WASHINGTON: Social stress could lead to heart disease by causing the body to deposit more fat in the abdominal cavity and could also speed up
harmful plaque build-up in blood vessels, according to new research. In this study, female monkeys were fed a western-style diet containing fat and cholesterol. The monkeys were housed in groups so they would naturally establish a pecking order from dominant to subordinate. Subordinate monkeys are often the target of aggression and aren't included in group grooming sessions as often as dominant monkeys. Researchers found that these socially stressed subordinate monkeys developed more fat in the viscera, or abdominal cavity. The researchers found that the stress of social subordination results in the release of stress hormones that promote the deposition of fat in the viscera. Visceral fat, in turn, promotes coronary artery atherosclerosis, the build up of plaque in the blood vessels that leads to heart disease, the leading cause of death in the world today. "Much of the excess fat in many people who are overweight is located in the abdomen, and that fat behaves differently than fat in other locations," said Carol A. Shively, principal study investigator, Wake Forest University School of Medicine (WFUSM). "If there's too much, it can have far more harmful effects on health than fat located in other areas," said Shively. Shively and colleagues found that women and female monkeys have a natural protection against heart disease -- women typically develop heart disease, on average, 10 years later than men do. That protection seems to be lost when stress and visceral fat increase. Researchers found that the monkeys with high social stress and larger amounts of visceral fat also had ovaries that produced fewer protective hormones. The study appeared in the current issue of Obesity.
Friday, August 7, 2009
The IIT dilemma - old vs new
While the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) are still believed to be the ultimate destination for engineering students, more than 500 students
have rejected the admission offer to study in one of these institutes this year. Reasons vary — from not getting one's choice discipline to being hesitant about ‘new IITs' and temporary campuses. The seven ‘old IITs' include Kharagpur, Bombay, Delhi, Madras, Kanpur, Roorkee and Guwahati. Eight more were added to the list and approved by the government in 2008. These IITs are mentored by the nearest old IITs. Does this rejection of students reflect that IIT as a brand is no longer as popular as it used to be? In response, Surendra Prasad, director, IIT-Delhi, says, "I have a problem with the word brand. But yes, I'd say that the stature of IIT has gone up. So expectations too have gone up." However, Prasad adds that the rejections should be seen in the context of new IITs. People are suspicious of the effectiveness of the new IITs. The sudden expansion has led to this kind of a situation, he explains. However, he agrees that though the pace could be a little slow, the need for an expansion was always there. A recent ministry of human resource development (MHRD) agenda paper — on the futuristic vision of IITs — states that India has about 1,700 engineering educational institutions and about two million students . The number of graduates per year is about 4,00,000. In a scenario like this, the seven IITs, 20 NITs, three IIITs, and a few other institutes are not sufficient. For example, in 2006, 3,00,000 students took the entrance exam for 5,000 seats. According to the MHRD report, the only way to meet the demand is by increasing the intake of existing IITs by setting up satellite campuses of existing campuses or setting up new IITs. As to the hesitation factor of parents and students, Prasad says, "It is important to disseminate information and we are trying our best." What parents and students need to know is, he adds, that all these new IITs have an established IIT as their mentor. Besides, quality will not be compromised in any of these new institutes. But then, Prasad points out that in the initial years, the dilemma is likely to persist because one has to choose between an established IIT and a new one. That's a tough choice to make. While one of the major concerns of IIT aspirants and parents seems to be the idea of temporary campuses, Rajat Chakraborty, ex-professor and former head of Jadavpur University, mechanical engineering, feels that such fears are unfounded. He recalls that the first of the IITs — IIT Kharagpur — started functioning out of a temporary campus. It was born in May 1950 in Hijli detention camp, Kharagpur, "where our freedom fighters sacrificed their lives for our country's independence." In fact, before that, the IIT was functioning from 5, Esplanade East, Kolkata. He adds, "However, every educational institute goes through a gestation period and that cannot be discounted." Chakraborty, who was also a parliamentary member of the Council of IITs for three years in the '70s, further points out, "The moment the first batch from any of these institutes complete their placements, students will start feeling confident."
