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405th installation anniversary of Sri Guru Granth Sahib

September 20, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Agra, Sep 19(ANI): People of all religions and communities gathered to celebrate the 405th anniversary of the installation of the Sikh holy scriptures, Sri Guru Granth Sahib, at Gurudwara Maithan in Agra.

This was a significant landmark for the Sikhs, as the 275-year-old handwritten scripture, whose front pages are written with gold, was put on display for the devotees.

“The Guru Granth Sahib has the preaching or ‘bani’ of famous poets like Kabir ji, Guru Ravidas ji and Baba Farid ji. It is symbol of humanity and so people of all the religions have gathered here to celebrate the ‘Prakash Parv’, the installation ceremony together,” said Kanwldeep Singh, President of Sri Gursikh Sabha.

Also on display was a miniature scripture of Guru Granth Sahib, which has been preserved at the Gurudwara Maithan for the past 15 years.

“We have Guru Granth sahib of 1 X 1 inches long. The British for the convenience of Sikh soldiers especially designed the holy book during the First World War, as they could not carry a normal sized book in the battlefield. The miniature Guru Granth Sahib was printed in Germany. It was kept in a silver box,” said Gyani Kashmir Singh, head Granthi of Gurudwara Maithan.

To mark the anniversary of the installation of Guru Granth Sahib, special prayers were also held in the Gurudwara premises, which once the house of Mai jassi that was visited by Guru Sri Tegh Bahadur.he gurudwara is currently undergoing renovation and will be expanded to facilitate the large number of devotees visiting the shrine.

A total of 20 million dollars will be spent on renovation and construction of new Gurudwara, a 100-bed hospital and a community hall.

Gurudwara Maithan also upheld the tradition of Langar, which has been followed over the centuries. Guru Arjan Dev and Mata Ganga set the precedent of preparing and serving food to the hungry, in the langar hall, where all social, economic and religious barriers collapse and all – the laborer, the lord, the peasant and the prince, are treated alike and served the same food in the same manner.

This is a practice of great social significance, and it is the key to the understanding of Sikhism. By Brijesh Sharma (ANI)

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MJ’s mother wins will ruling

September 19, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

London, September 19 (ANI): Michael Jackson’s mother Katherine can challenge the administrators of the singer’s estate without any threat to her 40 per cent stake, a judge has ruled.

The 79-year-old’s legal team said that she wants to have more say over the manner in which the 400 million dollar estate is handled.

According to the ruling, the King of Pop’s mum will not breach a ‘no contest’ clause in the family trust if she sets up a challenge before the executors over Jackson’s will, reports the Sun.

Katherine is the legal guardian of the star’s children, Prince Michael, 12, Paris, 11, and seven-year-old Prince Michael II, after his sudden death on June 25.

She will receive more than 1 million dollars a year from his estate including a sum of 26,804 dollars a month for herself apart from a monthly allowance of 60,000 dollars for the three kids, as per the court’s order. (ANI)

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Workshop on use of textiles in agriculture to begin today

September 19, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

New Delhi, Sept 18 (ANI): The Ministry of Textiles and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) will jointly organise a workshop on use of textiles in agriculture here today.

Over 100 delegates from various sectors like agriculture, the State Governments, agricultural universities, forest departments and institutes will attend the workshop.

The technical textiles are used in agriculture to fabricate shade-nets, crop-covers, mulch-nets, anti-hail nets, bird protection nets, fishing nets and greenhouse covers. The use of these items is very limited in the context of Indian agriculture.

The objective of the workshop is to sensitize stakeholders about myriad applications of technical textiles in agriculture and environmental engineering.

It will also create awareness amongst the stakeholders about the benefits of these items.

The workshop will also focus on various rules/legislations that need to be amended to facilitate the use of these textiles in various applications.

Technical textiles products used in the agriculture are known as Agrotech and those used for environmental protection are called Oekotech.

The major applications of Oekotech are for landfill waste management. It includes products used to prevent leakage of municipal or hazardous waste in landfills and suitable use of waste.

The consumption of these technical textiles products remains limited despite their perceived benefits.

