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Nasa launches communication satellite

Written By Unknown on Kamis, 31 Januari 2013 | 22.10

CAPE CANAVERAL: Nasa today launched a new communication satellite to stay in touch with its space station astronauts and relay more Hubble telescope images.

An unmanned Atlas V rocket blasted into the starry night sky carrying the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite.

This is the 11th TDRS satellite to be launched by Nasa. The space agency uses the orbiting network to communicate with astronauts living on the International Space Station.

The first TDRS spacecraft flew in 1983; it recently was retired along with No. 4. The second was lost aboard space shuttle Challenger in 1986; Monday marked the 27th anniversary of the launch disaster.

This newest third-generation TDRS carries the letter K designation. Once it begins working, it will become TDRS-11. It will take two weeks for the satellite to reach its intended 22,300-mile-high orbit. Testing will last a few months.

Nasa estimates the satellite costs between $350 million and $400 million. Another TDRS spacecraft, L in the series, will be launched next year.

Nasa wants at least seven TDRS satellites working in orbit at any one time. The one launched today will make eight.


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Water flow on Mars hints at ancient life

WASHINGTON: Narrow ridges found in Martian craters may actually be fossilized remnants of underground cracks through which water once flowed on the red planet, a new study claims.

Water flowing beneath the surface of ancient Mars suggests life may once have been possible on the Red planet, according to a new analysis by researchers from Brown University.

The study, published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, bolsters the idea that the subsurface environment on Mars once had an active hydrology and could be a good place to search for evidence of past life.

The study conducted by Lee Saper and Jack Mustard suggest the ridges, many of them hundreds of metres in length and a few metres wide, had been noted in previous research, but how they had formed was not known.

Saper and Mustard thought they might once have been faults and fractures that formed underground when impact events rattled the planet's crust.

Water, if present in the subsurface, would have circulated through the cracks, slowly filling them in with mineral deposits, which would have been harder than the surrounding rocks. As those surrounding rocks eroded away over millions of years, the seams of mineral-hardened material would remain in place, forming the ridges seen today.

Using high-resolution images from Nasa's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, the researchers noted the orientations of the ridges and composition of the surrounding rocks.

The orientation data is consistent with the idea that the ridges started out as fractures formed by impact events. Importantly, researchers also found that the ridges exist exclusively in areas where the surrounding rock is rich in iron-magnesium clay, a mineral considered to be a telltale sign that water had once been present in the rocks.

"The association with these hydrated materials suggests there was a water source available," Saper said.

Mars colony project bags first investor

The ambitious $6 billion Mars mission that aims to colonize the Red planet and stage a reality show around it has attracted its first investor.

The Netherlands-based nonprofit organization Mars One, aims to land four astronauts on Mars in 2023, has secured investments that will fund conceptual design studies and its astronaut selection programme, officials said.

It plans to stage a global reality-TV event around the one-way mission, with cameras following every step of the way from astronaut selection to the settlers' first years on planet, Space.com reported.


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'Checking blood sugar during pregnancy essential'

PUNE: Blood sugar checking is essential during pregnancy, said physician Aarti Shahade. She was speaking at the conference Focus Diabetes 2013 held in Pune recently. This conference was organized jointly by Indian medical association, Pune and Association of Physicians of India, Pune branch.

"India is considered the capital of diabetes of the world where every fifth person will be a diabetic. Considering the mammoth proportion of the burden on health care system and economy of our country, it is essential to train our medical fraternity in the latest topics on the subject and deliberate in detail about its diagnosis, investigation, treatment and preventive aspects," said Shahade, also a convenor of the conference.

Rajeev Yervadekar, dean, department of health and biomedical sciences, Symbiosis International University and senior paediatrician Dileep Sarda, president (elect) Maharashtra state IMA, inaugurated the conference. Lecture on liver dysfunction in diabetes was delivered by Deepak Amrapurkar, a senior hepatologist from Mumbai who has worked extensively on this subject.

The highlight of the first day's session was a lecture by Helene Zephir from France, who has more than 70 publications to her credit. Zephir spoke on neuropathy in diabetes. The second day of the conference had diabetic foot workshop conducted by Amarjit singh Suri, president of Podiatry association. There were live demonstrations and case presentations. This was followed by deliberations on gestational diabetes. Senior nephrologist Muthukrishna Mani gave a keynote address on diabetic nephropathy touching upon the prevention of its progress. Clinical nutritionist Geeta Dharamatti touched upon medical nutrition therapy.


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In India, sons more likely to get hospital care

Written By Unknown on Rabu, 30 Januari 2013 | 22.10

LONDON: Gender discrimination is rampant among Indians, even when it comes to hospitalizing their children.

In a first-of-its-kind large scale study announced on Tuesday, scientists from the University of Edinburgh in the UK have found that a male child in India is nearly three times more likely to receive hospital care than a girl child, suffering from acute chest infections like pneumonia that often proves fatal.

The study published in the British medical journal the Lancet on Tuesday says that in some areas of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, up to four times as many boys under five receive hospital care for chest infections compared with girls.

The study found that a substantial number of children under five who became critically ill from chest infections were not treated in hospitals. Around 38% of severe cases did not even reach hospitals.

Speaking to TOI, Dr Harish Nair from the University of Edinburgh's Centre for Population Health Sciences, who led the study said, "Boys are biologically 1.2 times more prone to be suffering from severe chest infections than girls. It is mainly due to smaller airways among boys.

"But in India, the difference becomes more acute in the ratio of boys getting hospitalized for pneumonia than girls confirming gender as the main reason behind the trend."

The study, supported by the WHO, produced by a large international consortium of 76 researchers from 39 institutions, in 24 countries found that in Yamunanagar in Haryana, a boy aged 0-11 months is 3.2 times more likely to get hospitalized than a girl child. In Vellore, it is 1.8 times more likely and in Ballabgarh, it is 3.7 times more likely.

Overall in south east Asia, a male child is 1.9 times more likely to receive hospital care when affected with pneumonia while in the US it is 1.3 times and in Africa it is 1.4 times.


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Brits spend 5 years of their life worrying

LONDON: An average Brit spends two hours a day fretting over being out of shape, financial debts and high cost of living. A new study has found that stressed out Brits spend the equivalent of over five years of their life worrying.

According to UK health care provider Benenden Health, a typical adult in the UK scratches their head in despair for nearly 120 minutes each day, with worries about getting old, job security and relationships the most common triggers. The study also found that extreme anxiety has left adults unable to concentrate at work, endure sleepless nights and caused rifts with their partners.

Around 45% of more than 2,000 Brits studied admitted the amount they worried had directly affected their health. Paul Keenan, from Benenden, said on Tuesday, "It is a sad reality that stress is dominating our lives and having a severe impact - on our work life, our quality of sleep and our personal relationships. The crunch comes when it begins to have a detrimental impact on our health - and 45% admit stress is already doing this. Around 32% of people have even gone to the doctors because of worry or stress."

Concerns over low energy levels, fearing the aging process or work concerns were featured in the list of the most common worries. While relationship concerns like whether a partner is right for them or still in love with them burden the mind of many a typical person. The average person experiences six nights every month where their sleep is disturbed or the quality reduced as a result of worrying. And one in four Brits feel they have a major worry they aren't dealing with properly or are deliberately avoiding.

More than one in 10 people have bank statements, bills or letters they have yet to open and they put these out of sight because they are too scared to read them.

Keenan adds: "It's a small positive that 32% of people are taking stress issues to their doctor and seeking professional assistance. Brits need to ensure that stress is not taking over their lives without redress. They can do this by realising that a problem exists and not waiting until it is too late and their health is being severely impacted. The average person experienced 125 days over the last year where they had some sort of worry on their minds."


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US food and drug administration approves orphan drug to treat rare cholesterol disorder

MUMBAI: The US Food and Drug Administration approved Kynamro (mipomersen sodium) injection as an addition to lipid-lowering medications and diet to treat patients with a rare type of high cholesterol called homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (HoFH).

The addition of Kynamro helps to reduce low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C), apolipoprotein B, total cholesterol, and non-high density lipoprotein-cholesterol (non HDL-C).

HoFH, an inherited condition that affects about one out of every one million people in US, occurs when the body is unable to remove LDL-C, often called "bad" cholesterol, from the blood causing abnormally high levels of circulating LDL-C. For those with HoFH, heart attacks and death often occur before age 30.

Kynamro is an orphan drug approval, meaning it was developed to treat a disorder affecting fewer than 200,000 people. In December last year, the FDA approved Juxtapid (lomitapide) to reduce LDL-C, total cholesterol, apolipoprotein B, and non HDL-C in patients with HoFH.

"Kynamro, an injection given once a week, works with other lipid-lowering medications and diet to impair the creation of the lipid particles that ultimately give rise to LDL-C," said Eric Colman deputy director of metabolism and endocrinology products at FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research.

The safety and effectiveness of Kynamro were evaluated in a clinical trial of 51 patients with HoFH. On average, levels of LDL-C fell by about 25% during the first 26 weeks in those receiving the drug.

Kynamro carries a boxed warning on the serious risk of liver toxicity because it is associated with liver enzyme abnormalities and accumulation of fat in the liver, which could lead to progressive liver disease with chronic use.


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Scottish scientists to undertake rewiring of a human brain

Written By Unknown on Selasa, 29 Januari 2013 | 22.10

LONDON: Similar to how electricians deal with an electrical short circuit, doctors in Scotland will for the first time try to help stroke patients overcome physical disability by helping rewire their brains.

Doctors and scientists at the University of Glasgow's Institute of Cardiovascular and Medical Sciences are all set to undertake the world's first in-human trial of vagus nerve stimulation in stroke patients. The vagus is the most important nerve in the human body - the one responsible for the "mind-body connection".

