AF Data Digital Pvt. Ltd.,: May 11, 2010

HEALTH ISSUE: SHORT CUTS

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

SHORT CUTS

'Software boss' to hire, pay workers:
Have you ever joked that your boss works like a robot? Well, it could soon be a reality, for a web service has been launched that software algorithms to automatically recruit, hire and pay workers to do a wide variety of tasks. The website normally provides a forum for companies wanting to outsource their work. Now it has been upgraded so that developers can write software to post job adverts on the site, take on respondents any pay them for the results without human input. "For the last 60 years, humans have controlled software - now we're getting to the stage where software can control humans," New Scientist quoted Matt Barrie of Australian website Freelancer.com as saying.

Smartphones exposing kids to suicide:
Smartphones such as Apple's IPhone are allowing children to download violent and sexually explicit games that have escaped government classification. The classification loophole means schoolchildren given smart phones and similar devices by their parents are being exposed to material which would be restricted in other forms of media, such as video game consoles, magazines and movies. The material can be downloaded on to IPhones from Apple's App Store in as little as 60 seconds, adn only a credit card is needed to create an ITunes account to downoload the apps.

New way to disperse gold particles:
Scientists have discovered a new way to disperse gold nanoparticles through plastic, which they claim could make possible a lot of unusual materials such as durable paint, faster computers and cheaper TV sets. Adrian Fuchs of Queensland University of Technology, who led the team, said that the technique was a model for dispersing metals in nanoparticle form throughout polymers or plastic materials.

HEALTH ISSUE: SHORT CUTS

SHORT CUTS

Scientists find new gene
links to breast cancer
British scientists have found five common genetic factors linked to the risk of developing breast cancer, giving researchers a better understanding of its causes and clues for developing more treatments. Douglas Easton from Britian's University of Cambridge led the largest genome-wide analysis of breast cancer patients to date, scanning the gene maps of 16,536 patients, and found five new common gene variations. The findings add to 13 other common genetic variants for breast cancer and will help explain around 8% of the risk of getting the disease, Easton and colleagues wrote in a study published in the journal Nature Genetics on Sunday. A few, high risk gene variants that o0ccur much more rarely account for another 20% of breast cancer risk.

Mutant genes tied to arthritis:
   A large study of European populations has uncovered seven new clusters of defective genes which may be responsible for rheumatoid arthritis, a painful and disabling disease that affects mainly the joints. Eli Ayumi Stahl of the Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston in the United States, who led the study, and her team repeated six previous studies involving 5,539 patients, analyzing their genes using the latest technology. They shortlisted 34 genetic variants most likely to cause RA, They then checked if those genetic defects were found in another batch of patients in North America and Europe. Ten of the 34 variants figured prominently.

Soy beans harm sperm production:
   Scientists in China have found that a naturally occurring ingredient of soy beans, increasingly sold as substitutes for dairy-based food, interferes with a part of the male reproductive system involved in sperm production. There is already evidence to suggest that soy beans contain natural chemicals that mimic the effect of female sex hormones, Soy contains genistein, known to interact with the 'receptor' molecules on cells designed to respond to oestrogens. A new study by Ren-Shan Ge of the Wenzhou Medical College in China found that genistein could interfere with the production of vital enzymes involved in producing sperm.

HEALTH ISSUE: Healing Of Broken Bones

Now, a jab to mend broken bones

LONDON: Scientists have found a novel way to significantly speed up the healing of broken bones in mice, a feat which, if replicated in humans, could mean people with fractures would be free of their casts a lot sooner.

Jill Helms, Roel Nusse and team at Stanford University in California drilled small holes into the shin bones of mice, and injected them with Wnt proteins. These proteins prompt bone stem cells to divide. Three days later, bone growth was three times greater than in mice injected with a placebo. The approach could prove to be better than adding new stem cells, which can divide uncontrollably. According to Thomas Einhorn, a Boston University biochemist, Wnt is an alluring therapeutic target. Malfunctions have been linked to human bone disorders, underscoring their importance.

MORAL STUDY From Infants Can Make Value Judgments....

