Information about food And Drink, Games And Recreation And More

Many small time investors are faced with uncertainty as they try and cope with the losses incurred by them in the stock market due to financial fraud in IT service provider the Satyam. The effects of Satyam scandal reverberate in the stock exchange of Uttar Pradesh. After the fraud the country’s financial market is struggling for improvement. Amidst this major fraud, small investors and brokers are becoming skeptical in investing their money.

A new species of the fist-sized babbler bird has been found in a network of underground caves in southwestern China, raising the prospect the country could become a hot spot for other discoveries, a conservation group said Thursday.Ornithologists Zhou Fang and Jiang Aiwu first spotted the dark brown bird with white specks on its chest in 2005 and have since confirmed its identity as an undescribed species. They named it the Nonggang babbler, or Stachyris nonggangensis, for the region in China where it was found.

A formal description was published last year in The Auk, which is the quarterly journal of the Virginia-based American Ornithologists’ Union.

“This is exciting evidence that there could be many more interesting discoveries awaiting ornithologists in China,” said Nigel Collar of Birdlife International, which announced the discovery.

The new species resembles a wren-babbler in that it prefers running to flying, and seems to spend most of its time on the ground foraging for insects, Zhou said. About 100 Nonggang babblers have been identified so far in the Nonggang Natural Reserve in southwestern China.

A similar habitat straddles the border of northern Vietnam and southeast Yunnan, China, and it is possible the species may also be found there, Zhou said.

“The discovery shows that there are still some birds that haven’t been (identified) yet in China, such a vast territory that is rich in biodiversity,” Zhou said in a statement.

Xi Zhinong, the founder of conservation group Wild China, said similar finds are likely to become more common in China as laymen join professionals in the search for new species.

Because China was never explored like India and other countries that were colonized, and has regions that are difficult to access, researchers said they believe there are scores of small birds that remain to be identified.

“In recent years, more and more bird lovers and photographers are participating in the research of wild birds,” Xi said. “The participation of those nonprofessionals has pushed forward the research of wildlife in China.”

Birdlife’s Mike Crosby noted that there are now 27 bird watching clubs across China.

“There is an emerging middle class in China with leisure time,” said Crosby, who has worked extensively in the country.

But Zhou warned the country’s rapid development could threaten many biologically rich areas like the karst formations — a network of limestone sinkholes marked by underground streams and caverns — before further discoveries are made.

“The fragility of the karst ecosystem and its destruction by people pose great threats to the bird’s existence,” he said.

What transforms a harmless, solitary and peace loving insect like the desert locust into a rampaging, voracious swarm that blacks out the sky and strips bare vast swathes of standing crops?With desert locusts, the expression of this swarming characteristic spells serious trouble for the hapless farmers caught in their rampaging path. Locusts swarms, billions strong, are known to destroy crop yields in a jiffy.

The villain of the piece is serotonin, neurotransmitter that acts as a chemical messenger between nerve cells. It is present in every multi-cellular organism on the planet, and serotonin receptors are often targeted by antidepressant drugs in humans to increase its availability.

Michael Anstey from University of Oxford and colleagues monitored the levels of serotonin in desert locusts while they triggered both solitary and gregarious behaviour in the creatures, said an Oxford release.

Their results show that locusts behaving the most gregariously (in swarm-mode) had approximately three times more serotonin in their systems than the calm, solitary locusts. This raises the prospect that individual neurons that drive this swarming behaviour could be identified and targeted.

These findings were published on Friday in Science.

Georgia Institute of Technology researchers have reached a step closer to realising rapid transfer of a high-definition movie from a PC to a cell phone, along with a host of other media and data possibilities, for they have produced a CMOS chip capable of transmitting 60 GHz digital RF signals.Experts at the Institute’s Georgia Electronic Design Center (GEDC) say that this chip design could speed-up commercialisation of high-speed, short-range wireless applications, thanks to the low cost and power consumption of complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) technology.

The researchers reckon that their system can find applications in virtually wireless desktop-computer set-ups and data centres, wireless home DVD systems, and in-store kiosks that transfer movies to handheld devices in seconds.

According to them, it may also be possible to move gigabytes of photos or video from a camera to a PC almost instantly.

“We believe this new standard represents a major step forward. Consumers could see products capable of ultra-fast short-range data transfer within two or three years,” said Joy Laskar, a member of the Ecma 60 GHz standards committee and director of the Georgia Electronic Design Center (GEDC) at Georgia Tech.

