0

Динозавры должны умереть: анонс командного шутера Second Extinction в духе Turok для XSX и ПК

Геймеров отправят на Землю, которую снова захватили динозавры.



  • Xbox Series X
  • Игры для ПК

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Новое обновление Google Lens: добавили функцию «Копировать на компьютер» и возможность проверять произношение слов на 100+ языках

Компания Google выпустила новую версию приложения Google Lens с несколькими полезными изменениями.




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Redmi Note 8 и Redmi Note 8T стали самыми продаваемыми смартфонами в первом квартале 2020 года после iPhone 11

Аналитики из Canalys опубликовали рейтинг 10 самых продаваемых смартфонов на глобальном рынке в первом квартале 2020 года.




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Codemasters анонсировала DiRT 5 — смелый раллийный симулятор нового поколения с сюжетом

Codemasters готовят одиночную кампанию, восемь режимов гонок, события и мультиплеер.




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Ubisoft ответила на критику «геймплея» Assassin’s Creed Valhalla

Креативный директор игры Ашраф Измаил решил ответить геймерам и успокоить аудиторию.




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Meizu 17 и Meizu 17 Pro: флагманские смартфоны с AMOLED-дисплеями на 90 Гц, чипами Snapdragon 865, 5G, квадро-камерами на 64 Мп и ценником от $522

Компания Meizu провела в Китае мероприятие, на котором анонсировала свою новую флагманскую линейку смартфонов — Meizu 17.




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Угроза для PlayStation 5: 140+ разработчиков уже создают игры для Xbox Series X

В состав «армии Microsoft» попали как инди-студии, так и крупные разработчики.




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Лучший смартфон до 15000 гривен

Мы продолжаем цикл материалов по выбору смартфонов в разных ценовых сегментах, и на очереди психологический рубеж в 15 000 гривен. Это уже территория флагманов прошлых лет, которые на радость покупателям стали дешеветь перед выходом новинок 2020 года. И вот что нам может предложить официальная розница.




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Huawei представила в Европе смартфон P Smart 2020: с сервисами Google и ценником €200

Благодаря чипу Kirin 710F смартфон получил предустановленные чипы Google.




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Meizu представила оболочку Flyme 8.1 на базе Android 10: какие смартфоны обновятся

По словам производителя, Flyme 8.1, по сравнению с Flyme 8, получила более 300 улучшений и оптимизаций.




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Meizu HD60: накладные Bluetooth-наушники с технологией активного шумоподавления Sony и ценником в $155

Компания Meizu вчера, кроме флагманских смартфонов, представила ещё свои обновлённые накладные Bluetooth-наушники Meizu HD60.




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Камеры флагмана Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro и неанонсированного Honor X10 испытали на Эвересте

Экспедиционная группа из Китая поднялась на гору Эверест и решила там же протестировать в экстремальных условиях камеры смартфонов.




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Meizu представила пауэрбанк емкостью 10 000 мАч и мощностью 22,5 Вт за $23

На корпусе есть небольшой дисплей, на котором отображается информация об уровне заряда аккумулятора и выходной мощности.




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Samsung Galaxy A21s получит «дырявый» дисплей и новый процессор Exynos 850

Смартфон появился на сайте Google Play Console, благодаря чему стали известны его некоторые характеристики и дизайн.




0

Featured - Communication Skills 101 (and some tips for managing others)

Thank God it's Thursday because I am already burnt out from the first three days of this week. It has been an inordinately stressful week for multiple reasons, one of which I will talk about today.It's not the lab. Lab work is like heaven for me. I love escaping to the bench, avoiding human contact, and focusing on how to get something puzzling to work.It's not the next looming product launch, ; (read more)

Source: Suzy - Discipline: BioTech




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Ford Self-Driving Car By 2021 For Fleet Use

2021 for taxi-style usage in selected areas. This is level 4 automation: no human driver will be needed to take over. But the car won't be able to go everywhere. Likely that means the cars will be restricted to very well mapped areas without challenging conditions. Ford says the higher cost of the computer and sensing equipment restricts its use to fleets which rack up very high mileage per vehicle per year. The car will be a more expensive piece of capital equipment that requires very high usage rates to pay the cost of capital. I find the 2021 launch date to be a little surprising since Ford seems late to the party. On the other companies seem think they...




