Come springtime, many of us will be sniffling from seasonal allergies. Scientists recently identified some potentially fundamental differences between people with runny-nose allergies and those withoutand it has to do with nose fungi. An international team of researchers say people with allergy-induced sniffles and asthma have different fungal communities in their noses than symptom-free individuals. Their findings, detailed in a December 17 study published in the journal Frontiers in Microbiology, could have important applications for future allergy and asthma treatments. We showed that allergic rhinitis samples displayed a significantly higher fungal diversity and a different fungal community structure compared to those of healthy controls, Lus Delgado of the University of Porto, who participated in the study, said in a Frontiers in Microbiology statement. Allergic rhinitis is the medical term for allergy symptoms such as a blocked or runny nose, sneezing, itching, and inflamed nasal membranes. This may suggest that allergic rhinitis increases the diversity and changes the composition of the upper airways microbiome, Delgado added. Allergic rhinitis is often linked to asthma, which also involves inflammation and blocked airways. The researchers suggest that allergic rhinitis and asthma may be two aspects of the same underlying condition.The team, including researchers from The George Washington University, took nasal swabs from 215 patients from an immunology and asthma clinic in Porto, Portugal, in addition to 125 healthy individuals. Of the patients from the clinic, 155 had both allergic rhinitis and asthma, 47 had only allergic rhinitis, and 12 had only asthma. They then sequenced the DNA of the fungi from the nasal swabs and detected common fungi that have been recognized in humans as allergenic or opportunistic pathogenic fungi, said Delgado.This confirms at fungal level what is already known for bacteria, that the nasal cavity is a major reservoir for opportunistic pathogens that can cause allergic rhinitis and asthma, the researchers wrote in the study. While these pathogenic fungi were discovered in all samples, Delgado and his colleagues found that clinic patients had richer and more diverse fungal communities in their noses than healthy individuals. Additionally, the team noted evidence suggesting that the fungi of patients with both respiratory diseases are impacting the noses immune environment. Perhaps most importantly, however, they also found a surplus of 5-aminoimidazole ribonucleotidea chemical compound associated with energy metabolism and DNA synthesisin the noses of patients with both respiratory diseases. The scientists suggest that, with further research, this potential association could direct future therapeutics to target AIR to treat or diagnose sniffly allergies and asthma.The team plans to conduct follow-up studies, giving hope to the hundreds of millions of people that tell their friends that it really is just allergies every time they reach for a tissue.

Penitentiary Warehouse / Buro NordSave this picture! Stijn Poelstra | Maarten MeesterArchitects: Buro NordAreaArea of this architecture projectArea:1200 mYearCompletion year of this architecture project Year: 2024 PhotographsPhotographs:Stijn Poelstra | Maarten Meester Lead Architects: Maarten Meester More SpecsLess SpecsSave this picture!Text description provided by the architects. The store is one of the labor facilities in the penitentiary complex. This building takes a special place within the penitentiary regime. It is a social environment where inmates can earn some extra money and gain work experience. Important considering their resocialization after serving their sentence.Save this picture!Save this picture!The work building consists of three zones; expedition, (grocery) shop and supporting / supervision facilities. In order to make the flexibility and adaptivity capacity of the building as great as possible, the construction consists of trusses with a large span within which the space can be freely divided. Facades and interior walls are not load-bearing and can be modified quite easily. Stability of the construction is generated by cross-braces in two directions between the columns. On the side of the expedition areas, the trusses form a canopy with a generous overhang under which loading and unloading can take place in a dry and sheltered environment.Save this picture!Save this picture!Focus point in the design is to contribute to the inmates' perspective on life outside the walls. By turning the store into a spacious, light and comfortable space in which all security components are (invisible) integrated into the design as carefully as possible. The use of warm, robust materials has created a working environment that can withstand a knock or two, but with a comfortable appearance.Save this picture!Sustainability and circularity have become a fundamental pillar in the justice housing policy in recent years. The construction of the store consists of columns and trusses made of CLT wood. The facades are made of untreated thermally modified wood and polycarbonate cladding. The plinth is made of prefabricated epoxy concrete elements.Save this picture!Save this picture!The structure, facade and roof can be completely dismantled, so that the store can be moved to another location in the complex (or outside) over time.Save this picture!Project gallerySee allShow lessProject locationAddress:Vught, The NetherlandsLocation to be used only as a reference. It could indicate city/country but not exact address.About this officeMaterialsWoodPlasticMaterials and TagsPublished on December 22, 2024Cite: "Penitentiary Warehouse / Buro Nord" 22 Dec 2024. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/1024461/penitentiary-warehouse-buro-nord&gt ISSN 0719-8884Save!ArchDaily?You've started following your first account!Did you know?You'll now receive updates based on what you follow! Personalize your stream and start following your favorite authors, offices and users.Go to my stream

