‎~ The Heaven Gate Mountains~

It is no wonder that Tianmen Mountain in China is also called the Heaven Gate Mountain. The mountain measures up to 131 meters in height and runs 60 meters deep. Because of its high altitude, it is more like an open gate to heaven. Located in the Zhangjiajie city in China, the Heaven Gate Mountain is seven kilometers from the city. Adventures prefer hiking up to the mountain while tourists prefer a taxi or a car to get to the mountains. Apart from trekking and car rides, cable car facility is available too. The mountain boasts of a natural cave believed to have formed in 263 AD.
The Tianmen Mountain has a 500 year old temple called the Tianmenshan temple situated on its top and hence the mountain is the major place of worship for the Chinese. Written as Tien Men Shan in Chinese language, the mountain had longer days and shorter nights. The temperature is around 9 to 10 degree centigrade through most of the year. In July 1992, the Heaven Gate Mountain was established as a national park and a potential tourist attraction. To facilitate the tourism aspect, the Chinese government built the 7455 meter cable cars so that the tourists can marvel the beauty of the mountain.

Scientists show protein linked to hunger also implicated in alcoholism

Researchers at The Scripps Research Institute have found new links between a protein that controls our urge to eat and brain cells involved in the development of alcoholism. The discovery points to new possibilities for designing drugs to treat alcoholism and other addictions.

The new study, published online ahead of print by the journal Neuropsychopharmacology, focuses on the peptide ghrelin, which is known to stimulate eating.

"This is the first study to characterize the effects of ghrelin on neurons in a brain region called the central nucleus of the amygdala," said team leader Scripps Research Institute Associate Professor Marisa Roberto, who was knighted last year by the Italian Republic for her work in the alcoholism field. "There is increasing evidence that the peptide systems regulating food consumption are also critical players in excessive alcohol consumption. These peptide systems have the potential to serve as targets for new therapies aimed at treating alcoholism."

Excessive alcohol use and alcoholism cause approximately 4 percent of deaths globally each year. In the United States, that translates to 79,000 deaths annually and $224 billion in healthcare and other economic costs, according to a 2011 report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Key Brain Region

The brain region known as the central nucleus of the amygdala is thought to be a key region in the transition to alcohol dependence, that is, a biological change from experiencing a pleasant sensation upon the consumption of alcohol to the need to consume alcohol to relieve unpleasant, negative feelings due to the lack of its consumption. In animals addicted to alcohol, the central nucleus of the amygdala controls increased consumption.

"Given the importance of the central nucleus of the amygdala in alcohol dependence, we wanted to test ghrelin's effects in this region," said Maureen Cruz, the first author of the study and former research associate in the Roberto laboratory, now an associate at Booz Allen Hamilton in Rockville, MD.

The peptide ghrelin is best known for stimulating eating through its action on a receptor known as GHSR1A in the hypothalamus region of the brain. But scientists had recently shown that gene defects in both ghrelin and the GHSR1A receptor were associated with severe cases of alcoholism in animal models. In addition, alcoholic patients have higher levels of the ghrelin peptide circulating in their blood compared to non-alcoholic patients. And, the higher the ghrelin levels, the higher the patients' reported cravings for alcohol.

New Evidence

In the new study, Roberto, Cruz, and colleagues at Scripps Research and the Oregon Health and Sciences University first demonstrated that GHSR1A is present on neurons in the central nucleus of the amygdala in the rat brain.

Using intracellular recording techniques, the team then measured how the strength of the GABAergic synapses (the area between neurons transmitting the inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA) changed when ghrelin was applied. They found that ghrelin caused increased GABAergic transmission in the central amygdala neurons. With further testing, the scientists determined that most likely this was due to increased release of the GABA neurotransmitter.

Next, the researchers blocked the GHSR1A receptor with a chemical inhibitor and measured a decrease in GABA transmission. This revealed tonic, or continuous, ghrelin activity in these neurons.

In the final set of experiments, the researchers examined neurons from alcohol-addicted and control rats when both ghrelin and ethanol were added. First, the scientists added ghrelin followed by ethanol. This resulted in an even stronger increase in GABAergic responses in these neurons. However, when the scientists reversed the order, adding ethanol first and ghrelin second, ghrelin did not further increase GABAergic transmission. This suggests that ghrelin could be potentiating the effects of alcohol in the central nucleus of the amygdala, in effect, priming the system.

