Measure of Devotion

“(Hanuman did not see Sita) who was aggrieved over the separation from her husband, whose throat was choked up with tears, whose neck was adorned with the most valuable golden jewelry, who had lovely eyelashes, who had a sweet voice, and was like a peahen dancing in the forest (when with her husband). (Valmiki Ramayana, Sundara Kand, 5.25)

uṣṇārditām sānusṛtāsrakaṇṭhīm |
purā varārhottamaniṣkakaṇṭhīm |
sujātapakśmāmabhiraktakaṇṭhīm |
vane'pranṛttāmiva nīlakaṇṭhīm ||

Just hearing of Sita Devi’s intense anguish resulting from separation from her dear Lord - the master of the devotees, the most powerful entity known in the world, the person whom yogis, ascetics, fruitive workers and sense enjoyers are searching after, Lord Rama - is enough to put a pleasantly situated mind into a similarly distressful condition. Who gains pleasure from seeing others suffer? One would have to be rather miserly and cruel-hearted to enjoy watching others in pain. With Sita Devi, however, just hearing of her torments becomes a source of great strength, a humbling vision to keep the wayward spirit soul bewildered by the temporary ups and downs of material life moving forward in the progressive march towards eternal freedom, the kind that allows for free range of movement without any harmful side effects. Anyone who remembers Sita, her qualities, and the pain she felt from being separated from Rama will always have a place waiting for them in the spiritual sky once their present life is over.

“Since he was childless, and due to affection for me, he placed me on his lap and said, ‘This is my child.’ Thus he developed feelings of love and affection for me.” (Sita Devi speaking to Anasuya, Valmiki Ramayana, Ayodhya Kand, 118.30)

Who is Sita? Why was her suffering any more important than anyone else’s? In her appearance on earth, Sita was a princess, the eldest daughter of King Janaka of Mithila. The pious ruler found her one day while ploughing a field, so she was technically his adopted daughter. Though Janaka was known as videha for having transcended the effects of the senses, he felt a thrill throughout his body on that fateful day when he found his first daughter. Theatmarama spiritualist can be likened to a person whose hunger has been satisfied after eating nicely. If a succulent dish is placed in front of a hungry man, he will enjoy the meal both before and during. Right before eating there is the anticipation, with the taste buds starting to water. Then during eating is when the potential for enjoyment gets realized. Afterwards, however, if the same dish is presented again, the reaction of the target individual will not be the same. This time he is full, so there is no desire to eat again. Regardless of the nature of the dish, even if it is the same exact composition having an identical appearance, the eater cannot be influenced to indulge.

For transcendentalists on the brahma-bhutah platform, there is no hankering or lamenting. There is no excitement over the temporary gains and losses encountered by every person. Since Janaka felt such exhilaration upon finding a small baby girl in the field, we can understand that she must have been someone above the three modes of nature, a divine figure capable of thrilling anyone who thinks of her in the proper mood just once. Janaka was enjoying the bliss of brahmananda, but the feelings of elation felt when gaining Sita as a daughter far surpassed any happiness that comes from the absence of material suffering.

Sita’s wonderful effect on people would continue into her adult life, as she would be married to the prince of the Raghu dynasty, Lord Rama. As an incarnation of Godhead, Shri Ramachandra similarly has a transcendentally pleasing influence on those He meets. The most beautiful woman and the most beautiful man were united in holy matrimony in Janaka’s kingdom. After returning to Rama’s home of Ayodhya, the two lived happily there for twelve years. By happily, we mean that they truly enjoyed each other’s company. During the specific time period, the Treta Yuga, adherence to dharma was quite high. The wives married in Vedic ceremonies were very respectful of their husbands, treating them as their primary deities. With Sita, this deference was at the highest level, as she even treated her three mother-in-laws as her own mother. But more than just a respectful wife, Sita was the source of the greatest pleasure for Rama. She was dedicated to her husband because she knew her company made Him happy. In this way she proved to be the kindest person in the world, as she had not a selfish bone in her body.

