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Did You Know? Were Wright brothers first fliers?

In fact, there were other aviation pioneers before them.”

The story of the first flight is one that every American school child knows by heart: The Wright Brothers flew their craft "The Flyer" in 1903 at Kitty Hawk, thus making history and ushering in a transportation mechanism that would change the world.

Two years, four months and three days before the successful flights of the Wright brothers at Kitty Hawk, a birdlike monoplane took to the air at early dawn on August 14, 1901, near Bridgeport, Connecticut, carrying its inventor and builder, Gustav Whitehead, a distance of approximately a half mile.. He was a German immigrant to America and his "Number 21" and "Number 22" airplanes made those flights.

Making synthetic life

Think of a living being, completely different in structural organization and behavior from any of the existing species on earth! You are imagining a monster, right? Actually, I am not indicating to such a creature to think about. Well, it's something about synthetic biology and creation of artificial life. If a single cell can be synthesized, why cannot be a multicellular being then? However, things are not so easy as they seem to be. Today, we will focus mainly on synthetic biology, what it has to offer for the benefit of mankind and a slice of artificial life.

Synthetic biology came to its modern phase with the work of J. Craig Venter. To start a life form, no matter how simple it is, you must have the blueprint, DNA (Deoxyribo Nucleic Acid) in place that means inside the cell. At the initial stage of synthetic genomics and synthetic biology, some gene segments were being inserted in microorganisms and the effect of that insertion was observed through the expression of the proteins that are encoded by those gene segments. In 2003, the researchers of J. Craig Venter Institute created a synthetic version of the bacteriophage phiX 174. Later, in 2007, they were able to transform one species of bacteria to another by genome transplantation which is performed by taking the whole genetic material from one organism and inserting it into another one in place of the regular genetic material of the latter one. Very recently, the scientists of that institute have developed methods to synthesize and assemble the complete genome of a bacterium called Mycoplasma genitalium. This is, indeed, a breakthrough in synthetic biology as it gives a hint to succeed in creating artificial life forms just because the blueprint which is the genetic material can be made artificially! Although it is just copying something what really exists from before, it will encourage scientists to think about synthesizing genes having, may be, totally new functions. This dream is very rationale as synthetic biology takes into account the different disciplines of science including Biology, Chemistry and Engineering where engineering is being integrated into biological science and ultimately helping to make life models in the field called systems biotechnology or systems biological engineering.

The ultimate goals of synthetic biology include designing and building of engineered life forms that process information, modify chemicals, produce fuel, energy, food and maintain and enhance human health and environment we live in. To serve these purposes, artificial life forms can be useful. Artificial life is something that leads us to the domain of life-as-it-could-be from life-as-we-know-it. With all its possibilities, the ability of synthetic biology is thought to have a major effect in fifty years of time. Artificial microbes can be made targeted for serving specific purposes like producing gasoline or degrading many toxic chemicals. Moreover, synthetic biology has to offer new and improved diagnostics, drugs, vaccines, biosensors and many more.

Nevertheless, the creation of new life forms is not without its fear and/or limitations. There is a concern that artificial life may threat other existing life forms on earth including humans and can also be used as biological warfare. However, the first premonition is probably misplaced because life is so robust and has evolved so strongly over time; it is not so easy to be threatened by some artificial life forms. Again, the second threat of using it as a biological warfare can be prevented just by good will of the scientists and the mass people. At the end, it seems that intensive research on synthetic and systems biology will definitely work for the betterment of mankind.

Samsung's economy smartphones

Whenever we think of Samsung mobile phones, expensive high-end smartphones like Samsung Galaxy S or S II come to our mind.

But Samsung also has good smartphones for those who don't want to spend a lot of money on phones.

There are few Samsung touchscreen phones available in the market.

For the music lovers Samsung has Champ and Champ Duos with powerful speakers and longer battery support with up to 16GB of memory support. With social networking features, Champ and Champ Duos cost Tk 5,690 and Tk 6,790 respectively.

Then there is Samsung Corby II with Wi-Fi feature, the phone has built in SNS links, document viewer, active syn with customisable home screen. The Corby II is available at Tk 9,990.

For smart look Samsung has dual SIM touch phone Star II with 3.2” display and metal finish sleek body. It features Favorite Buddy list, TouchWiz3.0, Social Hub, Active sync, Google sync, Document Viewer and more. The phone is priced at Tk 11,990.

Then there is Galaxy Pop form Galaxy series, at an affordable price of Tk 15,500.

The phone gives access to unlimited entertainment through over 150,000 applications from Android Market and Samsung Apps.

Plant Renaissance Cycads not 'living fossils'

Once thought to be the last remaining members of a plant lineage that went extinct with the dinosaurs, modern-day cycads are now believed to have diverged from a more recent common ancestor.

Although cycad populations suffered major losses about 65 million years ago when dinosaurs their once primary dispersal agents went extinct, the plants later experienced a renaissance due to a global climate shift, a new study suggests. Living cycads diverged from an ancestral species that flourished around 12 million years ago, not from older dinosaur-era relatives, an international team of researchers reports online October 20 in Science.

To estimate the divergence time of living cycads, researchers used a technique called molecular clock analysis. First they measured the genetic differences separating 200 living cycad species. Since certain genetic changes typically accrue at a fixed rate once species radiate from a common ancestor, scientists were able to use this cycad DNA data, in conjunction with the fossil record, to predict a much more recent divergence.

Will Steve Jobs' final vendetta haunt Google?

Google can only hope that Steve Jobs' final vendetta doesn't haunt the internet search leader from his grave.

The depths of Jobs' antipathy toward Google leaps out of Walter Isaacson's authorised biography of Apple's co-founder. The book goes on sale Monday, less than three weeks after Jobs' long battle with pancreatic cancer culminated in his Oct. 5 death.

The biography drips with Jobs' vitriol as he discusses his belief that Google stole from Apple's iPhone to build many of the features in Google's Android software for rival phones.

It's clear that the perceived theft represented an unforgiveable act of betrayal to Jobs, who had been a mentor to Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin and had welcomed Google's CEO at the time, Eric Schmidt, to be on Apple's board.

Jobs retaliated with a profane manifesto during a 2010 conversation with his chosen biographer. Isaacson wrote that he never saw Jobs angrier in any of their conversations, which covered a wide variety of emotional topics during a two-year period.

After equating Android to "grand theft" of the iPhone, Jobs lobbed a series of grenades that may blow a hole in Google's image as an innovative company on a crusade to make the world a better place.

"I will spend my last dying breath if I need to, and I will spend every penny of Apple's $40 billion in the bank, to right this wrong," Jobs told Isaacson. "I'm going to destroy Android because it's a stolen product. I'm willing to go to thermonuclear war on this. They are scared to death because they know they are guilty."

Jobs then used a crude word for defecation to describe Android and other products outside of search.

Android now represents one of the chief threats to the iPhone. Although iPhones had a head start and still draw huge lines when new models go on sale, Android devices sold twice as well in the second quarter.

According to Gartner, Android's market share grew 2 1/2 times to 43 percent, compared with 17 percent a year earlier. The iPhone's grew as well, but by a smaller margin to 18 percent, from 14 percent.

Both Google and Apple declined comment to The Associated Press when asked about Jobs' remarks.

Jobs' attack is troubling for Google on several levels.

It suggests that Apple, which has pledged to be true to Jobs' vision, may try to derail Android in court, even if Google obtains more patent protection through its proposed $12.5 billion acquisition of phone maker Motorola Mobility Inc. The derision comes across as a bitter pill for Page and Brin, who have hailed Jobs as one of their idols. It also appears to contradict Schmidt's repeated assertions that he remained on friendly terms with Jobs even after he resigned from Apple's board in 2009.

Most of all, Google should be worried whether the Android brand is damaged by the withering criticism of a revered figure whose public esteem seems to have risen as friends, colleagues and customers paid tribute over the past few weeks.

