Tuesday 30 April 2013

Gene therapy hope for heart failure patients

Researchers at hospitals in London and Glasgow plan to use an engineered virus to smuggle DNA into the heart in the first ever clinical trial of "gene therapy" for heart failure.

Our goal is to fight back against heart failure by targeting and reversing some of the critical molecular changes arising in the heart when it fails.Alex Lyon, cardiologist


The technique, which has been 20 years in development, could help the 750,000 people in the UK living with heart failure.
The condition results from damage to the heart left over from a heart attack or side-effects of powerful chemotherapy drugs. After the heart is starved of oxygen, cells die and the remaining heart cells become fatigued.
"Once heart failure starts, it progresses into a vicious cycle where the pumping becomes weaker and weaker, as each heart cell simply cannot respond to the increased demand." said Alex Lyon, a cardiologist at the Royal Brompton hospital in London who is leading the trial in the UK.
"Our goal is to fight back against heart failure by targeting and reversing some of the critical molecular changes arising in the heart when it fails," he said.
People with heart failure can find it difficult to walk long distances or climb stairs. The disease is usually progressive, with heart function gradually weakening over time. The only solutions are heart transplant or surgically implanted pumps to maintain blood flow.
The gene therapy adds a repair gene to failing heart cells which produces more of a protein called SERCA2a which regulates the availability of calcium in the heart. Without ample supplies of calcium, heart muscles are unable to contract properly or relax properly between contractions - two key symptoms of heart failure.

Patients recruited for trial

Tests on human cells in the laboratory at Imperial College in London and in animals have shown that the SERCA2a gene can be repaired, and reverses some of the symptoms of heart failure.
A US biotech company Celladon has patented a method for inserting the gene into human hearts. They are co-sponsoring the UK element of the trial along with the British Heart Foundation which funded much of the basic research involved.
The technique uses a harmless virus similar related to the common cold. The DNA from the virus is removed and replaced with SERCA2a gene. This virus is then injected into the heart where it infects heart cells. The cells' own machinery then decodes the SERCA2a gene, making more of the calcium regulating protein that is missing in failing hearts.
"When the gene is repaired it produces more of the functional protein and the problem is reversed," said Dr Lyon.
Early tests of the technique show it appears to be safe, now 200 patents with severe heart failure are being recruited in Europe and America to show that it is effective. Doctors in the UK want to recruit 10 or more patients into the trial here.
Not all heart failure patients may benefit, however. The virus used to insert the DNA is so common many patients may have antibodies to it, meaning their immune systems will destroy the virus before it can infect the heart cells.


World's Largest Infrared Space Telescope Shuts Down Forever


After nearly four years mapping the "hidden universe," the largest infrared telescope ever launched into space has reached the end of its life, European Space Agency officials say.
The $1.4 billion Herschel Space Observatory has exhausted the vital supply of liquid helium coolant that allowed it make the most sensitive and detailed observations of the cosmos in infrared light, ESA officials announced Monday (April 29).
The infrared space telescope's official end was recorded by a ground station in Australia, which recorded an increase in temperature for all of the spacecraft's instruments during the telescope's daily communications session. It began its mission in May 2009. [Amazing Photos from the Herschel Space Telescope]

Early Earth smelled like rotten eggs?

Researchers have recreated the whiff of Earth 1.9 million years ago - and found our ancient planet smelt of rotten eggs. 

Tiny 1,900 million-year-old fossils from rocks around Lake Superior, Canada, give the first ever snapshot of organisms eating each other and suggest what the ancient Earth would have smelled like, researchers said. 

The fossils capture ancient microbes in the act of feasting on a cyanobacterium-like fossil called Gunflintia - with the perforated sheaths of Gunflintia being the discarded leftovers of this early meal.

A team, led by Dr David Wacey of the University of Western Australia and Bergen University, Norway, and Professor Martin Brasier of Oxford University, found the fossil evidence for how this type of feeding on organic matter - called 'heterotrophy' - was taking place.

They also show that the ancient microbes appeared to prefer to snack on Gunflintia as a 'tasty morsel' in preference to another bacterium. 

"What we call 'heterotrophy' is the same thing we do after dinner as the bacteria in our gut break down organic matter," said Professor Martin Brasier of Oxford University's Department of Earth Sciences, an author of the paper. 

"Whilst there is chemical evidence suggesting that this mode of feeding dates back 3,500 million years, in this study for the first time we identify how it was happening and 'who was eating who," he said. 

In fact we've all experienced modern bacteria feeding in this way as that's where that 'rotten egg' whiff of hydrogen sulfide comes from in a blocked drain. So, rather surprisingly, we can say that life on earth 1,900 million years ago would have smelled a lot like rotten eggs.' 

