Subhaditya News Channel Presents Science,Sports, Political and Movie News of This Week (14)

3D Picture of Subhaditya Science News

Science News of This Week:

1) Superman-strength bacteria produce gold:

 

Superman-strength bacteria produce gold

At a time when the value of gold has reached an all-time high, Michigan State University researchers have discovered a bacterium’s ability to withstand incredible amounts of toxicity is key to creating 24-karat gold.

"Microbial alchemy is what we're doing—transforming gold from something that has no value into a solid, precious metal that's valuable," says Kazem Kashefi, assistant professor of microbiology and molecular genetics.

He and Adam Brown, associate professor of electronic art and intermedia, found the metal-tolerant bacteria Cupriavidus metallidurans can grow on massive concentrations of gold chloride—or liquid gold, a toxic chemical compound found in nature.

In fact, the bacteria are at least 25 times stronger than previously reported among scientists, the researchers determined in their art installation, "The Great Work of the Metal Lover," which uses a combination of biotechnology, art and alchemy to turn liquid gold into 24-karat gold. The artwork contains a portable laboratory made of 24-karat gold-plated hardware, a glass bioreactor and the bacteria, a combination that produces gold in front of an audience.

Brown and Kashefi fed the bacteria unprecedented amounts of gold chloride, mimicking the process they believe happens in nature. In about a week, the bacteria transformed the toxins and produced a gold nugget.

"The Great Work of the Metal Lover" uses a living system as a vehicle for artistic exploration, Brown says.

In addition, the artwork consists of a series of images made with a scanning electron microscope. Using ancient gold illumination techniques, Brown applied 24-karat gold leaf to regions of the prints where a bacterial gold deposit had been identified so that each print contains some of the gold produced in the bioreactor.

"This is neo-alchemy. Every part, every detail of the project is a cross between modern microbiology and alchemy," Brown says. "Science tries to explain the phenomenological world. As an artist, I'm trying to create a phenomenon. Art has the ability to push scientific inquiry."

It would be cost prohibitive to reproduce their experiment on a larger scale, he says. But the researchers' success in creating gold raises questions about greed, economy and environmental impact, focusing on the ethics related to science and the engineering of nature.

"Art has the ability to probe and question the impact of science in the world, and 'The Great Work of the Metal Lover' speaks directly to the scientific preoccupation while trying to shape and bend biology to our will within the postbiological age," Brown says.

2) Ice-clad beauty on the 'Silver Island' of Mars:

 

Ice-clad beauty on the 'Silver Island' of Mars

On 8 June 2012, the High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC), operated by the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR) on board ESA's Mars Express spacecraft, acquired images of a region inside the Argyre Impact Basin, which is 1800 kilometres across and five kilometres deep. This basin was formed as a result of a gigantic meteorite impact during the early lifetime of Mars and is the second largest impact basin on the planet; the Hellas Impact Basin, is the largest.

The name is derived from the Greek word for silver (argyros). The renowned Italian astronomer Giovanni Schiaparelli named this bright region on Mars in 1877, adding it to the detailed map he was producing at that time. The name alludes to the ‘Silver Island’ at the mouth of the River Ganges in Greek mythology.

Wind as a formative force on the surface of Mars

The images presented here all show part of the northern floor of the Argyre Impact Basin; the floor of the basin is referred to as Argyre Planitia. It is easy to identify Hooke Crater, 138 kilometres wide and named after the English physicist and astronomer Robert Hooke (1635–1703).

Large areas of Argyre Planitia have been modified by wind erosion and by the influence of water and ice. This gives rise to the rounded appearance of the landscape surrounding Hooke Crater.

Inside Hooke Crater, constant wind activity has formed dunes, whereas the linear structures lying to the south of the crater, known as 'yardangs', are the result of wind erosion. These are readily identifiable in the colour plan view (image 1/5).

Ground frost and snow clouds on Mars

The most striking feature in these images is the thin layer of carbon dioxide ice (dry ice) that extends across the southern part of the crater, as though it were dusted with icing sugar (to the left in image 1/5). Carbon dioxide ice occurs frequently on the surface of Mars. For a long time, it was assumed that it only formed as frost at ground level, as depicted here.

However, NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter recently discovered clouds made of carbon dioxide 'snow' that can deposit this snow on the Martian surface. Some years earlier, Mars Express had already detected clouds of carbon dioxide ice crystals.

Time at which the images were acquired provides an explanation

It is striking that, in contrast to the plain south of Hooke Crater (left in the colour plan view, 1/5) and some places inside the crater, which are clad in a thin layer of ice, this ice covering is absent from the crater wall facing northwards. The ice here was probably melted by the Sun; this view is supported by the time of day when these images were acquired.

