to buy, among other things, Giants season tickets.
Kyle Shurmur, the son of Eagles offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur, is 6-4 and slated to play quarterback for La Salle High School.
The Packers have reduced from nine night training-camp practices in 2012 to zero in 2013.
Retired Bears LB Brian Urlacher is playing a lot of golf; ?The first thing on my mind when I wake up isn?t working out anymore,? Urlacher said.? ?So that?s a good thing.?
Vikings CB Xavier Rhodes arrived at Florida State as a receiver, and when he was moved to defense he initially wanted to transfer.
LB Jon Morgan is trying to win a spot on the Lions roster as an undrafted free agent.
Saints WE Marques Colston is hosting a receivers camp on Saturday for kids 10 to 18 years old.
50 sacks may be a bit unrealistic, but Panthers LB Greg Hardy could be in for a big year.
A 150-year-old church in Atlanta wants $24.5 million to move from the footprint of the Change Purse; the city has offered $15.5 million.
The Buccaneers? ?Rookie Club? spent time this week with local kids in Tampa.
So how can players like 49ers WR Michael Crabtree recover so quickly from a torn Achilles tendon?
Cardinals running backs coach Stump Mitchell is helping rookie RB Stepfan Taylor catch up after missing the offseason program due to the ridiculous, outdated, and unfair rule that prevents first-year players from working until the students at the college the players no longer attend have taken their final exams.
Seahawks DE Michael Bennett told the Real Rob Report that he?s never seen a pace like the one at Seahawks practices.
35 first-year Rams stuck around for ?Rookie Week,? an up-close introduction to St. Louis.? (Which for most of them will be completely irrelevant by September.)
Facebook says a bug in its system caused 6 million users' contact information to be inadvertently exposed.
The social media company said Friday that a bug led to users' contact information, such as email addresses or phone numbers, to be accessed by other users who either had some contact information about that person or some connection to them.
Facebook said in a blog post that the cause of the bug is "pretty technical" but that the problem is tied to its "Download Your Information" tool.
The company uses the information that users upload to better tailor the friend suggestions it issues. The bug caused some of this information to be inadvertently stored in association with a person's contact information as part of their Facebook account.
As a result, if someone downloaded an archive of their Facebook account through the "Download Your Information" tool, they may have been provided with additional addresses or telephone numbers for their contacts or people with whom they have some connection. Because the contact information was provided by other people on Facebook, it was not necessarily accurate.
Facebook said it has fixed the problem and is in the process of notifying affected users via email.
The affected accounts represent only a fraction of the over 1 billion users on the social media site.
Facebook, which is headquartered in Menlo Park, Calif., said that it has no evidence that the bug has been used maliciously and it has not received complaints.
'I'm still debating if I'm actually a celebrity,' the 'Voice' champion tells MTV News of her newfound fame. By James Montgomery, with additional reporting by Natasha Chandel
A tandem-horned rhino from the Late Miocene of China reveals origin of the unicorn elasmotherePublic release date: 21-Jun-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: DENG Tao dengtao@ivpp.ac.cn Science China Press
Although modern Indian and Javan rhinos have a single horn on their noses, the extinct one-horned rhino Elasmotherium was a source of the unicorn legend because it had a two meter-long horn on its forehead and lived with prehistoric humans that drew its image on cave paintings. All other elasmotheres had a weak or strong nasal horn, whereas Elasmotherium lost its ancestral nasal horn and instead developed a long frontal horn. Dr. DENG Tao (Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences) and his colleagues reported the first discovered skull of Sinotherium lagrelii (Figure 1) from Late Miocene red clays (~7 Ma) of the Linxia Basin, northwestern China (see Chinese Science Bulletin Vol. 58, No. 15, pages 1811-1817). The transition from a nasal horn to a frontal horn in elasmotheres has been difficult to explain because a major transformational gap exists between nasal-horned ancestors and frontal-horned descendants. This skull has connected a large posterior nasofrontal horn boss and a smaller frontal horn boss, indicating an intermediate stage to the single frontal horn of Elasmotherium. Morphological and phylogenetic analyses confirm that Sinotherium is a transitional taxon between Elasmotherium and other elasmotheres. It is positioned near the root of the giant unicorn clade and originated in a subarid steppe. A posteriorly shifted nasal horn provides more substantial support and the arched structure of the nasofrontal area is an adaptation for a huge horn. The S. lagrelii skull provides new information about the origin of the giant unicorn Elasmotherium.
Previously, S. lagrelii was only represented by cranial and mandibular fragments and isolated teeth from Late Miocene deposits in China (Baode County, Shanxi Province), Kazakhstan, and Mongolia, so its horn situation was unknown. S. lagrelii is the closest to the Pleistocene Elasmotherium in dental morphology, but the nature of its frontal horn was undetermined. This skull proves that S. lagrelii has a posteriorly displaced nasofrontal horn, derived from the configuration seen in early elasmotheres. It also has a smaller frontal horn so it differs from both Ningxiatherium (single nasal horn) and Elasmotherium (single frontal horn). It is a morphological intermediate in the nasal-to-frontal horn transition of elasmotheres that connects the evolution and biogeography of the derived elasmotheres (Figure 2).
The nasofrontal area of the skull is strongly elevated, rough, and forms a huge and hollow dome, in sharp contrast to the flat, smooth area in large nasal-horned elasmotheres, such as Iranotherium, Parelasmotherium, and Ningxiatherium. This reduces the weight of the nasal and frontal bones. The nasal horn boss is shifted posterior to reach the frontal bone and connect to the frontal horn boss. This particular horn combination has not appeared in any other extinct or extant rhinoceros. The dorsal surface of the horn bosses has many massive swellings to strengthen the adhesion of a huge nasal horn and a smaller frontal horn. The ventral surface has an ossified sagittal septum and many oblique lateral ribs that form a trussed structure of enhanced support similar to the leaf structure of the giant waterlily (Victoria). An enlarged nasal horn without other compensation would make support impossible, even with an ossified nasal septum, so the nasal horn has to shift towards the frontal bone.
