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Posted by (admin) in (General Category) on March-11-2008 (0) Comments 

Start calling Pluto an asteroid….and it starts acting like one


Posted by (admin) in (General Category) on January-24-2008 (0) Comments 

Human growth Hormones

Human Growth Hormone (HGH) or Somatotrophin is a protein which helps in growth and cell production in animals and humans. It is the hormone which is made naturally in the pituitary glands of humans. The pituitary gland is deep inside the brain just behind the eye. The hormone is made in the body throughout a person’s life but the development of this hormone is more when the person is young. The human growth Hormone is a microscopic protein substance and is found secreted in short pulses after the exercise and during first hours of sleep. The hormone plays a very essential role in adult metabolism and growth of children.

The growth hormone as it indicates helps in th growth of the human body, it stimulates the liver and other tissues which in turn stimulates the growth of bone. The process of growing continues till the time when it has to i.e till the time a person reaches adult height. But the role of the growth hormone does not ends, then there will be normal level of human growth hormone that will maintain the balance throughout lifetime. Another function of Human Growth hormone is to control protein, carbohydrate and fat metabolism, and stimulates the growth of muscle tissue in cell reproduction. our lifestyle, diet, exercise, adequate sleep, stress levels will have great impact on the growth hormone and its capacity to function properly.

Normal growth and proper function will always keep the body fit but there are condition when there is excessive growth of this hormone or deficiency, both hampers the proper functioning of the body along with some adverse effects. If the level of HGH is increased in the body it results in Giantism in children where the growth is rapid and in continuation. Whereas in adults it results in Acromegaly, a disease in which the bones of the jaws, fingers and toes thickens which exerts presure on nerves, insulin resistance or a person can suffer from a rare form of type2 diabetes, this is not all a persom with increased growth hormone can have weak muscles and reduced sexual function. This condition is treated with medication which obstructs the release of human growth hormone.

When there is deficiency of growth hormone it results in stunted growth in children whereas the effects are mild in grown ups. They will experience muscle weakness, fatigue or weariness and inability to metabolize the fat. The deficiency of growth hormone can be treated with the supplements of human growth hormone. But in more sereve conditions the solution lies in surgery.

There are HGH injections ,HGH oral sprays and HGH supplements which are meant to fulfull the requirement of human growth hormone when the body is not able to produce it naturally. The growth hormone are said to be working as anti aging process, but the more advanced studies reveal that the evidence are inconclusive to prove that HGH reverse the process of aging. Prolong use or regular application of growth hormone will definitely have many side effects and long lasing ill effects on health.


Source: EasyArticles.


Posted by (admin) in (General Category) on January-24-2008 (0) Comments 

You may not know it, but many people consider Astronomy to be their greatest hobby. In fact, some people have been involved with this subject for many years. Although they are no longer considered amateurs, they still love Astronomy the same way as they did when they first discovered the subject.

There are three main reasons that Astronomy can make for a great hobby:

1. When it comes down to it, the subject of Astronomy can be a lot of fun. You do not want to get involved with a boring hobby, do you? With Astronomy you can be rest assured that you will have a fun and exciting time with every topic matter that you come across.

2. Although Astronomy is a lot of fun, it can be quite educational as well. You can learn a lot about yourself as well as the rest of the universe by getting involved. This holds true no matter if you are still in school, or if you have moved on. You may even find that you can teach a class on Astronomy or a similar topic if you get in touch with the right institution.

3. There is so much to learn about Astronomy that you will never have the chance to get bored. As you probably know, some hobbies appear to be fun on the surface, but after a few months you find that they have no depth; this is not the case with Astronomy. It is safe to say that you will be able to learn something new everyday.

Now can you see why Astronomy is such a great hobby? You can have fun with this subject, while also adding to your educational background. With so many benefits, there is no wondering why millions of people call Astronomy their favorite hobby!


Source: EasyArticles.


