Make Merry with Emission for 12 more Years ... before facing the music

People can afford to pollute the earth/ environment for 12 more years, before facing the wrath of Global Warming in its aftermath says the latest scientific research evaluation.

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The world has less than 12 years to go before it faces major ice-melting and potentially catastrophic effects if nothing is done to reduce carbon emissions, a Thai environmental conservationist has warned.

Energy and environmental conservationist Chirapol Sintunawa said it would take approximately that time for the carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere to reach the 450 parts per million (ppm) figure, which would cause temperatures to rise and ice to melt, increasing sea levels.

“At present, the atmospheric CO2 is about 392ppm. The earth can ideally withstand only 350ppm of CO2, which is considered the safe level by many scientists, including Nasa climate scientist James Hansen,” said the professor from Mahidol University in Thailand.

Worldwide campaigns have been ongoing as far as Siberia to create awareness of the 350 target, the Star paper quoted him as saying. “The global warming effect will see global temperatures rising by 2°C at 450ppm. This means ice in the North and South Poles will start melting more. 

We must act now to reduce carbon and protect the environment,” said Chirapol at Warisan Global’s Go green with e.N.V.Y: A GreenTech Entrepreneurship and Networking Session.

Preliminary data by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) showed the carbon dioxide figure stood at 392.04ppm as of June 2010. It was 389.43ppm in 2009 and 387.88ppm in 2008, he said. He deduced it would take less than 12 years to reach the 450ppm level.

Ideal Reference Weight for an Indian man & woman

Government appointed body comes out with its references of weight for man and woman of Indian origin.

Ideal quotient of sleep per day is also listed ... This set recommendations are based on current day scenario. Read on........

The ideal Indian man is now five kg heavier and the ideal woman weighs 10 kg more than their ancestors in the pre-Independence era. The Centre has fixed the weight of the Indian “reference man” at 60 kg and the Indian “reference woman” at 55 kg.

These figures will now be taken as the standard weight for Indian adult. The earlier values were 55 kg for the man and 45 kg for the woman, and were fixed before Independence.

These new anthropometric values were suggested by an expert committee on daily recommended dietary allowance appointed by the Indian Council of Medical Research.

According to the committee, the ideal or reference man of India is between 18 and 29 years of age and weighs 60 kg with a height of 1.73 metres and a body mass index of 20.3. He is free from disease and physically fit for active work.

Likewise, the reference woman is aged between 18 and 29 and weighs 55 kgs with a height of 1.61 metres, a body mass index of 21.2. She should also be non-pregnant and non-lactating and physically fit for active work. Based on these new anthropometric values, the total calorie intake for an Indian adult man has been fixed at 2,320 kilo calories if he leads a sedentary life. 

The values for moderate work and heavy work respectively are 2,730 kilo calories and 3,490 kilo calories. The corresponding figures for the ideal Indian woman are 1,900 kcal, 2,230 kcal and 2,850 kcal.

“For any nation to have its own recommended dietary allowance there needs to be an ideal or reference man and woman,” said Dr B.S. Narasinga Rao, chairman of the experts committee. “We have arrived at the new values based on the present day conditions,” he said.

The earlier values were fixed before Independence (1936-1944) on the recommendations of the committee of nutrition, British Medical Association, and the health committee of the League of Nations.
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To arrive at the values of the weight and height of the ideal Indian man and woman, nutrition experts identify members of well-to-do, elite population with no nutritional constraints and with good health care. 

The anthropometric measurements of that select population are collected to set up local reference standards. 

The ideal Indian man on each working day should be engaged in 8 hours of occupation which usually involves moderate activity, while when not at work he spends 8 hours in bed, 4-6 hours in sitting and moving about, 2 hours in walking and in active recreation or household duties. The same set of rules also applies for the ideal Indian woman.

Veda Havana Maha Yaaga Programs at Mysore

Jaya Guru Datta

We are extremely pleased to invite you for the Veda Havana Maha Yaaga (Rigveda, Yajurveda and Samaveda) conducted at Mysore Ashrama with the Blessings of Sri Ganapati Sachchidananda Swamiji. As you might be aware, Veda Havana involves chanting all the Mantras of each Veda and offering an Aahuti to their respective deities.

It is an elaborate ritual for the well being of the reciter, listener, sponsor and society at large.

