Scientists finely control methane combustion to get different products

Scientists have discovered a method to control the gas-phase selective catalytic combustion of methane, so finely that if done at room temperature the reaction produces ethylene, while at lower temperatures it yields formaldehyde. The process involves using gold dimer cations as catalysts — that is, positively charged diatomic gold clusters. Being able to catalyze these reactions, at or below room temperature, may lead to significant cost savings in the synthesis of plastics, synthetic fuels and other materials.  The research was conducted by scientists at the Georgia Institute of Technology and the University of Ulm. It appears in the...

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A chance discovery may revolutionize hydrogen production

Producing hydrogen in a sustainable way is a challenge and production cost is too high. A team led by EPFL Professor Xile Hu has discovered that a molybdenum based catalyst is produced at room temperature, inexpensive and efficient. The results of the research are published online in Chemical Science Thursday the 14th of April. An international patent based on this discovery has just been filled. Existing in large quantities on Earth, water is composed of hydrogen and oxygen. It can be broken down by applying an electrical current; this is the process known as electrolysis. To improve this particularly slow reaction, platinum is generally used...

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Recent census in war-torn DR Congo finds gorillas have survived, even increased

A census team led by the Wildlife Conservation Society and the Insitut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature (ICCN) in Kahuzi-Biega National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo today announced some encouraging news from a region plagued by warfare and insecurity: a small population of Grauer's gorillas has not only survived, but also increased since the last census. The census, conducted late 2010 in the highland sector of Kahuzi-Biega National Park, revealed the presence of 181 individual Grauer's gorillas, up from 168 individuals detected in the same sector in 2004. A "cousin" to the more famous mountain gorilla, the Grauer's...

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HP Application Transformation Solutions Deliver Flexibility and Speed

In today's world of instant gratification, everyone expects secure, seamless access to information no matter where or when they want it. This requires an Instant-On Enterprise that can rapidly innovate and respond. "Innovation is what separates market makers from market followers," said Eyad Shihabi, Managing Director and Enterprise Business Lead, HP Middle EastHP Middle EastLoading.... "At HPHPLoading..., we believe technology is the innovation engine for the enterprise and we have the unique portfolio to fuel it." New research conducted on behalf of HPHPLoading... reveals the role of innovation in organizations today. Ninety-five percent...

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iPad rival PlayBook gets tough reviews

RIM's PlayBook tablet has bombed with influential technology reviewers who call the new iPad competitor a rushed job that won't even provide RIM's vaunted email service unless it's hooked up to a BlackBerry. "RIM has just shipped a BlackBerry product that cannot do email. It must be skating season in hell," New York Times' David Pogue wrote in a review published yesterday. Research In Motion built its reputation on a BlackBerry email service that it says is so secure that it can't bow to government requests to tap messages, winning high-profile customers in business, defence and politics before branching out to a wider consumer market. Advertisement:...

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BlackBerry chief walks out of interview when asked on India's demand

Toronto: Research In Motion(RIM) founder Mike Lazaridis ordered a BBC reporter to stop the interview after he was asked questions about his problems with India and Middle East countries which are seeking access to BlackBerry enterprise emails in view of national security issues. "That's just not fair,'' Mike Lazaridis shot back at BBC technology correspondent Rory Cellan-Jones when he posed this question to the RIM co-CEO at a recent interview. Looking sideways, a visibly upset RIM boss said, "First of all, we have no security problem. We've got the most secure platform. We've just been singled out because we're so successful around the world." When...

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Egg Eaters Get Higher Vitamin D Levels and Less Cholesterol Than Thought

Many dread dietary cholesterol because they think it increases their risk for heart disease. Experts from leading institutions have dispelled some common myths surrounding dietary cholesterol - they found that such diets don't increase the risk of heart disease. They also found that eggs contain higher Vitamin D levels and less cholesterol than thought. An established research has shown that saturated fat intake may be more likely to raise a person's blood cholesterol than dietary cholesterol intake. The distinguished panel of the symposium speakers examined other factors impacting heart disease risk including refined carbohydrate intake,...

