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Sunita
Williams poised to set space walking record
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Indian
American astronaut Sunita Williams, the
first person of Indian descent to take a
stroll in space, is all set to become the
world's most experienced woman space walker.
Starting with an outing at 8:30 a.m. IST
Thursday, flight engineer Williams and International
Space Station (ISS) commander Michael Lopez-Alegria
will take three spacewalks in nine days
to step up station assembly before NASA
shuttles stop flying in 2010. Their main
job is to attach the US-made Destiny laboratory
to a new cooling system installed at the
half-built space station during the last
shuttle flight, a round trip of 8.5 million
km, in December. The next two space walks
are scheduled for Feb 4 and 8. If time allows,
they will photograph a solar panel that
is due to be folded up during the next shuttle
mission in March. While Williams will top
the women's list with four spacewalks on
completion of the work, Lopez-Alegria too
will become US space agency's lead spacewalker
with 10 after a fourth spacewalk Feb 22
with Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Tyurin. Of
the 30 previous US station construction
spacewalks, only six were made without a
shuttle crew and those were spread over
four years. This time 'we're going to be
knocking out three, one right after another',
said NASA's lead spacewalk officer Glenda
Laws. That presents a lot of new challenges
with getting the crew ready the biggest
challenge.
Lopez-Alegria,
who arrived at the station four months ago,
completed his last spacewalk training in
July. Williams is a bit fresher, having
arrived less than two months ago. The two
have spent weeks reviewing videos, using
virtual reality simulators and studying
with ground control to hone their skills
and add new tasks since their training.
The first two outings, each likely to take
six hours, will be devoted to unhooking
ammonia cooling lines on the Destiny laboratory
and connecting the module to the new system.
The astronauts then will watch ground controllers
retract panels no longer needed to dissipate
heat. NASA hopes things go more smoothly
than the retraction of the old solar array
panel, which jammed repeatedly during the
last shuttle flight. Construction began
in 1998 on the $100 billion space station,
a venture by the United States, Canada,
Japan, Russia and 11 participating nations
of the European Space Agency, with Brazil
and Italy as payload participants. Scientists
from the other countries hope experiments
will lead to new drugs for cancer, diabetes,
emphysema and immune system disorders. They
also hope to develop new metal alloys and
learn more about phenomena on Earth, such
as hurricanes. Meanwhile, Lopez-Alegria,
assisted by Suni Williams, both US Naval
Academy graduates, swore in 16 sailors aboard
the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower during a special
live link-up from the space station Monday.
They conducted the long-distance re-enlistment
ceremony as the station orbited 350 km above
the Earth. Back in Washington, former astronaut
and senator John Glenn, NASA administrator
Michael Griffin and other senior NASA officials
Monday participated in a wreath laying ceremony
at Arlington National Cemetery as part of
NASA's Day of Remembrance. The wreathes
were laid in the memory astronauts who lost
their lives in Apollo 1, Challenger and
Columbia disasters. India born Kalpana was
one of the seven crew killed in the last
accident in 2003.
Courtesy:
www.yahoo.com, January 30, 2007
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Stroke
treatment helped boost brain function, say
researchers
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By
Julie Steenhuysen
A
treatment designed to clear blocked carotid
arteries and prevent stroke showed signs
of improving brain function in a small study,
U.S. researchers said on Monday. Doctors
found nearly half of patients who were treated
with a carotid stent to prevent a stroke
showed statistically significant improvement
in brain function, such as memory, judgment
and reasoning. Carotid stents are tiny wire-mesh
tubes that are inserted via a small puncture
in the groin and threaded through the blood
vessels and into the carotid artery in the
neck. In a study of 37 patients implanted
with the stents, 16 patients or 43 percent
showed improved brain function a year after
the stent was implanted. Doctors noted cognitive
improvements at three months and those gains
continued when checked at six and 12-month
intervals. "Many patients have returned
to a level of function they thought they
had lost," said lead researcher Dr. Rodney
Raabe, chief of radiology at Sacred Heart
Medical Center in Spokane, Washington, where
the study was conducted. James Benenati,
an interventional radiologist at Baptist
Cardiac and Vascular Institute in Miami,
said the study confirms what he has seen
in his own practice. "Many of us anecdotally
know this is true. Now it probably is important
to do a larger study," said Benenati, who
was not affiliated with the research.
Highway
to the Brain
Located
on either side of the neck, carotid arteries
are the main blood conduits to the brain.
Clogged carotid arteries account for nearly
one third of all strokes. Most patients
with blocked carotid arteries undergo surgery
to clear blockages, but recently approved
carotid stents offer a less-invasive option
for patients who face high risks if they
undergo surgery. Several medical device
makers have U.S. regulatory approval for
carotid stents, including Abbott Laboratories
Inc. , Boston Scientific Corp. and Johnson
& Johnson, Ev3 Inc. and C.R. Bard Inc..
