Mind your Tongue : Swearing at work may cost employees promotion

 New York: Frequent use of curse words at workplace makes employees lose out on their promotions, but more than half of the people still swear in the office, a survey has found.

As per a recent survey of more than 3,000 hiring managers and 3,800 workers across the US, as many as 51 per cent of the people swear in the office.
The survey also found that 64 per cent of employers said they would think less of an employee who repeatedly uses curse words, while 57 per cent said they would be less likely to promote someone who swears in the office.


At the same time, one in four employers (25 per cent) themselves admitted to swearing at their employees, found the survey conducted by US-based research firm Harris Interactive for human resource solutions provider CareerBuilder.
Out of the employees who swear in the office, a vast majority (95 per cent) said they do so in front of their co-workers, while 51 per cent cuss in front of the boss.
The workers are least likely to use expletives in front of their clients (7 per cent).
In terms of gender, men are more likely to report swearing at work (54 per cent) compared to the women (47 per cent).
As per the survey, employers are inclined to think less of an employee who swears at work for a variety of reasons.
"Most (81 per cent) believe that the use of curse words brings the employee's professionalism into question," CareerBuilder said.
"Others are concerned with the lack of control (71 per cent) and lack of maturity (68 per cent) demonstrated by swearing at work, while 54 per cent said swearing at work makes an employee appear less intelligent," it added.
Among top US cities, workers in the nation's capital Washington swear the most at work (62 per cent), while it was lower in Los Angeles (56 per cent) and New York (46 per cent).
Comparing age groups, younger employees were the least likely to swear at work, while employees aged 35-44 are the most likely to curse while on the job.
In the survey, 42 per cent of employees aged 18-24 years admitted to swearing at work, while it was as high as 58 per cent for 35-44 years age group.

Moon formation 'may have been hit-and-run accident'

London: In a new study, scientists have proposed a fresh idea in the long-running debate about how the Moon was formed.

The fact that is certain is that some sort of impact from another body freed material from the young Earth and the resulting debris coalesced into today's Moon, but the exact details of the impactor's size and speed have since remained debatable. 


In a new study, researchers have suggested that the crash happened with a much larger, faster body than previously thought, the BBC reported.

Such theories need to line up with what we know about the Moon, about the violent processes that set off the creation of moons, and what computer simulations show about the more sedate gravitational “gathering-up” that finishes the job.

In recent years, scientists' best guess for how the Moon formed has been that a relatively slowly moving, Mars-sized body called Theia crashed into the very young Earth.

That would have heated both of them up and released a vast cloud of molten material, much of which cooled and clumped together to give rise to the Moon.


This would suggest that the Moon is made up of material from both the early Earth and from Theia, which should be somewhat different from one another.

What complicates this story is a number of observations of “isotopic compositions” - the ratios of naturally-occurring variants of some atoms - taken from the Earth and from lunar samples.

While the Moon has an iron core like Earth, it does not have the same fraction of iron - and computer models supporting the Theia impact idea show just the same thing.

However, the ratio of the Earth's and the Moon's oxygen isotopes is nearly identical, and not all scientists agree on how that may have come about.



The study will be published online in Icarus. 


 हमारे ग्रह का चक्कर लगा रहे चांद की पैदाइश धरती से एक विशाल पिंड की जोरदार टक्कर का नतीजा है। हालिया हुए एक शोध में यह दावा किया गया गया है। वैज्ञानिकों के मुताबिक, धरती से एक विशालकाय पिंड के तेजी से टकराने से बहुत सा पदार्थ मुक्त हुआ। चांद इसी भारी मात्रा में मुक्त हुए पदार्थ का मिला-जुला रूप है। बीबीसी के मुताबिक, उस पिंड का आकार और गति अब भी वाद-विवाद का विषय बना हुआ है। वैज्ञानिकों का मानना था कि मंगल ग्रह के आकार का एक कम गति का पिंड पृथ्वी के निर्माण के बेहद शुरुआती दौर में उससे टकरा गया। वैज्ञानिकों ने इस पिंड को थिया नाम दिया। टकराव के समय थिया और पृथ्वी दोनों ही बेहद गर्म हो गए और इससे भारी मात्रा में गैस के साथ पिघला हुआ पदार्थ चारों ओर फैल गया। बाद में जब यह मलबा ठंडा होकर जम गया, तो इससे चंद्रमा का निर्माण हुआ।

A new type of white blood cell has been discovered and researchers believe that this could be a potential target for vaccines against cancer and other diseases.

A new type of white blood cell has been discovered and researchers believe that this could be a potential target for vaccines against cancer and other diseases.
The new white blood cells jump start the immune response to eliminate the foreign agent in the body, researchers said.

"These are the cells we need to be targeting for anti-cancer vaccines. Our discovery offers an accessible, easily targetable system which makes the most of the natural ability of the cell," said Dr. Muzlifah Haniffa, senior clinical lecturer at Newcastle University and one of the authors of the study.
The researchers described a human dendritic tissue that can start an immune response without being infected themselves.
Usually other types of dendritic cells begin an immune response when the pathogen infects them. Dendritic cells present a molecule from the foreign agent to other white blood cells that then use the information to kill the invader.

The study can help in designing better vaccines against diseases like hepatitis B, according to Newcastle University press release.
For the study, researchers isolated dendritic cells from human skin and blood and from lung and liver of mouse. They used genetic expression analysis to find out subsets of dendritic cells in humans and then matched these against those isolated from mouse.
Researchers say that this will make translating findings from mouse-based studies to human-based studies easier.
"The cross-species map is in effect a Rosetta stone that deciphers the language of mouse into human", explained Matthew Collin, Professor of Haematology from Newcastle University.
They have determined that certain aspects of immune systems are same across species and have created a map that will make matching results on immune system studies easier.
"These gene signatures are available in a public repository accessible for all researchers to benefit from the data.  It will allow detailed knowledge of individual human dendritic cell subsets to enable specific targeting of these cells for therapeutic strategy," Dr. Haniffa added.
The study is published in the journal Immunity.

 What is W.B.C ( white Blood Cell ) ?

 

A scanning electron microscope image of normal circulating human blood. In addition to the irregularly shaped leukocytes, both red blood cells and many small disc-shaped platelets are visible

White blood cells, or leukocytes (also spelled "leucocytes"; from the Greek word leuko- meaning "white"), are cells of the immune system involved in defending the body against both infectious disease and foreign materials. Five different and diverse types of leukocytes exist, but they are all produced and derived from a multipotent cell in the bone marrow known as a hematopoietic stem cell. They live for about three to four days in the average human body. Leukocytes are found throughout the body, including the blood and lymphatic system.
The number of leukocytes in the blood is often an indicator of disease. There are normally between 4 and 11 billion white blood cells in a litre of blood, and ranging from 7 and 21 micrometres in diameter, they make up approximately 1% of blood in a healthy adult.An increase in the number of leukocytes over the upper limits is called leukocytosis, and a decrease below the lower limit is called leukopenia. The physical properties of leukocytes, such as volume, conductivity, and granularity, may change due to activation, the presence of immature cells, or the presence of malignant leukocytes in leukemia.


There are several different types of white blood cells. They all have many things in common, but are all distinct in form and function. A major distinguishing feature of some leukocytes is the presence of granules; white blood cells are often characterized as granulocytes or agranulocytes:

• Granulocytes (polymorphonuclear leukocytes): leukocytes characterised by the presence of differently staining granules in their cytoplasm when viewed under light microscopy. These granules are membrane-bound enzymes that act primarily in the digestion of endocytosed particles. There are three types of granulocytes: neutrophils, basophils, and eosinophils, which are named according to their staining properties.
• Agranulocytes (mononuclear leukocytes): leukocytes characterized by the apparent absence of granules in their cytoplasm. Although the name implies a lack of granules these cells do contain non-specific azurophilic granules, which are lysosomes. The cells include lymphocytes, monocytes, and macrophages.

