Ross Moriarty is striving to be fit for the Dragons festive derbies after the virus he picked up at the World Cup caused him to drop around a stone in weight.

The Dragons are unable to give a return-to-play date for their 41-cap back rower, who played in all seven of Wales World Cup matches in Japan but has suffered badly with illness since.

He contracted a viral infection after grazing his forehead during a training session in the Far East and subsequently suffered a chest infection, a cold, loss of appetite and significant weight loss.

So serious was the hard-hitting No. 8 or blindside flankers condition that he had to see a specialist to find out what was going on.

Whether he returns over Christmas will depend on how quickly he is restored to good health and fitness and puts weight back on.

That is his aim and it is understood he is heading in the right direction.

But the Dragons won't use him until he's 100 percent right.

Director of rugby Dean Ryan told the RugbyPass website: Ross has had a viral infection and we are not going to rush him back or give a date when he is going to play, because we want to make sure Ross has got over this infection.

He lost weight during this period and its important to ensure that he is fully recovered before we think about getting him back.

Wayne Pivac will doubtless stay in touch, with fitness issues starting to pile up for Wales in the back row ahead of the Six Nations. Taulupe Faletau still hasnt returned from the collarbone injury that ruled him out of the World Cup, nor has Ellis Jenkins from his long-term knee problem.

Josh Navidi remains off limits from the hamstring problem he suffered in the World Cup quarter-final against France, while Scarlets James Davies has a back issue and Aaron Shingler is recovering from a damaged knee.

Throw in Moriartys health problems and the picture becomes concerning for Pivac.

The 25-year-old former Gloucester player is an asset because of his versatility and physicality, allied to his competitive spirit.

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The extent of Ross Moriarty's worrying health issue revealed as Wales and Dragons star loses stone in weight - Wales Online

Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing

DIRIYAH, Saudi Arabia Depending on who you wereAnthony Joshua or Andy Ruiz, Eddie Hearn or Manny Roblesinside the ring on Saturday night, with specially made placards commemorating the Ruiz-Joshua rematch raining down like confetti, your emotions ran the gamut.

For Joshua, ecstasy. Last June, Joshua lost. He was humiliated, knocked down four times in what was supposed to be a showcase fight against Ruiz in his U.S. debut. He was publicly humiliated, with social media tattooing him as a quitter and peers dissecting his performance. He was encouraged to fire his trainer, change his camp, even pass on an immediate rematch in favor of a few softer touches to rebuild his confidence.

He didnt do any of it. His chief strategist, Rob McCracken, whose history with Joshua dates back to his amateur days. McCracken served up a perfect game plan, a jab-filled strategy that saw Joshua hammer Ruiz from the outside while never giving Ruiz a stationary target to load up on. His camp was flawless. Joshua dropped nearly 11 pounds since the last fight, allowing him to be a more mobile, agile fighter. And against a fighter some believed had his number, Joshua put on a boxing clinic.

I can knock people out when I want to and I can box when I want to, Joshua said. Tonight was just about winning and trusting my process. I know maybe I could have done more at times. But sometimes simplicity is genius. And that was the motto. Keep it simple because it is going to lead to a genius performance. Every time I step in the ring if Im prepared, no one can beat me.

For Ruiz, disappointment. For months, we wondered: Was Ruiz Buster Douglas 2.0? The signs were there. In 1990, Douglas, in his first fight since upsetting Mike Tyson, tipped the scales 15 pounds heavier for a title defense against Evander Holyfield. On Friday, Ruiz weighed in 15.7 pounds thicker than he did in June. The weight clearly saddled Ruiz, never the most mobile big man, who was unable to deal with Joshuas movement. In the final 30 seconds, Ruiz stood in the center of the ring, waving Joshua in, daring him to trade. Joshua, knowing he was up on the scorecards, could only laugh.

I should have trained harder, Ruiz said. I should have listened to my coaches more. Maybe I shouldnt have put on all this weight. I would have been faster and I would have thrown more. I had him hurt a few times and I let him survive. I should have pressured him more. Its not an excuse, but the weight. I weighed in too heavy. Theres no excuse besides me not training hard.

