Natural | SilverScorpio.Com

Natural hydrogel may boost spinal cord healing

September 19, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, Sep 18 (ANI): A jab of biomaterial gel into a spinal cord injury site may significantly improve healing, according to researchers at the Barrow Neurological Institute at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center.

Dr. Mark Preul and Dr. Alyssa Panitch have found in a study that injection of an engineered hydrogel made up mainly of hyaluronic acid (a naturally-occurring body substance) into the spinal cord injury site decreases scarring, and promotes a realignment of the spinal cord fibres around the injury site.

The hyaluronic acid, which forms a scaffold-like configuration may help to structurally stabilize the spinal cord injury site.

The researchers traced cells in the brain stem after injury, and found much higher levels in the hydrogel treated animals as compared to animals that did not receive the treatment, and approached nearly normal levels.

Treated animals had higher functional scores than their non-treated counterparts.

“Spinal cord injury is devastating to civilian and military populations – especially to the young. There has been little progress toward paradigms of regeneration and few results that show real, sustained functional recovery. We’ve been so pre-occupied with regeneration, but that is a highly complicated and difficult to define goal. This project is a synergy of neurosurgeons and bioengineers that attempts repair of the SCI lesion cavity using a tissue-engineering biomaterials approach,” says Preul.

He added that the team aimed at finding ways to structurally allow the body to better heal itself.

“In this project we did not add anything to the hyaluronic acid. It may be that adding growth factors or cells into the gel matrix may allow even better results,” he said.

Preul said that the results show “we may be on a practical path that can give hope to the many people who suffer this sort of injury.”

The work was presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons in San Diego where it won the Synthes Prize for Spine Research. (ANI)

Filed Under: Science News Tagged With: acid, American, ANI, anything, approach, association, barrow, barrow neurological institute, biomaterial, body, Body Substance, brain, brain stem, cavity, center, Center Dr, configuration, cord, dr mark, Dr. Alyssa Panitch, Dr. Mark Preul, fibres, functional recovery, functional scores, gel, Gel Matrix, Goal, growth, growth factors, healing, hospital, hyaluronic acid, hydrogel, injection, injury, institute, jab, lesion, matrix, medical, Military Populations, natural, Neurological, Neurosurgeons, path, prize, progress, project, realignment, recovery, regeneration, repair, Research, s hospital, San Diego, scaffold, SCI, Sep, show, site, sort, spinal, spinal cord, spinal cord injury, spine, st joseph, stem, study, substance, surgeons, synergy, Synthes, team, Tissue Engineering Biomaterials, treated, treatment, Washington, work

Ancient book of Buddhism chantings found in Korean temple

September 17, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Seoul, September 16 (ANI): Archaeologists have uncovered an ancient Chinese book of Buddhism chantings in a Korean temple.

According to a report in Korea Times, the Hangeul copy of an ancient Chinese book, which contains the notes of the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910) scholar Kim Si-seup, was discovered at Baekryunam, Haein Temple.

The book was originally written by a Buddhist master from the Tang Dynasty (618-907) and dates back to the 16th century.

“We discovered the ‘shiphyeondam eonhaebon’ while we were examining the library of Ven. Seong Cheol (1912-1993) at Baekryunam, Haein Temple, in April this year,” Ven. Won Taek said at a press conference at the Jogye Order, northern Seoul.

“It’s a rare book ? perhaps even the only copy ? that is not included in the Natural Treasures list nor on the lists of national libraries and university libraries,” he said.

An eonhae copy, or eonhaebon, is a book or writing that contains the literal translation of a sentence in Chinese to Hangeul, or Korean.

It is different from the normal translation books as it features a word-for-word translation, and is far removed from the Hangeul sentences used today.

‘Shiphyeondam’ refers to the 10 songs and poems made to praise Buddha’s teachings, written by Tang Dynasty Buddhist master Dongan Sangchal of the Jodong Order of Zen Buddhism, a sect of the religion in China.

The songs are comprised of seven Chinese characters and contain the traditions and the practices of the Jodong Order.

Ven. Won Taek explained that the discovery was meaningful as the book was from the 16th century. Most of the eonhaebons known today are from the 15th century.

“We found many precious ancient books and eonhaebons while examining the library and we will apply these artifacts as Natural Treasures after examining the value of them. We will also make photo prints of the eonhaebons for ancient hangeul and writing experts to use them as research material,” he said. (ANI)

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: ancient, ancient books, Ancient Chinese Book, ANI, April, archaeologists, Baekryunam, book, buddha, buddhism, Buddhism Religion, buddhist, buddhist master, century, Cheol, China, Chinese Characters, conference, copy, discovery, Dongan, dynasty, eonhae, eonhaebon, Haein, Hangeul, Jodong, Jogye, Joseon, Kim Si-seup, kingdom, Korea, Korea Times, library, Literal Translation, master, material, National Libraries, natural, Natural Treasures, northern Seoul, order, photo, Photo Prints, press, religion, Religion In China, report, Research, Research Material, Sangchal, scholar, sect, sentence, Seong, Seoul, September, shiphyeondam, Si-seup, taek, tang, tang dynasty, Temple, the, times, today, Translation, Translation Books, University, University Libraries, value, ven, won, Word Translation, year, zen, Zen Buddhism

Natural History Museum bets on discovery of Loch Ness monster

September 14, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

London, Sept 14 (ANI): London’s Natural History Museum has inked a deal with bookmakers William Hill, which will see the mythical Loch Ness monster go on public display – if it is ever caught.

The Loch Ness Monster is a creature believed to inhabit Loch Ness in the Scottish Highlands. It is similar to other supposed lake monsters in Scotland.

The museum has secured the rights to showcase Nessie’s remains, if the monster is ever caught.

According to the archive documents, under the 1987 deal William Hill will pay the museum an annual fee on return for the guarantee its experts will provide “positive identification” of the elusive creature.

The agreement also covers the Yeti or Abominable Snowman, another mythological creature and an ape-like cryptid said to inhabit the Himalayan region of Nepal and Tibet.

The bookmaker currently offers odds of 500/1 on the existence of the Loch Ness monster being proved within a year and 200/1 for the Yeti.