Posted by (admin) in (General Category) on January-24-2008 (0) Comments 

There has always been a clash in what we see and what we believe. Life is all about how we perceive it. Some consider it beautiful, some consider it to be struggle and some perceive it as a school of learning. There has been and there always will be a difference in our perceptions. What changes the facts are how we perceive them. For example, if we take half a glass of water, to some it looks to be half empty and to some it looks to be half full. In short, to every theory there is a difference in opinion as to how we see it. Similarly, when we talk about ‘Aliens’ or the ‘Alien world’, there are different opinions and views about the existence. The very word makes us imagine all that is supernatural. We have seen a lot of movies about the Alien world. Can you recall the funny characters with a horn on the head, or robotic eyes or the 2 feet high powerful computerized forms?
There is a common perception about this word, which gives us the creeps.

We all have heard of UFOs (Unidentified Flying Objects). A lot of people even claim to have seen such spaceships from the alien world which none of us have ever seen. It has only been in stories so far, nothing concrete has ever come up. Far sighted claims and deep research have revealed nothing which proves that such a world exists.

The important question is, do aliens and a different world really exist? Or are they just a part of our imagination? Again, the same conclusion…Who knows??

Do we ever think that each of us has a common characteristic? That is, we all are “aliens”. Yes, it’s true!! Each one of us is an alien, alien to each other, alien to life around us and even alien to ourselves. I am an alien, you are an alien, everyone is an alien!! At times, when we are confused, when we are lost, when we can’t feel what we want to, when we want to say something and can’t express it, when we fight our heart and mind, we all say, “I feel so alien!!!!!!!!”

“Bull’s eye!”

When we all confess that we are aliens, then what are we researching for? What do we want to prove?? More aliens!! Is that what we want to hear??

Then,why does this word make us imagine what we have seen in the movies or what we have read in books and novels. The word has a simple meaning,it means ‘unidentified’ or ‘unknown’.As we all are, unknown to each other,unknown to life,unknown to ourselves.

We as humans are here to live, to feel and to learn.Life as a whole is a learning process. If we think of life,it is so ‘alien’. So the best way is to know more, know and respect things and people around us, know ourselves more and, the uneasiness,the restlessness and the creepy feeling vanishes and we all are left with one feeling, to learn more, to love each other more and above all love ourselves more.

We are here to live.So live life and spread the word of love, of peace and harmony, and we wont be aliens anymore!!!


Source: EasyArticles.


Posted by (admin) in (General Category) on January-24-2008 (0) Comments 

Before Galileo turned his telescope toward the night sky the act of astronomy was pretty much an astrological pursuit where objects and motions of object in the sky were explained using ancient and archaic understandings of the universe and how it works.

But he didn’t just observe and note new objects in the sky. He applied scientific methods, mathematical laws, and logical thinking to what he observed and it is this cross discipline approach that created the modern science of observational astronomy.

Galileo is often thought of as inventing the telescope. He didn’t invent the telescope but he was the first person to turn one toward the night sky. And the observations he made created the new science of modern astronomy where telescopes are used to help us understand our universe, our place in it, and how it works.

Galileo first heard about the mysterious telescope in 1609 and set out to make a copy for himself. This first telescope magnified images about three times. And over the course of a decade Galileo continued to make more telescopes and his most powerful one magnified images about ten times. This telescope enabled him to see things never before seen. And it enabled him to change our view of the universe and of the objects in the sky.

The first thing that Galileo turned his telescope to was the moon and by observing it over the course of many nights he made an important discovery. He saw that dark areas on the surface grew and shrunk depending on where the moon was in relation to the sun. From this he made the correct deduction that these dark areas were shadows cast by craters and mountains. He further explained with geometry that the height of the mountains and depth of the craters could be correctly calculated. This was an astonishingly important revelation in our view of the universe because it was previously believed that the moon was a smooth surfaced object.

