Binge drinking 'bad for bones'

Researchers at Loyola University have carried out the study and found that binge drinking can decrease bone mass and bone strength, thereby increasing the risk of osteoporosis, as alcohol disturbs genes needed for maintaining healthy bones.
Binge drinking is defined as a woman having at least four drinks or a man having at least five drinks in two hours.
And, according to the researchers, the findings could help in the development of new drugs to minimise bone loss in alcohol abusers, the 'Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research' journal reported.
However, lead researcher John Callaci said: "Of course, the best way to prevent alcohol-induced bone loss is to not drink or to drink moderately. But when prevention does not work, we need other strategies to limit the damage."
The researchers have based their findings on an analysis of binge drinking on laboratory rodents.
In the study, the rats were injected with an amount of alcohol equivalent to binge drinking for three days or to chronic alcohol abuse for four weeks. Control groups received injections of saline, the 'ScienceDaily' reported.
The researchers focused on genes responsible for bone health -- they found that alcohol affected the amounts of RNA, which serves as the template for making proteins, the building blocks of bones and tissue, associated with these genes.
With some genes, alcohol increased the amount of RNA. With other genes, alcohol decreased the RNA. Changing the amounts of RNA disrupted two molecular pathways responsible for normal bone metabolism and maintenance of bone mass.
"We found that the expressions of certain genes important for maintaining bone integrity are disturbed by alcohol exposure," Callaci said.

India's Win on Australia

India scored a thumping 320-run win over Australia in the second cricket Test here on Tuesday to take a 1-0 lead in the four-match series for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

It was India’s biggest win in terms of runs — not counting victories by innings or wickets — in Test cricket. Creditably, it was achieved against the world champion.

Resuming at 141 for five on the fifth day, Australia failed to last the first session. Left-arm seamer Zaheer Khan claimed three wickets in his first two overs of the day, accounting for Brad Haddin (37), Cameron White, and Brett Lee, to help India bowl the visiting side out for 195 in its second innings.

Michael Clarke (69, 152b, 9x4) offered spirited resistance before falling to leg-spinner Amit Mishra. He was the last Australian batsman to be dismissed.

M.S. Dhoni, who led India after Anil Kumble pulled out of the match with an injured shoulder, won the Man of the Match award for his aggressive captaincy and batting (92 and 68 not out). “We played attacking cricket and maintained the pressure right through,” he said. “It was a team effort.”

Australian captain Ricky Ponting conceded that his side was outplayed. “They were nice and aggressive with their batting early on and it took all the momentum away from us from the start of the game,” he said.

India's Moon Mission

India's Moon probe Chandrayaan-1 this morning successfully launched from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, the Indian Space Research Organisation reports.

The $83m mission, carrying a multinational array of kit, was carried aloft atop a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle at 06:22 Indian Standard Time (00:52 GMT).

Chandrayaan-1's principal science objective is to "conduct mineralogical and chemical mapping of the lunar surface", for which it's carrying eleven science payloads - six homegrown and five contributed by international partners. India's instruments include the Terrain Mapping Camera (TMC), designed to "map topography in both near and far side of the Moon and prepare a three-dimensional atlas with high spatial and altitude resolution"; the Lunar Laser Ranging Instrument (LLRI) ("to provide ranging data for determining accurate altitude of the spacecraft above the lunar surface"); and the High Energy X-ray Spectrometer (HEX), which is described as "the first experiment to carry out spectral studies of planetary surface at hard X-ray energies using good energy resolution detectors".

NASA's contribution encompasses the Miniature Synthetic Aperture Radar (Mini-SAR) - designed to "detect water ice in the permanently shadowed regions on the lunar poles" - and the Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M3), tasked with mapping "lunar surface mineralogy in the context of lunar geologic evolution".

The European Space Agency, meanwhile, is on board with three instruments, including the Sub keV Atom Reflecting Analyser (SARA), which will apparently "image the Moon's surface using low energy neutral atoms as diagnostics".

When it finally arrives at the Moon, Chandrayaan-1 will settle into orbit at an altitude of 100 km for its two-year mission. Among the first tasks on the agenda is the deployment of the 29kg Moon Impact Probe (MIP) which "will be ejected from Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft at the earliest opportunity to hit the lunar surface in a chosen area".

Men and weight of women

According to a new study done by Slendex a weight management firm, women’s weight is in some way influenced by men. Women’s weight fluctuates depending on her love life and family status.

Research conducted by Slendex is based on the analysis of the weight gain and weight loss data of 3,000 women. The women were interviewed about their relationship and weight. The study revealed that a women’s weight fluctuate during the five stages in a relationship.

As per the report, the Honeymoon being the first stage when weight loss occur, which experts believe is a beginning of a new romance and women prefer to stay slim and attractive to impress their man.

The next ‘comfort zone’ stage is when a women gains some extra weight as the relation advances a few years.