The skull exhibits enormous occipital condyles, similar to other large nasal-horned elasmotheres and giant rhinos, indicating their dolichocephalic and heavy skulls. The longer skull yields great torque on the necks of elasmotheres. To retain a huge horn, elasmothere development followed two steps. First, the nasal horn shifted posteriorly to become the frontal horn and second, the dolichocephalic skull became the brachycephalic. Both changes occurred in the skull of Elasmotherium, so its occipital condyles were smaller compared to Sinotherium, and its second premolars were lost. Based on the skull, the nasal horn enlarged gradually and shifted toward the frontal bone in derived elasmotheres. Meanwhile, a smaller frontal horn developed and finally fused with the nasal horn to form a huge frontal horn. This discovery explains a distinct transverse suture on the middle of the frontal horn boss of Elasmotherium that was previously not understood. It is now determined to be a remnant of the nasal and frontal horn bosses fusing to each other.
In the previous phylogenetic analyses, the position of S. lagrelii was incompletely determined because there was no skull. Given the new discovery, the cranial characteristics of S. lagrelii place it within the monophyletic group including Sinotherium lagrelii, Elasmotherium sibericum, and E. caucasium. In this group, S. lagrelii is the most basal and connects elasmotheres possessing only a nasal horn with elasmotheres possessing only a frontal horn. This is consistent with the clade originating by the Late Miocene in China as well as Elasmotherium separating from Sinotherium in the Pliocene.
The distribution of Sinotherium in East Asia is similar to the Hipparion steppe fauna in the Late Miocene. The dolichocephalic skull, posteriorly inclined occipital surface, well-developed secondary folds, massive cement filling, and wrinkled enamel provided a means for the cheek teeth of Sinotherium to resist the abrasion of high-fiber diets and allowed it to graze on tough grasses. Sinotherium was a large rhinoceros much heavier (up to 7 tonnes) than the largest modern African white rhino (3.2.6 tonnes). If it lived by the river it would have been easy for it to get stuck in the wet mud. More likely, S. lagrelii lived in an open, usually dry environment in northern China where droughts frequently occurred (Figure 3). Early East Asian large elasmothere populations may have frequented steppe environments more often than their wet-adapted descendants in southern Russia. S. lagrelii is phylogenetically near the root of the frontal-horned elasmothere radiation. Therefore, reconstructing the species as inhabiting the steppes is an alternative to the proposal that the frontal-horned elasmotheres lived in wetter habitats near rivers.
###
This work was supported by the Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Ministry of Science and Technology of China, and the National Natural Science Foundation of China.
See the article: Deng T, Wang S Q, Hou S K, 2013. A bizarre tandem-horned elasmothere rhino from the Late Miocene of northwestern China and origin of the true elasmothere. Chinese Science Bulletin, 58(15): 1811-1817.
http://csb.scichina.com:8080/kxtbe/EN/article/downloadArticleFile.do?attachType=PDF&id=507783
Science China Press Co., Ltd. (SCP) is a scientific journal publishing company of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). For 50 years, SCP takes its mission to present to the world the best achievements by Chinese scientists on various fields of natural sciences researches.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
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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.
A tandem-horned rhino from the Late Miocene of China reveals origin of the unicorn elasmotherePublic release date: 21-Jun-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: DENG Tao dengtao@ivpp.ac.cn Science China Press
Although modern Indian and Javan rhinos have a single horn on their noses, the extinct one-horned rhino Elasmotherium was a source of the unicorn legend because it had a two meter-long horn on its forehead and lived with prehistoric humans that drew its image on cave paintings. All other elasmotheres had a weak or strong nasal horn, whereas Elasmotherium lost its ancestral nasal horn and instead developed a long frontal horn. Dr. DENG Tao (Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences) and his colleagues reported the first discovered skull of Sinotherium lagrelii (Figure 1) from Late Miocene red clays (~7 Ma) of the Linxia Basin, northwestern China (see Chinese Science Bulletin Vol. 58, No. 15, pages 1811-1817). The transition from a nasal horn to a frontal horn in elasmotheres has been difficult to explain because a major transformational gap exists between nasal-horned ancestors and frontal-horned descendants. This skull has connected a large posterior nasofrontal horn boss and a smaller frontal horn boss, indicating an intermediate stage to the single frontal horn of Elasmotherium. Morphological and phylogenetic analyses confirm that Sinotherium is a transitional taxon between Elasmotherium and other elasmotheres. It is positioned near the root of the giant unicorn clade and originated in a subarid steppe. A posteriorly shifted nasal horn provides more substantial support and the arched structure of the nasofrontal area is an adaptation for a huge horn. The S. lagrelii skull provides new information about the origin of the giant unicorn Elasmotherium.
Previously, S. lagrelii was only represented by cranial and mandibular fragments and isolated teeth from Late Miocene deposits in China (Baode County, Shanxi Province), Kazakhstan, and Mongolia, so its horn situation was unknown. S. lagrelii is the closest to the Pleistocene Elasmotherium in dental morphology, but the nature of its frontal horn was undetermined. This skull proves that S. lagrelii has a posteriorly displaced nasofrontal horn, derived from the configuration seen in early elasmotheres. It also has a smaller frontal horn so it differs from both Ningxiatherium (single nasal horn) and Elasmotherium (single frontal horn). It is a morphological intermediate in the nasal-to-frontal horn transition of elasmotheres that connects the evolution and biogeography of the derived elasmotheres (Figure 2).
