Asia / All Themes
Features & Interviews : Shamita Shetty
26.09.2008 10:25
bollyvista.com
She is still known as sister of sexy siren Shilpa Shetty. After doing a handful of films Shamita is busy these ...
India
Show Business
News & Gossip : Katrina celebrates her success
26.09.2008 10:25
bollyvista.com
Katrina is on a career high. Presently she is shooting in Philadelphia in the US for the Yashraj ...
India
Show Business
News & Gossip : Ayesha Takia wants to wind up her portion
26.09.2008 10:25
bollyvista.com
Ayesha Takia has made it official that she has decided to hang her shoes after her marriage. She has ...
India
Show Business
News & Gossip : Kareena celebrates her birthday with Indian soldiers
26.09.2008 10:25
bollyvista.com
On the eve of Kareenas 28th birthday, her mom Babita, suggested that she should make it reallypecial. Not only ...
India
Show Business
News & Gossip : Chilling underwater sequence in Kidnap
26.09.2008 10:25
bollyvista.com
That Minissha Lamba is a water baby is evident from the promos of Kidnap, which show her swimming ...
India
Show Business
News & Gossip : Aamir Khan watches Kidnap
26.09.2008 10:25
bollyvista.com
The official trials of the keenly awaited Kidnap for distinguished industry folk have started in ...
India
Show Business
India, France will discuss nuke trade: Menon
26.09.2008 08:38
b4uindia.com
India and France will discuss nuclear cooperation during Prime Minister Manmohan Singh''s visit to Paris, said Foreign Secretary Shiv Shankar Menon. "It is on the agenda. We are working on it with them for some time. When asked whether the waiver by the 45-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) allowed any country to have nuclear trade with India, Menon said: "The NSG is a waiver to the NSG member States to do business with us. Let''s not confuse issues. The NSG gave a waiver to its members saying you can cooperate with India for the civilian uses of nuclear energy. So they are free, they can cooperate with India. If they want to do business with us, we will not say no. Asked to give a clarification on the additional protocol, Menon said: "The additional protocol has got nothing to do with this. It is up to them. Why are we confusing issues here? The NSG has given a clearance to its members to do business with India. US is an NSG member and so are 44 others." When a query was raised as to whether India has committed to place orders for 10,000 MW to US, he said: "The commitment to US is that we will place orders if they are commercially competitive which is the same as our commitment for anyone else because you can buy cheaper electricity from someone burning coal or something else. Even when the agreement is signed, it will still have to go through the commercial process - discussing with companies and working out the details - but no one will be disadvantaged." "If you look at the kinds of quantities that the reactors would entail, we would have to go to several suppliers. The only issue really is whoever supplies has to be commercially competitive. The 123 is an enabling agreement and once it is done, it would allow firms and companies to sit and do the detailed contracts for the supply of the equipment etc. That work is going to take a little time. It is not that once 123 is done, contracts would be signed overnight with anybody. Even if we sign tomorrow with France or Russia, I don''t see anybody being disadvantaged in this process," he added.(ANI)
India
Social Life
Home Minister reviews strengthening of Intelligence Bureau in States
26.09.2008 08:38
b4uindia.com
Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil chaired a meeting in New Delhi today to review implementation of the decisions taken recently for strengthening of Intelligence Bureau and special branches in the States. The meeting also discussed further action which may be necessary in this context. It lasted over one and a half hours. The meeting was attended by the Union Home Secretary, Director of Intelligence Bureau and Special Secretary (Internal Security), Ministry of Home Affairs. The meeting gain importance as it has taken place in the wake of recent serial blasts across the country. More than 150 people have been killed in a series of bombings in four Indian cities this year, including 23 people in New Delhi on September 13. (ANI)
India
Social Life
CSIR foundation day celebrated today
26.09.2008 08:37
b4uindia.com
Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) today celebrated its 66th Foundation Day with great enthusiasm. Union Minister for Science and Technology and Earth Sciences Kapil Sibal gave away the CSIR Young Scientist Awards 2008 and the CSIR Technology Awards 2008 at a function organized in New Delhi today to mark the occasion. In his address, the Minister called upon the scientific community to bring science out of laboratories in the form of solutions to the day-to-day problems of the people. Observing that India is the third most attractive nation for R&D, Sibal reiterated the commitment of the government to provide world-class environment for scientists to pursue their research. Lauding the recent launch of an open source platform by CSIR the Minister strongly advocated a system of free flow of information. He also praised the Project 800 of the CSIR, which aims at bringing solutions to 800 million people in the country in the areas of agriculture, energy and health. Prof. Bartha Maria Knoppfers of the University of Montreal, Canada delivered the CSIR Foundation Day lecture on Investments in Health Research and International Interoperability. He also named the winners of the CSIR Award for S&T Innovation in Rural Development. On the occasion, Prof. Samir K. Brahmachari, Director General, CSIR also announced the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prizes for 2008. Name of ten scientists have been selected for the prize in different categories. Winners of science and technology prize in the field of Biological Sciences are Dr. G. P. S. Raghava, Institute of Micobial Technology, CSIR, Chandigarh, Dr. L. S. Shashidhara, Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, CSIR, Hyderabad. In the field of Chemical Sciences the name of the prizewinners are Dr. Pradeep Thalappil, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai, Dr. Jarugu Narasimha Moorthy, Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur Dr. P. N. Vinayachandran, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore is the winner in the category of Earth, Atmosphere, Ocean and Planetary Sciences. Dr. Ranjan Kumar Mallik, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, New Delhi is the winner in Engineering Sciences category. Dr. Jaikumar Radhakrishnan, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai is winner of Mathematical Sciences category. In Medical Sciences category Dr. Ravinder Goswami, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi is the prizewinner. Dr. Raghunathan Srianand, Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics, Pune and Dr. Srikanth Sastry, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Bangalore for Physical Sciences category. The Bhatnagar prizes are given to scientists below 45 years of age, for their outstanding scientific contributions made primarily in India during the last five years preceding the year of the prize. The prize comprising a citation, a plaque and a cash award of Rs. five lakh would be given to the recipients by Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh at a later date. (ANI)
India
Social Life
Demon king Ravana eulogized in Allahabad
26.09.2008 08:37
b4uindia.com
Scores of people in Allahabad participated in a procession to sing praise of Ravana, the mythological demon-king representing evil on Thursday. A number of tableaux depicting Ravana''s strength and the grandeur of his court formed a part of the procession. Many people participated in the procession dressed up as Ravana, his wife Mandodari, his brother Kumbhakaran and his son Meghnath. They said although the demon-king Ravana represented evil in Hindu mythology, he was a learned Brahmin and is worshiped for that reason. “Today, we are worshiping the king of Lanka, Ravana. A big procession is also being taken out in the city. Since he (Ravana) was a Brahmin by caste, he is worshipped just like any Brahmin,” said Jitendra Prasad Chaudhary, a resident. Locals claimed that this procession has been traditionally taken out every year for more than 500 years. “This tradition has been going on for years. I have come here to see this procession. The world can see this. This does not take place anywhere else,” said Hamendra Nath Goswami, a spectator. Local priests said the city was the location of Sage Bharadwaj''s hermitage and as per his preaching upper caste Brahmins are to be worshiped and Ravana was also a Brahmin. But after about 13 days on ''Dussahara'', which symbolizes the triumph of good over evil, the effigies of Ravana, Kumbhakaran and Meghnath would be burnt amid great fanfare and religious devotion, marking the end of the nine day long Hindu festival of “Navratri”. According to Hindu epic Ramayana, Ravana abducted warrior king Ram''s consort Sita. Rama then waged a war against Ravana to release Sita from demon-king''s captivity. He defeated Ravana on Dussehra day. Rama''s victory over Ravana is depicted as the triumph of good over evil. (ANI)
India
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Flood situation remains grim in UP
26.09.2008 08:37
b4uindia.com