Doctors first inflate a tiny balloon in
the artery, smashing fatty deposits against
the artery wall. They then deploy a springy
stent to provide structure to the diseased
vessel and keep blood flowing to the brain.
A tiny net-like filter traps any fatty deposits
dislodged during the procedure that could
cause blood clots. Currently the risk of
stroke with either surgical or less-invasive
stenting procedures is in the range of 4
to 10 percent, depending on the patient,
Benenati said. That risk would prohibit
doctors from treating patients to improve
brain function unless they were at risk
of a stroke. With better stents and more
refined procedures, however, doctors ultimately
could use the procedures to treat impaired
brain function brought on by blocked arteries,
Benenati said. The stent study did not test
whether there was a similar brain benefit
for patients who undergo surgery to have
their carotid arteries cleared. Benenati
said he assumes the same benefit would apply,
but that also would need to be studied.
Courtesy:
www.reuters.co.uk, January 29, 2007
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China
launches world's 1st 4G mobile system
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China
has launched the world's first fourth-generation
(4G) mobile communication system in Shanghai.
The home-grown 4G system provides speeds
of up to 100 mbps in wireless transmission
of data and images many times faster than
that of current mobile technology. The rollout
of the trial, which has cost $19.2 million,
is a milestone in the development of China's
4G technologies, the official 'China Daily'
reported. "It testifies that the technology
we've developed is feasible and brings us
one step closer to put it into commercial
use," a leading expert involved in the programme,
You Xiaohu said. China initiated the B3G
(Beyond 3G)/4G research project in 2001
under the label Future Technology for Universal
Radio Environment, or FuTURE Project. The
country has set a goal of conducting field
tests of the 4G system and putting it into
trial commercial use between 2006 and 2010,
according to the FuTURE Project. "The Shanghai
system shows that we have entered the final
phase of our project," said You, also the
principal of the FuTURE Project's expert
panel. The FuTURE Project involves about
10 leading domestic institutions. It has
obtained more than 200 patents and some
of its core technologies have been adopted
by international standards organisations,
positioning China as one of the world's
front-runners in 4G technologies, the report
said.
Courtesy:
www.sify.com, January 29, 2007
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Mushroom
may be the answer to pain, tumours
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A
humble fungi, the Morel Mushroom (the world's
most expensive and delicious mushroom),
could soon relieve you from pain and protect
you against tumours. Scientists from Amala
Cancer Research Centre, Thrissur, have found
significant anti-inflammatory and anti-tumour
qualities in the mushroom extract, especially
in mice suffering from cancer, compared
to the standard reference drug Diclofenac.
The extract, scientists say, could be put
to therapeutic use in chemotherapy. Prized
by gourmet cooks, Morel is found only in
the upper reaches of Sikkim, Himachal Pradesh,
Uttarakhand and Jammu and Kashmir. Most
of it is either dried and eaten by tribals
or exported to European countries for over
Rs 6,000 a kg. Scientists all over the world
have been trying to domesticate the mushroom
but have failed. The team of scientists
from Amala have reported their findings
in the latest edition of Indian journal,
Current Science.
Courtesy:
www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com, January
25 2007
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Anti-smoking
drug triples success
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An
anti-smoking drug launched in Britain last
month improves the odds of people quitting
threefold, according to a comprehensive
survey of trials. Scientists at Oxford who
pronounce on the effectiveness of new medical
treatments by analysing published clinical
data, found that varenicline, marketed by
Pfizer under the name Champix, reduced smokers'
cravings and boosted their chances of giving
up over a 12-month period. The £1.95-a-day
drug is the first new anti-smoking drug
to be launched in 10 years. It works by
stimulating the same brain receptors as
nicotine. By doing so, it triggers the release
of the feel-good hormone dopamine and partially
blocks the action of nicotine, making smoking
less satisfying. Oxford University's Cochrane
Tobacco Addiction Group Review pooled data
from six trials involving 2,451 people given
varenicline and 2,473 volunteers given placebos.
People taking the drug were three times
more likely to give up, and 1½ times more
likely to quit than those given bupropion,
or Zyban, an antidepressant prescribed to
smokers. Kate Cahill, author of the study,
said: "This is not a magic bullet, but it
is an interesting drug because it mimics
nicotine in the brain, which keeps withdrawal
at bay, but also blocks the receptors, so
if you smoke while taking it you won't experience
the same satisfaction and pleasure."
Courtesy:
www.guardian.co.uk, January 24, 2007
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Technological
breakthrough
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Indian
Space Research Organisation Chairman G.
Madhavan Nair described as "fantastic" the
splashdown of satellite SRE-I into the waters
of the Bay of Bengal on Monday morning.