The nasofrontal area of the skull is strongly elevated, rough, and forms a huge and hollow dome, in sharp contrast to the flat, smooth area in large nasal-horned elasmotheres, such as Iranotherium, Parelasmotherium, and Ningxiatherium. This reduces the weight of the nasal and frontal bones. The nasal horn boss is shifted posterior to reach the frontal bone and connect to the frontal horn boss. This particular horn combination has not appeared in any other extinct or extant rhinoceros. The dorsal surface of the horn bosses has many massive swellings to strengthen the adhesion of a huge nasal horn and a smaller frontal horn. The ventral surface has an ossified sagittal septum and many oblique lateral ribs that form a trussed structure of enhanced support similar to the leaf structure of the giant waterlily (Victoria). An enlarged nasal horn without other compensation would make support impossible, even with an ossified nasal septum, so the nasal horn has to shift towards the frontal bone.
The skull exhibits enormous occipital condyles, similar to other large nasal-horned elasmotheres and giant rhinos, indicating their dolichocephalic and heavy skulls. The longer skull yields great torque on the necks of elasmotheres. To retain a huge horn, elasmothere development followed two steps. First, the nasal horn shifted posteriorly to become the frontal horn and second, the dolichocephalic skull became the brachycephalic. Both changes occurred in the skull of Elasmotherium, so its occipital condyles were smaller compared to Sinotherium, and its second premolars were lost. Based on the skull, the nasal horn enlarged gradually and shifted toward the frontal bone in derived elasmotheres. Meanwhile, a smaller frontal horn developed and finally fused with the nasal horn to form a huge frontal horn. This discovery explains a distinct transverse suture on the middle of the frontal horn boss of Elasmotherium that was previously not understood. It is now determined to be a remnant of the nasal and frontal horn bosses fusing to each other.
In the previous phylogenetic analyses, the position of S. lagrelii was incompletely determined because there was no skull. Given the new discovery, the cranial characteristics of S. lagrelii place it within the monophyletic group including Sinotherium lagrelii, Elasmotherium sibericum, and E. caucasium. In this group, S. lagrelii is the most basal and connects elasmotheres possessing only a nasal horn with elasmotheres possessing only a frontal horn. This is consistent with the clade originating by the Late Miocene in China as well as Elasmotherium separating from Sinotherium in the Pliocene.
The distribution of Sinotherium in East Asia is similar to the Hipparion steppe fauna in the Late Miocene. The dolichocephalic skull, posteriorly inclined occipital surface, well-developed secondary folds, massive cement filling, and wrinkled enamel provided a means for the cheek teeth of Sinotherium to resist the abrasion of high-fiber diets and allowed it to graze on tough grasses. Sinotherium was a large rhinoceros much heavier (up to 7 tonnes) than the largest modern African white rhino (3.2.6 tonnes). If it lived by the river it would have been easy for it to get stuck in the wet mud. More likely, S. lagrelii lived in an open, usually dry environment in northern China where droughts frequently occurred (Figure 3). Early East Asian large elasmothere populations may have frequented steppe environments more often than their wet-adapted descendants in southern Russia. S. lagrelii is phylogenetically near the root of the frontal-horned elasmothere radiation. Therefore, reconstructing the species as inhabiting the steppes is an alternative to the proposal that the frontal-horned elasmotheres lived in wetter habitats near rivers.
###
This work was supported by the Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Ministry of Science and Technology of China, and the National Natural Science Foundation of China.
See the article: Deng T, Wang S Q, Hou S K, 2013. A bizarre tandem-horned elasmothere rhino from the Late Miocene of northwestern China and origin of the true elasmothere. Chinese Science Bulletin, 58(15): 1811-1817.
http://csb.scichina.com:8080/kxtbe/EN/article/downloadArticleFile.do?attachType=PDF&id=507783
Science China Press Co., Ltd. (SCP) is a scientific journal publishing company of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). For 50 years, SCP takes its mission to present to the world the best achievements by Chinese scientists on various fields of natural sciences researches.
[ | 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.
While the video game world is primarily focusing on the upcoming iteration of the console wars?PS4!!! No!!! XBox One!!!!?some other companies that are making moves of their own, all in effort to bring PC/mobile gaming to additional outlets. One such entry, the Nvidia SHIELD, is primarily focused on attracting Android gamers. That, however, does not mean Nvidia has forgotten about PC gamers, otherwise known as the demographic that helped make the Nvidia brand enough capital to attempt something like the SHIELD.
Before that, however, the news of day concerning the upcoming handheld/home entertainment alternative to Sony/Microsoft has to do with the announced price drop. When the SHIELD was first announced, the suggested retail prices was $350. That is until the following post showed up on Nvidia?s Facebook page:
We?ve heard from thousands of gamers that if SHIELD?s price was $299, we?d have a home run. So we?re changing the price to $299. If you?ve already pre-ordered SHIELD, you?ll be charged the new, lower price. You will only be charged when the product ships.
As for device?s appeal for PC gamers, a quick look at the information page Nvidia established reveals the SHIELD certainly has something to offer for those who may want to leave the security of the computer monitor: owners can stream some of their PC games to the handheld device. While the service will still be in beta when the SHIELD is shipped, the concept certainly has potential:
Play your favorite PC games on a full-size controller with ultra-low latency thanks to SHIELD?s game-speed Wi-Fi and the fast performance of GeForce GTX GPUs.
Of course, some PC gamers may not be comfortable with leaving their mouse/keyboard setup for something resembling a traditional handheld gaming device, but the idea of seamless stream of some favorite PC games to the palm of a player?s hand is also very attractive. In order to access SHIELD?s PC streaming capabilities, potential owners must have the following under the hood of their gaming rig:
System Requirements for PC Game Streaming: > GPU: GeForce GTX 650 or higher desktop GPU (Notebook GPUs are not supported at this time) > CPU: Intel Core i3-2100 3.1GHz or AMD Athlon II X4 630 2.8GHz or higher > System Memory: 4GB or higher > Software: GeForce Experience? application and latest GeForce drivers > OS: Windows 8 or Windows 7 > Routers: 802.11a/g router (minimum). 802.11n dual band router (recommended). A list of recommended routers will be provided at launch.