Published by Medical daily.com

Ayurveda suggests you include all tastes — sweet, sour, salty, pungent, bitter and astringent — in at least one meal each day, to help balance unnatural cravings. Here are 12 foods that can help you lose weight and gain health:

You don't have to acquire a taste for olive oil, seaweed or soya to maintain a low-fat, healthy diet. Indian cuisine can be healthy too, if it's cooked with oil and ingredients that take care of your heart and health.

Turmeric : Curcumin, the active component of turmeric, is an  object of research owing to its properties that suggest they may help to turn off certain genes that cause scarring and enlargement of the heart. Regular intake may help reduce low-density lipoprotein (LDL) or bad cholesterol and high blood pressure, increase blood circulation and prevent blood clotting, helping to prevent heart attack.
 
 Cardamom : This is a thermogenic herb that increases metabolism and helps burn body fat. Cardamom is considered one of the best digestive aids and is believed to soothe the digestive system and help the body process other foods more
 efficiently.
 
Chillies : Foods containing chillies are said to be as foods that burn fat. Chillies contain capsaicin that helps in increasing the metabolism. Capsaicin is a thermogenic food, so it causes the body to burn calories for 20 minutes after you eat the chillies.
 
 

Curry leaves : Incorporating curry leaves into your daily diet can help you lose weight. These leaves flush out fat and toxins, reducing fat deposits that are stored in the body, as well as reducing bad cholesterol levels. If you are overweight, incorporate eight to 10 curry leaves into your diet daily. Chop them finely and mix them into a drink, or sprinkle them over a meal.
 
 

Garlic : An effective fat-burning food, garlic contains the sulphur compound allicin which has anti-bacterial effects and helps reduce cholesterol and unhealthy fats.
 

 
Mustard oil : This has low saturated fat compared to other cooking oils. It has fatty acid, oleic acid, erucic acid and linoleic acid. It contains antioxidants, essential vitamins and reduces cholesterol, which is good for the heart.
 

 
Cabbage : Raw or cooked cabbage inhibits the conversion of sugar and other carbohydrates into fat. Hence, it is of great value in weight reduction.







Moong dal : The bean sprouts are rich in Vitamin A, B, C and E and many minerals, such as calcium, iron and potassium. It is recommended as a food replacement in many slimming programmes, as it has a very low fat content. It is a rich source of protein and fibre, which helps lower blood cholesterol level. The high fibre content yields complex carbohydrates, which aid digestion, are effective in stabilising blood sugar and prevent its rapid rise after meal consumption.
 
 

Honey : It is a home remedy for obesity. It mobilises the extra fat deposits in the body allowing it to be utilised as energy for normal functions. One should start with about 10 grams or a tablespoon, taken with hot water early in the morning.
 
 
Buttermilk : It is the somewhat sour, residual fluid that is left after butter is churned. The probiotic food contains just 2.2 grams of fat and about 99 calories, as compared to whole milk that contains 8.9 grams fat and 157 calories. Regular intake provides the body with all essential nutrients and does not add fats and calories to the body. It is thus helpful in weight loss.

Question: What is buttermilk? Does buttermilk contain butter?

Answer: Many folks labor under the misconception that buttermilk is basically a buttery, high-fat milk. This couldn't be farther from the truth.

You might be surprised to learn there is no butter, per se, in buttermilk, and it is lower in fat than sweet milk. Old-fashioned homemade buttermilk is the slightly sour, residual liquid which remains after butter is churned, ie. milk from the butter or buttermilk. It was usually flecked with tiny spots of sweet, creamy butter that did not quite make it to the top to be skimmed. The flavor of buttermilk is reminiscent of yogurt and most people prefer it well-chilled. You will find it to be slightly thicker in texture than regular milk but not as heavy as cream. It takes 1 gallon of milk to yield 1/2 pint of true buttermilk.

Nowadays, most commercial buttermilk is made by adding a lactic acid bacteria culture to pasteurized sweet whole milk or, more commonly skim milk or non-fat milk, and it may or may not have added butter flecks. After the addition of the culture, the milk is left to ferment for 12 to 14 hours at a low temperature (optimum 69 degrees F.). It is usually labeled cultured buttermilk and may be salted or unsalted. Most commercial varieties are salted, so check the label if you are on a sodium-restricted diet.

 

Millets : Fibre-rich foods such as millets - jowar, bajra, ragi, etc - absorb cholesterol and help increase the secretion of the bile that emulsifies fats.
Cinnamon and cloves: Used extensively in Indian cooking, the spices have been found to improve the function of insulin and to lower glucose, total cholesterol, LDL and triglycerides in people with type 2 diabetes.

Potential anti-obesity drug developed

A new drug could aid in losing weight and keeping it off, it has been revealed.

The drug increases sensitivity to the hormone leptin, a natural appetite suppressant found in the body.

Although so far the new drug has only been tested on mice, the findings have implications for the development of new treatments for obesity in humans.

"By sensitizing the body to naturally occurring leptin, the new drug could not only promote weight loss, but also help maintain it," George Kunos, senior author of the study from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, said.

"This finding bodes well for the development of a new class of compounds for the treatment of obesity and its metabolic consequences," he said.

Although leptin is an appetite suppressant, leptin supplements alone have not been effective at reducing body weight in humans. It's thought that this is because of desensitization to the hormone; leptin is still there, but our bodies can no longer respond to it.

While it is not entirely clear how this desensitization occurs, cannabinoid receptors, which mediate the feelings of hunger produced by marijuana and naturally occurring cannabinoids in the body, are thought to be involved.

So blocking these receptors, rather than providing excess leptin, could be more effective at long-term weight loss. Knowing that marijuana use causes the munchies, scientists had developed anti-obesity drugs that target cannabinoid receptor type 1 (CB1R).

One CB1R-binding drug called rimonabant was sold in Europe beginning in 2006, but it was taken off the market a few years later due to serious psychiatric side effects, including anxiety, depression and thoughts of suicide.

To minimize these side effects, Kunos and his team previously developed a CB1R-targeting drug that did not enter the brain as easily as rimonabant.

However, the drug was not as effective at reducing weight and improving metabolic health, possibly because of its specific mode of action. In the new study, Kunos tested a new compound, JD5037, which targets CB1R without penetrating the brain.

JD5037suppressed the appetite of obese mice, caused weight loss, and even improved metabolic health, in part by resensitizing mice to the appetite-suppressing hormone leptin. Importantly, the mice did not show signs of anxiety or other behavioural side effects.


The study has been published in the journal Cell Metabolism.

Scientists have developed a new drug which they claim can make you lose weight and keep it off for a longer period.

WASHINGTON: Researchers from National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism in the United States found that the new drug increases sensitivity to the hormone leptin, a natural appetite suppressant found in the body. The study was published in the journal Cell Metabolism.

"By sensitizing the body to naturally occurring leptin, the new drug could not only promote weight loss, but also help maintain it," senior study author George Kunos said.

"By sensitizing the body to naturally occurring leptin, the new drug could not only promote weight loss, but also help maintain it," senior study author George Kunos said.

Although leptin is an appetite suppressant, leptin supplements alone have not been effective at reducing body weight in humans. It's thought that this is because of desensitization to the hormone. Leptin is still there, but our bodies no longer respond to it.

While it is not entirely clear how this desensitization occurs, cannabinoid receptors , which mediate the feelings of hunger produced by marijuana and naturally occurring cannabinoids in the body, are thought to be involved . So blocking these receptors , rather than providing excess leptin, could be more effective for long-term weight loss.

In the study, Kunos tested a new compound, JD5037, that targets cannabinoid receptor type 1 (CB1R) without penetrating the brain.

JD5037 suppressed the appetite of obese mice, caused weight loss, and even improved metabolic health, in part by resensitising mice to the appetite-suppressing hormone leptin. Importantly, the mice did not show signs of anxiety or other behavioural side effects.