"The words of cultural icons have a lot of power after death," veteran technology analyst Rob Enderle said. "This almost sounds like a spiritual leader declaring a jihad on Android as his dying wish."

Apple fans tend to be fiercely loyal, making it more feasible to envision an anti-Android movement taking shape like some kind of political protest, Enderle said.

Can Romance Be Reduced to Pronouns?

Behavioral scientists have long known that humans, whether in the schoolyard or in a dimly lighted bar, have a tendency to subconsciously mimic the sounds, style and movement of others. Recent research, however, shows that this mimicry also extends to how we speak and write. Even the least important words we choose can say a lot about us.

In one unusual experiment, 187 men and women gathered on the Northwestern University campus to take part in several four-minute speed dates. The couples talked about their respective majors and where they grew up, but none of that interested the University of Texas at Austin psychologist James W. Pennebaker. Instead, his focus was on the barely noticed personal pronouns (I, you, me), articles (the, a), prepositions (for, of, on), conjunctions (but, and) and other small words. These commonly used so-called function words, about 180 in all, Pennebaker says, are processed rapidly and subconsciously. And our use of them can reveal, among other things, whether a romance will work out or how well two people work together.

In the speed-dating study, Pennebaker and his colleague Molly Ireland found that couples who used similar levels of personal pronouns, prepositions and even articles were three times as likely to want to date each other compared with those whose language styles didn’t match.() The metric, called language style matching (L.S.M.), was also better at predicting who didn’t make a love connection than the individuals themselves, several of whom showed interest in a partner who did not reciprocate.() “It does better than humans themselves who are in the interaction,” said Pennebaker, author of the new book “The Secret Life of Pronouns.” “Some of the most revealing words we use are the shortest and most forgettable.”

The metric has other applications. An analysis of instant-message exchanges between dating couples used L.S.M. to correctly predict who would be together after three months and who wouldn’t.() More recently, researchers also found that groups with the highest levels of language mimicry performed the best on various tasks. Pennebaker’s team even analyzed the letters and writing of famous couples, including the poets Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes. In the final, tumultuous years of their marriage, their already-different writing styles became even less synchronized.

Synchrony, however, does not always mean that two people like each other. Analyses of arguments, like the volatile exchange several years ago between the talk-show hosts Rosie O’Donnell and Elisabeth Hasselbeck, showed that the women used astonishingly similar speech patterns when they were arguing.() To let people see for themselves, Pennebaker offers an online diagnostic in which individuals can copy and paste their own I.M. conversations. I did this with an argument I was having with a friend, and we had 88 percent L.S.M. — daytime talk show territory.() But given the volume of e-mail, texts and Facebook posts we write, synchrony opens a new frontier into our most personal thoughts. Even the 140 character variety.

China Reins In Entertainment and Blogging

BEIJING — Political censorship in this authoritarian state has long been heavy-handed. But for years, the Communist Party has tolerated a creeping liberalization in popular culture, tacitly allowing everything from popular knockoffs of “American Idol”-style talent shows to freewheeling microblogs that let media groups prosper and let people blow off steam.
Now, the party appears to be saying “enough.”

Whether spooked by popular uprisings worldwide, a coming leadership transition at home or their own citizens’ increasingly provocative tastes, Communist leaders are proposing new limits on media and Internet freedoms that include some of the most restrictive measures in years.

Movie Review Anonymous (2011)

“Anonymous,” a costume spectacle directed by Roland Emmerich, from a script by John Orloff, is a vulgar prank on the English literary tradition, a travesty of British history and a brutal insult to the human imagination. Apart from that, it’s not bad.
First things first. The film’s premise is that the plays and poems commonly attributed to William Shakespeare are actually the work of Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford. This notion, sometimes granted the unwarranted dignity of being called a theory, is hardly new. It represents a hoary form of literary birtherism that has persisted for a century or so, in happy defiance of reason and evidence. The arrival of “Anonymous” has roused Shakespeareans more learned than I to the weary task of re-debunking — in the past two weeks The New York Times has published both an Op-Ed piece and a Sunday magazine Riff opposing the Oxfordian position — and to their cogent arguments I can offer only a small corrective. This is a Roland Emmerich film. (At least I assume it is, though I guess, in the spirit of the enterprise, I should be open to other possibilities. Joe Swanberg? Brett Ratner? Zhang Yimou? It all seems eerily plausible, once you start to think about it.)

Cruel poachers kill Giant stag

The stunning beast was left to die a "painful and lingering death" after being shot three times.

Experts believed the creature, which already had 19 points on its antlers despite not being fully mature, was set to be a contender for the title of Britain's largest land animal.

The Giant, which had suffered shots to its back and belly, was found dead last weekend.

Local landowners said he had only appeared in the Shirwell area of North Devon in the past month or so.

They added they had done their best to keep the stag a secret for fear of trophy hunters tracking him down.

But news of the beautiful creature soon spread and for the past few weeks the area had been overrun with poachers and deer spotters, all trying to get a glimpse or a shot at the stag.

Vet Peter Green, an advisor to the British Deer Society who examined the animal, said: "He had undoubtedly suffered considerably from these wounds before dying slowly. He was not in his prime.

Friday, October 21, 2011 StarTech Samsung, Google unveil 'Ice Cream Sandwich' phone

South Korea's Samsung Electronics Wednesday unveiled its new smartphone that runs on Google's latest Android operating system, the latest weapon in its battle to topple Apple's iPhone.

The launch of the "Galaxy Nexus", which comes days a after the new iPhone 4S went on sale, was initially scheduled for October 11 but was delayed following the death of Apple chief Steve Jobs as a gesture of respect.

Samsung -- the world's number two mobile phone maker -- and Apple are also engaged in a series of patent lawsuits over the technology and design of smartphones and tablet computers.

"We are very proud of this milestone," Samsung's Mobile Communications Business president JK Shin said as the new phone was unveiled in Hong Kong.

The Galaxy Nexus is the first device to use the new Android "Ice Cream Sandwich" -- a title that continues Google's tradition of naming its operating systems after desserts in alphabetical order.

The firms said the new handset offers easier and quicker Internet browsing, an improved camera and enhanced security using face recognition technology.

It also features "Android Beam", a function that allows content to be shared between two devices by simply touching them together.

The smartphone will be available in the United States, Europe and Asia from November, before being gradually rolled out to other markets. Its price was not announced.

The launch of the Galaxy Nexus come as Apple's iPhone 4S has already notched up sales of more than four million units since launching in seven countries on Friday.

The Apple handset will be available in 22 other countries, including much of Europe, by the end of October, and more than 70 countries by the end of 2011.

It's grabbed! Rivers continue to be encroached upon with law as mere spectator

The sign reads: “Beware. This land is grabbed by Matador Group”. Many “real estate developers” are in a frenzy trying to occupy the eastern channel of the Buriganga near Kamrangirchar, with some setting up huts and signboards, inset, to ward off other occupiers of the government land. Photo: Anisur Rahman