0

Illumina Says $100 Genome Within 3 To 10 Years

Already we've hit the $1000 genome and faster and cheaper DNA sequencing is on the way. DNA sequencing is going through a speed-up and cost-cutting rate that is similar to that which computer processors have been going through for decades. While the doubling rate of computer power has slowed quite a bit the rate of decrease in DNA sequencing costs has kept up the pace and, in fact, the rate of decline in DNA sequencing costs suddenly accelerated at the end of 2007 has been going down pretty sharply ever since. The cost decline seemed to halt during 2014 only to plunge in 2015. So why should you care? Really cheap massive amounts of DNA sequencing of cancerous cells will...




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JoT #2700: Coronavirus changes everything!



Is the new normal a new normal for you?




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JoT #2701: Lockdown Relationship Stress!



Is your Significant Other significantly agitated?




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JoT #2702: iPhone SE's good with masks!



Let your finger do the unlocking.




0

JoT #2703: Bettering oneself during lockdown!



Accept your self-improvement!




0

JoT #2704: (don't) Squash the bug!



Ziggy, is that you?




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JoT #2705: Pandemic mental checklist!



Helping you manage those out-of-control feelings!




0

World of Art Magazine, Londres, R-U a accordé Asbjorn Lonvig, Danemark "World of Art Award 2006"

On accorde "The World of Art Award" (WAA) aux artistes, aux galeries et aux musées qui poursuivent les "meilleures pratiques" dans l'art et la culture. Cette concurrence cherche à attirer dies artistes, galeries, les musées qui redéfinissent des normes de l'excellence d'art. Ceux qui défie des trends et des tendances existantes dans l'art et la culture.




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Top 20 Chemistry Jokes of Some Time

It’s not everyday we regurgitate a few old (and new!) chemistry jokes. How often do we tell them? Periodically. We told one the other day, but there was no reaction. Hahaha! Wait? How come nobody else is laughing? Ehem… well, anyways, here are a few more: When I first heard oxygen and magnesium got together […]

The post Top 20 Chemistry Jokes of Some Time appeared first on Funny & Jokes.




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St. George's Day 2020

Date: April 23, 2020

Today’s Doodle, illustrated by British guest artist Robin Davey, commemorates St. George’s Day. On the annual celebration of the patron saint, England celebrates St. George and his representation of values like bravery, integrity, and leadership.

According to legend, St. George single-handedly slew a dragon to rescue a city under siege. For centuries, he captured the English imagination; in fact, King Henry V’s veneration for St. George was even immortalized in William Shakespeare’s eponymous play about the monarch.  

St. George was declared England’s patron saint in 1348, and in 1415 St. George’s Day was inaugurated as a national feast day in his honor. Today, the special day lives on as a testament to England’s culture and unique traditions through activities like morris dancing (a rural folk custom) and medieval jousting.

Happy St. George’s Day!

 


 

Guest Artist Q&A with Robin Davey

Today’s Doodle was illustrated by British guest artist Robin Davey. Below, he shares his thoughts behind the making of this Doodle:

 

Q: Why was this topic meaningful to you personally? 

A: As a Briton living abroad, it was nice to make something connected to my home country.

 

Q: What were your first thoughts when you were approached about the project?

A: My mum, who checks the Doodle daily, will be thrilled :)

 

Q: Did you draw inspiration from anything in particular for this Doodle? 

A: I wanted to reframe the story of George and the dragon as one of friends, not adversaries.

 

Q: What message do you hope people take away from your Doodle?

A: That peaceful cooperation with our neighbours is preferable to conflict.




 

Location: United Kingdom

Tags: national day, National Holiday, history, George, dragon, toast, England




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Stay and Play at Home with Popular Past Google Doodles: Coding (2017)

Date: April 27, 2020

As COVID-19 continues to impact communities around the world, people and families everywhere are spending more time at home. In light of this, we’re launching a throwback Doodle series looking back at some of our popular interactive Google Doodle games!

