Great opportunity for students seeking career in Biotechnology

Indian Institutes of Technology conducts a Joint Admission test to M.Sc. (JAM) for admission to M.Sc. and other post-B.Sc. programmes at the IITs. The main objective of JAM is to provide admissions to various M.Sc. and other post-B.Sc. programmes based on the performance in a single test and consolidate 'Science' as a career option for bright students from across the country. In due course, JAM is also expected to become a benchmark for normalising undergraduate level science education in the country.
This year's adv is out in news papers. I saw it in Times of India dated 28/10/7. Its a great opportunity for Studensts who want to pursue their career in Biotech as MSc in Biotech is also available in IITs. Though there are many universities offering good MSc Biotech but IIT has its name and it has always proven to be the best. So guys aspiring to do MSc in Biotech, go for JAM 2008, work hard and get in to IIT.
Good Luck....

Bureaucracy of BCCI and ICL and Rahul dravid's captainship for India

Now BCCI has taken a direct action on Kapil dev for his joining to ICL. This clearly shows that BCCI is afraid of ICL. Removing Kapil from his position, who is the only captain, whose team got the world cup for India and who is so much respected in cricket world, is really shameful for India. But what to do when Indian cricket is in hands of politicians and bureaucrtes. This is going to happen anyway. Here in India, BCCI officials are taking such decisions and making Indian cricket weak there in England, Rahul dravid's captainship is making Indian team looking like looser. So many decisions taken by Rahul in the test series, even though good performance from team players place Indian team in defensive mode. Though we won test series but we lost the battle because of bad captaincy. Which is now being reflected in the first one day between India and England. We hope that India will gain back its confidence and fight like a fighter wih England in second one day.

We cann't hope any thing better from BCCI but wish that ICL gives some thing fruitful to Indian cricket and now as ICC has made their stand clear by saying that they will not interfere in ICL matter, BCCI is again in pressure.

Hoping for the best......me a cricket lover.

Sanjay Dutt case and our Judicial system

Sanjay dutt urf Munna Bhai !!! After Dutt was given a six-year jail term in the 1993 serial blasts case by the TADA court on July 31. There were two kinds of responses, one was supporting the judgement and other was against it.

Actually our judicial system is such that judgement took 14 yrs to come. Though we also support whatever judgement has been given, one has to pay for their deeds but the time taken for this was really too long. If, sanjay dutt was to be given punishment, it should have been executed yrs before. Now this sanjay dutt is no more the same sanju dada. So to whom are we giving the punishment. The problem is not in the judgement but in the timing, its really shame for our judicial system that this kind of thing happens all the time, sometimes even people passes away and judgement comes after that.

What and How is it going to help in any way ? Why is there a punishment for the act which was done more than a decade before. Either Sanjay dutt or in this situation any one should get punishment soon after (not years after) the act or they should consider the behaviour of sanjay dutt ( or anyone in this situation) after the act and should give some relaxation, if it is justified.

Indian judicial system needs to become more efficient so that cases do not remain pending for years and years.

Now The Supreme Court on Friday issued a notice to the CBI and posted August 20 as the date to hear Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt's interim bail application. We hope that our supreme court will consider all these points and give an appropriate decision.

Politicians role in terrorism in J&K !!

It is really shocking to know that some politicians have links with the militants in the strife-torn valley in Jammu & Kashmir, as revealed by Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad. According to the Chief Minister, the home department of the state governmnet has narrowed down on the number of politicians and political workers who have been found supporting militant organisations.
"I have identified some politicians who are supporting the Over Ground Workers (OGWs) of the various militant organizations. We are not going to warn them to leave all this but in coming time we are going to initiate action against these politicians," Ghulam Nabi Ajad said.
Such politicians have no rights to represent well wishers of the valley and should be punished.

While in another move, Peoples' Democratic Party (PDP) demands for troop reduction in Jammu and Kashmir to consolidate the peace process. Keeping chief minister's revealed truth and when Pakistan is being run by a dictator, what is the basis of PDP's this demand. One can not expect peace from pakistan side until democratic rule comes up. We can not forget that kargil conflict was also planned and executed, when General Musharraf's was Pakistan's Chief of Army Staff.

In J&K, every move has to be very careful to maintain peace and demotivate terrorism.

Sakshat: one stop Education portal

It is a Government website, developed by Indira Gandhi national open university. This is one stop portal for lot of information like:
Web based knowledge and resources
scholar ship opportunities
Test and update your knowledge through online testing and evaluation
Interact with your teacher/mentor/cohort group in real time

For some of the content, you will have to login so you can simply genrate user ID with the website.

This website will help form school kids to research scholars.

http://www.sakshat.ac.in/

Attractive proposals to... PhDs !

Now this will surely attract more students to take research as their career.

The Indian National Science Academy (INSA) and Indian Academy of Sciences (IAS) has recently submitted several proposals to the Planning Commission to award attractive packages to young researchers including grants worth Rs.2-10 lakh for research and special incentives for participating in international conferences and other scientific research programmes. The proposal states: ''In the current market-driven globalised economy, the pay packet and working condition have to be competitive to attract talented persons to teaching and or for research. The basic salaries need to be at least doubled at all levels. To make the university jobs fully attractive, it is crucial that other conditions like housing and better facilities or environment at the place of work to better quality of life, are also provided.'' For attracting more young PhD holders for research in Science, the report proposes that ''young, bright PhDs should be given faculty positions with adequate start-up grants soon after their obtaining the PhD to enable them to start productive teaching and research career at an early and more creative age. All new faculty members should be provided a start-up grant of at least Rs.10 lakh for faculty in experimental sciences and Rs.2 lakh in theoretical sciences.''
The proposal report has been jointly prepared by INSA president R A Mashelkar and IAS president T V Ramakrishnan.
The report also focuses on the relaxation for young lecturers in the teaching hours to ensure that they spend more time in research work.
The report states: ''During the first two years, the teaching hours of first-time appointees at the lecturer level should not be more than 75% of the stipulated load to enable them to get used to the teaching system and also have sufficient time to set up their research activities.''

