Knowledge Update

​London, July 2 (IANS) Want to stop craving for mouth-watering desserts? No worries as eating a powdered food supplement -- based on a molecule produced by bacteria in the gut -- can reduce craving for high-calorie foods such as chocolates, cakes and pizzas.

Sscientists have developed an ingredient called inulin-propionate ester to investigate the role of propionate molecule produced by the gut microbiota in human health.

For the study, the team analysed 20 volunteers who consumed a milkshake that either contained inulin-propionate ester or a type of fibre called inulin.

After drinking milkshakes, the participants underwent an MRI scan where they were shown pictures of various low or high calorie foods such as salad, fish and vegetables or chocolate, cake and pizza.

The findings showed that when the volunteers drank the milkshake containing inulin-propionate ester, they had less activity in areas of their brain linked to reward -- but only when looking at the high-calorie foods.

"The study shows that this supplement can decrease activity in brain areas associated with food reward at the same time as reducing the amount of food they eat," said Gary Frost, professor at Imperial College London.

Further, the volunteers were found to rate the high-calorie foods as less appealing.

In another experiment, the volunteers were given a bowl of pasta with tomato sauce and asked to eat as much as they like.

However, after drinking the inulin-propionate ester, the participants ate 10 per cent less pasta than when they drank the milkshake that contained inulin alone.

"This study shows that altering how the gut works can change not only appetite in general, but also change how the brain responds when they see high-calorie foods and how appealing they find the foods to be," noted another researcher Tony Goldstone from Imperial College London.

“Using inulin-propionate ester as a food ingredient may help prevent weight gain as it could reduce the urge to consume high calorie foods," suggested Claire Byrne from Imperial College London.

Some people's gut bacteria may naturally produce more propionate than others, which may be why some people seem more naturally predisposed to gain weight, said the paper published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.​

London, July 3 (IANS) Does your boss always punish you? If so, he or she may be afraid of losing the power and position, reveals a study.

The findings showed that distrust is the main reason why leaders impose punishments on the people over whom they have power.

Afraid of losing their power, the leaders use punishments as deterrents and to ensure that similar rule-breaking behaviour never happens again.

“Leaders expect other people not to obey the rules and punish them on the basis of this distrust,” said Marlon Mooijman, psychologist at Leiden University in the Netherlands.

Further, leaders are afraid that if they are too trusting of others, this trust can be abused. This would then, of course, threaten their position.

Unfortunately, punishments of this kind do not have the desired effect. "We see that some power systems can actually exacerbate the problems. This particularly relates to issues such as unethical behaviour, plagiarism and fraud," the researchers explained.

"When people feel distrusted, they are less likely to obey the rules. They see this assumption on the part of the leaders as a sign of disrespect. It also violates an implicit social contract: If you treat me well, I will act accordingly," Mooijman added.

For the study, the team conducted experiments with groups of students, who were temporarily assigned to a manager position. They were asked to write about an incident in which they felt very powerful, or conversely very powerless.

They then had to decide how someone who had committed plagiarism should be punished.

Students who had been made to feel powerful were found to favour punishments designed to make an example of the offenders.

The deterrent aspect was important, and some were even prepared to publicly name the people who had committed plagiarism.

New York, July 3 (IANS) The brain activity generated while relaxing is likely to indicate individuals who can learn new languages faster, says a research.

The findings showed that a five-minute measurement of resting-state brain activity predicted how quickly adults picked up a second language.

“The way someone's brain functions while at rest can predict 60 per cent of their capacity for learning a second language,” said lead author Chantel Prat, Associate Professor at the University of Washington.

The patterns of resting-state brain waves reflect synchronised firing of large networks of neurons and can determine subsequent language learning rate.

The findings showed that the larger the networks in "beta" frequencies -- brain frequencies associated with language and memory, the faster was the learning.

"This is vital brain function research that could enable the military to develop a more effective selection process of those who can learn languages quickly," said Ray, a program officer in Office of Naval Research's (ONR) Warfighter Performance Department, who oversees the research.

"This is especially critical to the intelligence community, which needs linguists fluent in a variety of languages, and must find such individuals rapidly," Perez added.

For the study, 19 participants -- adults between the ages of 18 and 31, with no previous experience learnt French over eight weeks for 30-minute French lessons delivered through an immersive, virtual-reality computer program.

For five minutes before and after the eight-week curriculum, the team had participants sit still, close their eyes, breathe deeply and wear an EEG (electroencephalogram) headset measuring resting-state brain activity from the cerebral cortex--an area of the brain crucial to memory, attention and perception.

The results showed that those with the larger "beta" networks learned French twice as quickly.

"By studying individual differences in the brain, we're figuring out key constraints on learning and information processing, to develop ways to improve language mastery," said Prat.​

​New York, July 3 (IANS) Auricular acupuncture has a greater overall impact on headache-related quality of life (QoL) than did traditional Chinese acupuncture, says a new US study.

The study, published in Medical Acupuncture journal, compared the effectiveness of usual care alone to usual care plus either auricular or traditional Chinese acupuncture in treating patients with headaches due to a previous traumatic brain injury (TBI) and showed a significant improvement in headache-related quality of life (QoL) with the addition of acupuncture. 

The study was conducted on previously deployed members of the US military who had mild to moderate TBI and headaches. Chronic or recurrent headache is reported by 80 per cent of service members with TBI.

"Chronic concussion headaches are a clinical challenge. Acupuncture appears promising to avoid the opioid gateway for these patients," says Richard C. Niemtzow, director, US Air Force Acupuncture and Integrative Medicine Center.

​Norwich, July 3 (IANS) Realistic workloads and ongoing emotional support are essential if social workers are to manage stress and perform their job effectively, says a study by British researchers.