As with any beautiful woman, she was highly sought after prior to her marriage. Even after living with Rama for so long, the nefarious elements of the world were still captivated by her beauty to the point that they desired her. Ravana, the king of the Rakshasa community in Lanka, was especially intent on having Rama’s wife, for he had heard of her beauty from his associates. Successfully hatching a scheme to take Sita away while Rama wasn’t looking, Ravana brought the princess back to Lanka with him. Thinking that he could win her over with his opulence and sweet words, Ravana was very excited to have Sita with him.

Devotion is put to the test when there is separation. In the company of her beloved, Sita had no reason not to please Rama or think about Him at all times. But now faced with the punishment of death should she not submit, Sita’s chastity and dedication to the path of dharma would have to withstand the severest test. We know from the Vedic scriptures, including the Ramayana, the poem which gives the most details about the lives of Sita and Rama, that the princess of Videha is really a divine figure in her own right, an incarnation of the goddess of fortune, Lakshmi. Therefore by constitution Sita was dedicated to God, who had appeared in this instance on earth as Lord Rama. Hence there was no chance for Ravana to ever get Sita to agree to his proposals.

“Loving attachment for Me is entirely absorbed in Vaidehi, and loving attachment for Sita is well absorbed in Me.” (Lord Rama speaking to Lakshmana, Valmiki Ramayana, Kishkindha Kand, 1.52)

Hearing of Sita and Rama’s time spent together in Ayodhya and the forests during Rama’s exile period warms the heart. Rama especially loved the spring season, as the flowers and the sweet aroma would increase His loving feelings for His wife, and vice versa. They were always in each other’s company, and most importantly, constantly in each other’s thoughts. When Sita was separated from Rama and forced to stay in the kingdom of Lanka, this connection in consciousness would not break. If anything, it would be further solidified. Nothing could break Sita’s concentration on the thoughts, activities, qualities and pastimes of her dear husband.

Hearing of Sita’s plight while in Lanka and remembering her wonderful devotional qualities are effective ways of remaining on the straightened path. The living entities, the spirit souls roaming the earth in varieties of species, are also linked to God in consciousness. It is the very constitutional position of the essence of individuality, the spirit soul, to be a lover of God. This property is revealed in every activity, as the end goal of action is a pleasurable condition. We see that the highest pleasures, the most cherished conclusions to action, result from service, either to one’s country, community, spouse, child, employer, or any other person.

When the service is first directed at the only person worthy of accepting it, the other pieces fall into place. Those who love God purely can survive through any and all situations, as Sita Devi was case in point. Therefore the Vedic seers, the spiritual masters charged with disseminating the highest truths of life to anyone sincerely interested in hearing them, recommend that we keep our consciousness always purified and connected to the spiritual world by chanting, “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare”.

Life is full of frustration because there is failure encountered at every step. Even if we succeed in our stated objectives, the pleasure derived does not last very long. If we repeat the pattern of material action enough, pretty soon the initial enthusiasm for the endeavor, the will to live, gets lost. When God and His devotees are remembered, however, the impetus for action can remain in an active state. The fire in the belly that gets the living entity out of bed in the morning and focused on the higher cause of pleasing God can remain lit.

Not even the divine workers are immune to the forces of frustration and doubt. When Sita was taken to Lanka, Rama enlisted the help of a band of forest dwellers residing in Kishkindha. Their best warrior also happened to be the one most devoted to Rama by nature. Known by the name of Hanuman, this brave emissary made his way into Lanka to find Sita and return information of her whereabouts to Rama. Though he had every divine quality in his arsenal just ready to be used, what really fueled his activity was his deep and intense love for Rama. There is no greater servant in any world than Shri Hanuman, and there is no one more dedicated to loving Sita and Rama than he.