Stay and play at home with today’s featured throwback: 

Our 2017 Doodle game celebrating 50 years of Kids Coding!


 



Help stop the spread of COVID-19 by following these steps.
 



Learn more here about the latest ways we’re responding, and how our products can help people stay connected during this time.

Location: Global

Tags:




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King's Day 2020 (Netherlands)

Date: April 27, 2020

Today’s Doodle commemorates what is widely revered as the Netherlands’ most popular holiday, King’s Day. Known as Koningsdag in Dutch, today honors the birthday of the first Dutch king in 123 years, His Royal Highness Willem-Alexander.

Depicted in the Doodle artwork, the red, white, and blue tricolor Dutch flag was affirmed in its current form by a royal decree in 1937. With orange as the official color of the day, the flag is often seen with a small orange stripe, or a wimpel, hovering on the top for King’s Day.

Fijne Koningsdag! (Happy King’s Day!)

Location: Netherlands

Tags: national day, National Holiday, independence, history, Netherlands, King's Day




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Stay and Play at Home with Popular Past Google Doodles: Cricket (2017)

Date: April 28, 2020

As COVID-19 continues to impact communities around the world, people and families everywhere are spending more time at home. In light of this, we’re launching a throwback Doodle series looking back at some of our popular interactive Google Doodle games!

Stay and play at home with today’s featured throwback: 

Our 2017 Doodle game celebrating Cricket!

 



Help stop the spread of COVID-19 by following these steps.  
 



Learn more here about the latest ways we’re responding, and how our products can help people stay connected during this time.

Location: Global

Tags:




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Stay and Play at Home with Popular Past Google Doodles: Fischinger (2017)

Date: April 29, 2020

As COVID-19 continues to impact communities around the world, people and families everywhere are spending more time at home. In light of this, we’re launching a throwback Doodle series looking back at some of our popular interactive Google Doodle games!

Stay and play at home with today’s featured throwback: 

Our 2017 Doodle game celebrating Oskar Fischinger!
 

 



Help stop the spread of COVID-19 by following these steps.  
 



Learn more here about the latest ways we’re responding, and how our products can help people stay connected during this time.

 

 

 

Location: Global

Tags:




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Israel Independence Day 2020

Date: April 29, 2020

On the fifth day of the Hebrew month of Iyar, Israeli communities worldwide celebrate their Independence Day, known locally as Yom Ha’atzmaut. Today’s Doodle pays tribute to this annual holiday in recognition of the day in 1948 when the State of Israel declared its independence. 

Depicted in the Doodle artwork, the flag of Israel features two blue stripes running horizontally over the white background with the Star of David at its center. Officially adopted in 1948, the same year as independence, the flag will be waved proudly wherever Israeli’s call home. 

Happy Yom Ha’atzmaut, Israel!​

Location: Israel

Tags: national day, National Holiday, independence, history, Israel




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Stay and Play at Home with Popular Past Google Doodles: Rockmore (2016)

Date: April 30, 2020

As COVID-19 continues to impact communities around the world, people and families everywhere are spending more time at home. In light of this, we’re launching a throwback Doodle series looking back at some of our popular interactive Google Doodle games!

Stay and play at home with today’s featured throwback: 

Our 2016 Doodle game celebrating Clara Rockmore!
 

 



Help stop the spread of COVID-19 by following these steps.
 



Learn more here about the latest ways we’re responding, and how our products can help people stay connected during this time.

Location: Global

Tags:




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Stay and Play at Home with Popular Past Google Doodles: Garden Gnomes (2018)

Date: May 1, 2020

As COVID-19 continues to impact communities around the world, people and families everywhere are spending more time at home. In light of this, we’re launching a throwback Doodle series looking back at some of our popular interactive Google Doodle games!

Stay and play at home with today’s featured throwback: 

Our 2018 Doodle game celebrating Garden Gnomes!
 


 



Help stop the spread of COVID-19 by following these steps.  
 



Learn more here about the latest ways we’re responding, and how our products can help people stay connected during this time.

Location: Global

Tags:




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Labour Day 2020 (Multiple)

Date: May 1, 2020

Also known as May Day or International Workers’ Day, Labour Day is celebrated on May 1st in many countries around the world. Today’s Doodle celebrates the day by illustrating a handful of the many professions across the labor force.