He called it "a technological breakthrough
as far as the country is concerned." Speaking
to The Hindu from Sriharikota, he said the
SRE's successful return would boost plans
to send an Indian into space. "This is a
humble step towards sending an Indian into
space." The SRE recovery was a "big boost"
to India mastering the re-entry and recoverable
technologies and building a reusable launch
vehicle. While sending a satellite into
space was "comparatively easy," as the points
were known, "everything was unknown" in
bringing back a satellite in orbit. "The
satellite had a speed of 28,000 km an hour.
We had to brake its orbit. We had to steer
it. Its orbit-raising took place over the
Pacific Ocean, then it travelled over the
Pole, and then it passed Lucknow and Sriharikota.
Its navigation, guidance, control and above
all the thermal management for its re-entry
had to work." Mr. Nair pointed out that
"one small flaw in the tiles of the shuttle
mission [of the U.S.] cost the whole mission."
Courtesy:
www.hindu.com, January 23, 2007
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Mother's
cells 'could offer hope of diabetes treatment'
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CELLS
passed from mother to child during pregnancy
could be used to treat diabetes, new research
suggests. US scientists found they can develop
into functioning islet beta cells which
produce insulin in the pancreas. They think
maternal cells may protect against the damage
that leads to type 1 diabetes. This opens
up the prospect of a mother's stem cells
being harvested and used to treat a diabetic
child. Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune
disorder which destroys insulin-producing
pancreatic cells. Insulin is the hormone
used by the body to regulate the uptake
of glucose for energy production. Around
350,000 people in the UK suffer from type
1 diabetes and have to give themselves insulin
injections. The findings suggest a beneficial
form of "microchimerism", the harbouring
of cells or DNA that originate from another
genetically distinct individual. Originally,
the research was carried out to investigate
whether cells passing from mother to child
in the womb were in some way responsible
for type 1 diabetes. Scientists studied
172 individuals and took pancreatic tissue
from four deceased males. They found small
numbers of female islet beta cells able
to produce insulin. There was no evidence
the mother's cells were causing damage or
becoming the target of an immune response.
However, the team found more maternal DNA
in the blood of children and young adults
with type 1 diabetes than in healthy individuals.
"We think the maternal cells may be helping
to regenerate tissue in the pancreas," said
Dr Lee Nelson, one of the investigators.
Courtesy:
www.scotsman.com, January 23, 2007
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China
flexes muscle, shoots down satellite
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China
successfully carried out its first test
of an anti-satellite weapon last week, signaling
its resolve to play a major role in military
space activities and bringing expressions
of concern from Washington and other capitals,
the Bush administration said on Thursday.
Only two nations the Soviet Union and the
United States have previously destroyed
spacecraft in anti-satellite tests, most
recently the United States in the mid-1980s.
Arms control experts called the test, in
which the weapon destroyed an ageing Chinese
weather satellite, a troubling development
that could foreshadow an anti-satellite
arms race. Alternatively, however, some
experts speculated that it could precede
a diplomatic effort by China to prod the
Bush administration into negotiations on
a weapons ban. "This is the first real escalation
in the weaponisation of space that we've
seen in 20 years," said Jonathan McDowell,
a Harvard astronomer who tracks rocket launchings
and space activity. "It ends a long period
of restraint." White House officials said
the United States and other nations, which
they did not identify, had "expressed our
concern regarding this action to the Chinese".
Despite its protest, the Bush administration
has long resisted a global treaty banning
such tests because it says it needs freedom
of action in space. Jianhua Li, a spokesman
at the Chinese Embassy in Washington, said
that he had heard about the antisatellite
story but that he had no statement or information.
At a time when China is modernising its
nuclear weapons, expanding the reach of
its navy and sending astronauts into orbit
for the first time, the test appears to
mark a new sphere of technical and military
competition. American officials complained
that China had made no public or private
announcements about its test, despite repeated
requests by American officials for more
openness about its actions.
Courtesy:
www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com, January
19, 2007
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Space
Station Crew Welcomes Fresh Cargo Ship
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Three
astronauts living aboard the International
Space Station (ISS) welcomed an unmanned
visitor bearing gifts late Friday as a fresh
cargo ship eased into a berth outside their
orbital laboratory. The Russian-built Progress
24 spacecraft docked at the ISS on time
at 9:59 p.m. EST (0259 Jan. 20 GMT) with
perfect precision as the station's Expedition
14 astronaut crew looked on [image]. "We
can see Progress in the window, it's just
a perfect visual," said Expedition 14 flight
engineer Mikhail Tyurin from inside the
ISS as the cargo ship arrived [image]. Progress
24 ferried more than 2.5 tons of fresh supplies
for Tyurin and his Expedition 14 crewmates:
NASA's mission commander Michael Lopez-Alegria
and flight engineer Sunita Williams. The
space freighter's arrival ended a two-day
trek that began with a Jan. 17 launch just
one day after the ISS crew jettisoned the
older Progress 22 cargo ship from its Pirs
docking compartment perch to make way for
the new delivery [image]. Tyurin, who also
serves as the Expedition 14 Soyuz commander,
stood ready to take remote control of Progress
24 and guide it in manually should it deviate
from an automated flight path, but the spacecraft
flew true [image]. Docking occurred as the
ISS and Progress 24 passed about 220 miles
(354 kilometers) above the Atlantic Ocean
just off southeast coast of Uruguay.