“We have maintained our relationship with the Natural History Museum and are delighted to do so,” the Telegraph quoted Graham Sharpe, spokesman for William Hill, as saying.

“As we rely on the Met Office to rule on white Christmases, we are dependent on the museum to tell us whether any carcass that may emerge from the loch is a haddock, or a previously unknown creature from the deep,” he added. (ANI)

Filed Under: Science News Tagged With: Abominable, agreement, ANI, archive, Archive Documents, bets, bookmaker, bookmakers, carcass, Christmases, creature, cryptid, deal, discovery, display, Elusive Creature, existence, fee, Graham Sharpe, guarantee, haddock, highlands, Himalayan, himalayan region, history, identification, lake, lake monsters, Loch, Loch Ness, Loch Ness Monster, London, met, monster, museum, Mythological Creature, natural, natural history museum, Nepal., Ness, Nessie, office, region, relationship, return, Scotland, scottish, scottish highlands, Sept, showcase, Snowman, spokesman, Telegraph, tibet, william hill, year, yeti

Master gene that switches on disease-fighting cells identified

September 14, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

London, Sep 14 (ANI): British scientists have identified the master gene, called E4bp4, that causes blood stem cells to turn into disease-fighting ‘Natural Killer’ (NK) immune cells.

The discovery, by researchers at Imperial College London, UCL and the Medical Research Council’s National Institute for Medical Research, could one day help scientists boost the body’s production of these frontline tumour-killing cells, creating new ways to treat cancer.

By ‘knocking out’ E4bp4 in a mouse model, the researchers created the world’s first animal model entirely lacking NK cells, but with all other blood cells and immune cells intact.

The breakthrough model should help solve the mystery of the role that Natural Killer cells play in autoimmune diseases, such as diabetes and multiple sclerosis.

According to many scientists, these diseases are a result of malfunctioning NK cells that turn on the body and attack healthy cells, which cause disease instead of fighting it.

They believe that clarifying NK cells’ role could lead to new ways of treating these conditions.

Natural Killer cells – a type of white blood cell – are a major component of the human body’s innate, quick-response immune system, providing a fast frontline defence against tumours, viruses and bacterial infections.

The gene E4bp4 is the ‘master gene’ for NK cell production, which means it is the primary driver that causes blood stem cells in the bone marrow to differentiate into NK cells.

Led by Dr Hugh Brady, the researchers are hoping to progress with a drug treatment for cancer patients which reacts with the protein expressed by their E4bp4 gene, causing their bodies to produce a higher number of NK cells than normal, to increase the chances of successfully destroying tumours.

“If increased numbers of the patient’s own blood stem cells could be coerced into differentiating into NK cells, via drug treatment, we would be able to bolster the body’s cancer-fighting force, without having to deal with the problems of donor incompatibility,” Nature quoted Brady as saying.

The researchers proved the pivotal role E4bp4 plays in NK production when they knocked the gene out in a mouse model.

Without E4bp4 the mouse produced no NK cells whatsoever but other types of blood cell were unaffected.

“Now finally, with our discovery of the NK cell master gene and subsequent creation of our mouse model, we will be able to find out if the progression of these diseases is impeded or aided by the removal of NK cells from the equation. This will solve the often-debated question of whether NK cells are always the ‘good guys’, or if in certain circumstances they cause more harm than good,” said Brady.

The study has been published in Nature Immunology. (ANI)

Filed Under: Science News Tagged With: ANI, animal, animal model, autoimmune diseases, bacterial infections, blood, blood cells, body, bone, brady, breakthrough, Breakthrough Model, British scientists, cancer, cancer patients, cell, college, component, Council, creation, day, defence, diabetes, discovery, disease, donor, Dr Hugh Brady, driver, drug, equation, fighting force, force, frontline, gene, harm, immune cells, immunology, imperial, Imperial College London, Incompatibility, institute, killer, London, major component, Marrow, master, master gene, medical, Medical Research Council, model, mouse, mouse model, mystery, national, natural, Natural Killer Cells, Nature, Nk Cells, number, patient, production, progression, protein, question, Quick Response, removal, Research, result, role, sclerosis, Sep, stem, stem cells, study, system, the, treatment, tumours, type, UCL, white blood cell, world

‘Dung of the devil’ plant roots may offer swine flu cure

September 10, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, Sept 10 (ANI): Chinese scientists have found that the roots of a plant have powerful natural substances that can kill the H1N1 virus.

Researchers Fang-Rong Chang and Yang-Chang Wu identified chemicals in the extracts of the “Dung of the Devil” plant, which were more effective against the H1N1 virus than the antiviral drug currently available for the flu.

The report will be published in the Sept. 25 issue of ACS’ Journal of Natural Products.

The plant biologically called ferula assa-foetida, is found in Iran, Afghanistan and mainland China.

The authors say: “Overall, the present study has determined that sesquiterpene coumarins from F. assa-foetida may serve as promising lead components for new drug development against influenza A (H1N1) viral infection.”

The plant was also used as a remedy during the1918 Spanish flu that took a toll of nearly 100 million lives.

However, the antiviral capacity of the plant was not fully confirmed until now. (ANI)

Filed Under: Science News Tagged With: $100 million, (Iran, acs, acs journal, Afghanistan, ANI, Antiviral Drug, capacity, China, Chinese Scientists, Coumarins, cure, Development, devil, drug, dung, Extracts, Fang, Fang-Rong, ferula, Flu, Flu Cure, infection, influenza, issue, journal, Journal Of Natural Products, lead, mainland, mainland China, natural, natural substances, plant, Plant Roots, remedy, report, researchers, Rong Chang, Sept, sesquiterpene, spanish flu, study, Swine Flu, toll, viral infection, virus, virus researchers, Washington, yang, Yang-Chang

Scientists use bacteria to make radioactive metals inert

September 10, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, September 9 (ANI): A team of scientists is researching the use of sulfate-reducing bacteria to convert toxic radioactive metal to inert substances, a much more economical solution.

The research is being done by Judy Wall, a biochemistry professor at the University of Missouri College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources.

The bacteria Wall is studying are bio-corrosives and can change the solubility of heavy metals.