Big day or the wedding day is the third stage when women tend to lose weight, they exercise more; eat healthy as they want to look their best on that day.

Stage four is when a women becomes a mother. After a delivery women tend to gain weight as they have all the attention on the new born child with little or no time for herself.

The fifth stage is the reinvention state when again the weight loss process starts. This is when the children grow up and women have a lot of free time to spare. They now want to look as attractive and slim as before and undergo weight loss plan to get back in shape.

According to Jane McCadden - Slendex “Weight and health are influenced by emotions. A new chapter in women’s love life or change in the family status can either increase or decrease the women’s weight. Even with weight loss in women, bad habits return and another phase of weight gain follows.”

NASA Returns to the Moon with Instruments on Indian Spacecraft

 

Two NASA instruments to map the lunar surface will launch on India's maiden moon voyage. The Moon Mineralogy Mapper will assess mineral resources, and the Miniature Synthetic Aperture Radar, or Mini-SAR, will map the polar regions and look for ice deposits. The Indian Space Research Organization, or ISRO, is scheduled to launch its robotic Chandrayaan-1 on Oct. 22 from Sriharikota, India.
Data from the two instruments will contribute to NASA's increased understanding of the lunar environment as it implements the nation's space exploration policy, which calls for robotic and human missions to the moon.
"The opportunity to fly NASA instruments on Chandrayaan-1 undoubtedly will lead to important scientific discoveries," NASA Administrator Michael Griffin said. "This exciting collaboration represents an important next step in what we hope to be a long and mutually beneficial relationship with India in future civil space exploration."
The Moon Mineralogy Mapper is a state-of-the-art imaging spectrometer that will provide the first map of the entire lunar surface at high spatial and spectral resolution, revealing the minerals that make up the moon's surface. Scientists will use this information to answer questions about the moon's origin and geological development, as well as the evolution of terrestrial planets in the early solar system. The map also may be used by astronauts to locate resources, possibly including water, that can support exploration of the moon and beyond.
The Mini-SAR is a small imaging radar that will map the permanently shadowed lunar polar regions, including large areas never visible from Earth. The Mini-SAR data will be used to determine the location and distribution of water ice deposits on the moon. Data from the instrument will help scientists learn about the history and nature of objects hitting the moon, and the processes that throw material from the outer solar system into the inner planets.
The spacecraft also will carry four instruments and a small lunar impactor provided by ISRO, and four instruments from Europe. ISRO will launch the vehicle into a lunar polar orbit for a two-year mission.
In addition to the two science instruments, NASA will provide space communications support to Chandrayaan-1. The primary location for the NASA ground tracking station will be at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md.

Tendulkar crosses 12000-run mark

Technorati Tags: Sachin,Tendulkar,Test,Cricket,12000 runs,record

Sachin Tendulkar became the highest scorer in Test cricket after surpassing West Indian legend Brian Lara in the ongoing second Test in

 

Sachin Tendulkar in action during the second Test against Australia at the Mohali Stadium. After breaking Lara’s record, Sachin Tendulkar became the first batsman to reach 12000-run mark in Test cricket.
The Master Blaster needed just 15 runs today to overtake Lara's Test match tally of 11,953 runs and establishing a fourth world record in his illustrious career.
The 35-year-old batting maestro is already the world's top-scorer in One-Day International (16,361) and has the most centuries in Test matches (39) and One-dayers (42).
The Mumbaikar came close to surpass Lara's milestone in the drawn first Test in Bangalore but he fell short of just 15 runs after playing a gritty knock of 49 runs in the second innings to help India seal a draw.
Sachin made his Test debut at the tender age of 16 against Pakistan in 1989 in Karachi. From there on the little master of world cricket has never looked back.
The Mumbaikar came into limelight with his first Test century on a seaming Old Trafford track against a formidable English attack as he saved the match for India.
Tendulkar still remains the most admired cricketer from all quarters the world ranging from experts to cricket ardent fans despite not being in his best of form off late.

Bharti Airtel's DTH Service

Bharti Airtel has stated that it has brought a unique interactivity feature to its Indian DTH customers with the help of Infosys’ Digital Convergence platform. It is said that as part of its platform, Infosys  will provide a suite of products including devices, application servers and interactive applications that will focus on providing an enhanced digital lifestyle to Airtel digital TV customers.

Bharti Airtel Limited, a group company of Bharti Enterprises, is an integrated telecom services provider in India. Infosys designs and delivers IT-enabled business solutions and products that help Global 2000 companies gain a competitive edge.

According to the company, apart from interactivity and personalization, Indian customers are now provided with features to get local news and items such as weather and traffic details through their interactive programs. They are also provided with customizable widgets.

Atul Bindal, president of Telemedia Services, Bharti Airtel, said, "Airtel is delighted to partner with Infosys to offer cutting-edge interactive applications on Airtel digital TV - its DTH TV service. This is in line with Airtel’s commitment to innovate and deliver the best technology available to its customers. Through this partnership with Infosys, Airtel aims to revolutionize the TV-viewing experience and usher in the future of television into the country."

