Website Name in Devanagari Script Soon …….

Seoul: The non-profit body that oversees Internet addresses has approved the use of Hebrew, Hindi, Korean and other scripts not based on the Latin alphabet in a decision that could make the Web dramatically more inclusive.

The board of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers or ICANN voted on Friday to allow such scripts in so-called domain names at a meeting in South Korea's capital.

The decision was widely expected and follows years of debate and testing. It clears the way for governments or their designees to submit requests for specific names, likely beginning November.

Internet users could start seeing them in use early next year, particularly in Arabic, Chinese and other scripts in which demand has been among the highest, ICANN officials say.

First Ever Cosmetic Surgery to the Nose by Sushruta

London: India has laid claim to the world’s first nose job, which according to scriptures, was conducted by Sushruta, who lived around 600 BC and is cited to have performed “sophisticated reconstructive surgery”.

Generations of Indians have believed that Westerners such as Aristotle drove scientific advances, largely because the Indian education system was framed by Britain, according to N.R. Iyer, the director of Delhi’s National Science Centre.

“There is the widespread perception that science began in Greece. We want to correct this, and publicise advances made in India as long as 5,000 years ago,” he told the Times.

A new exhibition at the centre suggests that the study of atomic theory, mathematics, biology and cosmic evolution were all born in the subcontinent — when Britons were living in huts made of wattle and daub.

The exhibition, the largest of its kind in the country, is intended to foster a sense of “scientific nationalism” among the burgeoning middle classes.

Highlights include the work of Sushruta, who lived around 600BC and performed “sophisticated reconstructive surgery” — probably on convicts who had their noses cut off as punishment.

He may, therefore, have been the world’s first cosmetic surgeon, working about 150 years before Hippocrates — the Greek credited as “the father of medicine” — formulated his famous oath.

The Delhi exhibition shows advances in smelting from AD 800, breakthroughs in astronomy between AD 400 and AD 1000 and multiple cropping used by farmers in 2500 BC.

However, the poster boy for the campaign is Sushruta — claimed as a genius — who pioneered rhinoplasty: rebuilding noses.

He wrote, “The portion of the nose to be covered should be measured with a leaf. Then, skin of the required size should be dissected from the living skin of the cheek, and turned back to cover the nose, keeping a small pedicle attached to the cheek.”

“The physician should then stitch the two parts swiftly, keeping the skin elevated by inserting two tubes of eranda (the castor-oil plant) in the position of the nostrils,” he had added.

Sushruta also prescribed a rudimentary form of pain relief for the procedure.

“Wine should be used before operation to produce insensibility,” he said.

The centre has been directed by the Indian Government to form a committee of experts to write papers laying claim to areas of science that arguably have their roots in India.

Top of the list is likely to be mathematics and the decimal system, and specifically the concept “zero” — a word derived from the Sanskrit shunya.

Internet to get non-English addresses soon

Seoul: The Internet is set to undergo one of the biggest changes in its four-decade history with the expected approval this week of international domain names — or addresses — that can be written in languages other than English, an official said on Monday.

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) — the non-profit group that oversees domain names — is holding a meeting this week in Seoul. Domain names are the monikers behind every website, e-mail address and Twitter post, such as ".com" and other suffixes.

One of the key issues to be taken up by ICANN's board at this week's gathering is whether to allow for the first time entire internet addresses to be in scripts that are not based on Latin letters.

That could potentially open up the web to more people around the world as addresses could be in characters as diverse as Arabic, Korean, Japanese, Greek, Hindi and Cyrillic — in which Russian is written.

"This is the biggest change technically to the internet since it was invented 40 years ago," Mr Peter Dengate Thrush, chairman of the ICANN board, told reporters, calling it a "fantastically complicated technical feature."

He said he expects the board to grant approval on Friday, the conference's final day.

The internet's roots are traced to experiments at a US university in 1969 but it wasn't until the early 1990s that its use began expanding beyond academia and research institutions to the public.

Infant's thumb sucking may impair speech

Washington: Pacifier, baby bottle or thumb sucking may hamper a child's speech development if the habit goes on too long, says a new study.