The images were acquired at about 16:30 local time during the winter solstice on the southern hemisphere of Mars. At this time, the Sun would have been only some 20 degrees above the horizon and would therefore only have had the time and energy to heat the northern slopes sufficiently to melt the ice there. It would not have been able to melt the ice located on lower-lying horizontal surfaces.

Schiaparelli would undoubtedly have enjoyed the extraordinary images acquired by the Mars Express spacecraft, which continue to provide modern-day scientists with spectacular data.

Image processing and the HRSC experiment on Mars Express

The images acquired with the HRSC were captured during Mars Express' orbit 10,743. The image resolution is about 22 metres per pixel. The images show a section at 45 degrees south and 314 degrees east.

The colour image was acquired using the nadir channel, which is directed vertically down onto the surface of Mars, and the colour channels of the HRSC; the perspective oblique view was computed from the HRSC stereo channels. The anaglyph image, which creates a three-dimensional impression of the landscape when viewed with red/blue or red/green glasses, was derived from the nadir channel and one stereo channel. The colour coded plan view is based on a digital terrain model of the region, from which the topography of the landscape can be derived.

The HRSC camera experiment on board the European Space Agency's Mars Express mission is headed by Principal Investigator (PI) Professor Gerhard Neukum (Freie Universität Berlin), who was also responsible for the technical design of the camera. The science team consists of 40 co-investigators from 33 institutions in 10 nations. The camera was developed at DLR under the leadership of the PI and it was built in cooperation with industrial partners EADS Astrium, Lewicki Microelectronic GmbH and Jena-Optronik GmbH. The instrument is operated by the DLR Institute of Planetary Research in Berlin-Adlershof. The systematic processing of the HRSC image data is carried out at DLR. The images shown here were created by the Institute of Geological Sciences at Freie Universität Berlin.

3) Neanderthals bred with modern humans outside Africa 37,000 years ago:

 

Neanderthals bred with modern humans outside Africa 37,000 years ago

Harvard and Max Planck Institute scientists have estimated the date when Neanderthals and modern Europeans last shared ancestors to explain why Neanderthals are most closely related to people outside Africa.

It suggests that interbreeding occurred when modern humans carrying Upper Paleolithic technologies encountered Neanderthals as they expanded out of Africa.

When the Neanderthal genome was sequenced in 2010 it revealed that people outside Africa share slightly more genetic variants with Neanderthals than Africans do.

One scenario that could explain this observation is that modern humans mixed with Neanderthals when they came out of Africa. An alternative, but more complex, scenario is that African populations ancestral to both Neanderthals and modern humans remained subdivided over a few hundred thousand years and that those more related to Neanderthals subsequently left Africa.

Africa share slightly more genetic variants with Neanderthals than Africans do

 

Dr. Sriram Sankararaman and colleagues measured the length of DNA pieces in the genomes of Europeans that are similar to Neanderthals. Since recombination between chromosomes when egg and sperm cells are formed reduces the size of such pieces in each generation, the Neanderthal-related pieces will be smaller the longer they have spent in the genomes of present-day people.

The team estimate that Neanderthals and modern humans last exchanged genes between 37,000 and 86,000 years ago, well after modern humans appeared outside Africa but potentially before they started spreading across Eurasia.

This suggests that Neanderthals (or their close relatives) had children with the direct ancestors of present-day people outside Africa.


4) Scientists attempt to mimic black holes in US laboratory:

 

Scientists attempt to mimic black holes in US laboratory

As part of a 2.35-million-pound project looking at how matter and energy interact, scientists are to mimic black holes in a laboratory on the outskirts of Edinburgh.

A team at Heriot-Watt University will be producing laser pulses whose energy is measured in trillions of watts.

They will be used to simulate conditions found around a black hole - a place where gravity is so strong that light cannot escape and the normal laws of physics break down.

"What we are creating is the same space-time structure which characterises a black hole. But we' are doing this with a light pulse, so we don't actually have the mass which is associated with black holes," the Independent quoted Daniele Faccio, the lead scientist, as saying.

"Gravitational black holes are generated by a collapsing star. We don't actually have this collapsing star, so there's no danger of being sucked into the black holes we are generating here," Faccio added

5) Life created for first time from eggs made from skin cells :

 

Life created for first time from eggs made from skin cells

Using stem cells made from skin, a Japanese team has created healthy eggs that, once fertilised, grow into normal baby mice.

These babies later had their own babies, the BBC reported.

The team at Kyoto University used stem cells from two sources: those collected from an embryo and skin-like cells, which were reprogrammed, into becoming stem cells.

The first step was to turn the stem cells into early versions of eggs.

A "reconstituted ovary" was then built by surrounding the early eggs with other types of supporting cells that are normally found in an ovary. This was transplanted into female mice. Surrounding the eggs in this environment helped them to mature.

IVF techniques were used to collect the eggs, fertilise them with sperm from a male mouse and implant the fertilised egg into a surrogate mother.