While the majority of that is standard for many gamers, the fact that you have to have a higher end Nvidia graphics card may deter some potential buyers, especially if they are buying it to stream their PC games. If some consumers have to spend another $150 or so to access that particular feature, they could abandon their potential purchase. Currently, Nvidia has a list of featured games on their information page. They include:
Batman: Arkham City Borderlands 2 Dishonored Metro: Last Light Resident Evil 6 Skyrim
Considering the infancy of the SHIELD, it makes sense that there are a limited number of PC games, however, that is quite an impressive launch list. For more about the SHIELD, check Nvidia?s demonstration video:
Dunkin' Donuts will begin selling gluten-free doughnuts and muffins across the US this year. By selling gluten-free products, Dunkin' Donuts is joining the fast-growing gluten-free food industry, which drew in $19.7 billion in revenue in the last year, according to Nielsen.
By Akane Otani,?Contributor / June 20, 2013
A girl holds a Dunkin' Donuts sugar doughnut. Dunkin' Donuts plans to sell gluten-free doughnuts and muffins in stores nationwide.
Mark Lennihan/AP/File
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Right on the heels of debuting its glazed donut breakfast sandwich, Dunkin? Donuts has shaken up its menu with another new item: gluten-free pastries.
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The baked goods and coffee chain announced Wednesday that it will sell gluten-free cinnamon-sugar doughnuts and blueberry muffins in stores nationwide this year,?making it the first fast-food chain in the US to offer gluten-free pastries.?
?We recognize the importance of providing our guests with many options, including alternative choices for people with food and dietary restrictions,? Stan Frankenthaler, Dunkin? Donuts? executive chief, said to Bloomberg.
Competing chains, including Starbucks and McDonald?s, have yet to add gluten-free pastries to their menus. But Dunkin? Donuts is hardly alone: it has jumped on a trend that has taken off in recent years, as more American consumers ??both with and without gluten intolerances ??pick up gluten-free products in grocery stores aisles.
In the last year, food stores racked up $19.7 billion in revenue from products with gluten-free labels,?beating revenue made from cholesterol-free, multigrain, and high-fiber foods, according to Nielsen in the US.
While one in every 133 Americans have celiac disease, a condition that doctors say can make gluten consumption harmful, nearly one in three adults say they want to cut down or completely eliminate their gluten consumption, according to a survey from consumer research firm NPD.
Food companies have responded. Way Better Snacks sells gluten-free tortilla chips; Canyon Bakehouse sells gluten-free bread; and Larabar sells gluten-free snack bars.
The rising popularity of ?gluten diets? may in part be fuelled by celebrities promoting gluten-free lifestyles, food industry experts say.
In 2012, tweeting to more than 12 million followers, Miley Cyrus told her fans that she lost weight because of a ?gluten and lactose allergy.? She later tweeted out a picture of herself smelling ? but not eating ? a bag of Carl?s Jr. goods.
Actress Gwyneth Paltrow, who also shuns gluten, published a cookbook in the spring that includes recipes for gluten-free sweet potato muffins, quinoa granola, and candy bars.
The pervasive talk about cutting gluten is a sign that the protein composite is overtaking other perceived health threats, according to NPD.
?A generation ago, health was about avoiding fat, cholesterol, sugar, and sodium in our diet. While those desires still exist for many, they are no longer growing concerns. Today, increasingly, more of us want to avoid gluten in our diet,? NPD said in a press release.
Whatever the reason behind it, gluten-free is likely to remain a trend in the food industry for the foreseeable future, NPD says.
Dunkin? Donuts? gluten-free doughnuts are slated to cost $1.89, while its gluten-free muffins will cost $2.39. The pastries are currently being sold in Dunkin? Donuts stores in Hartford, Conn. The company didn't say when this year they would expand to menus nationwide.?
Robert Reich's 'Why the GOP Can't learn" at HuffPo provides a lucid explanation for the Republican party's inability to grow in credibility:
...The Republican base is far more entrenched, institutionally, than was the old Democratic base. And its power is concentrated in certain states -- most of the old Confederacy plus Arizona, Alaska, Indiana, and Wisconsin -- which together exert more of a choke-hold on the Republican national party machinery than the old Democrats, spread widely but thinly over many states, exerted on the Democratic Party.
These Republican states are more homogenous and conspicuously less like the rest of America than the urbanized regions of the country that are growing more rapidly. Senators and representatives from these states naturally reflect the dominant views of their constituents -- on immigration, abortion, and gay marriage, as well as guns, marijuana, race, and dozens of other salient issues. But these views are increasingly out of step with where most of the nation is heading.
This state-centered, relatively homogenous GOP structure effectively prevents the Party from changing its stripes. Despite all the post-election rhetoric about the necessity for change emanating from GOP leaders who aspire to the national stage, the national stage isn't really what the GOP is most interested in or attuned to. It's directed inward rather than outward, to its state constituents rather than to the nation.
This structure also blocks any would-be "New Republicans" such as Chris Christie from gaining the kind of power inside the party that a New Democrat like Bill Clinton received in 1992. The only way they'd be able to attract a following inside the Party would be to commit themselves to policies they'd have to abandon immediately upon getting nominated, as Mitt Romney did with disastrous results.
As for the Republican Party's future,
The greater likelihood is a steady eclipse of the Republican Party at the national level, even as it becomes more entrenched in particular states. Those states can be expected to become regressive islands of backwardness within a nation growing steadily more progressive.
The GOP's national role will be primarily negative -- seeking to block, delay, and filibuster measures that will eventually become the law of the land in any event, while simultaneously preaching "states' rights" and praying for conservative majorities on the Supreme Court.
The increasing marginalization of the GOP may hep the Democrats win more elections. But it doesn't provide much of an incentive for Dems to pursue creative or innovative policies, as challenges from a healthier Republican Party might do. In a way, a the GOP's 'death spiral' hurts Dems too.