Recognized around the world, Labour Day originated from the 19th-century labour movement. First declared a holiday by trade unions in 1889, Labour Day commemorates worker’s rights and their fight for weekends, better working conditions, and shorter working days. 

Here’s to everyone contributing to the livelihoods of those around them each and every day. 

Happy Labour Day!

Location: Global

Tags:





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Stay and Play at Home with Popular Past Google Doodles: Scoville (2016)

Date: May 4, 2020

As COVID-19 continues to impact communities around the world, people and families everywhere are spending more time at home. In light of this, we’re launching a throwback Doodle series looking back at some of our popular interactive Google Doodle games!

Stay and play at home with today’s featured throwback: 

Our 2016 Doodle game celebrating Wilbur Scoville!
 


 



Help stop the spread of COVID-19 by following these steps.  
 



Learn more here about the latest ways we’re responding, and how our products can help people stay connected during this time.

Location: Global

Tags:




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US Teacher Appreciation Week 2020 Begins!

Date: May 4, 2020

Happy US Teacher Appreciation Week!

Today (and everyday!), we honor teachers across the nation, who continue to work tirelessly to shape our future generations, even in the midst of the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic.

Today’s Doodle was created by Doodler Kevin Laughlin who collaborated with the 54 2020 State Teachers of the Year during their visit to Google this past February. 

Below, Kevin shares more on his experience working with the teachers on today’s Doodle!

I know from firsthand experience how much of a positive impact a teacher can have on a young person's life. I can't express how happy I am to have had the opportunity to be a part of the Teacher Appreciation project this year.

When I met these teachers on campus in February, I was so inspired by their love of teaching and dedication to their students, which I felt each minute I spent with them. As they presented their own Doodle designs, they shared anecdotes about their classrooms, advocated for their students, and spoke passionately about educational equity. 

I am glad to see their work represented in the final Doodle on Google’s homepage today celebrating these often unsung heroes. To every teacher, thank you times infinity! 

 


 

Learn more about the many ways Google is celebrating and supporting teachers, in classrooms or at home.

 


 

See some of the teacher concepts that inspired today’s Doodle below:

 

...and all of the concepts from our 54 2020 State Teachers of the Year:

 


 

Photos from the Doodle brainstorming session at the 2020 National Teacher of the Year Program

 

 


 

 

Location: U.S. Virgin Islands, United States

Tags: teachers’ day, National Holiday, education, teaching




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Stay and Play at Home with Popular Past Google Doodles: Lotería (2019)

Date: May 5, 2020

As COVID-19 continues to impact communities around the world, people and families everywhere are spending more time at home. In light of this, we’re launching a throwback Doodle series looking back at some of our popular interactive Google Doodle games!

Stay and play at home with today’s featured throwback: 

Our 2019 Doodle game celebrating Lotería!
 


 



Help stop the spread of COVID-19 by following these steps.  
 



Learn more here about the latest ways we’re responding, and how our products can help people stay connected during this time.

Location: Global

Tags:




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Stay and Play at Home with Popular Past Google Doodles: Halloween (2016)

Date: May 6, 2020

As COVID-19 continues to impact communities around the world, people and families everywhere are spending more time at home. In light of this, we’re launching a throwback Doodle series looking back at some of our popular interactive Google Doodle games!

Stay and play at home with today’s featured throwback: 

Our 2016 Doodle game celebrating Halloween!
 


 



Help stop the spread of COVID-19 by following these steps.  
 



Learn more here about the latest ways we’re responding, and how our products can help people stay connected during this time.

Location: Global

Tags:




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Stay and Play at Home with Popular Past Google Doodles: Hip Hop (2017)

Date: May 7, 2020

As COVID-19 continues to impact communities around the world, people and families everywhere are spending more time at home. In light of this, we’re launching a throwback Doodle series looking back at some of our popular interactive Google Doodle games!

Stay and play at home with today’s featured throwback: 

Our 2017 Doodle game celebrating the birth of Hip Hop!
 