Another extraordinary observation, and the most important, that Galileo made was the discovery of the four largest moons around Jupiter. They were previously unviewable but with his ten-power telescope he could see them. And after viewing them over the course of several nights he observed that they moved. With further careful observation and calculation he proved that they revolved around Jupiter. And this was a universe changing observation because it was previously believed that everything in the universe revolved around the Earth.

Galileo went on to make many telescopes and to make many other important observations in both the night and day sky including the discovery of spots on the sun and the discovery of the rings of Saturn. His observations in the sky spurred on many other telescope makers and astronomers to further explore the amazing and mysterious objects in the sky. But more importantly he also spurred on other astronomers to apply the laws and lessons of mathematics and logic to their observations in a quest to understand how the universe works.

This creation of the modern science of telescopic astronomy was clearly born in 1610 when he published his work called “Sidereus Nuncius” or the “Starry Messenger”. This work is still available to this day and is considered one of the most important written scientific works.


Source: EasyArticles.


Posted by (admin) in (General Category) on January-24-2008 (0) Comments 

Trying to clean tarnish from various objects in your house can be a chore. If you have ever thought about a household item that could clean off tarnish you should try this science project idea.

Items you will need for the project:

8 cups
8 tarnished copper pennies
tomato juice
lemon juice
vinegar
window cleaner
a household cleaner like simple green or fantastic
ammonia
toothpaste
baking soda
paper towels
graph paper

For this experiment you will determine from the constant, which is your tarnished copper penny, which of the liquids or materials removes tarnish the best.

Line up your glasses in a row on a counter top. Make sure you will not be using this space for something else. The best time to do this is in the evening so that you can let the pennies soak overnight.

Fill each cup with one of the ingredients. You should now have 8 cups with a different substance in each. You do not need more than about 1/8 cup of each ingredient. Just use enough for the penny to be submerged under the liquid. For the toothpaste squeeze a little out into the bottom of the cup and place the penny on the paste and then squeeze more on top of the coin.

For the baking soda mix a slight amount of water with the soda to form a paste and do the same as with the toothpaste making sure the bottom and top of the penny is covered with the substance.

Let these glasses of liquid sit overnight at room temperature.

In the morning get a paper towel and place in front of each cup. Remove each penny and gently rub and wipe the outside of the penny. Use a different paper towel for each coin.

After you are finished with all eight make a visual observation. What does each penny look like? Also look at the paper towel to determine which one has the most tarnish on the paper. Using your graph paper record each substance and make a bar graph showing how much tarnish each one removed.

When you started you should have made a hypothesis about which substance would remove tarnish the best and why it would remove the tarnish effectively. Was your theory correct?

This science project is great for middle school or high school. It can even be done by a younger student in 3rd or 4th grade. Make sure to have your parent help with the chemicals by pouring them into the glasses and disposing of them. You may want to wear gloves with the various chemicals.

Science project ideas can be found in your own home cabinet.


Source: EasyArticles.


Posted by (admin) in (General Category) on December-16-2007 (0) Comments 

Children whose mothers have a history of abuse by intimate partners have higher health care needs than children whose mothers have no history of abuse, according to a study conducted at Group Health, a Seattle-based health plan.

These needs–expressed in terms of the cost of providing care and use of health services–were higher even if the abuse occurred before the children were born, the research team found. Scientists from Group Health Center for Health Studies, Harborview Injury Prevention and Research Center (HIPRC), and Seattle Children’s Hospital Research Institute conducted the study, which appeared in the December 2007 issue of the journal Pediatrics.

“Children are the other victims when intimate partner violence (IPV) occurs in the home,” said lead author Frederick P. Rivara, MD, MPH. “This study shows that children require more health care–especially for mental health–when their mothers are victims of such violence.”

Rivara is a researcher with HIPRC and Children’s. The principal investigator for the study is Robert S. Thompson, MD, senior investigator at Group Health Center for Health Studies.