New Possibilities

"Our results point to both shared and different mechanisms involved in the effects of ghrelin and ethanol in the central nucleus of the amygdala," said Roberto. "Importantly, there is a tonic ghrelin signal that appears to interact with pathways activated by both acute and chronic ethanol exposure. Perhaps if we could find a way to block ghrelin's activity in this region, we could dampen or even turn off the cravings felt by alcoholics."

Roberto cautions, though, that current therapies for alcoholism only work in a subset of patients.

"Because alcohol affects a lot of systems in the brain, there won't be a single pill that will cure the multiple and complex aspects of this disease," she said. "That is why we are studying alcoholism from a variety of angles, to understand the different brain targets involved."

More information: "Ghrelin Increases GABAergic Transmission and Interacts with Ethanol Actions in the Rat Central Nucleus of the Amygdala,"www.nature.com/npp… 012190a.html

Provided by Scripps Research Institute

"Scientists show protein linked to hunger also implicated in alcoholism." September 14th, 2012. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-scientists-protein-linked-hunger-implicated.html

Posted by
Robert Karl Stonjek

MGR and ANNA Rare Photo

''அரசியல் லாபம் அண்ணாவின் லட்சியமல்ல!''

எம்.ஜி.ராமச்சந்திரன்

ஆனந்த விகடன் பொக்கிஷம் பகுதியில் இருந்து...

இருபத்தைந்து ஆண்டுக ளுக்கு முன்பு, முதன்முறையாக அண்ணாவை நான் சந்தித்தேன். நான் தூய கதராடை அணிந்து, காங்கிரஸ் இயக்கத்தில் அங்கத் தினராக இருந்தேன். அண்ணா அவர்களோ, திராவிடர் கழகத் தின் முக்கிய தலைவர். ஆனாலும், ஓர் அரசியல் தலைவர் என்ற முறையில் நான் அவரைச் சந்திக்க வில்லை. ஒரு நடிகன், ஒரு நாட காசிரியரைச் சந்திக்கும் முறையில் தான் எனது முதல் சந்திப்பு அமைந்தது. சென்னையில் நடை பெறவிருந்த, அண்ணாவின் 'சிவாஜி கண்ட இந்து ராஜ்யம்' என்ற நாடகத்தில் சிவாஜியாக நடிக்க வைப்பதற்காகத்தான் அந்த முதல் சந்திப்பு நிகழ்ந்தது.
இன்றைக்கு இருபத்தைந்து ஆண்டுகள் உருண்டோடிவிட் டன. இன்று அண்ணா அவர்கள் தமிழகத்தின் முதலமைச்சர். திராவிட முன்னேற்றக் கழகத்தைத் தோற்றுவித்து, சுமார் 20 ஆண்டு களிலே மாபெரும் இயக்கமாக வளர்த்து, 70 ஆண்டுகளுக்கு மேலான வரலாற்றையும், 20 ஆண்டுகளுக்கு மேலாக ஆட்சிப் பொறுப்பையும் ஏற்றிருந்த காங்கி ரஸை வீழ்த்தி, இந்தியத் துணைக் கண்டத்திலேயே, ஒரே எதிர்க்கட்சி ஆட்சியை ஏற்படுத்தும் அளவிற்கு மக்களின் பேராதரவைப் பெற்ற மகத்தான அரசியல் தலைவர்.

எந்த ஆயுதத்தையாவது பயன் படுத்தி, எந்த முறையைக் கையாண் டாவது அரசியல் லாபம் பெறுவது என்பது அவருடைய லட்சியமல்ல; அவருக்குத் தன்னுடைய சக்தியில் முழு நம்பிக்கை உண்டு. எழுத் திலோ பேச்சிலோ இயக்கத்தை நடத்திச்செல்வதிலோ யாருக் கேனும் இடம் அளித்துவிட்டால் அவர்கள் தன்னை அழித்துவிடு வார்கள், தன் செல்வாக்கைப் பறித்துவிடுவார்கள் என்ற எண் ணமே இல்லாதவர் அண்ணா. மாற்றாரின் திறமைக்கு மதிப் பளிப்பதிலே ஈடற்றவர். இந்தப் பண்புதான் அவரைப் பெரியா ரிடத்திலே பதினைந்து ஆண்டு களுக்கு மேலாகப் பணியாற்ற வைத்தது. இந்தப் பண்புதான் பெரியாரையே எதிர்த்து வெற்றி காண வைத்தது.

