Diabetes has primarily been associated with lifestyle factors like diet and a sedentary lifestyle, but research by the Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis said pollution also plays a major role.

The study estimated that pollution contributed to 3.2 million new diabetes cases globally in 2016 — or around 14 percent of all new diabetes cases globally that year.

“Our research shows a significant link between air pollution and diabetes globally,” said Ziyad Al-Aly, the study’s senior author.

Pollution is thought to reduce the body’s insulin production, “preventing the body from converting blood glucose into energy that the body needs to maintain health,” according to the research.

Al-Aly said the research, published in the Lancet Planetary Health, found an increased risk even with levels of air pollution currently considered safe by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the World Health Organization (WHO).

“This is important because many industry lobbying groups argue that current levels are too stringent and should be relaxed. Evidence shows that current levels are still not sufficiently safe and need to be tightened,” he added.

‘A strong link’

Researchers working with scientists at the Veterans Affairs’ Clinical Epidemiology Center, examined data from 1.7 million US veterans who did not have histories of diabetes and were followed for a median of 8.5 years.

Patient information from the veterans was compared to air quality information to examine the relationship between pollution and diabetes risk.

The scientists found the risk of developing diabetes “exhibited a strong link to air pollution”.

They then devised a model to gauge diabetes risks over different pollution levels and used data from the annual worldwide Global Burden of Disease study, to estimate the prevalence of diabetes caused by bad air.

Diabetes affects more than 420 million people globally and is one of the world’s fastest growing diseases.

Acer Aspire 6-Marvel Studios’ “Avengers: Infinity War” Captain America Edition is a fast notebook computer especially designed for fans of the comic hero.

It’s the latest release in the series of three special edition notebooks that Acer has made in collaboration with Marvel.

The notebook comes with a premium aluminium cover that features Captain America’s iconic pentagram on a deep blue background though users shouldn’t be tempted to use it as a shield like the superhero.

Powered by an 8th Generation Intel Core i58250U processor running at 1.6 GHz and boasting four gigabytes of working memory or RAM and 1 terabyte of hard drive, the notebook is fast for business applications.

The graphics horse power comes from NVIDIA GeForce MX150 graphics adapter, which has two GB of dedicated video memory so it doesn’t share the resources of the main memory and thus doesn’t affect the performance of the computer.

The graphics adapter generates a beautiful display on a 15.6-inch Full HD (1920 x 1080 pixels) IPS screen that provides consistent colours and viewing from wide angles. The display using the Acer ComfyView Ledbackit technology is bright and great for watching HD video clips as well as viewing photos.

The Captain America Aspire 6 runs on Windows 10 Home 64-bit edition and comes complete with Microsoft Cortana audio assistant that helps you to easily set up the notebook for first use, using either the mouse or voice command.

The large backlit keyboard is easy and comfortable to type on and uses Gigabit Ethernet and a 802.11ac wireless connection for fast browsing.

The necessary ports are all there too, namely one USB 3.1 Type C port, two USB 3.0 ports and one USB 2.0 port plus an HDMI port that can be linked to a large TV for watching HD movies to it.

The notebook has enhanced multimedia performance. It uses Acer TrueHarmony technology to deliver life-like audio, while two digital microphones with Acer PurifiedVoice help ensure a great Cortana with Voice experience. It also has Acer HD webcam with HDR technology for video calls.

During the test, I found the notebook had good performance in handling Microsoft Office and browsing web pages. HD video clips also ran fast and smoothly.

Acer Aspire 6  Captain America costs Bt24,990 (VAT included),

Key Specs

– OS: Windows 10 Home (64bit)

CPU: Intel Core i58250U processor (1.60 GHz, 6MB L3 Cache up to 3.4 GHz)

– Memory: 4GB DDR4 RAM

– Storage: HDD 1TB

– Display: 15.6-inch FHD IPS (1920 x1080), Acer ComfyViewTM LEDbacklit TFT LCD

– Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce MX150 2GB GDDR5

– Ports: 1 x USB 3.1 Type C, 2 x USB 3.0, 1 x USB 2.0 port

– Wireless connectivity: 802.11ac 1X1 wireless LAN, Bluetooth 4.0

– Webcam: Acer HD webcam with HDR

– Dimensions (W x D x H): 381 mm x 263 mm x 17.95 mm

– Weight :2.1 kg.

