The antiquity of earthquakes

If we adopt the definition that an earthquake is shaking of the earth due to natural causes, then we may argue that earthquakes have been occurring since the very beginning of the earth about 4.5 billion years ago.     

Antagonistic effect of FePP on the ethanol mediated induction of hepatic, renal and splenic δ-amino levulinic acid synthase activityin vivo in rats

In the current study, we report perturbations in hepatic, renal and splenic heme synthesis at the level of the rate limiting enzyme, δ-amino levulinic acid synthase (ALA-S) on ethanol administration independently and in conjunction with iron-protoporphyrin (FePP) in male Wistar rats. Excessive ethanol administration (5 ml/kg bw) resulted in a significant induction of hepatic, splenic and renal ALA-S activity. Simultaneous administration of FePP (50 μmol/kg bw) reverted the observed induction response to a sharp decline. The features of the action of ethanol and FePP togetherin vivo, i.e. a substantial inhibition of ALA-S is suggestive of the beneficial effects of this formulation in acute attacks of porphyria.     

Effect of Resveratrol and Nicotine on PON1 Gene Expression: In Vitro Study

Dietary and lifestyle factors have been shown to have a profound effect on paraoxonase-1 (PON1) activity. Cigarette smoke has been shown to inhibit its mass and activity where as resveratrol has been shown to enhance it. We exposed hepatoma derived cell line (HepG2) to resveratrol and nicotine in varying doses and measured PON1 enzymatic activity and PON1 gene expression. In addition, total protein content of HepG2 cells was also measured. Resveratrol in a dose of 15 μmol/l or above significantly increased the PON1 enzyme activity (p > 0.001) where as nicotine in a dose of 1 μmol/l or higher significantly reduced it (p < 0.05). The resveratrol in this dose also enhanced the PON1 gene expression whereas nicotine decreased it as compared to controls. However, the protein conent of cells was not changed suggesting that they were not cytotoxic in the doses used. Till date the antioxidant vitamins have shown disappointing results against LDL oxidation and cardiovascular protection. However, the effect of resveratrol on PON1 gene expression and activity was significant, suggesting increase in PON1 activity and enhanced gene expression may be its alternative mechanism for offering protection against cardiovascular disease and may be an potential pharmacological agent which can be used for this.     

A stroll down Kármán street

The Kármán vortex street is an exquisite flow pattern that can be seen in a variety of flow situations. In this article, we present some of the main features of the phenomenon starting from its interesting history, and also show why it is important in a number of engineering situations. Raghuraman N Govardhan is in the Mechanical Engineering Department at the Indian Institute of Science. He works in the areas of separated flow, fluid-structure interaction and micro-flows. O N Ramesh is at the Department of Aerospace Engineering, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. His research interests include transitional and turbulent flows, vortex dynamics and separated flows.     

Antihyperglycemic effect of water extract of dry fruits of<Emphasis Type="Italic">Terminalia chebula</Emphasis> in experimental diabetes mellitus

Water extract of dry fruits ofTerminalia chebula (Hindi-Harda, Telugu-Karakkaya) at a dose of 200 mg/kg body weight improved the glucose tolerance as indicated by 44% of reduction in the peak blood glucose at 2^nd hour in glucose tolerance test in diabetic (streptozotocin induced) rats. Treatment of diabetic rats with an initial fasting blood glucose of 253±9.4 mg/dl daily once with the water extract (200 mg/kg) for two weeks brought down the fasting blood glucose to 123±8.4 mg/dl which is only slightly above the normal value. These results indicate that water extract of Terminalia chebula improves glucose tolerance and brings down fasting blood glucose in diabetic rats.     

Lotus-inspired nanotechnology applications

The water-repellent surface of lotus (Nelumbo nucifera) leaf and flower is due to nanosized wax papillae on the upper side of each epidermal cell. As a result, raindrops make a high contact angle with the papillae and roll off carrying dust and dirt particles, leaving the surface clean. This self-cleaning property of highly hydrophobic surfaces, termed as the lotus effect, has opened the possibilities of fabricating superhydrophobic surfaces for a variety of products.     

Face processing in infancy: developmental changes in the use of different kinds of relational information

Adults use both first-order, or categorical, relations among features (e.g., the nose is above the mouth), and second-order, or fine spatial relations (e.g., the space between eyes), to process faces. Adults' expertise in face processing is thought to be based on the use of second-order relations. In the current study, 5-month-olds detected second-order changes, but 3-month-olds failed to detect second-order changes induced by 2 different manipulations. Three-month-olds did detect first-order changes, however. Also, inversion affected 5-month-olds' processing of second-order but not first-order information. These results suggest that, although sensitivity to first-order relations is available by 3 months or earlier, sensitivity to second-order information may not develop until sometime between 3 and 5 months of age.     

Recent trends in education for library and information science in South India

Abstract

Research has shown the value of reading for school children. In South Africa most pupils study through the medium of a second language and their language competence would benefit from wide reading. Teachers should serve as role models to encourage pupils to read, but many are unqualified or underqualified and lack a knowledge of children's books. Often their initial teacher education does not provide them with the necessary knowledge or media to make their classroom presentations more stimulating. Shell Education Service developed the Holdall Lectern and Prompt Posters which provide teachers with compact, flexible media which they can adapt to suit their own needs. The media can be used immediately and teachers' confidence is increased. Pupils learn better and are introduced to a wider variety of popular books. The Holdall Lectern and Prompt Posters have been used successfully for both formal and non-formal education.     

Rethinking the Indian Digital Divide: The Present State of Digitization in Indian Management Libraries

In this paper efforts have been made to analyze the present status of digitization of Indian Management Libraries through a survey carried out in 500 management libraries in India. The issues such as library automation, development of digital libraries, and use of bar code and smart card technology have been discussed. Issues responsible for the widening of the digital divide have been identified.     

Rethinking Digital Cultures and Divides: The Case for Reflective Media

Research exploring the means by which new media technologies can shape development within marginalized communities worldwide has began to move away from discussion limited to technical and infrastructural, to consider the interactions, beliefs, and values of local communities. Yet most projects continue to focus on enabling communities to access external information, rather than on the possibility of using media to catalyze community reflection and thereby developmental activity from within. This article shows how this promise can be actualized by providing an overview of an experimental project that made available a set of video cameras to a carefully selected group of community members in a ritualized, largely nonliterate village in Andhra Pradesh, India. It concludes that policymakers, researchers, and practitioners would benefit from considering the possibilities that reflective media hold to generate collective action and consensus building, and that these possibilities can synergize with the need to develop scalable projects.