Lifestyle

This programme is looking to onboard 200 digital-first made-in-India fashion, footwear, home and accessories brands in its debut edition in the next four months and will extend end-to-end support services to accelerate their growth.

With this programme, brands will be able to unlock their growth potential by leveraging Myntra's proven expertise in brand-building which in turn will drive scale at an optimised cost for brands, propelled by significantly enhanced on and off-app visibility and strategic guidance.

As an equal partner in this journey, Myntra will provide full funnel support focusing on building awareness, driving consideration and conversations. Brands keen on being onboarded to the programme can apply by writing to the team at MyntraRisingStars@myntra.com.

"With evolving fashion preferences, D2C brands are poised to play a key role in fueling the growth of fashion in the country," said Sharon Pais, Chief Business Officer, Myntra.

"The launch of Myntra Rising STARS programme will give a boost to 200 digital-first made-in-India brands and put them on an accelerated growth path. The programme will enable millions of our customers to have access to their differentiated offerings while enjoying Myntra’s best-in-class experience across discovery, shopping and delivery," she added.

Myntra Rising STARS Programme has been designed for both renowned and emerging D2C made-in-India brands with unique offerings for customers. Brands will be shortlisted based on pre-decided objective criteria, including but not limited to, the size of the brand, social media followership and uniqueness of the product proposition.

The most significant challenge for D2C brands is to expand their customer base and attain scale, owing to constraints in resources. The programme will help brands solve this by strengthening brand and intent building, optimising the cost of doing business and optimising customer acquisition cost.

Brands will also have the opportunity to get deeper insights into evolving trends and preferences while getting access to millions of customers on Myntra from across the country.

As part of the Strategic Account Management Services, the onboarded brands will be able to opt for service-fee-based dedicated strategic account management consultation and get access to insights, advisories and the opportunity to leverage Myntra’s expertise in brand-building.

Brands will have access to account management services to enable segment-based incentive structure, working capital support, faster repayment cycle and Myntra’s speed proposition, M-Express for enhancing overall customer experience.

Further, the programme will provide an immersive discovery experience through deterministic visibility to build awareness, drive maximum reach and acquire new customers while enabling higher engagement and improving consideration.

Myntra's newly launched Rising STARS Store on its app, with dedicated touch points across the homepage and category pages, will increase the portfolio's visibility. Collaboration with Myntra across on and off-platform campaigns allows brands to better leverage their social, celebrity, and influencer assets. Over three lakh styles will be a part of the launch of the 'Rising STARS' store. Some of the brands being featured include Neemans, Suta, Rare Rabbit, BlissClub, Fablestreet, The Souled Store, and Bewakoof.

By tapping into the collective reach with Myntra, brands can look at driving higher engagement around new launches, collections and trends. There will be a focus on showcasing video content through Myntra Minis, Myntra's revolutionary short-form video platform on its app to enable trends and launches, and Myntra Studio, a personalised content destination on the platform that provides users with access to shoppable content among other channels.

--IANS

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According to a Reddit user, the latest Samsung Health beta app, version

6.24.1.023, includes a “Feature List” that mentions “Ring Support,” reports

SamMobile.

However, the list does not provide any additional details of this feature.

It is also possible that “Ring Support” is included in the latest Health

beta app because the tech giant might want to add support for smart rings

made by other companies.

Or, the company might be planning to do both, release the Galaxy Ring and

bring support for third-party rings on the Health platform, the report said.

In February, it was reported that Samsung was working on Galaxy Ring for

health tracking.

The company was granted the Galaxy Ring trademark by Korea Intellectual

Property Rights Information Service (KIPRIS).

The Galaxy Ring classifications explained the product as a “smart device

for measuring health indicators and/or sleep in the form of [a] ring.”

The Galaxy Ring will likely monitor the wearer's health and physical

activities similar to a smartwatch.

--IANS

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The prevalence of overweight and obesity has risen dramatically over the last 25 years, and it is well-established that elevated BMI can contribute to several cardio-metabolic conditions. However, studies that have analysed the association between BMI and all-cause mortality have been inconsistent.

