Knowledge Update

​Berlin, March 15 (IANS) Fuelled by a favourable shopping environment, German consumers' spending in 2015 grew faster than any year else in the past 15 years.

It compensated Germany's losses in exports declines due to weak global recovery, Xinhua cited official data as showing on Tuesday.

​Beijing, March 15 (IANS) Alibaba reached an agreement on Tuesday with the China Communist Youth League, a CPC reserve force, to train one million teenagers to take e-commerce to rural areas.

London, March 16 (IANS) FTSE 100 Index, British benchmark stock market gauge decreased by 0.56 percent, or 34.60 points, to 6,139.97 points.

Share price of Coca-Cola HBC increased by 1.78 percent, topping the gainers of the blue chips on Tuesday, Xinhua news agency reported.

​New York, March 17 (IANS) Many of us have wished for a shoe that automatically ties its laces when they get untied while we are running. American sports footwear and apparel brand Nike apparently heard us and on Thursday released the futuristic self-lacing sneakers. Launched at an event here, the shoes -- named HyperAdapt 1.0 -- resemble the sneakers that Hollywood actor Michael J. Fox wore in the 1989 movie 'Back to the Future 2'. Put the sneaker on and it will tighten to the size of your foot using a heel sensor, Quartz reported. According to Nike, the real innovation is that you can quickly adapt your sneaker to the changes your foot undergoes when competing, using buttons on the side that let you tweak the fit. Laces, by contrast, may loosen up, or be tied too tight. Your foot may also change shape during exercise (expanding slightly, for instance). The HyperAdapt is meant to eliminate those problems, the report said. Right now, an athlete has to make those changes manually but this new product has a goal that can make those changes automatically and create a "nearly symbiotic relationship between the foot and shoe", the company said.The shoe has a sole that lights up -- maybe to make it look futuristic -- and it makes a slight mechanical wheezing noise when it tightens. The report pointed out that the sneaker, which runs on a battery that can keep a charge for about two weeks, has been in the works for around 10 years. The HyperAdapt 1.0 uses two recent Nike innovations, its Flywire filaments and Flyweave fabric, both of which make the shoes hold more firmly to the foot during sports. The HyperAdapt 1.0 will be available in three colours and expected to be released by the end of this year. ​ At the moment, the shoe will be available only to members of Nike+, the new app that Nike wants to be a sort of one-stop-shop for athletes.​

​Tokyo, March 15 (IANS) The Japanese government on Tuesday committed to cutting its greenhouse gas emissions by endorsing a plan to achieve its goal by more than a quarter within 15 years.

New York, March 16 (IANS) Facebook's photo-sharing platform Instagram is testing a new feature for more personalised feed that would show posts according to the user's interest.

The reorganised feed relies on an algorithm to sort images and videos based on what users are likely to be most interested in, resembling the feature of its parent company Facebook, The Verge reported on Tuesday.

The social media platform currently organises feeds from newest to oldest. 

According to Instagram co-founder and chief executive Kevin Systrom, people miss an average of 70 percent of the posts in their feeds, adding: "What this is about is making sure that the 30 percent you see is the best 30 percent possible."

The company is using machine-learning technology, as well as other signals of interest, to determine how to sort content. The people you interact with more often appear higher in the feed, the report said.

For now, only an unspecified single-digit percentage of users will test the algorithm. The results of the initial tests will determine whether the changes are made permanently across the platform. 

Instagram currently has more than 400 million users and is available for download on Android, iOS and Windows.​

​Abu Dhabi, March 14 (IANS/WAM) The Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority (TCA) has launched a new, improved version of its Visit Abu Dhabi mobile application.The app, which allows users to gain instant access to "all that’s new" in the emirate, is now live and features several upgrades and enhancements. Version 4.0 of the app, which allows access to the same content as the authority’s destination portal, VisitAbuDhabi.ae, is available for iPhone, Android and Windows Phone.Mouza Al Shamsi, acting executive director of marketing and communications at TCA Abu Dhabi, said, "We’ve listened carefully to customer feedback and our app has been completely redesigned following the latest user experience trends to make the whole experience even more immersive and easy to use. All of the key features that you’re familiar with from our previous versions are still present but now they’re even faster, smarter and bursting with functionality." "A number of useful and intuitive new additions are also present, including integration with The Centre for Regulation of Transport by Hire Cars, which will allow users to book a taxi directly from within the app will allow the user to discover the best route and schedule to get to any point of interest, said Al Shamsi. "The app has also been integrated with TripAdvisor, to allow access to reviews for all locations, hotels and restaurants," she added.​

