Once-conjoined NY twins make debut at Pa. hospital

Monday, 31 December 2012

Philadelphia, Dec 31 : More than nine months after they were born joined at the lower chest and abdomen, twin girls made their public debut at the hospital where they were separated.

Allison June and Amelia Lee Tucker, clad in animal-striped shirts and flowered headbands, were introduced during a news conference at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. Both girls still have nasal tubes but appeared rosy-cheeked and alert as they were held by their parents, Shellie and Greg Tucker, of Adams, N.Y., about 300 miles north of Philadelphia near Lake Ontario.

Allison, described by doctors and her parents as the smaller but feistier twin, was discharged from the hospital. Her sister Amelia, who's larger and more reserved, needs a little more recovery time and will remain in the hospital into the new year.

"We totally expect them to have full, independent lives," said pediatric surgeon Dr. Holly Hedrick, who led a 40-person medical team in the complex seven-hour operation on Nov. 7.

The twins shared a chest wall, diaphragm, liver and pericardium, the membrane around the heart.

Shellie Tucker was about 20 weeks into her pregnancy when she learned she was carrying conjoined twins. Prenatal screening tests at Children's Hospital, including ultrasound imaging and MRI, determined that they would be good candidates for separation.

Planning for the separation surgery began months before the twins were delivered by cesarean section on March 1. Shortly after they were born, plastic surgeons inserted expanders under the girls' skin to increase the skin surface available to cover exposed organs after their separation.

Shellie Tucker described the past year as a "roller coaster ride" but said she was relieved now that her daughters are doing so well.

"The burden is completely gone, and I am very, very happy," she said.

The surgery was the 21st successful separation of conjoined twins performed at the hospital. The first was in 1957.

According to statistics provided by the hospital, conjoined twins occur once in every 50,000 to 60,000 births and about 70 percent are female. Most conjoined twins are stillborn.

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Soyuz capsule docks with space Station

Almaty, Dec 31 : A Soyuz capsule packed with three astronauts successfully docked with the International Space Station, taking the size of the full crew at the orbiting laboratory to six.

American Tom Marshburn, Russian Roman Romanenko and Canadian Chris Hadfield traveled two days in the capsule before linking up with the space station's Russian Rassvet research module.

The docking took place around 255 miles (410 kilometers) above the capital of Kazakhstan.

Almost three hours passed before pressure was equalized between the capsule and the space station, allowing for safe entrance.

As the hatches were unlocked, the arriving trio was welcomed by NASA astronaut Kevin Ford and Russian colleagues Oleg Novitsky and Yevgeny Tarelkin.

The six colleagues exchanged hugs and posed for photos as they floated in the weightless atmosphere of the station.

Minutes after entry, Hadfield could be heard saying in English: "I love what you've done with the place."

Hadfield flew to the space station in 2001, when he spent 11 days at the facility and performed two spacewalks. He will take over as the space station's first ever Canadian commander in its fourteen year history when the crew now onboard prepares to leave in March.

Family members spoke for the first since the launch with the astronauts in a linkup from the Korolyov space center outside Moscow.

"It was just a heck of a ride for the three of us. It's like being on a crazy dragster, just a fun, crazy zip up to space," Hadfield said, speaking to his son.

The incoming crew will spend nearly five months at the space station before returning to earth.

Their mission began with a launch from the Russian-leased Baikonur space port in southern Kazakhstan.

The International Space Station is the biggest orbiting outpost ever built and can sometimes be seen from the Earth with the naked eye. It consists of more than a dozen modules built by the U.S., Russia, Canada, Japan and the European Space Agency.

The astronauts will conduct some 50 scientific experiments including a test for a system aimed at predicting natural calamities.

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Bears were used in test flights of world’s first supersonic jet bomber

Washington, Dec 31 : When the U.S. Air Force was designing its first supersonic jet bomber in the 1950s, it turns out bears were an essential part of the process, helping to test the plane’s new ejection seats during the Cold War, according to i09.com.

The website has put together a summary of the role bears played in testing the supersonic Convair B-58 Hustler. Apparently, because Himalayan and American black bears are reasonably close in size to humans, they were deemed acceptable substitutes, after a team of humans died in an early ejection test.

So, while Chief Warrant Officer E.J. Murray became the first human to successfully eject from a B-58 at nonsupersonic speeds on Feb. 28, 1962, it was a 2-year-old, female black bear that made it into the history books for the first successful supersonic ejection from the aircraft. That occurred about a month later, on March 21.

The bear was ejected from the plane at 35,000 feet above Edwards Air Force Base at a speed of Mach 1.3. It took nearly eight minutes for the capsule containing the bear to reach the ground safely.

