Knowledge Update

​New York, Oct 18 (IANS) If you find your teenage son indulging in alcohol or drugs, do not just blame his peers. A specific imbalance in the functioning of his brain may put him at risk-taking behaviour risk, a study has found.

The study conducted on animals showed that the adolescent-specific behaviour may be driven by an imbalance in activity between the prefrontal cortex (PFC) -- an area of the brain involved in cognitive control and inhibition -- and the nucleus accumbens (NAC) which plays a central role in reward-seeking and addiction. 

Researchers from Dartmouth College in New Hampshire in the US said that the low activity in PFC with concurrent high activity in NAC -- an imbalance which appears to exist only during adolescence -- is essentially at odds with each other.

This imbalance is behind the tendency that could lead to potentially dangerous behaviour, including drug use, harmful drinking, addiction, unsafe sex and risky driving, which may result in unintended injuries, violence and/or even premature death.

"Understanding how specific changes in brain function during development relate to behaviour is critically important for determining why some individuals engage in excessive risk-taking behaviour during adolescence," said David J Bucci, professor at Dartmouth College.

For the study, researchers used adult rats, which normally have balanced activity in these areas and used a novel approach to decrease the activity in PFC and simultaneously increase activity in NAC while the rats learned an inhibition task. 

The rats that were treated with the new approach exhibited a dramatic delay in learning to inhibit and required twice the amount of training to learn the behaviour. 

The delay in learning this inhibitory response matched the delay that the researchers observed in normal adolescent rats during an earlier study. 

"Our hope is that these findings will inform new means to minimise the potential for engaging in drug use and other harmful behaviours during this important period of development," Bucci added in the paper published in the journal Current Biology. 

New York, Oct 18 (IANS) What if your smartwatch can help tune a guitar, displaying the note transmitted as you pluck and adjust each string? This is the future with a software upgrade that repurposes a smartwatch's existing accelerometer.

Purchase (New York), Oct 17 (IANS) Global food and beverages giant PepsiCo on Monday announced a major initiative to cut calories across its product range to make them more nutritious and meet the present-day health and societal priorities. Both Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Food Processing Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal have been asking global food giants to make their products healthier by using, among other ingredients, natural fruit juices and less sugar. "Informed by the latest dietary guidelines of the World Health Organization and other authorities, the company will continue to refine its food and beverage choices to meet changing consumer needs by reducing added sugars, saturated fat and sodium levels in its product portfolio," a PepsiCo statement said. "To succeed in today's volatile and changing world, corporations must do three things exceedingly well: focus on delivering strong financial performance, do it in a way that is sustainable over time, and be responsive to the needs of society," said PepsiCo Chairman and CEO Indra Nooyi. "PepsiCo's journey is far from complete, and our new goals are designed to build on our progress and broaden our efforts," she added. The company has chalked out various goals till 2025. These include: at least two-thirds of its global beverage portfolio volume will have 100 calories or fewer from added sugars per 12 ounce serving and at least three-quarters of its global foods portfolio volume will not exceed 1.1 grams of saturated fat per 100 calories. It also added at least three-quarters of its global foods portfolio volume will not exceed 1.3 milligrams of sodium per calorie and the rate of sales growth of what the company refers to as Everyday Nutrition products will outpace the rate of sales growth in the balance of PepsiCo's portfolio. Modi had for long been vocal about adding fruit juice to aerated drinks. In January this year he suggested mixing at least 2 per cent fruit juice in aerated drinks, which will in turn help distressed farmers to find a new market for their produce. Among its various goals for 2025, the company also said it will provide access to at least three billion servings of nutritious foods and beverages to underserved communities and consumers. Building on its support for the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human rights, PepsiCo is significantly broadening its focus on respecting human rights across the company's supply chain, the statement said. The company plans to expand its Sustainable Farming Initiative (SFI) to approximately 7 million acres by 2025, covering crops that collectively comprise approximately three-quarters of its agricultural-based spend. It also plans to invest $100 million in partnership with the PepsiCo Foundation to support initiatives to benefit 12.5 million women and girls around the world by 2025, the statement added.

