டார்வினும் இந்திய இலக்கியங்களும் ஒற்றுமை - படித்ததில் பிடித்தது.

படித்ததில் பிடித்தது: டார்வினின் பரிணாமக் கோட்பாடு இந்திய இலக்கியங்களில் எவ்வாறுகுறிப்பிடப்பட்டிருக்கிறது: விளக்கமாக தனது பதிவினில் விளக்கியுள்ளார் பால கங்காதரன் அவர்கள்: 

தச அவதாரம்:  பரிணாமக் கோட்பாட்டின் தந்தை எனப்படுபவர் சார்லஸ் டார்வின்.உயிரினங்கள் நீரினில் உருவாகி பல்வேறு மாற்றங்களை அடைந்து மனிதன் என்றநிலையை அடைந்நதது என்பது டார்வினின் கோட்பாடு. டார்வினின் கோட்பாடுவெளிவருவதற்கு முன்பே பல நுhற்றாண்டுகளுக்கு முன்பே இந்திய இலக்கியங்களில்பரிணாமக் கோட்பாடு பற்றிய விவரங்கள் காணப்படுகின்றன. அந்த விவரங்கள் பக்திஇலக்கியங்களில் காணப் படுவதால் பக்தியாக மட்டுமே, மத ரீதியாக மட்டுமே,பார்க்கப் பட்டு விட்டதால் அதில் உள்ள உண்மைத்தன்மை இந்த உலகத்திற்கு தெரியமுடியாமல் போய் விட்டது.

டார்வினின் பரிணாமக் கோட்பாடு இந்திய இலக்கியங்களில் எவ்வாறு குறிப்பிடப் பட்டிருக்கிறது  என்பதைப் பற்றிப் பாரப்போம். திருமாலின் அவதாரங்கள் பத்து எனக்குறிப்பிடப் படுகின்றன. அவை,

1. மச்ச அவதாரம்

2. கூர்ம அவதாரம்

3. வராக அவதாரம்

4. நரசிம்ம அவதாரம்

5. வாமன அவதாரம்

6. பரசுராம அவதாரம்

7. ராம அவதாரம்

8. பலராம அவதாரம்

9. கிருஷ்ண அவதாரம்

10. கல்கி அவதாரம்

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1. மச்ச அவதாரம் : (மச்சம் என்றால் மீன்)

மீன் நீரினில் வசிக்கும் உயிரினம். பரிணாம வளர்ச்சியில் உயிரினங்கள் முதன் முதலில் நீரில்தோன்றியது  என்பதைக் குறிப்பதே மச்ச அவதாரம் ஆகும்.

 

2. கூர்ம அவதாரம்  : (கூர்மம் என்றால் ஆமை) 

ஆமை நீரிலும் வாழும் நிலத்திலும் வாழக் கூடிய ஒரு உயிரினம். நீரில் வாழ்ந்த உயிரினங்கள்நீரானது வற்றிப் போன காலங்களில் நிலத்திலும் வாழ்வதற்குரிய மாற்றங்களை உடல்அமைப்பில் பெற்று காலப்போக்கில் நீரிலும், நிலத்திலும் வாழ்வதற்குரிய தகவமைப்பைப்பெறுகிறது. தகவமைப்பு என்பது குறிப்பிட்ட ஒரு சூழலுக்கு ஒத்துப்போகும் வண்ணம் மாற்றிக்கொள்ளுதல். பரிணாம வளர்ச்சியில் நீரில் வாழ்ந்த உயிரினங்கள் கால மாற்றத்திற்கு தகுந்த படிநீரிலும் , நிலத்திலும் வாழ்வதற்கரிய உடல் அமைப்பைப் பெற்றன என்பதைக் குறிப்பதே கூர்மஅவதாரம்.

  

3. வராக அவதாரம்  : (வராகம் என்றால் பன்றி) 

நீரிலும், நிலத்திலும் வாழ்ந்த உயிரினங்கள் நீரானது வற்றிப் போன காலங்களில நிலத்தில்மட்டுமே வாழ்வதற்குரிய தகவமைப்பைப் பெறுகிறது. பன்றி நிலத்தில் வாழும் ஒரு உயிரினம்.ஆனால் அது நீரில் வாழ்ந்த அதன் பதிவுகள் கலையாத காரணத்தினால் அதன் பதிவுகளின்துhண்டுதலினால் அடிக்கடி போய் சாக்கடையில் போய் படுத்து கொள்கிறது. பரிணாம வளர்ச்சியில்நீரிலும் , நிலத்திலும் வாழ்ந்த உயிரினங்கள் நிலத்தில் மட்டுமே வாழ்வதற்குரிய தகவமைப்பைப்பெற்றன என்பதைக் குறிப்பதே வராக அவதாரம் ஆகும்.

