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Low-fat curd intake in pregnancy could trigger asthma in children

NEW DELHI MONDAY 19 | SEPTEMBER 2011

SCIENCE+HEALTH

Drug eluting balloon technology is a new way to treat heart blockages

50 YEARS AGO IN DECCAN CHRONICLE

UN CHIEF DIES IN PLANE ACCIDENT Ndola (North Rhodesia), Sept.

18: Dag Hammarskjoeld was killed when his plane crashed seen and a half miles from Ndola today. The U.N. Secretary-General’s body was among the six found in the wreckage.

Another person who was not immediately identified was found seriously injured. Mr Hammarskjoeld’s plane a DC6 airliner, crashed in the bush seven and a half miles from Ndola. The wreckage was spotted by a Royal Rhodesian Air Force provost aircraft.

A Northern Rhodesia Government spokesman confirmed that the wreckage found was that of Mr Hammarskjoeld’s plane. He also confirmed that Mr Hammarskjoeld’s body had been identified.

The spokesman said the wreckage was first seen by an African charcoal burner and then later spotted by a provost aircraft of the Royal Rhodesian Air Force. The spokesman said that when a search party reached the wreckage at 3.15 pm today it was still smoldering. Six bodies, including that of Mr Hammarskjoeld, were found near the aircraft.

The spokesman said that it appeared that the aircraft had struck the ground at speed and with considerable force.

odds

DINO-KILLING ASTEROID WIPED OUT BIRDS: STUDY Washington: The catastrophic meteor strike that killed dinosaurs on earth some 65 million years ago may also have wiped out ancient birds, scientists say.

Palaeontologists who examined fossils of ancient birds found that many of the archaic birds died off at the end of the Age of Dinosaurs.

According to the researchers, nearly all the modern bird groups, from owls to penguins and so on, began to emerge within 15 million years after all the dinosaurs went extinct. These birds are subtly but significantly different from many of the ancient lineages that existed before a cosmic impact that wreaked havoc around the globe at the end of the Cretaceous period about 65 million years ago, they said.

“These archaic birds superficially looked very similar to modern birds, but underneath their feathers they were completely different,” study researcher Nicholas Longrich, said.

— PTI

NEW WAY TO KILL CANCER CELLS DISCOVERED Washington: Scientists have figured out a new way to kill cancer cells by disabling a protein known as fortilin, which promotes their unbridled growth. Fortilin does so by neutering (removing) protein p53, which actually suppresses cancer.

This finding potentially paves the way for treating a range of tumours and atherosclerosis (hardening of arteries, with plaque buildup), which p53 also helps prevent.

“The p53 protein is a critical defence against cancer because it activates genes that induce apoptosis, or the death of cells,” said Ken Fujise, director cardiology division, University of Texas Medical Branch, who led the study.

Fujise and his team used animal models to demonstrate that fortilin inhibits p53 from activating genes, such as BAX and Noxa, that facilitate cell death. Thus, cells that would be killed are allowed to proliferate, the Journal of Biological Chemistry reports.

“When normal cells become cancer cells, our bodies’ natural biological response is to activate p53, which eliminates the hopelessly damaged cells,” said Fujise, according to a Texas statement.

— IANS

A search for relief

through Arnica Bee-Shyuan Chang

■ Derived from a flower, arnica is used to promote many kinds of healing.

It is available in pellets, topical gels, creams and even massage oil

B

Aashima Dogra

diary

N

Dr Macrene AlexiadesArmenakas, a Manhattan dermatologist and an assistant clinical professor at Yale, said that, “taken orally, arnica has been reported to cause irritation and toxicity for both the gastrointestinal system and the kidneys”.

Still, even before the style set took it up, sports figures were showing interest in the substance.

Pierre Barrieu, a former head fitness coach for the United States Men’s National Soccer Team, had been treating players with arnica pellets and topical formulations since 2002.

