Features

Parents often catch medical errors that their child’s doctor missed, according to a US study that suggests families may be an untapped resource for improving hospital safety and preventing mistakes. 

Roughly one in ten parents spotted mistakes that physicians did not, according to the study of safety incidents observed on two paediatric units at a hospital in Boston. 

“Parents may notice different things than healthcare providers do, and thereby provide complementary information that can only help make care safer,” said lead study author Dr Alisa Khan, a paediatrics researcher at Harvard Medical School and Boston Children’s Hospital. 

“As anyone who has ever been hospitalised knows, hospitals are very complex places where there are a lot of moving parts, and errors are bound to happen despite all of our best efforts,” Khan added by e-mail. “I think we — including parents — can all work together to keep children safe.”

To assess how frequently parents detect mistakes that doctors didn’t catch, Khan and colleagues reviewed data on 383 kids hospitalised in 2013 and 2014. 

Parents completed written surveys detailing any safety incidents their children experienced during their hospital stays. 

Then, two physician reviewers classified incidents as medical errors, other quality issues, or situations that weren’t safety problems. 

Overall, 34 parents (8.9 per cent) reported 37 safety incidents, the researchers report in JAMA Paediatrics.

When doctors reviewed these incidents, they found 62 per cent, or 23 of the cases, were medical mistakes. Another 24 per cent, or 9 situations, involved other quality issues. 

The remaining 14 per cent, or 5 cases, were neither mistakes nor quality problems, the physician reviewers concluded. 

For the subset of cases that were medical mistakes, the reviewers found 30 per cent of the incidents caused harm and were preventable. 

Children with medical errors appeared to have longer hospital stays, and these kids were more likely than others in the study to have either metabolic or neuromuscular conditions. 

Preventable errors described by parents included delays detecting a foreign body left behind after a procedure, recognition and treatment of urinary retention, and receipt of pain medication. 

In one case a poorly dressed wound got contaminated with stool, while in another instance a child got an infection from an unused intravenous catheter. 

Parents identified communication problems as a contributing factor in a number of errors, including instances when day and night staff didn’t note a medication change and when written information for one patient was documented in a different patient’s medical record. 

Beyond its small size and the fact that it was conducted at just one hospital, other limitations of the study include its reliance on English-speaking parents and its sample of participants who were predominantly female, well-educated and affluent, the authors note. 

Kids of non-English-speaking parents may be particularly vulnerable to errors, and it’s possible that including these families might have exposed even higher rates of parent-reported errors, the researchers point out. 

Even so, the findings add to a growing body of evidence suggesting that clinicians may often be unaware of errors affecting their patients, said Dr Daniel Neuspiel, a paediatric researcher at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine in Charlotte who wasn’t involved in the study. 

“The specific frequency of such errors may differ in other populations, but we know they occur in all clinical settings,” Neuspiel added by email. 

While the study is too small to draw broad conclusions on error rates or safety, it still highlights the value of parents speaking up when something seems amiss with their child’s care, said Dr. Irini Kolaitis, a paediatric researcher at Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago who wasn’t involved in the study. 

“A parent knows their child better than any member of the healthcare team does, stands by their bedside and plays an active role in their child’s healthcare delivery throughout their hospitalisation and after discharge, and often has a sense when something is not right,” Kolaitis said by e-mail. “For these reasons, any perceived error that a parent reports, noting in the care of their child must be taken seriously.”

SEOUL — A champion Go player scored his first win over a Go-playing computer programme on Sunday after losing three straight times in the ancient Chinese board game, saying he finally found weaknesses in the software.

Lee Sedol’s victory over AlphaGo is a reminder that Google’s Go-playing programme has room for improvement despite winning the first three matches in the best-of-five series and the $1 million prize, which will be donated to charity. The programme — the first computer system to defeat a top Go player — was developed by Google DeepMind two years ago.

“This one win is so valuable and I will not trade this for anything in the world,” Lee, one of the best Go players in the world, said with a smile after entering the post-match news conference at a Seoul hotel to applause from journalists.

Lee had said earlier in the series, which began last week, that he was unable to beat AlphaGo because he could not find any weaknesses in the software’s strategy.

But after Sunday’s match, the 33-year-old South Korean Go grandmaster, who has won 18 international championships, said he found two weaknesses in the artificial intelligence programme.

