Knowledge Update

New York, Jan 6 (IANS) Apple has announced that its app developers earned over $20 billion, up over 40 per cent from 2015, in 2016 alone and also stated that New Year's Day was the highest single day ever for the App Store with nearly $240 million in purchases.

​London, Jan 6 (IANS) Maintaining London's access to skilled European Union (EU) workers after Brexit is "vital" for the British capital's future prosperity, a report revealed on Friday.

​Las Vegas, Jan 6 (IANS) ASUS Republic of Gamers (ROG) on Friday unveiled its latest lineup of gaming gear at the ongoing Consumer Electronic Show (CES 2017) in Las Vegas. The Taiwan-based computer hardware company also introduced a router designed specifically for gamers, Rapture GT-AC5300, at the event. The 2017 gaming-gear lineup includes -- GX800VH, G701, G752, GL502, GL702, GL553 and GL753 gaming laptops, and GT51CH, GD30, G20CI and GR8 II gaming desktops. Featuring tri-band Wi-Fi, eight-port gigabit-LAN, 1.8GHz quad-core CPU, GT-AC5300 enables fast and responsive network gaming, the company said in a statement. GX800VH is the world's first gaming laptop with an 18-inch panel and NVIDIA G-SYNC technology for real 4K UHD gaming visuals. It also has the MechTAG mechanical-switch keyboard, which features anti-ghosting with 30-key rollover, and customisable ROG Aura RGB LED effects for each key. G701 boasts HyperDrive RAID 0, NVMe and PCIe technologies for blazing-fast storage speeds, and a 120Hz panel with NVIDIA G-SYNC technology. G752 is driven by Intel Core i7 processor and a VR-ready NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 GPU. GL502 and GL702 are compact and potent gaming laptops that offer good performance, with up to Intel 7th Generation processors, VR-ready NVIDIA GeForce GTX1070/1060 GPUs, 120Hz NVIDIA G-SYNC panels, and backlit anti-ghosting keyboards with 30-key rollover. GT51CH is an powerful gaming desktop PC featuring an overclocked 4.8GHz Intel Core i7-7700K processor, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 2-way SLI graphics, and 64GB of RAM. G20CI is a small-form-factor gaming PC, housed in a compact 9.5-litre chassis, runs whisper-quiet at just 22dB at idle and has an efficient heat-management system, including two internal fans and copper pipes to dissipate heat. GD30 has a customisable design featuring interchangeable black and white front panels and is powered by 7th Generation Intel Core i7 processor with NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 graphics. GR8 II is the smallest gaming PC built for VR, has ASUS-customised NVIDIA GeForce 1060 GPU, 7th Generation Intel Core i7 processor, and 32GB of RAM.

​Las Vegas, Jan 6 (IANS) In its bid to redefine personal computing, US-based computer technology company Dell has launched new products at the ongoing Consumer Electronics Show (CES 2017) here. The new products include Dell Canvas, XPS 13 2-in-1, XPS 27 AIO, Precision 7720 mobile workstation, UltraSharp 32 Ultra HD 8K monitor and 12-inch Latitude 7285 2-in-1 notebook. Dell Canvas is a 27-inch QHD smart workspace of its kind with touch, totem and pen capabilities that can be used at an angle or flat on a desk so professionals can create, communicate and express their thoughts and ideas as naturally as they do with pen on paper. Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 offers a 360-degree hinge for multiple productivity and viewing options using Continuum, up to 15 hours of battery life and a QHD+ (5.7M pixels) InfinityEdge touch display. XPS 27 AIO features 4K Ultra HD (3840 x 2160) edge-to-edge touch display supporting 100 per cent Adobe RGB colour gamut, comes with Intel Xeon processors, AMD Radeon Pro graphics capable of powering VR. Dell Precision 7720 mobile workstation is the company's first VR-ready mobile workstation designed specifically for VR content creation. The workstation is powered by latest 7th Gen Intel Core, Intel Xeon processors and NVIDIA Pascal Quadro professional graphics. Dell UltraSharp 32 Ultra HD 8K monitor is the world's first 32-inch 8K resolution display. It has more than one billion colors, 33.2M pixels of resolution, 100 per cent Adobe RGB and sRGB colour gamut and has 280 ppi. Dell will deliver a true wireless experience by incorporating WiTricity magnetic resonance wireless charging technology in the 12-inch Latitude 7285 2-in-1, which will be available later this year. When combined with a charging mat and WiGig wireless dock, users can take the Latitude 2-in-1 with them without disengaging any wires or a physical dock. And when they return to their desk and set the 2-in-1 on the charging mat, it begins charging, automatically reconnects to the WiGig dock and content appears on the external display, the company said.