“Basically, it was to relieve the effects of blows and bruises (i.e., prevent swelling and bleeding) when applied in a timely manner,” he wrote in an email. “It’s best to apply as early as possible after the traumatic event. We also used it to accelerate the recovery, because arnica decreases the inflammation. And finally, it was used to prevent cramps.”

Orthopaedic surgeons have also “prescribed” arnica, which is sold in places like Duane Reade and Whole Foods, as a pre- and postoperative measure. And some dermatologists have recommended it after plastic surgery and injectables like Botox and Restylane.

When the fashion designer Diane Von Furstenberg was injured in a ski accident in January, she tweeted during recovery: “Arnica gel is the best thing you can do for bruises... I cannot say it enough...,” prompting rumours that the accident was a foil for plastic surgery (which she quickly batted away).

In the hands of natural-beauty buffs, arnica has recently become something of a medicine-cabinet and vanity catch-all. According to Sprayology, a company featured on Teen Vogue’s website that sells vitamin and homeopathic mouth sprays, arnica treats confusion and feelings of vertigo. That’s the claim, anyway, for including the herb in its “Brain Power” formulation.

On online forums, especially of the ayurvedic and homeopathic variety, arnica oil has been touted

Wende Zomnir of Urban Decay uses arnica to prevent soreness.

— NYT as a remedy for alopecia, or hair loss. Ms Zomnir of Urban Decay used it for pain and soreness after natural delivery. “My midwife gave me arnica after the births of my boys,” she said. “I had them both at home, so no drugs available. Arnica did the trick.”

Still others say it clears up acne and other skin inflammations.

Nelsons Pure and Clear Acne Gel lists arnica as one of four active ingredients. In an Elle magazine interview, the model Gisele Bundchen touted Nelson’s gel as a gentle way to clear up blemishes.

Derived from a yellow mountain daisy that grows in Europe and is also known as leopard’s bane, arnica has traditionally been used to treat bruising

And at the Upper East Side Kiehl’s flagship and spa, which opened on July 19, jars of arnica flowers line the treatment rooms so aestheticians can customise services on the spot. It’s visually attractive from a naturist’s standpoint, but not the most contemporary method.

“Arnica has evolved,” said Dr Alexiades-Armenakas.

“Even though it has a long history, it’s never been terribly effective. Fast forward to the present, and we’ve had a good amount of labs analyse the active ingredients in arnica.

They’ve identified a number of ingredients that account for antibruising, and among them are caffeine derivatives.”

Dr Alexiades-Armenakas has included these derivatives along with cacao extract in her 37 Extreme Actives facial cream, sold at Neiman Marcus for $295 for a 1.7-ounce pot. “The idea is to combat puffiness because caffeine has a constrictive ability on blood vessels and lymphatic vessels,” she said.

Dr Charles Passler, a Manhattan chiropractor and nutritionist who has worked with the Estée Lauder model Carolyn Murphy and with Dylan Lauren, recommends both oral and topical forms of arnica, mainly for bruising and inflammation.

“As far as using arnica as a tool for changing body composition, I’m not aware of it,” he said. For temporary de-bloating, though, Dr Passler conceded, “It will help decrease any puffiness in the body caused by inflammation.”

Despite her use of arnica in a topical product, Dr AlexiadesArmenakas remains concerned about long-term oral use. “I would be OK if they did it for a few days for a photo shoot once a month,” she said of the fashionable pillpoppers.

“But if they’re having a photo shoot every week, and they’re regularly on it, I would be very worried. Especially for models, they’re very thin, and it’s easier to get toxicity.”

By arrangement with the New York Times

In diamonds’ flaws, finding clues to earth’s carbon cycle Nicholas Wade

meanwhile ■ Gemstones that once lay more than 435 miles beneath the earth’s surface and that include chemical signatures of the extinct ocean floor are shedding light on the planet’s carbon cycle

x New trends make a splash at UK fest

focus

efore the CFDA Fashion Awards in June, the New York-based fashion designer Phillip Lim, who’d been travelling frequently and working hard, was feeling a bit puffy. “I heard of models and other designers taking arnica before big events or photo shoots, so I thought I’d try it out,” he said recently, referring to the homeopathic supplement arnica montana. “It’s supposed to slim you down because it flushes you out. And it clears up your skin.”

