PakMonitor - News Around The Globe

FACEBOOK'S NEW ALGORITHM WILL SURFACE QUALITY CONTENT

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<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;">Earlier last week reports had emerged that Facebook replaced its famous EdgeRank system with a better algorithm to surface the most important news on your News Feed. The social networking giant has now confirmed that it has indeed updated its News Feed algorithm to showcase “high quality” content from pages that you’ve liked.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;">Facebook has updated its algorithm to be able to bring the right kind of content at the right time to News Feeds of users who will appreciate it. Facebook had been facing some flak for being unable to surface content from pages that were liked by users for a while now. This tweak in its algorithm should solve this issue.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;">In a blog post announcing the new algorithm, Facebook's Varun Kacholia wrote, “Our goal is to show the right content to the right people at the right time so they don’t miss the stories that are important to them. As part of that we want to make sure that the best quality content is being produced, surfaced and shared. Our latest update to the News Feed ranking algorithm helps ensure that the organic content people see from Pages they are connected to is the most interesting to them.”</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;">Kacholia writes that in order to figure out what high quality content meant, Facebook surveyed thousands of users to understand what they wanted to see. Questions asked to users includes “Is this timely and relevant content”, “Is this content from a source you would trust,” “Would you share it with friends and recommend it to others.” “Is the content genuinely interesting to you or is it trying to game News Feed distribution? (e.g., asking for people to like the content)”.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;">Most interestingly, Facebook bunched memes with low quality posts while asking users about high quality posts. The social networking website will be punishing posts by pages that are actually memes since it considers them to be low quality. Facebook will be taking into consideration issues like whether users have hidden posts from the page recently or frequently. This will qualify those posts as low quality ones. Important factors also include how complete the Facebook profile of the page is and whether or not the fan base for a particular page overlaps with other known high quality pages.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;">The algorithm is supposed to be quite intuitive and will keep learning to classify high quality posts and pages as and when users keep interacting with them and sending in more feedback. Kacholia writes that this new algorithm had been tested with a small group of audiences first and it worked well as it not only drove up the interaction on these pages but also saw users hiding lesser stories throughout.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;">For pages that are seeing good engagement already, this new algorithm will assure that your content is seen by people who matter and more fans of your pages as the quality of your posts improve. Thanks to better insights rolled out by Facebook recently. Page admins should be able to figure out the kind of posts that drive up engagement as well as targeting and timing. Looks like Facebook has finally got its act together as far as content is concerned</span>

FACEBOOK'S NEW ALGORITHM WILL SURFACE QUALITY CONTENT

Earlier last week reports had emerged that Facebook replaced its famous EdgeRank system with a better algorithm to surface the most impor...

IMPLICATIONS OF WIFI ON AIR INDIA AIRCRAFT

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Air India finally did something to make us sit up and take notice. They announced that they would provide wi-fi facilities to people on board their aircraft. This is great, but we don't think they've thought through some of the funnier consequences of their decision. Here are some examples:</div>
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<span style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: underline;"><strong style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">1. Neighbours will become less irritating:</strong></span> That old aunty who talks about her back problem, that fat man who takes over half your seat in addition to his own - all of them can be vanquished by one simple medicine - WhatsApp.</div>
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<span style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: underline;"><strong style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">2. Less babies will get bad wishes:</strong></span> Every person who ever wants to sleep on an aircraft is always greeted by a baby with magnificent lungs and a bad mood, and all such people spend the entire flight wishing for bad things to happen to the baby. But now, with Facebook available as a distraction, crying babies won't even be noticed.</div>
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<span style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: underline;"><strong style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">3. The lack of in-flight entertainment won't matter:</strong></span> Air India has everything except on-demand movies on seats, but with WiFi, it won't matter any more. Everyone will just switch on their torrents together.</div>
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<span style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: underline;"><strong style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">4. Corporate workers will be even more harassed:</strong></span> Conference calls. Urgent emails. Powerpoint slides. Excel models. All these were once not expected from an employee on a flight. No more. With WiFi, Air India has essentially transported your boss on the seat next to you.</div>
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<span style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: underline;"><strong style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">5. There will be no more queues once the flight stops:</strong></span> In India, we queue up in the aisles 10 minutes before the flight doors open, so that we can feel that our normal life, with smartphones and Facebook and Twitter, is closer to us. After internet on planes, our life will be in our hands the whole time. The in-flight attendants will have to pull people out of seats.</div>
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<span style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: underline;"><strong style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">6. People will start flying for the free WiFi:</strong></span> We in India do crazy things to get free WiFi. We sit in coffeeshops for hours, buying coffees that we don’t need or want. We sit in public places and try desperately to crack the insecure passwords. Basically, WiFi is, for us, a red rag to a bull, and we will do anything to get it. Even if it involves paying thousands of rupees for a flight ticket.</div>

IMPLICATIONS OF WIFI ON AIR INDIA AIRCRAFT

Air India finally did something to make us sit up and take notice. They announced that they would provide wi-fi facilities to people on b...