The children were more likely to have difficulty producing certain word sounds and to simplify their pronunciation. A team led by Clarita Barbosa from Corporacion de Rehabilitacion Club De Leones Cruz Del Sur in Patagonia, Chile, conducted the study with University of Washington (UW) Multidisciplinary International Research Training (MIRT).

Looking at a group of 128 children aged three to five years, researchers gathered parents' reports of each child's feeding and sucking behaviours during infancy and evaluated the child's speech. They found that delay in giving a baby bottle until the child was at least nine-month-old reduced the risk of their developing speech disorders, while children who sucked their fingers or who used a pacifier for more than three years, were three times more likely to develop speech impediments.

"These results suggest extended sucking outside of breast-feeding may have detrimental effects on speech development in young children," says Barbosa. This finding is particularly relevant as the use of baby bottles and pacifiers has increased over the past few decades, said an UW release. Previous research also has suggested that breast feeding may be beneficial to developing coordinated breathing, swallowing and speech articulation. The results were published in the Wednesday edition of BMC Paediatrics. — IANS

What is Kalyaanam?

कल्याणोत्सव तत्पर स्स भगवान् कुर्यात् सदा मङ्गलम्

What is Kalyanam>

Why and How is it required to be performed?

• Kalyaanam literally means Welfare/ Well being (Mangalam). As marriage/ initiation into Gruhastha Aashrama (System of House Holder with duties to take care of the beings around him) is vital to the world, marriage is also called Kalyaanam. In physical sense, it is to bring together two clans, two families, two bodies, two souls closer to each other. In other words, it is indicative of the process of Unification. Hence, marriage has also come to be known as an institution.
• From the philosophical perspective, Kalyanam as explained in the story cited in Brahma Vaivarta Puranam; is a metaphysical concept. It is to convey the concept of Creation and sustenance as well as delusion. Without the advent of Sakti (Raajasika Pravrutti of Maaya), Siva (Param Brahma) is a static, monistic, all pervading, omnipotent, omni scent force. The potent energy remains latent, till aroused by the dynamism of Sakti.
• To assume the form of dynamic force, the combination of Maaya is compulsory. This is well explained in the first stanza of Soundarya Lahari. (शिव श्शक्त्या युक्तो यदि भवति शक्तः प्रभवितुं नचेदेवं देवो न खलु कुशल स्स्पन्दितुमपि।) Hence, for the world to be exuberant with dynamism, creativity and incessant existential energies; the communion of Siva & Sakti (in other words Prakruti & Purusha or Saguna Brahma & Maaya) is absolutely required.
• To signify and propagate this concept of the Universal Creation and Existence, Devata Kalyanam is observed annually in temples all over India. Several Mythological stories and epics have narrated various fables to convey this concept, as part of Avataara Kathaa (Description of the incarnation of a deity).
• In fact, incarnation or Avataara is nothing but the assumption of form to limit the scope and outlook of the unlimited Almighty. (Ava is downward; Taara is to transform/ convey = Effectively it is downsizing/ downgrading the infinite Saguna Brahman to a finite existence, with Janma & Niryaanam (Birth and Expiry comparable to humans).
• Without a form, it is highly difficult to a common mortal to understand and experience this high theory/ principle of Creation. It is quite common for a professor/ teacher to draw an illustration to convey his idea effectively to his subjects.
• Hence, all the concept of Kalyanam is nothing but a metaphysical representation of the Universe. The Sankalpam and several procedures amply explain the same, if one has time and knowledge to examine the Mantras, recited in the Program.
• To affirm that the Naama & Roopa (Name & Form) are representation of the Limitless/ Infinite Almighty; the Mantras list out several benefits that can accrue to the participant in the Kalyanam, if observed and understood properly. Thus, from Nirguna Param Brahma> Saguna Brahma + Maaya > Prakruti + Purusha; our critical analysis is reaching the mythological stage.
• The concept of Prakruti & Purusha is also abstractive to explain to a common listener/ starter. Hence, the sages have explained the several stories denoting the communion of Static and Dynamic Forces (Hitherto bounded energies); leading to Unified Monist/ infinite energy of Almighty. Those who understand this concept and perceive the Meta Physical process will be enlightened to achieve Moksha (Salvation). Otherwise, the innumerable benefits, listed in the Kalyaana Sankalpam are impossible for anyone to beget.