அண்ணா அவர்களின் பாச மிகு குடும்பத்திலே ஓர் உறுப்பின னாக வாழும் பேறு பெற்றதை எண்ணி எண்ணி மகிழும் நேரத் திலே அண்ணனுக்கு 60-வது பிறந்த நாள். குடும்பத் தலைவ னுக்கு 60-வது பிறந்த நாள். நாட்டின் முதல்வருக்கு 60-வது பிறந்த நாள். ஆம்... அன்புள்ளத் திற்கு, பண்புள்ளத்திற்கு 60-வது பிறந்த நாள். இந்த நாளிலே நம்முடைய பாச உள்ளங்களை அவருடைய பாதங்களிலே படைத்து மகிழ்வோம்.

Gopika poornima Best Song in Damarukam

Beautiful Iris Flowers

New book explains connections between brain chemsitry, human behavior and major life events

Emory neuroscientist Larry Young helps explain in his new book the brain chemistry behind many human behaviors that govern our lives.

Science finally has the answers to questions such as, "Why does love make us do crazy things?"

In The Chemistry Between Us: Love, Sex and the Science of Attraction, now available nationwide, neuroscientist Larry Young, PhD, and journalist Brian Alexander draw on human stories and cutting-edge research from around the world to flesh out the behaviors that govern our lives, such as physical attraction, infidelity and mother-infant bonding, and explain how our brains exert control over some of the most important and tumultuous decisions and events of our lives. 

Young is chief of the division of behavioral neuroscience at Yerkes National Primate Research Center, the director of the Center for Translational Social Neuroscience (CTSN) at Emory University and the William P. Timmie Professor of Psychiatry at Emory's School of Medicine. 

Co-author Alexander is the author of several books, including Rapture: How Biotech Became the New Religion (Basic Books) and America Unzipped: The Search for Sex and Satisfaction (Crown/Harmony). He has been a finalist for the National Magazine Award and recognized by Medill School of Journalism's John Bartlow Martin awards for public interest journalism and the Association of Healthcare Journalists.

Their book expands on Young's well-known research on the social neuroscience of bonding, most famously in voles, that what we call love is really the result of neurochemicals acting on defined brain circuits. They move from that simple premise to profound concepts about gender, sexuality, monogamy, infidelity, lust, parenting and the social and cultural implications of them all.

The authors explain the fascinating science behind questions such as: 

• Why is there a female and a male brain – and what does that mean for our understanding of gender and sexuality?
• What's the difference in brain chemistry between a woman with a new baby and one with a new boyfriend? (hint: not much)
• Why do we cheat on our spouses, and are some of us genetically more likely to cheat?

Among those giving advance praise for the book is Frans de Waal, PhD, director of the Living Links Center at Yerkes and New York Times best selling author, who says, "This lively book by a great neuroscientist and a savvy writer is the first popular account to tie together what we have learned about the chemistry of sex, love and family bonds. Progress in this field has been nothing short of breathtaking, and Larry Young is recognized as its leading pioneer. The way our brains react when boy meets girl determines the stability of marriage and the future of the human family."

Via Young's Yerkes and CTSN research programs, he focuses on understanding the genetic and neurobiological mechanisms underlying complex social behaviors, including social bonding and social attachments. This work has important implications for psychiatric disorders characterized by disruption in social cognition, including autism spectrum disorder and schizophrenia. Young and his colleagues not only want to better understand the social brain, they want to develop new treatment strategies for improving social functioning.

For more information, visit www.thechemistrybetweenus.com.

Provided by Emory University

"New book explains connections between brain chemsitry, human behavior and major life events." September 14th, 2012. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-brain-chemsitry-human-behavior-major.html

Posted by
Robert Karl Stonjek

Emotional intelligence: Fact or fad?

Emotional intelligence is not the cure-all elixir for spotting who will succeed in work and life, but it is more than a useless fad, says Carolyn MacCann.

Popular interest in emotional intelligence began with a 1995 self-help book called Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More than IQ, written by psychologist Daniel Goleman.

Goleman proposed that IQ is not the only road to success, and that emotional skills are more important in many areas of life. He packed the book with references to research by high-calibre academics, supporting the credibility of his ideas.

The book sold like hot cakes, and the concept took off. Suddenly emotional intelligence was everywhere: on the Oprah Winfrey show, on the cover of TIME Magazine, voted the most useful new word by the American Dialect Society, and enthusiastically used by business and HR professionals for selection, training and evaluation.