Inside Ruizs locker room after, Robles and Ruizs father, Andy Sr., admonished Ruiz. You should have listened, they said. You shouldnt have put on all this weight. I kind of tried to do the training on my own, Ruiz said. At the postfight press conference, Ruiz draped an arm around Robles and apologized. Robles, visibly frustrated, looked like he wanted to be anywhere else.

As a coach, you have to be with your fighter 100%, Robles said. Im not the first coach and Andys not the first fighter where situations happen in camp. Im there for him, through good and bad, thick and thin. I have to apologize to him too, because this is a team effort Im right here, sitting next to him so he knows I have his back. Im with my fighters 100%.

Long after the final bell, Joshua remained in the ring, shaking hands, taking pictures, soaking in the moment. Hearn was with him. As much as Joshua had at stake, Hearn did, too. Joshua is Matchrooms tentpole fighter. A loss would have put him on a long path to rebuild, or even retirement. A win restores Joshua to the ranks of the heavyweight elite and reignites talk of Joshua facing the winner of the rematch between Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury, slated for early next year.

Hearn, though, says Joshua wont be chasing them anymore.

Hes been chasing them for years, Hearn said. It will happen. Maybe [Wilder] was right to walk away from the fight. Its worth a lot more now than it was back then. But [Joshua] just wants the legacy. He created a legacy here in Saudi Arabia. This isnt a guy that goes in selling seven or eight thousand tickets. This is a guy that is selling football stadiums, 80 or 90 thousand tickets. Madison Square Garden, completely sold out. Saudi Arabia, completely sold out. This is a guy that is transforming boxing. These other guys cant lace his boots like that. And hes going to get better and better. Hes 24 fights inthe best is yet to come.

Whats unlikely to come is a third fight with Ruiz, at least not in the near future. Ruiz clamored for it repeatedly after the fight, but his performance in the rematch will close that door quickly. With his belts back, Joshua must now deal with the mandatory challenges. The IBF, which has installed Top Rank promoted Kubrat Pulev as its top contender, says Joshua must face Pulev by next May while the WBO announced that Joshua has 180 days to face its mandatory challenger, former cruiserweight kingpin Oleksandyr Usyk. Hearn wouldnt commit to any course of action, though a likely scenario is for Joshua to accept the IBF challenge and seek a waiver from the WBO. Even if Joshua is forced to drop the WBO belt, Usyk is promoted by Hearnmaking it easy to create an opportunity to get it back.

And Wilder? Fury? Standing in the ring, Joshua appeared resigned to the reality a unification fight was a long way off.

What can I say? Joshua said. Ive been speaking about these guys for a long time. You can see this time, when I had this opportunity to focus on Andy, my head was in the right place. So when Wilder and Fury are really, really ready, they will make the call. But until then, I respect what they are doing and I am not going to continue to call these guys out. Im making my own history in my own lane. If they want to come and be part of thatlook at what happened to Andy when he beat me the first time. He created his own legacy. If these guys want to create a legacy, Im here, Im ready to fight anyone.

Link:
Anthony Joshua, Andy Ruiz and the Jab of Emotions - Sports Illustrated

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Magenta Therapeutics (NASDAQ: MGTA), a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing novel medicines to bring the curative power of immune reset to more patients, today announced that new results from its CD117-ADC patient preparation program were presented at the 61st Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology (ASH). These results, which were highlighted in an oral presentation at ASH by John Tisdale, M.D., Director, Molecular and Clinical Hematology Section, National Institutes of Health, showed the first-ever successful transplant of gene-modified cells in non-human primates using a targeted, single-agent antibody-drug conjugate (ADC), without the use of chemotherapy or radiation.

Todays conditioning regimens involve high doses of chemotherapy, often paired with radiation, to remove the disease-causing cells. As a result, patients undergoing gene therapy or stem cell transplant are all faced with a difficult choice: whether to endure severe toxicity and risk infertility and cancer for the chance for a cure. Magentas portfolio of targeted ADCs represents an extremely promising new option to prepare patients for gene therapy or transplant with no need for toxic chemotherapy or radiation, said Dr. Tisdale. The results presented today show that a single dose of single agent CD117-ADC achieves the same level of depletion as four doses of busulfan chemotherapy to enable successful engraftment and persistence of stem cells modified with the -globin gene, the gene that causes sickle cell disease and -thalassemia when mutated. Importantly, the animals undergoing preparation with CD117-ADC showed none of the damaging toxicities associated with busulfan conditioning.

