Knowledge Update

​Wellington, July 12 (IANS) Pollution experts from around the world will gather in New Zealand later this month to study ways to improve public health in areas affected by wood smoke.

Leading researchers in atmospheric wood smoke and its impact on health from the US, Canada, Sweden, Finland, Australia and New Zealand would launch the International Wood Smoke Research Network on July 26, the government's National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) said on Tuesday.

Wood burning for heating is the primary cause of poor air quality in New Zealand, NIWA air quality scientist Ian Longley said in a statement.

However, the decision to form the network stemmed from limited and uncertain evidence about how wood smoke affected health and what had been gained by introducing regulations on their use, Xinhua news agency reported.

"We know that strict regulations on wood burners have had mixed results, with air quality improving slowly in some towns, but hardly at all in others," said Longley.

"Studies in North America, Europe and Australia have indicated great potential from wood burner management, but the results have been inconsistent."

A major factor in the inconsistent results has been the small scale and isolation of each study, as well as interference from other pollutant sources.

The network aimed to design a large-scale research and intervention program with input from other interested groups who were disproportionately affected.

​London, July 12 (IANS) Humans might have learned how to eat cashew by observing Brazilian capuchin monkeys cracking the tough nuts with stone tools, suggests new research.

The researchers found archaeological evidence to suggest that Brazilian capuchins have been using stone tools to crack open cashew nuts for at least 700 years. The findings could represent the earliest archaeological examples of monkey tool use outside of Africa. 

"Here we have new evidence that suggests monkeys and other primates out of Africa were also using tools for hundreds, possibly thousands, of years,” said lead author Michael Haslam from University of Oxford.

"This is an exciting, unexplored area of scientific study that may even tell us about the possible influence of monkeys' tool use on human behaviour,” Haslam observed.

"For example, cashew nuts are native to this area of Brazil, and it is possible that the first humans to arrive here learned about this unknown food through watching the monkeys and their primate cashew-processing industry,” Haslam explained.

The study, published in the journal Current Biology, involved a team from Oxford and the University of São Paulo in Brazil, who observed groups of modern capuchins at Serra da Capivara National Park in northeast Brazil, and combined this with archaeological data from the same site. 

The researchers watched wild capuchins use stones as hand-held hammers and anvils to pound open hard foods such as seeds and cashew nuts, with young monkeys learning from older ones how to do the same. 

The capuchins created what the researchers describe as 'recognisable cashew processing sites', leaving stone tools in piles at specific places like the base of cashew trees or on tree branches after use. 

They found that capuchins picked their favourite tools from stones lying around, selecting those most suitable for the task. 

The capuchins also chose particular materials, using smooth, hard quartzite stones as hammers, while flat sandstones became anvils.

Using archaeological methods, the researchers excavated a total of 69 stones to see if this tool technology had developed at all over time. 

They dug to a depth of 0.7 metres at a site close to cashew trees where they had seen modern capuchins frequently using their stone tools. 

They identified the tools from inspecting the size and shape of the stones, as well as the distinctive damage on the stone surface caused by capuchin pounding. 

Through mass spectrometry, the researchers were able to confirm that dark-coloured residues on the tools were specifically from cashew nuts. 

They also carbon-dated small pieces of charcoal discovered with the stones to establish the oldest were least 600 to 700 years old -- meaning the tools predate the arrival of Europeans in the New World.

In the paper, the researchers estimate that around 100 generations of capuchins have used this tradition of stone tools. 

They compared tools used by modern capuchins with the oldest excavated examples, finding they are similar in terms of weight and materials chosen. 

This apparent lack of change over hundreds of years suggests monkeys are 'conservative', preferring not to change the technology used, unlike humans living in the same region, the study said.​

​New York, July 12 (IANS) The pigment that gives spinach and other plants their green colour may improve doctors' ability to examine the inner workings of the human body to enable them examine more closely for gastrointestinal illnesses, a study has revealed.

The study published in the journal Advanced Materials describes how chlorophyll-based nano-particles suspended in liquid are an effective imaging agent for the gut.

The medical imaging drink, developed to diagnose and treat gastrointestinal illnesses, is made of concentrated chlorophyll -- the pigment that gives spinach and other plants their green colour, said the study.

"Our work suggests that this spinach-like nanoparticle juice can help doctors get a better look at what is happening inside the stomach, intestines and other areas of the GI tract," said Jonathan Lovell, Assistant Professor in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences at State University of New York (SUNY) at Buffalo, New York.

To examine the gastrointestinal tract, the researchers used X-rays, magnetic resonance imaging or ultrasounds. The researchers also performed endoscopies in which a tiny camera attached to a thin tube is inserted into the patient's body.

The study focuses on Chlorophyll -- a pigment found in spinach and other green vegetables that is essential to photosynthesis.

