SOUTHERN EXPRESSWAY TO OPEN NEXT MONTH-SRI LANKA

A Speedy and safe journey to Galle

The construction of the southern expressway has opened a new chapter in the transport sector in Sri Lanka providing an opportunity for safe and speedier transport facilities for users.

Arrangements have been taken to open the Kottawa to Pinnaduwa section of the expressway next month, enabling a motorist from Kottawa to reach Pinnaduwa in one hour. The High-Level Road from Kottawa to Colombo is being developed parallel to the expressway.

Construction of the other stage of the expressway from Galle to Matara has already commenced and it would be opened for the public later on.

The entire project will cost Rs 75 billion once the final stage from Pinnaduwa to Matara is completed. Total expenditure of the southern express way from Pinnaduwa to Kottawa is about Rs 60 billion.

Transportation is a vital element in the well-being and development of any economy. The Southern expressway will provide massive economic benefits to the country.

It will improve transport facilities for future development in the Southern Region. The highway will act as a catalyst in encouraging and attracting industries and services for the economic and social development of the region.

It will also promote inter-regional transport facilities by developing this road, considering it as a major component of the proposed expressway network.

The new expressway will reduce the time taken to travel between Colombo to Matara and Colombo to Galle. According to the Road Development Authority, this will save two hours of travel time from the previous time.

The expressway will have eight toll points in Kottawa, Kahathuduwa, Galanigama, Donangoda, Welipanna, KurundugahaHethakma, Baddegama and Pinnaduwa.

Initially there would be two lanes and the travel time to Pinnaduwa will be around one hour.

If a driver wants to stop halfway for refreshments he or she would have to move out of the expressway through an access point and rejoin the expressway later.

The maximum speed on the highway is 100 kmph. The government will also make necessary arrangements to install CCTV cameras on both sides of the road to monitor vehicle speed.

Light vehicles will be charged three rupees per kilometre. Heavy vehicles will also be allowed on the expressway and they will be charged nine rupees per kilometre.

Luxury buses will be allowed to travel on the southern highway and the bus toll will be less than Rs 350.

Motorcycles, bicycles, three-wheelers and tractors are prohibited from entering the southern expressway.

Payment counters in the entry points from Kottawa to Pinnaduwa are being constructed and it would provide employment for over 200 people. It is planned to deploy special teams of police, vehicle repair units, the fire brigade, as well as teams of doctors and nurses along the highway.

Construction on the highway began in 2006 at a cost of $ 600 million. The Asian Development Bank and the Japan International Cooperation Agency are providing financial assistance for the expressway project.

A significant number of people in the area who were evicted due to the construction of expressway have received compensation to reconstruct their houses.

The Southern Expressway is the first expressway in Sri Lanka and it is the longest expressway out of the proposed expressway network. It runs from Kottawa to Matara (126 km) and also includes Galle Fort Access road.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and Japan Bank of International Cooperation (JBIC) are the main funding agencies for this project. A section from Kottawa to Kurundugahahetekma (65 km) was undertaken by JBIC and the section from Kurundugahahetekma to Godagama, Matara (64.8 km) was undertaken by the ADB. Southern Expressway will be extended upto Hambanthota later. The Colombo outer circular express highway (also known as the outer circular highway, Colombo inter provincial Orbital Route or the Arthur C. Clarke Expressway), the 29km long outer circular road network will link the Colombo-Matara expressway and will provide an orbital beltway to bypass the Colombo city and help reduce traffic congestion.

In addition to the Peliyagoda and Katunayake inter changes, two other inter changes at Ja-Ela and Kerawalapitiya will be connected to the expressway to the outer circular road.

Background
Southern Expressway is the first expressway in Sri Lanka and it is the longest expressway out of proposed expressway network. It runs from Kottawa to Matara (126 km) and also include Galle Fort Access road. Asian Development Bank (ADB) and Japan Bank of International Corporation (JBIC) are the main funding agencies for this project. Section from Kottawa to Kurundugahahetekma (65 km) was undertaken by JBIC and section from Kurundugahahetekma to Godagama, Matara (64.8 km) was undertaken by ADB. Southern Expressway will be extended up to Hambantota in it's later stages. It is expected to open the Southern Expressway from Kottawa to Gall Fort Access (Pinnaduwa) before end of Year 2011. At the initial stage of operation of the expressway the maximum speed limit will be 100 km/h.
Project Objectives Improve transport facilities for future development of Southern Region.    Provide a highway to act as a catalyst in encouraging and attracting industries and services for the Economic and Social development of the region.   To promote inter-regional transport facilities by developing this road, considering it as a major component of the proposed Expressway network. Current Travel Time Expected Travel Time on Expressway Colombo - Matara 4 1/2 - 5 hrs 2 hrs Colombo - Galle 3 1/2 - 4 hrs less than 1 1/2 hrs Top