"They develop to be healthy and fertile offspring," Dr Katsuhiko Hayashi, from Kyoto University, told the BBC.

Those babies then had babies of their own, whose "grandmother" was a cell in a laboratory dish.

If the same methods could be used in people then, it could help infertile couples have children and even allow women to overcome the menopause.

But experts say many scientific and ethical hurdles must be overcome before the technique could be adapted for people.

"I must say that it is impossible to adapt immediately this system to human stem cells, due to a number of not only scientific reasons, but also ethical reasons," Dr Hayashi said.

He said that the level of understanding of human egg development was still too limited. There would also be questions about the long-term consequences on the health of any resulting child

3D Picture of Subhaditya Sports News

Sports News This Week:

1) Team India, Drama and the Uneasy Head of MS Dhoni

 

Recently the Indian Cricket team (male) got knocked out of the t20 world cup happening in Sri Lanka.

Recently the Indian Cricket team (male) got knocked out of the t20 world cup happening in Sri Lanka.

This disappointed the 121 billion population but not equally.

Some blamed the system, some blamed the captain, some blamed the seniors while rest of us just praised the efforts.

The drama and disappointment reached a tremendous height because although India won against the arch-rivals it didn’t qualify for the semi-finals.

To add icing to the cake, we had pakistani fans celebrating in the stadium as India failed to control South Africa to a score of 121.

It pained everyone. The loss was huge and it was felt by legendary actors to recent superstars. Everyone felt bad but the critics and media made a drama out of this death. Being a media person myself, I think I must share some responsibility of giving a real insight. 

Now, that the death is a couple of days older critics and media are discussing the target to be blamed. They shift from the openers namely Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir to bowlers like Zaheer Khan. They are not even sparing the captain, MS Dhoni. 

Yesterday, I heard a retired cricketer who is now a commentator making comments like the need for the “young” to play t20 matches. He also claims to have noticed younger players in other teams. My question is “which”? Pakistan is still using Shahid Afridi, Umar Gul and other senior players.

Sri lanka also has the same “old story” Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara, Tilakratne Dilshan and others. Speaking of Australia and West Indies, they, too don’t have much different story.

2) Gayle’s perfect storm takes WI into World T20 final:

 

Gayle’s perfect storm takes WI into World T20 final

It took Chris Gayle a while to get going – these days, it usually does. But the risk-free manner in which he constructed his innings revealed just how well he’s mastered the format and with him in the middle for the whole 20 overs, the Australians never had a chance.

West Indies hammered the Australian bowlers to all parts of the ground as they put on 205-4 after electing to bat first. In reply, the Aussies could muster just 131 all out, giving the the men from the Caribbean a 74-run victory and a place in the final against Sri Lanka.

Early on, Gayle even left a few balls alone. In fact, by the time the West Indies innings had reached the 10-over mark, the left-hander had made just 25 off 17 balls with 3 sixes, no fours and 8 dot balls. That’s just 17 balls out of 60 and just 25 runs out of 74.

Gayle was on fire against Australia.

3) East Bengal beat Dempo 3-2 to lift Federation Cup:

 

 

East Bengal beat Dempo 3-2 to lift Federation Cup

East Bengal came back from behind and scored twice in the extra time to beat Dempo 3-2 for their eighth Federation Cup triumph at the floodlit Kanchenjunga Stadium on Sunday.

It was a sweet birthday gift to their Englishman coach Trevor Morgan who turned 56 on Sunday as his wards defied all odds scoring through Arnab Mondal (60th), Manandeep Singh (100th) and Edeh Chidi (109th) for a stunning win under slippery ground condition in a rain-hit summit clash.

 Climax Lawrence gave Dempo the early advantage with a 51st minute strike and the Goan heavyweights remained in the hunt in the second-half of the extra time by reducing the margin through Mahesh Gawli in the 112th.

Despite their desperate attempts, Dempo could not get on the equaliser to hand East Bengal the title in their fourth consecutive final appearance.

Handicapped by the absence of the suspended duo of Uga Okpara and Gurwinder Singh, Gaikwad and Mondal took charge of the central defense and did it reasonably well for a goalless first 45 minutes.

But the I-League winners Dempo bounced back after the break with a Lawrence strike after the change over with a well-coordinated effort.

A slight lapse in East Bengal defence and Dempo were quick to pounce on when Lawrence had a powerful right footer that ricocheted off a defender to find the back of the net.

But there was no let off from the East Bengal who kept on counter-attacking, resulting in a corner and the equaliser.

Nine minutes after conceding the goal, it was youngster Mondal who rose to the occasion with a neat header beyond Dempo goalkeeper Subhasish Roy Chowdhury's reach.

Mondal took the header from a back header of Harmonjot Khabra from a Mehtab Hossain corner for the equaliser that brought the roaring supporters back on their feet.