They can take uranium and convert it to uraninite, a nearly insoluble substance that will sink to the bottom of a lake or stream.

Wall is looking into the bacteria’s water cleansing ability and how long the changed material would remain inert.

Wall’s research could also be beneficial to heavy metal pollution from storage tanks and industrial waste.

The bacteria are already present in more than 7,000 heavy metal contaminated sites, but they live in a specific range of oxygen and temperature, making them difficult to control.

“Our research must be done in the absence of air,” Wall said. “Obviously, none but the most committed – and stubborn – will work with them,” she added.

Even if an oxygen-tolerant strain were developed, there are still multiple factors that would make applying the bacteria challenging, and these microbes can contribute to massive iron corrosion.

“Knowledge of the way bacteria live in the environment, in microbial communities, is still in its infancy,” Wall said. “We just don’t know a lot about the communication systems among microbes,” she added.

Wall and researchers from the Lawrence Berkley National Laboratory in California are investigating the bacterium’s basic genetics and hope to determine its growth limits and activity in natural settings, including how to make its interactions with metals sustainable.

They have already identified a few genes that are critical to converting uranium. (ANI)

Filed Under: Science News Tagged With: ability, absence, activity, Agriculture, agriculture food, air, ANI, bacterium, Basic Genetics, Berkley, biochemistry, biochemistry professor, bottom, California, college, College Of Agriculture, communication, Contaminated Sites, corrosion, Corrosives, Economical Solution, environment, food, growth, heavy metals, inert, infancy, iron, Judy Wall, knowledge, Laboratory, lake, lawrence, lot, Massive Iron, material, metal, Metal Pollution, microbes, microbial, microbial communities, Missouri, Missouri College, national, natural, Natural Settings, none, oxygen, pollution, professor, Radioactive Metal, Radioactive Metals, range, Research, September, solubility, solution, storage, Storage Tanks, strain, stream, substance, Sulfate Reducing Bacteria, team, temperature, University, uraninite, uranium, use, Washington, waste, water, way

Rat as big as a cat found in extinct volcano in Papua New Guinea

September 7, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

London, September 7 (ANI): An expedition team has found a new species of giant rat in an extinct volcano in the jungle of Papua New Guinea, which at 82cm length, is as big as a cat.

According to a report by BBC News, the creature, which has not yet been formally described, was discovered by an expedition team filming the BBC programme ‘Lost Land of the Volcano’.

The rat, which has no fear of humans, is among the largest species of rat known anywhere in the world.

Like the other exotic species, the rat is believed to live within the Mount Bosavi crater, and nowhere else.

“This is one of the world’s largest rats. It is a true rat, the same kind you find in the city sewers,” said Dr Kristofer Helgen, a mammalogist based at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History who accompanied the BBC expedition team.

Initially, the giant rat was first captured on film by an infrared camera trap, which BBC wildlife cameraman Gordon Buchanan set up in the forest on the slopes of the volcano.

The expedition team, from the BBC Natural History Unit, recorded the rat rummaging around on the forest floor, and was awed by its size.

Immediately, they suspected it could be a species never before recorded by science, but they needed to see a live animal to be sure.

Then trackers accompanying the team managed to trap a live specimen.

“I had a cat and it was about the same size as this rat,” said Buchanan.

The trapped rat measured 82cm in length from its nose to its tail, and weighed approximately 1.5kg.

It had a silver-brown coat of thick long fur, which the scientists who examined it believe may help it survive the wet and cold conditions that can occur within the high volcano crater.

The location where the rat was discovered lies at an elevation of over 1,000m.

Initial investigations suggest the rat belongs to the genus Mallomys, which contains a handful of other out-sized species.

It has provisionally been called the Bosavi woolly rat, while its scientific name has yet to be agreed.

Mount Bosavi, where the new rat was found, is an extinct volcano that lies deep in the remote Southern Highlands of Papua New Guinea.

The expedition team entered the crater to explore pristine forest, where few humans have set foot.

The island which includes Papua New Guinea and New Guinea is famous for the number and diversity of the rats and mice that live there. (ANI)

Filed Under: Science News Tagged With: 5kg, ANI, animal, bbc, camera, cameraman, cat, city, City Sewers, coat, Cold Conditions, crater, creature, diversity, Dr Kristofer Helgen, elevation, expedition, Extinct Volcano, fear, film, floor, foot, forest, Forest Floor, fur, genus, Giant Rat, Gordon Buchanan, Guinea, handful, history, infrared camera, initial investigations, island, jungle, kind, Kristofer, land, length, location, London, Mallomys, mammalogist, Mount Bosavi, museum, museum of natural history, name, national, National Museum Of Natural History, natural, Natural History Unit, New, NEWS, nose, number, Papua New Guinea, programme, rat, report, Science, September, size, Smithsonian, Smithsonian National Museum, Smithsonian National Museum Of Natural History, Southern Highlands, specimen, tail, team, trap, unit, volcano, Volcano Crater, wildlife, Wildlife Cameraman, world

Anil Ambani welcomes government’s fresh plea on gas row dispute with brother Mukesh

September 2, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Mumbai, Sep 2 (ANI): Anil Ambani of Reliance Natural Resource Limited (RNRL) welcomed a fresh application filed by central government in the Supreme Court on a row over gas price with estranged elder brother Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries Limited (RIL).

Top Indian conglomerate Reliance Industries, headed by Mukesh Ambani, and Reliance Natural, led by Anil Ambani, have been fighting over terms of a gas-supply agreement struck when the Reliance empire was split in 2005.

The fresh application by the government said that the government’s policies and contracts on production and gas pricing would prevail over any private arrangement.

“Reliance Natural Resource on behalf of its over 26 lakh shareholders is grateful to the Government of India for its neutral stand in proposing these amendments,” Anil Ambani told reporters in Mumbai.

“With the filing of application, the role of government in Reliance Natural Resource-RIL matter remains limited only to interpretation of just two issues. Issue A – the gas utilisation policy and issue B – provisions of the Production Sharing Contract. This is exactly the same scope of intervention that was permitted to the government of India by the Bombay High Court,” he added.

