Technology

2023-08-22 02:30:08

Teeth are composed of enamel, dentin, and cementum, and enamel, which covers the exposed crown of the gums, is one of the hardest tissues in the human body. However, the enamel is easily melted by the acid produced by mutans bacteria living in the mouth by decomposing carbohydrates, resulting in tooth decay. Existing tooth decay treatment had to be supplemented by cutting and filling the affected part, but as a research team at the University of Washington reported that they succeeded in creating enamel from stem cells, it is expected that a new treatment for tooth decay by regenerative medicine will be established. Enamel is made by cells called enamel blast cells. However, since enamelblasts die following enamel formation is complete, even if enamel is damaged due to tooth decay, there is almost no way to restore or regenerate it, and there is no choice but to rely on remineralization by minerals contained in saliva. Therefore, the research team employed an analysis technique called sci-RNA-seq (single-cell combinatorial indexing RNA sequencing) to identify which genes are active at various stages of cell development. This is a technology that reveals which genes are active at which stages from mRNA changes at various stages of cell development. To investigate which genes are activated at which stage in the differentiation of undifferentiated stem cells into cells that form teeth, and which genes are activated to differentiate into enamel blast cells. From this result, the research team succeeded in inducing undifferentiated human stem cells and differentiating them into enamel blast cells. At the same time, it is reported that the precursors of odontoblasts that form dentin have been identified for the first time. In addition, the research team succeeded in forming small multicellular tissues called organoids by inducing these cells together. Organoids were found to secrete three enamel proteins: ameroblastin, amerogenin, and enamelin. It is said that they were able to confirm the calcification process for these enamel proteins to form an extracellular matrix and become enamel. The research team is working on a more efficient process for forming enamel with a hardness comparable to that of natural teeth. In the future, the goal is to develop a way to restore damaged enamel with this artificial enamel. If this process is put to practical use, there is a possibility of making bio-derived fillings for teeth that have been melted or punctured by cavities, etc., and it may be possible to make stem cell-derived teeth that replace lost teeth. The research team said that large and complex organs such as the human pancreas, kidneys and brain take time to regenerate safely from stem cells, but teeth are much smaller and less complex. Related information can be found here.
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#Successfully #regenerated #tooth #enamel #stem #cells

2023-08-21 20:38:46

After gaining a new interface with an update released in May, the application Apple Support (Apple Support) today received another novelty, with the version 5.1. Although it is not of such a magnitude as the previous one, the update available now “completes” a feature included months ago.

This is the “Locations” tab, which shows service providers nearby authorized on the map. What is new is that, now, in the information area of ​​each location, more detailsas opening hoursdata on conditions of accessibility e specialized services available.

The added information — present in some places even displayed in the app Maps, from Apple itself — make the feature even more useful. That is, when the solutions offered through the Support app itself are not enough and it is necessary to resort to the face-to-face service of an authorized person, these details will further facilitate the process of knowing which store is the most suitable.

In addition to this novelty, “performance improvements and bug fixes” were included in the notes regarding the update to version 5.1 — always welcome.

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#Apple #Support #App #Shows #Details #Nearby #Stores

2023-08-21 19:12:14

The future of virtual reality interaction is taking shape not with buttons and joysticks, but with the natural movement of our hands.

Meta, Appleand now Pico, these tech giants are redefining the way we interact with virtual worlds. Hand tracking, once considered a technological curiosity, is becoming a driving force in the VR industry. It’s not just a matter of convenience, but a radical transformation of the user interface. Hand tracking isn’t just a passing trend, it’s a silent game-changing revolution. Virtual reality will never be the same once more.

Hand tracking: an alternative to traditional controllers in VR

Virtual reality controllers have long been the preferred entry method for interacting with virtual environments. But hand tracking is now presented as an innovative solution offering a user experience that is still more natural et intuitive. Using this technology, users can manipulate objects and navigate VR simply by moving their hands and fingers, without needing to learn specific controllers.