Lee said that when he made an unexpected move, AlphaGo responded with a move as if the programme had a bug, indicating that the machine lacked the ability to deal with surprises.

AlphaGo also had more difficulty when it played with a black stone, according to Lee. In Go, two players take turns putting black or white stones on a 19-by-19-line grid, with a goal of putting more territory under one’s control. A player with a black stone plays first and a white-stone player gets extra points to compensate.

Lee played with a white stone on Sunday. For the final match of the series, scheduled for Tuesday, Lee has offered to play with a black stone, saying it would make a victory more meaningful.

South Korean commentators could not hide their excitement three hours into Sunday’s match, when it became clear that Lee would finally notch a win. AlphaGo narrowed the gap with Lee, but could not overtake him, resigning nearly five hours into the game.

Go fans whose pride had been crushed by Lee’s earlier defeats cheered the result. Prior to the series, Go fans, many of them in Asia, believed that the game would prove too complex for the machine to master.

Because there are near-infinite board positions in Go and top players rely heavily on intuition, the popular Asian board game has remained the holy grail for the artificial intelligence community for about two decades, after chess was conquered by computers.

First revealed late last year at the Frankfurt Motor Show and making its regional Middle East debut earlier this month, the Mercedes-Benz C-Class Coupe is a sporty complement to the tri-star brand’s junior executive saloon. A sophisticated design that takes its cues from Stuttgart’s full-size flagship personal luxury S-Class Coupe, the C-Class Coupe offers similar sense of glamour, but at a more accessible and affordable point.

Unveiled at a swanky event at the Dubai Design District to highlight its stylish aesthetics and its projected clientele of more youthful well-to-do professionals, the C-Class Coupe’s wide snouty framed grille, browed swept back lights, and assertive bumper and bonnet closely reflect its four-door sister. From A-pillar back, the C-Class Coupe features a more rakishly elegant and low gently arcing roofline trailing off to a descending rear deck.

With big tri-star emblem framed by thick single slats embedded in its wide grille dominating front views, the C-Class Coupe’s profile features a prominent sill line, and sculpted side character lines with concave surfacing. Complementing its slinky roofline, the C-Class Coupe features a rising waistline, and narrow glasshouse with blacked out hidden B pillars and frameless door windows. 

Longer and wider than its predecessor and sitting 15mm closer to the ground than the current C-Class saloon, the new C-Class Coupe has a more luxurious presence, with a 60mm longer distance between firewall and front axle highlighting this. Meanwhile, a 40mm longer wheelbase more than the car it replaces improves cabin space. 

Powered by a broad choice of efficient and effective turbocharged four and V8 engines driving the rear wheels through a seven-speed automatic gearbox — or with optional four-wheel drive for some models — the C-Class model range begins with the C180 with a perky 1.6-litre four cylinder developing 154BHP and 184lb/ft able to dash to 100km/h in 8.8 seconds. Mid-range engines include C200, C250 and C300 models using a 2-litre four-cylinder engine tuned to 181BHP and 208BHP and 241BHP, and 221lb/ft, 258lb/ft and 273lb/ft respectively.

Covering the 0-100km/h acceleration benchmark in 7.3 seconds in C200 guise, 6.8 seconds as a C250 and 6 seconds flat as a C300, the C-Class Coupe is also available in two high performance guises, courtesy of Mercedes’ inhouse AMG skunkworks division. Built for better agility, stability, handling and overall performance, AMG variant receive more aggressive styling, including evocative dual bonnet ridges.

Powered by a 4-litre twin-turbocharged V8 engine, the standard C63 version develops 469BHP and 479lb/ft torque and can demolish the 0-100km/h acceleration benchmark in 4 seconds. Meanwhile, a more aggressively tuned C63 S variant produces 503BHP and 516lb/ft, and shaves 0-100km/ acceleration time down to a mere 3.9 seconds. Both can be specified with optional 4Matic four-wheel drive to better put their volcanic performance down to tarmac.

Built with lighter and stiffer components, including more aluminium content, for enhanced efficiency, handling, ride and safety, the new C-Class Coupe even features optional adaptive Airmatic air suspension for a smoother more supple ride and enhanced body control. Featuring various driving modes, the C-Class Coupe’s suspension, steering, gearbox and throttle characteristics can be tailored for comfort, sporty driving and track duties.