Unlike
the last Progress vehicle to arrive at the
ISS -- Progress 23 -- there was no sign
of any malfunction with a Progress 24 navigation
antenna designed to fold into a stowed position
just before docking. "We aimed all of our
optical hardware at the antenna, so we are
monitoring," Tyurin said as Progress 24
closed in on its docking port. "The antenna
is closed." Russian flight controllers believe
the driving system designed to stow the
Progress 23 antenna failed to work properly.
An inspection of the still-deployed antenna
by Tyurin and Lopez-Alegria during a November
spacewalk found it wedged against a handrail
near the vehicle's berth at the aft end
of the space station's Zvezda service module.
The Expedition 14 astronauts will stage
a spacewalk no earlier than Feb. 22 to cut
a wire to free the antenna and lash it into
place against the Progress 23 hull, NASA
officials said. But before that spacewalk,
the Expedition 14 astronauts have a long
night ahead to close out their post-docking
duties. Tucked among the 5,115 pounds (2,320
kilograms) of cargo are 110 pounds (49 kilograms)
of oxygen, about 1,720 pounds (780 kilograms)
of propellant and 3,285 pounds (1,490 kilograms)
of dry supplies such as spare parts, spacewalk
hardware and new experiments. Russian space
officials have said Progress 24's cargo
manifest also included new Japanese experiment
hardware to study protein crystallization
aboard the ISS. Hatches between the ISS
and Progress 24 are expected to be opened
at about 2:00 a.m. EST (0700 GMT) Saturday,
with the newly arrived spacecraft's systems
to be deactivated about 30 minutes later.
The ISS Expedition 14 crew took a nap earlier
Friday to be well-rested for Progress 24's
arrival, awaking at about 6:00 p.m. EST
(2300 GMT) to ready the ISS for its newest
visiting spacecraft. Over the next few days,
the space station astronauts will haul the
new Progress 24 supplies into the ISS. Lopez-Alegria
and Williams will also gear up for three
spacewalks within a two-week period -- an
ISS first for an expedition crew -- to overhaul
the station's cooling system, NASA officials
said.
Courtesy:
www.space.com, January 19, 2007
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Russia
launches cargo spacecraft
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Russia
on Thursday launched an unmanned cargo spacecraft
carrying fresh fruit, water, fuel and other
supplies to the International Space Station
(ISS), occupied by three astronauts including
Indian American Sunita Williams. Progress
M-59 lifted off shortly after 0200 GMT from
the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, Russia's
space agency reported. The craft also holds
letters and gifts from families of the ISS'
three occupants - Mike Lopez of Alegria,
Sunita Williams of the US and Mikhail Tyurin
of Russia. A Russian psychologist has even
included a CD he compiled to "positively"
influence the mood of the inhabitants, while
Tyurin's wife - who will be celebrating
a silver wedding anniversary on her own
in February - included books and gifts for
her husband. The new re-supply ship bears
the portrait of Russia's most famous spacecraft
designer - Sergei Korolev - in celebration
of his 100th anniversary.
Courtesy:
www.hindustantimes.com, January 18, 2007
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NASA
spacecraft nears close encounter with Jupiter
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By
Will Dunham
A
U.S. spacecraft is zooming toward a close
encounter with Jupiter to study its tempestuous
atmosphere, ring system and four of its
moons before dashing off to see distant
Pluto in 2015, scientists said on Thursday.
NASA's New Horizons, the fastest spacecraft
ever built by humans, is due to reach Jupiter,
our solar system's largest planet and fifth
from the sun, after a 13-month journey from
Earth, flying almost half a billion miles.
Launched on January 19, 2006, it is set
to make its closest pass by Jupiter on February
28, flying within 1.4 million miles. NASA
scientists said the main purpose for visiting
Jupiter is to exploit the giant gas planet's
gravity to slingshot New Horizons at 52,000
mph (84,000 kph) toward frigid and unexplored
Pluto, a journey that will take eight more
years. Doing it this way shaves three years
off the trip, said Alan Stern of Southwest
Research Institute in Boulder, Colorado,
New Horizons' principal investigator. Since
New Horizons was in the neighborhood, the
scientists figured it may as well do some
sightseeing. Jupiter has been visited by
seven other spacecraft from Earth, including
Voyager 1, Galileo and Cassini, but none
had equipment as sophisticated as New Horizons'
seven science instruments.Stern said studying
Jupiter, its four big moons Io, Europa,
Ganymede and Callisto, its ring system and
the magnetic field enables NASA to "work
out the kinks" in the craft's systems and
instruments so there are no surprises when
it gets to Pluto.