Benefits of the Project  

• Reduce travel time between Colombo to Matara.
• Reduce traffic congestion on Colombo-Matara Road, and reduce delay costs, fuel costs there by contributing to national economy.
• Attract private sector investors and there by contributing to expand the job market
• Development of fisheries, agriculture, industries in the region .
• Expand tourism presently confined to the coastal belt, along Colombo-Galle-Matara.
• Development of Galle port.
• Development of the towns belong to 11 interchanges as Economic Centers
• Enhance the value of land and property in the region

Interchanges

Kottawa	:	(0+000)	-	23rd km of the High level road (Colombo Rathnapura Road)
Kahatuduwa		(5+900)	-	19th km of the Colombo  Horana Road
Gelanigama	:	(13+600)	-	12th km of the Panadura Nambapana Rathnapura Road
Dodangoda	:	(34+700)	-	08th km of the Nagoda - Matugama Road (Nagoda Kalawellawa Bellapitiya)
Welipanna		(46+000)	-	43rd km of the Horana Anguruwathota Aluthgama Road
Kurundugahetekma		(66+000)	-	13th km of the Ambalangoda – Elpitiya Road
Baddegama		(14+800)	-	12th km of the Hikaduwa- Badegama- Nilhena Road
Pinnaduwa		(30+000)
Top

Design Details

Total Length	:	Kottawa to Matara	-	126 km
		Galle fort Access	-	4.9 km
Design Speed	:	120 km/h	-
Stage I	:	Kottawa to Dodangoda	-	4 Lane
		Dodangoda to Godagama	-	2 Lane
Final Stage	:	Kottawa to Matara	-	Widening of 6 Lanes

Project photographs:

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Found: The Particular Brain Fold That Helps People Distinguish Between Imagination and Reality

By Rebecca Boyle

No PCS An fMRI of an individual without a PCS. Jon Simons

Did you actually open the refrigerator a few minutes ago, or were you just thinking about it and imagined that you did? If you can remember correctly, you might have an extra fold in your brain.

A fold in the front brain called the paracingulate sulcus, or PCS, can apparently help people more accurately remember whether something was imagined or really happened, or which person actually said something. It's one of the final structural folds to develop before birth, and its size varies greatly in the general population, according to researchers at the University of Cambridge. People with the fold were significantly better at memory tasks than people without the fold, the researchers say.

The study, which was published in the Journal of Neuroscience, involved 53 healthy adult volunteers with no reported history of cognitive difficulties, according to a Cambridge news release. And everyone thought they had a good memory before the tests.

Participants were chosen based on MRI scans that showed a clear presence or absence of the PCS fold. Then they were presented with word pairs and half-pairs — like “Laurel and Hardy” or “Laurel and ?” In the second test, they were asked to imagine the other word, and then either they or the study leader actually said the word aloud.

Then they had a memory test, where they tried to remember whether they had actually seen the second word or just imagined it, and which person said the word out loud, Cambridge says. People with a PCS remembered correctly a lot more often.

This work has implications for some mental disorders like schizophrenia, in which the line between reality and imagination is unclear to the patient. In other studies, schizophrenic patients reportedly have had reduced PCS areas, according to Jon Simons of Cambridge’s Experimental Psychology department and Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute.

What to do about this isn’t clear — because the fold happens so shortly before birth, it’s not something that can be physically changed. But understanding the PCS’ role in memory and reality perception could have some impact on drug treatments for mental disorders.

[University of Cambridge ]

Researchers Turn Cloned Human Embryo into Working Stem Cell Line

But wait, there's a catch

By Clay Dillow

Human Embryonic Stem Cells Vojtech.dostal via Wikimedia

Potentially big stem cell news out of the New York Stem Cell Foundation Laboratory today in Nature, though in our experience it’s always good to temper one’s expectations when it comes to these sorts of things. After all, we’ve thought we cracked the code on embryonic stem cell cloning technology more than once, only to find this kind of biology is much more difficult and complex than originally thought. Nonetheless, researchers have reprogrammed an adult human egg to an embryonic state and used it to create a self-reproducing embryonic stem cell line. And that’s a big deal.

But it’s not the holy grail of stem cell research. The cell line they created doesn’t produce true clones containing perfect copies of the donor’s DNA, and therefore are more or less clinically ineffective. But the development does represent a step forward for the field, and answers some important questions plaguing stem cell science.

So here’s where we’re at: Scientists are trying to take an unfertilized egg, swap out the single set of chromosomes in the egg for the two sets of chromosomes in a patient’s adult cells, and initiate a process wherein the egg develops per the instructions of the new DNA.

Usually, this process fails. Cultures stop developing after a division or two. So the NY Stem Cell team went looking for the root cause of failure. Through a series of experiments they found that whatever the problem is, it’s introduced during the removal of the egg’s native single chromosome DNA. So they did what most of us do--they skipped a step.

