Monthly Archives: December 2019

UP Police grabbed Priyanka Gandhi by neck, manhandled her, alleges Congress

Posted on by
Reply

When Indira Gandhi was insulted in the Lok Sabha in 1978, then Janata Dal did not realize that the person would return to power soon and that history repeats itself. On Friday, BJP-led UP government ignored this rule when its police turned violent against Priyanka Gandhi to stop her forcibly, allegedly manhandling her in a bid to stop her from visiting a retired IPS officer and an anti-CAA activist.

Priyanka Gandhi has alleged that she was manhandled by Uttar Pradesh Police personnel who grabbed her by her throat and pushed her when she tried to go to the house of retired IPS officer SR Darapuri on Saturday evening. Darapuri has been arrested in connection with the recent protests over the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA).

Priyanka Gandhi

However, Priyanka Gandhi resisted the police and rode pillion on a scooter and reached the Indiranagar (sector-18) residence of Darapuri. Uttar Pradesh Congress spokesperson Ashok Singh told PTI that the Congress general secretary was stopped at the Lohia crossing and then she got down from her vehicle and started walking. Later, she got into her vehicle after a kilometre but again stopped in the Munshipulia area. She almost walked three kilometres to reach the residence of Darapuri.

After meeting Darapuri’s family members, Priyanka Gandhi said, “They do not have the right to stop me. If they want to arrest me, they should do so.” Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Ajay Kumar Lallu said, “This (UP) government is feeling scared of Priyankaji. Hence, she was stopped.”

 

However, UP Policewoman Archana Singh, who was blamed for the shocking episode later told higher officials in her report that she was heckled for stopping Priyanka Gandhi for deviating her route. She denied that she had manhandled Priyanka Gandhi but was performing her duty as fleet-in-charge officer.

The episode has now reached the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), which may probe if not happy with the police version.

NASA finds tropical storm Sarai strengthening

Posted on by
Reply

On Dec. 27 at 0135 UTC (Dec. 26 at 8:35 p.m. EST) NASA’s Aqua satellite analyzed the using the AIRS instrument. AIRS showed the strongest storms were located over the Lakshadweep Islands where the coldest cloud top temperatures as cold as or colder than 210 Kelvin (purple) minus 81 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 63.1 degrees Celsius) around the center (NASA)

NASA analyzed the cloud top temperatures in Tropical Storm Sarai using infrared light to determine the strength of the storm.  Already there are regional warnings in effect for Fiji and Tonga.

In Fiji, there is a storm warning is in force for Vatulele and Kadavu. A gale warning is in force for Vanua Levu, Taveuni, Yasawa and the Mamanuca Group, Kadavu, Lomaiviti Group, Viti Levu and nearby smaller islands. Tonga is on tropical cyclone alert

One of the ways NASA researches tropical cyclones is using infrared data that provides temperature information. Cloud top temperatures identify where the strongest storms are located. The stronger the storms, the higher they extend into the troposphere, and they have the colder cloud temperatures.

On Dec. 27 at 0135 UTC (Dec. 26 at 8:35 p.m. EST) NASA’s Aqua satellite analyzed the storm using the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder or AIRS instrument. The AIRS imagery showed the strongest storms circling the center of circulation, just west of Fiji and in a thick band of thunderstorms northeast of Fiji.

In those areas, AIRS found coldest cloud top temperatures as cold as or colder 210 Kelvin minus 81 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 63.1 degrees Celsius). NASA research has shown that cloud top temperatures that cold indicate strong storms that have the capability to create heavy rain.

Tropical cyclones do not always have uniform strength, and some sides have stronger sides than others, so knowing where the strongest sides of the storms are located helps forecasters. NASA then provides data to tropical cyclone meteorologists so they can incorporate it in their forecasts.

At 10 a.m. EST on Dec.27 the Joint Typhoon Warning Center or JTWC noted that the center of Tropical cyclone Sarai was located near 18.7 degrees south latitude and 176.1 degrees east longitude. That is about 136 nautical miles west-southwest of Suva, Fiji. Maximum sustained winds were near 55 knots (63 mph/102 kph) and the storm was strengthening. It was moving to the south and expected to turn east.

Sarai is forecast to move toward the east. The storm is expected to strengthen briefly to 65 knots on closest approach to the main Fijian islands, but weaken as it nears Tonga.

Typhoons and hurricanes are the most powerful weather event on Earth. NASA’s expertise in space and scientific exploration contributes to essential services provided to the American people by other federal agencies, such as hurricane weather forecasting.

The AIRS instrument is one of six instruments flying on board NASA’s Aqua satellite, launched on May 4, 2002.

High BMI may improve cancer survival, says study by Australian scientist

Posted on by
Reply

Above average or high BMI – often linked to cancers, diabetes, cardiovascular and other diseases – may in some cases improve the chance of survival among certain cancers, showed new research from Flinders University that focused on clinical trials of atezolizumab, a common immunotherapy treatment for non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), the Australian cancer researchers found improved responsiveness to the drug in those with a high body mass index (BMI).

The surprising result, published in JAMA Oncology, goes against the established warnings about the health risks of patients who are overweight and obese. “This is an interesting outcome and it raises the potential to investigate further with other cancers and other anti-cancer drugs,” says lead investigator Dr Ganessan Kichenadasse, a medical oncology researcher at the Flinders Centre for Innovation in Cancer.

This is a comparison of cancer cells and normal cells after being infected with the dl355 adenovirus. The top four cell types listed on the left (HeLa, C33A, A549, and H1299) are cancer cells, and the bottom two (BJ and WI38) are normal cells. As the amount of dl355 virus administered to the cancer cells increased (represented by MOI), more cancer cells died in 7 days, while the normal cells continued to live. Credit

Previous studies have explored a concept called as ‘obesity paradox’ where obesity is associated with increased risks for developing certain cancers and, counter-intuitively, may protect and give greater survival benefits in certain individuals. But he said, “Our study provides new evidence to support the hypothesis that high BMI and obesity may be associated with response to immunotherapy.”

The Flinders researchers found NSCLC patients with high BMI (BMI = 25 kg/m2) in four clinical trials had a significant reduction in mortality with atezolizumab, apparently benefiting from immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy. Treatment options for this form of lung cancer are rapidly evolving and includes ICIs, molecular targeted drugs and chemotherapies.

The WHO estimates at least 2.8 million people die each year as a result of being overweight or obese. Overweight and obesity leads to adverse metabolic effects on blood pressure, cholesterol, triglycerides and insulin resistance. Risks of coronary heart disease, ischemic stroke and type 2 diabetes mellitus increase steadily with increasing body mass index (BMI), a measure of weight relative to height.

Of the 1,434 participants studied in the Australian research, 49% were normal weight, 34% were overweight and 7% were obese.