KNOWLEDGE

Why is it not Easy to Lose Weight?

2011-01-05T14:43:00.000+05:30

Losing weight is definitely a challenging process to go through because it needs a lot of sacrifice and of course hard work. If you are trying to achieve a skinny or slim body, you need to have a routine of exercise and follow a diet.

You will have to do all these procedures only to discover that it’s not working according to what you have planned and since of this you will probably lost hope and ask why is it so hard to lose weight?

If you are one of those who have this question in mind maybe what you are doing is not right or you are not doing it seriously.

When deciding to lose weight the best thing that you must do is to research first because there are a lot of factors to be considered. Some programs will not work for your benefit and there are also some that will perfectly work for you.

By researching, you might be giving your self the chance to follow a dietary program that can decrease your weight quickly. Once you follow the correct program, losing weight will no longer be that challenging. An additional reason why is it so tough to lose weight is since you might be lacking of self control.

In life there are often temptations which will make us weak and tempt us to do something that we are trying to steer clear of. This is also 1 of the reasons why losing weight is really difficult particularly if you’re surrounded with so several tasty foods.

It will surely tempt you to taste it and before you know it you are already eating most of its portion. You can consult a nutritionist to help you out in choosing the right program that will reduce your weight with ease.

Losing weight is inside your hands, you have the power to reach your objectives without experiencing too much tough work. In case you want to lost weight successfully you should do every single procedure included within the program that you’re following.

If you will be successful in just following these instructions you will no longer have to ask yourself why is it so hard to lose weight.

Learn more about Weight Loss Diet. Stop by the site where you can find out all about Fast Weight Loss and what it can do for you.

The Importance of Laughter and Tears

2010-12-17T16:06:00.000+05:30

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Ron grew up in a household where laughter and tears were never expressed. Anger was the main feeling expressed by his mother, while his father was mostly withdrawn. By the time Ron was eight years old, he had managed to shut off both his laughter and his tears to avoid feeling rejected by his parents and controlled by his mother. Shutting down was his way of protecting against being invaded by his very controlling mother. He became a serious child - a controlled and controlling child.

Ron grew up, went to college, became a successful lawyer, married and had three children. Yet nothing, not even his deep love for his children, managed to break through his rigid, controlling way of being.

Ron reached out for my help because he was not only very unhappy, but was often in physical pain. All he could say about the physical pain was that he hurt. "My body hurts. My chest hurt, my stomach hurts, and my back hurts." He had been thoroughly checked out by a physician and learned that nothing was physically wrong. The doctor told him it was stress.

Ron told me that he spent much of his non-working time daydreaming because when he was present with himself in the moment, all he felt was pain. He had learned to daydream to avoid the pain.

However, Ron was now 48 years old, and the daydreaming was no longer working well. The pain was breaking through, especially in the form of debilitating back pain, so Ron decided he needed some help.

The issue behind Ron's pain was that his primary intention in his life was to control. He wanted to control how others felt about him. He wanted to control how well his employees worked. He wanted to control how his wife treated him, as well as how well his children did in school. He particularly wanted to have control over not feeling the pain of rejection and the fear of engulfment that he had felt so much in his family.

Ron's control had worked for him to a certain extent. He was financially successful. He had all the material things a person could want – a beautiful home, a vacation home, a boat, and all the electronics a person could ever use. He had a wonderful family, and he had good health, other than his pain. Yet he was often miserable.

The problem Ron was facing was that having control was far more important to him than being a loving person with himself and with others. As a result, Ron felt empty inside and was constantly looking to others to fill him up. He had no interest in taking responsibility for his own feelings – his own pain and joy. He wanted others or things to make him happy.

Imagine how a child would feel if you put him into a box and told him he could never laugh or cry. This is what was happening with Ron. His Inner Child – his feeling self – was in a box, not allowed to laugh or cry. Laughter and tears are our natural ways of releasing feelings. Without the God-given gifts of laughter and tears, our feelings get blocked up inside, eventually causing our muscles to go into painful spasms. This is what was causing Ron's pain. He could no longer put a lid on his feelings without feeling physical pain.

It was a tough battle for Ron. At those moments when he let go of control and opened his heart to love, the pain went away. But his terror of being rejected or controlled was generally more powerful than his desire to be loving with himself and others, and he would close up in the face of his fears. He feared that if he opened to his feelings, he would be weak and would be seen as weak, which he feared would lead to both rejection and engulfment.

Ron wanted something he could not have – the illusion of safety that being so controlling gave to him, while not suffering from the physical pain of being so controlling.

After much hard work, Ron finally saw that being loving to himself by letting himself experience his laughter and tears did not cause weakness, nor the rejection and engulfment he feared. In fact, by being more aware of his feelings and allowing himself to express them, Ron learned that he actually felt safer and more powerful than when trying to control everything.

Laughter and tears are great gifts that allow us to release our feelings in healthy ways.

Miracle Cup: The Health Benefits of Green Tea

2010-10-24T18:01:00.000+05:30

How do you fit a miracle in a cup?

For 4,000 years, the Chinese people have been using green tea as treatment for everything from headaches to depression.

Today, studies are conducted in Asia and the west in order to produce hard evidence of the health benefits of green tea. In the 1994 edition of the Journal of National Cancer Institute, the results of an epidemiological study stated that one of the health benefits of drinking green tea is that it can reduce the risk of esophageal cancer in Chinese men and women by up to 60%.

The rich presence of catechin polyphenols, particularly epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) is the reason why green tea has so much health benefits. A powerful antioxidant, EGCG can not only inhibit the growth of cancer cells but can also destroy them without harming healthy cells.

The University of Purdue has also concluded a research on how a certain compound present in green tea can stop cancer cells from growing. Still another health benefit of green tea is its ability to lower down cholesterol levels and improve the ratio between good (HDL) cholesterol and bad (LDL) cholesterol.

The EGCG in green tea is a health benefit substance that can lower down LDL cholesterol levels and stop blood from forming abnormal clots (thrombosis), a leading cause of heart attacks and strokes.

Green tea has more health benefits compared to other Chinese teas like oolong and black tea, all of which come from the plant Camellia sinensis. What makes green tea different is the process by which it is made. Green tea owes much of its health benefits to how the Camellia sinensis leaves are steamed. The steam process keeps the EGCG health benefit of green tea from oxidizing. With oolong and black teas, however, the leaves are fermented instead of being steamed, thus causing the EGCG health benefit to transform into another less medicinally potent form.

Aside from medicinal value, green tea can also offer other health benefits, especially in the fitness field. Drinking green tea can cause a person to burn down more calories. A recent study on the health benefits of green tea shows that the drink can help dieters. According to the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in 1999, men who take both caffeine and green tea burn down more calories than men who only take caffeine or a placebo.

Another health benefit of green tea is its bacteria-destroying properties. The health benefit of green tea in this area is that it can help prevent food poisoning and also prevent tooth decay. The substances found in green tea kill the bacteria causing food poisoning and those that cause dental plaque to form.

Well known for its countless medicinal and health benefits, green tea is nothing short of a miracle.

Global Warming

2010-10-24T17:55:00.000+05:30

Global Warming is one of the most dangerous problems now-a-days. Human activities are causing earth to get warmer. It is the speed at which earth is now heating up that is alarming.

When we burn coal, gas or oil, we release large amounts of carbon into the atmosphere. The heavy machines produce more CO₂than ever before. Heating, lighting, air conditioning in homes and business, transportation and industry produce 94 % CO₂.

As cities grow, trees and fields are cleared for buildings. Power stations, factories and processing plants release greenhouse gases. Rising temperatures melt the glaciers and water runs off into the sea , Towns, cities and islands will be threatened by flooding in near future. Ice-melting in Antarctica could push the sea levels up.

Changes in weather patterns can cause heavy rains, severe drought hurricanes, forest fires and heavy floods. Exhaust gases from vehicles and factories trap heat in our atmosphere. These gases create smog and acid rains.

We should protect trees because they help to control CO₂ levels. We should save energy by using electrical appliances very wisely.

Trees are poems that earth writes upon the sky. We can save water by using as much as we require. We should save water.

Ozone layer must be saved as it protects our earth from harmful radiations of sun.

Over population has a negative impact on the environment due to pollution. So we have to control population growth.

For our energy requirements, we should depend on solar energy. We should preserve forests and oceans.

For transportation, hydrogen should be used instead of gasoline or diesel. When the last tree has been cut down…., the last river has been poisoned…, the last fish has been caught …, only then we will find that money can’t be eaten.

Can a Tan Stave Off Dementia?

2010-10-22T20:08:00.000+05:30

With Alzheimer’s disease affecting 5 million Americans — a rate that the Alzheimer’s Association warns is ballooning — public health experts are scrambling for cost-effective ways to combat this deadly disease. While Alzheimer’s medications remain expensive and largely ineffective in preventing or halting disease progression, an unexpected potential weapon has recently emerged. Research published in the The Archives of Internal Medicine found a strong predictive link between circulating levels of vitamin D and cognitive function in the elderly.