– Warranty: Two-year parts and labour

Beoplay’s elegant P6 wireless Bluetooth speaker comes in anodised and pearl blasted-aluminium shell with the characteristic soundhole pattern around the corners for 360-degree sound dispersion. It is splash and dustresistant. The builtin battery extends use time up to 15 hours per charge. Get one from RTB Technology for Bt16,900.

A Cybershot in the pocket

Sony’s Cybershot RX100 VI pocket-sized compact camera boasts no-compromise high-zoom performance and superfast AF, so you never miss a shot. The Zeiss VairoSonnar T240200mm-equivalent f/2.84.5 lens can autofocus in just 0.03 of a second. You have a one-inch-type sensor with 20.1MP resolution, all for Bt38,900.

Big, square prints instantly

Fujifilm’s Instax Square SQ6 compact camera lets you capture precious moments and will print the shots on 1:1-square Instax film right away. The 2.4×2.4-inch picture size is 1.3 times the size of Instax mini prints, providing plenty of room to set the scene. It’s in stores for Bt5,990.

OnePlus goes one better

Chinese company OnePlus has given its OnePlus 6 smartphone a 6.28-inch FHD+ Amoled 24bit display protected by Gorilla Glass 5, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor and 8GB of memory and 256GB of storage. There’s also a dual 20+16MP rear camera. Check it out for Bt21,999.

Fine listening with the Fiio

The Fiio M7 portable High-Resolution Audio player supports wireless Hi-Res Audio formats of LDAC and aptXHD and uses Bluetooth 4.2. It has a 3.2inch display with 480x800pixel resolution, a Samsung Exynos 7270 CPU and an ESS Sabre 9018Q2C chip for decoding digital sound. With 2GB of internal storage, it retails for Bt6,290.

Charoen Pokphand Group and True Corporation are setting out to bring knowledge about the Buddha and the concept of dharma to viewers across the world with their project “True Little Monk: A Wisdom Training Programme for Novices”. The reality show, which has so far only focused on young Thais, has selected 12 candidates of different nationalities and cultures and they will be ordained as novices tomorrow at Wat Pah Sai Ngam in Ubon Ratchathani under the supervision of Abbot Phrakhru Nikrotthammaphon (Luang Ta Anek Yasadinno).

“The True Little Monk Project has been overwhelmingly well received by Thais for seven years and won several awards. That convinced Charoen Pokphand Group and True Corporation to initiate ‘True Little Monk: A Wisdom Training Programme for Novices’, the world’s first international dharma reality documentary programme conducted in English,” said Suphachai Chearavanont, chief executive officer of Charoen Pokphand Group and chairman of the executive committee of True Corporation.

“The programme aims to expand Buddhism on an international scale and bring dharma to people across the world, as well as to set good examples and inspire the public to practice dharma principles. ‘True Little Monk: A Wisdom Training Programme for Novices’ is organised in remembrance of and as merit making for His Majesty the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej, and as a tribute to His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun on the occasion of his 66th birthday on July 28, 2018 as well as to Her Majesty Queen Sirikit on the occasion of her 86th birthday on August 12.”

Twelve of the 500 youngsters who submitted applications have been selected for the show. They hail from the UK, France, Australia, New Zealand, Kenya, China and Nepal and will ordain as novices at Wat Pah Sai Ngam under the supervision of Abbot Master Phrakhru Nikrotthammaphon (Luang Ta Anek Yasadinno) as well as Phrakhru Ubonbhavanaviteht (Ajahn Kevali), the Abbot of Wat Pah Nanachat. Throughout their four weeks of monkhood, the novices will study and practise the Lord Buddha’s teachings via activities with various monks, experts and special guests.

