Knowledge Update

​Victoria (Seychelles), Nov 21 (IANS) It was raining heavily when the inaugural SriLankan Airlines flight from Colombo touched down on the Indian Ocean archipelago nation of Seychelles and one could hardly make out the water cannon salute from inside the aircraft.

As the passengers deboarded at the Seychelles International Airport on Mahe island, each of them were handed out umbrellas by ground staff waiting at the end of the stepladder to get to the small arrival terminal a few steps away.

The sheer exoticness of the country will never fail to hit a first-time visitor, as this IANS correspondent was as he was transported from the airport to the resort on an island connected by a small bridge. A neat, well maintained two-lane road flanked by tropical trees -- greenery in all its grandeur -- connected the airport with the resort.

The quaint houses on the way mostly reflected the French architectural style. One learnt later that though the Seychelles was colonised by France and later by Britain until independence in 1976, the people of the country mostly retained the French culture.

Of the 115 islands that comprise the country that is around 1,500 km east of the African mainland, only the three largest ones are inhabited in a big way -- Mahe, Praslin and La Digue. Mahe, the largest of them all, is home to most of the country's 93,000-odd population.

A visit to the Seychelles National Botanical Gardens on Mount Fleuri on the outskirts of the capital Victoria starts with an interesting bit of trivia -- a popular myth in the country is that the coconut tree has male and female forms. And that popular myth has been given official recognition as shown by the immigration stamp on the passport, the contours of which represent the female form of the tree.

The wood of the Takamaka coconut tree is considered to be the most expensive in the Seychelles, according to Sandra, the guide assigned to our group of journalists.

"The French extract oil from the roots of this tree and 50 ml of this is sold for 300 euros," she said, adding that the oil is mostly used for skincare products.

Landscaped and beautifully maintained , the five acres of the gardens are also home to exotic and endemic tropical plants and a variety of spice and fruit trees. Fruit bats can also be seen hanging from the trees.

And then came the most anticipated event -- a visit to the giant tortoises enclosure. One look and you will surely do a double take. Tortoises. Huge ones!

Distributed across the Aldabra Atoll in the Seychelles, giant tortoises are herbivores that feed on leaves, fruits and low hanging tree branches.

"The world's longest lived animals with a lifespan of nearly 250 years, Aldabran giant tortoises are one of the two last existing species of giant tortoises," a board at the enclosure reads.

"Their ability to survive nearly three months without food or water contributed to their vulnerable status providing live meat for ships travelling the Indian Ocean during the 16th to 18th century," it stated.

Sandra, the guide, explained that it took three days by boat to reach the Aldabra Atoll, a Unesco World Heritage Site comprising four coral islands, and only seven visitors are allowed on the atoll on any given day.

After the botanical gardens, time for a tour of Victoria. Covering an area a little over 20 sq km, it must be one of the smallest and quaintest national capitals in the world.

Neatly maintained two-lane streets crisscross the town which is dotted with pretty, brightly-coloured houses with slanted roofs given the tropical rain forest climate of the place, and modern commercial buildings.

The Victoria Clock Tower at one of the street squares is a focal point of the town. Erected in 1903 as a memorial to Queen Victoria who died in 1901, the clock is a replica of the one erected in London in 1897.

With the Seychelles as a high-end tourist destination, world's top hotel brands are all here.

Beach time and Sandra immediately informed her guests that all beaches in the Seychelles were public. "That is the law," she said.

North East Point Beach is one such. Stretching over 1.5 km, the windswept beach is popular with tourists, especially surfers. Beach rocks -- masses of sand that have turned into rocks under pressure -- are indicative of how old the beach is.

Farther ahead is the Beau Vallon beach, once considered the best beach in the world and even now among the top 10.

A visit to the Seychelles is incomplete without a trip to Morne Blanc, the highest peak in the country, from where one can get spectacular panoramic views of the Indian Ocean and see tropical birds flying around.

A local meal at a Creole homestead that comprised steamed sea fish, chicken curry and lentils, or dhal as they call it, completed the experience.

​Canberra, Nov 21 (IANS) Australian scientists have taken a step in the "right direction" to creating a vaccine for the deadly HIV virus.

Researchers from South Australia's University of Adelaide and the Queen Elizabeth Hospital have used a common cold virus to introduce their DNA-based vaccine into the immune system of laboratory mice, Xinhua news agency reported.

Branka Grubor-Bauk from the University of Adelaide said the team targeted the vaccine into areas in which the HIV infection is most commonly found, and discovered that the testing achieved a "significant reduction" of infection rates in the mice.