Selection of Name & Form for Kalyaanam

• At this stage, an enquiry would be initiated to select the name and form to visualise the process of Devata Kalyanam. Naturally, we try to trace a source of information, where a similar event is purported/ reported to have occurred in the past Yugas. At this juncture, Puraanas (Epics) are the only source of exhaustive information and authentication.
• Hence, wherever a Puraana has explained in detail, a procedure of marriage citing the name and form of a deity, Kalyaana Utsavam is performed by devotees. We should not get confused to mix the philosophical concept with the selection of name and form. Precedent and Traditional Authentication is an integral mandatory part of this selection.
• For an example: Siva has many forms - some fierce, some calm, some benign, some destructive, some tranquil. Among these, the form of Kalyaana Murty, which is described in the Puraanas, is chosen for Kalyaana Utsavam. Similarly, Lord Vishnu had many incarnations, among which Seeta Raama Kalyaanam, Rukmini Krishna Kalyaanam are performed. It would be inappropriate to select Vaamana, Narasimha, Matsya, Koorma, Varaaha, Parashuraama, Buddha or Kalki, citing the Philosophical theory of one force - many names & Forms.
• Hence, understanding the logic; mythological precedent combined with tradition observed by knowledgeable elders should be the basic requirement for the observance/ celebration of any event. We should well grasp that, Bhaarateeyas are better known for their acumen rather than superstition. Though, sentiments play a greater role in our preferences, it would be wise to harmoniously blend logic and authentic traditions in choosing our options, to realise full extent of benefits, enlisted in the scriptures.

सर्वं ब्रह्ममयम्

3 meals a day protect us from fungi

Washington: Having three meals everyday keeps us warm and protects us from any kind of fungal attack, a new study suggests.

The research from Albert Einstein College of Medicine in Yeshiva University has revealed that just because humans and other mammals eat a lot, they are protected from the majority of fungal pathogens. The research, showed that the elevated body temperature of mammals - the familiar 98.6 F or 37 C in people - is too high for the vast majority of potential fungal invaders to survive.

"Fungal strains undergo a major loss of ability to grow as we move to mammalian temperatures," said Dr Arturo Casadevall, chair and professor of microbiology and immunology at Einstein.

"Our study makes the argument that our warm temperatures may have evolved to protect us against fungal diseases. And being warm-blooded and therefore largely resistant to fungal infections may help explain the dominance of mammals after the age of dinosaurs," he added.

Fungal infections in people are often the result of an impaired immune function.

In the study, the researchers investigated how 4,082 different fungal strains from the Utrecht collection grew in temperatures ranging from chilly - 40 C or 39 F - to desert hot - 45 C or 113 F. They found that nearly all of them grew well in temperatures up to 30 C.

Beyond that, though, the number of successful species declined by 6 per cent for every one degree centigrade increase. Most could not grow at mammalian temperatures. Those that did well in hotter conditions were often from warm-blooded sources.

Dr Casadevall noted that the current study covered thousands of fungal strains and made use of a computerised database of the Utrecht collection.

"This was possible only because we could use bioinformatic tools to analyse the records in the culture collection. There is no way to do a study like this without such technology given the enormous numbers of samples and the labour involved," he said.

The results of the study could help explain why mammals maintain a seemingly energy-wasteful lifestyle requiring a great deal of food.

On the other hand, reptiles need only eat once a day or even less often.

"The payoff, however, may be that mammals are much more resistant to soil and plant-borne fungal pathogens than are reptiles and other cold-blooded vertebrates," he said.

The study has been published in the Journal of Infectious Diseases.