The team analysed the microscopic fossils, ranging from about 3-15 microns in diameter, using a battery of new techniques and found that one species - a tubular form thought to be the outer sheath of Gunflintia - was more perforated after death than other kinds, consistent with them having been eaten by bacteria.

Monday 29 April 2013

7 golden rules to live longer revealed

A few simple changes to diet and lifestyle can protect you against a string of killer diseases and add years to your life, a landmark study has shown.

Following seven golden rules not only cut the risk of dying from cancer by 20 per cent, it also slashed risks of lung disease by half and heart attacks by 44 per cent, the study of nearly 380,000 people by scientists at Imperial College London found.

The researchers noted that those who stick closely to the rules, which also govern exercise and alcohol consumption, will cut their risk of dying from any of the major circulatory or respiratory diseases, including stroke and angina, by at least 34 per cent.

The rules were drawn up six years ago by the World Cancer Research Fund and American Institute for Cancer Research, the Daily Expressreported.

Now, by studying patients across nine European countries, the British scientists have shown that they help people live longer by reducing the risk of death from many other causes as well as cancer.

The seven rules are:

Be as lean as possible without becoming underweight.

Be physically active for at least 30 minutes every day.

Limit consumption of energy-dense foods - those high in fat or added sugar and low in fibre - and avoid sugary drinks.

Eat a variety of vegetables, fruit, wholegrains and pulses such as beans. As well as five portions of fruit and veg a day, try to eat wholegrains with each meal.

Limit consumption of red meat such as beef, pork and lamb to 500g cooked weight a week and avoid processed meats such as ham, salami and bacon.

Limit alcoholic drinks to two for men and one for women a day.

It is best for mothers to breast feed exclusively for up to six months.

Lead researcher Dr Teresa Norat said: "This large European study is the first that shows there is a strong association between following the recommendations and a reduced risk of dying from cancer, circulatory diseases and respiratory diseases.

He added that further research is needed in other large populations to confirm these findings.

The study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, is the first to examinebreastfeeding as part of a combination of lifestyle changes to see what effect it has on risk of dying.

It showed that women who breastfed for at least six months had a reduced risk of death from cancer (10 per cent) and circulatory disease (17 per cent).

Chinese join rush to live in Mars, 600 apply for Dutch project


Over 600 Chinese have applied to join an ambitious Dutch aerospace project that plans to send humans on a one-way trip to Mars for permanent settlement.
The Dutch project, while triggering enthusiasm to explore outer space, is also under fire with the trip being viewed by some as a suicide mission, with applicants being shipped to a planet that is uninhabitable by humans.
The project, Mars One, is being launched by a Dutch non-profit organization, and is scheduled to take four humans to the Red Planet in 2023.
In the first three days after it was launched this week, over 20,000 people from all over the world submitted their applications online, with more than 600 coming from China, state-run China Daily reported.
Bas Lansdorp, co-founder of Mars One told the media in Shanghai that he is confident of turning the dream into reality, and plans to attract more than five lakh applicants.
The Chinese enthusiasm to travel to Mars is building up as China, which has a well funded space programme focussing on Moon missions and building a space station is planning a three-phase Mars space missions to collect samples from the Red Planet by 2030.
The three stages are remote sensing, soft-landing, exploration and return after collecting automatic sampling, according to Ouyang Ziyuan, China's Chief scientist for Lunar missions.
But India may steal the march as Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is bracing to launch its first Mars mission in November to become the first Asian country to accomplish it.
NASA has already landed a rover on Mars remaining well ahead of other space programmes of the world. India's Mars Orbiter Mission is expected to be launched in mid-October this year, will carry five experimental payloads with a total weight of 14.49 kg.
Lansdorp said that when about 40 candidates have been fully trained, the final decision on choosing the first settlers will be made by a TV audience vote.

2 killed, 10 injured after Assam police firing

GUWAHATI: At least two people were killed and ten others injured when police opened fire at a mob which had turned violent following the recovery of a dead body in lower Assam'sGoalpara district, some 120 km away from Guwahati on Monday. 

On Monday morning after police found the body of Taher Ali (46), a cowherd who was missing since Sunday at Mailapathar area nearRakshashini forest of the district, locals turned out in large number and started protesting against the police for having failed to protect the commoner's life. 

The mob turned violent and attacked the police with sticks and stones injuring seven policemen and district administration officials. 

According to Syamal Prasad Saikia, SP Goalpara, the mob attacked the police team and even tried to burn one man who was riding a motorcycle in the area. Saikia said police had no option but to open fire at the mob to disperse them. Two protestors were killed in the firing. 

The man who suffered burn injuries is struggling for his life in a nearby hospital. Seven policemen and two women have also sustained serious injuries. The seriously injured have been referred to Gauhati Medical College Hospital

Goalpara district administration has imposed curfew in the area. The situation in the area was stated to be tense and senior police and civil officials were camping in the area, a source added.