Io9 describes the ejection system: “In the new system, a pre-ejection handle yanked the pilot's legs in close and closed a scalloped shell that enclosed him while still allowing rudimentary control of the plane. The actual ejection handle sent the capsule up with a rocket burst, automatically deploying a parachute. The capsule was designed to float, and contained food and survival supplies.”

Statistically, the bears actually fared better than their human counterparts: While a team of humans died in an early ejection test of the B-58, no bears died during the later test runs. However, in an extremely unsettling twist, the bears were euthanized so their bodies could be examined after the ejection tests.

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EU to give Spain, France more time to cut deficit

Madrid, Dec 31: The European Commission will propose giving Spain, France and several other euro zone states more time to cut their public deficits below the target limit of 3 percent of GDP, newspaper El Pais said.

Citing senior Spanish and European Union sources, the Madrid-based daily said France could get an extra year, allowing it to narrow its fiscal gap by 2014, while Spain would be given one or two more years beyond that date.

France said that it would maintain its deficit-reduction goal for 2013 regardless of any softer line from Brussels. A Commission spokeswoman declined to comment on the report.

Spain's fiscal targets are to be reassessed in February, EU Economic and Monetary Affairs Commissioner Olli Rehn said last month. No additional austerity efforts are needed until 2014, he added, when more structural reforms are likely to be required.

France does not appear to need additional belt-tightening and may have room for a "softer adjustment", the commissioner also said in an interview with France's Le Monde newspaper.

But France said it planned to stick to its 3 percent goal for next year. "Our public finance path remains unchanged as it was fixed in the autumn," an aide to Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said.

The French government's 2013 budget is based on a 0.8 percent growth forecast for the year - more optimistic than the flat economic output predicted by Brussels and the International Monetary Fund.

European and Spanish sources had said earlier this month that Spain's fiscal path was likely be loosened to offset the country's second recession in three years.

Such decisions need a formal discussion between the 27 European commissioners as well as a political green light from euro zone finance ministers.

Spain sought support from its European partners this year for its ailing banks, hit by a burst property bubble.

Recession is also undermining government efforts to keep the public debt burden in check, and financial markets expect Madrid to seek sovereign aid sometime next year.

Madrid is to unveil new curbs on index-linked pension payouts and accelerate increases to the retirement age. Both EU demands must be met for Spain to tap international aid, lower its debt costs and fix its stricken economy.

According to El Pais, the Commission has agreed on a new Spanish deficit path of 7 percent of economic output in 2012 and 6 percent in 2013. That compares to current targets of 6.3 percent for 2012 and 4.5 percent for 2013.

Senior Spanish officials said this month the deficit would probably come in at around 7 percent at year end.

Spain's 17 highly devolved autonomous regions are broadly on course to meet their deficit target of 1.5 percent of GDP, while the central government is heading for a deficit close to 5.5 percent, including social security spending.

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Modest discounts, fiscal cliff deter last-minute shoppers

New York, Dec 31 : Retailers may not see a sales surge this weekend as ho-hum discounts and fears about imminent tax hikes and cuts in government spending give Americans fewer reasons to open their wallets in the last few days before Christmas.

The acrimonious debate in Washington over how to avoid the so-called "fiscal cliff" is one of a number of concerns weighing on shoppers, experts said, as consumers head to malls ahead of the holiday - typically one of the busiest shopping days of the year.

"I don't think we're going to get a great pickup in the last few days here," said Ron Friedman, retail practice leader at consulting firm Marcum LLP, explaining how the uncertainty related to the "cliff" was weighing on American minds.

"That whole fiscal cliff thing is a bit nerve-wracking, and we're trying to save a bit of money for some (home construction) projects next year," Emma Carrington, 43, said while shopping at the Westfield Old Orchard Mall in Skokie, Illinois.

The mother of three, who was at a Barnes & Noble store to buy her husband a Nook e-reader, said she was spending less than last year.

"We just try to stay on a budget. We're not going crazy," said Tom Chowinski, a market researcher at Nielsen, who was shopping with his wife for their four adult children at a Wal-Mart store in Westbury, New York.

U.S. consumer sentiment plummeted in December as Americans were unnerved by ongoing negotiations. The University of Michigan's final reading on the overall index on consumer sentiment tumbled to 72.9 from 82.7 in November, worse than forecasts for 74.7. It was the lowest level since July.

"Whenever you introduce anxiety, it will have an impact on shoppers' spending," especially those who shop on credit, said Kevin Regan, senior manager director at FTI Consulting.

Some, like New Yorker Linda Hampton, shopping at a Best Buy store, hope lawmakers will somehow avert the "cliff."

"It would be a disaster. Our taxes will go up. But I think our president will step in," Hampton said.

