Global wealth flowing to the richest, says study
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The richest 1 percent is likely to control more than half of the globes total wealth by next year, the charity Oxfam reported in a study released Monday. The warning about deepening global inequality comes just as the world’s business elite prepare to meet this week at the annual World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
The 80 wealthiest people in the world altogether own $1.9 trillion, the report found, nearly the same amount shared by the 3.5 billion people who occupy the bottom half of the worlds income scale. (Last year, it took 85 billionaires to equal that figure.) And the richest 1 percent of the population, who number in the millions, control nearly half of the worlds total wealth, a share that is also increasing.
The type of inequality that currently characterises the world’s economies is unlike anything seen in recent years, the report explained. Between 2002 and 2010 the total wealth of the poorest half of the world in current U.S. dollars had been increasing more or less at the same rate as that of billionaires, it said. However since 2010, it has been decreasing over that time.
Winnie Byanyima, the charity’s executive director, noted in a statement that more than 1 billion people lived on less than $1.25 a day.
Do we really want to live in a world where the 1 percent own more than the rest of us combined? Byanyima said. The scale of global inequality is quite simply staggering.
Investors with interests in finance, insurance and health saw the biggest windfalls, Oxfam said. Using data from Forbes magazines list of billionaires, it said those listed as having interests in the pharmaceutical and health care industries saw their net worth jump by 47 percent. The charity credited those individuals rapidly growing fortunes in part to multimillion-dollar lobbying campaigns to protect and enhance their interests.
The 80 wealthiest people in the world altogether own $1.9 trillion, the report found, nearly the same amount shared by the 3.5 billion people who occupy the bottom half of the worlds income scale. (Last year, it took 85 billionaires to equal that figure.) And the richest 1 percent of the population, who number in the millions, control nearly half of the worlds total wealth, a share that is also increasing.
The type of inequality that currently characterises the world’s economies is unlike anything seen in recent years, the report explained. Between 2002 and 2010 the total wealth of the poorest half of the world in current U.S. dollars had been increasing more or less at the same rate as that of billionaires, it said. However since 2010, it has been decreasing over that time.
Winnie Byanyima, the charity’s executive director, noted in a statement that more than 1 billion people lived on less than $1.25 a day.
Do we really want to live in a world where the 1 percent own more than the rest of us combined? Byanyima said. The scale of global inequality is quite simply staggering.
Investors with interests in finance, insurance and health saw the biggest windfalls, Oxfam said. Using data from Forbes magazines list of billionaires, it said those listed as having interests in the pharmaceutical and health care industries saw their net worth jump by 47 percent. The charity credited those individuals rapidly growing fortunes in part to multimillion-dollar lobbying campaigns to protect and enhance their interests.
Ukraine 'rejects' Putin's weaponry withdrawal proposal
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Ukraine "rejected" Russian President Vladimir Putin's weaponry withdrawal proposal after he tried to ask parties involved in the Ukraine crisis to peacefully settle the matter.
"I propose both sides ... to take urgent measures to stop shelling at each other, as well as to immediately withdraw heavy weaponry," Xinhua quoted Putin's message sent to his Ukrainian counterpart Petro Poroshenko.
"Recent developments in south-eastern Ukraine, the resumed shelling of settlements in the Donetsk and Lugansk regions cause grave concern and actually jeopardize the peace settlement process based on the September Minsk agreement of last year," Putin added.
Putin promised Russia is ready to work with the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) to monitor the implementation of the ceasefire agreement and the weapon withdrawal by the conflicting sides in Ukraine.
However, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov disclosed Sunday that Putin's weaponry withdrawal proposal was "rejected" by the Ukrainian side.
"The Ukrainian president received the letter on Friday ... Unfortunately, the Ukrainian side rejected the proposed plan without providing an alternative offer, meanwhile resuming military operations," Peskov said.
The spokesman stressed that "Russia has consistently made efforts to mediate in the conflict in recent days".
The Russian foreign ministry had also said that Russia is ready to "use its influence" and persuade the local insurgents to accept the weaponry withdrawal as "a good will gesture" to avoid more civilian deaths.
In an online statement, the ministry expressed deep concern over Kiev's increasing military presence in eastern Ukraine.
"The intensive militarization, announcements of 'new waves' of Ukrainian citizens' mobilisation, and appeals from Kiev to 'take revenge' for the situation 'on the ground' that has taken shape after the signature of the Minsk agreement" prove that the Ukrainian side was in defiance of the Minsk agreements, the ministry alleged in the statement.
According to the statement, the Kiev government allegedly took advantage of the recent ceasefire to regroup the forces and continue its military actions.
Calling for a strict adherence to the Minsk agreement by all parties, the Russian foreign ministry said that Moscow is doing everything in its power to make sure the contact group could meet early next week.
"We are urging its members and all those influencing the situation to prevent another negotiation breakdown," the ministry said.
"I propose both sides ... to take urgent measures to stop shelling at each other, as well as to immediately withdraw heavy weaponry," Xinhua quoted Putin's message sent to his Ukrainian counterpart Petro Poroshenko.