Blank slate? 6-month-old can tell good from bad

Infants Can Make Value Judgments, Finds American Research

Contrary to the Freudian theory that humans start their lives with a moral 'blank slate" , children may be horn with the ability to tell good from bad, according to a new study.

Newly born babies apparently start making moral judgments by the time they are six months old, claims a team of psychologists at the infant cognition centre at Yale University in Connecticut.

The scientists used the ability to tell helpful from unhelpful behaviour as an indication of moral judgment.Infants can even act as judge and jury in the nursery.

Researchers who asked one-year-old babies to take away treats from a "naughty" puppet found they were sometimes also leaning over and smacking the figure on the head.

As part of the study, they conducted multiple tests on infants, less than a year old. Firstly, an animated film of simple geometric shapes was screened for the kids to watch. It showed a red ball, with eyes, trying to climb a hill,. A yellow square helped, pushing it up, while a green triangle forced it back down.

Later, the children were asked to "choose" between the "good guy" square, and the "bad guy" triangle. In 80% of cases the infants chose the squate over the triangle.

In a second study, the children were shown a toy dog trying to open a box. One teddy hear helped him, while another saton it ito stop him gettign inside.

The observers found that most babies opted for the friendly teddy bear. To further confirm that the babies were responding to niceness and naughtiness the scientists devised another test.

A toy cat played with a ball while a cuddly rabbit puppet stood on either side. When the cat lost the ball, the rabbit on the right side returned it to him. while the rabbit on the left side picked it up and ran aqay with it.

The children were asked to handle anyone one puppet. Most picked the naughty rabbit and smacked it on the head.

Paul Bloom, Professor of psychology who led the study, said the research counters theories of psychologists such as Sigmund Freud who believed humans began life as "amoral animals" and William James who described a baby's mental life as "one great, blooming, buzzing confusion".

"There is a growing body of scientific evidence that supports the idea that perhaps some sense of good and evilo is bred in the bone," the Times quoted Bloom as saying.

Kiley Hamlin, author of the team's Infant Morality report, said: "We spend a lot of time worrying about teaching the difference between good guys and bad guys in the world but this might be something that infants come to the world with."

Peter Willatts, a lecturer in psychology at Dundee University, said: "You cannot get inside the mind of the baby. you cannot ask them, You have to go on what most attracts their attention."

We now know that in the first six months babies learn things much quicker than we thought possible. What they are borm with and what they learnis difficult to divide," he added.

T20 ICC WORLD TWENTY20 WEST INDIES 2010 - Super Eight:PAK Vs SA

T20 ICC

World Cup

Twenty20

West Indies

Pak Kock SA out to

stay in semis hunt

Gros Islet (Saint Lucia): Defending champions Pakistan knocked South Africa out of the World Twenty20 with an 11-run Super Eights win at the Beausejour Stadium here on Monday. Pakistan's win also meant England would qualify for the semifinals, regardless of the result of their match against New Zealand.

But, in order for Pakistan to progress to the last four, they have to hope England heat New Aealand by a sufficiently wide margin to go through on net run-rate.

Earlier Umar Akmal led a Pakistan revival as the defending World Twenty20 champions made 148 for seven. Pakistan slumped to 18 for three but Akaml's quickfire 51 helped prevent total collapse.

A stand of 51 in six overs between Umar and his brother Kamran Akmal (37) revived the innings before Umar put on 61 with captain Shahid Afridi (30), who'd won the toss.

Fast-medium bowler Charl Langeveldt, maintaining an admirable line, took four wickets for just 19 runs from his maximum four overs. South Africa's seamers had early success, Dale Steyn breaking through with his fourth ball when Salman Butt miscued a pull and was well caught by proteas captain Graeme Smith, running back from mid-on.

Khalid Latif fell in similar fashion and then Mohammad Hafeez was plumb lbw to Langeveldt for one. But the Akmal brothers got the innings going again, Kamran slog-sweeping Roelof van der Merwe and Umar playing a similar stroke for six against the left-arm spinner as 14 runs came off the eighth over.

At the halfway stage Pakistan were 50 for three and that became 69 for four after an eventful 11th over. It began with Umar Akmal lofting van der Merwe for a straight six. Kamran then drive two sixes off the fourth and fifth deliveries, the first straight, the second soaring high over wide long-on.

