04th February 2014

2
Issue No.
114
Thursday, 6 February 2014
4
STRESSED BY WORK-LIFE
BALANCE? JUST EXERCISE
8
EMOTIONS AND FACIAL
EXPRESSIONS
2014 FOUAD
SARKIS PROM DRESS
Reconnoitre
The Ceramic Canvas
W ait. We know you’re hungry. We
know you’re ready to use that shiny
fork as a battering ram. But before
you dismantle and devour that dish
of beautiful food placed in front of
you, take a moment to look at it. Really look.
If you happen to be dining in one
o f the more inventive restaurants
in New York City - or in Chicago or
C openhagen, San Francisco or São
P aulo - it’s possible that what you
s ee recalls a canvas or sculpture at
the Museum of Modern Art.
W hether smeared and swirled
a cross a white plate, stacked beneath a tower of flowers in a ceramic
bowl, or strewn like debris atop the
surface of a log, the way the food is
laid out reflects an aspect of a chef’s
c raftsmanship that can be just as
crucial as the ingredients in the dish.
We’re talking here about plating,
g astronomic jargon for how a chef
arranges the food before it is served.
E ven though it rarely gets as
m uch attention as flavour and texture, plating forces a chef to conside r factors that go beyond what we
traditionally think of as cooking. An
e xpert plater is attuned to colour,
temperature and serving size while
dreaming up (and figuring out how
t o assemble) bonsai feats of edible
engineering - and even, sometimes,
w himsical experiments in consciousness expansion.
P resentation has always been a
m ode of expression; think of the
domes and carts and silver platters
o f French haute cuisine. Contemporary approaches to plating can be
traced to a wide array of global chefs:
Ferran and Albert Adrià, Alfred Portale, Alice Waters, Anne-Sophie Pic,
Pierre Gagnaire, Wylie Dufresne, the
Arzak family of Spain, Charlie Trotter, Michel Bras, Marc Veyrat, Grant
Achatz, René Redzepi, to name but a
few. By now, their various approaches to stacking, smearing, dolloping,
p ouring and tweezering have perm eated the mainstream to such a
degree that you may drop into your
neighbourhood bistro and get a Cae-
sar salad that looks as if it were done
by Jackson Pollock.
To illustrate and explore the current state of the plate, 11 New York
C ity chefs put together a dish that
e xemplifies their visual style, and
explained the inspiration that went
i nto each. Their answers ran the
gamut.
At Atera, the tasting-menu atelier
in Tribeca, Matthew Lightner oversaw the painstaking layering of what
looked like a monochrome rosebud.
I ts petals were slivers of almond,
r azor clam and pickled garlic. Paul
L iebrandt, the chef at the Elm, in
B rooklyn, constructed a delicately
Dr. Seussian tableau of squab, beet,
t arragon flowers and pink dabs of
c rab apple juice. Liebrandt, whose
plating is on full display in his new
book, “To the Bone,” and who cites
t he influence of painters like Cy
Twombly and Mark Rothko, said the
striking, complex dish had been inspired by the flavours of autumn.
“ It’s not simple,” he said. “But
that’s why you come here to eat it.
I f everyone could do this at home,
we’d go out of business. I know that
this is not everyday food, but that’s
t he point. You couldn’t really say a
Picasso is an everyday picture.”
There was also a strong sense of
playfulness on many plates. Whether it happened to be Akiko Thurnauer of Family Recipe stuffing the
mackerel for her fish tacos inside a
sardine can, or Alex Stupak of Empellón Cocina coating an entire plate
with a lacquer of sauce made from
black beans, or Wylie Dufresne of
WD-50 mentioning the stylistic influence of Betty Boop and Felix the
Cat, the chefs described plating as a
way to deliver an unexpected dose of
delight and surprise.
“I like that idea of instant recognition - and then instant confusion,”
said Amanda Cohen of Dirt Candy in
the East Village, who whipped up a
spinach mille-feuille.
That said, she also hopes customers will crave a big, heaping forkful
right away, and not just gaze at her
handiwork.
For Joey Campanaro of the Little
Owl, Rita Sodi of I Sodi and Ignacio
Mattos of Estela, appetising messiness qualifies as something of an
aesthetic ideal.
“I don’t want to do anything
sculptural,” Mattos said. “I enjoy
knowing what I’m eating. You know
what? It’s a plate of food. Pile it up.”
And dig in.
(Jeff Gordinier-nytsyn.com)
F or children and teens with peanut
a llergies, a new type of treatment might
b e a step closer to becoming a reality,
a ccording to a preliminary study from
E ngland. The treatment, known as oral
i mmunotherapy, involves eating small
a mounts of peanut protein, gradually
increasing the amount in hopes of building
u p a tolerance to peanuts. To know how,
r ead on…‘Gradual Exposure To Peanuts
May Help Some Allergic Kids’.
We know that stressful life events such
a s diet, smoking, drinking and exposure
to pollution all have effects on your genes,
b ut we didn’t know if they specifically
a ffected pain genes. Now, a study of
identical twins suggests they do. It seems
that epigenetic changes – environmentally
t riggered chemical alterations that affect
how active your genes are – can dial your
pain threshold up or down. Go through our
science page to learn more.
When your calendar is packed -- or when
you simply want a satisfying supper -- let
y our slow cooker handle dinner duties.
Our easy (and easy-to-clean-up) ‘Everyday
Food: Slow-Cooker Classics’ recipes prove
t hat you can create flavour-packed, fussf ree, hearty meals with just a little prep
and the flip of a switch.