Now the need is to approve all these proposals, if Govt really wants to improve level of Indian science.

Research Scholarship- finally fellowship is increased

A great news for all research scholars:
The Government has substantially raised the fellowship amount for research fellows and associates in science with effect from April 1 this year, Science and TechnologyMinister Kapil Sibal announced today.A junior research fellow (JRF) or a senior research fellow (SRF) who qualifies through the National Eligibility Test (NET) or its equivalent for admission in Ph D will now get a monthly fellowship of Rs 12,000 instead of Rs 8,000, Mr Sibal told a press conference here.
A JRF/SRF (Professional) will get Rs 14,000 instead of Rs 9,500.The fellowship amount for research associate (1) has been raised from Rs 11,000 to Rs 16,000, for research associate (2) from Rs 11,500 to Rs 17,000 and for research associate (3) from Rs 12,000 to Rs 18,000.All eligible candidates admitted to different disciplines to do Ph.D will be covered under a suitable fellowship programme in a phase-wise manner.Fellowships to candidates, other than those who qualified in NET or equivalent examination, admitted to pursue Ph D in the institutions recognised by relevant science and technology agencies would be covered by the UGC norms.
We hope that increase in fellowship will be fgiven by all grant agencies soon as the hope given by science and technology minister.
Hip Hip Hooray...........

Biased umpiring costs sachin in India vs England 2nd Test Match

India is playing very well in TRENT BRIDGE. They need only 63 runs to winon the fifth day of the game. Zaheer Khan is the pick of the bowlers, once again with five wickets.

Though success is just few overs ahead of India, The 36-year-old Australian, who had blundered twice on Sunday, conceded that he had wrongly given Sachin Tendulkar out. "I always look at the big screen after giving a decision. The minute I saw replays of Sachin's dismissal I knew I had got it wrong," he said.

Now the question is, when he got to know that he has done the mistake, why did not he call sachin back ?

Now To better understand the biasness see this situation ;

Taufel had lifted his finger when MS Dhoni claimed a thick edge off Pietersen. He, however, succumbed to the pressure when TV replays showed that the ball had hit the turf before Dhoni caught it. Seeing Pietersen coming back, on instructions from the English dressing room, Taufel consulted colleague Steve Bucknor and overruled his own decision.

He could have done the same thing for sachin but ..........poor umpiring !!!!!!!!!!

Are you causing Global warming !!!

The obesity epidemic has hit the world in a big way. But did you know that this epidemic could be the cause for decreasing snow and ice cover? A study conducted by New Scientist (in the June 27, 2007, edition) proves that the obesity epidemic is aggravating global warming. So far, we've only considered obesity as a public-health problem, but many of its causes seem to overlap with those of global warming.

So, how exactly does obesity have a direct impact on climate change?

• Obese people consume about forty per cent more in terms of calories than their lean counterparts. Since food production accounts for over 20 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions, an obese population leaves a significantly heavier carbon footprint than a thin one

• Greater food consumption means more organic waste, which produces methane as it decomposes

• An obese person decides to drive more often than walk. A year on he/she might have gained a kilogram of weight and, as the weight continues to pile on over the years, he/she will find it harder to move around and is loath to walk or cycle anywhere

• Medical problems too crop up - back pain, arthritis and shortness of breath. It also increases the risk of coronary heart disease, stroke, diabetes, osteoarthritis, infertility, gallstones and several types of cancer

• In light of the previous two points, vehicle use and greater reliance on medical services use prodigious amounts of energy

• Low self-esteem leads to comfort eating and heavy drinking. Greater bulk and higher metabolic rate will cause the person to feel the heat more and then energy-intensive air-conditioning comes into the picture.

So are you causing global warming !!

what do you think about this study?

Going to a new place - Take help of Google Map to guide you

Just visit http://maps.google.com/

Its simply superb. It gives you map of your desired location, tells you landmarks, and even the smallest details and what more you can even see satellite image of the place and it gives you option of hybrid image of map and satellite image which gives you very clear idea about the place you have to visit.

Beware !!!! obesity can be contagious

Now you may think twice being in company of obese people !!!!!!!

If a friend of yours becomes obese, you have a nearly 60% higher chance of sliding into this category as well, according to the analysis. The finding has prompted researchers to call obesity a "socially contagious" disease in which a sense of what constitutes a normal body weight passes from one person to the next.

Now Beware of long distance relationship also !!!!!!

Fowler notes that friends living nearby seemed to exert just as much influence on a person's weight as those living 800 kilometres (500 miles) away. To him, this suggests that the trend has more to do with a spread of social norms than behaviours. In other words, the idea of what constitutes a normal weight travels more easily across distance than do behaviours – such as exercise and eating routines.

James Fowler at the University of California in San Diego and Nicholas Christakis at the Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts, both in the US, suggests that the spread of social norms rather than just behavioural changes might explain the rise in obesity.

This study is published in New England Journal of Medicine (vol 357, 370-379, 2007)

Biotech Industrial Training - Good opportunity for MSc students

BIOTECH CONSORTIUM INDIA LIMITED (BCIL) is implementing a scheme for post-graduates in biotechnology for six months practical training in biotech companies under the BITP. The programme is sponsored by DEPARTMENT OF BIOTECHNOLOGY (DBT).The objective of BITP is to provide industrial exposure to students to improve job prospects and to help biotech industry to identify prospective manpower. Stipend is paid to the trainees. Since 1993, hundreds of post-graduate students have been trained in leading biotech companies and several trainees have been absorbed. The next batch of BITP will commence in September 2007.