Researchers at Peninsula Medical School measured changes in vitamin D status and cognitive function over an 8 year span in a group of older Italian adults. The researchers divided the volunteers into two groups — one vitamin D deficient and another with adequate vitamin D levels. Vitamin D levels were linked to scores on a cognition test. They found that those with the lowest levels of vitamin D had a 60% greater risk of experiencing “substantial cognitive decline” than those with exceptional vitamin D levels.

These results mirror data from The American Journal of Geriatric Psychology, which found low vitamin D levels were associated with low mood and poor performance on a battery of cognitive tests. Considering that an estimated 1 billion are vitamin D deficient worldwide, these results have potential wide-reaching implications for our aging world. Alzheimer’s already burdens the cash-strapped US health care system, and with Alzheimer’s cases expected to grow to 16 million by 2050, the results of this study couldn’t have come at a more important time. A patient with dementia costs nearly three times the amount in Medicare costs than a similar patient without it.

Vitamin D has a number advantages over the current battery of Alzheimer’s treatments currently available. Firstly, it is cheap. Vitamin D from the sun is the only free supplement available, and even vitamin D capsules are merely pennies per dose. Compare this with prescription Alzhemier’s drugs, which cost upwards of $200 per month, and may not work as well. Most importantly, vitamin D is one of the only natural approaches scientists think have the power to stop Alzheimer’s before it starts. Dollars and cents aside, if taking a highly tolerated supplement like vitamin D can help turn the tide of epidemic-level Alzheimer’s, it could improve the quality of life for millions of seniors around the world.

What does vitamin D — a vitamin widely considered a bone builder — have anything to do with our brains? Scientists are still working on this question, but they postulate that vitamin D may improve blood flow to the brain and clear out toxic build up. Does this mean that preventing, or even better, reversing Alzheimer’s is as simple as getting a tan? Before heading to the nearest beach or tanning booth, remember the link between vitamin D and Alzheimer’s disease is still in its infancy.

There are still many crucial questions that need to be answered before vitamin D can be considered as a practical Alzheimer’s treatment. Until we know the answers to how much vitamin D is needed for prevention or treatment, how do vitamin D and Alzheimer’s interact, and how effective is vitamin D compared to already-available options, vitamin D remains an exciting, but unproven, anti-Alzheimer’s agent. For example, this study only compared the highest vitamin D levels with the lowest. We still do not know what effect vitamin D levels between the two extremes will have on Alzheimer’s risk. Also, no intervention study — a study that gives vitamin D as a treatment — has yet to take place.

On the other hand, vitamin D has been shown to help with a number of other health problems, like diabetes, osteoporosis, and heart disease. This study just adds another reason to get your vitamin D. To protect your brain, and the rest of your body, continue to follow the current recommendations from vitamin D experts — 1,000 to 5,000 international units (IUs) per day.

Living Room Furniture

2010-10-01T20:49:00.000+05:30

Types Of Living Room Furniturte

The Modern Living Room provides comfortable quarters where the entire family spends a great deal of its time. We give below an idea about the various types of furniture used in your living room.

> Chairs

> Sofas

> Tables

> Beds

> Cabinets

> Stools

> Racks

Living Room Furniture By Materials
Wood is the most common commodity used in the making of furniture. The furniture made of wood combines classic style and craftsmanship with modern convenience.

> Wooden Living Room Furniture

> Steel Living Room Furniture

> Silver Living Room Furniture

> Glass Living Room Furniture

> Aluminium Living Room Furniture

> Brass Living Room Furniture

> Bamboo Living Room Furniture

> Wrought Iron Living Room Furniture

> Cane Furniture

> Wicker Furniture

> Rattan Living Room Furniture

Living Room Accessories

The living room accessories are necessary and at same time expensive components in setting a certain preferred mood or theme to display a overall comfortable and cool look.

> Window Blinds

> Wall Mirrors

> House Plants

> Candles and Candle Stands

> Silk Plants

> Curtains and Curtain Rods

> Plant Stands

> Cushion Covers

> Rugs and Carpets

> Lamp and Lamp Shades

> Wall Clocks

If you are going to buy your living room furniture, you definitely need to find out what are the requirements of your living room. Your first step in this connection is to take the measurement of your living room. You must thoroughly check the available space where you are going to place your pine or oak furniture.

It is possible that you may find huge pieces of furniture in your visited furniture store, and many of you may find these pieces of furniture very attractive, while some even blindly fall in love with them. However, you must keep this fact in mind that often it is quite difficult to judge whether these pieces of furniture fit easily in your room or they are bigger or smaller than the available space.

Well, your first step is to take measurement of your room, and now it's time to ponder what kind of furniture can really serve your purpose best and what can really add some unique elegance and style in your living room. Will a large sofa go nicely with the other settings of your living room? Likewise, will a pine sideboard serve your purpose best? Well, these and some other questions of this type are needed to be asked by one's own self before going to a furniture store.

You can't aptly judge just by looking at the pieces of furniture and that's why it is quite important to take the measurement of your room and the available space for this furniture. You can take these measurements by hands or with measuring tape. It is better to take your own measuring tape at the furniture store.Another important thing you need to consider is the overall appearance of your room. You must know that the furniture of your living room often dominates your living room, and particularly sofas play a vital role in this connection.

You must realise whatever color you pick for your furniture will be significantly noticed. You would never like to pick something that is not according to your wall colour or carpet.Another thing you need to consider is to pick the furniture for your living room having a texture that is according to your taste and style. Some pieces of furniture are available with soft covering, and it can be great if you often nap on the sofa. Leather furniture is another option, but most pieces of leather furniture are available in white, black or brown colours, but now leather furniture is also coming in others colours too.

After doing all this, now you are quite well prepared to visit the store. Usually, you find a sales person standing next to you who can help you a lot to pick the furniture of your choice. This sales person tells you everything about the materials used in the furniture. More often, you find it easy to pick the furniture of your choice with the assistance of this salesperson, but final decision is always yours, as you know better about the settings and requirements of your living room.

Why the friction is nil in rolling friction?

2010-07-08T14:39:00.000+05:30

Friction is nil in pure rolling motion on a horizontal surface. Suppose friction were acting on a sphere in pure roll on a horizontal surface. If it's direction is such that it increase velocity of mass centre, it must be decreasing ang veloc. But if it is such that it decreases the angle velocity, it must be increase velocity of mass centre. Either way you get a contradiction and you can't have friction in pure rolling motion on a horizontal surface. But suppose a sphere is in pure roll down the surface of an inclined plane. Then there is friction on the sphere directed upward along the plane of the incline.

Friction arises when two surfaces slips or tend to slip. So when body is in state of pure rolling the two surfaces are actually just became in contact and again loose it hence there is no friction observed.

Any plane surface, though looking plane, has a lot of microscopic ups and downs. when two plane surfaces are kept crossed opposed to each other for some time, the microscopic hills of one surface fit into the corresponding valley of other surface. when you try to displace one body over the other tangentially are working against the minute barrier hills, your force if sufficient to crush or uproot the hills, the object moves forward. The more rough a surface is the more hills and valleys, the more force required to break the hills, the more the friction.

concept of origin of frictional force. when you roll some spherical object, you help it climb those microscopic mountains. because when a sphere touches at a point on ground, that point of contact acts as fulcrum and the rest of the ball moves about fulcrum till a new fulcrum appears, so on. As you know, instead of pushing, if u use the methodology of fulcrum on any object, it will reduce your effort and energy required.

X5 Free Sampler - The Classical Period

Chemistry and Education

2010-07-06T17:55:00.001+05:30

University and research organizations provide teaching and training for young students in the basics of chemical science and engineering, both for students and specialing in chemistry and for others who need the underpinning experience of chemistry for their own particular scientific, professional or technical education. Universities have a vital role in the training of excellent people, and as partners with industry in collabortive research and development.

Of course, provision of an educational training in chemistry does not begin at university. It starts at primary school with an introduction to observation and embryonicinterpretation of phenomenaand continues through early, middle and later schooling. In many places, chemistry and chemical engineering are highly regarded as professions.

It is very ture tha without knowledge of basic scientific matters, of concentration, of risk and probability, and of the properties of materials and molecules, a science based industrial society can not function democratically.

As we see daily in our media, a society with widespread scientific ignorance is all too easily influenced by facts incorrectly reported or interpreted in an unbalanced way. Much more effort must be put into the careful andtraining and selection of science teachers, particularly chemistry teachers, and into the promotion of a more balanced view of the benefits as well as the responsibilities of chemistry as a science.

Can The Mind Exist Without The Body?

2010-07-03T14:18:00.001+05:30

The subject of the independent mind existing outside of the body has been debated for centuries. The answer to this question must be a resounding yes. But How?