 

4. நரசிம்ம அவதாரம்: 

நரன் என்றால் மனிதன் சிம்மம் என்றால் சிங்கம். நரசிம்மம் என்றால் மனிதனும், சிங்கமும்சேர்ந்தது என்று பொருள். சிங்க தலையும், மனித உடலும் சேர்ந்தது தான் நரசிம்மம். பரிணாமவளர்ச்சியில் விலங்கிலிருந்து மனிதன் வரும்போது விலங்கின் உடலும், மனிதன் உடலும்சேர்ந்து தான் இருந்தது. அதைக் குறிப்பிடுவதே சிங்க தலையும்,  மனித உடலும் ஆகும்.நாளடைவில் தான் முழு மனிதன் உடல் உருவானது. பரிணாம வளர்ச்சியில் விலங்கிலிருந்துமனிதனாக மாற்றம் அடையும் போது விலங்கும், மனிதனும் சேர்ந்த நிலை தான் இருந்ததுஎன்பதைக் குறிப்பதே நரசிம்ம அவதாரம்.

 

5. வாமன அவதாரம் : 
வாமன அவதாரம் மூன்று அடி அளவு தான் உடையது. பரிணாம வளர்ச்சியில் விலங்கிலிருந்துமனிதனாக அதாவது முழுமையான மனிதனாக மாற்றம் அடையும் போது முதன் முதலில்குள்ளமாக மூன்றடிக்குள் தான் இருந்தான் என்பதைக் குறிப்பதே வாமன அவதாரம்.

6. பரசுராம அவதாரம் : 
மனிதன் தன் தேவையை நிறைவேற்றிக் கொள்வதற்காக காட்டு மரங்களை வெட்டியும், தன்பசியை தீர்த்துக் கொள்வதற்காக காட்டு விலங்குகளை வேட்டையாடியும் காட்டில் உயிர்வாழ்ந்தான். பரிணாம வளர்ச்சியில் காட்டில் வாழ்ந்த மனிதன் காட்டில் உயிர் வாழ்வதற்கும், தன்தேவையை நிறைவேற்றிக் கொள்வதற்கும், ஏற்ற விதத்தில் கையில் கோடாரி வைத்திருந்தமனிதனாக பரசுராம அவதாரத்தை உருவகப்படுத்தி வைத்திருக்கிறார்கள் .
 
7. ராம அவதாரம் : 
காட்டில் வாழ்ந்த மனிதன் நாட்டில் தனக்கென்று ஒரு இராச்சியத்தை உருவாக்கிக் கொண்டு,அரசாட்சி செய்தான். நாட்டில் வாழ்ந்த மனிதன் தன் பதிவின் காரணமாக பதிவின் பாதிப்புகாரணமாக  காட்டில் சுற்றி திரிந்தான். நாட்டில் இருந்த ராமர் சீதையை தேடி காட்டில் அலைந்ததுஇதன் அடிப்படையில் தான். பரிணாம வளர்ச்சியில் காட்டுக்குள் வாழ்ந்த மனிதன் நாட்டில் வந்துவாழ்ந்ததைக் குறிப்பதே ராம அவதாரம் ஆகும்.

8. பலராம அவதாரம் : 

நாட்டில் வாழ்ந்த மனிதன் தன் பசியின் தேவையை தீர்த்துக் கொள்வதற்காக உழுது பயிரிட்டுவிவசாயம் செய்து வாழ்ந்தான் பலராமர் விவசாயம் செய்வதற்கு ஏற்ற விதத்தில் கலப்பையைகையில் வைத்திருக்கிறார். பரிணாம வளர்ச்சியில் நாட்டில் வாழ்ந்த மனிதன் விவசாயம் செய்துவாழ்ந்தான் என்பதைக் குறிப்பதே பலராமர் தன் தோளில் சுமக்கும் கலப்பை ஆகும். இதுவேபலராமர் அவதாரம் ஆகும்.

 

9. கிருஷ்ண அவதாரம் :

கிருஷ்ண அவதாரம் என்பது அறிவு முதிர்ச்சியடைந்த நிலை ஆகும்.