The suddenness and the extent of this popularity lent emotional intelligence an air of faddishness. The cartoon Dilbert lampooned emotional intelligence as a meaningless executive buzzword with one character telling another: "You have to consider my 'emotional intelligence', which is defined in a book I haven't read".

Despite its popularity at the time, there was little to no evidence emotional intelligence was more important than IQ for job performance. Although academic research began in 1990, by 1999 only a handful of peer-reviewed studies had been published.

So why did emotional intelligence became so popular in the absence of any evidence? To answer this question, it helps to understand what was going on in psychological testing when the hype began.

Runaway success leaves science behind

In the early to mid-nineties, it was all about IQ. Research had shown that how smart you were would determine your success in life—not just academic and job success, but how long you would live, your health, divorce rates and whether you would end up in prison or not.

In 1994, a book called The Bell Curve summarised research on race differences in intelligence in the USA. The book also proposed that different rates of success between races were due to different levels of intelligence between races. This caused a huge public furore with the authors accused of racism. Intelligence research and intelligence tests became tarred with the same brush.

Research scientists, and the public, were looking for an alternative to intelligence—something that was a better explanation for why people succeed or fail in their lives. When Goleman's book came out the year after The Bell Curve, emotional intelligence shot to popularity. People believed that EI was much more important than IQ, and acted accordingly.

The sudden spike in popularity had two consequences.

First, research could not keep pace with popular demand for emotional intelligence test batteries and training programs. Because tried and tested methods did not exist, HR professionals used whatever was available. Claims about the effectiveness of emotional intelligence were also untested, yet were widely believed.

The second consequence of this popularity was that many independent teams became interested in emotional intelligence at the same time, and began working in parallel. Without knowing what others were doing, different research teams defined emotional intelligence differently, measured it differently, and made quite different claims about what emotional intelligence was good for.

In an effort to end the confusion, researchers classified different types of emotional intelligence research into two kinds: 'ability models', and 'mixed models'.

Ability models defined emotional intelligence as an ability just like verbal, numerical, or musical ability, except that the content area was human emotions rather than words, numbers, or music. Mixed models were much more inclusive, defining emotional intelligence as a large number of character traits, motivation levels, and/or learned skills.

There were a large number of mixed model definitions of emotional intelligence, but really only one main ability model definition. Professor John Mayer, at the University of New Hampshire, had been quietly studying emotional intelligence years before Goleman's book pushed it into the spotlight.

Mayer's definition is now the most widely used and agreed upon. He defines emotional intelligence as four key capacities: "the capacity to perceive emotions, assimilate emotion-related feelings, understand the information of those emotions, and manage them."

Mayer and colleagues also developed a test to measure emotional intelligence, and most of the research on ability-based emotional intelligence comes from this test.

So does it really work?

It's now almost 20 years since emotional intelligence leapt into the spotlight, and there is now enough research to evaluate those early claims using meta-analysis (a statistical technique for summarising the results of many different studies).

Let's consider the claim that emotional intelligence is more important than IQ for predicting success. Differences between people's IQ scores can explain about 25 percent of the differences between people's job performance. In contrast, differences in people's emotional intelligence can explain just over 3 percent of differences in job performance. For jobs that require workers to express positive emotions (for example, service with a smile for customer service), differences in emotional intelligence explain around 7 percent of differences in job performance. So the idea that emotional intelligence is more important than IQ is plainly not true.

Sceptics might believe that the blatant falseness of these early claims deem emotional intelligence a useless fad. However, there are several reasons why this viewpoint might be throwing the baby out with the bathwater.

First, explaining 3 to 7 percent of the differences between people is non-trivial. Being 7 percent more efficient is equivalent to an extra three to four weeks of work per year.

Second, there are a lot of complex professional jobs where low-IQ people are simply not hired. In these jobs, there are few differences between people in IQ, so other characteristics (such as emotional intelligence) are more important explanations for why people succeed.

Third, performing well at work is not the only important part of life. My research shows people with high emotional intelligence tend to use more effective coping strategies, and to feel more positive emotions and fewer negative emotions .

In addition, my colleagues and I found that differences in people's emotional intelligence can explain 29 percent of the differences in people's eudaimonic wellbeing (the aspect of wellbeing related to reaching one's potential).