Designed on the theme “Compassion and Kindness”, the programme aims to cultivate ethics and virtues among the youngsters. The novices will “learn” Buddhist dharma “live” by focusing on the present and endeavouring to practice dharma principles.

Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn has bestowed a set of monk’s robes for the preceptor in the ordination ceremony.

The dedication of the 12 young boys can be watched from tomorrow through July 25 on TrueVisions Reality TV channel 60, 99, 119 or 333 as well as on smartphones by downloading the free TrueID app. TrueVisions will broadcast the young monks’ daily activities and dharma practice daily from 5am to 9pm.

Daily highlights will be broadcast from 9 to 9.45pm as well as on the True Plookpanya Channel. The programme can also be streamed at http://www.TrueLittleMonk.com as well as Facebook and YouTube using the handle TrueLittleMonk.

The new flagship smartphone from Huawei’s subbrand, the Honor 10 boasts two of the best cameras in its class.

Huawei has a lot of experience in the dual camera and the AI technology used for its prime brand smartphone and applies that to the Honor range, which targets the young generation with lower prices and of course lower specifications than Huawei flagship models.

The Honor 10 is part of the Series N, the brand’s top series, which focuses on beautiful design and good performance.

Designed by Paris Aesthetics Centre, the phone has a classy French look and its Phantom Blue model boasts an Aurora glass design that gives off a vivid gradient of colours when you look at the Honor 10 from different directions.

Huawei says the back of Honor 10 is made of 15 layers of glass to make the finish outstanding and in this it has succeeded admirably.

The 5.84-inch screen with a bezelless and full view 19:9 design has 2,280x1080pixels resolution, which is great for watching HD video clips and viewing photos.

Performance is good too, thanks to the Huawei Kirin 970 octacore processor with four cores running at 2.36 GHz and four others at 1.8 GHz.

Moreover, the processor has a Neural Processing Unit (NPU) for handling AI tasks and algorithms.

The phone comes with four gigyabytes of working memory or RAM and 128 GB of internal storage and runs on the latest Android OS 8.1 with Huawei’s EMUI 8.1 user interface.

During the test, the menus and touch screen were responsive and applications ran fast and smoothly.

I used the AnTuTu Benchmark Version 7.0.9 to measure the Honor 10’s performance and it scored 203,181 proving that it is as fast as advertised. In the ever-growing online database of benchmark results from users around the world, the Honor 10 has been ranked 28th, which isn’t bad at all for a midrange phone.

It also has fast Internet connection. I tested it on TrueMove H’s LTE network and was able to download apps fast and efficiently. I used Ookla Speedtest app to measure the connection speed and found that the Honor 10 got a download speed of 59.5 Mbps and upload speed of 39.7 Mbps.

Another indicator of its good performance is that the phone can play High-Resolution Audion music files in 24bit/192kHz FLAC format smoothly. I tested the Hi-Res Audio playback with my Sony MDR1ABT wireless headphones and found the music quality was good.

The Honor 10 features a dual rear camera of 24 megapixels and 16 MP and front AI camera with 24 MP resolution.

The rear camera has very bright lens with f/1.8 aperture so the camera has good lowlight performance. In fact, the rear camera should be regarded as 16MP camera because it uses a 16MP RGB sensor and a 24 MP monochrome sensor. That means if you shoot in monochrome, you’ll get 24 MP resolution.

The dualcamera set up allows you to easily capture beautiful portraits and subjects with blurred background.

Best of all, Huawei uses Artificial Intelligence in the autoshooting mode to achieve really beautiful shots. The A auto mode, which is called just “photo”, is powered by NPU so the camera functions on artificial intelligence that allows it to recognise more than 500 scenarios in 22 categories. Huawei says several scenarios will be upgraded at a later date, including Cloudy Day, Ancient Architecture, Bicycles and more.

After the AI recognises the scene, it pairs subjects with their optimal camera settings according to image context. The AI can also recognise multiple subjects in the same image and apply localised optimisation to each subject individually.

During the test, I found that the AI functions did indeed recognise various scenes, including scenery and food and the camera automatically adjusted the settings for optimised results.