Stroke can result in the loss of brain tissue and adversely affect various functions from speech to movement.

The study will recruit 20 patients who suffered a stroke six months ago and have been left with poor arm function as a result.

Each participant will receive three one-hour sessions of intensive physiotherapy each week for six weeks to help improve their arm function.

Half of the group will also receive an implanted a vagus nerve stimulator (VNS), which connects to the vagus nerve in the neck.

When they are receiving physiotherapy to help improve their arm, the device will stimulate the nerve. Doctors hope that this will stimulate release of chemicals from the brain called neurotransmitters that will help the brain form new neural connections which might improve the participants ability to use their arm.

If successful, such "rewiring of the brain" can come as a real boon for India which is expected to report 1.6 million cases of stroke annually by 2015.

The Indian Council of Medical Research says in 2004, there were 9.3 lakh cases of stroke and 6.4 lakh deaths due to stroke in India, mostly among people less than 45 years old.

Similar to a pacemaker, a VNS is a small device implanted under the skin near the collarbone. A wire under the skin connects the device to the vagus nerve.

The doctor programs the device to produce weak electrical signals that travel along the vagus nerve to the brain at regular intervals. These signals help prevent the electrical bursts in the brain that cause seizures.

Lead researcher Dr Jesse Dawson said: "When the brain is damaged by stroke, important neural connections that control different parts of the body can be damaged which impairs function. Evidence from animal studies suggests that vagus nerve stimulation could cause the release of neurotransmitters which help facilitate neural plasticity and help people re-learn how to use their arms after stroke, particularly if stimulation is paired with specific tasks."

A slightly different type of vagus nerve stimulation is already successfully used to manage conditions such as depression and epilepsy.

Dr Dawson added "This study is designed to provide evidence to support whether this is the case after stroke but our primary aim is to assess feasibility of vagus nerve stimulation after stroke. It remains to be seen how much we can improve function, but if we can help people perform even small actions again, like being able to hold a cup of tea, it would greatly improve their quality of life."

Stroke is a major cause for loss of life, limbs and speech in India. Experts say that if deaths as well as disability are counted together, then India lost 63 lakh of disability-adjusted life years in 2004 due to stroke.

The World Health Organization suggests that by 2050, 80% stroke cases in the world would occur in low and middle income countries mainly India and China.


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Safer, more effective vaccine delivery designed

WASHINGTON: Researchers have designed a new type of vaccine delivery that holds promise for improving the effectiveness of DNA vaccines, besides being painless.

About 20 years ago, DNA coding for viral proteins was found to induce strong immune responses in rodents, but so far, tests in humans have failed to duplicate that success.

MIT ( Massachusetts Institute of Technology) researchers have developed this new vaccine-delivery film with the help of polymer coated vaccines, the journal Nature Materials reports.

This type of vaccine delivery would also eliminate the need to inject vaccines by syringe, said Darrell Irvine, MIT professor of biological engineering and materials science and engineering, according to an MIT statement.

"You just apply the patch for a few minutes, take it off and it leaves behind these thin polymer films embedded in the skin," said Irvine, who co-authored the research with Paula Hammond, professor of engineering.

Peter DeMuth, graduate student in MIT biological engineering led the study.

These polymer films are implanted under the skin using micro-needles that penetrate about half a millimetre into the skin - deep enough to deliver the DNA to immune cells in the epidermis, but not deep enough to cause pain in the nerve endings of the dermis.


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3-D imaging surgery can cure skull disorders

KOLKATA: Craniosynostosis, a rare skull disorder in newborns in India, can now be successfully treated with surgery based on 3-D imaging, doctors said here on Tuesday.

"With one in 2,000 to 2,500 infants being diagnosed with craniosynostosis in India, which has life altering complications, such advanced surgeries based on 3-D imaging are the best options available in the country," said Richa S Debgupta, facility director of Fortis Hospitals, Kolkata, that recently performed such a surgery on a six-month-old.

Craniosynostosisis is a birth defect that causes one or more sutures on a baby's skull to close earlier than normal. This results in increased pressure inside the brain, which leads to facial deformities and blindness if not treated properly.

"Due to increasing intracranial pressure, the forehead does not grow fully. The skull would be defective and distorted and loss of vision would result eventually. Eyeballs would also protrude abnormally," said Dr Amitabha Chanda, consultant neurosurgeon at Fortis Hospitals who was part of the team that performed the surgery.

"Usually the method used to treat this is to relieve the intracranial pressure through surgery. However, this does not eliminate facial distortion or blindness," Dr. Chanda said.

According to him, a surgical procedure based on a 3-D map of the skull can take care of such complications.

"This type of surgery is a unique cranio-facial approach to such a problem. It helps the child lead a normal life," said Dr Srijon Mukherjee, consultant maxillofacial surgeon at Fortis Hospital here.


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Stem cell jab may aid stroke recovery: Study

Written By Unknown on Senin, 28 Januari 2013 | 22.10

LONDON: A stem cell jab given within half an hour of a stroke may aid in recovery from the fatal condition, a new study claims.

Researchers found that rats injected with stem cells 30 minutes after a stroke had almost normal brain function restored within a fortnight.

The Bolivian research team said the method has potential in human trials, 'BBC News' reported.

Current practices involve treating patients with "clot-busting" drugs in the "golden hour" after a stroke has taken place.

The study adds to other research which found that stem cells could aid stroke patients by boosting the body's ability to repair tissue damage.

Stem cells are the body's "master cells", with the potential to become many different cell types, and theoretically replace cells lost through disease or injury.

Recent tests in humans have shown some promise, with stroke symptoms improving after an infusion of stem cells.

Researchers from La Paz University Hospital, extracted a certain type of stem cells from fat and bone marrow, then injected them into the blood vessels of rats shortly after they had suffered an artificially-induced stroke.

Even though the introduced cells did not appear to travel to the affected region of the brain, the rats still did better than other rats who did not receive the cells.

Within 24 hours, they were already showing a speedier recovery, and two weeks later, they registered almost normal scores on behavioural tests.

Early introduction of the cells might even interrupt the typical "chain reaction" of tissue damage which follows a stroke, in which the initial injury harms additional cells in surrounding areas, researchers said.

"Improved recovery was seen regardless of origin of the stem cells, which may increase the usefulness of this treatment in human trials," Dr Exuperio Diez-Tejedor, who led the study, said.

"Adipose (fat) -derived cells in particular are abundant and easy to collect without invasive surgery," researchers said.

Researchers suggested that it might be possible to overcome the risk of immune rejection of the donor cells in humans.

However, a spokesman for the Stroke Association in UK said that human trials of this particular technique would not be possible in the near future.


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Genetic disparity marks male, female hearts

WASHINGTON: Even though healthy men and women have similarly structured hearts, the US researchers have discovered genetic differences in diseased hearts.

The new genetic differences found by researchers from Washington University in St. Louis in diseased hearts could pave the way to personalised treatment of various heart ailments.

Generally, men are more susceptible to developing atrial fibrillation, an irregular, rapid heartbeat that may lead to stroke, while women are more likely to develop long-QT syndrome, a rhythm disorder that can cause rapid heartbeats and sudden cardiac death, the journal Public Library of Science ONE reports.

Igor Efimov, professor of biomedical engineering at the Washington University School of Engineering & Applied Science, and former doctoral student Christina Ambrosi analysed 34 human hearts, looking for genetic differences that might explain gender differences in heart disease, according to a Washington statement.

The team screened for 89 major genes in electrophysiology, ion channel subunits, calcium handling proteins and transcription factors important in cardiac conduction and in the development of arrhythmia (irregular heartbeats) and the left atria (upper chambers) and ventricles (lower chambers) in human hearts.

"What was striking in this study is that we expected very large gender differences in expression of genes in the ventricles, but we did not find such differences," says Efimov, also professor of medicine, radiology and cell biology and physiology at Washington School of Medicine.

"Unexpectedly, we found huge gender differences in the atria," the professir said.

The results showed that women with failing hearts have a weaker system of gene expression than men -- males showed overall higher expression levels of nearly all of the 89 genes than women.

"When women have the highest levels of estrogen, they are least vulnerable to arrhythmia -- women are protected by estrogen," Efimov says. "But after menopause, women develop atrial fibrillation at the same rate as men. We don't understand this and need to study this in humans."


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'Human Brain Project' get funds of 2 billion euros

PARIS: Research into the wonder material graphene and the neurochemistry of the human brain will get two billion euros ($2.68 billion) in funding from the European Commission, scientists said on Monday.

The two areas are beneficiaries of the European Union's Future Emerging Technology (FET) Flagship programme, French researchers associated with the projects said.

The money, amounting to a billion euros for each initiative, will be allocated over 10 years, France's National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) said.

Graphene, discovered less than a decade ago, is a sheet of carbon that is one atom thick.

It is touted as having huge potential, with superior conductivity, mechanical strength and optical purity than other materials.

The Human Brain Project, meanwhile, seeks to simulate the cells, chemistry and connectivity of the brain in a supercomputer, the goal being to better comprehend the brain's functions and development.

The hope is to find new treatments for brain diseases such as Alzheimer's and enhance "artificial intelligence" computing.


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Researchers grow kidney tissue from stem cells

Written By Unknown on Minggu, 27 Januari 2013 | 22.10

AFP Jan 23, 2013, 01.04PM IST

TOKYO: Researchers in Japan said on Wednesday they have succeeded in growing human kidney tissue from stem cells for the first time in a potential breakthrough for millions with damaged organs who are dependent on dialysis.

Kidneys have a complex structure that is not easily repaired once damaged, but the latest findings put scientists on the road to helping a diseased or distressed organ fix itself.