तस्मात् त्रिरह्नः पशवः प्रेरते

(Animals take food thrice a day, to keep healthy)

- यजुर्वेदः

Naked Scanners at Airports on anvil

October 13th, 2009

London: In an initiative to enable airport security staff in the UK to beef up security, a human X-ray machine has been introduced at Manchester Airport that can instantly spot any hidden weapons or explosives.

The X-ray machine, made by RapiScan Systems, will scan passengers and produce naked images, will also show up any breast enlargements, false limbs, piercings, and a clear outline of passengers'' private parts.

“The black and white image will only be seen by one officer in a remote location before it is deleted,” The Daily Express quoted, Sarah Barrett, head of customer experience at Manchester Airport, as saying.

“Most of our customers do not like the traditional "pat down" search, they find it too intrusive, but they still want to be kept safe. This scanner completely takes away the hassle of needing to undress. The images are not erotic or pornographic and they cannot be stored or captured in anyway,” she added.

However, considering passengers’ interest due to the graphic nature of the images, they will have the option to refuse the virtual strip search at Terminal 2, and opt for the pat down search instead. The Department for Transport has installed them on trail and will decide whether to install them permanently at the end of the trial, which is expected to last for a year.

Biomolecular computers can now 'think logically'

October 14th, 2009

Washington: Researchers have devised an advanced programme for biomolecular computers that enables them to 'think' logically.
Research students Tom Ran and Shai Kaplan, students of Ehud Shapiro at Weizmann Institute's biological chemistry lab have found a way to make these devices 'user friendly,' even while performing complex computations and answering complicated queries.

The team introduced the first autonomous programmable DNA computing device in 2001. A new version, created in 2004, detected cancer in a test tube and released a molecule to destroy it. Besides the possibility that such biology-based devices could one day be injected into the body - a sort of �doctor in a cell' locating disease and preventing its spread, biomolecular computers could conceivably perform millions of calculations in parallel.

The train of deduction used by this futuristic device is remarkably familiar. It was first proposed by Aristotle over 2,000 years ago as a simple if... then proposition: 'All men are mortal. Socrates is a man. Therefore, Socrates is mortal.' When fed a rule (All men are mortal) and a fact (Socrates is a man), the computer answered the question 'Is Socrates Mortal?' correctly.

The team went on to set up more complicated queries involving multiple rules and facts, and the DNA computing devices were able to deduce the correct answers every time. These findings were published online in Nature Nanotechnology.

Warning againgst Exposure to Cell Phone (Electro Magnetic/ Radio Signals)

 

Limit exposure to cell phones: French health authority

October 15th, 2009

Paris: French health watchdogs, in a precautionary move, recommended on Thursday reducing exposure to mobile phones and other portable wireless devices that emit radio-frequency electromagnetic waves.

The guidelines are an interim step pending the outcome of wider research into any impacts from health from radio frequency fields.

"The time for inaction has passed," Martin Guespereau, director of the French Health and Security Agency (Afsset), said at a press conference.

"Let's not wait until the indications become pathologies before moving forward with limiting exposure," he said.

More than 1,000 studies were examined and most of them did not show any negative impacts from mobile phones, Wifi emitters, microwave ovens, cordless home phones and other gadgets emitting electromagnetic radiation, Guespereau said.

Some research, however, did point to possible health problems, including cell damage, reduced male fertility and a lower blood flow to the brain.

Emphasising caution, Guespereau also pointed out that cell phones have been widely used for barely a decade, not long enough to study long-term impacts from constant exposure.

Given this level of uncertainty, the French health authority said further research was needed to determine potential health consequences.

Get Ready for An Arctic Summer Retreat!!

(Serious Climatic Disaster for Souther Coastal Cities of the Globe)

London
Oct. 15: British researchers on Thursday revealed latest data on Arctic Ocean which proves that the sea ice in the Arctic Ocean is rapidly thinning, supporting the theory that the ocean will be largely ice-free during summers within a decade.

An ice-free Arctic could lead to drastic climate changes and extreme global weather like alarming increase in temperature and increased floodings affecting one-fourth of the world population.