Talks to avoid the fiscal cliff stalled when Republican lawmakers rejected House Speaker John Boehner's proposal aimed at winning concessions from President Barack Obama.

"What could have been a merry Christmas is going to turn to a ho-hum Christmas, and we can thank our, you know, politicians for getting in the middle of it all," NPD analyst Marshal Cohen said. "This great unknown puts a big damper on the consumer feeling confident to go out and spend more."

Malls from New York to Illinois to California had modest crowds, but experts said shoppers could simply be procrastinating. Unlike the past couple of years, when Christmas fell on a weekend, the holiday falls this year, giving last-minute shoppers more breathing room.

Also, many retailers were still offering free shipping and promising to deliver items by Christmas Eve.

"The traffic you see out and about may not necessarily give you the full picture," said Ramesh Swamy, an analyst at Deloitte.

Shoshana Pucci, senior marketing manager at Glendale Galleria in Southern California, said she expected these shoppers to even make multiple visits rather than do all their last-minute shopping in one go.

The holiday quarter can account for about 30 percent of annual sales and half of profit for many chains.

More than 60 percent of U.S. consumers have already finished more than three-quarters of their holiday shopping, according to a poll released here. This means retailers will have to bait shoppers with big discounts to get them to open their wallets in the last lap of the holiday race.

While Cohen and Friedman expected retailers to pull out all the stops this weekend to woo last-minute shoppers, some others expected discounts to be less aggressive since retailers did a better job of managing inventory this year.

"Customers will not be finding deals as good as last year," said Scott Tuhy, a vice president at Moody's. "I haven't seen 60-70 percent off sales as much."

While Barnes & Noble offered 25 percent off on any one item except Nook products, Ann Inc's Loft chain offered 50 percent off on everything except new arrivals. Gap offered 40 percent off on all denims, while Victoria's Secret advertised $5 lacie panties and $10 off some yoga wear.

Stores of Macy's and Nordstrom were some of the busiest at Roosevelt Field mall in Garden City, on New York's Long Island, but crowds were moderate at the J.C. Penney store.

This week, research firm ShopperTrak lowered its sales forecast for November and December and now expects sales to be up 2.5 percent, rather than up 3.3 percent.

Many retailers reported record traffic on Thanksgiving Day and the subsequent weekend, but several, including Macy's Inc and Saks Inc, lost a lot of business in early November because of Superstorm Sandy.

Sales for the November-December holiday season look set to rise 4.1 percent to $586.1 billion this year after a 5.6 percent increase in 2011, according to the National Retail Federation.

"Retailers are going to be pretty challenged this year in trying to get beyond all this," Cohen said, referring to a string of events this holiday season that have weighed on U.S. shoppers including the hurricane, gridlock in Washington and the December 14 shooting at an elementary school in Connecticut.

NRF sees 2013 retail sales rising about 2 to 2.5 percent if the fiscal cliff is averted. If not, sales would be essentially flat for the year, the trade group estimated in a study with Macroeconomic Advisers.

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Hyundai Heavy Ind. Group wins orders worth $1.05 billion

Seoul, Dec 31 : Hyundai Heavy Industries  announced that the company and its affiliated shipyard have obtained orders totaling $1.05 billion to build five liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers.

Hyundai Heavy said in a statement it had won an order for one 155,000-cubic-metre LNG carrier worth $210 million from Brunei Gas.

The company's affiliated shipyard, Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries, also won a contract for four 174,000-cubic-metre LNG carriers valued at $840 million from Greece's Maran Gas. The contract included an option exercisable by the owner for two additional same-class LNG carriers, Hyundai added.

The LNG carriers, scheduled to be delivered between 2015 and 2016, will feature the so-called dual fuel diesel engine system (DFDE) which allows the ships to run either on diesel fuel or natural gas, according to the company.

Since its first LNG carrier order in 1991, Hyundai Heavy Industries has built 40 such carriers while Hyundai Samho Heavy has won orders for 10 LNG vessels since 2011.

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ICE's NYSE swoop creates derivatives giant

London, Dec 31 : Intercontinental Exchange Inc (ICE) agreed as part of its $8.2 billion takeover of NYSE Euronext (NYX) to pay the New York Stock Exchange operator a termination fee of $750 million if it fails to gain antitrust clearances, suggesting a high level of confidence the deal will go through.

Big Board parent NYSE could get out of the arrangement for a fee of $300 million if a sweeter deal were to come along, according to a regulatory filing.

ICE failed last year to buy NYSE in a joint bid with Nasdaq OMX Group (NDAQ). At the time, NYSE was involved in year-long pursuit to sell itself to Frankfurt's Deutsche Bourse (DB1.DE). In the end, regulators killed both deals, saying they would be anti-competitive.