Company officials explained that with the help of apps like iCity, customers can enjoy hassle-free Internet-like experience on their televisions with iNet, and get live and personalized stock quotes, breaking news, horoscopes, cricket scores and shopping deals in the city without interrupting their TV-viewing experience. Airtel digital TV customers will also have select websites packaged suitably for TV-viewing, in an application called tPortal. In addition, a host of other innovative applications are slated for release over a period of time.

Infosys has asserted that this participation with Airtel has helped them realize their focus on providing distinct product experience for their customers with their convergence platform. They have revealed to the Indian TV viewers about the possibilities of bringing internet like experience even with their regular TVs.

According to Infosys, this transformation is like “turning the idiot box (TV) into a smart box.”

OpenOffice.org 3.0

Sun Microsystems released version 3.0 of its free and open source (FOSS) office suite Openoffice.org on Monday. It has been reported that the new version comes with a number of performance enhancements and new features. Openoffice.org 3.0 now claims to work out of the box in Mac OS X as a native Aqua application.

News sources report the official download servers of OpenOffice.org crashed soon after the release due to heavy downloads. Downloads are however available from a number of mirror sites.

Openoffice.org 3.0 suite includes spreadsheet, word processor, equation editor, presentation tool, relational database and vector drawing software. Full interoperability is available for Microsoft Office 98/XP formats, but offers read only support for OOXML file formats. This version supports the new ODF 1.2 document format. The software is available for many platforms including Linux, Microsoft Windows and Mac, as well as in multiple languages.

Users report OpenOffice.org 3.0 has introduced a new graphical and text-based hybrid equation editor, a mail merge wizard, improved label templates and better interface for outlining. Solver, a spreadsheet add-on for combinatorial optimization problems is included in this version.

Other enhancements highlighted by enthusiasts include collaborative options that allow multiple users to edit documents at the same time and improved drawing and charting tools. OpenOffice.org 3.0 can now display multiple pages during editing and workbooks up to 1024 columns in each spreadsheet.

The download size of OpenOffice.org 3.0 is 163 MB for Mac and requires OS X Tiger or later and an Intel Mac. The installer for Windows is about 145 MB in size.

"As government after government, enterprise after enterprise adopt the Open Document Format, they frequently adopt OpenOffice.org and love it. With 3.0, the application is more interoperable with MS Office, more capable, more extensible. It frees the desktop from vendor lock-in," claimed Louis Suárez-Potts, community manager of OpenOffice.org.

Hema Malini's 60th birthday

Hema Malini, one of the most successful film stars in the history of Bollywood, celebrates her birthday today (October 16). She was born in Chennai in 1948. We wish happy birthday and all the best to Hema Malini, a beautiful phenomenon of Indian cinema.

Hema Malini, a trained Bharat Natyam dancer and choreographer, made her debut in films with Raj Kapoor’s Sapnon Ka Saudagar in 1968. After a few average films, she rose to fame with Johnny Mera Naam in 1970, starring the evergreen Dev Anand in the lead. However, it was with Seeta Aur Geeta in 1972 that she established herself as queen of box-office. For Seeta Aur Geeta, she also won the Best Actress Award.

Hema starred in many movies through the 1970s and 1980s and is perhaps best remembered for her glamour, style, and accomplished classical dancing. She formed a hit pair with Dharmendra, and the duo performed a number of hit movies like Sholay, Charas, Aas Paas, Jugnu, Seeta Aur Geeta and The Burning Train. She also achieved some strong dramatic, comic moments in films like Trishul, Joshila, Lal Patthar, Meera, Satte Pe Satta and so on.

After taking a back seat from films for a number of years in the 1990s and early 2000s, Hema made a comeback. She co-starred with Amitabh Bachchan in the successful film Baghban (2003), and played a cameo role (also opposite Bachchan) in the 2004 blockbuster Veer-Zaara.

Notably, Hema Malini still remains one of the most popular and most loved female stars of Hindi cinema. Hema Malini will soon appear in Tamil veteran Kamal Haasan’s next movie Marmayogi. Hema Malini signed on the dotted line to play a special character in this film.

Little Dear

Little Rupert, who is so small he can fit in an adult's hand, was born after vets failed in their battle to
save his mother.
Orphan: Vets were unable to save his mother 
At just six inches tall and weighing just over a pound, he is now in an incubator in the 
intensive care unit at Tiggywinkles Wildlife Hospital in Buckinghamshire. 
He has only recently opened his eyes. 
Les Stocker, founder of Tiggywinkles, said: 'Rupert's mother had very severe injuries. 
We brought him out and got him breathing and then he went into an incubator on oxygen. 
He is now being fed by a tube.' 

