Health Issue: Quit smoking to stub out stress'

'Quit smoking to

stub out stress'

          Smokers often say they need a cigarette to calm their nerves, but a new study suggests that after a person kicks the habit, chronic stress levels may go down.

        The findings, say researchers, should give smokers reassurance that quitting will not deprive them of a valuable stress reliever. In a study of 469 smokers who tried to quit after being hospitalized for heart disease, the researchers found that those who remained abstinent for a year showed a reduction in their perceived stress levels. in contrast, stress levels were essentially unchanged among heart patients who went back to smoking.

       "Smokers often see cigarettes as a tool to mange stress, and ex-smokers sometimes return to smoking in the belief that this will help them cope with a stressful life event," lead researcher Peter Hajek, a professor at Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry in the UK, said. Yet, he said, non-smokers do On the other hand, smoking itself may generate long-term stress.

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News: BURYING THE PROBLEM

A CO2 dump, leagues Under the sea

Washington: In a novel way to fight global warming, scientists are trying how they could remove excess carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and store the gas deep under the sea bed where it can cause no trouble.

           Researchers at the University of Iceland are studying the possibility of sequestration of CO2 in basalt, a common extrusive volcanic rock that makes up most of the world's oceanic crust.

           Sequestration is the carbon capturing method which involves injecting the gas directly into underground geological formations. Oil fields, gas fields, saline formations, unminable coal seams, and saline-filled basalt formations have been suggested as storage sites.

          Sigurdur Gislason, of University of Iceland, who is leading an international team of scientists on the "Carbfix Project" for  an Icelandic geothermal power plant, presented his findings on Wednesday at the annual Goldschmidt Conference at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Gislason's project aims at pumping carbon deep underground in south west Iceland where it will mix with minerals and become rock.

           The project involves capturing and separating flue gases at the Hellisheidi Geothermal Power Plant in Hengill, transporting the gas, dissolving it in water, and injecting it at high pressures to a depth between 400 and 800 metres into a thick layer of basalt. Then the experts will verify and monitor the storage. "If successful, the experiment will be scaled up and can be used wherever carbon dioxide is emitted," said Gislason.

         "Currently, carbon may be captured as a byproduct in processes such as petroleum refining. It can be stored in reservoirs, ocean water and mature oilfields."

          Carbon sequestration is currently the most promising way to reduce greenhouse gases and Gislason's project is aimed at finding a storage solution that is long lasting, there modynamically stable and environmentally benign.

         The researchers said that the storage of CO2 as solid magnesium carbonates or calcium carbonates deep underground in basaltic rocks may provide a long-term and thermodynamically stable solution. However, many experts fear that CO2 may leak over time.

 

 

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Asia Cup Cricket - @ Sri Lanka

MIND YOUR CONDUCT

Team india Looked A Dedicated Lot Trying

To Follow BCCI's New Disciplinary Code

Dambulla: The Board of Control for Cricket in India's (BCCI) zero-tolerance approach to indiscipline seems to be paying rich dividends, if the Indian cricket team's new approach here is anything to go by.

           Two days before they play Pakistan in their Asia Cup. the Indian team's transformed attitude to discipline and fitness seems to have taken everyone by surprise. 

           The change, say insiders, can be attributed to the new stern approach of the team management, which has enforced a strict code of conduct that is to be followed at all times, on and off the field, by the players.

          Even coach Gary Kirsten, usually friendly with the players, has been told to toughen his stance, say sources."Don't spare them,"is the new message that has been delivered to Kirsten. He has been observed intensely grilling the boys during training sessions and even the 'optional practise' sessions have been done away with.

         Breaking free from some recent, unsavoury controversies, Dhoni's men now appear enthused and dedicated. The team even surprised onlookers by breaking into a jog after their game against Bangladesh and running three kilometres to the entrance of the team hotel!

        It was an unusual sight and a happy departure from recent trends  involving brawls and fitness issues.that fielding, form and fitness were the three most important prerequisites.

       Perhaps for the first time, these guidelines are being stringently applied, and the change is there for all to see. Partying is out of the question, and loitering at late hours is considered a breath of the code.

       Fattening foodstuff and colas are not allowed in the dressing room. The team management has also scrapped red meat from the diet. Partying, for one, is allowed only to celebrate a victory.

        The task of minding the boys has fallen on working committee representative Ranjib Biswal, who was manager of the Indian team for the dismal World Twenty20 campaign.

        Biswal also prepared a report in the wake of the infamous brawl in the West Indies that prompted the BCCI to issue show cause notices to some players. Biswal is the manager here too and is making sure players are following the code of conduct.

        On Thursday, the players didn't have the regular nets session but they played football, did some catching practice and spent a lot of time training. "You have to be focused or you are not fit to play for India," a source said.

        This is in keeping with the management's new, aggressive 'result-oriented' approach.The BCCI believes 'bad attitude' needs to be shed immediately. So far, the new tough approach seems to be working.

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