The latest tussle between the feuding brothers, which stems from the 2005 break-up of the Reliance empire built by their father, has raised concerns it could discourage investment in the sector as India scrambles to shore up its energy security.

In July, India’s apex court said it would club all petitions and applications in the case together.

The Indian government had earlier made a petition to intervene in the case, arguing that the gas is ‘state property’ and that the private agreement between the Ambanis over the gas is not valid. (ANI)

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: agreement, ambani, Ambanis, ANI, anil, Anil Ambani, apex, apex court, application, arrangement, behalf, bombay, Bombay High Court, break-up, brother, case, club, conglomerate, contract, Court, dispute, elder brother, empire, energy, energy security, father, filing, Gas, Gas Price, Gas Utilisation, Government, government of india, High, India, Indian, Indian Government, interpretation, intervention, investment, issue, July, lakh, limited, matter, Mukesh, Mumbai, natural, natural resource, petition, plea, policy, price, pricing, Private Agreement, Private Arrangement, production, property, Reliance, Reliance Industries, resource, Resource Limited, RIL, Rnrl, role, Role Of Government, row, scope, sector, security, Sep, stand, state, State Property, supreme, tussle, utilisation

A unique story of parallel evolution in moths unraveled

September 2, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, Sept 2 (ANI): A new revision of the taxonomic relationships among one group of moths, the subfamily Dioptinae, sheds light on the diversity of tropical moth species and presents a unique story of parallel evolution.

“These diurnal moths are a microcosm of butterfly evolution,” said James Miller, author of the new Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History and a research associate in the Division of Invertebrate Zoology at the Museum.

“There are about 500 spectacular dioptine species, all of which evolved from a common ancestor-a nondescript brown nocturnal moth-into a diversity of butterfly mimics,” he added.

Miller qualifies this with a technicality, though, noting that no one is sure whether butterflies or diurnal moths evolved their colors first (and who is really mimicking whom).

The wing pattern diversity within the subfamily is enormous: some species mimic clear-winged butterflies and inhabit the darker parts of the forest understory where their co-mimics fly.

Still others have wings that are colored blue and yellow and feed on melastomes.

About 100 species feed on Passiflora, the poisonous passion flowers famous for being consumed by the caterpillars of Heliconious butterflies.

In fact, although most of the Dioptinae are diurnal, or fly during the day, a few species like those in Xenomigia have re-conquered the night.

Although most dioptines are neotropical, ranging from lowland jungles to cloud forests at 4,000 meters in the Andes, Phryganidia californica occurs in the western United States.

Miller’s new revision of the Dioptinae is the first systematic look at this group in almost a century.

After studying over 16,700 specimens housed at 38 different institutions and private collections around the world, Miller discovered and described 64 new species and seven new genera, bringing the total to 456 species in 43 genera.

Some of the new species were found during field work in parts of the tropical Americas poorly explored by lepidopterists.

Even so, there is much more work to be done on the Dioptinae.

Miller estimates that there are about 100 to 150 species in collections that still need to be described and inserted into the taxonomy, and he thinks that additional fieldwork in under-sampled countries like Bolivia and Colombia will ultimately bring the total number of species to between 700 and 800.

Miller’s careful analysis has dissected the taxonomic groups, finding that 47 of the previously named species could be included within another existing species. (ANI)

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: American, american museum of natural history, Analysis, Andes, ANI, author, bolivia, bulletin, butterfly, californica, caterpillars, century, colombia, common ancestor, day, Dioptinae, dioptine, diurnal, diversity, division, evolution, fact, feed, field, fieldwork, fly, forest, Forest Understory, genera, group, Heliconious, history, Invertebrate, James Miller, look, lowland, Lowland Jungles, microcosm, Mimics, moth, Moth Species, moths, museum, museum of natural history, natural, night, nocturnal, number, parallel evolution, Passiflora, passion, Passion Flowers, pattern, Phryganidia, private collections, Research, revision, Sept, Species Feed, story, Subfamily, Taxonomic Relationships, taxonomy, technicality, total, Tropical Americas, Understory, Washington, western united states, wing, Winged Butterflies, work, world, Xenomigia, yellow, Zoology

President Patil leaves for Russia today

September 2, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

New Delhi, Sep. 2 (ANI): President Pratibha Patil on Wednesday left for a weeklong visit to Russia and Tajikistan.

Patil was accompanied by Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Murli Deora and Minister of State for Textiles, Panabaka Lakshmi.

Strengthening bilateral ties with these countries will be top of the agenda of the visit.

Patil will first go to Moscow and meet Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.

She is also scheduled to meet the Chairman of the Federation Council and the Speaker of the Duma.

Patil and Medvedev will participate in a gala concert in Moscow and witness an Indian cultural performance. The “Year of India” is being celebrated in Russia this year.

She will also scheduled to meet the Indian community and Friends of India. She will also visit St. Petersburg where she will meet the plenipotentiary representative of the President to the North-West District and visit a Russian School, which teaches Hindi.

President Patil will be the guest of honour in the Independence Day celebrations of Tajikistan in Dushanbe.

This is the first time a foreign dignitary is being given this honour.

She will also inaugurate the India-Tajikistan Joint Business Forum apart from her meetings with the Tajik President Emomali Rahmon and Prime Minister Oquil Oquilov.

Patil will be the first Indian President to visit to Tajikistan. (ANI)

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: agenda, ANI, bilateral ties, business, Business Forum, chairman, community, concert, Council, day, deora, Dmitry, dmitry medvedev, duma, dushanbe, Emomali, federation, Federation Council, Foreign Dignitary, forum, gala, Gala Concert, Gas, guest, guest of honour, hindi, honour, inaugurate, independence, Independence Day Celebrations, India, Indian, INDIAN President, joint, lakshmi, Medvedev, minister of state, moscow, murli, natural, New Delhi, north, North-West District, Oquil, Oquilov, Panabaka, performance, petroleum, Plenipotentiary, President Patil, President Pratibha Patil, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, Rahmon, representative, Russia, russia today, Russian, Russian President, Russian School, school, Sep, speaker, St. Petersburg, state, strengthening, Tajik, Tajik President, Tajikistan, Textiles, time, today, top, visit, Vladimir Putin, Wednesday, weeklong visit, witness, year

President Patil to leave for Russia today

September 2, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

New Delhi, Sep. 2 (ANI): President Pratibha Patil will leave on a weeklong visit to Russia and Tajikistan from today.