Apart from their hairless appearance, naked mole rats are known for several distinguishing characteristics: They have an unusually long life span for a rodent, and they seem to be protected from developing cancer. Now, researchers have pinpointed a natural substance found between the rodents' tissues that may explain their cancer resistance.
Understanding how this substance, known as hyaluronan, protects naked mole rats from developing cancerous tumors could lead to novel cancer-prevention techniques for humans, said study lead author Vera Gorbunova, a professor in the department of biology at the University of Rochester in New York.
In animals, hyaluronan is a component of the extracellular matrix (the noncellular part of tissue) and is known to hold cells and tissues together. The substance also acts as a signal to control the growth of certain cells, said Andrei Seluanov, an assistant professor in the department of biology at the University of Rochester, and co-author of the new study.
Cancer-proof
The researchers studied tissue cultures from naked mole rats and found these small, subterranean rodents produce a unique, high-molecular-mass form of hyaluronan, which they referred to as HMW-HA. When this substance was removed, Gorbunova and her colleagues found that naked mole rat cells became susceptible to tumor growth, suggesting HMW-HA plays an important role in the rodents' resistance to cancer. [10 Amazing Things You Didn't Know About Animals]
"This is unique to this species, so it's pretty amazing," Seluanov told LiveScience. "We were able to focus on the anti-cancer mechanism in naked mole rats."
Hyaluronan also keeps tissues flexible, he added, something that would be beneficial for the burrowing rodents.
"Naked mole rats need good elasticity in their skin, because they don't have any fur," Seluanov said. "When they move through their tunnels, it's important that they do not rupture their skin."
The demands of their subterranean lifestyle may explain why naked mole rats developed higher levels of hyaluronan in their skin in the first place, the researchers said.
"What excites me is that this is just one component of a whole mosaic of strange characteristics that these animals have produced due to extreme adaptations to living underground," said Chris Faulkes, a molecular ecology researcher at the Queen Mary University of London, who was not involved with the study.
In this way, natural selection may have influenced the cell biology of naked mole rats, he added.
"This high-molecular-mass hyaluronan may have been produced to give naked mole rats highly elastic skin so they don't get stuck in burrows, and it's almost a side consequence that it seems to be useful in preventing cancer as well," Faulkes told LiveScience.
Clinical applications
Whereas humans also produce hyaluronan naturally, it is in much smaller quantities, and the physical properties are different, according to the researchers. Still, determining the anti-cancer mechanism in naked mole rats could have far-reaching clinical applications for humans.
"By looking at this completely weird and unusual organism, we can find some novel mechanisms that apply across mammals," Faulkes said. "Understanding some of these amazing things could have broad applicability for human health."
Because of its elastic properties, hyaluronan injections are already used in clinical settings, most notably in dermatology and as a pain reliever for people with arthritis in knee joints, Seluanov explained. So far, no significant side effects have been reported, the researchers said.
In the future, the researchers plan to investigate whether HMW-HA can effectively protect human cells from cancer.
"We are very optimistic that the anticancer mechanism we found in the naked mole rat can be translated to humans," Gorbunova said.
The detailed results of the study were published online today (June 19) in the journal Nature.
Follow Denise Chow on Twitter @denisechow. Follow LiveScience @livescience, Facebook?& Google+. Original article on?LiveScience.com.
Copyright 2013 LiveScience, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
The province is investing more funds in Nova Scotian mineral exploration projects that will create more jobs and improve the rural economy.
"Through the province's mineral incentive program, we are increasing and promoting mineral exploration, which can lead to new discoveries, new mines, and good-paying jobs in Nova Scotia," said Natural Resources Minister Charlie Parker. "The program improves the province's competitiveness and meets one of the goals of the natural resources strategy by attracting new investment to Nova Scotia from a global minerals industry."
About $600,000 in grants will be distributed. Fifteen companies received $412,000 in funding for advanced exploration projects. Sixteen Nova Scotian prospectors, mostly locally based, received $180,000 in grants for preliminary mineral exploration activities. Advanced exploration grants are matched by funding from the company.
"The mineral incentive program supports mineral exploration that can lead to new mines, providing good jobs and economic development in rural Nova Scotia," said Sean Kirby, executive director of the Mining Association of Nova Scotia. "It is an important tool for encouraging exploration and attracting investment, and we are very pleased that the government is continuing the program."
The province announced support for a mineral incentive program in March 2012. Under the program, grants of up to $100,000 are available for advanced exploration projects. Grants of up to $15,000 are available to eligible prospectors for preliminary mineral exploration activities.
Prospectors are also eligible for funding to support introductory and continuing training on exploration techniques, safety, regulations and business development.
Program details and information on the funded projects are available at www.gov.ns.ca/natr/meb/nsmip/nsmip.asp .
FOR BROADCAST USE:
?????The province is investing more funds in Nova Scotian
mineral exploration projects that will create more jobs and
improve the rural economy.
?????Natural Resources Minister Charlie Parker says the
province's mineral incentive program is increasing and
promoting mineral exploration, which can lead to new
discoveries, new mines, and good-paying jobs in Nova Scotia.
?????About 600-thousand dollars in grants will be
distributed. Sixteen Nova Scotian prospectors received a total
of 180-thousand dollars in grants for preliminary mineral
exploration activities. Fifteen companies received a total of
412-thousand dollars in funding for advanced exploration
projects. Advanced exploration grants are matched by funding
from the company.
-30-
Media Contact: Bruce Nunn ????????????? 902-424-2354 ????????????? Cell: 902-476-6454 ????????????? E-mail: nunnbx@gov.ns.ca
June 19, 2013 ? Differences between Martian meteorites and rocks examined by a NASA rover can be explained if Mars had an oxygen-rich atmosphere 4000 million years ago -- well before the rise of atmospheric oxygen on Earth 2500m years ago.