Meanwhile, you can browse through our
Ask Martha section where Martha answers
q ueries on decorating with photos,
shovelling snow and preparing meat.
Drop us a word at [email protected].
Y our feedback is always welcome. So be
it science, technology, lifestyle or fashion
t ake your pick right away. And Facebook
users keep liking our page!
Follow us on
www.facebook.com/BloomQatar
2
Thursday, 6 February 2014
Gradual Exposure
To Peanuts May Help
Some Allergic Kids
For children and teens with peanut allergies, a
new type of treatment might be a step closer to
becoming a reality, according to a preliminary
study from England.
The treatment, known as oral immunotherapy, involves eating small amounts of peanut
protein, gradually increasing the amount in
hopes of building up a tolerance to peanuts.
After six months of immunotherapy, 84 percent to 91 percent of children in the study could
safely eat about five peanuts a day -- about 25
times more than they could tolerate before the
therapy, the researchers found.
“Oral immunotherapy has once again shown
promise that it may eventually be a treatment
for food allergy,” said Dr. Matthew Greenhawt,
author of an editorial accompanying the study,
which was published in the Jan. 30 issue of the
journal The Lancet. “But it is still far from being
ready for use outside of a research setting.
“There is much work to be done to thoroughly investigate the potential -- both good and bad
-- of what oral immunotherapy can achieve,”
added Greenhawt, an assistant professor at the
University of Michigan Food Allergy Center.
“But study results like these are encouraging
that we may be able to develop a future treatment for food allergy.”
Greenhawt said there still are a lot of unknowns, including why this therapy works,
which patients will benefit most and what the long-term side effects might be.
Dr. Gloria Riefkohl, a paediatrician at Miami Children’s Hospital, echoed Greenhawt’s comments.
“I think this is an interesting concept that needs further study,” she said. “It’s not going to work
for all the patients we are seeing. And I don’t think it’s ready for use in the general population.”
Right now, children with peanut allergies are prescribed epinephrine in the form of an injectable measured dose called an epinephrine pen, or EpiPen, which they carry with them at all times,
Riefkohl said. Epinephrine is able to quickly counter anaphylaxis, a life-threatening allergic reacto .
tion.
Riefkohl said the new, experimental therapy isn’t going to cure a peanut allergy or let these children indulge in a peanut butter sandwich. “What we are
trying to decrease is the exposure that usually occurs accidentally and causes
difficulty breathing or a rash or tickling in the mouth,” she said.
For the study, a team lead by Dr. Andrew Clark, of Cambridge University Hospitals, randomly assigned 99 children, aged 7 to 16 years, with
varying degrees of peanut allergy to one of two groups. The first group
received 26 weeks of oral immunotherapy; the second group avoided
peanuts or peanut-containing foods altogether. Avoidance is the
current treatment for peanut allergy, the researchers said.
After six months, 24 of 39 children who received immunotherapy in the first phase were able to tolerate a daily dose of
roughly 10 peanuts, compared with none of the kids in the
avoidance group.
In the second phase of the trial, children assigned to
avoidance were offered 26 weeks of immunotherapy followed by a final food challenge.
After the second phase, 54 percent of these children passed the challenge.
About one-fifth of the kids who had immunotherapy had some mild reactions to peanuts, including nausea, vomiting, itching in the mouth,
hives and wheezing, the study found. One child
needed epinephrine to quell a severe reaction, and
that child withdrew from the study, the researchers said.
“This treatment allowed children with all severities of peanut allergy to eat large quantities
of peanuts -- well above the levels found in contaminated snacks and meals -- freeing them and their parents from the fear of a potentially lifethreatening allergic reaction,” Clark said in a journal news release. “The families involved in this
study say it has changed their lives dramatically.”
Study co-author Dr. Pamela Ewan, head of the allergy department at Cambridge University
Hospitals, cautioned parents, however. “[Oral immunotherapy] is not a treatment people should
try on their own and should only be done by medical professionals in specialist settings,” she said.
Peanut allergy is the most common cause of food-related severe and life-threatening allergic
reactions, according to background information included in the study.
(HealthDay News)
Stressed By Work-Life
Balance? Just Exercise
Feeling conflicted by the push-pull of work
and family life? New research suggests
that regular exercise can help balance out
those feelings.
Researchers examined the responses of
476 working adults who were surveyed
about their exercise behaviour and their
confidence in handling work-family conflicts. Those who exercised regularly
seemed to experience an increased feeling
of competence that carried over into work
and home roles, the study authors said.
“If, for example, you go for a two-mile jog
or walk 10 flights of steps at work and feel
good about yourself for doing that, it will
translate and carry over into other areas
of life,” said study author Russell Clayton,
an assistant professor of management at
Saint Leo University in Florida.
“We found that [participants] who exercised felt good about themselves, that
they felt that they could accomplish tough
tasks, and that carried over into work and
family life,” Clayton added.
Volumes of research have shown that exercise lowers mental and physical stress levels, but few studies have focused on
whether this stress reduction
helps empower individuals
to better manage their
work-life balance.
Clayton said the
study originated
as a “pet project”
after he realised
his own adherence to exercise gave him
perspective on integrating work and life.
Also involved in the study were researchers from Saint Louis University, University
of Houston-Victoria and Illinois State University.