"Recent developments in south-eastern Ukraine, the resumed shelling of settlements in the Donetsk and Lugansk regions cause grave concern and actually jeopardize the peace settlement process based on the September Minsk agreement of last year," Putin added.
Putin promised Russia is ready to work with the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) to monitor the implementation of the ceasefire agreement and the weapon withdrawal by the conflicting sides in Ukraine.
However, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov disclosed Sunday that Putin's weaponry withdrawal proposal was "rejected" by the Ukrainian side.
"The Ukrainian president received the letter on Friday ... Unfortunately, the Ukrainian side rejected the proposed plan without providing an alternative offer, meanwhile resuming military operations," Peskov said.
The spokesman stressed that "Russia has consistently made efforts to mediate in the conflict in recent days".
The Russian foreign ministry had also said that Russia is ready to "use its influence" and persuade the local insurgents to accept the weaponry withdrawal as "a good will gesture" to avoid more civilian deaths.
In an online statement, the ministry expressed deep concern over Kiev's increasing military presence in eastern Ukraine.
"The intensive militarization, announcements of 'new waves' of Ukrainian citizens' mobilisation, and appeals from Kiev to 'take revenge' for the situation 'on the ground' that has taken shape after the signature of the Minsk agreement" prove that the Ukrainian side was in defiance of the Minsk agreements, the ministry alleged in the statement.
According to the statement, the Kiev government allegedly took advantage of the recent ceasefire to regroup the forces and continue its military actions.
Calling for a strict adherence to the Minsk agreement by all parties, the Russian foreign ministry said that Moscow is doing everything in its power to make sure the contact group could meet early next week.
"We are urging its members and all those influencing the situation to prevent another negotiation breakdown," the ministry said.
New genetic clues found in fragile X syndrome
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Scientists have gained new insight into fragile X syndrome -- the most common cause of inherited intellectual disability -- by studying the case of a person without the disorder, but with two of its classic symptoms.
In patients with fragile X, a key gene is completely disabled, eliminating a protein that regulates electrical signals in the brain and causing a host of behavioral, neurological and physical symptoms. This patient, in contrast, had only a single error in this gene and exhibited only two classic traits of fragile X -- intellectual disability and seizures -- allowing the researchers to parse out a previously unknown role for the gene.
"This individual case has allowed us to separate two independent functions of the fragile X protein in the brain," said co-senior author Vitaly A. Klyachko, PhD, associate professor of cell biology and physiology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. "By finding the mutation, even in just one patient, and linking it to a partial set of traits, we have identified a distinct function that this gene is responsible for and that is likely impaired in all people with fragile X."
The research, appearing in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) Online Early Edition, is by investigators at Washington University and Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta.
In studying fragile X, researchers' focus long has been on the problems that occur when brain cells receive signals. Like radio transmitters and receivers, brain cells send and receive transmissions in fine tuned ways that separate the signals from the noise. Until recently, most fragile X research has focused on problems with overly sensitive receivers, those that allow in too much information. The new study suggests that fragile X likely also causes overactive transmitters that send out too much information.
"The mechanisms that researchers have long thought were the entirety of the problem with fragile X are obviously still very much in play," Klyachko said. "But this unique case has allowed us to see that something else is going on."
The finding also raises the possibility that drugs recently tested as treatments for fragile X may be ineffective, at least in part, because they only dialed down the brain's receivers, presumably leaving transmitters on overdrive.
In patients with fragile X, a key gene is completely disabled, eliminating a protein that regulates electrical signals in the brain and causing a host of behavioral, neurological and physical symptoms. This patient, in contrast, had only a single error in this gene and exhibited only two classic traits of fragile X -- intellectual disability and seizures -- allowing the researchers to parse out a previously unknown role for the gene.
"This individual case has allowed us to separate two independent functions of the fragile X protein in the brain," said co-senior author Vitaly A. Klyachko, PhD, associate professor of cell biology and physiology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. "By finding the mutation, even in just one patient, and linking it to a partial set of traits, we have identified a distinct function that this gene is responsible for and that is likely impaired in all people with fragile X."
The research, appearing in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) Online Early Edition, is by investigators at Washington University and Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta.
In studying fragile X, researchers' focus long has been on the problems that occur when brain cells receive signals. Like radio transmitters and receivers, brain cells send and receive transmissions in fine tuned ways that separate the signals from the noise. Until recently, most fragile X research has focused on problems with overly sensitive receivers, those that allow in too much information. The new study suggests that fragile X likely also causes overactive transmitters that send out too much information.
"The mechanisms that researchers have long thought were the entirety of the problem with fragile X are obviously still very much in play," Klyachko said. "But this unique case has allowed us to see that something else is going on."
The finding also raises the possibility that drugs recently tested as treatments for fragile X may be ineffective, at least in part, because they only dialed down the brain's receivers, presumably leaving transmitters on overdrive.