The scientists analysing the data found that the survey area is comprised almost exclusively of first-year ice. Traditionally, the region has contained older, thicker multi-year ice. The average thickness of the ice-floors measured 1.8 metres, a depth considered too thin to survive the next summer’s ice melt.

The scientists at the Cambridge University made the findings based on data collected in the Catlin Arctic Survey, completed earlier this year.

The survey, which provides the latest ice thickness record, collected by manual drilling and observations on a 450-kilometre route across the northern part of the Beaufort Sea. “With a larger part of the region now first year ice, it is clearly more vulnerable.

The area is now more likely to become open water each summer, bringing forward the potential date when the summer sea ice will be completely gone,” said Professor, Mr Peter Wadhams, of the Polar Ocean Physics Group at the University of Cambridge, who led the data interpretation group.

He said that the data reveals that ice-free Arctic is not distant in future. “The Catlin Arctic Survey data supports the new consensus view — based on seasonal variation of ice extent and thickness, changes in temperatures.

Alternative to Fruit Labels

Washington: Those small and inconvenient sticky labels in illegible print on consumer items like fruits are likely to be replaced by laser 'tattoo' technology, which is currently undergoing tests.

Called laser etching, the new technology puts a tattoo on grapefruit and other produce so it can be identified at the supermarket checkout lines.

The technology was invented by former University of Florida (UFL) scientist Greg Drouillard, now with Sunkist Growers.

Grapefruit has always been labelled with sticky paper labels that mar the fruit and stick to one another in storage. The labels are also easily removed, making it more difficult to track a piece of produce back to the source if the need arises.

Microbiologist Jan Narciso at the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) Citrus and Subtropical Products Lab and UFL researcher Ed Etxeberria investigated laser technology as an alternative to sticky paper labels.

A carbon dioxide laser beam was used to etch information into the first few outer cells of the fruit peel. The mark can't be peeled off, washed off or changed, offering a way to trace the fruit back to its original source.

This permanent etching into the fruit peel does not increase water loss or the entrance of food pathogens or post-harvest pathogens if the laser label is covered with wax.

Further testing shows the wax may be unnecessary, since the tiny holes etched into the grapefruit peel are effectively sealed by the carbon dioxide, preventing decay and food pathogen entry.

However, wax coverage is recommended to eliminate water loss. In testing for fruit decay, the fruit was inoculated with decay organisms and then etched with the laser. No pathogens were found in the peel or the fruit interior, said an ARS release.

Narciso and Etxeberria found that the laser cauterizes the peel, much like when a laser is used on human skin. The cauterized area is impenetrable to pathogens and decay organisms and resists water loss.

The research was published in HortTechnology.

Soil Testing Thermometre for Earth by Israeli Scientists

Scientists at Tel Aviv University (TAU) in Israel have developed what is literally a 'thermometer' for the Earth, which would assess the health of our planet.

Known as the "Optical Soil Dipstick" (OSD), the instrument has been developed by Professor Eyal Ben-Dor of TAU's Department of Geography, along with his team.

According to Prof. Eyal Ben-Dor, his soil dipstick will help scientists, urban planners and farmers understand the changing health of the soil, as well as its agricultural potential and other associated concerns.

"I was always attracted to drug development and diagnostics, which spurred the development of this OSD device," he said. 

"It's like a diagnostic device that measures soil health. Through a small hole in the surface of the earth, we can assess what lies beneath it," he added.

Ben-Dor explained that as climate change alters our planet radically, this dipstick could instantly tell geographers what parts of the US are best - or worst - for farming.

For authorities in California, it is already providing proof that organic farms are chemical-free, and it could be used as a whistle-blower to catch environmental industrial polluters.

Today, there is no simple and inexpensive way to test for soil health in the field.

Testing can be much simpler with Prof. Ben-Dor's dipstick, which can be used by non-professionals.

The thin catheter-like device is inserted into a small hole in the soil to give real-time, immediately accurate and reliable information on pollution and the all-round health of the soil.

Analysing chemical and physical properties, the dipstick outputs its data to a handheld device or computer.