Thoroughly well equipped with standard and optional features, the C-Class Coupe’s long list of infotainment, convenience and safety systems include semi-autonomous driver assistance features such as attention, brake and collision prevention assistance systems. Meanwhile, adaptive cruise control and steering input lane keeping assist can operate at up to 200km/h.

Stylish and functional with quality leathers, metals and soft texture materials, the C-Class Coupe features circular vents, chunky sports steering wheel and a tablet-style infotainment screen. Advanced infotainment systems include Mercedes-Benz Apps, Bluetooth connectivity, voice command, interactive navigation and a Burmester sound system, standard to cars in some Middle East markets.

An elegant and decidedly Francophone take on the small premium hatchback, the Citroen DS3 is a small car with a big car sense of maturity and comfort, and with Cabrio form features a rollback ragtop integrated and framed within its roof for added security and body rigidity. Driven in the next to top THP165 guise, the DS3 delivers frugal economy and confident mid-range muscle. 

First introduced in 2010 as the first of more stylish and luxurious parallel model range of cars offered by Citroen as part of its then nascent DS sub-brand, the DS3 was pitched at capitalising the same luxury compact segment as the modern Mini. The best selling of Citroen’s DS range, the DS3 is now being integrated within a standalone DS brand.

Elegant and urgent

Driven in Germany in Citroen guise weeks before being re-branded from “Citroen DS3” to “DS 3” in some European markets, the classy French city compact is, however, still sold under the Citroen brand in some Middle East markets. Intended to differentiate the DS line as more prestigious and luxurious, the standalone DS brand is in spirit to Citroen what Infiniti is to Nissan or Lexus to Toyota.

Mechanically unchanged and virtually identical in appearance in both guises, the DS3 has a distinctly French and classy presence, with prominent wheel-arches, 2-door configuration in Cabrio guise and a “floating” blacked out roof. Seemingly held up by a reverse angle triangular B-pillar, the DS3 features blacked out A and B pillars to create the effect, while a roof outline disguises the DS3 Cabrio’s rollback fabric roof section.

Taut and concise in design, but with chrome flourishes and big hungry gaping grille and side gills, the DS3 cuts a sculpted figure and features a pronounced sense of forward motion owing to its curved bonnet, ascending waistline and forward jutting B-pillar. Largely unchanged for service as a DS brand model, the DS3 gains slightly redesigned lights and bumper, including re-styled grille.

Little thirst, big thrust

Restyled from a two slat design incorporating the Citroen chevron logo — as driven and pictured — to a honeycomb hexagonal design with DS badge and more chrome heavy surround for new standalone Euro models, the DS3’s THP165 engine, however, remains the same. Economic and hearty, the THP165’s turbocharged direct injection 1.6-litre four-cylinder motor is refined, smooth and ample in mid-range.

Just shy of being a hot hatch in terms of performance, the DS3 THP165 is, however, not far off the pocket rocket segment. With little turbo lag and willingness to be revved hard, the THP165 develops 163BHP at 6000rpm, and more crucially, 177lb/ft torque from as early as 1750rpm. Riding a wave of mid-range thrust, the DS3 is quicker than expected in daily driving.

Overtaking and accumulating speed with seamless confidence, the DS3 THP165 was able to reach 180km/h effortlessly and briskly where possible on de-restricted segments of the German Autobahn. Weighing in just 25kg more than its hard top sister at 1,165kg, the DS3 Cabrio THP165 is capable of 217km/h flat out and dashes through the 0-100km/h benchmark in 7.6 seconds, yet returns 5.6l/100km combined cycle fuel efficiency.

Confidence and comfort

Driving the front wheels through a six-speed manual gearbox and with 205/45R17 tyres putting power down to the road, the DS3 THP165 develops good traction even in wet weather. Though slightly rubbery, the DS3’s gear lever moves in a slick, quick and satisfying when handled with finesse, but is slightly notchy if handled roughly. Meanwhile, its clutch is light with an intuitive biting point.

Grippy and agile, the DS3 turns into corners tidily and displays good wet weather roadholding, while its suspension provides body control but is not overly stiff. If slightly on the firm side over sudden sharp texture changes, the DS3’s suspension and tyres, however, provided a comfortable and supple ride over the superbly surfaced autobahn, while rebound control was buttoned down and settled.

Confident, comfortable, refined and stable, the DS3 Cabrio feels like larger more luxurious car on the high-speed Autobahn, and remains reassuringly planted even in heavy downpours. A mature and relaxed cruiser despite its compact size, the DS3 Cabrio’s ragtop roof also provided better than anticipated noise insulation at speed, while ride refinement from harshness and vibration were good.