Jal Kranti Varsh 2015-2016
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The Union Minister for Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Ms Uma Bharati today said that the Year 2015-16 will be celebrated as ‘Jal Kranti Varsh (Year)’ across the country. Delivering the valedictory address at the 3rd India Water Week here, she said the programme will be celebrated in each district of the country and all efforts will be made to conserve and save water. She also informed that all the State Governments are on board in this noble mission. Referring to Prime Minister’s call for making Water Conservation a true Public Movement, She said, Centre and States should make joint efforts in this endeavour.
Making a strong pitch for the revival of Yamuna, Ms Bharati said, inter-linking of rivers has achieved considerable progress and through Yamuna-Sharada link and Pancheswar project of Nepal, more water will flow in the Yamuna in the coming years. She said, Shri Narendra Modi during his Visit to Nepal in the middle of this year took the Pancheshwar issue with the highest authorities in Kathmandu. The Minister expressed confidence that by next year city of Mumbai will also get drinking water through linking of rivers. On Clean Ganga mission, She asserted that power mafia will be crushed and they will not be allowed to kill the holy river.
Speaking on the occasion, Minister of State for Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Prof Sanwar Lal Jat underlined the need for optimum utilisation of water resources for maximum irrigation. He also called upon all the stakeholders and the common man to take steps for recharge of ground water through small conservation methods.
In his address, acting CEO, Australian Water Commission Richard Mcloughlin said, both the countries can cooperate in the areas like Clean Ganga Mission and Water management, besides in the specific areas like water markets, recovering water table, river-basin planning and irrigation water management.
Making a strong pitch for the revival of Yamuna, Ms Bharati said, inter-linking of rivers has achieved considerable progress and through Yamuna-Sharada link and Pancheswar project of Nepal, more water will flow in the Yamuna in the coming years. She said, Shri Narendra Modi during his Visit to Nepal in the middle of this year took the Pancheshwar issue with the highest authorities in Kathmandu. The Minister expressed confidence that by next year city of Mumbai will also get drinking water through linking of rivers. On Clean Ganga mission, She asserted that power mafia will be crushed and they will not be allowed to kill the holy river.
Speaking on the occasion, Minister of State for Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Prof Sanwar Lal Jat underlined the need for optimum utilisation of water resources for maximum irrigation. He also called upon all the stakeholders and the common man to take steps for recharge of ground water through small conservation methods.
In his address, acting CEO, Australian Water Commission Richard Mcloughlin said, both the countries can cooperate in the areas like Clean Ganga Mission and Water management, besides in the specific areas like water markets, recovering water table, river-basin planning and irrigation water management.
Govt forms panel to expedite coal linkage rationalisation
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The government is trying to rationalise coal linkages for various companies across the country on a priority basis, coal secretary Anil Swarup has said.
Swarup said KPMG has submitted a report on linkage rationalisation and the government has formed a committee to look into the linkage policy. The panel will submit its report in two months. The government would also ask companies, whose plants are not operational, to surrender linkages so that it can be transferred to those companies who are fighting coal shortage.
Coal linkage rationalisation would save R600 crore for the exchequer annually.
He said while rationalising linkage was a priority, evacuation was another major problem for which the government has taken major initiatives to sort out.
The government has identified 50 railway projects for evacuating coal and would like to implement those in joint ventures, he said in an interactive session organised by the MCC Chamber of Commerce. “Improving rail infrastructure in the coal mining areas is an urgent need and we want to expedite projects on this account,” Swarup said, adding that Coal India (CIL) was unable to increase production for lack of evacuation facilities.
“Evacuation issues are impacting the coal production of CIl. Railway linkages are key to improve evacuation of coal from mines,” he said.
“Railways has the expertise, Coal India has funds and we are also open to joint ventures, floating SPVs (special purpose vehicles) to develop railway linkages,” he said.
CIL in its annual report for FY14 mentioned that its sales were constrained by non-availability of adequate railway infrastructure.
Swarup said KPMG has submitted a report on linkage rationalisation and the government has formed a committee to look into the linkage policy. The panel will submit its report in two months. The government would also ask companies, whose plants are not operational, to surrender linkages so that it can be transferred to those companies who are fighting coal shortage.
Coal linkage rationalisation would save R600 crore for the exchequer annually.
He said while rationalising linkage was a priority, evacuation was another major problem for which the government has taken major initiatives to sort out.
The government has identified 50 railway projects for evacuating coal and would like to implement those in joint ventures, he said in an interactive session organised by the MCC Chamber of Commerce. “Improving rail infrastructure in the coal mining areas is an urgent need and we want to expedite projects on this account,” Swarup said, adding that Coal India (CIL) was unable to increase production for lack of evacuation facilities.
“Evacuation issues are impacting the coal production of CIl. Railway linkages are key to improve evacuation of coal from mines,” he said.
“Railways has the expertise, Coal India has funds and we are also open to joint ventures, floating SPVs (special purpose vehicles) to develop railway linkages,” he said.
CIL in its annual report for FY14 mentioned that its sales were constrained by non-availability of adequate railway infrastructure.
