We didn't exactly get the most in-depth look at it, but Microsoft has just teased a few new features that you'll be able to find in the new Windows 8.1 Maps app. That includes 3D imagery that'll allow for more realistic virtual flyovers of cities (no word on specific cities that will be covered, though), as well as what looks to be a slew of additional information about cities and buildings that will be built into the app -- letting you ask questions like "Who is the architect?," for instance. You can get a quick taste of what that will look like in the gallery below.
Today we learned that Facebook and Flipboard will be getting "official" apps for Windows 8. Indeed, Flipboard has confirmed that an app will come out this year. Yes! But all its got to show so far is an 8 second prototype animation.
VATICAN CITY (AP) ? Pope Francis on Wednesday named a commission of inquiry to look into the activities of the troubled Vatican bank amid a new money-laundering investigation and continued questions about the secretive institution.
It was the second time in as many weeks that Francis has intervened to get to the bottom of the problems that have plagued the Institute for Religious Works for decades. On June 15, he filled a key vacancy in the bank's governing structure, tapping a trusted friend to be his eyes inside the bank with access to documentation, board meetings and management.
On Wednesday, he named a commission to investigate the bank's legal structure and activities "to allow for a better harmonization with the universal mission of the Apostolic See," according to the legal document that created it.
He named five people to the commission, including two Americans: Monsignor Peter Wells, a top official in the Vatican secretariat of state, and Mary Ann Glendon, a Harvard law professor, former U.S. ambassador to the Holy See and current president of a pontifical academy.
U.S. cardinals were among the most vocal in demanding a wholesale reform of the Vatican bureaucracy ? and the Vatican bank ? in the meetings running up to the March conclave that elected Francis pope. The demands were raised following revelations in leaked documents last year that told of dysfunction, petty turf wars and allegations of corruption in the Holy See's governance.
The commission is already at work. Its members have the authority to gather documents, data and information about the bank, even surpassing normal secrecy rules. The bank's administration continues to function as normal, as does the Vatican's new financial watchdog agency which has supervisory control over it.
The announcement came amid a new embarrassment for the Vatican in which prosecutors from the southern city of Salerno have placed a senior Vatican official under investigation for alleged money-laundering. The Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, confirmed Wednesday that Monsignor Nunzio Scarano had been suspended temporarily from his position in one of the Vatican's key finance offices, the Administration for the Patrimony of the Apostolic See. Scarano has said he did nothing wrong.
The Vatican bank was founded in 1942 by Pope Pius XII to manage assets destined for religious or charitable works. Located in a tower just inside the gates of Vatican City, it also manages the pension system for the Vatican's thousands of employees.
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Follow Nicole Winfield at www.twitter.com/nwinfield
Summer's here! And while many favorite and critically acclaimed shows have ended their seasons (see you next year, Don Draper!), summer blockbusters are starting to show up in theaters and many popular television programs are returning to the airwaves.
Warner Bros. / HBO / FOX / Paramount
"Casablanca," "The Sopranos," "The Simpsons" and "The Godfather Part 2" all made Entertainment Weekly's list of top movies and TV shows ever.
And as the summer entertainment season kicks into gear, Entertainment Weekly has unveiled its list of All Time Greatest TV Shows and Movies.
On Wednesday morning, the top five results for each category were revealed on TODAY.
Gangsters, outlaws, star-crossed lovers and creepy shower killers are among those viewers meet in the magazine's films list -- and not one of the movies that made the top five came along after America?s bicentennial.
The No. 1 pick is "Citizen Kane," the 1942 saga of old-school journalism.
The gritty and engrossing tales of mob life in "The Godfather" (1972) and "The Godfather Part 2" (1974) tie for second place in the roundup. In third is 1967's murder and mayhem-filled "Bonnie and Clyde." The classic tale of war-torn love, "Casablanca" (1942), takes the fourth spot. And 1960?s legendary ?Psycho,? dubbed the ?granddaddy of all slasher films,? rounds out the list.
(Before the EW results were revealed, we put the contenders to a vote and our readers put "The Godfather" films way ahead of the others, with "Casablanca" a distant second and "Citizen Kane," "Psycho," and "Bonnie and Clyde" trailing at the end of the list.)
