Neuroscience: High-Sugar Diets Suppress Dopamine, Leading To Overeating

From Phys.org/Univ. of Michigan (June 9, 2020):

High-Sugar Diet Dampens Release of Dopamine Causing Overeating - Univ of Michigan - Credit Christina May and Monica Dus“On a high-sugar diet, we find that the fruit flies’ dopaminergic neurons are less active, because the high sugar intake decreases the intensity of the sweetness signal that comes from the mouth,” Dus said. “Animals use this feedback from dopamine to make predictions about how rewarding or filling a food will be. In the high-sugar diet flies, this process is broken—they get less dopamine neuron activation and so end up eating more than they need, which over time makes them gain weight.”

It is well known that consuming food and drink high in sugar is not great for us, but scientists are continuing to unravel the intricacies of how the sweet stuff drives negative health outcomes. The latest finding comes from researchers at the University of Michigan, who through studies in fruit flies have found that excess amounts of sugar can shut down crucial neural circuits linked to regulating satiety, possibly leading to overeating in humans.

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Travels With A Curator: “Calouste Gulbenkian Museum, Lisbon” (Video)

In this episode of “Travels with a Curator,” Curator Aimee Ng takes viewers on a journey to Lisbon’s Calouste Gulbenkian Museum, the home of an extraordinary private collection that, like the Frick, was made available for the enjoyment of the public after the collector’s death. This is a museum about discovery and movement, a place of marvelous encounters between the Old Masters and modernist architecture. Peek inside this spectacular museum—you may recognize a certain marble sculpture whose terracotta sister resides at the Frick.

 

20th Century Art: “Italian Futurism – Umberto Boccioni” (Christie’s)

An introduction to Futurism, the dynamic movement that revolutionised Italian art at the beginning of the twentieth century. Obsessed with speed, the Futurists created art that captured the dawning of a new age. Also included is a closer look at Umberto Boccioni a founding member of the group, who died tragically young during the First World War. An extract from the Christie’s Education online course, Modern Art.

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Healthcare: “Rethinking How Hospitals Operate”

From the Wall Street Journal (June 8, 2020):

“We have to operate a hospital within a hospital, taking care of the needs for patients who have had strokes or a newborn delivery or need surgery while dealing with an otherwise healthy 35-year-old who picked up Covid-19 at a social event,” says James Linder, chief executive of Nebraska Medicine…

Rethinking The Hospital for the Next Pandemic - Wall Street Jouranl - June 8 2020For instance, more hospitals are remotely triaging and registering patients before they even arrive. Clinicians can consult with patients from their home via telemedicine to help determine how sick they are and if they need to come to the ER at all. From there, admissions are made with as little contact with staff or other patients as possible.

Hospitals are rethinking how they operate in light of the Covid-19 pandemic—and preparing for a future where such crises may become a grim fact of life.

Rethinking The Hospital for the Next Pandemic - Wall Street Jouranl - June 8 2020 - Illustration by Justin Metz
Illustration by Justin Metz

Rethinking The Hospital for the Next Pandemic - Wall Street Jouranl - June 8 2020 - Illustration by Justin MetzWith the potential for resurgences of the coronavirus, and some scientists warning about outbreaks of other infectious diseases, hospitals don’t want to be caught flat-footed again. So, more of them are turning to new protocols and new technology to overhaul standard operating procedure, from the time patients show up at an emergency room through admission, treatment and discharge.

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Interviews: Author Peter Boxall On His Book “The Prosthetic Imagination”

In this interview, Peter Boxall answers questions about his new title, The Prosthetic Imagination: A History of the Novel as Artificial Life. If the novel has helped to give our world a human shape, it also contains forms of life that elude our existing human architectures: new amalgams of the living and the non-living that are the hidden province of the novel imagination.
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These latent conjunctions, Boxall argues, are preserved in the novel form, and offer us images of embodied being that can help us orient ourselves to our new prosthetic condition.
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Discover more about this title at: https://www.cambridge.org/academic/su…

Top Photographers: “The Art Of Plated Food” By Jean Cazals (London)

Jean Cazals was awarded ‘Best Food Photographer 2012’ as well as other numerous awards. A London based food photographer, he gained his BA Hons. in Visual Communication at the LCP. After a successful decade of portraiture for editorial, advertising and design clients, he had a stint for 2 years shooting commercials.