Philosophers across the world have long pondered the thought of the human mind being a separate entity from the physical vehicle, the body. Rene Descartes was one great thinker whose theory of Dualism argued that this was indeed the case. Although Descartes’ theory came under fire from many of the world’s greatest philosophers, there is no disputing the fact that without the initial existence of the Mind, the idea of the body would not have been perceived, and therefore could not come into existence. It is true then, that the Mind, must exist independently of the physical body.

The idea of an independent Mind, or Soul, as it shall also be referred to, can be easily conceived if one considers it from a religious point of view. Using no religious beliefs in particular, an example of such confirmation can be found through commonly held knowledge that God created Man in his likeness. If God is immaterial, and exists within us all, then it is logical to say that God exists in our Minds, therefore God is also a Mind, a Higher Mind, but one who has perceived us in that Mind before creating humanity in any form, or the lack of one. Furthermore, once the Mind is conceived by God, is shall exist forevermore, even after the death of any physical form it inhabits during its time spent in the mortal realm we know as Earth.

When God, the Highest Mind conceived of mankind in His form, mankind was created initially as immaterial. When the physical body it has been assigned has ceased to exist, the Mind remains in existence, although not in the mortal world as we know it to be. Studies of the paranormal continue to provide evidence of the existence of activity attributed to the Minds, or Souls, of human beings long after they have passed away from the mortal world; this presence is the essence of the Mind; the Spirit. A lingering remnant of the entity of Mind after it has traversed into another dimension. But how, one might wonder, can humans travel to another dimension? After all, physicists tell us that to pass through a black hole to another dimension, would mean certain death. That is, of course, if we attempted the journey in the human form.

The nature of the Mind is to progress as far toward perfection, or Godliness, as possible during the human life span. After one’s death, it is presumed that we journey home to the Kingdom of God, or the Heavens, as some would refer to it. Heaven then, must exist on another plane; in another dimension where we are closer to God in the afterlife. However, it is possible for God, and our Minds to see, to be aware, or even to travel back into the mortal world, in the immaterial form. Anyone who has experienced the presence or guidance of God, or a departed loved one will know this to be true. For those who have not had such an experience, it is obvious that the quest for knowledge that is the true natural progression toward Higher Consciousness has not yet been achieved.

One may argue that the existence of anything which has not been seen, touched, smelled, tasted, or heard is an unlikely proposition. Consider for a moment then, that knowledge can be obtained, used for one’s benefit, and improved on for the betterment of one’s existence. Alternately, it can be ignored, but in either case, it exists. Knowledge itself has no visible form, no aroma, no flavor, nor can it be seen or touched, and it makes no sound whatsoever, yet it does exist. Thoughts have always existed; they originate in the Mind, but do not need physicality to be. The body however, cannot exist without the presence of Mind.

Plato’s theory of Forms is a concept that entails belief in the existence of things which do not require physical form to be. The Highest Form, according to Plato, is Good, something that can be conceived of, acquired, and practiced, yet knowledge of its existence and the ability to possess it does not rely on perceiving it with any of the senses. A similar philosophy to Plato’s Forms, were the thoughts of Aristotle. The famous Greek proclaimed that “the soul is pure and immortal. It does not share the mortality of the body, but is much more akin to the gods” (Moore & Bruder, p.71).

Other philosophers, of course, had similar, although more complicated views about the existence and capabilities of the Mind. John Locke’s theory was that we have ideas and perceptions about things, based on our experience of the thing. How can this be? If something exists at all, then it does so because the idea of it was conceived in the Mind in the first place, then the idea was acted upon to produce the object. If we have no ideas or perception of the object, it would not come into being, and therefore could not be seen and experienced! George Berkley had an objection to Locke’s theory too, saying that the experiences we have about anything are our ideas about them, not the objects themselves. But, said Berkley, if we have not perceived the object, then how can we experience an idea about it? It simply does not exist yet!

One comment that Berkley made seems contradictory if it is not pondered fully. George Berkley insisted things could exist without them first being perceived by the human mind (Moore & Bruder, p.128). Because they were conceived by a Mind, the Mind of God, who has bought everything into existence, therefore, his logic, as odd as it may seem on the surface, lends further credence to the idea that the Mind exists, without the necessity of an accompanying physical body. In addition, if God created everything that humans did not bring into being, then our experiences and perceptions of the thing is the same as the perceptions that God had before us. This makes our Minds, God-like, a definite offshoot of the Higher Mind, and further evidence that we were indeed, created independently of physical form, and in the likeness of Him.

By living a life of virtue, and continuously seeking knowledge, our Minds will always be One with God. Plato had an interesting insight about how to live life to our fullest potential. He said that we must not only learn about, and understand what truth is, we must also live according to those truths; that is, as we acquire knowledge and understand these things, we should also practice what we have learned. This is one step toward the ultimate existence. Plato maintained that our desire for love is what motivates us to seek more knowledge and understanding of the truth and what is, and only when we succeed, can we truly experience an ideal and loving existence. Spiritual love, according to Plato, is a higher Form of love than physical love as most understand it to be. It is this kind of intellectual love that leads to immortality and the realization of what is. One should not be surprised that when Plato speaks of the necessities for a fulfilled life, he makes no mention of material possessions. After all, when the fulfilled Mind moves on to the next realm, the material items will be rendered useless and can serve no purpose.

Like the Mind, all things in nature exist to evolve. Consider the seed which emerges from the soil, and knowing what is vital for its existence, it sprouts from the ground and proceeds to strive upward in search of light and warmth to sustain its growth. If the seedling matures and bears fruit, only the strongest fruit will endure, and all the weakness contained in the diseased fruit is dropped to the ground. Similarly, animals are born with knowledge of how to survive in the elements. If a Higher Mind did not instill this knowledge into wild creatures, where did it come from? In as little as five minutes, a foal finds nourishment for his survival, and instinctively knows how to walk, run, and tell his mother apart from other horses. Ironically, as humans, we continually seek to obtain more and more material possessions in the hope of finding happiness, when we should be furnishing our Minds with knowledge we will ultimately use for this, and many lifetimes to come.

Despite being unable to conceive of a Mind that exists without its physical, mortal vehicle, evidence to the contrary is overwhelming. If one considers that everything in existence first comes into being as a thought; a thought harbored by the Mind, then it is an absurdity to argue that anything else could be fact.

Top 7 Psychological Defense Mechanisms

2010-07-01T17:15:00.000+05:30

1. Rationalization

In psychology and logic, rationalization (or making excuses) is the process of constructing a logical justification for a belief, decision, action or lack thereof that was originally arrived at through a different mental process. It is a defense mechanism in which perceived controversial behaviors or feelings are explained in a rational or logical manner to avoid the true explanation of the behavior or feeling in question. It is also an informal fallacy of reasoning.[citation needed] This process can be in a range from fully conscious (e.g. to present an external defense against ridicule from others) to mostly subconscious (e.g. to create a block against internal feelings of guilt).

Example: A new patient comes to you for a physical examination. During the history, you note that he has been smoking two packs of cigarettes per day for twenty years. You tell him that cigarettes are harmful, and he should stop smoking. There is a reasonable likelihood that he will develop emphysema and/or lung cancer if he continues to smoke. The patient responds that both of his parents smoked their whole lives and are currently alive and in their eighties. Neither one has lung disease. He states, "I think smoking is good for you; it helps you live longer!" This patient dealing with the potential fear of smoking- induced disease through Rationalization.

2. Identification
Identification is a psychological process whereby the subject assimilates an aspect, property, or attribute of the other and is transformed, wholly or partially, after the model the other provides. It is by means of a series of identifications that the personality is constituted and specified.
Partial identification is based on the perception of a special quality of another person. This quality or ideal is often represented in a 'leader figure' who is identified with. For example: the young boy identifies with the strong muscles of an older neighbour boy. Next to identification with the leader, people identify with others because they feel they have something in common. For example: a group of people who like the same music. This mechanism plays an important role in the formation of groups. It contributes to the development of character and the ego is formed by identification with a group (group norms). Partial identification promotes the social life of persons who will be able to identify with one another through this common bond to one another, instead of considering someone as a rival

3. Displacement

In psychology, displacement is an unconscious defense mechanism whereby the mind redirects affects from an object felt to be dangerous or unacceptable to an object felt to be safe or acceptable. For instance, some people punch cushions when they are angry at friends; a college student may snap at his or her roommate when upset about an exam grade. Displacement operates in the mind unconsciously and involves emotions, ideas, or wishes being transferred from their original object to a more acceptable substitute. It is most often used to allay anxiety. In scapegoating, aggression is displaced onto people with little or no connection with what is causing anger. Displacement can act in a chain-reaction, with people unwittingly becoming both victims and perpetrators of displacement. For example, a man is angry with his boss, but he cannot express this so he hits his wife. The wife hits one of the children, possibly disguising this as punishment (rationalization).