Microsoft Suing Samsung for Not Paying Patent Royalties

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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRk7ApEDv8qEl67Z7NXmbamNvWxw7ECwtAYO5mlSnxin7MoOurdPZa77J-mjn1hMd6QEdiNn8dAauvvN_ehpGWnvi67yugS30IiEvw2pIK0TlkcGiQy9jotcZg821dqO5kW55XO6o4U4Y/s1600/Microsoft.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="440" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRk7ApEDv8qEl67Z7NXmbamNvWxw7ECwtAYO5mlSnxin7MoOurdPZa77J-mjn1hMd6QEdiNn8dAauvvN_ehpGWnvi67yugS30IiEvw2pIK0TlkcGiQy9jotcZg821dqO5kW55XO6o4U4Y/s1600/Microsoft.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Microsoft claims that Samsung threatened to withhold royalty payments
 related to the Android operating system and is suing them over it 
according to a <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" target="_blank">report</a> from the <em>AP. </em>It's
 the end of a deal that Microsoft and Samsung made back in 2011 where 
Samsung would pay royalties on Android patents and allow cross-licensing
 of patents.<br />

Microsoft's patents are used by tech companies all over the world and
 its a steady stream of income that helps keep Microsoft the giant it 
is. It's not too surprising therefore that it is willing to go to court 
over it. There's far too much money at stake for for the company to let 
it go. $2 billion a year according to <em>AP, </em>and probably set to 
grow as that Android system takes up a bigger and bigger share of the 
mobile market. Right now, there are over 25 companies using the patents.<br />

"We don’t take lightly filing a legal action, especially against a 
company with which we’ve enjoyed a long and productive partnership," 
wrote David Howard, Microsoft's deputy general counsel in a <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" target="_blank">blog post</a>
 on Friday. "Unfortunately, even partners sometimes disagree. After 
spending months trying to resolve our disagreement, Samsung has made 
clear in a series of letters and discussions that we have a fundamental 
disagreement as to the meaning of our contract."<br />

According to Howard, it all started after Microsoft acquired Nokia. 
Apparently the royalty payments came later and then just stopped. 
Despite discussions and efforts to resolve things out of court, 
Microsoft apparently feels it has to turn to the justice system to get 
it all worked out.<br />

"Microsoft and Samsung have a long history of collaboration," Howard 
wrote. "Microsoft values and respects our partnership with Samsung and 
expects it to continue. We are simply asking the Court to settle our 
disagreement, and we are confident the contract will be enforced."

Microsoft Suing Samsung for Not Paying Patent Royalties

Microsoft claims that Samsung threatened to withhold royalty payments related to the Android operating system and is suing them over it...

PTI considering resignation from National Assembly

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Pakistan
 Tehreek-e-Insaaf is considering tendering resignation of its National 
Assembly members during the session starting on August 4, 2014 according
 to party leaders, however, Shireen Mazari has denied such rumors. PTI 
has planned a million march on August 14, 2014 in Islamabad to protest 
the rigging of 2013 election. August 14th is also the independence day 
of Pakistan and it will be first time in the history of Pakistan that a 
political party will stage protest on this day.<br />
<br />
It is reported 
from Islamabad that PTI leader Shah Mehmood Qureshi told reporters that 
party leaders mulled over the possibility of tendering resignation from 
National Assembly seats. Qureshi, however, said the decision is not 
finalized yet.<br />
<br />
PTI member National Assembly Hamadul Haq has said 
that PTI leader has asked all the 16 PTI MNAs from Khayber Pakhtunkhawa 
to tender resignations. He said that Imran Khan will submit the 
resignations to the Speaker National Assembly on August 13, 2014.<br />
<br />
Central
 Information Secretary PTI, Shireen Mazari has denied that party has 
asked the members of National Assembly to submit their resignations. <br />
<br />
PTI
 is the ruling party in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhawa and has no 
planning to resigning from the provincial assembly as party leader 
claimed the alleged rigging during 2013 elections in National Assembly 
only.<br />
<br />
Kashmiris lodge protest on Indian independence day each 
year. It is first time in Pakistan that Pakistanis will protest on its 
own independence day this year.

PTI considering resignation from National Assembly

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf is considering tendering resignation of its National Assembly members during the session starting on August 4...