What do fats in our body do

In human plasma alone, researchers have identified some 600 different types relevant to our health.

Researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health are studying fats, or lipids, to learn more about normal and abnormal biology in the body.

When you have your cholesterol checked, the doctor typically gives you levels of three fats found in the blood: LDL, HDL and triglycerides.

In human plasma alone, researchers have identified some 600 different types relevant to our health.
Many lipids are associated with diseases--diabetes, stroke, cancer, arthritis, Alzheimer's disease, to name a few. But our bodies also need a certain amount of fat to function, and we can't make it from scratch.

Triglycerides, cholesterol and other essential fatty acids--the scientific term for fats the body can't make on its own--store energy, insulate us and protect our vital organs.

They act as messengers, helping proteins do their jobs. They also start chemical reactions involved in growth, immune function, reproduction and other aspects of basic metabolism.
The cycle of making, breaking, storing and mobilizing fats is at the core of how humans and all animals regulate their energy. An imbalance in any step can result in disease, including heart disease and diabetes. For instance, having too many triglycerides in our bloodstream raises our risk of clogged arteries, which can lead to heart attack and stroke.

Fats help the body stockpile certain nutrients as well. The so-called "fat-soluble" vitamins--A, D, E and K--are stored in the liver and in fatty tissues.
Using a quantitative and systematic approach to study lipids, researchers have classified lipids into eight main categories.
Cholesterol belongs to the "sterol" group, and triglycerides are "glycerolipids." Another category, "phospholipids," includes the hundreds of lipids that constitute the cell membrane and allow cells to send and receive signals.

The main type of fat we consume, triglycerides are especially suited for energy storage because they pack more than twice as much energy as carbohydrates or proteins. Once triglycerides have been broken down during digestion, they are shipped out to cells through the bloodstream. Some of the fat gets used for energy right away. The rest is stored inside cells in blobs called lipid droplets.

When we need extra energy--for instance, when we exercise--our bodies use enzymes called lipases to break down the stored triglycerides. The cell's power plants, mitochondria, can then create more of the body's main energy source: adenosine triphosphate, or ATP.

Recent research also has helped explain the workings of a lipid called an omega-3 fatty acid—the active ingredient in cod liver oil, which has been touted for decades as a treatment for eczema, arthritis and heart disease.

Two types of these lipids blocked the activity of a protein called COX, which assists in converting an omega-6 fatty acid into pain-signaling prostaglandin molecules. These molecules are involved in inflammation, which is a common element of many diseases, so omega-3 fatty acids could have tremendous therapeutic potential.

Sunday 28 April 2013

World War 2


World War 2, also known as the Second World War, was a war fought from 1939 to 1945 in Europe and, during much of the 1930s and 1940s, in Asia.
The war in Europe began in earnest on September 1, 1939 with the invasion of Poland by Nazi Germany, and concluded on September 2, 1945, with the official surrender of the last Axis nation, Japan. However, in Asia the war began earlier with Japanese interventions in China, and in Europe, the war ended earlier with the unconditional surrender of Germany on May 8, 1945.
The conflict spilled over into Africa, included a handful of incidents in the Americas, and a series of major naval battles.
It was the largest armed conflict in history, spanning the entire world and involving more countries than any other war, as well as introducing powerful new weapons, culminating in the first use of nuclear weapons.
However, despite the name, not all countries of the world were involved; some through neutrality (such as the Eire - though Eire supplied some important secret information to the Allies; D-Day's date was decided on the basis of incoming Atlantic weather information supplied from Ireland - Sweden, and Switzerland), others through strategic insignificance (Mexico).
The war ravaged civilians more severely than any previous conflict and served as a backdrop for genocidal killings by Nazi Germany as well as several other mass slaughters of civilians which, although not technically genocide, were significant.
These included the massacre of millions of Chinese and Korean nationals by Japan, internal mass killings in the Soviet Union, and the bombing of civilian targets in German and Japanese cities by the Allies. In total, World War II produced about 50 million deaths, more than any other war to date.