Magenta is the only company with the people, platforms and a product engine committed to comprehensively transforming immune and blood system reset, which includes revolutionizing the toxic methods that are used to prepare patients for gene therapy and transplant today. said Jason Gardner, D.Phil., Chief Executive Officer and President, Magenta Therapeutics. The gene therapy field has learned that higher levels of stem cell depletion, which meant higher doses of busulfan, were needed to ensure long-term engraftment of the gene-modified cells and persistence of gene therapy. Across all the modalities we have tested, we have seen that ADCs are most effective at achieving these high levels of stem cell depletion without chemotherapy to enable engraftment and long-term durability of the transplant. Todays impressive results provide important validation of the ADC approach as well as the CD117 target for patient preparation and underscore Magentas leadership in the field of conditioning.

Results from the CD117-ADC Patient Preparation Program

Title: A Single Dose of CD117 Antibody Drug Conjugate Enables Autologous Gene-Modified Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant (Gene Therapy) in Nonhuman Primates (Abstract #610)Presenter: John Tisdale, M.D., Director, Molecular and Clinical Hematology Section, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Md.

Magentas most advanced patient preparation program, CD117-ADC, targets CD117, a protein expressed on hematopoietic stem cells. CD117-ADC is designed to remove the genetically mutated cells in the bone marrow that cause certain genetic diseases, such as sickle cell disease, enabling curative stem cell transplant or gene therapy.

Results presented by Dr. Tisdale showed:

About Magenta Therapeutics

Magenta Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing medicines to bring the curative power of immune system reset through stem cell transplant to more patients with autoimmune diseases, genetic diseases and blood cancers. Magenta is combining leadership in stem cell biology and biotherapeutics development with clinical and regulatory expertise, a unique business model and broad networks in the stem cell transplant world to revolutionize immune reset for more patients.

Magenta is based in Cambridge, Mass. For more information, please visit http://www.magentatx.com.

Follow Magenta on Twitter: @magentatx.

Forward-Looking Statement

This press release may contain forward-looking statements and information within the meaning of The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and other federal securities laws. The use of words such as may, will, could, should, expects, intends, plans, anticipates, believes, estimates, predicts, projects, seeks, endeavor, potential, continue or the negative of such words or other similar expressions can be used to identify forward-looking statements. The express or implied forward-looking statements included in this press release are only predictions and are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions, including, without limitation risks set forth under the caption Risk Factors in Magentas Registration Statement on Form S-1, as updated by Magentas most recent Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q and its other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. In light of these risks, uncertainties and assumptions, the forward-looking events and circumstances discussed in this press release may not occur and actual results could differ materially and adversely from those anticipated or implied in the forward-looking statements. You should not rely upon forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. Although Magenta believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, it cannot guarantee that the future results, levels of activity, performance or events and circumstances reflected in the forward-looking statements will be achieved or occur. Moreover, except as required by law, neither Magenta nor any other person assumes responsibility for the accuracy and completeness of the forward-looking statements included in this press release. Any forward-looking statement included in this press release speaks only as of the date on which it was made. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

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Magenta Therapeutics Demonstrates First-ever Successful Gene Therapy Transplant Without Chemotherapy in Primates Using a Single Dose of Antibody-drug...

Whether you want to slim down for a big event (hello, wedding) or to quickly fit into your old jeans, the desire forfast weight lossis understandable. Whilefad dietscan be tempting with wild promises (like, lose 20 pounds in one month!), they also tend to backfire and can wreak havoc on yourmetabolism. Most dieters who follow strict diets rebound andregain the weight.

Safe andsustainable weight loss, on the other hand, involves a lifestyle change and takes time: Most of the research supports losing weight at a slow-and-steady pace to maintain the weight loss in the long-term, confirms Ryan Maciel, RD, a certified strength and conditioning specialist based in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Still, if youre wonderingexactlyhow much weight you can safely lose in one month, heres your guide, according to weight-loss experts:

Weight loss depends on a myriad of factors, likeage,gender,physical activity leveland theeffects of certain medications, so everyone goes at their own pace. A good rule of thumb is to aim to lose 12 pounds per week or 48 pounds per month, says Dr. Elizabeth Lowden, a bariatric endocrinologist at Northwestern Medicine Metabolic Health and Surgical Weight Loss Center at Delnor Hospital in Chicago. In other words, thats about 510% of your body weight.

