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WWW.ARCHDAILY.COMNaxxar House / AP VallettaNaxxar House / AP VallettaSave this picture! Julian VassalloResidential Architecture, HousesNaxxar, MaltaArchitects: AP VallettaAreaArea of this architecture projectArea:500 mYearCompletion year of this architecture project Year: 2023 PhotographsPhotographs:Julian VassalloMore SpecsLess SpecsSave this picture!Text description provided by the architects. Located within the locality of Naxxar, distinguishable by its architectural heritage value, the project comprises the refurbishment and extension of an existing 18th-century Palazzino. The property has found itself just outside the perimeter of the designated Urban Conservation Area, leading to recent higher apartment block developments arising in the immediate vicinity of the property, thus dwarfing the low-rise residence and overlooking the garden of the property.Save this picture!Save this picture!The proposed interventions are in response to the family's programmatic requirements and intentions towards the house, with a special sensitivity to the existing memory of the place and also the context it sits in. The brief therefore included the design of a screen wall on the faade to provide privacy to the terrace behind it and the garden below where a pool is to be located; in addition to the reconfiguration of existing rooms within the main house and improved connections to the gardens.Save this picture!Originally a farm building used to shelter animals, the single-story loggia flanking the main garden is transformed into the main living space, connecting the main house to the outdoor dining space, seating area and pool. A second garden room is converted into a guest studio. The fixed stone privacy screen is conceived as a contemporary extension to the existing facade, unified with the original fabric by a common material the Maltese softstone (franka). This enabled the use of traditional construction methods and techniques to sculpt the undulating fins of the screen, thus engaging with the past and future to make it recognizable as an innovative contemporary addition that will form its patina with time.Save this picture!The change in angle and spacing of the fins allow for the privacy required from third parties overlooking the gardens, but also for a play of light and shade on the solidity of the faade, without breaking up the legibility of the volume. Dominated by its old stone walls and Mediterranean fruit trees, the pool garden is designed as an elegant multi-tiered landscape, characterized by an assembly of horizontal and vertical stone planes that appear to emerge out of the existing garden. In this way, together with the privacy screen, a delicate contemporary architectural vocabulary is introduced that is harmonious with the traditional local Mediterranean setting of the existing residence.Save this picture!Project gallerySee allShow lessAbout this officeAP VallettaOfficeMaterialStoneMaterials and TagsPublished on January 08, 2025Cite: "Naxxar House / AP Valletta" 08 Jan 2025. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/1025416/naxxar-house-ap-valletta&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 stream0 التعليقات 0 المشاركات 30 مشاهدة
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WWW.YOUTUBE.COMCreate Dragon Ball Z Charge Effect in Unreal Engine 5.4 Niagara TutorialFAB - https://www.fab.com/sellers/CGHOW Whatsapp - https://bit.ly/3LYvxjK Patreon- https://www.patreon.com/Ashif NFT - https://opensea.io/CGHOW Twitter - https://twitter.com/cghow_ If you Liked it - http://bit.ly/2UZmiZ4 Channel Ashif - http://bit.ly/3aYaniw Support me on - paypal.me/9953280644Create Dragon Ball Z Charge Effect in Unreal Engine 5.4 Niagara Tutorial #cghow #UE5 #UE4Niagara #gamefx #ue5niagara #ue4vfx #niagara #unrealengineniagara #realtimevfxVisit - https://cghow.com/ Unreal Engine Marketplace - https://bit.ly/3aojvAa Artstation Store - https://www.artstation.com/ashif/store Gumroad - https://cghow.gumroad.com/0 التعليقات 0 المشاركات 28 مشاهدة
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WWW.DISCOVERMAGAZINE.COMAirplane Noise May Be Tied To Heart AbnormalitiesThere are many factors that are associated with healthy (and not-so-healthy) hearts. A new study says that airplane noise may be one of them. Published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, the study suggests that people who live in areas with louder airplane noise levels may have a higher risk of heart abnormalities that are associated with heart attacks, heart rhythm aberrations, and strokes.Our study is observational so we cannot say with certainty that high levels of aircraft noise caused these differences in heart structure and function, said Gaby Captur, an associate professor at University College London and a study author, in a press release. However, our findings add to a growing body of evidence that aircraft noise can adversely affect heart health and our health more generally.Read More: What Is, Scientifically, the Most Annoying Sound?A Heart-to-Heart on Airplane