People with an impulsive personality refer to those who tend to do things without considering the possible dangers or problems first. According to a new study by researchers at the University of Georgia, such people may be more likely to have food addiction. The study found that people exhibiting impulsive behavior weren't necessarily overweight, but impulsiveness was related to a direct relationship with food, and therefore, less healthy weight.

    Food addiction has been compared to addictive drug use. Studies have linked the dopamine (多巴胺) release that occurs after tasting delicious food to the dopamine release that happens when people consume other addictive substances.

    Impulsive behavior involves several personality traits (特点). Two of these traits, known as negative urgency and lack of perseverance, were particularly associated with food addiction and high BMI (身体质量指数) during the study.

    Negative urgency is characterized by the tendency to behave impulsively when experiencing negative emotions. Some people might drink alcohol or take drugs. For others, it could mean eating to feel better. Lack of perseverance is when a person has a hard time finishing hard or boring tasks. People with a lack of perseverance might have difficulty attempting to change addictive eating behavior, which could also cause obesity.

    “Impulsiveness might be one reason why some people eat in an addictive way despite motivation to lose weight,” said Dr. Ashley Gearhardt, a clinical psychologist. He was involved in developing the Yale Food Addiction Scale in aid of those people. “We are theorizing that if food addiction is really a thing, then our measure, the Yale Food Addiction Scale, should be related to helping control impulsive action,” said Gearhardt.

    Clinical psychologist Dr. James MacKillop, whose lab was conducting the study, believes that therapies used to treat addictive drug behavior could help people who suffer from addictive eating habits.

    “Most of the programs for weight loss at this point focus on the most obvious things, which are clearly diet and exercise,” MacKillop said. “It seems that managing strong desires to eat would naturally fit in with the skills a person would need to eat healthily.”

    Reaching Out to a New Friend in Starbucks

    I'm a single mom looking for a job.One morning I had grabbed my favorite spot at a local Starbucks and was going through the newspaper when I noticed a man in ragged clothing looking really untidy.I felt led to speak to this man and so I did.

    I learned that he was homeless and just wandered from place to place.Starbucks was nice enough to allow him to come in from the cold or the heat depending on the day.I also learned that he used to be an architect,but as we spoke I saw more and more that he wasn't at the fullest of mental capabilities,which made me even more upset that he didn't have a place to go.

    I sat with this man for a very long time in Starbucks calling different clinics,hospitals,shelters,police departments.He even gave me a beat up business card of a gentleman saying that was his son's phone number.It was an out-of-state number,but I called anyway but was not able to reach him.Unfortunately,all the places I called were unable to take him.

    I asked him if he was hungry and he said yes,so I went down the street to a deli（熟食店）and ordered a sandwich and drink.When I got back,my new-found friend became angry for a reason I was not aware of or maybe it was some sort of mental disturbance.All I could do was set the sandwich down and told him that I'll leave it there for him if he wanted it and I left.I walked around town for a couple of minutes and then headed back to see if he was still there.

    A man who was sitting in Starbucks most of the time when I was there came out and told me that the man ate the sandwich and that he was touched that I had sat with him like I did.It seems to me that no matter whether something goes awry（非正常的）on the surface,there is always something beautiful at a deeper level.

    I still remember my friend.I looked for him every time I was in town,but that was the last time I saw him.I hope that I had provided some glimmer of hope that he was not forgotten.

    Close your eyes for a minute and imagine what life would be like if you had a hundred dollars less．Also imagine what it would be like spending the rest of your life with you eyes closed．Imagine having to read this page, not with your eyes but with your finger-tips．

    With existing medical knowledge and skills, two-thirds of the world's 42 million blind should not have to suffer．Unfortunately, rich countries posses most of this knowledge, while developing countries do not．

    ORBIS is an international non-profit organization which operates the world's only flying teaching eye hospital．ORBIS intends to help fight blindness worldwide．Inside a DC-8 aircraft, there is a fully-equipped teaching hospital with television studio and classroom．Doctors are taught the latest techniques of bringing sight back to people there．Project ORBIS also aims at promoting peaceful cooperation（合作） among countries．

    ORBIS tries to help developing countries by providing training during three-week medical programs．ORBIS has taught sight-saving techniques to over 35,000 doctors and nurses, who continue to cure tens of thousands of blind people every year．ORBIS has conducted 17 plane programs is China so far．For the seven to ten million blind in China ORBIS is planning to do more for them．At the moment an ORBIS is working on a long-term plan to develop a training center and to provide eye care service to Shanxi Province．ORBIS needs your help to continue their work and free people from blindness．