"You need to get protection where your body encounters the virus first and you need to stop that virus from either entering, or you need to stop it from replicating and stop it from spreading," Grubor-Bauk said on Monday.

"We're hoping our discovery is definitely pointing us in the right direction."

She said now the team had made the important breakthrough, and it was vital that research continues into a human vaccine for the HIV infection.

"After a long four years of study, we were able to create this common cold virus that encoded proteins of HIV and we vaccinated mice and we were successful in creating immunity in mucosal surfaces," Grubor-Bauk said.

"We also have a DNA vaccine we administered intradermally, like the influenza vaccine, and we found by administering this vaccine we were able to get a systemic immunity throughout the whole body."

The results of the testing were published in the Scientific Reports journal. 

Tokyo, Nov 20 (IANS) Engaging in social activities like participating in hobby clubs or volunteer groups may help the elderly relieve the stress of loneliness as well as slow down the decline in their ability to manage daily activities crucial to an individuals' independence and quality of life, say researchers. The study, led by a team of researchers from the Nara Medical University in Japan, found that elderly men and women who participated in social activities were less likely to experience a decline in their ability to perform daily functions. "Participation in a variety of different types of social activities was associated with change in IADLs (instrumental activities of daily living) over the three years of this study in women, and participation in hobby clubs was associated with change in IADLs in men and women," said the study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. Losing a spouse is considered a stressful experience that may speed up an older adult's functional decline. But participating in social activities may help relieve the stress of loneliness - and that might help an older adult maintain his or her ability to function, the researchers said. Participating in social activities allows older adults to have a meaningful role in society, giving them a sense of value and belonging. This sense of value may motivate older adults to maintain their ability to function, they added. Further, the researchers found that older adults who experienced a decline in their ability to perform daily activities were more likely to use medications, describe their health status as poor, experience depression, and have trouble with memory or making decisions compared to those who maintained their ability to function well. Such people also were less likely to participate in hobby clubs or volunteer groups versus those who could still perform simple activities of daily living. When older adults begin having trouble managing these activities by themselves, their risks for falls, hospitalisation, and even death can increase. Healthcare professionals should be aware of older adults' social activity participation - or lack of it - to help lessen the likelihood of functional decline, the researchers suggested.

​New York, Nov 20 (IANS) Extracts and isolated compounds from avocado seeds can potentially be used as a natural additive incorporated into ready-to-eat foods to control microbes that cause bacterial illness, researchers say.

The researchers found that the extracts from avocado seeds could be effective in controlling microbes that cause Listeria, a foodborne bacterial illness that can be very serious for pregnant women and people with impaired immune systems.

In the study, the researchers from Tecnologico de Monterrey, in Mexico compared enriched acetogenin extract (EAE) from avocado seeds with two name-brand synthetic antimicrobials.

They found that the EAE presented similar listeria-properties and chemical profiles to the synthetic antimicrobials.

The EAE was effective at 37 degrees celsius and at a refrigeration temperature of four degrees celsius.

Avocado seeds are a waste product of the food industry, and these results offer a value-added, sustainable opportunity for manufacturers, the researchers said.

Food products are usually formulated with synthetic additives that enhances the flavour so that it gives food a particular taste or smell. It may be derived from natural ingredients or created artificially.

However, food still has to be safe for consumers to eat, so food scientists are looking for ways to replace synthetic additives.

Since some additives are needed for food safety reasons, food product developers are faced with the challenge of developing more "natural" additives that can produce comparable results, the study said.

The study was published in the Journal of Food Science.

​New York, Nov 20 (IANS) Scientists from the Netherlands said they have made an important advance towards creating a functional bioartificial kidney that could one day replace the need for dialysis or transplantation in the millions of patients with kidney failure.

"The strategies and methods of this work could be relevant to the development of other bioartificial organs, such as a bioartificial liver or bioartificial pancreas, and organs on chips -- such as a kidney on chip, a lung on chip, or a liver on chip," said Dimitrios Stamatialis, from the University of Twente in the Netherlands.

A key requirement for bioartificial kidney is the formation of a "living membrane" that consists of a tight kidney cell layer on artificial membrane surfaces and can transport molecules from one side to the other. 

In a paper presented at American Society of Nephrology (ASN) Kidney Week 2016 at McCormick Place in Chicago, Illinois, the researchers achieved this using conditionally immortalised human renal proximal tubular epithelial cells (ciPTECs) on polyethersulfone-based hollow fiber membranes. 

They demonstrated that the cell monolayer is indeed functional as a living membrane.