130-Year-Old Gun Found Leaning Against A Tree
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Los Angeles: A 130-year-old weather-beaten rifle touted as “the gun that won the West” has been found leaning against a tree at the mountains of remote eastern Nevada in the US, reports PTI. Abandoned for ages, the Winchester Model 1873 firearm propped up against a juniper tree in Great Basin National Park in Nevada, was found by a park employee who worked in the area with an archaeology team. Archaeologist Eva Jensen said the Winchester company, based in New Haven, produced 720,000 of the model from 1873 to 1916. The Winchester Model rifles, referred in history as “the gun that won the West”, indicates it was made in 1882, Los Angeles Times reported.
The .44-caliber rifle wasn’t loaded. It could fire 15 shots without reloading. The gun’s location — on a wooded, craggy hillside with a commanding view of the valley to the east — suggested a good strategic spot for a gun battle. Maybe the gun jammed and was abandoned.
As per the weapon’s order number, it was shipped from the Connecticut warehouse in 1882. Jensen couldn’t locate who ordered the gun or where it went. In 1873, the Winchester originally sold for $50, but the price dropped in half during a subsequent recession, Jensen said. It is equivalent of more than $1000 today.
She said it’s something much more — a mystery that continues to baffle the staff at Great Basin National Park as who owned it.
She said everyone has a different theory about what would have happened.
Jensen said the area has a history of mining, ranching and hunting, and park researchers are scouring historical documents to learn who might have owned it.
Jensen consulted the Buffalo Bill Museum and determined that the gun in her possession was made in 1882.
The .44-caliber rifle wasn’t loaded. It could fire 15 shots without reloading. The gun’s location — on a wooded, craggy hillside with a commanding view of the valley to the east — suggested a good strategic spot for a gun battle. Maybe the gun jammed and was abandoned.
As per the weapon’s order number, it was shipped from the Connecticut warehouse in 1882. Jensen couldn’t locate who ordered the gun or where it went. In 1873, the Winchester originally sold for $50, but the price dropped in half during a subsequent recession, Jensen said. It is equivalent of more than $1000 today.
She said it’s something much more — a mystery that continues to baffle the staff at Great Basin National Park as who owned it.
She said everyone has a different theory about what would have happened.
Jensen said the area has a history of mining, ranching and hunting, and park researchers are scouring historical documents to learn who might have owned it.
Jensen consulted the Buffalo Bill Museum and determined that the gun in her possession was made in 1882.
New species discovered beneath ocean crust
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Two miles below the surface of the ocean, researchers have discovered new microbes that "breathe" sulfate.
The microbes, which have yet to be classified and named, exist in massive undersea aquifers -- networks of channels in porous rock beneath the ocean where water continually churns. About one-third of the Earth's biomass is thought to exist in this largely uncharted environment.
"It was surprising to find new bugs, but when we go to warmer, relatively old and isolated fluids, we find a unique microbial community," said Alberto Robador, postdoctoral researcher at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences and lead author of a paper on the new findings published in Microbiology on Jan. 14.
Sulfate is a compound of sulfur and oxygen that occurs naturally in seawater. It is used commercially in everything from car batteries to bath salts and can be aerosolized by the burning of fossil fuels, increasing the acidity of the atmosphere.
Microbes that breathe sulfate -- that is, gain energy by reacting sulfate with organic (carbon-containing) compounds -- are thought to be some of the oldest types of organisms on Earth. Other species of sulfate-breathing microbes can be found in marshes and hydrothermal vents.
Microbes beneath the ocean's crust, however, are incredibly tricky to sample.
Researchers from USC and the University of Hawaii took their samples from the Juan de Fuca Ridge (off the coast of Washington state), where previous teams had placed underwater laboratories, drilled into the ocean floor. To place the labs, they lowered a drill through two miles of ocean and bored through several hundred feet of ocean sediment and into the rock where the aquifer flows.
The microbes, which have yet to be classified and named, exist in massive undersea aquifers -- networks of channels in porous rock beneath the ocean where water continually churns. About one-third of the Earth's biomass is thought to exist in this largely uncharted environment.
"It was surprising to find new bugs, but when we go to warmer, relatively old and isolated fluids, we find a unique microbial community," said Alberto Robador, postdoctoral researcher at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences and lead author of a paper on the new findings published in Microbiology on Jan. 14.
Sulfate is a compound of sulfur and oxygen that occurs naturally in seawater. It is used commercially in everything from car batteries to bath salts and can be aerosolized by the burning of fossil fuels, increasing the acidity of the atmosphere.
Microbes that breathe sulfate -- that is, gain energy by reacting sulfate with organic (carbon-containing) compounds -- are thought to be some of the oldest types of organisms on Earth. Other species of sulfate-breathing microbes can be found in marshes and hydrothermal vents.
Microbes beneath the ocean's crust, however, are incredibly tricky to sample.
Researchers from USC and the University of Hawaii took their samples from the Juan de Fuca Ridge (off the coast of Washington state), where previous teams had placed underwater laboratories, drilled into the ocean floor. To place the labs, they lowered a drill through two miles of ocean and bored through several hundred feet of ocean sediment and into the rock where the aquifer flows.