தீமைகள் பெருகி விட்ட நிலையில் தான் வாழ பிறரையும் அழிக்கலாம் என்ற நிலை உருவாகிஇருந்த நிலையில், அந்த நிலையை மாற்ற எத்தகைய நிலையை பின்பற்றலாம் என்பதைக்குறிக்கிறது. பரிணாம வளர்ச்சியில் மனிதனின் சிந்திக்கும் திறன் எத்தகைய வழிகளில்செயல்படுகிறது என்பதைக் குறிப்பதே கிருஷ்ண அவதாரம் ஆகும்.

10. கல்கி அவதாரம் :

பூமியில் வாழ்ந்து கொண்டிருக்கும் மனிதன் சூரிய குடும்பத்தில் வேறு ஏதேனும் கிரகத்தில் வாழமுடியுமா என்று முயற்சி செய்து கொண்டிருக்கிறான். குதிரையில் ஒரு மனிதன் உட்கார்ந்துகொண்டிருக்கிறான் குதிரையின் பின்னங்கால்கள் இரண்டும் தரையிலும் முன்னங் கால்கள்இரண்டும் பூமியில் படாமல் மேல் நோக்கி துhக்கி இருப்பதைப் பார்க்கலாம் இது மனிதன் வேறுகிரகத்தில் சென்று வசிக்க இடம் தேடுவதைக் குறிக்கிறது. பரிணாம வளர்ச்சியில் மனிதன்பூமியில் இருந்து வேறு கிரகத்திற்கு சென்று வசிக்க இடம் தேடுவதைக் குறிக்கிறது. 

Autism affects motor skills, study indicates

A child places shapes on a pegboard. Researchers from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis used activities such as this to measure motor skills in children with autism‬. (ROBERT BOSTON)

(Medical Xpress) -- Children with autism often have problems developing motor skills, such as running, throwing a ball or even learning how to write. However, scientists do not know whether those difficulties run in families or are linked to autism. New research at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis points to autism as the culprit.

Their findings were reported in the journal Autism.

“From our results, it looks like motor impairments may be part of the autism diagnosis, rather than a trait genetically carried in the family,” says lead author Claudia List Hilton, PhD, assistant professor in occupational therapy and an instructor in psychiatry. “That suggests that motor impairments are a core characteristic of the diagnosis.”

The researchers studied 144 children from 67 families in which at least one child had a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder as well as at least one biological sibling in the same age group. Of the children's families, there were 29 in which two had an autism spectrum disorder, including six identical twins, and 48 in which only one child had an autism spectrum disorder.

The children were observed performing a range of motor skills, including placing pegs in a pegboard, cutting with scissors, copying forms, imitating movements, running, throwing a ball and doing push-ups. Researchers used a standardised measure of motor proficiency widely used in children with disabilities that measures fine manual control, manual coordination, body coordination and strength and agility.

The Washington University study is the first to evaluate motor impairments in children with autism spectrum disorder and their siblings who don’t have the disorder.

Hilton, along with co-author John Constantino, MD, and their team also studied the link between motor impairment and the severity of the autism spectrum disorder.

Testing showed that 83 per cent of children with autism spectrum disorder were below average in motor skills. Their siblings without an autism spectrum disorder generally scored in the normal range, with only 6 per cent below average.

In addition, identical twin pairs had very similar scores. Non-twin siblings who each had an autism spectrum disorder also had similar scores. And siblings in which one child had an autism spectrum disorder and one didn’t had very different scores.

“The data suggests that genes play a role in the motor impairments observed in those with autism spectrum disorder,” Hilton says. “This is further evidence that autism spectrum disorder is a largely genetic disorder.”

“Developmental processes in the brain which give rise to motor coordination and social responsiveness may be shared by both systems,” says co-investigator Constantino, the Blanche F. Ittleson Professor of Psychiatry and Pediatrics and director of the William Greenleaf Eliot Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Washington University. “This could explain their association in autism and provide new ideas about intervention strategies to help affected children, such as innovative methods for promoting motor development.”

In addition, the study showed that the lower the motor proficiency score in children with an autism spectrum disorder, the greater the degree of social impairment and severity of the disorder.

“Kids who have difficulty with motor skills might have trouble with what we think are simple things like brushing their teeth, buttoning, snapping or starting a zipper – things that are so basic to being independent, but would cause other problems at school,” Hilton says. “They would need to have an aide or someone helping them, which would set them off as different from the other kids.”

