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A global accelerator program has been launched by SuiHub with the goal of supporting Web3 startups that make use of the Sui blockchain. Up to $200,000 in funding is promised for the project, along with strategic resources and chances for significant expansion. This initiative demonstrates SuiHub’s dedication to provide money, networking opportunities, and mentorship to creative initiatives and developers working on the Sui blockchain.

The accelerator program is in line with the overarching goal of making the United Arab Emirates a leading hub for decentralized blockchain technology. It is anticipated that the project will have a major impact on the growing use of blockchain solutions in the area.

Developing Bright Blockchain Startups

Launched in partnership with Brinc, CoinList, Ghaf Group, and the Sui Foundation, the 12-week program aims to assist in creating sustainable businesses that utilize the Sui blockchain. Its primary focus is on pre-token projects with strong business structures and substantial development potential. A full range of advantages will be available to chosen participants:

Launched in partnership with Brinc, CoinList, Ghaf Group, and the Sui Foundation, the 12-week program aims to assist in creating sustainable businesses that utilize the Sui blockchain. Its primary focus is on pre-token projects with strong business structures and substantial development potential. A full range of advantages will be available to chosen participants:

Funding Opportunities: Up to $200,000 in milestone-based funding is available to startups.

Technical Expertise: Development is guided by the Sui Solutions Engineering team’s practical mentoring.

Innovative Tools: Availability of the Sui Network’s cutting-edge capabilities for cooperative development.

Market Exposure: Possibilities for marketing initiatives spearheaded by the program’s partners to reach more than 10 million early adopters.

Strategic Guidance: Consulting services about go-to-market tactics, token distribution, and design.

The program also provides customized support for growth marketing, which includes using key opinion leaders (KOLs) to expand reach and improve tactics for sustained success.

Promoting the UAE’s Adoption of Web3

It is anticipated that the accelerator will be crucial to the advancement of blockchain technology in the United Arab Emirates, a place that is becoming more and more known for its progressive views on decentralized technologies. The nation is in the forefront of blockchain adoption thanks to its strong infrastructure and benevolent regulatory frameworks.

The leadership of SuiHub has articulated the program’s overarching goal, highlighting its function in developing significant applications on the Sui blockchain. The program seeks to assist business owners in creating practical solutions while advancing the platform’s objective of reaching billions of Web3 users globally.

Advancing Blockchain Technology in the Gulf Area

The accelerator has the potential to help the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Web3 community as a whole in addition to the Sui ecosystem. The UAE has emerged as a thriving hub for blockchain-based innovations, according to industry analysts, and this program is anticipated to further solidify the region’s standing as a center for decentralized technology.

SuiHub’s accelerator program seeks to establish a vibrant atmosphere for entrepreneurs to flourish by fusing capital, technological know-how, and strategic mentoring. Its emphasis on empowering business owners and supporting worthwhile initiatives places it in a position to influence how blockchain technology and Web3 adoption develop in the future.

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Science

The first time the events of this crucial period have ever been imaged, scientists have captured a close-up of a star that appears to be in its final stages, encircled by gas and dust as it approaches its doom in a massive explosion known as a supernova.

The detected star is located in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a nearby galaxy, rather than our Milky Way galaxy, which the astronomers say makes this even more amazing.

Although studies published last year identified a stellar baby in the Large Magellanic Cloud, this is the first zoomed-in image of a mature star in another galaxy. When an image is zomed-in, it shows the star and its immediate environs.

WOH G64, the fading star, is roughly 160,000 light-years away from Earth. Light travels 5.9 trillion miles (9.5 trillion km) in a year, which is known as a light-year.

interferometer. It depicts the star encircled by a luminous, egg-shaped cocoon of gas and dust known as a nebula, which appears to have been expelled by the star. Beyond the cocoon, a faint oval ring that might be composed of additional dust is also visible.

As the lead author of the study that was published on Thursday in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics, astronomer Keiichi Ohnaka of Universidad Andrés Bello in Chile stated, “The star is in the last stage of its life before a stellar demise.”

“The reason we see these shapes is that the star is ejecting more material in some directions than in other directions. Otherwise, the structures would look spherical,” Ohnaka stated.