To achieve professionally blurred background shots as good as those taken with a DSLR camera, you must use the Aperture mode. In this mode, there will be an aperture bar that you slide to adjust the aperture value. The lower the number, the more the background will be blurred.

The rear camera of Honor 10 also captures beautiful portraits using the AI system to create 3D portrait lighting with professional studio effects. The available effects are soft light, butterfly light, side light, classic light and theatre light.

AI is also used for its 24MP front camera to recognise and understand facial features more accurately. The result is professional but natural selfies.

The Honor 10 also good security too with fast Face Unlock technology. Huawei says it can unlock the phone in just 0.064 of a second. I didn’t time it but can confirm it unlocked fast and all I had to do was lift the phone.

The Honor 10 puts the front-placing ultrasonic fingerprint sensor under the glass, creating a truly seamless unibody. The ultrasonic fingerprint sensor also let me unlock the phone.

The Honor 10 comes with 3400mAh large battery for extra power and it supports fast charging technology, allowing 50 per cent of battery charge in only 25 minutes.

The Honor 10 is available online at Lazada for Bt13,990 and at CSC, Big C, and TG Fone.

Key Specs

– Networks: GSM, WCDMA; LTE

– OS: Android 8.1 with EMUI 8.1 user interface

– CPU: Kirin 970 octacore processor (4×2.36 GHz+4×1.8 GHz), AI chipset with NPU

– Memory: 4GB RAM

– Storage: 128GB internal storage

– Display: 5.84-inch 2280p x 1080p FHD+ display with 16M colours, 432 PPI Multi touch-sensitive screen

– Cameras: 24MP + 16MP rear camera with F/1.8 wide aperture lens; 24MP front camera

– Interfaces: Audio Connector 3.5mm, USB TypeC, NanoSIM card

– Sensors: Fingerprint sensor, Digital compass, Ambient light sensor, Gravity sensor, Status indicator, Gyroscope, Hallsensor

– Connectivity: Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, 2.4GHz/5GHz; Bluetooth BT4.2; USB 2.0; GPS/Glonass/BDS

– Battery: 3,400mAh

– Dimensions: 149.6 (L) x 71.2 mm x 7.7 mm (T)

– Weight: 153g

Both Californians are part of a surging new wave of senior Americans turning to cannabis to ease aches and pains as the craze for the drug spreads across the country and more states legalize it.

“They are coming in droves with curiosity and interest, looking for relief from pain and sleep problems,” said Macbeth, a consultant at Octavia Wellness, a San Francisco startup that caters to senior communities across the state, which has legalized recreational marijuana and is the country’s biggest market for legal cannabis.

Interest is such, she says, that Tupperware-like presentations to showcase cannabis products at retirement homes are overflowing with silver-haired potential customers.

The products include tinctures, sprays, edibles and topicals such as lotions and oils that provide relief for a wide range of ailments without getting users high.

“We had one presentation in San Jose (northern California) recently and there were 400 people wanting to go in,” Macbeth said. “We were overwhelmed.”

Several studies indicate that seniors are the fastest growing population in America to adopt cannabis and if the trend continues they could overtake the younger generation in terms of weed consumption.

From arthritis to insomnia

Marijuana use among Americans aged 65 and over increased by 250 percent between 2006 and 2013, according to the National Survey of Drug Use and Health.

Another study found a 71-percent increase in marijuana use among adults aged 50 and older between 2006 and 2016.

In California, one of 29 US states to have legalized marijuana for medical use, the industry is projected to raise $6.5 billion in sales statewide by 2020.

Experts say the older crowd is turning to the drug to treat a host of ailments — from arthritis to neuropathy, insomnia and chronic pain — and to avoid the side-effects associated with prescription drugs, including opioids.

“Some seniors are taking over 20 different prescription drugs a day … and all too often these drugs have an impact at the beginning and then wear off,” said Beverly Potter, the author of “Cannabis for Seniors,” a book that helps older people navigate the new market.