Understanding the Bihar miracle:Nitish Kumar has lifted the state from the depths, but much remains to be done

"FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MORE THAN 50 YEARS,NITISH KUMAR HAS BROUGHT HOPE INTO PROSPERITY,THE STATE WILL NEED TO SUSTAIN THE CURRENT MOMENTUM"

The political row between chief ministers Nitish Kumar of Bihar and Narendra Modi of Gujarat has spilled over into an acrimonious debate on the performance of their respective states. Defenders of each state have gone on to rubbish the accomplishments of the other state. This is a painful spectacle since the achievements of both states are considerable and deserving of celebration rather than rebuke.
Focussing exclusively on Bihar today, let us begin by noting that this state has suffered from neglect by the Centre as well as local leaders during much of its existence beginning in 1947. It is fashionable to blame Lalu Prasad and his wife, Rabri Devi, for the woes of Bihar. While it is true that 15 years of misrule by this husband-wife team held back the progress of Bihar during India's crucial reform era, the state's misfortunes go much farther back. Few chief ministers preceding Lalu and Rabri had shown any passion for building an economically strong state.

Data testify to this long-standing neglect. As far back as 1980-81, per capita income in Bihar as measured by per capita net state domestic product was the lowest among all states. Even Rajasthan, the second-poorest state, enjoyed one-third higher per capita income. And the richest state, Punjab, had per capita income almost three times that of Bihar.


Unlike Rajasthan, which managed to climb up to the fifth place from below among the larger states in the subsequent decades, Bihar remained steadfastly at the bottom. The creation of Jhar-khand, accounting for a quarter of the state's original population, left it further impoverished. Because the more industrialised and richer parts of the state went with Jhar-khand, the per capita income of new Bihar fell by 10 to 15% overnight. The break-up also resulted in a decline in the proportion of the population living in urban areas.
By 2004-05, the last year before Kumar came to power, per capita income in the second-poorest Indian state, which was now Uttar Pradesh, had moved up to two-thirds higher than that of Bihar. The richest among the large states, Haryana, had per capita income almost five times that of the latter. Bihar had started the poorest in 1980-81 and it grew the slowest over the following quarter-century.

Unsurprisingly, the task facing Kumar was Herculean. He began with a per capita income that was barely two-thirds of the average of India a solid 25 years earlier. The law and order situation was in a shambles with rampant corruption and skyrocketing rates of crime. Infrastructure was among the worst in the country. A whopping 78% of the rural workforce depended for livelihood on low-productivity agriculture.
What has Kumar accomplished? Between 2005-06 and 2010-11, total incomes in Bihar have grown 9.9% annually. If we take out the first year of his administration during which his initiatives could not possibly have had any impact, growth in the remaining five years averages 11.7%. In addition to being the period of highest growth in the recorded history of Bihar, these five years have also been characterised by the least fluctuations.
In terms of other indicators, the most impressive progress has been in the literacy rate, especially among women. The proportion of the rural workforce employed in agriculture has declined from 78% in 2004-05 to 67% in 2009-10. Prudent fiscal management has helped bring the debt burden down significantly.
The change is not just good luck but the fruit of special efforts in which the chief minister is directly and actively involved. Efforts to cut down on serious crime have been greatly intensified with all indicators in terms of convictions as well as safety of citizens showing dramatic improvement. New teachers have been hired at accelerated pace, translating to rapid expansion of enrolments. And roads have been constructed at a speed not previously witnessed in the state.


While Bihar has, thus, turned a corner, it is not out of the woods by a long shot. In terms of level rather than change, in most indicators it remains 30 or more years behind the Indian average. Per capita income remains below that of India as a whole in 1980-81. Much more dramatically, urbanisation at a paltry 11% compares unfavourably with the 17% India-wide average prevailing six decades earlier in 1951. The share of manufacturing in state output stood at an abysmally low level of 3.9% in 2010-11. This is the result of more than just the loss of a vast chunk of industry to Jharkhand. The share has in fact seen a secular decline since 2000. Sectors that have driven growth are construction, hotels and restaurants and telecommunications.

For the first time in more than 50 years, Kumar has brought real hope to Bihar. To turn this hope into true prosperity, the state will need to sustain the current momentum of good policies for many more years to come. The state must continue to improve law and order and combat corruption. It also needs to reverse the decline in manufacturing and accelerate the process of urbanisation.

And, of course, if there ever existed a case for the central government to generously assist this third most populous state of the nation in its struggle against extreme poverty, it  is now. The government must rise above petty politics in helping this land of Chandragupt Maurya, Ashok and Chanakya, birthplace of Buddh-ism and Jainism and home to the great ancient university of Nalanda, regain some of its former glory.





The writer is professor of economics at Columbia University.

The faithful throng mosques for prayers On the first Friday of the holy month of Ramzan, all the city mosques,to offer Juma prayer in the afternoon.

PATNA: On the first Friday of the holy month of Ramzan, all the city mosques, numbering over 500, were overflowing with Muslims assembled to offer Juma prayer in the afternoon. Heads bowed in obeisance and palms cupped in supplication, they prayed to the Almighty for their welfare and for peace and social harmony.Starting on Saturday last, the ninth month of Islamic calendar will culminate in the festival of Eid by August 19 or 20, depending on the sighting of the moon. In this monthlong fasting or 'Roza', the Muslims offer special prayers to rededicate themselves to the Almighty. Those observing fast control themselves not only in eating and drinking but also from many desires. "This purifies one's soul and changes lifestyle. It makes a foundation of discipline and enthuses a sense of constructive thinking and working," said Islamic scholar Maulana Shakil Qasmi.
The Ramzan this time, however, created some division in the Muslim society over the date of its observance. While in Arab and Gulf countries, the month started on last Friday, in India majority of Muslims began fasting on Saturday and some others from Sunday. The confusion arose due to sighting of the moon.

Thousands of people offered 'namaz' at various mosques on the occasion of first Friday of Ramzan.The maximum rush was witnessed outside of the Masjid. Even the young ones clad in kurta pajama and white 'topi' reached the mosque to offer namaz.

Fazal Rahman, a 'rozedar' said: "It is believed that Allah always listens to the prayers offered on the Fridays of the month of 'Ramzan'. Therefore, Fridays hold a lot of importance for the Muslim community. The entire month is considered to be a month of prayers and fasting. Today we have prayed for the well-being of all of us."

Another 'rozedar' Faraz, said: "We have prayed for the betterment of the country on first Friday of the pious month."

The district administration and the police had made elaborate security arrangements.

While the Sunni Muslims began fasting from Saturday, the Shias started fasting from Sunday. Among the Sunnis, those belonging to Barailvi school of thought decided to observe fast from Sunday whereas those having faith in Deoband school began it from Saturday. It is after a long time that such a divergence of opinion happened and, in most probability, Eid would also be observed for two days in India and three days across the world.
With Ramzan falling in the months of July-August, the fasting has become hard due to heat and humidity. The test of self-restraint is made harder by frequent power cuts in the city. CM Nitish Kumar, before the start of the holy month, had directed the power board officials not to resort to power cuts in Muslim localities and asked the PMC officials to ensure proper sanitation and cleanliness. "The CM's orders remain on paper as almost all the localities are facing shutdowns during the 'Iftar' (fast breaking) time and the garbage has been left to accumulate after clearing them once," rued Kamal Ansari of Sabzibagh locality.
"The importance of this holy month is enhanced as the Holy Quran had been revealed to Prophet Mohammad during this month," said Imarat Shariah general secretary Maulana Anisur Rahman Qasmi. The special prayer during Ramzan is called 'Traveeh', which is held after the late evening namaz. In this special prayer, the ayats of chapters of Holy Quran are recited by the 'Hafiz', literally meaning 'guardian' or 'retentive', in standing position.
A six-day Traveeh session, organized by the Bihar State Sunni Wakf Board, concluded at Anjuman Islamia Hall on Thursday night. Board chairman Mohd Irshadullah said despite rain, over 5,000 people attended the traveeh prayers for six days. Traveeh prayers are held in most of the mosques throughout the month, during which all the 30 chapters of the Quran are recited.
Iftar or breaking of the fast at the dusk is the most cherished time, as after nearly 15 hours of fast time comes to break it with dates, iced sorbet and other fried delicacies. Iftar has been glamorized by the politicians and rich. On August 9, CM Nitish Kumar will host a party at 1 Anne Marg, and deputy CM Sushil Kumar Modi will arrange a party at Anjuman Islamia Hall on August 11.