 



Help stop the spread of COVID-19 by following these steps.  
 



Learn more here about the latest ways we’re responding, and how our products can help people stay connected during this time.

Location: Global

Tags:




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Stay and Play at Home with Popular Past Google Doodles: PAC-MAN (2010)

Date: May 8, 2020

As COVID-19 continues to impact communities around the world, people and families everywhere are spending more time at home. In light of this, we’re launching a throwback Doodle series looking back at some of our popular interactive Google Doodle games!

Stay and play at home with today’s featured throwback: 

Our 2010 Doodle game celebrating PAC-MAN!
 


 



Help stop the spread of COVID-19 by following these steps.  
 



Learn more here about the latest ways we’re responding, and how our products can help people stay connected during this time.

Location: Global

Tags:





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Mother's Day 2020 (May 10)

Date: May 10, 2020

All that glitters is not gold, but sometimes it comes in handy.

Whether they're near or far, make Mom a little piece of art from your heart in today’s interactive, digital card-maker Doodle.

Learn more about the inspiration that led to the creation of this Doodle on our official Google Blog.

Happy Mother’s Day!

 

 


Cut out some time to send a mom some love today! Search for ”GoogleDoodles” in Gboard, GIF Keyboard by Tenor, or the GIF search in your favorite social apps.

 



Below, the Doodlers behind today’s Doodle share their own MOM-umental creations:
 

Anthony Irwin, UX Designer

 

Collin Irwin, Engineer

 

Grace Chen, Marketing

 

Perla Campos, Marketing

 

Tom Tabanao, Engineer

 


 

More behind-the-scenes of the making of today’s Doodle:
 

It begins! Special thanks to the Takara and McGupta Families for materials.

 

Early Bead Tests

 

Angle Reference for the Doodle G

 

Turtle In-Progress

 

Glitter Star Animation Frames

 


 

 

❤️ MOTHER’S DAY 2020 TEAM ❤️

Lead Artist | Alyssa Winans

Engineering | Brian Murray, Collin Irwin, Tom Tabanao, Jacob Howcroft, Nicole Patten, Yumi Kim

Producer | Gregory Capuano, Colin Duffy

UX Design | Anthony Irwin, Diana Tran

Sound Design | Jacob Howcroft

Marketing | Perla Campos, Grace Chen

Business Affairs Lead & Partnerships | Madeline Belliveau

Doodle Team Lead | Jessica Yu, Brian Kaas

 

Location: Global

Tags: Interactive, National Holiday, greeting card, turtles, macaroni, buttons, sequins, hearts, dragonflies, giraffes, seashells, stars, glitter




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Reel Review: What’s New with the Shimano Stella SW 2020?

The post Reel Review: What’s New with the Shimano Stella SW 2020? appeared first on Ocean Blue Fishing Adventures.






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Clinical and immunological features of severe and moderate coronavirus disease 2019

BACKGROUND Since December 2019, an outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) emerged in Wuhan, and is now becoming a global threat. We aimed to delineate and compare the immunological features of severe and moderate COVID-19.METHODS In this retrospective study, the clinical and immunological characteristics of 21 patients (17 male and 4 female) with COVID-19 were analyzed. These patients were classified as severe (11 cases) and moderate (10 cases) according to the guidelines released by the National Health Commission of China.RESULTS The median age of severe and moderate cases was 61.0 and 52.0 years, respectively. Common clinical manifestations included fever, cough, and fatigue. Compared with moderate cases, severe cases more frequently had dyspnea, lymphopenia, and hypoalbuminemia, with higher levels of alanine aminotransferase, lactate dehydrogenase, C-reactive protein, ferritin, and D-dimer as well as markedly higher levels of IL-2R, IL-6, IL-10, and TNF-α. Absolute numbers of T lymphocytes, CD4+ T cells, and CD8+ T cells decreased in nearly all the patients, and were markedly lower in severe cases (294.0, 177.5, and 89.0 × 106/L, respectively) than moderate cases (640.5, 381.5, and 254.0 × 106/L, respectively). The expression of IFN-γ by CD4+ T cells tended to be lower in severe cases (14.1%) than in moderate cases (22.8%).CONCLUSION The SARS-CoV-2 infection may affect primarily T lymphocytes, particularly CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, resulting in a decrease in numbers as well as IFN-γ production by CD4+ T cells. These potential immunological markers may be of importance because of their correlation with disease severity in COVID-19.TRIAL REGISTRATION This is a retrospective observational study without a trial registration number.FUNDING This work is funded by grants from Tongji Hospital for the Pilot Scheme Project, and partly supported by the Chinese National Thirteenth Five Years Project in Science and Technology for Infectious Disease (2017ZX10202201).