French flavour

Rolling back along its frame, rather than flipping backward, the DS3 Cabrio’s approach to top down driving provides three setting of exposure, from sunroof-like opening to full retraction and back halfway down the rear in 16-seconds. And while prevailing conditions didn’t allow open top driving, another advantage of the DS3 Cabrio’s roof configuration is that it can be operated at high speed, at up to 110-120km/h.

Alluding to the classic and revolutionary 1955-75 Citroen DS in the sub-brand’s name, the DS3 and other DS models aren’t exactly direct successors, but are meant to capture the elegance and associated with Citroen’s signature model and most quintessentially French car ever. Classy inside with attractive layouts and good quality materials and textures, the DS3 Cabrio imparts a distant sense of that heritage and features a comfortable and well-insulated ambiance.

Somewhat high set and armchair-like, the DS3’s front seats are comfortably well-cushioned with deep supportive bolsters, and complemented by a big high central armrest. Meanwhile, the DS3’s steering is also set high while its big is set lower. Well-spaced in front with good visibility, the DS3 Cabrio’s configuration does, however, mean that its smaller 245-litre boot is accessed by a narrower aperture than the hatchback version’s more practical tailgate.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Engine: 1.6-litre, turbocharged, transverse 4 cylinders

Bore x stroke: 77 x 85.8mm

Valve-train: 16-valve, DOHC, direct injection

Gearbox: 6-speed manual, front-wheel drive

Power, BHP (PS) [kW]: 163 (165) [121] @6000rpm

Specific power: 62.8BHP/litre

Power-to-weight: 139.9BHP/tonne

Torque, lb/ft (Nm): 177 (240) @1750rpm

Specific torque: 150.2Nm/litre

Torque-to-weight: 206Nm/tonne

0-100km/h: 7.6 seconds

0-1000-metres: 28.4 seconds

Maximum speed: 217km/h

Fuel consumption, urban/extra-urban/combined: 7.1-/4.6-/5.6 litres/100km

CO2 emissions, combined: 129g/km

Fuel tank: 50 litres

Length: 3,948mm

Width: 1,715mm

Height: 1,483mm

Wheelbase: 2,452mm

Boot capacity, min: 245 litres

Kerb weight: 1,165kg

Suspension, F/R: MacPherson struts/torsion bar

Steering: Variable power assistance 

Turning circle: 10.4 metres

Brakes, F/R: Ventilated discs/discs

Tyres, F/R: 205/45R17

NEW YORK — It’s difficult to justify paying for a high-priced, top-end smartphone these days — unless, that is, you want to take good pictures.

In this Age of Instagram, a great camera is one of the few reasons to pay $650 or more for the latest smartphone, instead of $200 or $300 for a budget phone that does texting, Facebook and Web surfing just as well.

Samsung’s phone cameras have shown tremendous improvement in just a few years. The new Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge phones take much better pictures than last year’s S6 models. In fact, they’re now basically neck and neck with Apple’s iPhones, meaning that you no longer have to compromise on picture quality if you prefer Android.

I took more than 2,000 still shots and a few videos using 10 smartphones from Samsung, Apple, LG, Huawei and Motorola. To make the comparison clearer, I focused on indoor and night settings, such as museums, bars and New York’s Central Park at night. Even budget phones can take great shots in good light, but only great phones take good shots in poor light.

Better lighting, better focus

I was impressed with the S7’s ability to capture Central Park’s unlighted Bethesda Fountain at night. Shots from most other phones appear pitch black, save for a faint outline of the fountain’s statue and some distant light from building windows.

The S7 was also more likely to get the focus right on its own, without having to choose a focus area first by touching the phone screen. Even with touching, focusing sometimes takes a second or two on other cameras. I don’t get that lag with the S7, meaning fewer missed action shots.

The lens and image sensors on the S7 aren’t large enough to match the capabilities of full-bodied SLR cameras, but the phones borrow some of the focus and light-capturing technologies found on more sophisticated shooters. These technologies combined result in brighter, sharper images in low light.

Upgrading the S6

The S7 also has a wider-angle lens than last year’s S6 models, one that now matches iPhone hardware. It captures more of what’s in front of you. Among other things, people don’t have to squeeze together as tightly for group shots.