NoiseOver the years, several studies have scrutinized the links between airplane noise and health. But few have considered airplane noises connections to the heart.Hoping to address this gap, a team of researchers studied MRI heart scans from 3,635 people who lived in areas around four major airports in England. Turning to UK Civil Aviation Authority estimates of airplane noise in those areas (all estimated at least three years before the MRI scans were taken), they then compared the scans of people who lived in higher and lower airplane noise areas. Controlling for factors such as age and lifestyle, the researchers concluded that the heart muscles of those who lived in areas that were louder and particularly those who had lived in areas that were louder at night were stiffer and thicker, and less able to tighten and loosen to pump blood throughout the body. The team then studied a second set of MRI heart scans, this time from 21,360 people. This second set of scans revealed that people with stiffer and thicker heart muscles were two to four times more likely to have heart attacks, heart rhythm abnormalities, and strokes, among other issues, than people without.The results, the researchers say, highlight the need to reduce airplane noise in areas where it is most concentrated. Concerted efforts from government and industry are needed to reduce our exposure to aircraft noise and mitigate its impact on the health of millions of people who live close to airports or under flight paths, said Captur, according to the release. Read More: Is City Living Bad For Your Health?Nighttime Noise The researchers say that heart abnormalities were more common for people who lived in areas with higher nighttime than daytime noise, possibly due to disruptions of sleep. Aircraft noise at night has been shown to affect sleep quality, said Anna Hansell, a professor at University of Leicester, in the release. This may be an important factor affecting health.High levels of airplane noise can also create a stress response in the body, causing blood pressure to rise, arteries to constrict, and digestion to slow. They can also cause stress hormones, like cortisol, to release throughout the body, increasing appetite and contributing to weight gain.Though previous studies have found that higher blood pressure and obesity are associated with higher levels of airplane noise, the new study found that both higher blood pressure and obesity help account for the link between airplane noise and heart health, too. About 10 to 35 percent of the daytime connection was attributed to higher blood pressure, while about 25 to 50 percent of the combined daytime and nighttime connection was attributed to obesity. Further research will be needed to investigate the longer-term effects of aircraft noise on the health of those with the highest exposure, said James Leiper, an associate medical director at the British Heart Foundation, in the release. But this innovative study reveals the potential invisible impact for those living close to some of our biggest travel hubs.Article Sources:Our writers at Discovermagazine.com use peer-reviewed studies and high-quality sources for our articles, and our editors review for scientific accuracy and editorial standards. Review the sources used below for this article:Journal of the American College of Cardiology. Higher Aircraft Noise Exposure Is Linked to Worse Heart Structure and Function by Cardiovascular MRISam Walters is a journalist covering archaeology, paleontology, ecology, and evolution for Discover, along with an assortment of other topics. Before joining the Discover team as an assistant editor in 2022, Sam studied journalism at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois.0 التعليقات 0 المشاركات 27 مشاهدة
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WWW.POPSCI.COMEven ants may hold grudgesBad experiences may influence future interactions between neighboring ant colonies. Credit: Deposit PhotosShareIts not just humans who have trouble making amendsEarths 20 quadrillion ants arent quick to forgive, either.Ants primarily rely on their fine-tuned olfactory sense to differentiate between the smell of members of their own family (i.e. safe ants) and ants from other colonies. A familiar scent while out foraging, for example, allows a worker ant to know which nearby ants are there to help, and which may be rivals hunting for the same resources. But new research from evolutionary biologists at Germanys University of Freiburg indicates ants dont just react in the momentthey retain knowledge of hostile encounters with neighboring enemies, and act accordingly.Ants rely on their olfactory sense to navigate much of the world around them. Credit:Current Biology According to their study published in Current Biology, scientists conducted two phases of experiments to determine if ants remember bad experiences with other ants, and how it influences their relationships. First, they placed ants into 60 second meet-and-greet scenarios: In one setting, the insects simply encountered some of their