'LEARN
A LOT'
"Jupiter
is extremely fascinating in its own right,
and we'll be making the most of this opportunity
to learn a lot about Jupiter itself," added
John Spencer of the New Horizons Jupiter
Encounter Science Team. The craft, now 41
million miles from Jupiter, already has
taken dozens of images and will make more
than 700 observations in all, the scientists
said. New Horizons, a compact, 1,050-pound
(476 kg) spacecraft, will look at Jupiter's
turbulent and stormy atmosphere, they said.
Spencer said it will examine Jupiter's famous
Great Red Spot, the storm about twice the
size of the Earth that has been raging for
several hundred years. It also will get
the first close-up look at the Little Red
Spot, a storm that formed in the last few
years when three smaller spots coalesced,
the scientists said. Images already taken
as it approaches Jupiter show that turbulence
previously observed near the Great Red Spot
has dissipated, they saidSpencer said the
craft will look at volcanic activity on
Io and features on Europa, where scientists
think liquid ocean lurks underneath an icy
shell. Jupiter's small ring system certainly
is far less impressive than the massive
rings around neighboring Saturn, and they
were discovered only in 1979. "This should
be the most detailed investigation of the
ring system that's ever been done," Spencer
added. The craft's instruments will allow
scientists to understand the ring system's
three-dimensional structure, Spencer said.
NASA also plans for the craft to take a
first-ever trip down the long "tail" of
Jupiter's magnetic field -- a wide stream
of charged particles stretching millions
of miles (km) into space. New Horizons is
due to spend five months studying Pluto
and its three moons after arriving in July
2015. If all goes well, it could study one
or more smaller worlds in the Kuiper Belt,
the region at the far reaches of the solar
system of ancient, rocky and icy bodies.
Courtesy:
www.today.reuters.com, January 18, 2007
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Curing
diabetes with a pinch of turmeric?
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Savita
Verma
After
reports of its potential in treatment of
diseases like cancer, arthritis and Alzheimer's,
turmeric may turn out to be an effective
diabetic controller with Indian scientists
claiming that blood glucose levels in animals
fall when they are orally administered a
chemical, extracted from the spice called
curcumin. The study was carried out by scientists
at the Annamalai University, Chidamabaram,
in rats which were made diabetic. It was
presented in the recently held Indian Science
Congress. More and more Indians are getting
diabetic at an early age due to changing
lifestyles, physical inactivity and consumption
of fast food. The disease is characterised
by high blood glucose levels due to impaired
glucose metabolism. India leads the world
with about 40 million diabetics, followed
by China. "Turmeric is a commonly used spice
in India. We recommend that people consume
turmeric to prevent and control diabetes.
We found that it favours breakdown of glucose
(glucose breakdown is impaired in diabetics
leading to its accumulation)," Dr L Pari
from the Department of Biochemistry, Annamalai
University, who led the study, told The
Statesman. A chemical called insulin secreted
by the pancreas gland plays a major role
in metabolism (breakdown) of glucose. In
diabetes (Type II), though insulin is secreted,
it is not able to act on glucose, leading
to high levels of glucose in the blood.
Insulin binds to the receptors in the red
blood cells which in turn bind to glucose
leading to glucose breakdown. Type II diabetes
accounts for 90 to 95 per cent of all diabetes
cases. Scientists analysed parameters such
as blood glucose levels, insulin and insulin
receptors (in the blood) during the course
of the study in rats. "We found that with
curcumin intake in animals, insulin secretion
increases, binding capacity of insulin to
its receptors in red blood cells goes up
and levels of insulin receptors also rises,"
Dr Pari said. Animals were fed with liquid
suspension of curcumin for 45 days. ommenting
on the study, Dr Anoop Misra, director and
head, department of diabetes and metabolism,
Fortis Group of Hospitals, said though turmeric
had been found to be useful in some diseases
such as Alzheimer's, its use in diabetes
remained to be proven in human beings. "It
is just an animal study. Sometimes, large
doses are given to animals, which may prove
to be toxic in humans," he warned. However,
turmeric, being a commonly consumed spice,
may not be toxic, he said. Indians consume
turmeric and in accordance with it incidence
of Alzheimer's is less in India, Dr Misra
said. But incidence of diabetes is high
in India, he said. The scientists in Annamalai
University now plan to take up human studies.