Kenji Osafune of Kyoto University said his team had managed to take stem cells -- the "blank slates" capable of being programmed to become any kind of cell in the body -- and nudge them specifically in the direction of kidney tissue.

"It was a very significant step," he told AFP.

Osafune said they had succeeded in generating intermediate mesoderm tissue from the stem cells, a middle point between the blank slate and the finished kidney tissue.

"There are about 200 types of cells in the human body, but this tissue grows into only three types of cells," namely adrenal cells, reproductive gland cells and kidney cells, he said, adding that as much as 90 percent of cultures in their research developed into viable mesoderm tissue.

This embryonic intermediary can be grown either in test tubes or in a living host into specific kidney cells.

Osafune and his team created part of a urinary tubule, a small tube in the kidney that is used in the production of urine.

While the research is not aimed at growing an entire working kidney, he said the method his team had developed would help scientists learn more about intermediate mesoderm development and may provide a source of cells for regenerative therapy.

"I would say that we have arrived at the preliminary step on the road to the clinical level," he said.

Osafune's research is published in online science journal Nature Communications.


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Tough times may cause you to eat high-calorie foods: Study

PTI Jan 23, 2013, 05.48PM IST

(People tend to seek higher-calorie…)

Washington: People tend to seek higher-calorie foods that will keep them satisfied longer when there is a perception of tough times, a new study has claimed.

According to the study by the University of Miami School of Business Administration, bad news about the economy could cause you to pack on the pounds.

The study found that when subconsciously primed with such messages, a 'live for today' impulse is triggered causing people to consume nearly 40 per cent more food than when compared to a control group primed with neutral words.

Further, when the same group primed with "tough times" messages was then told the food they were sampling was low-calorie, they consumed roughly 25 per cent less of the food.

According to the researchers, this is because if people perceive that food resources are scarce, they place a higher value on food with more calories.

In the first study, the team invited study subjects to join in a taste test for a new kind of candy. Half the participants were given a bowl of the new candy and were told that the secret ingredient was a new, high-calorie chocolate.

The other half of the participants also received a bowl of candy but were told the new chocolate was low-calorie. All of the participants were told that they could sample the product in order to complete a taste test evaluation form.

In reality, there was no difference in the candy that the two groups were given to taste. The researchers were actually measuring how much participants consumed after they were exposed to posters containing either neutral sentences or sentences related to struggle and adversity.

Those who were subconsciously primed to think about struggle and adversity ate closer to 70 per cent more of the "higher-calorie" candy compared to the "lower-calorie" option, while those primed with neutral words did not significantly differ in the amount of candy consumed.

"It is clear from the studies that taste was not what caused the reactions, it was a longing for calories," lead researcher Juliano Laran said in a statement.

The study was published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science.


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Work resumes on bird flu studies that raised bioterrorism fears

Reuters Jan 24, 2013, 01.41AM IST

(Scientists voluntarily…)

LONDON: Scientists around the world declared an end on Wednesday to a moratorium on research into mutant forms of the deadly H5N1 bird flu that can be transmitted directly among mammals and had raised international biosecurity concerns.

Announcing their decision to resume what they say are risky but essential studies of the avian flu strain, the scientists said the work would only be carried out in the most secure sites in countries that agree it can go ahead.

That will allow work to start again in key laboratories in the Netherlands and elsewhere but not yet in the United States or US-funded research centres, pending further regulatory moves there.

Scientists voluntarily halted work on the transmission of H5N1 a year ago due to fears that scientific details about how to create such a potentially dangerous virus could be used for bioterrorism.

Flu experts said they had recognised those fears and worked hard to calm them, and now it was time to push on. They say the studies are essential for a deeper understanding of H5N1, which many fear could one day spark a lethal pandemic in humans.

The research may also boost efforts to develop global flu "biosurveillance", early warning systems, as well as drugs and vaccines to protect against the threat.

"We fully acknowledge that this research - as with any work on infectious agents - is not without risks," the scientists wrote in a letter published jointly on Wednesday in the journals Nature and Science. "However, because the risk exists in nature that an H5N1 virus capable of transmission in mammals may emerge, the benefits of this work outweigh the risks."

The letter was signed by 40 flu researchers from the United States, China, Japan, Britain, the Netherlands, Canada, Hong Kong, Italy and Germany.

"The lifting of the moratorium will undoubtedly lead to more scientific revelations that will have direct consequence for human and animal health," said Wendy Barclay, a flu virologist at Imperial College London and one of the letter's signatories.

All research into H5N1 transmission was halted in January 2012 after labs at the University of Wisconsin in the United States and at the Dutch Erasmus Medical Centre in Rotterdam created mutant forms that can be transmitted directly among mammals, meaning they could in theory also pass between people.

Currently, bird flu can be transmitted from birds to birds, and birds to humans, but not from humans to humans. When it does pass from birds to humans, it is usually fatal. Scientists are concerned the same mutations needed to make it transmissible among mammals in a lab could one day happen in nature.

Knee-jerk

News of the work, which emerged late in 2011, prompted the US National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity to call for the scientific papers about it to be censored to prevent details falling into the wrong hands.

The censorship call sparked a fierce debate about how far scientists should be allowed to go in manipulating dangerous infectious agents in the name of research.

Barclay said this had been a "knee-jerk response from certain quarters previously naive of this approach, expressing horror that scientists were brewing up deadly diseases."

During the moratorium, the World Health Organisation recommended that scientists should explain the biological and other security measures they use to contain the virus and make more effort to show why the research is so important.

"The laboratories have expanded on their containment and security system ... and I think the value of the results has been recognised. Therefore, the ... recommendations were satisfied," John McCauley, director of the WHO collaborating centre for flu research at Britain's National Institute for Medical Research said in a statement on Wednesday.

In their letter, the scientists said the aims of the moratorium had been met in some countries and are close to being met in others, so it was now time to "declare an end" to it.

"H5N1 viruses continue to evolve in nature," they wrote. "Because H5N1 virus transmission studies are essential for pandemic preparedness and understanding the adaptation of influenza viruses to mammals, researchers.... have a public health responsibility to resume this important work."


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Researchers grow kidney tissue from stem cells

Written By Unknown on Sabtu, 26 Januari 2013 | 22.10

AFP Jan 23, 2013, 01.04PM IST

TOKYO: Researchers in Japan said on Wednesday they have succeeded in growing human kidney tissue from stem cells for the first time in a potential breakthrough for millions with damaged organs who are dependent on dialysis.

Kidneys have a complex structure that is not easily repaired once damaged, but the latest findings put scientists on the road to helping a diseased or distressed organ fix itself.

Kenji Osafune of Kyoto University said his team had managed to take stem cells -- the "blank slates" capable of being programmed to become any kind of cell in the body -- and nudge them specifically in the direction of kidney tissue.

"It was a very significant step," he told AFP.

Osafune said they had succeeded in generating intermediate mesoderm tissue from the stem cells, a middle point between the blank slate and the finished kidney tissue.

"There are about 200 types of cells in the human body, but this tissue grows into only three types of cells," namely adrenal cells, reproductive gland cells and kidney cells, he said, adding that as much as 90 percent of cultures in their research developed into viable mesoderm tissue.

This embryonic intermediary can be grown either in test tubes or in a living host into specific kidney cells.

Osafune and his team created part of a urinary tubule, a small tube in the kidney that is used in the production of urine.

While the research is not aimed at growing an entire working kidney, he said the method his team had developed would help scientists learn more about intermediate mesoderm development and may provide a source of cells for regenerative therapy.

"I would say that we have arrived at the preliminary step on the road to the clinical level," he said.

Osafune's research is published in online science journal Nature Communications.


22.10 | 0 komentar | Read More

Tough times may cause you to eat high-calorie foods: Study

PTI Jan 23, 2013, 05.48PM IST

(People tend to seek higher-calorie…)

Washington: People tend to seek higher-calorie foods that will keep them satisfied longer when there is a perception of tough times, a new study has claimed.

According to the study by the University of Miami School of Business Administration, bad news about the economy could cause you to pack on the pounds.

The study found that when subconsciously primed with such messages, a 'live for today' impulse is triggered causing people to consume nearly 40 per cent more food than when compared to a control group primed with neutral words.

Further, when the same group primed with "tough times" messages was then told the food they were sampling was low-calorie, they consumed roughly 25 per cent less of the food.

According to the researchers, this is because if people perceive that food resources are scarce, they place a higher value on food with more calories.

In the first study, the team invited study subjects to join in a taste test for a new kind of candy. Half the participants were given a bowl of the new candy and were told that the secret ingredient was a new, high-calorie chocolate.

The other half of the participants also received a bowl of candy but were told the new chocolate was low-calorie. All of the participants were told that they could sample the product in order to complete a taste test evaluation form.

In reality, there was no difference in the candy that the two groups were given to taste. The researchers were actually measuring how much participants consumed after they were exposed to posters containing either neutral sentences or sentences related to struggle and adversity.

Those who were subconsciously primed to think about struggle and adversity ate closer to 70 per cent more of the "higher-calorie" candy compared to the "lower-calorie" option, while those primed with neutral words did not significantly differ in the amount of candy consumed.

"It is clear from the studies that taste was not what caused the reactions, it was a longing for calories," lead researcher Juliano Laran said in a statement.

The study was published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science.


22.10 | 0 komentar | Read More

Work resumes on bird flu studies that raised bioterrorism fears

Reuters Jan 24, 2013, 01.41AM IST

(Scientists voluntarily…)

LONDON: Scientists around the world declared an end on Wednesday to a moratorium on research into mutant forms of the deadly H5N1 bird flu that can be transmitted directly among mammals and had raised international biosecurity concerns.

Announcing their decision to resume what they say are risky but essential studies of the avian flu strain, the scientists said the work would only be carried out in the most secure sites in countries that agree it can go ahead.