4. Projection
According to Sigmund Freud, projection is a psychological defense mechanism whereby one "projects" one's own undesirable thoughts, motivations, desires, and feelings onto someone else. It is a common process that every person uses to some degree. To understand the process, consider a person in a couple who has thoughts of infidelity. Instead of dealing with these undesirable thoughts consciously, they unconsciously project these feelings onto the other person, and begin to think that the other has thoughts of infidelity and may be having an affair. In this sense, projection is related to denial, arguably the only defense mechanism that is more primitive than projection. Projection, like all defense mechanisms, provides a function whereby a person can protect their conscious mind from a feeling that is otherwise repulsive. Projection can also be established as a means of obtaining or justifying certain actions that would normally be found atrocious or heinous. This often means projecting false accusations, information, etc onto an individual for the sole purpose of maintaining a self created illusion.

5. Regression
Regression, according to psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud, is a defense mechanism leading to the temporary reversion of the ego to an earlier stage of development rather than handling unacceptable impulses in a more adult way. The defense mechanism of regression, in psychoanalytic theory, occurs when thoughts are temporarily pushed back out of our consciousness and into our unconscious. Regressive behavior can be simple and harmless. A person may revert to an old, usually immature behavior to ventilate feelings of frustration. Regression only becomes a problem when it is used frequently to avoid adult situations and causes problems in the individual's life.
A clear example of regressive behavior can be seen in J.D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye. Holden constantly contradicts the progression of time and the aging process by reverting to childish ideas of escape, unrealistic expectations and frustration produced by his numerous shifts in behavior. His tendencies to reject responsibility and society as a whole because he 'doesn't fit in' also pushes him to prolonged use of reaction formation, unnecessary generalizations and compulsive lying. Anna Freud called this defense mechanism regression, suggesting that people act out behaviors from the stage of psychosexual development in which they are fixated. For example, an individual fixated at an earlier developmental stage might cry or sulk upon hearing unpleasant news.
Behaviors associated with regression can vary greatly depending upon which stage the person is fixated at: An individual fixated at the oral stage might begin eating or smoking excessively, or might become very verbally aggressive. A fixation at the anal stage might result in excessive tidiness or messiness.

6. Reaction Formation
In psychoanalytic theory, reaction formation is a defensive process (defense mechanism) in which anxiety-producing or unacceptable emotions and impulses are mastered by exaggeration (hypertrophy) of the directly opposing tendency. Where reaction-formation takes place, it is usually assumed that the original, rejected impulse does not vanish, but persists, unconscious, in its original infantile form. Thus, where love is experienced as a reaction formation against hate, we cannot say that love is substituted for hate, because the original aggressive feelings still exist underneath the affectionate exterior that merely masks the hate to hide it from awareness.
When an individual cannot deal with the demands of desires (including sex and love) and reality, anxiety follows. Freud believed that anxiety is an unpleasant inner state that people sought to avoid. In an attempt to protect ourselves from this anxiety, people employ reaction formation unconsciously in their daily lives. Reaction formation involves adopting opposite feelings, impulses or behavior. Someone adopting a reaction formation defense strategy would treat a spouse or loved one in the same manner in which they’d treat a hated enemy. Another example would be that two people really fond of each other fight all the time to suppress their desire of love for each other. This may also occur when there is a failure of acceptance that the other person is really important to them. To suppress their feelings for that person, they may resort to reaction formation and try to hate or fight with their loved ones to avoid the anxiety of not having them around.

7. Repression
Psychological repression, or simply repression, according to Sigmund Freud's psychoanalytic theory, is the involuntary psychological act of excluding desires and impulses (wishes, fantasies or feelings) from one's consciousness and holding or subduing them in the unconscious. Since Freud's work in psychoanalysis, repression is now accepted as a defense mechanism by psychoanalytic psychologists; however, there remains some debate as to whether (or how often) repression really happens and mainstream psychology holds that true repression occurs only very rarely.
In the Primary Repression phase, an infant learns that some aspects of reality are pleasant, and others are unpleasant; that some are controllable, and others not. In order to define the "self", the infant must repress the natural assumption that all things are equal. Primary Repression then is the process of determining what is self, what is other; what is good, and what is bad. At the end of this phase, the child can now distinguish between desires, fears, self, and others.[citation needed] Secondary Repression begins once the child realizes that acting on some desires may bring anxiety. This anxiety leads to repression of the desire. The threat of punishment related to this form of anxiety, when internalized becomes the superego, which intercedes against the desires of the id (which works on the basis of the pleasure principle) without the need for any identifiable external threat. This conflict manifests itself within the ego. Abnormal repression, or complex neurotic behavior involving repression and the superego, occurs when repression develops and/or continues to develop, due to the internalized feelings of anxiety, in ways leading to behavior that is illogical, self-destructive, or anti-social. A psychotherapist may try to reduce this behavior by revealing and re-introducing the repressed aspects of the patient's mental process to her or his conscious awareness, and then teaching the patient how to reduce any anxieties felt in relation to these feelings and impulses.

Bluetooth vs Wi-Fi

2010-06-19T17:05:00.002+05:30

One invention that has changed the field of communication and put forward revolutionary developments in human life style is the invention of RADIO. With that invention unreachable has changed to reachable and untouchable has changed to touchable. Till the invention of radio long distance communication which made used of wire for transmission has changed to wireless and this paved the breakout of wireless technologies which lead to the invention of mobiles.

I am not going to tell about the invention of radio. I will like to share details about the new era communication technologies like Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. These technologies are not from a different family. It is included in the same family of radio. That is why I have mentioned about radio and its invention. We all know that Wi-Fi is faster than Bluetooth. What is the reason for this? After you have completed reading this article you will be able to answer this question.

BLUETOOTH

We are using it in our mobiles without knowing that what is the technology adopted behind it. The basic thing making use in Bluetooth is that the conversion of digital data into radio signals and vice versa. Two way communication is possible through Bluetooth. This is the basic fact. Now let’s see it in detail and its characteristics and factors which is to be kept in mind while using it.

The circuits or devices which make use of Bluetooth are cell phones, PDA and laptops. Also medical instruments are making use in medical sector. As we know that the above said devices were battery operated,Bluetooth technology operates in small power ratings. With small power ratings a range of about 10 feet is possible with Bluetooth. Also Bluetooth is capable of travelling through walls and other obstructions.

Radio signal of 2.45 GHz is used in Bluetooth Technology. This frequency is laid by the international standards so that other devices can be synchronized by constructing it to operate in this frequency range. The chance for interference of different frequency is minimized by making use of frequency hopping. Also large number of devices can operate at a time.Bluetooth uses spread spectrum frequency hopping. In this method a device uses 79 individual frequencies that are pre chosen. These frequencies will change rapidly and remain in the device for a fraction of second. Also more than one device which makes use ofBluetooth may be operating at different frequencies at a time. Also this method reduces the interference from electrical and signals from the surroundings.

While discussing about the security of Bluetooth, a device cannot access a provider without getting authorization access from the service provider. Device level security and service level security is made use in Bluetooth . This enables to provide security for private data. But this security doesn’t work on encryption basis and chances for hacking is more. So while playing with Bluetooth devices makes sure that you are secure by turning of Bluetooth when not needed or by turning it undetectable.

Wi-Fi

The advanced version of Bluetooth can be called as Wi-Fi. It uses the same radio technology for communication between devices. But the frequency and bandwidth of radio wave is different from that ofBluetooth. Wi-Fi provides two way communications with more speed than Bluetooth.

Now let us see how Wi-Fi works. The basic things required in Wi-Fi are a router, an Ethernet hub, a firewall and wireless access point. The basic working of Wi-Fi is such that the router is connected to the internet. It converts the digital data and transmits as radio signals. Devices which have Wi-Fi can access this internet and thus wireless access become possible.

The frequency spectrum of Wi-Fi signals lies between 2.5 GHz to 5 GHz. This frequency is higher than that used in cell phones, television and radios. Wi-Fi is also called 802.11. It got this name from IEEE. IEEE uses this type of codes for naming different technological protocols.

We can classify the Wi-Fi signals into different categories based on the frequency and speed of transmission of signals. They are

802.11a-This works at 5 GHz frequency and is capable of transmitting at a speed of 54 MB/s. This method uses orthogonal frequency division multiplexing. This is an efficient method for splitting of signals before they reach receiver.
802.11b-This is the slowest but cheapest way of using Wi-Fi. It uses 2.4 GHz for transmission and can achieve a speed of 11 MB/s. This method uses complementary code keying modulation technique.
802.11g-This also uses 2.4 GHz for transmission. But it can achieve greater speed because of the use of orthogonal frequency division multiplexing.
802.11n-The new method of Wi-Fi which uses orthogonal frequency division multiplexing which can achieve a speed up to 140 MB/s.
With Wi-Fi we can get a range of about 30 feet which is sufficient to make a small building wireless.