Giants such as Meta and Apple have already invested heavily in the development of hand tracking for their future products. THE Quest 3 of Meta and the Vision Pro from Apple are thus announced with this integrated functionality. For its part, Pico is also committed in this direction by encouraging developers to integrate hand tracking into their applications.

Andrew Eiche, COO of XR studio Owlchemy Labs, said at Gamescom 2022 that hand tracking is the future of virtual reality.

The challenges to be met to generalize hand tracking in VR

While hand tracking has undeniable advantages in terms of ergonomics and ease of use, there are still challenges to overcome to make it the norm in the field of VR. One of the main obstacles concerns the precision hand and finger tracking, which must be high enough to allow smooth and frustration-free interaction with the virtual environment.

Furthermore, the lack of haptic feedback is a major disadvantage of hand tracking compared to virtual reality controllers. In the absence of physical sensations, some experiences can lose immersion and realism. Manufacturers will therefore have to find solutions to overcome this shortcoming without sacrificing the advantages of hand tracking. Today’s hand tracking is still too inaccurate and provides no haptic feedback, which can affect immersion in some apps.

A gradual transition to hand tracking in VR

The widespread adoption of hand tracking in VR will not happen overnight. Developers will need to invest time and resources to adapt their existing applications to this new input method, which can be a significant effort. Likewise, hardware manufacturers will have to work on improving the reliability and some performance hand tracking before it might completely replace traditional controllers.

Nevertheless, the growing commitment of major players in the market, such as Pico, Meta and Apple, shows that hand tracking is becoming a central element of the virtual reality experience. We can therefore expect to see this technology evolve rapidly and become more democratic over the next few years, offering users an always-on interaction. plus immersive et intuitive with virtual worlds.

In short, the battle for hand tracking in VR is heating up and Pico is aligning itself with Meta and Apple to promote this revolutionary technology. Despite the challenges to be met, particularly in terms of precision and haptic feedback, hand tracking seems to have a bright future in the world of virtual reality. It is likely that this functionality will gradually become the norm for interacting with virtual environments, providing an ever better experience for users.

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#battle #hand #tracking #intensifies #Pico #aligns #Meta #Apple

2023-08-21 21:45:08

© Baldur’s Gate 3 – the game is quite voluminous, players can spend hundreds of hours to see everything the world has to offer. So it’s hard to see that Larian Studios really cut a lot of things out of the final version, some of them just a few weeks before the full release. One dedicated fan put it all together so we can see what might have been. Vasgorath has compiled a complete list of cut content that has been confirmed in interviews with developers or collected by dataminers. The result is an impressive collection of features, many of which are significant pieces of gameplay that might completely change the way we currently play Baldur’s Gate 3. This includes everything from entire explorable areas to missing romance options. Let’s start with the biggest one, The Upper City, a huge area that was cut from the final version of the game just a couple of weeks before launch and might have been fully explored. This was reported by Larian co-founder Sven Winke, and recently dataminers also found out that this location would be extremely important for completing the Karlach storyline. I won’t go into details as it’s pretty spoiler-y, but the whole list can be found here. It also became known that some characters were supposed to play a much larger role in the plot, including Mintara. From the voice lines found, it follows that your companions might say much more regarding Mintar, and it is even believed that she should have become pregnant. The romance option was also cut, as the dialogue options that would allow you to provoke Jaheira were removed from the final game for an unknown reason. The act never made it into the final version of the game. Thousands of lines of companion dialogue were removed from the third act, and “full epilogue scenes” were to be included in the game, which would have made up the 17,000 endings that Larian boasted regarding before launch, but these were also canceled in favor of a simple black screen transition. Of course, this is nothing new for game developers, because a lot of cool things almost always end up on the shelf. However, it’s interesting to look at what might have been, and these cut concepts may even hint at future DLCs.
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#Lots #interesting #cut #Baldurs #Gate