With 10 minutes left for the regulation time, Armando Colaco bolstered his side's forward line, bringing in their second foreigner Ryuji Sueoka in place of midfielder Clifford Miranda but without any change to the script as both teams headed to the extra time with 1-1 stalemate.

In the extra time, Singh followed a Lalrindika Ralte strike to find the goal for East Bengal's stunning turnaround.

In a rare lapse, Dempo custodian Subhasish failed to gather the ball as an alert Singh followed it up nicely to give East Bengal the lead.

3D Picture of Subhaditya Political  News

Political News This Week:

Kejriwal accuses Robert Vadra of corruption in land deals

1) Kejriwal accuses Robert Vadra of corruption in land deals:

Days after floating a political party, activists Arvind Kejriwal and Prashant Bhushan Friday accused Robert Vadra, the son-in-law of Congress president Sonia Gandhi, of corruption in property deals and questionable ties to realty major DLF.

The Congress termed the allegations "wild" while the BJP demanded a probe.

Addressing a press conference here, Kejriwal and his colleague Prashant Bhushan alleged that Vadra bought property in Gurgaon and other places at prices much below market rates and sold them at huge profit.

"Robert Vadra acquired properties worth hundreds of crores (of rupees) for nothing. What is the source of these funds," asked Kejriwal.

He distributed scanned copies of documentary evidence to back his claim and also circulated documents which included the list of 31 properties said to belong to Robert Vadra.

"This massive property buying spree by the son-in-law of the ruling dynasty in the country gives rise to several important questions," he said.

Kejriwal, who launched his political party last week, alleged that the Haryana government had acquired 350 acres of land in Wazirabad in Gurgaon for public interest but gave it away to DLF for building flats, in which Vadra owns seven flats.

Vadra, 43, is married to the Congress president's daughter, Priyanka Gandhi.

"In the last four years, Robert Vadra has gone on a property buying binge and has purchased at least 31 properties, mostly in and around New Delhi, which even at the time of their purchase were worth several hundred crores (of rupees)," Bhushan alleged.

Bhushan said the balance sheets of five companies set up by Vadra and his mother show that the "total share capital of these companies was just Rs.50 lakh".

Team Kejriwal also alleged that all the property transactions were done in Rajasthan, Haryana and Delhi, which are ruled by Congress governments.

Slamming Team Kejirwal for the allegations, Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari termed it "political chicanery of the worst kind".

Tewari said Kejriwal and his associates were "up to same old tricks on the eve of polls. It is clearly evidence that the so-called civil society that is trying to morph as a political outfit is the B team of the BJP. They are the same side of the coin".

"I don't want to dignify with a response, and dismiss (the charges) with the utter contempt they deserve," said Tewari, adding that Vadra has a "right to private remedy" in case he wants to file a complaint.

Congress MP Sandeep Dikshit said the story "had come out in The Economic Times earlier. This is an old strategy of Kejriwal... Vadra had explained the position at the time... He pays his income tax and has a right to live as he wants. It is unfair to drag the Congress into it".

"Why should anyone have to answer to anyone about any property they have unless there is anything illegal about it," Dikshit asked, terming the allegations "wild and completely unfair".

Real estate giant DLF declined to comment.

Law Minister Salman Khurshid termed Kejriwal's outfit "a party without a cause".

He said the attack on private individuals, because of their association with eminent people in the Congress, was in poor taste.

Khurshid said the party would reflect on the matter and give a "befitting reply".

However, BJP spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad said the country "is entitled to know what is the source of funding of Vadra's ventures".

"The BJP demands a proper fair investigation of all these things should be done," said Prasad.

He said it should be probed why DLF would "do such charity for Vadra".

"It's a quid pro quo. Wherever there were Congress governments, the company (DLF) got land. It is important to tell the nation what business Robert Vadra's company does."

In a statement, the Delhi government said it "is not in the business of allotting land to private entities" and described Kajeriwal's allegations as "mischievous and misleading".

"The Delhi chief secretary has clarified that the allegation that Delhi Government allotted land to DLF is factually incorrect, mischievous and misleading as alleged by Kejriwal. The allegation is aimed at maligning and vilifying the Delhi Government and has no substance," the statement said

Big-bang reforms continue: Cabinet allows 49% FDI in insurance, 26% in pension sector

2) Big-bang reforms continue: Cabinet allows 49% FDI in insurance, 26% in pension sector:

Signaling the government's intent to continue with reforms to boost economic growth and investor sentiment, the Cabinet on Thursday cleared all amendments to the insurance bill. In a major move the cabinet approved allowing 49% Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in insurance.

The cabinet also cleared the Pensions Bill and allowed FDI in Pension Funds. Upto 26% FDI in the pension sector will now be permissible. The proposed changes to both the bills will now have to be cleared by both houses of the Parliament before they can come into effect.