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GPR160 de-orphanization reveals critical roles in neuropathic pain in rodents

Treating neuropathic pain is challenging and novel non–opioid-based medicines are needed. Using unbiased receptomics, transcriptomic analyses, immunofluorescence, and in situ hybridization, we found that the expression of the orphan GPCR Gpr160 and GPR160 increased in the rodent dorsal horn of the spinal cord following traumatic nerve injury. Genetic and immunopharmacological approaches demonstrated that GPR160 inhibition in the spinal cord prevented and reversed neuropathic pain in male and female rodents without altering normal pain response. GPR160 inhibition in the spinal cord attenuated sensory processing in the thalamus, a key relay in the sensory discriminative pathways of pain. We also identified cocaine- and amphetamine-regulated transcript peptide (CARTp) as a GPR160 ligand. Inhibiting endogenous CARTp signaling in spinal cord attenuated neuropathic pain, whereas exogenous intrathecal CARTp evoked painful hypersensitivity through GPR160-dependent ERK and cAMP response element–binding protein (CREB). Our findings de-orphanize GPR160, identify it as a determinant of neuropathic pain and potential therapeutic target, and provide insights into its signaling pathways. CARTp is involved in many diseases including depression and reward and addiction; de-orphanization of GPR160 is a major step forward understanding the role of CARTp signaling in health and disease.




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10 reasons you should live abroad in Japan