Indian Medical Association demands ban on use of antibiotics for growth promotion in poultry

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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHjzepK2eI37HBzSP6oADfcgNhisoHhAqfV1KEzKKjFNtUv_s_9kgtGw78TyxUogT6F29kNcOV8wdK0BInGbk5mAJnk4FR2GS3CjW55tOFwcoPQhS8KwrB9bNt55lf684dRlAfxT_ksJE/s1600/255601-chicken-dna.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHjzepK2eI37HBzSP6oADfcgNhisoHhAqfV1KEzKKjFNtUv_s_9kgtGw78TyxUogT6F29kNcOV8wdK0BInGbk5mAJnk4FR2GS3CjW55tOFwcoPQhS8KwrB9bNt55lf684dRlAfxT_ksJE/s1600/255601-chicken-dna.jpg" /></a></div>
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A day after an environment body said that "large-scale and indiscriminate" use of antibiotics in poultry industry might be "strongly linked" to growing antibiotic resistance in Indians, Indian Medical Association (IMS) today called for a ban on use of antibiotics for growth promotion and mass disease prevention in poultry.</div>
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It should only be used to cure the sick based on prescription of veterinarians, the medical body said.</div>
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"Antibiotics should not be allowed in feed and feed supplement. The government should set standards for animal feed, regulate the business. Antibiotics that are critical for humans should not be allowed for use in animals," said Narendra Saini, Secretary General of IMA.</div>
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"Further, stringent control on import of antibiotics and feed supplements should be implemented. There should be a stringent act on the same," Saini said.</div>
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The IMA also stressed on the promotion of vaccination against infectious diseases and demanded proper monitoring and surveillance of antibiotics supplied to the chemists. "Lack of data on the use of antibiotics and drug resistance is a major problem in India. It is necessary to create an integrated surveillance system to monitor antibiotics use and antibiotics resistance trends in humans, animals and food chain. A national-level database should be developed and kept in the public domain," said Saini.</div>
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"Governments worldwide are adopting regulations to control the use of antibiotics. But only those countries have shown signs of improvement that have taken stringent actions. European countries were the first ones to ban penicillin, streptomycin and tetracyclines as feed additives in the 1970s," he said.</div>
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The <strong style="background: transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #2731f5; font-weight: bold; outline: 0px;">Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) had on Thursday claimed that it found several antibiotic residues in chickens</strong><span style="color: #2731f5;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; box-sizing: border-box;"><b> </b></span></span>tested in Delhi-NCR region. It had said that "large-scale and indiscriminate" use of antibiotics in poultry industry might be "strongly linked" to growing antibiotic resistance in Indians.</div>
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The CSE also sought implementation of a comprehensive set of regulations including banning of antibiotic use as growth promoters in the poultry industry as it puts lives of people at risk.</div>
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It said 70 chicken samples from Delhi-NCR region were tested for six commonly used antibiotics during a recent study. While 40% tested positive, residues of more than one antibiotic were found in 17% samples. </div>

Indian Medical Association demands ban on use of antibiotics for growth promotion in poultry

A day after an environment body said that "large-scale and indiscriminate" use of antibiotics in poultry industry might be ...

US researchers develop method the make mice transparent

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Researchers have found a way to make see-through mice, but you will not find them scampering around your kitchen.</div>
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The transparent rodents are not alive and are for research only, to help scientists study fine details of anatomy.</div>
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Before they are treated with chemicals, the animals are killed and their skin removed. Researchers made their inner organs transparent, but not their bones.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAA3UwJ7JKvfzuLfmVSjbQm4As324wk6oLKMO36-_Ykam8LMpDdVOrXdBXUQUp-OAovxSNTNhnc0hi6qNBlct5bxrQ4rslQqw2LIyGJel4KANxBSGc3DEStX-fBMiibNS4-0d3hdnlsI8/s1600/2bb1fb8009cfe393c3cfd51c013262dd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAA3UwJ7JKvfzuLfmVSjbQm4As324wk6oLKMO36-_Ykam8LMpDdVOrXdBXUQUp-OAovxSNTNhnc0hi6qNBlct5bxrQ4rslQqw2LIyGJel4KANxBSGc3DEStX-fBMiibNS4-0d3hdnlsI8/s1600/2bb1fb8009cfe393c3cfd51c013262dd.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, 'Nimbus Sans L', sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; text-align: start;">A mouse with its skin removed and ready for examination to help researchers in their study of fine details of the anatomy.</span></td></tr>
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The results look like a rodent-shaped block of gelatin with the organs held in place by connective tissue and a gel used in the procedure.</div>
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Mice are mainstays of biomedical research because much of their basic biology is similar to ours and they can be altered in ways that simulate human diseases.</div>
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Scientists have been able to make tissues transparent to some degree for a century, and in recent years several fresh methods have been developed.</div>
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Last year, for example, a technique that produced see-through mouse brains made headlines.</div>
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Such treatments reveal far more detail than X-rays or MRI examinations could deliver.</div>
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The latest work was the first to make an entire mouse transparent, experts said.</div>
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It should be useful for projects such as mapping the details of the nervous system or the spread of cancer within laboratory animals, said Viviana Gradinaru, of the California Institute of Technology, who was the senior author of a detailed paper describing the work. It was released on Thursday by the journal <i>Cell</i>.</div>
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It might also help doctors analyse biopsy samples from people, she said.</div>
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The see-through technique involves pumping chemicals through blood vessels, as well as other passages in the brain and spinal cord.</div>
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Some chemicals form a mesh to hold tissue in place, while others wash out the fats that make tissue block light.</div>
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It took about a week to create a transparent mouse, Gradinaru said.</div>
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The researchers also have made transparent rats, which took about two weeks, she said.</div>
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Scientists can use stains to highlight anatomical details such as the locations of active genes.</div>