Eligibility - MSc /MTech( Molecular Bio & Human genetics, Molecular bio & Biotech, Neuroscience, Biochemical engineering &biotech, Bioprocess tech, General/agricultural/industrial/marine/medical/pharmaceutical/environmental/bioyechnology)/MVSc (animal biotech), B.Tech (biotech) completed in 2006 or 2007 with not less than 60 percent or equivalent in graduation and PG.

Form - online at http://www.bcil.nic.in/

submit hard copy of the online application with a DD for Rs 200 in favour of Biotech Consortium India Ltd., New Delhi. (write application no, name, date of birth, and contact phone no on the reverse side of the DD) to Mr Manoj Gupta, Asst. Manager, Biotech Consortium India Ltd (BCIL), Anuvrat Bhavan, Fifth floor, 210 Deen dayal upadhyaya Marg, New Delhi-110002

(E mail -bcildelhi@vsnl.com)

Deadline- July 27, 2007 (submission)

According to me, This training is best for students who do not want to pursue academic research (PhD) and want to do Job only. But whoever wish to continue their academic career after MSc, i will suggest not to waste their time in this training rather prepare for NET and get admission for PhD.

This training will help to get starting job in different pharma/biotech companies R&D and you may get absorbed in the same company where you will be selected through BCIL.

Do you feel strong urge to move your legs while sleaping -blame your genes !

Scientists have linked certain genes to restless legs syndrome, suggesting the twitching condition is biologically based and not an imaginary disorder. New studies published this week in two top medical journals are being called the first to identify specific genes responsible for restless legs syndrome symptoms. Research in the New England Journal of Medicine linked a common gene variation to night time leg-twitching.

What is RLS ?

Do you have these symptoms -

-You have a strong urge to move your legs which you may not be able to resist. The need to move is often accompanied by uncomfortable sensations. Some words used to describe these sensations include: creeping, itching, pulling, creepy-crawly, tugging, or gnawing.
-Your RLS symptoms start or become worse when you are resting. The longer you are resting, the greater the chance the symptoms will occur and the more severe they are likely to be.
-Your RLS symptoms get better when you move your legs. The relief can be complete or only partial but generally starts very soon after starting an activity. Relief persists as long as the motor activity continues.
-Your RLS symptoms are worse in the evening especially when you are lying down. Activities that bother you at night do not bother you during the day.
RLS can also cause difficulty in falling or staying asleep which can be one of the chief complaints of the syndrome. A substantial number of people who have RLS also have periodic limb movements of sleep (PLMS). These are jerks that occur every 20 to 30 seconds on and off throughout the night.

Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a neurological condition that is characterized by the irresistable urge to move the legs.

"This discovery demonstrates the power of genetics not only for uncovering the biological causes of disease, but also for defining diseases such as RLS and establishing them as medical conditions," said Dr Kari Stefansson in a prepared statement. Stefansson is a prominent Icelandic scientist who co-authored the New England Journal study.
The discovery also raises the question of whether genetic testing could now be used to
screen for RLS.

This discovery is more than just a step forward. It represents a gigantic leap in our
understanding of this complex disorder. While further research is needed to determine exactly how this genetic variant translates into RLS symptoms, understanding this mechanism will lead to better treatments, prevention, or a cure. Dr. Rye and colleagues have found that the gene variant is more common in Icelanders with low iron—which has already been associated with RLS. Ongoing studies are examining the relationship of this variant to iron metabolism.

Research Scholarship- Fight for Student's rights

Finally students from different institutes like, JNU, AIIMS, IIT Delhi, DU, NCPGR, ICGEB, IGIB and many other had to come up to raise the voice on their scholarship matter. Its now a long while, when UGC has already increased the Junior and Senior research fellowship but other grant agencies are still not able to do so. Almost 250 students from different institutes agitated in front of DST at 10.00 AM on 08/06/07 for demand of increase in CSIR, ICMR, DBT and other fellowships. They requested to talk to highest authority of DST (Secretory) but the request was denied. Then they agitated and closed the DST gate and compelled them to negotiate with them.

finally 8 representatives went inside to negotiate with them. The officials are agree to give each and every detailed information we seek and suggested them to go through the proper way by filing a RTI application which they shall file on monday. They have promised us to reveal final status in 20 days. The DST has recommended to finance ministry for increase in fellowship from 8000 to 12000 and 9000 to 14000 which will be effective from 01/04/07.

Its very rare to see research students agitating for their rights, but effort is welcome and supported by not only Delhi students but across Indian research students. Govt should really think very seriously about life of our poor community (research students). We the PhD students put golden years of our life in research, and devote ourselves completely in our study. So it is also a moral duty of Govt to give us better life. Hoping for better future.

Key words of agitation

Together we can together we will.

Youth for Equality long live

Do your best, WORK for the best, EXPECT the best.

Stop dividing us on the basis of scholarship.

Put these THREE ingredients for good research: learning, earning and enjoying. WHAT YOU DO !!

SCIENCE is wonderful, if one doesn't have to EARN one's living out of it.

If you dare not change anything, life will never change itself.

Save the research world.........save the nation.

Stop brain drain, increase the fellowship.

Bad memories can be wiped out !

People can will themselves to forget traumatic or emotional scenes, researchers have found. When the brain conducts such deletions, brain regions that process vision and emotion go quiet.Knowing that memories can be consciously suppressed, and the brain areas involved, could point to therapies for people who struggle to forget traumatic experiences, such as those with post-traumatic stress disorder or obsessive-compulsive disorder. Neuroscientist Brendan Depue, of the University of Colorado at Boulder, wanted to find out what goes wrong in the brains of sufferers of such conditions.