When he first searched through Lanka’s streets, Hanuman could not find Sita. Rather, he saw every other type of man and woman. The very diversity witnessed in a big city was seen by Hanuman firsthand. He saw some women who were happy and some who were sighing in anger. Some men were beautiful in appearance, and some were hideous looking. Though he saw many things and people, he had yet to find Sita. Thus he became a little dejected, for the stated objective of the mission was not being met.

In the above referenced verse from the Ramayana, some of Sita’s primary qualities are enumerated. This is done to both contrast her from the women Hanuman had seen and serve as a source of inspiration and delight for both the reader and Hanumanji. We see that Sita was oppressed with the grief borne of separation from Rama. None of the women seen thus far could have been Sita because they didn’t show signs of suffering from lack of association with their husband. Sita’s separation pain would also be more intense than anyone else’s because of the nature of her husband. Though Sita’s suffering was a source of pain for her, remembering this level of devotion can only prove beneficial for the souls wandering in vain search of an engagement that provides lasting happiness.

Sita’s throat would also be choked with the tears incessantly flowing. Men have a difficult time dealing with a crying woman, as the intense outpouring of emotion puts the man in an awkward position. “What do I say? How should I act? Do I give her a hug? Do I tell her everything is going to be alright? How can I get her to stop crying?” When there is slight choking due to the intensity of the tears, the panic feeling in the onlooking man increases even more. With Sita, however, just hearing of her tremendous pain brings delight to the heart. No one loves Rama more than Sita does, and her tears are proof of this. Anyone who is fortunate enough to cry tears borne of separation from God should understand that they have situated themselves on a high platform of consciousness. And anyone who can regularly remember Sita’s apparently pitiful situation will similarly be benefitted in their spiritual pursuits. There is no better way to make advancement in consciousness than by being humbled by the selfless and sterling displays of devotion of those who are already in love with God.

Sita, as a princess, was accustomed to wearing a valuable golden necklace, but now that same neck would be afflicted by the tremendous outpouring of tears. This would be how Hanuman would recognize her, for if a woman wasn’t incessantly crying over separation from Rama, she couldn’t have been His wife living in Lanka. Sita also had delicate eyelashes and a beautiful voice. Her speech could melt anyone’s heart, including her husband’s. It is also said that she was like a peahen who was accustomed to roaming the forests with her mate, dancing delightfully to stir his passions. These comparisons are all made to show just how natural and untainted the love between Sita and Rama was.

Remembering Sita Devi’s qualities kept Hanuman going in his mission. He had not met the princess up to this point, but he had heard of her nature. Since she was so dear to Rama, she was very dear to Hanuman as well. We’d be hard pressed to find a more distressing situation than the one faced by Sita. Her dedication to her husband when no one was looking showed just how wonderful she is and how she is forever worthy of our worship and adoration. Those who remember her divine qualities, her heartfelt emotions exhibited when separated from Rama, and Hanuman’s eagerness to find her and allay her fears will have a much easier time getting through the rigors of life. When the mind remains focused in a divine trance of love solidified through hearing the wonderful qualities of Sita and Hanuman, there will be every chance of reaching the supreme destination.

In Closing:

In her throat there is flood of many tears,

Which raises sympathy in anyone who hears.

Will she ever see her dear husband again?

Will she again show her love for Him like a dancing peahen?

Sita, the princess of Videha, was Rama’s wife,

But she was alone in Lanka, fearing for her life.

Hanuman went to go find her, Rama’s news to bring,

But couldn’t find Sita, of sweetest voice that can sing.

He saw all sorts of men and women in Lanka,

But not she of lovely lashes, Janaka’s daughter Sita.

A golden necklace around her neck she wore,

Pain of separation from Rama she bore.

When apart from husband’s company devotion put to the test,

Sita was emblem of love for Rama, stood above all the rest.

To find a more distressing situation we would be hard pressed,

Remembering her and Hanuman, issues in life addressed.

Cloaking Magnetic Fields: First Antimagnet Developed

Bar magnet with iron filings showing magnetic field pattern. Researchers have designed what they believe to be a new type of magnetic cloak, which shields objects from external magnetic fields while at the same time preventing any magnetic internal fields from leaking outside. 