Scientists from Oxford University investigated the compositions of Martian meteorites found on Earth and data from NASA's 'Spirit' rover that examined surface rocks in the Gusev crater on Mars. The fact that the surface rocks are five times richer in nickel than the meteorites was puzzling and had cast doubt on whether the meteorites are typical volcanic products of the red planet.
'What we have shown is that both meteorites and surface volcanic rocks are consistent with similar origins in the deep interior of Mars but that the surface rocks come from a more oxygen-rich environment, probably caused by recycling of oxygen-rich materials into the interior,' said Professor Bernard Wood, of Oxford University's Department of Earth Sciences, who led the research reported in this week's Nature.
'This result is surprising because while the meteorites are geologically 'young', around 180 million to 1400 million years old, the Spirit rover was analysing a very old part of Mars, more than 3700 million years old.'
Whilst it is possible that the geological composition of Mars varies immensely from region to region the researchers believe that it is more likely that the differences arise through a process known as subduction -- in which material is recycled into the interior. They suggest that the Martian surface was oxidised very early in the history of the planet and that, through subduction, this oxygen-rich material was drawn into the shallow interior and recycled back to the surface during eruptions 4000 million years ago. The meteorites, by contrast, are much younger volcanic rocks that emerged from deeper within the planet and so were less influenced by this process.
Professor Wood said: 'The implication is that Mars had an oxygen-rich atmosphere at a time, about 4000 million years ago, well before the rise of atmospheric oxygen on earth around 2500 million years ago. As oxidation is what gives Mars its distinctive colour it is likely that the 'red planet' was wet, warm and rusty billions of years before Earth's atmosphere became oxygen rich.'
LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's Department of Health is considering cutting some drug prices by between 10 and 20 percent as part of a drive to ensure the state healthcare system gets good value for money.
Governments across Europe have been taking a tough line on medicine costs as stagnant economic growth hits budgets.
The planned price cuts would apply to branded drugs not covered by the voluntary Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme (PPRS) - a long-standing arrangement between government and the drugs industry.
A consultation on the price cuts was announced on Thursday as the government set out plans to study the benefits that medicines bring to wider society.
"We cannot simply spend more and more on drugs - this would mean spending less and less elsewhere," health minister Lord Howe said in a statement.
The country's healthcare cost agency, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), will study the impact drugs can have on people's ability to work or contribute to the economy and society.
"A drug that brings a lot of extra benefits may justify the NHS (National Health Service) paying more, but equally the NHS might pay less for a drug that does not deliver wider benefits," Howe said.
NICE will be responsible for assessing new medicines as part of a novel system of "value-based pricing" that the government plans to bring in from January 2014.
The new system will initially apply only to new branded prescription drugs, since it would not be feasible to carry out a value-based assessment for each medicine already on the market.
(Reporting by Ben Hirschler; editing by Keith Weir and Elaine Hardcastle)
Three friends at the University of Toronto put together a robot for a final course project that does a lot more than a Roomba.
Paul Grouchy, a student of Creative Applications for Mobile Devices at the University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and friends Rene Rail-lp and Hao Yan culminated coursework with an "Android Robotic Manipulator" -- tough work for a final, but it wasn't all about screwdrivers, soldering irons and servos.
Watch as they interact with their new animated friend -- playing ball, eating cereal, even drying the dishes.
Verified video uploaded to YouTube by Paul Grouchy.
On the slightly serious side, their design shows the amazing potential for robotics -- and as soon as it can be taught to clean toilets, we'll put together some investment capital.
?Legacies of Empires: Power and Diversity in Rome, Budapest and Istanbul? Program Director: Ruggero Taradel, French & Italian Studies Co-Instructor: Erin Clowes, CHID
Application deadline: July 3rd, 2013
?The goal of this program is to reveal how our world of nation states is a very recent and fragile historical phenomenon. For many centuries, vast empires ruled and determined the lives and destinies of diverse peoples. Many of the ideas, ideals, ideologies and policies of the Roman, Byzantine, Hapsburg and Ottoman Empires are still relevant to understanding the often contradictory and unresolved issues of today?s world. This program will allow students to investigate these ideas and relationships in the sites where they once flourished.
?Students can learn more ? and apply ? via our website:
?Note on security issues: we are closely monitoring the security situation in Turkey, and if it is not deemed safe for travel in Winter 2014, we will reroute that portion of the program to Vienna.
June 19, 2013 ? In fall 2012, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) approved the modified adeno-associated virus AAV-LPL S447X as the first ever gene therapy for clinical use in the Western world. uniQure, a Dutch biotech company, had developed AAV-LPL S447X for the treatment of a rare inherited metabolic disease called lipoprotein lipase deficiency (LPLD) which affects approximately one or two out of one million people. The disease causes severe, life-threatening inflammations of the pancreas. Afflicted individuals carry a defect in the gene coding for the lipoprotein lipase enzyme which is necessary for breakdown of fatty acids. AAV-LPLS447X shall be used as a viral vector to deliver an intact gene copy to affected cells.
The viruses modified for gene therapy cannot integrate their DNA into the host cell genome, because they lack a particular enzyme needed for this. Nevertheless, integration may happen occasionally. "We had to exclude that AAV-LPLS447X tends to integrate at sites in the genome where this integration might activate cancer-promoting genes. This is exactly what had been observed with a virus used for gene therapy," says Dr. Manfred Schmidt, a molecular biologist. Schmidt leads a research group at NCT Heidelberg and DKFZ that studies the safety of gene-therapeutic methods.
In collaboration with scientists from uniQure, the Heidelberg researchers analyzed the genome of five LPLD patients who had been treated with AAV-LPLS447X . In addition, they also studied mice following intramuscular or intravenous administration of the therapeutic virus.