 Commenting on the development, Bharti-AXA Insurance expressed hope that the changes to the insurance bill will be approved in the winter-session of the Parliament. Deepak Sood of Future Generali was of the opinion that post the announcement, all foreign insurers would want to hike their stake in he joint venture.

However, Bibek Debroy of Centre for Policy Research told ET Now that he was not sure whether these bills would be passed in Parliament.

Hitting out at the government, Saugata Roy of TMC said that most political parties will find it difficult to support these measures.

Till now, 26 per cent foreign direct investment was allowed in the insurance sector while the pensions business was closed to foreign investment. The government had attempted to push the nine-year-old Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority Bill, which seeks to give statutory status to the pension regulator, in June as well, but put it on hold due to the impending presidential elections.

The decision on these bills had been deferred because of opposition from Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress, which has since quit UPA after the government refused to roll back some of last month's decisions, notably the diesel price increase and FDI in multi-brand retail.

The government is believed to be building on the momentum generated by last month's reforms burst and buttress a growing view that the policy paralysis, which defined much of Congress-led UPA's second term in office, is ending.

The government wants to build on the positive sentiment created by its reforms burst while sending out a clear message that it is doing all it can to arrest the deceleration in growth that has been forecast by a stream of forecasters. On Wednesday, the Asian Development Bank cut its growth estimate for this year to 5.6 per cent from 7 per cent earlier.

On Wednesday, the government won crucial support for its proposed plan from the insurance regulator, which said a higher FDI limit in the sector was needed urgently.

"Unless we go for 49 per cent, we will not have the kind of capital required to underpin the growth of insurance industry," Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority ( Irda) Chairman J Hari Narayana said on the sidelines of a CII event in Delhi.

Mamata Banerjee's many threats: From no-confidence vote to plans with Mulayam Singh Yadav, Sharad Yadav

3) Mamata Banerjee's many threats: From no-confidence vote to plans with Mulayam Singh Yadav, Sharad Yadav:

Mamata Banerjee clearly has plenty of hard feelings for the government she belonged to till a few weeks ago. At a rally in Delhi against the liberalisation of the retail sector, there was no shortage of imprecations or taunts from her, the most obvious being that Sharad Yadav, the convenor of the NDA coalition, was by her side. (Watch: Sharad Yadav shares the stage with Mamata)

Ms Banerjee reiterated her stated position against the government's decision to increase the price of diesel, limit the supply of subsidised gas cylinders to households, and allow foreign direct investment or FDI in multi-brand retail - reforms that led her to opt out of the ruling UPA coalition. (Highlights of Mamata's speech)

She said she is considering moving a no-confidence vote against the government, which is reduced to a minority without her. That may not alarm the government - it has enough votes to remain in power because of the external support loaned by Mulayam Singh Yadav and Mayawati. A bigger point of concern for the Congress is Ms Banerjee's invitation - extended warmly today - to both Yadavs, Mulayam and Sharad - to join her rally against FDI in Lucknow on November 17.

"The country is not run from Delhi, I will form a federal front," she said. She didn't elaborate if the front will be against the reforms measures or become a political alternative. 

She said that she expects mid-term polls by March. Before, then, however, she plans to give the government plenty to account for. With other parties, she hopes to get a resolution in parliament against FDI in retail - in a "sense of the House," parties would on record place their opposition to the reform. "Selling the country is not reform," she said, "if the country survives, the government survives."

The notoriously short-tempered chief minister accused the Congress of being intolerant of her dissent.  "Why does the Congress lose its temper so easily?" she asked, "Next time I come, I will bring ice with me to cool the Congress down." Minutes later she lost her temper at a photographer who she accused of trying to disrupt her speech.

Though Mulayam Singh's Samajwadi Party is against FDI in retail, it has said it will stand by the UPA to keep the "communal forces" of the opposition BJP from coming to power.  Sharad Yadav's Janata Dal (United) is a major ally of the BJP and the coalition it leads, the NDA.  Ms Banerjee has distanced herself from the BJP partly on account of her state's considerable Muslim population.  But by inviting Sharad Yadav to her venue today, she has given the NDA the hope that political recalibration may be possible. Ms Banerjee's decisions will be guided substantially by the fact that West Bengal has panchayat-level polls next year, which will be very crucial for her to gauge voter sentiment ahead of the next general election, scheduled for 2014.

The NDA convenor had no reservations about expressing his coalition's admiration for her. "The last time too (in December 2011), Mamataji had stopped FDI in retail, this time too she is leading the fight. She is the real tigress of Bengal," Mr Yadav said at the rally. "She is the one who is honest and honourable, has the courage to take risks. She is the only one in the country today who can do this."

The centre has emphasised that states have the right to choose whether to allow foreign companies to set up retail stores with an Indian partner -but Ms Banerjee and others say once a chain like Wal-Mart arrives in the country, it will bully its way into all parts of the country, irrespective of local opinion.