Potter said she has been swamped with requests for advice at speaking events and cautions her audience against believing marijuana is the go-to drug for all ailments, especially in light of little medical research on the effects of the drug which remains illegal at the federal level.

Still, she firmly believes that cannabis in many cases is a better alternative than traditional painkillers or sleep medication that can leave patients with bleeding ulcers or addicted.

‘Start low, go slow’

“My advice to people who want to try it is the same slogan you are hearing everywhere: start low and go slow,” Potter told AFP. “This is not about getting high. It’s about learning how to study your body.”

She said the effects of medical marijuana vary depending on whether the drug is taken as an edible — cookies or gummies — or in the form of tinctures or rubs.

Barbara Blaser, a registered nurse for 50 years and now the head of clinical services at Magnolia Wellness, a marijuana dispensary in Northern California, said the customers she encounters are not looking for the buzz of their youth but rather a new lease on life.

“Some people tell me ‘I just want to be able to work in the garden but my knees hurt’,” said Blaser, 72, who began using marijuana following a serious illness and ended up becoming an advocate.

“If properly used, cannabis can change your life and give it back to you,” she added.

And as social perceptions of the drug change and the stigma associated with it evaporates, Blaser predicts its use as an alternative medicine will become more mainstream.

Take Kyle Johnson, who recently founded a cannabis club with neighbor Mary Lou Molinaro at their gated retirement community in Brentwood, north of San Francisco.

“We started the club in March and at the first meeting we had, 160 people showed up and they were worried about letting anyone else know they were using medical cannabis or that they were interested,” said Johnson, who uses cannabis for back pain and insomnia.

“Now, people stop either of us on a regular basis and say ‘Oh, can I ask you this question, I can’t sleep, I have arthritis pain’ or whatever and we help them as best we can,” she added.

Molinaro, 67, said she points to herself when questioned by someone who equates cannabis with getting stoned.

“I say ‘look at me, do I look like I’m walking around high?” she exclaimed. “In most cases, if you use the right product and see what works best for you, you will find relief and not look like a stonehead.”

Food and travel is the perfect match according to the website’s Tasty Travels report with Paris, Tokyo  and Rome also topping the list of the hottest spots for foodies. And more than 90 per cent of Thai travellers admitted a destination’s cuisine is the biggest deciding factor when picking where to holiday, with beautiful beaches and the shopping scene regarded as less appetising.

The Tasty Travels research also revealed that Thai millennials love to experience a five-star dining experience as well as local street food. Eating experiences are in fact now so high on the millennial travel ticklist, that 85 per cent of Thais in this age group said gourmet experiences stand out the most in their holiday memories.

This topped shopping experience and even spending time with their travel buddy! Hotels.com also found that people prefer to snap their food more than selfies.

“The passion that millennial travellers have for what we at Hotels.com call #TastyTravels, comes from a universal truth – that food is one of life’s greatest pleasures. What’s more, as experiences have become the new social currency, travel opens a door to an amazing array of ‘share worthy’ dishes to try. So, it’s no surprise that younger generation travellers are defining their holidays by what they eat,” said Nelson Allen, general manager, APAC for the Hotels.com brand.

The survey revealed that the food millennials are most likely to post pictures of pasta and pizza on social media, followed by steak or meat, noodles and weird and wacky local delicacies.

Young travellers don’t play it safe with their food choices either, as one in three claimed they’d love to try eel sushi, chicken feet, crickets  and a deepfried Mars bar.

Paying tribute to these delicious destinations, Hotels.com has collaborated with food artist Carl Warner to bring foodies’ favourite hangouts to life. Using the city’s famous food ingredients, Parisian buildings made of cheese, the Pantheon made of pasta while a serene zen garden and tea ceremony are imagined with maki rolls, ginger and shiitake mushrooms overlooking Mount Fuji, in Warner’s tribute to Tokyo.

Each city scene, captured in HD photography, is deliciously constructed with famous foods from each location.