Las Vegas, Jan 6 (IANS) Chinese technology company Xiaomi started its Consumer Electronics Show (CES) debut here on Thursday with an announcement of Mi TV 4 with a 4.9mm ultra-thin frameless metal body. The 65-inch version is designed with a modular approach, with the separate Mi TV Bar consisting of the mainboard and a sound system that supports Dolby Atmos. Xiaomi also displayed over 70 products from Xiaomi's core range of smartphones, smart TVs, smart routers and dozens of Mi Ecosystem products in the smart home, health & fitness, personal transportation, smart toys and other categories. The company also launched the white version of Mi MIX that has been designed jointly developed with world-renowned designer Philippe Starck. The white version will be available in China later in the year. "We continue to push boundaries with the use of ceramic on smartphones, this time in white, which presents more challenges in terms of yield," Hugo Barra, Vice President, Xiaomi said. Mi TV 4 will be available in China at a later date, with an estimated price well under $2,000 for the 65-inch version that comes with the Dolby Atmos home theater. Mi TV 4 has a 4K display, 4.9mm ultra-thin metal body, Quad-core 64-bit flagship TV processor, Artificial Intelligence (AI) system for intelligent recommendations and is available in 49-inch and 55-inch as well.

Tokyo, Jan 6 (IANS) English road signs are set to debut this year in Japan to make navigation easier for foreigners.

The National Police Agency said some of the new signs introduced from July 2017 will be written in both Japanese and English, public broadcaster NHK reported.

The stop sign will bear the word "STOP" and the slow-down sign will come with the word "SLOW".

The number of accidents involving foreign drivers with international licenses has risen in recent years.

Last year, the agency found that about 20 per cent of the foreign drivers it surveyed did not recognise the Japanese stop sign and nearly 30 per cent could not understand the slow-down sign.

There are 1.7 million stop signs and 1,000 slow-down signs across the country.

According to the agency, the move is also part of the preparations for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics.

New York, Jan 6 (IANS) An hour-long nap after lunch may help older adults to preserve their memories, improve their ability to think clearly as well as to make decisions, a study has found. Sleep plays a key role in helping older adults maintain their healthy mental function, necessary for people as they age, the researchers said. In the study, led by Junxin Li from the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, the team examined nearly 3,000 Chinese adults aged 65 and older to learn whether taking an afternoon nap had any effect on their mental health. The researchers found that nearly 60 per cent of the people took an afternoon nap after lunch. Their nap time was between about 30 minutes to more than 90 minutes, with most people taking naps lasting about 63 minutes. The results showed that people who took an hour-long nap after lunch had better health condition compared to people who did not take a nap -- neither shorter nor longer. Conversely, those who took no naps at all had four-to-six times more decrease in their mental ability. In addition, people who did not take a nap at all, and those who took shorter or longer naps, experienced about the same decline in their mental abilities that a five-year increase in age would be expected to cause, Li stated. The study was published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

​New York, Jan 6 (IANS) Cancer death has seen a steady decline in US, with the toll dropping to 25 per cent -- or 2.1 million fewer -- between 1991 and 2014, owing to steady reductions in smoking, advances in early detection and treatment, says a report.

According to 'Cancer Statistics 2017' annual report of the American Cancer Society, the cancer death rate dropped from its peak of 215.1 (per 100,000 population) in 1991 to 161.2 (per 100,000 population) in 2014. 