 

 

Tucked up: Rupert in an incubator 
Dear deer: Rupert pulls a striking pose for the camera 
Staff are optimistic Rupert, now five days old, will make a full recovery. 
'Deer are very, very tricky but this one has spirit. He's an extremely feisty little guy and quite pushy,' 
Mr Stocker said. 
Asleep: Rupert takes 40 winks

Disable auto-start applications on windows startup?

Using this tip, you can minimize the startup time of windows XP and Vista also. You can disable some optional windows applications like windows messenger, Yahoo messenger, QuickTime and many others auto startup programs that run automatically when you start your computer.

Follow the given steps to disable the windows auto run applications:

To use this feature, you will need to be logged into your computer with administrative rights.

Click Start button and type 'msconfig' in Run option then press Enter for next.

A small System Configuration Utility dialog box will appear with many options like General, System.ini Win.ini, Boot.ini, Services, Startup and Tools.

Now select Startup tab and uncheck the applications that you want to disable from windows startup.

Now click on Apply button to implement the changes then click on Ok button to end the configuration process.

Again close the all program and restart your computer after any changes to go into effect.

NASA's Fermi Telescope Discovers First Gamma-Ray-Only Pulsar

About three times a second, a 10,000-year-old stellar corpse sweeps a beam of gamma-rays toward Earth. Discovered by NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope, the object, called a pulsar, is the first one known that only "blinks" in gamma rays.
"This is the first example of a new class of pulsars that will give us fundamental insights into how these collapsed stars work," said Stanford University's Peter Michelson, principal investigator for Fermi's Large Area Telescope in Palo Alto, Calif.
The gamma-ray-only pulsar lies within a supernova remnant known as CTA 1, which is located about 4,600 light-years away in the constellation Cepheus. Its lighthouse-like beam sweeps Earth's way every 316.86 milliseconds. The pulsar, which formed about 10,000 years ago, emits 1,000 times the energy of our sun.
A pulsar is a rapidly spinning neutron star, the crushed core left behind when a massive sun explodes. Astronomers have cataloged nearly 1,800 pulsars. Although most were found through their pulses at radio wavelengths, some of these objects also beam energy in other forms, including visible light and X-rays. However, the source in CTA 1 only pulses at gamma-ray energies.
"We think the region that emits the pulsed gamma rays is broader than that responsible for pulses of lower-energy radiation," explained team member Alice Harding at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. "The radio beam probably never swings toward Earth, so we never see it. But the wider gamma-ray beam does sweep our way."
Scientists think CTA 1 is only the first of a large population of similar objects.
"The Large Area Telescope provides us with a unique probe of the galaxy's pulsar population, revealing objects we would not otherwise even know exist," says Fermi project scientist Steve Ritz, also at Goddard.
The pulsar in CTA 1 is not located at the center of the remnant's expanding gaseous shell. Supernova explosions can be asymmetrical, often imparting a "kick" that sends the neutron star careening through space. Based on the remnant's age and the pulsar's distance from its center, astronomers believe the neutron star is moving at about a million miles per hour -- a typical speed.
Fermi's Large Area Telescope scans the entire sky every three hours and detects photons with energies ranging from 20 million to more than 300 billion times the energy of visible light. The instrument sees about one gamma ray every minute from CTA 1, enough for scientists to piece together the neutron star's pulsing behavior, its rotation period, and the rate at which it is slowing down.
A pulsar's beams arise because neutron stars possess intense magnetic fields and rotate rapidly. Charged particles stream outward from the star's magnetic poles at nearly the speed of light to create the gamma-ray beams Fermi sees. Because the beams are powered by the neutron star's rotation, they gradually slow the pulsar's spin. In the case of CTA 1, the rotation period is increasing by about one second every 87,000 years.
"This observation shows the power of the Large Area Telescope," Michelson said. "It is so sensitive that we can now discover new types of objects just by observing their gamma-ray emissions."
NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope is an astrophysics and particle physics partnership, developed in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Energy, along with important contributions from academic institutions and partners in France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Sweden, and the U.S.

World Food Day 16th October

World Food Day was proclaimed in 1979 by the Conference of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). It marks the date of the founding of FAO in 1945. The aim of the Day is to heighten public awareness of the world food problem and strengthen solidarity in the struggle against hunger, malnutrition and poverty. In 1980, the General Assembly endorsed observance of the Day in consideration of the fact that "food is a requisite for human survival and well-being and a fundamental human necessity" (resolution 35/70 of 5 December 1980).

India ranks 66th in Global Hunger list

India ranks a poor 66th among 88 developing and transitional countries on the 2008 Global Hunger Index (GHI-2008), says a report by Washington-based International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
When different states were measured on the index Madhya Pradesh was worst. Punjab, considered as India's food bowl, also figured lower than countries like Gabon and Vietnam. It could not even measure up to the poorest countries of Africa like Sudan, Rwanda or Congo. The state was marked as 'extremely alarming'. Startlingly the status of 12 of the 18 states have been marked as 'alarming'. These include Gujarath, Maharashtra , Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. These are apparently on the danger list.
The GHI has asserted the fact that despite the economic prowess that India displays it is much lower than many African countries in the fight against hunger. This revealing index was based on three indicators namely, prevalence of child malnutrition, rates of child mortality and proportion of people who are calorie deficient.
Results from the data revealed that India's high malnutrition rates and children below age five being underweight were causes of its low rank. Madhya Pradesh had 60 percent of its children aged below five underweight. In Bihar it was 56.1 percent. The figures for Punjab which is known as grain bank of North India was one fourth of its entire population.