"To optimise production and save costs, farmers need to know if their crops are getting the right blend of minerals. This tool could permit them to pursue 'precision agriculture'," said Ben-Dor. The OSD, which is expected to cost about $10,000 per unit per application, allows technicians to determine if the soil needs water or is contaminated.

It also provides information about the condition of root zones where crops are growing.

According to the researchers, the quality of information is identical to that provided by large government laboratories.

Ben-Dor said that these dipsticks can also be remotely and wirelessly networked to airplanes and satellites, providing the most detailed, comprehensive and reliable soil map of the US.

The OSD is currently in a prototype stage and is set for commercialisation. If the right strategic partner is found, a new evice could be on the shelves, and in the ground, within the year.

Treating mild diabetes during pregnancy - Beneficial

NEW YORK – Treating even mild diabetes that develops during pregnancy helps keep moms and babies from gaining too much weight and makes for easier deliveries, new research shows. Pregnant women in the U.S. are routinely tested and treated for high blood sugar levels, although it hasn't been clear whether treating the mildest cases really benefited them and their infants.

In a study of 950 women, those with mild gestational diabetes who were treated had fewer overly large babies, fewer cesarean sections and fewer pregnancy complications, compared to women who didn't have their diabetes treated.

"There is every reason to fully treat women with even the mildest (gestational diabetes) based on our results," said the study's leader, Dr. Mark Landon of Ohio State University Medical Center in Columbus.

Gestational diabetes begins during pregnancy and usually goes away after childbirth. It affects as many as one in seven pregnant women, depending on the population. The mother's elevated blood sugar can cause the fetus to grow too large, sometimes requiring a C-section and can bring on other health problems for the mother and baby.

Risk factors include being over 25, being obese and a family history of diabetes.

Medical groups support testing pregnant women for the condition and treatment, although the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, a government health panel, said last year there wasn't enough evidence to recommend screening.

Landon said he'd had doubts about treating mild cases, and was surprised by the study's results.

"I did it, yet I wondered, 'Was I overtreating?'" he said.

For the government-funded study, 958 women with mild gestational diabetes were recruited at 15 medical centers. They got either diabetes treatment or standard prenatal care. Treatment included diet counseling and insulin if needed to get their blood sugar under control.

In the treatment group, there were fewer babies of unusually large size (7 percent vs. 15 percent in the untreated group) and fewer babies weighed more than about 9 pounds (6 percent vs. 14 percent). On average, the treated women gained 5 fewer pounds after their diagnosis than the untreated ones.

There were also fewer C-sections and cases of preeclampsia, a serious pregnancy complication. There were no deaths in either group, and no difference in other birth-related complications.

Landon noted that a "remarkable" 93 percent of the women in the treatment group kept their blood sugar under control with diet alone; only 7 percent needed insulin.

The findings are reported in Thursday's New England Journal of Medicine.

Dr. David A. Sacks of Kaiser Foundation Hospital in Bellflower, Calif., said switching to a healthier diet could help other pregnant women limit weight gain, too. More large babies are born to overweight or obese women who don't have diabetes, he said.

"This is a real easy therapy to apply to every single pregnant lady," said Sacks, who wrote an editorial about the study in the journal.

Even before she got pregnant, Lorenda Donaugh knew all about gestational diabetes. She works with Landon at Ohio State, doing ultrasounds for his patients, and ended up becoming one after she was diagnosed at 28 weeks with a mild case.

"I knew it was going to be hard work. It takes a lot of time and planning," said the 27-year-old, who lives in the Columbus suburb of Westerville.

Donaugh, who was not part of the study, monitored her blood sugar several times a day, modified her diet and took extra walks. She eventually took a diabetes medication.

Planning meals and cutting back on sugar was the hardest part, she said. Whenever she was tempted, she thought of her baby. "Being pregnant, you have all those cravings, but you still have to limit that food," she said.

The work paid off. She delivered a healthy daughter on Sept. 14. Adelynn weighed 6 pounds, 4 ounces and her mom had only gained a modest 22 pounds.