Previous studies have shown that people can suppress memories of words. But to make the test relevant to traumatic memories, Depue's team included an emotional component. They showed volunteers pairs of pictures: one of a face, and one to evoke an emotional response — a car crash, or a wounded person. Once the subjects had learned to associate the image pairs, they were shown the faces alone, and either told to think of the associated picture or to try not to think about it.

Bad associations

The subjects' brains were less active when they deliberately tried not to think of the associated picture, the team found. "It looks like these areas of the brain are being shut down," says Depue.The decline in brain activity shows that subjects probably weren't thinking of something else to prevent the memorized picture from popping into their heads, he adds. Brain imaging showed that the prefrontal cortex, the brain's decision-making and planning region, oversees this shutdown. First, the cortex dampens activity in regions that process visual information, and then it suppresses areas that process emotion, such as the amygdala. Tested afterwards, subjects were much less able to remember the associations that they'd been told not to think about. The team report their findings in Science.

This study will help to understand controversial concept of repressed memory in which people unconsciously wipe traumatic memories from their minds.

(Source -http://www.nature.com/news/2007/070709/full/070709-10.html)

'People with more moles age slowly'

People with a large numbers of moles on their skin may age slowly, a study suggests. Scientists from King's College, London, compared key ageing DNA with the number of moles a person had in a study of 1,800 twins. A mole is a spot on the skin that is usually round or oval in shape and may range in colour from pink, brown, red or black. The experts found that the more moles a person had, the more likely their DNA was to have the properties to fight off ageing, reported the online edition of BBC News. In the study, experts found that those with more than 100 moles had longer telomeres than those with fewer than 25. Telemores are the part of certain chromosomes linked to ageing. The difference between the two mole groups was equivalent to six to seven years of ageing. so how many moles do u have to look younger.

Do you believe in reincarnation ?

A 14-year-old Dalit boy, born and brought up in a remote village of western Uttar Pradesh, has suddenly turned angrez . Rajesh, without any evident help, has started speaking fluently in English and does so with a proper American drawl. And that’s not all: He seems to have forgotten how to speak Hindi. Wonders do not cease with this: His knowledge of physics and mathematics has left engineering students baffled. Having already penned three books, Rajesh is now looking forward to some research work. This 14-year-old lad from a small village in Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh who turned into a Yankee…overnight!

People say that he has forgotten to speak hindi and his school principal says that he is reincarnation of american scientist.

But Zee news claims that they have unearthed the reality of reincarnation of Rajesh. It was discovered that the English he spoke had grammatical errors. Also, the boy could not actually figure out the questions asked in English, and rather gave vague answers. With Zee News’ constant perusal for truth, the cat was out of the bag when Rajesh finally revealed the secret behind the ‘miracle’. In 2005 on the eve of 26th January, Rajesh was insulted by his teacher when he failed to read out a speech in English. The incident left a scar on his mind, and a humiliated Rajesh vowed revenge. He took up this challenge, and set out on a spree of watching English movies and listening to English songs. Few months down the line, Rajesh became a celebrity amongst his people. His English and, especially, his accent won him accolades when stories of reincarnation started doing the rounds. Rajesh too, got bitten by the fame bug, and seemingly enjoyed this new-found publicity.

But truth is out now. There is no doubt that Rajesh is a brilliant student but he has used his capabilities in wrong direction.

This incident shows that we still believe in reincarnation that's why we hear about such incidents every now and then.

Why should viewers pay for running Doordarshan

Doordarshan has to survive, so we the viewer have to pay. The Government is considering imposing a recurring annual 'licence fee' for each colour television set. The levy could be between five to 10 per cent ~ Rs 500 for each colour television set and Rs 200 for a black and white television sets.Additionally, private channels could also be asked to pay five per cent of their gross revenue to Prasar Bharati as a public broadcast fee.

This new tax will save Doordarshan, as annual cost of running DD is 3000 crore while prasar bharti's earning is only 1600 crore so to make up loss of 1400 crore rupees, Govt will dig in our pocket.

The point to worry is not whether Govt should save ill DD but why should vieewrs pay for maintaining DD. There is no doubt that in a democratic country like India, we need public service media which has access to even distance villages and that is no other than Doordarshan which has all this. There should not be any doubt on it that better information provide better chances for development so we want to develop shouldn't we try to make all information resources/ services cheaper.

Then why is this tax ?

Here are some examples of how public broadcasters are funded across the world:

In UK, BBC is funded by license fee and by the sale of its materials and services. BBC does not, in the UK, depend on advertising, sponsorship or subscription revenues

In Japan and Sweden, Public Broadcasters rely almost entirely on licence fee.

Spain's TVE and New Zealand's NZTV are, on the other hand, completely financed by advertising revenue.

PSBs in France, Germany, Italy and Ireland combine the licence fee revenue with advertising, while Australia's ABC is entirely funded by Government grants.

Canada's CBC combines Governments grants with advertising revenue.

