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CALOTROPIS PROCERA : A POTENTIAL PLANT FOR HYDROCARBONS

CALOTROPIS PROCERA : A POTENTIAL PLANT FOR HYDROCARBONS

Aug 28 2009 | comment(s)

Calotropis procera is a potential plant for bioenergy and biofuel production in semi arid regions of the country. At the global level, according to recent estimates by FAO the annual tropical deforestation rate for the decade 1981 to 1990 was about 15.4 million ha (Mha).  According to the latest data published in 1994 for the assessment period 1989-1991, the total area under forests is 64.01 Mha accounting for 19.5 percent of India's geographic area.
SOME POTENTIAL PLANTS FOR BIO-ENERGY in Semi arid and arid regions.

SOME POTENTIAL PLANTS FOR BIO-ENERGY in Semi arid and arid regions.

Aug 28 2009 | comment(s)

The state of Rajasthan is situated between 23°3’N and 30°12’ N latitude and 69°30’ and  78°17’  E longitude. The total land area of the state is about 3,42,239 km2, out of which about 1,96,150 km2  is arid and rest is semi-arid. This arid and semi-arid wasteland of is rich in biodiversity. During present investigation studies were conducted on characterization of bio-energy resources in the semi arid region of Rajasthan.
Organization: What Cities And Brains Have In Common

Organization: What Cities And Brains Have In Common

Aug 28 2009 | comment(s)

You may recall the “China Brain” thought experiment about consciousness, which goes something like this: if each person in China were to mimic the activity of a neuron using cell phones to communicate with one another, would this China-sized brain like Chinese food? I may be missing some of the philosophical nuances in the question, but as a one-time philosopher, I know enough about consciousness to know I have nothing remotely worthwhile to say about it.
A big

A big "wtf" salute to NPR - dog hair and cancer

Aug 27 2009 | comment(s)

I love NPR. I listen almost every day. I just want to get that that up front and center, because right now I am staring at the NPR story on my computer with a "WTF?" look on my face, and this is not my typical NPR look.*

The headline, "Dog Hair May Shed Light On Cancer," appeared in my RSS feed inbox. I clicked on it because (a) I am a sucker for stories about dogs, and (b) I was hoping for pictures of said cute puppy puppy puppies. I was slightly disappointed on the first point; not at all on the second.
Oxytocin Linked To Attachment Style

Oxytocin Linked To Attachment Style

Aug 27 2009 | comment(s)

One of the cool things about neuroscience is that its validating some theories of psychology and even psychoanalysis.

When I wrote The Chemistry of Connection in 2007 and 2008, I made some leaps, tying together psychology and sociology, which are based on observation, with animal studies showing that mothering helps determine the distribution and sensitivity of oxytocin receptors in the brain. For one thing, I tied the oxytocin response -- the release of oxytocin in the brain in response to positive social interactions -- to attachment styles.

A new study from Baylor College of Medicine validates this link.
Cinnamomum verum Presl ( syn C.zeylanicum Bi) A plant of traditional medicine used across the globe is good for health and digestion

Cinnamomum verum Presl ( syn C.zeylanicum Bi) A plant of traditional medicine used across the globe is good for health and digestion

Aug 27 2009 | comment(s)

Scientific Name Cinnamomum verum Presl ( syn C.zeylanicum Bi)

Family Lauraceae

Used Part Bark



Distribution Area A tree native to Sri Lanka and cultivated in South India for its aromatic bark and also found to a limited extent in eastern India.


Sex Change And Corn Flakes Stress The Review Board

Sex Change And Corn Flakes Stress The Review Board

Aug 27 2009 | comment(s)

Years back, conversing with a now long-retired dean, I happened to let slip the words “common sense.” He replied, “It’s been a long time since I heard that phrase uttered on this campus, much less seen it practiced.”

He had a point.

Discursive Factoids: The D-list

Discursive Factoids: The D-list

Aug 27 2009 | comment(s)

A number of stories caught my eye today and I wanted to write about each of them, but did not want to overwhelm the blog list like someone else who shall remain nameless (but happens to play rugby) does on occasion. The first unifying thread I noticed was that all deal with the letter D. So, like Kathy Griffin, the D-list it is.

Drug dispensers: Vending machines in prison - Pepsi, Coke ... Viagra?

Really, what could go wrong in this scenario? Images of the Fonz whacking the jukebox played in my mind, but replace the Fonz with a convict and the jukebox with a vending machine dispensing prescription drugs...
Mutation Rate In Humans Gets Measured By Direct Sequencing

Mutation Rate In Humans Gets Measured By Direct Sequencing

Aug 27 2009 | comment(s)

In 1935 one of the founders of modern genetics, J. B. S. Haldane, studied men in London with the blood disease hemophilia and estimated that there would be a one in 50,000 incidence of mutations causing hemophilia in the gene affected – the equivalent of a mutation rate of perhaps one in 25 million nucleotides across the genome. Others have measured rates at a few further specific genes or compared DNA from humans and chimpanzees to produce general estimates of the mutation rate expressed more directly in nucleotides of DNA. 16 scientists report today the first direct measurement of the general rate of genetic mutation at individual DNA letters in humans and show that those early estimates were spot on.
Speedometer accuracy

Speedometer accuracy

Aug 27 2009 | comment(s)

For the drive to Montréal, I borrowed a Tom-Tom GPS device — for fun, really; the way is straightforward. It’s the first time I’ve used one in my car, and I have to say that despite the advantage of portability, the built-in ones that I’ve seen in friends’ cars are far better, what with their larger screens and consequent improvement in user interface.