The gravitational pull of an as-yet-undiscovered companion star is another reason for these forms, according to Ohnaka.

WOH G64 was predicted to be between 25 and 40 times the mass of the sun before it began to blow out material, according to astronomer and study co-author Jacco van Loon of Keele University in England. This kind of enormous star is known as a red supergiant.

“Its estimated mass means it has lived for about 10 to 20 million years, and will soon die,” van Loon explained.

The first picture of a star “in this late stage possibly going through a never-before-witnessed metamorphosis prior to explosion,” van Loon continued, is this one.

“For the first time we have been able to see the structures that wrap a star in its death throes,” van Loon stated. “Even in our Milky Way galaxy we do not have such image.”

The lifespan of large stars is shorter than that of less massive ones. The sun, for example, is over 4.5 billion years old and will continue to be so for billions more.

The diameter of WOH G64 is enormous as it expands in anticipation of its anticipated explosion in the not-too-distant future. It would reach the orbit of Saturn, the sixth planet from the sun, if it were positioned in the center of our solar system.

Ohnaka stated, “We found out that WOH G64 has changed its appearance noticeably in the last 10 years,” adding that it was getting dimmer, possibly as a result of the gas and dust it had emitted obscuring its starlight.

“This gives us a rare opportunity to witness a star’s life in real time, in particular the last stages of a heavyweight star before its death in a supernova explosion,” Ohnaka said.

Like the adjacent galaxy known as the Small Magellanic Cloud, the Large Magellanic Cloud is a satellite galaxy of the Milky Way. Both provide distinct cosmic conditions and are smaller than our galaxy.

For example, the Large Magellanic Cloud has fewer metallic elements—that is, elements other than hydrogen and helium—and less dust than the Milky Way. According to van Loon, that trait “may make a difference in the way stars live and die.”

“Such conditions were more common in the early universe and may resemble the Milky Way when it was young,” van Loon said.

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Sports

In reality, a shadow figure that assisted Michigan in acquiring their future quarterback was a renowned quarterback from the Wolverines’ history.

The Wolverines recruited none other than NFL icon and former Michigan quarterback Tom Brady in the latter months of their intense, months-long pursuit of No. 1 class of 2025 target Bryce Underwood.

According to insiders, Brady and Underwood’s friendship started with a FaceTime chat a few weeks ago and developed across several talks.

Brady, who defeated Alabama in the Orange Bowl to end his Michigan career in 1999, stressed that he would be a resource for Underwood going forward. According to sources, Underwood switched his pledge from LSU to Michigan on Thursday night as a result of this mentorship, which struck a chord with the five-star Michigan native.

Brady faced difficulties during his tenure at Michigan. Buried on the depth chart, the Californian landed in Ann Arbor. Brady was a backup for two years before becoming a starter in 1998 and 1999. In 1999, he platooned with Drew Henson. After being selected in the sixth round by the New England Patriots, Brady went on to have the greatest quarterback career in NFL history, winning seven Super Bowls. After the 2022 NFL season, Brady announced his retirement. He currently calls games for FOX. In addition, he owns a minority stake in the Las Vegas Raiders.

As recently as one week ago, Michigan questioned whether it could turn around Underwood, who had been committed to LSU since January, even with Brady’s help. The Wolverines thought at the time that the 2025 class’s top quarterback would probably remain with the Tigers.

However, following a crucial family conversation last weekend, things started to change. Underwood and his family discussed the advantages and disadvantages of Michigan and LSU during that discussion. Despite its 5-5 record, Michigan seemed more attractive than LSU, which has dropped to 6-4 after three straight defeats. For a school only thirty minutes from his Belleville, Michigan, home, the prospect of being a hometown hero also carried a lot of weight.

When Underwood traveled covertly to Michigan on Tuesday and Wednesday earlier this week, everything came together. He participated in on meetings, observed head coach Sherrone Moore at practice, and learned more about the program. By Wednesday, Underwood had discreetly told Moore that he was going to commit. Even his high school coach was taken aback when Underwood announced his choice to the world a day later.

Underwood’s commitment was secured in large part by Moore and Michigan general manager Sean Magee. But Brady’s participation gave his alma institution a huge boost—his most recent contribution.