The release of more water from barrages in Nepal coupled with continuous downpour has compounded the already grim flood-situation in Basti in Gorakhpur District of Uttar Pradesh. Water in Ghagra and Kuano rivers have risen more than one-and-a-half feet since Wednesday, overflowing neighbouring villages in Gorakhpur and Deoria Districts. Several areas of Basti district in the State are inundated and rescue operations are in progress to get them to safer places and provide them relief materials. The flood victims on the other hand lament that the authorities have not done enough to help them. “The houses have drowned in flood water. We are living on roads for past four five days. There is no food. Sometimes we get some food and sometimes we have to keep fasting. Our kids also don''t get food all the time. Till now we have not got any help from the government,” said Sarita Devi, a flood victim. At least 100 people have been killed in Uttar Pradesh since Saturday, as heavy monsoon rains caused rivers to burst their banks, sweeping away houses. Uttar Pradesh is country''s most populous State with 170 million people, and also one of the most flood-prone regions in the country. Monsoon rains and flooded rivers have brought huge devastation across South Asia this year, killing at least 1,500 people, mostly in India and Nepal. (ANI)
India
Social Life
Individuals with specific gene variant at higher fatty liver risk
26.09.2008 08:37
b4uindia.com
Researchers at UT South-western Medical Centre have revealed that individuals who carry a specific form of the gene are at an increased risk of developing fatty liver disease. The study showed that people carrying variant of gene PNPLA3 have more fat in their livers and are at a greater risk of developing liver inflammation. Moreover, Hispanics were more likely to carry the gene variant responsible for higher liver-fat content than African-Americans and Caucasians. “A single variation in the PNPLA3 gene was strongly associated with hepatic fat content, even after adjusting for other factors, such as obesity, diabetes status and alcohol intake,” Nature Genetics quoted senior study author Dr. Helen Hobbs, director of the Eugene McDermott Centre for Human Growth and Development and an investigator for the Howard Hughes Medical Institute at UT South-western, as saying. “Sequence variations in this gene explain much of the increased propensity of Hispanics to accumulate excess liver fat,” she added. “The gene variations we have identified might provide a way to predict who is most at risk for developing fatty liver disease and liver injury in response to environmental stresses such as obesity or infection,” said Dr. Jonathan Cohen, professor of internal medicine in the McDermott Centre and one of the authors of the study. Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is an accumulation of triglycerides in the liver and contributes to insulin resistance, obesity, diabetes and high cholesterol – many of the conditions that contribute to heart disease. “Knowing who is at increased risk of developing liver disease could aid physicians in encouraging their patients to make lifestyle changes or take other preventive measures to help mitigate their underlying genetic risk for the disorder,” said Dr. Cohen, holder of the C. Vincent Prothro Distinguished Chair in Human Nutrition Research. The study appears in journal Nature Genetics. (ANI)
India
Health & Beauty
Glucose monitoring lowers complication risk in diabetic pregnant women
26.09.2008 08:37
b4uindia.com
Continuous glucose monitoring of expectant mothers with diabetes can reduce their risk of developing pregnancy-related complications, say researchers. In the study involving 71 pregnant women, the researchers found that continuous glucose monitoring as part of antenatal care for women with diabetes improves maternal blood glucose control and lowers birth weight and risk of macrosomia (excessive birth weight in babies). It is important for pregnant women with diabetes to keep their blood glucose under control, as it may increase the amount of glucose reaching the baby, which makes the baby grow faster than normal, and may cause difficulties at birth as well as an increased longer term risk of insulin resistance, obesity and type 2 diabetes. The evidence suggested that measuring glucose more often improved outcomes, reports the British Medical Journal. The subjects were randomly assigned to standard antenatal care (intermittent self monitoring of glucose levels using the finger prick technique) or intermittent monitoring plus continuous glucose monitoring (using glucose values from subcutaneous tissues measured electronically every 10 seconds, giving up to 288 measurements a day). They found that babies of mothers who had continuous monitoring also had lower birth weight and reduced risk of macrosomia. However, the authors said, because macrosomia rates were still 3.5 times higher in women using continuous glucose monitoring than in the general maternity population it shows that standard interventions including diet and insulin have failed to reduce rates of macrosomia enough. The also said that the trial provides evidence of the lasting benefits of continuous monitoring for the babies of mothers with diabetes and is a potentially important target for public health strategies that aim to reduce the burden of obesity in childhood. (ANI)