Globally, the number of diabetics has exploded
in the past two decades. In 2000, 151 million
people in the world were diabetic. With
the current rate of increase, it has been
projected that 221 million people will be
diabetic in 2010 and 324 million by 2025.
Although, previously Type 2 diabetes was
predominantly diagnosed in middle-aged or
older people, the age of onset of this disease
is going down. Thus, finding a way to prevent
diabetes, is an urgent challenge for the
health care community, Dr Pari said
Courtesy:
www.thestatesman.net, January 18, 2007
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India
needs to focus on solar energy, says Russian
scientist
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India
needs to focus research on solar energy
and cheaper photovoltaic cells that hold
the key to Earth's future, according to
a Russian researcher.Russian physicist and
Nobel laureate Zhores I. Alferov told a
science meet here that solar energy was
"the only inexhaustible source of energy".Speaking
at the Albert Einstein Annus Mirabilis Centennial
Public Lectures, he said that while solar
cells were expensive, the new hetero-structure
technology made them efficient and capable
of handling high power. So, with concentration
of light on them (using lenses or reflectors),
the solar cells will soon be economically
competitive with other energy sources like
oil and atomic energy. Research in this
field was important for India and should
be supported, he stressed at the Institute
of Mathematical Sciences (IMSc) during a
four-day meet that ended Saturday. Alferov
spoke about semi-conductor structures known
now as 'hetero-structures' for which he
was awarded the Physics Nobel prize in 2000.
Alferov, born in Vitebsk in Belarus, obtained
his doctoral degree in physics from the
A.F. loffe Physico-Technical Institute of
the USSR Academy of Sciences in St. Petersburg,
Russia. He has been its director since 1987.
Apart from Alferov, English scientist Anthony
J. Leggett was the other Nobel laureate
at the meet. Renowned Indian theoretical
physicist E.C. George Sudarshan was also
present. Sudarshan, who hails from Kottayam
in Kerala, "is the originator of the quantum
theory of optical coherence", said IMSc
senior professor R. Simon, in his introduction.
"This work was chosen for the 2005 Physics
Nobel prize, but not its originator." After
faculty positions at the Universities of
Rochester and Syracuse, Sudarshan is director
of the Center for Particle Theory at the
University of Texas. He is also known for
his V-A theory, which explains the nature
of weak interactions and has found faster-than-light
particles called tachyons. A collection
of his work was released here on the occasion.
Leggett, who obtained his Ph.D. in physics
from the University of Oxford, is currently
professor at John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur
Foundation and also at the Center for Advanced
Study of Physics at the University of Illinois
in US. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in
2003. Leggett has demonstrated that liquid
helium can become a 'super-fluid' - that
is, its viscosity vanishes at low temperatures
and it forms an isotope that can bond with
metallic superconductors. The IMSc in Chennai
is a national institution for fundamental
research in the physical and mathematical
sciences. The department of atomic energy
and the Tamil Nadu government support this.
Institute members work primarily in areas
of theoretical physics, mathematics and
theoretical computer science. The lectures
and workshops were organised jointly by
the IMSc and the Delhi-based Centre for
Philosophy and Foundations of Science. The
visitors are on a our of India and giving
lectures at centres of excellence in New
Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata and Mumbai.
Courtesy:
www.teluguportal.net, January 14, 2007
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Heat
shield technology for space capsule is indigenous
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Indian
space scientists say the thermal protection
technology for the recoverable space capsule
they launched "is 100 percent indigenous",
denying speculation that it came from the
US. The Indian Space Research Organisation
(ISRO) borrowed the idea from the US space
agency NASA but the process for producing
the tiles is different and entirely indigenous,
it is claimed. The capsule is covered with
insulating tiles to protect it during re-entry
just as the US space shuttle but the similarity
ends there, a top official said. "Our technology
is totally different and our approach (to
making the tiles) has been different," B.N.
Suresh, director of the Vikram Sarabhai
Space Centre in Thiruvanandapuram, told
IANS over telephone. "We use silica tiles
(and not ceramic tiles) and they are produced
by an industry in Chennai." Suresh said
the capsule is covered with as many as 350
or 400 tiles that "met all our specifications".
He said he would come to know how the tiles
behaved only after recovery of the capsule.
"It would be too premature to say anything
now."
Suresh
said the acid test for the home-made tiles
would come when the spacecraft re-enters
the atmosphere at a height of about 45 km
at a speed of about 7.9 km per second when
the temperature could reach 2,200 degrees
Kelvin for a few seconds. After that the
speed gets reduced due to atmospheric breaking
to about 100 metres, per second when the
parachute would open further reducing the
speed at touchdown, he said. Suresh said
the important function of the insulation
is to keep the inside of the capsule cool
enough for the electronic and other payloads
to function normally. He said the capsule
had undergone extensive testing on the ground
before launch. According to earlier reports
by ISRO scientists, the tiles are 90 percent
porous and have a density of 1.6 grams per
cubic cm. The complete thermal protection
system for the recovery capsule consists
of silica tiles and back up insulation made
of carbon-carbon composites coated with
silicon carbide. The capsule has its own
navigation guidance control system and communicates
with ISRO control room via an embedded antenna.
