Knowledge Update

​New York, Sep 14 (IANS) Scientists have discovered a new mechanism in the mouse-brain that can help regulate obesity triggered by consuming a high-fat diet and can also be used as a potential treatment.

Consuming a high-fat diet results in changes in the brain that increases Rap1 gene, which is expressed in a variety of tissues, including the brain where it is involved in functions such as memory and learning.

Increase in Rap1 gene activity in turn leads to a decreased sensitivity to leptin -- the 'satiety hormone' produced by fatty tissue that helps regulate body weight by inhibiting appetite -- that sets the body on a path to obesity, the study said.

"This new mechanism involving Rap1 in the brain, may represent a potential therapeutic target for treating human obesity in the future," said Makoto Fukuda, Assistant Professor at Baylor College of Medicine in Texas, US.

In the study, the researchers analysed the mouse Rap1 gene and selectively deleted the gene in a group of neurons in the hypothalamus -- a region of the brain that is involved in regulating whole-body metabolism. 

While one group of mice were genetically engineered to lack the Rap1 gene, the other (control) group had a functional Rap1 gene. 

The scientists then fed both group of mice to a high-fat diet in which 60 per cent calories came from fat. 

As expected, the control mice with a working Rap1 gene gained weight, but, in comparison, the mice that lacked Rap1 had markedly reduced body weight and less body fat. 

Despite eating a high-fat diet, the mice lacking the Rap1 gene had not gained weight as a result of eating less as well as burning more body fat than mice with Rap1.

"These observations were associated with the hypothalamus producing more of a hormone that reduces appetite, called POMC, and less of hormones that stimulate appetite, called NPY and AgRP," Fukuda added. 

These mice also had lower levels of blood glucose and insulin than the controls.

Further, the mice that lacked Rap1 and ate a high-fat diet also did not develop leptin resistance, but were able to respond to leptin, and this was reflected in the hormone's lower blood levels, the researchers concluded in the paper appearing in the journal-- Cell Reports.

​London, Sep 14 (IANS) A healthy diet may develop better reading skills in the first three school years, shows a recent study from Finland.

The study involved 161 children aged 6-8 years old and the quality of their diet was analysed using food diaries and their academic skills with the help of standardised tests. 

The study, published in the European Journal of Nutrition, showed that children whose diet was rich in vegetables, fruits, berries, whole grain, fish and unsaturated fats, and low in sugary products, did better in tests measuring reading skills than their peers with a poorer diet quality.

The study also found that the positive associations of diet quality with reading skills in Grades 2 and 3 were not related to reading skills in Grade 1. These results indicate that children with healthier diets improved more in their reading skills from Grade 1 to Grades 2-3 than children with poorer diet quality.

"Another significant observation is that the associations of diet quality with reading skills were also independent of many confounding factors, such as socio-economic status, physical activity, body adiposity, and physical fitness," said Eero Haapala, Researcher at the University of Eastern Finland.

Diets like Baltic Sea Diet and Finnish nutrition recommendations -- high in vegetables, fruits and berries, fish, whole grain, and unsaturated fats and low in red meat, sugary products, and saturated fat -- are considered healthier.

A healthy diet seems to be an important factor in supporting learning and academic performance in children.

"Parents and schools have an important role in making healthy foods available to children. Furthermore, governments and companies play a key role in promoting the availability and production of healthy foods," Haapala added.

​Toronto, Sep 14 (IANS) Do you get angry or aggressive while driving? Beware, you may be at an increased risk of being in a motor vehicle collision than those who do not get angry while driving, a study has found.

"Even minor aggression, such as swearing, yelling or making rude gestures, can increase the risk of a collision," said lead author Christine Wickens, scientist at Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) -- a psychiatric hospital in Ontario, Canada.

Drivers who made threats, attempted or succeeded in damaging another car or hurting someone, had the highest odds of collision -- 78 per cent higher than those whose aggression was considered minor.

The risk is comparable to those who use cannabis and drive, Wickens said adding that it was striking how the risk of collision rose as the levels of aggression increased.

People who reported no driving-related aggression had the lowest odds of collision, with increasing risk among those who had minor aggression, and the highest risk of all among those who reported both minor and more serious aggression.

The strong association suggests these drivers may have a greater chance of a collision because they either drive more aggressively or are distracted by their anger from other hazards on the road, the study said.

"Reducing driver anger and aggression would potentially reduce the risk of collisions," Wickens suggested. 

There are well established approaches to manage stress and anger, ranging from deep breathing techniques and listening to music to cognitive anger management programs. Leaving enough time on a car trip to reach your destination could also reduce stress, the researchers noted.