Hayat Restaurant / Ivy StudioSave this picture! ALEX LESAGEArchitects: Ivy StudioAreaArea of this architecture projectArea:1500 mPhotographsPhotographs:ALEX LESAGEMore SpecsLess SpecsSave this picture!Text description provided by the architects. Located on De La Commune Street in Montreal, Hayat offers a luxurious and truly authentic dining experience directly across from the city's famous Old Port.Save this picture!Save this picture!This Middle Eastern restaurant's colour palette was inspired by the earthy tones of the Syrian deserts and their surrounding greenery. The sinuous ceiling lines mimic the smooth landscapes of the area, while guiding guests through the dining space. The entire ceiling and most walls were painted a warm and inviting cream colour, while the existing structure and window frames were coated with a deep charcoal paint. The ancient stone walls at the front and rear facades were, on the other hand, left intact to showcase the building's history.Save this picture!Save this picture!The 1500 square foot space holds one main dining room, a bar, a kitchen and private washrooms. The dining area is an open space with wooden floors and scattered tables. Above, a series of curved fabric bannisters come together to make a central light piece, surrounded by several sleek beige pendant fixtures. Enclosing the space, one long banquette follows the peripheral walls and two private booths are set for larger groups. Each seat is upholstered with forest green leather and their back rests with a silky pink velvet. Right behind, the kitchen is separated from the dining room by a walnut and hammered glass partition, revealing only glimpses of the action that occurs during service.Save this picture!The bar offers a more intimate setting, with only a few bar stools and a chef's table. This cozy ambiance is enhanced with the dimmed, individual bespoke light fixtures that are placed on the bar between diners. A striking teal, cream and pistachio marble covers the bar structure itself, somewhat replicating the stone walls behind. The overall intention of the palette was to bring together the worlds of Middle Eastern nature and Old Montreal construction.Save this picture!Save this picture!All of the millwork is built with natural dark walnut. Aside from the bar, 2 other marbles cover the tables and service stations, each contributing their own touch of colour into the space. Besides the central fixture and scattered pendant globes, the general lighting in the room comes from a multitude of indirect lighting sources. Whether it be on the ceiling, behind the walls or under the millwork, multiple dimmed linear lights come together to create an invitingly warm glow throughout the restaurant.Save this picture!Project gallerySee allShow lessProject locationAddress:Montreal, CanadaLocation to be used only as a reference. It could indicate city/country but not exact address.About this officeIvy StudioOfficePublished on December 22, 2024Cite: "Hayat Restaurant / Ivy Studio" 22 Dec 2024. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/1023893/hayat-restaurant-ivy-studio&gt ISSN 0719-8884Save!ArchDaily?You've started following your first account!Did you know?You'll now receive updates based on what you follow! Personalize your stream and start following your favorite authors, offices and users.Go to my stream

It might seem odd to suggest that a game filled to the brim with tough-as-nails twitch action games, thinky arcade puzzlers, and even a full-blown narrative RPG is not nostalgic, but UFO 50, a compilation of 50 retro-inspired games of varying sizes, is full of surprises. It has its influences, of course. Magical Garden pulls on Snake. Valtress is something of a cross between Kid Icarus and Downwell. It has a steady dedication to looking and sounding like games of the past. However, UFO 50 draws as much on 2000s era game jam culture as the NES itself. Rather than a mere evocation of retro titles, UFO 50 has a longing for creative constriction. Each individual game's simplicity serves a widening and deepening, a desire to pull as much as possible out of every pixel. UFO 50 creates the feeling of wide-openness, that video games can be anything. This is a feeling that has only thrived on the margins in video games and thus un-markable as a generalized nostalgia. When big business wants you to believe the new hotness represents all that video games can be, it is refreshing to look backward and forward at once.To my mind, UFO 50's retro aesthetic serves two purposes. First, it keeps games resource-light. Each game is bare in construction, often lacking explicit tutorialization. Most games have a mere six buttons to play with. It maintains the mysterious workings and iterations of arcade games, without the quarter-munching business model. Each game can only be so big lest it outscope the rest. So, the focus is on mechanical density and complexity, on the kind of replayability that comes from careful design, not endless racks of content. The feeling is closer to setting up an emulator loaded with cult classics than to a childhood memory of getting an 8-bit console for Christmas.Second, the retro vibes focus on each game's individual decisions and ideas. Some of UFO 50's games--like Campanella, its sequel, and The Big Bell Race--have obvious relationships to each other. Others--like the surreal Waldorf's Journey and the strategic Avianos--feel as if they come from different worlds. However, all of UFO 50's games feel as if they are made of the same component parts: pixels, code, a few buttons. Yet there is so much possibility. The simplicity draws out the span of what is possible. It makes each new trick feel remarkable.Continue Reading at GameSpot

As lighthearted as One Piece is as a franchise, there are quite a few notable moments in the series that are incredibly dark. While dark moments serve to shock and surprise the viewers in any story, this is felt even more in One Piece because of its otherwise friendly, colorful, and adventurous tone. Although these instances are few and far between, they go down in the eyes of fans as some of the most important and harrowing in the series.