Bihar is likely to get a big boost in the energy sector following the Centre's decision to explore the possibility of a 4,000 MW power project in the state.

A high-level central team of experts from the ministry of power on Friday reached here to assess the possibility of a mega power plant in the state. The team held a meeting with CM Nitish Kumar on Friday evening in which it was decided to look for 2,400 acres of land with availability of 120 cusecs of water. The team also explored probable geographical locations through satellite. Sources said the team has identified couple of sites in the state for setting up the plant.
An official said big chunks of land are available in districts like Bhagalpur and Banka for this purpose. The state will take a big leap in the energy sector in five years if the mega power plant is set up in the state. It is likely to attract major investment proposals in various sectors, said the official.
The Bihar Power Infrastructure company (BPIC) has been asked to coordinate with allied departments like water resources development, land revenue, energy and Bihar State Electricity Board (BSEB) for finalizing the site for the plant.
The central expert team also asked the BPIC to submit a detailed report including nearest coal linkage site and adequate water availability within a month. "The team is expected to visit Bihar again after receiving the detailed project report (DPR) from the state government," said BSEB spokesperson Hare Ram Pandey.
The central team was represented by Central Electricity Authority (CEA) director PD Shoval, CEA secretary MS Puri, CEA chief engineer Arun Kumar Jain, Power Finance Corporation (PFC) Vice-President Rajesh K Shahi and PFC adviser DK Gilhotra.
Besides CM Nitish Kumar, energy minister Bijendra Prasad Yadav, principal secretary (energy) Ajay V Nayak and BSEB chairman P K Rai participated in the meeting.











Source : TOI.indiatimes.com

Bihar to host international Buddhist conclave in which as many as historians and Buddists and travel operators from different countries are expected to participate at Bodh Gaya

PATNA: Bihar is gearing itself to organise a first ever international Buddhist conclave in which as many as 300 scholars, historians and Buddhists and travel operators from 30 countries including from US and Europe are expected to participate at Bodh Gaya on September 30. The first day of the two-day conclave would held at Varanasi on September 29.
Bihar's top officials are busy in monitoring the arrangements for the visiting international distinguished guests. CM Nitish Kumar is likely to be the chief guest on this occasion. In order to make it eventful, department of tourism, government of Bihar, has invited a tender for the event manager for organising forthcoming International Buddha Conclave. Three event management firms one from Bangalore and another from Delhi have participated in the bid. It would be finalised by early next month, said an official.
The department of tourism is busy preparing a probable list of gift items to be presented to the each visiting delegates. Eco-friendly material bag and a copy of a coffee table book "Buddha is calling" on foot trails of Lord Buddha, pen drive of suitable capacity containing fine quality documentary film of Bodhgaya and Buddhist circuit of Bihar besides a brochure and map of Buddhist circuit.
Live on- line presentation of 360 virtual tours of Buddhist pilgrimage sites (covering foot trails of Lord Buddha) during the conclave at the stall by the department). The department of tourism created an interactive website in which all the important tourists site can witnessed through its virtual tours. Now online booking of hotels and cars can be done. Bihar CM Nitish Kumar will formally inaugurate it on August 15 this year, said director Bihar tourism D K Srivastava.
Gala dinner of approximate 300 persons (sitting arrangement will be in form of round table say 60 round table each with 5 chairs) in the pandal itself. The menu will be traditional Indian, continental and intercontinental (only vegetarian). It will be approved by the tourism department before organising.
Momento will be given to all the participating delegates. The stone sculptor of the Patharkatti village in Aurangabad district & a quality shawl printed with "Buddham Sharanam Gacchami" slogan-(source-from Nepura & Basawanbigha villages in Nalanda district) will be gifted to the guests.

Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav is likely to inaugurate Mahabodhi Conclave in Sarnath on September 29, said Bihar tourism minister Sunil Kumar “Pintu”. Chief minister Nitish Kumar has also been invited to attend the ceremony.

Over 300 delegates from 30 different countries are expected to take part in the conclave, a two-day event organised by the Union tourism ministry in Sarnath and Bodhgaya.

While the first day of the conclave would be held in Sarnath, near Varanasi, the venue would shift to Bodhgaya on the second day. The delegates would discuss philosophy and spiritualism of Lord Buddha with Buddhist scholars on the two days of the conclave.

Nitish is expected to attend the second day of the conclave in Bodhgaya, “Pintu” said on Thursday.

The tourism minister would be present at the conclave on both the days. “Pintu” will represent Bihar on the first day of the conclave in Sarnath and would return to Bodhgaya by air with the delegates on September 30.

 “The conclave will be a historical event in Bodhgaya after the 10-day Kalchakra Puja, which was led by the Dalai Lama this year. The tourism department has started preparations for the conclave. Arrangements on a par with international standard are being made for the foreign delegates who will visit the heritage city of Bodhgaya. The urban development department has been given the responsibility of maintaining the cleanliness in the city. Sanitation work will be outsourced to agencies in and around Bodhgaya.”

The minister said: “A special kit comprising information about Bihar’s culture and the different tourist destinations of the state is being prepared for the delegates. The tourism department has also started booking hotels to accommodate the guests in Bodhgaya and Gaya.”

“Pintu” said the delegates would visit the world heritage Mahabodhi Mahavihara in Bodhgaya and other places in the Buddhist circuit, including Nalanda, Rajgir and Pawapuri. The visit to the Buddhist circuit would be finalised according to the delegates’ schedule.

The tourism department would also host a dinner in honour of the foreign delegates following the initiative of Nitish Kumar on September 30.

The Shaheed Smarak is situated in the heart of the city of Patna. Shaheed Smarak has earned its importance as a landmark of the Patna city. It is noted for its historical background.

The capital of Bihar

Patna is the capital of BIHAR. Other than being a historical place it has numerous places to visit, some of which has been mentioned. Patna was initially called Patliputra and was rules by the famous King called Ashoka the Great. He ruled from from Bihar to the south of India and his empire extended to all the way to Afghanistan.
Today Patna is the capital of modern Bihar. It is also the commercial hub of eastern India and a major railway depot in the city of Patna. Patna is a bustling city with lots of potential.

The Shaheed Smarak of Patna city has an important history behind its construction. It is a memorial constructed to commemorate the death of seven students who sacrificed their lives for the cause of the country. The Shaheed Smarak stands erected in the place where seven students performed an exceptional act of attempting to hoist the Indian National Flag during the colonial rule of the British in India. The students attempted to anchor the flag over the Bihar Vidhan Sabha or the Legislative Assembly of the state of Bihar in Patna. The effort was taken by the pupils in the year 1942, the same year in which the national call for the Quit India Movement was launched from the Gandhi Maidan, another landmark of the city of Patna. Under the command of the British Government in India, the students suffered the same fate as several other martyrs of the country. The order of shooting the trespassers was sounded and six of the students died of being shot by the police. The last and the seventh student sacrificed his life before the blazing guns of the British only after hoisting the flag over the assembly.

The Shaheed Smarak stands near the Legislative Assembly of Bihar in Patna. This grandiose structure is also known for its architectural magnificence. Historically, the structure commemorates the daring act of the students who sacrificed their life and is of great value to all Indians.

Following are the martyrs, whose names are engraved on Martyr's Memorial.