T20 ICC WORLD TWENTY20 WEST INDIES 2010 - Super Eight: AUS Vs SL

T20 ICC

World Cup

Twenty20

West Indies

Sri Lanka dazzloed by White light

Bridgetown (Barbados): Australia followed up a rescue act from Cameron White with a polished performance in the field during a thumping 81-run victory over Sri Lanka in the World Twenty20 on Sunday.Chasing 169 for victory, Sri Lanka were dismissed for 87 as Australia won with more than three overs to spare at the Kensington Oval.

But Australia themselves collapsed to 30 for four and 67 for five before White, who made an unbeaten 85, and Michael Hussey (39 not out) shared an unbroken stand of 101 that took Australia to 168 for five. Sri Lanka opener Mahela Jayawardene's previous scores this tournament were 81, 101 and 98 not out. But the dismissal of the tournament's leading run scorer by Dirk Nannes, for just nine sparked a dramatic collapse.

Ajay Devgn - NO KIDDING

Nysa hates Ajay's hair

Ajay Devgn may be sporting the most fashionable hair cut in town, but his doting daughter Nysa hates his buzz cut. Says the actor, "Nysa usually clutches on to a strand of my hair while sleeping, she can't do that. So, she's eagerly waiting for my hair to grow back."

And we are sure this daddy dearest will oblige to his daughter's request!

Lindsay Lohan - BASKET CASE

Director's

nightmare

Moviemaker Chris Siverston had to use a body double to complete his nightmare Lindsay Lohan movie because the actress kept failing to show up for work! The director has struggled to find employment in hollywood after filming the flop i Know Who killed Me and now, he admits his star's personal problems turned a one-month shoot into a four-month headache.

He tole a Los Angeles newspaper, "Most days, we wouldn't know what happened (with her). At some point it became, 'How can I complete the movie?' That was my one and only goal -- not to have it fall apart."

Sivertson admits Lohan wasn't even present when he filmed her two characters' climatic scenes in the thriller and he had to resort to desperate measures to finish the movie.

He tells that he shot the scene with a body double and then grafted on lohan's face in post production. The film. which released in 2007, flopped critically and commercially, making just $7 million (Euro 4.4 million) at the box office.

Anushka - DUBBING GAME

WILL HISTORY

REPEAT ITSELF?

For those who really loved watching Anushka seek revenge over the evil Sonu Sood in Arundhati, hare's some news to rejoice, After the Tamil version of her Telugu superhit Arundhati sent the producers singing all the way to the bank, her other Telugu venture, Panchakshari will also be dubbed and released in Tamil.

Says an industry source, "The Telugu version of Arundhati made a profit of at least 70 crore. The tamil version was also declared a hit at the BO. And after wowing the audience with her performance in Vettaikaarn, Anushka has established herself as a bankable heroine in Kollywood."

We learn that Panchakshari, directed by Samudra and produced by Nagajuna, is a stylish women-centric film. "The visual effects have come out extremely well. The Tamil version too will be hitting the screen soon," adds our source.

Well, let's us hope like Arundhati, Anushka' Panchakshari too sets the box office on fire!

Vidya Malavade - LUCKY CHARM

THE lucky

mascot

Vidya Malavade, who turned in a decent performance in Kabir Sadanand's recent flick Tum Milo Toh Sahi, has suddenly decided to let the world know that Shah Rukh Khan is her lucky mascot. Guess using the Bollywood superstar's name will ensure that smart Vidya gets one more item printed in the media. Anyway all is fair as far as publicity goes. Vidya says that before she got Chak De India, she shot for an ad with SRK. Recently, she shot again with SRK for a TV show and the very next day, she was signed for Take 2 and Tigmanshu Dhulia's next with Govinda, "All thanks to SRK...he is my lucky mascot," is what Vidya tells anyone who will care to listen. "I simply love SRK. He has always been lucky for me. I should meet him more often," says Vidya.