She will be accompanied by Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Murli Deora and Minister of State for Textiles, Panabaka Lakshmi.

Strengthening bilateral ties with these countries will be top of the agenda of the visit.

Patil will first go to Moscow and meet Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.

She is also scheduled to meet the Chairman of the Federation Council and the Speaker of the Duma.

Patil and Medvedev will participate in a gala concert in Moscow and witness an Indian cultural performance. The “Year of India” is being celebrated in Russia this year.

President Patil will be the guest of honour in the Independence Day celebrations of Tajikistan in Dushanbe.

This is the first time a foreign dignitary is being given this honour.

She will also inaugurate the India-Tajikistan Joint Business Forum apart from her meetings with the Tajik President Emomali Rahmon and Prime Minister Oquil Oquilov.

Patil will be the first Indian President to visit to Tajikistan.(ANI)

President Patil to leave for Russia, Tajikistan on Wednesday

September 1, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

New Delhi, Sep. 1 (ANI): President Pratibha Patil will leave on a weeklong visit to Russia and Tajikistan from Wednesday.

She will be accompanied by Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Murli Deora and Minister of State for Textiles, Panabaka Lakshmi.

Strengthening bilateral ties with these countries will be top of the agenda of the visit.

Patil will first go to Moscow and meet Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.

She is also scheduled to meet the Chairman of the Federation Council and the Speaker of the Duma.

Patil and Medvedev will participate in a gala concert in Moscow and witness an Indian cultural performance. The “Year of India” is being celebrated in Russia this year.

The President will also meet the Indian community and Friends of India. She will also visit St. Petersburg where she will meet the plenipotentiary representative of the President to the North-West District and visit a Russian School, which teaches Hindi.

President Pratibha Devi Singh Patil will be the guest of honour in the Independence Day celebrations of Tajikistan in Dushanbe.

This is the first time a foreign dignitary is being given this honour.

She will also inaugurate the India-Tajikistan Joint Business Forum apart from her meetings with the Tajik President Emomali Rahmon and Prime Minister Oquil Oquilov.

Patil will be the first Indian President to visit to Tajikistan. (ANI)

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: agenda, ANI, bilateral ties, business, Business Forum, chairman, community, concert, Council, day, deora, Dmitry, dmitry medvedev, duma, dushanbe, Emomali, federation, Federation Council, Foreign Dignitary, forum, gala, Gala Concert, Gas, guest, guest of honour, hindi, honour, inaugurate, independence, Independence Day Celebrations, India, Indian, INDIAN President, joint, lakshmi, Medvedev, minister of state, moscow, murli, natural, New Delhi, north, North-West District, Oquil, Oquilov, Panabaka, performance, petroleum, Plenipotentiary, President Patil, President Pratibha Devi, President Pratibha Patil, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, Rahmon, representative, Russia, Russian, Russian President, Russian School, school, Sep, Singh Patil, speaker, St. Petersburg, state, strengthening, Tajik, Tajik President, Tajikistan, Textiles, time, top, visit, Vladimir Putin, Wednesday, weeklong visit, witness, year

Rajasthan Government demands lion’s share in Cairn project

August 29, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Barmer (Rajasthan), Aug.29 (ANI): The Government of Rajasthan on Saturday demanded a lion’s share of the value added tax (VAT) that would be generated from the extraction of crude oil from the Mangala Processing Terminal ( MPT) here.

According to sources, the issue will be settled later when state government representatives meet the officials of this Cairns Energy India-ONGCjoint venture.

ONGC Chairman R.S. Sharma said that it would take at least four years to meet this demand of the Rajasthan Government, which was made by Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot. Sharma said that the approach of the state government would determine the way forward on the issue of revenue sharing.

Officials attached with the joint venture said they are leaving no stone unturned in doing their bit for the local people.

The media contingent accompanying the Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, on the inaugural visit to the project site were shown the entrepreneural centre where various social projects for local people are showcased.

Cairn India CEO Rahul Dhir emphasised the point that the maximum number of labourers are locals, and added that out of the 700 contractors, a majority are local people.

Inaugurating the project, Dr. Singh said the present venture is an indication that foreign investment in the country will grow and that the Indian Government will honestly provide all facilities to attract foreign investment.

He also congratulated the technical personnel for successfully finding oil reserves.

It maybe recalled that the Dutch firm Shell had abandoned the search for oil in this desert area. cairn india then stepped in, and after four years of continuous labour, was able to discover oil. arlier, Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Murli Deora described the activation of the Mangala Processing Terminal ( MPT) as a historic achievement, as the crude oil production from this block will meet about 20 percent of the nation’s current crude oil production.

He said this will enable the country to save seven percent of the crude oil import bill and reduce import dependence.

Deora also emphasised the need for stabilising crude oil prices for ensuring the sustained economic growth of the country, Deora said the MPT find is a significant step towards achieving this goal.

Cairn has invested about Rs.10000 crores in the area.

The total investment in this project will be more than Rs. 20000 crores. The government will get Rs. 46000 crores as profit petroleum revenue over the life of the project and will provide job opportunities for more than 6000 people.

According to company sources, the supply terminal to the Mangala field, the second largest oil discovery in the country in two decades, will be a giant step towards curtailing the country’s oil import bill.

With an initial 30,000 barrels capacity per day (bpd), Cairn India plans to add another 1,00,000 bpd over the next 18 months.

Mangala oil field officials are confident of reaching the target of producing 1,75,000 bpd in the next 20 months.