With rapid urbanisation, the waste management has become major issue in India and Oekotech applications provide an effective way of managing the waste in an environment friendly manner. (ANI)

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Centre allows regulated sell of swine flu medicine

September 17, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

New Delhi, Sep 16 (ANI): Taking into account the current spread of the swine flu in the country, Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry has decided allow retail sell of Oselatamivir Phosphate and Zanamivir in a regulated manner.

The Oselatamivir Phosphate and Zanamivir are only available drugs that can be used for the treatment of swine flu.

The ministry issued an order in this regard under Section 26 E of the Drugs and Cosmetic Act, 1940.

Earlier, the retail sale of Oselatamivir phosphate was banned by the Central Government and its distribution was permissible only through Public Health Institutions and on the other hand, there was no restriction on the retail sale of Zanamivir.

After the issue of the notification, the chemists who have license to sell, stock or distribute drugs specified under Schedule X to the Drugs and Cosmetic Rules, 1945 would be authorized to sell the above named drugs against proper medical prescriptions.

The ministry has asked the pharmaceutical companies manufacturing these drugs to be prepared to roll out the drugs into the retail market after the issue of the notification.

It is expected that within the next five to seven days both the drugs would be available in the retail market. (ANI)

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Adopt new, transparent selection process for police forces: Chidambaram

September 15, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

New Delhi, Sep 14 (ANI): Union Home Minister P Chidambaram on Monday asked the State Governments to adopt new, time bound and transparent selection process for the state police forces on the lines of the Central Police Force selection procedure.

Addressing the three-day long conference of the Directors Generals and Inspectors Generals of state police forces organized by Intelligence Bureau, Chidambaram said: “Revamp the recruitment procedures and make them quick, time bound and transparent. We have introduced a new recruitment procedure in the CPMFs that is based on technology, objective assessment and transparency. I would take this opportunity to urge State Governments to immediately adopt the new procedure.”

Chidambaram expressed concern over the way police officers are treated and asked states to constitute the police establishment boards as the earliest.

“Constitute a Police Establishment Board that would decide on transfers and postings. It is a matter of deep regret that many police officers have been reduced to a football, to be kicked here and there, from one post to another, without regard to the damage done to the job as well as the officer,” he said.

Expressing concern over the non providing of funds to the police forces by some of the states, Chidambaram said: “I am also concerned about the attitude of some State Governments to providing funds for the police. Let me remind you that Police and Public Order are State subjects. States are right in zealously guarding their turf. The Central Government has no desire to encroach upon the jurisdiction of the State Governments. Given the Constitutional responsibility, State Governments must provide adequate funds for the State Police. “

The Home Minister appealed to the state governments to change the practice of allotting the residue – after providing funds for other Plan and Non-Plan Schemes to the head of Police.

The Central Government increased over Rs.13, 000 crore in the budget of the current fiscal to strengthening the CPFs, and for Modernization of Police Force, CCTNS, Strengthening of Fire and Emergency Services, Scheme of ICP, etc.

Chidambaram called on the conference to mark the beginning of a process of reinventing the security system in the country.

“We must learn from our past mistakes. We must also learn from the experience of other countries. It is the neglect of tried and tested methods that has led us to a situation where we seemed unequal to the challenges that face the internal security of the country,” he said.It is not enough to walk with firm steps on the path that is known. We must also lay out a path forward that will draw heavily upon technology and innovation,” Chidambaram added.

He said once the ambitious projects of CCTN and NATGRID are fully rolled out and implemented, it would mark a quantum jump in our ability to counter the challenges that we face.

Chidambaram also stressed on the creation of a first rate National Counter Terrorism Centre.

“It is also my desire that once the Police Mission submits its report, we should implement the recommendations in a time-bound manner. There is the need to enact a “Model Police Act”. Mega-city policing is a new requirement, and there is much to learn from the experiences of other mega-cities,” Chidambaram said.

Chidambaram also asked the state police chiefs to sharply upgrade our Forensic Science Laboratories and make them among the best in the world. (ANI)

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Too much being attributed to Centre’s affidavit on Ishrat Jehan encounter: Chidambaram

September 12, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, Sep.11 (ANI): Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram, who is currently on a four-day visit to the United States, said on Thursday that too much was being attributed to the Centre’s affidavit on the 2004 Ishrat Jehan encounter case.