"This study shows the successful development of a living membrane consisting of a reproducible ciPTEC monolayer on hollow fiber membranes, an important step towards the development of a bioartificial kidney device," Stamatialis said.

​New York, Nov 20 (IANS) In a breakthrough research, US scientists have identified that early signs of Alzheimer's disease can be detected by looking at the back of patients' eyes.

The researchers found that the retina tissue shows evidence of toxic tau and inflammation -- crucial for the onset of the neurodegenerative disease.

"Using the retina for detecting Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative diseases would be non-invasive, inexpensive and could become a part of a normal screening done at patient checkups," said lead author Ashley Nilson, graduate student at The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston.

The study demonstrated that the toxic tau, which spreads between connected brain regions, may initiate inflammation in brain regions.

In Alzheimer's, the tau protein changes into a toxic form called tau oligomers and begins clumping into neurofibrillary tangles, which can leading to the eventual death of the brain cells.

"Our findings suggest that the degeneration of nerve cells due to chronic inflammation induced by the tau oligomers may be combated through the combination of anti-tau oligomer and anti-inflammatory therapeutics for the treatment of Alzheimer's and related diseases," added Rakez Kayed, Associate Professor at The University of Texas Medical Branch.

This situation can create a cycle of toxic tau, inflammation and cell death throughout the brain over time.

For the study, the team performed a systematic analyses of brain and retina samples from people with Alzheimer's and a mouse model of Alzheimer's.

"Early detection of Alzheimer's warning signs would allow for early intervention and prevention of neurodegeneration before major brain cell loss and cognitive decline occurs," Nilson said.

Beyond determining eye health and corrective lens prescriptions, having an eye exam can alert health care professionals of several different health conditions including diabetic complications, high cholesterol and high blood pressure, the researchers suggested, in the paper in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease.

Thimphu, Nov 19 (IANS) Farmers and exporters in Bhutan's Phuentsholing town, on the border with India, have been hit hard as the demonetisation of high-value currency by India has led to cardamom and potato sales dropping drastically.

Beijing, Nov 19 (IANS) The Coca-Cola Company on Saturday announced the reshaping of its bottling operations in China. The announcement was made jointly following an agreement of the Coca-Cola Company and its Bottling Investments Group China, COFCO Coca-Cola Beverages Limited (a subsidiary of COFCO Corporation), and Swire Beverage Holdings Limited, Xinhua news agency reported. As a result, Coca-Cola's bottling operations in China will be concentrated in its two franchise partners, COFCO and Swire. COFCO will own and operate 18 bottling plants, while Swire will own and operate 17. "Today's announcement marks our refocus on core strengths of building great brands and leading a strong, global franchise system," said Muhtar Kent, Chairman and CEO of the Coca-Cola Company. By refranchising all company-owned bottling operations in China to local partners, Coca-Cola aims to position these companies to leverage greater efficiency throughout China to invest for growth. "China's long and stable economic growth provides great opportunity for sustainable development of the beverages industry," said Zhao Shuanglian, Chairman of COFCO Corporation.

​New York, Nov 19 (IANS) After it launched the HP Elite x3 smartphone in 2016 which was not quite successful, HP is planning to launch another Windows Phone handset in 2017. The company is rumoured to have teamed up with Microsoft for the release of a more customer-focused Windows Phone probably in February 2017, Phone Arena reported. It is believed that HP will develop and sell the smartphone, while Microsoft will offer budget for the same. Microsoft may also provide HP with technology that was used inside Lumia smartphones. "Features like Glance, ClearBlack display, double tap to wake, and advanced camera functionality will be implemented in the HP's Windows Phone handset," the report added. Sources said that that Microsoft has already revealed a new Windows 10 Mobile handset this week in Redmond, and is expected to be officially announced in February 2017. But certain details of the launch were not yet confirmed.

Barcelona, Nov 19 (IANS) Nokia is planning to re-enter the smartphone business in 2017, a slide from Nokia's Capital Markets Day 2016 has revealed. The event that was held on November 15 for investors, the company stated that 2017 will represent "Nokia brand's return to smartphones.," Phone Arena reported on Friday. Since it does not have the required manufacturing facilities, Nokia will rope in Finnish company HMD Global, and Taiwanese giant Foxconn to manufacture the smartphones. Led by former Nokia execs, HDM will "develop, market and sell Nokia-branded phones and accessories", while Foxconn is dealing with R&D and manufacturing, the report added. The first smartphone of Nokia after its come back is rumoured to be the D1C that runs on Android 7 Nougat with a Snapdragon 430 processor, and offers a 1080p display and 3 GB of RAM.