The researchers removed magnesium from Chlorophyll in a process which alters the pigment's chemical structure to form another edible compound called pheophytin. Pheophytin plays an important role in photosynthesis, acting as a gatekeeper that allows electrons from sunlight to enter plants.

Next, they dissolved pheophytin in a solution of soapy substances known as surfactants. The researchers were then able to remove nearly all of the surfactants, leaving nearly pure pheophytin nanoparticles.

The drink, when tested in mice, provided imaging of the gut in three modes: photoacoustic imaging, fluorescence imaging and positron emission tomography (PET).

"The veggie juice allows for techniques that are not commonly used today by doctors for imaging the gut like photoacoustic, PET, and fluorescence," said Lovell.​

​New York, July 12 (IANS) Scientists, including one of Indian-origin, have discovered that eyes could help them see progression of Alzheimer's disease even before the onset of symptoms.

The research may help overcome a major roadblock in the development of therapies for the brain disorder characterised by memory impairment.

Looking through the eye to see the brain is a key advantage of the new technology. 

"The retina of the eye is not just 'connected' to the brain -- it is part of the central nervous system," said author Swati More of the University of Minnesota.

While the brain and retina undergo similar changes due to Alzheimer's disease, "unlike the brain, the retina is easily accessible to us, making changes in the retina easier to observe", More said.

The study builds upon previous work in cells by detecting changes in the retina of mice predisposed to develop Alzheimer's.

"We saw changes in the retinas of Alzheimer's mice before the typical age at which neurological signs are observed," said More. 

"The results are close to our best-case scenario for outcomes of this project," she noted.

To test the effectiveness of the new technology in humans, researchers are scheduled to start clinical trials this month, according to the study published in the journal Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science (IOVS).

Early detection of Alzheimer's is critical for two reasons. 

"First, effective treatments need to be administered well before patients show actual neurological signs," one of the study authors Robert Vince from University of Minnesota noted.

"Second, since there are no available early detection techniques, drugs currently cannot be tested to determine if they are effective against early Alzheimer's disease. An early diagnostic tool like ours could help the development of drugs as well," Vince explained.​

​New York, July 12 (IANS) Girl Scouts and their parents have reported increase in energy-saving behaviours after the children participated in an intervention programme, revealed a study.

According to the study published in the journal 'Nature Energy', the researchers found that the increased energy-saving behaviour continued for more than seven months after the trial programme ended. 

The study also suggested that these kinds of educational programmes could have a significant and lasting impact on familys' energy consumption.

They also found that the intervention had an effect on parents' energy-saving behaviour for more than eight months.

"Children are a critical audience for environmental programmes, because their current behaviour likely predicts future behaviour. By adopting energy-saving behaviours now and engaging family and community members in such efforts, children can play an important role in bringing about a more sustainable future," said Hilary Boudet, Assistant Professor, Oregon State University.

For the study, the researchers developed a programme called Girls Learning Environment and Energy (GLEE) which offered two interventions designed to promote energy-saving behaviours either at home or in food and transportation decisions. 

Using a randomized control trial, the 318 participating girls, all fourth- and fifth-graders were randomly assigned to one of the programmes.

In 50 to 60-minute lessons once a week for five weeks, the Girl Scouts learned about different ways to save energy in their assigned intervention group and participated in activities designed to support the lessons.

The researchers estimated that the reported behaviour changes associated with the home energy savings intervention represent an annual household energy savings of approximately 3-5 per cent immediately following the intervention and 1-3 per cent at follow-up.

Girls participating in the food and transportation intervention also reported a significant increase in energy-saving behaviour at the end of the programme, but there was no significant change noted at the seven-month follow-up or among parents.​

New York, July 12 (IANS) In a major breakthrough, scientists have successfully restored vision in mice affected by glaucoma-like condition.

The unprecedented, if partial, restoration could pave the way to future work that enables blind people to see, the study said.

Cataracts can often be surgically removed, but there's no cure for glaucoma, said the study's senior author Andrew Huberman, Associate Professor of Neurobiology at Stanford University School of Medicine

Glaucoma, caused by excessive pressure on the optic nerve, affects nearly 70 million people worldwide. 

Vision loss due to optic-nerve damage can also accrue from injuries, retinal detachment, pituitary tumors, various brain cancers and other sources.

In experiments with mice described in a study published online in the journal Nature Neuroscience, the scientists reported regenerating severed nerves responsible for conveying visual information from the eye to the brain, thereby re-establishing the connection between their eyes and brain.

The mice were tested three weeks later after the experiment for their ability to respond to certain visual stimuli.

However, even mice whose behaviour showed restored vision on some tests failed other tests that probably required finer visual discrimination, Huberman said, suggesting the the restoration of vision in the animals was only partial.

The study was conducted in collaboration with researchers at University of California-San Diego, Harvard University and Utah State University.​

​New York, July 10 (IANS) Prosocial behaviours, such as willingness to help others, may be linked to specific personalities, revealed a study.