New hope for malaria TB combination drug
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Scientists at the International Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology in New Delhi have developed a new synthetic molecule that prevents both the microbes of tuberculosis and malaria from attacking human cells.
“This work forms the framework for the development of a single drug for combating two deadly infectious diseases, namely malaria and tuberculosis, where wide-spread drug resistance is rampant,” says Dr Pawan Malhotra, the lead author and collaborating scientist of this study.
While there may be some time before such peptide-based drugs are widely seen in the market, the study paves the way to identifying and targeting host-specific molecules for treatment of infectious diseases.
“What we have tried to do is to target human proteins to fight deadly infectious diseases. We have discovered a completely synthetic polypeptide that interacts with human protein called ICAM-1 and its homologue ICAM-4 and inhibits infection by as much as 80%, of pathogens that cause tuberculosis and malaria,” one of the authors of the study Dr Anand Ranganathan said.
“This work forms the framework for the development of a single drug for combating two deadly infectious diseases, namely malaria and tuberculosis, where wide-spread drug resistance is rampant,” says Dr Pawan Malhotra, the lead author and collaborating scientist of this study.
While there may be some time before such peptide-based drugs are widely seen in the market, the study paves the way to identifying and targeting host-specific molecules for treatment of infectious diseases.
“What we have tried to do is to target human proteins to fight deadly infectious diseases. We have discovered a completely synthetic polypeptide that interacts with human protein called ICAM-1 and its homologue ICAM-4 and inhibits infection by as much as 80%, of pathogens that cause tuberculosis and malaria,” one of the authors of the study Dr Anand Ranganathan said.
Pahlaj Nihalani appointed new Censor Board chairperson
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Producer Pahlaj Nihalani has been appointed as the new chairperson of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting announced on Monday.
“The Central government is pleased to appoint Pahlaj Nihalani as Chairperson of the Central Board of Film Certification in an honorary capacity from Jan. 19, 2015 for a period of three years or until further orders, whichever is earlier,” read a statement.
Mr. Nihalani has produced films like “Shola Aur Shabnam” and “Andaz” in the past.
CBFC is a statutory body under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. It regulates the public exhibition of films under the provisions of the Cinematograph Act 1952.
“The Central government is pleased to appoint Pahlaj Nihalani as Chairperson of the Central Board of Film Certification in an honorary capacity from Jan. 19, 2015 for a period of three years or until further orders, whichever is earlier,” read a statement.
Mr. Nihalani has produced films like “Shola Aur Shabnam” and “Andaz” in the past.
CBFC is a statutory body under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. It regulates the public exhibition of films under the provisions of the Cinematograph Act 1952.
Environment, not genes, dictates our immune system
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WASHINGTON: Our environment, more than our heredity, plays the starring role in determining the state of our immune system, the body's primary defence against disease, a new study of twins has shown.
This is especially true as we age, the study indicates.
"The idea in some circles has been that if you sequence someone's genome, you can tell what diseases they're going to have 50 years later," said Mark Davis, from Stanford University's Institute for Immunity, Transplantation and Infection.
But while genomic variation clearly plays a key role in some diseases, he said, the immune system has to be tremendously adaptable in order to cope with unpredictable episodes of infection, injury and tumour formation.
"When you examine people's immune systems, you often find tremendous differences between them. So we wondered whether this reflects underlying genetic differences or something else," said Davis, senior author of the study.
"But what we found was that in most cases, including the reaction to a standard influenza vaccine and other types of immune responsiveness, there is little or no genetic influence at work, and most likely the environment and your exposure to innumerable microbes is the major driver," Davis said.
To determine nature's and nurture's relative contributions, Davis and his colleagues turned to a century-old method of teasing apart environmental and hereditary influences.
They compared pairs of monozygotic twins - best known as "identical" - and of dizygotic, or fraternal, twins.
The researchers recruited 78 monozygotic-twin pairs and 27 pairs of dizygotic twins. They drew blood from both members of each twin pair on three separate visits.
This is especially true as we age, the study indicates.
"The idea in some circles has been that if you sequence someone's genome, you can tell what diseases they're going to have 50 years later," said Mark Davis, from Stanford University's Institute for Immunity, Transplantation and Infection.
But while genomic variation clearly plays a key role in some diseases, he said, the immune system has to be tremendously adaptable in order to cope with unpredictable episodes of infection, injury and tumour formation.
"When you examine people's immune systems, you often find tremendous differences between them. So we wondered whether this reflects underlying genetic differences or something else," said Davis, senior author of the study.
"But what we found was that in most cases, including the reaction to a standard influenza vaccine and other types of immune responsiveness, there is little or no genetic influence at work, and most likely the environment and your exposure to innumerable microbes is the major driver," Davis said.
To determine nature's and nurture's relative contributions, Davis and his colleagues turned to a century-old method of teasing apart environmental and hereditary influences.
They compared pairs of monozygotic twins - best known as "identical" - and of dizygotic, or fraternal, twins.
The researchers recruited 78 monozygotic-twin pairs and 27 pairs of dizygotic twins. They drew blood from both members of each twin pair on three separate visits.