Involving 209 child and family social workers across eight local authorities in Britain, the study by University of East Anglia's Centre for Research on Children and Families (CRCF) examined the relationship between emotional intelligence - the ability to identify and manage emotions in oneself and others, stress, burnout and social work practice. 

"The study confirmed that social work is an emotionally demanding profession, suggesting that particular attention should be given by social work employers to the workplace environment and social worker support," said Laura Biggart, lecturer in social science research and psychology.

The researchers recommend that if social workers are to be most effective, it is essential that they have realistic workloads and good administrative support and that the demands for more recording and regulation should come with provision of sufficient resources.​

​Beijing, July 3 (IANS) Installation was completed on the world's largest radio telescope on Sunday as the last of 4,450 panels was fitted into the centre of the big dish.

Hoisting of the last triangular panel to the reflector, which is the size of 30 football fields, began at 10.47 a.m. and lasted about an hour. It was a landmark step for the telescope's planned launch of operations in September, Xinhua news agency reported.

About 300 people, including builders, experts, science fiction enthusiasts and reporters, witnessed the installation at Karst Valley in the southwestern province of Guizhou.

"The telescope is of great significance for humans to explore the universe and extraterrestrial civilisations," said Liu Cixin, a renowned science fiction writer.

"I hope scientists can make epoch-making discoveries," said Liu, who won the 2015 Hugo Award for Best Novel.

Scientists will begin debugging and trial observation of the 500 metre Aperture Spherical Telescope (FAST), said Zheng Xiaonian, deputy head of the National Astronomical Observation (NAO) under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, which built the telescope.

The project has the potential to search for more strange objects to better understand the origin of the universe and boost the global hunt for extraterrestrial life, said Zheng. It will be the global leader for the next 10 to 20 years.

In the first two or three years after its completion, the telescope will undergo further adjustment, and during that period Chinese scientists will use it for early-stage research.

After that, it will be open to scientists worldwide, said Peng Bo, director of the NAO Radio Astronomy Technology Laboratory.

Upon completion, the telescope will dwarf Puerto Rico's Arecibo Observatory, which is 300 metres in diameter. It will also be 10 times more sensitive than the steerable 100-metre telescope near Bonn in Germany, he said.

Work on the 1.2-billion-yuan ($180 million) FAST project began in 2011.​

​Toronto, July 3 (IANS) Activities such as playing cards and repeatedly throwing a foam ball or wad of paper into a wastepaper basket are just as effective in helping people regain strength and co-ordination following a stroke as playing virtual reality games, a new study has found.

The study, published in the 'Lancet Neurology' journal, was based on a clinical trial conducted at 14 centres in four countries in which patients were randomised into two groups.

One group received one-hour sessions of virtual reality using the Nintendo Wii system and the other spent the same amount of time doing simple recreational activities such as playing cards or dominoes.

Patients randomised to both groups saw a 30 per cent and 40 per cent improvement in motor performance at the end of two weeks of the intervention and four weeks after the intervention, respectively.

"There was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of strength, dexterity, gross motor skills, quality of life or activities of daily living. We all like technology and have the tendency to think that new technology is better than old-fashioned strategies, but sometimes that's not the case," said Dr. Gustavo Saposnik, scientist at St. Michael's Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute in Toronto. 

This study revealed that simple recreational activities that can be implemented anywhere may be as effective as technology.​

​Beijing, July 4 (IANS) At least 14 more meteorological satellites will be launched by China into orbit by 2025, officials said at a science conference on Monday.

China plans to launch one Fengyun-II satellite, four Fengyun-IIIs, three Fengyun-IVs and another six for multiple meteorological purposes, Xinhua quoted an official of the State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defence, as saying.

Fengyun satellites are a series of remote-sensing meteorological satellites developed by China. The Fengyun series is an important part of the earth observation satellite system.

China has launched 14 Fengyun satellites since 1988, with seven still in orbit as part of the World Meteorological Organisation network.​

​New York, July 2 (IANS) Ever thought of a walking meeting at your office? Organise one this Monday as it will surely keep you and your colleagues (boss included), who spend most of their working hours sitting in chairs, healthy.

Converting just one seated meeting per week at work into a walking meeting increased the work-related physical activity levels of workers by 10 minutes, a study has shown.

"Interventions such as the walking meeting protocol that encourages walking and raises levels of physical activity in the workplace are needed to counter the negative health effects of sedentary behaviour," said lead investigator Alberto J Caban-Martinez, Assistant Professor at University of Miami in the US.

Nearly 30 minutes a day or 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity physical activity in adults is imperative for good health, according to recommendations by the American Heart Association.

"There are limited opportunities for physical activity at work. This study provides early evidence that white-collar workers find it feasible and acceptable to convert a traditional seated meeting into a walking meeting," Caban-Martinez added.

Previous studies have proven that engaging in moderate exercise, which includes brisk walking, for as little as 15 minutes per day can add up to three years of life expectancy.

The new research, published in the journal Preventing Chronic Disease, suggested that walking meetings has the potential to positively influence the health of many individuals, the researchers said.

In the study, the participants were recruited from the University of Miami and wore accelerometers to measure physical activity levels during the workday over a three-week period.

They also followed a "walking meeting protocol" that included guidance for leading meetings and taking notes while walking.

The average combined moderate/vigorous physical activity reported by participants increased from 107 minutes in the first week to 114 minutes in the second week and to 117 minutes in week three of the study.​

​Washington, July 1 (IANS) Even as Google Glass undergoes a "comprehensive redesign", plastic surgeons see some clear advantages of using the eye wearable device in the operating room, reports a study.