If you want to lose a pound a week,youll need a calorie deficit(aka less calories in comparison to those you need to maintain your current weight) of about 3,500 calories, or 500 calories per day, explains Lowden. Because it can be difficult to decrease your intake by that much,upping your physical activitycan help burn more calories.

Keep in mind, though, week 1 of yourweight-loss planmay be misleading. It wouldnt be uncommon to lose 5 pounds your first week, maybe even up to 10, but this isnt a rate you can expect to continue and you may even notice no weight loss the next couple of weeks, says Lowden. Thats because as you lower your caloric intake and beginmaking healthier eating choices, your glycogen stores (aka molecules made from thecarbsyou eat) drop, and since theyre attached to water molecules,you lose water weight with them, explains Lowden. So dont feel discouraged if you initially burn pounds fast thenfall into a weight-loss slow down this is normal.

Unless youre enrolled in a medically-supervised weight-loss program or youve just had bariatric surgery, its very uncommon to lose more than 10 pounds per month, says Lowden. Remember, if you lose weight too quickly, your body fights back. Your metabolism slows down, yourhormones shifttoincrease your cravingsand appetite, and you even burn less fat, according toa reviewin the International Journal of Obesity.These changes could lead todisordered eating habits, warns Lowden.

Whats more, no matter how quickly youre losing weight, you also lose a certain amount oflean muscle massin the process (especially if youre not working out to build muscle), and losing too much could deeply damage your metabolism. Thats whystrength training when trying to lose weightis important. Plus, a diettoo low in caloriescould result in nutritional deficiencies, and rapid weight loss could lead to gallstones from improper gallbladder functioning, adds Maciel.

In short, a speedy weight-loss regimen to drop a dress or pants size is generally not worth it. As frustrating as it may be, try to be patient so you are successful long-term.

Here, a few ways you can lose weight safely:

Its essential tohave realistic goalsand expectations before setting out on your weight-loss journey, says Maciel.Tracking your weight-loss goalswith an app likeMyFitnessPalcan be very helpful, he adds. Then, carve out time each week toplan your mealsandworkouts. After youve built up your confidence by reaching a few small goals, you can begin toaim higher with bigger challenges. For example, start by getting into aregular walking habitbeforetraining for your first 5K.

Of course,progress is anything but linear there will be times whenyoull hit a weight-loss plateauor evengain a few pounds back,despite your best efforts. But knowing and accepting this is part of the journey helps you stay on track, says Maciel. While thenumber on the scalemight take time to change, remember to acknowledge and celebrate how your clothes fit differently and how youre able to lift heavier weights or jog longer, suggests Lowden. These are all signs youre on the right track.

Dont give up on the fundamentals of weight loss in search of the magic bullet, says Maciel. Its important to keep in mind that eating morenutrient-dense whole foods, exercising regularly,getting quality sleepandmaking time for self-careare all essential parts of the weight-loss equation. If youre not losing weight on your current plan, take a hard look at youreating, exercise and lifestyle habitsand consider reaching out for help from a support group or nutritionist, he suggests.

When youre working oneating and lifestyle changes, theres a normal amount of hunger that comes with reducing your intake, but you should never feel obsessively hungry, says Lowden. Honor yourhunger cueswith healthier choices. To avoid overeating,mindful eating techniquescan also help.

While healthy weight loss requires a lot of perseverance and dedication, theslow-and-steady routeis your best bet. So many people stop what theyre doing because theyre not seeing immediate changes, butconsistency is key. You will note weight changes over time, but you have to stick with it, says Lowden.

Excerpt from:
How Much Weight Is Safe to Lose in a Month? | Weight Loss ...

By Jay L. Zagorsky, Boston University

Gift giving is a big deal this time of year.

To find the perfect gift, Americans will spend about 15 hours shopping. Women will do about twice as much as men. And theyll shell out about US$1 trillion on gifts.