To understand, a team from Rutgers University in the US retrospectively studied data on 554,332 US adults.

Of these, about 35 per cent had a BMI between 25 and 30, which is typically defined as overweight, and 27.2 per cent had a BMI above or equal to 30, typically defined as obese.

Over a median follow-up of nine years and a maximum follow-up of 20 years, the researchers observed 75,807 deaths. The risk of all-cause mortality was similar across a wide range of BMI categories.

For older adults, there was no significant increase in mortality for any BMI between 22.5 and 34.9 and in younger adults, there was no significant increase in mortality for any BMI between 22.5 and 27.4.

Overall, for adults with a BMI of 30 or over, there was a 21 per cent to 108 per cent increased mortality risk attributed to their weight. The patterns observed in the overall population remained largely the same in men and women and across races and ethnicities.

Further studies incorporating weight history, body composition and morbidity outcomes are needed to fully characterise BMI-mortality associations, said researchers in the paper published in the open-access journal PLOS ONE.

BMI in the overweight range is generally not associated with increased risk of all-cause mortality, they said.

"Our study highlights the increasing reservations of using BMI alone to drive clinical decisions. There is no clear increase in all-cause mortality across a range of traditionally normal and overweight BMI ranges; however, that is not to say that morbidity is similar across these BMI ranges. Future studies will need to assess incidence of cardio-metabolic morbidities," they added.

--IANS

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The study, published in the journal Neurology, found that gum disease and tooth loss were linked to brain shrinkage in the hippocampus, which plays a role in memory and Alzheimer's disease.

The study, however, does not prove that gum disease or tooth loss causes Alzheimer's disease; it only shows an association.

"Tooth loss and gum disease, which is inflammation of the tissue around the teeth that can cause shrinkage of the gums and loosening of the teeth, are very common, so evaluating a potential link with dementia is incredibly important," said Satoshi Yamaguchi, from Tohoku University in Sendai, Japan.

"Our study found that these conditions may play a role in the health of the brain area that controls thinking and memory, giving people another reason to take better care of their teeth."

The study involved 172 people with an average age of 67 who did not have memory problems at the beginning of the study.

Participants had dental exams and took memory tests at the beginning of the study. They also had brain scans to measure volume of the hippocampus at the beginning of the study and again four years later.

Researchers found that the number of teeth and amount of gum disease was linked to changes in the left hippocampus of the brain.

For people with mild gum disease having fewer teeth was associated with a faster rate of brain shrinkage in the left hippocampus.

However, for people with severe gum disease having more teeth was associated with a faster rate of brain shrinkage in the same area of the brain.

After adjusting for age, researchers found that for people with mild gum disease, the increase in the rate of brain shrinkage due to one less tooth was equivalent to nearly one year of brain ageing.

Conversely, for people with severe gum disease the increase in brain shrinkage due to one more tooth was equivalent to 1.3 years of brain ageing.

Another recent study showed that skipping night-time dental hygiene sessions can increase the risk of heart disease.

"These results highlight the importance of preserving the health of the teeth and not just retaining the teeth," Yamaguchi said.

"Controlling the progression of gum disease through regular dental visits is crucial, and teeth with severe gum disease may need to be extracted and replaced with appropriate prosthetic devices."

--IANS

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In the study, published in the journal Psychological Medicine, researchers included 10,243 participants, and found reading about 12 hours a week was linked to improved brain structure.

It led to a positive performance in adolescence on cognitive tests that measured such factors as verbal learning, memory and speech development, and at school academic achievement.

These children also had better mental wellbeing, as assessed using a number of clinical scores and reports from parents and teachers, showing fewer signs of stress and depression, as well as improved attention and fewer behavioural problems such as aggression and rule-breaking.

Children, who began reading for pleasure earlier, also tended to spend less screen time -- for example watching TV or using their smartphone or tablet -- during the week and at weekends in their adolescence, and also tended to sleep longer.

Brain scans taken in adolescence, showed that children read at an early age had moderately larger total brain areas and volumes, including in particular brain regions that play critical roles in cognitive functions.