On its own, Atlanta-based ICE lacks the massive equities operations of Nasdaq or Deutsche Bourse, so there is less overlap between the two exchanges, antitrust lawyers said, making regulatory approval far more likely.

Some in the industry have suggested that CME Group (CME) could table a competing offer for NYSE, but they said that would not be likely for several reasons, including the break-up fee.

People familiar with the deal said other issues include potential antitrust concerns and the fact that under the latest agreement, NYSE's Liffe business will do all its clearing through ICE regardless of whether the deal goes through.

"The clearing deal they signed is like a second break-up fee," one of the people said.

Also, CME has not been known for making large deals. "It does not seem to be in its DNA," said Adam Sussman, director of research at Tabb Group.

NYSE CEO Duncan Niederauer acknowledged a higher bid could come along, but that NYSE would not chase after a deal unless it was almost certain it would pass regulatory muster.

"If we did that for another year and at the end we are told, 'we are not going to allow you to do this because of the overlap of your businesses,' we would look beyond foolish," he said in an interview.

The deal, announced, would give 12-year old commodities and energy bourse ICE a powerful presence in Europe's lucrative financial derivatives market through control of NYSE Liffe, Europe's second-largest futures exchange, and a major advantage over U.S.-based rivals CME and Nasdaq.

All three want to challenge Deutsche Boerse's European dominance. A shake-up in banking regulation is expected to increase demand sharply for clearing financial derivatives through such exchanges.

"The deal would place a bigger and more aggressive competitor on Deutsche Boerse's doorstep," said Richard Perrott, an analyst at Berenberg Bank.

Regulatory changes in the wake of the financial crisis are forcing banks to channel derivatives business through clearing houses and regulated exchanges to ensure their risk positions can be better monitored than they were when bank dealers were trading complex contracts directly among themselves.

The reforms are expected to be fully operational in Europe in 2014.

ICE's takeover of NYSE Liffe will give it an advantage of existing presence in Europe over Chicago-based CME, owner of the world's largest futures market, and New York's Nasdaq, both of which plan to open their own London-based exchanges next year.

While the New York Stock Exchange, an enduring symbol of American capitalism, is NYSE Euronext's prestige business, London's Liffe is the real jewel in the crown.

With profits from stock trading significantly eroded by new technology and the rise of other places for investors to trade, the stock market businesses like NYSE are less valuable to ICE.

The company has said it will try to spin off NYSE's Euronext European stock market businesses in a public offering. This has generated speculation, which the company has denied, that it may also have little interest in the NYSE trading floor on Wall Street.

NYSE made an operating income of $473 million from Liffe in 2011 on revenues of $861 million compared to an income of $533 million on revenues of $1.3 billion from its equities business.

ICE's Jeff Sprecher will be CEO of the combined organisation and Duncan Niederauer, the NYSE Euronext CEO, will be president - a post he said he plans to remain in until at least 2014. The two are longtime friends.

ICE started out as an online marketplace for energy trading before Sprecher initiated a string of acquisitions, from the London-based International Petroleum Exchange in 2001, to the New York Board of Trade and, most recently, a handful of smaller deals, including a climate products exchange and a stake in a Brazilian clearing house.

A combined ICE-NYSE Euronext would leapfrog Deutsche Boerse (DB1.DE) to become the world's third largest exchange group with a combined market value of $15.2 billion. CME Group has a market value of $17.5 billion.

Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing is the world's largest exchange group, with a market cap of $19.5 billion.

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Japan's Abe heaps pressure on BOJ to set 2 percent inflation target

Tokyo, Dec 31: Japan's next premier, Shinzo Abe, renewed pressure on the central bank to adopt a 2 percent inflation target, saying that he will try to revise a law guaranteeing its independence if his demand is not met.

He also said he will pick someone who agrees with his views on the need for bolder monetary easing to succeed BOJ Governor Masaaki Shirakawa when his term expires in April next year.

"At this month's policy meeting, the BOJ said it would examine (setting an inflation target) at its next meeting" in January, Abe said on television.

"If it doesn't, we'll revise the BOJ Law and set up a policy accord with the central bank to agree on an inflation target. We may also seek to have the BOJ held accountable for job growth."

The comments are the strongest warning to date on the possibility of revising the law guaranteeing the BOJ's independence from political interference. It is rare for a prime minister or a would-be premier to make explicit demands on what the BOJ should do at its policy-setting meetings.

Abe, who is set to become prime minister after his opposition Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) won this month's lower house election, has put the BOJ at the center of political debate, urging bolder monetary stimulus to beat deflation.