One thing the Tom-Tom does is show your driving speed. Because it’s measured from the GPS signals, I presume it’s accurate. And I found something interesting: my car’s speedometer reads about 5% high, at least at highway speeds. I had to go 68 or 69 MPH on my speedometer for the GPS to show 65 MPH (the speed limit on the Northway).[1]

Plot Of The Week: Single Top Production Is

Plot Of The Week: Single Top Production Is "By The Book"

Aug 27 2009 | comment(s)

Today I wish to offer you the figure attached at the bottom of this article, which shows a combination of recent determinations of the rate at which the Tevatron proton-antiproton collisions produce single top quarks.
Mythbusters Of Stellar Birth

Mythbusters Of Stellar Birth

Aug 27 2009 | comment(s)

A team of researchers say long held beliefs about how stars are formed have been just a myth, and they say this astronomy myth got busted using a set of galaxies found with CSIRO's Parkes radio telescope.

When interstellar gas collapses to form stars, the stars range from massive to minute.  Since the 1950s many astronomers have believed that in a family of new-born stars the ratio of massive stars to lighter ones was always about the same — for every star 20 times more massive than the Sun or larger, you'd get 500 stars the mass of the Sun or less.
Review: 'Fueling the “Balance”: A Defense Energy Strategy Primer' by P. W. Singer and Jerry Warner

Review: 'Fueling the “Balance”: A Defense Energy Strategy Primer' by P. W. Singer and Jerry Warner

Aug 27 2009 | comment(s)

Many have contemplated the interrelatedness of oil and war, and this thought has been outweighed perhaps by more interpersonal matters at home.  Jerry Warner and P.W. Singer's 'Fueling the “Balance”: A Defense Energy Strategy Primer' explores the recent problems with US petroleum based tactical operations and how the costs of petroleum based vehicles used in conflict waste the United States Department of Defense billions in spending.  In the paper, the Center for Naval Analysis is cited saying
Fatostatin Molecule Is Turnoff For Fat-Making Genes

Fatostatin Molecule Is Turnoff For Fat-Making Genes

Aug 27 2009 | comment(s)

A small molecule known as 125B11 but also called Fatostatin and reportedly having both anti-fat and anti-cancer abilities is also a literal turnoff for fat-making genes, according to a new report in the journal Chemistry and Biology. 

The chemical blocks transcription factor known SREBP, a master controller of fat synthesis.   That action in mice that are genetically prone to obesity causes the animals to become leaner. It also lowers the amount of fat in their livers, along with their blood sugar and cholesterol levels.

Fatostatin or its analogs may also serve a tool for gaining further insights into the regulation of SREBP and fat metabolism
For Some Females, Fasting Prolongs Reproductive Life Span

For Some Females, Fasting Prolongs Reproductive Life Span

Aug 27 2009 | comment(s)

If you studied the basics of human anatomy, you probably know that females are born with their entire lifetime's supply of eggs and once they're gone, they're gone.    New findings by researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center say that is not always true.

The good news; during starvation, ovulation stops and when normal food conditions resume, so do the eggs, basically turning back the reproductive clock.

The bad news; it only works in in nematode worms.
An Introduction to New History: Coincidence

An Introduction to New History: Coincidence

Aug 27 2009 | comment(s)

    In December of 2006, two coinciding events occurred.  Saddam Hussein's death was youtubed and Bill Gates published an article in Scientific American called "A Robot in Every Home".  It was a telling time in that two public 'medias' unexpectedly created a new perspective on technology and war: Robots would eventually live alongside humans, and humans, if not physically, would live technologically closer to war.
Summer Reading: British Sci-Fi

Summer Reading: British Sci-Fi

Aug 27 2009 | comment(s)

This summer I discovered a new (to me) literary genre: post-war British Sci-Fi. The decades after WWII were (not surprisingly) rather rough on the Brits, and the zeitgeist found an interesting outlet in science fiction. What makes these books so awesome?

Primarily it's the tone of stoic despair, a la Orwell. These books are less about the implications of technology, and more about capturing the mood of the times. There's one science/technology schtick to get things rolling, and from there on out it's all about how dysfunctional society can get. Imagine a sci-fi Flannery O'Connor or Cormac McCarthy with a dose of classic British reserve.

I've read two books so far and I'm looking for recommendations for more, so don't hold back in the comments.
LDR Brachytherapy Verification Spreadsheet

LDR Brachytherapy Verification Spreadsheet

Aug 27 2009 | comment(s)

Screen shot

IPL Cs-137 dose point verification using excel spreadsheet.

Download here
Informed Consent And Conflict Of Interest Disclosures - Some Basics

Informed Consent And Conflict Of Interest Disclosures - Some Basics

Aug 26 2009 | comment(s)

Informed consent is tricky business because there are disagreements about what informed consent can mean outside the country of the company conducting the trial and people will grant a lot of consent if they believe a treatment can help them, which can lead to exploitation.

One item that is not a topic of heavy debate is financial interest disclosures.  Everyone seems to agree they are important but there are no comprehensive guidelines governing it.