“To the best of my knowledge the affidavit says that intelligence inputs were shared with the Gujarat government. That affidavit must be read in context. You cannot read into it what it does not say. I think it is self evident that Intelligence inputs are not evidence, much less conclusive proof. They are just inputs. They are shared with governments on a regular basis. That is not evidence or conclusive proof. It gives leads to investigators for further enquiry. If a state government acts as though intelligence inputs are evidence or conclusive proof I am sorry for that government,” Chidambaram told a press conference.

“Certainly no one suggested that based on an intelligence input you should kill someone. I think too much is being attributed to that affidavit as if it is meant to defend the government of Gujarat against the excesses that may have been committed by its police. I am sorry for the government of Gujarat and the manner in which it runs its police administration,” he added. (ANI)

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Centre creates “Invest India” company to promote foreign investment in the country

September 10, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

New Delhi, Sep 10 (ANI): The Union Cabinet on Thursday approved the formation of a company ‘Invest India’ for the promotion of foreign investments under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

Announcing the formation of ‘Invest India,’ Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma said “The company will be a joint venture between the Government of India, the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and the State Governments will be responsible for promoting foreign investments into the country in a more focused, comprehensive and structured manner.”

The new company is expected to assist the government in its efforts towards projecting India as an attractive investment destination for foreign investors. The company will also assist foreign investors in identifying and realizing investment opportunities in India.

“The unique feature of this company is the partnership between the private sector organization and the Government of India and the State Governments. This is, unlike anywhere else in the world and seeks both to leverage the synergies of all three as well as address their investment priorities,” Sharma added.

Sharma informed that “The Board of Directors of the Invest India comprises of six members from Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) and six members from FICCI.”

“Secretary DIPP will be its Non Executive Chairman. The Board of Directors will appoint a Managing Director and FICCI will provide the administrative, personnel and management support for day to day functioning,” Sharma said.

The authorized capital of the company will be Rs 10crore and the initial paid up capital Rs. one crore. While FICCI will have 51percent share in the equity, DIPP will have 49 percent share to begin with. DIPP’s share will be reduced overtime to 35 percent of paid up capital with induction of fresh equity by the State Governments.

The company will act as the first reference point for any investor interested in India and will also facilitate in setting up business within the country, by making available sector wise consultants and coordinating with the state government on feasible measures, Sharma said. (ANI)

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Abandoned by children, inmates of an old-age perform ‘Shraadh’ in Bhopal

September 10, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Bhopal, Sep.10 (ANI): Abandoned by their own children, many elderly people at an old-age home in Bhopal, performed ‘Shraadh’ for themselves during the ongoing ‘Pitrapaksha’.

As per Hindu tradition, one’s children or family members perform the Shraadh, the ritual of remembering the deceased.

These elderly inmates took the unusual step, as they realised there was no one in their families to perform this ritual.

“They (children) will not do the salvation ritual for us after our death. We are doing it for ourselves. If today they are treating us in this manner, we don’t know what they will do after our death. What can we say?… There is no one to see us. There is no one to listen to our plight… We will die like this here one day,” said Murari Lal Saxena, inmate of Anand Dham old-age-home.

By performing their own ‘shraadh’ rituals, the elderly said they were preparing for their next life.

Parmanad Agrawal, whose family members have died, said in this age and time he couldn’t trust his relatives to do ‘Shraadh’ for him.

“I’m doing my own salvation ritual. So that I don’t suffer in my next life,” said Parmanad Agrawal, an inmate of Anand Dham, the old age home.

Meanwhile, the in-charge of the old-age home Madhuri Mishra said that the inmates did the rituals out of a sense of compulsion.

“All elderly members were worried and in a sad mood. They said since their children have left them in an old age home then why not do their own post-death ritual even if they were still alive. This will leave no burden on their sons after their death. The elderly performed the rituals in the early morning,” said Madhuri Mishra, In-charge, Anand Dham Old-Age-Home.

Hindus believe in reincarnation, or in the cycle of birth. They believe that the body changes with every birth but the soul remains the same.