That will allow work to start again in key laboratories in the Netherlands and elsewhere but not yet in the United States or US-funded research centres, pending further regulatory moves there.

Scientists voluntarily halted work on the transmission of H5N1 a year ago due to fears that scientific details about how to create such a potentially dangerous virus could be used for bioterrorism.

Flu experts said they had recognised those fears and worked hard to calm them, and now it was time to push on. They say the studies are essential for a deeper understanding of H5N1, which many fear could one day spark a lethal pandemic in humans.

The research may also boost efforts to develop global flu "biosurveillance", early warning systems, as well as drugs and vaccines to protect against the threat.

"We fully acknowledge that this research - as with any work on infectious agents - is not without risks," the scientists wrote in a letter published jointly on Wednesday in the journals Nature and Science. "However, because the risk exists in nature that an H5N1 virus capable of transmission in mammals may emerge, the benefits of this work outweigh the risks."

The letter was signed by 40 flu researchers from the United States, China, Japan, Britain, the Netherlands, Canada, Hong Kong, Italy and Germany.

"The lifting of the moratorium will undoubtedly lead to more scientific revelations that will have direct consequence for human and animal health," said Wendy Barclay, a flu virologist at Imperial College London and one of the letter's signatories.

All research into H5N1 transmission was halted in January 2012 after labs at the University of Wisconsin in the United States and at the Dutch Erasmus Medical Centre in Rotterdam created mutant forms that can be transmitted directly among mammals, meaning they could in theory also pass between people.

Currently, bird flu can be transmitted from birds to birds, and birds to humans, but not from humans to humans. When it does pass from birds to humans, it is usually fatal. Scientists are concerned the same mutations needed to make it transmissible among mammals in a lab could one day happen in nature.

Knee-jerk

News of the work, which emerged late in 2011, prompted the US National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity to call for the scientific papers about it to be censored to prevent details falling into the wrong hands.

The censorship call sparked a fierce debate about how far scientists should be allowed to go in manipulating dangerous infectious agents in the name of research.

Barclay said this had been a "knee-jerk response from certain quarters previously naive of this approach, expressing horror that scientists were brewing up deadly diseases."

During the moratorium, the World Health Organisation recommended that scientists should explain the biological and other security measures they use to contain the virus and make more effort to show why the research is so important.

"The laboratories have expanded on their containment and security system ... and I think the value of the results has been recognised. Therefore, the ... recommendations were satisfied," John McCauley, director of the WHO collaborating centre for flu research at Britain's National Institute for Medical Research said in a statement on Wednesday.

In their letter, the scientists said the aims of the moratorium had been met in some countries and are close to being met in others, so it was now time to "declare an end" to it.

"H5N1 viruses continue to evolve in nature," they wrote. "Because H5N1 virus transmission studies are essential for pandemic preparedness and understanding the adaptation of influenza viruses to mammals, researchers.... have a public health responsibility to resume this important work."


22.10 | 0 komentar | Read More

Researchers grow kidney tissue from stem cells

Written By Unknown on Jumat, 25 Januari 2013 | 22.10

AFP Jan 23, 2013, 01.04PM IST

TOKYO: Researchers in Japan said on Wednesday they have succeeded in growing human kidney tissue from stem cells for the first time in a potential breakthrough for millions with damaged organs who are dependent on dialysis.

Kidneys have a complex structure that is not easily repaired once damaged, but the latest findings put scientists on the road to helping a diseased or distressed organ fix itself.

Kenji Osafune of Kyoto University said his team had managed to take stem cells -- the "blank slates" capable of being programmed to become any kind of cell in the body -- and nudge them specifically in the direction of kidney tissue.

"It was a very significant step," he told AFP.

Osafune said they had succeeded in generating intermediate mesoderm tissue from the stem cells, a middle point between the blank slate and the finished kidney tissue.

"There are about 200 types of cells in the human body, but this tissue grows into only three types of cells," namely adrenal cells, reproductive gland cells and kidney cells, he said, adding that as much as 90 percent of cultures in their research developed into viable mesoderm tissue.

This embryonic intermediary can be grown either in test tubes or in a living host into specific kidney cells.

Osafune and his team created part of a urinary tubule, a small tube in the kidney that is used in the production of urine.

While the research is not aimed at growing an entire working kidney, he said the method his team had developed would help scientists learn more about intermediate mesoderm development and may provide a source of cells for regenerative therapy.

"I would say that we have arrived at the preliminary step on the road to the clinical level," he said.

Osafune's research is published in online science journal Nature Communications.


22.10 | 0 komentar | Read More

Tough times may cause you to eat high-calorie foods: Study

PTI Jan 23, 2013, 05.48PM IST

(People tend to seek higher-calorie…)

Washington: People tend to seek higher-calorie foods that will keep them satisfied longer when there is a perception of tough times, a new study has claimed.

According to the study by the University of Miami School of Business Administration, bad news about the economy could cause you to pack on the pounds.

The study found that when subconsciously primed with such messages, a 'live for today' impulse is triggered causing people to consume nearly 40 per cent more food than when compared to a control group primed with neutral words.

Further, when the same group primed with "tough times" messages was then told the food they were sampling was low-calorie, they consumed roughly 25 per cent less of the food.

According to the researchers, this is because if people perceive that food resources are scarce, they place a higher value on food with more calories.

In the first study, the team invited study subjects to join in a taste test for a new kind of candy. Half the participants were given a bowl of the new candy and were told that the secret ingredient was a new, high-calorie chocolate.

The other half of the participants also received a bowl of candy but were told the new chocolate was low-calorie. All of the participants were told that they could sample the product in order to complete a taste test evaluation form.

In reality, there was no difference in the candy that the two groups were given to taste. The researchers were actually measuring how much participants consumed after they were exposed to posters containing either neutral sentences or sentences related to struggle and adversity.

Those who were subconsciously primed to think about struggle and adversity ate closer to 70 per cent more of the "higher-calorie" candy compared to the "lower-calorie" option, while those primed with neutral words did not significantly differ in the amount of candy consumed.

"It is clear from the studies that taste was not what caused the reactions, it was a longing for calories," lead researcher Juliano Laran said in a statement.

The study was published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science.


22.10 | 0 komentar | Read More

Work resumes on bird flu studies that raised bioterrorism fears

Reuters Jan 24, 2013, 01.41AM IST

(Scientists voluntarily…)

LONDON: Scientists around the world declared an end on Wednesday to a moratorium on research into mutant forms of the deadly H5N1 bird flu that can be transmitted directly among mammals and had raised international biosecurity concerns.

Announcing their decision to resume what they say are risky but essential studies of the avian flu strain, the scientists said the work would only be carried out in the most secure sites in countries that agree it can go ahead.

That will allow work to start again in key laboratories in the Netherlands and elsewhere but not yet in the United States or US-funded research centres, pending further regulatory moves there.

Scientists voluntarily halted work on the transmission of H5N1 a year ago due to fears that scientific details about how to create such a potentially dangerous virus could be used for bioterrorism.

Flu experts said they had recognised those fears and worked hard to calm them, and now it was time to push on. They say the studies are essential for a deeper understanding of H5N1, which many fear could one day spark a lethal pandemic in humans.

The research may also boost efforts to develop global flu "biosurveillance", early warning systems, as well as drugs and vaccines to protect against the threat.

"We fully acknowledge that this research - as with any work on infectious agents - is not without risks," the scientists wrote in a letter published jointly on Wednesday in the journals Nature and Science. "However, because the risk exists in nature that an H5N1 virus capable of transmission in mammals may emerge, the benefits of this work outweigh the risks."

The letter was signed by 40 flu researchers from the United States, China, Japan, Britain, the Netherlands, Canada, Hong Kong, Italy and Germany.

"The lifting of the moratorium will undoubtedly lead to more scientific revelations that will have direct consequence for human and animal health," said Wendy Barclay, a flu virologist at Imperial College London and one of the letter's signatories.

All research into H5N1 transmission was halted in January 2012 after labs at the University of Wisconsin in the United States and at the Dutch Erasmus Medical Centre in Rotterdam created mutant forms that can be transmitted directly among mammals, meaning they could in theory also pass between people.

Currently, bird flu can be transmitted from birds to birds, and birds to humans, but not from humans to humans. When it does pass from birds to humans, it is usually fatal. Scientists are concerned the same mutations needed to make it transmissible among mammals in a lab could one day happen in nature.

Knee-jerk

News of the work, which emerged late in 2011, prompted the US National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity to call for the scientific papers about it to be censored to prevent details falling into the wrong hands.

The censorship call sparked a fierce debate about how far scientists should be allowed to go in manipulating dangerous infectious agents in the name of research.

Barclay said this had been a "knee-jerk response from certain quarters previously naive of this approach, expressing horror that scientists were brewing up deadly diseases."

During the moratorium, the World Health Organisation recommended that scientists should explain the biological and other security measures they use to contain the virus and make more effort to show why the research is so important.

"The laboratories have expanded on their containment and security system ... and I think the value of the results has been recognised. Therefore, the ... recommendations were satisfied," John McCauley, director of the WHO collaborating centre for flu research at Britain's National Institute for Medical Research said in a statement on Wednesday.

In their letter, the scientists said the aims of the moratorium had been met in some countries and are close to being met in others, so it was now time to "declare an end" to it.

"H5N1 viruses continue to evolve in nature," they wrote. "Because H5N1 virus transmission studies are essential for pandemic preparedness and understanding the adaptation of influenza viruses to mammals, researchers.... have a public health responsibility to resume this important work."