The study compared medical records and utilization data from 631 children of mothers with a history of IPV with those of 760 children whose mothers had not experienced IPV. The mothers–who participated in a randomly sampled telephone survey of Group Health female members aged 18 to 64–provided the information regarding their lifetime history with IPV. The study defines IPV as both physical abuse (slapping, hitting, forced sex) and nonphysical abuse (threats, and chronic disparaging remarks or controlling behavior.) The researchers looked at 11 years of data.

Among the mothers in the study, 46.6 percent reported experiencing IPV since age 18. Among the children of mothers with IPV, the violence stopped before they were born for 21.8 percent. For 23.6 percent, the violence happened during the children’s lifetime.

Previous studies have shown that children exposed to IPV in the home have increased risk for many problems, including also being abused at home; school problems; poor health; risk-taking behavior; and becoming perpetrators of violence.

In 2006, the Group Health study team published evidence that IPV resulted in significantly higher health utilization and costs for women. This current study is the largest ever to examine the link between mother’s exposure to IPV and their children’s health utilization and costs. The study is also unique in that it examined a large middle-class population and one that is very representative of Seattle, said Rivara.

“Intimate partner violence harms everyone in our society, and it must be viewed as not acceptable either for women or their children,” he added.

The researchers found:

  • Health care utilization and health care costs were higher in most categories of care for children whose mother had a history of IPV, with significantly higher levels of mental health costs and services, primary care visits, primary care costs, and laboratory costs. Overall, the annual costs of health care were 11 percent higher than those for children of mothers without IPV.
  • Children of mothers with a history of IPV that ended before the child was born had significantly greater utilization of mental health, primary care, specialty care, and pharmacy services. Health care costs were 24 percent higher for children in this group compared to children whose mothers had experienced no IPV in their lifetime.
  • Children exposed directly to IPV after birth had greater emergency department and primary care use during the IPV and were three times as likely to use mental health services after the intimate partner violence ended. They had 16 percent higher primary care costs than did children of mothers without IPV.

The authors recommend that health care providers routinely screen women for IPV and provide appropriate referrals to community agencies and mental health care both for mothers and children affected.

They also state that interventions for women and their children are needed to minimize the effects of IPV in the family. “Such interventions are unlikely to be cost effective in the short term,” they write, because the victims’ increased health care utilization seems to be higher for years after IPV stops. “Nonetheless, such services are necessary to attend appropriately and responsibly to the long-term consequences of violence,” the authors conclude.

The research was funded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the Health Services arm of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

In addition to Rivara, authors of the paper include researchers from Group Health Center for Health Studies: Melissa L. Anderson, MS; Paul Fishman, PhD; Robert J. Reid, MD, PhD; David Carrell, PhD; Robert S. Thompson, MD; and Amy Bonomi, now at Ohio State University.


Posted by (admin) in (General Category) on December-16-2007 (0) Comments 

For nearly six years, the federal government has defined school success mainly by how many students pass state reading and math tests. But a growing number of educators and lawmakers are pushing to give more weight to graduation rates, achievement in science and history and even physical education.

The debate over the formula for rating the nation’s public schools has stalled efforts in Congress to revise the No Child Left Behind law. At issue: What’s the best way to measure whether schools are doing their job?

Unlike questions on the state math and reading tests taken by millions of children, this one has no clear answer. Reaching consensus in the coming election year is expected to be difficult. Without congressional action, the 2002 law will stay as it is.

“Lots of stakeholders have different answers to this question,” said Michael Casserly, executive director of the Council of the Great City Schools, a D.C.-based coalition of urban school systems. “The tug of war is over, if not state assessments, then what? You’re ultimately going to get as many answers to the question as there are people to answer it.”

The American Society of Civil Engineers wants science tests added to the mix. The NAACP and other groups say schools should get credit for achievement in subjects other than reading and math, as well as for improvement in graduation and college admission rates. Some want to give schools points for progress on locally developed tests and for increasing the number of students who excel in Advanced Placement classes.