BlackBerry Bold

The smartphone race between upstart Apple (AAPL) and incumbents like Research In Motion (RIMM) is well under way. Picking winners has as much to do with what's inside these advanced wireless devices as the fancy features evident on the outside.

That's why market research firm iSuppli did an analysis of the guts of the Bold, one of the recent additions to Research In Motion's lineup of BlackBerry smartphones. The firm's so-called teardown analysis of the Bold shows that the parts and materials used to make the phone cost $158.16, and that assembly and testing add another $11.25, for a total cost of $169.41.

The Bold, already on the market with wireless carriers in Britain, France, Canada, India, and other markets, is expected to debut soon in the U.S. with wireless carrier AT&T (T) at a price of about $300 for a two-year contract. Rogers Wireless (RCI) in Canada sells the Bold for the Canadian equivalent of about $254 with a contract. AT&T hasn't yet confirmed that price, and a spokesman declined to comment. A RIM spokeswoman had no comment.

Pricey to Take on Apple

RIM is certainly spending more on the components of its most recent line of phones, a reflection of the high price of competing with Apple. RIM spent $103 in materials and assembly cost for the Curve, RIM's older mainstream device that works on an older network technology than the Bold. RIM, based in Waterloo, Ont., introduced the Bold among three new devices going head-to-head with Apple's iPhone and devices like the T-Mobile (DT) G1 that run Google's (GOOG) Android operating system.

Still, the analysis from iSuppli could lessen concerns over how much RIM's margins may narrow as it boosts spending to defend its turf. "That's a nice price," says Charles Wolf, an analyst at Needham & Co. in New York. Assuming RIM sells the device to carriers at about $350, the component costs imply a gross margin of about 45%, in keeping with the gross margins on other RIM devices, he says. The cost estimates from iSuppli don't include several expenses, including software, marketing, and shipping, and so don't give a precise indication of the device's margins.

Cancer shield for women

A global pharmaceutical firm today announced the launch of the country’s first vaccine to protect women from a sexually-transmitted virus that causes cervical cancer.

The vaccine from MSD Pharmaceuticals protects against four types of the human papillomavirus (HPV) and prevents cervical cancer, pre-cancerous lesions and genital warts caused by these types of HPV, company officials said.

Medical studies suggest that about 74,000 women die from cervical cancer in India each year. Research conducted in India and other countries during the early 1980s has established the role of the HPV in triggering cervical cancer.

The vaccine, approved in the US two years ago and in Europe last year, was cleared for marketing by India’s drug regulators six weeks ago.

About 36 million doses of the vaccine have been used worldwide, Naveen Rao, the managing director of MSD India, said. “We’re launching a war against cervical cancer, the number one cause of cancer mortality in Indian women,” he said.

Studies show that the vaccine needs to be administered in three doses in about six months for optimum protection. Each dose in India in the private sector will cost about Rs 2,800, company officials said.

The HPV is transmitted through sexual intercourse. Doctors believe the vaccine should ideally be administered to girls between the age of 10 and 12 years, much before sexual activity and the risk of HPV infection.

Studies have shown that the vaccine provides 98 per cent protection against cervical pre-cancerous lesions caused by HPV type 16 and 18 that account for 70 per cent of all cervical cancer cases worldwide.

Awards and achievements of Mohanlal

Nation's Civilian Honour

• 2001: Padma Shri

National Awards

• 1989 : Jury's Special Award - Kireedam
• 1991 : Best Actor - Bharatham
• 1999 : Best Actor - Vaanaprastham
• 1999 : Producer of Best Film - Vaanaprastham

State Awards

• 1986 : Best Actor - T .P. Balagopalan M.A.
• 1988 : Special Jury Award - Aryan
• 1991 : Best Actor - Ulladakkam, Kilukkam, Abhimanyu
• 1995 : Best Actor - Kalapani, Spadikam
• 1999 : Best Actor - Vaanaprastham
• 2005 : Best Actor - Thanmatra
• 2007 : Best Actor - Paradesi

Critics Awards

• 1988 : Best Actor - Padamudra, Chitram
• 1991 : Best Actor - Bharatam, Ulladakkam
• 1999 : Best Actor - Vaanaprastham
• 2005 : Best Popular Actor - Naran, Thanmatra
• 2007 : Best Actor - Paradesi