These impairments can lead to bigger problems later on, Hilton says.

“Some kids aren’t socially aware enough that it bothers them, but others are aware, and they feel bad about themselves,” she says. “They may have low self-esteem, so even if they have delays only in the motor skills, there is a lot of impact on their well-being into adulthood.”

More information: Hilton CL, Zhang Y, White MR, Klohr CL, Constantino J. Motor impairment in sibling pairs concordant and discordant for autism spectrum disorders. Autism. Published Jan. 18, 2012. 

Provided by Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis

"Autism affects motor skills, study indicates." February 15th, 2012. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-02-autism-affects-motor-skills.html

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Robert Karl Stonjek

Can't seem to lose weight? Top reasons why from weight-loss expert

(Medical Xpress) -- It’s been more than a month since New Year’s and swimsuit season is lurking on the horizon – how are those weight-loss resolutions working out?

“Losing weight is one of the top resolutions made every year, yet only 20 percent of people achieve successful weight-loss and maintenance,” said Jessica Bartfield, MD, internal medicine, who specializes in nutrition and weight management at Loyola University Health System’s Gottlieb Memorial Hospital.

Although two-thirds of Americans say they are on a diet to improve their health, very few are actually decreasing in size. “Dieting is a skill, much like playing a musical instrument and requires practice and good instruction, “ said Dr. Bartfield. “You’re going to hit some wrong notes and feel frustrated, but eventually you will succeed and it will get easier."

Top Four Reasons Why Dieters Don’t Lose Weight

According to Dr. Bartfield, here are reasons why many dieters fail to lose weight:

1. Underestimating Calories Consumed. “Most people (even experts!) underestimate the number of calories they eat per day. Writing down everything that you eat, including drinks and "bites" or "tastes" of food, can help increase self-awareness. Pay attention to serving sizes and use measuring cups and spoons as serving utensils to keep portions reasonable. Food eaten outside of the home tends to come in much larger portion sizes and often is much higher in calories. Try to look up nutritional information of your favorite takeout meal or restaurant and select a healthy meal before picking up the phone or going out to eat.

2. Overestimating Activity and Calories Burned. “Typically you need to cut 500 calories per day to lose 1 lb. per week. This is very difficult to achieve through exercise alone and would require 60 minutes or more of vigorous activity every day. A more attainable goal would be to try to increase activity throughout the day and get a total of 30 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise most days of the week. Buy a pedometer and track your steps; try to increase to a goal of 10,000 steps per day. But be careful: Exercise shouldn’t be an excuse to eat more!"

3. Poor Timing of Meals. “You need a steady stream of glucose throughout the day to maintain optimal energy and to prevent metabolism from slowing down. Eat breakfast every day within an hour of waking up, then eat a healthy snack or meal every 3 to 4 hours. Try not to go longer than 5 hours without eating a healthy snack or meal to keep your metabolism steady."

4. Inadequate Sleep. “Studies have shown that people who get fewer than 6 hours of sleep have higher levels of ghrelin, which is a hormone that stimulates appetite, particularly for high- carbohydrate and high-calorie foods. In addition, less sleep raises levels of cortisol, a stress hormone, which can lead to weight gain."

Bartfield regularly counsels patients through the Gottlieb Medical Weight Loss Program, an interdisciplinary, nonsurgical 12-week program that seeks to establish good health routines. “Just as you rely on an expert to learn a new skill or subject, in the Gottlieb program a registered dietitian, behavioral psychologist, exercise physiologist and a physician all partner one-on-one with patients,” Bartfield said. “Good health practices are more than just learned, they become a regular habit and a way of life.”

Provided by Loyola University Health System

"Can't seem to lose weight? Top reasons why from weight-loss expert." February 15th, 2012. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-02-weight-weight-loss-expert.html

Posted by
Robert Karl Stonjek

Water Purifiers Ineffective in Preventing Waterborne Diseases, Revealed through RTI

Dr Arvind Shenoy, senior chemical and consumer product researcher, had a hunch that Hindustan Unilever was making exaggerated claims about its Pureit water purifier. His suspicions were confirmed by the NIV which has threatened to take legal action if the company does not correct the advertising. That the giant multinational company Hindustan Unilever (HUL) has no qualms about misleading people to sell its product was exposed recently, thanks to the RTI Act. It has even been threatened with legal action for making tall claims that its water purifier 'Pureit' kills/removes one crore viruses in one litre of water.