According to the Hindu philosophy, this birth and death cycle can be broken and the soul can be liberated by performing “Pind Daan” (rituals for dead).

During ‘Pitrapaksha’, children perform the ceremony and pray that the souls of their ancestors should rest in peace. By Ram Chand Sahu(ANI)

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Police resort to cane charge to quell unruly youth seeking jobs in Chhattisgarh

September 1, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Durg (Chhattisgarh), Aug 31 (ANI): Police in Durg district resorted to baton charge to quell an unruly protest by a bunch of youth seeking jobs at a local cement company.

Violence started when hundreds of local youth, under the aegis of the Chhattisgarh Swabhiman Manch (self-respect group), tried to storm the hotel where the company was holding interviews for various posts.

Police caned and chased away the unruly mob.

“Their way of protesting was against law. We asked them to protest in a lawful manner but they tried to barge into the hotel and when security personnel tried to prevent them they started bullying. In order to control them we used mild force and arrested some protestors,” said M. L. Kotwani, Additional Superintendent of Police.

Protestors accused police and local authorities of colluding with the representatives of the cement company.

“The manager of the JP Group is following a discriminatry against us and local authorities and police are cane charging instead of helping us. This is an injustice and we seek clarification from the state government,” said Mahesh, a protestor.

Lack of job opportunities for locals has in recent years triggered protests and even violence against outsiders in several parts of India. (ANI)

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Pak anti-terror court seeks record of Mumbai attacks suspect

August 30, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Rawalpindi, Aug.30 (ANI): The Adiala jail special anti-terrorism court has asked the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to produce record of the arrest of Jamil Ahmed, one of the Mumbai terror attacks suspects, by September 1.

Ahmed has sought post-arrest bail on various legal grounds, the Daily Times.

Earlier, the court adjourned the hearing into the trial of five Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militants, including the outfit’s operations commander Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, till September 5.

The special Adiala Jail court also restricted the in-camera trial of the five accused of the Mumbai terror attacks citing security reasons.

Though the court’s order has not been made public, sources said it stated that the proceedings would be kept totally secret and ‘not published’ in any manner as the case had implications for ‘national security’ and ‘national interests’.

The trial court also asked the FIA to submit its finding before it during the next hearing.

While Lakhvi is accused of masterminding the attack, the four others, including LeT’s communications expert Zarar Shah, Abu al-Qama, Hamad Amin Sadiq and Shahid Jamil Riaz are being charged as facilitators, manager of funds and for locating hideouts for the attackers Rawalpindi.

Meanwhile, the United States has asked the court to grant permission to attend the trial as ‘observers’.

A US embassy spokesman said American officials have moved an application in the court seeking permission to attend the trial.

It may be recalled that there were at least six US nationals among the 166 people who were killed in the November 26-29, 2008 terror attacks. (ANI)

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Robots may soon be serving the elderly at home just like humans do

August 29, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, August 29 (ANI): Elderly people with limited mobility may soon come to be served by robots in a manner as if they are being served by other persons, thanks to a collaborative study by three University of Illinois at Chicago engineers and a Rush University nursing specialist.

“We want to help elderly people communicate with robots, to tell them what they need, and to perform physical activities,” said Milos Zefran, UIC associate professor of electrical and computer engineering.

The three-year study, supported by a grant of 989,000 dollars from the National Science Foundation, is aimed at developing software to allow the elderly to communicate with robots that can respond to a wide range of verbal language, non-verbal gestures, and touch.

“If we can help the elderly remain independent and continue living in their own homes, that will improve their health outlook while relieving the burden on family members and health care providers,” said Zefran, the lead researcher.

The researchers say that their communication interface software will have at its core a novel adaptive and reliable recognition methodology called Recognition by Indexing and Sequencing (RISq), which will allow the robot to comprehend speech altered by impairments and to learn and adapt to such speech.

To enable a robot to understand and correctly respond to various forms of human touch, the researchers will combine techniques from natural language processing and haptics, a scientific term to describe the computerized sense of touch.

They say that the robot will also know how to respond to the user safely when performing everyday chores, such as cooking or making a bed.