To counter Ms Banerjee,  the Congress in West Bengal had organised a pro-FDI rally in Kolkata today.  In  the capital, the Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee organised an interaction on the issue of FDI in retail with Commerce Minister Anand Sharma. Defending FDI, Mr Sharma said that people thought multi-national fastfood giants like Dominos and McDonald's will kill Indian brands, but "Bikaner Sweets, Haldiram, they have reached New York and  London, nothing happened to them".

Mamata forms advisory committee of ex-union ministers

4) Mamata forms advisory committee of ex-union ministers:

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee formed an advisory committee Friday comprising the six union ministers who quit the UPA government to guide development in West Bengal.

The seven-member advisory committee on economic and social development includes former railway minister Dinesh Trivedi, who was sacked by Trinamool Congress supremo Banerjee for hiking train fares.

The decision comes days after railway minister Mukul Roy along with five union ministers of state - Sultan Ahmed (tourism), Saugato Roy (urban development), Sudip Bandopadhaya (health), C.M. Jatua (information and broadcasting) and Sisir Adhikari (rural development) - resigned from the union government after the Trinamool Congress withdrew from the UPA government at the centre over retail FDI and diesel price hike.

All these former ministers comprise the committee.

According to sources in the chief minister's office, Mukul Roy will look into state transport, Saugato Roy will look into industry and Information technology, Adhikari will oversee village panchayats, Jatua will look after development of the Sunderbans, Bandopadhyay will look into urban development and Ahmed will look after minority development.

"We are very happy that such an advisory committee has been formed. I am delighted that I will get support from Mukul Roy for the development of the transport system across the state," said Madan Mitra, state transport minister.

When asked whether the committee will create confusion as all departments have full-time ministers, Adhikari said: "There is no question of confusion. Every department is headed by efficient ministers. We will give them expert advice, which we have gained during our tenure in union ministry.

Govt may shut Kingfisher as DGCA asks airline why its licence shouldn't be cancelled

5) Govt may shut Kingfisher as DGCA asks airline why its licence shouldn't be cancelled:

Debt-strapped Kingfisher Airlines, devoid of a turnaround plan to get back into the air, faced a possible shutdown by the government after extending the grounding of its fleet for a week on Friday.

Airline regulator DGCA told the airline to demonstrate why its permit not fly should not be rescinded.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said the airline had failed to establish a "safe, efficient and reliable service", and asked it to respond within 15 days.

The airline stopped flights on Monday after a weekend protest by staff turned violent. Airline employees have not been paid for seven months.

"We will not allow Kingfisher to fly unless they meet the concerns that the DGCA has on safety and on the ability to maintain their operations," Aviation Minister Ajit Singh told ET Now television channel.

About 150 Kingfisher staff staged a protest march in Mumbai earlier on Friday, following what police said was the suicide of an employee's wife worried about the family's precarious finances.

Another 100 staff held a candlelit march in Delhi on Friday night, adding to pressure to resolve the carrier's long-running financial problems.

Kingfisher, once India's second biggest airline, has failed to find an overseas airline or other investor to bring in fresh equity.

The Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation (CAPA), which estimates Kingfisher's debt at around $2.5 billion, said a fully funded turnaround would cost at least $1 billion and that Kingfisher had only an outside chance of recovery given its massive debts, crippled fleet and poor employee morale.

It is now the smallest of India's six main carriers and its steep decline has enabled rivals such as Jet Airways and IndiGo to raise fares in what had been a ferociously competitive market plagued by overcapacity.

Kingfisher, controlled by liquor baron Vijay Mallya, has never turned a profit since its launch in 2005 and before this week was flying only 10 planes. Its fleet once numbered 64.

"How can the management realistically expect us to work?" said Krishna Kumar, a 35-year-old engineer in Mumbai who joined Kingfisher six years ago. "We have borne this for seven months," Kumar said, wearing a black arm band.

Talks between airline management and Delhi-based pilots and engineers broke down on Thursday. Similar talks in Mumbai on Wednesday ended in what one senior pilot called a stalemate.

Kingfisher spokesman Prakash Mirpuri said the airline was extending what it described as a partial lock-out to Oct. 12 or until the "illegal strike is called off."

Toughened stance

The government has been toughening its stance towards Kingfisher after allowing it to operate for months despite grounding most of its fleet and defaulting on payments to banks, oil companies, airports and others.

Kingfisher's lenders, mostly government banks led by State Bank of India, have refused to extend further credit in the absence of fresh equity, but they have shown patience. Indian state banks rarely force big companies to liquidate.

"Banks are still giving time to Mr. Mallya to get an investor. Because if we pull the plug it would be irretrievable. And if we are patient with him possibly there is a chance that he would revive," SBI Chairman Pratip Chaudhuri told reporters.