have rejected the admission offer to study in one of these institutes this year. Reasons vary — from not getting one's choice discipline to being hesitant about ‘new IITs' and temporary campuses. The seven ‘old IITs' include Kharagpur, Bombay, Delhi, Madras, Kanpur, Roorkee and Guwahati. Eight more were added to the list and approved by the government in 2008. These IITs are mentored by the nearest old IITs. Does this rejection of students reflect that IIT as a brand is no longer as popular as it used to be? In response, Surendra Prasad, director, IIT-Delhi, says, "I have a problem with the word brand. But yes, I'd say that the stature of IIT has gone up. So expectations too have gone up." However, Prasad adds that the rejections should be seen in the context of new IITs. People are suspicious of the effectiveness of the new IITs. The sudden expansion has led to this kind of a situation, he explains. However, he agrees that though the pace could be a little slow, the need for an expansion was always there. A recent ministry of human resource development (MHRD) agenda paper — on the futuristic vision of IITs — states that India has about 1,700 engineering educational institutions and about two million students . The number of graduates per year is about 4,00,000. In a scenario like this, the seven IITs, 20 NITs, three IIITs, and a few other institutes are not sufficient. For example, in 2006, 3,00,000 students took the entrance exam for 5,000 seats. According to the MHRD report, the only way to meet the demand is by increasing the intake of existing IITs by setting up satellite campuses of existing campuses or setting up new IITs. As to the hesitation factor of parents and students, Prasad says, "It is important to disseminate information and we are trying our best." What parents and students need to know is, he adds, that all these new IITs have an established IIT as their mentor. Besides, quality will not be compromised in any of these new institutes. But then, Prasad points out that in the initial years, the dilemma is likely to persist because one has to choose between an established IIT and a new one. That's a tough choice to make. While one of the major concerns of IIT aspirants and parents seems to be the idea of temporary campuses, Rajat Chakraborty, ex-professor and former head of Jadavpur University, mechanical engineering, feels that such fears are unfounded. He recalls that the first of the IITs — IIT Kharagpur — started functioning out of a temporary campus. It was born in May 1950 in Hijli detention camp, Kharagpur, "where our freedom fighters sacrificed their lives for our country's independence." In fact, before that, the IIT was functioning from 5, Esplanade East, Kolkata. He adds, "However, every educational institute goes through a gestation period and that cannot be discounted." Chakraborty, who was also a parliamentary member of the Council of IITs for three years in the '70s, further points out, "The moment the first batch from any of these institutes complete their placements, students will start feeling confident."
Stuck on UK motorway, Sikhs face racial abuse
LONDON: A group of 66 Sikh women and children on an outing to the seaside miraculously escaped from a burning double-decker bus in southern England
but became victims of racist jibes from passing motorists. The passengers, worshippers at a gurdwara in Luton, travelling back after an outing in Weymouth, Hampshire on Friday were quickly evacuated after an alert off-duty police officer asked them to vacate the vehicle, The Dorset Echo reported. Minutes after they were evacuated, the double-decker coach exploded in a fireball, melting the tarmac. A woman in the coach, Inderjeet Kaur told BBC TV that the evacuees were subjected to racist abuse by passing motorists as they stood on the highway, wrapped in foil blankets, waiting for a replacement coach. "They were pointing at us saying 'go back to the burning bus', and sticking their fingers out," she said. Another passenger, Inderjeet Buar said, "We organized a day out to Weymouth and over 200 people came, travelling on three coaches." After a smell of burning rubber was brought to driver's attention they decided to drive to the next motorway services for a replacement but Buar said, as the coach progressed passing cars flashed their lights, hinting something amiss. "We pulled over and a driver who had also stopped, who I believe as an off-duty policeman, ran on to the coach and got everyone off very quickly, she added.
but became victims of racist jibes from passing motorists. The passengers, worshippers at a gurdwara in Luton, travelling back after an outing in Weymouth, Hampshire on Friday were quickly evacuated after an alert off-duty police officer asked them to vacate the vehicle, The Dorset Echo reported. Minutes after they were evacuated, the double-decker coach exploded in a fireball, melting the tarmac. A woman in the coach, Inderjeet Kaur told BBC TV that the evacuees were subjected to racist abuse by passing motorists as they stood on the highway, wrapped in foil blankets, waiting for a replacement coach. "They were pointing at us saying 'go back to the burning bus', and sticking their fingers out," she said. Another passenger, Inderjeet Buar said, "We organized a day out to Weymouth and over 200 people came, travelling on three coaches." After a smell of burning rubber was brought to driver's attention they decided to drive to the next motorway services for a replacement but Buar said, as the coach progressed passing cars flashed their lights, hinting something amiss. "We pulled over and a driver who had also stopped, who I believe as an off-duty policeman, ran on to the coach and got everyone off very quickly, she added.
Pakistani Taliban chief Mehsud may be dead: Minister
ISLAMABAD: There is a strong likelihood that Pakistani Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud was killed along with his wife.