On the small screen, only one of the magazine's top five picks for All Time Greatest TV Shows is still on the air. (Seriously, "Breaking Bad," "Walking Dead" and "Game of Thrones" didn't crack the summit of the list!)
Topping the list is complex crime drama "The Wire," which wrapped up its run in 2008.
The still-on-the-air show in second place is Fox's very long-running "The Simpsons." "Seinfeld," which aired its last episode in 1998, comes in at third place, followed by "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" (1977) in fourth. "The Sopranos," the HBO antihero drama that ended in 2007, takes fifth.
(In our vote, readers picked "Seinfeld" as No. 1, followed by "The Sopranos," "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" and "The Simpsons." As for EW's top choice? "The Wire" landed in last place.)
See the full Top 100 lists in the new issue of Entertainment Weekly.
Which movies and TV shows would put in your top 5? Click on "Talk about it" below and give us your list!
UCI researchers awarded $2.27 million to create novel diabetes treatmentsPublic release date: 26-Jun-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Tom Vasich tmvasich@uci.edu 949-824-6455 University of California - Irvine
Grants will support islet cell transplantation and insulin sensor projects
Irvine, Calif., June 26, 2013 Two UC Irvine research groups have received $2.27 million from the JDRF to develop innovative methods of treating and possibly curing Type 1 diabetes.
The JDRF, formerly the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, awarded one grant to Jonathan Lakey, associate professor of surgery and biomedical engineering, and Elliot Botvinick, assistant professor of surgery and biomedical engineering; and another to Weian Zhao, assistant professor of pharmaceutical sciences and biomedical engineering. Lakey and Zhao are affiliated with the campus's Sue & Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center.
With $1.27 million in funding over three years, Lakey and Botvinick will try to find a way to successfully transplant encapsulated, stem cell-created pancreatic islets. In Type 1 diabetes, the pancreas cannot produce insulin a hormone key to regulating carbohydrate and fat metabolism in the body making daily insulin treatments necessary.
The pancreas, an organ about the size of a hand, is located behind the lower part of the stomach. It makes insulin and enzymes that help the body digest and use food. Throughout the pancreas are clusters of cells called the islets of Langerhans. Islets are composed of several types of cells, including beta cells that make insulin.
In a previous study, Lakey helped show that transplanted encapsulated islets can create and secrete insulin. A major hurdle, though, is overcoming immune-system rejection of these transplanted islets.
The Lakey-Botvinick team which includes researchers and products from UC Irvine, the University of Oxford, the Netherlands' University of Groningen, Eastern Virginia Medical School, Islet Sheet Medical in San Francisco, Islet Sciences in New York and Danish pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk will explore the use of isolated islets in which the cells are encased in an ultrapure algae membrane.
The encapsulation chemistry allows for selective permeability, meaning that some small molecules, such as glucose and insulin, can pass across the barrier, while large antibodies and immunological molecules are blocked from entering into the space containing the islets.
"Perhaps the greatest challenge in the field of islet transplantation is to make the metabolic benefits available to patients with Type 1 diabetes without the need for chronic immunosuppression," said Lakey, who's also director of UC Irvine Health's Clinical Islet Program. "I believe that this technology has great promise for realizing our goal. And this welcome support from the JDRF should speed our progress."
With the other grant, Zhao and his colleagues will try to develop an insulin sensor for the JDRF's Artificial Pancreas Project, which supports the creation of an automated system to dispense insulin based on real-time changes in blood sugar levels. Central to such a device is a mechanism that can accurately determine blood insulin amounts to provide feedback control for the artificial pancreas.
Existing systems deliver insulin via a pump under closed-loop control using data from a continuous glucose sensor. They are, however, associated with severe risks especially insulin overdose when any of their components malfunction.
Zhao will receive $1 million for the two-year effort, with the potential for further funding if his team comes up with a promising model. "Integrating a real-time insulin sensor into the artificial pancreas system will allow us to precisely monitor and control the levels of both sugar and insulin, ultimately leading to safe and effective management of diabetes," he said.
Other UC Irvine researchers involved in these projects include Bernard Choi, associate professor of surgery and biomedical engineering; Dr. Clarence Foster, clinical professor of surgery and chief of the School of Medicine's transplantation division; and Frank Zaldivar and Dr. Pietro Galassetti with the Institute for Clinical & Translational Science.