Other brain regions that were different among this group were those that have been previously shown to relate to improved mental health, behaviour and attention.

“Reading isn’t just a pleasurable experience -- it’s widely accepted that it inspires thinking and creativity, increases empathy and reduces stress. But on top of this, we found significant evidence that it’s linked to important developmental factors in children, improving their cognition, mental health, and brain structure, which are cornerstones for future learning and well-being,” said Professor Barbara Sahakian from the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Cambridge.

Reading for pleasure can be an important and enjoyable childhood activity. Unlike listening and spoken language, which develop rapidly and easily in young children, reading is a taught skill and is acquired and developed through explicit learning over time.

During childhood and adolescence, our brains develop, making this an important time in which to establish behaviours that support our cognitive development and promote good brain health.

“We encourage parents to do their best to awaken the joy of reading in their children at an early age. Done right, this will not only give them pleasure and enjoyment, but will also help their development and encourage long-term reading habits, which may also prove beneficial into adult life,” added Professor Jianfeng Feng from Fudan University in Shanghai.

--IANS

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Just, in this case, this was happening to a psychiatrist.

When Aashima Chander (name changed) joined the Psychiatry department of Chandigarh’s prestigious Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) three years back as a Junior Resident, she initially assumed it was the high-pressure job -- long working hours, strenuous academic demands and the massive number of consultations that were taking a toll on her.

“Those who make it to PGI’s post-graduate programme are overachievers and even a small dip in performance can lead to a feeling of worthlessness. And of course, there were times when I thought the teachers would think less of me -- that I am unable to cope with the pressure. I may have joined the Department of Psychiatry but I was still a novice and did not realize that I was suffering from a mental illness for a long time. It was during a long spell of crying in the washroom, that a friend pulled me and forced me to see one of our Professors,” recalls the 28-year-old, originally from Prayagraj.

Stressing that it was a time when she was not herself, Chander remembers asking the Professor if she would ever be a good psychiatrist -- considering she was battling the disease herself. Her doctor paused and assured her she would be a better one as she would always have a deeper idea of what her patients were going through.

Her husband, who is also a doctor pushed her to consult one. And Chandra’s mother played a special role. “She stayed with me when I was at my lowest. One day when I returned from the office, there were heart marks drawn with nail paint on every sharp object in her room -- knives, and paper cutters.”

Ask her if she ever feels a certain disbelief that a mental health professional is suffering from this condition, and she smiles, “Not at all. Because I am a psychiatrist and know that this is an illness that can strike anyone. ”

But Chandra recently who recently had a relapse, took a long time before she approached her consultant. “Let’s say, I was in denial -- like any other patient.”

Along with medications, what helped her were certain observations made by her Professor during multiple sessions. “The fact that I had a tendency to always seek and thrive on appreciation, something that made me push my boundaries to what I wasn’t comfortable with and force me to overwork. he told me that this could also lead to professional abuse. Frankly, I am still changing that about myself.”

As the conversation veers to how mental illness is perceived in India even in this time and age, she feels the situation is sad across the world: “A patient is assumed to be harmful and out of control. Media and film descriptions have also added to that, there were really weird depictions even 10 years ago, although we have become somewhat more sensitive about it now. In a corporate setup, the top management tends to feel that someone with mental illness may not be able to handle the stress and then eventually turn out to be a liability. And of course, then there are psychiatric illnesses deniers who insist it is a hoax.”

The doctor, who is no longer with PGI now, applauds other professionals in her department for their sensitivity and for giving her the ‘space’. “Not that I announced my illness, but they know. And have never been intrusive. Once during my low phase, I was on emergency duty with a very strict Senior Resident. There was an immense work backlog, and I just started crying inconsolably. It was a panic attack. He sat there, kept looking at me, and did not say anything. After a while, handed me a glass of water. The act of not offering a quick fix was extremely kind.”

--IANS

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Cleanse twice a day: Cleansing is an almost unsaid yet holy grail step in skincare that cannot be ignored. Cleanse when you wake up to take off any sweat, leftover makeup and night creams from the day before and before you go to bed to rid your skin of bacteria, sweat and makeup that have accumulated through the day. Try the POND’s Bright Beauty Spot-less Glow Face Wash With Vitamins that strengthens the skin's natural renewal process, revealing new bright cells and glowing skin.