We suspect he was killed in the missile strike," Malik said on Friday. "We have some information, but we don't have material evidence to confirm it." A US official also said there was reason to believe Mehsud was dead. "There is reason to believe that reports of his death may be true, but it can't be confirmed at this time," said the official, providing the information on condition of anonymity. The official would not comment on the circumstances surrounding Mehsud's possible death. The United States has placed a $5 million reward on the head of Mehsud, an ally of al Qaeda widely regarded in Pakistan as Public Enemy No. 1. The attack in a tribal region of northwest Pakistan was believed to have been carried out by a pilotless US drone aircraft at around 1:00 am on Wednesday. Neither the Pakistani nor US governments confirm such attacks because of sensitivities over violation of Pakistan's territorial sovereignty. Intelligence officials and relatives had confirmed earlier that Mehsud's second wife had been killed in the missile strike that targeted her father's home in an outlying settlement close to Makeen village in the South Waziristan tribal region. A relative of Mehsud's dead wife had initially said the Taliban leader wasn't present when the missiles struck, but rumours that he had either been wounded or killed refused to die down. The stricken house is some two hours' walk from Makeen, and Taliban fighters had cordoned off the area, refusing to let people enter, according to villagers. A senior Pakistani security official said that aside from Mehsud's wife, one of Mehsud's brothers and seven of his bodyguards perished in the attack. The official said intelligence services were trying to discover the identity of another victim, and there was a good chance it was Mehsud. Intelligence agents had also picked up signs that leaders of various Taliban factions planned to gather for a shura, or council meeting, somewhere in Waziristan later on Friday. Sometimes in the past, militant leaders presumed to have been killed have resurfaced later. Mehsud declared himself leader of the Pakistan Taliban, grouping around 13 factions in the northwest, in late 2007, and his fighters have been behind a wave of suicide attacks inside Pakistan and on Western forces across the border in Afghanistan. He is accused of being behind the assassination of Benazir Bhutto in December 2007, a charge he has denied. Conspiracy theories abound over who killed the former prime minister. US missile attacks on Mehsud territory in South Waziristan became more frequent after the Pakistan government ordered a military offensive against him in June. Pakistan forces have also bombarded Mehsud's stronghold with air raids and artillery. Mehsud is estimated to have between 10,000 and over 20,000 battle-hardened fighters with him in the mountains. The army has sealed roads around Mehsud's territory and villagers have fled the area, but as the days have dragged on there was growing speculation that the strategy might be to isolate him by stealth rather than launch a full-blown assault.
We suspect he was killed in the missile strike," Malik said on Friday. "We have some information, but we don't have material evidence to confirm it." A US official also said there was reason to believe Mehsud was dead. "There is reason to believe that reports of his death may be true, but it can't be confirmed at this time," said the official, providing the information on condition of anonymity. The official would not comment on the circumstances surrounding Mehsud's possible death. The United States has placed a $5 million reward on the head of Mehsud, an ally of al Qaeda widely regarded in Pakistan as Public Enemy No. 1. The attack in a tribal region of northwest Pakistan was believed to have been carried out by a pilotless US drone aircraft at around 1:00 am on Wednesday. Neither the Pakistani nor US governments confirm such attacks because of sensitivities over violation of Pakistan's territorial sovereignty. Intelligence officials and relatives had confirmed earlier that Mehsud's second wife had been killed in the missile strike that targeted her father's home in an outlying settlement close to Makeen village in the South Waziristan tribal region. A relative of Mehsud's dead wife had initially said the Taliban leader wasn't present when the missiles struck, but rumours that he had either been wounded or killed refused to die down. The stricken house is some two hours' walk from Makeen, and Taliban fighters had cordoned off the area, refusing to let people enter, according to villagers. A senior Pakistani security official said that aside from Mehsud's wife, one of Mehsud's brothers and seven of his bodyguards perished in the attack. The official said intelligence services were trying to discover the identity of another victim, and there was a good chance it was Mehsud. Intelligence agents had also picked up signs that leaders of various Taliban factions planned to gather for a shura, or council meeting, somewhere in Waziristan later on Friday. Sometimes in the past, militant leaders presumed to have been killed have resurfaced later. Mehsud declared himself leader of the Pakistan Taliban, grouping around 13 factions in the northwest, in late 2007, and his fighters have been behind a wave of suicide attacks inside Pakistan and on Western forces across the border in Afghanistan. He is accused of being behind the assassination of Benazir Bhutto in December 2007, a charge he has denied. Conspiracy theories abound over who killed the former prime minister. US missile attacks on Mehsud territory in South Waziristan became more frequent after the Pakistan government ordered a military offensive against him in June. Pakistan forces have also bombarded Mehsud's stronghold with air raids and artillery. Mehsud is estimated to have between 10,000 and over 20,000 battle-hardened fighters with him in the mountains. The army has sealed roads around Mehsud's territory and villagers have fled the area, but as the days have dragged on there was growing speculation that the strategy might be to isolate him by stealth rather than launch a full-blown assault.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)