Humans remember 4 things at a time

Psychologists that the University of Oregon say that the capacity of short-term memory is a strong predictor of an individual's IQ level and scholastic achievement. A study conducted by them has shown that an average person can think only about four items at a time, but people with high IQ levels can remember more articles. so have you done any experiment on yourself like this to identify whether you are normal. you can post the results and can share this to us may be we can help you in improving your memory

Shy people are more prone to heart disease

Shyness is the feeling of apprehension or lack of confidence experienced by a person with regard to social association with others. The results of the study showed that sociable men have been found to have healthier hearts than their more reserved friends. It found that the shrinking violets are 50 percent more likely to die from a heart disease or stroke, reported the online edition of Daily Mail. so guys be extrovert. you can achieve everything if you are confident on your self. Researchers from Chicago's Northwestern University tracked the health of more than 2,000 men over three decades. At the start of the study, the men, who were aged between 40 and 55, filled in questionnaires designed to set their levels of sociability. By the end of the study, 60 percent had died and the analysts went to work. Comparing the questionnaire results with death certificate details revealed a clear link between shyness and heart disease, the researchers said. The shyest men were 50 percent more likely to have died of a heart attack or stroke than the most outgoing men, the study said

man is man's real enemy

The most dangerous enemy of one man is another man itself and its best example could be seen now days. When you go to market everything you buy is adulterated and the most pathetic thing is this that all the contaminants are hazardous for human health. They may cause cancer and other fatal disease. Yesterday I watched on TV that the so called “desi ghee” we buy from the market is actually made up of boiling the dead animals skins. Can you believe this even if you are vegetarian you are feeding yourself with this kind of stuff. Ridiculous isn’t it . I felt the same where is the humanity gone. I can not think of doing this even in my next seven births but its happening to us and what we youth are doing nothing. Busy in earning money without knowing that the things we r buying to eat is harmful for us. It’s our right to get the pure things if we are paying so much. Guys wake up! We should contact food minister or whatever, collective effort is required.
Please send your comments.

Beware of Mentos and Coca-Cola !!!!

Last week a little boy died in Brazil after eating MENTOS and drinking Coca-Cola / PEPSI together. One year before the same accident happened with another boy in Brazil . Please check the experiment that has been done by mixing Coka-Cola (or Coka-Cola Light) with MENTOS . So be careful with your self eating MENTOS (POLO's) and drinking COCA-COLA or PEPSI together. CHECK THIS OUT...

PLZ PASS THIS INFORMATION TO AS MANY PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE SPECIALLY TO THE CHILDREN'S. BECAUSE IN OUR COUNTRY MENTOS AND COCA-COLA BOTH ARE VERY POPULAR TO THE CHILDREN.

Dumb student can also perform good in maths by proper training

It seems that sheer intelligence is not enough to become a young math whiz. It also takes a good attention span and training your mind to "self regulate" or focus on the task at hand.

Its long been believed that persons intelligence or IQ is proportional to maths problem solving skill.

But new research published in the journal Child Development says that a thought process called "executive functioning," which governs the ability to reason and mentally focus, also plays a critical role in learning, especially when it comes to math skills.

"It's often thought that kids don't do well because they're dumb, and there's nothing we can do about it," says lead study author Clancy Blair, associate professor of human development and family studies at Pennsylvania State University. "But not only is executive function pivotal for academic success, it's amenable to training, and this training might make a big difference in a child's ability."
According to Blair's study, by proper teaching skills, we can improve child's academic performance. "Preschool curricula that focus on development of skills to focus on task in hand and self-regulation are needed in a big way," Blair says.

This emphasize on basic primary education that we get in our early school days. Good training in early days can make an average student brilliant in maths.

Delhi is a hub for Biotechnology-Major Institutes

This review covers major institutes offering biotechnology education and research in Delhi.

THE INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR GENETIC ENGINEERING AND BIOTECHNOLOGY
http://www.icgeb.trieste.it/
The International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology conducts innovative research in life sciences for the benefit of developing countries. It strengthens the research capability of its Members through training and funding programmes and advisory services and represents a comprehensive approach to promoting biotechnology internationally

Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology
http://www.igib.res.in/
IGIB mission " To translate concepts developed in basic biological research to commercially viable technologies for health care ".

JNU, New Delhi (School of life Sciences)
http://www.jnu.ac.in/main.asp?sendval=SchoolOfLifeSciences
The School stands today as a unique institution in the country where multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary teaching and research in life sciences have established permanent roots. The uniqueness of the School essentially lies in the fact that within the School’s faculty there are experts and active researchers representing almost all areas of modern biology. Life sciences in its entirety constitute wide range of our research programmes.

National Institute of Immunology
http://www.nii.res.in/
The National Institute of Immunology (NII) is an autonomous institution supported by the Department of Biotechnology, Government of India. The Institute is committed to advanced research addressing the basic mechanisms involved in body defence, host-pathogen interactions and related areas with a view to contribute to the creation of an internationally competitive intellectual knowledge base as a sustainable source of innovative futuristic modalities of potential use in health care.

Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI)
http://www.iari.res.in/
The Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) is the country's premier national Institute for agricultural research, education and extension. It has served the cause of science and society with distinction through first rate research, generation of appropriate technologies and development of human resources.

Defence Institute of Physiology & Allied Sciences (DIPAS)
http://www.drdo.org/labs/dls/dipas/index.shtml
Major Biotechnology Programme
(i) Development of nonspecific response by Stress Proteins.
(ii) Search for Stress Resistant Macromolecule

Institute of Nuclear Medicine & Allied Sciences (INMAS)
http://www.drdo.org/labs/dls/inmas

Jamia Hamdard University, New Delhi
http://www.jamiahamdard.edu/course_science.asp#biotech
Over a period of last ten years, Jamia Hamdard has emerged as an outstanding institution of higher learning with distinct and focused academic programmes.

Delhi University, South Campus
http://south.du.ac.in/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=12&Itemid=50


Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Center for Biomedical Research
http://www.acbrdu.edu/
Laboratries are the fundamental units of the ACBR. headed by a senior faculty member. The lab may include several other junior faculty members plus post doctoral fellows and graduate fellows; who share the common scientific interests of the group. This structure provides flexibility and enhances the opportunity for intellectual interaction and collaboration, and minimizes the administrative traffic that may impede academic life.