The conclusion seems to be that emotional intelligence is not the cure-all elixir that early claims suggested. Moreover, a lot of untested products and claims still abound in management and business circles. But research demonstrates that emotional intelligence really can be important for emotion-related jobs, and for life outcomes outside of work.

Most people would like to cope more effectively with stress, and feel greater meaning and wellbeing in their lives. Emotional intelligence can be a valuable tool to achieve these outcomes.

Provided by University of Sydney

"Emotional intelligence: Fact or fad?." September 14th, 2012. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-emotional-intelligence-fact-fad.html

Posted by
Robert Karl Stonjek

Duhsamay( দুঃসময় )The Voice Of Rabindranath Tagore

Shirdi Sai Baba Devotional Songs - Baba Saranam Sai Saranam

The Difference Between Heart Attack, Cardiac Arrest and Stroke..

People often use these terms interchangeably, but they are not synonyms. A heart attack is when blood flow to the heart is blocked, and sudden cardiac arrest is when the heart malfunctions and suddenly stops beating unexpectedly. A heart attack is a “circulation” problem and sudden cardiac arrest is an “electrical” problem.

What is a heart attack?A heart attack occurs when a blocked artery prevents oxygen-rich blood from reaching a section of the heart. If the blocked artery is not reopened quickly, the part of the heart normally nourished by that artery begins to die. The longer a person goes without treatment, the greater the damage. Symptoms of a heart attack may be immediate and intense. More often, though, symptoms start slowly and persist for hours, days or weeks before a heart attack. Unlike with sudden cardiac arrest, the heart usually does not stop beating during a heart attack. The heart attack symptoms in women can be different than men.

What is cardiac arrest?Sudden cardiac arrest occurs suddenly and often without warning. It is triggered by an electrical malfunction in the heart that causes an irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia). With its pumping action disrupted, the heart cannot pump blood to the brain, lungs and other organs. Seconds later, a person loses consciousness and has no pulse. Death occurs within minutes if the victim does not receive treatment.


What is the link? These two distinct heart conditions are linked. Sudden cardiac arrest can occur after a heart attack or during recovery.  Heart attacks increase the risk for sudden cardiac arrest. Most heart attacks do not lead to sudden cardiac arrest. But when sudden cardiac arrest occurs, heart attack is a common cause. Other heart conditions may disrupt the heart’s rhythm and lead to sudden cardiac arrest. These include a thickened heart muscle (cardiomyopathy), heart failure, arrhythmias, particularly ventricular fibrillation, and long Q-T syndrome.

Fast action can save lives. Find out what to do if someone experiences a heart attack or cardiac arrest.

What to do: Heart AttackEven if you're not sure it's a heart attack, call 9-1-1 or your emergency response number. Every minute matters! It’s best to call EMS to get to the emergency room right away. Emergency medical services staff can begin treatment when they arrive — up to an hour sooner than if someone gets to the hospital by car. EMS staff are also trained to revive someone whose heart has stopped. Patients with chest pain who arrive by ambulance usually receive faster treatment at the hospital, too.

What to do: Sudden Cardiac Arrest
Cardiac arrest is reversible in most victims if it's treated within a few minutes. First, call 9-1-1 for emergency medical services. Then get an automated external defibrillator if available and use it as soon as it arrives. Begin CPR immediately and continue until professional emergency medical services arrive. If two people can help, one should begin CPR immediately while the other calls 9-1-1 and finds an AED.

Sudden cardiac arrest is a leading cause of death – over 320,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests occur annually in the United States. By performing Hands-Only CPR to the beat of the classic disco song “Stayin’ Alive,” you can double or even triple a victim’s chance of survival. Learn the two easy steps to save a life at heart.org/handsonlycpr.

Photos Of Insects

Sanshay Mitla Majhya Mana Tala Marathi Sai Bhajan [Full Song] I Saibaba...

IP Address என்றால் என்ன?

ஒரு கணினி வலையமைப்பில் அல்லது இணையத்தில் இணைத்திருக்கும் ஒவ்வொரு
கணினியும் ஒரு இலக்கத்தைக் கொண்டிருக்கும். அந்த இலக்கத்தை வைத்தே
ஒவ்வொரு கணினியும் இனங்காணப்படுகின்றன இதனையே ( IP Address ) ஐபி முகவரி
எனப்படுகிறது. இங்கு IP என்பது Internet Protocol எனபதைக் குறிக்கிறது.