Jean Cazals Manoir 2

Loving food and travel for years brought him naturally to turn his lens on food and lifestyle which he thoroughly enjoys!

Jean Cazals Chefs

Jean Cazals Photography

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Classics Cars: Design House “Zagato” Defined “Italian Style” In 1960’s

Zagato Logo
Zagato is an independent coachbuilding company and total design centre located northwest of Milan in the Terrazzano frazione of Rho, Lombardy, Italy.

1961 Alfa Romeo Giulia TZ Prototipo - Zagato

1967 Ford Mustang Shelby GT350 Zagato

The 1960s: Fuoriserie cars

The higher demand for special bodies required a passage from a handcraft to an industrially-based organization. Elio Zagato found a larger location at 30 Via Arese in Terrazzano (northwest of Milan), very close to Arese where Alfa Romeo would have chosen soon to establish its new plants. In 1960 Ugo Zagato was awarded with the Compasso d’Oro design prize for the design of the Fiat Abarth 1000 Zagato. In this period the mission of Zagato was to design special bodies to be assembled in series and fitted with mechanical parts and interiors supplied by major constructors. Under the partnership with Alfa Romeo the Giulia SZ, the TZ, TZ2, 2600 SZ, the 1750 4R and the Junior Zagato were born. In partnership with Lancia, Zagato continued the “Sport” series with the Lancia Appia Sport, the Flaminia Sport and Super Sport, the Flavia Sport and Supersport and the Fulvia Sport and Sport Spider. In addition there were some for special customers: Osca, Lamborghini, Bristol, Rover, Honda and Fiat.

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Top New Travel Videos: “Amsterdam – Timelapse 4K” By Albert Dros (2020)

 

Filmed and Edited by: Albert Dros

My long awaited timelapse film about my current hometown Amsterdam is finally finished! This film consists of footage shot during a 2 year period (mostly before COVID), has all different seasons transitioning into each other and even has a lunar eclipse above the city skyline.

With this timelapse film I wanted to create something unique. I wanted to create a visual experience with beauty, flow and emotion. I want locals to be proud of their city when they watch this film, and tourists wanting to visit (even more). I put this all in a film packed with little details. There’s a big ‘fun facts’ list that can all be read on a dedicated page I created.

Amsterdam is one of the most beautiful (and relatively little) cities in the world. Our city is not ‘spectacular’ as it does not have impressive skyscrapers and hyper modern buildings. But It’s just the whole atmosphere with our beautiful old buildings, romantic canals and everything that comes with it.

I’m super excited to finally release this film and I hope you enjoy watching it as much as I enjoyed creating it.

Sound design by Alex Clement alexclement.at

 

https://vimeo.com/albertdros

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World’s Top Architecture: “Air” By Yakusha Design

Yakusa Design - "AIR" - CLIFF HOUSE - 2020Air
2020
Area: 48 sq. m.

The idea behind this project – to create a feeling of instability and futility of such an architecture. From the equilibrium point of view, the volume is mounted on a vertical wall, which at the same time, not only stands on a rock but also stands in front of it.

Bearing the central element takes up little internal space, at the same time includes most engineering communications, and maximizes the view outside the window.

The interior layout is free so that nothing interferes with the view. Functional zones flow one into another but do not contradict. Stylistically, there is a combination of modern geometric style: straight lines, rounded forms of sofas, round lamps, ethnic: straw, roughly processed logs, decor, a bit of Asian: low dining chairs, a mat. The bathroom privacy preserved – we used a special glass with transparency adjustment.

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