Knowledge Update

It needs no saying that how, today or in the contemporary globalized, world, leadership is attracting so much attention in all fields from politics to business, as the most deciding factor of political and business fortunes or misfortunes. Not surprising, given the fact that women/men at the helm of the affairs count the most, as the head of the family decides the family's welfare or ill –fare.

London, April 30 (IANS) Researchers have developed a simple eye test that could help solve the biggest global cause of irreversible blindness, glaucoma, by detecting the onset of the disease at a very early stage.

San Francisco, April 30 (IANS) Analysis considering a range of flood scenarios, as opposed to a single 100-year threshold, could be more robust and accurate about vulnerability of bridges, according to a study.

Wellington, April 25 (IANS) After several unsuccessful attempts, NASA finally launched its football-stadium-sized, heavy-lift super pressure balloon (SPB) from Wanaka, New Zealand, on Tuesday.

​London, April 24 (IANS) Researchers have found that a new test which takes just around 15 minutes can help diagnose some the most dangerous and drug-resistant types of bacterial infections.

Washington, April 28 (IANS) An international team of researchers has successfully retrieved human DNA in cave sediments where no skeletal remains were found, a new study revealed.

​New York, April 27 (IANS) Early humans probably reached North America 130,000 years ago -- 115,000 years earlier than previously thought, claims a study.

Birmingham, April 25 (IANS) Higher level of autonomy at workplace has a positive effect on employees' well-being and gives them job satisfaction, according to a research.

Researchers at the University of Birmingham Business School examined the changes in reported well-being relative to levels of autonomy using two separate years of data for 20,000 employees from the Understanding Society survey.

The research, published in the journal Work and Occupations, found that levels of autonomy differed considerably between occupations and by gender.

Those working in management reported the highest levels of autonomy in their work, with 90 per cent reporting "some" or "a lot" of autonomy in the workplace.

Professionals report much less autonomy, particularly over the pace of work and over their working hours, according to the survey. 

For other employees -- 40-50 per cent of those surveyed -- experienced much lower autonomy while around half of lower-skilled employees experience no autonomy over working hours at all.

Dr Daniel Wheatley at the University of Birmingham Business School said: "Greater levels of control over work tasks and schedule have the potential to generate significant benefits for the employee, which was found to be evident in the levels of reported well-being."

"The positive effects associated with informal flexibility and working at home, offer further support to the suggestion that schedule control is highly valued and important to employees 'enjoying' work," he said.

The study found "compelling" evidence to suggest that men and women were affected in different ways by the type of autonomy they experienced.

For women, flexibility over the timing and location of their work appeared to be more beneficial allowing them to balance other tasks such as family commitments.

Dr Wheatley added: "The manner of work and control over work schedule was found to be more relevant to the well-being of female employees."

"Flexibility in work location, specifically homeworking, benefitted women with caring responsibilities allowing them to better manage paid work alongside the household," he said.

Men were found to be more impacted by job tasks, pace of work and task order.

The research also highlighted that despite the reported increased levels of well-being, in many cases managers remain unwilling to offer employees greater levels of autonomy and the associated benefits.

​London, April 24 (IANS) A consortium of British companies on Monday unveiled a plan to test driverless cars on UK roads and motorways in 2019, the media reported.

The Driven consortium led by Oxbotica, which makes software for driverless vehicles, also plans to try out a fleet of autonomous vehicles between London and Oxford, the BBC reported.

The cars will communicate with one another about any hazards and should operate with almost full autonomy -- but will have a human on board as well.

Previous tests of driverless vehicles in the UK have mainly taken place at slow speeds and not on public roads.

"We're moving from the singleton autonomous vehicle to fleets of autonomous vehicles -- and what's interesting is what data the vehicles share with one another, when, and why," the BBC quoted founder Paul Newman, a professor from Oxford University, as saying. 

The project is backed by a government grant of 8.6 million pounds ($11 million) and involves an insurance company which will assess the risks involved at each stage of the journey.

NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson breaks US spaceflight record