###
About the University of California, Irvine: Founded in 1965, UC Irvine is a top-ranked university dedicated to research, scholarship and community service. Led by Chancellor Michael Drake since 2005, UC Irvine is among the most dynamic campuses in the University of California system, with more than 28,000 undergraduate and graduate students, 1,100 faculty and 9,400 staff. Orange County's second-largest employer, UC Irvine contributes an annual economic impact of $4.3 billion. For more UC Irvine news, visit news.uci.edu.
News Radio: UC Irvine maintains on campus an ISDN line for conducting interviews with its faculty and experts. Use of this line is available for a fee to radio news programs/stations that wish to interview UC Irvine faculty and experts. Use of the ISDN line is subject to availability and approval by the university.
UCI maintains an online directory of faculty available as experts to the media. To access, visit http://www.today.uci.edu/experts.
[ | 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.
UCI researchers awarded $2.27 million to create novel diabetes treatmentsPublic release date: 26-Jun-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Tom Vasich tmvasich@uci.edu 949-824-6455 University of California - Irvine
Grants will support islet cell transplantation and insulin sensor projects
Irvine, Calif., June 26, 2013 Two UC Irvine research groups have received $2.27 million from the JDRF to develop innovative methods of treating and possibly curing Type 1 diabetes.
The JDRF, formerly the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, awarded one grant to Jonathan Lakey, associate professor of surgery and biomedical engineering, and Elliot Botvinick, assistant professor of surgery and biomedical engineering; and another to Weian Zhao, assistant professor of pharmaceutical sciences and biomedical engineering. Lakey and Zhao are affiliated with the campus's Sue & Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center.
With $1.27 million in funding over three years, Lakey and Botvinick will try to find a way to successfully transplant encapsulated, stem cell-created pancreatic islets. In Type 1 diabetes, the pancreas cannot produce insulin a hormone key to regulating carbohydrate and fat metabolism in the body making daily insulin treatments necessary.
The pancreas, an organ about the size of a hand, is located behind the lower part of the stomach. It makes insulin and enzymes that help the body digest and use food. Throughout the pancreas are clusters of cells called the islets of Langerhans. Islets are composed of several types of cells, including beta cells that make insulin.
In a previous study, Lakey helped show that transplanted encapsulated islets can create and secrete insulin. A major hurdle, though, is overcoming immune-system rejection of these transplanted islets.
The Lakey-Botvinick team which includes researchers and products from UC Irvine, the University of Oxford, the Netherlands' University of Groningen, Eastern Virginia Medical School, Islet Sheet Medical in San Francisco, Islet Sciences in New York and Danish pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk will explore the use of isolated islets in which the cells are encased in an ultrapure algae membrane.
The encapsulation chemistry allows for selective permeability, meaning that some small molecules, such as glucose and insulin, can pass across the barrier, while large antibodies and immunological molecules are blocked from entering into the space containing the islets.
"Perhaps the greatest challenge in the field of islet transplantation is to make the metabolic benefits available to patients with Type 1 diabetes without the need for chronic immunosuppression," said Lakey, who's also director of UC Irvine Health's Clinical Islet Program. "I believe that this technology has great promise for realizing our goal. And this welcome support from the JDRF should speed our progress."
With the other grant, Zhao and his colleagues will try to develop an insulin sensor for the JDRF's Artificial Pancreas Project, which supports the creation of an automated system to dispense insulin based on real-time changes in blood sugar levels. Central to such a device is a mechanism that can accurately determine blood insulin amounts to provide feedback control for the artificial pancreas.
Existing systems deliver insulin via a pump under closed-loop control using data from a continuous glucose sensor. They are, however, associated with severe risks especially insulin overdose when any of their components malfunction.
Zhao will receive $1 million for the two-year effort, with the potential for further funding if his team comes up with a promising model. "Integrating a real-time insulin sensor into the artificial pancreas system will allow us to precisely monitor and control the levels of both sugar and insulin, ultimately leading to safe and effective management of diabetes," he said.
Other UC Irvine researchers involved in these projects include Bernard Choi, associate professor of surgery and biomedical engineering; Dr. Clarence Foster, clinical professor of surgery and chief of the School of Medicine's transplantation division; and Frank Zaldivar and Dr. Pietro Galassetti with the Institute for Clinical & Translational Science.