Reps. Zach Wamp (R-Tenn.), Ron Kind (D-Wis.) and Jay Inslee (D-Wash.) say the law should push children to exercise more than their brains. They introduced a bill to give schools points if students spend more time on physical education.

Advocates for “multiple measures” say that learning is too complex to be judged by annual tests and argue that spontaneity and creativity in classrooms are being lost to test preparation and drills.

“There ought to be more in determining students’ success than just one test score,” said Reg Weaver, president of the National Education Association, the largest teachers union. “Preparing a child for the 21st century means reading and math. But it also means science; it means civics; it means art.”

But the Bush administration and some civil rights, education and business groups say that too many tweaks would weaken a law credited with revealing pockets of struggling students, especially among poor children, minorities and those with disabilities. In their view, an overly complex rating system would mask problems in schools with many students who haven’t mastered basic reading and math, skills they call the building blocks to success.

“Proponents of multiple measures say it will give a richer, fuller view of a school, but this isn’t about a rich view of a school. It’s about failures in fundamental gate-keeping subject areas,” said Amy Wilkins, a vice president of the Education Trust, a D.C.-based advocate of better schools for the disadvantaged. “Parents know, ‘My school is in trouble because it’s not teaching reading and math.’ ”

At Charles H. Flowers High School in Prince George’s County, where test scores in reading and math have usually met state benchmarks, the principal, Helena Nobles-Jones, said: “It’s okay to add other factors, but they can’t replace reading and math.” The two subjects, she said, “are so very critical to any career a child would choose.”

The law requires annual reading and math tests in third through eighth grades and once in high school. Schools and subsets of students — including ethnic minorities and students from poor families — must make gains over time. High schools also must reach target graduation rates, but the state goals have been criticized as weak and inconsistent.

Certain schools that don’t meet standards are required to allow students to transfer or face other sanctions. The law aims to have 100 percent of children proficient in reading and math by 2014. But the ratings are more about identifying struggling schools than rewarding excellence.

George Miller (D-Calif.), chairman of the House education committee, has been trying to craft a definition of school success that goes beyond standardized tests. In a draft bill he circulated last summer, math and reading scores would remain the biggest factors in rating schools. But schools also could gain points for raising science, history, civics or writing scores or increasing the number of students who succeed in college preparatory courses. The proposal would establish a national system to measure graduation rates, and high schools could be rewarded for progress.

Miller said such changes would encourage schools to lower dropout rates, broaden the curriculum and encourage more disadvantaged students to enroll in challenging classes. He said he aims to provide a “better, fairer picture of what’s happening in schools.”

But some GOP leaders say the picture would only become murkier. Under the law, parents can see how their school stacks up against others across town or across the state on the same exams. If some groups of students struggle, it shows.

Rep. Howard P. “Buck” McKeon (Calif.), the top Republican on the education committee, said the law lets parents “cut through the clutter and see clearly how their children’s schools are performing.” Add too many measures, he said, and accountability would be lost.

Many advocates for children with disabilities agree. Ricki Sabia, associate director of the National Down Syndrome Society’s Policy Center, said the law has forced schools to focus more on children with special needs. “What we’ve seen in the past five years is kids with disabilities are doing better than anyone expected,” Sabia said. “We are very wary of seeing things roll back.”

Likewise, the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund applauds the law for drawing attention to Latino student achievement. The organization isn’t opposed to adding measures, said Peter Zamora, a regional counsel for the group, as long as the system “can’t be easily gamed.”

But many educators report increasing pressure to tailor lessons to annual state exams, leading students to miss out on other educational opportunities.

“The fear is you have this narrowing of the breadth and depth” of the curriculum, said Elizabeth Burmaster, Wisconsin’s state superintendent. Burmaster, president of the Council of Chief State School Officers and a former music and drama teacher, supports using local assessments together with state tests. “It’s much more complicated,” she said. “But it’s more accurate.”