The esteemed institution that has issued this warning to the company is the National Institute of Virology (NIV), which in its letter dated 2nd June has accused it of "twisting and misrepresenting facts". The facts pertain to a study conducted by the NIV "to evaluate the performance of domestic water purification units with respect to contaminating enteric viruses." HUL has, it seems, exaggerated by about 100 times the efficacy (of its water purifier) as tested by the NIV.

The letter written by Dr AC Mishra, director, NIV, on 2 June 2011 states: "It is brought to my attention that your company is advertising Pureit regularly on TV. The said advertisement is quoting explicitly NIV's report that the purifier kills one crore viruses in a litre of water. We have clearly reported in our paper that experiments were conducted using 0.67x105 Hepatitis E virus particles per litre of water. Hence, your advertisements are not based on facts. You are requested to refrain from twisting and misrepresenting the facts. Failing to take immediate corrective measures may force us to resort to legal action against your company."

Mumbai-based Dr Arvind Shenoy, a PhD in chemistry and a consumer product researcher, with 42 years of professional experience in consumer product testing, both chemical and microbiological, decided to invoke the RTI Act on this matter in October 2010. "It all began with their Rs1 crore safety challenge advertisement, in which the HUL proudly tom-tommed about a test report on eight domestic water purifiers by the NIV. According to HUL, the NIV report claimed that its Pureit water purifier, a gravity-fed water filtration device, was the only water purifier that "removed/killed more than one crore viruses from one litre of water (Ek Crore Virus Ek Litre Pani se Maarta Hai)," Dr Shenoy says.

He explains, "I felt an instant apprehension about HUL's advertising claims. Since NIV was a Government of India (GOI) institution, I sought information under the RTI Act, thrice in 2010. After five months of waiting (he got the information on 25 February 2011), I had all the information, which revealed what I had suspected all along! Indeed, HUL had misrepresented, twisted and blatantly lied to gullible consumers about the quality of the Pureit water purifier. The tone of the advertisements on HUL's Pureit now appears to be a calculated exercise in falsehood and deceit in order to coax as many consumers as possible to buy Pureit."

Strangely, NIV refused to take action against HUL, even after the RTI revelation. So, on 11 May 2011, Dr Shenoy wrote to Dr Vishwa Mohan Katoch, director general, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), Delhi, informing him that "Unilever Limited also markets Pureit to Indonesia and Mexico, but, in these countries they don't make such tall claims of killing one crore viruses per litre, probably for the fear of the repercussions from their respective governments."

The RTI information revealed that HUL was making its water purifier appear 100 times more efficient than what was stated in the report. Dr Shenoy says, "the document procured under RTI makes it abundantly clear that the testing was done with only 0.67x10(5) Hepatitis E Virus (HEV) particles per litre of water and not one crore, that is 1x107 HEV particles per litre of water as claimed by HUL in its advertisements."

Asked whether the testing by NIV of the eight water purifier brands was sponsored, V Gopalkrishna, scientist and public information officer at NIV, stated that "it was not a sponsored testing" and that "it was an NIV supported activity". However, Dr Shenoy who has a copy of the test report that was published by NIV researchers in the Journal of Tropical Medicine and International Health, Vol 14, pages 1-7, 2009, suspects otherwise. This is because the brand Pureit has been mentioned in the published test report (4th sentence on page 889). Mentioning a brand in such an internationally reputed journal is a violation of the norms of the US EPA's international ethical and scientific protocol.

Dr Shenoy observes, "I noticed that, curiously, for reasons best known to NIV researchers, in their published test report study on eight water purifier units in the scientific journal, they have specifically mentioned Unit number eight as Pureit, a water purifier developed by Hindustan Lever Limited. This gives an impression that the study was conducted in NIV at the behest of the manufacturers of Hindustan Unilever. It is not ethical as per international research standards to mention the name of a brand and a company specifically; hence the suspicion."

According to information received through the RTI Act, NIV tested eight brands of water purifiers sold in India. The test report was written in the international journal by Vikram Verma and Vidya A Arankalle, both scientists at NIV. (Read the article, "Virological evaluation of domestic water purification devices commonly used in India emphasizes inadequate quality and need for virological standards", from the Journal of Tropical Medicine and International Health.