“We’ll start by observing interaction between human helpers and the elderly. We’ll identify what kind of language, physical interactions and non-verbal interactions are used. Then we’ll develop a mathematical framework to model this interaction so it can be treated by the robot as a single way of communicating,” Zefran said.

The researchers say that they will program and test a robot, in order to devise refinements, as the project progresses.

“The human-robot interface is really a long-standing, open problem that won’t be solved in three years. But we’ll have a working prototype by then, and we’ll know what additional research needs to be done,” Zefran said.

He believes that this research project may also find widespread use in delivery of institutionally based health care, where routine tasks now done by nurses could be handled by robots.

“If robots can alleviate some of the burden nurses face, they then could spend more time where they’re really needed — providing the human contact that a robot can’t replace,” he said.

Zefran has revealed that his work will include developing seminars or a new graduate or upper-level undergraduate course that considers the various factors that allow robots to perform more sophisticated tasks. (ANI)

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RSS will not interfere in BJP’s internal affairs: Mohan Bhagwat

August 29, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

New Delhi, Aug.28 (ANI): Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) Mohan Bhagwat said on Friday that the outfit will not interfere in the day-to-day workings of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is in the midst of a major crisis of confidence.

Addressing a press conference at ‘Keshavkunj’, the RSS headquarters in the national capital, he said that in the 83 years of its history, the RSS had always projected the need for working together in a united manner, and not allowing personal differences to take precedence over matters of national interest.

He said that the RSS would continue to focus on taking its work to unite India forward and as far as the BJP is concerned, “it is for the party leadership to decide on the issue.”

He said: “All like minded people should work together for progress of the country.”

Bhagwat’s comments came after his meetings on Thursday with BJP president Rajnath Singh and senior leader Murli Manhar Joshi. The discussion with Singh lasted for one-and-a-half hours.

BJP leader Varun Gandhi also met him on Friday morning for about 45 minutes.

Bhagwat had on August 18 called for an end to factionalism in the BJP, the political wing of the Sangh Parivar, and said the party leadership should make way for younger leaders.

The expulsion of Jaswant Singh, two days after the launch of his latest book-Jinnah: India -Partition – Independence, has been criticised by senior leaders Arun Shourie and Yashwant Sinha.

Shourie has called on the RSS to take over the leadership of the BJP. (ANI)

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UNICEF celebrates 200 episodes of Kyunki… Jeena Issi Ka Naam Hai.

August 28, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

New Delhi, Aug.28 (ANI): UNICEF recently celebrated the telecast of the 200th episode of its entertainment education serial Kyunki… Jeena Issi Ka Naam Hai on Doordarshan National.

A serial with all the emotional and dramatic twists and turns that make soaps so popular, Kyunki… has emerged as an innovative and effective agent for behavior change communication amongst Indian television viewers.

Watched by over 125 million viewers across India, the gripping social drama promotes life-enhancing, life-saving messages, critical to the welfare and survival of children and mothers everywhere.

From safe motherhood to HIV prevention, infant feeding to girls’ education, Kyunki promotes prosocial attitudes, behaviours, and practices that contribute directly to the reduction of infant and maternal mortality rates

Naysan Sahba, Programme Communication Specialist at UNICEF India Country Office, who conceptualized the serial says “When we began to work on the show’s concept about four years ago, at the height of the popularity of the saas-bahu sagas, everybody said impossible, there’s no audience for this. Well, we went ahead, carefully if courageously, and you can imagine our delight in that not only is our show doing well but a new wave of socially conscious TV serials, serials tackling hard-hitting issues effecting women and children, have followed suit and are taking the country by storm” .

Kyunki… has a rather unique viewership including unexpected regulars in the form of youngsters and men. A favorite of many across India, the serial is one of the top rankers in its primetime spot of 8:30 PM to 9 PM and is the leading daily soap on DD National.

Not shying away from taking up socially sensitive issues such as the ill effects of child marriage and early pregnancy, gender equality, proper use of contraceptives and prevention of HIV/AIDS, Kyunki… has been a catalyst in encouraging dialogues amongst young girls and families in rural India about things that they earlier had next to no say about.