This activity is conducted as part of Silver Jubilee Celebrations of SGS Veda Pathasala, Mysore of Avadhoota Datta Peetham.

Your Participation is most Welcome.

Rigveda Havana commences today.
With Warm Regards ---------------------
सर्वं ब्रह्ममयम्

IVF Born Children, more prone to Cancer Risk in their infancy

 May be a cause of concern; Or even some rethink. probably a mere piece of information

Children conceived by in vitro fertilisation (IVF) are 42 percent more likely to develop cancer in their early years, new research reveals.

A team of Swedish scientists arrived at the conclusion after analysing records of over 26,000 children born after IVF treatment and linking them to registers of cancer diagnosis. The researchers found 53 children developed cancer, ranging from a very young age, up to 19-years-old, against an expected number of 38.

The cancers included leukaemia, cancers of the eye and nervous system, solid tumours and six cases of a condition called Langerhans histiocytosis.

There is debate over whether this condition is a real cancer or not but even after these cases were excluded the increased risk of cancer was still 34 percent, according to the study group.

Compared with the general population, IVF-conceived children were 87 percent more likely to have received a diagnosis of cancer by the time they were three years old. After this age the risk of cancer in IVF children reduced.

It was found that seven of the 53 children with cancer also had other problems including malformations and Down''s Syndrome.

The findings appear in the journal Pediatrics.

"We found a moderately increased risk for cancer in children who were conceived by IVF," The Telegraph quoted lead author Bengt Källén, of the University of Lund in Sweden, as writing in the journal.

Källén added: "This is probably not attributable to the IVF procedure itself but could be an effect of confounding from unidentified characteristics of women who undergo IVF or could act via the widely known increased risks for neonatal complication.

"It should be stressed that the individual risk for a child who is born after IVF to develop childhood cancer is low. Additional studies on large populations are needed to permit analysis of such a rare outcome as cancer and notably of specific types."

Why do you Yawn?

Why do we yawn? What are the Connections with Praanaayaama? How does breathing space gets adjusted, after longer periods of Praanaayaama??

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Astrocytes, the brain cells named after their characteristic star-shape, play a key role in the regulation of breathing.

Scientists at the University College London and the University of Bristol demonstrated that astrocytes are able to sense the levels of carbondioxide in the blood, reports Science Express. They then activate brain neuronal (nerve cell) respiratory networks to increase our breathing in accord with prevailing metabolism and activity.

Astrocytes are a subtype of a group of brain cells known as glia ('glue' in Greek), according to a Cambridge statement.

Now, astrocytes have been found to have a unique ability to "taste" the composition of arterial blood entering the brain by sensing increases in arterial levels of carbon dioxide.

They then release a chemical messenger called ATP, which stimulates brain respiratory centres to increase our breathing in order for extra carbon dioxide to be removed from the blood and exhaled.

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This also has an indirect connection

IVF Born Children, more prone to Cancer Risk in their infancy

 May be a cause of concern>> Or even some rethink> Or probably a mere piece of information

Children conceived by in vitro fertilisation (IVF) are 42 percent more likely to develop cancer in their early years, new research reveals.

A team of Swedish scientists arrived at the conclusion after analysing records of over 26,000 children born after IVF treatment and linking them to registers of cancer diagnosis.

The researchers found 53 children developed cancer, ranging from a very young age, up to 19-years-old, against an expected number of 38.

The cancers included leukaemia, cancers of the eye and nervous system, solid tumours and six cases of a condition called Langerhans histiocytosis.

There is debate over whether this condition is a real cancer or not but even after these cases were excluded the increased risk of cancer was still 34 percent, according to the study group.

Compared with the general population, IVF-conceived children were 87 percent more likely to have received a diagnosis of cancer by the time they were three years old. After this age the risk of cancer in IVF children reduced.

It was found that seven of the 53 children with cancer also had other problems including malformations and Down''s Syndrome.

The findings appear in the journal Pediatrics.

"We found a moderately increased risk for cancer in children who were conceived by IVF," The Telegraph quoted lead author Bengt Källén, of the University of Lund in Sweden, as writing in the journal.

Källén added: "This is probably not attributable to the IVF procedure itself but could be an effect of confounding from unidentified characteristics of women who undergo IVF or could act via the widely known increased risks for neonatal complication.