MPs panel raps ministry for clearing 33 drugs without trials


New Delhi, April 28 (IANS) Thirty-three new drugs were granted approval by the health ministry without clinical trials on Indian patients between January 2008 and October 2010, a parliamentary panel has found.
It a report tabled in parliament last week, the panel headed by parliament member Brajesh Pathak said: "This is yet another instance where the ministry, inspite of appreciating the serious problem the continued marketing of these 33 drugs may pose to Indian patients, has chosen to take no action to resolve it".
The panel criticised the union health ministry for its "inaction" on certain alleged irregularities in clinical trials of drugs before their introduction in the country.
It also charged the officials involved in granting approval to these drugs with violation of law and "an intention to save the guilty".
"The committee is shocked to note this dilly-dallying by the ministry on the matter, which could be affecting lives of lakhs of people in the country, who are consuming these drugs," it said.
"The ministry agrees with the committee's viewpoint about review of approvals to ensure safety of patients, fair play, transparency and accountability but instead of taking strict and immediate action in all proven cases of delinquency and omission and commission, it still continues to be in a state of profound procrastination," the parliamentary standing committee on health and family welfare said in its 66th report.
It said that even after a lapse of more than seven months the three-member expert panel looking into this contentious matter has come out with "virtually nothing concrete" and observed that the government "intends to delay a decision by referring it to yet another committee".
"These tactics have been, as stated at several places in this report, resorted to by the government to delay indefinitely the decisions and consequent actions that would be required to be taken against several officials and non-officials who have indulged in rampant acts of omission and commission while approving these drugs in gross violation of the law of the land."
The committee has taken strong objections to these "dilatory tactics" and recommended immediate decision on these "proven gross violations, lest the health of the people is compromised irrevocably."

Guinness record holder dies while trying to cross Teesta on zip wire


A man with a Guinness World Record for travelling the farthest distance on a zip wire attached to a tuft of his hair died while performing the stunt across the Teesta at Sevoke near Siliguri in West Bengal’s Darjeeling district on Sunday. 

Sailendra Nath Roy (48) was trying to cross the river suspended from a 600 feet zip cable at a height of 70 feet near the Coronation Bridge. A large number of people had gathered to watch the act.  
After covering about 40 per cent of the distance, Mr. Roy could not progress further. Amidst cheers and screams of hundreds of onlookers, he desperately tried to move forward, hanging from the cable and using his hand to inch ahead. Suddenly, there was no movement, and after about 45 minutes, he was brought down. 

Mr. Roy was rushed to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead. He had suffered a massive heart attack. 

“Mr. Roy was a home guard with the Siliguri Metropolitan Police. He was a professional stunt man and had performed such acts across the country and abroad. He was on leave today,” K. Jayaraman, Commissioner of the Siliguri Metropolitan Police, told The Hindu over the telephone.  

According to eyewitnesses, there was no deployment of personnel from the disaster management group or local police for the event.  

Mr. Roy held the Guinness World Record for covering a distance of 270 feet on a zip wire attached to a tuft of his hair at Neemrana Fort Palace in Alwar district in Rajasthan on March 1, 2011. 
He had also pulled a toy train of the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway with a chain attached to the tuft of his hair for 2.5 meters in Siliguri in September, 2012.

Saturday 27 April 2013

The Nehru Report

The constitution outlined by the Nehru report was for Indian enjoying dominion status within the British Commonwealth. Some of the important elements of the report–

Unlike the eventual Government of India Act 1935 it contained a Bill of Rights.

All power of government and all authority - legislative, executive and judicial - are derived from the people and the same shall be exercised through organizations established by, or under, and in accord with, this Constitution.

There shall be no state religion; men and women shall have equal rights as citizens.

There should be federal form of government with residuary powers vested in the center.(Some scholars, such as Moore 1988 considered the Nehru Report proposal as essentially unitary rather than federal.);

It included a description of the machinery of government including a proposal for the creation of a Supreme Court and a suggestion that the provinces should be linguistically determined.

It did not provide for separate electorates for any community or weightage for minorities. Both of these were liberally provided in the eventual Government of India Act 1935. However, it did allow for the reservation of minority seats in provinces having a minorities of at least ten percent, but this was to be in strict proportion to the size of the community.

The language of the Commonwealth shall be Indian, which may be written either in Devanagari, Hindi,Telugu, Kannada, Marathi,Gujarati,Bengali, Tamil or in Urdu character. The use of the English language shall be permitted.
The Nehru Report, along with that of the Simon Commission was available to participants in the three Indian Round Table Conferences 1930-1932. However, the Government of India Act 1935 owes much to the Simon Commission report and little, if anything to the Nehru Report.