Tokyo Film Fest hopes to cheer disaster-hit Japan

The 24th Tokyo International Film Festival kicks off Saturday with a diverse slate of art house and mainstream fare, but the biggest theme at the annual event may be the country's real-life struggle to recover from the massive March earthquake and tsunami.
Organisers at one stage even pondered whether the Oct 22-30 show could go on after the devastating disaster threw the nation into a period of "jishuku," or self-restraint, which resulted in many events being cancelled. In addition, the Fukushima nuclear crisis scared away many foreign tourists.
But organisers decided to carry on, to send a message about Japanese strength to the world, festival chairman Tom Yoda told Reuters in an interview.
"We had some difficulty getting people to understand that Tokyo is safe, but I think we overcame that problem," he said.
In fact, entries totalled nearly 1,000 films from 76 countries, up 17 percent over the previous year, and participants at TIFFCOM, the contents market which runs alongside the main festival, are up 10 percent with all booths sold out, he said.
Director Paul W.S. Anderson's 3D swashbuckler "The Three Musketeers" and Jackie Chan's historical drama "1911" get the festivities started in a special double opening, with Chan, Anderson and "Musketeers" star Milla Jovovich set to walk the ecology-themed Green Carpet in central Tokyo's Roppongi Hills.
The festival will also hold a day of screenings in the north-eastern city of Sendai, in the coastal area that suffered major tsunami damage, as well as show films that were shot after the disaster such as "Tokyo Drifter" and "Women on the Edge."
In the main competition section, 15 films will vie for the $50,000 Sakura prize, before the festival wraps with baseball drama "Moneyball," starring Brad Pitt.
The festival used to lean more toward art films, but for the past few years has been trying to screen more mainstream movies with commercial possibilities, especially in its opening and closing selections, in a bid to reach younger audiences, said Yoda, who is also CEO of Japanese film company Gaga.
South Korea's booming Busan festival, which runs earlier in October, has also become one of the hottest venues for Asian filmmakers and has no doubt stolen some of Tokyo's thunder

Lucky Strikes Tête-à-tête with Mashiat Tasnim Rahman

After her first break in a talent hunt, Mashiat Tasnim Rahman seized the opportunity to put her skills to the test and gain confidence through experience. The emerging actress, although squeezed for time with a hectic schedule, loves to drench herself in rain-- whenever she gets the chance. Leisure time is also movie time for her; watching flicks and TV dramas fall among her favourite pastimes. Mashiat says there is a lot to learn from watching others act.
Born and brought up in Rangpur in a small family comprising her parents and a brother-- Mashiat passed her SSC exams from the Rangpur Cantonment Public School and College. She is currently studying BBA at the North South University. Mashiat says she has always been a good student, securing a golden A plus in her exam. The actress adds that she was only allowed to join the world of media after vowing to keep education at the top of her priorities.
The enthusiasm and encouragement of her friends, says Mashiat, is the only reason for her participation in the 2010 edition of Lux-Channel i Superstar -- in which she secured fourth place.
Mashiat's debut in TV play was in Salahuddin Lavlu's “Teen Purush” aired on Banglavision, where she acted opposite Chanchal Chowdhury. Her telefilm debut meanwhile was in Nahid Ahmed Piyal's “Punnyo Amar Desher Maati” aired on Channel i.
Currently, TV channels are airing three serials featuring Mashiat: Wahid Anam's “Varsity”, Shokal Ahmed's “Terminal” and 'Mohammad Mostafa Kamal Raj's “Chader Nijer Kono Alo Nei”.
Her busy appointment book also saw her performing recently in the serials “Priyo” by Chayanika Chowdhury; “Chup Adalot Cholchhe” by Jewel Mahmud”; “Generation Next Dot'” by Ezaz Munna, “Adhaar Periye” by Kaisar Ahmed, Masudur Rahman's “Khoy”, and another yet to be titled by Kaisar. She has also finished shooting for Iftekhar Ahmed Fahmi's “Foo”, Raihan Khan's “Jekhane Keu Nei”, Toukir Ahmed's “Chhayabrita” and another TV play by Himel Ashraf. Her other one-hour performances include “Hothat Dekha” and “'Na Bola Nishedh” by Anjan Aich and “Otol Jatra” by Nayeem Imtiaz Neyamul.
Mashiat has also tested her skills as a host, anchoring programmes on Desh TV, “Pepsi Change the Game” and “Style and Fashion”. Apart from that, she has modelled for the commercial of Confidence Soy Bean oil.

Did You Know? Who built very first motor car?

Jesuit priest Ferdinand Verbiest, who worked in China from 1659 until his death in 1688, left a description of a five-wheel steam car he had built as a toy for the young Chinese emperor Enkh Amgalan Khaan in 1672. That is the earliest record of an auto-mobile car thus Verbiest's vehicle possibly holds the very first land speed record. The vehicle was not meant for human transport and was only 2 ft (65cm) long. There is, however, no other record of the vehicle and it is not known if it was actually built. The graphic here is from an 18th century print.

Closer To Sun New Sun-bound probe

A NASA spacecraft set to launch in 2015 will come eight times closer to the Sun than any previous probe, operating within the star's scorching outer atmosphere, or corona. The $750 million Solar Probe will study the birthplace of the solar wind. During its expected seven-year lifetime, Solar Probe will make seven gravity slingshots around Venus, each time getting closer to the Sun. At its closest approach, it will orbit the Sun from within the outer part of the corona, at a distance of between 8 and 10 solar radii from the centre of the Sun. That is much closer than the previous record holder, the Helios spacecraft, which came within 67 solar radii of the star in the 1970s.Scientists hope the probe will help solve two enduring solar mysteries: Why is the Sun's outer atmosphere, or corona, so much hotter than its visible surface, which lies beneath it? And what accelerates the solar wind, a stream of charged particles from the Sun, to supersonic speeds? Heat shield: The idea of studying the Sun at close range was first proposed by the US National Academy of Science in 1958. But scientists have only recently been able to design heat shields for such a spacecraft within NASA's tight budgetary guidelines. The mini-bus sized Solar Probe will be protected from the Sun's fierce radiation by a disc-shaped, carbon-composite heat shield that will be 2.

The probe is 7 meters in diameter and about 15 centimeters thick. The heat shield technology is based on that used in Messenger, a NASA spacecraft that completed its first flyby of Mercury in January and that was also designed by engineers at APL. The side of the shield facing the Sun will heat up to 1400 °Celsius (2600 °F), while the instrument-carrying payload behind the shield will remain at room temperature.

Nuclear Davos Call for world nuclear forum

A "nuclear Davos", convening the nations and industries that are involved in nuclear power, could be the way to deal with problems arising from the worldwide growth in nuclear-derived energy, according to the UK's science academy.

A world nuclear forum would enable industry, academia and policymakers to meet, and would reflect and exploit the growing internationalisation of the nuclear industry, said the Royal Society in a report published today (13 October).

Such a gathering could explore, for example, how to deal with the cradle-to-grave care of nuclear fuel in a more internationalised way, which could lead to more sensible disposal options, said the report, 'Fuel cycle stewardship in a nuclear renaissance'.

Multinational companies are more likely to be transparent than national governments, because they "are answerable to different sets of people", said Roger Cashmore, chair of the working group that produced the report andchairman of the Ministry of Defence's Nuclear Research Advisory Council.

Cashmore added: "A number of countries worldwide, particularly China, Russia and South Korea, have looked at nuclear, digested Fukushima … and will be carrying on with the[ir] nuclear power programmes.

"There's no doubt that on the international scene there will be a lot more nuclear reactors."

The report lists 43 countries at various stages of nuclear power reactor construction, among them many developing and emerging economies, including Argentina, Bangladesh, Brazil, Chile, China, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Iran, Jordan, Malaysia, Mexico, Pakistan, South Africa, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates and Vietnam.

Many of these countries are pursuing nuclear power for the first time, and the report urges them to formulate long-term research and development (R&D) programmes that could help safely manage the programme and the radioactive waste, as well as provide the technical capacity to respond to "unforeseen changes in policy".

A key recommendation is to not let waste management become an afterthought but include it in initial plans.

Spooky ! Blood-red bats take to the skies

We couldn't wait until Halloween to share this spooky thermal image of bats in flight. Provided by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, this image was taken by Boston University researchers trying to better understand how bats navigate the air in response to weather, bug activity and climate change .

According to the United State Geological Survey, bats save farmers at least $3 billion a year by scarfing down insects that would otherwise eat crops. But bats are threatened by white-nose syndrome, a fungal disease that kills them, as well as by deadly collisions with wind turbines.

Researchers estimate that the loss of one million bats in the Northeast alone has probably resulted in between 660 and 1320 metric tons fewer insects being eaten by bats each year. Now that's scarier than blood-red bats any day.