"It should be stressed that the individual risk for a child who is born after IVF to develop childhood cancer is low. Additional studies on large populations are needed to permit analysis of such a rare outcome as cancer and notably of specific types."

Quick Charge Technology for Batteries .. Soon

Scientists have developed new battery materials that could enable electric vehicles, power tools and even cell phones to recharge in minutes.

In collaboration with Vorbeck Materials Corp. of Jessup, Md. and Ilhan Aksay of Princeton University, US Department of Energy''s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory has demonstrated that small quantities of graphene - an ultra-thin sheet of carbon atoms - can dramatically improve the power and cycling stability of lithium-ion batteries, while maintaining high energy storage capacity.

The pioneering work could lead to the development of batteries that store larger amounts of energy and recharge quickly.

Researchers believe using new battery materials with graphene could cut recharge time to less than 10 minutes.

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Days may not be far, when our Electric Cars are charged in 5 - 7 minutes>> ... Let us hope for a better future in our lifetime.

Fat Food helps the Brain .. A statement of Upanishad, now supported by Scientists

Chhandogya Upanishat categorically stated that; Food with Fats such as Ghee, Oil is essential for better functioning of the Brain. It fact, that sort of foods are very much required for its functioning; the 6th Chapter of the Upanishat cites, an experiment carried out by the son Shwetaketu, to test his father's teaching.

Reading these lines in the year 2000; has puzzled me. And triggered an enquiry for evidence to validate this, in contemporary society. 

These are the findings.

Researchers at Deakin University believe they have discovered how the omega-3 fatty acid DHA can help prevent brain cells from dying.

This finding could have implications for reducing the risk of brain function loss associated with Alzheimer's.

"Previous research has suggested that there is a link between low levels in the brain of the omega-3 fatty acid DHA and Alzheimer's disease," explained Deakin University cellular biologist and project leader, Leigh Ackland, a professor.

"Also, the incidence of neuro-degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's appears to be reduced in populations with a high omega-3 fatty acid diet."

Ackland said she and her colleagues looked specifically at the relationship between DHA and zinc in the brain's neuronal cells - the cells responsible for transmitting signals in the brain.

"We found that when the level of DHA in neuronal cells drops, the level of zinc rises. The higher levels of zinc can be toxic, resulting in cell death. This type of cell death is a key feature of neuro-degenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's.

"We believe that having omega-3 fatty acids in the diet helps keep the levels of zinc in the brain in balance and helps prevents the increase in levels that triggers cell death," Ackland said, according to a university release.

These findings have been published in molecular biosciences journal FEBS Letters.

News of Hope (SIA) for Diabetics from Indian Scientist

One Insulin Injection enough for 3 - 4 months ..... Is it not a great News of Hope??

Diabetics, who need insulin injections daily, may now hope for some relief with Indian scientists having discovered a novel form of the hormone that can keep blood glucose levels down for upto three months. 

A team of scientists of the National Immunology Institute of India, led by Mr Avdesh Surolia, has developed a fresh approach to insulin injection wherein 'Supramolecular Insulin Assembly-II (SIA-II)', a form of the hormone, is used for a sustained treatment of diabetes mellitus type-I. 

The studies constitute the first work of its kind where a single administration of SIA-II to animal models of diabetes, such as rats, has been experimentally demonstrated to lower blood glucose levels to normal values for as many as for 120 days.

SIA-II, which is in the form of a prodrug, when injected releases just above basal levels of insulin into the blood in a sustained manner, Mr Surolia said. A prodrug is a chemical that undergoes changes in the body into a more active material. This just above basal level of insulin is adequate to tackle the increase in blood glucose levels after meals and does not cause severe hypoglycaemia, a low sugar condition, in the morning, a dreadful condition faced by diabetics, he said. 

According to Surolia, SIA-II upon injection forms a depot at the site, from where insulin monomers are released which act on the body's cells to regulate uptake of glucose for months after a single injection. This is in contrast to the existing treatment method in which the patient needs to inject insulin at least twice a day for maintaining glucose levels. And even then blood glucose still increases between the meals as the insulin injected gets degraded very soon. 

SIA-II is unique as it is continuously releasing insulin in the body regularly thereby affording a way to curb increases in glucose levels in between meals. The technique is being seen as one with tremendous therapeutic potential and constitutes a new way of treatment for diabetic patients. 