The project would contribute more than 20 per cent of India’s domestic crude oil production by 2011, the company sources said. By Pankaj Chaudhary (ANI)

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: achievement, activation, ANI, approach, are, area, arlier, ashok, Aug, Barmer, bill, bit, block, bpd, Cairn, cairns, capacity, cent, centre, ceo, Chairman R.S. Sharma, Chief, Chief Minister, company, country, Crude Oil Production, day, demand, deora, dependence, desert, desert area, dhir, discovery, doing their bit, Dr Singh, Dr. Manmohan, Dr. Manmohan Singh, Dutch firm, energy, entrepreneural, extraction, field, firm, Gas, gehlot, Goal, Government, Government Of Rajasthan, government representatives, growth, import, Inaugural Visit, inaugurating, India, Indian, Indian Government, indication, investment, issue, job, labour, life, Lion, majority, mangala, manmohan, Manmohan Singh, maximum, minister, MPT, murli, murli deora, nation, natural, need, number, oil, oil reserves, ongc, ONGCjoint, Pankaj Chaudhary, percent, petroleum, point, prime, processing, production, profit, project, Rahul Dhir, Rajasthan, revenue, Saturday, search, share, sharing, she''ll, Singh, site, Social Projects, state, step, stone, supply, target, tax, Technical Personnel, terminal, value, vat, venture, visit, way

Global warming threatens existence of tropical species

August 26, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, August 26 (ANI): A new research has determined that global warming threatens the existence of tropical species, the ecosystem and its by-products.

The research was done by herpetologist Laurie Vitt, curator of reptiles and George Lynn Cross Research Professor at the University of Oklahoma’s Sam Noble Museum of Natural History.

Vitt has studied the ecology of lizards in rain forests around the world and, for the past 20 years, as part of a biodiversity project in the Amazon.

As a fellow researcher on a study funded by the National Science Foundation, Vitt investigated the affects of global warming on tropical lizards and the diversity of the ecosystem.

“We depend on these tropical lizards and other species of animals and plants for food, materials, and pharmaceuticals, but we are losing these species as a result of global warming,” Vitt said.

Tropical species are affected more by the very narrow temperature range of their typically warm climate than are ectotherms living where the temperatures fluctuate in greater degrees.

Even the smallest change in the tropics makes a difference to the tropical species most susceptible to climate change.

“Climatic shifts are part of our natural history, but years of research indicate global warming has increased the rate at which climate change is taking place,” said Vitt.

As populations grow around the world, so does consumption. In the densest areas of the world, the elimination of animals that feed on disease vectors, such as mosquitoes and flies, adds to our growing human health problem.

“The loss of these predators, like tropical species, upset the natural biodiversity of the ecosystem,” said Vitt. “The effects may not be so obvious in the short term, but the long-term effects will be irreversible,” he added.

“Our ability to connect with nature and better understand tropical lizards is important because these animals serve as model organisms for detecting the effects of global warming,” Vitt summarized.

“Ecosystems are complex and interdependent. When one species becomes extinct, the entire system is affected. The long-term effects on human health can be dramatic,” he said. (ANI)

Filed Under: Science News Tagged With: ability, amazon, ANI, animals and plants, August, biodiversity, Biodiversity Project, change, climate, climatic, Climatic Shifts, complex, consumption, curator, densest, difference, disease, Disease Vectors, diversity, ecology, ecosystem, ecosystems, effects of global warming, elimination, existence, feed, fellow, fellow researcher, food, Food Materials, Foundation, George Lynn Cross, Global, Health, herpetologist, history, interdependent, Laurie Vitt, loss, model, model organisms, Mosquitoes And Flies, museum, museum of natural history, national, national science foundation, natural, Natural Biodiversity, Nature, Noble, oklahoma, part, place, problem, professor, project, rain, rain forests, range, rate, Research, researcher, result, sam, Sam Noble Museum, Sam Noble Museum Of Natural History, Science, study, system, temperature, term, tropical, Tropical Species, University, Warm Climate, warming, Washington, world

Most scientifically accurate and advanced planetarium show on display in US

August 21, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, August 21 (ANI): High-performance computing systems, visualization resources, and software tools provided by the National Science Foundation TeraGrid helped make the Hayden Planetarium’s new space show the most scientifically accurate and advanced planetarium show ever produced.

The Hayden Planetarium is a public planetarium located on Central Park West, New York City, next to and organizationally part of the American Museum of Natural History.

“Journey to the Stars,” which debuted this summer at the American Museum of Natural History, is being hailed as the most beautiful planetarium show to date.

Narrated by Whoopi Goldberg, the 25-minute presentation takes viewers on a journey through the universe.

The space show projects cutting-edge visualizations of the universe onto the 87-foot, seven-million-pixel dome of the museum’s Hayden Sphere at the Rose Center for Earth and Space in New York City.

Piecing together a new narrative of life’s origins, the space show explains how dark matter’s gravity gathered the primordial gas in the universe to form the first stars, and how these massive stars exploded, seeding the galaxy with new stars and the chemical elements that made life possible.

The centerpiece of the show, and the most difficult sequence to depict scientifically, is a flight into the center of the Sun.

The visuals of the Sun were produced using supercomputing resources provided by the NSF TeraGrid, a national cyberinfrastructure for open scientific research.

According to Ro Kinzler, the show’s producer, “We wanted to treat the Sun in a terrific and powerful way to [not just] reveal the surface, but to take our audience into the Sun, through the convective layer and into the core.”

“The results are beautiful. No one has seen the Sun in this way, and the software from NCAR and computational resources from TACC made it possible,” he said.

The visual sequences are based on the research of Juri Toomre, a professor of astrophysics at the University of Colorado at Boulder, and run on TACC’s Ranger supercomputer.

“It’s not enough to know what comes out of the surface,” Toomre said.

“We would like to understand how the magnetic engine of a star works, how it churns away and how it builds orderly fields. This is one of the top 10 questions in physics,” Toomre added.

