Knowledge Update

​New York, April 3 (IANS) Researchers have developed a portable and affordable balance machine that is about twice as effective as the most widely used balance test for concussion.

When athletes gets their bell rung on the field or court, there is often tension between their desire to keep playing and a trainer's responsibility to prevent them from further harming themselves.

The problem with standard on-field concussion protocols is that several of their components are subjective and prone to human error.

The new inexpensive, ultraportable balance board called BtrackS, developed by researchers at San Diego State University, provides fast, objective feedback on an athlete's balance disruption following a suspected concussion, according to a study published in the International Journal of Sports Physical Therapy.

Impaired balance is one of the major symptoms of a recent concussion. Most governing bodies in sports recommend three testing components in a concussion protocol: physical symptoms, cognitive function and balance.

For the balance portion, most sports organisations use what is known as the BESS (Balance Error Scoring System) test.

"The problem with the BESS is that it's really unreliable," said Dann Goble, inventor of BTrackS and author on the study.

You can measure balance objectively using force plates that track precisely how much a person sways, but most of these devices are either very large, very expensive, or both, making them unlikely to gain traction in sports.

Goble has adapted this technology into a balance board about the size of a suitcase that plugs into a computer or laptop, all for under $1,000.

To test whether the technology could accurately detect concussions in a real-world environment, Goble and colleagues took baseline balance measurements from more than 500 student athletes.

Then they followed those athletes over the course of their season.

Of 25 athletes determined by a team physician to have received concussions, BTrackS detected 16 of them, giving Goble's technology a success rate of 64 percent -- more than twice that of the BESS test, the study said.​

New York, April 3 (IANS) US researchers have identified DNA of two distinct strains of the virus that causes cold sores and fever blisters within an individual, which can unravel the history of a person.

The findings revealed that most people harbour HSV-1 virus, also known as oral herpes, frequently as a strain acquired from their mothers shortly after birth and carried for the rest of their lives.

The study will be published in a forthcoming issue of the journal Virology.

Using the technique similar to genetic fingerprinting, HSV-1 could help flesh out a person's life story, adding an extra layer of genetic information not provided by our genomes alone.

The results could help forensic scientists to trace a person's history as well as understand how a patient's viruses influences the course of disease.

"Deep sequencing of viruses like HSV-1 will provide a better view of the viral genetic diversity that individuals harbour, and will provide valuable information about how that influences the course of disease," said lead researcher Moriah L. Szpara, assistant professor at Pennsylvania State University in US.

The new discovery was made with the help of a volunteer from US.

The study revealed that one strain of the HSV-1 virus harboured by this individual is of a European/North American variety and the other is an Asian variety -- likely acquired during the volunteer's military service in the Korean War in the 1950s.

Earlier research has demonstrated that the geographical origin of HSV-1 can be predicted and also implied that a personal strain of HSV-1 can reflect a person's origin.

"We're working on better ways to sequence viral genomes from ever-smaller amounts of starting material, to allow identification and comparison of samples from diverse sources," Szpara added.​

New York, April 3 (IANS) In a first, a team of Indian-origin researchers cast an improved titanium alloy that can improve vehicle's fuel economy and reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.

An improved titanium alloy -- stronger than any commercial titanium alloy currently on the market -- gets its strength from the novel way atoms are arranged to form a special nanostructure, the researchers noted in their study.

The researchers at the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in the US examined this alignment and then manipulated it to make the strongest titanium alloy ever developed and with a lower cost process to boot.

The note in a paper published in journal Nature Communications said that the material is an excellent candidate for producing lighter vehicle parts, and that this newfound understanding may lead to creation of other high strength alloys.

Researchers used powerful electron microscopes and a unique atom probe imaging approach to examine the structure and once they understood the nanostructure, they created the strongest titanium alloy ever made.

This nanostructure of the alloy would help the auto industry build lighter vehicles that use less fuel and put out less carbon dioxide that contributes to climate warming, the researchers said.

