Knowledge Update

​Beijing, Nov 15 (IANS) Chinese internet and technology conglomerate LeEco on Tuesday announced receiving $600 million in funding from Chinese institutional investors and that it has appointed Anthony Gao (Gao Jun) as new President for its Asia-Pacific (APAC) region.

Beijing, Nov 15 (IANS) The Chinese yuan on Tuesday fell sharply to an almost eight-year low against the US dollar.

The central parity rate of the yuan weakened 204 basis points to 6.8495 against the dollar, according to the China Foreign Exchange Trading System (CFETS).

​San Francisco, Nov 15 (IANS) In a bid to help charity organisations get seamless donations, Apple Pay has made it easier and secure to donate to non-profit organisations with just a touch.

London, Nov 14 (IANS) Global carbon emissions from burning fossil fuels are projected to rise only slightly in 2016, marking three years of almost no growth, says a study.

The researchers said that carbon emissions did not grow last year and the projected rise of only 0.2 per cent for 2016 marks a clear break from the rapid emissions growth of 2.3 per cent per year in the decade to 2013, with just 0.7 per cent growth seen in 2014.

The study, published in the journal Earth System Science Data, however, pointed out that although the break in emissions rise ties in with the pledges by countries to decrease emissions until 2030, it falls short of the reductions needed to limit climate change well below two degrees Celsius.

"This third year of almost no growth in emissions is unprecedented at a time of strong economic growth. This is a great help for tackling climate change but it is not enough. Global emissions now need to decrease rapidly, not just stop growing," Corinne Le Quere, Professor at University of East Anglia (UEA) in Britain who led the data analysis, said.

The analysis by researchers at the University of East Anglia and the Global Carbon Project, a group of scientists who measure how much carbon dioxide (CO2) humans emit every year, and how much is subsequently absorbed by plants, land surfaces and oceans, showed emissions growth remained below one per cent despite GDP growth exceeding three per cent.

The researchers identified decreased use of coal in China and the US as the main reason behind the three-year slowdown.

China - the biggest emitter of CO2 at 29 per cent - saw emissions decrease by 0.7 per cent in 2015, compared to growth of more than five per cent per year the previous decade. 

The scientists have projected a further reduction of 0.5 per cent is projected for 2016.

The US, the second biggest emitter of CO2 at 15 per cent, also reduced its coal use while increasing its oil and gas consumption and saw emissions decrease 2.6 per cent last year.

US emissions are projected to decrease by 1.7 per cent in 2016.

The European Union's 28 member states are the third largest emitter causing 10 per cent of emissions. The EU's CO2 emissions went up 1.4 percent in 2015, in contrast with longer term decreases.

India contributed 6.3 per cent of all global CO2 emissions in 2015, the study said.

The Global Carbon Budget analysis showed that, in spite of a lack of growth in emissions, the growth in atmospheric CO2 concentration was a record-high in 2015, and could be a record again in 2016 due to weak carbon sinks.

"Part of the CO2 emissions are absorbed by the ocean and by trees. With temperatures soaring in 2015 and 2016, less CO2 was absorbed by trees because of the hot and dry conditions related to the El Niño event. Atmospheric CO2 levels have exceeded 400 parts per million (ppm) and will continue to rise and cause the planet to warm until emissions are cut down to near zero," Le Quere said.

​Toronto, Nov 15 (IANS) Indian-origin researchers at York University in Toronto have developed a solution for water treatment that uses only naturally available antimicrobial substances and sugar.

The paper strip solution called "DipTreat" is laced with sugar to kill E. coli bacteria in contaminated water.

"We were able to efficiently remove almost 90 per cent of bacteria by dipping the special paper strip, DipTreat, in contaminated water samples," said one of the researchers Sushanta Mitra.

The discovery will be key to developing a new generation of inexpensive and portable water treatment devices, with human health benefits around the world - from the far north of Canada to the remote villages of India, Mitra said.

"Now with DipTreat, we have learned it will take less than two hours to fish, trap and kill E. coli in water," Mitra, Professor at York University's Lassonde School of Engineering.

While using porous paper strips to trap the bacterial cells, for killing, the researchers used an antimicrobial agent extracted from the seeds of moringa -- commonly known as drumstick or horseradish tree. 

As a result, the DipTreat solution for water treatment uses only naturally available antimicrobial substances and sugar, with minimal environmental and health impact. 

Currently, popular water treatment systems use silver nanoparticles and clays, whose long term impact on human health is yet to be fully understood, according Mitra. 

So far, DipTreat is effective for small quantities of water. For example, someone who is hiking can collect a glass of water and then dip the paper strips to purify it before drinking. 

The researchers believe that the invention could lead to a much greater impact. 

Published in the journal Environmental Science Water Research & Technology, the study is co-authored by Mitra, Saumyadeb Dasgupta and Naga Siva Gunda.

​New York, Nov 22 (IANS) Researchers have identified that X chromosome -- one of the sex chromosomes that determines whether an individual is male or female -- plays a major role in the increased incidence of cancer occurrence in males.

"Across virtually every type of cancer, occurrence rates are higher in males than in females. In some cases, the difference might be very small -- just a few percent points -- but in certain cancers, incidence is two or three times higher in males," said Andrew Lane from at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Massachusetts, US. 