He wants the BOJ to share with the government a binding 2 percent inflation target, double the central bank's current goal, and ease policy "unlimitedly" to achieve it. There is no specific time frame.

Under pressure, the central bank loosened policy for the third time in four months by boosting asset purchases. It also said it would consider setting a higher inflation target at its next policy-setting meeting on January 21-22.

Some central bank policymakers, notably the conservative Shirakawa, have been reluctant to set a 2 percent inflation target in a country which has been mired in grinding deflation for more than a decade.

But they may have little choice but to meet Abe's demand given explicit threats to the BOJ's independence.

Abe's LDP and coalition partner hold a two-thirds majority in the powerful lower house that allows them to overrule bills turned down in the upper house - including one to revise the BOJ Law.

"Countries around the world are printing more money to boost their export competitiveness. Japan must do so too" to keep the yen from rising, Abe said. "It makes a big difference whether the yen is at 80 to the dollar, or at 90 to the dollar."

Abe's new government will have the power to nominate a new BOJ governor when Shirakawa's term ends in April next year. The nomination, unlike other legislation, needs approval by both houses of parliament.

That means Abe needs support from other parties to pass through the nomination in the upper house, where his coalition doesn't hold a majority.

"I'd like to have someone who agrees with our view (on monetary policy)," Abe said on Shirakawa's successor. "There are parties that share my view" which should be willing to cooperate with the LDP in passing the nomination through the upper house, he said.

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MF Global trustee announces settlement deals key to cash payouts

New York, Dec 31 : The trustee for the failed MF Global Inc announced two key agreements that are expected to accelerate cash payouts to clients and creditors of the failed futures brokerage.

James Giddens, trustee for the MF Global estate, said in a statement he has negotiated deals to resolve disputes with the company's former British affiliate and the parent company, MF Global Holdings Ltd.

As a result of the UK agreement, Giddens estimated between$500 million and $600 million could be returned to the MF Global estate if the deal is finalized.

Giddens, whose job is to recover as much money as possible for customers, has returned about 80 percent of the money in customer trading accounts.

Giddens said claims by MF Global's securities customers could be fully restored. Commodities customers could get "significant additional distributions," he said.

The estate has a hearing scheduled for January 31, 2013 before the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York, the first step toward getting the UK agreement approved.

"The trustee's goal is still to return 100 percent to the commodities customers, and we will be going before the court in an attempt to achieve that," Kent Jarrell, a spokesman for Giddens, said.

MF Global improperly used customer money to plug liquidity gaps as the brokerage was in freefall last year, creating a roughly $1.6 billion gap in customer accounts, according to a June report by Giddens. The company filed for bankruptcy in October 2011.

As a result of money changing hands during MF Global's chaotic collapse, various company affiliates have been fighting over who owes money to whom.

Earlier this month, Giddens released a report saying more than 28,000 claims have been filed by the brokerage's commodities and securities customers, all but 200 have been fully resolved.

So far, Giddens has returned approximately $4.7 billion to commodities customers hit by the brokerage's collapse.

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Leopard strays into Gulmarg weather office

Srinagar, Dec 31: A leopard has strayed into an observatory of weather office in the famous ski resort of Gulmarg in held Kashmir, causing scare among the staff posted there, officials said.

 The staff of the observatory noticed the leopard this morning in the building when they went to record the minimum temperature this morning, the officials said.

 They said the panic-stricken employees left the building and informed the police and wild life department, the officials said, adding the leopard fled into the nearby forest before the arrival of the wild life team.

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In winter, Shaher-e-Khaas turns hub of delicious Harissa

Srinagar, Dec 31 : A soothing aroma of steaming spices fills cold air in a congested lane leading to Aali Kadal area of Shaher-e-Khaas. Braving bone chilling cold, people in small groups jostle through dense fog in wee hours and swarm around a unique shop.

 Forgetting their worldly problems for some moments, they sit around a steaming earthen pot warmed by firewood in the shop and keenly watch every movement of a man laced with a big wooden spoon called Dhagun in local parlance.

 Diligently skimming contents in the pot and intermediately mixing different varieties of spices, the man finally smiles. Harissa the traditional mutton delicacy is ready to be relished. This brings cheers on faces of everybody in the shop.

 With sharp dip in temperature, Harissa is the most preferred delicacy in winter in Srinagar. Surviving the onslaught of junk food, Shaher-e-Khaas is dotted with many Harissa shops but famous among them are mostly located in Aali Kadal and adjoining areas.

 30-year old Ajaz Ahmad Bhat is carrying on with his over 150 year old family business of Harissa making in his neatly decorated shop near Jamalatta near Zia Masjid along the Aali Kadal road.
 “My forefathers were masters of Harissa making. I am proud to carry forward our family business more importantly a tradition of Srinagar,” Ajaz said as customers irrespective of age throng his shop.