New mystery on Mars

One of the supposedly best understood and least interesting landscapes on Mars is hiding something that could rewrite the planet's history. Or not. In fact, about all that is certain is that decades of assumptions regarding the wide, flat Hesperia Planum are not holding up very well under renewed scrutiny with higher-resolution, more recent spacecraft data.

"Most scientists don't want to work on the flat things," noted geologist Tracy Gregg of University at Buffalo, State University of New York. So after early Mars scientists decided Hesperia Planum looked like a lava-filled plain, no one really revisited the matter and the place was used to exemplify something rather important: The base of a major transitional period in the geologic time scale of Mars. The period is aptly called the Hesperian and it is thought to have run from 3.7 to 3.1 billion years ago.

But when Gregg and her student Carolyn Roberts started looking at this classic Martian lava plain with modern data sets, they ran into trouble.

"There's a volcano in Hesperia Planum that not many people pay attention to because it's very small," Gregg said. "As I started looking closer at the broader region -- I can't find any other volcanic vents, any flows. I just kept looking for evidence of lava flows. It's kind of frustrating. There is nothing like that in the Hesperia Planum."

"A likely cause of this trouble is the thick dust that blankets Hesperia Planum," she said. "It covers everywhere like a snowfall."

So she turned her attention to what could be discerned on Hesperia Planum: about a dozen narrow, sinuous channels, called rilles, just a few hundred meters wide and up to hundreds of kilometers long. These rilles have no obvious sources or destinations and it is not at all clear they are volcanic.

"The question I have is what made the channels," said Gregg. Was it water, lava, or something else? "There are some lavas that can be really, really runny. And both are liquids that run downhill." So either is a possibility.

To begin to sort the matter out, Gregg and Roberts are now looking for help on the Moon. Their preliminary findings are being presented at the Annual Meeting of The Geological Society of America in Minneapolis.

"On the Moon we see these same kinds of features and we know that water couldn't have formed them there," Gregg said. So they are in the process of comparing channels on the Moon and Mars, using similar data sets from different spacecraft, to see if that sheds any light on the matter. She hopes to find evidence that will rule out water or lava on Hesperia Planum.

"Everybody assumed these were huge lava flows," said Gregg. "But if it turns out to be a lake deposit, it's a very different picture of what Mars was doing at that time." It would also make Hesperia Planum a good place to look for life, because water plus volcanic heat and minerals is widely believed to be a winning combination for getting life started.

"The 'volcanic' part is an interpretation that's beginning to fall apart," said Gregg. "What is holding up is that the Hesperian marks a transition between the Noachian (a time of liquid water on the surface and the formation of lots of impact craters) and the Amazonian (a drier, colder Mars)."

She has found that other scientists are interested in her work because of its possible implications on the Mars geological time scale. Gregg is not worried that Mars history will need to be rewritten, but she does suspect that Hesperia Planum is a lot more complicated than people has long thought.

Nokia N9 offer for Icons

Icon, the premium telecom brand of the country from the house of Orascom Telecom Bangladesh Ltd, has joined hands with Nokia Bangladesh in an exclusive promotion of Nokia's flagship smartphone N9 only for Icon subscribers, says a press release.

The promotion will start from November. The Icon subscribers will be the ones to own the Nokia N9, two weeks prior to everyone else, at only half the recommended retail price.

The first 50 Icon subscribers to preorder the device will be eligible for this concession. In addition, limited number of attractive genuine Nokia accessories will also be available for Icons.

Those who are Icon subscribers for at least two months are eligible for the offer.

The N9 smartphone is fully loaded with blazingly fast mobile browsing, the best free navigation out there and quick fire Carl Zeiss optics 8 megapixel camera.

The Nokia N9 introduces an innovative new design where the home key is replaced by a simple gesture: a swipe.

The phone has 3.9-inch AMOLED screen is made from scratchresistant curved glass.

The Humanist Bard Remembered

A four-day programme was launched on Sunday at the Lalon Akhra in Chheuria, Kushtia to mark Lalon's 121st death anniversary. The programme includes a 'Lalon Mela', rendition of Baul songs and discussion. Speakers at the inaugural programme stressed on the need to uphold the humanitarian and secular philosophy of Lalon by taking greater steps to popularise his songs at all levels of society.

All records 'lost' from drug office

All documents relating to the country's first ever detection of paracetamol syrup adulteration in 1992 have vanished from the Directorate General of Drug Administration (DGDA), the public institution responsible for checking drug adulteration and prosecuting those committing the crime.

The disappearance of the files deals a severe blow to three relevant cases that could be pursued if evidence were available. Proceedings regarding two of the cases are currently under High Court stay orders and have been awaiting hearings for seventeen years. The other one is being proceeded with in the Dhaka Drug Court.

Documents available in court indicate clearly that the DGDA deliberately destroyed the cases. Meanwhile, people present during the 1992 drugs test recalled how proper steps regarding the matter had been bypassed since the very beginning.

The disappearance of the documents came to light after The Daily Star in November last year officially requested the DGDA for allowing access to all documents relating to drug adulteration in 1992 in compliance with the Right to Information Act.

"Samples of paracetamol syrups were collected from Shishu Hospital following a verbal order by the then Directorate of Drug Administration director general. Currently there is no record in the department on the samples collected," replied the DGDA in response to the request on March 23 this year.

Responding to a set of ten queries in the request, the DGDA said that except for Dhaka Shishu Hospital no institution had ever reported deaths of children owing to the administering of adulterated paracetamol syrup.

The report from Shishu Hospital was also verbal, said the reply.

The Daily Star retrieved documents from individuals about the drug test. Documents show the drug analysis conducted at a government owned institution under the direct supervision of government analysts and an expert consultant from the World Health Organisation (WHO) detected lethal chemical diethylene glycol in paracetamol syrups manufactured by five companies in 1992.

The test result was accurate beyond suspicion since subsequent independent testing -- undertaken in laboratories in the US and obtained by The Daily Star -- confirmed the results.

A number of doctors from Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) and Dhaka Shishu Hospital, involved in the matter at that time, also mentioned that deaths of children from acute renal failure following an intake of adulterated paracetamol syrup actually began in 1972 and by 1992 had killed over 2,000 children by 1992.

In December 1992, detection of the adulteration led to five cases being filed against four companies -- Adflame Pharmaceutical Ltd, Polychem Laboratories Ltd, BCI (Bangladesh) Ltd, and Rex Pharmaceutical.

The fifth company, City Chemical and Pharmaceutical Works Ltd, which was tested positive for producing adulterated paracetamol syrup, was spared prosecution for reasons unknown.

The DGDA, however, does not have any idea about the current status of any of the five cases, according to its reply. In an apparent move at self defence, the two-page letter said officials who had dealt with the issue are "either dead or already retired".

The Director General (DG) of the DGDA, Abul Kalam Azad, repeatedly insisted on his ignorance about the matter and admitted having no record protected.

Court records show that proceedings relating to one of the five cases -- one of the two filed against Adflame -- were suspended only two years into its filing, even before charges could be framed against the accused. The complainant, Abul Khair, the then drug superintendent, never appeared before the court with the seized evidence, although the court notified him five times within six months beginning from May 1994 about his appearance before it.

"The prosecution has failed to produce the seized Flamodol syrup [adulterated paracetamol syrup brand produced by Adflame]. As such charges cannot be framed. The proceedings of the case be stopped....and the accused be released," the court finally said in its order of November 2, 1994 in connection with the case.

In a recurrence after sixteen years, when another case filed against Adflame went into the trial process in 2009, Abul Khair gave a deposition in favour of the accused.

"The case was weakened with wrong documentation and specifically wrong presentation of seizure list, apparently an intentional mistake," said Public Prosecutor of Dhaka Drug Court Mahmud Hossain Jahangir regarding the case.