Clayton acknowledged that the research
method the study authors used -- having
respondents answer questions and then
tallying the answers through a mathematical technique -- did not offer hard numbers
for the results.
Just over half (55 percent) of the study
participants were women. In addition, the
study noted, participants worked an average of 40 hours weekly and their average
age was 41. About 29 percent had at least
one child under age 18 living
at home.
While the study found
a link between physical
activity and reports of
greater empowerment at
home and at work, it did
not prove a cause-andeffect relationship.
Video Game
Teaches Kids
How To Spot
A Stroke
“But the associations between exercise
and work-life balance are there, and
they’re very strong,” Clayton said.
For those who don’t exercise regularly,
the idea of adding that regimen to a busy
schedule to improve stress levels may
seem counterintuitive, Clayton noted.
But he advocates the idea of “stolen moments” for exercise that add up, such
as climbing the stairs for five minutes
or doing jumping jacks in 30-second
Playing a 15-minute stroke-education video game apspurts.
peared
to improve children’s understanding of stroke
“We hope our research can be a grain
symptoms
and what to do if someone is having a stroke,
of sand in the beach of evidence we
a
new
study
suggests.
have to push corporations . . . to enThe
research
included 210 low-income children, aged 9
courage employees to exercise,” he
and
10,
from
New
York City who were tested on whether
added.
they
could
identify
stroke symptoms and if they knew to
Dr. Natalie Digate Muth, spokescall
911
if
they
saw
a
person suffering a stroke.
person for the American Council
They
were
tested
again
immediately after playing a strokeon Exercise, said the study extends
education
game
called
Stroke
Hero, and again seven weeks
the evidence that physical activlater
after
being
given
remote
access
to the game and encourity offers benefits beyond the
aged to play at home.
obvious.
After playing the game, the children were 33 percent more
“People should think of it as a
likely
to recognise a stroke and know to call 911 in case of a
kind of investment. If you put
stroke.
They still had this knowledge when they were tested
some time into physical activagain
seven
weeks later, the study found.
ity,” said Muth, “you may
be active for 30 minutes
Compared to those who played the game just once, children
a day, but the productivwho continued to play the game at home were 18 percent more
ity and mental focus
likely to recognise the stroke symptom of sudden imbalance, acyou’re going to get out
cording to the study, which was published recently in the journal
of it is going to far
Stroke.
exceed what you put
Ninety percent of the children said they liked playing the game.
into it, from a work
But although 67 percent said they would play it at home, only 26
and family perpercent did.
spective.”
“We need to educate the public, including children, about stroke,”
study author Dr. Olajide Williams, an associate professor of neurology at Columbia University, said in a journal news release. “Often it’s the witness that makes that 911 call, not the stroke victim.
Sometimes these witnesses are young children.”
In the Stroke Hero game, players pilot a clot-busting spaceship
through an artery and blast blood clots with a clot-busting drug.
When the supply of the drug is empty, gamers have to answer questions about stroke awareness to refill the medicine.
“Video games are fun, widely available and accessible for most children,” Williams said. “Empowering every potential witness with the
knowledge and skills required to make that lifesaving decision if they
witness a stroke is critical.”
Fine Living
Thursday, 6 February 2014
Decorating With Photos,
Shoveling Snow, Preparing Meat
Preparing Meat Before Cooking
Q: Should meat be room temperature
before I cook it?
A: Yes. Taking meat out of the refrigerator and
letting it sit brings the entire cut to the same
temperature - a necessity for even cooking,
says Martha Stewart Living food editor Shira
Bocar. Of course, the amount of time will vary
depending on the size and cut (see details below). Generally, the larger the cut, the longer
it takes. Keep the meat in its original packaging or covered, and place it on a plate in a cool
Shoveling Snow Safely
spot far from the stove or oven (heat encourages bacteria growth). If you are planning to
sear it, pat the surface dry with a paper towel
beforehand.
STANDING TIME GUIDELINES
Use these suggestions to get common cuts of
meat to room temperature.
+ Chicken breast (5 to 7 ounces): 30 minutes
Butterfly and pound chicken breasts. They’ll
come to room temperature quickly and cook
in minutes.
+ Rib eye or strip steak (1 to 1.5 pounds): 30
minutes
Combine two steps: Marinate the steak as it
comes to room temperature.
+ Beef tenderloin (2.5 to 3 pounds): one hour
Truss a tenderloin when it’s cold and firm, before letting it sit out.
+ Whole turkey (12 to 14 pounds): two hours
Perishable foods shouldn’t be left unrefrigerated for more than two hours, according to
the United States Department of Agriculture.
Creating A Cohesive Photo Display
Q: What can I do to make a group
of mismatched frames look nice
together on my wall?
A: To give your wall a unified, gallery-like
look, paint mismatched frames the same
neutral hue, such as gray. Take a look at
different shades to find one that’s the
right “temperature” for your existing wall
color: For instance, cool grays look best
with other cool colors, while warm grays
should be paired with other warm colors.
Q: Is there a technique for
shoveling that won’t hurt my
back? Also, I’ve been noticing
snow shovels in different shapes;
which kind should I buy?
A: The best method breaks shoveling
into three steps, says Wellington Hsu,
M.D. a spokesman for The American
Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.
1. Position feet shoulder-width apart
and hands about 2 feet apart on the
handle, with the shovel in front and
close to your body. Scoop into the
snow.
2. Bend at the knees, rather than at the
waist, as you pick up the snow. Keep
your spine in an upright position.