'Fourteen-Point' demands of Jinnah


Muhammad Ali Jinnah after having left the Muslim League once again assumed the leadership of the Muslim community in India.
The Muslim League under his leadership welcomed the Congress decision to boycot the Simon Commission.
But in 1928 the Muslim politics took altogether a different turn when Muhammad Ali Jinnah refused to accept the Nehru Report in an All parties' Conference.
Jinnah rejected the Nehru Report as he considered non-acceptance of his proposal by the Conference an insult to the entire Muslim community of the country.
But the fact was that Jinnah's proposals were outvoted in the conference. The Muslim League, then under the leadership of Jinnah, thereupon raised the famous 'Fourteen points' embodying the minimum demands of the Muslim community in India.
The 'Fourteen Points'':
In a meeting of the Muslim League held in 1929 in Delhi Jinnah repudiating the Nehru Report emphasized the need of a vigorous movement for the protection of the security and interests of the Muslim community.
Jinnah also put forward his famous "Fourteen Points", which embodied among other things demand for a separate electorate, reservation of seats for the Muslims in the Provincial Assemblies, etc.
Jinnah's Fourteen Points are as follows :
 (1) The future constitution of India should be federal in form.
(2) A uniform measure of autonomy should be enforced in all the Provinces.
(3) There should be adequate and effective representation of Minorities in every Province.
(4) In the Central Legislature the Muslim representation should not be less than one- third.
(5) Communal groups should be represented by means of separate electorates as at present.
(6) The territorial redistribution should not in any way affect the Muslim majority in the Punjab, Bengal and North-West Frontier Province.
(7) Full religious and political liberty should be guaranteed to all communities.
(8) No Bill or resolution should be passed that might be injurious to any of the Minority communities. (9) 3ind should be separated from the Bombay Presidency.
(10) Reforms should be introduced; in the North-West Frontier Province and Baluchistan on the same line as in other Provinces.
(11) The 'Muslims should get an adequate share in the governmental services and local self-governing bodies.
(12) The Constitution should include provisions adequately safeguarding the Muslim culture and learning.
(13) In all the Provincial and Central Cabinets Muslim Ministers should be taken in at least in the proportion of one-third, and
 (14) Any change in the Constitution should have the concurrence of the Provincial Assemblies.
 Impact of the Demands Raised by Jinnah:
The Fourteen-Point demands raised by Jinnah were, obviously, opposed to the national unity and it may be said that the British could extend their rule in India taking advantage of the disunity among the Indian people.
However, the communal approach of the Muslim League under the leadership of Jinnah affected the contemporary Indian politics in two ways: a. From this time onwards communal riots broke out all over the country, b. The Indian Muslim community came to be divided into two distinct groups, namely, the nationalist and communal.
The few nationalist Muslims who were still associated with the Muslim League now came out to form the 'Nationalist Muslim Party'.
The Nationalist Muslims actively participated in the Civil Disobedience Movement begun by Gandhiji in 1930.
Indeed, the Nationalist Muslim organizations like Ahrar Party, Momin Conference, the Khudai Khidmudgar of Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan, etc. played an important role in the national struggle. In this regard the contributions of Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan deserve special mention.

Act against erring doctors: House Panel tells Health Ministry

NEW DELHI: A parliamentary panel on health and family welfare has reprimanded the government for failing to initiate action against doctors and officials, who it said 'colluded' with the pharma industry to approve new drugs in violation of the law. 

It specially took note of specific cases, where approvals were granted for additional use for existing drugs without mandatory clinical trials being conducted. 

The panel has asked the health ministry to forward the names of 'erring doctors' to theMedical Council of India and medical colleges and hospitals in the next seven days for appropriate action. 

The panel headed by Member of Parliament Brajesh Pathak has cited instances of drugs-placenta extract gel and Letrozole -which were given a green signal for new usage in violation of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act

"..in a clear case of extreme collusion and breach...an official of CDSCO (Drug Controller general of India's office) through a letter dated February 11, 2000, in spite of additional indications (burns and wounds, non-healing indolent ulcers, bedsore, mucositis, etc),...gave permission to promote the placenta extract gel. By including the term 'etc', loopholes were left wide open to add other indications, which is an unprecedented irregularity and illegality," noted the panel in a report tabled on Friday. 

The collusive element was so overpowering that the letter of the manufacturer dated February 7, 2000, not only reached Delhi from Kolkata at breakneck speed, the permission, albeit wrong, was also granted within four days on February 11, 2000, the report says. 

"The committee is aghast to note the paralytic inertia gripping the (health) ministry, which is preventing it from taking action against guilty official(s) of CDSCO and others involved in cases of delinquency and illegality," the report said. 

In response, the health ministry had submitted to the parliamentary panel that it would be conducting an internal enquiry to investigate the matter of 'collusion'. 

An earlier parliamentary panel probe report submitted in May last year had created a furore on the drug regulatory system in the country. The probe, after assessing a random sample, had alleged a total of 31 new drugs were approved between January 2008 and October 2010 without mandatory clinical trials on Indian patients. 

The 2012 probe had also claimed that pharma companies had fudged opinions of medical experts recommending approvals. As proof, the panel furnished identically worded letters from doctors based in different cities recommending approval to the same drug. This led the panel to allege "many opinions were actually written by the invisible hands of drug manufacturers and experts merely obliged by putting their signatures".