History of Olympic Game
ANCIENT OLYMPIC GAMES
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The origin of the ancient Olympic Games is lost the midst of pre-history, but for many centuries they were only a festival of the Greek people. The Games were first held in honour of the Greek God, Zeus in 776 BC in the plain of kingdom of Elis, nestled in lush valley between the Alpheus River and Mount Kronion, 15 km from the Ionian Sea. The Olympiad celebrated that year was considered as the first and was used to date subsequent historic events. But religious ceremonies and games were held in Olympia before that time. The oldest sanctuary of Greece was there, the altar of the Great Mother of Gods, Rhea (Earth). On the day of the feast, the priest stood in front of the altar, ready to perform a sacrifice. Women were forbidden to be present and the male contestants were naked. Young men waited at a distance on one stadium (about 200 yds). As soon as a signal was given they ran and the first to arrive at the altar received the torch from the priest’s hand and lit the sacrificial fire
The old Olympiads were held after every four years and the Greeks measured time in terms of Games started on the first new moon after the summer solstice, around mid-July. The ancient Olympic Games lasted for five days and the events took place in a precise order. On the first day, there were sacrifices and opening ceremonies. On the second day there were special competitions for the “ephebians”. The third day was devoted to events for adult competitors: dromos, diaulos, dolichos, pugilism, wrestling, pancratium. On the fourth day, there were equestrian events, pentathlon, and race with arms. On the fifth and the final day, there were closing ceremonies and proclamation of the heroes. During the first six Olympic games, however, the prize had been a portion of meat or ‘meria’ taken from an animal sacrificed to the Gods. It was only after VII Games that the olive crown was given to the winners and the moral significance of the prize was considerable. Once the prizes were awarded, a flock of pigeons was releases to carry the names of the champions to all the corners of the Greece.
The Games came to a sudden end when the Roman Emperor Theodosius banned the competitions and their attendant sacrificial offerings as pagan manifestations. From 395 AD onwards the fall of Olympia was very rapid. In that year the first damage was caused by the invasion of Alaric’s barbarians. A year earlier the famous crysele-phantide statute of Zeus had been taken to Constantinople. It was destroyed in 475 AD during the great fire. Following the attacks of the Goths, a fire destroyed the temple of Zeus; earth quakes from 522 to 551 and the most severe of all in 580 brought down whatever had remained standing. Glory had vanished and of the vast riches there were now left but a few ruins and the name of Olympia. Something immortal remained, however, and that was the Olympic spirit.
The origin of the ancient Olympic Games is lost the midst of pre-history, but for many centuries they were only a festival of the Greek people. The Games were first held in honour of the Greek God, Zeus in 776 BC in the plain of kingdom of Elis, nestled in lush valley between the Alpheus River and Mount Kronion, 15 km from the Ionian Sea. The Olympiad celebrated that year was considered as the first and was used to date subsequent historic events. But religious ceremonies and games were held in Olympia before that time. The oldest sanctuary of Greece was there, the altar of the Great Mother of Gods, Rhea (Earth). On the day of the feast, the priest stood in front of the altar, ready to perform a sacrifice. Women were forbidden to be present and the male contestants were naked. Young men waited at a distance on one stadium (about 200 yds). As soon as a signal was given they ran and the first to arrive at the altar received the torch from the priest’s hand and lit the sacrificial fire
The old Olympiads were held after every four years and the Greeks measured time in terms of Games started on the first new moon after the summer solstice, around mid-July. The ancient Olympic Games lasted for five days and the events took place in a precise order. On the first day, there were sacrifices and opening ceremonies. On the second day there were special competitions for the “ephebians”. The third day was devoted to events for adult competitors: dromos, diaulos, dolichos, pugilism, wrestling, pancratium. On the fourth day, there were equestrian events, pentathlon, and race with arms. On the fifth and the final day, there were closing ceremonies and proclamation of the heroes. During the first six Olympic games, however, the prize had been a portion of meat or ‘meria’ taken from an animal sacrificed to the Gods. It was only after VII Games that the olive crown was given to the winners and the moral significance of the prize was considerable. Once the prizes were awarded, a flock of pigeons was releases to carry the names of the champions to all the corners of the Greece.
The Games came to a sudden end when the Roman Emperor Theodosius banned the competitions and their attendant sacrificial offerings as pagan manifestations. From 395 AD onwards the fall of Olympia was very rapid. In that year the first damage was caused by the invasion of Alaric’s barbarians. A year earlier the famous crysele-phantide statute of Zeus had been taken to Constantinople. It was destroyed in 475 AD during the great fire. Following the attacks of the Goths, a fire destroyed the temple of Zeus; earth quakes from 522 to 551 and the most severe of all in 580 brought down whatever had remained standing. Glory had vanished and of the vast riches there were now left but a few ruins and the name of Olympia. Something immortal remained, however, and that was the Olympic spirit.