nestmates; another situation involved a group interacting with aggressive ants from Nest A, while a final group met yet another set of hostile bugs from Nest B. This was then repeated once for each group over five consecutive days. From there, scientists examined how the various ant groups subsequently reacted when they encountered the aggressive Nest A antseither for the first time, once again, or in comparison to Nest B bugs.Further analysis showed ants were more hostile towards ants that smelled of past bad encounters with other nests. When they re-crossed paths with a more passive colonys ants, however, the insects tended to behave more calmly.We often have the idea that insects function like pre-programmed robots, says research associate and study co-author Volker Nehring in an accompanying statement. Our study provides new evidence that, on the contrary, ants also learn from their experiences and can hold a grudge. Get the Popular Science newsletter Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. By signing up you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.These unwanted run-ins dont devolve into crude gestures or rude exchanges. Ant throwdowns involve the use of their sharp mandibles, and can even leave a bad taste in their mouths, literally. Anger ants enough, and they spray formic acid at one another. While often deadly to the insects themselves, Nehrings team made sure to break up the fights before things got too heated. (A telltale sign of incoming formic acid is the bending of an ants bulbous end segment known as the gaster.)In their study, Nehring and colleagues conclude that associative learning plays a crucial role in the formation of both nestmate and non-nestmate recognition templates, and that aggression can function as an unconditioned stimulus likely associated with enemy odor labels. This type of template learning can help explain different patterns of variation in nestmate recognition, from nasty neighbor effects to task- and age-specific variation in aggression, the team adds.Researchers also believe these results imply ants associatively learn olfactory classifiers for ants outside their colonies, which may help tailor defensive responses depending on a nests intruders. Moving forward, the biologists hope to look into how much ants can adapt their olfactory receptors based on these interactions to see if the knowledge translates on an even deeper level.0 التعليقات 0 المشاركات 29 مشاهدة
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WWW.POPSCI.COMAI is already changing the ways we fight cancerThough AI still cant substitute for a doctors real-world medical expertise or even produce a true medical diagnosis, it can serve as a critical tool to make them more effective.Credit: Armin Weigel/picture alliance via Getty Images ShareAn estimated 610,000 people in the US died from cancer last year. Thats almost the same amount of people who perished in the countrys four-year civil war. At least two million more people were diagnosed with some form of cancer in 2024, a figure thats climbed in recent years. Early detection remains one of the single biggest factors that determine whether or not someone ultimately survives cancer and, luckily, advances in medical treatment can help. Researchers and medical scientists believe artificial intelligence models could play a key role in that early detection process. Though AI still cant substitute for a doctors real-world medical expertise or even produce a true medical diagnosis, it can serve as a critical tool to make them more effective.AIs ability to parse through dense troves of data and seek out patterns may make it well-suited to look for irregularities in images of organs and tissue and spot cancerous cells before they metastasize. A study published today in the journal Nature by researchers at Columbia University described a new medical AI model that they say can accurately predict the activity of genes at the cellular level. In theory, this level of granularity could open up new paths for researchers to understand the gene mutations that cause cancers to occur in the first place.Having the ability to accurately predict a cells activities would transform our understanding of fundamental biological processes, paper senior author and Columbia professor Raul Rabadan said in a statement. It would turn biology from a science that describes seemingly random processes into one that can predict the underlying systems that govern cell behavior.Today, doctors are already using AI to help spot tumors and expedite diagnoses. Scientists and pharmaceutics companies are similarly using the tech in varying degrees to assist with the creation of new cancer-fighting therapeutics. And while AI almost certainly wont replace trained oncologists anytime soon, all signs are pointing toward a near future where these models play an increasingly present role in combating cancer, from the earliest moments to late-stage treatment.AI gives researchers a glimpse at how cancer begins at the cellular levelThe Columbia researchers developing the AI capable of