அந்த இலக்கம் ஒரு வலையமைப்பில் அந்த குறிப்பிட்ட ஒரு கணினியை மட்டுமே
குறித்து நிற்கும். இன்னொரு கணினிக்கு அதே இலக்கம் வழங்கப் படமாட்டது..
இதனை ஆங்கிலத்தில்; Uniqueness எனப்படுகிறது.

இணையத்தில் இணையும் ஒவ்வொரு முறையும் எமது கணினிக்கு இந்த ஐபி முகவரியை
இணைய சேவை வழங்கும் நிறுவனம் வழங்குகிறது.. இது ஒரு தற்காலிகமான ஐபி
முகவரியே. அடுத்த முறை இணையத்தில் இணையும் போது வேறொரு ஐபி முகவரியே
நமக்குக் கிடைக்கும்,

இதனை டைனமிக் ஐபி முகவரி (Dynamic) எனப்படும். அதேவேளை இணையத்தில்
நிரந்தரமாக இணைந்துள்ள சேர்வர் கணினிகள் ஒரு நிலையான (Static) ஐபி
முகவரியைக் கொண்டிருக்கும்.

ஒரு ஐபி முகவரி 216.27.61.137 எனும் வடிவத்தில் இருக்கும். இது நான்கு
பகுதிகளைக் கொண்டிருக்கும். ஒரு புள்ளி கொண்டு இந்த நான்கு பகுதிகளும்
பிரிக்கப்படிருக்கும். ஒவ்வொரு பகுதியும் 0 முதல் 255 வரையிலான ஒரு
இலக்கமாக இருக்கும்.

ஐபி முகவரிகள் நமது வசதிக்காக தசம் எண்களினாலேயே குறிக்கப்படுவது
வழக்கம். எனினும் கணினி இந்த இலக்கங்களை பைனரி வடிவத்திலேயே புரிந்து
கொள்கிறது, மேலுள்ள ஐபி முகவரி 11011000.00011011.00111101.10001001
எனும் பைனரி வடிவைப் பெறும். ஐபி முகவரியிலுள்ள இந்த நான்கு
பிரிவுகளையும் ஒரு ஒக்டட் (Octets) எனப்படும்.

பைனரி எண் வடிவில் ஒவ்வொரு இலக்கமும் 8 இடங்களைக் கொண்டிருப்பதால்
இவ்வாறு அழைக்கப்படுகின்றன. இவ்வாறு ஒவ்வொரு எட்டு இலக்கங்களினதும்
கூட்டுத் தொகையாக 32 எனும் இலக்கம் கிடைக்கிறது. இதனாலேயே ஐபி முகவரிகள்
32 பிட் எண் எனக் கருதப்படுகின்றன.

இந்த ஒவ்வொரு எட்டு இலக்கமும் 0 அல்லது 1 எனும் இரு வேறு நிலைகளைக்
கொண்டிருக்க முடியுமாதலால் எட்டு இலக்கங்கள் கொண்ட ஒவ்வொரு ஒக்டட்
கொண்டும் 28 = 256 வெவ்வேறான சேர்மானங்களை உருவாக்கலாம். எனவே ஒவ்வொரு
ஒக்டட்டும் 0 முதல் 255 வரையிலான இலக்கங்களைக் கொண்டிருக்க முடியும்.

இவ்வாறு நான்கு ஒக்டட் சேரும்போது 232 அல்லது 4,294,967,296 வெவ்வேறான்
சேர்மானங்களை அல்லது இலக்கங்களைக் உருவாக்கலாம். அதாவாது இந்த முறையினை
உபயோகித்து உலகிலுள்ள 4.3 பில்லியன் கணினிகளுக்கு வெவ்வேறான ஐபி
முகவரிகளை வழங்கி விடலாம்

http://216.27.61.137/

216.27.61.137

ENGINEERING FACTS

Tamil Flowers - 103 " False Daisy, Trailing eclipta" (தமிழ் மலர்கள் - 103 "கரிசிலாங்கண்ணி")

தமிழ் மலர்கள் - 103 "கரிசிலாங்கண்ணி"

Tamil Flowers - 103 " False Daisy, Trailing eclipta"