Film Fare Awards

• 1986 : Best Actor - Sanmasullavarkku Samadhaanam
• 1988 : Best Actor - Padamudra
• 1993 : Best Actor - Devasuram
• 1994 : Best Actor - Pavitram
• 1995 : Best Actor - Spadikam
• 1999 : Best Actor - Vaanaprastham
• 2005 : Best Actor - Thanmatra
• 2007 : Best Actor - Paradesi

International Indian Film Academy Awards(IIFA)

• 2003 : Best supporting Actor- Company

National Film Academy

• 2000 : Best Actor - Narasimham, Life is beautiful

Mathrubhumi-Medmix Awards

• 1999 : Best Actor - Vaanaprastham
• 2003 : Best Actor - Balettan
• 2005 : Best Actor - Thanmatra
• 2007 : Popular Actor - Hallo, Chotta Mumbai

Jeeva Asianet Film Awards

• 2003 : Best Actor - Balettan
• 2005 : Best Actor - Thanmatra
• 2006 : Best Actor - Keerthichakra
• 2007 : Popular Actor - Hallo, Chotta Mumbai

Vanitha-Chandrika Film Award

• 2003 : Best Actor - Balettan
• 2005 : Best Actor - Thanmatra

• 2001 : 'Natana Rathna' Award
• 1999 : Prem Nazeer Award
• 2000 : Mother Theresa Award
• 2000 : M.G Soman Award
• 2003 : IMA(Indian Medical Association) Award
• 2005 : Kalakeralam Award

Internet searching increases brain function

A new study by U.S. scientists shows that for computer-savvy middle-aged and older adults, searching the Internet triggers key centers in the brain that control decision-making and complex reasoning.

    The findings, released on Tuesday, demonstrated that Web search activities may help stimulate and possibly improve brain function. The study, the first of its kind to assess the impact of Internet searching on brain performance, will appear in the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry.

    "The study results are encouraging, that emerging computerized technologies may have physiological effects and potential benefits for middle-aged and older adults," said principal investigator Gary Small, a professor from University of California, Los Angeles. "Internet searching engages complicated brain activity, which may help exercise and improve brain function."

    As the brain ages, a number of structural and functional changes occur, including atrophy, reductions in cell activity, and increases in deposits of amyloid plaques and tau tangles, which can impact cognitive function.

    Small noted that pursuing activities that keep the mind engaged may help preserve brain health and cognitive ability. Traditionally, these include games such as crossword puzzles, but with the advent of technology, scientists are beginning to assess the influence of computer use -- including the Internet.

    For the study, the UCLA team worked with 24 neurologically normal research volunteers aged between 55 and 76. Half of the participants had experience searching the Internet, while the other half had no such experience.

    Internet searches revealed a major difference between the two groups. While all participants demonstrated the same brain activity that was seen during the book-reading task, the Web-savvy group also registered activity in the frontal, temporal and cingulate areas of the brain, which control decision-making and complex reasoning.

    "Our most striking finding was that Internet searching appears to engage a greater extent of neural circuitry that is not activated during reading -- but only in those with prior Internet experience," said Small.

    In fact, researchers found that during Web searching, volunteers with prior experience registered a twofold increase in brain activation when compared with those with little Internet experience. The tiniest measurable unit of brain activity is called a voxel. Scientists discovered that during Internet searching, those with prior experience sparked 21,782 voxels, compared with only 8,646 voxels for those with less experience.

    Compared with simple reading, the Internet's wealth of choices requires that people make decisions about what to click on to pursue more information, an activity that engages important cognitive circuits in the brain.

chicken soup for high blood pressure

Chicken soup, a popular home remedy for common cold, may have a role in fighting high blood pressure, according to a Japanese study.

Ai Saiga of Nippon Meat Packers and colleagues cited previous studies indicating that chicken breast contains collagen proteins with effects similar to ACE inhibitors, mainstay medications for treating high BP.

But chicken breast contains such small amounts of the proteins that it could not be used to develop food and medical products for high BP. Chicken legs and feet, which are often discarded as waste products in the US and are key soup ingredients elsewhere, appear to be a better source, according to a release of American Chemical Society (ACS).

In the new study, Saiga and colleagues extracted collagen from chicken legs and tested its ability to act as an ACE inhibitor in lab studies. They identified four different proteins in the collagen mixture with high ACE-inhibitory activity.

Given to rats used to model human high BP, the proteins produced a significant and prolonged decrease in blood pressure, the researchers said.

The research is scheduled for publication in the Oct 22 issue of ACS' biweekly Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

Rickshaws Go Hi-Tech

The state-run CSIR (Center for Scientific and Industrial Research) has unveiled a solar powered version of the ubiquitous cycle rickshaw in Delhi recently. A common means of intra-city commuting in the northern parts of the country, this new remixed version of the cycle rickshaw has been touted as a solution to the traffic woes being faced by large cities.
The solar powered Soleckshaw will ensure no fossil fuel will be consumed when this one does the rounds of the city! If thats not all, the 36 volt battery with which it is powered will ensure that the rickshaw puller will not have to do any hard labor.