Samsung also corrected some design deficiencies in earlier models. The S7’s camera lens no longer protrudes awkwardly, as it did on the S6. Its screen turns into a flash for low-light selfies, just like the latest iPhones. (That means my selfies now look awful because of their subject and not the low light.)

The S7 also takes photos in a standard 4-by-3 rectangle, not the wider 16-by-9 frame of the S6. While overall mega-pixel count is lower on the S7, that’s entirely a consequence of the narrower width, which yields a photo like an S6 shot with its far edges chopped off.

A few quibbles

Many indoor shots come out yellowish, possibly reflecting the yellowish nature of indoor lighting. On the S7, books look as though they’ve yellowed from being out in the sun too long. Egg whites on a burger don’t look so white (though bacon comes out brighter, with more detail). Faces are more orange than usual.

Odd colours can make pictures look better, but they often don’t seem natural.

Comparisons

Of all of the phones I tested, the S7 and iPhone 6S produced the most consistent low-light photos. The S7 shots typically had better focus, while the iPhone pictures looked more natural, with colours typically mirroring how you see things.

The S7 has also cloned Apple’s Live Photos feature, in which the camera captures short video clips as it’s taking still photos. The feature is on by default on the iPhone, but you need to turn it on with the S7. Unlike the iPhone version, Samsung’s Motion Photo has no sound.

The latest Apple and Samsung phones are comparable in many other ways. (I took a first look at the S7 a few weeks ago: http://apne.ws/21hAP8X.) One impressive non-camera feature is the S7’s fast-charging capability. With the included charger, I get a full charge in just 80 minutes, and that’s enough for nine hours of Hulu video streaming on the S7, 10 hours on the S7 Edge.

The camera, though, is where these phones really stand out from the pack.

Meanwhile, Apple on Thursday sent out invitations to a press event at which it is expected to unveil new iPhone and iPad models.

In keeping with its practice, Apple revealed little about the event other than it will take place on March 21 at the company’s campus in the Silicon Valley city of Cupertino in California.

A message on copies of the invitations posted online simply states “Let us loop you in”.

Rumours have been circulating for weeks that Apple is poised to introduce upgraded versions of its small-screen iPhone and of the iPad, with the new tablet perhaps tailored for use by businesses.

A four-inch screen iPhone that looks similar to the iPhone 5S on the outside by boasts improvements under the hood is expected to get the spotlight at the event, along with an iPad with a screen slightly less than 10 inches diagonally.

The iPad may have keyboard and stylus features aimed at making it more attractive for getting work done. Apple has been trying to ignite sales of its tablets, which declined in the final quarter or last year.

Apple has partnered with IBM on iPad applications for use on the job, and Microsoft has tailored versions of its productivity software for the tablet.

The press event later this month is also expected to feature fashionable new bands for Apple Watch.

Apple has not publicly released sales figures for its Apple Watch, but IDC estimated the company sold 11.6 million of the wearable computing devices last year.

That gave the California giant a market share of around 15 per cent, even though its smartwatch sales began in June of last year.

The media event will come a day before Apple faces off with the FBI in federal court in Southern California over whether the company can be compelled to help break into a locked iPhone used by one of the San Bernardino attackers.

Double Down: Game Change 2012
Mark Halperin and John Heilemann
New York: Penguin Press, 2013
Pp. 499

Based on extensive interviews with over 400 persons involved in the events, Mark Halperin of “Time” magazine and John Heilemann of “New York” magazine take the reader behind the scenes of the 2012 US presidential campaign from beginning to end. You are there, so to speak, not only at public events, but at the candidates’ closed-door strategy meetings, mock-debate training sessions, private donor dinners and rare moments of relaxation.

While the main focus is on the presidential contenders, Barack Obama and Mitt Romney, the authors also sketch close-up profiles of their advisers, staff, family and funders, as well as pollsters, kingmakers, media figures and other influential politicians. It is a dizzying array; luckily, the authors provide an index. 

This is the sequel to “Game Change” by the same writers, which chronicled Obama’s 2008 election victory. While an incumbent president is usually thought to enjoy the advantage, Obama’s re-election was far from certain. The US economy was still faltering. “The opposition inspired by his presidency was intense and at times rabid, from the populist ire of the Tea Party to the legislative recalcitrance of the congressional wing of the GOP to the wailing and gnashing of the anti-Obama caucus in the business world… The country was split almost cleanly down the middle, and more polarised than ever.” At the same time, “the practical implications of which man won were vast”. (p. 6)

With the stakes being so high, Halperin and Heilemann liken the election campaign to “a big casino” with the major players doubling down, increasing their investment (and risks) in their chosen positions and strategies. 