The units tested were: Unit 1 - Zero B, Unit 2 - Eureka Aqua Flow, Unit 3 - Orpat, Unit 4 - Krystalle, Unit 5 - Eureka Aquasure on Tap, Unit 6 - Anjali B-Free, Unit 7 - Aqua Plus (hollow fibre membrane), and Unit 8 - Pureit (from Hindustan Unilever).

By the way, the conclusions of the report should open the eyes of people as to how ineffective the water purifiers in India are. It says, "These same samples showed free and total chlorine levels that were adequate to ensure proper elimination of bacterial contaminants, but were unable to remove pathogenic viruses. These reports clearly document a definite need for a separate, well-defined virological standard for drinking water as well as for the evaluation of water treatment plants and domestic water purifiers.

"The minimum standards established by USEPA were not designed for developing countries where the microbiological quality of public water supply may not be as good as in developed countries. India and other developing countries should formulate their own standards and ensure strict adherence by all those concerned. This will help both manufacturers and consumers to be quality conscious with respect to drinking water, a basic need for every population and the major source of a variety of infectious diseases taking heavy toll every year in all the under-developed and developing countries.

"Similar study needs to be extended to the water treatment plants/systems used in villages, small cities and the metros to truly understand the quality of water made available to the people. It would be worthwhile judging the performance of the domestic units in field, i.e. houses, with respect to water quality, adherence to the recommended maintenance of the units, as well as time period of usage. We would like to point out here that we have evaluated one unit of each type. The batch-to-batch or unit-to-unit variation was not evaluated. This is a limitation of this study and needs to be extended to several units from one batch as well as different batches.

"In conclusion, our study suggests that even with the limitation of the study pointed out above, the results indicate that six of eight units tested (one unit/type) do not confirm to USEPA standards and emphasises the need for a definite national policy for the evaluation of such devices by the regulatory authorities as well as at factory level. Such an exercise will ensure availability of quality-assured domestic water purification units to the community, thereby reducing the burden of water-borne infections. It is desirable to set up our own national virological standards as well as evaluation of the protocol developed by us in several laboratories followed by strict adherence to the method accepted and approved by the regulatory authorities."

The point here to note is that although the NIV in its letter dated 2nd June has threatened legal action if HUL does not "immediately" rectify the false information, it is nearly two months but the NIV has not yet served even a legal notice to the multinational company. Does that speak loudly of NIV's intentions in conducting the test in the first place? As for Dr Shenoy, he wants HUL to publicly apologise. He has sent HUL a legal notice on 25 July 2011.

(Vinita Deshmukh is a senior editor, author and convener of Pune Metro Jagruti Abhiyaan. She can be reached at vinitapune@gmail.com.)

Gene therapy alter cell shapes

THE UNIVERSITY OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA

"Gene therapy is a relatively new strategy that attempted to help injured brain cells survive and regrow." Image: dra_schwartz/iStockphoto Gene therapy not only helps injured brain cells to live longer and regenerate, but also changes the shape of the cells, according to researchers The University of Western Australia.  The study, published in the international science and medicine journal PLoS One, was led by Winthrop Professor Alan Harvey from UWA's School of Anatomy, Physiology and Human Biology, and Associate Professor Jennifer Rodger, NHMRC Research Fellow in Experimental and Regenerative Neurosciences at UWA's School of Animal Biology.  The research was funded primarily by the WA Neurotrauma Research Program. Professor Harvey said gene therapy was a relatively new strategy that attempted to help injured brain cells survive and regrow. "Our previous work has shown that when growth-promoting genes are introduced into injured brain cells for long periods of time (up to nine months), the cells' capacity for survival and regeneration is significantly increased," he said. "We have now shown that these same neurons have also changed shape in response to persistent over-expression of the growth factors.  Importantly, it is not just neurons containing the introduced growth-promoting gene that are affected, but neighbouring "bystander" neurons." Professor Harvey said neural morphology was very important in determining how a cell communicated with other cells and formed the circuits that allowed the brain to function. "Any changes in morphology are therefore likely to alter the way neurons receive and transmit information.  These changes may be beneficial but could also interfere with normal brain circuits, reducing the benefits of improved survival and regeneration." Professor Harvey said the results were significant for those involved in designing gene therapy-based protocols to treat brain and spinal cord injury and degeneration. "These new results suggest that we may need to be careful about the types of genes we use in neurotherapy and how long we continue the therapy.  While it may be beneficial for these genes to move around and cause changes in other cells, we need to be able to switch them off once the change has taken place." Editor's Note: Original news release can be found here.