22.10 | 0 komentar | Read More

Researchers grow kidney tissue from stem cells

Written By Unknown on Kamis, 24 Januari 2013 | 22.10

AFP Jan 23, 2013, 01.04PM IST

TOKYO: Researchers in Japan said on Wednesday they have succeeded in growing human kidney tissue from stem cells for the first time in a potential breakthrough for millions with damaged organs who are dependent on dialysis.

Kidneys have a complex structure that is not easily repaired once damaged, but the latest findings put scientists on the road to helping a diseased or distressed organ fix itself.

Kenji Osafune of Kyoto University said his team had managed to take stem cells -- the "blank slates" capable of being programmed to become any kind of cell in the body -- and nudge them specifically in the direction of kidney tissue.

"It was a very significant step," he told AFP.

Osafune said they had succeeded in generating intermediate mesoderm tissue from the stem cells, a middle point between the blank slate and the finished kidney tissue.

"There are about 200 types of cells in the human body, but this tissue grows into only three types of cells," namely adrenal cells, reproductive gland cells and kidney cells, he said, adding that as much as 90 percent of cultures in their research developed into viable mesoderm tissue.

This embryonic intermediary can be grown either in test tubes or in a living host into specific kidney cells.

Osafune and his team created part of a urinary tubule, a small tube in the kidney that is used in the production of urine.

While the research is not aimed at growing an entire working kidney, he said the method his team had developed would help scientists learn more about intermediate mesoderm development and may provide a source of cells for regenerative therapy.

"I would say that we have arrived at the preliminary step on the road to the clinical level," he said.

Osafune's research is published in online science journal Nature Communications.


22.10 | 0 komentar | Read More

Tough times may cause you to eat high-calorie foods: Study

PTI Jan 23, 2013, 05.48PM IST

(People tend to seek higher-calorie…)

Washington: People tend to seek higher-calorie foods that will keep them satisfied longer when there is a perception of tough times, a new study has claimed.

According to the study by the University of Miami School of Business Administration, bad news about the economy could cause you to pack on the pounds.

The study found that when subconsciously primed with such messages, a 'live for today' impulse is triggered causing people to consume nearly 40 per cent more food than when compared to a control group primed with neutral words.

Further, when the same group primed with "tough times" messages was then told the food they were sampling was low-calorie, they consumed roughly 25 per cent less of the food.

According to the researchers, this is because if people perceive that food resources are scarce, they place a higher value on food with more calories.

In the first study, the team invited study subjects to join in a taste test for a new kind of candy. Half the participants were given a bowl of the new candy and were told that the secret ingredient was a new, high-calorie chocolate.

The other half of the participants also received a bowl of candy but were told the new chocolate was low-calorie. All of the participants were told that they could sample the product in order to complete a taste test evaluation form.

In reality, there was no difference in the candy that the two groups were given to taste. The researchers were actually measuring how much participants consumed after they were exposed to posters containing either neutral sentences or sentences related to struggle and adversity.

Those who were subconsciously primed to think about struggle and adversity ate closer to 70 per cent more of the "higher-calorie" candy compared to the "lower-calorie" option, while those primed with neutral words did not significantly differ in the amount of candy consumed.

"It is clear from the studies that taste was not what caused the reactions, it was a longing for calories," lead researcher Juliano Laran said in a statement.

The study was published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science.


22.10 | 0 komentar | Read More

Work resumes on bird flu studies that raised bioterrorism fears

LONDON: Scientists around the world declared an end on Wednesday to a moratorium on research into mutant forms of the deadly H5N1 bird flu that can be transmitted directly among mammals and had raised international biosecurity concerns.

Announcing their decision to resume what they say are risky but essential studies of the avian flu strain, the scientists said the work would only be carried out in the most secure sites in countries that agree it can go ahead.

That will allow work to start again in key laboratories in the Netherlands and elsewhere but not yet in the United States or US-funded research centres, pending further regulatory moves there.

Scientists voluntarily halted work on the transmission of H5N1 a year ago due to fears that scientific details about how to create such a potentially dangerous virus could be used for bioterrorism.

Flu experts said they had recognised those fears and worked hard to calm them, and now it was time to push on. They say the studies are essential for a deeper understanding of H5N1, which many fear could one day spark a lethal pandemic in humans.

The research may also boost efforts to develop global flu "biosurveillance", early warning systems, as well as drugs and vaccines to protect against the threat.

"We fully acknowledge that this research - as with any work on infectious agents - is not without risks," the scientists wrote in a letter published jointly on Wednesday in the journals Nature and Science. "However, because the risk exists in nature that an H5N1 virus capable of transmission in mammals may emerge, the benefits of this work outweigh the risks."

The letter was signed by 40 flu researchers from the United States, China, Japan, Britain, the Netherlands, Canada, Hong Kong, Italy and Germany.

"The lifting of the moratorium will undoubtedly lead to more scientific revelations that will have direct consequence for human and animal health," said Wendy Barclay, a flu virologist at Imperial College London and one of the letter's signatories.

All research into H5N1 transmission was halted in January 2012 after labs at the University of Wisconsin in the United States and at the Dutch Erasmus Medical Centre in Rotterdam created mutant forms that can be transmitted directly among mammals, meaning they could in theory also pass between people.

Currently, bird flu can be transmitted from birds to birds, and birds to humans, but not from humans to humans. When it does pass from birds to humans, it is usually fatal. Scientists are concerned the same mutations needed to make it transmissible among mammals in a lab could one day happen in nature.

Knee-jerk

News of the work, which emerged late in 2011, prompted the US National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity to call for the scientific papers about it to be censored to prevent details falling into the wrong hands.

The censorship call sparked a fierce debate about how far scientists should be allowed to go in manipulating dangerous infectious agents in the name of research.

Barclay said this had been a "knee-jerk response from certain quarters previously naive of this approach, expressing horror that scientists were brewing up deadly diseases."

During the moratorium, the World Health Organisation recommended that scientists should explain the biological and other security measures they use to contain the virus and make more effort to show why the research is so important.

"The laboratories have expanded on their containment and security system ... and I think the value of the results has been recognised. Therefore, the ... recommendations were satisfied," John McCauley, director of the WHO collaborating centre for flu research at Britain's National Institute for Medical Research said in a statement on Wednesday.

In their letter, the scientists said the aims of the moratorium had been met in some countries and are close to being met in others, so it was now time to "declare an end" to it.

"H5N1 viruses continue to evolve in nature," they wrote. "Because H5N1 virus transmission studies are essential for pandemic preparedness and understanding the adaptation of influenza viruses to mammals, researchers.... have a public health responsibility to resume this important work."


22.10 | 0 komentar | Read More

'Aspirin may up risk of blindness in the aged'

Written By Unknown on Rabu, 23 Januari 2013 | 22.10

MELBOURNE: Regular use of aspirin can dramatically increase the risk of an eye disease - that causes blindness - in older people, researchers warn.

A new study found a link between regular use of aspirin and age-related macular degeneration (AMD) - the most common cause of sight loss in people over 50s.

Aspirin is one of the most widely used medications in the world and is commonly used in the prevention of cardiovascular disease, such as myocardial infarction (heart attack) and ischemic stroke, according to a report published by the JAMA Internal Medicine.

While a recent study suggested that regular aspirin use was associated with age-related macular degeneration, particularly the more visually devastating neovascular (wet) form, other studies have reported inconsistent findings.

Smoking is also a preventable risk factor for AMD, researchers said.


22.10 | 0 komentar | Read More

Researchers grow kidney tissue from stem cells

TOKYO: Researchers in Japan said on Wednesday they have succeeded in growing human kidney tissue from stem cells for the first time in a potential breakthrough for millions with damaged organs who are dependent on dialysis.

Kidneys have a complex structure that is not easily repaired once damaged, but the latest findings put scientists on the road to helping a diseased or distressed organ fix itself.

Kenji Osafune of Kyoto University said his team had managed to take stem cells -- the "blank slates" capable of being programmed to become any kind of cell in the body -- and nudge them specifically in the direction of kidney tissue.

"It was a very significant step," he told AFP.

Osafune said they had succeeded in generating intermediate mesoderm tissue from the stem cells, a middle point between the blank slate and the finished kidney tissue.

"There are about 200 types of cells in the human body, but this tissue grows into only three types of cells," namely adrenal cells, reproductive gland cells and kidney cells, he said, adding that as much as 90 percent of cultures in their research developed into viable mesoderm tissue.

This embryonic intermediary can be grown either in test tubes or in a living host into specific kidney cells.

Osafune and his team created part of a urinary tubule, a small tube in the kidney that is used in the production of urine.

While the research is not aimed at growing an entire working kidney, he said the method his team had developed would help scientists learn more about intermediate mesoderm development and may provide a source of cells for regenerative therapy.

"I would say that we have arrived at the preliminary step on the road to the clinical level," he said.

Osafune's research is published in online science journal Nature Communications.


22.10 | 0 komentar | Read More

Tough times may cause you to eat high-calorie foods: Study

Washington: People tend to seek higher-calorie foods that will keep them satisfied longer when there is a perception of tough times, a new study has claimed.

According to the study by the University of Miami School of Business Administration, bad news about the economy could cause you to pack on the pounds.

The study found that when subconsciously primed with such messages, a 'live for today' impulse is triggered causing people to consume nearly 40 per cent more food than when compared to a control group primed with neutral words.

Further, when the same group primed with "tough times" messages was then told the food they were sampling was low-calorie, they consumed roughly 25 per cent less of the food.

According to the researchers, this is because if people perceive that food resources are scarce, they place a higher value on food with more calories.

In the first study, the team invited study subjects to join in a taste test for a new kind of candy. Half the participants were given a bowl of the new candy and were told that the secret ingredient was a new, high-calorie chocolate.

The other half of the participants also received a bowl of candy but were told the new chocolate was low-calorie. All of the participants were told that they could sample the product in order to complete a taste test evaluation form.