The team optimised the heat-treating process that makes alloy stronger to tailor the nanostructure and achieve very high strength.

"We found that if you heat treat it first with a higher temperature before a low temperature heat treatment step, you could create a titanium alloy 10-15 percent stronger than any commercial titanium alloy currently on the market and that it has roughly double the strength of steel," Arun Devaraj, a material scientist, said.

"This alloy is still more expensive than steel but with its strength-to-cost ratio, it becomes much more affordable with greater potential for lightweight automotive applications," Vineet Joshi, a metallurgist, added.​

​London, April 3 (IANS) Light can put active materials into motion and humans can use this movement for development of new programmable materials which can be used for environment protection and deliver pharmaceutical substances, a study said.

Light of a certain wavelength can be used to put so-called active materials into motion and control their movement.

In future, this discovery can become significant in widely different areas such as environmental protection, medicine and the development of new materials that can be programmed.

Joakim Stenhammar from Lund University in Sweden led a study in which his team of international researchers developed a model in which patterns of light control the movement of active particles.

The results of the study were published in journal Science Advances.

The light makes synthetically produced particles as well as microorganisms, such as bacteria and algae, spontaneously form into something that can be compared to a pump.

The light makes active particles construct their own pump to move themselves around. By adjusting the light, it is possible to steer the particles in a different direction.

"Our strategy has the potential of developing into an inexpensive and simple way to pump and control bacteria and other active materials," Stenhammar said.

One possible application is to have active particles deliver pharmaceutical substances or nanosensors to specific parts of the body. Within environmental science, the active particles could be compared to targeted robots that can locate oil spills and then release chemicals to break down any contamination.

"Our results show how the properties of active particles can be used to design new materials that we are unable to produce today," Stenhammar added.​

New York, April 3 (IANS) People living nearby markets, public transport stops and public parks do more physical activity in their neighbourhood and take up 90 minutes more exercise per week, a study has found.

According to researchers, creating healthier cities is an important part of the public health response to the global disease burden of physical inactivity.

The four neighbourhood features, which were most strongly associated with increased physical activity, were -- high residential density, number of intersections, number of public transport stops and number of parks within walking distance.

"Neighbourhoods with high residential density tend to have connected streets, shops and services meaning people will be more likely to walk to their local shops," said lead study author James Sallis from University of California, US.

"Interestingly, distance to nearest transport stop was not associated with higher levels of physical activity, whereas the number of nearby transport stops was," Sallis added in the paper published in the journal The Lancet.

This might mean that with more options, people are more likely to walk further to get to a transport stop that best meets their needs.

The study included 6,822 adults aged 18-66 and mapped out the neighbourhood features from the areas around the participants' houses.

Physical activity was measured by using accelerometers worn around participants' waists for a minimum of four days, recording movement every minute.

On average, participants did 37 minutes per day moderate to vigorous physical activity -- equivalent to brisk walking or more.

The difference in physical activity between participants living in the most and least activity-friendly neighbourhoods ranged from 68-89 minutes per week, representing 45-59 percent of the recommended 150 minutes per week.

Physical inactivity has been linked to diabetes, heart disease and some cancers.

"We need interventions to counter the rapidly growly inactivity that urbanisation leads to, by providing environments that change the way we live our daily lives. It is high time that built environments provide the quadruple boost towards health, environment, equity and habitat," Shifalika Goenka from Public Health Foundation of India commented.​

​London, April 3 (IANS) The Moon plays a major role in maintaining the Earth's magnetic field, say researchers, adding that the lunar action, overlooked till now, is thought to have kept the geodynamo active.

The Earth's magnetic field permanently protects us from the charged particles and radiation that originate in the Sun.

This shield is produced by the geodynamo, the rapid motion of huge quantities of liquid iron alloy in the Earth's outer core.

To maintain this magnetic field till the present day, the classical model required the Earth's core to have cooled by around 3,000 degrees Celsius over the past 4.3 billion years.