The findings were drawn from the CAMH Monitor, an ongoing survey of Ontario adults' mental health and risk behaviours, using responses from 12,830 people between 2002 and 2009. 

Just under eight per cent of Ontarians reported having a car collision in 2015. 

The group was analyzed in relation to their reported aggressive behaviour, while controlling for other factors that could increase the risk of collision such as age, sex, cannabis or alcohol use and other factors. 

The results were published in the journal Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour.

Beijing, Sep 10 (IANS) China has completed the construction of the highest bridge in the world, 565 meters above the Nizhu River Canyon in the south, the local media reported on Saturday.

The bridge, called Beipanjiang and located between the Chinese provinces of Yunnan and Guizhou, is planned to be operational by the end of this year, Efe news reported. 

According to CCTV, the construction of Beipanjiang lasted for three years with the participation of at least 1,000 engineers and technicians.

With the opening of Beipanjiang, it will be officially the world's highest bridge overtaking China's Sidu River Bridge in the central province of Hubei, which opened in 2009.

The completion of Beipanjiang comes less than a month after the Asian country opened the world's longest and highest glass bridge on August 20, but this glass bridge (430 meters long and 300 meters high) was closed after two weeks due to huge turnout of visitors. 

​Boston (Massachusetts), Sep 12 (IANS) Keeping to its commitment to transform the world of printing, HP Inc on Monday launched 16 new LaserJet and PageWide Platforms based on the powerful A3 multi-function printing (MFPs) technology.

​New York, Sep 12 (IANS) Facebook-owned Instagram is redesigning its upcoming iOS app to take advantage of iPhone 7 camera capabilities and will add new filters and GIF features, a media report said.

​Panaji, Sep 13 (IANS) Goa hopes to ride the heritage tourism wave with the help of vintage vehicles, state Tourism Minister Dilip Parulekar said on Tuesday, while announcing the state's first vintage bike and car festival organised by the Tourism Ministry.

Over 50 such vintage bikes and cars will be driven through the main streets of Panaji as part of the one-day festival on October 1, Parulekar said. 

"We are planning this event which is going to be very exciting and enlightening as vintage cars and bikes from vintage car museums, those in use and those maintained for exhibitions and special occasions will all be participating in it," Parulekar said, adding that the event would be included in the Tourism Ministry's annual events calendar. 

"We hope to make it a regular attraction for in-bound travellers," Parulekar said.

Vintage two-wheelers and four wheelers dating from 1921 to 1970 will be on display during the event. Cars that one would get a glimpse of at the festival include the Citroen, Austin, Morris, Cadillac, Ford, Chevrolet, Mercedes, Volkswagen and bikes like Norton, BSA and BMW.

"Vintage automobiles are another form of heritage and in Goa there are vintage car fans who are passionate about this. Through this festival we hope to kindle that hobby and motivate local Goans and others to preserve vintage vehicles so that the present generation and the future will have something to appreciate and admire," Goa Tourism Development Corporation Chairperson Nilesh Cabral said.

"This can draw tourists from domestic and international markets who have an appetite for heritage and they will surely have one more facet to engage in when in Goa," he added.

The state already has two privately run vintage car museums and a large number of vintage bike and car owners and collectors.

​Istanbul, Sep 13 (IANS) The scintillating blue water of the Bosphorus strait and the high boundary walls of the erstwhile Byzantine civilisation strewn with royal structures in every nook and corner of Istanbul offer travellers everything they would ask for on a holiday.

Thanks to Bollywood, Indians have of late become acquainted with various parts of Istanbul and Turkey at large.

The film "Guru" (2007), apart from picturising the sizzling bellydance in the song 'Mayya Mayya', had also shown Istanbul's Nuruosmaniye Mosque. Also, several scenes of "Baby" (2015), a film based on international terrorism, were shot in the Turkish capital.

Belly dancing is very popular in entire Turkey. One can visit a night club to get a glimpse of this spectacular show. Belly dancers are even hired for private parties and weddings.

The scenic beauty of the place and various historical sites spanning several civilisations have always attracted tourists from across the globe.

Istanbul, earlier known as Constantinople and Byzantium, is the most populous (around 15 million) city in Turkey with the majority of the population believing in Islam. Uniquely located in two continents -- Europe and Asia -- the city is home to seven hills. Thus, while travelling across the city, one experiences a lot of undulating landscapes.

Emerging from Istanbul's Kemal Ataturk Airport and approaching the city, one can see a lot of construction work under way in this centuries-old city. But as one heads deeper into the city the high walls of Byzantine civilisation stand tall to welcome visitors.