Saif Ali Khan - NEED TO RECHARGE

Saif seeks

spa session

Saif Ali Khan is multitasking these days. He has hour-long production meetings everyday in his office for Agent Vinod. His team has just returned from Morocco after a recce, though the first session will kick start in Mumbai only on May 22. Besides this, the actor's life is hectic with power yoga sessions and gruelling hours at the gym to get that jean, mean super-agint look; and if that isn't enough, he has to do the Mumbai-Goa trips for some TLC because girlfriend Kareena Kapoor is stationed there at a beach resort, shooting for Golmaal 3.

Naturally, one isn't surprised that Saif recently called a friend and asked for information on a rejuvenation session at a Thai spa. Guess even the stars sometimes find that all their energies are sapped.

Scarlett Johansson; DEADLY DIVA

Scarlett isn't

a comics fan!

Scarlett Johansson, who plays the mysterious Black Widow in Iron Man 2, thinks that comic book stories are so popular because they have characters that people can relate to. "If you take the Iron Man franchise, Tony Stark is flawed and he is an anti-hero in a way. And i think people like that. It's fun to see these real characters put in these extraordunary situations and it's incrediably entertaining.

And in a way, this movie is not about some fantasy World; these are real characters that relate to each other and have a history and background that is substantial," says the star. But she also adds that she isn't much of a comic book reader.

"It wasn't until knew that I was playing the Black Widow that I read much on her. It's not that I don't like them, but reading comic books was never my hobby when growing up," she explains. But the actress, who will now be doing a Broadway musical, reveals that she'll be happy to reprise her role of the sensuous but deadly Russian spy in the future.

:I would love to be able to have the opportunity to explore more of really interesting origin," she says and adds. "I'd be thrilled to don the cat-suit again if the audience is into it and they love the character." Worry not Scarlett, we do love your Black Widow.

What You Call As Love

THE SPEAKING TREE

Devotion Devoid Of You

What is the difference between love and devotion?

What you call as love, if you are not devoted to the person whom you love, there is really no love; it is only a mutual benefit scheme. When you truly love somebody, you will naturally be devoted; how can you not? One, who does not know devotion to the one he loves, does not know love at all. Then it is just a socially picked up word - because everybody is saying "I Love You" , you are also saying it.

Love has conditions attached to it. Only if your expectations are fulfilled, your love affair will continue, otherwise it will end. Devotion is not like that. It is unconditional. Love also genuinely becomes a fulfilling and life-nurturing process for anyone only when it is conditional, it becomes a transaction.

Human transactions at the physical, emotional and intellectual levels are often referred to as love. "You fulfil my need; i will fulfil your need." It is just useful; it is utilitarian. People do not lide to see it that way because it makes their lives ugly. So they want to give it a beautiful name, so they call it 'love'.

Observe this at places of worship: What people think is devotion to God might not in fct be so. Here, too, there is a transaction. You do whatever you think God expects you to do, and then God is supposed to do many other things for you. This is deal making, and an unfair one.

Love and devotion, however, are not two different things, but people wtill do tend to see them as being separate because one is meant for a higher purpose and another is expected to fulfil a daily need. But there is no need to separate the two. Love is devotion and devotion is love. Without love, how can anybody be devout? Just because you have ascribed to yourself a certain teligion or faith, you don't instantly become a devotee - a dvotee is just drawn.

A devotee is never thinking in terms of his own well-being can be a devotee. You cannot cultivate devotion. Cultivated devotion is deception. When you are overwhelmed by something, you will naturally be devoted to it, It takes experience for devotion to be natural. When you plant a rose plant, you don't try to get a flower out of it immediately. You just nurture it. When it is sufficiently nurtured, it will blossom forth.

So devotion is like a flower. It is not something that you try to do. If you dig into the earth, you will not find a flower or fruit, but it all comes from there; the plant is only passage from earth to flower. The fragrant flower does not display any trace of soil, manure or water - it is devoid of all that.

Devotion is devoid of you, When you become just a conduit for life, you become an outpouring of devotion. No one has ever achieved anything of significance in any sphere of life without being devoted to what he is doing. Devotion is not only the sweetest way to be. but also the most intelligent way to be, as a devotee effortlessly perceives what one of intellect will struggle with for a lifetime.