Indian Institute of Technology, New Delhi
http://www.iitd.ernet.in/deptt/beb/
The Department of Biochemical Engineering & Biotechnology at IIT Delhi has a unique place in the development of biochemical engineering discipline in India. The Institute took an early note of the significant role that was to be played by biochemical engineers and biotechnologists in future industrial development of biotechnology related processes and products by initiating this activity in 1968. At present the Department provides a model for an integrated approach towards education as well as research and development of various bioprocesses.

National Institute of Malaria Research
http://www.icmr.nic.in/pinstitute/mrc.htm
The technical programmes of the Centre may be broadly classified into the disciplines of vector biology and control, genetics and cytogenetics, parasitology, pharmacology and epidemiology. Emphasis is being placed on molecular biology, biochemistry and molecular epidemiology.

All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi
http://www.aiims.edu/aiims/departments/Biotechnology/biotechintro.htm
Biotechnology has emerged as a major force not only in industrial terms but also as a discipline where in frontier areas of biology are being integrated to enhance the quality of human life. The development of immunology and molecular biology have been integrated with modern virology, microbiology and fermentation technology to yield rich dividends in the form of medical products such as insulin, erythropoietin etc., as well as sensitive and specific diagnostic procedure for infectious diseases and inherited disorders.

National Centre for Plant Genome Research
http://www.ncpgr.nic.in/
The establishment of the Centre followed several years of intensive research on various facets of both fundamental as well as applied aspects of plant molecular biology, under the auspices of the DBT-sponsored Centre for Plant Molecular Biology (CPMB) in the School of Life Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. Consequently the research projects of four principal investigators who initiated the CPMB constitute the ongoing research programme of the Centre. With the identification of chickpea (Cicero arietinum) as a mandate crop of the Centre to pursue genomic studies, the focus of the research is slowly shifting to chickpea genomics. The programme at the moment is being implemented from the CPMB building and is expected to continue there till the NCPGR has its own research labs

National Brain Research Centre, New Delhi
http://www.nbrc.ac.in/
This centre is didecated to provide infrastructural facilities and a coordinated multidisciplinary team to work at the frontiers of neuroscience research and network the existing groups and whenever required create satellite units to catalyze the overall growth of this discipline in the country .This system of networking will create and encourage local talent and by a judicious exchange of workers between the peripheral centres and the core centre. Besides research, the centre provides a national level nucleus for comprehensive training and teaching in diverse fields of neurosciences.

Monopoly of BCCI- Save Indian Cricket

Now BCCI is worried about Essel Group-promoted Indian Cricket League (ICL). BCCI has termed ICL as an establishment-threatening, parallel tournament designed on the lines of Australian media mogul Kerry Packer's World Series Cricket (WSC) of the late 1970s that shook the cricket world, especially the Australian cricket board. They are worrying that ICL wants to run a parallel body.

As of now, ICL has signed former India captain Kapil Dev, Kiran More, Sandeep Patil, former England skipper Tony Greig and ex-Australia batsman Dean Jones to either conduct the tournament or coach some of the six teams that are to play 20 overs per side matches, probably in October-November. The winner in the first tournament will receive $1 million. The matches will be telecast on Zee's in-house Zee Sports channel. Each team will have two players from the Indian team and four foreign players, to add to the glamour.

But BCCI is unhappy about Kapil dev joining ICL as he is also serving as the chairman of the National Cricket Academy (NCA). But Kapil dev as always known for his fighting attitude has written back to BCCI, asking the reasons for its displeasure on his decision. "I thought the ICL would be of assistance. I would be most grateful if you could elaborate on the reasons of the board's displeasure on this, to help me understand the situation more clearly," Kapil writes in his letter to the BCCI.

"Our only intention is to promote and improve our resources of players, for the betterment of the Indian Team. We did not realise at all that we would only have to go one way: that of the BCCI. It is our moral duty to assist people who have the best interests of the game at heart, whether it is in India or abroad. " as stated in Kapil dev's letter to BCCI.

Zee television boss Subhash Chandra had told Sharad Pawar 17 days before announcing the tournament of "inevitable necessity". Chandra, in fact, told Pawar that BCCI would gain from ICL. "An initiative of this nature will, in my view, greatly assist the cricketing establishment here and the world over. This will undoubtedly make the task of BCCI in promoting and managing the game of cricket more comfortable and efficient." Chandra said he would have launched the ICL a bit later, but the World Cup result forced his hands.

Why BCCI has objection on anything which is for betterment of cricket and who knows that some good players might emerge from ICL.

I think after shameful defeat of India in world cup, BCCI should leave its monopoly on Cricket in India and let good talent come out by anyway from anywhere .

God ! Save Indian cricket from BCCI !!!

co-education is unlawful-In which century are we living ?

Darul Uloom Deoband was asked to comment, by an Aligarh resident, on the provisions in Islam with regard to co-education. In response, the fatwa issued on July 1 by Darul Ifta (Darul Uloom’s unit that deals with fatwas) states that co-education is unlawful as it gives rise to evil. The Darul Uloom (Urdu: dārul ulūm devband) is an Islamic madrassa (seminary) famous for being the inception place of the Deobandi Islamic movement. It is located at Deoband, a town in Uttar Pradesh, India.

The fatwa said Muslim women must not interact with the opposite sex without hijab and co-education was unlawful because, in colleges and universities, it gave rise to evil—even if these institutions imparted religious education.