​New York, Oct 18 (IANS) What if the home button of your new iPhone 7 stops working? No worries, as Apple's iPhone 7 home button has a virtual alternative that turns on automatically if the physical button fails to perform. According to the Apple-tracking website MacRumors, the virtual home button sits neatly at the bottom of the iPhone 7's screen. With the new iOS 10 in place, the iPhone 7 screen displays a message, saying that "Home Button may need service and "onscreen Home Button" can be used in the meantime. "With the introduction of the iPhone 7, Apple did away with the classic click-mechanism home button in favour of a 'solid-state' pressure sensitive one that uses haptic feedback to mimic traditional button presses," the report added. The iPhone 7 home button was redesigned in 2016. The new home button is like a sensor that can recognise a fingerprint and additional pressure. "It also vibrates when a user presses the button, so he or she knows its features have been activated," Fortune reported on Tuesday. While the feature is technically hidden, it can be turned on whenever the physical Home Button malfunctions. Speculations are that Apple may finally move its home button into the glass on its next iPhone variant - eliminating physical buttons once and for all.

​Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 18 (IANS) Kakkathuruthucrows, a tiny island in Kerala's Alappuzha district has been listed in National Geographic's 'Around the World in 24 Hours', a photographic tour of travel-worthy spots across the world.

"It is a matter of pride for us to be listed by NatGeo, which is among the leading magazines in the world," said Kerala Tourism Minister A.C. Moideen.

The tiny island, also known as the 'Island of crows', that can be reached only by boats, was captured by the magazine photographers during the time of dusk when "the shadows lengthen and the sky shifts from pale blue to sapphire".

In a graphic description, the magazine said the sunset in Kerala is greeted by a series of rituals -- Saree clad women head home in skiffs, fishermen light lamps and cast nets into the lagoon and bats swoop across the horizon snapping up moths.

"If dawn is awakening and daytime illumination, then twilight is transcendence, a final burst of vitality before darkness falls," said NatGeo Expeditions.

The other destinations included in the magazine's list are the Northern Lights zone in Norway at 12.00 a.m., Hawaii at 5.00 a.m., Paris at 6.00 a. m., San Francisco at 7.00 a.m., Abu Dhabi at 8.00 a.m., Melbourne at 9.00 a.m., New York at 8.00 p.m., Budapest (Hungary) at 10.00 p.m. and Kerala at 6.00 p.m.

 

​Lucknow, Oct 17 (IANS) In a bid to promote tourism along its major historic cities, Uttar Pradesh would be kick-starting a "Heritage Air-Services" from next year, an official said on Monday.

This air network would be started in Lucknow, Agra, Varanasi, Allahabad and Kanpur, the official added.

The air service will have small aircraft that will fly between the selected tourist and heritage cities, an official said while adding that the state government was in the process of finalising the players for this ambitious scheme.

Principal Secretary (Tourism) Navneet Sehgal informed that apart from the air service, the tourism department would also be launching a new mobile application, cuisine festivals, single platform facilities for investors in the sector and a roadmap where in more footfalls were ensured in the state's tourist hot spots.

"A special emphasis is being laid on developing and strengthening the infrastructure in the places where tourists come in large numbers, but we are also trying to ensure that people from all over the country and the world also realise that UP is much beyond the ghats of Varanasi and the Taj Mahal in Agra," Sehgal told IANS.

Sehgal also said that in this bid by the state government, as directed by Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, a roadmap had been put in place and officials were working in this direction on set timelines. 

He also added that modern people friendly centres would be opened along the Heritage Arch - Agra, Lucknow and Varanasi.

​New York, Oct 18 (IANS) If you wish to stay sharp in later years of life, better watch your weight now. Researchers have found that a higher body mass index, or BMI, can negatively impact cognitive functioning in older adults.

Higher BMI may lead to increased inflammation which can negatively impact brain function and cognition, the researchers explained.

"The higher your BMI, the more your inflammation goes up," said lead author of the study Kyle Bourassa from University of Arizona in the US.

The researchers analysed data from the English Longitudinal Study of Aging, which includes over 12 years' worth of information on the health, well-being and social and economic circumstances of the English population age 50 and older.