“A very dramatic moment in the show is when we actually peel away the surface of the Sun, revealing the dynamic convective motion below,” Kinzler said. “We take the audience through the convective region and into the Sun’s core,” he added. (ANI)

Filed Under: Science News Tagged With: American, american museum of natural history, ANI, audience, August, Boulder, center, Center Of The Sun, centerpiece, Central Park, Central Park West, chemical, chemical elements, Colorado, computational, computing, core, cyberinfrastructure, date, display, dome, Earth, engine, flight, foot, Foundation, galaxy, Gas, gravity, Hayden Planetarium, Hayden Sphere, High Performance, High Performance Computing, High Performance Computing Systems, history, journey, Journey To The Stars, Juri Toomre, Kinzler, layer, life, massive stars, matter, minute, moment, motion, museum, museum of natural history, narrated, narrative, national, national science foundation, natural, ncar, New York City, NSF, One, peel, physics, Piecing, planetarium, Planetarium Show, presentation, primordial gas, producer, professor, Public Planetarium, Ranger, region, Research, rose, Rose Center, Science, sequence, show, software, space, star, stars, summer, Sun, supercomputer, surface, Systems Visualization, TACC, TeraGrid, universe, University, US, Visual Sequences, visualization, Visualization Resources, Washington, way, west, whoopi goldberg

Natural organic matter plays key role in making mercury toxic to living creatures

August 19, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, August 19 (ANI): Scientists have found that naturally occurring organic matter in water and sediment appears to play a key role in helping microbes convert tiny particles of mercury in the environment into a form that is toxic to most living creatures.

According to Duke University environmental engineers, this finding is important because it could change the way mercury in the environment is measured and therefore regulated.

This particularly harmful form of the element, known as methylmercury, is a potent toxin for nerve cells. When ingested by organisms, it is not excreted and builds up in tissues or organs.

In a series of laboratory experiments, Amrika Deonarine, a graduate student in civil and environmental engineering at Duke’s Pratt School of Engineering, found that organic matter and chemical compounds containing sulfur – known as sulfides – can readily bind to form mercury sulfide nanoparticles.

Since they are more soluble than larger particles, these nanoparticles may be the precursors to a process known as methylation.

“When the organic material combines with the mercury, it prevents the particle from accumulating with other mercury particles and growing larger,” said Deonarine.

“Since the mercury remains in a nanoparticle size, it can easily collect on the surface of microbes where any mercury that dissolves can be taken in by the microbes,” she said.

“Without the organic matter, the mercury sulfide nanoparticles would grow too large and become insoluble, thus reducing the availability of mercury for microbial methylation,” she added.

It is while inside the microbe that the mercury is converted into the harmful methylmercury form, according to the researchers.

These reactions can only take place in cold water environments with little to no oxygen, such as the zone of sediment just below the bottom of a body of water.

Other such anaerobic environments can also be found in waste water and sewage treatment systems, the researchers said.

Mercury is extremely toxic and can lead to kidney dysfunctions, neurological disorders and even death. In particular, fetuses exposed to methylmercury can suffer from these same disorders as well as impaired learning abilities.

There are many ways mercury gets into the environment, with the primary sources being the combustion of coal, the refining of such metals as gold and other non-ferrous metals, and in the gases released during volcanic eruptions. (ANI)

Filed Under: Science News Tagged With: Amrika, Anaerobic Environments, ANI, August, availability, bind, body, body of water, bottom, chemical, chemical compounds, coal, Cold Water Environments, combustion, death, Deonarine, duke, duke university, element, engineering, environment, Environmental Engineers, form, gold, graduate, kidney, Laboratory, laboratory experiments, material, matter, mercury, Mercury In The Environment, Mercury Sulfide, methylation, methylmercury, microbe, microbes, microbial, nanoparticle, nanoparticles, natural, Natural Organic Matter, nerve, nerve cells, organic material, oxygen, particle, place, Potent Toxin, pratt, pratt school, process, refining, role, school, sediment, series, sewage, size, student, sulfide, sulfur, surface, tiny particles, toxin, treatment, University, Washington, waste, water, way, zone

Synthetic protein-like molecule may protect against HIV infection

August 18, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, Aug 18 (ANI): Researchers have used the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and molecular engineering to design synthetic protein-like molecule, which may be able to put a stop to unwanted biological interactions between the cells.

The pioneering study may protect cells against HIV infection.

In a bid to control protein shape, Samuel Gellman, a chemistry professor and his University of Wisconsin-Madison research team, created a set of peptide-like molecules that were successful in blocking HIV infection of human cells in the laboratory.

Adjusting molecular blueprints, Gellman and his colleagues made small structural changes to the backbones of their synthetic molecules to improve stability while retaining the three-dimensional shape necessary to recognize and interact with the HIV gp41 protein.

The resulting molecules, named “foldamers”, are hybrids of natural and unnatural amino acid building blocks, a combination that allows the scientists to control shape, structure and stability with much greater precision than is currently possible with natural amino acids.

The team found that the interaction of synthetic molecules with a piece of HIV protein gp41 physically obstructs the virus from infecting host cells.

The findings have appeared online in the August 17 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Interactions between proteins are not only fundamental to many biological processes, but also to infections like HIV and tumours.

“There’s a lot of information transfer that occurs when proteins come together, and one would often like to block that information flow,” said Gellman.

These synthetic molecules not only interrupt protein-protein interaction, but are also highly resistant to degradation by naturally occurring enzymes, which do not recognize their unusual structure. This means even a low dose of these molecules can remain effective for a longer time.

“We want to find an alternate language, an alternate way to express the information that the proteins express so that we can interfere with a conversation that one protein is having with another,” Gellman explains.

Gellman said the results of their study show that this type of approach could be very useful in designing molecules for antiviral therapies and other biomedical applications.

He said: “You don’t have to limit yourself to the building blocks that nature uses,” Gellman says.

“There’s a huge potential here because the strategy we use is different from what the pharmaceutical and biotech industries now employ.” (ANI)

Filed Under: Science News Tagged With: academy, acid, Adjusting, Alternate Language, ANI, approach, Aug, August, bid, Biological Interactions, building, chemistry, chemistry professor, combination, conversation, degradation, dose, engineering, flow, Gp41, HIV, hiv infection, Hiv Protein, host, Host Cells, human cells, Human Immunodeficiency Virus, Immunodeficiency, Immunodeficiency Virus Hiv, infection, information, interact, interaction, interactions, issue, Laboratory, language, lot, madison, molecular engineering, molecule, national, National Academy of Sciences, natural, Natural Amino Acids, Nature, Online, piece, precision, proceedings, proceedings of the national academy, proceedings of the national academy of sciences, professor, protein, Protein Protein Interaction, Protein Shape, Research, Samuel Gellman, set, shape, show, stability, stop, strategy, structure, study, synthetic, synthetic molecules, team, Three Dimensional Shape, time, transfer, type, University, university of wisconsin madison, unnatural, virus, Washington, way, Wisconsin

Sandra Bullock has deadly well of evil in her, jokes co-star Ryan Reynolds

July 6, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, July 6 (ANI): Sandra Bullock has a “bottomless well of evil” in her, her ‘Proposal’ co-star Ryan Reynolds jokingly says.