​London, March 16 (IANS) SITA, a Switzerland-based IT and telecommunication company, on Wednesday unveiled "Smart Path" -- a single biometric token that can be used at the airports for hassle-free entry and exit movement. The new technology, unveiled during the world's largest airport exhibition "Passenger Terminal EXPO" being held in Germany from March 15-17, allows passengers to move through the airport and board the aircraft simply by presenting themselves for a biometric check. Once verified, there is no need for the passenger to present a boarding pass, a passport or travel documents again. "We have built on this unique expertise to create SITA 'Smart Path' -- a single, secure, self-service process using existing common-use infrastructure that simplifies secure, passenger processing for everyone - airlines, airports and border authorities," Matthys Serfontein, vice president, airport solutions at SITA, said in a statement. With "Smart Path", the passenger's biometric details are captured through a facial scan at the first touch point in the journey. The record is checked against the passenger's travel documents, typically the passport, and a secure single token is created. Then, at each step of the journey - from check-in, to aircraft boarding or border control - passengers gain access simply with a facial scan and without having to show their passport or boarding pass. SITA is currently working with a number of major airlines and airports to integrate biometrics into the passenger journey and expects that by 2020, passengers using biometrics will be the norm at airports across the world.​

​New Delhi, March 15 (IANS) A holiday is meant to relax you, but the endless planning, long flights, and jet lag leave you restless -- no wonder then that many people feel they need a holiday to recover from a holiday! Carrying less and taking care of alcohol limits can make the journey smooth for you. Global travel search company Skyscanner conducted interview with cabin crew across airlines and asked them a bunch of questions on how to make your travel experiences better and the answers may surprise you. * What is the simplest way to get upgraded?: While all airlines have their own policies regarding upgrades, the best chance to get upgraded is by not being a total douche at the check-in counter. That completely eliminates all odds of an upgrade. The sure shot way though is to enrol yourself into a frequent flyer programme -- especially if you tend to have a preference for a particular airline. Most airlines will upgrade their frequent flyers. * How to avoid paying for overweight baggage?: Carry less is the solution. Apparently the trick is to balance out the weight between your check-in and hand baggage. Always pick a backpack over a trolley bag (as hand baggage) since the former is unlikely to be suspected for being too heavy. * What is the alcohol limit on international and domestic flights?: Despite whatever you’ve read, this highly depends on two factors -- your behaviour, and the cabin crew’s mood. Since everyone has a different capacity, flight attendants constantly monitor signs of passengers being too high (like suddenly breaking into a jig), and if you are, consider it your last drink! In general, every subsequent drink reduces your chances of the next one. * How to calm down a constantly crying infant?: Every child is different, but in general, taking them to the galley brings out the curiosity in them and keeps them busy for a bit. Distractions always work since they are usually crying out of sheer boredom. Never give them sugar since the temporary rush makes them even more irritable. Moreover, many infants cry due to pressure in the ears and feeding during take-off and landing helps since the jaw movement keeps their ears open. * What does it cost to cargo your pet?: This is highly dependent on the airline and its individual policies along with the size of your pet. Also there are restrictions on how many animals are permitted on board so you need to book much in advance to ensure a place. Certain breeds are not allowed at all since their genetic traits make them unsuitable for air travel. * How to ensure that your baggage arrives first?: The simplest way is to request for it to be marked as ‘priority baggage’. If you’re a frequent flyer, this request will always be processed but even if you’re not, nicely asking for it will help you get a tag. Also marking your bag as fragile helps. * How to beat jet lag?: Pop a melatonin pill before the flight. This works like a charm for many people. Also, if you reach a place in the morning and it's night time in your home country, do anything but keep yourself awake till it’s night wherever you are. This resets your body clock and helps you adjust to the time difference easily.​

New York, March 16 (IANS) If you want to eat less, pull out your earbuds, stop the music system and switch off the television before heading to the dining table, and tune into the sweet sound of your food while it is being chewed.
Researchers have found that the noise your food makes while you are eating can have a significant effect on how much food you eat.
Therefore, watching loud TV or listening to loud music while eating can mask eating sounds that keep you in check.
"If people are more focused on the sound the food makes, it could reduce consumption," said one of the researchers Ryan Elder, assistant professor of marketing at Brigham Young University in Utah, US.
The study was published in the journal Food Quality and Preference.
The researchers carried out three separate experiments on the effect of that "food sound salience".

In one of the experiments, the researchers discovered that people eat less when the sound of the food is more intense. 

In that study, the researchers compared how much participants ate while listening to loud music to those who were not disturbed by music while eating their snacks. 

They found that the louder noise masked the sound of chewing and that group ate more -- four pretzels compared to 2.75 pretzels for the "quiet" group.

"When you mask the sound of consumption, like when you watch TV while eating, you take away one of those senses and it may cause you to eat more than you would normally," Elder said. 

"The effects many not seem huge -- one less pretzel -- but over the course of a week, month, or year, it could really add up," Elder explained.

The findings suggest that being more mindful of not just the taste and physical appearance of food, but also of the sound it makes can help in "nudge" consumers to eat less.​