 The customers sit in a line and order Harissa in different quantities. A kilogram of Harissa costs Rs 500. However customers mostly prefer to eat plateful in the shop which costs from Rs 50 to Rs 100.

 “This rate is economical if our hard work and cost behind Harissa making into taken into consideration. We mostly have to use firewood to prepare Harissa which costs around thousand per quintal. Besides spices are also costly. Harissa making is an arduous task rather an art which one learns with constant practice,” Ajaz says as he serves Harissa to customers with a wooden mug.

 His father Bashir Ahmad Bhat,62, explains the process as customers patiently listen to him. For Harrisa he says mostly limb meat of sheep is used. First skim rice till it turns into custard. Then this rice concentration is mixed with meat and cooked rigorously. After addition of different spices including elaichi, garlic, souf and the mixture is kept in the earthen pot for 5-8 hours.

 “The bones will get separated and rest of the concentration has to be skimmed vigorously till it turns soft. Before serving Harissa, it is dressed with saffron flakes and oil,” Bhat explained.

 Ajaz said besides locals, Harissa is in huge demand outside the state and abroad. “I receive orders from other states and countries. Infact few days ago I dispatched 20 kilograms of Harissa to a Kashmiri family in Muscat,” Ajaz proudly said.

 Umar a youth who regularly relishes Harissa at this shop said it is better than junk food. “Harissa is without any preservatives and other harmful ingredients unlike junk food. It is served fresh and I relish it during winter,” he said.

 As Ajaz finishes selling Harissa at 10 am, his shop is still thronged by people. “There is so much demand for Harissa these days that customers have to make advance bookings,” Ajaz said.

 Noted historian Fida Hasnain said concept of Harissa making was brought to held Kashmir by Mirza Hyder Duglat of Yarkand during Chak period in 1540.

 Zareef Ahmad Zareef a prominent Kashmiri poet and an authority on held Kashmir’s cultural history traces roots of Harissa to the Mughal period.

 “Mughals used to boil sheep feet known as Pacha to make a kind of Harissa. It was during Afghan rule of Kashmir that Harissa was formally introduced in its present form in the Valley. At that time economic condition of Kashmiris was so weak that they could not afford to relish Harissa. They boiled turnips as they were cheap as alternative to Harissa,” Zareef said.

 Zarief said gradually two Harissa shops were opened at Aali Kadal and Saraf Kadal in Shahar-e-Khaas which used to be thronged by customers.

 “But one at Aali Kadal was famous as it added milk to the delicacy. First bowl of Harissa was sent to the Mirwaiz family after the first snowfall. People gifted it to each other after they used to win bet of the snowfall. Harissa has now become a part and parcel of our culture. It is also gifted to in-laws after engagements and marriages as a token of love,” Zarief said.

 Known for his satirical poetry, Zarief minces no words to say that “Harissa was misused extensively as a means of corruption in Kashmir.”

 “Some people used to send Harissa to government officials and ministers for favors,” he said.

 Medicos say that Harissa is good source of protein for humans. “Harissa has muscle and tissue building protein. It should be consumed in the proportion of one gram of per kg of body weight,” said a prominent physician Dr Nazir Mushtaq.

 “Over-eating of Harissa or any other food can lead to health complications and it overloads the body system,” he added.

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Disabled girl booked for stone pelting

Islamabad, Dec 31 : Police detained 17- year old disabled girl for her alleged involvement in stone pelting during the 2010 summer unrest.

She was booked under attempt to murder and other serious offences. However, she was released after court granted interim bail to her.

Police detained, Zahida Akhtar daughter of Ghulam Ahmad Dar of Batengoo area here in held Kashmir. “ Zahida was summoned by the police to the Saddar Police Station, Islamabad on the pretext that they had to seek some information regarding the bullet injury she received in 2010 but was later detained by them,” said the family members.

They said that her brother who accompanied her to the police station was told by the cops there that she has a case of stone pelting pending against her and would be released only after getting bail.

They said that Zahida had received a bullet injury in her leg when the forces fired upon the funeral procession of Maroof Ahmad Nath during the 2010 summer agitation.

The body of Maroof Nath was fished out from the river Jehlum days after he had drowned in it while being chased away by the forces.  The forces had fired on the funeral procession of the deceased at two different places resulting into the killing of Bilal Ahmad Najar and Noor-ul-Amin Dagga while others including Zahida received bullet injuries. Pertinently, a case stands registered against the two deceased persons as well as the injured in this connection. “Zahida has been also been booked under same charges as those of deceased and other persons who were injured on that day,” sources said.