Science Daily  — Spanish researchers have designed what they believe to be a new type of magnetic cloak, which shields objects from external magnetic fields while at the same time preventing any magnetic internal fields from leaking outside, making the cloak undetectable.

In their study, published Sept. 23,  in the Institute of Physics and German Physical Society's New Journal of Physics, researchers have proved that such a cloak could be built using practical and available materials and technologies to develop an array of applications.

The development of such a device, described as an 'antimagnet', could offer many beneficial applications, such as protecting a ship's hull from mines designed to detonate when a magnetic field is detected or allowing patients with pacemakers or cochlear implants to use medical equipment.

Take, for example, a patient with a pacemaker undergoing an MRI scan. If an MRI's enormous magnetic field interacts with the pacemaker, it can cause severe damage to both the device and the patient. The metal in the pacemaker could also interact with and distort the MRI's enormous magnetic field, affecting the machine's detection capabilities.

The researchers, from Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, are aware that the technology could also be used by criminals to dodge security systems, for example in airports and shops. Still, they are confident that the new research could positively benefit society. At the same time, the risks could be minimised by informing security officials about potential devices, enabling them to anticipate and neutralise problems.

Lead author Professor Alvar Sanchez said, "The ideas of this device and their potential applications are far-reaching; however, it is conceivable that they could be used to reduce the magnetic signature of forbidden objects, with the consequent threat to security. For these reasons, security officials could take this research into account in order to design safer detection systems and protocols."

The antimagnet has been designed to consist of several layers. The inner layer would consist of a superconducting material that would stop a magnetic field from leaking outside of the cloak, which would be very useful for cloaking certain metals.

A downside to using this material, however, is that it would distort an external magnetic field placed over the cloak, making it detectable, so the device would need to be combined with several outer layers of metamaterials, which have varying levels of magnetic field permeability, to correct this distortion and leave the magnetic field undisturbed.

The researchers demonstrated the feasibility of the cloak using computer simulations of a ten-layered cylindrical device cloaking a single small magnet.

Impressively, the researchers also showed that the cloak could take on other shapes and function when the cylinder was not fully enclosed, meaning that applications for pacemakers and cochlear implants are even more feasible, given that they require wires to connect to other parts of the body.

"We indeed believe, and hope, that some laboratories could start constructing an antimagnet soon. Of the two components, superconductors are readily available, for example in cylindrical shape, and the key point would be to make the magnetic layers with the desired properties. This may take a bit of work but in principle the ingredients are there," continued Professor Sanchez.

An Institute of Physics spokesperson said, "The research group have put forward a novel and, most importantly, conceivable plan for a magnetic cloak. The obvious next step will be to translate design into fabrication so some of the wide-ranging applications can be realised."

Nature Offers Key Lessons On Harvesting Solar Power, Say Chemists

Half the green pigment (chlorophyll) in this Costa Rican rain forest is bound in the light-harvesting complex LHCII (shown in the inset). By studying these natural solar energy antennas, researchers have learnt new physical principles underlying the design of "circuits" that harvest and transport energy from the sun. (Credit: Greg Scholes)

Science Daily — Clean solutions to human energy demands are essential to our future. While sunlight is the most abundant source of energy at our disposal, we have yet to learn how to capture, transfer and store solar energy efficiently. According to University of Toronto chemistry professor Greg Scholes, the answers can be found in the complex systems at work in nature.