India
Health & Beauty
Easy, faster technique to test disease-causing bacteria in food developed
26.09.2008 08:37
b4uindia.com
Microbiologists from Oregon State University have developed a novel method to test food for bacterial contamination - something that can revolutionize the food industry. They suggest that the new approach would be easier to use, faster and more directly related to toxicity assessment than conventional approaches now used to test food for bacterial contamination and safety. This technique can detect such important food-associated bacteria as Salmonella and Clostridium perfringens, responsible for diarrheal illnesses; Bacillus cereus, responsible for gastrointestinal illness characterized by vomiting and diarrhea, and often referred to as stomach flu, and Clostridium botulinum, which causes toxin-induced botulism, characterized by paralysis. "Rapid methods are not readily available to directly assess the toxicity of bacterial contamination in a user-friendly fashion," said Janine Trempy, professor of microbiology and associate dean of the OSU College of Science. "When this new technology is commercially available, we should be able to provide a higher level of assurance to the consumer while avoiding the waste of millions of dollars worth of food that is suspected of bacterial contamination, but actually is safe." "Bacteria are common on exposed surfaces, including the food products we consume," Trempy said. "Simply knowing they are there doesn''t completely tell you, in a direct measurement, about their potential to make you sick or whether the food is safe to eat," she added. The new approach, by contrast, is built on the unusual characteristics of certain "chromatophore" or pigment bearing cells, called erythrophores, from Siamese fighting fish, whose response to specific toxic chemicals have been studied in detail by Trempy''s collaborator, OSU biochemist Phil McFadden. The researchers found that when these fish encounter certain stressful or threatening environmental conditions, such as exposure to toxic chemicals like mercury, the erythrophores change appearance, and the pigment moves in a characteristic pattern to an internal part of the cell. The change in pigment location in response to a toxic chemical is rapid, obvious and can be numerically described. Another kind of stressful or threatening situation which also causes the location of pigment to change is the toxic threat posed by illness-causing bacteria. Some of these bacteria are associated with food. "We discovered that the pigment bearing cells, erythrophores, respond immediately to certain food associated, toxin producing bacteria responsible for making humans sick," Trempy said. "There is potential to directly assess the toxic behaviour of the contaminating bacteria, not just the simple presence of the DNA or protein of these bacteria. "And this response can be easily seen under a low-power microscope and quickly quantified, numerically, to describe the intensity of the situation." Trempy said that it is possible that portable kits could be developed that would not require specialized training to use. (ANI)
India
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Hepatitis B vaccination doesn’t up multiple sclerosis risk for kids
26.09.2008 08:37
b4uindia.com
Vaccination against hepatitis B does not generally increase children’s risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a new study conducted in France. The study involved 349 kids with MS and 2,941 children without the disease, all under the age of 16. A total of 24.4 percent of the children with MS were vaccinated for hepatitis B in the three years before the study, compared to 27.3 percent for the children without MS. The researchers observed that the children who had developed MS were 1.74 times more likely to have received a certain type of hepatitis B vaccine, called Engerix B. The risk was only found for this specific type of hepatitis B vaccine, and not for all vaccines against hepatitis B. The researchers, however, admit that this observation cannot be taken to be a confirmation that the vaccine caused MS. They say that further studies are needed to determine whether this is a causal relationship. The study will be published in the October 8, 2008, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. (ANI)
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