Concurrent audience research shows that there has been a consistent increase in the number of viewers who say they intend to take action as a direct result of watching Kyunki…, including informing others about the importance of education, motivating children to join school, immunizing one’s own children and regularly washing hands with soap .

The serial has also become a helpful tool and an excellent reference point for frontline workers who promote positive changes in social and health behaviors through interpersonal communication. In depth interviews with health workers, teachers and other influencers has shown that Kyunki… in fact reinforces many of the same ideas they work with and introduces contemporary issues in an interesting, entertaining and practical manner. (ANI)

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Now, an intelligent system to help the elderly avoid forgetting everyday tasks

August 28, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, August 28 (ANI): Scientists at the University of Granada (UGR) have announced the creation of a system that uses Artificial Intelligence techniques to help elderly people, or those with special needs, avoid forgetting certain everyday tasks.

The researchers have revealed that their system uses sensors distributed in the environment to detect people’s actions, and mobile devices to remind them.

Suppose, say the researchers, an elderly lady who is about to go to bed goes into her room, sits down on the bed, takes off her slippers, and turns off the light.

According to them, before she gets into bed, a small alarm will go off, and a mobile device will remind her that she has forgotten to take her tablets.

“It is a prototype which, in a non-intrusive manner, facilitates the control of the activity of people with special needs and increases their independence,” said Maria Ros Izquierdo, from the Higher Technical School of Computer Engineering of the UGR.

The system recognizes the everyday actions of the users by means of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) labels. These labels are discreetly placed on the objects that the individuals touch most often, in such a way that, when they do so, a signal is sent to a computer or mobile device situated in the house itself or at an assistance centre some distance away.

To compile a list of actions-such as remembering to take the keys or the mobile phone before leaving home-the activities of the people are assessed with Artificial Intelligence techniques.

“It is not necessary to use cameras or microphones, and the devices which are used do not entail any technological complications for users, nor do they modify their daily routines,” said Ros.

To evaluate the novel system, the university team have also designed an intelligent space called ‘Tagged World’, which simulates the rooms of a house, with sensors embedded in the environment helping to recognize the behaviour of its occupants.

The researchers monitored each user so as to obtain an individualized database. They later verified with a test the reliability of the system and the degree of intrusion felt by the participants.

“The system does not modify the life of the users, but does positively modify that of the people who look after them,” indicated Ros, who recalled that elderly people or those with special needs often reject the aid of others and demand more independence.

The researcher believes that the new system may help to achieve this objective.

A research article describing the new system has been published in the Expert Systems with Applications magazine. (ANI)

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‘Mobile ID’ devices herald next generation of biometric gadgets

August 27, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, August 27 (ANI): Reports indicate that a new generation of small, portable, versatile biometric devices, referred to as ‘Mobile ID’, are flourishing.

These devices gather, process and transmit an individual’s biometric data, which includes fingerprints, facial and iris images.

They were developed by NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology) researchers working with first responders, criminal justice agencies, the military, industry and academia.

Previous work on standards for these biometric devices has focused primarily on getting different stationary and desktop systems with hardwired processing pathways to work together in an interoperable manner.

But, a new generation of small, portable and versatile biometric devices are raising new issues for interoperability.

“The proliferation of smaller devices including advanced personal digital assistants (PDAs), ultra-portable personal computers and high-speed cellular networks has made portable biometric systems a reality,” said computer scientist Shahram Orandi.

“While the portable systems have made leaps and bounds in terms of capability, there are still intrinsic limitations that must be factored into the big picture to ensure interoperability with the larger, more established environments such as desktop or large server-based systems,” he added.

The new mobile biometric devices allow first responders, police, the military and criminal justice organizations to collect biometric data with a handheld device on a street corner or in a remote area and then wirelessly send it to be compared to other samples on watch lists and databases in near real-time.

Identities can be determined quickly without having to take a subject to a central facility to collect his or her biometrics, which is not always possible.

Soldiers are beginning to use these devices to control access to secured areas, and first responders can use them to ensure that only approved workers are on-site during an incident or investigation. (ANI)

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Novel device to wash away bedsores, chronic ulcers

August 27, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, Aug 27 (ANI): Researchers at Tel Aviv University have developed a unique device, called Dermastream, which could heal bedsores and chronic ulcers in bedridden elderly and infirm.