Sebi may get greater powers to check money-pooling frauds

Market regulator Sebi may get greater powers to check money-pooling frauds by various entities across the country, as the government is considering a major overhaul of regulations governing such schemes.
The proposed critical amendments to the securities laws, would also involve the capital markets regulator getting direct powers for attachment of properties, search and seizure of assets and powers to seek information from any entity in relation to its probes against erring persons and entities.
The amendments could be made to a host of regulations, including the Sebi Act, the Securities Contracts (Regulation) Act and the Depositories Act, a senior official said. As a result, Sebi could be given powers for overall regulation and oversight of all kinds of money-pooling activities and the definition of Collective Investment Schemes would be expanded to include all kinds of activities involving collection of Rs 100 crore or more public money, he added.
While CIS operations already come under Sebi's jurisdiction, many companies try to challenge the regulator's actions taking advantage of loopholes in the existing norms and on the grounds of multiplicity of regulators.
The official said that Sebi has been given assurance by the government that the regulations would be amended soon. While proposals to these effects are being pursued by Sebi for almost four years now, a strong need to push with these changes has been felt in the recent months in the wake of a long-running tussle between Sebi and Sahara group.
The recent developments involving an alleged defrauding of lakhs of investors by West Bengal-based Saradha group and other entities in the state have further underscored the need to change the regulations to give greater powers to Sebi.
Sebi was earlier of the view that a separate regulator should be considered for all kinds of public money-pooling activities by non-listed entities under a separate act.
Alternatively, Sebi has been seeking amendment to the Sebi Act to widen the scope of CIS definition to include all kinds of money collection schemes.As per the proposed changes, any pooling of funds under an investment scheme involving a collective amount of Rs 100 crore and above should be considered CIS activity, while Sebi would be empowered to specify the parameters for determining as to what constitutes pooling of funds from the public for the purpose of treating them as CIS operations.
Sebi had first proposed an overhaul of securities laws way back in June 2009, but the establishment of Financial Sector Legislative Reforms Commission (FSLRC) later led to the Finance Ministry asking Sebi to pursue only critical changes.
The Commission was asked to rewrite and harmonise the entire set of financial sector laws in the country, including those involving Sebi and the capital markets. Later in June 2011, Sebi proposed only critical amendments to the securities laws that it felt were necessary and could not wait for the FSLRC recommendations.
The capital markets watchdog again took up the matter with the Centre in November 2012, pursuant to which the FinanceMinistry sought some clarifications and a revised set of proposals was sent again by Sebi earlier this year. In the meantime, FSLRC has submitted its recommendations, but the government has decided to move ahead with Sebi's proposals with regard to critical amendments in the securitieslaws as various steps suggested by the Commission need more deliberations and might take time, the official said.
The suggestions made by Sebi include powers similar to the Income Tax department for recovery of monetary penalties and setting up of special courts to deal with criminal prosecution for violation of securities laws. The proposals were sent toFinance Ministry for necessary amendments to relevant securities laws, after being discussed by Sebi board.
The amendments have been sought in view of the challenges faced by Sebi in areas such as the recovery and realisation of monetary penalties and regulation of pooling of monies from public by schemes, including those in the nature of collective investments, among others.
Sebi has been facing major impediments on its investigation and enforcement powers with regard to protecting investments by attachment of assets. It has also faced challenges to enforcement and implementation of its orders.
Besides, it has been feeling restrained in taking actions against erring entities, as it lacks an effective power of search and seizure and powers to call for information from any person in relation to enquiry or investigation.
Sebi has also sough direct powers to attach/sell movable and immovable properties without recourse to court of law, in order to take effective enforcement action if the concerned entity has either disappeared, or raised money in violation of securities laws, or has fraudulently diverted public money.
These would help Sebi enforce compliance with its orders for refund of public monies collected through illegal means. Regarding search and seizure powers, Sebi has said it can carry out such operations presently only after the approval
from the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate.
However, this requirement renders the power ineffective due to the confidential nature of investigation and delays involved in obtaining such approvals, Sebi has said, while seeking direct search and seizure powers. Sebi has also said that it should be expressly empowered to obtain necessary information from other regulators and the entities not directly linked to capital markets.
While conducting market surveillance and investigations, Sebi often requires information from persons and companies who are not directly under its jurisdiction, but may have information that is crucial for its investigations.
The regulator said it has come across many cases where money trail of investigation transaction is traced involving mprivate banks/NBFCs/ private lenders and so on. Further, in many cases, it becomes almost impossible to identify the insider/fraudster syndicate as information flow is through phone/cell phone provided by private telecom companies, Sebi has said.
On being requisitioned for desired information, they plead lack of Sebi jurisdiction and withhold the same. "Due to such inhibitions, Sebi's cases are weakened as circumstantial evidences may not be sufficient to establish desired preponderance of probability," Sebi said, while seeking necessary powers to allow it to seek information fromany person in the process of investigation.
It has also sought establishment of special Courts to deal with criminal prosecution for violation of securities laws in view of the large pendency of prosecution cases, and has suggested that counsels representing Sebi may be deemed to be public prosecutors.