As well as a scientific payload for conducting
experiments in zero gravity it has two other
compartments containing propulsion equipment
and recovery system.
Courtesy:
www.teluguportal.net, January 13, 2007
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Fruits
make you indomitable, literally. Several
studies show that eating five helpings -
five cupfuls - of raw fruit prevent cancers,
heart disease, diabetes and osteoporosis.
In citrus fruits such as oranges, mandarin
and lemons, the health benefits lie in of
the presence of pectin, a natural compound
that helps prevent prostate and other cancers,
reports a study in the Journal of Agriculture
and Food Chemistry. The study was done by
Dr Bhimu Patil, director of Texas A&M University's
Vegetable and Fruit Improvement Centre,
and colleagues. During a one-day stop in
New Delhi, Patil spoke about his groundbreaking
work that proved pectin worked against cancer
cells and held promise as a dietary preventative
for disease. "Pectin is a complex carbohydrate
found in many plants, but is most abundant
in citrus fruits. It has already been shown
to reduce cholesterol and blood sugar. While
our study focused mainly on prostate cancer,
pectin may show similar benefits in inhibiting
other types of cancer," Patil told Hindustan
Times. Another study done by Patil's team
shows that orange and grapefruit juice given
egularly prevented osteoporosis, a debilitating
disease that causes bones to become brittle
with age and break. The study was published
in Nutrition, which ran the research as
its lead article. Few people are aware about
the health benefits of fruits on bone health.
"One of the reasons for reduced bone density
is the increase in cell-damaging oxidants
produced by the body's metabolic process.
Our studies showed that both grapefruit
and orange juice increased antioxidants
in the rats' systems, which protects the
bone cells from damage," he explains. Earlier
studies have shown that pectin can also
help reduce levels of artery-blocking "bad"
cholesterol (low density lipoprotein or
LDL) in the blood and maintain blood sugar
at a healthy concentration. "Citrus fruit
are a vast reservoir of anti-carcinogens
and a storehouse of health-promoting nutrients,"
says Patil, who received his undergraduate
degree at the University of Agricultural
Sciences in Bangalore before moving to the
US. If locally grown, a whole fruit packs
in a lot more nutritional punch than its
juice. The fibre in a whole fruit also fills
people up, so they tend to eat less. "Fruits
need to be stored at temperatures below
15 degrees centigrade - nine degrees in
the case of citrus - to ensure they retain
their nutritional value. Up to 60 per cent
vitamin C is lost within two months of the
fruit being plucked, which is the time it
takes for artificially-ripened fruit to
reach the market in many parts of the world,"
says Patil. If you are not sure about how
fresh the produce is, it may be a good idea
to opt for juices for the nutritional value
and get the fibre from other sources, recommends
Patil. The nutritional components of many
packaged juices are preserved because the
fruit is freshly picked and juiced. PepsiCo,
the makers of Tropicana, say some, like
mandarins and oranges, are squeezed with
the skin to maximise nutritional content.
"Independent studies that compared commercially
squeezed juice with domestic squeezed juice
found the levels of beneficial phytochemical
and flavonoid to be higher in commercially
squeezed juice," says Yashna Harjani, nutrition
specialist, Asia PepsiCo. But don't go for
citrus alone. "In general, people should
eat different coloured fruit to get all
of the beneficial compounds. And make sure
you eat them fresh," says Patil.
Courtesy:
www.hindustantimes.com, January 13, 2007
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Common
cold virus could kill cancer
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The
common cold virus can kill cancers at a
very early stage of development, according
to a preliminary research on mice. Scientists
planning to conduct human trials say the
virus therapy could be taken up alongside
radiotherapy and chemotherapy but without
the debilitating side effects, reported
the online edition of Daily Mail. Although
researchers have known for some time that
viruses can kill tumour cells, they have
previously concentrated on injecting the
treatment directly into cancers. But this
will not work if the cancer is inaccessible
or has spread throughout the body. The solution
provided by the new research is to mask
the virus from the body's immune system
during its journey to the tumour, said Leonard
Seymour, a professor of gene therapy at
Oxford University who is heading the trial.
The virus is given a polymer coat before
it is injected, so that the immune system
does not immediately start trying to destroy
it, Seymour said. When it reaches a tumour,
it exploits the fact that cancer suppresses
the body's immune system in the immediate
area. The virus can start replicating and
overwhelm and destroy the cancer cells.