Biological Name : Eclipta prostrata

False Daisy is an annual commonly found growing in waste ground. Stems are erect or prostate, entirely velvety, often rooting at nodes. Oppositely arranged stalkless, oblong, lance-shaped, or elliptic leaves are 2.5-7.5 cm long. It has a short, flat or round, brown stem and small white daisy-like flowers on a long stalk. Eclipta grows abundantly in the tropics and is used with success in Ayurvedic medicine. Bhringaraj was used by Hindus in their Shradh, the ceremony for paying respect to a recently deceased person. This plant is one of the Hindu’s “Ten Auspicious Flowers” and is sometimes called, “the king of hair.”
Medicinal uses: [Warning: Unverified information] Bhringraj is mainly used in hair oils, but it has been considered a good drug in hepatotoxicity. In hair oils, it may be used alongwith Centela asiatica (Brahmi) and Phyllanthus emblica (Amla) It may be used to prevent habitual abortion and miscarriage and also in cases of post-delivery uterine pain. A decoction of leaves is used in uterine haemorrhage. The juice of the plant with honey is given to infants with castor oil for expulsion of worms. For the relief in piles, fumigation with Eclipta alba is considered beneficial. The paste prepared by mincing fresh plants has got an anti-inflammatory effect and may be applied to insect bites, stings, swellings and other skin diseases.

Shirdi Nasik

Pallikattu Sabarimalaikku-K.Veeramani

Nayaganai pada (Pillayar song) by Soolamangalam sisters

Explainer: what is the electromagnetic spectrum?

ANDREW W WOOD, SWINBURNE UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY

Share on print Visible light forms part of the electromagnetic spectrum. So do emissions from TV and radio transmitters, mobile phones and the energy inside microwave ovens. The X-rays used in diagnostic imaging and the materials used in advanced positron emission tomography scanners (PET) also form part of this amazing range of radiations which share some features in common. Why electromagnetic? As the name implies, they have electric and magnetic fields associated with them. Although it is a bit complicated to demonstrate these fields in the case of light and X-rays, it is quite easy to picture with radio-waves. Consider the wires shown below, in which an electric charge has been placed at the tips as shown (don’t worry about the technicalities – it’s a bit like the static charge that appears in dry hair when combed vigorously). This pair of charges (plus and minus) sets up an electric field, with the imaginary field lines shown. If now the charge is allowed to flow along the wire, this will set up a magnetic field as shown by the concentric circles. A long way away from this arrangement (which is called a dipole antenna) the electric and magnetic fields are at right angles. If the charge generator alternates between having plus and minus at the top, the field direction will also alternate, as shown, with a time period T between positive-going peaks (1 cycle). Since the generator has to do work to alternately put charge one way and then the other, this work (energy) is constantly streaming from the wires, out into the surrounds. This is why it is called “radiation”, because it is radiating outwards. In fact, at a particular point, the fields will appear to be moving past at a particular speed. This speed is the velocity of light (which in vacuum is 3 x 108 m/s, or 300,000 km/s). Even if the electromagnetic waves are invisible radio-waves or X-rays, for example, they still go at this speed. The energy spreads out over a larger and larger area as it moves away from the source, often the same in all directions. In this case, the area it spreads over is the area of a sphere (4 r2 ), thus there is an “inverse square law” of energy density, since for a particular area (1 cm2 , say) the energy falls by a factor of 1/r2. The other thing to notice is that if the wave is travelling at the speed of light ( c ) and the time for 1 cycle is T, then the length of 1 cycle (wavelength) is c x T. The table below shows the wavelengths of typical forms of radiation. Why spectrum? A spectrum is what you get by passing light through a glass prism – the white light is split into its component colours. Imagine a magic prism which could do this for the entire range of electromagnetic waves. Such a device does not exist, but if it did, wavelengths ranging from thousands of kilometres (Extremely Low Frequency or ELF) through to sizes smaller than an atom would be produced. For the radio-frequencies, there is a device, called a spectrum analyser, which does this for particular ranges. Modern mobile telephony uses “spread spectrum” technology, so a network analyser can be used to measure the amount of radio frequency (RF) energy spread out over a range of frequencies, much in the same way a glass prism does for light. Why ionising and non-ionising? Although both RF and X-rays are referred to as radiation, they interact with the body in a fundamentally different way: X-rays can remove electrons from atoms (turning them into ions, hence ionising), whereas RF cannot (hence non-ionising). The reason that exposure to high intensities of X-rays (and other rays, such as gamma rays and X-rays) is linked to cancer, is that the ionisation can lead to changes in genetic material which cannot be repaired. Non-ionising radiation has not been shown to do this. The main effect of RF radiation is to cause heating (as in a microwave oven). Lower frequencies (such as ELF) can lead to the direct stimulation of nerves and muscles, rather than heating. Using computer models of the human body (consisting of elements as small as 1mm cubes, and with the electrical properties of different types of tissue represented appropriately) it is possible to compute how much increase in temperature there will be in the parts of the head next to a mobile phone handset, when in operation. With blood-flow properly included, the increase in temperature is much less than 1ºC, in fact much less than the natural variation in temperature over a 24-hour cycle. Natural vs "unnatural" There are now many who are concerned about “electrosmog” – the soup of emissions from consumer electronics that, to a greater or lesser extent, we are all exposed to (such as wireless routers, Bluetooth connections, smart meters). It is perhaps comforting that, even before the advent of modern technologies, we were still exposed to various forms of electromagnetic radiation, principally from the sun (ranging from ultraviolet, through visible to infra-red), but also from natural (ionising) radioactivity, from various rocks such as granite and uranium ores. In addition to the relatively strong magnetic field of Earth, various atmospheric phenomena, such as lightning, produce ELF and RF fields. Remember also that the heart, brain, muscles and nerves all have electrical currents associated with them: diagnostic systems such as the well-known electroencephalogram measure body-generated electric fields and more advanced systems also measure the magnetic fields generated by the brain and other organs. There is no evidence that the introduction of radio broadcasting at the start of the 20th century was associated with an increased incidence of disease. Life expectancies in general have increased significantly over the last 100 years, with a contribution from superior diagnostic procedures (computed tomography – which uses X-rays; and magnetic resonance imaging – which uses RF and strong magnetic fields) that exploitation of the electromagnetic spectrum has allowed. Editor's Note: This article was originally published by The Conversation, here, and is licenced as Public Domain under Creative Commons. See Creative Commons - Attribution Licence.