Men outpace women in developing many cancers, including those associated with tobacco use, such as kidney, renal, bladder, and oral cancers, Lane said. 

The disparity is present among boys and girls, as well as men and women.

"Data from the National Cancer Institute show that males carry about a 20 per cent higher risk than females of developing cancer. That translates into 150,000 additional new cases of cancer in men every year," Lane added.

In the study, the researchers specifically focussed on tumour suppressor genes -- which protect the cells from cancer. In cancers, these tumour suppressor genes are often mutated or deleted and are no longer functional.

X chromosome were the only genes that were mutated more frequently in male cancers than female cancers.

Males have an X and a Y chromosome, and females have two X. 

In females, one of the X chromosomes shuts down and remains inactive for life to balance out the gene expression. 

The study showed that some genes on the inactivated X chromosome in female cells "escape" that dormant state and function normally. 

Thus females are protected from cancer to some relative extent because they have two copies of these genes whereas males only have one, the researchers said. 

So if they are going to get a cancer that those genes are involved in, they have to mutate them twice, whereas males only have to have one mutation, Lane said.

The study was reported in a paper published online in the journal Nature Genetics. 

​New York, Nov 22 (IANS) In a new breakthrough research, Brazilian scientists have developed a new technology that will enable parents to watch their unborn babies grow in realistic three-dimensional immersive visualisation.

The new technology combines magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) -- which provides high-resolution foetal and placental imaging with excellent contrast -- and ultrasound data to scan segments of the mother's womb and foetus to build a 3-D model which can be brought to life by using a virtual reality (VR) headset.

"The 3-D foetal models combined with virtual reality immersive technologies may improve our understanding of foetal anatomical characteristics and can be used for educational purposes and as a method for parents to visualise their unborn baby," said Heron Werner Jr. from the Clinica de Diagnostico por Imagem, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Sequentially-mounted MRI slices are used to begin construction of the model. A segmentation process follows in which the physician selects the body parts to be reconstructed in 3-D. 

Once an accurate 3-D model is created -- including the womb, umbilical cord, placenta and foetus -- the virtual reality device can be programmed to incorporate the model, the study said.

The virtual reality foetal 3-D models are remarkably similar to the post-natal appearance of the newborn baby. 

They recreate the entire internal structure of the foetus, including a detailed view of the respiratory tract, which can aid doctors in assessing abnormalities, Werner added.

The technology also can help coordinate care with multidisciplinary teams and provide better visual information to parents to help them understand malformations and treatment decisions.

"We believe that these images will help facilitate a multidisciplinary discussion about some pathologies in addition to bringing a new experience for parents when following the development of their unborn child," Werner said.

The study will be presented at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America in Chicago, US.

​New York, Nov 22 (IANS) Teenagers who are obese as well as those who lose excessive weight may both be at risk of irreparable damage to their bones, a new study has found.

Obesity has been previously associated with the risk of cardiovascular diseases and diabetes, but the study found that it can also affect the bone structure in childhood and adolescence.

"While obesity was previously believed to be protective of bone health, recent studies have shown a higher incidence of forearm fractures in obese youth," said lead author Miriam A. Bredella, Associate Professor at Harvard Medical School in Boston, US.

Having a high amount of visceral fat -- the deep fat in the abdomen that surrounds the internal organs -- coupled with a low amount of muscle mass -- anorexia nervosa -- puts adolescents at risk for weakened bone structure, the study said.

"Visceral fat secretes substances that promote chronic inflammation, and chronic inflammation stimulates formation of osteoclasts, which are the cells that resorb or break-down bone. In addition, vitamin D, which is important for bone health, is soluble in adipose tissue and gets trapped within fat cells," Bredella said.

Growth hormone, which is important for bone health, is also lower in adolescents with visceral obesity.

On the other hand, anorexia nervosa also leads to an increased fracture risk in adolescence, which persists to adulthood, even after normalisation of body weight, Bredella said, adding that it is important to address this problem early on. 

Lean mass was positively associated with trabecular density -- a marker for the risk of osteoporosis --, volume and integrity.

"The best way to prevent bone loss is a healthy diet that contains adequate amounts of calcium and vitamin D, along with sufficient exercise," Bredella said.

The study will be presented at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America in Chicago, US.

​London, Nov 21 (IANS) Tapping smartphones on high-tech contactless cash machines, bank customers will now be able to withdraw 100 pounds (around Rs 8,414) in cash, reports said.

​Beijing, Nov 21 (IANS) Apple China will offer free battery replacements for faulty iPhone 6s that shut down unexpectedly. Consumers across China have filed complaints on China's microblog service Weibo, claiming their mobile phones unexpectedly switch off despite displaying battery levels over 50 per cent, Xinhua news agency reported. China Consumer Association earlier last week sent a letter to Apple, requesting that it clarify the reason. Stressing the issue is not safety-related, Apple China said in a statement on Monday that the unexpected power-off only affects handsets with certain serial numbers. It agreed to replace the batteries of faulty iPhone 6s manufactured between September and October 2015 free of charge. Other models with the same problem were not included in the current replacement plan.