HEALTH ISSUE: SHORT CUTS

SHORT CUTS

Nicotine increases memory function:

It is already known that nicotine enhances our ability to think, perform and take tests. Now, according to scientists, it increases our memory function, too. Up to now, results about nicotine's effects on boosting human performance were mixed. Stephen Heishman, a scientist with the National Institute on Drug Abuse in the US, and colleaguses studied previous literature on nicotine and found that the drug not only boosts attention, but also memory.

'Friendly people are more attractive'

Friendly or outgoing people are more attractive, a new study suggests. Gettysburg College psychology professor Brian Meier and colleagues found that people who were high in the personality traits of agreeableness or extra version were rated as being more attractive even by those people who had never met or interacted with them.

Robots may attack humans

accidentally, say scientists:

Robots, which are believed to be doing all domestic tasks in near future, could accidentally inflict deadly wounds on humans, scientist have warned. Envisaging a future in which robots will start to become domestic helpers, researchers found, the robots manged to accidentally inflict wounds that would prove "lethal" the BBC reported.

HEALTH ISSUE: SHORT CUTS

SHORT CUTS

Viagra can help treat
brain tumours

A drug currently approved to treat erectile dysfunction could significantly improve the delivery of the anti-cancer drug Herceptin to certain hard-to-treat brain tumours, according to a new study at Cedars-Sinai's Maxine Dunitz Neurosurgical Institute. The research could help doctors improve treatments for lung and breast cancers that have metastasised to the brain. Even if a cancer is susceptible to drugs, these drugs must penetrate the "blood-brain barrie" if they're to treat cancer that's metastasised to the brain. "Mother Nature created this barrier to protect our brains from dangerous substances, but here we need to get through the barrier to deliver the drugs, and that's a problem," says study author Julia Ljubimova.

Soft drinks double pancreatic cancer risk:

Giving one more reason for kicking the cola habit, scientists have claimed that too much consumption of sugary carbonated beverages may increase the risk of pancreatic cancer. Researchers at Georgetown University in the US looked at sugar-sweetened carbonated beverages or soft drinks and the risk of pancreatic cancer in 60,000 men and women in Singapore over a 14-year period and found that those who drink more than two soft drinks a week almost double the risk of developing the disease.;

HEALTH ISSUE: STATUS OF PAINKILLERS

A 'grimace scale' to help

find better painkillers

Paris: Scientists have for the first time created a sliding scale of pain for mice based on facial expressions, according to study published on Sunday."

The so called "mouse grimace scale" will speed up the development of new analgesics for humans, and could help reduce unnecessary suffering of mice and other animals in biomedical research, the researchers said.

"There are also serious implications for the improvement of veterinary care," said Jeffrey Mogil, a professor at McGill University in Montreal and the main architect of the study.

Up to now, it was not known if degrees of discomfort and suffering in mice correspond to spontaneous facial responses, as is the case for people. Doctors and nurses routinely use such scales to assess pain in individuals unable to communicate verbally, such as infants and the cognitively impaired To fine out whether rodents grimace when it hurts, Mogil and colleagues recorded facial movements before and during the injection of a substance known to cause painful inflammation. The mice showed discomfort through facial expressions in a way similar to humans.

When pain was more intense for example, the eyes narrowed, the bridge of the nose and cheeks bulged, the ears moved down and back, and the whiskers bunched up or flattened out against the face.

ASIA CUP CRICKET - ZIMBABWE TOUR

Raina to lead Team India

Kohli Vice-Captain As Top Players Are Given Break For Tour OF Zimbabwe

Chennai: The top Indian players haven't got much time to rest over the past few months. And post July, it won't get any easier for them with back-to-back series, starting with the Asia Cup.

So, the BCCI has gone for the wise option of resting their top players for the Zimbabwe tri-series starting from May 28, also featuring Sri Lanka.With Dhone, Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh, Ashis Nehra, Sachin Tendulkar and Gautam Gambhir not playing, Suresh Raina has been made the Indian skipper. Raina had led India 'A' earlier and looked comfortable at the Chennai Super Kings box seat when Dhoni missed a week's actionof IPL.

Most of the players who have come close to doing well in the IPL have made the cut either in India team for the Zimbabwe tour or the 'A'; series in England, barring Robin Uthappa.