3. Turn your body so that your feet
face the spot where you want to move
the snow. Drop the snow rather than
throwing it.
When it comes to choosing the right
type of shovel, it depends on the consistency of the snow and how much of
it you’re dealing with, says Home Depot store manager Shane Segur, in Toledo, Ohio. Consider these four common shovels and the best conditions
in which to use them:
SQUARE: A deep dish holds large
amounts of soft snow.
PUSH: Best for quickly plowing away
light snow.
ROUND: Cuts through thick, frozen
snow banks created by plows.
ERGONOMIC: The angled handle relieves back strain from lifting heavy
snow.
Good Things For The Bedroom
1. Wallpaper Headboard
4. Easy Bedside Table
These smart bedroom ideas will
help you complete the look and
feel of your room.
Nothing completes your boudoir
like a headboard -- it provides a
focal point and makes the whole
room more inviting. The storebought kind can be expensive
and bulky, so try this shortcut:
Using the lines in a graphic wallpaper as your guide, cut out a silhouette that serves as a virtual
headboard.
If you rarely make use of your
serving trays, place one atop a
collapsible stand or luggage rack
and voila -- an instant bedside
table to enjoy every day. Allow
room for a second, smaller tray
on top, and you can ferry a pitcher of water to your room and still
have a spot for all your bedtime
essentials.
5. Quick Duvet Cover
2. Mattress Rotation Reminder
For even wear and a longer life,
a mattress should be flipped
four times a year (alternating
between end-over-end and sideover-side rotation). Hotels keep
track by marking each end of
a mattress: one says “January”
(right side up) and “April” (upside down), the other “October”
(right side up) and “July” (upside
down). Whenever one of those
months rolls around, adjust the
mattress so that the appropriate
month’s name is right side up at the foot of the bed.
3. Bedside Water Glass
You don’t need carafes and
matching tumblers to provide
overnight guests with water.
Simply fill a tall, narrow glass,
and cover it with a shorter, wider
tumbler to keep out dust. Set the
glasses on a small tray on the
nightstand to catch any drips.
Houseguests can flip over the
top glass and pour themselves
water.
8. Bedside
Coasters
Ready-made duvet covers can be
pricey, and you may not be able
to find one with just the right
color or pattern to complement
your sheets. Make your own
perfect match with just two flat
sheets.
6. Clever Box
Spring Cover
If you want to dress
up your bed but find
dust ruffles a bit
fussy, consider slipping a fitted sheet
over your box spring
for a streamlined
look.
Give your overnight
guests the five-star treatment by setting chilled
spring water on their
nightstand. Choose a
vessel, such as a vase or
a large julep cup, that is
deep enough to accommodate a small bottle
and ice. Place a saucer
underneath to collect the
condensation and protect the surface of the
table.
9. Trimmed
Pillowcases
Leftovers are the bane of the
sewing room as well as the
kitchen. But the same creativity that inspired cassoulet
can save odd lengths of fabric
from ragbag ignominy. One
idea: Use strips of cloth or
lace to trim the opening of a
cotton pillowcase. A monogrammed handkerchief from a flea market can be folded
diagonally and machine-stitched to a pillowcase, creating a
wonderful gift for someone with the right initial.
10. New Bed Skirt
7. Door
Headboard
A solid old door, refinished and hung sideways,
becomes a perfect -- and
perfectly inexpensive -headboard for a bed.
It’s hard to decide which is
the bigger eyesore: an exposed box spring or some of
the froufrou dust ruffles currently on the market. One
easy, low-cost solution is to
cover the box spring with a
drape of rectangular fabric.
3
6
Life Style
Thursday, 6 February 2014
EVERYDAY FOOD:
Slow-Cooker Classics
When your calendar is packed -- or when you simply want a satisfying
supper -- let your slow cooker handle dinner duties. These easy (and
easy-to-clean-up) recipes prove that you can create flavour-packed,
fuss-free, hearty meals with just a little prep and the flip of a switch.
Slow-Cooker Pot Roast
Ingredients:
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 8 medium carrots, cut
into thirds
• 2 medium onions, each
cut into 8 wedges
• Coarse salt and ground
pepper
• 1 beef chuck roast (3
pounds), trimmed of
excess fat
• 2 tablespoons
Worcestershire sauce
Get a head start on dinner
with this fresh take on a slowsimmered, all-in-one meal that
makes clean-up a breeze.
Directions:
• In slow cooker, stir
together
corn-starch
and 2 tablespoons cold
water until smooth.
Add carrots and onions;
season with salt and
pepper, and toss.
• Sprinkle roast with 1
teaspoon salt and 1/2
teaspoon pepper; place
on top of vegetables,
and
drizzle
with
Worcestershire. Cover;
cook on high, 6 hours (or
on low, 10 hours).
• Transfer roast to a
cutting board; thinly slice
against the grain. Place
vegetables in a serving
dish; pour pan juices
through a fine-mesh
sieve, if desired. Serve
roast with vegetables
and pan juices.
Directions:
• In a 5-to-6-quart slow
cooker, place sausage, onion,
garlic, celery, and bell pepper.
Sprinkle with flour and toss
to coat. Add tomatoes and
their liquid, 1/2 cup water,
and cayenne; season with
salt. Cover and cook until
vegetables are tender, 3 1/2
hours on high (or 7 hours on
low).
• Add shrimp and okra, cover,
and cook until shrimp are
opaque throughout, 30
minutes (or 1 hour on low).
