Knowledge Update

Madrid, Sep 28 (IANS) Spain is above the European Union average for people who have never used the Internet, a study published on Tuesday revealed.

Data collected by Eurostat for the Instituto de Estudios Economicos (IEE) in Madrid, showed that 19 per cent of Spaniards had never used the Internet, meaning Spain is below

​Geneva, Sep 27 (IANS) Global trade growth figures for 2016 have fallen short of estimates, according to the World Trade Organization (WTO).

In a report released by the WTO on Tuesday, global trade grew by 1.7 per cent so far in 2016, much less than the 2.8 per cent forecast last April, Efe news reported.

London, Sep 26 (IANS) Researchers in New Zealand have restored the "true sound" in the earliest known recording of computer-generated music that British mathematician Alan Turing's pioneering work in the late 1940s helped create.

New York, Sep 26 (IANS) Researchers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have developed a computer system that can automatically screen young children for speech and language disorders and potentially even provide specific diagnoses.

​Tokyo, Sep 26 (IANS) Financial assets held by Japanese have lost value between March and June due to the effects of Brexit on the markets, marking two consecutive quarters of decline, according to data released by the Bank of Japan (BOJ) on Monday.

Beijing, Sep 26 (IANS) Chinese Shenzhen International Airport has employed robots to patrol one of its terminals, making it the first public place in the country to be so guarded.

The Anbot robots are oval-shaped and resemble the Star Wars 'R2D2' robot or the Daleks from Doctor Who, EFE news reported.

​Beijing, Oct 28 (IANS) Toyota will recall 819,598 vehicles in China due to defective airbags installed in several vehicle models, the country's top quality watchdog said on Friday. The models affected were the VIOS, COROLLA, COROLLA EX and YARIS, built between May 1, 2007, and August 29, 2013, according to a report filed to the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine. The defective vehicles were equipped with airbags whose inflators could rupture, causing risks of injury, Xinhua news agency reported. The recall will start from November 30, 2016, and Toyota dealers will change the faulty parts at no charge.

New York, Sep 25 (IANS) Healthy city design and planning in densely populated countries like India can reduce growing epidemics, injuries and non-communicable (NCD) diseases such as heart disease, diabetes and cancer, finds a new study.

According to the study, published in the journal The Lancet, health gains can be achieved if cities are designed in a way that shops, facilities, work and public transportation are within walking distance of most residents.

By 2050, the US, China and India are predicted to see their populations increase by 33, 38 and 96 per cent respectively, the study found.

Sprawling residential developments lead to declines in physical activity, increases in air pollution and higher rates of road death and serious injury.

Researchers studied how to implement timely research into city design, planning and policy to improve the health of a city's residents. 

"Shifting from city infrastructure that encourages the use of automobiles to a design providing safe and easy walking, cycling and public transportation options would reduce traffic injuries, air pollution and physical inactivity," said James F. Sallis, researcher at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine, US.

Additionally, limitations in the ability of people to walk or cycle in their daily commute makes public transportation expensive to deliver, which can lead to an increase in chronic disease and injury.

"Many city leaders around the world are not applying the lessons of research to make cities as healthy as possible," said Sallis.

To improve the effectiveness and implementation of research, Sallis and team suggested that studies must include collaborations between scientists and multisector policy makers and address questions that are relevant to city leaders, including information about public opinion and costs. 

"City planning policies can affect health, both positively and negatively. A major incentive to make changes now is that designing cities for health and active transport, rather than automobile-dependence also makes the cities more environmentally sustainable," Sallis added.

Beijing, Sep 28 (IANS) The world's longest and highest glass bridge, in Hunan province, will reopen for China's Golden Week holiday in October, after a month-long safety overhaul.

The bridge over the spectacular Grand Canyon Scenic Area in Zhangjiajie, a Unesco world heritage site, was temporarily closed at the beginning of September, following a huge influx of tourists after its initial opening on August 20, Xinhua news agency reported.

According to the bridge management committee, after the reopening on September 30, tourists will be able to visit the bridge by swiping their ID cards on machines at the entrance, after booking tickets via the official website.

The bridge was closed for safety modifications due to the need for an internal system upgrade, as more than 10,000 people were visiting the site every day, exceeding the planned daily limit of 8,000.

During the revamp, the management committee installed an intelligent monitoring system to help control the population flow at the entrance and exit, and also prepared a free shuttle bus service to take visitors to the area.

The 430-metre long, six-metre wide bridge is paved with 99 panes of three-layer transparent glass and hangs between two steep cliffs 300 meters above the ground.

The bridge set 10 world records for its design and construction. 

A ticket for the bridge costs 138 yuan ($21). No personal belongings are allowed on the bridge except wallets and mobile phones. Visitors are not allowed to wear high heels and must cross the bridge without the aid of the railings.

London, Sep 26 (IANS) Low and moderate levels of physical activity may significantly lower the risk of bacterial infection, a new study has found.

Regular physical activity is known to have various health benefits including reduced risk of obesity, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, colon and breast cancer, as well as depression.

The results showed that compared with sedentary behaviour, low leisure-time physical activity was associated with a 10 per cent lower risk of any suspected bacterial infection, said Kathrine Pape Madsen from the Aalborg University, in Denmark.

Further, compared with individuals classified as sedentary, those undertaking low and moderate levels of leisure-time physical activity were associated with a 21 per cent and 32 per cent reduction of suspected cystitis -- urinary tract infections. 

Suspected respiratory tract bacterial infections, however, were not associated with physical activity level, the study said.

Physical inactivity has been identified as the fourth leading risk factor for global mortality causing an estimated 3.2 million deaths globally, according to World health Organisation.

In the study, the researchers examined the relationship between leisure-time physical activity and suspected bacterial infections during a one-year follow up.

Information on leisure-time physical activity was obtained from the 2007 and 2010 North Denmark Region Health Surveys of 18,874 Danes. 

Suspected bacterial infections were determined based on filled prescriptions for antibiotics. 

During a one year follow-up, 5368 participants filled at least one antibiotic prescription.

There was a statistically significant difference between physical activity level and filling any antibiotic prescriptions among women but not among men.