Exercise can boost success of flu shots


Exercising at the time of having a flu shot may increase the success of vaccination, according to a new study.
The study from the University of Sydney found exercise is the key to successful vaccination.
Being physically active has been found to improve immunity in general, but specifically doing some exercise immediately before or after a vaccination can boost vaccine response in particular, said Dr Kate Edwards from the Faculty of Health Science's Exercise and Sport Science unit.
In a paper, published in journal Human Vaccines and Immunotherapeutics and co-authored by Professor Robert Booy, Edwards advised that a bout of exercise can bring about profound changes in the immune system, such as increasing circulating cell numbers, with specific increases in certain subsets, and the release of immune messenger proteins by working muscle cells themselves.
With vaccine success rates around 50 to 70 per cent, a large number of those vaccinated are receiving minimal benefit, which is often mentioned as a reason not to get the jab, researchers said.
People also avoid flu shots because of side effects like headaches and soreness. But physical activity after a shot might not only make the vaccine work better, it might protect them from some side effects as well.
"We are almost certain that exercise can help vaccine response by activating parts of the immune system that means it's ready to respond when the vaccine is administered," Edwards said.
Edwards cited a study conducted by scientists at the Iowa State University in the US that showed mice who ran leisurely for about half an hour after vaccination showed maximum resistance to any side effects of the flu shot.
Conversely the mice who were sedentary and the ones who indulged in extreme exercises succumbed to the side effects.
Edwards also acknowledged that our bodies react in different ways and advises people not to overdo physical activity after a flu shot but engage in moderate activities such as cycling, or resistance exercise and avoid dehydration by drinking plenty of fluids.

Adjourn hearing for seven weeks: SC to 2G trial court


In a reprieve for Sunil Bharti Mittal, CMD of Bharti Airtel Limited, and Essar Group promoter Ravi Ruia, the Supreme Court on Friday ordered the 2G trial court to adjourn for seven weeks hearing in the case linked to allocation of additional 2G spectrum in 2002.
Admitting the petitions by Mittal and Ruia against the summoning orders by the trial court, a bench led by Chief Justice Altamas Kabir also issued formal notices to the CBI seeking explanation on how the summons against the corporate honchos were sustainable even though the agency's chargesheet did not name them as accused.
While the CBI's chargesheet had not named Mittal and Ruia, the duo along with former managing director of Hutchison Max (now Vodafone) Asim Ghosh were summoned by the trial court, saying there were enough material to proceed against them.
Calling them as "minds" and "alter egos" of the companies, the 2G court had noted that at the relevant time, they used to chair board meetings and controlled the affairs of their company. Mittal and Ruia challenged this order contending the trial court had wrongly imputed criminality on them.
Agreeing to examine the question of law in the given facts, the bench asked CBI to file its response within four weeks. It gave Mittal and Ruia three weeks time thereafter to file their replies to the CBI's stand.
In the meantime, the bench said, the trial court will simply adjourn the matter for at least seven weeks, virtually exempting both of them from their personal appearance before the trial court.
The bench had on Thursday started hearing the case after shooting down a preliminary objection raised by the CBI and NGO 'CPIL' - one of the petitioners in the 2G case. Both had sought transfer of the petitions by Mittal and Ruia to the coordinate bench which is already monitoring the 2G case.

Friday 26 April 2013

Plant Technologies of the Green Revolution

The crops developed during the Green Revolution were high yield varieties - meaning they were domesticated plants bred specifically to respond to fertilizers and produce an increased amount of grain per acre planted.
The terms often used with these plants that make them successful are harvest index, photosynthate allocation, and insensitivity to day length. The harvest index refers to the above ground weight of the plant. During the Green Revolution, plants that had the largest seeds were selected to create the most production possible. After selectively breeding these plants, they evolved to all have the characteristic of larger seeds. These larger seeds then created more grain yield and a heavier above ground weight.
This larger above ground weight then led to an increased photosynthate allocation. By maximizing the seed or food portion of the plant, it was able to use photosynthesis more efficiently because the energy produced during this process went directly to the food portion of the plant.
Finally, by selectively breeding plants that were not sensitive to day length, researchers like Borlaug were able to double a crop’s production because the plants were not limited to certain areas of the globe based solely on the amount of light available to them.

Impacts of the Green Revolution

Since fertilizers are largely what made the Green Revolution possible, they forever changed agricultural practices because the high yield varieties developed during this time cannot grow successfully without the help of fertilizers.
Irrigation also played a large role in the Green Revolution and this forever changed the areas where various crops can be grown. For instance before the Green Revolution, agriculture was severely limited to areas with a significant amount of rainfall, but by using irrigation, water can be stored and sent to drier areas, putting more land into agricultural production - thus increasing nationwide crop yields.
In addition, the development of high yield varieties meant that only a few species of say, rice started being grown. In India for example there were about 30,000 rice varieties prior to the Green Revolution, today there are around ten - all the most productive types. By having this increased crop homogeneity though the types were more prone to disease and pests because there were not enough varieties to fight them off. In order to protect these few varieties then, pesticide use grew as well.
Finally, the use of Green Revolution technologies exponentially increased the amount of food production worldwide. Places like India and China that once feared famine have not experienced it since implementing the use of IR8 rice and other food varieties.