Mr Lim tried a three-day oral regimen of arnica before walking the red carpet, and was pleased with the results. “I did feel like my skin glowed afterwards,” he said.

Available in pellets, topical gels, creams and even massage oil, arnica is the latest of many herbal remedies to invigorate, if not intoxicate, the fashion crowd.

Linda Fargo, the fashion director of Bergdorf Goodman, counts the pellet form as one of her fashion week survival must-haves, and the stylist Isabel Dupré has long been a fan.

“I know it for its healing quality,” Ms Dupre said. “It’s an old family remedy.”

Wende Zomnir, the executive creative director of Urban Decay cosmetics, who uses arnica in several forms instead of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, said: “I think it’s amazing. I take it myself, give it to my kids and hand it out at the Crossfit gym I work out at. I use it after a tough workout to prevent muscle soreness, if myself or my kids have gotten bumped around and might be bruised, or if I’ve strained a muscle.”

Derived from a yellow mountain daisy that grows in Europe and is also known as leopard’s bane, arnica has traditionally been used to treat bruising. It reputedly increases circulation by stimulating white blood cell activity, thereby decreasing the amount of healing time and reducing inflammation. If taken internally, it must be diluted with water; arnica contains the toxin helenalin and is poisonous if consumed in large quantities.

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iamonds that once lay more than 435 miles beneath the earth’s surface have provided researchers with an unexpected window into the planet’s history. The diamonds, during their formation, captured evidence that slabs of the ocean floors descend deep beneath the earth’s surface, recycling carbon between the oceans and the earth’s mantle, the shell of rock, about 1,800 miles thick, that lies directly beneath the earth’s surface.

Understanding the fate of the slabs will help scientists better understand the earth’s carbon cycle and all the processes that depend on it, from the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to the carbon compounds in living organisms and the formation of hydrocarbons in oil and gas. Objects that resemble ocean slabs can be seen in seismic recordings, but they lie far too deep for any drill to sample.

Impurities in the dia-

monds contain chemical signatures of the extinct ocean floor, evidence that the slabs have been cycled deep into the earth’s mantle, says a research team led by Michael J. Walter of the University of Bristol in England.

These microscopic impurities, derived from rock and from organic material in creatures that once lived on an ancient ocean floor, have undergone an amazing journey.

The ocean floor rock, basalt, along with the sediment that built up on top of it, was drawn down at the edge of an ocean as part of the conveyor-belt mechanism that moves the continents.

When the slab of ocean floor had plunged 435 miles beneath the surface, minerals from the basalt were encapsulated inside the diamonds that formed at these depths.

The diamonds continued to descend with the slab of ocean floor until they experienced two elevator rides back to the

surface. A rising mass of solid rock known as a mantle plume carried them slowly back toward the upper mantle, and the heat of the plume then propelled to the surface an explosive jet of molten kimberlite, a volcanic rock that preserves diamonds.

Eons later, the diamonds were mined by the Rio Tinto Group from Juina in Brazil. The company allowed members of the research team to sift through stones not deemed to be of gem quality. After examining thou-

Superdeeps will emerge in 10 years as some of the strongest evidence for deep movements in earth’s mantle –– Steven B. Shirey Carnegie Institution

sands of diamonds, the researchers found just six that seemed to be of superdeep origin.

Despite their deep origin, the Juina diamonds are comparatively young as diamonds go. They were formed only 100 million years ago. Most gemquality diamonds are 1 billion to 3.5 billion years old, and originate at shallower depths, in the keels beneath the cratons, the ancient blocks of rock that form the hearts of the earth’s continental masses. The impurities that make the superdeep diamonds useless to the jeweller are invaluable to the scientist. From the inclusions in the six Juina diamonds, Dr Walter’s team was able to infer the existence of two minerals that form only in conditions that exist 435 miles or

ew scientific trends are hardly unfounded at the British Science festival.