Currently undergoing testing in the Chandni Chowk area of Old Delhi, these rickshaws offer some snazzy features that include FM radio and mobile charging points to make that journey a bit more comfortable. The shabby old wooden and steel frames have given way to sleeker panels which imparts an aesthetic look to the new models. There are plans to introduce a self propelled, high-end version after this one hits the assembly line.
Expect to see this hi-tech rickshaw in your city soon as the models are set to hit various cities in India once the testing period is over.

BlackBerry Storm

The much-awaited BlackBerry Storm was finally released by Canadian wireless giant Research in Motion (RIM) on October 7. Touted as the "iPhone killer", this is the first ever full touch-screen phone from RIM. RIM has said that the Storm will be available exclusively to Verizon customers in the U.S. and Vodafone customers in Europe, India, Australia and New Zealand in the autumn.
This announcement has come within days of the massive hit taken by RIM shares on the Toronto Stock Exchange, after RIM reported a less than expected profit.
The new touch-screen, which also works as a keyboard, supports single -touch, multi-touch and gestures to easily navigate in applications. The haptic touch-screen will let the user distinctly feel the screen being pressed and released with a gentle click, and the experience is said to be similar to that of a physical keyboard or a mouse button.
Some of the other features include an inbuilt accelerometer to auto-orient the screen between landscape and portrait modes when the handset is rotated by the user.
RIM has said that it is very fast and easy to navigate web sites with the Storm's touch-screen interface letting users double tap to zoom in and slide their fingers to scroll and pan.
Mike Lazaridis, RIM's president and co-CEO said "We are proud to introduce the first touch-screen based BlackBerry smartphone together with Verizon Wireless and Vodafone. The BlackBerry Storm is a revolutionary touch-screen smartphone that meets both the communications and multimedia needs of customers and solves the longstanding problem associated with typing on traditional touch-screens. Consumers and business customers alike will appreciate this unique combination of a large and vibrant screen with a truly tactile touch interface."
The Storm will probably launched in India in December 2008, though the pricing and carrier plan details, and details about whether it will be carrier-locked or not are yet to be announced.

NComputing will supply virtual desktops to 1.8 million Indian students

Millions of children will soon be have access to virtualised desktops in India in a deal that will deal a crushing blow to the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) project.

The computers will be supplied by NComputing, which managed to secure the deal over other low cost computer providers, including OLPC and Intel, that also target the developing world.

The IT firm was contracted by the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh to supply 5,000 schools and their 1.8 million students with the NComputing X300 system, which enables up to seven users to share one PC at once.

The system will run on Microsoft’s Windows Server operating system and use the Microsoft Office suite.

“At about $70 per seat, our solution is the ideal platform to enable schools, businesses, and governments to maximise their PC investment,” said Stephen Dukker, NComputing chief executive.

“This computerization project shows how forward thinking governments can use proven and practical technologies like NComputing to bridge the digital divide,” added NComputing chief marketing officer, Raj Shah.

NComputing is offering the Indian government a lower cost alternative than OLPC’s laptop priced at $188 per user and Intel’s Classmate PC priced at $200.

LG KC780 with 8MP Camera

A recent announcement by LG revealed the introduction of yet another 8 mega pixel camera, the LG KC780. A complete camera phone, the LG KC780 is sure to satiate users on the prowl for something more in a camera phone.

The LG KC780 comes equipped with a camera that should make it ideal for shooting portraits. Yes there’s a Schneider-Kreuznach lens for enhanced clarity and sharpness of images along with an ISO up to 1600 and a SmartLight setting for bright conditions and a built-in image stabiliser.

Other features of the camera include a face and smile detection called Smile Shot, a DVD-quality video capability and a Beauty Mode to remove blemishes from the face. The camera can also be used as a webcam via a Bluetooth connection.

With a 2.4” LCD screen, this slider phone also sports an integrated motion sensor that functions with games for the phone. The downside of this highly functional camera phone is there’s no 3G, WiFi and GPS support.

This really cool LG KC780 will retail November 2008, in Europe, then India, Thailand, Hong Kong and China.

Wine

Wine is an alcoholic beverage made from the fermentation of grape juice. The natural chemical balance of grapes is such that they can ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes or other nutrients. Wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast which consume the sugars found in the grapes and convert them into alcohol. Various varieties of grapes and strains of yeasts are used depending on the types of wine produced.

Although other fruits such as apples and berries can also be fermented, the resultant "wines" are normally named after the fruit from which they are produced (for example, apple wine or elderberry wine) and are generically known as fruit wine or country wine (not to be confused with the French term vin du pays). Others, such as barley wine and rice wine (e.g. sake), are made from starch-based materials and resemble beer and spirit more than wine, while ginger wine is fortified with brandy. In these cases, the use of the term "wine" is a reference to the higher alcohol content, rather than production process. The commercial use of the English word "wine" (and its equivalent in other languages) is protected by law in many jurisdictions.