Ingredients:
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground
cinnamon
• Coarse salt and ground
pepper
• 4 chicken leg quarters (2
1/2 pounds total)
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin
olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, cut
into 1/2-inch wedges (root
end left intact)
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 3-inch piece peeled fresh
ginger, sliced into rounds
• 1 can (28 ounces) diced
tomatoes
• 1/2 cup raisins
More seasoned than spicy,
chicken legs become fall-off-thebone tender when given the slowcooker treatment.
Directions:
• In a large zip-top bag,
combine cumin, cinnamon,
3/4 teaspoon salt, and
1/2 teaspoon pepper; add
chicken and toss to coat. In
a large skillet, heat oil over
medium-high. Cook chicken,
skin side down, until golden,
about 4 minutes; flip and
cook 2 minutes.
• In a 5-to-6-quart slow
cooker, place onion, garlic,
and ginger. Add chicken,
skin side up, then top with
tomatoes and their liquid
and raisins. Cover and cook
on high until chicken is
tender, 3 1/2 hours (or 6
hours on low).
Slow-Cooker Cajun Stew
Ingredients:
• 3/4 pound smoked beef
sausage, sliced into
1/2-inch-thick rounds
• 1 red onion, sliced into
wedges
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 celery stalks, coarsely
chopped
• 1 red or green bell pepper,
coarsely chopped
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose
flour
• 1 (28-ounce) can diced
tomatoes
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
pepper
• Coarse salt
• 1/2 pound large shrimp,
peeled and deveined
• 2 cups frozen cut okra (from
an 8-ounce package), thawed
Slow-Cooker Sweet-and-Spicy Chicken
Most people think of using a slow
cooker for hearty red-meat dishes;
this bright and spicy Louisianastyle stew with shrimp, okra,
and smoked sausage shows this
favourite appliance can do much
more.
Slow-Cooker Corned Beef and Cabbage
Ingredients:
• 2 celery stalks, cut into
3-inch pieces
• 3 carrots, cut into 3-inch
pieces
• 1 small yellow onion, cut
into 1-inch wedges (root end
left intact)
• 1/2 pound small potatoes,
halved if large
• 6 sprigs thyme
• 1 corned beef brisket (about
3 pounds), plus pickling
spice packet or 1 tablespoon
pickling spice
• 1/2 head Savoy cabbage, cut
into 1 1/2-inch wedges
• Grainy mustard, for serving
Directions:
• In a 5-to-6-quart slow
cooker, place celery, carrots,
onion, potatoes, and thyme.
Place corned beef, fat side
up, on top of vegetables and
sprinkle with pickling spice;
add enough water to almost
cover meat (4 to 6 cups).
Cover and cook on high until
corned beef is tender, 4 1/4
hours (or 8 1/2 hours on low).
• Arrange cabbage over corned
beef, cover, and continue
cooking until cabbage is
tender, 45 minutes (or 1 1/2
hours on low). Thinly slice
corned beef against the grain
and serve with vegetables,
cooking liquid and grainy
mustard.
Tough cuts, such as the brisket
used in this recipe, become
meltingly pliable when cooked for
ages. Serve this dish with grainy
mustard to provide a pleasant
textural contrast.
4
Thursday, 6 February 2014
| Vinodh K.Pisharom |
‘Face is the index of mind’, is
age-old adage, which indicates
that we human beings, are emotional creatures and our state
of mind can be usually be read
from our facial expressions. The
six basic emotions of happiness,
sadness, fear, anger, surprise
and disgust, are universally recognised and easily interpreted
through specific facial expressions, regardless of language
or culture. This commonly-held
belief was first proposed by Dr.
Paul Ekman.
New research published in
the journal Current Biology by
scientists at the University of
Glasgow has challenged this
view, which suggests that there
are only four basic emotions.
They came to this conclusion
after studying the different
muscles (action units in the researchers’ parlance) involved in
signaling different emotions,
as well as the time frame over
which each muscle was activated. In fact, this is the first such
study to objectively examine
the ‘temporal dynamics’ of facial expressions, made possible
by using a unique Generative
Face Grammar platform developed at the University of Glasgow.
Signals of happiness and
sadness are clearly distinct and
have remained the same over
time, according to the team
from the Institute of Neuroscience and Psychology. But fear
and surprise share a common
signal; the wide open eyes. Similarly, the emotions of anger
and disgust share the wrinkled
nose. It is these early signals
that could represent more basic danger signals. Later in the
signaling dynamics, facial expressions transmit signals that
distinguish all six ‘classic’ facial
expressions of emotion.
“Our results are consistent
with evolutionary predictions,
where signals are designed by
both biological and social evolutionary pressures to optimise their function” says lead
researcher Dr. Rachael Jack.
First, early danger signals confer the best advantages to others by enabling the fastest escape. Secondly, physiological
advantages for the expresser
- the wrinkled nose prevents inhalation of potentially harmful
particles, whereas widened eyes
increases intake of visual information useful for escape -- are
enhanced when the face movements are made early. “What
our research shows is that not
all facial muscles appear simultaneously during facial expressions, but rather develop over
time supporting a hierarchical
biologically-basic to sociallyspecific information over time.”
The research team compiled
the results using special techniques and software developed
at the University of Glasgow to
synthesise all facial expressions.