MODERN OLYMPIC GAMES
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The revival work of the Games was undertaken by Baron Pierre de Coubertin nearly 1,500 years after the last of the ancient Games. He was born into a family of Italian origin which had settled in France. It was on November 25, 1892, during a conference at Sorbonne about the history of physical exercises, that he first pronounced those famous six words in public “The Restoration of the Olympic Games”. He said that the games would ennoble and strengthen amateur sports, to give them strength and lasting quality for an essential role in the world of modern education.
It was at the International Congress for the for the Study of the Propagation of the Principles of Amateurism held in Paris in June 1894 that the delegates led by Baron Pierre de Coubertin and associates unanimously voted to restore the Olympic Games and to create an International Olympic committee to oversee them. De Coubertin had planned to propose Paris for the site of the first modern Olympics in 1900 but the enthusiasm and zeal of the delegates was so great that they insisted the first Games to be held in 1896. Athens was, there fore, the venue for the 1896 Games. Since then these Games are held very four years.The aims of the Olympic Movement are to promote the development of these fine physical and moral qualities which are the basis of amateur sports and to bring together the athletes of the world in a great quadrennial festival of sports. The honour of holding the Olympic Games is entrusted to a city ad not a country or area. The choice of a city for the celebration of an Olympiad is with the International Olympic Committee.
The XXII Olympic Games were held in Moscow from July 19 to August 3, 1980. Only 80 of the 140 member countries of the International Olympic Committee participated due to a Western-sponsored boycott of the Games. The XXIII Games were held in Los Angeles from July 28 to August 12, 1984. The Games were boycotted by the Soviet Union and other Eastern bloc countries except Romania because of security reason. The Games also saw the re-entry of China after an absence of 32 years. It was America’s year at the Games just as it was Russia’s year in the XXII Games in Moscow in 1980 when Americans had boycotted. The XXIV Games were held in Seoul, the capital of South Korea, form September 17 to October 2, 1988. The Soviet Union was the biggest medals winner of the Games which was participated by 160 countries. The XXV Games were held in Barcelona, the second largest city of Spain, in July August 1992. Athletes from 171 countries participated and Olympic medals were awarded to a record 64 nations, breaking the mark of 52 set at the 1988 Seoul Olympic.
The XXVI Modern Olympic Games were held in Atlanta (USA) from July 19 to August 4 in 1996. Over 10,000 athletes from 197 countries participated in the 26 sports and 37 disciplines. The Mascot of the Atlanta Olympics was a computer-generated creative called `Izzy’.
The revival work of the Games was undertaken by Baron Pierre de Coubertin nearly 1,500 years after the last of the ancient Games. He was born into a family of Italian origin which had settled in France. It was on November 25, 1892, during a conference at Sorbonne about the history of physical exercises, that he first pronounced those famous six words in public “The Restoration of the Olympic Games”. He said that the games would ennoble and strengthen amateur sports, to give them strength and lasting quality for an essential role in the world of modern education.
It was at the International Congress for the for the Study of the Propagation of the Principles of Amateurism held in Paris in June 1894 that the delegates led by Baron Pierre de Coubertin and associates unanimously voted to restore the Olympic Games and to create an International Olympic committee to oversee them. De Coubertin had planned to propose Paris for the site of the first modern Olympics in 1900 but the enthusiasm and zeal of the delegates was so great that they insisted the first Games to be held in 1896. Athens was, there fore, the venue for the 1896 Games. Since then these Games are held very four years.The aims of the Olympic Movement are to promote the development of these fine physical and moral qualities which are the basis of amateur sports and to bring together the athletes of the world in a great quadrennial festival of sports. The honour of holding the Olympic Games is entrusted to a city ad not a country or area. The choice of a city for the celebration of an Olympiad is with the International Olympic Committee.
The XXII Olympic Games were held in Moscow from July 19 to August 3, 1980. Only 80 of the 140 member countries of the International Olympic Committee participated due to a Western-sponsored boycott of the Games. The XXIII Games were held in Los Angeles from July 28 to August 12, 1984. The Games were boycotted by the Soviet Union and other Eastern bloc countries except Romania because of security reason. The Games also saw the re-entry of China after an absence of 32 years. It was America’s year at the Games just as it was Russia’s year in the XXII Games in Moscow in 1980 when Americans had boycotted. The XXIV Games were held in Seoul, the capital of South Korea, form September 17 to October 2, 1988. The Soviet Union was the biggest medals winner of the Games which was participated by 160 countries. The XXV Games were held in Barcelona, the second largest city of Spain, in July August 1992. Athletes from 171 countries participated and Olympic medals were awarded to a record 64 nations, breaking the mark of 52 set at the 1988 Seoul Olympic.
The XXVI Modern Olympic Games were held in Atlanta (USA) from July 19 to August 4 in 1996. Over 10,000 athletes from 197 countries participated in the 26 sports and 37 disciplines. The Mascot of the Atlanta Olympics was a computer-generated creative called `Izzy’.
OLYMPIC SYMBOL
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It comprises of five rings or circles, linked together to represent the sporting friendship of all people. The rings also symbolize the continents Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia and America. Each ring is of a different colour, i.e., blue, yellow, black, green and red.