Police said that Zahida was involved `in stone pelting during the 2010 summer unrest.

“Zahida was involved in stone pelting during the 2010 summer unrest and was booked under various charges including attempt to murder,” a police official told Greater Kashmir.

He said that a case FIR no 355/2010 US 307, 148, 149, 188, 336, 427 RPC and ¾ Prevention of Public Property Act stands registered against the girl.

However, the family members contest the police claim saying that she was implicated on frivolous grounds.

“My daughter has never been involved in stone pelting and on the day she received bullet injury she had gone to her relatives house in Islamabad when the funeral procession was fired upon,” said Zahida’s mother.

She said that since then Zahida is on medication and cannot walk without any support. “My daughter cannot spend a single moment without me. I don’t know how she has would have spent the whole night in the Police Station, where there are only male inmates,” said Mukhtee.

She alleged the policemen did not even allow them to provide her medicines and blanket.

“Though her sister was allowed to accompany her only after we pleaded to the cops but I am worried about her and could not sleep the whole night,” said Mukhtee.

The family lives in abject poverty in a small muddy house.
“My husband and me are both aged and ailing. Our sons who live separately toil hard to support us as well as their own families,” said she.

Zahida’s brother Adil Dar said: “I don’t know what my ailing sister has done that she has suddenly become threat to the state.”
He said that his sister is only 17 and was in 7th standard when she received the bullet injury.

“Zahida could not pursue her studies further as she was rendered handicapped due to the bullet injury and was forced to leave her studies midway,” said Adil.

“If mourning the death of your loved ones killed in forces firing is a crime then the government should punish all the Kashmiris,” said Adil.

He said that it is a matter of shame that even our sisters are being booked on “false charges.”

Meanwhile reports said that Zahida was released after her family members managed to get interim bail.

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Anantang, RK Jalla when contacted said, “The girl had a case of stone pelting of 2010 registered against her and was hence arrested.”

He said the girl was released on bail. Asked about the age of the girl the SSP said that she was 25.

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How bacteria fight fluoride in toothpaste and in nature

Islamabad, Dec 31 : Yale researchers have uncovered the molecular tricks used by bacteria to fight the effects of fluoride, which is commonly used in toothpaste and mouthwash to combat tooth decay.

In the journal Science Express, the researchers report that sections of RNA messages called riboswitches -- which control the expression of genes -- detect the build-up of fluoride and activate the defenses of bacteria, including those that contribute to tooth decay.

"These riboswitches are detectors made specifically to see fluoride," said Ronald Breaker, the Henry Ford II Professor and chair of the Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology and senior author of the study.

Fluoride in over-the-counter and prescription toothpastes is widely credited with the large reduction in dental cavities seen since these products were made available beginning in the 1950s. This effect is largely caused by fluoride bonding to the enamel of our teeth, which hardens them against the acids produced by bacteria in our mouths. However, it has been known for many decades that fluoride at high concentrations also is toxic to bacteria, causing some researchers to propose that this antibacterial activity also may help prevent cavities.

The riboswitches work to counteract fluoride's effect on bacteria. "If fluoride builds up to toxic levels in the cell, a fluoride riboswitch grabs the fluoride and then turns on genes that can overcome its effects," said Breaker.

Since both fluoride and some RNA sensor molecules are negatively charged, they should not be able to bind, he notes.

"We were stunned when we uncovered fluoride-sensing riboswitches" said Breaker. "Scientists would argue that RNA is the worst molecule to use as a sensor for fluoride, and yet we have found more than 2000 of these strange RNAs in many organisms."

By tracking fluoride riboswitches in numerous species, the research team concluded that these RNAs are ancient -- meaning many organisms have had to overcome toxic levels of fluoride throughout their history. Organisms from at least two branches of the tree of life are using fluoride riboswitches, and the proteins used to combat fluoride toxicity are present in many species from all three branches.

"Cells have had to contend with fluoride toxicity for billions of years, and so they have evolved precise sensors and defense mechanisms to do battle with this ion," said Breaker, who is also an investigator with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Now that these sensors and defense mechanisms are known, Breaker said, it may be possible to manipulate these mechanisms and make fluoride even more toxic to bacteria. Fluoride riboswitches and proteins common in bacteria are lacking in humans, and so these fluoride defense systems could be targeted by drugs. For example, the Yale team discovered protein channels that flush fluoride out of cells. Blocking these channels with another molecule would cause fluoride to accumulate in bacteria, making it more effective as a cavity fighter.

Fluoride is the 13th most common element in Earth's crust, and it is naturally present in high concentrations throughout the United States and elsewhere. Its use in toothpaste and its addition to city water supplies across the United States sparked a controversy 60 years ago, and the dispute continues to this day. In the United Kingdom, and in other European Union countries, fluoride is used to a much lesser extent due to fierce public opposition.