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Lifestyle

These little nutritional powerhouses are brimming with vital vitamins and minerals that are good for your body and can also work wonders for your skin. You can appear younger and more radiant by using these seeds as an oil or by grinding them and adding them to homemade face packs and scrubs. They can also help with a variety of skin issues in addition to this. Find out how to apply mustard seeds to your skin to give it a natural glow!

Mustard seeds: what are they?

The tiny, spherical seeds of mustard plants, including Brassica nigra (black mustard) and Brassica juncea (Indian mustard), are known as mustard seeds. According to dietitian Suvarna Sawant, “In traditional and Ayurvedic medicine, these seeds are valued for their medicinal properties, including antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant effects, which benefit skin health and overall wellness,” These have been utilized as traditional folk medicine as a stimulant, diuretic, and to treat a number of illnesses, including peritonitis, according to a study published in Agricultural and Biological Sciences. It is a disorder that results in peritoneal inflammation, neuralgia (a strong, startling pain in a nerve’s course because of irritation or injury), arthritis, chest congestion, back discomfort, and muscle ache.

Use of mustard seeds for skin benefits

Mostly because of their high fatty acid and antioxidant content, these little nutritional powerhouses offer several advantages for skin health:

1. The ability to prevent aging

These small seeds, which are rich in vital vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, can help you slow down the aging process and preserve youthful skin. A lack of fatty acids in the skin is linked to skin aging, according to a study published in the journal Scientific African. Because of their high content of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, these seeds can help prevent wrinkles and improve hydration and collagen formation. Alternatively, it can be applied as an oil for facial massages.

2. Barrier support and moisturization

Smooth, moisturized skin is supported by the oil that is extracted from the seeds, which also helps to preserve the skin’s moisture barrier. Additionally, it keeps your skin from becoming flaky and dry. Long-term use will help you have soft, supple skin, and it is an essential element in both dry and cold climates. According to a study that was published in the journal Agricultural and Biological Sciences, the seeds are high in oil (31%) and protein (27%). It is a natural moisturizer because of its abundance of emollient qualities.

3. Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties

The seeds are brimming with substances that provide your skin with strong anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Compounds in the oil have the ability to reduce redness and irritation in irritated skin. Eczema and other skin disorders may be lessened by it. According to a research in The Journal of Dermatology, mustard seeds can aid in the treatment of psoriasis by lowering inflammation. Better skin tone and texture result from less inflammation. Vitamin E and phenolic compounds, two antioxidants found in seeds, aid in scavenging dangerous free radicals that can destroy skin cells.

The seeds’ antibacterial qualities can aid in the treatment of acne and mild skin infections. An analysis of Hydrogel’s antimicrobial properties using extracts from mustard seeds was reported in the journal Cureus. A range of oral bacteria were found to be susceptible to the strong antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties of mustard seed extract. It has been demonstrated that the extracts have antibacterial properties against a range of bacteria and fungi. The seeds contain a number of bioactive substances, including phenolic compounds and allyl isothiocyanate (AITC), which are both well-known for having potent antibacterial and antifungal qualities.

How are mustard seeds applied to the skin?

The seeds can be applied to skincare in a variety of ways. This is how to include it into your routine.

Oil application: Use mustard oil topically as a moisturizer, paying particular attention to regions that require additional moisture. Because of its high potency, use it sparingly.

Face mask: Make a mixture out of crushed seeds, honey, and yoghurt. Rinse with lukewarm water after using this as a mask for ten to fifteen minutes.

Exfoliating scrub: Apply a mixture of finely powdered seeds and a carrier oil, such as coconut oil, to the skin in gentle circular motions. This can enhance texture and assist get rid of dead skin cells.

What should be considered before applying mustard seeds to the skin?

These seeds can be used to make powerful goods, such as mustard oil. Use them cautiously since too much of them might irritate skin, especially delicate skin. Patch testing is advised in order to prevent allergic reactions. Additionally, because mustard includes ingredients that might irritate or sting the eyes, avoid using it near the eyes.

What should be avoided and what should be combined with mustard seeds?

To make well-balanced, nourishing skin treatments, the seeds combine nicely with honey, yoghurt, and mild carrier oils like coconut or olive oil.

