GoanTimes August, 30 2019 issue

03 Technology
Friday, August 30, 2019 | www.goantimes.titosgoa.com | 12 Pages
Scientists closer to
solving mystery of
why lean people get
fatty liver disease
Researchers from The Westmead
Institute for Medical Research (WIMR)
have discovered how fatty liver disease
develops in lean people, aiding the
development of potential treatments for
these patients.
Fatty liver disease—a condition
characterised by a build-up of fat in the
liver—affects a quarter of the world's
population. Although it commonly
develops in overweight and obese people,
many individuals with a body-mass
index of less than 25kg/m2 will develop
the disease, and tend to have worse
outcomes compared to obese patients.
Professor Jacob George, co-lead
researcher of the study said, "Cases of
lean fatty liver disease are considered
a bit of a mystery, as we don't know
how and why the disease develops and
progresses.
"Our research team compared the
metabolism, gut bacteria and genetic
profiles of patients with lean and nonlean
fatty liver disease to determine
factors that contribute to disease
development and progression.
"Interestingly, lean fatty liver patients
have a very distinct metabolism
compared to non-lean ones, which can
explain some of the differences we see
in disease progression.
"Compared to non-lean patients, lean
patients had higher levels of bile acids,
which play a role in the digestion of
fats, and a protein called fibroblast
growth factor 19 (FGF19). Bile acids and
FGF19 increase energy expenditure,
which can explain why lean individuals
with fatty liver disease stay lean. This
suggests that lean patients with a fatty
liver may have an 'obesity-resistant'
profile, and better adaptation to an
excess intake of calories."
Associate Professor Mohammed
Eslam, co-lead researcher added,
"Importantly, the favourable profile of
lean patients did not protect them from
liver fat accumulation.
"We also identified changes in
particular gut bacteria and novel genes
that can influence the development of
fatty liver disease in lean patients. For
example, we identified that a variant in
the gene TM6SF2, previously linked to
fatty liver disease, is more common in
lean patients."
Without treatment, fatty liver disease
can result in liver scarring, liver cirrhosis
and, in severe cases, liver failure.
Associate Professor Mohammed
Eslam said, "The metabolic adaptive
mechanisms in lean fatty liver disease
tend to be lost in the late stages of the
disease. This could explain why these
patients have worse disease outcomes
compared to their obese counterparts."
"Now that we know more about the
metabolic profile and processes behind
fatty liver disease in lean people,
we can work towards more targeted
treatments for these patients."
Professor George concluded, "Our
research is now focused on understanding
more about the condition, so that we can
prevent its progression, and develop more
personalised treatment regimens."
ISRO satellite imaging tech to help tackle
illegal sand-mining, man-animal conflict
Plans are afoot to detect illegal sandmining
across the country with the help
of ISRO satellites and also augment
water and fodder in forest areas to
prevent man-animal conflict, Union
Environment and Forest Minister
Prakash Javadekar said Saturday.
The government plans to use satellite
image technology by ISRO (Indian Space
Research Organisation) to map every area
and river to check illegal sand-mining.
Javadekar said this to reporters
at Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology
(SACON), near here.
"With the help of ISRO technology, we
will know where the sand is deposited
and the government could auction
it, thereby the mafia is avoided and
a sustainable sand-mining will be in
place, he said in response to a question
on sand-mining, which has become a
major challenge.
To another question on
Alexa, who is Baidu?
Chinese Tech company
passes Google in smart
speaker stakes
Chinese search giant Baidu has
surprisingly pipped Google to become
the world’s second-largest vendor of
smart speakers, according to a new
report from research firm Canalys.
According to the research firm’s report,
Baidu captured 17.3% global market
share in the second quarter of 2019 with
4.5 million shipments. This marks a yearon-year
sales growth of 3,700% for the
company. The company is now second
behind Amazon, the global leader.
Google, in comparison, shipped 4.3
million Home and Nest-branded devices
in the second quarter, down 19.8% when
compared with the 5.4 million shipments
during the year-ago period. Amazon
remained the market leader with more
than 25% global market share and 6.6
million Echo devices shipped during the
second quarter.