The actor, who plays assistant Andrew Paxton to the actress’ character Margaret Tate, said that Sandra was quite a natural in playing the catty character.

“There is a bottomless well of evil in her. It could unleash at any moment, froth over and kill you all,” Contactmusic quoted him as saying.

The beauty was no less mischievous when questioned about her character.

She told BANG Showbiz: “The inspiration for Margaret? You know what? I’m a b***h. In real life, I am a b***h. I am an actress and I act nice and play nice.”

She added: “Honestly, it was written up well, and when something is written like that you just bring little details and characters that you thing will help a bit.” (ANI)

Filed Under: Entertainment News Tagged With: Actor, Actress, andrew paxton, ANI, assistant, bang, beauty, bit, Bottomless Well, catty, character, co-star, contactmusic, froth, Honestly, inspiration, jokes, July, life, margaret, Margaret Tate, moment, natural, proposal, ryan reynolds, Sandra, sandra bullock, showbiz, something, tate, thing, Washington

Kate Moss to be TV talent show judge?

July 6, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, July 06 (ANI): If sources are to be believed, Kate Moss is in talks with music mogul Simon Cowell to become a small screen star.

Cowell, who is the man behind hit TV talent shows including ‘Britain’s Got Talent’ and the ‘X Factor’, has reportedly joint hands with U.K. retail billionaire Sir Philip Green to expand his TV business.

And the British supermodel is apparently an important part of their scheme.

“Sir Philip and Simon think she is a brand in her own right and would be a landmark signing, earning them and her millions. They believe Kate has far more talent than being simply beautiful,” Contactmusic quoted a source as telling The People magazine.

The source added: “She’s a natural in front of the camera and quick witted so they think she would be a great TV talent judge.”

Moss has also designed her own clothing range for Green’s fashion chain Topshop. (ANI)

Filed Under: Entertainment News Tagged With: ANI, Billionaire, brand, Britain, britain s got talent, business, camera, chain, clothing, clothing range, contactmusic, fashion, Fashion Chain, front, Got, Great Tv, judge, Judge Moss, July, kate, kate moss, landmark, magazine, man, mogul, moss, music, music mogul, natural, part, people magazine, philip green, range, right, scheme, screen, Screen Star, show, Show Judge, simon, Simon Cowell, sir philip, Sir Philip Green, source, star, supermodel, talent, talent show, the, Topshop, Tv Business, tv talent, U.K, Washington, X Factor

Natural compound can prevent diabetic retinopathy

July 3, 2009 By admin 1 Comment

Washington, July 3 (ANI): A natural compound can be used to stop diabetic retinopathy, one of the leading causes of blindness around the world, according to researchers at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center.

Diabetic retinopathy is a disease, which affects people with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes.

But the discovery of the compound’s function in inflammation and blood vessel formation related to eye disease can help scientists develop new therapies, including eye drops, to stop the disease.

“There is no good treatment for retinopathy, which is why we are so excited about this work. This opens an entirely new area for pharmaceutical companies to target,” said Jay Ma, the principal investigator on the project.

Diabetic retinopathy is caused by changes in blood vessels of the retina, the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye.

In some people with diabetic retinopathy, blood vessels may swell and leak fluid. In other people, abnormal new blood vessels grow on the surface of the retina.

Over time, diabetic retinopathy can worsen and cause some vision loss or blindness.

The Oklahoma researchers found that the inflammation and leakage is caused by an imbalance of two systems in the eye, and to restore balance, they delivered the new compound to cells using nanoparticle technology.

The treatment in research models stopped the leakage, blocked inflammation, and kept unwanted blood vessels from growing.

The researchers are now testing the compound’s uses for cancer and age-related macular degeneration.

The research has appeared online this month in the journal Diabetes, a publication of the American Diabetes Association. (ANI)

Filed Under: Science News Tagged With: age related macular degeneration, American, American Diabetes Association, ANI, area, association, back, balance, blindness, blood, blood vessel formation, cancer, causes of blindness, center, compound, degeneration, diabetes, Diabetic, Diabetic Retinopathy, discovery, disease, eye, Eye Disease, formation, function, Health, health sciences center, imbalance, inflammation, investigator, Jay Ma, journal, journal diabetes, July, leading causes of blindness, leak, Leak Fluid, leakage, loss, macular, month, nanoparticle, natural, natural compound, new blood, oklahoma, oklahoma health sciences, oklahoma health sciences center, oklahoma researchers, Online, project, publication, Research, Research Models, retina, retinopathy, surface, Technology, time, tissue, treatment, type, type 2 diabetes, University, university of oklahoma health sciences center, Unwanted Blood Vessels, vessel, vision, vision loss, Washington, work, world

Natural hydrogel may boost spinal cord healing

Ancient book of Buddhism chantings found in Korean temple

Natural History Museum bets on discovery of Loch Ness monster

Master gene that switches on disease-fighting cells identified

‘Dung of the devil’ plant roots may offer swine flu cure

Scientists use bacteria to make radioactive metals inert

Rat as big as a cat found in extinct volcano in Papua New Guinea

Anil Ambani welcomes government’s fresh plea on gas row dispute with brother Mukesh

President Patil leaves for Russia today

President Patil to leave for Russia today

President Patil to leave for Russia, Tajikistan on Wednesday

Global warming threatens existence of tropical species

Most scientifically accurate and advanced planetarium show on display in US

Natural organic matter plays key role in making mercury toxic to living creatures

Synthetic protein-like molecule may protect against HIV infection

Sandra Bullock has deadly well of evil in her, jokes co-star Ryan Reynolds

Kate Moss to be TV talent show judge?

Search More News

Technology News

Ads