When ill, such people are prone to painful and dangerous pressure ulcers, and diabetics are susceptible to wounds caused by a lack of blood flow to the extremities.

“The problem is chronic,” said Prof. Amihay Freeman of TAU’s Department of Molecular Microbiology and Biotechnology.

And thus, he developed Dermastream, that uses a solution to whisk away dead tissue, bathing the wound while keeping dangerous bacteria away.

The device provides an enzyme-based solution that flows continuously over the wound, offering an alternative treatment to combat a problem for which current treatments are costly and labour-intensive.

Freeman said that Dermastream has already passed clinical trials in Israeli hospitals and may be available in the U.S. within the next year.

Dermastream employs a special solution developed at Freeman’s TAU laboratory, thus offering a new approach to chronic wound care- a specialty known as “continuous streaming therapy.”

“Our basic idea is simple. We treat the wound by streaming a solution in a continuous manner. Traditional methods require wound scraping to remove necrotic tissue. That is expensive, painful and extremely uncomfortable to the patient.

And while active ingredients applied with bandages on a wound may work for a couple of hours, after that the wound fights back. The bacteria build up again, creating a tedious and long battle,” said Freeman.

Dermastream “flows” under a plastic cover that seals the wound, providing negative pressure that promotes faster healing.

The active biological ingredient, delivered in a hypertonic medium, works to heal hard-to-shake chronic wounds.

Freeman said that while traditional bandaging methods may take months to become fully effective, Dermastream can heal chronic wounds in weeks.

Dermastream is intended for use in hospitals, nursing homes, outpatient clinics and homecare.

Freeman has founded a company that is currently collaborating with a Veterans Association hospital in Tucson, AZ, to bring the technology to the U.S. market.

“My solution helps doctors regain control of the chronic wound, making management more efficient, and vastly improving the quality of their patients’ lives,” concluded Freeman. (ANI)

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Govt. to implement NREGA in a way to benefit drought-hit areas

August 26, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

New Delhi, Aug 26 (ANI): To ensure effective implementation of National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, political parties across the board have agreed today to join hands with the government.

This will help in mitigating the impact of the drought in several parts of the country.

Talking to reporters in New Delhi after an all party meeting, Rural Development Minister Dr. C P Joshi said that there was a consensus on the issue and the programme will be implemented in such a way so that the drought hit areas are benefited.

He elaborated that works like digging of wells and other development works will be taken up in the draught hit areas.

Dr. Joshi noted that the focus of discussions remained the extension of benefits of this historical programme to target beneficiaries.

The meeting focused on the strategy to make NREGA more effective and transparent. Representatives of national parties participated in the meeting.

The Rural Development Minister has made it clear that the feedback and the suggestions from the political leaders will be taken into consideration to make implementation of the scheme more beneficial for the targeted sections.

The Ministry of Rural Development held an all-party meeting on NREGA today. Both the government and the national political parties were of the view that though NREGA has made a huge impact in the rural areas, there is still considerable scope for improvement in its implementation at different levels.

The representatives of the political parties lauded the Minister Of Rural Development for his initiative in political consultation.

Dr. Joshi assured that this would be a continuous process and requested the representatives to hold detailed discussions internally in their parties so that this dialogue becomes broad based.

The meeting is a part of the national dialogue initiated by the Ministry Of Rural Development to ensure the implementation of NREGA in a transparent, accountable and responsive manner so that he benefits reach out to the needy and the poor in the rural areas. (ANI)

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Naked women are acceptable on daytime TV in UK, rules watchdog

August 25, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

London, Aug 25 (ANI): Television watchdog Ofcom has ruled that a Channel 4 life-drawing programme, which features naked female models, is acceptable for lunchtime viewing.

The Channel 4 programme drew dozens of complains from its viewers over the content of ‘Life Class: Today’s Nude’, which had been broadcast daily at 12.30pm over a week in July.It was adult viewing, not for screening in the middle of the day,” the Telegraph quoted one viewer as saying, after tuning in to the programme in which artists guided students through various drawing techniques.