Wine has a rich history dating back to around 6000 BC and is thought to have originated in areas now within the borders of Israel, Georgia and Iran. Wine probably appeared in Europe at about 4500 BC in what is now Bulgaria and Greece, and was very common in ancient Greece, Thrace and Rome. Wine has also played an important role in religion throughout history. The Greek god Dionysos and the Roman equivalent Bacchus represented wine, and the drink is also used in Christian and Jewish ceremonies such as the Eucharist and Kiddush.

New Crew for International Space Station

 

A new crew that will live and work aboard the International Space Station rocketed into orbit early Sunday aboard a Soyuz spacecraft. U.S. astronaut E. Michael Fincke, Russian cosmonaut Yury Lonchakov and Richard Garriott, a U.S. computer game developer, lifted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 2:01 a.m. CDT.
Fincke, the only American to launch twice on a Soyuz, will serve as commander of the six-month Expedition 18 mission. The mission’s main focus will be preparing the station to house six crew members on long-duration missions.
The Expedition 18 crew is scheduled to arrive at the station Tuesday, with docking to the Zarya module scheduled for 3:33 a.m.
After the hatches are opened, Expedition 17 Commander Sergey Volkov and spaceflight participant Garriott will become the first children of previous space fliers to greet each other in orbit. Garriott is the son of former NASA astronaut Owen Garriott, who was a member of the Skylab-3 crew in 1973. Volkov is the son of veteran cosmonaut Alexander Volkov, who flew three Soyuz missions.
Garriott will spend nine days on the station under a commercial agreement with the Russian Federal Space Agency. He will return to Earth on Oct. 23 with Volkov and Expedition 17 Flight Engineer Oleg Kononenko, who have worked aboard the station since April 10.
Expedition 17 Flight Engineer Greg Chamitoff, who arrived at the station in June, will be replaced in November by NASA astronaut Sandra Magnus. Space shuttle Endeavour will deliver Magnus and return Chamitoff to Earth.
Endeavour's November STS-126 mission also will deliver equipment to the station necessary for supporting a six-member crew, including a water recycling system, sleeping quarters, a new kitchen, a second toilet, and an advanced exercise device.
Although they will be in space on Election Day, Chamitoff and Fincke have arranged for the chance to cast their ballots from the station.

Gold Polished Car

Liver damage.....

Take note...

don't always sleep late!!

Good rest and sound sleep is very
Important... if u don't sleep well,
The toxic in your body will accumulate..
Affecting your health and your mood...

The main causes of liver damage are:
1. 

Sleeping too late and waking up too late are the main cause.
2. Not urinating in the morning.
3. Too much eating.
4. Skipping breakfast.
5. Consuming too much medication.
6. Consuming too much preservatives, additives, food coloring, and artificial sweetener.
7. Consuming unhealthy cooking oil. As much as possible reduce cooking oil use when frying, which includes even the best cooking oils like olive oil. Do not consume fried foods when you are tired, except if the body is very fit.
8. Consuming overly done foods also add to the burden of liver. Veggies should be eaten raw or cooked 3-5 parts. Fried veggies should be finished in one sitting, do not store.
We just have to adopt a good daily lifestyle and eating habits. Maintaining good eating habits and time condition are very important for our body to absorb and get rid of unnecessary chemicals according to 'schedule.'
Because: Evening at 9 - 11pm : is the time for eliminating unnecessary/ toxic chemicals (de-toxification) from the antibody system (lymph nodes). This time duration should be spent by relaxing or listening to music. If during this time a housewife is still in an unrelaxed state such as washing the dishes or monitoring children doing their homework, this will have a negative impact on her health.
Evening at 11pm - 1am : The de-toxification process in the liver, and ideally should be done in a deep sleep state. Early morning 1 - 3am : de-toxification process in the gall, also ideally done in a deep sleep state.
Early morning 3 - 5am : de-toxification in the lungs. Therefore there will sometimes be a severe cough for cough sufferers during this time. Since the de-toxification process had reached the respiratory tract, there is no need to take cough medicine so as not to interfere with toxin removal process.
Morning 5 - 7am : de-toxification in the colon, you should empty your bowel.
Morning 7 - 9am : Absorption of nutrients in the small intestine, you should be having breakfast at this time. Breakfast should be earlier, before 6:30am, for those who are sick. Breakfast before 7:30am is very beneficial to those wanting to stay fit. Those who always skip breakfast, they should change their habits, and it is still better to eat breakfast late until 9 -10am rather than no meal at all. Sleeping so late and waking up too late will disrupt the process of removing unnecessary chemicals. Aside from that, midnight to 4am is the time when the bone marrow produces blood.
Therefore, have a good sleep and don't sleep late.

Kavya Madahvan

Samvritha Sunil

 

Airbus A380