The Generative Face Grammar,
developed by Professor Philippe
Schyns, Dr. Oliver Garrod and
Dr. Hui Yu, uses cameras to capture a three-dimensional image
of faces of individuals specially
trained to be able to activate all
42 individual facial muscles independently. From this a computer can then generate specific
or random facial expressions on
a 3D model based on the activation of different Actions Units
or groups of units to mimic all
facial expressions.
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facial
By asking volunteers to observe the realistic model as it
pulled various expressions,
thereby providing a true fourdimensional experience, and
state which emotion was being
expressed the researchers are
able to see which specific Action Units observers associate
with particular emotions. It
was through this method they
found that the signals for fear/
surprise and anger/disgust were
confused at the early stage of
transmission and only became
clearer later when other Action
Units were activated.
Dr. Jack said: “Our research
questions the notion that human emotion communication
comprises six basic, psychologically irreducible categories. Instead we suggest there are four
basic expressions of emotion”.
We show that ‘basic’ facial expression signals are perceptually segmented across time and
follow an evolving hierarchy of
signals over time -- from the biologically-rooted basic signals to
more complex socially-specific
signals. “Over time, and as humans migrated across the globe,
socio-ecological diversity prob-
ably further specialised oncecommon facial expressions, altering the number, variety and
form of signals across cultures.”
The researchers intend to develop their study by looking at
facial expressions of different
cultures, including East Asian
populations whom they have
already ascertained interpret
some of the six classical emotions differently - placing more
emphasis on eye signals than
mouth movements compared to
Westerners.
Ouch! Pain threshold
genes amplified by
lifestyle
If you flinch where others merely frown, you might
want to take a look at your lifestyle. That’s because environmental factors may have retuned your genes to make
you more sensitive to pain.
“We know that stressful life events such as diet, smoking, drinking and exposure to pollution all have effects
on your genes, but we didn’t know if they specifically
affected pain genes,” says Tim Spector of
King’s College London.
Now, a study of identical twins
suggests they do. It seems that
epigenetic changes – environmentally triggered chemical alterations
that affect how active your genes
are – can dial your pain threshold
up or down. This implies that genetic
tweaks of this kind, such as the addition of one or more methyl groups to a
gene, may account for some differences
in how our senses operate.
Spector and his colleagues assessed
the ability of hundreds of pairs of twins to
withstand the heat of a laser on their skin,
a standard pain test. They selected 25 pairs
who showed the greatest difference in the
highest temperature they could bear. Since
identical twins have the same genes, any variation in pain sensitivity can be attributed to
epigenetic differences.
Pain thermostat
The researchers screened the twins’ DNA for differences in methylation levels across 10
million gene regions. They
found a significant
difference in nine genes, most of which then turned out
to have been previously implicated in pain-sensitivity in
animal experiments.
The greatest difference was seen with the TrypA1
promoter gene, which governs the activity of an ion
channel on the surface of nerve cells that detect
pain. “It’s like a thermostat, dictating how we perceive heat and turn that into pain,” says Spector.
An increase in methylation of around 10 per cent
in TrypA1 equated roughly to feeling pain at 2
degrees lower.
The results were corroborated in 50 unrelated individuals: those that had the highest levels of methylation on those nine genes were
the most sensitive to pain, and vice versa.
Identification of epigenetically altered pain
genes opens up ways to screen people for
which painkiller might work best, and potentially identify new drugs, says Spector.
“Variation in pain sensitivity between
individuals is a long-standing matter of
debate, so regulation of gene activity
by DNA methylation is one possibility
to explain it,” says Ingo Kurth, who
studies pain mechanisms at the Jena
University Hospital in Germany.
“TrypA1 is a hot candidate as mutations in the gene have previously
been associated with familial pain
problems,” he says.
(Andy Coghlan-newscientist.com)
Technology
Thursday, 6 February 2014
Samsung Galaxy S5:
Five things we want to see in
the next Android super phone
Samsung’s
kicking
off
this year’s Mobile World Congress expo with its
own Unpacked event,
and it looks like the
Samsung Galaxy S5 is on the way – but what
exactly is going to be unpacked on stage? Join
us as we take a look at what we want to see
pop up in Samsung’s next flagship phone!
Here’s our wishlist of must-have specs for the
new Android flagship.
ALL-NEW FULL
METAL BODY
Samsung’s Galaxy S phones have always impressed, but we’ve always had one major bone
to pick with them, and that’s the shoddy plas-
tic construction. We’d love to see Samsung
take a hint from HTC or Apple’s playbook and
deck out its next flagship phone, presumably
called the Samsung Galaxy S5, with a luxurious full-metal chassis. We’re simply tired of
the faux leather and the flimsy plastic shells
and we think Samsung would be better off
splashing out with something it can really
be proud of. Samsung’s designers are capable of pulling out some brilliant designs out
the bag, and a true metal smartphone to rival the HTC One and the iPhone 5s would
go down well – rumours suggest that the S5
might be rocking one, but we’ll have to wait
and see later this month.
4K VIDEO SHOOTING AND
A BEEFY CAMERA
The word on the grapevine is that this is the
year 4K video recording goes mobile, and
there’s no question we want to see the Galaxy S5 shooting Ultra HD videos straight out
the box. Its cousin, the Galaxy Note 3, packs
in 4K video shooting skills, and upcoming
rivals like LG’s G Pro 2 and Sony’s upcoming
flagship are both set to shoot in Ultra HD
too. We’ve heard the upcoming S5 will rock
a 16-Megapixel camera too, which isn’t as
high on the digit count as Sony’s 20.7-Megapixel sensor on the Xperia Z1, but if it’s ca-
pable of snapping some top notch snaps – and
recording in 4K – we think Samsung would
have a winner on its hands with the S5’s camera.