While retailers relish the holiday shopping season as a time when consumers open their purses or wallets, for many consumers especially those who do not like shopping these days are filled with dread. They mark moments when shoppers clog malls, websites become overloaded and delivery trucks block streets. The entire process generates untold amounts of stress and anxiety.

Jay Zagorsky, Boston University

One source of stress is just how much to spend on gifts. Spending too much can put you in financial distress. Spending too little may make you look cheap.

How do you decide whats the right amount to spend on gifts?

As an economist, I study holidays and gift giving because a large fraction of retail shopping is driven by seasonal events like Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Super Saturday also and more appropriately known as Panic Saturday which is the last Saturday before Christmas.

Dead weight loss

Gift giving is stressful because nobody wants to buy what they think is a perfect gift only to discover it is a dud.

The long lines of people returning items after the holidays seem evidence enough for that.

This has led some economists to argue theres a dead weight loss to Christmas presents that destroys as much as a third of their actual value. A 2018 study estimated Americans spend $13 billion a year on unwanted gifts.

Other economists, however, have resisted this Scrooge-like view of gift giving and point to evidence that a present can actually have more value to the recipient than the price the giver paid. In other words, a gift, even when technically unwanted, could have more value simply because someone else bought it for you.

Setting a budget

So if youre dead set on buying some gifts, how much should you budget for it?

Since gifting is a social act, it makes sense to consider how much other people typically spend.

There are a number of surveys run each year that ask people during the fall to estimate what they plan on spending for holiday gifts. The National Retail Federations annual survey of holiday spending estimates the typical American will spend $659 on gifts for family, friends and co-workers in 2019. On the high end, Gallup puts the average at $942, with more than a third of respondents expecting to spend over $1,000 on gifts.

But these figures arent that helpful for an individual since $659 means something different to someone making $40,000 a year versus $200,000.

Thats where the Consumer Expenditure Survey comes in. Its a large survey run by the Bureau of Labor Statistics that tracks the spending habits of 12,000 to 15,000 families each year. The government uses the survey to determine the cost of living and inflation rates for the typical family.

The survey follows gift giving very precisely. It has categories for common holiday presents like electronics, books and clothes, as well as gifts that typically arent associated with the season such as housing and transportation.

After removing these non-holiday gifts, the typical U.S. family spends about 1% of its annual take-home pay on gifts. So whatever you earn, you could multiply it by 1% to get a figure that is in the ballpark of what the average American spends but wont break the bank.

Making the holidays memorable

While calculating a gift budget is one way to take the stress out of how much to spend on gifts, my family has another: Only give gifts to children.

Adults get wrapped boxes filled with paper. After the real gifts are opened and the young children are safely moved out of the way, we crumple up the paper and throw it at each other in our annual paper fight.

That keeps the cost down while making the kids feel special. It also ensures the kids dont feel left out when their friends talk about the gifts they received. Other families follow their own methods for controlling expenses, such as secret Santa gifts or by focusing attention more on togetherness than on the stuff received.

Whether you have a paper fight or follow another family tradition, my main message is that it doesnt take very much money to make the winter holidays memorable.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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How to Pick the 'Right' Amount to Spend - WCAI

The prevalence of obesity was 39.8% and affected about 93.3 million of US adults in 2015~2016, according to data from U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).Gelesis is a Boston-based biotech startup developing therapeutics to safely treat obese, overweight, and diabetic patients.

Over the weekend, the company announcedit hassecured $84.6 million in new funding to support the U.S. launch of Plenity in the second half of 2020.This latest round of equity funding, which totals $63.4 million, was led by private equity firm Vitruvian Partners and included other investors. Gelesis has raised nearly $100 million this year to support the U.S. launch of its flagship product Plenity.

Gelesis was co-founded in 2006 byYishai Zohar andPureTech Health, a clinical-stage biotechnology company dedicated to discovering, developing and commercializing highly differentiated medicines for devastating diseases. Its lead product, Gelesis100, is an orally- administered smart pill which is constructed of materials that are General Recognized as Safe (GRAS) by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).Each Gelesis100 capsule contains thousands of hydrogel particles approximately the size of a grain of salt that expand to 100 times their dry weight. The pill is designed to act mechanically in the stomach and small intestine to increase satiety and decrease hunger, resulting in reduced caloric intake and weight loss.