• Umakant Prasad Sinha(Raman Ji) - Ram Mohan Roy Seminary,class IX, Narendrapur,Saran
• Ramanand Singh - Ram Mohan Roy Seminary, class IX, Sahadat Nagar (at present Dhanarua),Patna
• Satish Prasad Jha - Patna Collegiate School, class X, Khadahara,Bhagalpur
• Jagatpati Kumar - Bihar National College, 2nd year, Kharati,Aurangabad
• Devipada Choudhry - Miller High English School, class IX, Silhat,Jamalpur
• Rajendra Singh - Patna High English School, matric class, Banwari Chak,Saran
• Ramgovind Singh - Punpun High English School, matric class IX, Dasharatha,Patna
  
  
  
  The foundation stone of the Shaheed Smarak was laid on 15^th August, 1947 by the then Governor , signifying its importance. It is situated infront of the eastern gate of the Satae Assembly Building.
  
  
  
  A commomorative stamp issued by the Department of Post, India on
  The Shaheed Smarak, highlighting the role of young martyrs during
  1942 Quit India movement.
  
  How to reach : This place is easily reachable by autos & cabs.
  Distance :
  Patna Junction ~ 2 km
  Airport ~ 6 km
  Mithapur Bus Stand ~ 6 km
  Nearby Places :
  State Assembly - ~25m

A single pill could treat Alzheimer's, Parkinson's AND multiple sclerosis

Early results from animal studies suggest new class of drug could be very effective against brain diseases

A Phase I trial assessing the drug's safety in human patients is under way

Early results from animal studies suggest new class of drug could be very effective against brain diseases

One pill with the potential to treat conditions including Alzheimer’s disease, multiple sclerosis and strokes has been unveiled by scientists.
Given early enough, it may even be able to stop full-blown Alzheimer’s from taking hold.
It works by dampening down the inflammation thought to be at least partly to blame for many degenerative brain conditions, as well damage caused by head injuries and strokes.
Animal tests have been encouraging and the pill has been given to humans for the first time, although the results have yet to be released.
Early results from animal studies suggest it could be effective against a plethora of devastating brain conditions.
They include Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis (MS), motor neurone disease, frontotemporal dementia, and complications from traumatic brain injury.
Two of the drugs, known as MW151 and MW189, have been patented by US scientists at Northwestern University in Chicago.
They work by blocking excess production of damaging immune system signalling molecules called pro-inflammatory cytokines.
New research published today in the Journal of Neuroscience showed how early treatment with MW151 prevented the development of full-blown Alzheimer's in laboratory mice.

Scientists say the drugs offer a completely different approach to treating the disease to others currently being tested.

These target the accumulation of beta amyloid protein deposits in the brain which are a key feature of Alzheimer's.

HOW A KNOCK ON THE HEAD CAN INCREASE YOUR RISK OF DEMENTIA

Being knocked unconscious could increase the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease, research shows.

Moderate-to-severe traumatic brain injuries (TBI) from accidents that result in a loss of consciousness disrupt proteins that regulate an enzyme associated with the disease.

New research identifies the complex mechanisms that result in a huge increase in the enzyme BACE1 in the brain after an accident.

The results may lead to the development of a drug treatment that targets this mechanism to slow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease.

Lead author Dr Kendall Walker at Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston said: 'A moderate-to-severe TBI, or head trauma, is one of the strongest environmental risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease.

'A serious TBI can lead to a dysfunction in the regulation of the enzyme BACE1.

'Elevations of this enzyme cause elevated levels of amyloid-beta, the key component of brain plaques associated with senility and Alzheimer’s disease.'

In contrast the new drugs are designed to stop inflammation disrupting wiring in the brain and killing neurons.
Pro-inflammatory cytokines cause the synapses, the connections between brain cells, to misfire. Eventually the whole organisation of the brain falls into disarray, like a failing computer, and neurons die.
'In Alzheimer's disease, many people now view the progression from mild cognitive impairment to full-blown Alzheimer's as an indication of malfunctioning synapses, the pathways that allow neurons to talk to each other,' said Professor Martin Watterson, one of the study leaders at Northwestern University's Feinberg School.
'High levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines can contribute to synaptic malfunction.'
Mice genetically engineered to develop Alzheimer's were given MW151 three times a week starting at six months of age. A comparable stage in humans would be when a patient begins to experience mild mental decline.
At 11 months, by which time the mice should have developed full-blown Alzheimer's, cytokine levels in the brains of the animals were found to be back to normal. Their synapses were also working normally.
Untreated mice had abnormally high brain levels of cytokines and their synapses were misfiring.
Co-author Dr Linda Van Eldik, director of the Sanders-Brown Centre on Aging at the University of Kentucky, said: 'The drug protected against the damage associated with learning and memory impairment. Giving this drug before Alzheimer's memory changes are at a late stage may be a promising future approach to therapy.'
Harmful inflammation also plays a role in a wide range of other neurodegenerative disorders, raising the prospect of using the drug to treat many different conditions.
Earlier tests on mice showed that MW151 reduced the severity of a disease similar to MS in humans that strips nerve fibres of their insulating myelin covering.
In other mouse experiments, the drug prevented a surge of pro-inflammatory cytokines after traumatic brain injury.
'If you took a drug like this early on after traumatic brain injury or even a stroke, you could possibly prevent the long-term complications of that injury including the risk of seizures, cognitive impairment, and, perhaps, mental health issues,' said Professor Mark Wainright, also from Northwestern's Feinberg School.
Parkinson's, non-Alzheimer's dementia and motor neurone disease were other conditions that could potentially be tackled using the new approach.
A key advantage of the drug is that it can be swallowed as a pill, rather than being injected. It easily crosses the 'blood brain barrier', a physical and molecular fortress wall that stops toxic molecules entering the brain.
Results are yet to be released from the first Phase I trial assessing the drug's safety in human patients.
This is the first step in winning clinical approval for a new treatment.

Gene therapy for bone regeneration could revolutionize the clinical management of many bone and musculoskeletal disorders.

Photomicrographs of regenerated bone in the adv BMP-2 group. (a–f) Scale bar=0.4 mm. (a–c) Masson trichrome stain. (a) Connective tissue fiber insertion into newly formed bone ( 200). (b) Sharpey's fiber insertion into cementum (200). (c) Mature lamellar trabecular bone (100). (d–e) H&E stain. (f) Von Kossa staining showing good mineralization of the regenerated bone (100). H&E stain, hematoxylin and eosin stain.

LONDON: Scientists claimed to have developed a new method which can mimic real bone tissue and regenerate bones using gene therapy.

 Bone has the unique ability to regenerate and continuously remodel itself throughout life. However, clinical situations arise when bone is unable to heal itself, as with segmental bone loss, fracture non-union, and failed spinal fusion. This leads to significant morbidity and mortality. Current attempts at improved bone healing have been met with limited success, fueling the development of improved techniques. Gene therapy in many ways represents an ideal approach for augmenting bone regeneration. Gene therapy allows specific gene products to be delivered to a precise anatomic location. In addition, the level of transgene expression as well as the duration of expression can be regulated with current techniques. For bone regeneration, the gene of interest should be delivered to the fracture site, expressed at appropriate levels, and then deactivated once the fracture has healed. Delivery of biological factors, mostly bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs), has yielded promising results both in animal and clinical studies. There has also been tremendous work on discovering new growth factors and exploring previously defined ones. Finally, significant advances are being made in the delivery systems of the genes, ranging from viral and non-viral vectors to tissue engineering scaffolds. Despite some public hesitation to gene therapy, its use has great potential to expand our ability to treat a variety of human bone and musculoskeletal disorders. It is conceivable that in the near future gene therapy can be utilized to induce bone formation in virtually any region of the body in a minimally invasive manner. As bone biology and gene therapy research progresses, the goal of successful human gene transfer for augmentation of bone regeneration draws nearer.
 

Professor Fergal O'Brien, Principal Investigator on the project explained: "Previously, synthetic bone grafts had proven successful in promoting new bone growth by infusing the scaffold material with bone producing proteins. These proteins are already clinically approved for bone repair in humans but concerns exist that the high doses of protein required in clinical treatments may potentially have negative side effects for the patient such as increasing the risk of cancer. Other existing gene therapies use viral methods which also carry risks."