Pro Tip: Wash your face with cold water that helps in increasing blood circulation, reducing puffiness and for an added boost to glowing skin.

Fade pigmentation with a brightening serum: Due to external factors such as pollution and ultraviolet rays, our skin tends to become extremely dull, leading to harsh dark patches. Use the POND'S latest Bright Beauty Anti-Pigmentation Serum, with a powerful, potent and efficacious blend of ingredients, including Gluta-Niacinamide that deeply penetrates 10 layers into the skin to reduce pigmentation and makes way for flawless radiance.

Pro Tip: Apply the serum before applying makeup for a dewy base and a hydrating look.

Moisturise with a lightweight gel: Opt for a hydrating lightweight formula that absorbs into the skin instantly without leaving any sticky feeling. You want to look for something that is ideal for the weather and that doesn’t weigh down your skin. Use the POND'S Super Light Gel that is infused with the goodness of Hyaluronic Acid, Vitamin E and Glycerine. This super light moisturizer absorbs faster than regular creams and gives 24-hour hydration for a water-fresh glow.

Pro Tip: Gently massage with circular movements, starting from the centre to the contours of your cleansed face.

Top it up with Sunscreen: While the sun during the monsoons might not be at its shiniest best, the UVA and UVB rays could still damage skin and cause tanning and pigmentation if you step out without applying a protectant on your skin. Use the POND's Serum-Boost Sunscreen Range that comes in three gel and serum variants that are non-oily, don’t leave behind a white cast and help fade those stubborn dark patches created by sun exposure due to the addition of Niacinamide-C.

Pro Tip: Apply your sun protectant at least 30 minutes before you step out into the sun.

(IANSlife can be contacted at ianslife@ians.in)

--IANS

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Nourish from Within:

Beautiful hair starts with a healthy body. Dr. Singh emphasises the importance of a balanced diet rich in vitamins, minerals, and essential fatty acids. Incorporate foods like salmon, eggs, avocados, spinach, and nuts into your meals as they provide essential nutrients that promote hair growth and strength. Additionally, stay hydrated by drinking an adequate amount of water daily.

Gentle Cleansing and Conditioning:

When it comes to hair care products, choose those specifically formulated for your hair type. Use a mild shampoo and conditioner that cleanse without stripping the hair of its natural oils. Massage the scalp gently during shampooing to stimulate blood circulation and promote healthy hair growth.

Avoid Heat Damage:

Excessive heat styling can lead to brittle and damaged hair. Minimise the use of hot tools such as straighteners, curling irons, and blow dryers. When necessary, apply a heat protectant spray before styling and use the lowest heat setting possible. Embrace natural hairstyles and give your hair a break from heat regularly.

Protect from UV Rays:

Just like our skin, our hair can also suffer from sun damage. Wear a hat or use a UV-protective hair spray or serum when exposed to the sun for prolonged periods. This helps prevent hair color fading and keeps the strands from becoming dry and brittle.

Be Gentle with Wet Hair:

Wet hair is more susceptible to damage, so handle it with care. Use a wide-toothed comb or a detangling brush to gently remove tangles, starting from the ends and working your way up. Avoid vigorous towel-drying, as it can cause breakage and frizz. Instead, use a soft, microfiber towel or an old t-shirt to gently blot excess moisture.

Regular Trims:

Regular trims are essential to maintain healthy hair. Schedule a trim every 6-8 weeks to remove split ends and prevent them from traveling up the hair shaft. This practice helps maintain hair length while promoting overall hair health.

Reduce Stress:

Stress can contribute to hair loss and other hair-related issues. Manage stress through relaxation techniques, exercise, and self-care. Incorporating activities like meditation, yoga, or regular exercise can help maintain a healthy mind and body, positively impacting hair health.