"Having waited for so long we might as well wait longer." Mallya's United Spirits Ltd and Diageo Plc recently confirmed long-rumoured talks for the UK giant to take a stake in India's dominant whisky maker, which could make it easier for Mallya to find funds to rescue Kingfisher.

Rohan Shrivatsava, 28, who has been with the airline for five years and was part of Friday's protest in Mumbai, said he had been looking for another job without success. "Getting a job after working at Kingfisher is not possible. Do you know how many airline engineers are in the market running for jobs?" he said.

A 31-year-old in Mumbai cargo operations who declined to be identified said he had earned about 18,000 rupees ($350) a month in salary and paid 7,000 rupees a month to rent a room.

"My landlord has been furious about my rent dues. I have not paid rent for last three months. How do I pay my rent, where do I live if I am thrown out tomorrow?"

Some employee anger was directed at Mallya, the self-described "King of Good Times", known for his lavish lifestyle.

One placard read: "Is your party over Mr Mallya?" An official with the aviation regulator said on Tuesday that Kingfisher would not get government approval to resume flying unless it pays salaries and submits an acceptable recovery plan.

Kingfisher shares fell 4.7 per cent on Friday, effectively at their daily limit of 5 per cent for the fifth straight session.

3D Picture of Subhaditya Movie  News

Movie Release This Week: 

Frankenweenie

 

1) Frankenweenie :

From creative genius Tim Burton (“Alice in Wonderland,” The Nightmare Before Christmas”) comes “Frankenweenie,” a heartwarming tale about a boy and his dog. After unexpectedly losing his beloved dog Sparky, young Victor harnesses the power of science to bring his best friend back to life—with just a few minor adjustments. He tries to hide his home-sewn creation, but when Sparky gets out, Victor’s fellow students, teachers and the entire town all learn that getting a new “leash on life” can be monstrous.

A stop-motion animated film, “Frankenweenie” will be filmed in black and white and rendered in 3D, which will elevate the classic style to a whole new experience. 

The Oranges

 


2) The Oranges:

A comedy about two families, life long friends, and the hilarity that ensues when a rebellious daughter returns home for the holidays and causes a scandal that forces everyone to question what happiness really means and to ultimately find it in unexpected ways. 

Taken 2

 

3) Taken 2:

In Istanbul, retired CIA operative Bryan Mills and his wife are taken hostage by the father of a kidnapper Mills killed while rescuing his daughter. 

#Holdyourbreath

4) #Holdyourbreath :

There is an old wives' tale that you should hold your breath when passing by a cemetery lest an evil spirit rejected by both heaven and hell gets inside of you when you inhale. Someone in a carload of college kids on holiday doesn't hold his/her breath when driving by a graveyard, allowing the spirit of a recently executed serial killer to get inside him/her to begin a spree of body-jumping carnage. 

English Vinglish

5) English Vinglish :

English Vinglish is a 2012 Indian drama film directed by Gauri Shinde and produced by R. Balki. The film marks the comeback of Sridevi after a 14-year sabbatical. The film also features French actor Mehdi Nebbou, Adil Hussain, and Priya Anand.

Chittagong (film)

6) Next Week Coming Attraction: Chittagong (film):

Chittagong is a 2012 Indian film directed by Bedabrata Pain. The film stars Manoj Bajpai in the lead role and is based upon actual events of India's (now in Bangladesh) Chittagong Uprising. The film will feature music by trio Shankar Ehsaan Loy and Resul Pookutty will do the sound.The world premier of film was on April 10, 2012.

Nobel Prize News:

Naming the Nobels: Predicting the World's Most Prestigious Prizes in Science Post

 Naming the Nobels: Predicting the World's Most Prestigious Prizes in Science :

From Monday, the eyes of the world's research community will be fixed firmly on Stockholm for the announcement of the Nobel Prizes. In celebration, Thomson Reuters released its annual list of Citation Laureates, esteemed scientists whose contributions to medicine, physics, chemistry and economics make them likely contenders for a Nobel Prize.

Over a decade ago, Thomson Reuters began publishing its annual list of scientists considered candidates worthy of a Nobel Prize. The primary factor pointing to their nomination was their record of citations in scientific literature. At high frequency, citations are a strong indicator of peer esteem and research influence -- citations represent a formal repayment of intellectual debts by members of the scientific community.

Research demonstrating the correlation between citations and winning the Nobel Prize has a history dating back to 1965 when Eugene Garfield, the inventor of a citation index for science (now known as the Web of Science), showed that Nobel Prize winners were very highly cited.

Over the years, interest in the Thomson Reuters method of forecasting Nobel Prizes has grown and, in 2002, the company officially began releasing its picks. Since then, 26 Thomson Reuters Citation Laureates have gone on to receive a Nobel Prize. Last year, all nine of the winners in medicine, physics, chemistry, and economics were identified as Thomson Reuters Citation Laureates, either in 2008 or 2010. Thomson Reuters is the only organization to predict the Nobel Prizes quantitatively, and it does so through citation data from its Web of Knowledge research database.