Steer clear of mixing these seeds with other potent exfoliants or irritants, such as lemon juice and turmeric, as this may exacerbate skin irritation and sensitivity.

What adverse effects might mustard seeds cause when used as a skin care product?

Redness, irritation, or even a burning feeling are possible adverse effects, particularly if the product is overly concentrated or used too frequently. Patch-testing before applying mustard seed treatments is advised for people with sensitive or allergy-prone skin. Without moderation, prolonged use can cause dry skin.

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Technology

The Oppo Find X8 series is making its global premiere after making its debut in China, and it’s a very alluring deal.

The company’s camera-focused flagship lineup is expanded upon by the Oppo Find X8 series. It’s a significant step up and the first worldwide release for the series since Find X5 in 2022.

MediaTek’s most recent Dimensity 9400 chipset powers the Oppo Find X8 and Find X8 Pro, which share a strikingly comparable flagship set of specifications. Both handsets include three 50MP camera sensors, however the Find X8 Pro also has a second telephoto lens, one at 3x and the other at 6x, in addition to a somewhat better primary sensor. Oppo claims that “Lightning Snap” and enhanced Zero Shutter Lag are major improvements to the camera’s motion quality.

In addition, the Find X8 Pro has a “Quick Button,” a touch-sensitive section on the side of the device that double-taps to access the camera and can also be used as a shutter button. However, it uses haptics to replicate the feel of a button without actually having one. Additionally, it has a swipe-based zoom control feature (but only in landscape mode).

Additionally, Oppo is promoting 4K Dolby Vision video recording from all of the camera’s sensors, new “Film” settings for the camera, “Soft Lighting” portraiture, and enhanced “Livephoto” that more accurately synchronizes the motion photo’s video quality with the image itself.

The 6.78-inch LTPO AMOLED display of the Find X8 Pro measures 2780 x 1264 and can reach a maximum HDR brightness of 4500 nits. The Find X8, which has the same brightness and a little smaller 6.59-inch AMOLED display at 2760×1256, is not too far behind. Additionally, the smaller model features a higher PWM rate of 3840Hz compared to the Pro’s 2160Hz (because of LTPO) and a perfectly flat display instead of the Pro’s slightly curved borders. Both displays run at 120 Hz.

The Pro has 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage in addition to the MediaTek 9400, while the basic Find X8 has 12GB or 256GB of storage. The smaller model’s battery is 5,630 mAh, while the Pro’s is 5,910 mAh. Both models include 80W wired and 50W wireless charging capabilities.

Although Oppo will not be selling these devices in the US, you can anticipate that they will be available in the UK, EU, and other countries.

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Business

Pre-seed fundraising for Ruhr-based Gemesys, which is creating chips that “mimic the behaviour of the human brain” has totaled €8.6 million. It intends to use the funds for research and development as well as to more than double its workforce.

The round was led by Atlantic Labs and Apex Ventures, with Plug and Play, Sony Innovation Fund, and NRW.Bank joining them. A grant from the German government, which supports research-based businesses through its EXIST “transfer of research” initiative, was also included in the round. Dennis Michaelis, the CEO, refrained from commenting on the allocation of grant and equity financing.

What is the role of Gemesys?

Gemesys is creating chips that enable AI models to be trained and operated directly on gadgets such as hearing implants and smartphones. This lowers the energy consumption related to conventional model training and does away with the requirement to send any raw data to a data center.

Memristors, electrical components that enable artificial neural networks to mimic biological synaptic functions (the way the human brain processes and acts on information), are at the heart of the company’s technology.

According to Michaelis, memristors offer the possibility of creating a “neuro-inspired type of computer.” He goes on to say, “The human brain is the best intelligence processor that we know, a million times more efficient than any AI chip on the market.”

Michaelis tells Sifted that a brain-inspired chip could help overcome a significant obstacle in AI training. He claims that the separation of data processing and storage on the chip limits the capabilities of the current semiconductor architecture. “Whenever you want to do a computation you have to read the data from the memory, load it into the processor, compute and then write the result back. The problem is you have to shift data along at every step,” he argues. This data transfer consumes more energy than is necessary to finish a task and slows down response time.