It comprises of five rings or circles, linked together to represent the sporting friendship of all people. The rings also symbolize the continents Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia and America. Each ring is of a different colour, i.e., blue, yellow, black, green and red.
OLYMPIC FLAG
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The Olympic flag created in 1913 at the suggestion of Baron Pierre de Coubertin, was solemnly inaugurated in Paris in June 1914 but it was raised over an Olympic stadium for the first time at the Antwerp Games (Belgium) in 1920. There is also a second Olympic flag, which is used for the Winter Games. These Flags are made of white silk and contain five intertwined rings. From left to right the rings are blue, yellow, black, green and red. The rings are meant to represent five continents viz., Africa (black), America (red), Asia (yellow), Australia (green) and Europe (blue). At least one of these colours is found on the flag of every country.
The Olympic flag created in 1913 at the suggestion of Baron Pierre de Coubertin, was solemnly inaugurated in Paris in June 1914 but it was raised over an Olympic stadium for the first time at the Antwerp Games (Belgium) in 1920. There is also a second Olympic flag, which is used for the Winter Games. These Flags are made of white silk and contain five intertwined rings. From left to right the rings are blue, yellow, black, green and red. The rings are meant to represent five continents viz., Africa (black), America (red), Asia (yellow), Australia (green) and Europe (blue). At least one of these colours is found on the flag of every country.
OLYMPIC FLAME
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It was at the Amsterdam Games in 1928 that for the first time an Olympic flame was ceremonially lighted and burned in a giant torch at the entrance of the stadium. The modern version of the flame was adopted in 1936 at the Berlin Games. The Olympic flame symbolizes the continuity between the ancient and modern Games. The torch used to kindle the flame, is first lit by the sun’s rays at Olympia, Greece, and then carried to the site of the Games by relay of runners. Ships and planes are used when necessary. On July 15, 1976, space age technology was used to transport the flame from one continent to another.
It was at the Amsterdam Games in 1928 that for the first time an Olympic flame was ceremonially lighted and burned in a giant torch at the entrance of the stadium. The modern version of the flame was adopted in 1936 at the Berlin Games. The Olympic flame symbolizes the continuity between the ancient and modern Games. The torch used to kindle the flame, is first lit by the sun’s rays at Olympia, Greece, and then carried to the site of the Games by relay of runners. Ships and planes are used when necessary. On July 15, 1976, space age technology was used to transport the flame from one continent to another.
OLYMPIC MOTTO
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The Olympic motto is “Citius-Altius-Fortius” (faster, higher, stronger). Rev. Father Didon (1840-1900), headmaster of a school near Paris and a great promoter of sports in the French Catholic colleges near the end of the nineteenth century, first used the motto and had it embroidered on the pennants of his school clubs. This succinct definition of the philosophy of sport appealed to father Didon’s friend, Baron pierre de Coubertin who was responsible for the revival work of the Olympic Games nearly 1,500 yeas after the last of the ancient games. It was adopted at his suggestion at the International Congress for the “Study and Propagation of the Principles of Amateurism” on June 23, 1894, the same day on which the restoration of the Olympic Games and the creation of the International Olympic Committee were also decided.
The Olympic motto is “Citius-Altius-Fortius” (faster, higher, stronger). Rev. Father Didon (1840-1900), headmaster of a school near Paris and a great promoter of sports in the French Catholic colleges near the end of the nineteenth century, first used the motto and had it embroidered on the pennants of his school clubs. This succinct definition of the philosophy of sport appealed to father Didon’s friend, Baron pierre de Coubertin who was responsible for the revival work of the Olympic Games nearly 1,500 yeas after the last of the ancient games. It was adopted at his suggestion at the International Congress for the “Study and Propagation of the Principles of Amateurism” on June 23, 1894, the same day on which the restoration of the Olympic Games and the creation of the International Olympic Committee were also decided.
OLYMPIC PRIZES, MEDALS AND CERTIFICATES
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While in ancient times the Olympic heroes received a crown of olive branches for their exploits, modern Olympic champions are rewarded with medals and certificates. The winning athlete now receives a gold medal, the athlete in the second place is awarded a Silver medal and the third placed athlete wins a Bronze medal. In addition, all athletes ranking from first to sixth receive a certificate. Each medal is 60 mm in diameter and 3 mm thick. The first and second place medals are made of 92.5 per cent silver and the medal for the first winner is then plated with 6 gram of fine gold. Thus this medal is not of full gold. The third place medal is of bronze.
While in ancient times the Olympic heroes received a crown of olive branches for their exploits, modern Olympic champions are rewarded with medals and certificates. The winning athlete now receives a gold medal, the athlete in the second place is awarded a Silver medal and the third placed athlete wins a Bronze medal. In addition, all athletes ranking from first to sixth receive a certificate. Each medal is 60 mm in diameter and 3 mm thick. The first and second place medals are made of 92.5 per cent silver and the medal for the first winner is then plated with 6 gram of fine gold. Thus this medal is not of full gold. The third place medal is of bronze.
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