A SCREEN THAT MAKES
THE RETINA DISPLAY
REDUNDANT
If the Samsung Galaxy S5 is capable of shooting in 4K, we’d have to see an incredible highresolution screen pop-up to enjoy the videos on too, and that’s something we’d love to
see – and it looks like it could be happening.
We’ve heard that the S5 will come armed with
a 2,560×1,440 resolution screen, which would
make it even more pixel-packed than Apple’s
own iPhone 5s, and would make it easy to enjoy 4K videos on – it’s half the resolution, so
you wouldn’t lose much detail either. The Galaxy S5 could be one of the first mainstream
flagship phones to contain an eye-popping
screen and it would definitely be something
for Samsung to shout out about – do you fancy one?
TOUCHWIZ REVAMP
On the software side of things, Samsung’s
custom TouchWiz skin is arguably one of the
most infuriating and unappealing to come
from a phone maker – whether that’s down to
the gaudy fonts, the bright colour schemes or
just how far it deviates from stock Android is
definitely up for debate, but all we want to see
is a revamped version that ditches the FisherPrice-style look. We’ve spotted leaks of what
could be coming up on the Galaxy S5, and
it looks like a refreshing change from what
we’ve seen on TouchWiz in the past, echoing
some of Google’s touches with its own Google
Now app – although with a colourful twist.
It’s more in line of what we’re thinking as
we’re not asking for an iOS 7-style revolution,
but a refinement to the interface to make
something that’s less gaudy is all we’re after –
pretty please Samsung?
IRIS SCANNER SECURITY
One of the juiciest rumours to emerge from
the Galaxy S5 gossip mill so far is that it’ll
come armed with an iris scanner to take care
of security – a response to Apple’s own Touch
ID sensor, you could say – but it’s something
we’d love to see happen on Samsung’s next
phone. It’s still possible to fool a fingerprint
sensor, but an iris scanner could make your
mobile much more secure- and convenient to
unlock.
(Courtesy: The Gadget Show)
Solar powered:
Why Apple’s iWatch
future looks bright
Battery life is always a big concern for tech
makers, especially when it comes to building a smartwatch, but a new report suggests
that Apple might have come up with the perfect solution for its upcoming iWatch, and it’s
staring you in the face. Literally. That’s right,
the iPhone maker is looking at the sun for its
next power source, and while it does sound
insane, it just might work – here’s why.
According to the New York Times, Apple is
considering arming its smartwatch with a
screen that comes with a solar-charging layer
that would juice up the battery from the sun
when worn out and about, although the solution is still reportedly – and unsurprisingly –
still a few years away from becoming a reality.
It’s not that farfetched though, as for something like a smartwatch, you’d always want its
battery in tip-top shape.
TICK-TOCK:
BATTERY LIFE
We’ve seen plenty of smartwatches roll out
over the past 12 months, from the likes
of Sonyand Samsung and beyond, but they’ve
each suffered from the same problem: the
battery life. Samsung’s Galaxy Gear in particular is notorious for being a battery hog,
and it needs charging almost every day – but
a watch isn’t something you want to be charging up by the plug, and you’re likely to forget
juicing it up that often – so solar charging
would instantly solve that problem.
The report also says Apple has been researching wireless charging pads, similar to the Qi
magnetic charging pads that Nokia uses, but
those come with their own problems too: they
still need plugging into the wall. Even Apple’s
senior vice president of marketing, Phil Schiller has said that charging pads make things
more complex, telling AllThingsD in 2012,
“having to create another device you have to
plug into the wall is actually, for most situations, more complicated.” Removing the need
to actually plug something in would solve one
of the major woes that smartwatches suffer
from, and would ultimately make them even
more useful than they are today.
WHAT ABOUT A BIGGER
BATTERY?
Apple needs to find a different way to power
its watch, which is why solar has huge potential – and it’s worked for simple gadgets in
the past like calculators and basic watches: it
could be time for the next-generation of solar
power.
KEEPING IT GREEN
Using the sun as a power source simply isn’t
as mad as it sounds: we’ve seen solar powered
phones in the past before, plus there have
been Kickstarter projects in the past that
have also harnessed the power of the sun,
such as OnBeat, the solar headphones that
charge your phone. Sony has also made a solar powered phone charger in the past, and
Apple is dedicated to making its products as
Bigger is always better when it comes to batteries, but that might not fall in line with
Apple’s knack for going thin with its gadgets, plus rumours suggest that the upcoming
iWatch will come rocking a curved display,
which wouldn’t leave much room for a battery. While phones are getting thinner and
thinner, they’re also getting more power
hungry with each generation, and we’re still
struggling to get some blowers through a
whole working day, let alone a smartwatch.
eco-friendly as possible – with solar power,
how much greener can you get?
Battery demands are also slowly disappearing
too, such as with Bluetooth 4.0, which brings
even lower power consumption to the table,
meaning your iWatch could last a lot longer
than Samsung’s own Galaxy Gear. And unlike
your phone, which is always in your pocket,
having a solar powered smartwatch on your
wrist means that it’ll always be exposed to the
light, so it’ll be able to draw down those rays
at all times.