It is here that the term “scientist” was coined and the word “dinosaur” was first used. Brand new research showcased at this years festival:

letes can be directly attributed to use of technology in sporting events. Prof. Steve Haake of Sheffield Hallam University warned sportgoverning authorities of stagnation in world sport records as a result of banning new technology. His work reveals the lack of any new records since the ban on the hydrodynamic swimsuits after the Beijing Olympics. If the ban persists and records are not re-set, these records could remain “untouched for decades”.

POPULAR COSMOLOGY MODEL NEEDS REVISION

The outcome of the overmilitarised reaction after 9/11 has been radically different than expected.

Prof. Paul Rogers from Bradford University presented results of his study on post-9/11 events.

“The analysis of the first ten years of the ‘war on terror’ after 9/11 examines the expected outcomes of the war, including a defeated Al Qaeda movement, stable and pro-western states in Iraq and Afghanistan, and a diminished Iran. It contrasts these with the actual outcomes, including over 2000,000 people killed, over seven million refugees, and an unstable Iraq, a more influential Iran and a war in Afghanistan about to enter its second decade.”

He suggested 9/11 should have been treated as an event of “transnational criminality” and dealt with action by a stronger Interpol and a decisive international justice system.

WAR ON TERROR WAS A MISTAKE

Our view of the cosmos might need correction.

Four per cent of our universe is formed of matter, 21 per cent is dark-matter and the rest is dark energy. All experiments looking for direct evidence of dark matter are based on the standard model of cosmology. This model doesn’t stick in the simulation of dwarf galaxy formation (believed to be made up of dark matter) created by Durham scientists. Announcing the results of their study, Prof.

Carlos Frenk expressed his concern over inconsistency of the standard model and indicated it needed revision before any dark matter was to be found.

RARE ELEMENTS GROWING SPARSE Rare earth elements used in manufacture of mobile gadgets will soon be in short supply. To meet future demands these elements will need to be mined at undiscovered locations or recycled from electronic waste.

China supplies 97 per cent of the world’s rare earth elements.

TECHNOLOGY NEEDS SPORT The gradual fall in performance times of athdeeper below the earth’s surface. The composition of the two minerals matched the basalt of which the ocean floor is made, showing that slabs of ocean floor had reached this depth, the researchers reported online on Thursday in the journal Science.

In another test, they showed that the carbon in the impurities contained less than usual of the isotope known as carbon 13, a signature of organic carbon at the surface of the earth that has been processed by living organisms. Researchers are delighted that so much information about major geological processes can be gleaned from the microscopic impurities in the superdeep diamonds.

“The superdeeps will probably emerge in the next 10 years as some of the strongest evidence for deep movements and pathways in the earth’s mantle,” said Steven B. Shirey of the Carnegie Institution of Washington, a member of Dr Walter’s team.

Thomas Stachel, an expert on diamond geochemistry at the University of Alberta in Canada, said, “Here you have a beautiful demonstration that the oceanic plate cycle is not relatively shallow, as many peo-

ple assume, but that the subducted plate makes it down to the deep mantle and is brought back to the surface by a mantle plume.”

In Dr Walter’s laboratory, the superdeep diamonds are polished with a jeweller’s polishing wheel until the precious impurities within them are exposed. With a variety of spectroscopic tests, the researchers then measure the composition of the minerals within the impurities.

The discovery that carbon from the ocean floor can be mixed so deep within the mantle raises the larger question of how much of the ocean floor and sediments are carried to the deep mantle. Given the importance of carbon to life, scientists seek to understand the major reservoirs of carbon in the earth and the exchanges between them, both in space and in time.

“The mantle is the biggest reservoir of carbon, and we know very little about it,” Dr Walter said.

“This won’t affect climate tomorrow, but what our results tell you is that carbon from the surface can go all the way into the lower mantle, which may be a long-term sink for carbon.”