This is really the high time for Muslims to think whether they would like to follow these fatwas, As it is the level of education among Muslims in India isn’t good. Such fatwas will only add to their misery. Government can not afford to make separate medical, engineering etc colleges for girls and boys, in this case if muslims follow these fatwas, most likely muslim girls will either have to stop their education or choose to study something, which will not help them become independent. Being born a girl or boy does not differentiate two individuals on ability. These fatwas will only make gender inequality worse in our country.

Keep your brain cool by yawning

For many years yawning has been associated with sleepiness and boredom, and with low oxygen levels in the blood.

The brain burns up to a third of the calories we consume, and as a consequence generates a lot of heat. The brain operates more efficiently when cool and yawning enhances its functioning by increasing blood flow and drawing in cooler air, reported by Andrew Gallup, a psychology professor at the State University of New York at Albany.

The study may also help explain why yawning spreads from person to person.
A cooler brain, Gallup said, is a clearer brain.
So yawning actually appears to be a way to stay more alert. And contagious yawning, he said, may have evolved to help groups remain vigilant against danger.

Some interesting facts : An average yawn lasts about six seconds. The heart rate can rise as much as 30% during a yawn. Nearly 55% of people will yawn within five minutes of seeing someone else yawn. Blind people yawn more after hearing an audio tape of people yawning.

Magic of 7-7-7 - Lucky day

7-7-7 whats going to happen in your life ? Unlike last year's unlucky number 6-6-6, this year its 7-7-7 which is supposed to be a lucky number in many ways as beleived by many.

Couples across the Western world are tying thier knot on this day to make thier life happy and prosperous though here many Hindus may not do the same as there may not be good mahurat on this day. 7-7-7 has become a date on whcih so many events are going to be happen, The play on seven has also proved irresistible for event organisers. The ‘New 7 Wonders of the World’ will be announced at an official declaration ceremony in Lisbon, Portugal, on Saturday.

Seven is a crucial numeral in the Bible. Creation took all of seven days, there are seven petitions of the Lord’s prayer and, not to forget, there are seven levels of Heaven.

The number of sages in Hindu mythology; their wives are the goddesses referred to as the "Seven Mothers."

Seven Lucky Gods exist in Japanese mythology.

The Indian Music has 'sapta swaras', means seven octats (sa re ga ma pa tha ni), which are basics of music, using which hundreds of Ragas are composed.

The reason for 7 being a lucky number symbolically (such as in the Bible) is because it represents the union of man and woman, since the number for women is 4 and the number for men is 3.

SMS based Television shows- Talent hunt

Why there are so many game shows coming to find out good singer from India....oh no, now even from world (first world war of sangeet).

There have been so many competitions in the past specially for judging singing ability like Antakshiri, meri awaz suno, Saare gaama, Indian idols and so on. Though in past, we have seen great singers coming out of these shows. best examples are sriya ghosal and sunidhi chauhan. Even shekhar of Vishal-shekhar group has been to one of these shows. But what is happening about today's mega shows winners. Where do they go after winning competition. They come in limelight for short time, some even get one or two albums, that's all. Why does it happen ?

Earlier these shows were used to be at much little scale but they were used to be very tough and judged by Great singers or music directors but now the funda is SMS-based television shows. This SMS based trick improves the TRP of the show and generate lot of revenues but quality of the programmes has gone down. Do you remember who won last year Indian idol or saregama or what are they (winners) doing now ?

Whole thing is that ki bhaiya sabse bada rupaiya.

Forget the quality!!!!!!

Female gets attracted to male !!!!!

When female mice detects dominant male's urine, new brain cells are produced in female mice. Urine is rich in the sex pheromones that many animals use to recognize and choose their mates. But how they work is unclear. So Samuel Weiss from the University of Calgary in Alberta, Canada, and his colleagues looked at their effects on the brain.

The results, published in Nature Neuroscience, suggest that pheromones from dominant males stimulate the female brain to make new neurons. Weiss thinks that the pheromones bind to specialized receptor proteins, which then signal to another brain region called the hypothalamus, triggering the release of hormones that cause the birth of new neurons.

We don't know whether pheromones trigger neuron formation in humans, although we do have receptors similar to those found in mice. It's possible that some types of human sexual behaviour could be affected by pheromones, says Zhengui Xia from the University of Washington in Seattle, who studies neuron production. But whether a subconscious whiff of an alpha-male's urine could turn a woman's head is still a matter of speculation. "Olfaction is a subtle and underappreciated sense," says Weiss. "Maybe we've underestimated its importance."

Men and Women

ON MEN

A man is like a phonograph with half a dozen records. You soon get tired of them all; and yet you have to sit at the table whilst he reels them off to every new visitor. - George Bernard Shaw

I like men to behave like men - strong and childish. - Francoise Sagan

A man in love is incomplete until he has married. Then he’s finished. - Zsa Zsa Gabor

The fastest way to a man’s heart is through his chest. - Roseanne Barr

Men are creatures with two legs and eight hands. - Jayne Mansfield

Nancy Astor: “If I were married to you, I’d put poison in your coffee.”

Sir Winston Churchill: “Nancy, if you were my wife, I’d drink it.”