But Wi-Fi faces some security problems while comparing with that of Bluetooth. Bluetooth is closed transmission methods and one cannot access it without the permission of service provider. But Wi-Fi is open. Anyone in the Wi-Fi hot spot can access it. This will create problem while the transmission of sensitive data. Although security can be introduced in Wi-Fi there are more holes in Wi-Fi rather than in Bluetooth. So be aware while dealing with Wi-Fi.

GPS (GLOBAL POSITIONING SYSTEM)

2010-06-16T19:58:00.000+05:30

Global Positioning System (GPS) is the system which is used for navigation purpose. Previously many systems like TRANSIT, LORAN and VOR are there for navigation purpose. But GPS is highly efficient than all other systems. Now GPS is the primary system for all navigation like ships, aircrafts and surveying etc.

The GPS used L-band signals. L-band signals are in the frequency range 1-2 GHz. GPS transmits two codes. One is C/A code and other one is P code. P code is used for the military purposes and C/A code is available for the public usage. In military purposes, sensitive data is transmitted. So the data should be highly secured. So the P code is encrypted and transmitted as Y code. So the receiver must know the decryption algorithm for decoding the position of the satellite. So normal receiver can’t decode the code because it doesn’t know the decryption algorithm. Using GPS, we can find the position with a typical accuracy of 30m.

GPS system consists of 24 satellites which are placed in medium earth orbits. They are at an height of 20,200 Km from the surface of the earth. The satellites are inclined at an angle of 55° with the equatorial plane. And the groups of four satellites are called as constellation. Each constellation separated by a 60° in longitude. The orbital period of the GPS satellite is one half of the side real day. i.e., 11 hours 58 minutes. So a typical satellite appears in the same position in the sky for two times. The GPS system is designed such that receiver at any place can pickup signals from at least 4 satellites. It can receive signals from 12 satellites too. Sometimes due to some problems, satellites stop functioning. For this purpose, backup satellites are also launched in their orbit. If any ofthe satellite stops functioning, then this backup satellite serves the users. In general around 30 satellites are there in the orbit.

The GPS system is controlled by master control station (MCS) which is present in the Falcon Air Force Base in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Some subsidiary stations are also used for the monitoring purposes. Master control station and other stations calculate atomic clock error, ephemeris data for each satellite and other factors which are needed for the navigation message. By using ephemeris data, we can know theposition of satellite in the space. The master control station transmits the data to the satellites by using S-band link. If any error is present, then these master control station sends the data within 1.5s for the navigation purpose.

Position of the GPS receiver is found by using the method called trilateration. It is the one of the simplest method for finding the unknown position. In this method, three satellites are selected and by consideringthe satellite as the centre of the sphere and the distance between the satellite and the receiver as radius, a sphere is drawn. So from three satellites three spheres are drawn. These three spheres intersect at two points. By eliminating one point during the calculation purpose, we find theposition of the receiver.

Sometimes enemies target the GPS system. So to avoid that, a process called selective availability is used. The accuracy of a GPS receiver is degraded some of the time by a process called selective availability. Selective Availability causes variations in the C/A code transmissions and that result in inaccurate calculation of theposition of the receiver. If SA is used, then the position may be shifted up to 200m. But this process is now switched off by the US government. If in case of emergency, then it will be reinstituted if the US president permits it.

The distance between the satellite and the receiver is called as range. Range is calculated from the time delay introduced by the signal travelling from the GPS satellite to the GPS receiver. The waves are EM waves which travel with velocity of light.

Each GPS satellite has 4 atomic clocks. Atomic clock has 1 in 10¹¹ accuracy. Atomic clocks are very costly. So GPS receiver use crystal oscillator. Crystal oscillator has 1 in 10⁵or 1 in 10⁶accuracy. So the receiver clock is allowed to have an offset relative to the Satellite clocks. Due to this, when time delay is measured, the receiver clock has an offset error. If the clock offset is 10msm, then the position of the receiver may be shifted up to 3000km. So it is important to synchronize the GPS satellite time and the GPS receiver time.

So for finding this offset error we consider 4 satellites during the position calculation. Then from 4 equations, we find the latitude, longitude, elevation and the clock offset.

What is Force ?

2010-06-04T13:55:00.000+05:30

Force is some natural phenomenon that changes the state of the motion of the body that is it accelerates the body. Now let us define a unit of Force arbitrarily (e.g. a standard spring being stretched 1 cm under elastic limit and select a stone, make it standard. it serves asa unit of mass.

This force produces some acceleration on that unit mass.

Now if we take two of such stones and both identical and let a unit force act on each of them such that they move together in parallel. Now bring the two stones close together such that they are almost coincident anda unit is acting on force on each stone.

Obviously will accelerate as much when unit force acted on one stone. Now here come the crucial point Consider two stones close together as one big stone of 2 units of mass and two unit forces acting in the same direction together as single 2 unit force. Here we have to define additive property of forces. This experiment can be repeated with 'n' number of stones in parallel and then combining together. We will always find

"Force is proportional to mass when acceleration is constant.

Now to see the effect of Force with acceleration, for a constant mass, we can do this experimentally Because we have a unit of force and we can make many of such springs exactly And force being defined to follow the law of addition, we can attach two springs to the unit mass, and pull it from the other side until they both are stretched at 1 cm.

Repeating this we can find the relationship between force and acceleration. It turned out to be linear and hence in classical physics we Could have "Force = Mass * Acceleration".

But we know this is wrong. the correct definition is.. F = dp/dt...And all concepts of Force and Mass gained earlier have to be redefined!!

I believe that Newton had not only wanted to explain the uniform force. Indeed, he would also like to explain the change in momentum one object when there is an elastic collision with other. this great force acts on the objects very short interval of time, so the change in the momentum could be only measure to define the team force. Also for non uniform forces.

The basic definition of force is, that it changes or tend to change the momentum of the body.

Take the same put a stone of 1kg on top of a table neither its mass nor the velocity is changing but still it is experiencing two force, gravity & normal reaction.. Hence the picture of dp/dt comes when there is an unbalanced force and the funda is change in the momentum is in the direction of unbalanced force

Thus, he definitely didn't want to explain force with mass alone, since mass is a scalar , but force is a vector and so momentum.

Hawking Radiation

2010-05-31T11:05:00.002+05:30

As we know, a particle-antiparticle pair is sometimes created near the event horizon of a black hole. Why is it that the antiparticle falls into the black hole and the particle moves away from it? What is the determining factor of whether the particle or the antiparticle is pulled into the black hole?

It is not necessary that only anti particle will fall into black hole; even particle can fall into the black hole.

In that case, the antiparticle will be emitted. For example, from an electron, positron pair, positron can also be emitted.

In general, half the time an electron will be emitted and half the time positron in the above case.

How come the mass of a black hole keeps decreasing in that case? The antiparticle must fall more often into the black hole than the particle in order for this to happen.

the mass o d black hole does not decrease only because a antimatter annihilating matter, the black hole is not totally black, it emits a small amt o glow continuously so the energy content o d black-hole goes on decreasing steadily over millions o years n so its mass decreases slowly.

In an article written that black-holes cannot go on increasing in mass too. they reach a maxi mass, and then all further mass which gets attracted into it, gets seeps out at a increased rate so as to keep the maximum mass ofthe black hole same.

Why do they continuously emit radiation? I thought Hawking radiation was the only way they could lose mass.

They go on emitting radiation because of the Heisenberg’s uncertainty people and basically the whole of quantum mechanics which allows the tunneling of radiation past the black-holes enormous gravity. The quantum mechanics allows the occurrence of all events if they occur briefly enough. So tunnels that can lead outradiation do open, and hence the black-hole losses mass.

What exactly is Hawking radiation?

It’s so easy inside of the Black hole there is proton ring created due to tilde gravitational force Atoms got so much stretched and they depilate into pairs of lepton and protons and thisproton ring has so tremendous positive charge which keeps antimatter aside far.

Gravity and anti gravitation

2010-05-30T17:47:00.000+05:30

Gravitation is nothing but a force commonly known as "gravitational force". A body attracts another body if they are having a potential difference; potential difference is also a form of energy. If both the potential energy is same then they are likely to meet at a mean position of their gravitational force locus.

As far as the term "anti-gravitation" is concerned, let us consider 2 charged particles both having the same magnitude of potential energy. Consider them to be both positively charged. In this case the will "reflect" each other or in simple words the will go away from each other which you may consider it as "anti-gravitation".

I don't think so that there is any term "anti-gravitation". But if it exist also, it may be defined

I think that perhaps dark energy is a form of anti gravitation. It is still a hypothetical concept, but it is postulated to exist throughout the space and is the reason why the universe keeps expanding and the rate of expansion is still increasing.