By arrangement with the New York Times

THE ASIAN AGE WEATHER

Max: 30OC Min: 16OC RH: 40% Rainfall: Nil

NEW DELHI FRIDAY 28 OCTOBER 2011

NATION |

Kejriwal seeks more time to pay over `9 lakhs in dues http://www.asianage.com

Windows

SANJAY BASAK and PAWAN BALI

FOOD INFLATION RISES TO 11.43%

New Delhi: Food inflation saw a sharp jump to 11.43 per cent for the week ended October 15 led by a steep increase in the prices of vegetables. This is the highest food inflation figure in the last six months. The prices of vegetables are up by 25 per cent as compared to last year.

■ Full report on Page 16

TV STAR’S MERC HITS CAR, HELD, GETS BAIL Mumbai: Film and television star Ronit Roy was arrested on charges of rash and negligent driving after his Mercedes hit a WagonR carrying four members of a family, injuring a woman seriously, in suburban Amboli, the police said. Ronit was granted bail on a surety of `12,000.

— PTI ■ Full report on Page 4

E.U. OKAYS DEAL TO CHECK GREEK DEBT Brussels: Eurozone leaders struck a deal with private banks and insurers on Thursday for them to accept a 50 per cent loss on their Greek government bonds under a plan to lower Greece’s debt burden and try to contain the two-year-old euro zone crisis.

— Reuters ■ Full report on Page 17

ASTROGUIDE: Khara : Uttarayana Tithi: Kartika Sukla Vidiya till 6.14 pm Star: Visakha till 3.59 pm Varjyam: 7.37 pm to 9.03 pm Durmuhurtam: 8.30 am to 9.17 am & 12.24 pm to 1.11 pm Rahukalam: 10.30 am to 12 pm

SUNSET Today 5.41 pm SUNRISE Tomorrow 6.30 am MOONRISE Today 9.09 am MOONSET Tomorrow 6.52 pm FORECAST:

Mainly clear sky

2

Cricket

Will Harbhajan Singh make the cut for Test berth?

Finance minister Pranab Mukherjee indicated Thursday that the ambitious Goods and Services Tax (GST) has become “hostage of contemporary Opposition politics” in the country.

While some states, including Tamil Nadu, had raised the issue of autonomy at the recent National Development Council meeting, the fact is that even the Centre will lose its exclusive right to tax services in the proposed GST. In an exclusive interview to this newspaper, the finance minister pointed

out that major political parties have made a commitment to support GST. “The BJP has made a commitment to introduce GST. The Left parties have tendered support. Now they must redeem their word, we require their support,” he said. On issues ranging from corruption to legislation, the finance minister, tackling all contentious issues troubling the UPA-2, said: “Well-established and time-tested institutions should not be dismantled, institutions should rather be strengthened... You can’t create anarchy by destroying systems and institutions.”

On the economy, he pointed out that if one

EXCLUSIVE

Pranab Mukherjee talked of “autonomy in the context of the existing constitutional framework, then these aspects should be clearly understood and should not become a

hostage of contemporary Opposition politics.

Because here it is decided that the Centre that has now exclusive jurisdiction to impose taxes on services, will relinquish its authority. Similarly, states will also have to give authority to the Centre to impose taxes on sales.” On the perception of some states that they might lose revenue, the finance minister noted that such fears were also expressed during the introduction of VAT. “But VAT has increased the revenue of states and didn’t cause any loss,” Mr Mukherjee said.

The GST has already missed two deadlines: 201011 and 2011-12. The govern-

YOSHITA SINGH NEW YORK, OCT. 27

Rajat Gupta, an iconic figure in the American corporate sector who was arrested on charges of passing insider information to his friend Raj Rajaratnam, was released Thursday on bail on a $10 million bond after he pleaded not guilty to offences that could keep him in jail for life.

The 62-year-old Indian-American, who has sat on the board of top US companies like Goldman Sachs and Procter and Gamble, was indicted in the massive insider trading scandal that has rocked Wall Street. The not-guilty plea was filed at his arraignment at a US federal district court here.