The analysis of 15 million individual genomes of five treated patients showed, as expected, that AAV-LPLS447X rarely integrates into the genome of the host cells (fewer than 1 out of 1,000 AAV-LPLS447X particles). In most cases, the viral genome persists in the cytoplasm as a separate structure. If it is integrated, this happens at random sites. The researchers did not find any tendency for integration at particular sites in the genome.
Christine Kaeppel and Raffaele Fronza, first authors of the article, were very surprised to discover the AAV-LPLS447X genome in the so-called mitochondrial genome. Mitochondria are tiny membrane-enclosed structures that generate energy for the cell. They are the only cellular component aside from the nucleus containing DNA. "An adeno-associated virus has never before been observed to integrate into the mitochondrial genome on its own," reported the scientists.
"For the first time, we have thoroughly analyzed in AAV-treated patients whether and where the viral genome integrates. Now we can regard AAV-LPLS447X as safe. Those few cases where we have observed integration of viral DNA in muscle cells are barely relevant in view of all the reconstructions and rearrangements that are permanently taking place in our DNA anyway," says study director Schmidt.
AAV-LPLS447X is considered to be a prototype vector for gene therapy. "If AAV-LPLS447X stands the test, other gene therapies against more common diseases such as Huntington's disease or Parkinson's might also become possible," says Schmidt. In addition, a growing number of diseases have been found to be linked to alterations in mitochondrial genes. The newly discovered property of the AAV vector might also prove useful for correcting genetic defects in human mitochondrial DNA.
(Reuters) - Marathon Oil Corp said on Thursday that Chairman and Chief Executive Clarence Cazalot will retire December 31 and be replaced by a senior Exxon Mobil Corp executive.
Lee Tillman, 51, currently vice president of engineering for Exxon Mobil's development unit, will become Marathon Oil's CEO in 2014, the company said in a statement.
Dennis Reilley, Marathon Oil's current lead director, will be nominated to become non-executive chairman once Cazalot retires, the company said.
(Reporting by Ernest Scheyder; Editing by Gerald E. McCormick)
A newly discovered group of 36 stars seems to be pulsating regularly, but only once every 2 to 20 hours?? many times slower than any known pulsar.
By Liz Fuller-Wright,?Correspondent / June 12, 2013
This spectacular group of young stars is the open star cluster NGC 3766, about 20 million years old and located 7,000 light-years away in the constellation of Centaurus (The Centaur). Astronomers from the Geneva Observatory claim that 36 of the stars are of a new and unknown class of variable star.
MPG/ESO 2.2-metre telescope / La Silla Observatory / ESO
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Isaac Asimov reportedly said, "The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds new discoveries, is not "Eureka!" but "Hmm. That's funny..."?
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Recently, a group of Swiss astronomers found something very funny indeed: slowly pulsating stars. Pulsating stars, a type of variable stars, typically pulse quickly ? from?a few times per hour?to over a thousand times per second. But these newly discovered stars are brightening only once every two to 20 hours.
?The very existence of this new class of variable stars is a challenge to astrophysicists,? says Sophie Saesen, a member of the research team, in a press release.
Not only are these stars incredibly slow, but their pulse is weak: they're only getting only 0.1 percent brighter with each pulse. Spotting such a tiny variation, with such a remarkably slow period, took astronomers years.
?We have reached this level of sensitivity thanks to the high quality of the observations, combined with a very careful analysis of the data,? says Nami Mowlavi, leader of the research team, ?but also because we have carried out an extensive observation programme that lasted for seven years."
The telescope they used, a Swiss 1.2-metre Euler telescope at the European Southern Observatory's?La Silla Observatory in Chile, is too small for most astronomy, which turned out to be a blessing, says Dr. Mowlave, who is based at the Geneva Observatory. "It probably wouldn?t have been possible to get so much observing time on a bigger telescope.?
For seven years, the research team observed more than 3,000 young stars in the star cluster NGC 3766?for a few weeks each year. They found variable stars ? 163 of them ? including 36 that seem to break all the rules of pulsars. In fact, they held off on labeling the stars "pulsars," choosing the less controversial label of "periodic variable stars," though they said that they expect the scientific community to confirm that they are, in fact, pulsars.
So what's a pulsar, anyway?
Pulsars, stars whose brightness appears to "pulse" at regular intervals, were first identified in 1967. Almost fifty years later, astronomers still haven't figured out exactly why they pulse, but most agree on this much:
Pulsars are born in supernovae. When a massive star explodes, its core is compressed into a neutron star: a star with no protons or electrons, just an unbelievably dense lump of neutrons, about 10 trillion times denser than lead, spinning incredibly quickly.
Think about a figure skater with her arms outstretched. When she pulls them in, she spins faster and faster, not because she's adding effort, but because the original energy of her spin is now being applied over a smaller radius. Now imagine that she started as a spinning star ? a star many times larger than our own sun ? and then shrunk down to a rock a few miles across. Now that's a fast spin.
As the neutron star whips around, its energy generates a beam of light (or X-rays, or gamma rays, or radio waves), shining out along its magnetic axis ? which may not be the same as its rotational axis. The gap between the magnetic and rotational axes allows the beam to be visible once every rotation. That's the pulse that gives pulsars their name.
Eventually, the star slows down, and it no longer produces a beam of radiation. Astronomers call this the "death line." Neutron stars cross the "death line" between 10 and 100 million years after their supernova. That time limit on pulsars is one reason astronomers look for pulsars in groups of young stars, like NGC 3766, which is about 20 million years old.
Astronomers have found pulsars that spin every few milliseconds, while the slowest-known X-ray pulsars spin only once or twice an hour.
If these newly discovered variable stars are confirmed as pulsars, despite spinning only once every 2 to 20 hours, then they're long past the "death line" ? which means that the whole theory of how pulsars are formed might need to be revised.