"By stimulating the body to produce the bone-producing protein itself, using non-viral methods these negative side effects can be avoided and bone tissue growth is promoted efficiently and safely," Professor O'Brien said.

The research is the result of a collaborative project carried out between the Tissue Engineering Research Group led by Professor Fergal O'Brien and Dr. Garry Duffy in the Department of Anatomy, RCSI; Professor Kazuhisa Bessho, Kyoto University, Japan, and Dr. Glenn Dickson, Queen's University Belfast, Northern Ireland and consists of a multi-disciplinary research effort between cell biologists, clinicians and engineers. Results of this study were recently published in the journal Advanced Materials with Dr. Caroline Curtin, a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Anatomy, RCSI, as first author.
Bone grafts are second only to blood transfusions on the list of transplanted materials worldwide with approximately 2.2 million procedures performed annually  at an estimated cost of $2.5 billion per year . At present, the majority of these procedures involve either transplanting bone from another part of the patient's own body (autograft) or from a donor (allograft). However, these procedures have a number of risks such as infections or the bone not growing properly at the area of transplantation. Therefore there is a large potential market for bone graft substitute materials such as the innovative scaffolds being developed by the RCSI team and their collaborators.

While the biomaterials developed in this project have undoubted potential for bone repair with the capability to act as a superior alternative to existing bone graft treatments, this gene delivery platform may also have significant potential in the regeneration of other degenerated or diseased tissues in the body when combined with different therapeutic genes. This is currently a major focus of ongoing research in the Tissue Engineering Research Group which has a particular interest in using the platform to deliver genes that promote the formation of blood vessels (using angiogenic genes) in the regeneration of tissues which suffer from compromised blood supply such as heart wall tissue which has been damaged following a heart attack.

This research was funded by the European Research Council under the European Community's Seventh Framework Programme and a Science Foundation Ireland, President of Ireland Young Researcher Award.


"By stimulating the body to produce the bone-producing protein itself these negative side effects can be avoided and bone tissue growth is promoted efficiently and safely," O'Brien said.

Source :

Molecular Oncology Laboratory, Department of Surgery, The University of Chicago Medical Center, Chicago, IL 60637, USA.

Eight Bihar officers, including five IAS officers, have been nominated for the Prime Minister's Awards for Excellence in Public Administration for 2012-13.

Official sources said the officers nominated for the award include development commissioner A K Sinha, agriculture secretary N Vijay Lakshmi, director of the Bihar administrative reforms mission and principal secretary to the general administration department (GAD) Dipak Kumar and its additional director B Rajendra.
Sinha has been nominated for his contribution in boosting paddy cultivation as agriculture production commissioner. Lakshmi, Director (Agriculture) Arvinder Singh and farm scientist Ajit Kumar Jha have also been nominated along with Sinha.
Dipak Kumar has been nominated for effective implementation of the Right to Services (RTS) Act in the state.
Besides them, Chanchal Kumar, secretary to chief minister Nitish Kumar, has been nominated for efficiently handling 'Jaankari,' a Bihar government initiative wherein technology has been used to bring RTI to the masses, the sources said.
Secretary of the Bihar Road Construction Department, Prataya Amrit would be conferred with the award for turning around the loss-making Bihar Pul Raj Nirman Nigam.

Tags: Bihar Pul Raj Nirman Nigam, Sinha, Dipak Kumar, N Vijay Lakshmi, RTI

Einstein was right -The true nature of Albert Einstein's theory that time is a relative concept and the higher you live above sea level, the faster you should age, has been demonstrated with the world's most accurate clock for the first time.

Einstein had proposed 100 years ago in his theory of relativity that time and space are not as constant as everyday life would suggest.

LONDON: The world's most accurate atomic clock has clearly proved the nearly 100-year-old theory by Albert Einstein that time is a relative concept and the higher you live above sea level the faster you should age.
Einstein's theory of relativity states that time and space are not as constant as everyday life would suggest. He suggested that the only true constant, the speed of light, meant that time can run faster or slower depending on how high you are, and how fast you are travelling.
Now researchers have demonstrated the true nature of Einstein's theory for the first time with an incredibly accurate atomic clock that is able to keep time to within one second in about 3.7 billion years - roughly the same length of time that life has existed on Earth, The Independent reported.
James Chin-Wen Chou and his colleagues from the US National Institute of Standards and Technology in Boulder, Colorado, found that when they monitored two such clocks positioned just a foot apart in height above sea level, they found that time really does run more quickly the higher you are - just as Einstein predicted.
"These precise clocks reveal the effects of gravitational pull, so if we position one clock closer to a planet, you also increase the gravitational pull and time actually runs slower than for another, similar clock positioned higher up," Chou said.
The atomic clocks used in the study are based on the tiny vibrations of aluminium atoms trapped in an electric field. These vibrations are in the same frequency range of ultraviolet light, detected by lasers, which means that the atomic timepieces are optical clocks, accurate enough to measure billionths of a second.
It means that the clocks were able to perceive the dilation of time with height above ground. For every foot above ground the clocks showed that someone would age about 90 billionths of a second faster over a 79-year lifetime, Chou said.
Besides, the scientists demonstrated that when the atomic clocks were altered in a way that mimics the effect of travelling through space, time began to slow down, as the theory of relativity says it should.

Newborn care: Common-sense strategies for stressed-out parents Round-the-clock newborn care can turn your life upside down. Use these practical strategies to handle the new stress in your life.

A newborn can bring a whirlwind of activity and excitement to your life — and plenty of stress and fatigue as well. Whether you're a first-time parent or a seasoned veteran, consider 10 practical strategies to keep stress under control.

1. Take care of yourself

Resist the urge to count caffeine as a major food group or a substitute for sleep. Instead, eat a healthy diet, drink plenty of water and get some fresh air. Sleep when the baby sleeps — and work out a nighttime schedule with your partner that allows both of you to rest and care for the baby. Do something you enjoy every day, either with your baby or on your own. Good habits will help you maintain the energy you need to care for your newborn.

2. Establish visiting rules

Friends and loved ones may come out of the woodwork to admire your newborn. Let them know which days work best and how much time you have for a visit. Insist that visitors wash their hands before holding the baby, and ask anyone who's ill to stay home. Don't be afraid to set aside your social graces, either. Let trusted visitors care for the baby while you get some much needed rest.

3. Go with the flow

It's never too early to establish a routine — but let your newborn set the pace. Allow plenty of time each day for nursing sessions, naps and crying spells. Keep scheduled activities to a minimum. When you need to head out, give yourself extra time to pack your supplies and change the inevitable out-the-door dirty diaper.

4. Expect a roller coaster of emotions

You may go from adoring your baby and marveling at tiny fingers and toes to grieving your loss of independence and worrying about your ability to care for a newborn, all in the space of a single diaper change. Chances are, you and your partner are both tired and anxious as well. Talking about what's bothering you — such as a strained budget or difficulty soothing the baby — can help you stay connected. A shared laugh may help lighten the mood.

5. Relax your standards

Hide the broom and leave dust bunnies where they lie. Store clean clothes in the laundry basket until you need them — or in stacks on the floor, for that matter. Clean the bathroom with a fresh diaper wipe. Serve cold cereal and peanut butter toast for dinner when you're too tired to prepare a more traditional meal.

6. Get out of the house

If you're going stir-crazy with a fussy newborn, take the baby out for a walk. If you can, let someone you trust take over for a while.

7. Accept a helping hand

When friends and loved ones offer to help, take them up on it. Suggest holding the baby, folding the laundry, running a few errands — whatever would help you the most.

8. Nurture other relationships

Your newborn needs your love and attention, but you won't let your baby down by spending time with others. If you have other children, set aside one-on-one time with each of them. Schedule dates with your partner. Meet a friend for lunch or a movie.