“When Hotels.com approached me with the idea, I instantly knew this project was right up my bean cobbled, blue cheese street! It was a great opportunity for me to bring images and scenes of these hugely popular foodie destinations to life in an exciting and contemporary way. I hope that these images will not only blow people away, but inspire them to get online, get booking and not just ‘sightsee’ but ‘sighttaste,” Warner said.

Flavour-chasing travellers in search of inspiration for their next #TastyTravels can head to the Hotels.com Facebook page to see the three delicious artworks by Carl Warner come to life.

The two new tastes were launched at a recent event hosted by Samuel Dambreville, the brand’s business executive officer, at Emquartier.

The chic Nespresso coffee bar sent off delicate aromas throughout the launch event, as Nespresso baristas handed out iced coffees to the guests. One was A Hint of Mint, made from Ispirazione Salentina, with cooling mint, and another was Pomme D’api, made from Ispirazione Shakerato with refreshing apple juice.

Centred on a “Creators of Summer” theme to reflect summery fun Nespresso-style, the event also enticed the guests with portrait drawing from Juli Baker and Summer, a corner where guests could screen patterns on pieces of cloth as well as fun games.

Many coffee-loving celebrities turned out for the launch, among them Seranee Charnvirakul, Ploychompoo Ampuch, Jarujit Baiyoke, Pimlert Baiyoke, Saowakon Pornpatanarak, Tanos Hongsananda, Varit Hongsananda, Piyada Nanta, Hathairat Charoenchaichana, Saengkhae Hemkamonset, Pornnapa Kiatsrichart, Taron Liptapallop, Oranicha Krinachai, Aurapraphan Sudhinaraset, Netdaw Wattanasimakorn and Thongthep Thepkanjana.

Ispirazione Shakerato and Ispirazione Salentina are available in 10-capsule boxes at Bt260 until September 4 at Nespresso boutiques in Siam Paragon, PopUp boutique at EmQuartier, and Central Embassy.

The programme adapts Stanford University’s “design thinking” process to prepare students to be quality employees of the industry, able to handle all aspects of change.

The interns will be prepared for real-life work through hands-on practice emulating an actual work environment with experts advising them.

There are two courses – Civil Engineering for 30 students and Marketing and Sales for 20 persons. Upon completing the internship, the students will receive a certificate from the AP Academy.

Four interns whose performance is outstanding will be sent on a study trip to Japan, at the Mitsubishi Estate Group’s Mitsubishi Jisho Residence.

“We hope the design thinking process we pass on to the students will be an essential tool they can use in the long term,” says chief executive officer Anuphong Assavabhokhin.

“Design thinking is a customer-centric process used to deeply understand problems. There are five steps – empathise, define, ideate, prototype and test.”

Prof Chuenchit Chaengchenkit of the Faculty of Business Administration’s Department of Marketing at Kasetsart University agrees that this programme will offer students an opportunity for self-development in real business.

“It allows them to study how the business works full circle, because AP is a company with a full-circle operation, from land development to project management after delivery. Students of any discipline must understand that, in business development, you cannot do everything alone. You need expertise from different lines of profession.”

Intern Puripat Limwattananonth, a civil engineering student at Mahidol University, said at the orientation, “I liked the programme as soon as I saw the curriculum because it guarantees you’ll be training in what you study.”

For gourmets, the hotel continues to serve great dining experiences with special privileges and treats at its renowned riverside restaurants. For all buffets at Feast, one adult can pay normal price and another accompanying adult pays only Bt35, while Riverside Grill, Giorgio’s and Thara Thong charge just Bt35 for every second main course order.

The spa offers 35-per-cent discount on an elegant, Balinese-inspired massage that will leave the senses soothed and rejuvenated. Based on the belief that health and well being are vital to human satisfaction, members of the public can save up to 35 per cent when applying for annual membership at the Health & Fitness Centre.

Corporate conferences also get a boost with triple Starpointsz on eligible revenue for meetings booked during the four weeks for arrival by September 30. Guests also get a chance to win many awards including accommodation vouchers, spa vouchers and more.

Find out more at http://www.RoyalOrchidSheraton.com/35anniversary.