Outer space is still a stranger to us. You may not know what makes the universe expanding. It’s just hypothesis or in other word "math", math can make even the unimaginable true.

Consider other forces like electric force or magnetic force ( both are now considered to be the same force united by Einstein's theory of relativity) Both these forces are attractive n repulsive in nature. It depends on the polarity. These forces are symmetrical in nature.

Similarly the gravitational force may also be symmetrical. It may also depend on the polarity. We are living in the world of positive mass. Our universe may also contain negative mass( probably dark matter which is believed to be opposite of matter). So due to this difference in polarity the gravitational force may also be repulsive or anti gravity when matter interacts with the dark matter. This ' anti gravity ' is believed to be the reason for the increased rate of expansion of the universe though there is no solid proof in this regard.

Another way of thinking about anti gravity is imagining it as negative curvature of space time. Gravity is positive curvature.

The electromagnetic force is the one that opposes gravity. If we are able to stand on the earth its only because of the electromagnetic force of repulsion between the electrons in the outermost shell of our shoes and the electrons in the outermost shell of the ground.

Remember that the electromagnetic force is almost 10^38 times stronger than gravity. If that would not have been the case then we would have sucked in to the core of the earth.

NUTRITION IN PLANTS AND ANIMALS

2010-05-30T17:44:00.003+05:30

All organism need energy to perform various processes of their lives. Energy is necessary for them whether they are working or at rest. We require energy even during sleep because a number of biological activities occur continuously in our body. For example, respiration and beating of heart keeps on going always without any break. All these processes of living beings need a continuous flow of energy. Food is the source of this energy. It is released by the breakdown of food taken by the organism. In the forthcoming text, we study various modes of intake of food and nutrition.

Nutrition

The very word nutrition means the process of taking in and utilizing the various nutrients by an organism. Nutrients are substance that provide energy to the organism. They also help in the biosynthesis of various consituents of the body. These are obtained by organisms from their surroundings. Food an important source of various nutrients required for growth, maintenance and repair of the body. It is also required for building the resistance in the body again various diseases and foregin pathogens. Thus, nutrition is a process by whichorganism obtains substances which are utilized for their growth, maintenance, reproduction and to counteract various diseases. Substances used fornutrition are called nutrients.

Modes of nutrition

Organism have different modes of nutrition. They are classified into two major groups on the basis of mode of their taking food.

1. Autotrophic nutrition: ‘Auto’ means self and ‘trophein’ means to nourish. In this mode of nutrition, organism synthesize their own food in their own bodies from simpler inorganic substances. Such organism are known as autotrophs. Autotrophic nutrition is further classified into two types depending on the source of energy used.

(i) Photoautotrophic nutrition: All green plants, certain protists and photosynthesis bacteria have this mode of nutrition. They can directly use the solar energy in the presence of chlorophyll to make their organic food from simpler inorganic substances,i.e., water and carbon dioxide. The green pigment present in them is oftrapping the solar energy . This energy is used for synthesis of food from raw materials- carbon dioxide, water and some minerals. These organisms are known as photoautotrophs.

(ii) Chemoautotrophic nutrition or chemosynthesis: certain bacteria can make organic food from simpler organic substances without using an solar energy. They use energy produced by the breakdown of these inorganic substances. This process is known as chemosynthesis and their mode ofnutrition as chemoautotrophic nutrition. These organism are known as chemoautotrophs. For examples, sulphur bacteria and iron bacteria.

2. Heterotrophic nutrition: ‘Hetro’ a greek word means different. In this mode of nutrition, the nutritions are taken from others. All, animals, fungi, many bacteria and some non-organic plants cannot make their own food. Such organisms are known as heterotrophs. Thus, heterotrophsnutrition may be defined as a type nutrition in which energy is obtained from the digestion of organic matter, of plant and animal source. In this mode of nutrition, first organic is digestion of organic matter, of plants and animals sources.

Different types of hetrotrophic nutrition or Saprotrophic nutrition.

(i) Saprophytic nutrition or saprotrophic nutrition

(ii) Parasitic nutrition.

(iii) Holozoic nutrition.

(i) Saprophytic nutrition or saprotrophic nutrition : The word ‘sapro’ means rotten. In this mode of nutrition, organism obtain nutrition fronm dead decaying organic matter. They secrete digestive juices to the surrounding medium. The enzymes present in these juices convert the non-diffusable food in diffusible form. The it is absorbed by them through their body surface. For example fungi and bacteria. Theseorganism are called saprophaytes.

(ii) Parasitic nutrition : The word ‘para’ means other. This mode of nutrition is to take food from others. The organism that takes food is known as parasite and the organism from whom food is taken is known as host. Thus the organism show a host-parasite relationship in this type of nutrition. The parasite lives in an intimate association with the host and derives essential nutritions from it. But the host does not get any benefit in return from the parasite. The host may be an animal or a plant. The parasite may live outside the host body. Such a parasite is known as Ectoparasite. The parasite which live inside the host body is known as Endoparasite. Parasite mode ofnutrition is found in bacteria, fungi, some animals like round warm and plasmodium. A few higher plants like Cuscuta and Viscum also show parasite mode ofnutrition.

(iii) Holozoic nutrition: most of the animals takes solid or liquid food by process of ingestion. Holozoic mode of nutrition can be defined as the taking in complex oganic matter by ingestion. The food is then digested and absorbed in the body. For example : Amoeba, frog, rabbit, loin and human beings. Depending upon the source of food taken, holozoic nutrition is further of following types.

(a) Herbivorous.

(b) Carnivorous.

Nine New Species for Tasmania's Disappearing Handfish Family

2010-05-25T15:17:00.000+05:30

The new species are described in a review of the handfish family by Hobart-based fish taxonomists from the CSIRO Wealth from Oceans Flagship, Daniel Gledhill and Peter Last.

Supported by funding from the Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, the review of the handfishes brings the family to 14 known species -- six found only in Tasmania and one known from only one specimen possibly collected in Tasmania by early European explorers, yet not recorded since. It also deepens concerns about declining populations of some handfishes.

"Handfishes are small, often strikingly patterned or colourful, sedentary fish that tend to 'walk' on the seabed on hand-like fins, rather than swim. Fifty million-years ago, they 'walked' the world's oceans, but now they exist only off eastern and southern Australia," Mr Gledhill says.

"They are of great importance to understanding the origins of Australian marine life, the role of Australia as a refuge during previous periods of change, and the effects on living species of habitat alteration and rapid climate change."

Dr Last says handfishes are extremely vulnerable to environmental change -- introduced species, pollution, siltation, fishing, sea-temperature rise and coastal development -- due to their scarcity, patchy distribution, life history strategy, low breeding rates and poor dispersal ability.

(The Spotted Handfish is listed as endangered under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 and the Red Handfish and Ziebell's Handfish are listed as vulnerable.)

"There is evidence of shallow-water species disappearing quickly, from being common in certain areas a few decades ago, to apparently being locally extinct in some areas," Dr Last says.

"It's not just two or three handfish species of concern. Our work has described nine new species, each with its own environmental niches and needs, and several of these appear to have very restricted distributions, and/or occur in very low abundance."

Mr Gledhill says the handfishes have proven difficult to classify due to their rarity and a lack of specimens.

One of the newly named species, the Pink Handfish, is known from only four specimens and was last recorded off the Tasman Peninsula in 1999. The Pink Handfish will feature in a photographic exhibition of Australia's marine biodiversity that opens May 21 at Questacon in Canberra.

The exhibiton is mounted by the Marine Biodiversity Hub, a national research partnership charged with furthering knowledge of Australia's oceans, and coincides with the United Nations' International Year of Biodiversity (2010) and International Biodiversity Day, 22 May 2010.

Professor Nic Bax of CSIRO and the University of Tasmania, director of the Marine Biodiversity Hub, says the exhibition offers a wonderful opportunity to acquaint young Australians with the beauty and challenges presented by Australia's vast ocean realm.

"More than half of Australia's territory is ocean, and some 95 per cent of this world is yet to be explored," he says.

CSIRO initiated the National Research Flagships to provide science-based solutions to Australia's major research challenges and opportunities. The 10 Flagships form multidisciplinary teams with industry and the research community.

The Marine Biodiversity Hub is a collaborative partnership funded by the Commonwealth Environment Research Facilities program, an Australian Government initiative supporting world class, public good research. Its partners include Tasmanian Fisheries and Aquaculture Institute, University of Tasmania; CSIRO Wealth from Oceans National Flagship; Geoscience Australia; Australian Institute of Marine Science; and Museum Victoria.

A Fat Cell Grows Up: Stages from Early to Mature Cell Offer Clues for Anti-Obesity Drug Development

2010-05-20T14:26:00.001+05:30

In a finding with potential drug-development implications, Mitchell A. Lazar, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Institute for Diabetes, Obesity, and Metabolism at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, and colleagues report in the current issue of Genes & Development the discovery of an intermediate state between early-stage fat cells and fully mature ones that is only present transiently during the fat-cell formation process. This intermediate state is induced by hormones related to cortisol, which are known to contribute to obesity and metabolic disturbances in people.