9. Keep your perspective

The newborn days won't last long. Step back and appreciate the moment, even amid the chaos.

10. Know when to seek additional help

Parenting is a challenge, even on a good day. If you're depressed or you're having trouble adjusting to life with a newborn, consult your health care provider or a mental health professional. Learning to handle the new stress in your life can help you enjoy the riches parenting has to offer.

Want healthy babies? Invite your Mother-in-law to live next door.

When you become a mother you might be lucky enough to benefit from the support of a mother-in-law (MIL). your MIL a kindly, rounded doting grandma or the best friend you'll ever have, she will adhere to Mother-In-Law lore.

LONDON: Here is a break from the usual monster-in-law stories! According to a latest study, couples who live with their mother-in-law tend to have healthier offsprings. A Sheffield University study found that married couples with a mother-in-law living nearby have more babies. Records also show these children are less likely to die in infancy, the 'Daily Mail' reported.
Although, the study revealed that grandfathers seem to have less impact on kids, Dr Virpi Lummaa who conducted the study said, "That doesn't mean they don't do anything. It just doesn't translate into better survival of their grandchildren".
The study discussed at the Euroscience 2012 conference in Dublin, involved analysis of 300 years of church records, the most recent of which were from 2000.
 
The data which was used to track births, marriages and deaths in farming communities in Finland , found that sons and daughters tend to marry younger if their mother was alive. They also had more children, and left smaller gaps between babies.
Dr Lummaa proposed that as the influence was only evident when a mother-in-law lived nearby, the affected families probably benefited from an extra pair of hands, as well as the additional love and attention the children received.
The study said there was little difference between maternal and paternal mothers-in-law , but previous research suggests that a mother's mother provides the greatest benefits. Age could be a factor here, as men tend to marry later than women, their mothers are also likely to be older.

 

 Breastfeeding is WRONG

However liberal you and your friends are and however many cafes and restaurants you can freely whip your bangers out in, the one place you won't be able to breastfeed without utter shame and embarrassment will be your mother-in-law's house. You will be shown to a quiet room
upstairs where you will stay until "the deed" is done. And if you plan to breastfeed beyond six months, beware of the disapproving stares/tuts.

i

Remember, in your MIL's day anybody who breastfed beyond two months was either (a) a hippy-freak, (b) that woman who lived next-door-but-one and kept goats or (c) a dairy cow.

i

Rub whisky on your baby's gum to help teething

"We never had any trouble with teething in our day," your mother-in-law will say, which will baffle you if your own baby has been up every night for the last week howling in pain.

Until, that is, she reveals that she rubbed whisky/speed/cocaine on her son's gums up until the age of three.


Pinch the baby to wake it up

It's a good idea to dress your baby in extra-thick layers when MIL comes to visit as you know full well that if the bairn's asleep and you are out of the room there will be tears. This is because mothers-in-law love to pinch. They can't help it.

You pinch a baby to
wake it up. Yeah and you punch it to get it back to sleep....


If the baby cries, put it in another room

"We never had any trouble with screaming babies in our day."

No that's because the MIL mantra is to put a baby in the other room if it's crying. Simple. That's why when you arrive to collect your darling offspring it will ALWAYS have bright red cheeks and tear stains down its cheeks. But it will be quiet and that's the main thing (this is because it's lost its voice).


Weetabix is RIGHT

Just as soon as your baby opens its mouth, for some reason your mother-in-law will be desperate to start feeding it Weetabix. Despite your pleas that it's a bit salty and sugary, the reply will be "well her father had it every day until he was five and it never did him any harm".

"It never did him any harm" is a classic mother-in-law mantra. Being slapped on the legs all
round Asda probably never did me any harm but that doesn't make it right...


(The author would like to assert that her own mother-in-law is blooming great.)


How do you get on with your mother-in-law?

Did You Know Most Japanese People Don’t Wind Up In Nursing Homes?

Read on as I share the amazingly
simple secret...

Dear Health-Conscious Reader,

No one wants to go to a nursing home. In fact, ending up in a nursing home is something most of us dread.
But in Japan – where people live longer than in just about any other part of the world – nursing homes are almost unheard of.
These are people living long, active lives. And they’re doing it from the comfort of their own homes.
And I’m writing you today because I believe I’ve figured out how they do it…

Isolating the “Japanese Effect” for a Longer Life

On average, the Japanese outlive Americans by six years.

My name is Dr. Al Sears, MD. In addition to running my private medical practice and anti-aging wellness center, I’m constantly searching for effective, natural solutions to help you fight the aging process – so you can live better, longer.
When I was researching Japanese longevity, I looked at their overall lifestyles, their work lives, their exercise routines and what they were putting into their bodies.
There was one difference that really stood out... maybe the biggest I’ve discovered.
And it’s very simple.
The best part is you can start using it today to help you feel better and give you more energy.
It’s an antioxidant called epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG for short). The Japanese consume it almost every day, mostly in the form of green tea.
If you’re like most of us, you probably get little or no EGCG from the foods you eat and the beverages you drink. It’s just not part of the things we eat culturally. So there’s a good chance you lack the strong antioxidant cellular protection EGCG provides.
And it’s EGCG that makes all the difference...

So What Makes EGCG So Special?

Meet Dr. Al Sears, MD Uniquely Qualified to Keep You Healthier for Life Dr. Al Sears, MD, is a medical doctor and one of the nation’s first board-certified anti-aging physicians. As a board-certified clinical nutritionist, strength coach, ACE-certified fitness trainer and author, Dr. Sears enjoys a worldwide readership and has appeared on more than 50 national radio programs, ABC News, CNN and ESPN. In 2010, Dr. Sears unveiled his proven anti-aging strategies in Reset Your Biological Clock. As the first U.S. doctor licensed to administer a groundbreaking DNA therapy that activates the gene that regulates telomerase, Dr. Sears made history by bringing telomere biology to the general public.  In 2006, Dr. Sears shocked the fitness world by revealing the dangers of aerobics, “cardio” and long-distance running in his book, PACE: The 12-Minute Revolution. In 2004, Dr. Sears was one of the first doctors to document the true cause of heart disease and expose the misguided and often fatal drugs-and-surgery approach to heart health. In The Doctor’s Heart Cure, Dr. Sears outlines the easy-to-follow solution that effectively eliminates your risk of heart disease, high blood pressure and stroke. An avid lecturer, Dr. Sears regularly speaks at conferences sponsored by the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine (A4M), the American College for the Advancement of Medicine (ACAM) and the Age Management Medicine Group (AMMG). Dr. Sears has trekked through the Amazon and climbed some of the world’s tallest mountains while traveling the world in search of herbs, novel cures and traditional remedies. Meeting with doctors and healers from Peru, Brazil, India, Jamaica and Tanzania in East Africa, Dr. Sears has brought back and revitalized much of the traditional knowledge considered endangered in today’s modern world

About 20 years ago, researchers discovered evidence of a “longevity gene.” It’s a gene that may increase your life span.
We all have it, but for some people it takes a little extra push to switch it on. There are a few ways you can turn on this “longevity gene.” One way is by eating much less. Researchers found giving mice a diet with very few calories significantly extended their life spans.¹
Later on, studies found the same idea was true with a wide range of living creatures from single-celled organisms to plants and animals. The results showed that taking in fewer calories does turn on the longevity gene, and the organisms lived longer.²
Recently researchers isolated a family of life-protecting genes called sirtuins. Under conditions of severe stress, such as starvation, your sirtuins are turned on. And they transmit signals to every cell in your body to cancel out the effects of aging.
This would be a great solution to aging... if starving were an option.
That’s where EGCG comes in. EGCG helps switch on your longevity genes in a similar way as restricting your calorie intake.
One of the medical journals I follow, Rejuvenation Research, supports this idea. Their results stated: “The protective effects of high-dose EGCG against oxidative stress were comparable with the effects of caloric restriction, a well-established dietary intervention that retards aging.”
That means that with the proper intake of EGCG, you have the opportunity to get the benefits of sirtuins and still eat nutritious foods. EGCG also can help slow the aging process because it helps:

• Zap harmful free radicals.
• Promote joint comfort and mobility.
• Support healthy DNA, leaving cells stable and healthy.
• Boost your exercise capacity by up to 30 percent.
• By being 25 to 100 times more potent than vitamins C and E.
• Ward off the problems that come with aging.