But Ofcom rejected the 37 complaints, and ruled that the channel did not breach broadcasting guidelines, and it even wrote to every complainant explaining that the nudity was justified.

“Life drawing is a well-known and respected form of art. In Ofcom’s view, although the images of nudity were broadcast for long periods of time, they were not presented in a sexualised manner and were clearly justified by the context, given the editorial purpose of the series,” the letter read.

The programme was broadcast during school term time, and was not aimed at children, the watchdog said, adding that each episode was prefaced by a warning about its content.

Clips from the show are still available on the Channel 4 website, but viewers must click a box to confirm they are over 16 before they can watch the footage.

Channel 4 declined to comment on Ofcom’s decision. (ANI)

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Saying ‘I’m sorry’ favourably influences jurors’ decisions

August 25, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, Aug 25 (ANI): In a new study, researchers at George Mason University and Oklahoma State University showed that apologizing for negative outcomes could lead to more favourable verdicts for auditors in court.

Assistant accounting professors Rick Warne of Mason and Robert Cornell of OSU found that remedial tactics such as apologizing or first-person justification can result in lower frequencies of negligence verdicts in cases against auditors when compared to a control group receiving no remedial tactic.

Apologies allow the accused wrongdoer to express sorrow or regret about a situation without admitting guilt.

Alternatively, a first-person justification allows the accused to indicate the appropriateness of decisions given the information available when decisions were made.

“We found that apologies reduce the jurors’ need to assign blame to the auditor for any negative outcomes to the client. It also appears that a first-person justification influences the jurors impression that the auditor’s actions were reasonable and in accordance with professional standards,” Warne said.

The researchers administered several versions of a mock trial involving a lawsuit against an auditor whose actions had negative consequences on a client.

In the scenario utilized by the researchers, the auditor performed an appropriate audit, yet the audited company eventually went into bankruptcy.

The researchers examined whether a defendant making an apology, offering a justification, utilizing both techniques or remaining silent led to the most favorable verdicts.

Research in psychology, management and medicine concludes that remedial tactics are effective when expressed directly to injured parties.

However, the new research expands upon prior findings by examining the effects remedial tactics have on jurors who are indirectly involved and cannot directly forgive the accused.

“We know victims often respond favourably to an apology, but our findings suggest that even unharmed jurors react in a similar manner. Offering an apology though is not synonymous with admitting guilt,” Cornell said.

The study will be available in a forthcoming issue of Contemporary Accounting Research, published by the Canadian Academic Accounting Association. (ANI)

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Pallam Raju calls upon private industry to participate in defence sector

August 20, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

New Delhi, Aug 20(ANI): Minister of State for Defence MM Pallam Raju on Thursday called upon the private industry in IT and Engineering Design for meeting the needs of the Defence Forces.

Inaugurating a two-day seminar on ‘Emerging Technologies for Sub-Conventional Conflict and Homeland Security’, Raju said the Government plans to meet upto 70 per cent of India’s Defence purchases from indigenous sources.

“The terrorists, militants and insurgents are acquiring advanced weapons and communication equipment. Their methods of warfare are becoming more sophisticated, more complex and more systematically planned. Their objectives are becoming more ambitious, with the intention of inflicting maximum damage,” Raju said.

“Therefore, the task ahead is formidable. Our defence forces and paramilitary forces need to be further equipped, adequately trained and properly supported. Armaments and munitions, state-of-the-art equipment, and support systems in telecommunications, surveillance and other areas should be proportionate to the threat perception,” he added.

Raju further said that in order to counter the growing threat, India needs to work on a number of fronts simultaneously.

“Leveraging emerging technologies is one of the critical aspects in this area. The world has made rapid strides in technology development in conducting warfare as well as in communications and transport,” Raju said.

“India has evident capacities in information technology and engineering design in the private sector, through which it has been able to successfully capture the space of outsourcing and software services,” he added.

He also informed that the country would spend around 10 billion dollars in the next seven years on homeland security alone.

“Internal security is a matter that is engaging us very closely and is high on our priority agenda. After the horrific attacks on Mumbai last November which killed 173 people, we have taken up the challenge to modernize and upgrade our security forces in a comprehensive manner,” Raju said. (ANI)

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