According to Michaelis, “Such a bottleneck doesn’t exist in the human brain,” “It’s not separated into two units […] it all happens in the same place.”

There may be two primary advantages to Gemesys’ chips. One is that they lessen the role of data centers by lowering the energy consumption linked to AI by handling the majority of the work on the device. According to Goldman Sachs research, the AI boom will lead data centers’ power demand to rise by 160% by 2030, increasing their share of the world’s power demand from 1% to 4% as present.

They also seek to improve data privacy for users, which is an advantage. No raw data has to be sent to the cloud because the model is trained and run locally.

Michaelis states, “You can design models that are a lot smaller and have fewer parameters to do the same task,” “We’re aiming for 10k times less energy use.”

The chip architecture is based on research that Michaelis and Enver Solan, one of the company’s cofounders and chief scientific officer, conducted at Ruhr University Bochum in Germany. Daniel Krüger, the company’s CTO, and Moritz Schmidt, its CFO, are also cofounders.

Jamie Urquhart, a cofounder and former COO of Arm, and Dr. Christian Wenger, a professor of semiconductor materials at Brandenburg University of Technology, serve as consultants to the company. Ion Hauer from Apex Ventures, Massi Ali Ahmadi from NRW.Bank, and Quentin Calleja from Atlantic Labs comprise its board.

How is it going to generate revenue?

The company intends to launch using a business strategy akin to that of Arm, the massive semiconductor maker. After designing its chips itself, it will contract with semiconductor producers like TSMC to handle manufacturing. Because its chips are used in their goods, it aims to sell to original equipment manufacturers like Siemens, Apple, and Bosch.

At the moment, Gemesys has three pilot clients: one in the energy grid industry, one that develops cochlear implants, which are electronic devices that aid the hearing of the deaf and hard of hearing, and one that handles security. According to Michaelis, use cases are applicable to any business developing IoT devices.

What comes next?

Gemesys intends to increase its workforce from 19 employees by more than double in the coming years. In its research, idea, and hardware development teams, there are seven vacancies. According to Michaelis, hiring will be the business’s “biggest expense” over the coming years.

In Europe, it might be difficult to attract talent, particularly for businesses who want the top employees to work on chip hardware. They are often centered around the largest chip manufacturing facilities, which are presently located in Asia and North America, according to Michaelis.

However, Michaelis says there shouldn’t be any issues with the company’s primary hiring needs, which are in its software team. “We have a lot of great computer scientists in Germany, and in Europe,” he claims. “That’s really good.”

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Science

As the first and only spacecraft to reach Uranus, NASA’s Voyager 2 made history in 1986. Scientists gained a unique glimpse of the planet’s magnetic field from this close encounter, which led to some perplexing discoveries. But according to new research that was just published in Nature Astronomy, we might need to go back and review those conclusions.

According to the latest study, the planet’s magnetosphere may have been significantly distorted by high solar wind concentrations. According to the experts, this might have produced a unique situation during the flyby.As the first and only spacecraft to reach Uranus, NASA’s Voyager 2 made history in 1986. Scientists gained a unique glimpse of the planet’s magnetic field from this close encounter, which led to some perplexing discoveries. But according to new research that was just published in Nature Astronomy, we might need to go back and review those conclusions.

According to the latest study, the planet’s magnetosphere may have been significantly distorted by high solar wind concentrations. According to the experts, this might have produced a unique situation during the flyby.

Based on data from Voyager 2, Uranus appears to have a highly compacted and disordered magnetic field with severe radiation belts and plasma-free regions. But today, scientists think these harsh circumstances might have been an exception. Additionally, as Voyager 2 flew by Uranus, the magnetosphere might have been compressed by that solar wind.

Voyager 2 may have captured Uranus in a unique, heightened state because of the extreme “squeeze” that produced conditions that scientists estimate occur less than 5% of the time. It goes without saying that this solar wind would have changed what Voyager 2 could see.

It might have even distorted our perception of Uranus’s typical magnetosphere in certain respects. The magnetosphere of Uranus may not be as severe or erratic in a more normal state as the data from Voyager 2 suggested.