In an article in Nature Chemistry to be published Sept. 23, Scholes and colleagues from several other universities examine the latest research in various natural antenna complexes. Using lessons learned from these natural phenomena, they provide a framework for how to design light harvesting systems that will route the flow of energy in sophisticated ways and over long distances, providing a microscopic "energy grid" to regulate solar energy conversion."Solar fuel production often starts with the energy from light being absorbed by an assembly of molecules," said Scholes, the D.J. LeRoy Distinguished Professor at U of T. "The energy is stored fleetingly as vibrating electrons and then transferred to a suitable reactor. It is the same in biological systems. In photosynthesis, for example, antenna complexes composed of chlorophyll capture sunlight and direct the energy to special proteins called reaction centres that help make oxygen and sugars. It is like plugging those proteins into a solar power socket."A key challenge is that the energy from sunlight is captured by coloured molecules called dyes or pigments, but is stored for only a billionth of a second. This leaves little time to route the energy from pigments to molecular machinery that produces fuel or electricity. How can we harvest sunlight and utilize its energy before it is lost?"This is why natural photosynthesis is so inspiring," said Scholes. "More than 10 million billion photons of light strike a leaf each second. Of these, almost every red-coloured photon is captured by chlorophyll pigments which feed plant growth." Learning the workings of these natural light-harvesting systems fostered a vision, proposed by Scholes and his co-authors, to design and demonstrate molecular "circuitry" that is 10 times smaller than the thinnest electrical wire in computer processors. These energy circuits could control, regulate, direct and amplify raw solar energy which has been captured by human-made pigments, thus preventing the loss of precious energy before it is utilized.Last year, Scholes led a team that showed that marine algae, a normally functioning biological system, uses quantum mechanics in order to optimize photosynthesis, a process essential to its survival. These and other insights from the natural world promise to revolutionize our ability to harness the power of the sun."Lessons from nature about solar light harvesting" was written by Scholes, Graham Fleming of the University of California, Berkeley, Alexandra Olaya-Castro of University College, London UK and Rienk van Grondelle of VU University in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

Voices of Women

Leaders offer advice to Arab World in transition

SUBMITTED BY DONNA BARNE 

Experts from three countries that have undergone political and economic transitions had advice September 22 for Arab nations where citizens have taken to the streets demanding voice and participation.

One of the most important lessons: “Develop and nurture a culture of citizenship,” said Corazon Soliman, Philippines Secretary for the Department of Social Welfare and Development.“We found democracy had to change the lives of ordinary citizens. We found we needed to engage. It's a process of understanding and dialogue,” she said.

Soliman, along with leaders from Indonesia and Turkey, spoke at a webcast event at the World Bank –Towards a New Social Contract in the Arab World  --that brought together high level decision-makers and civil society representatives from the Middle East and North Africa.

The leaders said the keys to successful transition include involving civil society at an early stage, building coalitions of disparate groups, being open about plans and budgets, and making realistic promises.

“We made ourselves accountable to the public,” said Turkey’s Minister of Development Cevdet Yilmaz. “We introduced our action plan to the media. We had a time table for each action. It was a very concrete plan.”

The event, moderated by Marcus Noland of the Peterson Institute , is part of an ongoing effort by the Bank to help countries increase voice and accountability.  It built on a March 24, 2011, webcast and online chat, Arab Voices and Views , in which regional leaders, commentators and activists discussed social change, jobs and new media.  Bank President Robert Zoellick called for a new “social contract for development ” in the region on April 6, just before the Bank-IMF Spring Meetings.

Zoellick and Amr Lashin – the Director of Governance and Civic Engagement at CARE, Egypt -- signed an agreement September 22 granting CARE seed funding to kickstart a network across the Middle East and North Africa to foster accountability through civic participation.

Zoellick said at the Social Contract event that the effort in the region is one of World Bank’s most important initiatives.  Reforms take hold more strongly when they have a broad base of support, and when people’s voices matter, he said.

“When we demonstrated, we knew it would take time,” said Mohamed Nada, a senior researcher at a nongovernmental organization in Egypt. “There are urgent things, but I don't expect our government to be a fire fighter. We are looking for a vision."

Egypt’s Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs and Finance Minister Hazem el-Beblawi, and Jalloul Ayed, Minister of Finance in the interim Tunisian government, said transparency is very important in the transition to a new government. Ayed said civil society has emerged throughout Tunisia and is playing a role in ensuring social accountability prior to the October 23, 2011, elections.