We are delighted to begin this partnership with Vitruvian, whose mission of driving rapid growth and change across industries is very much aligned with our approach to launching this first-of-its-kind product that could potentially make a difference in the lives of people struggling with excess weight, said Yishai Zohar, founder and chief executive officer of Gelesis. With this new capital, we are well-positioned to enhance our strategic launch initiatives and leverage our early commercial experience as we prepare for large scale commercial availability of Plenity in the U.S.

Based upon the Gelesis proprietary manufacturing facility location, the company was also awarded a grant of $12.9 (11.7) million from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), regulated by the Puglia Region of Italy. This builds on the $10.6 (9.4) million grant announced in April 2019 and brings the total non-dilutive funds secured this year to $23.5 million. The company also further enhanced its financial flexibility by entering into a long-term, low interest $8.3 million loan agreement.

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Biotech startup Gelesis raises over $84 million to support the U.S. launch of Plenity, a drug for treatment of obesity and other gastrointestinal...

Anaplasmosis is a disease caused by bacteria affecting red blood cells in ruminants including cattle. While livestock of all ages can be infected with the illness, it is rarely fatal to the young, but quite serious in adult animals. It can cause abortion, weakness, rapid weight loss, and even death. Anaplasmosis is contracted by either biting horse flies or ticks as well as via dehorning, needles, as well as surgical or tattoo instruments if the equipment is not properly cleaned after each use. The disease is on the rise and found throughout Kansas including Barton and Ellis counties. Education and proper practices are key to keeping your cattle healthy.

On Dec. 18, the Cottonwood Extension District will host an Anaplasmosis and safe vaccine handling program in both Ellis and Barton counties. Dr. Gregg Hanzlicek, DVM from KSU College of Veterinary Medicine will discuss what you need to know about Anaplasmosis and how to prevent it in your herd. I will also talk about vaccines and how to safely handle and administer to your livestock.

In Great Bend the program is set at the American Ag Credit building at 5634 10th St. from 8:30-10 a.m. Following in Hays the program will be presented from noon to 2 p.m. at the Ellis Co. Extension office at 601 Main St. Please RSVP to me at 620-793-1910 for either program to insure enough program materials are available. Snacks and a noon meal will be provided by the Kansas State Veterinary Diagnostics Laboratory.

If you have any questions, or would like more information, you can contact me by calling 620-793-1910, by email at aboor@ksu.edu or just drop by the office located at 1800 12th St. in Great Bend.

Alicia Boor is the Agriculture and Natural Resources agent with K-State Research and Extension Cottonwood District. Contact her by email at aboor@ksu.edu or call 620-793-1910.

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Anaplasmosis and vaccines in livestock - Great Bend Tribune

Do you know the way to San Jose? It doesn't matter if you're in a self-driving car. As they previewed earlier this year, Bosch and Mercedes-Benz have commenced trials for an automated ride-hailing service in the Silicon Valley city of San Jose. To start with, autonomous S-Class Mercedes-Benz vehicles (with safety drivers at the wheel) will shuttle "a select group of users" between North San Jose and downtown.

The busy San Carlos/Stevens Creek corridor between west San Jose and downtown should be good test for the self-driving tech used by Mercedes and Bosch. Rather than just playing with prototypes, the companies want to create a production-ready SAE Level 4/5 self-driving system that can be built into different makes and models. To do that, they're using a combination of AI, a million-square foot proving ground in Stuttgart and the real world San Jose ride-hailing tests.

San Jose is expected to grow by 40 percent over the next two years, so the city wants to see the impact of autonomous cars. "We want to know more about how automated vehicles can help improve safety and reduce congestion, as well as make mobility more available, sustainable, and inclusive," said San Jose project director Dolan Beckel in a statement. "If automated driving is to become everyday reality, the technology has to work reliably and safely."

Mercedes-Benz and Bosch for an app-based ridesharing servic

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Mercedes and Bosch commence self-driving trials in San Jose - Yahoo News Australia

An interesting new clinical study is suggesting restricting food intake to a 10-hour window each day may be a simple yet beneficial way to help treat metabolic syndromes such as diabetes or heart disease. The 12-week pilot study revealed the eating intervention, in conjunction with prescribed medicines, improved patients health outcomes.