New therapies for obesity or metabolic diseases such as diabetes could potentially target this transition state toward a maturing fat cell.

The transition state -- present within 24 hours of the start of the fat-cell differentiation process -- is defined by chemical changes to genetic material called chromatin, which package a cell's DNA. These changes kick start the expression of regulatory proteins and provide a cellular memory that allows the cell to continue developing even after the signal to undergo this transition has waned.

Probing the Genome

Like all cells in the body, fat cells arise from stem cells. Embryonic stem cells give rise to another type of stem cell, which in turn gives rise to early-stage fat cells. Upon stimulation, those early cells complete their differentiation to become fully mature fat cells. Lazar and his team asked: What are the molecular players required to induce the final transformation?

Using a cell culture system, the team, led by postdoctoral researcher David Steger, PhD, probed genes involved in fat-cell development and function for chromatin changes that were associated with the start of mature fat-cell formation. They found chromatin changes near a gene encoding the master regulator of differentiation, PPAR-gamma, which is also a target of anti-diabetic drugs.

"That gave us confidence to interrogate the whole genome," Lazar says.

The team scanned the genome for regions that were modified within 24 hours of the onset of fat-cell differentiation and analyzed those regions for potential binding sites for proteins that induce the expression of other genes. These proteins activate the genes whose proteins cause changes in cellular behavior and function.

Complex Control System

The researchers found that many of the chromatin-modified regions contained binding sites for two proteins, CEBP-beta and the glucocorticoid receptor (GR). In turn, these proteins recruit additional proteins to their locations along chromosomes. The result is a protein complex that nudges the precursor fat cell to become a mature fat cell.

That the glucocorticoid receptor is part of this transition state is remarkable, Lazar says, in that the growth factor complex required to induce fat-cell formation includes dexamethasone, one type of gluococorticoid hormone. No one had ever considered why dexamethasone was required to make this transition happen, Lazar says. "The dexamethasone is stimulating the hormone receptor to bind transiently at this site and create the transition state." This happens at dozens of sites in the cell genome, and the hormone is the coordinating signal.

On the basis of their findings, Lazar and his colleagues propose a model in which, upon stimulation of pre-fat cells, CEBP-beta, GR, and other proteins assemble near the PPAR-gamma gene and activate it. Once that happens, the circuit is on, even if the fat-cell-forming stimulus should disappear. In what the investigators call a "feedforward loop," the PPAR-gamma protein induces its own expression, as well as that of another master regulatory gene, CEBP-alpha. CEBP-alpha, in turn, activates its expression as well as that of PPAR-gamma. More importantly, both proteins also induce the expression of fat-cell genes, thereby committing the cell to its ultimate fate.

"The idea that a transient hormone signal coordinates many locations throughout the genome in the process of making a fat cell is surprising and informative," Lazar says.

And that state -- or rather, the molecular players that comprise it -- could provide a useful target for anti-obesity drug development, he adds.

The study was supported by the National Institutes for Diabetes, Digestive and Kidney Diseases,the George S. Cox Medical Research Institute, and by the Picower Foundation.

Black Holes

2010-05-19T11:25:00.001+05:30

By quantum mechanical treatment one can show that even in vacuum their some energy exists. Actually a pair of virtual form and annihilate each other. but in the event horizon, there is a possibility that one particle will fall & lost in black hole. so even black holes even have some radiation at least which seems to be out from black hole. Now this emission carries energy. So the energy of black hole decreases. So its mass decreases and its temperature increases and so its rate of emission increases. So it loses its mass by exponential way, and most possible result is that it just disappeared.

But then what will happen with the information that was stored in it? There is no way that the information comes out. so the information lost. So the scientific determination lost.

So our symmetric predictable world which governs by some basic laws destroyed. the whole future seems to be unpredictable. Anything can happen. We can't predict even with help of Schrodinger's equation. So what will difference between the bloody damn astrology and well defined & one of the greatest theories of millennium the general theory of relativity? that is the million dollar question of today.

Calculation of intrinsic entropy of a Black Hole would require us to count the number of microstates within a BH (so as to find entropy as ~log (num of states)). This should then correspond to the thermodynamic entropy of hawking radiation which annihilates the BH (or equivalently, the entropy that went into initial creation of BH).

Classically i.e. without using quantum theories), the number of states have been just three - mass, charge and angular momentum, and hence the intrinsic entropy did not scale with the radiation/creation entropy. This is the source of the information paradox.

Within string theory, which is a quantum theory, for special cases of black holes which are not the physical ones that we see, but more of theoretical constructs like super symmetric, extremely black holes, the microstates have been counted and shown to correspond to the radiation entropy. These are seen as one of the strong confirmations of string theory.

Heat travels, off-course much slower than C.

so the thing which travel much less then C, how it can escape Event horizon which light itself cannot escape?

It cannot escape then how it can interact with matter outside event-horizon?

If it cannot interact then how external observer will come to know about it?

Based on mass, electric charge, and angular momentum, we have all four possible solution of black hole for Einstein filed equations.

HUMAN REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM

2010-05-18T17:16:00.000+05:30

Man is uni sexual. There is a distinct sexual dimorphism. Males can be easily distinguished from female by many character, such as physical standards, externals genetic organs and accessory sex characters. Human reproduction is highly evolved. Structures associated with reproduction are different in male and female. In humans, reproduction system becomes functional after attaining a definite age called puberty. Puberty in male is generally attained at the age of 13 to 14 years. But in female puberty is attained at the age of 10 to 12 years.

Reproductive system of each sex consist of many organs. The latter are distinguished into primary and secondary sex organs. Primary sex organ called gonads. Gonads produce gametes and secret sex hormones. Growth and functions of gonads are regulated by hormones ,the FSH and LH from pituitary. Gonads of male are called testes and females are called ovaries. Testes produce sperms and male sex hormones testosterone. Ovaries produce ova or eggs and female sex hormones estrogen. These hormones play an important role in process of reproduction.

1. They regulate the process of gametogenesis ( formation of sperm and ovum)

2. Maintain structure and function os accessory sex organs and

3. Regulate development of secondary sex character like facial, axial and pubic hair, pitch of the voice and development of mammary gland, etc.

Organs which neither produce gamets nor secrete sex hormones but perform important function in reproduction, are called secondary sex organs. They include prostate gland, seminal vesicles, vasa deferential and penis in male. In female they include fallopian tube, uterus, vagina and mammary glands.

MALE REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM

Human male reproductive system consist of a pair of testes, apair of epididymis, a pair of vasa deferentia, a pair of ejaculatory ducts, penis and certain gands.

I. Testes (singular testes) :

Testes are primary male reproductive organs. They are soft, smooth, pinkish, oval organs, about 4-5 cm long, 2.5 cm wide and 3 cm thick. They lie in small scale like muscular structure out side the abdominal cavity called scrotum. Scrotum is a pauch of skin arising from the lower abdominal wall and hanging between the legs. Testes originate in the abdominal cavity but later, during the seventh month of development , descend into scrotum. Scrotum acts as thermoregulator and provides an optional temperature for the formation of sperms. This temperature is 1-3 degree Celsius lower the temperature of the body. Failure of testes to descend into scrotum causes sterility. Because formation of sperms does not occur at abdominal temperature.
Each testis is formed of several highly coiled tubules called seminiferous tubules. Seminiferous tubules are heald by connecting tissues, in which are present interstitial cells or Leyding cells. Seminiferous tubules produce sperms. Interstitial cell secrete male sex hormons, the testosterone. This hormons regulate primary and secondary sex character in man. Testes form sperms throughout the reproductive life of man.

II. Epididymis:

Each epididymis consist of a long, high coiled tube and remains attached to the side of the testis. It receives sperms from testes and store them temporarily till ejaculation. It leads into a sperm duct called ducts deferens or vas deferens.

III.Vas defentia :

Each vas deferens is a tube with a thick muscular wall. It enters the abdominal cavity through inguinal canal. In abdominal cavity it passes over the urinary bladder and joins the duct of seminal vesicle to from ejaculatory duct.

IV.Ejaculatory ducts:

Each duct is small thin walled tube which passes through prostate gland and opens into urethra. Urethra carries both sperms and urine and passes through the penis. Urethra opens to the outside at the tip of penis through a male genital aperture. There is one opening for urine and sperm.

V. Penis :

It is a male copulatory organ. It is a cylindrical, spongy, muscular and highly vascular organ. It is used for passing out urine, sexual act and for depositing sperms in the female genital tract.