Little Green Men
The first pulsar ever found was spotted by a young graduate student, Jocelyn Bell, who saw it tick-tick-ticking like a metronome every 1.33 seconds. Unable to imagine what could have caused such a regular signal, Bell and her advisor began to wonder if intelligent aliens were flashing a signal at Earth. They began to describe the unknown source of the pulses as LGM-1, for Little Green Men.
As she described it later,
"We did not really believe that we had picked up signals from another civilization, but obviously the idea had crossed our minds and we had no proof that it was an entirely natural radio emission. It is an interesting problem ? if one thinks one may have detected life elsewhere in the universe how does one announce the results responsibly? Who does one tell first?"
Fortunately, before they made the big announcement that they had proof of alien intelligence, Bell found another pulsar in another part of the sky ? and then two more. Even the most eager alien hunter would have found it unlikely that four different groups of aliens were all flashing signals at the same speed.
In 1974, Bell's advisor, Antony Hewish, was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics for the discovery of pulsars, making him the first astronomer to win the prize. Bell did not share in the prize.
In 1993, another Nobel Prize was awarded for research on variable stars, this time to the team that discovered eclipsing binaries ? and used them to confirm Albert Einstein's theory of general relativity.
Richmond fear no one, even if it's a desperate Adelaide being urged to fight to the death.
Buoyed by the outstanding round-10 away win over West Coast, Tigers coach Damien Hardwick says his team can handle whatever Adelaide throw at them in Saturday's crucial AFL match at the MCG.
"Realistically, it's up to your playing group," Hardwick said before Thursday's training.
"As a coaching group, we can sit there and we think we have all the answers, but the players control the destiny of the football club.
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"They play a controlled brand of footy that offensively can get us up and going.
"We don't think we fear anyone in the competition."
But Hardwick has warned the Tigers of a much different Adelaide to the rabble that surrendered so meekly to Sydney last weekend.
Crows coach Brenton Sanderson said this week that his team cannot afford a loss to Richmond and said they must "fight to the death".
The Tigers are ninth and Adelaide are one spot below them, with a game in hand.
Hardwick doubts he has seen a side play as well as Sydney did against Adelaide, but added the Crows had a bad day.
He doubts last year's preliminary finalists will turn up their toes again a week later.
"We spoke to our players about Adelaide, both (on) Tuesday and today, just about (how) every side is entitled to have a bad game," Hardwick said.
"Adelaide are a better side than that and they'll come out and play a better brand of football.
"It will be more physical, as Brenton said this week, so we're certainly under no illusions ... we're going to have our hands full."
Richmond are coming off the bye and Hardwick said it had been good for his team, despite the potential loss of momentum.
"The pleasing thing for us is we certainly get some players back over the course of having (a week) off," he said.
"From our point of view, it came at a good time.
The Tigers have regained Reece Conca and Brandon Ellis from injury.
Conca has not played since round four because of a foot problem.
Shane Edwards has also recovered from the eye injury he suffered against West Coast.
A teaser of a Samsung phone capable of spending some time underwater with a curiously familiar set of hardware buttons underneath the screen? Sure looks like the Galaxy S4 Active to us, and AT&T is ready to unveil its rendition of the water-resistant device to the nation tomorrow, according to a video it released on YouTube today. The teaser shows a few angles of the phone shrouded in darkness, as well as some shots of it hanging out in a glass full of water. Finally, it wraps up its 57-second presentation telling us that we'll find out more on June 13th. Take a look-see for yourself below the break, and then keep your eyes peeled for more news about the Active tomorrow
Update: we just received a screenshot from an anonymous tipster that also confirms the Active is coming, and will be offered in two colors at launch: Dive Blue and Urban Gray. [Thanks, Anonymous!]
WASHINGTON (AP) ? The government reported Wednesday that the U.S. budget deficit widened in May by $139 billion. But the annual deficit stayed on track to finish below $1 trillion for the first time since 2008.
Steady economic growth and higher tax rates have boosted the government's tax revenue. At the same time, government spending has barely increased.
With the May increase, the deficit through the first eight months of this budget year totaled $626 billion, according to the Treasury. That's $218 billion lower than the same period last year.
The Congressional Budget Office estimates the deficit won't grow much before the budget year ends on Sept. 30. It forecasts an annual deficit of $642 billion. If correct, that would be well below last year's deficit of $1.09 trillion and the lowest in five years. It would still be the fifth-largest deficit in U.S. history.
The federal deficit represents the annual difference between the government's spending and the tax revenues it takes in. Each deficit contributes to the national debt, which recently topped $16 trillion. At the same time, a smaller deficit has taken pressure off of negotiations to raise the federal borrowing limit.
So far this budget year, revenue has risen 15 percent to $1.8 trillion. The government is taking in more money because of higher rates that went into effect on Jan. 1. Modest economic growth has also boosted tax revenue.
And this month the government is expecting large dividend payments from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which will keep the deficit from growing. Fannie is expected to pay $59.4 billion; Freddie is expected pay $7 billion. The mortgage giants are profitable again and are paying dividends to the government in return for the loans they received during the financial crisis.
While revenue has increased greatly, spending has only risen 0.8 percent this year to $2.43 billion.
Military spending has dropped 4.3 percent, reflecting the winding down of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Spending on unemployment benefits, which had swelled as millions lost their jobs during the Great Recession, fell 25.3 percent compared with the same period a year ago.
Across-the-board government spending cuts that began on March 1 are expected to lower spending further in the remaining months of this budget year.
The deficit reached a record $1.41 trillion in budget year 2009, which began four months before President Barack Obama took office. That deficit was largely because of the worst recession since the Great Depression. Tax revenue plummeted, while the government spent more on stimulus programs.
The budget gaps in 2010 and 2011 were slightly lower than the 2009 deficit as a gradually strengthening economy generated more tax revenue.
President George W. Bush also ran annual deficits through most of his two terms in office after he won approval for broad tax cuts and launched wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
The last time the government ran an annual surplus was in 2001.
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Public release date: 21-Jun-2013
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