Peer Reviewed

Summaries of newsworthy papers from Nature Vol.438 No.7067 Dated 24 November 2005 including How cells stay calm inside when it's chaotic outside; In (self) defence of sea squirts and Stop in their tracks

This paper reviews macro trends in the performance of regulatory institutions in electricity and telecommunications sectors in India and evaluates the direction and pace of their work.

A practical approach for the isolation and molecular identification of bird flu virus from duck cloaca swabs submitted during the surveillance of bird flu in Malaysia.

Using a database of infrastructure and utility bond issues made over the period 1996 to 2001, the authors investigate whether there has been a growing usage of the international bond market.

A new and simple method of removing residue oil from oily wastewaters

This paper highlights a new method to detect damage of buildings after a severe natural disaster using middle resolution images resulting in wider coverage and lower cost.

The site and moment when a gene carrier will release its cargo and endow the cells of a specific tissue with the correspondent protein, can be controlled simply with a low-power laser

NATURE AND THE NATURE RESEARCH JOURNALS PRESS RELEASE - For papers published online on 20 November 2005

Summaries from TWAS Research Updates – No. 1, November 2005

The number of plantlets produced was found to be ten times more than that of the conventional gel culture system. The plantlets can be harvested within 1/3 of the time used in the conventional method.

In the present case however, the bruises were well discernible even after 49 days of its production. This case proves that a medicolegal expert must base his opinion regarding the age of bruise with great care.

Summaries of newsworthy papers from Nature. Vol.438 No.7066 Dated 17 November 2005 including Optical telecommunications: Meaning from chaos and Development: A starring role for SCL in astrocytes

Typing biometrics is an approach used to verify the identity of an individual by examining his/her keystrokes on a keyboard or keypad.

The General Agreement on Trade in Services and poor people's right to water

Only one trained healthcare provider is available for every 16 villages. Although, more than 70% of India's population lives in rural areas, only 20% of the total hospital beds are located in rural area.

NATURE AND THE NATURE RESEARCH JOURNALS PRESS RELEASE - For papers published online on 13 November 2005

A common variant of a gene involved in inflammation is associated with a significantly increased risk of heart attack in Americans of European and of African descent.

The reconstructed version of the flu virus that caused the 1918 world pandemic will be mailed to registered labs in the US that ask for it; A US patent has been granted for an antigravity device. Watchdogs can sometimes provoke scientific misconduct

There are about 36 million labors working in agriculture sector in the country, who are not covered by pensions. Similarly migrant workers do not receive any pension.

Compared to conventional systems, this hybrid system provides superior comfort conditions because of substantial radiant heat transfer, low air draft and low humidity level

Despite the improvement in newborn health care services neonatal and infant mortality rate has not significantly declined. In India 26 million babies are born every year, out of which 1.2 million die before completing the first four weeks of life.

A solid acid catalyst that can convert vegetable oils into 'biodiesel' fuel could replace the expensive and inefficient process used today, according to a Brief Communication in this week's Nature.

Nature press release - Vol.438 No.7065 Dated 10 November 2005 - Wafer-thin graphite is a quantum conundrum; Gravity tractor could move dangerous asteroids

The commonest method for committing homicide in Benin City was by firearms, while ingestion of poisons, particularly ‘Otapiapia’ an insecticide, is the commonest method for committing suicide in this region.

Quality control and standarization of herbal and other natural products are the fundamental step towards developing and modernizing such products into evidence based medicines.

Nature and the Nature research journals press release - For papers that will be published online on 6 November 2005

WCS has played a key role in the vaccine currently being developed for avian flu, using birds our vets recently sampled in Mongolia. Drs. Billy Karesh (expedition leader to Mongolia in August) and Bob Cook are available for interviews on this breakthrough

Campylobacter jejuni is one of the major causes of diarrhoea in human and animals especially in developed countries. EZ Campy DNA kit was designed and developed to detect for Campylobacter jejuni within 3 hours.

The black hole at the centre of our Galaxy is as wide as the radius of the Earth's orbit, according to research published in this week's Nature.

Highlights from Nature, Vol.438, No.7064 Dated 03 November 2005 including Bacteria use light to drive 'animal' metabolism; Bridging a wobbly gap