Experiments carried out by the group in the laboratory have demonstrated that SIA-II acts as a pure and compact source of insulin and that the reason for its long-term bio-availability is its protection from destruction because of its presentation in a compact form. The research may also give a direction for new therapeutic approaches for various diseases. The hormone insulin is the key regulator of energy and glucose metabolism in the body, besides playing a role in development during growing up years. 

The fine balance of maintaining the required insulin concentrations in the blood is performed by pancreas. At present, diabetes afflicts nearly 200 million people across the world with a large chunk of patients being in India and China. The latest research is an attempt to address the issue of multiple injections.

 

Alternative to Newton's Theory?

It’s hard to imagine a more fundamental and ubiquitous aspect of life on the Earth than gravity, from the moment you first took a step and fell on your diapered bottom to the slow terminal sagging of flesh and dreams. But what if it’s all an illusion, a sort of cosmic frill, or a side effect of something else going on at deeper levels of reality?

So says Prof Erik Verlinde, 48, a respected string theorist and professor of physics at the University of Amsterdam, whose contention that gravity is indeed an illusion has caused a continuing ruckus among physicists, or at least among those who profess to understand it. 

Reversing the logic of 300 years of science, he argued in a recent paper, titled On the Origin of Gravity and the Laws of Newton, that gravity is a consequence of the venerable laws of thermodynamics, which descr-ibe the behaviour of heat and gases.

“For me gravity doesn’t exist,” said Prof Verlinde, who was recently in the US to explain himself. Not that he can’t fall down, but Prof Verlinde is among a number of physicists who say that science has been looking at gravity the wrong way and that there is something more basic, from which gravity “emerges,” the way stock markets emerge from the collective behaviour of individual investors or that elasticity emerges from the mechanics of atoms.

Looking at gravity from this angle, they say, could shed light on some of the vexing cosmic issues of the day, like the dark energy, a kind of anti-gravity that seems to be speeding up the expansion of the universe, or the dark matter that is supposedly needed to hold galaxies together.

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Mahaamuneenam Matayascha Bhinnah

Visceral Fat causes Heart Attacks, even in Slim Persons

We have seen slim people suffering heart attacks. People ponder over the reasons.

Recent Studies, prove this point.

You may be slim and still have dangerously high levels of fat within you, according to the British Medical Research Council.

Using MRI body scanners doctors demonstrated that even super-slim people could have high levels of internal fat collecting around the heart, liver, kidneys and pancreas. These people, dubbed "skinny-fats", could be seriously putting their health at risk.

"The fat we can see on overweight people is subcutaneous fat," The Daily Telegraph quoted Dr Ron McCoy, Melbourne-based spokesperson for the Royal College of Australian GPs, as saying. However, what could be more dangerous is visceral fat or the fat we can't see but which surrounds vital organs.

Dr McCoy said: "Visceral fat is metabolised by the liver, which transforms it into cholesterol. Cholesterol circulates in the blood and can collect in your arteries, creating heart disease and high blood pressure."

Visceral fat is also believed to produces more hormones and proteins than subcutaneous fat, affecting glucose levels and leading to the onset of type 2 diabetes and other health problems like cardiovascular disease.

But the question is if one is thin then how does fat accumulate inside the body. Lack of physical exercise is the biggest reason.

Sam Mower, an exercise physiologist, said: "If your body isn''t moving, it doesn''t metabolise the fat that''s building up - either outside or inside." Diet is another factor. If you''re eating foods high in saturated fat, such as butter, cheese, cakes and biscuits, it's nearly all stored as visceral fat," Mower said.  Menopause and sugar intake by way of alcohol consumption are among other causes.

Wire Broad Band Prospects ... in India

Mobile operators are looking at two separate technologies for offering mobile broadband services. These are Wimax and Long Term Evolution (LTE).

Both Long Term Evolution Time Division Duplex (TD-LTE) and Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) are broadband wireless access (BWA) are similar but rival technologies.

All the operators are evaluating both the technologies, however, since LTE is not yet ready with devices it is likely that the operators don't have any choice but to go for Wimax, he said.

Samsung, which makes telecom equipment, will offer end to end solutions on both the technologies for the players in India.

In the recently-concluded BWA auction, in which the government auctioned 2.3 GHz spectrum, the telecom operators have the option to choose between WiMax and LTE.