Top site for mental health information

THE UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE

University of Melbourne researchers have found Wikipedia to be the most highly rated website for accessing information on mental health-related topics.  The researchers assessed various online and print material on mental health-related topics. They found that in most cases, Wikipedia was the most highly rated in most domains. Content about mental health was extracted from 14 frequently accessed websites, including Wikipedia, Encyclopaedia Britannica and a psychiatry textbook. Text providing information about depression and schizophrenia was assessed.  The content was rated by experts according to: accuracy, how current the information is, breadth of coverage, referencing and readability. Ratings varied significantly between resources according to the topic.  Researcher Dr Nicola Reavley and her colleagues discovered that the quality of information on depression and schizophrenia on Wikipedia was generally as good as, or better than, that provided by centrally controlled websites or psychiatry textbooks. “We know that people seeking information about mental disorders want real-time answers and assistance with accessing help. The Internet is instant, and Wikipedia is often the first stop for people looking for definitions, explanations and information about suggested treatments,” said Dr Reavley.  “The Internet provides extensive information about mental disorders that is accessed by consumers and carers. For some people in need, it is the first step to enquiring about services.” While there have been controversies about the accuracy of Wikipedia in the past and people are not always sure about trusting it – this study suggests that people can trust it to a reasonable extent.” Dr Reavley, a Research Fellow from Orygen Youth Health, at the University of Melbourne and her colleagues have constructed a website for young people interested in discussing and sharing their experiences of mental health conditions and treatments. Editor's Note: Original news release can be found here.

Vitamin D linked to language skills

TELETHON INSTITUTE FOR CHILD HEALTH RESEARCH

Children of mums who had low levels of Vitamin D during pregnancy are twice as likely to have language difficulties. Image: hidesy/iStockphoto New research from Perth’s Telethon Institute for Child Health Research has found that children of mums who had low levels of Vitamin D during pregnancy are twice as likely to have language difficulties. The research, published in the latest edition of the international journal Pediatrics, is the largest study of its kind into the link between a mother’s vitamin D levels and the effect on her child’s speech and behavioural development. The study looked at Vitamin D concentrations during the pregnancies of more than 740 women, with follow up investigations of their child’s development and behaviour at regular periods up to 17 years of age. Lead author, Associate Professor Andrew Whitehouse, said the finding was significant, given that Vitamin D levels among women are known to have decreased steadily over the past 20 years. “The developing baby is completely reliant on the mother for its Vitamin D levels and what we have shown is that this might have an impact on the child’s brain development,” Dr Whitehouse said. “While these findings are tremendously exciting, they will need to be replicated by other research groups. More research is needed for us to fully understand the impact of Vitamin D levels on the developing brain.” Dr Whitehouse said the findings had significant implications in that it could provide an early intervention to prevent some language difficulties. “We would now like to explore whether Vitamin D supplements in pregnancy could reduce the risk of language problems for children.” The study found no association between Vitamin D levels and childhood behaviour and emotional problems. Editor's Note: Original news release can be found here.

Diets destroying environment

UNIVERSITY OF WOLLONGONG

"More than 30% of Australia’s carbon footprint is related to food production." Image: DNY59/iStockphoto Australians are eating themselves to death and our food choices are one of the nation’s leading causes of environmental damage, according to a new report released today (15 February) by the Public Health Association of Australia (PHAA). At today’s launch of A Future for Food 2, the PHAA made an urgent call to the Federal Government to take responsibility for the crisis in our food system and establish a dedicated Ministry of Food with a position within Cabinet to drive cross-portfolio efforts. PHAA Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Michael Moore said obesity and other diet-related disease were evidence of a serious failure of the current food system and a ‘do nothing’ approach will allow the system to slip into crisis. "There is growing evidence that in Australia a poor diet contributes more to people being sick than any other single risk factor including tobacco and alcohol." “Australians need to eat less and eat differently to address the sky-high rates of preventable diet-related disease. The current food system is skewed towards energy dense foods that are high in fat, sugar and salt. We need to make healthy food choices the easiest and most affordable option for all Australians.” The PHAA also believes that while the phenomenon of diet-related disease is grabbing headlines and what is not recognised is the significant impact of our food choices on carbon emissions. The association pointed out that more than 30% of Australia’s carbon footprint is related to food production. According to PHAA Food and Nutrition spokesperson, Associate Professor Heather Yeatman from the University of Wollongong’s School of Health Sciences public health nutrition has the responsibility to promote food that is not only healthy, but also environmentally sustainable. “There is overwhelming evidence that certain diets and styles of eating impact more heavily on the environment than others. Fortunately, an environmentally sustainable diet is also a diet that protects against preventable disease,” Professor Yeatman said. “Moving toward a plant-based diet with smaller amounts of meat from sustainable sources and reducing consumption of highly processed foods -- such as takeaway foods that rely on fossil fuel use in production, or use excess packaging -- will help to achieve two goals. “These goals are reducing the incidence of diet-related disease and reducing the impact of the food system on the environment,” Professor Yeatman said. Mr Moore said working with the food industry was essential to implement changes in the food system, however, vested interests must not drive the policy decisions of governments. The food-related research and policy actions of government in the different sectors of health, primary industry, environment and social justice must also be connected. “The Federal Government must lead the collaboration and establish a healthy, sustainable and fair food system with public and environmental health at its core,” Mr Moore said. Editor's Note: Original news release can be found here.