Now, a team of researchers from the National Centre for Scientific Research and Universite Blaise Pascal in France suggests that on the contrary, its temperature has fallen by only 300 degrees Celsius.

According to the researchers, the Earth has a slightly flattened shape and rotates about an inclined axis that wobbles around the poles.

The Earth continuously receives 3,700 billion watts of power through the transfer of the gravitational and rotational energy of the Earth-Moon-Sun system and over 1,000 billion watts is thought to be available to bring about this type of motion in the outer core.

This energy is enough to generate the Earth's magnetic field, which together with the Moon resolves the major paradox in the classical theory.

The effect of gravitational forces on a planet's magnetic field has already been well documented for two of Jupiter's moons, Io and Europa, and for a number of exoplanets.

This new model shows that the Moon's effect on the Earth goes well beyond merely causing tides.

The work was published in the journal Earth and Planetary Science Letters.​

​London, April 4 (IANS) The consumption of a paleolithic-type diet by obese women can help them lose weight and lower their future risk of diabetes and heart disease, says a new research.

A typical Paleolithic diet includes lean meat, fish, eggs, vegetables, fruits, nuts and berries, with rapeseed, olive oil and avocado as additional fat sources. It excludes dairy products, cereals, added salt and refined fats and sugar.

"Eating a Paleolithic-type diet without calorie restriction significantly improved the fatty acid profile associated with insulin sensitivity, and it reduced abdominal adiposity and body weight in obese postmenopausal women," said lead study author Caroline Blomquist, doctoral student at Umea University, Sweden. 

Also, the diet can improve fatty acid circulation especially in women who are in their postmenopausal phase and is likely to have long term beneficial effects on obesity-related disorders, including reduced risk for diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

The findings showed that saturated fatty acids decreased by 19 percent in women who consumed the Paleolithic-type diet.

Further, there was an increase of 47 percent in monounsaturated fatty acids and 71 percent increase was seen in their polyunsaturated fatty acids. 

Specific fatty acids associated with insulin resistance were found to be significantly lower in the women eating the Paleolithic-type foods compared with those on the prudent control diet.

The team conducted their 24-month intervention in 70 obese postmenopausal women with normal fasting plasma glucose levels. 

The women were randomly assigned to one of two groups. Those in the Paleolithic-type-diet group aimed to consume 30 percent of their total energy (E percent - energy percent) in protein, 30 E percent in carbohydrates, and 40 E percent in fats with high-unsaturated fatty acid content. 

In contrast, the women in the prudent control diet group aimed to eat 15 E percent in protein, 30 E percent in fat, and 55 E percent in carbohydrates.

The results were presented at the ENDO 2016, the annual meeting of the Endocrine Society, in Boston, US.​

​New York, April 4 (IANS) Testosterone therapy can help the elderly - suffering from low testosterone levels and pre-existing heart condition - reduce their risks of stroke, heart attacks and death, researchers report.

The study from the Intermountain Medical Center Heart Institute in Salt Lake City showed that patients who received testosterone as part of their follow-up treatment fared much better than patients who didn't.

Non-testosterone-therapy patients were 80 percent more likely to suffer an adverse event.

"The study shows that using testosterone replacement therapy to increase testosterone to normal levels in androgen-deficient men doesn't increase their risk of a serious heart attack or stroke,” said cardiologist Brent Muhlestein.

That was the case even in the highest-risk men -- those with known pre-existing heart disease.

The research team studied 755 male patients between the ages of 58 and 78 at Intermountain Medical Center who had severe coronary artery disease.

They were split into three different groups which received varied doses of testosterone administered either by injection or gel.

After one year, 64 patients who weren't taking testosterone supplements suffered major adverse cardiovascular events while only 12 who were taking medium doses of testosterone and nine who were taking high doses did.

After three years, 125 non-testosterone-therapy patients suffered major adverse cardiovascular events, while only 38 medium-dose and 22 high-dose patients did.