It’s also not the craziest proposition we’ve
ever heard: some of Apple’s own patent ideasseem even more far-fetched, such as a MacBook with an invisible keyboard, and let’s not
forget about Nokia’s peculiar idea for a phone
that recharges without mains electricity.
That’s right, back in 2009, Nokia came up with
a prototype that could use microwaves in the
air to power itself, but we still haven’t seen
that come to true fruition.
SO, WILL IT HAPPEN?
It’s not the most ridiculous idea we’ve ever
heard, but it’s likely still a long way off – even
though the iWatch has been tipped to be hitting shelves later this year, a solar powered
iWatch could be the best thing to touch down
from Apple yet – who needs a bigger iPhoneanyway?
(Courtesy: The Gadget Show)
A Waterproof, Interchangeable-Lens Camera
Photographers typically have
two options when shooting underwater: double the size of
their D-SLR with an expensive
submersible housing or opt for
a waterproof point-and-shoot
with the image quality of, well, a
point-and-shoot. Mirrorless interchangeable-lens cameras, such
as the Nikon 1 AW1, produce DSLR–quality images minus the
delicate moving parts of D-SLRs
themselves. The compact internals allow engineers to ruggedize
and seal the camera without adding much bulk.
INTERNAL ZOOM
UNDERWATER FLASH
PROTECTIVE CASE
When a lens zooms, small crevices
between the stacked components
open. The entire AW1 lens is enclosed in a sealed barrel. As the
camera zooms—up to 27.5 millimeters—all the parts remain protected.
The AW1’s pop-up flash can illuminate up to 16 feet of seawater
ahead of the diver. The bulb is attached to a sealed two-joint hinge.
Power travels from the camera
body through insulated wires.
The housing is a composite of
stainless steel and polycarbonate,
which protects the camera—and
its three-inch LCD—if it drops.
Every seam is backed with rubber,
too.
WATERTIGHT MOUNT
To ensure that the doors to the SD
card and battery compartments
won’t open underwater, designers
added two-button locking mechanisms and lined each door with
rubber gaskets.
The lens mount on the AW1 is
raised about six millimeters above
the camera body. Lenses slip over
it and into a groove in the housing.
A greased rubber O-ring fills in any
gap between the two pieces.
SECURE DOORS
Nikon 1 AW1
Water resistance: 49 feet
Drop resistance: 6.5 feet
Lowest operable temperature: 14°F
Price from: $800
(including one lens)
(Lindsey Kratochwill-popsci.com)
5
Accessories
SWAROVSKI
Spring/Summer 2014 Collection
For Spring/Summer 2014, and for the first time,
Swarovski is paying homage to art. “In colors, silhouettes, materials, and textures, art has always
been a source of inspiration for designers, creators of fashion,” says Nathalie Colin, Creative
Director at Swarovski. From tribal craftsmanship to contemporary art, this new collection
is based on earthy tones and brilliant primary
colors. Ethnic cultures meet artistic movements
in original combinations of simple and sophisticated materials, with Swarovski’s characteristic
twist of modernity and femininity. “The interactions between all of these influences create a jewelry style that is both unique and universal, for
all women, for looks from day to day,” Nathalie
Colin explains further. These jewelry pieces, a fusion of simplicity and opulence, provide essential punctuation to a sharp and stylish wardrobe.
Thursday, 6 February 2014
Dolce & Gabbana
Spring/Summer 2014
Ancient Rome at its peak, won
by an advanced civilisation and
near-ceaseless expansion into
greater Europe, must have been
a sight to behold. The opulence
of the Roman Empire is revisited by two of Italy’s most extravagant designers, Domenico
Dolce and Stefano Gabbana.
For spring, the duo explored coinage, architecture, sculpture,
and bustling Italian marketplaces for a collection that explodes
with fantasy and high-fashion. Textured pouches featuring
a macramé weave showcased fine craftsmanship, while tiny
round shoulder bags took the idea of a coin purse literally by
weaving gold coins onto the exterior. Meanwhile, box totes featured printed replicas of Italian buildings surrounded by coins,
while flap closure shoulder bags showcased landscapes surrounded by a floral script. Adorable sandals in metallic leather and splashy polka dots were outfitted with stacked heels
sculpted out of pillars, and sky-high wedges were decorated
with coins and carved faces.
Elisabetta
Franchi
SpringSummer
Accessories:
Elisabetta Franchi’s latest spring-summer
2014 collection of women’s accessories include gorgeous bags and shoes. The colour
palette and designs are simply amazing,
as we see ideal heels, that will suit feminine outfits, as well as comfy sketchers and
sneakers that will suit you during the day
walk as well as for shopping day. In addition,
there are some bright and cool clutches and
bags that will suit absolutely any outfit, no
matter if it’s casual or formal.
7
8
Thursday, 6 February 2014
2014 FOUAD
SARKIS PROM DRESS
Fouad Sarkis introduced his luxurious RTW collection for Spring
Summer 2014 at Istanbul conference palace. The collection is
characterised by its beautiful colours and different styles. It is enriched with comfortable, elegant,
and practical fabrics that suit the
spirit of the season perfectly, as
well as women of all ages with its
magical touch and trending cut.
Every Collection is launched with a Distinctive
inspiration and broad range of creativity. Fouad
Sarkis began his career desinging for various
Lebanese Fashion Houses. At age sixteen, he
launched his first collection. Fouad Sarkis Exclusive Collection was launched in 2001 and marked
a massive worldwide Presence. His styles have
made an impact on Prom, Pageant and Evening
wear.
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