So not only could you live longer, you could be adding more active years. 
But fighting the aging process and gaining youthful energy are just two possible benefits. Green tea also has been shown to help support normal cholesterol, colon function and more.

Getting the Most Benefit From EGCG
Takes More Than Drinking a Cup or Two of Tea

Before you grab your teacup, you should know something. Many of the beneficial components of green tea – including EGCG – are broken down in the intestinal tract making them useless to you.

You’d have to drink six cups of green tea every day to get the benefits of the "Japanese Effect."

In fact, your body can only absorb and use about 39 percent of these components.⁷
You’d have to drink green tea all day to get the right amount of antioxidant cell protection!
But during my research, I found a pure extract of the tea leaf that contains 50 percent EGCG.
Because it’s already in a pure form, your body is able to absorb it better in larger amounts… before your digestive system has a chance to break it down and make it useless to you.
Now you can begin to enjoy the benefits of EGCG without having to take in endless cups of tea. All it takes are two caplets of this powerful green tea extract.
But I knew I could do more to amplify the power of the green tea extract…because EGCG is only part of the equation to awaken your longevity gene.
There are four powerhouse nutrients that can activate your anti-aging sirtuins...and when you combine them, you have the power to shut down the pathways that lead to cell death and old age.

Put Your Body’s Own “Master Guardian” to Work For You

The second nutrient is something called superoxide dismutase, or SOD.
Antioxidants come from two places: your food and your own body. The ones your body can make are your primary antioxidants and they are even more powerful in keeping you young and fit than the ones that come from your food.
SOD is the most powerful antioxidant your body has. SOD safeguards your DNA, the blueprint your body uses to build every organ, tissue and cell in your body. It supports your immune system and fights off the devastating forces of aging. No other antioxidant even comes close to that kind of power.
When you’re young, you make lots of SOD. It works as sort of a “Master Guardian” of your youth. Unfortunately as you get older, you produce less and less of your own SOD – triggering the aging process.
But what happens when you supplement your levels of SOD? In one study, fruit flies that were engineered to make additional SOD lived 66 percent longer than those without the alterations.⁸ Pretty simple idea. And I believe the same theory applies to humans.
Maintain your SOD levels and you may enjoy a better life span.
But as I mentioned, if you want to turn on your longevity gene, don’t stop there...

A Natural Way to Slow the Aging Process

This next “sirtuin activator” is resveratrol. You’re probably familiar with resveratrol because it’s been hyped for years as the red wine antioxidant.
But a glass of red wine typically has less than a milligram of resveratrol. You’d need to drink a lot of wine to get the full benefits – turning something helpful into something that’s potentially a problem.
I began using a concentrated form of resveratrol with my patients years ago. It didn’t take long before I saw results. Using their blood tests as a guide, I measured changes in heart health and mobility – I even recorded a general slowing of aging.
Resveratrol also acts as a potent antioxidant, binding with “free radicals,” the molecules that cause cell damage and lead to death over time. And its power to enhance and prolong your life goes way beyond anti-aging. You could even say it’s nature’s wonder drug.
During recent studies, resveratrol excelled across the board. Some of its benefits include:⁹

• Promoting healthy glucose metabolism and optimal body weight.
• Supporting cardiovascular health.
• Enhanced mitochondrial energy production (the mitochondria are the tiny power plants inside each of your cells).
• Improved motor function, including balance and coordination.

That last benefit is worth repeating. Resveratrol actually improves your quality of life by boosting your physical abilities.
But as powerful as resveratrol is, I’ve uncovered something that could be even more exciting…

NEW Longevity Activator May Be Even Better

It turns out that resveratrol has a superstar cousin.
It’s called pterostilbene (pronounced tare-oh-STILL-bean) – and it can do many of the same things resveratrol can, plus more.
It’s so new that you’re among the first to hear about it…and I’ve just started using it in my clinic.
Pterostilbene and resveratrol are found together in nature, and also work together in your body. When you combine them, the results are even better than using one without the other.
When I look at the way the research is going, pterostilbene might even be a little bit more powerful than resveratrol.
For starters, research suggests that pterostilbene is more bioavailable.¹⁰ That means it gets absorbed into tissues more easily, so it can have its most beneficial effect.
Studies have also shown pterostilbene works harder to support the colon, brain, and cardiovascular system.^11,12
Both resveratrol and pterostilbene have remarkable effects on learning and memory. But in one study, supplementation with pterostilbene reversed cognitive behavioral deficits in animals. This study showed working memory function was correlated with levels of pterostilbene in the hippocampus, a key brain location where memory is processed.
That could be the kind of edge your brain needs to get sharper and more agile.
But there’s one more reason I like pterostilbene…

It Stops Free Radicals in Their Tracks
by Blocking Their Power Source

Pterostilbene and resveratrol are both powerful, “high capacity” antioxidants. Not only do they protect the cells in your body from early death, they trigger the activation of your anti-aging genes.
But while resveratrol fights free radicals in your bloodstream, pterostilbene targets these inflammatory molecules in a different way… In clinical studies, pterostilbene seems to block an enzyme that ordinarily would make some free radicals stronger.¹⁴
Together, these anti-aging antioxidants work to protect every cell, tissue and organ in your body – keeping them healthier, longer.

Start Creating Your Own “Japanese Effect”

To Your Good Health,

Al Sears, M.

Losing your memory is scary. Did you ever walk into a room and forget why you went in there? My patients joke and call it a "senior moment", but the fact is that it’s really no joking matter.

 More than 5 million Americans have Alzheimer’s disease and it’s currently incurable. That’s why it’s important to do what you can to prevent it and boost your brain power now.

The good news is, despite what you may have heard, cognitive decline is not inevitable. What's more, maintaining your memory has little to do with genetics, and even less to do with drugs.

What you can do are a few simple exercises that take just minutes a day. They’re easy to understand and easy to do, and I’ll show them to you free in my special report “Repair Your Aging Brain in Just 15 Minutes a Day.” 

You can slow or prevent the cognitive decline that sets in with age. You have to challenge your mind every day. Think of your brain as a dynamic system. The neurons respond to environmental factors and mental stimulation. By stimulating your mind, you preserve your memory, and can even restore the clarity you had in your youth!

Research shows the more you use your brain the less your risk of Alzheimer's disease. Dr. Yaakov Stern, a clinical psychologist at Columbia University in New York City discovered that people with less than an eighth-grade education had twice as much risk of developing Alzheimer's as those with formal education.

And if those with lower educational levels worked at mentally un-stimulating jobs, the risk was three times higher. The more connections, or synapses, you can develop between brain cells, the more resistant they are to the disease.

How do you create these connections?

I’ll show you in my Free Report - Repair Your Aging Brain... in Just 15 Minutes a Day! Get your FREE report INSTANTLY... along with the latest health news and little-known health solutions that really work.

To Your Good Health,

Al Sears, MD

Alan Sears, M.D., is a practicing physician with extensive experience in the fields of complementary and natural healthcare. The recommendation and materials on this site represent his opinion based on his years of practicing medicine. The information and material provided on this site are for educational purposes only and any recommendations are not intended to replace the advice of your physician. You are encouraged to seek advice from your physician regarding the applicability of any recommendations with regard to your symptoms or condition. It is important that you do not reduce, change or discontinue any medication or treatment without consulting your physician first. The personal stories shared on this website are personal to the users and may not be typical of the results you will have if you follow the advice provided on this website.

The information and recommendations provided on this website have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and are provided for educational purposes only.