He is charged with one count of conspiracy to commit securities fraud and five counts of securities fraud. He faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison on the conspira-

cy charge and 20 years in prison on each of the securities fraud charges.

If found guilty, he faces a cumulative jail term of 105 years.

Gupta surrendered before the FBI Wednesday. He was accused of sharing confidential information about investments at Goldman Sachs with billionaire hedge fund manager Raj Rajaratnam, the Sri Lankan-born founder of the Galleon Group, already in jail for 11 years in America’s biggest insider trading scam.

US prosecutor Preet Bharara said Gupta broke the trust of some of America’s top companies and “became the illegal eyes and ears in the boardroom for his friend and business associate Raj Rajaratnam, who reaped enormous profits from Mr Gupta’s breach of duty.” — PTI ■ A stunning fall for a star executive: Page 16

Inflation & graft cost India’s richest New Delhi, Oct. 27: India’s richest are losing wealth due to inflation and corruption scandals, according to Forbes magazine, which says that the combined wealth of the country’s 100 wealthiest is down 20 per cent from a year ago.

According to Forbes’ annual India Rich List, the total wealth of the country’s 100 richest has fallen to $241 billion, down by 20 per cent or an estimated $60 billion. The num-

ber of billionaires has also fallen by a dozen to 57 currently, Forbes said, adding that falling stock and currency prices also led to diminishing of their wealth.

Mukesh Ambani, Reliance Industries Group head, has retained his position as the richest Indian with a net worth of $22.6 billion, though his wealth declined by $4.4 billion in the past one year.

— PTI ■ More on Page 16

F1 METER IS TICKING

AASHIMA DOGRA

ment is now trying to be enforce it from the beginning of the next financial year: April 1, 2012. The GST is meant to replace existing levies such the state VAT, besides the Centre-imposed excise duty as well as service tax.

Mr Mukherjee pointed out that all major political parties had committed themselves to supporting GST in their election manifestos. “The BJP had made a commitment to introduce GST. The Left parties had tendered support. But now they must redeem their word, we require their support,” said the finance minister.

Mr Mukherjee noted that the government had intro-

duced a Constitution Amendment Bill in Parliament. It will now first have to come to the Lok Sabha, after being scrutinised by the standing committee.

“Thereafter we will require the support of political parties other than the ruling party because it requires a two-thirds majority. This is an amendment that will require ratification by 50 per cent of states.

Therefore the players are many, not merely the ruling party,” he said.

■ ‘Anarchy if institutions, systems destroyed’: Page 2 ■ Text of interview on Sunday

McLaren Mercedes driver Jenson Button of Britain drives an autorickshaw on Thursday, ahead of Sunday’s Formula One Grand Prix of India at the Buddh International Circuit in Noida.

— AP ■ Reports on Page 18 & 20

13 infants die in Kolkata hospital AGE CORRESPONDENT KOLKATA, OCT. 27

With one more child dying Thursday, the number of crib deaths at Kolkata’s Dr B.C. Roy Memorial Hospital for Children in the past 48 hours rose to 13. The hospital authorities, however, claimed the deaths of so many babies in such a short span of time was not abnormal.

“After critically analysing the cases, we found they were underweight and most were suffering from infection and congenital heart diseases.

To you the number (of deaths) might seem abnormal, but for the hospital (these) were not unexpected,” Dr Dilip Kumar Pal, the hospital superintendent, said.

Rattled by the furore over the deaths, the West Bengal health department set up a four-member inquiry panel which was directed to submit its report by Thursday

evening.

This report gave the hospital a clean chit, saying there was no negligence by doctors and other hospital staff. The committee found that most babies who had died were brought there in an extremely critical condition.

Echoing the superintendent’s views, the report also said the babies were underweight and were suffering from septicaemia and heart diseases. The long journey from different districts to this Kolkata hospital had also taken its toll on the babies’ delicate health, the report suggested. The hospital superintendent said he would look into complaints of misbehaviour by some hospital staffers.