New solar cells made

SWINBURNE UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY

"Light trapping technology is of paramount importance to increase the performance of thin film solar cells and make them competitive with silicon cells." Image: R-J-Seymour/iStockphoto In a boon for the local solar industry, a team of researchers from Swinburne University of Technology and Suntech Power Holdings have developed the world's most efficient broadband nanoplasmonic solar cells. In a paper published in Nano Letters, the researchers describe how they have manufactured thin film solar cells with an absolute efficiency of 8.1 per cent. The research was conducted under the auspices of the Victoria-Suntech Advanced Solar Facility (VSASF) at Swinburne, a $12 million program jointly funded by the Victorian Government, Swinburne and Suntech. The group is working to dramatically increase the efficiency of thin film solar technology. According to Swinburne Professor Min Gu, Director of the VSASF, thin film cells have attracted enormous research interest as a cheap alternative to bulk crystalline silicon cells. However, the significantly reduced thickness of their silicon layer makes it more difficult for them to absorb sunlight. "Light trapping technology is of paramount importance to increase the performance of thin film solar cells and make them competitive with silicon cells," Professor Gu said. "One of the main potential applications of the technology will be to cover conventional glass, enabling buildings and skyscrapers to be powered entirely by sunlight." The VSASF group has been improving thin film cell efficiency by embedding gold and silver nanoparticles into the cells. This increases the wavelength range of the absorbed light, improving the conversion of photons into electrons. In their most efficient cells yet, the researchers went one step further, using what are known as nucleated or ‘bumpy' nanoparticles. Senior Research Fellow at Swinburne Dr Baohua Jia said: "The broadband plasmonic effect is an exciting discovery of the team. It is truly a collaborative outcome between Swinburne and Suntech over the last 12 months." Dr Jia believes that this new technology will have an important impact on the solar industry. "What we have found is that nanoparticles that have an uneven surface scatter light even further into a broadband wavelength range. This leads to greater absorption, and therefore improves the cell's overall efficiency. Professor Gu applauded the quick timeframe in which the research group has been able to achieve 8.1 per cent total efficiency, however he believes there is still considerable scope to improve the cells and transform the way the world sources energy. "We are on a rapid upwards trajectory with our research and development. With our current rate of progress we expect to achieve 10 per cent efficiency by mid 2012," he said. "We are well on track to reach the VSASF's target to develop solar cells that are twice as efficient and run at half the cost of those currently available." Professor Gu said that another advantage of the group's approach is that nanoparticle integration is inexpensive and easy to upscale and therefore can easily be transferred to the production line. "We have been using Suntech solar cells from the outset, so it should be very straightforward to integrate the technology into mass manufacturing. We expect these cells to be commercially available by 2017." Suntech CEO Dr Zhengrong Shi said: "Our team has achieved an impressive milestone with the world record for the most efficient broadband nanoplasmonic thin-film cell. This is an important step in demonstrating the potential of nanotechnology in leading the next generation of solar cells." The Nano Letters paper was authored by Dr Xi Chen, Dr Baohua Jia, Dr Jhantu Saha, Mr Boyuan Cai, Dr Nicholas Stokes, and Professor Min Gu from Swinburne and Dr Qi Qiao, Dr Yongqian Wang and Dr Zhengrong Shi from Suntech. Editor's Note: Original news release can be found here.

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