The therapy would be especially useful for
secondary cancers, called metastases, which
sometimes spread around the body after the
first tumour appears. The two viruses likely
to be used in the first trials are adenovirus,
which normally causes a cold-like illness,
and vaccinia, which is used in the vaccine
against smallpox.
Courtesy:
www.teluguportal.net, January 12, 2007
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New
Injection Technique to bring down cost of
anti-rabies vaccine
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The
cost of anti-rabies vaccine for a five-dose
course may soon come down to Rs. 300 from
the present Rs. 2,000, across the country.
The governments of Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh
and Kerala have initiated measures in this
direction. This follows the Union Government's
approval of an initiative by a team of Bangalore-based
doctors who have discovered a new technique
to inject the vaccine under the skin instead
of into the muscles, which is the method
being followed now. S.N. Madhusudana, Additional
Professor, Department of Neurovirology of
NIMHANS (National Institute of Mental Health
and Neuro Sciences) said that B.J. Mahendra,
president of the Association for Prevention
and Control of Rabies in India and a professor
at the Kempegowda Institute of Medical Sciences,
and himself had pioneered the technique.
Dr. Madhusudana, whose laboratory is a WHO
Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research
on Rabies, told The Hindu that a set of
Bangalore Mahanagara Palike doctors were
being trained in administering the vaccine.
The doctors at Victoria Hospital, which
reported around 100 cases of dog bites a
day, would also be trained shortly, he said.
The intra-dermal route technique requires
much less of the vaccine than the intra-muscular
method. Instead of 8 ml, just one ml of
the vaccine would be enough, he said. The
technique would make the vaccine course
more affordable, especially for the poor
who constituted a majority of the dog bite
victims, he said. The first step in the
case of a dog bite was to immediately wash
the wound with soap and water and apply
an antiseptic. A five-dose vaccination course
had to be taken on days zero, three, seven
14 and 28, Dr. Madhusudana said. Dr. Madhusudana,
who is also chairman of the Rabies in Asia
Foundation (RIA), said new approaches to
eradicate rabies in the subcontinent were
under consideration. One of them was to
administer vaccines to dogs through oral
baits. Once immunity levels among a given
dog population reached 70 per cent, the
spread of the disease was expected to stop
fully.
Courtesy:
www.hindu.com, January 12, 2007
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After
runaway success, a major technological task
begins for ISRO
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Although
the PSLV-C7 launch was a runaway success
with the injection of four satellites into
orbit on Wednesday, the job of A. Subramonian
has just begun. For, he is the Project Director
of India's first recoverable satellite called
the Space Capsule Recovery Experiment (SRE),
one of the four satellites put in orbit.
"Right now, I feel that my job has just
started. I am looking forward to January
22 morning when the SRE will be recovered,"
Mr. Subramonian said. After the 555-kg SRE
stays in orbit for 11 days, it will be de-orbited
and brought back to the earth in a sequential
manner. It is coated with thermal tiles
to prevent it from burning up when it re-enters
the earth's atmosphere. After it re-enters
the atmosphere, about 5 km above the Bay
of Bengal, three parachutes in the SRE will
open up one after another. First, the pilot
chute will pull out the drogue chute, which
will deploy, and then the main chute will
deploy. The main chute will slow down the
descent of the SRE and it will ultimately
splash down into the Bay of Bengal, about
140 km east of the Sriharikota island. A
floatation system will keep it afloat. Dye
markers will make it visible. The Coast
Guard will recover it. "There are a lot
of technological challenges" in bringing
back an orbiting satellite because "we are
doing it for the first time," said G. Madhavan
Nair, ISRO Chairman. It should be de-orbited
in the right direction; it should be given
the right incremental velocity. It should
re-enter the atmosphere without burning
up.
Dual
Launch Adopter
The PSLV-C7 used for the first time a device
called Dual Launch Adopter (DLA) to launch
four satellites. It also used for the first
time a video-imaging system on board to
take pictures of the separation of the first
three satellites from the fourth stage of
the rocket. According to George Koshy, Vehicle
Director, the PSLV-C7 used a video-imaging
system to take pictures of the separation
of the Cartosat-2, the Peheunsat-1 and the
SRE from the PSLV's fourth stage. No picture
was taken of the injection of the LAPAN-TUBSAT
into orbit. N. Narayanamoorthy, Mission
Director, PSLV-C7, said: "... The mission
management to inject four bodies into precise
orbit without any collision is a big design
achievement in itself ... We are wonderfully
happy." After the 680-kg Cartosat-2 flew
out first, the "vehicle was re-oriented"
and out flew the six-kg Peheunsat-I, said
Mr. Nair. There was one more manoeuvre of
the vehicle and the SRE was injected into
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