Higgs boson: A Nobel this year?


The July 4, 2012 announcement that two research groups at the European Organization for Nuclear Research, more commonly known as CERN, claimed identification of a subatomic particle that resembles in its characteristics the predicted Higgs boson was certainly a scientific landmark. However, the Higgs boson researchers probably have a while to wait before booking their trips to Stockholm.

The Nobel Prize committees have been historically conservative in recognizing breakthrough discoveries. The average time between a discovery and the awarding of the Nobel Prize in physics has been increasing over the last century and is now about 25 years. A Nobel Prize for the discovery of the Higgs boson -- if that is what it is -- will likely come much sooner, but analysis of the data by researchers outside of the CERN teams will be required, and that will take more time.

Additionally, if this discovery were to be honored, who, exactly, would be recognized?

The will of Alfred Nobel limits the Prize to no more than three persons. Peter W. Higgs would be required, based on his 1964 paper and because the particle is named after him (a form of peer recognition). But he was not the first to predict a Higgs-like particle. Also in 1964, and before the appearance of the Higgs paper, two French researchers, Francois Englert and Robert Brout, published their notion of a Higgs-like particle. After Higgs' paper appeared, two American researchers (C. Richard Hagen and Gerald S. Guralnik) and one British researcher (Thomas W.B. Kibble) followed with similar proposals. All their papers were highly cited.

That would make six researchers who could claim a share for the prediction of the Higgs boson. Because the Nobel Prize is not awarded posthumously, and Brout passed away in 2011, the number is now five. A complete review of the contributions of these individuals would be necessary in order for the Nobel committee to make its difficult choice.

For these reasons, Thomson Reuters did not predict the Higgs boson discovery as a contender for a Nobel Prize this year. If the discovery is confirmed in peer review, and given more time for a thorough assessment by the Nobel committee, a Nobel Prize will likely result.

The 2012 Thomson Reuters Citation Laureates

This year, across the four scientific fields of Nobel Prizes that the company surveys, 21 influential researchers were named, as their high-impact work make them eligible for a Nobel Prize. They are:

Chemistry:

Louis E. Brus of Columbia University
For discovery of colloidal semiconductor nanocrystals (quantum dots)

Akira Fujishima of Tokyo University of Science
For the discovery of photocatalytic properties of titanium dioxide (the Honda-Fujishima Effect)

Masatake Haruta of Tokyo Metropolitan University and Graham J. Hutchings of Cardiff University
For independent foundational discoveries of catalysis by gold

Physics:

Charles H. Bennett of IBM Corporation, Gilles Brassard of University of Montreal and William K. Wootters of Williams College
For their pioneering description of a protocol for quantum teleportation, which has since been experimentally verified

Leigh T. Canham of pSiMedica Ltd.
For discovery of photoluminescence in porous silicon

Stephen E. Harris of Stanford University and Lene V. Hau of Harvard University
For the experimental demonstration of electromagnetically induced transparency (Harris) and of 'slow light' (Harris and Hau)

Physiology or Medicine:

C. David Allis of Rockefeller University and Michael Grunstein of University of California Los Angeles
For fundamental discoveries concerning histone modifications and their role in genetic regulation

Anthony "Tony" R. Hunter of the Salk Institute and Anthony "Tony" J. Pawson of the Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute of Mount Sinai Hospital
For the discovery of tyrosine phosphorylation and contributions to understanding protein kinases and their role in signal transduction (Hunter), and for identification of the phosphotyrosine binding SH2 domain and demonstrating its function in protein-protein interactions (Pawson)

Richard O. Hynes of Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Erkki Ruoslahti of the Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute and Masatoshi Takeichi of the RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology
For pioneering discoveries of cell adhesion molecules, Hynes and Ruoslahti for integrins and Takeichi for cadherins

Economics

Sir Anthony B. Atkinson of Nuffield College, Oxford University, and Angus S. Deaton of Princeton University
For studies of income inequality and contributions to welfare state and public sector economics (Atkinson), and for empirical research on consumption, income and savings, poverty and health, and well-being (Deaton)

Stephen A. Ross of Massachusetts Institute of Technology
For his arbitrage pricing theory and other fundamental contributions to finance

Robert J. Shiller of Yale University
For pioneering contributions to financial market volatility and the dynamics of asset prices

Like many other followers of the annual Nobel announcements, Thomson Reuters and our team of editorial analysts eagerly await the official awards. Whatever the outcome, one thing holds true: scientific literature citations are a valuable tool for gaining insight into the significance of research work and the potential long-term impact on society at large.

Source :  David Pendlebury : Naming the Nobels: Predicting the World's Most Prestigious Prizes in Science