The allegation was substantiated by instances and the experiences of those present during the paracetamol syrup test at Essential Drug Companies Limited (EDCL), an autonomous drug manufacturing company of the government where the test took place.

"We repeatedly told the government high-ups present during the test that we wanted to properly record every step in the logbook of our company, but they said that wouldn't be necessary" said a senior EDCL official, adding, "Steps to have the total process of tests documented and recorded were deliberately avoided."

The only case which saw completion of a trial was against Rex Pharmaceutical, in which the prosecution failed to prove the adulteration charge as government drug analysts themselves raised suspicions over the authenticity of their own modalities of analyses. As a result the case was dismissed and the two accused were acquitted and released in 2003 by the Mymensingh Drug Court. The complainant, again, was Abul Khair.

The fallout is that adulteration of drugs continues to take place. In 2009 adulterated paracetamol produced by Rid Pharma reportedly killed 28 children.

"The government knows everything and sees children die," said Muhammad Ullah, an employee at Bangabhaban, who lost his one and a half year old son Tanvir Ahmed on September 16, 1990, several days after the child had been administered paracetamol syrup following a fever.

Microsoft Targets $400 Million From India

Microsoft is targeting revenue of $400 million from its Indian operations in its FY2011-12 (August to July), a 30 percent growth over the last fiscal.


The software major expects one-third of the revenue to come from the cloud business which in the past 12 months contributed only around 5 percent to its overall revenue.


Microsoft has laid out an aggressive strategy which includes restructuring its entire partner organization by making it more linear and creating dedicated account management teams to drive its cloud business.


The company has created separate teams and appointed regional business development managers (BDMs) for the north (including east), south and west (including central) regions. The regional managers have been empowered to identify their own focus areas and go-to-market for the cloud business. In addition, Microsoft has divided its cloud business into two teams—one for the mid-to-large enterprise segment and the other for SMBs. It has also created a team of cloud specialists who would help both customers and partners in deploying hybrid cloud services.


Partners have welcomed these changes. “Earlier, it was difficult for us to approach executives at Microsoft for any cloud-related difficulty. The cloud BDMs would now help us in drafting business plans and developing a joint go-to-market strategy,” said MP Kini, CEO, Kinfotech, a Bengaluru-based Microsoft partner.


“The strategy is much more focused and partner-friendly. So far Microsoft was treating most of its tier-2 partners as cloud services resellers. However, there is now tremendous focus on involving the partner in creating solutions around its cloud services. All such deals will now be stamped under the solution provider license agreement,” said Sudarsan Ranganathan, CEO, Veeras Infotek, another Bengaluru-based Microsoft partner.


According to partners, Microsoft has close to 1,200 cloud customers in India, most with less than 100 seats each. The company now aims to target customers with up to 1,000 seats for its online offerings—Office 365, Intune, CRM and Exchange Online.


“So far Microsoft was focusing largely on SMBs for its public cloud offerings, but henceforth the company will also focus on mid-to-large enterprises which are strong prospects for Microsoft’s hybrid cloud solutions. In fact we have been closely working on a couple of 500+ seat projects which have a strong element of private and public cloud solutions,” said Paresh Shah, Partner in the Mumbai-based
PH Teknow.


Microsoft is also increasing its training and marketing budgets. “Microsoft has committed a significant increase in marketing spends on cloud computing solutions. They also plan to invest substantially in conducting regular training and hands-on labs. Indian partners would have access to global launches faster than they have had before,” said Suresh Ramani, CEO, Techgyan, a Mumbai-based Microsoft partner.

Birishiri tree felling goes on

Netrakona Zila Parishad and forest department have failed to stop the chopping down of century-old trees beside a road in Birishiri and to comply with the High Court's 10-day status quo order.

Deputy Commissioner of Netrakona Anish Mahmud yesterday told The Daily Star that the chief executive officer of Netrakona Zila Parishad issued a letter to the contractors, the upazila nirbahi officer and the officer-in-charge of Durgapur Police Station to stop the felling of trees.

Chief Executive Officer Md Aftab Ali said a letter was issued to officials concerned of Durgapur asking them to halt the cutting of trees which was being done to make the road wider.

Upazila Nirbahi Officer of Durgapur Kamruzzaman Mia said he sent an official concerned to the contractors to stop the felling of trees but the contractors did not stop.

Officer-in-Charge of Durgapur Police Station Abul Kalam Azad said he did not get any letter from the zila parishad asking him to stop the chopping down of trees.

The High Court on Tuesday directed the government to maintain status quo for 10 days on felling of trees on both sides of a road between Janjail Bazar and Durgapur upazila in Netrakona. The order came following a writ petition filed by Liton Mrong, general secretary of Garo Baptist Convention.

Liton Mrong yesterday said cutting trees is continuing. Two contractors at the spot instructed workers to continue their work.

Lawmaker the 'land-gobbler' His 2 firms filling up water body, forcing locals to sell their lands in 'national interest'; MP Aslamul Haque denies

Two private power companies are indiscriminately filling up a khas (govt-owned) water body and private land by the Buriganga river forcing the local people to sell their land to the companies-- all in the name of setting up two power plants and an amusement park.

Land owners in Looterchar and Waaspur across the Buriganga are too terrified to complain about the matter. They said Awami League lawmaker from Dhaka-4 constituency Mohammad Aslamul Haque is chairman of the two companies that are implementing the project.

“We were first told that we have to sell our land to facilitate setting up power plants in national interest,” said a local land owner asking not to be named. “But we became suspicious as they [companies] started filling up low-lying land one after another not even bothering to ask the owners.”

The local people also alleged that part of the Buriganga has also been grabbed by the companies-- Dhaka West Power Ltd and CLC Power Company Ltd. Besides, they have filled up the mouth of what remained of Atir Khal, a canal that used to connect Buriganga with vast areas of Keraniganj.

The huge water body on the northern side of the project site, which retains water round the year and greatly helps irrigation for farming, has been demarcated with bamboo poles for filling up. Part of the water body has already been filled up with dredging spoils from the project.

“They (companies) started filling up the area and then asked us to see them with land deeds,” said a local man with 10 kathas of land. “They offered me Tk 4 lakh for each katha but when I went to take the money, a dalal [middleman] of the company deducted 20 percent from the payment.”

When this correspondent contacted the companies' office at Dhanmondi, General Manager Anwar Hossain said they require 45 acres of land in the area to set up two power plants and an amusement park.

“The local people have enthusiastically offered their land for the project of such national interest, we have not grabbed an inch there,” said Anwar. “The water body that we demarcated is not khas, we are trying to buy it from the local people."

He also said, “The power plants are expected to be connected to the national grid by June next year.”

Asked, Aslamul Haque said his companies have bought land at fair price from the owners who have willingly come forward to sell that for this national project.

“It is not true that we shall set up an amusement park, and it is out of the question that we have demarcated the water body or khas land on the northern side [of the project]. We do not need any khas land,” said the ruling party lawmaker, contradicting what his companies' general manager said.

“Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority has issued us a certificate mentioning that we have not grabbed any part of the Buriganga. And we are soon obtaining environmental clearance certificate from the Department of Environment (DoE),” Aslamul said.

Mohammad Shajahan, DoE director (technical) and convenor of the Environmental Clearance Committee, told The Daily Star that since power plants are categorised in the red, his office has scrutinised the companies' application and asked them to produce all land documents and clearances from BIWTA and the deputy commissioner's office.

“We have asked them to provide the certificate mentioning that the river or any wetland has not been filled up for the project,” Shahjahan added.

In February this year, a DoE enforcement team filed a case against Aslamul with Keraniganj Police Station accusing him of starting a project for power plant without environmental clearance, filling up and polluting the Buriganga.

DoE sources said they had also seized four bulldozers from the site and put a ban on the project work. Later, the companies procured a certificate from BIWTA which cleared them of occupying the river.