In reality, there was no difference in the candy that the two groups were given to taste. The researchers were actually measuring how much participants consumed after they were exposed to posters containing either neutral sentences or sentences related to struggle and adversity.

Those who were subconsciously primed to think about struggle and adversity ate closer to 70 per cent more of the "higher-calorie" candy compared to the "lower-calorie" option, while those primed with neutral words did not significantly differ in the amount of candy consumed.

"It is clear from the studies that taste was not what caused the reactions, it was a longing for calories," lead researcher Juliano Laran said in a statement.

The study was published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science.


22.10 | 0 komentar | Read More

Play classical music during workout for better results

Written By Unknown on Selasa, 22 Januari 2013 | 22.10

LONDON: Playing classical music in the background while exercising helps relax the body which reduces heart rate and blood pressure, an expert has claimed.

UK-based neuroscientist Jack Lewis scoured reports of research to come up with a list of musically-themed advice for those who are trying to get fit. He said that while various studies show that music allows people to exercise slightly harder and slightly longer — classical music has added benefits, the 'Daily Mail' reported.

Studies show that compared to those exercising without any music playing, having classical music playing in the background helps relax the body. "Energetic but not overly fast classical music can be ideal in the gym. Not only does upbeat music increase speed, strength and endurance, but the relaxing qualities of classical music appear to reduce heart rate, blood pressure and lower perceived exertion, at the same time," Lewis said.

"In addition, relaxing music has been shown to lower levels of cortisol in the body, the hormone associated with stress," he said.


22.10 | 0 komentar | Read More

Obese likelier to die in car accidents: Study

PARIS: Obese people face a much higher risk - of up to 80 percent - of dying in a car collision compared with people of normal weight, researchers reported Monday in a specialist journal.

The cause could be that safety in cars is engineered for people of normal weight, not for the obese, they said.

Transport safety scientists Thomas Rice of the University of California at Berkeley and Motao Zhu of the University of West Virginia delved into a US databank on road accidents, the Fatality Analysis Reporting System ( FARS).

They dug out data from 1996 to 2008, covering more than 57,000 collisions that involved two cars. This was whittled down to cases in which both parties involved in the collision had been driving vehicles of similar size and types.

The team then compared the risk of fatality against the victim's estimated body mass index (BMI), a benchmark of fat, which is calculated by taking one's weight in kilogrammes and dividing it by one's height in metres squared.

An adult with a BMI of between 18.5 and 24.9 is considered of normal weight. Below this is considered underweight. Between 25.0 and 29.9 is considered overweight; and 30.0 or above is obese.

The researchers found an increase in risk of 19 percent for underweight drivers compared with counterparts of normal weight.

For those with BMI of 30 to 34.9, the increased risk was 21 percent; for BMI of 35-39.9, it was 51 percent; and for the extremely obese, with BMI of 40.0 or above, it was 80 percent.

Obese women were at even greater risk. Among those in the 35-39.9 BMI category, the risk of death was double compared with people of normal weight.

The estimates were made after potentially confounding factors -- age and alcohol use, for instance -- were taken into account.

Further work is needed to explain the big differences, but the researchers noted that obese people suffer different injuries from normal-weight individuals in car accidents.

Data from intensive-care units say that obese patients tend to have more chest injuries and fewer head injuries, are likelier to have more complications, require longer hospital stays -- and are likelier to die of their injuries.

Another question is whether obese people properly use their seat belt, rather than leave it unbuckled or partially fastened because it is uncomfortable -- and whether safety designs in cars are flawed.

Crash tests, conducted with cadavers, found that in a frontal collision, people of normal weight lurched forward slightly before the seat belt engaged the pelvis bone to prevent further movement, says the study.

But obese cadavers moved substantially forward from the seat, especially in the lower body. This was because abdominal fat acted as a spongy padding, slowing the time it took for the belt to tighten across the lap.

"The ability of passenger vehicles to protect overweight or obese occupants may have increasing important public health occupations," says the study, published in the Emergency Medicine Journal.

In the United States, "currently more than 33 percent of adult men and 35 percent of adult women are obese," the paper notes.

"It may be the case that passenger vehicles are well designed to protect normal-weight vehicle occupants but are deficient in protecting overweight or obese patients."

The final dataset used in the study entailed 3,403 pairs of drivers for whom data on weight, age, seat belt use and airbag deployment were available.

Almost half of these drivers were of normal weight; one in three was overweight; and almost one in five (18 percent) was obese.


22.10 | 0 komentar | Read More

Parkinson's discovery could lead to early diagnosis

MUMBAI: A new study could help earlier diagnosis of Parkinson's disease, after Newcastle University researchers identified that even early in the disease people experience symptoms.

While movement - motor - problems are the main symptom of Parkinson's disease, non-motor problems such as drooling, anxiety and bowel problems affect a large number of patients and begin sooner than previously thought. Earlier diagnosis could lead to earlier treatment and therefore allow patients to have a better quality of life.

In the study, published today in the journal Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, researchers from Newcastle University compared 159 people with newly-diagnosed Parkinson's disease to 99 people of similar ages who did not have the disease. Participants were asked whether they experienced any of the 30 non-motor symptoms screened for, including sexual problems, sleep problems and gastrointestinal problems. Study author Dr Tien K. Khoo, said,"Often people don't even mention these symptoms to their doctors, and doctors don't ask about them, yet many times they can be treated effectively."

The people with Parkinson's disease had an average of eight of the non-motor problems, compared to three non-motor symptoms for the people who did not have the disease. Among the most common symptoms for those with Parkinson's disease included drooling, urinary urgency, constipation, anxiety and a reduced sense of smell.

These were all significantly more common in people with Parkinson's disease than in those without the disease. For example, 56 per cent of the people with Parkinson have had problems with excess saliva or drooling, compared to 6 percent of those without the disease. A total of 42 per cent of those with Parkinson's had constipation, compared to 7 per cent of the control group. For anxiety, it was 43 percent compared to 10 percent.


Dr Khoo said,"These results show that Parkinson's affects many systems in the body, even in its earliest stages. Often these symptoms affect people's quality of life just as much if not more than the movement problems that come with the disease. Both doctors and patients need to bring these symptoms up and consider available treatments."

Newcastle University's Professor David Burn, Chief Investigator of the ICICLE-PD project, which this study is part of, said,"Hopefully clinicians can use these findings to improve the treatment of the thousands of people worldwide who suffer with Parkinson's disease. The earlier we can get a diagnosis the quicker treatment can start and patient's quality of life will improve.

"This is one part of a much bigger study, which we are hoping will lead to better treatments for this devastating disease."
22.10 | 0 komentar | Read More

Teachers beware: Grading with red ink can upset kids

Written By Unknown on Senin, 21 Januari 2013 | 22.10

PTI Jan 19, 2013, 06.39AM IST

LONDON: Teachers, please note! The iconic red ink you use to grade students may actually upset them, according to a new study. The study by researchers from the University of Colorado showed students think they've been assessed more harshly when their work is assessed in red ink compared to more neutral colours like blue.

"The red grading pen can upset students and weaken teacher-student relations and perhaps learning," sociologists Richard Dukes and Heather Albanesi said.

Researchers said red was associated with "warning, prohibition, caution, anger, embarrassment and being wrong" , the 'Daily Mail' said.

As many as 199 students were shown one of four different versions of a fictitious student's essay which had been marked by a lecturer. Some got a high quality essay , given an A grade, complete with positive and negative comments in either red or a blue-green pen. The other volunteers got an essay with a C grade with both positive and negative comments in either red or blue-green .

The volunteers were more likely to think the teacher writing in red was harsher than the one in blue - even though their grades and comments were identical.


22.10 | 0 komentar | Read More

Bad spelling, grammar key to choosing a safe password

LONDON: The secret to finding more secure passwords could be straightforward â€" just don't use good grammar or spelling, scientists including an Indian-origin researcher have suggested. AshwiniRao and colleagues at Carnegie Mellon University researched the current generation of password cracking systems and found that many people, on being asked to choose longer passwords, made them just as easy to guess.

"Use of long sentence-like or phrase-like passwords such as 'abiggerbetterpassword' and 'thecommunistfairy' is increasing," the researchers said in their paper.

They said that other types of familiar structures like postal addresses, email addresses and uniform resource locators (URLs) may also make for less secure passwords , even if they are long, the 'Daily Mail' reported.


22.10 | 0 komentar | Read More

Nutritional factors that may help preserve muscle mass in seniors revealed

ANI Jan 19, 2013, 02.41PM IST

WASHINGTON: A new review by a team including an Indian scientist has identified the role of nutrition in sarcopenia, with focus on protein, vitamins D and B, and acid-based diet.

Sarcopenia, or the gradual loss of muscle mass, is a common consequence of ageing, and poses a significant risk factor for disability in older adults. As muscle strength plays an important role in the tendency to fall, sarcopenia leads to an increased risk of fractures and other injuries.

The new review by International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF) Nutrition Working Group identifies nutritional factors that contribute to loss of muscle mass, or conversely, are beneficial to the maintenance of muscle mass.

The Group reviewed evidence from worldwide studies on the role of nutrition in sarcopenia, specifically looking at protein, acid-base balance, vitamin D/calcium, and other minor nutrients like B vitamins.

"The most obvious intervention against sarcopenia is exercise in the form of resistance training. However, adequate nutritional intake and an optimal dietary acid-base balance are also very important elements of any strategy to preserve muscle mass and strength during ageing," said professor Jean-Philippe Bonjour, co-author and professor of medicine at the Service of Bone Diseases, University of Geneva.