###
About the University of California, Irvine: Founded in 1965, UC Irvine is a top-ranked university dedicated to research, scholarship and community service. Led by Chancellor Michael Drake since 2005, UC Irvine is among the most dynamic campuses in the University of California system, with more than 28,000 undergraduate and graduate students, 1,100 faculty and 9,400 staff. Orange County's second-largest employer, UC Irvine contributes an annual economic impact of $4.3 billion. For more UC Irvine news, visit news.uci.edu.
News Radio: UC Irvine maintains on campus an ISDN line for conducting interviews with its faculty and experts. Use of this line is available for a fee to radio news programs/stations that wish to interview UC Irvine faculty and experts. Use of the ISDN line is subject to availability and approval by the university.
UCI maintains an online directory of faculty available as experts to the media. To access, visit http://www.today.uci.edu/experts.
[ | 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.
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) ? The Roman Catholic archbishop of Newark, N.J., says the church is unlikely to enter into any new agreements with civil authorities that hold it responsible for supervising priests on restricted duty.
Archbishop John Myers' comments came in an interview appearing Tuesday in the National Catholic Register.
He was questioned about the church's handling of the case of the Rev. Michael Fugee, a priest who violated a court agreement with the diocese barring him from contact with children.
Myers tells the Catholic newspaper the church would not enter into future agreements that place a "burden" on the church. He says the state has more resources.
Fugee, who had admitted groping a child, is no longer functioning as a priest and is charged with seven counts of contempt of a judicial order.
NEW YORK (AP) ? Alex Rodriguez and the New York Yankees are not seeing eye to eye on his hip injury.
The star third baseman tweeted Tuesday night that his hip surgeon has cleared him to play in rehabilitation games, a move that angered Yankees general manager Brian Cashman, according to ESPN.com.
"You know what, when the Yankees want to announce something, (we will)," Cashman told the website.
"Alex should just shut ... up," the GM said, punctuating his comment with a profanity.
Cashman added that he planned to get in touch with Rodriguez right away.
The general manager did not respond to calls from The Associated Press.
Rodriguez had left hip surgery on Jan. 16 and has been working out since May at the Yankees' Tampa complex. The three-time AL MVP took swings in a simulated-game situation for the first time on Monday.
On Tuesday night, he posted a message on Twitter: "Visit from Dr. Kelly over the weekend, who gave me the best news ? the green light to play games again!" Rodriguez also posted a photo of himself and Dr. Brian Kelly, who performed the operation in New York.
Rodriguez did not stop to speak with reporters Wednesday when he drove into the team's minor league complex in Tampa, Fla.
"I will continue to work hard until my efforts get me back in pinstripes and help my team win," Rodriguez said in a statement. "The tweet was pure excitement about Dr. Kelly's prognosis."
Cashman recently said Yankees doctors have not yet cleared A-Rod for minor league rehab games.
"I don't tweet, and I really don't follow Twitter. So I probably don't really know much of what is going on. As far as I know he has not been cleared," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said Tuesday night after his team's 4-3 victory over Texas.
"There's always a chain of command with injuries. There has to be and that's the process. It goes through our training staff, our doctors and our GM and then it goes to me. I'm down on the totem pole."
Before the game ? and Rodriguez's tweet ? Girardi said Rodriguez "is making progress, which is good."
"He's in sim games until they decide he's ready to go out on a rehab. It's not yet," the manager said.
New to Twitter, Rodriguez sent his first tweet on May 31. He is expected to return to the Yankees around the All-Star break, shortly before he turns 38.
Benched by the team as he slumped through last year's playoffs, A-Rod has been in the news a lot lately even though he has spent almost no time with the Yankees this season. He is among the 20 or so players who may be disciplined by Major League Baseball for their links to the now-closed Miami anti-aging clinic, Biogenesis of America. A first offense under baseball's drug program results in a 50-game suspension and a second in a 100-game ban, but players don't serve penalties for a first offense until after any grievance is decided.
Rodriguez admitted in 2009 that he used performance-enhancing drugs while with the Rangers from 2001-03. As baseball's highest-paid player with a $28 million salary this year, he would lose $7.65 million during a 50-game ban if it is served this year.
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AP freelance writer Mark Didtler in Tampa, Fla., contributed to this report.
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Public release date: 26-Jun-2013
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