Sandbox games offer players unparalleled freedom to explore, create, and shape their virtual worlds without the confines of a linear structure. These games often provide vast, open-world environments, a range of activities to enjoy, and open-ended gameplay, fostering creativity and immersion.

Tabletop RPGs have left an indelible mark on the gaming world, serving as the blueprint for many mechanics and features now commonplace in video games. From the intricate character customization rooted in paper sheets, to the strategic depth of turn-based combat, the influence of tabletop RPGs is evident across genres and titles.

In the weeks before the release of Sonic the Hedgehog 3, comedian and actor Ben Schwartz sat down with Polygon to confront the shadows that lurk in every hedgehog.In this, the third installment of the Polygon x Ben Schwartz Sonic Interview Series, each question has its own, more existentially challenging shadow question. Ben tackles them with a vigor and enthusiasm fitting of a Guy Who Is Sonic Sometimes.Ben talks about aging, hurting, growing as a person, Jeff Fowlers directorial finesse, Final Fantasy dream roles, search engine optimization, and who gets what on their chili dog. He also has some startlingly late revelations about Sonics sidekick Miles Tails Prower.Sonic the Hedgehog 3, which also stars Jim Carrey, Keanu Reeves, Idris Elba, Colleen OShaughnessey, Tika Sumpter, and James Marsden hits theaters on Dec. 20. You can check out our full review right here. And if you havent, go watch our previous installments:

Pokmon Gos Dual Destiny season has begun, lasting from Dec. 3 until March 4, 2025. This means that theres a new set of Special Research to complete, though all the steps wont be immediately available. The steps will likely be themed around different events that occur during the season, so while you may only be able to do a few now, the rest will unlock later.To unlock this research, you just need to login during the season. Once its started, youll have an unlimited amount of time to finish it even after the season ends in March.The Dual Destiny season has shifted spawns, added new Pokmon to find in Max Battles, and changed research breakthroughs as well (though, yes, Furfrou is still in the pool).Steps one and two of the Dual Destiny research was added as part of the Not My Cup of Tea event, alongside the release of Sinistea. Steps three and four were added as part of the Holiday Part 2 event.Below, we list the Dual Destiny Special Research steps that are currency available.Dual Destiny step 1 of 10Catch 25 Pokmon (25 Pok Balls)Spin 10 PokStops or gyms (10 Pinap Berries)Explore 3 km (Snorlax encounter)Rewards: 2,500 XP, 2,500 StardustDual Destiny step 2 of 10Catch 50 Pokmon (1 Lure Module)Collect 500 Max Particles (2,500 Stardust)Win a Max Battle (1 Rare Candy)Rewards: 2,500 XP, 2,500 StardustDual Destiny step 3 of 10Catch 25 Pokmon (25 Great Balls)Hatch 3 eggs (2,500 Stardust)Complete 10 Field Research Tasks (1 Silver Pinap Berry)Rewards: Delibird encounter, 2,500 XP, 2,500 StardustDual Destiny step 4 of 10Catch 50 Pokmon (2,500 XP)Earn 25,000 XP (2,500 Stardust)Earn 10,000 Stardust (Sandygast encounter)Rewards: 1 Star Piece, 2,500 XP, 2,500 StardustDual Destiny step 5 of 10This step is coming at a later date. Well update this guide with more information as it becomes available.

Apple is working on the next generation of AirPods Pro, and they may come packing some new health features, according to Bloombergs Mark Gurman. In the Power On newsletter this weekend, Gurman reports that Apple has been testing features including temperature sensing and heart rate monitoring for the earbuds. So far, Apple has found that the Apple Watch still does the latter better, but the AirPods arent terribly far off in their readings, he writes.The company has also reportedly revived its idea of putting cameras into AirPods, a rumor weve heard a few times over the last year. According to Gurman, Apple now considers it a priority as it works to bolster its AI services. But, itd likely be years before any camera-equipped AirPods make their debut. As for heart rate monitoring, that may appear much sooner. Gurman writes, The capability could be ready for the next-generation AirPods Pro, which are in early development.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/headphones/apples-next-airpods-pro-could-offer-heart-rate-and-temperature-monitoring-175757188.html?src=rss