Infotel Broadband — in which Reliance Industries bought 95 per cent stake — was the only pan-India winner of the spectrum. Aircel won in eight circles, while Tikona Digital got the spectrum in five circles.

According to sources, Reliance Industries that had previously indicated its preference for LTE may go for Wimax.

Reasons for being Extrovert >> 1

If you are an attractive man or a woman, chances are that you are quite an extrovert.

Evolutionary psychologist, Dr Aaron Lukaszewski, of the University of California at Santa Barbara asked 85 male and 89 female students to rate their own attractiveness relative to their peers.

He found that stronger and more attractive men, and more attractive women, were extrovert.

Since strength and attractiveness have a strong genetic basis, it appears that we may learn our personalities, and adjust them to situations over time.

“It’s not the way psychologists have typically thought about personality,” New Scientist quoted Mr Wendy Johnson, a psychologist at the University of Edinburgh

Fuel from Carbon Di Oxide >>> A possible solution to control Pollution>>

Scientists are inching closer to produce a new fuel from carbon dioxide and sunlight which they claim will help meet world's energy needs and minimise carbon emissions.

A team at Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, New Mexico, is developing the technique which will produce "synthetic liquid fuels" in solar-powered reactors.

Experiments have also shown that the reactors can absorb carbon dioxide (CO2) and turn it into carbon monoxide. The same reactors can also be used to turn water into hydrogen and oxygen.

The two can then be reacted together with a catalyst to form hydrocarbon fuels, in a technique known as the "Fischer-Tropsch" process.

According to the researchers, fuels made in this way are sufficiently similar to those currently used in cars, and major redesigns of engines and refuelling stations is not necessary, New Scientist reported.

This innovative fuel production techniques could inch motor vehicles towards carbon neutrality, it said.

Ken Caldeira of the Carnegie Institution of Washington at Stanford University, California, said that creating usable fuel from solar energy is a promising way of keeping the world's energy demands satisfied while minimising carbon emissions. 

"This area holds out the promise for technologies that can produce large amounts of carbon-neutral power at affordable prices, which can be used where and when that power is needed," he said.

"It is one of the few technology areas that could truly revolutionise our energy future."

The Sandia team has created a machine called the "Counter Rotating Ring Receiver Reactor Recuperator (CR5)", which captures carbon dioxide from power plant exhaust fumes.

In future, however, they hope to use CO2 extracted directly from the air, although they are not developing their own carbon-capture technique to do so.

"That is a huge challenge in itself, and we opted to focus on one hard problem at a time," says James Miller, a combustion chemist at Sandia.

Biggest Telescope of the Planet will be ready in 2011

The construction of the world's largest telescope, worth $271 million, will be completed in 2011, Russian space agency Roscosmos said.

"The telescope's size exceeds the overall height of the Empire State Building, the Sears Tower in Chicago and the Shanghai World Financial Centre," Roscosmos said.

The IceCube telescope designed by researchers and engineers from the University of Wisconsin and sponsored by the National Science Foundation will be inserted into the ice near the South Pole.
The telescope will be looking for neutrinos from the most violent astrophysical sources, such as star explosions, gamma ray bursts, and cataclysmic phenomena involving black holes and neutron stars.
Neutrinos, the smallest known subatomic particles, travel at near the speed of light and are so tiny that they can pass through solid matter without colliding with atoms.
The telescope will be equipped with some 5,000 Digital Optical Modules buried under the ice at depths of 1.4-2.5 km. The modules will transmit experimental data for 25 years.

Rameswaram Visit

Rameswaram is the sacred place, where Sri Swamiji consecrated Saikata Siva Lingam (Shiva Linga made of Sand) to alleviate the Sins of Violence of the War with Ravana.

A trip to Rameswaram is essential to complete the Pilgrimage cycle of every devout person, after Varanasi.  After Kashi Yatra in November 2009, the pilgrimage concluded with Rameswara Darshanam.


http://picasaweb.google.co.in/vkghanapathi/Rameswaram

Please view the photos.

Dhanushkoti Visit

Jaya Guru Datta
Dhanushkoti s the South Eastern Most Tip of India on the near Rameswaram Island. It was a wonderful, Moment for all of us, to be part of Sri Swamiji's pilgrimage to take bath at the special place, where Sri Rama marked the starting point to build Rama Setu.

Dhanush (Bow - Kondandam); Koti = Tip


Enjoy the Photos.