In some parts of the city, the old houses may make Indians feel they are in Goa.

A cruise down the Bosphorus strait along the azure coloured Marmara Sea, looking at the landscape and buildings in Asia on one side and Europe on the other, makes people feel they are straddling two worlds. And when one is tired of taking selfies and clicking pictures of the sea and the beautiful palaces alongside, a host of eateries are there along the strait waiting to welcome guests. On alighting from the cruise, one can adequately satisfy gastronomical desires.

One must-visit is the Blue Mosque or the Sultan Ahmed Mosque with its five main domes, six minarets and eight secondary domes. It was build between 1609 and 1616 during the Ottoman period.

Adjacent to Blue Mosque is the Topkapi Palace. This was one of the major residencies of the Ottoman sultans for around 400 years. The sprawling palace, which overlooks the Marmara Sea, has interesting museums of armoury and clocks. The royal structures and the greenery around cast a sort of spell on every visitor.

For food connoisseurs, Istanbul is a must-visit destination. A visit to a fine Ottoman cuisine restaurant, Asitane, will surprisingly reveal an extensive vegetarian menu.

It serves dishes like Ottoman humus, which is crushed chickpeas, lightly pureed with currants and cinnamon powder; Lor cheese blend, a mix of Lor cheese with scallions, parsley, green peppers and tomatoes, seasoned with rosemary and paprika among many other preparations.

If you want to loosen your purse strings, the places to go are the Spice Bazaar and the Grand Bazaar. The Spice Bazaar, as the name suggests, offers a variety of exotic spices and herbs along with other Turkish delights, while the Grand Bazaar has everything from hand-painted porcelain items and textiles to gold jewellery.

The warmth of Turkish hospitality is visibly in the hawkers' attempt to lure Indians by singing film legend Raj Kapoor's famous "Awara hoon...". Even film star Aamir Khan is quite popular among the masses. Many recalled watching his hit movie "3 Idiots".

But tourism has taken a hit after the attempted military coup in mid-July that claimed at least 90 lives in Ankara and left around 1,150 injured.

"We get a lot of Indian tourists, but they are mostly from the US or Europe. In the last few years we have seen lots of tourists coming from China as well. But, of course, after the coup attempt, the flow of tourists has slowed," Ozlem, a tourist guide told said.

The Turkish government and Turkish Airlines are going all out to spread the word that the country is safe and tourists can visit without fear.

The best time to visit is April-May and September-October.

London, Sep 12 (IANS) Children who spend a lot of time on social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter are less happy with their appearance and they are more likely to quarrel with their parents, show results of a survey.

The survey involving 3,500 children between ages 10-15 found that of those who use social media for more than three hours a night, only 53 per cent were happy with their looks compared with 82 per cent who never use such sites.

The survey, carried out by Essex University in Britain over several years, also found that heavy users of social media are also more likely to argue with their parents, Daily Mail reported.

Some 44 per cent who are online for more than three hours said that they quarrelled with their mother more than once a week. Light and non-users of social networks are half as likely to argue with their mothers.

Truancy rates are also higher for heavy users (14 per cent) than light users (six per cent), the report added.

The survey, however, showed that aspiration to go to a university is marginally higher among social media users as compared to those who avoid social networks.

​New York, Sep 13 (IANS) NASA's Curiosity Mars rover has sent back spectacular colour images of layered rock formations on the Red Planet.

Curiosity, which is currently exploring the "Murray Buttes" region of lower Mount Sharp, took the images with its Mast Camera (Mastcam). The new images represent Curiosity's last stop in the Murray Buttes, where the rover has been driving for just over one month, NASA said.

"Curiosity's science team has been just thrilled to go on this road trip through a bit of the American desert southwest on Mars," said Curiosity Project Scientist Ashwin Vasavada of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory at Pasadena, California.

The Martian buttes and mesas rising above the surface are eroded remnants of ancient sandstone that originated when winds deposited sand after lower Mount Sharp had formed.

"Studying these buttes up close has given us a better understanding of ancient sand dunes that formed and were buried, chemically changed by groundwater, exhumed and eroded to form the landscape that we see today," Vasavada said.

Curiosity landed near Mount Sharp in 2012. It reached the base of the mountain in 2014 after successfully finding evidence on the surrounding plains that ancient Martian lakes offered conditions that would have been favourable for microbes if Mars has ever hosted life. 

Rock layers forming the base of Mount Sharp accumulated as sediment within ancient lakes billions of years ago.

On Mount Sharp, Curiosity is investigating how and when the habitable ancient conditions known from the mission's earlier findings evolved into conditions drier and less favourable for life.