VI. Accessory sex gland :

In man a pair of seminal vesicles, a prostate gland and a pair of cowper’s gland are associated with male reproductive system. Secretions of these gland protect sperms from acidity of male and female reproduction tracts. Secretions also increases sperm motility.

Secretion of these various glands and sperms collectively form semen.

FEMALE REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM

Human female reproductive system is more complex than that of male. This complexity in structure and function ensure the union of sperm and ovum inside the body of female. Female reproductive system consist of a pair ovaries, a pair of fallopian tubes, uterus, vagina, external genitalia and mammary gland.

I. Ovaries : Ovaries are the primary sex organ of a female. They are almond shaped bodies, about 3 cm long , 1.5 cm wide and 1 cm thick. They are located in the abdominal cavity near the kidney. They are suspended from the dorsal body wall near the kidney by a section of peritoneum, the mesovarium.

Each ovary perform a dual function of :

a. Production of female gamete and,

b. Secretion of female sex harmones.

Each ovary is composed of ovarian follicles. At puberty, these follicles undergo maturation to produce ova. The process of formation of eggs in the ovary is known as oogenesis. It is controlled by hormones from anterior pituitary.

Release of mature ovum from a mature ovarian follicle is called ovulation. Ovulation controlled by LH from pituitary.

II. Fallopian tube (oviducts) : Each fallopian tube or oviduct is about 12 cm long muscular tube . it conveys eggs from ovary to the uterus. It also provides site from fusion of ovum and sperm. Funnel shaped proximal part of oviduct is called infundibulum. Margin of infundibulum bears finger like process called fimbrae. It opens into the abdominal cavoty by an aperture called ostium. Ostium recives eggs released from ovary. While eggs is moving down the oviduct it is fertilized by the sperm in the terminal part of the oviduct.

III. Uterus : Uterus is also called womb. It is large highly elastic sac apecialized for the development of the embryo. Two oviduct open into it. Lower narrow part of the uterus is called cervix which opens into the vagina. Wall of the uterus is formed three coats: innermost endometrium, middle myometrium and outside perimtrium. Endometrium provide site for implantation of embrayo.

IV. Vagina : Vagina is a tubular structure and is called birth canal. It also act as a female copulatory organ. It is about 7.5 cm long. It is called birth canal because through this canal the young is born after completion of development inside the uterus. It is called copulary organ because it receives penis during copulation.

V. External genitalia : There is a depression, the vestibule in front of anus. Urethera and vegina open by separate apertures into the vestibule. A pair of vestibular or bartholin gland occur on each side of vaginal opening into the vestibule.

VI. Mammary glands ( Brestes) : because enlarge considerasly in adult female. They contain mammary glands. Mammary glands becomes functions after the birh of a child.

Light on refraction

2010-05-18T17:03:00.000+05:30

What happens to the wavelength and the frequency of light on refraction?

Compton Effect in light which dealt with collision between photons and electrons provided the energy was in the right range.

In the collision between the photon and the electron the photon loses energy and its frequency lowers. How is refraction very different from this? refraction taking place from less denser to more denser medium, so the photon came from a space where there were fewer particles to collide and is going into a place where there are more particles to collide and there are almost no reasons why collisions must not take place, so the photon should lose energy and hence get a change infrequency too.

Nothing happens to frequency, wavelength and velocity changes.

What makes scattering, refraction and dispersion different? Aren't they interactions og photons with the medium, fundamentally?

Refraction has nothing to do with Compton Effect. In refraction the scattering is elastic and hence the frequency doesn't change. The effect of scattering is seen macroscopically from the fact that the velocity and the wavelength of light in the medium has changed.

If in my medium the particles were initially at rest. Now if I let an electromagnetic radiation pass through the medium in proper terms refract through the medium then also the final state of my medium should be at rest.

Consider a photon absorbed by an electron and then re-emitted with the same energy in some other direction. This is what happens in case of refraction as well. This is elastic scattering. Such scattering of photons effectively reduces the velocity of photons like electrons in metals.

STEM CELL

2010-05-18T16:58:00.000+05:30

Stem cells, one of the most fascinating areas of biology, are cells which are not terminally differentiated. They produce cells of other types that can grow to specific tissues or organs. There are two types of stem cells: embryonic stem cell, and adult (somatic) cell. Embryonic stem cells are s primitive type of cell that can be developed into most or all of the 220 types of cells found in the human body. They are further diveded into three categories: totipotent, pluripotent and multipotent. A singLe toti potent stem cell can grow into an entire organism, pluripotent stem cells to any organ in the body and multi potent stem cells to only a particular types of cells. Adult stem cells bearing some similarities to embyonic stem cells are originated from bone marrow and skin cell.

Stem cell are used in the treatment and cure of many human diseases and disorders including Alzheimer's, diabetes, cancer, etc. The stem cell research holds great promise of improving human health by control of degenerative diseases and restoration of damage to organs by varios injuries; but at the same time it also raises several ethical and social issues such as destruction of humahn embryos to create human embryonic stem (HES) cell lines, potentialfor introducing commodification in human tissues and organ with inherent barriers of access to socio-economically deprived and possible of technology for germ- line engineering and reproductive cloning. The research in this field, therefore, needs to be regulated to strike a balance. There are no appoved treatments or human trials using embryonic stem cell. Neverthless, some are of the opinion that the differentiation potential of embryonic stem cell is broader than modt ault stem cells.

Stem cells provide huge potential for finding treatments and cures to a vast array of diseases including, different cancers, diabetes, spinal cord injuries, Alzheimers, MS, Huntingtones, Parkinsons and more.

Pros and cons :

Every technology has its own advantages and disadvantages. \but benefits always outweighs risk, so is the case with stem cell research. The excitement about stem cell research is primarily due to the medical benefits in areas of regenerative medicine and therapeutic cloning. There is endless potential for scientists to learn about human groeth and cell development from studyin stem cells. Use of adult-derived stem cells, from blood, skin and other tissues, has been demonstrated to be effective for treating different diseases in animal models. Some trials in human are also in progress and proved effective. Blood from the placenta and unbilical cord of new-born babies is a useful source of adult stem cells. Since 1988 these 'cord blood' stem cells have been used to treat Gunther's disease, Hunter syndrome, Hurler syndrome, acute lympocytic leukemia and many more problems mostly in children.

But some disadvanteges or shortcomings including short-life of embryonic cell lines and vast money invested are not technically considered individual living beings by pro-life advocates. Further, the use of embryonic stem cells from research involves the destruction of blastocytes formed from laboratory-fertilized human eggs. For those who believe that life begins at conception, the blastocyst is a human life and to destroy it is unacceptable and immoral. This seems to the only controversial issue standingin the way of stem cell research . Many countries ban research on stem cell and cloning or they are tightly regulated.

Artificial life and Natural life

2009-12-27T11:44:00.002+05:30

Now a days scientists are claiming that they take this world to a perfect stage. What is perfection? They claim that the present civilization is much better than olden civilization. They also claim that human beings came from ape or monkey.

But actually that is not the case. They might have come from apes. But, in India vedic civilization has been existing for the millions of years. Scientists converted a pure human being into a meat eating demon by misguiding people.

We will take each issue one by one to prove their false claims. First take water pollution. Now a days we are purchasing water 14 rupees per liter which is equal to milk rate. God is giving freely everything. But by mismanagement, we are suffering. Just because of water pollution so many deceases are coming. We are afraid to drink water outside. Why this is happening? At least we should accept that we are being lead by foolish people. A society without a head.

In our good olden days there were no factories and industries. So our rivers were very pure. No need to purchase any filter. One more blunder is mixing stool with water. Previously people were going outside for attending nature calls. Now in the name of modernization, everybody happily doing these things at home and mixing stool with water. Do we ever inquired anybody where actually this water is being sent. Finally we are drinking the same water after doing so called filtering. Anyway, we are selfish. It is not that we can changethis world, but at least one should accept that we are not moving in the right direction.

SOME MILESTONES IN STEM CELL RESEARCH

2009-08-09T12:55:00.002+05:30

1960 : Research begins on stem cells taken from adult tissue

1981 : First mouse embryonic stem cell line established

1998 : First isolation of human embryonic stem cell lines at University of Wisconcin by James Thomson

1998 : First isolation of pluripotent stem cell from germ cells established by Gearheart

2001 : NIH registry of human embryonic stem cell lines established, 15 Institutions and 78 cell lines were registered and eligible for US federal funding including 10 from India from two institutes.

2003 : Britain became first country to issue research license for human embryonic cloning to create stem cells.

2004 : South Korean scientist clone 30 human embyos and develop them over several days.

2004 : UK open stem cell bank

2005 : Dr. Hwang and team from Korea develop stem cells tailored to mmatch individual patients but shrouded with controversy.

2005 : Wisconsin scientists grow two new human embryonic stem cell lines in animal cell free culture.

2006-07 : US scientist develop liver in laboratory using stem cell. Scintist turned skin cells into stm cells.