Smoking link to ovarian cancer

SCIENCENETWORK WA

Share on print Ovarian cancer is the second most commonly diagnosed gynaecological cancer in Australia, and has a five-year survival rate of only 40%. This is the first time smoking has been solidly linked to the disease. Image: VikramRaghuvanshi /iStockphoto Researchers from Curtin University’s School of Public Health have contributed to a comprehensive international study examining risk factors for ovarian cancer. Prof Andy Lee and Prof Colin Binns took part as members of the Collaborative Group on Epidemiological Studies of Ovarian Cancer based at Oxford University and funded by UK Cancer research. Their work involved the completion of two studies in China, which were fed into a pool of data totalling 28,114 women with, and 94,942 women without, ovarian cancer. The aim of the project was to gather and analyse epidemiological evidence from published and unpublished sources which could shed light on the second most commonly diagnosed gynaecological cancer in Australia, one which Cancer Australia lists as having a five-year survival rate of only 40%. A major outcome was evidence to support smoking’s link to the disease, which until recently had not been considered a risk factor. “Previously there was only a weak link between smoking and ovarian cancer, coming from a paper in 2009. This new analysis firmly establishes that relationship for one particular type of ovarian cancer, mucinoid tumours, which account for about 15 per cent of the total of all ovarian cancers,” Prof Binns says. Interestingly, increased smoking-related occurrences of mucinoid tumours showed up primarily in borderline malignant tumours with no significant association with those fully malignant. Occurrences of other types of ovarian cancers showed no significant differences between current smokers and those how had never lit up. Outcomes were consistent along 13 socio-demographic and personal characteristics which were taken into account, including body-mass index, use of alcohol, use of oral contraceptives and menopausal hormone therapy. Prof Binns says more research was needed to understand how smoking stimulated the creation of mucinoid tumours, but stressed the first step in prevention was for women to quit cigarettes. “While giving up smoking is the best advice, we did find evidence that drinking green tea, breastfeeding, eating fruit and vegetables, getting regular exercise and avoiding obesity were also beneficial,” he says. Prof Binns says the study was a step forward and reflected well the quality of work being done at Curtin University. “We are very proud that the work of the School of Public Health is world class and can be included in this collaborative effort with other top universities from around the world,” he says. ‘Ovarian cancer and smoking: individual participant meta-analysis including 28,114 women with ovarian cancer from 51 epidemiological studies’ appears in The Lancet Oncology volume 13, issue 9. Editor's Note: Original news release can be found here.