It’s no secret that I love Japan. I mean, I really, really love Japan. I felt more at home in Tokyo than I ever have anywhere else, and I think about going back all. the. time. I’m even thinking about it right now. You’re probably reading this right now because, at the very least, some tiny part of you is curious about whether you should do it. It might be the tiiiiiiiniest little part, but I’m sure it’s there. Maybe you don’t want to admit it because it seems pretty impossible, and yeah, I will admit that if you have a job that you don’t want to leave, strong family ties, kids, pets, or no money (among other things), it must seem like a distant what-if that will never happen. Here’s the thing. If you’re really, honestly interested, then make it happen. Because guess what? You freaking can make it happen, and don’t let anybody tell you no. If you’re coming up with a “But…” right now, I’ll stop you right there! “But I have kids/pets…” Figure out how to take them with you, because you can! “But I don’t want to leave my job…” Take a sabbatical for a year, look into transfers to a branch abroad, look for a better job in the same field in Japan, or look into whether this job is really worth giving up on this dream (maybe it isn’t). “But I can’t speak the language…” So? I moved to Japan and didn’t speak a word. Some people learn before they go, some people learn while they’re there (me), and some people never learn (I don’t recommend this). I could go on forever, but the whole world is at your fingers if you really want it! I seriously believe that. It’s not always easy, but if you want something badly enough, don’t you owe it to yourself to at least try? Anyways, let me give you the top reasons why I think that you should give living in Japan a try! 1. Living in a different culture opens your eyes. This especially is true if you immerse yourself in as much of the culture as you can. Make Japanese friends, learn about what people do on a daily basis and what they believe in. Try doing things in ways that are new to you. Try new foods! Mochi is the schiz, by the way! Once you’ve experienced doing new things, it will change how you do things even if you return back home. I will always have a no-shoes policy in my house (it’s so much cleaner!), I absolutely CRAVE a train system (if only!), and I have a newfound respect for walking and cycling. I never did this when I was little, but now, if I can, I walk! 2. You’ll have a fresh start. In your new home in Japan, you won’t have any of the drama that surrounded you in your old one. Thanks to the internet, we can still keep in touch with friends and family, but being a few thousand miles away from them will keep a lot of the drama to a minimum. Take a chance to stretch your wings and see what kind of person you are when you have the freedom to be you without their judgement. Trust me, it takes a weight off being in a new place where nobody knows who you used to be (or who they thought you used to be). Oh, and you know what? I bet that you will love yourself more than you ever did before. 3. Japan is a magical place! Seriously. Cherry blossoms, gorgeous temples and “castles” (I wouldn’t call them castles, but they’re called that nonetheless, and they’re really cool anyway), a rich history filled with Samurai and ninjas (who doesn’t love ninjas?), seasonal treats, and an entire culture that grew up reading manga. How does this not sound like an amazing place to live?!  And no offense to any other country, but Japanese trains come quickly, go almost everywhere, are extremely punctual, and pretty clean, which makes them (Tokyo especially) easily #1 in the world in public transportation. Now that sounds magical to me. 4. Universal Health Care. If you’re American like me, this will make a HUGE difference in your life. Trust me. If you come from pretty much any other 1st world nation, it probably won’t matter as much, though. But at least it’s good! 5. Japan is safer than where you came from. There’s no gun violence. There’s very low crime in general. You can walk in the dead of night in the seediest parts of town, as a woman, alone, and still feel perfectly safe from other people. From earthquakes is another matter, but you’ll get used to them really fast, and Japan is built to withstand all but the biggest. 6. Wa. There is a concept called wa in Japanese society, which essentially promotes practicing peace and harmony in your daily life. Wa is obvious in everything from traditional architecture and decor to the way that people act around each other– courteousness, quiet, and respect are what you expect most from your neighbors. You’re never going to wake up to your neighbors blaring music at 3am having a raucous party. Even drunken people wandering the street are more polite than not (although most of them just sort of stumble home or sit down where they are for the night– but remember, Japan is safe so they only thing they have to worry about is getting chilly). We could all use a little bit of harmony in our lives, and that’s something that Japan taught me to value. I’m surprised that yoga isn’t more popular, since they’re pretty in tune with each other. 7. All the new gadgets, and all of the old culture. Sure, Silicon Valley is where a lot of new apps are coming out, but if you want lots of little weird but useful gadgets to make your life easier (or more interesting), take a stroll through Akihabara. Plus, there are tons of cheap versions of what you’re used to, like large-capacity flash drives and SD cards. And I would be remiss in not mentioning the used electronics! Smartphones! Right next to small neighborhood temples, btw. It’s the only place to find Ayanami Rei in a kimono, wandering the street. The best of both worlds! 8. MANGA AND ANIME EVERYWHERE. This should be your main reason. This should be enough of a reason. Not only is it available everywhere, but events abound. If you wanted, you could go to an anime-related event every weekend of the year. Also, let’s not forget that it’s the only place to see all of the anime movies released in the theater, go to the official events (like Jump Festa, Comicket, World Cosplay Summit, and Anime Japan, among others), and see the musicals, seiyuu radio shows, and stage plays. If this isn’t reason enough, you’re probably in the wrong place. 9. It’s cheaper than you think. I lived in Tokyo, and then I moved back to the US, thinking that because I was living in a place often called “The Most Expensive City In The World,” it would be cheaper here. Nope.. Apartment rents, even in small cities, are at least the price that I was paying in Tokyo (~$600/mo). And try finding that in LA. So far I haven’t had any luck, and especially not in the areas that are actually sort-of-kind-of safe. Food is also about on-par with the US, especially domestic food. Considering that it’s an island, it’s actually really, really cheap. Food in Hawaii cost sometimes 3-4 times what I was able to get it for in Japan. Then, when you factor in healthcare, which is pretty cheap (what you pay for the insurance is based on your income, and then it covers 80% of all your bills — this is a simplification, but generally holds true), and transportation costs (you don’t need a car, therefore no gas, no insurance, no car maintenance fees), it’s downright cheap. Even living in Tokyo. 10. You will never run out of things to do. In nearly a decade, I never ran out of cool things to do. Can you say the same about the city that you live in now? Thought so. Ah man, I kinda feel ready to jump back on a plane and move across the ocean… three cats and all! Somebody hold me back… resistance is fading……………….  

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