Tom Loveless, director of the Brown Center on Education Policy at the Brookings Institution, said the challenge is creating a rating system that includes a range of measures and provides a clear picture of a school’s effectiveness.

“Most schools people — and a lot of people who think about schools — think school is about a bunch of different things, not just reading and math,” Loveless said. “The problem is . . . as you list all those things, suddenly it’s not as clear-cut what’s a successful school and what’s a failing school.”


Posted by (admin) in (General Category) on December-16-2007 (0) Comments 

Two major Jewish and Muslim organizations unveiled an interfaith dialogue curriculum yesterday and are urging their hundreds of thousands of members to use it. Both sides say it is the broadest Jewish-Muslim interfaith effort in the continent’s history.

Rabbi Eric H. Yoffie, president of the Union for Reform Judaism, North America’s largest Jewish movement, announced the partnership with the Islamic Society of North America at his group’s biennial convention in San Diego.

“As a once-persecuted minority in countries where anti-Semitism is still a force, we understand the plight of Muslims in North America today,” Yoffie said yesterday. “We live in a world in which religion is manipulated to justify the most horrific acts, a world in which — make no mistake — Islamic extremists constitute a profound threat. For some, this is a reason to flee from dialogue, but in fact the opposite is true. When we are killing each other in the name of God, sensible religious people have an obligation to do something about it.”

This summer Yoffie became the first major Jewish leader to address ISNA, the continent’s largest Muslim organization with 30,000 attendants coming to its annual convention. ISNA President Ingrid Mattson will address the 980-congregation Jewish group today, the first leader of a major Muslim group to do so.

The manual and video are built around five sessions that touch on topics including the place of Jerusalem in Jewish and Muslim tradition and history. The toughest potential sticking points will probably be related to Israel and to stereotypes both groups carry about the other, Mark Pelavin, director of interreligious affairs for the Jewish group, said in an interview. “Jews want to know how Muslims feel about terrorism in the name of Islam, and Muslims want to know how Jews feel about Palestinian suffering.”

Eleven synagogue-mosque pairs have already been set up as pilot programs, including two in the D.C. area: the Islamic Society of Southern Prince George’s County of Temple Hills and Temple Solel in Bowie is one, and the All Dulles Area Muslim Society in Sterling and the Northern Virginia Hebrew Congregation in Reston is the other.

Yoffie also announced that the two groups created an adult curriculum on Islam and pressed every synagogue to consider offering it.

“There exists in our community a profound ignorance about Islam, along with a real desire to learn about what moves and motivates Muslims today. We must respond to this desire with serious programs of education,” he said.

Both groups already have dialogue programs with various other faith groups, but on a much smaller scale.


Posted by (admin) in (General Category) on December-16-2007 (0) Comments 

Times Online - the entire of these factors can occur seen in Britain even if not to a degree that would make recession a certainty. The shocks to Contact our advertising gang for advertising and sponsorship in Times Online, The Times and The Sunday Times. Copyright 2007

Tiger plays rust-free until the point
AZCentral.com - From 75 yards, he played a low hook with his 60-degree wedge to 15 feet, then followed that by pounding a 3-wood closed the water to 18 feet on the par-5 second. The end was messy, but everyone had problems. Some got over them quickly. Paul Casey took a

Mom of 7 finds new career, calling in chiropractic field
Daytona Beach News-Journal - She walked across a stage arm in arm with her youngest son, Enoch, wearing a square mortarboard and a jet doctor’s gown and clutching a doctor of chiropractic degree. Hundreds of human beings are earning degrees at various schools in Central Florida this

Many return to area for Mountaineer jobs
Review - John Chill earned a degree in accounting from Youngstown State University and a master s degree in business administration and technology management from the University of Phoenix. He worked at Mellon Bank in Pittsburgh but left the area in 2000 to

In the Shadow of Zion
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