Achieving and maintaining healthy hair requires a holistic approach that encompasses proper nutrition, gentle hair care practices, and overall well-being. Dr. Saru Singh, an experienced Aesthetic Physician, encourages individuals to embrace these tips and make them a part of their daily hair care routine. By following these expert recommendations, you can unlock the secrets to healthy, beautiful hair that radiates confidence and boosts your overall self-esteem.

(IANSlife can be contacted at ianslife@ians.in)

--IANS

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It is thought that music can make maths more enjoyable, keep students engaged and help ease any fear or anxiety they have about maths. Motivation may be increased and pupils may appreciate maths more, showed the peer-reviewed article in Educational Studies.

Techniques for integrating music into maths lessons range from clapping to pieces with different rhythms when learning numbers and fractions, to using maths to design musical instruments.

“Encouraging mathematics and music teachers to plan lessons together could help ease students’ anxiety about mathematics, while also boosting achievement,” said Dr. Ayca Akin, from the Department of Software Engineering, Antalya Belek University, in Turkey.

She led the study, a metaanalysis of 55 studies from around the world, involving almost 78,000 young people from kindergarten pupils to university students, published between 1975 and 2022.

The use of music, whether in separate lessons or as part of maths classes, was associated with greater improvement in maths over time.

The integrated lessons had the biggest effect, with around 73 per cent of students who had integrated lessons doing significantly better than youngsters who didn’t have any type of musical intervention.

Some 69 per cent of students who learned how to play instruments and 58 per cent of students who had normal music lessons improved more than pupils with no musical intervention.

The results also indicate that music helps more with learning arithmetic than other types of maths and has a bigger impact on younger pupils and those learning more basic mathematical concepts.

Dr Akin pointed out that maths and music have much in common, such as the use of symbols and symmetry. Both subjects also require abstract thought and quantitative reasoning.

However, limitations of the analysis include the relatively small number of studies available for inclusion. This meant it wasn’t possible to look at the effect of factors such as gender, socio-economic status and length of musical instruction on the results.

--IANS

rvt/uk

The book "Politics, Lies and Conspiracy Theories", by Marcel Danesi Professor of Semiotics and Linguistic Anthropology at the University of Toronto, Canada, analyses the speeches of dictators including Mussolini, Stalin, and Hitler, as well as prominent hate groups.

His research finds there is one thing they all have in common: they all use dehumanising metaphors to instil and propagate hatred of others.

“The intent of such speech is to attack those who do not belong to the mainstream, such as racial minorities, or people of different sexual orientations,” Danesi said, citing example of words like ‘pests’, ‘reptiles’ and ‘parasites’ used by the Nazi regime to compare outsiders and minorities to animals.

Danesi’s research shows that dehumanising metaphors like these are so powerful because they tap into and "switch on" existing circuits in the brain that link together important and salient images and ideas.

In effect, metaphors bypass higher cognitive reasoning centres, directing our thoughts to focus on certain things whilst ignoring others.

According to Danesi, the more these circuits are activated the more hardwired they become, until it becomes almost impossible to turn them off.

Similarly, research shows that people who believe conspiracy theories develop more rigid neural pathways, meaning they find it difficult to rethink situations.

“When we come across a big lie or a conspiracy theory, it can shape our ideas without us even being aware of it,” Danesi said.

“By being exposed to particular metaphors, we may develop hostile feelings towards specific groups - this is why hate groups use metaphors to turn the switches on, so as to motivate people to violent activism,” he added.

Unfortunately, once people begin to believe lies, they are unlikely to change their minds even when confronted with evidence that contradicts their beliefs, the research showed.

Moreover, they are more likely to seek out information that confirms their beliefs, avoid anything that is in conflict with them, or even turn the contrasting information on its head, making it impossible to change their minds ever.

According to Danesi, this can have devastating consequences. “When lies are used to generate hate, harmful behaviours tend to result, including violence and genocide against the target individual or groups,” Danesi said.

So, how can one protect from the power of lies?

Danesi said, the best thing we can do is to understand the metaphors of the other party, and to examine one’s own metaphors. However, history and science tells us that it is unlikely to work -- research shows that once a lie is accepted as believable, the brain becomes more susceptible to subsequent lying.

--IANS

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