With so much opposition to Obama, one might think the Republicans would have had minimal problems coalescing on a viable candidate, but a substantial part of the book covers how Romney became their candidate largely by default. It is interesting to revisit the 2012 campaign just as the current presidential race is gearing up. Most of the major players from the earlier campaign are still around, and similar disarray exists in Republican ranks, but this time, Donald Trump has stepped decisively into the vacuum, whereas in 2012 he was a sideshow. 

“Double Down” makes for fascinating reading due to the amount of inside information the authors impart in crisp, erudite language. Paradoxes and irony run rife as friendships and alliances are forged, broken and sometimes re-forged. A case in point is the Obamas and the Clintons, whose relations were conflicted at the beginning of the campaign. By the end, however, things healed, not least due to Bill Clinton putting his oratorical skills wholeheartedly in the service of Obama’s re-election: “Once upon a time, not that long ago, the Obamas and the Clintons had been the Montagues and the Capulets. Now, more and more, it seemed as if the four most popular political figures in the country — Barack and Michelle, Hillary and Bill — were part of the same powerful family.” (p. 473)

 “Double Down” is as entertaining and suspenseful as any novel, even if one knows the outcome in advance. One gets immersed in the intricacies (and crudities) of US politics, but also appalled by the predominance of money, style and advertising techniques in determining the course of the campaign. That these factors play a big role is nothing new, but in 2012 they spiralled out of control, not least due to the 2010 supreme court ruling in the Citizens United case, which allowed unlimited spending in political campaigns by outside groups. According to the authors, “Everyone was grappling with the new financial terrain created by Citizens United.” (p. 110) 

Like in other fields, money impacts on people’s choices, and generates compromise on principles. When the Romney campaign created the first-ever presidential super PAC (Political Action Committee) to fund his campaign, even Obama, who had opposed super PACs, acquiesced to having one established to benefit his campaign. It is also disturbing to read that Obama was considered a poor debater, pedantic and unappealing to voters, because of his tendency to explain his policies in detail backed up by facts and figures. Again and again, money, style and advertising trumped content with dire repercussions not only for addressing racism and poverty in the US, but because of the great impact of US politics on other parts of the world. Trump’s current campaign — showmanship devoid of truth — seems to be the looming alternative. 

Notably, for a region considered so vital, the Middle East is seldom mentioned except when events there intervene in American domestic politics, as with the attack on the US embassy in Benghazi. The same is true for the rest of the world. “Double Down” is exclusively about the US political scene, and one will search in vain for any wisdom about the real links between US domestic and foreign policy.

That pesky kid brother or sister who broke your stuff and got you in trouble all the time may have actually done you a favour. A US study suggests that younger siblings might be really good for your health. 

That’s because by first grade, kids with younger siblings are much less likely to be obese.

Children who didn’t welcome a baby brother or sister into the family before first grade had almost triple the odds of obesity compared with kids who experienced the birth of a sibling when they were around three to four years old, the study found.

The study doesn’t prove that being an only child will cause obesity or show how adding a new baby to family might help older kids maintain a healthy weight. 

But the results suggest that parents may make lifestyle changes after expanding the family that could be good to try even before another baby arrives, said senior study author Dr Julie Lumeng, a paediatrics and public health researcher at the University of Michigan and C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital in Ann Arbor.

“It is possible that when there is a younger sibling in the family, a child might become more active — for example running around more with their toddler sibling,” Lumeng said by e-mail. 

“Maybe families are more likely to take the kids to the park when there is a younger sibling, or maybe the child is less likely to be sedentary, watching TV, when there is a younger sibling to engage them in more active pretend play,” Lumeng added.

Mealtimes might also be different with a second kid in at the table.

Parents of only children can sometimes be controlling or hyper-focused about what their kid eats, which can potentially lead to bad eating habits, some previous research suggests. 

“When parents use restrictive [e.g. keep food from children] or pressure to eat feeding practices [e.g. try to get kids to eat more food], children have an increased risk of being overweight,” said Jerica Berge, a researcher at the University of Minnesota who wasn’t involved in the study. 