One of the more fascinating dietary fashions to arise in recent times is known as time-restricted eating (TRE). Instead of interspersing whole days of fasting across a week or month, this eating strategy looks to limit your caloric intake to short windows of time in a given 24-hour period. Generally, TRE methods suggest only eating between four and eight hours a day, meaning a fasting stretch of 16 to 20 hours.

One of the theories underpinning these dietary strategies is that restricting eating to a limited time window better synchronizes a persons caloric intake with their circadian rhythms. Epidemiological studies have found a majority of people spread their food intake over at least 15 hours a day. As little as 10 percent of people compress all their meals into a 12-hour-or-less stretch each day. While some research is building to suggest health benefits to only eating in four- to eight-hour windows, this new study set out to find out whether a 10-hour eating window could be just as beneficial.

"There has been a lot of discussion about intermittent fasting and what time window people should eat within to get the benefits of this kind of diet," explains Satchidananda Panda, co-corresponding author on the new study. "Based on what we've observed in mice, a 10-hour time window seems to convey these benefits. At the same time, it's not so restrictive that people can't follow it long-term."

To test the eating strategy on human subjects a team of researchers from the Salk Institute and the University of California, San Diego, conducted a small pilot study. They recruited 19 subjects, most classified as obese and receiving pharmacological treatment for a diagnosed metabolic condition. All subjects self-reported prior eating patterns spanning at least 14 hours a day.

The intervention tested was incredibly simple. Subjects were directed to continue regular diets and exercise but simply compress any caloric intake to a 10-hour window each day, essentially letting their bodies fast for 14 hours across every 24-hour cycle.

For such a small and simple intervention the results were somewhat impressive, with an average three to four percent reduction in body weight and body mass index seen across the entire cohort after three months. Alongside self-reported improvements to general energy levels and sleep quality, the cohort displayed reductions in cholesterol levels and blood pressure at the end of the 12-week trial.

"We told people that they could choose when they ate their meals, as long as they remained within the 10-hour window," says Panda. "We found that universally, they chose to eat breakfast later, about two hours after waking, and to eat dinner earlier, about three hours before going to bed."

The researchers behind the new study are well-aware of the numerous limitations behind such a small trial. Most notably the trial did not include a control group which makes it certainly difficult to clearly correlate the final result with the studied eating intervention. Duane Mellor, from Aston University, points out the lack of control isnt the only problem with this particular study.

In the case of this study there are lots of limitations, not just the lack of a control group a key one being that the act of recording food intake has been shown in other studies to reduce calorie intake and help with weight loss, says Mellor, who did not work on this new study. Also, although lots of tests were done on the participants, it seems unclear how they justify the conclusion that improvements were seen independent of weight change as there simply was not a big enough number of people to make this assessment.

So, were the beneficial effects seen in this study directly related to the TRE strategy? Or were the health improvements more a reflection of the diet indirectly lowering overall caloric intake and making the cohort more aware of their eating patterns?

Its possible to over speculate that time-restricted eating is a magic bullet to health whereas it may be that its just through calorie restriction, suggests Jenna Macciochi, an immunologist from the University of Sussex. On the flip side, for people who are struggling with fad diets it may be a useful tool and help compliance.

Macciochi, who did not work on this new research, does point out the most encouraging part of the new study is that it highlights how easy this particular dietary modification can be implemented and sustained. The compliance rate for the trial was very high, with a significant number of the participants reporting continuing the dietary strategy, in some form, for up to a year. This suggests, unlike some other intermittent fasting or TRE diets, a 10-hour daily eating window is relatively easy to integrate into a persons life, and can be maintained for extended periods of time without too much trouble.

So, moving forward the next step for the researchers is to better verify the metabolic benefits of this eating plan in larger cohorts. A clinical trial is already underway in a much larger group with the hopes of understanding the physiological effects of what could essentially be called a 14:10 eating plan.

The new study was published in the journal Cell Metabolism.

Sources: Salk Institute, Cell Press

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Trial suggests fasting 14 hours a day helps diabetes and weight loss - New Atlas