Scientists think that Voyager 2 would have found a calmer magnetic field and seen the planet substantially differently if it had arrived even a few days earlier or later. This discovery serves as a clear reminder of how dynamic the planets around us are, particularly when the solar wind is at work.

The magnetic fields of far-off planets like Uranus react to variations in solar wind pressure and solar storms in the same way that Earth’s does. However, our one flyby of Uranus only offered a fleeting glimpse under special circumstances that significantly distorted our conclusions about the magnetosphere, in contrast to Earth, where researchers may routinely detect these effects.

Future expeditions to Uranus are crucial in order to investigate the planet under various solar wind conditions, as the latest study further highlights. Scientists want to provide a more realistic picture of Uranus, including its odor, with a larger dataset.

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Business

As part of a $102 million late-stage fundraising round, Juniper Networks, which Hewlett Packard Enterprise plans to acquire by early 2025, announced this week that it had invested in artificial intelligence firm Recogni.

Based in San Jose, California According to Recogni, it will work with Juniper Networks, a networking expert, to develop an AI inference system that can be mounted in server racks. The two businesses will specifically use Recogni’s unique AI inference accelerator technology to provide low-cost, scalable, and energy-efficient solutions for executing complicated AI models in cloud environments and data centers.

Celesta Capital and GreatPoint Ventures co-led Recogni’s $102 million Series C fundraising in February. This week, Juniper Networks said that had participated in the late-stage investment round.

The two businesses’ partnership is centered on creating AI inference compute solutions for organizations, service providers, and hyperscalers.

In 2026, the business plans to put its AI inference accelerator technology into production.

Juniper Networks, a company based in Sunnyvale, California, has long prioritized AI-powered networking as a means of differentiating itself in the marketplace. Thanks to its industry-leading Juniper Mist AI platform, the company has been introducing artificial intelligence into more areas of the network in recent years.

First revealed in February, the $14 billion blockbuster HPE-Juniper transaction sets up a competition between market leader Cisco Systems, the biggest player in the networking industry, and HPE Juniper for networking supremacy in the AI era.

The boards of directors of Juniper and HPE, as well as the shareholders, have authorized the combination. The purchase is expected to finalize at the end of 2024 or the start of 2025, HPE CEO Antonio Neri told CRN.

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Healthcare

Experts praise the environmental and health advantages of avoiding animal products, but recent research indicates that eating highly processed vegan cuisine may raise your risk of heart mortality.

Packaged goods, beverages, cereals, and ready-to-eat items that contain flavors, emulsifiers, colors, and other additives are examples of ultra-processed foods. UPFs usually lack vitamins and fiber and are heavy in sugar, saturated fat, and salt.

More than 118,000 British citizens between the ages of 40 and 69 had their diets evaluated by researchers from Imperial College London and the University of São Paulo.

They discovered that a plant-based diet improves heart health in general, but only if it includes fresh plant-based foods like whole grains, legumes, and fruits and vegetables.

Researchers discovered that the chance of dying from heart disease decreased by 20% for every 10% increase in plant-based diet.

However, a 12% increase in heart disease-related fatalities was associated with the surge in plant-based diets brought on by UPFs.

According to lead study author Fernanda Rauber, the ingredients and manufacturing processes of UPFs can raise cholesterol and blood pressure.

“Food additives and industrial contaminants present in these foods might cause oxidative stress and inflammation, further aggravating the risks,” she said.

“Those shifting towards plant-based foods should also think about the degree of processing involved before making their choices.”

The study’s co-author, Dr. Eszter Vamos, pointed out that the public views plant-based goods as healthful and that their marketing is misleading.

“While ultra-processed foods are often marketed as healthy foods, this large study suggests that plant-based ultra-processed foods do not seem to have protective health effects and are linked to poor health outcomes,” she added.

According to the study, substituting whole foods, which are known to have significant health and environmental advantages, for plant-based UPFs lowered the risk of cardiovascular disease by 7% and heart disease fatalities by 15%.

This study, which was released Monday in the Lancet Regional Health, is the first to demonstrate that plant-based UPFs raise the risk of cardiovascular disease, according to researchers.

The authors are calling for a warning to avoid UPFs to be included in nutritional guidelines that support plant-based diets in light of their findings.