In late July, nearly 20 babies had died in the same hospital within 48 hours, triggering angry protests.

Then too an inquiry had eventually absolved the hospital of blame.

X 7 billion people in the world by Monday On Monday, October 31, there will be seven billion humans on the planet. The world celebrated the birth of the sixth billionth baby in 1999; it took us just 12 years to add a billion more.

Our numbers make us the most successful species ever, colonising all parts of

Vol. 18 No. 253 | 36

Rajat pleads not guilty, out on $10m bail

BOTTOMLINE

LONDON, OCT. 27

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20 killed as Saleh says he is ready to resign

Pranab: Opp. holding GST hostage NEW DELHI, OCT. 27

A Nihang performs a stunt on the occasion of “Fateh Divas” in Amritsar on Thursday.

— AFP

SPORT |

I-T notice

WEST ASIA Yemen

the globe, controlling its resources, making our presence felt in outer space and even managing to delay death.

Resisting temptation to construct this dizzying mental imagery, social scientists and demographers have been surveying the challenges we now face, while attempting to shine light on an uncertain

future, in a new UN report “State of World Population 2011”.

The entire landscape of this steep growth curve is confounded by paradoxes.

Rich countries are getting older, thanks to dropping fertility rates and worry about staying rich, while poorer developing nations have high fertility that hinders economic growth.

The one thing that is certain is there will be more mouths to feed, especially in countries with little resources. Key energy sources are unevenly distributed, with little access for the poor. China reigns as the most populous country, but India will surpass it in 2025 with 1.46 billion people. “India will continue to grow to about 1.7 billion by

2060 before beginning to decline,” the report predicts. A large chunk of the world’s population is based in these two nations.

India’s registrar general and census commissioner C. Chandramouli has said: “Now the question is: how the ‘youth bulge’ is handled. What kind of skills do you give them? How do you make them into assets?”

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DIGGY CAUTIONS SRI SRI ON SANGH’S PLAN C AGE CORRESPONDENT NEW DELHI, OCT. 27

AICC general secretary Digvijay Singh on Thursday claimed the activities of the anti-graft crusaders were part of a larger RSS-BJP design to divert attention from Sangh’s “terror links”. He also warned spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravishankar that he too could be manipulated by them, as was the case with Anna Hazare and yoga guru Ramdev.

Mr Singh said that while Ramdev and Mr Hazare were Plans A and B of the Sangh/BJP, Sri Sri Ravishankar is Plan C and asked the spiritual guru to be “wary” of the two organisations. The comment appeared on Twitter where he said, “Plan A, B and C are of Sangh/BJP to divert the minds of the people from their involvement in terror activities to corruption.” Later, Mr Singh explained his “twitted remarks”, saying, “Plan A of this overall scheme has been Baba Ramdev, B is Anna and C is Sri Sri Ravishankar.”

However, in another post on Twitter, he said: “I hold Sri Ravi Shankarji in high esteem and have done a course in the Art of Living as CM MP in 2001. He should be wary of Sangh/ BJP.” Reacting, Sri Sri Ravishankar said, “People write so many things. I do not react to every comment. Everybody is entitled to his views.”

The BJP claimed Mr Singh was attempting to “demonise” all those fighting corruption. “I compliment Digvijay Singh for his important plan of almost shameless way (sic) of demonising all those who are fighting against corruption. Good luck to him,” the BJP’s Ravi Shankar Prasad said.

Friday 1820 February 2011 25 Tuesday March 2012 24

sci-life

Hyderabad Chronicle Did you know?

Love concoction The first phase of the chemical madness unfurls when we feel the initial connection and it manifests in feelings similar to obsession

AASHIMA DOGRA

Have you ever wondered if there was a little vial of love potion somewhere? And could we formulate one of these vials in our high-tech laboratories? The answer is: unlikely at our present state of understanding neuroscience, molecular biology and behavioural psychology.

Still, turned inside-out, love appears like a play of signals attached to receptors and parts of the brain lighting up from the surges and troughs of biologically active chemicals within each of us.