“Although this is an observational study, it does, however, substantiate the need for a randomised clinical trial that can confirm or refute the results,” Muhlestein noted.

The team presented the results at the American College of Cardiology's 65th annual scientific session in Chicago last weekend.​

New York, April 4 (IANS) Obese people struggling with weight loss can now opt for safe, minimally invasive, non-surgical weight-loss treatments, finds a new study.

Radiologists have developed a new image-guided treatment called bariatric arterial embolisation (BAE), which blocks blood flow to a certain part of the stomach that could help obese patients lose weight.

"Currently, interventions to treat obesity include behavioural modifications, diet and exercise, medications and surgery. We're excited about the promise of BAE as another tool for health care providers to offer patients in the effort to curb this epidemic," said Clifford Weiss, associate professor at Johns Hopkins University in US. 

The findings showed that compared to a surgical gastric bypass procedure, BAE is significantly less invasive and has a much shorter recovery time.

Though the results are still preliminary, BAE appears to be effective in helping patients lose a significant amount of weight in the short and intermediate term.

All patients demonstrated weight loss and dramatic hunger reduction levels after undergoing the treatment. 

The participants showed an average excess-weight loss of 5.9 percent, after a month. 

After six months, the excess-weight loss increased to an average of 13.3 percent.

The treatment starts by feeding a small catheter through a patient's arteries, via an incision in either the groin or the wrist, to an area at the top of the stomach called the fundus, where the hunger-stimulating hormone ghrelin is produced. Tiny beads are injected through the catheter to decrease blood flow to the fundus.

For the pilot study, the team enrolled seven severely obese, but otherwise healthy, adults with a body mass index (BMI) ranging from 40 to 60, far above the obesity threshold level of BMI of 30. 

After the treatment, researchers tracked the subjects' weight loss, ghrelin levels, hunger and satiety assessments, quality-of-life (using surveys), blood pressure, and adverse events at one-, three- and six-month marks.

In these first seven patients, bariatric embolisation was safe, with no major adverse events. There was weight loss and dramatic reduction in hunger levels. Also, ghrelin levels toned down and quality-of-life scores improved.

The study was presented at the ongoing Society of Interventional Radiology's 2016 Annual Scientific Meeting in Vancouver, Canada.

​New York, April 4 (IANS) Companies appear to structure compensation contracts and incentive pay based on seniors' personality traits and not just firm characteristics, a team of US researchers, including an Indian-origin scientist, has found.

Companies offer incentive-heavy compensation contracts to overconfident CEOs to "exploit" their positively biased views of the firms' prospects, the researchers noted.

"There are divergent views on the use of options and stock in CEO compensation contracts: Do they appropriately incentivise managers and enhance shareholder value and if so, why is there much variation in their use across firms?" said Vikram Nanda from Naveen Jindal School of Management in the US.

The notion is that if managers and shareholders -- represented by the board -- have a different take on a firm's prospects and CEO talent, there will be greater use of incentive pay that the managers value highly but the board regards as less costly.

"When you think about incentive contracts, you don't usually think about the personality of the individual being a factor in the contract," Nanda added in the paper published in the Journal of Financial Economics. 

Using the compensation data of CEOs between 1992 and 2011, the researchers identified managers who were exhibiting behaviour that was overconfident compared to other CEOs. 

"You don't usually hear about how two profit-sharing agreements are going to look different because the personalities and the beliefs of the individuals are coming into play," Nanda stated.

The team conducted empirical tests to explore the relationship between CEO overconfidence and incentive compensation.

The researchers found that CEO overconfidence increases the proportions of total compensation that comes from both option grants and equity grants, compared to other executives.

Overconfident CEOs receive even greater option and equity intensity in innovative and risky firms.

"Overconfident CEOs are prone to overestimate returns to investments and underestimate risks. They may use extremely positive words in the media or tend to invest more than a typical manager in the industry," Nanda stated.​