predicting gene activity, referred to as GET (general expression transformer) say they trained their model on images of 1.3 million human cells. The researchers compared this process of injecting large training data of both diseased and healthy genes as similar to the way Open AIs ChatGPT large language model ingests a vast corpus of the written internet. Once the medical AI model had learned the grammar in many different cellular states Rabadan notes, it could then be directed to predict patterns based on that information. When they tested the AI, researchers said it was able to predict certain gene expressions in cell types it had never seen before.These methods can effectively conduct large-scale computational experiments, boosting and guiding traditional experimental approaches, Rabadan added.The paper comes only a few months after scientists from Harvard Medical School described another cancer-related AI detection tool, also Nature. In that example, researchers trained their model to detect signs of 19 different types of tumors after observing medical patient images. The model was reportedly able to detect cancer and predict a tumors molecular profile all based on cellular features included in its training data. It could also forecast a patients survival potential across different cancer types. The model, called CHIEF (Clinical Histopathology Imaging Evaluation Foundation) was trained on 60,000 whole-slide images of tissues from lungs, prostates, colons, and other organs. Researchers said CHIEF went a step further than other cancer-detecting AI models due to its broad training data which lets it interpret a medical image more holistically than other more specialized models.If validated further and deployed widely, our approach, and approaches similar to ours, could identify early on cancer patients who may benefit from experimental treatments targeting certain molecular variations, a capability that is not uniformly available across the world, Harvard Medical School professor and study senior author Kun-Hsing Yu said in a statement.AI is being used in every stage of cancer researchThe promise of AI for cancer treatment broadly falls into five categories: prediction, detection, drug discovery, and treatment implementation. On the detection front, radiologists and other doctors are already using AI tools to help spot tumors. Just this week, a new study published in Nature Medicineapproved marketing for an AI software design to help identify signs of prostate cancer.A separate AI model created by researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) called LORIS (logistic regression-based immunotherapy-response score) demonstrated the ability to predict which group of cancer patients might benefit best from certain immunotherapy treatments. That approach, which uses the bodys immune system to target cancer cells, is less invasive than more traditional cancer-fighting treatments like chemotherapy and radiotherapy but is only effective for a subset of people. Models like LORIS could help doctors better detect those therapies for patients who may benefit and simultaneously avoid exposing others to unnecessary treatments.On the discovery front, researchers from the University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center (UCCCC) recently received $16 million from the federal government as part of a project to use powerful machine learning models to comb through large medical datasets and look for patterns that could spark the development of new treatments for drug-resistant cancers. The hope, according to those involved with the efforts, is that advances in AI can fast-track the time it takes to find new drugs, hopefully in time for patients who may need them in the near future.Patients with cancer dont have time to wait for new treatments, so there is a strong need to compress the drug discovery timeline and we aim to do that with novel synergistic approaches that take advantage of [The Department of Energys] supercomputing capabilities, UCCCC Director Kunle Odunsi said in a statement.At the same time, theres a risk of placing too much faith in AI screening and detection tools too quickly. Several of the models noted earlier are still in research phases and will require more testing before they are deployed in healthcare facilities at scale. Theres also the risk of an opportunist taking advantage of the overly broad umbrella term AI to pitch far less tested models as more effective than they actually are. There are already numerous cases of people receiving wrong and potentially dangerously incorrect diagnoses after interacting with popular large language models. One study published in JAMA Pediatrics last year found that OpenAIs ChatGPT incorrectly diagnosed 83% of pediatric case studies it was presented with. Models like these are also prone to occasionally hallucinating false facts and doing so with a confident tone. That can lead to funny results when asking it to come up with a cake recipe, but those same inaccuracies can prove dangerous when someone uses them to self-medicate.And