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Vegetarians Less Likely to Develop Metabolic Syndrome

Researchers claim that vegetarians are less likely to get heart disease, diabetes or a stroke than semi-vegetarians and non-vegetarians. These three conditions are closely linked to metabolic syndrome (the combination of cholesterol and blood pressure-related symptoms). They have a 1/3rd lesser probability of these diseases as research shows that vegetarians have a 36% lower rate of metabolic syndrome. The study also found that even though the vegetarians were slightly older than non-vegetarians they had lower triglycerides, glucose levels, blood pressure, waist circumference and body mass index (BMI). Giving up red meat gradually lowers...

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Study: 2 Million Babies Stillborn Every Year

More than 2 million babies are stillborn every year worldwide and about half could be saved if their mothers had better medical care, according to research estimates published Thursday in the medical journal Lancet. While the vast majority of stillbirths happen in the developing world, the rates in countries including Britain, France and the U.S. have not dropped to the degree that many experts had expected, as rising obesity levels among pregnant women increase the risk. Experts say providing better obstetric care, treating conditions like syphilis, high blood pressure and diabetes in mothers, among other strategies, could save more than...

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Shah Rukh Khan: Perfect Exteriors

Shah Rukh Khan gives glimpses of his boyish charm in DDLJ in this new TV commercial (TVC) for Nerolac paints. The 45-year-old Bollywood star stresses on polished exteriors for healthy interiors in the promo, something which seems to work well for him. Not surprisingly, Shah Rukh is a favorite for brand endorsements. His portfolio additionally includes Pepsodent toothpaste, Hyundai Santro, Linc pens, Navratna Oil, Tag Heuer (Brand Ambassador since 2003), Videocon, Airtel, Belmonte Shirts and D'Decor (Along with wife Gauri Khan). A diverse range of products, you would say! Shah Rukh's sci-fi, superhero film RA.One is slated for a Diwali release....

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Actor Rami Reddy passes away

Actor Rami Reddy who shot to fame playing the bad guy in Telugu and Hindi films, passed away here on Thursday while undergoing treatment for a kidney ailment. He was 52. Reddy, who was undergoing treatment for the past couple of weeks, died at a private hospital in Secunderabad at around 11 a.m. on Thursday morning. He is survived by two daughters and a son. The actor who had his first hit ‘Ankusam’ in 1990, went on to act in as many as 250 films in Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Hindi, Malayalam and Bhojpuri. The final rites would be conducted at Punjagutta crematorium here this evening. Hailing from Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh, Reddy...

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UPDATE: Mohandas Pai quits Infy board

In a major setback to Infosys Technologies, the company announced that Mohandas Pai, a board member and Director Incharge, Human Resource Dept, has decided to resign. After the resignation of Nanadan Nikelani, this is the second biggest exit of a senior member from the company. Add to this K Dinesh, one of the founder members and Member of Board too have chosen to retire. Dinesh, a board member and co-founder of the company, will retire by rotation at the Annual General Meeting of the Company to be held on June11, 2011 K Dinesh has expressed his intention not to seek re-appointment. Dinesh was the Head of Quality, Information Systems and the Communication Design Group. Meanwhile, Ravi Venkatesan, former Microsoft India Head has been appointed as the Additional Director of the company with...

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Manmohan ends China visit, leaves for Kazakhstan

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today left for Kazakhstan, completing his three-day stay here during which he attended the BRICS Summit and held bilateral talks with the Presidents of China, Brazil, Russia and South Africa. Dr. Singh will be in Kazakh capital Astana for two days during which both the sides will sign an inter-governmental framework agreement on civil nuclear cooperation and some other pacts. Attending the third BRICS summit here, Dr. Singh pushed for closer cooperation, particularly in the field of economy among the five fast emerging nations. BRICS (India, China, Russia, Brazil and South Africa) took a significant step towards...