The review discusses and identifies the following important nutritional factors that have been shown to be beneficial to the maintenance of muscle mass and the treatment and prevention of sarcopenia:

Protein: Protein intake plays an integral part in muscle health. The authors propose an intake of 1.0-1.2 g/kg of body weight per day as optimal for skeletal muscle and bone health in elderly people without severely impaired renal function.

Vitamin D: As many studies indicate a role for vitamin D in the development and preservation of muscle mass and function, adequate vitamin D should be ensured through exposure to sunlight and/or supplementation if required. Vitamin D supplementation in seniors, and especially in institutionalized elderly, is recommended for optimal musculoskeletal health.

Avoiding dietary acid loads: Excess intake of acid-producing nutrients (meat and cereal grains) in combination with low intake of alkalizing fruits and vegetables may have negative effects on musculoskeletal health. Modifying the diet to include more fruits and vegetables is likely to benefit both bones and muscles.

Emerging evidence also suggests that vitamin B12 and/or folic acid play a role in improving muscle function and strength.

In addition, the Review discusses non-nutritional interventions such as hormones, and calls for more studies to identify the potential of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds in the prevention of sarcopenia.

Dr. Ambrish Mithal, co-author and Chair and Head of Endocrinology and Diabetes division at Medanta, New Delhi underlined the need for further research in the field.

"Strategies to reduce the numbers of falls and fractures within our ageing populations must include measures to prevent sarcopenia. At present, the available evidence suggests that combining resistance training with optimal nutritional status has a synergistic affect in preventing and treating sarcopenia," said Mithal.

"We hope that further studies will shed light on other effective ways of preventing and treating this condition," he added.


22.10 | 0 komentar | Read More

Nutritional factors that may help preserve muscle mass in seniors revealed

Written By Unknown on Minggu, 20 Januari 2013 | 22.10

ANI Jan 19, 2013, 02.41PM IST

WASHINGTON: A new review by a team including an Indian scientist has identified the role of nutrition in sarcopenia, with focus on protein, vitamins D and B, and acid-based diet.

Sarcopenia, or the gradual loss of muscle mass, is a common consequence of ageing, and poses a significant risk factor for disability in older adults. As muscle strength plays an important role in the tendency to fall, sarcopenia leads to an increased risk of fractures and other injuries.

The new review by International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF) Nutrition Working Group identifies nutritional factors that contribute to loss of muscle mass, or conversely, are beneficial to the maintenance of muscle mass.

The Group reviewed evidence from worldwide studies on the role of nutrition in sarcopenia, specifically looking at protein, acid-base balance, vitamin D/calcium, and other minor nutrients like B vitamins.

"The most obvious intervention against sarcopenia is exercise in the form of resistance training. However, adequate nutritional intake and an optimal dietary acid-base balance are also very important elements of any strategy to preserve muscle mass and strength during ageing," said professor Jean-Philippe Bonjour, co-author and professor of medicine at the Service of Bone Diseases, University of Geneva.

The review discusses and identifies the following important nutritional factors that have been shown to be beneficial to the maintenance of muscle mass and the treatment and prevention of sarcopenia:

Protein: Protein intake plays an integral part in muscle health. The authors propose an intake of 1.0-1.2 g/kg of body weight per day as optimal for skeletal muscle and bone health in elderly people without severely impaired renal function.

Vitamin D: As many studies indicate a role for vitamin D in the development and preservation of muscle mass and function, adequate vitamin D should be ensured through exposure to sunlight and/or supplementation if required. Vitamin D supplementation in seniors, and especially in institutionalized elderly, is recommended for optimal musculoskeletal health.

Avoiding dietary acid loads: Excess intake of acid-producing nutrients (meat and cereal grains) in combination with low intake of alkalizing fruits and vegetables may have negative effects on musculoskeletal health. Modifying the diet to include more fruits and vegetables is likely to benefit both bones and muscles.

Emerging evidence also suggests that vitamin B12 and/or folic acid play a role in improving muscle function and strength.

In addition, the Review discusses non-nutritional interventions such as hormones, and calls for more studies to identify the potential of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds in the prevention of sarcopenia.

Dr. Ambrish Mithal, co-author and Chair and Head of Endocrinology and Diabetes division at Medanta, New Delhi underlined the need for further research in the field.

"Strategies to reduce the numbers of falls and fractures within our ageing populations must include measures to prevent sarcopenia. At present, the available evidence suggests that combining resistance training with optimal nutritional status has a synergistic affect in preventing and treating sarcopenia," said Mithal.

"We hope that further studies will shed light on other effective ways of preventing and treating this condition," he added.


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Teachers beware: Grading with red ink can upset kids

PTI Jan 19, 2013, 06.39AM IST

LONDON: Teachers, please note! The iconic red ink you use to grade students may actually upset them, according to a new study. The study by researchers from the University of Colorado showed students think they've been assessed more harshly when their work is assessed in red ink compared to more neutral colours like blue.

"The red grading pen can upset students and weaken teacher-student relations and perhaps learning," sociologists Richard Dukes and Heather Albanesi said.

Researchers said red was associated with "warning, prohibition, caution, anger, embarrassment and being wrong" , the 'Daily Mail' said.

As many as 199 students were shown one of four different versions of a fictitious student's essay which had been marked by a lecturer. Some got a high quality essay , given an A grade, complete with positive and negative comments in either red or a blue-green pen. The other volunteers got an essay with a C grade with both positive and negative comments in either red or blue-green .

The volunteers were more likely to think the teacher writing in red was harsher than the one in blue - even though their grades and comments were identical.


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Bad spelling, grammar key to choosing a safe password

LONDON: The secret to finding more secure passwords could be straightforward â€" just don't use good grammar or spelling, scientists including an Indian-origin researcher have suggested. AshwiniRao and colleagues at Carnegie Mellon University researched the current generation of password cracking systems and found that many people, on being asked to choose longer passwords, made them just as easy to guess.

"Use of long sentence-like or phrase-like passwords such as 'abiggerbetterpassword' and 'thecommunistfairy' is increasing," the researchers said in their paper.

They said that other types of familiar structures like postal addresses, email addresses and uniform resource locators (URLs) may also make for less secure passwords , even if they are long, the 'Daily Mail' reported.


22.10 | 0 komentar | Read More

Teachers beware: Grading with red ink can upset kids

Written By Unknown on Sabtu, 19 Januari 2013 | 22.10

LONDON: Teachers, please note! The iconic red ink you use to grade students may actually upset them, according to a new study. The study by researchers from the University of Colorado showed students think they've been assessed more harshly when their work is assessed in red ink compared to more neutral colours like blue.

"The red grading pen can upset students and weaken teacher-student relations and perhaps learning," sociologists Richard Dukes and Heather Albanesi said.

Researchers said red was associated with "warning, prohibition, caution, anger, embarrassment and being wrong" , the 'Daily Mail' said.

As many as 199 students were shown one of four different versions of a fictitious student's essay which had been marked by a lecturer. Some got a high quality essay , given an A grade, complete with positive and negative comments in either red or a blue-green pen. The other volunteers got an essay with a C grade with both positive and negative comments in either red or blue-green .

The volunteers were more likely to think the teacher writing in red was harsher than the one in blue - even though their grades and comments were identical.


22.10 | 0 komentar | Read More

Bad spelling, grammar key to choosing a safe password

LONDON: The secret to finding more secure passwords could be straightforward — just don't use good grammar or spelling, scientists including an Indian-origin researcher have suggested. AshwiniRao and colleagues at Carnegie Mellon University researched the current generation of password cracking systems and found that many people, on being asked to choose longer passwords, made them just as easy to guess.

"Use of long sentence-like or phrase-like passwords such as 'abiggerbetterpassword' and 'thecommunistfairy' is increasing," the researchers said in their paper.

They said that other types of familiar structures like postal addresses, email addresses and uniform resource locators (URLs) may also make for less secure passwords , even if they are long, the 'Daily Mail' reported.


22.10 | 0 komentar | Read More

Nutritional factors that may help preserve muscle mass in seniors revealed

WASHINGTON: A new review by a team including an Indian scientist has identified the role of nutrition in sarcopenia, with focus on protein, vitamins D and B, and acid-based diet.

Sarcopenia, or the gradual loss of muscle mass, is a common consequence of ageing, and poses a significant risk factor for disability in older adults. As muscle strength plays an important role in the tendency to fall, sarcopenia leads to an increased risk of fractures and other injuries.

The new review by International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF) Nutrition Working Group identifies nutritional factors that contribute to loss of muscle mass, or conversely, are beneficial to the maintenance of muscle mass.

The Group reviewed evidence from worldwide studies on the role of nutrition in sarcopenia, specifically looking at protein, acid-base balance, vitamin D/calcium, and other minor nutrients like B vitamins.

"The most obvious intervention against sarcopenia is exercise in the form of resistance training. However, adequate nutritional intake and an optimal dietary acid-base balance are also very important elements of any strategy to preserve muscle mass and strength during ageing," said professor Jean-Philippe Bonjour, co-author and professor of medicine at the Service of Bone Diseases, University of Geneva.

The review discusses and identifies the following important nutritional factors that have been shown to be beneficial to the maintenance of muscle mass and the treatment and prevention of sarcopenia:

Protein: Protein intake plays an integral part in muscle health. The authors propose an intake of 1.0-1.2 g/kg of body weight per day as optimal for skeletal muscle and bone health in elderly people without severely impaired renal function.

Vitamin D: As many studies indicate a role for vitamin D in the development and preservation of muscle mass and function, adequate vitamin D should be ensured through exposure to sunlight and/or supplementation if required. Vitamin D supplementation in seniors, and especially in institutionalized elderly, is recommended for optimal musculoskeletal health.

Avoiding dietary acid loads: Excess intake of acid-producing nutrients (meat and cereal grains) in combination with low intake of alkalizing fruits and vegetables may have negative effects on musculoskeletal health. Modifying the diet to include more fruits and vegetables is likely to benefit both bones and muscles.