“Democracy is new. Obviously we don't know it all. Indonesia, Turkey are good examples we can learn from.”

"The world is in a danger zone"

Towards a New Social Contract in the Arab World

On Sept 22, 2011, regional leaders and members of civil society groups participated in a webcast discussion and online chat on social accountability, governance and managing economic transitions the Middle East and North Africa. Watch the webcast or read the chat transcript below.

This is Maya

Keeping pets sweet: treating diabetes in dogs

 Biomechanism 

Diabetes affects not only humans but also animals. While humans generally show some willingness to modify their behaviour to help their treatment, pet owners face additional problems in that animals generally do not understand the need for intervention. Treatment plans should be based on an understanding of natural fluctuations in blood glucose levels but these are very hard to determine.

Dog with portable glucose monitoring system (400 KB, Source: Vetmeduni Vienna/Affenzeller)

Nadja Affenzeller and colleagues at the University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna have now shown that a commercially available system for continuous glucose monitoring can be applied to dogs without requiring the animals to be kept in a clinic. The resulting information can give valuable guidance to veterinarians to improve the dogs’ treatment. The work is published in the current issue of the journal “The Veterinary Record”.

Diabetes has many severe consequences that can only be prevented by maintaining blood glucose levels at values that are extremely close to those of non-diabetics. There have recently been considerable advances in insulin treatment but these require a precise knowledge of fluctuations in blood glucose levels that is difficult to obtain. Measurements are generally taken while patients are in clinics but the results may be misleading as a result of differences in food intake and exercise, as well as the associated stress, all of which may lead to changes in the normal patterns. Monitoring blood glucose levels while patients – people or animals – are leading their normal lives would give far more meaningful information.

Menarini Diagnostics has developed a system for the continuous monitoring of blood glucose levels in human patients. The system, known as GlucoDay, can measure glucose concentrations over a very wide range, which makes it potentially suitable for use in animals. Nadja Affenzeller and colleagues at the University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna thus tested it in ten diabetic dogs, all of which were believed to be receiving appropriate insulin treatment. The system was found to be well tolerated and to work well under the test conditions, although one of the dogs lost the apparatus in the course of a fight and the system stopped working before the end of the monitoring period in two other cases.

Despite these slight problems, the results were extremely revealing. Based on the detailed records of blood glucose levels, it was clear that none of the ten dogs was being ideally treated. The scientists were able to make recommendations for improved treatment, varying from reducing or increasing the insulin dose or changing the type of insulin to changing the animals’ diets.

Affenzeller is clearly excited by the system’s potential. “The information on the dogs’ glucose levels was easy to interpret and enabled us to improve the treatment in every single case. This doesn’t mean that the vets hadn’t done their work properly but shows how difficult it is to determine appropriate treatment without detailed information of this kind.” Thanks to the application of continuous glucose monitoring systems such as GlucoDay, it may be possible to give diabetic pets the quality of treatment that to date have been possible only for humans.

The paper “Home-based subcutaneous continuous glucose monitoring in ten diabetic dogs – a case series study” by Nadja Affenzeller, Johann G. Thalhammer and Michael Willmann is published in the current issue of The Veterinary Record (169(8):206).

Lessons to be learned from nature in photosynthesis, Scientists point the way forward

 Biomechanism 

Photosynthesis is one of nature’s finest miracles. Through the photosynthetic process, green plants absorb sunlight in their leaves and convert the photonic energy into chemical energy that is stored as sugars in the plants’ biomass. If we can learn from nature and develop an artificial version of photosynthesis we would have an energy source that is absolutely clean and virtually inexhaustible.