“On the basis of the BIWTA certificate, the companies restarted the work although the ban has not been lifted yet,” said a DoE enforcement official.

Faith, hope and transformation in the scientific age

The first of March 1932 seemed like any other working day for the miners of La Paz in Mexico. They donned their helmets, picked up their shovels and descended the shaft ready to dig.

But on this day disaster struck; the roof fell in burying Espiridon Suniga and Juan Martines.

Fearing the worst their fellow miners desperately dug away at the debris, but when they reached the men Juan Martines was already dead.

Seriously injured, seeing his deceased colleague lying by his side, Espiridon Suniga feared his fate would be the same and he fervently prayed to St Francis of Assisi to save his life.

In 2008 the life of Cristobel Munoz also hung in the balance. Born six weeks early, underdeveloped and weighing less than 3lbs, his parents feared their son would not survive.
Continue reading the main story
“Start Quote

There is a definite contractual element - deliver my needs and I will repay you with a painting”

Antonia Bruce Exhibition Co-curator

Like the miner, 70 years before him, Cristobel's father, Martinez Munoz, fell back on his faith. And like Espiridon Suniga, his prayers were answered and his son survived.

What connects these two tales of life and death across the decades is a rich Mexican Catholic tradition.

Having received divine intervention both Espiridon Suniga and Martinez Munoz repaid the debt by commissioning a retablo, or votive painting - small, colourful depictions of their moments of crisis - to celebrate the saintly intervention and give thanks for that help.

Human 'cloning' makes embryonic stem cells

A form of cloning has been used to create personalised embryonic stem cells in humans, say researchers.

Genetic material was taken from an adult skin cell and transferred into a human egg. This was grown to produce an early embryo.

Stem cells have huge potential in medicine as they can transform into any other cell type in the body.

However, the stem cells formed contained chromosomes from both the adult and the egg cells.

The technique used - somatic cell nuclear transfer - shot to fame in 1997 when Dolly the sheep, the first mammal to be cloned from an adult cell, was unveiled to the world.

TB smoking toll 'could reach 40m'

Forty million smokers could die from TB by 2050, research suggests.

Smokers are about twice as likely to get the lung infection and die from it, compared with non-smokers.

Many of the new TB cases will be in Africa, the eastern Mediterranean and Southeast Asian regions, according to projections published in the BMJ.

A lung charity said global efforts to fight TB are being undermined by the tobacco industry's "aggressive promotion" of smoking in some places.

Dr John Moore-Gillon is a TB specialist and honorary medical advisor for the British Lung Foundation.

He said: "It is nearly 20 years since the World Health Organization declared tuberculosis to be a 'global health emergency'.

"Since that time rates have risen rather than fallen, and smoking increases the risk of getting - and dying from - TB.

"Concerted international efforts are now under way to try and turn the tide of TB, but this important research shows that all these efforts may be undermined by the tobacco industry's continuing aggressive promotion of smoking in many parts of the world."

UNESCO puts controversial Obiang prize on hold, again

A research prize named after Equatorial Guinea's president, Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo — and funded by him to the tune of US$3 million — will remain suspended, following the latest decision in a saga, made at a UNESCO (UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) board meeting in France yesterday (4 October).

"The UNESCO board decided to put together a working group that will continue to consult on the prize, with a view to getting a final decision by April next year," a source at the organisation told SciDev.Net.

The UNESCO-Obiang Nguema Mbasogo International Prize for Research in the Life Sciences was agreed by the organisation's member states in November 2008 "in recognition of scientific achievements that improve the quality of human life".

The prize was first suspended in January 2010, just a few weeks before its inaugural winner was to be announced, following concerns over the human rights record of Obiang's regime. The African Union (AU) considered taking over the prize in August 2010, and UNESCO put it on hold indefinitely in October 2010.

The prize has been backed by African and Arab representatives at UNESCO, and Obiang secured a resolution in favour of the prize at an AU summit in June, which he hosted in in Equatorial Guinea, which currently holds the rotating AU chair.

A Paris-based diplomat said that by April, Obiang will no longer hold the AU chair, which will make it easier to break down the Africa consensus and reject the prize. Had the vote been taken this week, its proponents might have won, UNESCO diplomats said.

A number of African delegates said they were only supporting the prize because they did not want to be seen to be bullied by the UN system and Western states.

In her address to the board last week (30 September), UNESCO director-general Irina Bokova called on Equatorial Guinea to withdraw the prize as a way of protecting and preserving the organisation's reputation and its good relations with the scientific community, which does not support the prize.

But Kenneth Hurwitz, a senior legal officer at the Open Society Justice Initiative, in New York, which organised a signatory campaign of eminent writers and activists against the prize, including many from Africa, described the deferment as "timid".

"UNESCO continues to drag its feet when it comes to taking a principled stance against creating a prize that honours a dictator," Hurwitz told SciDev.Net.

"The proper response to Obiang's shameless attempt at self-glorification is to abolish the prize once and for all, with the money to be used for high quality, affordable hospitals and schools for Equatorial Guinea's people."

Tutu Alicante, exiled from Equatorial Guinea and executive director of EG Justice, a non-governmental organisation, said "the UNESCO board needs to end this debate once and for all by rejecting this prize outright".

Mokhlesur Rahman's solo art exhibition in Rome

Mokhlesur Rahman's solo art exhibition, titled “Beautiful Bengal”, will open on October 8 at the Culture Association Utopia, Via degli Zingari in Rome. The Bangladeshi Ambassador to Italy, Masud Bin Momen, will inaugurate the exhibition, says a press release.

Rahman is one of the very few artists in Bangladesh, who are working on woodcut prints. He has been working in the medium for a while.

Rahman's preferred themes are romanticism and rural Bengal landscapes. Greenery, flora, fauna, mustard fields, moonlit nights, the unique hues nature takes on throughout the six seasons and the unparalleled beauty of rural Bengal appear in his works intimately and vibrantly.

Bangladesh slips in IT competitiveness global ranking

Bangladesh is losing ground compared to other countries in information technology, the Business Software Alliance (BSA) reported in its publication of 2011 edition of the Economist Intelligence Unit's IT Industry Competitiveness index.

Updated for the fourth time since 2007, the Index benchmarks 66 countries on a series of indicators covering the critical foundation areas for IT innovation: overall business environment, IT infrastructure, human capital, research and development (R&D), legal environment, and public support for industry development.

Topping the overall rankings for 2011 are the United States, Finland, Singapore, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.

Bangladesh slipped 1 spot, ranking 63rd in the worldwide rankings due to a poor showing on indicators of overall business environment, the report said.

This year's Index finds that countries traditionally strong in IT are maintaining their positions of leadership in part because 'advantage begets advantage' they have built up solid foundations for technology innovation through years of investment and they are continuing to reap the benefits. But the global field of competition is becoming more crowded as new challengers, especially in developing economies, raise their games to meet the standards the leaders have set.

“It is abundantly clear from this year's IT Industry Competitiveness Index that investing in the fundamentals of technology innovation will pay huge dividends over the long term,” said BSA President and CEO Robert Holleyman.

“Bangladesh has slipped in this year's rankings because of its performance in the overall business environment,” said Roger Somerville, BSA senior director - Policy, Asia-Pacific. “In the years ahead, policymakers in Bangladesh have an opportunity to improve in that area. We know from global experience it will be worth the effort.”
"FROM www.thedailystar.net"

We will miss you Steve

This is not the story we had in mind to publish today. In fact last night I was writing a piece on Apple's latest iPhone that debuted on October 4. Little did I know that the man who co-founded that company and changed the world with the touch of technology just passed away. We'll probably run that story next week.

I received an SMS early morning from my colleague saying, “Steve Jobs no more.” Like many others, I was very shocked.

We all knew that Jobs had been battling an unusual form of pancreatic cancer, and had received a liver transplant in 2009, but never thought he would leave us so early at the age of 56.