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Asian stocks mostly lower as Chinese inflation up

sian stock markets were mostly lower Friday as reports showed Chinese inflation climbed again despite government efforts to cool living costs while the country’s economy slowed slightly in the first quarter. China’s Shanghai Composite Index was flat at 3,036.89 while the smaller while the smaller Shenzhen Composite Index fell 0.6 percent to 1,275.81. Japan’s Nikkei 225 stock average fell 0.4 percent to 9,612.23, South Korea’s Kospi was down 0.4 percent to 2,134.40 and Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 was down 0.3 percent at 4,868.70. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index rose 0.7 percent to 24,173.01. Benchmarks in Singapore, Indonesia and New Zealand...

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Pak Frees 89 Indian Prisoners

Islamabad : Pakistan today freed 89 Indian prisoners, including fishermen, from a jail in the port city of Karachi as part of a process initiated by the two countries to speed up the release of people held in each other's prisons for inadvertently crossing land and maritime boundaries. After being released from Malir Jail, the Indian prisoners boarded buses that would take them to Lahore to be handed over to Indian authorities at the Wagah land border crossing tomorrow. The Indian prisoners were arrested between September 2009 and January last year, TV news channels reported. Their release was a follow-up to a meeting of the Interior and...

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BRICS Leaders Criticize Use Of Force In Libya

Sanya (China) : India and four other nations of the BRICS grouping today collectively voiced their opposition to the use of force in Libya and pitched for a central role for the United Nations and regional organisations in resolving the matter. Reflecting on the situation in the Middle East and North African countries at the Summit of Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa (BRICS), Prime Minister Manmohan Singh observed that there was a "shift of power towards ordinary citizens" and "people were determining their own future". Singh, along with Chinese President Hu Jintao, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff...

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NATO Ministers Meet On Libya As Air Strikes Intensify

Berlin : NATO foreign ministers gathered today in Berlin amid calls for increased air strikes on Muammar Gaddafi’s forces and growing divisions among world powers over whether to arm Libya’s rebels. The meeting came as NATO planes put on a show of force today above the Libyan front line, with rebels reporting they were bombing targets on the road leading west, towards the key oil town of Brega, and beyond that Gaddafi’s hometown of Sirte and, farther, the capital Tripoli. France and Britain agreed to step up military pressure on Gaddafi’s forces after an international contact group on Libya meeting in Doha promised the rebels cash...

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Rs 30 Lakhs Spent On Anna Hazare 4-Day Fast

New Delhi, Apr 14: Anna Hazare and his associates brought the government to its knees on the Lokpal Bill issue through a campaign on which a little over Rs 30 lakh was spent in the past one year. According to details provided by 'India Against Corruption' (IAC), which spearheaded the campaign, it received a total donation of Rs 82,87,668 while it spent Rs 32,69,900 for the campaign. "We have issued receipts to all the donors and have maintained a record of their details. We issued receipts on account of Public Cause Research Foundation which is acting as secretariat for the campaign," an IAC spokesperson said. According to IAC, they spent...

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BJP Lambasts Mamata, Mayawati For Athlete-Throwing Incident

New Delhi : Expressing shock at volleyball player Arunima Sinha being thrown out of a train in Bareilly, BJP today held both Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati responsible for the incident. "BJP is shocked at the incident of a lady being thrown out from a train. She is a volleybal player of national stature. She was lying unattended on the railway tracks for six hours. This is tragic and absolutely shocking," BJP spokesperson Nirmala Sitharaman said. Holding both Banerjee and Mayawati responsible for the incident, she said while it shows how unsafe women passengers are in trains it is also an index...

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Polling Official Applied Indelible Ink On Amputated Limb In Kerala

Kottayam : A man whose left arm was amputated after an accident has complained that he was "harassed and insulted" by presiding officer in a booth in Poonjar segment by insisting that the indelible ink should be applied on the tip of the cut off limb during voting to assembly polls yesterady. Official sources said the incident betrayed ignorance of election rules on the part of polling officer as it was clear in the rules that if a voter did not have fingers on the left arm the ink could be applied to index finger on right arm. Antony (47) had gone to cast his vote in a booth at Erumeli in Poonjar assembly segment. When he held out his right...

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