The trouble with Ian is that he gets off with women because he can’t get on with them. - Rosamond Lehmann

Men fantasise about being in bed with two women. Women fantasise about it too because at least they’ll have someone to talk to when he falls asleep. - Anon

Women have many faults, men have only two: everything they say, and everything they do. - Anon

Husbands never become good; they merely become proficient. - H. L. Mencken

The majority of husbands remind me of an orang-utan trying to play the violin. - Honore de Balzac

A husband is what’s left of the lover once the nerve has been extracted. - Helen Rowland

The more I see of men, the more I like dogs. - Germaine de Stael

Bigamy is having one husband too many. Monogamy is the same. - Anon

Give a man a free hand and he’ll run it all over you. - Mae West

ON WOMEN

Women are like elephants to me — I like to look at ‘em, but I would not want to own one. - W. C. Fields

A woman will flirt with anybody in the world as long as other people are looking on. - Oscar Wilde

There’s nothing so similar to one poodle dog as another poodle dog, and that goes for women too. - Pablo Picasso

I hate women because they always know where things are. - James Thurber

Whatever women do they must do twice as well as men to be thought half as good. Luckily this is not difficult. - Charlotte Whitton

My wife and I tried two or three times in the last 40 years to have breakfast together, but it was so disagreeable we had to stop. - Sir Winston Churchill

She got her good looks from her father. He’s a plastic surgeon. - Groucho Marx

Most women are not so young as they are painted. - Max Beerbohm

A woman will always sacrifice herself if you give her the opportunity. It’s her favourite form of self-indulgence. - W. Somerset Maugham

Women have a wonderful sense of right and wrong, but little sense of right and left. - Don Herold

On one issue, at least, men and women agree: they both distrust women. - H. L. Mencken

Never feel remorse for what you have thought about your wife. She has thought much worse things about you. - Jean Rostand

Nature intended women to be our slaves ... they are our property; we are not theirs. They belong to us, just as a tree that bears fruit belongs to a gardener. What a mad idea to demand equality for women! Women are nothing but machines for producing children. - Napoleon Bonaparte

Ill Indian cricket Team-Scope for new players

India is in trouble with its 8 out of 14 players suffering from fever. How are they going to select 11 players for first ODI with south africa . Though its a tough situation but a good opportunity for young players to prove themselves. BCCI is sending some new players to Ireland. Though They might not be able to play in first ODI but can play in second ODI depending on players health.

Its nobody's fault but Indian team is in difficult condition just before first ODI with southafrica.

Movie review- Chain Kuli Ki Main Kuli

This one’s for Sachin and for Sachin fans.

Anyway, ‘Chain....’.is about Karan ( Zain Khan ) ,a 13 year old orphan. Karan lives for cricket and is a big fan of Varun Roy (Rahul Bose), the Indian team captain. As luck would have it, Karan finds himself a magic bat, is belting out sixes by the minute and is roped in to help the Indian cricket team!

In an industry where entertainment for kids is almost non-existent, this Ken Ghosh production is a little sparkler. Though everyone will enjoy this movie. Its a sweet movie. Rahul Bose is again superb and Zain khan is also excellent. The direction is good and director is successful in storytelling.

So Enjoy "Chain ......"

Mumbai rains-reasons to smile....

These pictures are taken in last two days, when Mumbai observed its first heavy rain.

All these pictures are from Navi Mumbai. Enjoy beauty of Nature in this rainy season.

Mumbai first heavy rains

Mumbai got its first taste of heavy showers on Saturday as rains lashed Mumbai in the evening, leading to flooding in various parts and disruption of traffic. Train services on the central line between Kurla and Ghatkopar were disrupted for sometime. Thunderstorms coupled with strong winds and heavy showers also brought operations at the Mumbai airport to a standstill for about half-an-hour in the evening, causing delays in schedules.

Colaba received the heaviest rain of 60 mm in one hour during late evening, said municipal commissioner Jairaj Phathak. The weather bureau has predicted rain/thundershowers with “possibilities of very heavy rains’’ on Sunday.

The first heavy rain itself has proven that BMC and MMRDA has not done their job completely as we could see water logging at many places, traffic problems because of incomplete roadside constructions.

We wish that we will not have to experience 26/7 again. Hoping that, enjoy rains........

Welcome back Sunita Williams-We are proud of you

Finally the space shuttle Atlantis and its crew are home after completing a 14-day journey of more than 5.8 million miles in space. Atlantis' STS-117 mission successfully increased the power capability of the International Space Station, preparing for the future delivery of European and Japanese laboratories.

The space shuttle Atlantis and its crew are home after completing a 14-day journey of more than 5.8 million miles in space. Atlantis' STS-117 mission successfully increased the power capability of the International Space Station, preparing for the future delivery of European and Japanese laboratories.

Sunita Lyn "Suni" Williams (born september 19,1965 in Eucid, Ohio) is a NASA astronaut. She was assigned to the International Space Station as a member of Expedition 14 and then joined Expedition 15. Williams is the second woman of Indian heritage to have been selected by NASA for a space mission after Kalpana Chawla and the second astronaut of Slovenian heritage after Ronald M. Sega. She holds three records for female space travelers: longest spaceflight (195 days), number of space walks (four), and total time spent on spacewalks (29 hours and 17 minutes).

Though It will take sometime for Sunita williams to start her routine life at earth as after a long stay, she will have to get acclimatize in earth's atmosphere. We are proud of Sunita Williams.

President polls and Controversy

President polls were never like this before. There was a feeling of respect for any candidate who fights for president post, all candidates were used to be "Bedag". We have never seen political games being played in president election but this time scenario is different.

The presidential polls have assumed a murky hue with the widow of a murdered Congress leader from Jalgaon in Maharashtra surfacing in the national capital to accuse UPA-Left nominee Pratibha Patil of shielding her brother, G N Patil, one of the prime accused in the case being probed by the CBI.

A notice from the Mumbai Central District Co-operative Bank—popularly known as Mumbai Bank—to a Jalgaon sugar factory floated by Pratibha Patil, UPA candidate for the presidential poll, for default of a loan to the tune of Rs 17.70 crore has created a flutter in political circles.

All these allegation could be a part of political game but there might be something fishy which is not a good sign for Indian politics.

"Jahan doohan utha hai wahan thodi aag bhi hoti he hai".