Independent experts note that half of the UPFs used in the study were from plant-based breads and pastries, despite the report’s emphasis on the cardiovascular risk of consuming popular meat substitutes.

According to a statement from dietitian and British Dietetic Association spokesperson Duane Mellor, “Many foods that do not contain animal products, which includes biscuits, crisps, confectionery and soft drinks, are technically plant-based but would not be considered essential as part of a healthy diet by the majority of people,”

Mellor emphasized the value of eating a well-balanced diet full of entire foods, such as fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, and whole grains.

“It is important to emphasize that just because a food or drink is technically plant-based, it does not mean it is healthy,” he said.A study found that vegan imitation meats are associated with heart disease and early death.

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Science

The reason and extent of an air leak in the Russian section of the ISS, which NASA fears could result in a “catastrophic failure” of a portion of a Russian module, are still up for debate between Roscosmos and NASA.

In a brief meeting on November 13, NASA’s ISS Advisory Committee brought up the disagreement, recalling a September meeting with its Roscosmos counterpart in Moscow to discuss station-related issues.

A minor but continuous leak in the Zvezda service module’s PrK vestibule, which divides a docking port from the remainder of the module, has been the main cause for concern. Station crews have been addressing the leak for a number of years by cutting off PrK from the rest of the station when they are not required to access Progress cargo spacecraft that are moored at the port.

“Although the teams continue to investigate the causal factors for the crack initiation and growth, the U.S. and Russian technical teams don’t have a common understanding of what the likely root cause is or the severity of the consequences of these leaks,” Said Bob Cabana, an associate administrator and former NASA astronaut who currently chairs the committee.

According to him, Russian engineers think that “high cyclic fatigue” from micro-vibrations is probably what caused the fissures. NASA, on the other hand, thinks a number of elements are involved, such as residual stress, pressure and mechanical stress, the module’s material qualities, and exposure to the environment.

The leaks, which have not been observed anywhere in the station, were caused by “internal and external welds,” according to a September study from NASA’s Office of Inspector General (OIG).

NASA officials downplayed the concerns during a briefing on September 27. According to the OIG report, the leaks were originally discovered in 2019 but had increased to their highest rates to date early this year, resulting in a daily loss of 1.7 kg of air. Agency representatives stated during that briefing that the leak rate was lowered by a third as a result of recent repairs.

However, the agencies and space station staff continue to be concerned about the leakage. The Russian counterparts have been “very open” about the problem, but NASA takes safeguards while the hatch to PrK is open, according to Michael Barratt, a NASA astronaut who returned to Earth in October on the Crew-8 mission after almost eight months on the station, during a briefing on Nov. 8.

In order to mend the rift between the Russian and American sides during those times, he stated, “We’ve taken a very conservative approach.” “It’s not a comfortable thing but it is the best agreement between all the smart people on both sides, and it’s something that we as a crew live with.”

During the committee discussion, Cabana stated that Roscosmos and NASA cannot agree on how serious the problem is. “While the Russian team continues to search for and seal the leaks, it does not believe catastrophic disintegration of the PrK is realistic,” he stated, adding that it is still looking for and sealing the leaks. “NASA has expressed concerns about the structural integrity of the PrK and the possibility of a catastrophic failure.”

He concluded by saying, “The Russians believe that continued operations are safe but they can’t prove to our satisfaction that they are, and the U.S. believes that it’s not safe but we can’t prove to the Russians’ satisfaction that that’s the case,”

According to Cabana, the NASA and Roscosmos committees jointly recommended to the presidents of their respective agencies that they should keep looking for a “common understanding of the structural integrity” of PrK and enlist the help of outside academic and industrial specialists.

He stated that NASA has enlisted an outside team to evaluate the leaks, but he did not provide a timeline for those operations. “This is an engineering problem, and good engineers should be able to reach a solution and agree on it.”

At the Crew-8 briefing, Barratt stated, “The station is not young. It’s been up there for quite a while. You expect some wear and tear, and we’re seeing that,”

The conference, which was supposed to last an hour according to the Federal Register notice, barely lasted roughly ten minutes, with the main focus being the PrK leak. The group held its first public meeting since March 2020, when it was chaired by the late astronaut Tom Stafford, who died in March of this year.

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