The first phase of the chemical madness unfurls the first time we feel a connection, or maybe it develops over time (for non-believers of love-atfirst-sight).

We like our prospective partners and enjoy their pixie dust pheromones.

Many animal studies show that attractive choices are based on the dissimilarity of the immune system in the hope that future offsprings get the best of both.

Dopamine is the neurotransmitter (the signals between two brain cells separated by a tiny distance) that enhances the attraction. Serontonin makes it all worth it. The way this works is called the ‘dopa-

mine reward pathway.’ It manifests in feelings similar to obsession, where we crave and pine till we reward ourselves giving a chance for our brain to finally get the neuroactivity going — that madness in love or puppy love.

This obsessive/reward dynamics happens to be prevalent in addiction and obsessive compulsive disorders (OCD).

Sexual drive is also heightened in this phase but the main stars of those feelings are the sex hormones — the profile of which is significantly different between male and female.

Testosterone is the main sex hormone, both in female and male biology. It is also associated with other traits like aggression and body hair.

Additionally, estradiols and a bunch of ot-

Step 1 emove dust from the figurines by wiping with a fine and soft cleaning cloth.

The cloth can be washed with your laundry and put away once it is dry. Always use a fine and soft cloth so that it won’t scratch the porcelain. It is best to keep such a cloth aside only for cleaning your porcelain.

her chemicals make up the female sex signals.

Long-lasting love aka true love or academically ‘pairbonding’ involves the surge of

oxytocin and vassopresin; these are frequently dubbed the empathy hormones, cuddle hormones, happy chemicals etc. It’s been observed in experiments that oxytocin has a strong positive link to sharper emotional cognition and less stress reactivity and sociability. These studies were performed by administering healthy adults with oxytocin doses and then testing its affect against a placebo group.

Research on vasopressin is not as expansive. There are a few reports on vasopressin having the opposite effects to oxytocin on social stress and cognition. Although both work closely together, especially in the part of the brain called amygdala. They promote familiarity and even play the lead role in the euphoria of both male and female orgasm.

Along with pair bonding both of them enhance behaviours associated with maternal attachment, parental care and monogamy —the basic social pillars.

This complex alchemy is regulated by an even more vast system and new discoveries are being made everyday.

True love involves the surge of what are called ‘happy chemicals’

MCT

A planet of steam SINDYA N. BHANOO

Astronomers have discovered a new planet in our galaxy that is unlike any other found so far.

Both the planet and its atmosphere are mostly water, though none of it is liquid. The planet, GJ1214b, has a diametre 2.7 times that of the earth, and it weighs seven times as much.

It probably has much more water than the earth — in the form of steam and a peculiar high-temperature ice that exists at extremely high pressures — and far less rock.

“There’s probably nothing too special about this planet itself,” said Zachory K. Berta, an astronomer at Harvard University who was involved with the research. The main thing, he added, is that “we have the opportunity to really see the density of the planet.” He and his colleagues report their findings in The Astrophysical Journal.

To estimate the density and diametre, they measured the colour of the light from the star that shines through the planet’s atmosphere. Though the planet was discovered with a ground-based telescope, the data that allowed Berta and his colleagues to estimate the planet’s mass and density was gathered by the Hubble.

— NYT

Step 3 ow, set the figurines on a paper towel to dry. Clean the surface of the display area using a clean cloth. This will help remove the dust from your curio cabinet or shelf and keep your porcelain figurines cleaner for a longer time.

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Porcelain figurines are something all of us are worried about when it comes to cleaning. Experts suggest displaying the figurines in a protective case or curio cabinet that not just protects the porcelain from damage but also avoids dust from reaching the pieces. If dust is the problem with your figurines, try this remedy.

Step 2 f there are rigid stains, mix one tsp of mild soap with one gallon of water to make a cleaning solution. Dampen your cloth with this solution and gently remove the dirt on the figurines. Do not scrub, as this could take the paint off the statuettes.

You may also soak the figurines in the cleaning solution if the spots don't go away.

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