According to the research published in the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin (PSPB), agreeableness is one of the better predictors of prosocial behaviour.

The studies focused on one aspect of prosocial behaviors that can vary widely including volunteering, co-operation within groups, and participating in community actions

The motivations behind a person's prosocial behaviour, whether helping a stranger passed out on the street or volunteering time for someone who has recently lost their parents, are extremely complex, suggested the study.

"It is common for persons to experience distress on seeing a victim in need of help. That distress can lead some people to escape and run away from the victim," said Meara Habashi from University of Iowa.

According to the research, one major path linking personality to help runs through empathy.

By experimentally manipulating empathy, the researchers showed that agreeableness is a dimension of personality, most closely associated with emotional reactions towards victims in need of help and people's willingness to help.

In the first set of experiments, the researchers applied two different vignettes for their studies. In one, college students listened to a radio story about another college student who recently lost her parents and was now taking care of her siblings.

In the second, researchers asked 233 participants, over half of whom were women, to imagine going to a friend's speech and while running late to the talk they encounter someone slumped on the ground and not moving.

To manipulate empathy, the follow-up studies focused on how people responded when they took or ignored the perspective of the victim in the case of the college student who lost her parents.

Of 233 college students, the researchers found correlations with empathy in those having high agreeableness or neuroticism.

However, only those high in agreeableness would volunteer their time for the victim, the study revealed.

Based on these results, people who are low in agreeableness are not necessarily less empathetic than others, they simply may need more reminders when it comes to generating empathic concern, suggested the study.​

​New York, July 10 (IANS) Aerobic exercises such as brisk walking, running, jogging or swimming is likely to restore the cardiac protein quality control system in heart failure, suggests a research conducted on rats.

Heart failure is a common end-point for many cardiovascular diseases. This syndrome is characterised by reduced cardiac output that leads to dyspnea, exercise intolerance and later death.

Despite heart failure seems to be a multi-factorial syndrome, a common point observed by several studies was the accumulation of "bad" (or misfolded) proteins in cardiac cells of both humans and animals with heart failure, the researchers said.

Proteins are like workers responsible for many chemical reactions required in keeping our cells healthy.

Proteins are constituted by a sequence of amino acids that determines the protein "shape" (structure), which is critical for proteins to function.

During the evolution process, our cells developed a protein quality control system that refolds or degrades misfolded proteins, allowing them to keep only the "good" proteins, said Luiz H. M. Bozi from University of Sao Paulo in Brazil.

The findings showed that misfolded protein accumulation in a rat model of heart failure was related to disruption of the cardiac protein quality control system.

No pharmacology therapy targeting the protein quality control system.

Further, aerobic exercise training was found to restore the cardiac protein quality control system, which was related to reduced misfolded protein accumulation.

Aerobic exercise training also improved cardiac function in heart failure animals, said the paper published in Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine.

More than 20 million persons worldwide are estimated to have heart failure and this situation will get worse since the prevalence of heart failure will rise as the mean age of the population increases, the researchers concluded.​

​Shanghai, July 10 (IANS) The G20 economies agreed to improve global trade governance to arrest the slowdown of global trade growth, said a statement released on Sunday after the two-day G20 Trade Ministers' Meeting in Shanghai.

​New York, July 9 (IANS) Scientists may finally have an explanation for why some galaxies stop creating stars after a team of astrophysicists painstakingly analysed around 70,000 galaxies to understand the forces influencing star formation activity in them.

The international research team, led by researchers from the University of California, Riverside, combed through available data from the COSMOS UltraVISTA survey that give accurate distance estimates for galaxies over the past 11 billion years, and focused on the effects of external and internal processes that influence star creation in galaxies.

The processes that cause galaxies to "quench", that is, cease star formation, are not well understood and constitute an outstanding problem in the study of the evolution of galaxies. 

"By using the observable properties of the galaxies and sophisticated statistical methods, we show that, on average, external processes are only relevant to quenching galaxies during the last eight billion years," said study lead author Behnam Darvish from the University of California.

"On the other hand, internal processes are the dominant mechanism for shutting off star-formation before this time, and closer to the beginning of the universe," he added.

External processes include drag generated from an infalling galaxy within a cluster of galaxies, multiple gravitational encounters with other galaxies and the dense surrounding environment and the halting of the supply of cold gas to the galaxy.

Internal mechanisms include the presence of a black hole and "stellar outflow" (for example, high-velocity winds produced by massive young stars and supernovae that push the gas out of the host galaxy).

The finding, published recently in the Astrophysical Journal, gives astronomers an important clue towards understanding which process dominates quenching at various cosmic times. 

As astronomers detect quenched non-star-forming galaxies at different distances (and therefore times after the Big Bang), they now can more easily pinpoint what quenching mechanism was at work.​