Through the miracle of photosynthesis, plants absorb sunlight in their leaves and convert the photonic energy into chemical energy that is stored as sugars in the plants’ biomass. (Photo by Roy Kaltschmidt)

“Solar energy is forecasted to provide a significant fraction of the world’s energy needs over the next century, as sunlight is the most abundant source of energy we have at our disposal,” says Graham Fleming, Vice Chancellor for Research at the University of California (UC) Berkeley who holds a joint appointment with Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab). “However, to utilize solar energy harvested from sun­light efficiently we must understand and improve both the effective cap­ture of photons and the transfer of electronic excitation energy.”

Fleming, a physical chemist and authority on the quantum phenomena that underlie photosynthesis, is one of four international co-authors of a paper in Nature Chemistry, entitled “Lessons from nature about solar light harvesting.” The other co-authors are Gregory Scholes, of the University of Toronto, Alexandra Olaya-Castro, of London’s University College, and Rienk van Grondelle, of the University of Amsterdam. The paper describes the principles behind various natural antenna complexes and explains what research needs to be done for the design of effective artificial versions.

Solar-based energy production starts with the harvesting of the photons in sunlight by the molecules in antenna complexes. Energy from the photons excites or energizes electrons in these light-absorbing molecules and this excitation energy is subsequently transferred to suitable acceptor molecular complexes. In natural photosynthesis, these antenna complexes consist of light-absorbing molecules called “chromophores,” and the captured solar energy is directed to chemical reaction centers – a process that is completed within 10–to-100 picoseconds (a picosecond is one trillionth of second).

“In solar cells made from organic film, this brief timescale constrains the size of the chromophore arrays  and how far excitation energy can travel,” Fleming says. “Therefore energy-transfer needs and antenna design can make a significant difference to the efficiency of an artificial photosynthetic system.”

Scientists have been studying how nature has mastered the efficient capture and near instantaneous transfer of the sun’s energy for more than a century, and while important lessons have been learned that can aid the design of optimal synthetic sys­tems, Fleming and his co-authors say that some of nature’s design principles are not easily applied using current chemical synthesis procedures. For example, the way in which light harvesting is optimized through the organization of chromophores and the tuning of their excitation energy is not easily replicated. Also, the  discovery by Fleming and his research group that the phenomenon of quantum coherence is involved in the transport of electronic excitation energy presents what the authors say is a “challenge to our understanding of chemical dynamics.”

Structure of the plant light-harvesting complex LHCII shows the organization of molecules that capture and transit the sun's energy with extraordinary efficiency. (Image from Greg Scholes, University of Toronto)

In their paper, Fleming and his international colleagues say that a clear frame­work exists for the design and synthesis of an effective antenna unit for future artificial photosynthesis systems providing several key areas of research are addressed. First, chromophores with large absorption strengths that can be conveniently incorporated into a synthetic protocol must be developed. Second, theoretical studies are needed to determine the optimal arrangement patterns of chromophores. Third, experiments are needed to elucidate the role of the environment on quantum coherence and the transport of electronic excitation energy. Experiments are also needed to determine how light-harvesting regulation and photo protection can be introduced and made reasonably sophisticated in response to incident light levels.

“There remains a number of outstanding questions about the mechanistic details of energy transfer, especially concerning how the electronic system interacts with the environment and what are the precise consequences of quantum coherence,” Fleming says. “However, if the right research effort is made, perhaps based on synthetic biology, artificial photosynthetic systems should be able to produce energy on a commercial scale within the next 20 years.”

Support for this work was provided by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council of the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research, and the European Research Council.

Treatment of rectal cancer varies enormously between different European countries

 Biomechanism 

“Study hopes to standardize clinical practice across Europe.”

Stockholm, Sweden: First results from an international comparison of the care of patients with rectal cancer have shown there are substantial differences in the use of chemotherapy and radiotherapy between European countries.

The European Registration of Cancer Care (EURECCA) study, initiated by ECCO – the European CanCer Organisation – compared the treatment of 6,597 patients in Sweden, Norway, Denmark and The Netherlands who were diagnosed with rectal cancer between 2008 and 2009. It also compared the numbers of deaths 30 days after surgery.

