Science and Education Information

Czech archaeologists claim a “Pompeii” exists beneath Prague’s Old Town Square and its adjacent streets, and that its existence would largely complicate the possible completion of the city’s Old Town Hall.

They say, a lost world is buried underneath the ground, and that they are sure of the existence of remnants of Romanesque Prague, such as torsos of houses, palaces and old residences deep below the surface.

Archaeologists and town-planners have known about the existence of “Prague Pompeii” for decades from old maps and historical town plans, which have, however, fallen into oblivion.
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Hockey legend Dhanraj Pillay and social worker Nafisa Ali joined hands to promote the cause of health and wellness. They were in the capital on Saturday to encourage the Delhiites to participate in the Delhi Half Marathon slated for October 28.

In the symposium hosted by a stainless steel company, for the third time, the sporting icon spoke about the importance of health and fitness. He said, “The present event was a stimulating dialogue with the audience, which focussed on the fundamental significance of a healthy and fit lifestyle.
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A new research has revealed that Scottish brand Deeside Mineral Water may hold anti- ageing properties.

The mineral water can help the skin and body fight ageing process.

Earlier, Deeside proved to have anti-cancer properties and reduce inflammation in arthritis patients.

The study also showed that the water has to be consumed on a regular basis to show any benefit. Read the rest

An industrial designer at Priority Designs in Columbus, Ohio has conceptualised a universal exercise equipment for both able-bodied and disabled people.

Ryan Eder’s design is called ‘The Access’. He sketched it out part of his thesis work at the University of Cincinnati three years ago, when he saw a wheelchair user in a gym struggling with fitness equipment.

He says that his exercise equipment will make it easier for the elderly to work a variety of muscles from the same station.

“People in wheelchairs need more exercise than able-bodied users due to their sedentary lifestyle. There is a trend slowly on the rise with fitness clubs trying to focus more on the elderly because the baby boomer population is entering retirement. This machine addresses those populations,” Discovery News quoted Eder, who recently won recognition in BusinessWeek’s International Design Excellence Awards, as saying.

As part of his research, Eder carried out an informal survey of 45 fitness clubs around the US, and found that 94 per cent of the gyms did not offer any wheelchair-accessible equipment.

He even used a wheelchair himself to test facilities that complied with regulations outlined by the American Disability Association, and found that they were not necessarily accommodating.

“It is an injustice that equipment is not offered for them in public fitness centres,” said Eder.

The Access has cuffs with Velcro wrist straps that have a metal hook sewn into them. Eder says that the exerciser can use the hook, instead of the physical strength of his hand, which may be lacking, to grip a handle.

The equipment also has an electronic system that allows the exerciser to change weight resistance with the push of a button, instead of removing a pin from a weight stack. The electronics also adjust lap, chest and back pads to the appropriate angle to accommodate a variety of users.

The equipment has been designed to include tethered hooks that stem from the base of the machine that attach to any part of it. Once locked by the simple push of a button, the wheelchair will not move during the exercise.

Eder has also adapted a locking method found in minivan seats to allow for a removable bench, so that it enables able-bodied users to roll the bench into position and perform exercises in the seated position. A simple pull on a strap will release the lock, and then the bench can be rolled out of the way.

“This isn’t a piece of equipment that’s going to sit there all day waiting for someone in wheelchair to use it,” said Derrick Thayer, a vocational rehabilitation counsellor and a program director at the Cincinnati Recreation Commission.

Eder is now looking for funding to develop his concept further.

“If you dive into the world of wheelchair users, those people have suffered traumatic accidents. Now their lives are changed. The courage it takes for them to live a normal life is tremendous. To know that I might have an opportunity to help them is all the motivation I need,” he said.

–Washington, — (ANI)

source :in.news.yahoo.com

Rising sea-surface temperature in the Barents Sea, northeast of Scandinavia, is the prime cause of the retreating winter ice cover for the past 26 years, a new Rutgers’ Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences (IMCS) study has revealed.

Jennifer Francis, associate research professor at Rutgers said, the recent decreases in winter ice cover was clear evidence that the Arctic ice pack would continue on its trajectory of rapid decline.

In their study published in the Geophysical Review Letters, Francis and Elias Hunter, found that greenhouse gases was rising average winter-time sea-surface temperature of the Barents Sea - up by three degrees Celsius since 1980s. This, in turn, was melting more ice, the study said. Read the rest

A new study has revealed that performing both aerobics and resistance exercise contributes to blood sugar control in people with type 2 diabetes.

A training session was conducted to determine the effect of aerobic and resistance exercise and included 251 adults, between ages 39 and 70, who were not exercising regularly and had type 2 diabetes.

In the training session participants were assigned to one of four groups: performing 45 minutes aerobic training three times per week, 45 minutes of resistance training three times per week, 45 minutes each of both three times per week, or no exercise. Read the rest

Scientists have shed more light on the use of statins, by discovering how a statin drug used against heart disease helps to unclog blood vessels from an excess of cholesterol and fats.

Canadian researchers say that the results help explain how the drug works and may provide ways to improve similar drugs in the future.

A type of white blood cell called macrophage is responsible for the accumulation of fat in blood vessels, leading to inflammation and plaque formation on the inner linings of the vessel. Macrophages produce enzymes called lipases that have been shown to promote fat accumulation in blood vessels.
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According to researchers in the Indiana University School of Medicine and the University of North Carolina, the most commonly used measure for screening of pain may only be moderately accurate.

In the study the evaluation of the usefulness of a scale that questions patients in primary care to rate their current pain from 0 (no pain) to 10 (worst pain) was done.

“Our study is the first to evaluate the accuracy of the widely-used numeric rating scale [NRS] as a screening test to identify primary care patients with clinically important pain. Accurate screening is important because pain symptoms, both serious and not so serious, are among the most common complaints in primary care,” said Erin E. Krebs, M.D., M.P.H., assistant professor of medicine at the IU School of Medicine and a Regenstrief Institute research scientist. Read the rest

Harvard Business School (HBS) in conjunction with the Harvard Business School India Research Center (IRC) today announced plans to offer its first executive education program in India in February 2008.

The first-of-its-kind, Building a Global Enterprise in India will be taught by HBS senior faculty in Hyderabad and is specially designed for senior executives from India and around the region.

The program is based on 10 years of extensive, on-the-ground HBS research in India. It uses cases tailored to the specific needs of companies operating in India and incorporates examples from companies in the region that have addressed similar challenges facing Indian companies today. Read the rest

David M. Gaba, a pioneer in the use of simulation in medical education to improve patient safety and health care practice, will deliver two public lectures as an Ida Beam Distinguished Visiting Professor on Tuesday and Thursday.

Gaba is the inventor of the modern, full-body patient simulator and an expert on how simulation training can improve public policy and public safety. He is a professor of anesthesia and associate dean for immersive and simulation-based learning at Stanford University School of Medicine. Read the rest