“When a new child is introduced, parents may relax their preoccupation with the older child’s eating behaviours, allowing the older child to respond to their own satiety cues and self-regulate their eating,” Berge added by e-mail. “This self-regulation may lead to a healthier weight trajectory for the child with a sibling compared to a child without a sibling.”

For the current study, Lumeng and colleagues followed 697 US children from birth through age 6. 

At age 6, the kids without siblings were more likely to have higher than average weight for their height than their peers who did have a younger brother or sister, researchers report in the journal Paediatrics, March 11. 

Limitations of the study include the lack of objectively measured birth weights and information on events such a divorce, move or job loss in the family — all of which can influence the odds that children might become obese — the authors note.

Other factors that can impact child obesity including parental weight, maternal weight gain or diabetes, breastfeeding, early introduction of solid food, family meals, bedtime routines, TV time and physical activity, noted Dr Sandra Hassink, medical director of the American Academy of Paediatrics Institute for a Healthy Childhood Weight. 

“This is a very interesting study that makes an observation but there is not enough information yet to understand why children without siblings would be heavier,” Hassink, who wasn’t involved in the study, said by e-mail.

SEOUL — A Google-developed computer programme won its best-of-five matchup with a South Korean Go grandmaster on Saturday, taking an unassailable 3-0 lead to score a major victory for a new style of “intuitive” artificial intelligence (AI).

The programme, AlphaGo, took a little over four hours to secure its third consecutive win over Lee Se-dol — one of the ancient game’s greatest modern players with 18 international titles to his name.

Lee, who has topped the world ranking for much of the past decade and had predicted an easy victory when accepting the AlphaGo challenge, now finds himself fighting to avoid a whitewash in the two remaining dead rubbers on Sunday and Tuesday.

“I don’t know what to say, but I think I have to express my apologies first,” a crestfallen Lee told a post-game press conference.

“I apologise for being unable to satisfy a lot of people’s expectations. I kind of felt powerless,” Lee said, acknowledging that he had “misjudged” the computer programme’s abilities.

“Yes, I do have extensive experience in playing the game of Go, but there was never a case where I was under this much pressure... and I was incapable of overcoming it,” he added.

For AlphaGo’s creators, Google DeepMind, victory went way beyond the $1 million prize money, to prove that AI has far more to offer than superhuman number-crunching.

‘Stunned and speechless’

“To be honest, we are a bit stunned and speechless”, said a smiling DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis, who stressed that Lee’s defeat in Seoul should not be seen as a loss for humanity.

“Because the methods we have used to build AlphaGo are general purpose, our hope is that in the long-run we will be able to use these techniques for many other problems,” Hassabis said.

Applications might range from making phones smarter to “helping scientists solve some of the world’s biggest challenges in health care and other areas,” he added.

Previously, the most famous AI victory to date came in 1997 when the IBM-developed supercomputer Deep Blue beat Garry Kasparov, the then-world-class chess champion, in its second attempt.

But a true mastery of Go, which has more possible move configurations than there are atoms in the universe, had long been considered the exclusive province of humans — until now.

AlphaGo’s creators had described Go as the “Mt Everest” of AI, citing the complexity of the game, which requires a degree of creativity and intuition to prevail over an opponent.

AlphaGo first came to prominence with a 5-0 drubbing of European champion Fan Hui last October, but it had been expected to struggle against 33-year-old Lee.

‘Human-like’ approach

Creating “general” or multipurpose, rather than “narrow”, task-specific intelligence, is the ultimate goal in AI — something resembling human reasoning based on a variety of inputs and, crucially, self-learning.

In the case of Go, Google developers realised a more “human-like” approach would win over brute computing power.

The 3,000-year-old Chinese board game involves two players alternately laying black and white stones on a chequerboard-like grid of 19 lines by 19 lines. The winner is the player who manages to seal off more territory.

AlphaGo uses two sets of “deep neural networks” that allow it to crunch data in a more human-like fashion — dumping millions of potential moves that human players would instinctively know were pointless.

It also employs algorithms that allow it to learn and improve from matchplay experience.

Google co-founder Sergey Brin, who was in Seoul to witness AlphaGo’s victory, said watching great Go players was like “watching a thing of beauty”.

“I’m very excited we’ve been able to instil this kind of beauty in a computer,” Brin said.