Interestingly, Baidu and Google
cannot be considered as competitors as
Baidu sells its products exclusively in
China, its home market, while Google
sells its products across the world with
the exception of China. According
to the research, among the other
notable players, Xiaomi also increased
shipments of its smart speakers by
37.5% year-over-year. Apart from
Google, most leading players marked
an increase in their smart speaker sales
during the second quarter compared
with a year ago as the worldwide smart
speaker shipments grew by 55.4%
during the period.
A sample satellite map used for mapping
river area. Image: SatimagingCorp
increasing man-human conflict
due to encroachment of forest area,
particularly elephant corridor and
not abiding by HACA (Hill Area
Conservation Authority) rules in
Western Ghats, Javdekar said the
farmers had told him that unless
enough water and fodder was provided,
Reon Pocket
Sony’s Air Conditioner
that can fit in a pocket
Indian summers can be very unforgiving
and sometimes, you just wish you could
carry your air conditioner along with
you. Sony shares the same logic and
now has a solution to that.
Tech giant Sony is coming up with a
futuristic solution to solve the on-going
heat crisis which most of us suffer on a
daily basis. Imagine having a tiny air
conditioner that can fit in your T-shirt
pockets, the one which can be carried
everywhere.
The personal air conditioner is named
Reon Pocket and is worn below a person’s
neck in a pocket of a specially made
undershirt. The device can be controlled
with a smartphone via Bluetooth.
The device’s battery will last up to 90
minutes after charging for two hours.
According to Sony, the Reon
Pocket can decrease a person’s body
temperature by 13 degrees Celcius and
it can also raise it by 8 degrees Celcius,
to stay warm in the cold winters.
Indian girls create an
app to connect old-age
homes and orphanages,
win tech prize in US
Five girls have developed a mobile app
that connects children at orphanages
with senior citizens in old-age homes,
with their innovation fetching
them a bronze medal at global tech
competition in the US.
The app, called Maitri, is aimed at
bringing together individuals suffering
from loneliness and depression and
those lacking the nurturing love of
elderly role models, said the all-girl
team "Tech Witches".
The app, available for free on Google
playstore, also allows users to volunteer
and donate to old-age homes and
the conflict would continue.
"From this year, we have been
asking states to take up water and
fodder augmentation in forest areas
and prepare contour map, catchment
treatment plan," he said.
The ministry is releasing the CAMPA
(Compensatory Afforestation Fund
Management and Planning Authority)
funds to the states, which have pending
for the last 15 years, so that the states
can take up the water and fodder
augmentation by which there would be
no more human-animal conflict, he said.
On wildlife, the minister said, "In
India, we have doubled the tiger
population before 2022 and in the 10
years more than doubled, we have
more than 30,000 elephants and rhinos
in thousands.
"Wildlife testifies our ecology chain...
and we want to maintain the balance,"
Javadekar said.
The Japanese consumers would be
the first ones to get their hands on
Sony’s newly launched device in March
2020. It is expected to release in the U.S
in late 2020. There is no information on
Sony’s plan of releasing this in India,
even though we’re the country that
needs this ASAP.
Sony is taking up orders for its new
air conditioning device on its First
Flight crowdfunding platform, with
the cost of a single device starting from
2760 yen, approximately Rs 1750.
orphanages through it, they said. The
developers include Ananya Grover,
Vanshika Yadav, Vasudha Sudhinder,
Anushka Sharma and Arefa, all Class 12
students of Amity International School
in Noida, who said they "want to change
the stereotype of technology being a
male-dominant space".
The girls went to San Francisco, US this
month to participate in the Technovation
Challenge, the world's largest technology
and entrepreneurship programme for
girls, where they clinched the bronze
medal for their innovative app.
"'Maitri' allows old-age homes and
orphanages to sign up and organise
meetings, thus facilitating children and
senior citizens to spend time together.
The app has seen over 1,000 downloads
till date and has 13 old-age homes and 7
orphanages connected through it," said
Ananya.