The new findings from Yale only reveal how microbes overcome fluoride toxicity. The means by which humans contend with high fluoride levels remains unknown, Breaker notes. He adds that the use of fluoride has had clear benefits for dental health and that these new findings do not indicate that fluoride is unsafe as currently used.

Other Yale authors of the paper include: Jenny L. Baker, Narasimhan Sudarsan, Zasha Weinberg and Adam Roth.

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What makes anesthetics work

Islamabad, Dec 31 : Physicians use inhalation anesthetics in a way that is incredibly safe for patients, but very little is known about the intricacies of how these drugs actually work in children and adults.

Now, researchers have uncovered what cells respond to anesthesia in an organism known as the C. elegans, according to a new study from the Seattle Children's Research Institute. C. elegans is a transparent roundworm used often in research.

"Our findings tell us what cells and channels are important in making the anesthetic work," said lead author Phil Morgan, MD, researcher at Seattle Children's Research Institute and University of Washington professor of anesthesiology and pain medicine. "The scientific community has attempted to uncover the secrets of how anesthetics work since the 1860s, and we now have at least part of the answer." Margaret Sedensky, MD, Seattle Children's Research Institute and a UW professor of anesthesiology and pain medicine, and Vinod Singaram, graduate student, Case Western Reserve University, are co-lead authors of the study.

The team studied the roundworm after inserting a pigment or protein typically found in the retina of a human eye -- called a retinal-dependent rhodopsin channel -- into its cells. The proteins in cell membranes act as channels to help movement. Researchers then used a blue light, activating channels in the roundworm that allowed the immediate reversal of anesthetics, and resulting in the roundworm waking up and seemingly swimming off the slide.

The team's findings won't immediately translate into a discovery that would be available for humans, cautioned Dr. Morgan, who has been working in this field for some 25 years. "But it tells us what function we have to treat to try to do so," he said.

"We believe that there is a class of potassium channels in humans that are crucial in this process of how anesthetics work and that they are perhaps the ones that are sensitive to potential anesthesia reversal. There are drugs for blocking these channels and with these same drugs, maybe we can eventually reverse anesthesia." Potassium channels are found in all living organisms and in most cell types, and they control a wide variety of cell functions.

Anesthesia medications are used in both children and adults, but many are used more often in kids. Dr. Morgan and his colleagues plan to replicate the study in other animal models, starting with a mouse.

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Multiple sclerosis linked to different area of brain

Islamabad, Dec 31 : Radiology researchers at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) have found evidence that multiple sclerosis affects an area of the brain that controls cognitive, sensory and motor functioning apart from the disabling damage caused by the disease's visible lesions.

The thalamus of the brain was selected as the benchmark for the study conducted by faculty at the UTHealth Medical School. Lead researchers include Khader M. Hasan, Ph.D., associate professor, and Ponnada A. Narayana, Ph.D., professor and director of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) in the Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Imaging; and Jerry S. Wolinsky, M.D., the Bartels Family and Opal C. Rankin Professor in the Department of Neurology.

Results of the research were published in The Journal of Neuroscience.

"The thalamus is a central area that relates to the rest of the brain and acts as the 'post office,' " said Hasan, first author of the paper. "It also is an area that has the least amount of damage from lesions in the brain but we see volume loss, so it appears other brain damage related to the disease is also occurring."

Researchers have known that the thalamus loses volume in size with typical aging, which accelerates after age 70. The UTHealth multidisciplinary team's purpose was to assess if there was more volume loss in patients with multiple sclerosis, which could explain the dementia-related decline associated with the disease.

"Multiple sclerosis patients have cognitive deficits and the thalamus plays an important role in cognitive function. The lesions we can see but there is subclinical activity in multiple sclerosis where you can't see the changes," said senior author Narayana. "There are neurodegenerative changes even when the brain looks normal and we saw this damage early in the disease process."

For the study, researchers used precise imaging by the powerful 3 Tessla MRI scanner to compare the brains of 109 patients with the disease to 255 healthy subjects. The patients were recruited through the Multiple Sclerosis Research Group at UTHealth, directed by Wolinsky, and the healthy controls through the Department of Pediatrics' Children's Learning Institute.

Adjusting for age-related changes in the thalamus, the patients with multiple sclerosis had less thalamic volume than the controls. The amount of thalamic loss also appeared to be related to the severity of disability.
"This is looking at multiple sclerosis in a different way," Hasan said. "The thalami are losing cellular content and we can use this as a marker of what's going on. If we can find a way to detect the disease earlier in a more vulnerable population, we could begin treatment sooner."

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