When Jobs stepped down as the CEO of Apple in August, he wrote in his letter of resignation: "I have always said if there ever came a day when I could no longer meet my duties and expectations as Apple's CEO, I would be the first to let you know. Unfortunately, that day has come."

We knew he was ill, maybe he knew he wasn't going to live long, so he decided to put the company in the safer hands of Tim Cook, the present CEO of Apple.

Jobs is survived by his wife, Laurene, and four children.

On October 4, CNN aired a documentary on Jobs; I learnt a lot from that show.

Jobs, one of the pioneers of Silicon Valley, who grew up there with his foster parents had founded Apple with his childhood friend Steve Wozniak. The two marketed what was considered the world's first personal computer, the Apple II.

He left the company in 1985 and went on to buy Pixar, the company behind some of the biggest animated hits in cinema history including Toy Story, Cars and Finding Nemo.

He returned to Apple 11 years later -- at a time when it was being written off by rivals. What followed was one of the most remarkable comebacks in business history.

Starting off with the colourful iMacs, Jobs transformed the personal computing experience. Then came the iPod, which revolutionised the music industry. Not to mention the iPhone that changed the way we think about phones and of course, last but not the least, the iPad.

"Steve's brilliance, passion and energy were the source of countless innovations that enrich and improve all of our lives … The world is immeasurably better because of Steve," a statement paying tribute to Jobs from Apple said.

Industry leaders also echoed the same, not to forget the tsunami of tweets and facebook statuses.

Bill Gates, former CEO of Microsoft, tweeted, “For those of us lucky enough to get to work with him, it's been an insanely great honour. I will miss Steve immensely.”

In a statement Gates also said, "The world rarely sees someone who has had the profound impact Steve has had, the effects of which will be felt for many generations to come.”

US President Barak Obama said, Jobs was “brave enough to think differently, bold enough to believe he could change the world... talented enough to do it.”

Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg said, “Steve, thank you for being a mentor and a friend … for showing that what you build can change the world.”

Nokia CEO Stephen Elop tweeted, “Steve's passion for simplicity and elegance leaves a legacy that will endure.”

Millions of Apple fans around the globe are also paying tribute to Jobs. Some are posting Facebook status with his quotes, some posting his photos on iPhones or iPads with candles.

From a company going bankrupt, Jobs brought Apple where it stands today. Apple was briefly the most valuable company in the world earlier this year. The company produces $65.2 billion a year in revenue, compared to $7.1 billion in its business year ending September 1997.

According to Guardian, Jobs leaves an estimated $8.3 billion, but he often dismissed others' interest in his wealth. "Being the richest man in the cemetery doesn't matter to me … Going to bed at night saying we've done something wonderful … that's what matters to me."

Steve Jobs revolutionsed computing and changed the world, there aren't many who can do that. The world will miss him a lot.

Engineers Build Smart Petri Dish: Device Can Be Used for Medical Diagnostics, Imaging Cell Growth Continuously

ScienceDaily (Oct. 3, 2011) — The cameras in our cell phones have dramatically changed the way we share the special moments in our lives, making photographs instantly available to friends and family. Now, the imaging sensor chips that form the heart of these built-in cameras are helping engineers at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) transform the way cell cultures are imaged by serving as the platform for a "smart" petri dish.Dubbed ePetri, the device is described in a paper that appears online this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

First Images from ALMA Telescope: Hidden Star-Formation in Antennae Galaxies Revealed

ScienceDaily (Oct. 3, 2011) — In celebration of the start of the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array's (ALMA) Early Science observations, the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) has released an image of a merging pair of galaxies as seen by the growing ALMA telescope. The detailed views of star-formation in the Antennae Galaxies confirm that this new telescope, while far from completed, and with only a fraction of its ultimate imaging capability, will surpass all others of its kind.The image gives but a hint of ALMA's promise to make unprecedented contributions to understanding the once-hidden activities of the early Universe."We chose the impressive interacting system called the Antennae galaxies as a test subject," said Dr. Alison Peck, an astronomer from the NRAO who is serving in Chile as ALMA Deputy Project Scientist during its years of careful construction and rigorous testing, "because it is in the process of undergoing the type of spectacular, violent merger that many galaxies may have undergone since their formation, but that we can rarely catch in action."

Fashion Careers

Do you have an eye for style? If so, a fashion career may be the right path for you? Explore all the different career options in fashion design production, fashion marketing and advertising, fashion media and productions and more.

Samsung reveals Series 4 400B2B Samsung has recently reveal their latest Series 4 400B2B. This little notebook is aimed at the ultra mobile user who needs something compact and easy to take with them on the road, but with enough power to actually run business class apps. The operating system is Windows 7 Pro, and the not

Samsung reveals Series 4 400B2B
Samsung has recently reveal their latest Series 4 400B2B. This little notebook is aimed at the ultra mobile user who needs something compact and easy to take with them on the road, but with enough power to actually run business class apps. The operating system is Windows 7 Pro, and the not

Varied uses of a flute The innovative Rethey Tudu

Rethey Tudu, an octogenarian Santal of Dinajpur, has developed a new technique to put his six-holed bamboo stick to good use. The invention is now an inseparable part of his life -- as a flute, a walking stick and more.

“Sometime I use the stick for hunting too,” asserts the elderly man who lives in Maniyabhita Adibashipara of Biral upazila, Dinajpur. His tiny hut is his only worldly possession.

“I used to earn Tk 70-100 a day about a few years back by playing the flute, but now I'm at the end of my tether since my earnings have reduced to a trickle as more modern instruments have taken over,” says Tudu.

Locals who have heard the melodious tunes of his flute told The Daily Star that his flute used to touch the hearts of people even in distant villages. However, now he cannot make a living out of playing the flute because of his age, say the locals.

“My four-foot long flute now helps me to walk as well,” says Tudu, who at one time used to walk 10-15 km everyday to make a living.

“It's not an ordinary bamboo stick,” adds Tudu with pride, pointing out that it is also a means of self-defence at night.

At the age of 80 he still plays the flute twice a day to secure two square meals. “Please arrange an old age allowance card for me,” he appeals.

Apple expected to unveil new iPhone next week

Apple Inc looks set next week to unveil its much-awaited new iPhone, which analysts say will have a bigger screen and work better with remote computing services.

Apple on Tuesday invited media to a "special event" called "Let's talk iPhone" on October 4 at its Cupertino, California headquarters, an unusual location for a company that typically introduces major products at larger venues in San Francisco.

The invitation did not have any other details, and an Apple spokesman would not provide further information.

"This is the iPhone 5," ThinkEquity analyst Mark McKechnie said of the event.

The new iPhone would be the first major product launch under Tim Cook, who took over full-time as chief executive after co-founder Steve Jobs resigned last month.

It was unclear if Jobs, who is now chairman, will take the stage at the event.

Though a good product, the current iPhone 4 could use some improvements, McKechnie said. "We talked about it having a bigger screen, a dual core processor, and probably integrates pretty well with the iCloud."

The iPhone -- introduced in 2007 with the touchscreen template now adopted by its rivals -- remains the gold standard in the booming smartphone market.

The new model, which some have dubbed the iPhone 5, will have a bigger touch screen, better antenna and an 8-megapixel camera, one source with knowledge of the matter told Reuters in August.

Hon Hai Precision Industries Co Ltd and Pegatron Corp of Taiwan will make the new phone, and have been told to gear up capacity for up to 45 million units in total, the source said.

NEW VOICE FEATURES?
Apple launched the iPhone 4 in June 2010 in black 16 gigabyte and 32 gigabyte versions, and added white ones in April. The company typically refreshes its iPhone lineup during its developer event in June, but delayed the new model this year.

Apple sold 20.34 million iPhones in the third quarter ended June 25, which analysts say helped it vault past Nokia and Samsung Electronics to become the world's biggest smartphone maker.