The researchers claim that their chip is the first 60GHz embedded chip for multimedia multi-gigabit wireless use. It unites 60GHz CMOS digital radio capability and multi-gigabit signal processing in an ultra-compact package, they say.

Laskar said: “(The new technology) represents the highest level of integration for 60GHz wireless single-chip solutions. It offers the lowest energy per bit transmitted wirelessly at multi-gigabit data rates reported to date.”

The specifications for this technology are expected to be published as an ISO standard this year.

China has closed down 1,250 Web sites in its latest crackdown on online pornography but still faces an uphill task in regulating the unwieldy Internet for vulgar content, an official said Friday. Liu Zhengrong, deputy director of the Cabinet’s Internet Affairs Bureau, said authorities have also arrested 41 people in the monthlong campaign that began Jan. 5. “We have made apparent achievements but it’s only for this phase,” Liu told reporters.

“We still have a lot of work to do.” Earlier this month, authorities warned Google, Baidu, Sina and Sohu China’s most heavily used sites that they had to do more to block pornographic material from reaching Chinese users.

The moves are part of a continuing government campaign against using the Internet to access pornography, which is banned in China. However, it remains widely available off and on the Internet, where popular Web portals frequently show sexually explicit pictures and provide links to pornographic sites.

China’s population of Internet users is expanding at explosive rates and has risen to 298 million after passing the United States last year to become the world’s largest. On average, there are 240,000 new Chinese users and 3,000 new sites daily, Liu said.

“Our biggest challenge is that the Internet is still growing,” he said. “We are facing a long-term, complex and huge task.

” While the current crackdown is focused on lewd material, it is part of a larger effort to control freedom of expression and root out material the leadership considers socially destabilizing, such as sites that criticize the Communist Party, promote democratic reform or advocate Taiwan independence. When asked if there would also be more stringent monitoring of sensitive topics like this year’s 20th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square protests, Liu did not answer directly but said there was “clear, legal provision about what kind of information should not be provided on the Internet.

” Authorities loosened some media and Internet controls during last year’s Beijing Olympics gestures that were meant to show the international community that the games had brought greater freedom to the Chinese people. But since then, The New York Times Web site, along with the Chinese-language sites of foreign media including the British Broadcasting Corp.

and Voice of America are among the sites that have been intermittently blocked. Hong Kong-based media Ming Pao and Asiaweek have also been affected.

On Sunday Amazon cut the price of a $50 Xbox Live Gold subscription by 40 percent to $30. The sale is part of Amazon’s Hardware and Accessories sale for gamers and lasts until January 31. The Gold subscription gives you 12 months of Xbox Live service, which includes access to online multiplayer gaming, video chat, game and video downloads, and Netflix’s online streaming service (Netflix subscription required).

However, as PCWorld’s Matt Peckham points out, Microsoft should stop charging for the Xbox Live service altogether. Sony Playstation 3 owners already enjoy free access to their Xbox Live equivalent, the Play Station Network, and while the PS3 bonus may not be a barrier to attracting new Xbox 360 customers it would certainly be an added incentive. Also, Microsoft has already stopped charging PC gamers for the Games for Windows Live Service so why not Xbox Live?

Then again, Microsoft doesn’t really have a reason to stop charging at the moment. According to company statements, the Xbox has outsold the PS3 by 8 million units overall and beat out its Sony rival for holiday sales. Add to that the fact that Xbox Live recently had its largest sign up of new customers ever, admittedly with some technical problems, and you can see why Microsoft is not in any hurry to change tactics.

So if you’re one of the millions of new Xbox owners trying to get online visit Amazon before the end of the month. After that, you can always check out PCWorld’s price comparison chart to make sure you’re paying the lowest possible price for Xbox Live service.

Automotive technology in its futuristic form could well mean cars with reduced air friction that rotate 360 degrees, making reversing and parking easier.

From Saturday to Monday, students at the Indian Institute of Technology-Delhi got a taste of such innovation, with Japanese carmaker Nissan showcasing its models, including the 360 degree-revolving Pivo2.

The Pivo2 has a three-sitter rotating cab and only one door in the front, which allows passengers to exit or enter from any direction desired. More importantly, it provides directions to the desired destination. “This car is female driver-friendly. The robot has face detection properties so that drivers can be cheered up while driving. Driving in a bad mood can cause accidents,” Reina Kyakuya, marketing developer, said.