In a presentation to the 2011 European Multidisciplinary Cancer Congress [1] today, Dr Colette van den Broek MD, a PhD student and research fellow at Leiden University Medical Centre (Leiden, The Netherlands), explained that by using the results from the EURECCA study, she and the other researchers involved in the project, hoped to identify those aspects of cancer care that played a role in improving clinical practice, treatments, survival, and the limiting of undesired side effects. Then, they would be able to develop recommendations for treatment that could lead to more standardised clinical practice across Europe.

The project started three years ago, and the data presented today, which have been obtained from comparisons of cancer registries in the four countries, show that the use of radiotherapy, or radiotherapy combined with chemotherapy, varied enormously between the countries, despite the fact that the patients had comparable stages of disease.

“The use of radiotherapy or chemotherapy or both was the lowest in Denmark at 25 percent, followed by Norway at 50 percent, Sweden at nearly 61 percent and the highest in The Netherlands at 81 percent,” said Dr Van den Broek. “Its use varied depending on the stage of the disease in each country. For instance, in Denmark and The Netherlands, patients with stage I, II and III disease received radiotherapy, chemotherapy or both most often; in Sweden it was patients with stage II or III disease, and in Norway patients with stage IV disease, who received it most often.”

At present, the researchers are comparing the deaths within 30 days after surgery between countries. “We will be able to compare treatment strategies, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, or both, for different stages of disease”, said Dr Van den Broek. [2]

“It is clear from our results so far, that different countries in Europe have different guidelines for treating rectal cancer patients. An earlier study has shown that radiotherapy, delivered before surgery, reduces local recurrences of the disease. But, in The Netherlands, we use radiotherapy for almost all stages, while in Denmark, for example, they use a combination of radiotherapy and chemotherapy.

The differences in treatment do not necessarily cause big differences in survival, and recent research has shown that, although radiotherapy decreases deaths from cancer, it increases deaths due to other causes. So we have to find the right balance between the ‘gain and pain’ of radiotherapy and between under- and over-treatment. With this study we hope to be able to give an answer to the ongoing discussion about this and it is a first step towards a single guideline that can be used in different countries.”

The EURECCA project is looking at a number of cancers in addition to rectal cancer, and Dr Van den Broek says that the researchers are hoping to look at long-term survival as well. “This is just a first step in the process,” she concluded.

ECCO president, Professor Michael Baumann, said: “Cancer professionals know well that treatment practice varies widely in Europe. These differences have many reasons, such as regional experience and expertise as well as available infrastructure. To some extent differences in approach may, therefore, be quite appropriate. On the other hand it appears unlikely that all different approaches could be equally effective and equally well tolerable. Comparison of outcome after different approaches in large cohorts is an evidence-based way to identify shortcomings in specific services. For this reason, ECCO and several of its member societies strongly support the EURECCA study, which provides a show-case on what can be achieved for improved cancer care by such multidisciplinary, multinational clinical research projects.”

Professor David Kerr, president of ESMO and Professor of Cancer Medicine at the University of Oxford, said: “This important study gives an insight into one aspect of the reasons underpinning variation in recurrence and survival from rectal cancer – access to optimal treatment around the time of diagnosis. Although heterogeneity in the biology of cancer is accepted and the subject of much research, unwarranted variation in clinical outcome may be related to lack of knowledge, lack of funding, inadequate healthcare systems or failure to apply effective treatment protocols. This report serves as a wake-up call to the European cancer community that further work needs to be done to find how widespread this phenomenon is.”

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Abstract no: 6000. Saturday 11.15 hrs (CEST), Gastrointestinal Malignancies – Colorectal Cancer session, Victoria Hall.

[1] The 2011 European Multidisciplinary Cancer Congress is the 16th congress of the European CanCer Organisation (ECCO), the 36th congress of the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) and the 30th congress of European Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ESTRO).

[2] At the time of writing this press release results of the 30-day analysis were not complete, but will be ready in time to be presented at the congress.