Some analysts are expecting another version of the iPhone 4 to be launched along with the next model.

"The new (iPhone) 4 will tackle the prepaid market and the (iPhone) 5 will have the A5 chip that's in the iPad and be faster, thinner and possibly with a bigger screen," Colin Gillis, analyst with BGC Partners said. He cited possible voice-recognition features as well.

Shares of Apple rose 0.6 percent to $405.66 on Nasdaq early Tuesday afternoon.

Windows Phone 7.5 Will Mango be the gamechanger?

With over 500 features for the smartphone lovers to delve into, will 'Mango' prove to be a threat for its contenders, Android and iOS?

Although not too popular, O2 Pocket PC, Windows Mobile 2003 SE, Windows Mobile 6.5.5, all testify Microsoft's decade long existence in the field of mobile phones, besides computers. Although the company planned to continue the Windows Mobile line, however, Microsoft decided to create a new mobile operating system platform. Hence, Windows Phone (WP), the upgraded mobile operating system was brought to the limelight in 2010.

Although the reception was generally positive, the product however lacked some of the common features that we have come to enjoy in other smartphone operating systems, like in Android and iOS.

Realising today's consumers' demands and the aftermath of its shortcomings, WP addressed these limitations in an update Windows Phone 7.5 codenamed 'Mango'. The roll out held on September 27, 2011, Mango is a major software update for Windows Phone, to get the major wrinkles of the shortcomings ironed out.

Features that do make an impact on our everyday smartphone experience-- multitasking, social network integration, email and exchange, will finally be incorporated. In short, WP7.5 is precisely what we wish Windows Phone would've been from the beginning -- a platform that's capable of handling all of our needs, no matter how crazy they may be.

A gigantic improvement and one of the favourite features in WP7.5 is its email and messaging feature. It has a linked email inbox that combines multiple email accounts into one consolidated tile, making the system convenient and time saving. With WP7.5 one doesn't have to hunt through hundreds of other messages to find each segment of a conversation, as the full correspondence is grouped together-- an absolute must-have feature in this day and age.

In today's busy life, it's all about 'Glance and Go'. We tend to communicate with our co-workers, friends and family on any social network and trying to keep in touch amidst the busyness. WP7.5's ability to integrate social network content with many of the platform's other key features is sure to be near the top of the list.

The phone is now littered with plenty of ways to communicate via Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. Tweets that mention your name are dropped into notifications, and you're given the option of replying to it. WP7.5 also gives you the ability to organise your contacts into 'groups', which by showing live tiles for individual members, notifications and pictures make interaction all the more easier and simultaneous.

It is immensely frustrating when say, we are streaming internet radio and aren't able to keep the music going as we surf the web or perform other tasks on our phones. In WP7.5, this frustration, along with others is rectified. The functionality is all built in so a simple long-press of the button pulls up your most recently opened apps.

For the corporate kiddos who use tasks or to-do lists, embedding our tasks within the WP7.5 calendar might as well prove to be worth its weight in gold. To-dos, included as its own pivot screen inside the app, are fully integrated with your agenda, making each deadline appear as its own event.

As mentioned before, every programme in WP has been enhanced to be more customisable and increase the user's experience, and the camera app is no different. People can now be tagged in pictures by tapping on their face and picking a contact from a list.

Sometimes it's the little things that drive us completely batty. Any person who used an iPhone for the first couple years can relate to the frustration of only having a few ringtones to choose from. With the new WP7.5, one can make a customised ringtone by just changing the song's genre to 'ringtone'.

According to Steve Ballmer, CEO of Microsoft, swapping a platform used by millions with something youthful and fresh isn't going to earn customers and praise overnight, especially when it's a brand new ecosystem that has to start from scratch. But with 'Mango', Microsoft has caught up with Android and iOS in nearly every way, with its feature-laden, user-friendly features. Despite a few criticisms in the beginning, the bright future of Windows Phone is worth wearing shades for!

Physics of Medicine

Dr. Hasin Anupama AzhariMedical physics is the application of physical methods and concepts in diagnosis (examination), therapy (treatment) and prevention of human disease and disability which is associated with the practice of medicine. The traditional areas of medical physics have been obviously shown? in radiotherapy, radio- diagnostic, nuclear medicine and in health physics, but with the recent rapid translation of new physical techniques into medical sciences, the work of physicists is getting essential in many clinical areas, e.g. magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), ultrasound, measurement of the body's electric and magnetic fields, positron emission tomography, pulmonary, physiology, cardiology, neurology, ophthalmology and biomedical sensors and implants.

A medical physicist shall have a degree in a discipline of physical science or MBBS with additional M.Sc. degree in medical physics from a recognized university. The responsibilities of a medical physicist usually include clinical service and consultation, research development and teaching. In a survey (2002) done by the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM) it was observed that the majority portion (76%) of medical physicists works in radiotherapy, 15% in imaging physics, 3% in nuclear medicine, 4% in health physics, 1% in engineering and 1% in administration. The primary responsibility of medical physicist is clinical (78%), academic (8%), research (5%), administrative (3%), in regulatory (4%) and in product development (2%).

Cancer can be treated in three ways: surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Surgery is the art, practice or work of treating tumor by operative procedures. Chemotherapy is the treatment with drugs that kill cancer cells or make them less active. Radiotherapy is the use of high energy radiation to treat cancer. Out of these three techniques radiotherapy is the cheapest and most curative and palliative ways for various types of cancer. Usually combined therapy is mostly implemented in certain types and stages of cancer.

In clinical radiotherapy practice, medical physics deals with the therapeutic applications of x-ray, gamma ray, neutron, electron, charged-particle beams and radiation from sealed radionuclide sources on the human body. It is also involved with the associated equipment responsible for their production, use, measurement and evaluation. Another important subject in this field is the image quality in the diagnostic area with its entire production methodology and radiation source. Medical physicists are the partners of radiation oncologists or radiologists in cancer treatment or examination respectively.

The main aim of radiotherapy (RT) is to deliver doses of radiation to eradicate a tumor, while nearby tissues or normal structures should be spared as far as possible. Usually, radiotherapy is based on delivering a uniform radiation doses to all target volumes (Tumor). The uniform dose approach describes the best possible tumor control for the case in which all regions of the tumor have exactly the same biological characteristics and sensitivity to radiation. In the radiotherapy technique a team consisting of a radiation oncologist, a medical physicist, a radiotherapy technician and a medical dosimetrist work together for the treatment of cancer. Out of this team, the main jobs of a medical physicist are planning the calculation and treatment of the prescribed patient dose, planning of the high specialized treatment procedure and maintaining the overall quality assurance for patients and the staff.

Comparing all disciplines of medical physics between other countries and Bangladesh, medical physicists are working mainly in radiation oncology physics and diagnostic imaging physics. Medical physicists hold professional appointments in radiotherapy and diagnostic departments in hospitals and medical centers.

The number of cancer patients is growing day by day worldwide as well as in Bangladesh. The complexity in the radiation therapy treatment of this disease requires more qualified medical physicists. So for a better future for the cancer treatment in Bangladesh, we have to put more emphasis on this subject as soon as possible. We hope that the number of medical physicists will increase in the near future as well as the professional level of competence within the coming 5-10 years.

In Bangladesh the number of cancer patients equals 2000 out of 1,000,000 inhabitants per year. That number of cancer cases needs up to 2 teletherapy machines (e.g. a linear accelerator Linac per 1 million people).According to WHO for 160 million Bangladeshi inhabitants we need approx. 320 megavoltage teletherapy machines, 160 radiotherapy facilities are needed to cover an optimal standard in radiotherapy treatment. This means a minimum of 500 qualified medical physicists are required in the future to satisfy the demand of the country. Until now Gono University has been the only university offering B.Sc and M.Sc courses in Medical Physics and in Biomedical Engineering in Bangladesh.