even as AI models (likely) improve their ability to detect different cancers in the years to come, they still fundamentally arent performing the same job as a trained physician. As New York University journalism professor Meredith Broussard notes in her 2023 book More Than a Glitch, even the most advanced AI models are essentially comparing a static image against a corpus of other images already labeled by humans and quickly seeing if there are mathematical similarities in the two. That can lead to impressive results, but that process is ultimately a prediction which isnt the same as a diagnosis. A diagnosis still requires a human doctor who can look over evidence and draw their own expert conclusion based on years of real-world experience.Were already living in a world where doctors can use these tools to bolster their own abilities. Its less clear though whether or not AI will ever be reliable enough to remove doctors from that dynamic entirely.0 التعليقات 0 المشاركات 30 مشاهدة
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WWW.POPSCI.COMWhy your brain flushes itself of waste during sleepCertain medications can interfere with with normal sleep architecture. Credit: robert reader/Moment via Getty ImagesShareWhile were asleep at night, our brain is busy doing maintenance. The glymphatic systemthe brains waste disposal mechanismflushes away excess cerebrospinal fluid containing harmful proteins that otherwise build up slowly in the brain. Accumulation of these proteins has been associated with increased risk of conditions like Alzheimers Disease. In a new paper published January 8 in Cell, scientists are getting closer to uncovering how the system knows when to engage: the switch for activating the system is the brains neurotransmitter norepinephrine.The glymphatic system was discovered by Danish neuroscientist and one of the papers authors Maiken Nedergaard in 2012, who gave its name to reflect both its resemblance to the better-known lymphatic system and its reliance on the brains glial cells. She tells Popular Science that the system has been studied extensively over the last decade, and that its operation is critical to a healthy brain: There are now approximately 2,000 published articles on the glymphatic system, many of which focus on clinical applications. These studies collectively highlight that aging and nearly all neurological diseases are associated with a reduction in glymphatic flow.Every minute or so during non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep, the brain releases a wave of norepinephrine, a hormone that is one of the brains primary neurotransmitters. Norepinephrine is a potent vasoconstrictor, causing blood vessels to narrow, and each wave causes a contraction in the arteries that carry blood to the brain. The arteries then dilate slowly until the arrival of the next norepinephrine wave.Nedergaard explains that this rhythmic series of contractions and dilations creates a pumping action: It is the oscillatory constriction-dilations that drive glymphatic flow. The oscillating waves of norepinephrine that create these arterial contractions are critical to the glymphatic systems operation.As one of the brains primary neurotransmitters, norepinephrine has many functions, and there are several classes of drug that work by modifying the rate at which it is released and reuptaken. Examples include antidepressantsespecially selective norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs)and beta blockers, which block one of the receptors to which norepinephrine binds.There are also other drugs that arent aimed specifically at the norepinephrine system but affect it regardless. Unfortunately, sleep medications fall into the latter category, and the study examines how one common medicationZolpidem, also known as Ambienaffects the activation and operation of the glymphatic system.Researchers compared two groups of mice, one of which was given Zolpidem. The team found that in the Zolpidem-dosed mice, the release of norepinephrineand, as a result, the operation of the glymphatic systemwas noticeably suppressed. Peak norepinephrine levels in the brains of the Zolpidem mice were some 50% lower than in the control group, and arterial constrictions were also less pronounced.The study concludes that in mice, at least, Zolpidem interferes with normal sleep architecture and suppresses glymphatic flow. Nedergaard says that the picture is likely to be the same for other sleep medications, because ultimately they all work by suppressing neural activity across the brain. This includes the neurons that release norepinephrine. This suggests that sleeping medications have the unintended consequence of interfering with the brains way of flushing away dangerous waste.This problem may also extend to other medications. Nedergaard says that SNRIs, for example, also appear to inhibit the oscillation mechanism: her lab conducted another study in which the SNRI desipramine was administered to mice, and basically eliminated oscillations.This illustrates one important point about the system: the