Emerging evidence also suggests that vitamin B12 and/or folic acid play a role in improving muscle function and strength.

In addition, the Review discusses non-nutritional interventions such as hormones, and calls for more studies to identify the potential of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds in the prevention of sarcopenia.

Dr. Ambrish Mithal, co-author and Chair and Head of Endocrinology and Diabetes division at Medanta, New Delhi underlined the need for further research in the field.

"Strategies to reduce the numbers of falls and fractures within our ageing populations must include measures to prevent sarcopenia. At present, the available evidence suggests that combining resistance training with optimal nutritional status has a synergistic affect in preventing and treating sarcopenia," said Mithal.

"We hope that further studies will shed light on other effective ways of preventing and treating this condition," he added.


22.10 | 0 komentar | Read More

Lonely hearts frivolous with money

Written By Unknown on Jumat, 18 Januari 2013 | 22.10

LONDON: People who don't have many friends, feel alone at work, or are sad about a breakup are more frivolous with their money, a new study has claimed.

Researchers from Hong Kong found that when people feel lonely or rejected they put a greater value on money. This is because they associate being wealthy with being socially accepted, the Daily Mail reported. As a result, lonely, sad and rejected people gamble and make riskier, but potentially more profitable, financial decisions in a bid to fit in, they said.

"Feeling socially rejected triggers riskier financial decision making ," said authors of the study including Rod Duclos from Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Echo Wen Wan of University of Hong Kong, and Yuwei Jiang from Hong Kong Polytechnic University.

"In the absence of social support, consumers seek significantly more money to secure what they want out of the social system surrounding them," they said.


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How Dickens helped us see the disabled in a new light

JERUSALEM: Famed author Charles Dickens used literature to showcase discrimination against the disabled who were "feared" and seen as "monstrous" in the 19th Century in Victorian England, according to a new research.

"Social attitudes towards the disabled can often be traced through art, from ancient times through today," said professor Avi Ohry of Tel Aviv University's Sackler Faculty of Medicine.

In the literature of the 19th century, physical deformities were often interpreted as "outward manifestations of inner depravity" or "punishment for moral failings" , Ohry said. And while Dickens does portray some of his disabled characters in this way, many of of them are uniquely sympathetic and inspirational — a surprisingly progressive attitude, considering the era's social bias towards the disabled.

Examples are heart-tugging Tiny Tim from "A Christmas Carol" and Phil Squod, a loyal and good-hearted servant in "Bleak House" , both of whom are "crippled" .


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Dietary trends behind higher phosphorus use

TORONTO: Dietary trends are behind greater quantities of mined phosphorus being used in producing food consumed by an average person over a year, says a new study.

Between 1961 and 2007, rising meat consumption and total calorie intake resulted in a 38 percent increase in the world's per capita "phosphorus footprint", according to a research by Canada's McGill University.

The findings underscore a significant challenge to efforts to sustainably manage the supply of mined phosphorus, a non-renewable resource widely used as fertiliser, the journal Environmental Research Letters reports.

When phosphorus is lost through agricultural runoff or sewage systems, it can pollute waterways downstream. In addition, because deposits are heavily concentrated in a few countries, global supplies and prices for the resource are vulnerable to geopolitical tensions, according to a McGill statement.

"Our results demonstrate that changes in diet can be a significant part of the strategy for enhancing sustainability of phosphorus management," says Genevieve Metson, doctoral student in McGill's Department of Natural Resource Sciences, who led the study.

"In particular, reduced consumption of meat, and especially beef, in countries with large phosphorus footprints could put a big dent in demand for mined phosphorus -- since it takes many kilograms of feed, which is fertilized, to produce a kilogram of meat," adds Metson.

Metson and co-authors Elena M. Bennett from the McGill School of the Environment and James J. Elser from Arizona State University, computed phosphorus-footprint values based on annual country-by-country diet composition data from the Food and Agriculture Organisation.

They calculated the total amount of phosphorus applied to food crops for humans and animals by using fertilizer-application rates available through the International Fertilizer Association, among other sources.

"It is really remarkable how much influence changes in diet have had on our demand for this very limited resource," Bennett says.


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After slew of setbacks, Russia to launch Moon probe in 2015

Written By Unknown on Kamis, 17 Januari 2013 | 22.10

MOSCOW: Russia will launch an unmanned spacecraft to the Moon in 2015, as part of its plan to establish a fully robotic lunar station. The new Moon orbiter, called Luna-Glob will lift off from the Vostochny space port in Russia's Far East after several test launches, Federal Space Agency Roscosmos chief Vladimir Popovkin said.

Luna-Glob is the first of four missions planned before the creation of a fully robotic lunar base scheduled for after 2015, 'Ria Novosti' reported.

The orbiter will have a payload of 120kg, including equipment for astrophysics experiments, dust monitors, and plasma sensors to study ultrahigh-energy cosmic rays. The Moon exploration project is part of the Federal Space Programme dating back to the late 1990s. It was put on hold due to financial restrictions and resurrected several years later. Earlier, the mission was postponed twice.

Roscosmos had announced a $300,000 tender to develop a blueprint of a heavy rocket carrier that would be capable of carrying manned spacecraft to the Moon.

Popovkin previously said country's planned manned spacecraft capable of flights to the Moon will not fly until 2018, the report said. Russia's space programme suffered a slew of setbacks in recent years, most of them blamed on faulty hardware.


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International space station to get $18 million balloon-like room

LAS VEGAS: NASA is partnering with a commercial space company in a bid to replace the cumbersome "metal cans" that serve as astronauts' homes in space with inflatable bounce-house-like habitats that can be deployed on the cheap.

A USD 17.8 million test project will send an inflatable room that can be compressed for delivery into a 2-meter tube to the International Space Station, officials said yesterday during a news conference at North Las Vegas-based Bigelow Aerospace.

If the module proves durable during two years at the space station, it could help lead to habitats on the moon and missions to Mars, NASA engineer Glen Miller said.

The agency chose Bigelow for the contract because it was the only company working on the inflatable technology, said NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver.

Founder and president Robert Bigelow, who made his fortune in the hotel industry and framed the space station gambit as an out-of-this-world real estate venture, also hopes to sell his spare tire habitats to scientific companies and wealthy adventurers looking for space hotels.

NASA is expected to install the 3-meter-diameter, blimp-like module by 2015 at the space station. In 2016, Bigelow plans to begin selling inflatable space stations to countries looking to increase their presence in space.

Miller says the new technology provides more room than existing options, and is quicker and cheaper to build. Once inflated, the habitat will be safer than the aluminium modules now in orbit, he said.

NASA no longer enjoys the budget and public profile of its heyday. The agency outsourced rocket-building to private companies, retired it space shuttles in 2011 and now relies on Russian spaceships to transport American astronauts to and from the space station.

NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver said yesterday that it will be dramatically cheaper to spend a small inflatable tube into space than a full-sized module.

Astronauts will test the habitat's ability to withstand heat, radiation, debris and other assaults. Some adventurous scientists might also try sleeping in it, Garver said. Bigelow said the NASA brand will enable him to start selling habitats that are several times the size of the test module.

He predicted that the primary customers will be the many countries that "have a difficult time getting their astronomers into orbit" and could use a private space station to barter and build up prestige.


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India's first dinosaur fossil rediscovered

MUMBAI: More than a century after it went missing, the fossil of what has been regarded as India's first recorded dinosaur has been rediscovered in Kolkata, according to a top scientific journal.

The recovery of Titanosaurus Indicus, or the Indian Tital reptile, was possible due to a collaborative programme between the Geological Survey of India (GSI) and the University of Michigan, according to the latest issue of Current Science (Vol. 104, No. 1, Jan. 10, 2013, Pg. No. 34), brought out by the Bangalore-based Indian Academy of Sciences.

The missing dinosaur, untraceable for nearly a century, was finally found at the GSI headquarters in Kolkata, says the magazine.

The fossil was originally discovered by WH Sleeman in the Jabalpur area of central India in 1828.

However, it was only half a century later - in 1877 - that its importance came to light as a new genus and species of sauropod dinosaur known as Taitanosaurus Indicus, first identified by Richard Lydekker.

At that time, the world had identified only 115 dinosaur species or less than 10 percent of the 1,401 species known by 2004.

Passing safely through many hands for over half a century, it suddenly went missing though a cast of the specimen was in London's Natural History Museum.

Later, in the early 1900s, many more discoveries of dinosaur fossils were made by scientists such as Charles Metley and Durgasankar Bhattacharji around the original site in Jabalpur excavated by Sleeman.

The magazine says there are many Indian dinosaur specimens that are missing, including both large and small specimens of sauropod and theropod dinosaurs.

Prime among the missing specimens include the head and skeletal parts of the stocky-limbed large Theropod Lametasaurus Indicus, Indosaurus Matleyi, Indosuchus Raptorius, parts of Jainosaurus Septentrionalis and the small Noasaurid Theropod Laevisuchus Indicus and many Theropod limb bones.

Scientists lament that the non-availability of these elements seriously hamper efforts to understand the evolutionary history of Indian dinosaurs and to decode their palaeobiogeographic connections to other southern landmasses.

However, it is not clear whether these missing specimens are lost or merely misplaced and whether it is better to retrieve the old bones or discover newer ones in the field.

The joint efforts by GSI and the University of Michigan have already started bearing fruit and several important specimens have been recovered from various places in existing storage sites, and new ones are being discovered from the field, the magazine says.

Scientists are hopeful that many more missing specimens may be recovered in the future which would help in the study of the evolutionary history of India and its past and present connections to other land masses.


22.10 | 0 komentar | Read More
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