Using two separate samples from the study -- one of about 9,000 people and one of about 12,500 -- researchers looked at ageing adults over a six-year period.

They had information on study participants' BMI, inflammation and cognition, and the study, published in the journal Brain, Behavior and Immunity, found the same outcome in both samples.

"The higher participants' body mass at the first time point in the study, the greater the change in their CRP levels over the next four years," Bourassa said.

CRP stands for C-reactive protein, which is a marker in the blood of systemic inflammation in your body.

"Change in CRP over four years then predicted change in cognition six years after the start of the study. The body mass of these people predicted their cognitive decline through their levels of systemic inflammation," Bourassa explained.

New York, Oct 18 (IANS) Researchers from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard Medical School have developed a biocompatible and highly stretchable optical fiber which can be implanted in the body to deliver therapeutic pulses of light or light up at the first sign of disease.

According to the study, the researchers suggested that such stretchable, strain-sensing optical fibers could be implanted or fitted along the length of a patient's arm or leg to monitor for signs of improving mobility.

The study also suggested that the fibers may also serve as sensors, lighting up in response to signs of disease.

"We may be able to use optical fibers for long-term diagnostics, to optically monitor tumors or inflammation. The applications can be impactful," said Xuanhe Zhao, Associate Professor, MIT in the study published in the journal Advanced Materials.

The fiber, made from hydrogel is as bendable and is an elastic, rubbery material composed mostly of water and may serve as a long-lasting implant that would bend and twist with the body without breaking down.

Using light to activate neurons in the brain, which is a highly active field known as optogenetics, in which researchers delivered short pulses of light to targeted tissues using needle-like fibers, through which they shine light from an LED source.

"But the brain is like a bowl of Jell-O, whereas these fibers are like glass -- very rigid, which can possibly damage brain tissues. If these fibers could match the flexibility and softness of the brain, they could provide long-term more effective stimulation and therapy," Zhao added.

For the study, the researchers began to play with the fiber's optical properties, to see if they could design a fiber that could sense when and where it was being stretched.

Then they shone a laser light through the fiber and stretched and measured the spectrum of light.

By measuring the amount of light at the far end of the fiber, the researchers could quantitatively determine where and by how much a fiber was stretched.

​London, Oct 18 (IANS) Pregnant women who are dissatisfied in their relationship may be at an increased risk of developing infectious diseases, which may in turn, also affect their children, researchers have found.

The risk of pregnant women with the lowest satisfaction in their relationship becoming ill is more than twice than those who are satisfied.

"The study does not prove that the first thing leads to the second. But those who report that they are dissatisfied in their relationship more often report illnesses during pregnancy. Their children are also reported ill more often during their first year," said Roger Ekeberg Henriksen from the University of Bergen in Norway.

"Infections during pregnancy may lead to complications and diseases later in life, Henriksen said, adding "dissatisfaction with your partner during pregnancy should be considered a risk factor for reproductive health." 

Relationship researchers have been usually interested in psychological factors such as depression and life quality. But social isolation and loneliness can also directly affect the physiology.

During stressed condition our immune system may be given lower priority, and we thus become less resistant towards infectious diseases from bacteria and viruses, the researchers said.

"If we look at brain research and other research on physiological mechanisms, we see that having a partner who is predictable and supportive may be decisive for our ability to handle stress. On the opposite side, stress responses may occur with the absence of social support," Henriksen stated.

In the study, Henriksen looked at the occurrence of eight different infectious diseases, from the common cold to stomach flu and inflammation of the ear. 

With children up to six months, the occurrence of all eight infections was higher when the mothers were dissatisfied in their relationship.

"If there's a lot of stress in your life and you have few good relations, this should be given particular attention. It might be a good idea to talk to your midwife or your general practitioner about this," Henriksen suggested.

For the study, the team collected data from the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study (MoBa) -- a health study on mothers and their children since 1999. The study of pregnant women's infectious diseases includes more than 67,000 women. The study of children's infectious diseases includes nearly 91,000 women and more than 100,000 children.