Criticism of the Green Revolution

Along with the benefits gained from the Green Revolution, there have been several criticisms. The first is that the increased amount of food production has led to overpopulation worldwide.
The second major criticism is that places like Africa have not significantly benefited from the Green Revolution. The major problems surrounding the use of these technologies here though are a lack of infrastructure, governmental corruption, and insecurity in nations.
Despite these criticisms though, the Green Revolution has forever changed the way agriculture is conducted worldwide, benefiting the people of many nations in need of increased food production.

Green Revolution

The term Green Revolution refers to the renovation of agricultural practices beginning in Mexico in the 1940s. Because of its success in producing more agricultural products there, Green Revolution technologies spread worldwide in the 1950s and 1960s, significantly increasing the amount of calories produced per acre of agriculture.


History and Development of the Green Revolution


The beginnings of the Green Revolution are often attributed to Norman Borlaug, an American scientist interested in agriculture. In the 1940s, he began conducting research in Mexico and developed new disease resistance high-yield varieties of wheat. By combining Borlaug's wheat varieties with new mechanized agricultural technologies, Mexico was able to produce more wheat than was needed by its own citizens, leading to its becoming an exporter of wheat by the 1960s. Prior to the use of these varieties, the country was importing almost half of its wheat supply.
Due to the success of the Green Revolution in Mexico, its technologies spread worldwide in the 1950s and 1960s. The United States for instance, imported about half of its wheat in the 1940s but after using Green Revolution technologies, it became self-sufficient in the 1950s and became an exporter by the 1960s.
In order to continue using Green Revolution technologies to produce more food for a growing population worldwide, the Rockefeller Foundation and the Ford Foundation, as well as many government agencies around the world funded increased research. In 1963 with the help of this funding, Mexico formed an international research institution called The International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center.
Countries all over the world in turn benefited from the Green Revolution work conducted by Borlaug and this research institution. India for example was on the brink of mass famine in the early 1960s because of its rapidly growing population. Borlaug and the Ford Foundation then implemented research there and they developed a new variety of rice, IR8, that produced more grain per plant when grown with irrigation and fertilizers. Today, India is one of the world's leading rice producers and IR8 rice usage spread throughout Asia in the decades following the rice's development in India.

COP 9

COP 9 invited Parties to double their efforts to implement the CEPA Programme of Work, in doing so it invited Parties to provide human and financial resources to the Executive Secretary for the implementation of the CEPA work programme; (Decision IX/32)
Parties were invited to create partnerships to transmit CEPA products to regions without internet access. The decision also stressed the importance for Parties to integrate CEPA into their National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plans (NBSAPs);
The decision on CEPA also included reference to the need to support CEPA activities related towards Access and Benefit –sharing;
In addition to Decision IX/32, a second CEPA decision was adopted at COP 9 on the International Year of Biodiversity (IYB) (decision IX/33). The COP encouraged all Parties to create National Committees, including representatives of indigenous and local communities, to celebrate the Year and invited all international organizations to mark this event;
The COP also decided to transmit to the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) for its consideration and adoption at its sixty-third ordinary session the draft resolution on the International Year of Biodiversity (IYB) in 2010;
The draft resolution included an invitation from the UNGA to the Secretary-General to consider appointing, before 2010, an Honorary Ambassador for the Year; Also, it was suggested that as a contribution to the Year the UNGA also decide to convene at its sixty-fifth session, in 2010, a one-day high-level segment on biodiversity. COP 10 adopted decision X/18 on Communication, Education and Public Awareness (CEPA).
COP invited Parties to further improve CEPA activities with the full and effective participation of all stakeholders, including Indigenous and Local Communities (ILC). The Informal Advisory Committee on CEPA was invited to work to develop indicators and guidelines for survey methodologies on public awareness, which would later be used in national, regional and subregional assessment of the state of public awareness on biodiversity;
Parties were requested to continue and further improve communication, education and public awareness activities for promoting awareness and education using a variety of goals including:
  • the goals included in the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020,
  • the framework of the Agenda for Action; and
  • the proposed United Nations Decade on Biodiversity, with the full and effective participation of all stakeholders, including indigenous and local communities;
Parties were requested to report back to the Secretariat their findings before COP 11 with the aim of indentifying priorities for the CEPA Programme of Work;
Parties were also requested to provide to the Secretariat detailed accounts of their Biodiversity celebrations for inclusion in the final report to be submitted to the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) during its 66th session.