The death rates decreased for the four major cancer sites: lung (-43 per cent between 1990 and 2014 among males and -17 per cent between 2002 and 2014 among females), breast (-38 per cent from 1989 to 2014), prostate (-51 per cent from 1993 to 2014) and colorectal (-51 per cent from 1976 to 2014).

"The continuing drops in the cancer death rate are a powerful sign of the potential we have to reduce cancer's deadly toll," said Otis W. Brawley, Chief Medical Officer of the American Cancer Society.

While the overall cancer incidence rate was stable in women and declined by about two per cent per year in men, the cancer death rate decreased by about 1.5 per cent annually in both men and women.

In addition, the report found significant gender disparities -- the cancer incidence rate is 20 per cent higher in men than in women, while the cancer death rate is 40 per cent higher in men.

Liver cancer -- a highly fatal cancer -- was found to be three times more common in men than in women. 

While the incidence and death rates of cancers of the esophagus, larynx and bladder, were found to be about four-fold higher in men, the incidence rates of melanoma -- skin cancer -- were about 60 per cent higher in men than in women and death rates were more than double in men compared with women, the researchers stated.

The report was published in CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians. 

​New York, Jan 6 (IANS) Feeling depressed? Take heart, a novel suite of 13 speedy mini interactive-apps may help you de-stress and lower anxiety and depression, suggests a study.

The apps -- called IntelliCare -- offer exercises to de-stress, reduce self-criticism and worrying, methods to help your life feel more meaningful, mantras to highlight your strengths, strategies for a good night's sleep and more.

"We designed these apps so they fit easily into people's lives and could be used as simply as apps to find a restaurant or directions," said lead author David Mohr, Professor at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Illinois, US.

In the study, 96 participants robustly used the IntelliCare interactive apps as many as four times daily -- or an average of 195 times -- for eight weeks. They spent an average of one minute using each app, with longer times for apps with relaxation videos.

The participants reported that they experienced about a 50 per cent decrease in the severity of depressive and anxiety symptoms. 

The short-term study-related reductions are comparable to results expected in clinical practice using psychotherapy or with that seen using antidepressant medication, the researchers said.

"Using digital tools for mental health is emerging as an important part of our future. These are designed to help the millions of people who want support but can't get to a therapist's office," Mohr said.

The study will be published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research.

​New York, Jan 6 (IANS) By transforming the most common type of cells found in wounds into fat cells, researchers have reported finding a way to manipulate wounds to heal as regenerated skin rather than scar tissue.

"Essentially, we can manipulate wound healing so that it leads to skin regeneration rather than scarring," said principal investigator George Cotsarelis, Professor of Dermatology at Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, US.

Fat cells called adipocytes are normally found in the skin, but they are lost when wounds heal as scars. The most common cells found in healing wounds are myofibroblasts, which were thought to only form a scar. 

Scar tissue also does not have any hair follicles associated with it, which is another factor that gives it an abnormal appearance from the rest of the skin.

Researchers used these characteristics as the basis for their work -- changing the already present myofibroblasts into fat cells that do not cause scarring.

"The secret is to regenerate hair follicles first. After that, the fat will regenerate in response to the signals from those follicles," Cotsarelis said.

The study showed hair and fat develop separately but not independently. Hair follicles form first, and the Cotsarelis lab previously discovered factors necessary for their formation. 

The new study - published online in the journal Science - details additional factors actually produced by the regenerating hair follicle to convert the surrounding myofibroblasts to regenerate as fat instead of forming a scar. 

As they examined the question of what was sending the signal from the hair to the fat cells, researchers identified a factor called Bone Morphogenetic Protein (BMP). It instructs the myofibroblasts to become fat. 

"Typically, myofibroblasts were thought to be incapable of becoming a different type of cell," Cotsarelis said. 

"But our work shows we have the ability to influence these cells, and that they can be efficiently converted into adipocytes," Cotsarelis noted.

This was shown in both the mouse and in human keloid cells grown in culture.

"The findings show we have a window of opportunity after wounding to influence the tissue to regenerate rather than scar," said the study's lead author Maksim Plikus, Assistant Professor at University of California, Irvine. 

The findings could lead to new therapies to help wounds heal without scarring.