Peer Reviewed

The relative efficiency of Indian banks including private, foreign and public sector banks is analysed

Though cancer per se does not feature in the United Nations 'Millennium Development Goal' health agenda, WHO predicts that by the year 2020, almost 70% of the world's 20 million cancers patients will be in the developing nations.

A research group in Japan have identified the protein that controls silicon uptake in rice - the first such transporter to be found in higher plants

Summaries of newsworthy papers from Nature VoL.440 No.7084 Dated 30 March 2006 including Chemical physics:Crystallography without crystals; Physics: Ratcheting backwards; Evolution: Uprooting eukaryotic evolution and Let's not twist again

Filipinas is a series of thirty photographs of a select group of women representing the arts, education, civil society and politics.

In her recent research paper in the Journal of Research Practice, Toni Weller, a historian and information scientist, examines how history and science must recognize the fallibility of human knowledge, especially so as we enter the information age.

Malaysia will become the first country in the world to implement requirements, which will make herbal medicine product testing at par with any modern medicine marketed in the world today.

A lot of waste rubber is produced all over the world every year e.g. 10 million tyres are discarded every year. Meanwhile, adhesives are used in almost every industrial workplace with an industry value of 40 billion Euros. This invention turns rubber waste into multifunctional adhesive.

In a study published online this week by Nature, researchers report that they have isolated stem cells from the adult mouse testis that exhibit properties similar to embryonic stem (ES) cells.

Egypt reports 2nd human case; Blame Big Farms; Israel in mass cull; Uganda equipped with machine; Malaysia has 3rd state infected; Study finds two separate strains; Bird flu kills five in Azerbaijan; Big Threat To Biological Diversity - UN ...;China Turns Over Samples to WHO; African Conference Fails to Discuss Human Infection; Pakistan confirms..

The bird virus binds to cells in different regions of the human airway from those favoured by human influenza viruses; Japanese researchers have found evidence of methane-bearing fluid inclusions in about 3.5-billion-year-old hydrothermal precipitates; A set of molecular pedals that is powered by light and twists another molecule is reported

Summaries of newsworthy papers from Nature. Vol.440 No.7083 Dated 23 March 2006

Stretch marks are not only unsightly, but women with this disorder, appear to be at increased risk for pelvic prolapse, reports an online publication from The Journal of Investigative Dermatology.

Researchers show how to make a good thing even better by modifying a popular system for protein labelling and modification to reduce the risk of unwanted cross-reactions; Stanford University scientists have modified a popular strategy for imaging studies in live animals, making possible a much broader range of biochemical visualization experiments

The reliance on computers across the sciences has moved through the gears in the last few years. In a Commentary in this week's Nature Stephen Muggleton describes how automated processes are being used to cope with higher and higher volumes of data and poses questions about human limitations in dealing with increasingly complex information.

The West is looking at India as a gold mine for clinical trials. Cloning and Stem cell research have hit the headlines with tremendous potential for therapeutic use. However there is a nagging fear that in the pursuit of research, ethical practices have not kept pace.

Sea cucumber, Stichopus chloronatus is effective for combating various types of ringworm infections. This novel extraction method produces powdered extract that can easily be used to formulate into cream, ointment, lotion or solution.

A polymer with an electronic performance equivalent to that of amorphous silicon has been developed; Mutations in a gene called filaggrin are associated with elevated risks of atopic disease - atopic dermatitis (eczema or inflamed, itchy skin), allergy, and asthma

Acute aseptic arthritis was induced in 8 healthy donkeys aged 2-4 years and weighing 80-110 kg. The animals were divided into 2 groups (A and B) of 4 animals each.

Researchers studying the Malaysian Short-Nosed Fruit Bat found that their body size and genetic makeup is determined by where they live.

India battles bird flu, virus kills Azeri dog; Denmark finds first case of H5; Bird flu threat highlights disaster-planning flaws; Banks told to prepare for bird flu; The Treatment of H5N1 Avian Influenza Report; Animal rights and avian influenza;

The BAIF Development Research Foundation, in partnership with IDRC and nine Indian nongovernmental organizations, and with the financial support of the Canadian International Development Agency, has been exploring women's empowerment processes through a five-year, multi-institution, multi-state initiative, the Swayamsiddha project.

An exquisitely preserved dinosaur shows that the adoption of feathers by so-called 'non-avian' dinosaurs was a complex process; Japanese researchers unravel the mechanism by which firefly controls colour; A Chinese frog is the latest addition to the range of animals known to communicate by ultrasound; Conservation - an example from Southeast Asia.

Summaries of newsworthy papers from Nature Vol.440 No.7082 Dated 16 March 2006

Azerbaijan reports 3 deaths; Dutch start voluntary vaccination; Novavax Shares Up; Hungary gets go ahead; Bird Flu Plans Require $30.5 Mln More for 2007; Global avian influenza control project receives US$1 million grant; Generex Biotechnology to Present Its Avian Influenza Vaccine; Cats And Avian Influenza, Defra Urgently Seeking Further ...;

'Tongkat Ali', a plant used for traditional medicine in Southeast Asia has also been proven to be effective for the treatment of Malaria and possess anti-cancer and anti microbial properties. The main problem is obtaining a sustainable supply of high quality roots. This research will ensure that this is now a problem of the past.

First bird flu case in Afghanistan, Myanmar; Azerbaijan reports three people dead; Bird flu has limited spread impact; Bird Flu Shot Requires 6-Month Production; Bird flu suspected at poultry farm in Germany; SA: show us the money, say govts; IMF warns of economic blow from pandemic; USGS Testing Wild Birds; Airport staff vaccinated;

THE NATURE RESEARCH JOURNALS PRESS RELEASE - For papers that will be published online on 12 March 2006

The problem of possible hazards brought about by earthquakes such as building collapse and loss of lives, especially in major urban metropolis like Metro Manila, must be addressed by city planners, building officials and structural engineers.

Africa 'needs fund'; Azerbaijan tests 11 people; Albania culls 2,000..; Norway tests dead ducks; Serbia confirms 1st case; European scare adds cats, dogs; Japan to help; China - 10th Death; Bird Flu Found in Weasel-Like Animal; Bird flu would ravage Asian markets; Poorest forgotten in compensation; Indonesia-Japan venture launches vaccine;