This is the first time the company has organised such a show in any campus in India. The idea, Reina said, is to familiarise IIT students with the latest technology in cars and to find a base for Nissan in Delhi.

The company also held two seminars, where presentations were given on the latest in automotive technology.

Among the new technologies presented by the company were safer seat belts, which automatically tighten when brakes are pressed hard, and cars that brace themselves in the event of an accident. “When facing a crash, only the bonnet is affected while the occupants remain safe. We have extra balloons on the side for safety,” Akirhiro Naganishi, Public Relations Officer, said.

Before the exhibition, Nissan also held a car design competition, in which forty students took part.

Ringlarei Pamei’s design, called Ol’ Boy, was declared as the best design. He will soon be flown to Japan where he will be allowed to present his model to Nissan officials.

Nissan will now fly its models to Mumbai, where they will be shown to students at IIT-Bombay.

If you are the victim of a car accident, then you should start thinking about the legal steps you will need to take. You are going to need money to repair your vehicle and heal any injuries from the wreck. If you want to protect your rights, then you need to have an Arizona personal injury attorney. They will be able to handle the legal aspects while you focus on healing.

You also need to hire one as quickly as you can. The insurance companies don’t usually wait. They are usually right on the case with paperwork that limits their liability. Don’t sign anything until you get a lawyer to look at the paperwork. It’s really that simple. There are other precautions though. You shouldn’t discuss the case with any representatives or agree to be recorded. These can be attempts to trap you and limit their liability too. Just be polite and refer them to your attorney. They’ll know what to do. With any luck, you should be able to get your case settled out of court for a fair amount. In a few cases, you will have to go to court though. In this event, you’ll be even happier that you already have a good attorney on your side.

If you want to get your just compensation, then you need legal aid. Don’t hesitate to hire one of the many Arizona personal injury attorneys who have experience you need.

A man blinded by two strokes that destroyed his visual cortex, has been able to navigate using ‘blindsight’, the ability of some people to sense things that they cannot see.Researchers demonstrated for the first time that people can successfully navigate an obstacle course even after brain damage has left them with no awareness of the ability to see and no activity in the visual cortex.

“This is absolutely the first study of this ability in humans,” said Professor Beatrice de Gelder, from the University of Tilburg in the Netherlands.

The study, reported in the journal Current Biology, included extensive brain imaging and is the most dramatic demonstration to date of so-called ‘blindsight. It suggests that areas of the brain outside of the visual cortex are also capable of visual processing.

“We see what humans can do, even with no awareness of seeing or any intentional avoidance of obstacles. It shows us the importance of these evolutionary ancient visual paths.

“They contribute more than we think they do for us to function in the real world,” said Gelder, who led the study. Although this ability had previously been observed in blind monkeys with a damaged visual cortex, it has never before been seen in humans, the researchers claim.”It’s a major lesson that brain damage can release minor neurological pathways that had previously been suppressed, allowing them to play a more significant role,” the researchers said.

The research could have implications for treating patients with brain damage. In time, and with practice, people with brain injuries may learn to lean more heavily on such subconscious or semiconscious systems, and perhaps even begin to construct some conscious vision from them, the report in the New Scientist online said.

Hormone replacement therapy may lead to brain shrinkage in postmenopausal women, say researchers.The study showed that volumes of brain lesions were not significantly increased among women prescribed hormone therapy, but that the total olumes of brain tissue in regions critical to memory were slightly smaller.

The research team found that women who had taken hormone therapy had slightly smaller brain volumes in two critical areas of the brain: the frontal lobe and the hippocampus.

Both areas are involved in thinking and memory skills, and loss of volume in the hippocampus is a risk factor for dementia.

“Our findings suggest one possible explanation for the increased risk for dementia in older women who had previously taken post-menopausal hormone therapy in the Women’s Health Initiative Memory Study,” said Susan Resnick, Ph.D., of the National Institute on Aging, which is part of NIH.

“Our findings suggest that hormone therapy in older post-menopausal women has a negative effect on brain structures important in maintaining normal memory functioning.

“However, this negative effect was most pronounced in women who already may have had some memory problems before using hormone therapy, suggesting that the therapy may have accelerated a neurodegenerative disease process that had already begun,” she added.

Researchers will next set out to determine whether the negative effects of hormone therapy on brain volumes continue over time through follow-up MRI studies of the women studied.