They just left the native DNA in there and inserted the donor DNA alongside it. The reprogramming worked, and they produced an embryo that developed up to what’s known as the blastocyst stage, where the culture contains nearly 100 cells. At this point, stem cells can be extracted from the batch.

Of course, there’s still the problem of the extra set of chromosomes rattling around in there. This makes the stem cells incompatible with the DNA donor’s tissue, so from a clinical standpoint they are roughly worthless. But from a research standpoint, a step forward is a step forward. With the problem isolated, they are now looking at new approaches to remove the native DNA from the egg that won’t cause the hiccup that halts cell division. That could take awhile, but at least now we think we’re moving in the right direction.

[Nature]

Steve Jobs Has Died, Apple Confirms

By John Mahoney

Apple.com's Tribute to Steve Jobs apple.com

Incredibly sad news from Apple just a matter of minutes ago: Steve Jobs has died today at the age of 56.

Jobs had fought pancreatic cancer publicly and privately since 2004. Just over a month ago, heofficially resigned as CEO, vowing to be a very active chairman of the Apple board, making today's news painfully abrupt.

Chances are, you encounter something on a daily basis that probably would not exist were it not for the mind of Steve Jobs, truly one of history's greatest technical, even cultural innovators. It's a sad day for all of us here at Popular Science, who daily honor the spirit of innovation Jobs embodied more than anyone else on this planet. He will be dearly missed.

A tribute page on Apple.com quotes from Jobs's successor Tim Cook's message to the company: "Apple has lost a visionary and creative genius, and the world has lost an amazing human being. Those of us who have been fortunate enough to know and work with Steve have lost a dear friend and an inspiring mentor. Steve leaves behind a company that only he could have built, and his spirit will forever be the foundation of Apple."

An email address, rememberingsteve@apple.com, has been established for those who wish to share their thoughts, memories and condolences. All of us here at PopSci extend our best wishes to his family, friends and loved ones.

[Apple]

Fat affects how brain cells talk

THE UNIVERSITY OF QUEENSLAND

“Changes in lipid composition have already been shown to be a factor contributing to the development of dementia in Alzheimer's disease." Image: Eraxion/iStockphoto Researchers at The University of Queensland's Queensland Brain Institute (QBI) have taken a significant step towards unravelling the mechanism by which communication between brain cells occurs. Findings from a study just published in Nature Communications reveals that the lipid (fat) from the membranes of brain cells controls the movement of vesicles containing chemical messengers called neurotransmitters. QBI's Associate Professor Frederic Meunier, who led the study, says these findings were made possible through experimentation with very selective compounds affecting the membrane. “Our findings explain how minute changes in the lipid composition of our neurons can have a dramatic effect on the way these cells communicate with each other in the brain,” he says. “We found that the lipid phosphatidylinositol(4,5)bisphosphate orchestrates the mobilization and movement of secretory vesicles towards the plasma membrane of neurosecretory cells.” According to Associate Professor Meunier, a better understanding of the mechanism underpinning neurotransmitter release will aid scientists' ongoing fight against the plethora of diseases affecting neuronal communication in the brain. “Changes in lipid composition have already been shown to be a factor contributing to the development of dementia in Alzheimer's disease,” he says. “We hope that developing novel compounds targetting the fat lipid composition of biological membranes could ultimately help in the treatment of such brain disorders.” Editor's Note: Original news release can be found here.

Infertility linked to heart disease

THE UNIVERSITY OF ADELAIDE

Fathers of women with PCOS are more than twice as likely to have heart disease, and more than four times as likely to have a stroke. Image: onurdongel/iStockphoto A new study from the University of Adelaide shows the parents of women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) are more likely to have some form of cardiovascular disease. PCOS is a hormonal disorder affecting about 10 per cent of women of reproductive age. It is one of the most common endocrine disorders in women and a leading cause of infertility. The study shows mothers of women with PCOS are more likely to have any form of cardiovascular disease, and almost twice as likely to have high blood pressure, than mothers of other women. Fathers of women with PCOS are more than twice as likely to have heart disease, and more than four times as likely to have a stroke, than fathers of other women. The study involved taking family medical histories from more than 700 women born at Adelaide's Queen Elizabeth Hospital between 1973-1975. The results of the study will be published today in the online journal PLosONE. "Our results show there is a strong link between cardiovascular disease in both mother and father and the risk of polycystic ovary syndrome in their daughters," says the lead author of the study, Associate Professor Michael Davies from the University of Adelaide's Robinson Institute. "It suggests that PCOS may be the consequence of a family susceptibility to chronic disease. Further research into the association between the child and parent is therefore needed," he says. "In Australia alone, about 500,000 women are affected by PCOS. While it is a leading cause of infertility, PCOS also carries with it a wide range of other, serious health complications. "By further understanding the link between PCOS and other family medical conditions, we might be able to diagnose and treat all of these illnesses at an earlier stage." Editor's Note: Original news release can be found here.