On this occasion of the Japanese Doll Festival, celebrating the growth of girls and wishing them happiness, dolls wearing the Heian period clothing were put on display at the residence of Japan’s Ambassador to Jordan Shuichi Sakurai.

On the occasion, Naoko Sakurai, the spouse of the ambassador, explained to a small gathering of ladies the meaning of the dolls and celebration, taking the audience centuries back to explain the hierarchy of the pyramidal dolls’ exhibited with the emperor and empress on the top tier, with the rest of the seven tiers occupied by court assistants, musicians, guards and bride’s furniture in miniature.

The host also performed a traditional Japanese tea ceremony and embassy officials demonstrated how Japanese delicacies and sweets are made.

Reflecting on the theme of the day, that celebrates the growth of girls and their happiness, my opinion, as a person who visited Japan several times, is that when girls, “past and future mothers”, are given such a high status, there is no wonder that the outcome is a nation with high technology, stunning architecture, high education, all blended with traditional historical temples, castles, gardens, kimonos and costumes, traditional festivals, Ikebana, tea ceremonies and fine Japanese cuisine.

Encompassing all of that is the very warm Japanese hospitality and highly distinguished demeanour of the Japanese people.

A trip with the Shinkansen “super-express train” bears witness to the natural beauty of Japan, with the sacred Mount Fuji dominating the country.

In Kyoto, for example, the ancient capital of Japan, hosts the imperial palace and most renowned shrines, one of which is “Heian”, which gives its name to the costumes of the Hina dolls festival, one is taken back to the traditional historical Japan with its museums, samurai swords and all amidst so much present modernity.

Living with high-tech is not about speed anymore, as it used to be a few years ago. There are several other aspects that are more important than sheer processing power or even Internet speed for that matter, however vital this last trait may be.

We can go back to the old cars-computers analogy that was very popular in the 1980s and that remains surprisingly valid today. Long gone are the days where speed was the main factor that would let you choose a car. Not only any model can take you well above the speed limits that are into force in most countries and on most roads, but also drivers now look for comfort, convenience, security, features, environment protection and energy saving.

The same change in living style, the same new approach now applies to computers, smartphones and anything in between. 

Even size doesn’t matter much. Whereas some still like or perhaps really need to have 22 or 24-inch monitors on their desk, the vast majority is content with laptop or tablet screens, not to mention the smaller smarpthones. Data storage size is also a problem that belongs to the past. Whether it is on your local machine or somewhere in the cloud, storage is abundant everywhere; and inexpensive. A one-terabyte hard disk is a mere JD70 in Amman and most cloud services give you 15 gigabytes for free, or up to one terabyte for a nominal fee.

In a general manner, convenience and security are what we are mainly looking for today. They have significantly improved over the last five years or so. Unfortunately, things are far from being perfect, despite the undeniable progress.

I have yet to see the perfect e-mail software. From Outlook to Gmail and a few others, they all have weaknesses alongside their strong points. If only they could unite, join forces and put in common all their good features, discarding the not-so-good ones. What a wonderful product it would make!

If you consult your e-mail from various devices and locations you know about the synchronisation headache that is associated with the process. Messages are duplicated, or downloaded again, or they disappear without asking for your permission. Is your mail box set for IMAP or POP3? Do you leave a copy of the messages on the server? If yes for how many days? How good is your anti-spam filter? Etc…

Spam e-mail and various Internet threats are as invading and annoying as ever. In my trade as an IT specialist in Amman, not a month goes by without seeing someone severely hit by a virus of some sort. Recently I saw ransomware cause serious, irreversible damage to a friend’s data.

He admitted he had been careless and had opened and launched an e-mail attachment that was sent to his mailbox by an unknown sender. The ransomware virus encrypted all his files in a way that he couldn’t access or open them anymore. The virus then showed him a text that asked him to go to a specific site, to pay some money online so as to be able to get a code and then decrypt the files. Naturally he didn’t pay the ransom but lost his files nevertheless — for good. He was only able to retrieve a small number of them, form a backup copy set he has done one month before the attack.

Convenience sometimes comes at a price. We all know what a smartphone represents in terms of information, organisation and communication. The object has become virtually priceless in all what it lets us do. This being said, seeing it destroyed, damaged, or worse, stolen, is reason for disaster and nervous breakdown, and it happens every day.

So yes, definitely, it is not speed that we are after, but convenience and security. But we’re not really there yet.