Uthappa was brilliant in some of the matches for Royal Challengers Bangalore as they went on to clinch a Champions League berth, but the selectors, surprisingly, didn't think it good enough to keep him among the elite on Indian cricket.

However, there were reports later that Uthappa had suffered an injury that ruled him out. Another consistent performer in the IPL not to have made the cut inboth the sides was Tamil Nadu's S. Badrinath, Skipper Dhoni had praised his efforts time and again as CSK went on to win the tournament, but Krishnamachari Srikanth & Co. Who met at the cooler climes of Kodaikanal, probably felt that the Tamil Nadu player is not a future India material in the limited-overs version of the game.

The likes of S. Sreesanth, Irfan Pathan and RP Singh have also been ignored while Pankaj Singh, who only played two matches in the IPL. Meanwhile, in the India 'A' team that was announced for the England, Bipul Sharma, a former ICL player, made the cut. Bipul is the first to have palyed in the rebel league who has got an India call-up.

T20 ICC WORLD TWENTY20 WEST INDIES 2010 - Super Eight: ENG Vs SA

T20 ICC

World Cup

Twenty20

West Indies

KP Steals Show As England Beat SA

Bridgetown: Kevin Pietersen laid the platform for a commanding 39-run victory over his native South Africa as England took a giant stride towards the World Twenty20 semifinals here on Saturday. Pietersen's high-class 53 was at the heart of England's 168 for seven against the land of his birth at the Kensington Oval.

The star batsman was named man of-the-match for the second time in as many fixtures after his unbeaten 73 in a six-wicket Super Eights win over defending champions Pakistan on Thursday. Peitersen, whose innings helped has struggled with both form and fitness at international level for over a year, with a right Achilles injury ruling him out of the majority of the 2009 Ashes series win over Australia.

"I've had a really rough last 12-14 months soit's nice to be back again," Pietersen said. England Twenty20 captain Paul Collingwood was delighted by a dominant display that delighted the massed ranks of England fans in the crowd.

"There are a lot of England fans in here and I wanted us to put on a good performance and we've done that," he said. South Africa captain Graeme Smith said his side had been well beaten.

"Credit to England, they were far better than us today, especially in the first 10 overs. "In general it was a very disappointing da for us and we have to make sure we bounce back."

South Africa suffered a dramatic top-order collapse against England spinners Graeme Swann (three wickets for 24 runs) and Michael Yardy (two for 26). The Proteas lost four wickets for 19 runs as 34 for one was transormed into 53 for five.

Left-arm quick Ryan Side bottom (three for 23) ended the match with an over to spare by bowling Morne Morkel as South Africa were dismissed for 129. Victory left England with two wins from two second round matches.

T20 ICC WORLD TWENTY20 WEST INDIES 2010 - Super India Vs WI

T20 ICC

World Cup

Twenty20

West Indies

WIND OFF INDIA'S SAILS

Batting let us down yet again: Dhoni

Barbados: The Indian team had banked on their batting to deliver. It didn't and now MS Dhoni's boys are on the verge of elimination from the T20 World Cup.

Dhoni didn't hide his disappointment at the poor show of his team's batting line-up in both their defeats in the Super Eights stage. "Batting hasn't been up to the expectation. It is supposed to be our strength, and we should chase 170 in these condition,"Dhone really sounded disapponted, trying to come to terms with a crushing defeat which has made things really difficult for them.

India play Sri Lanka in their last game and there are too many its and buts for them to go through. The skipper didn't blame his bowlers for the loss. Despite 170 runs being conceded, the captin said: "The bowlers did a decent job, barring a few bad overs here and there. I won't say the bowlers lost us the match," he added.

Dhoni, though, said that they would love to give their best in the last game. "We are hoping to give our best in the next game. It's definitely disappointing but we have to pick ourselves up," Captain Cool was trying his best not to show the pain of losing yet again at the Super Eight stage.

West Indian skipper Chris Gayle looked relieved after the win, more so, because of the match winning innings he played. "Good win, just what we needed after the first loss," he said.

Talking sbout his own effort, Gayle said, "I was under pressure. It's not only cricket, but I had to see to it that I didn't let my rfans down, who have had so much confidence in me. So it was important to play well myself."

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