    For just US$38,you can help one person see; for $380 you can bring sight to 10 people; $1,300 helps teach a doctor new skills; and for $13,000 you can provide a training program for a group of doctors who can make thousands of blind people see again．Your money can open their eyes to the world．Please help ORBIS improve the quality of life for so many people less fortunate than ourselves．

    Japanese students work very hard but many are unhappy. They feel heavy pressures from their parents. Most students are always told by their parents to study harder and better so that they can have a wonderful life in the future. Though this may be a good idea for those very bright students, it can have terrible results for many students who are not gifted(有天赋的) enough. Many of them have tried very hard at school but have failed in the exams and have their parents lose hope. Such students felt that they are hated by everyone else they meet and they don't want to go to school any longer. They become dropouts.

    It is surprising that though most Japanese parents are worried about their children, they do not help them in any way. Many parents feel that they are not able to help their children and that it is the teachers' work to help their children. To make matters worse, a lot of parents send their children to those schools opening in the evenings and on weekends — they only help the students to pass the exams and never teach them any real sense of the world.

    Many Japanese schools usually have rules about everything from the students' hair to their clothes and things in their school bags. Child psychologists(心理学家) now think that such strict rules are harmful to the feelings of the students. Almost 40% of the students said that no one had taught them how to get on with others, how to tell right from wrong and how to show love and care for others, even for their parents.

    Humans make mistakes. Even surgeons with years of experience are not infallible. But what if these doctors could pool their knowledge and experience together and create a surgical standard of care, to be carried out by machines?

    That's the idea behind surgical robots, which may soon perform most surgeries, from sewing up tiny wounds to performing heart procedures. Many of these operations are, in fact, already completed with the assistance of robots. But a recent test suggests that robots in the operating room may soon go a step further, performing on soft tissue completely on their own, from start to finish.

    The Smart Tissue Autonomous Robot（STAR）, successfully completed surgeries on pigs. "We're the first group to develop autonomous robotic surgery with soft-tissue surgery, and when compared to standard operation, it's better, "says Peter Kim, professor of surgery. "The idea is not to replace surgeons；it will make the surgeons better and make the procedures safer. "

    A recent Mayo Clinic study found that major surgical errors-including operating on the wrong site or side of the body, or even leaving tools or objects inside the patient-occur every one out of 22, 000 procedures. That's rare, but robots like STAR would aim to lower the number even further.

    In the da Vinci surgical system, surgeons place their arms inside instruments and use their hands to control the movement of robotic tools on the operating table from afar. The robot's every major move is controlled by surgeons, and thus its results may vary based on the surgeon's training or experience.

    STAR, on the other hand, is entirely autonomous. It's not only able to work on its own and perform surgeries with a more flexible "hand", but it's able to react to the unexpected incidents. Cutting into hard tissue like bones is one thing, but operating on moving soft tissue is far more complex. STAR reacts to a changing environment, similar to how self-driving cars are programmed to not only drive on the highway, but also react to another driver making a mistake and getting in your way.

    LEADING INTERNATIONAL SCHOOLS 2019

    Jerudong International School(JIS) , Brunei

    “Achieving Excellence” is the motto of JIS, Brunei. A developing boarding school of 1,700 students, 40% Bruneian, JIS has made itself a leading school in Asia. With almost 200 highly qualified teachers primarily from the UK, the 120-acre single campus (校园) close to both coast and rainforest offers a unique educational environment. There is a Performing Arts Centre, 27 science laboratories, libraries and classrooms.

    The American International School (AIS), Austria

Founded in 1959, AIS is the oldest English-language school in Austria. School programs focus on academics, but also on the development of students' creative and leadership abilities and emotional intelligence. The school recognizes students' special learning styles, trying to make instruction different and allowing students to reach their full potential in different areas.

    Singapore American School (SAS), Singapore

    Founded in 1956, it is one of only a few good non-profit schools in Singapore. For over six decades, SAS has provided students from preschool to Grade 12 a good American education with an international view. The school supports professional development financially and continually sends teachers across the globe to discover new ideas and best practices from influential educational institutions.

    Santa Clara International School (SCIS), Spain

    In the school, when you walk into a classroom, you'll see hands raised, small groups assembled (集合), and presentations underway. You'll find teachers creating cooperative partnerships with students, encouraging them to discover and connect. You'll observe children working on meaningful hands-on projects that build skills and excite creativity. The teaching philosophy is that learning happens everywhere: in the classrooms, in the city, in a museum, on a farm, or just a walk around the neighborhood.