brain doesnt just keep releasing norepinephrine forever. If the overall level of norepinephrine is high, and the neurons that release it get a signal to release more, the amount they release will decrease. In other words, the brain tries to maintain a balance.By inhibiting the reabsorption of norepinephrine, SNRIs result in an overall elevation of its level in the brain. This means that when the glymphatic system starts to ramp up during sleep, it has less room to operate, and the waves of norepinephrine released on activation of the glymphatic system are relatively small. And, as Nedgergaard emphasizes, It is the oscillations [in norepinephrine levels] that matter.Theres still a lot to learn about the glymphatic system, but that a priority should be ensuring that its operation is not inhibited by the drugs we take to help us sleep. She suggests future research on this topic could look into sleep aids that have a more sophisticated mechanism of action than just a blanket suppression of neuronal activity. A better approach, she says, would be finding ways to allow norepinephrine oscillations, helping people to sleep but also promot[ing] restorative sleep viewed from a glymphatic point of view.0 التعليقات 0 المشاركات 30 مشاهدة
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WWW.SCIENCENEWS.ORGMore new geckos have been found hiding in Southeast Asias limestone towersLandscapes in Southeast Asia once thought to stifle biological evolution may instead stoke its fires.Karst ecosystems have been referred to as arks of biodiversity, a term that highlights their biological richness but also implies they merely preserve ancient lineages. These landscapes, with their isolated caves, cliffs and sinkholes, were thought to shelter species from extinction without contributing much to evolution.But the discovery over the past several years of nearly 200 gecko species in such regions reveals that karsts are far from stagnant. Theyre not museums, but centers of speciation, says evolutionary biologist Lee Grismer of La Sierra University in Riverside, Calif.Some geckos from the Cyrtodactylus genus, like this newfound one from Cambodia, are uniquely adapted to thrive in the karst landscapes in Southeast Asia. Their specialized bodies allow them to cling to sheer rock faces.L. Lee GrismerWhen Grismer first explored Myanmars karst landscapes in 2017, the richness of life hidden within the limestone towers and caves left him stunned. During a 19-day expedition, these ancient rock formations, rising abruptly from the surrounding farmland, revealed geckos so distinct and unexpected that his team identified 12 new species.Since then, Grismer and his colleagues have ventured into similar formations across Southeast Asia, delving into the evolutionary secrets they harbor. In early 2024, an expedition to western Cambodia uncovered three new species of bent-toed geckos and a slender gecko all detailed in upcoming papers bringing the number of gecko species he has described to around 185. The biodiversity in these landscapes is just off the charts, Grismer says.The gecko discoveries highlight this dynamism. Many karst-dwelling geckos belong to Cyrtodactylus, the third largest vertebrate genus in the world with close to 400 species described so far. Geckos of this genus discovered by Grismer and his team are among the most recently evolved members of their groups. They exhibit unique adaptations, such as elongated limbs, larger eyes and flatter heads, that enable them to cling to sheer rock faces, much like expert climbers.Researchers discovered the Sanpel Cave bent-toed gecko, Cyrtodactylus sanpelensis, in a limestone cave in Myanmar. It was hiding under water running down a stalactite, says evolutionary biologist Lee Grismer. This has never been observed before, he says.L. Lee GrismerGrismer likens the karst formations to islands in an archipelago. Each formation, he says, serves as an evolutionary microcosm, producing species entirely distinct from neighboring karsts. Species are coming from completely different species groups and different times throughout history.The true extent of gecko diversity in the karsts remains unknown. Grismer and his colleagues have surveyed only about 20 percent of the formations in western Cambodia, and he plans to return there and to Myanmar in 2025. It wouldnt surprise me if there are another 200 species out there.0 التعليقات 0 المشاركات 30 مشاهدة
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WWW.LIVESCIENCE.COMRare comet could shine bright as Venus as it falls toward the sun: What to expect from Comet ATLAS (C/2024) G3Comet ATLAS (C/2024) G3 is set to dazzle Southern Hemisphere skywatchers in mid-January. Heres everything you need to know about the 'New Year comet'.0 التعليقات 0 المشاركات 30 مشاهدة
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WWW.LIVESCIENCE.COMEarly study reveals why sleeping pills may not supply the best-quality snoozeA new study in mice suggests that sleeping pills may impede the brain's ability to "cleanse" itself during sleep.0 التعليقات 0 المشاركات 32 مشاهدة