US researchers develop method the make mice transparent

Researchers have found a way to make see-through mice, but you will not find them scampering around your kitchen. The transparent roden...

What To Eat To Get Your Sleep Back On Track

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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGunh0wtbhd3sH4kqDGguke-NT4QXEy2oj2njAxI4kHuy5OC2cK9KnRp95kdh0OGwcNOspgSlYERwS_jNArZkQ4JxACV7QPZg78gxpO4aV8uve9REkaTE9DL4QHpaOUAT9yLoMaqdlYBA/s1600/n-SLEEP-DIET-large570.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGunh0wtbhd3sH4kqDGguke-NT4QXEy2oj2njAxI4kHuy5OC2cK9KnRp95kdh0OGwcNOspgSlYERwS_jNArZkQ4JxACV7QPZg78gxpO4aV8uve9REkaTE9DL4QHpaOUAT9yLoMaqdlYBA/s1600/n-SLEEP-DIET-large570.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<em style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">By Melaina Juntti for Men's Journal</em></div>
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If you work overnight shifts, pull frequent late nights at the office or travel so often that you're constantly jet-lagged, you know how tough it can be to get good, quality sleep -- even when your overtaxed body badly craves it. That's because having an erratic sleep schedule throws off your circadian clock. These cyclical internal rhythms rely on cues from the environment -- <span style="color: #6aa3b1;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: inherit;">most importantly light</span></span> -- to regulate sleepiness, hunger, metabolism, immune system function and more.</div>
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<span style="color: #6aa3b1;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: inherit;">According to a new study</span></span>, you can get your circadian clock back on track by simply changing your diet.</div>
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A team of researchers from Japan found that the connection between diet and circadian rhythm is is all about the insulin. The pancreas secretes this hormone when food is consumed, and certain foods trigger more insulin release than others. Put simply, an insulin rush makes you feel tired. Therefore, the researchers say that by eating foods that cause a lot of insulin to be secreted, you can jolt your circadian clock ahead so you'll become sleepy, just like you should be at end of the day. On the flip side, by consuming foods that do not trigger a big insulin surge, you can dial back your clock to feel alert, just how you'd want to be in the morning.</div>
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To help you hit the sack at a decent hour so you can be up early the next morning, your dinner menu should include lots of carbs, says study author Dr. Makoto Akashi. "Given that insulin secretion is strongly induced by carbohydrates, if you're an early bird, you may be helped by eating carb-rich foods for dinner, such as pasta, potatoes, and rice," he says. And then to avoid an insulin-induced crash in the morning, steer clear of carb-heavy breakfast foods like bagels, waffles, and sugary cereals. Eat lean proteins, fruits, veggies and whole grains instead.</div>
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Even if you work a 9-to-5 job and your sleep schedule is quasi-normal, your circadian clock still may be out of step with the time of day -- and you might benefit from a little diet manipulation. According to Akashi, most people today lead lifestyles that don't allow sunlight to do the clock-setting as it should. Because we're constantly being exposed to blue-wavelength light emitted from laptop computers, TVs and iPads, our clock is predominantly on a "night mode that is desynchronized from social life, leading to a kind of jet lag feeling," he explains. Therefore, Akashi says getting your circadian clock back in sync through food might be a key to better digestion, metabolism and overall health.</div>

What To Eat To Get Your Sleep Back On Track

By Melaina Juntti for Men's Journal If you work overnight shifts, pull frequent late nights at the office or travel so often that...