Calender 2014

We Must know about Genetically Modified foods

Be careful!
Halal is nothing but cost in money! GM is costing us our health sometimes.

I am not too negative on GM products. But better we know these facts as well

When the US government ignored repeated warnings by its own scientists and allowed untested genetically modified (GM) crops into our environment and food supply, it was a gamble of unprecedented proportions. The health of all living things and all future generations were put at risk by an infant technology.

 

After two decades, physicians and scientists have uncovered a grave trend. The same serious health problems found in lab animals, livestock, and pets that have been fed GM foods are now on the rise in the US population. And when people and animals stop eating genetically modified organisms (GMOs), their health improves.

This seminal documentary provides compelling evidence to help explain the deteriorating health of Americans, especially among children, and offers a recipe for protecting ourselves and our future.

More information can be found at: http://geneticroulettemovie.com
and http://responsibletechnology.org

Discovery of Remains of England's King Richard III

Discovery of Remains of England's King Richard III Confirmed

Feb. 4, 2013 — The University of Leicester has confirmed that it has discovered the remains of King Richard III.(Science Daily Web)

At a specially convened media conference, experts from across the University unanimously identified the remains discovered in Leicester city centre as being those of the last Plantagenet king who died in 1485.

Rigorous scientific investigations confirmed the strong circumstantial evidence that the skeleton found at the site of the Grey Friars church in Leicester was indeed that of King Richard III.

University of Leicester researchers have revealed a wealth of evidence -- including DNA analysis, radiocarbon dating and skeletal examination -- proving the identity of the skeleton.

University of Leicester archaeologists co-director Richard Buckley, the lead archaeologist on the Search for Richard III, said: "It is the academic conclusion of the University of Leicester that the individual exhumed at Grey Friars in August 2012 is indeed King Richard III, the last Plantagenet King of England.

Data Storage in DNA Becomes a Reality

From Discover Magazine Blog

 

DNA is the building block of life, but in the future it may also be the standard repository for encyclopedias, music and other digital data. Scientists announced yesterday that they successfully converted 739 kilobytes of hard drive data in genetic code and then retrieved the content with 100 percent accuracy.

 

The researchers began with the computer files from some notable cultural highlights: an audio recording of MLK Jr.’s 1963 “I Have a Dream” speech, all 154 of Shakespeare’s sonnets, and, appropriately, a copy of Watson and Crick’s original research paper describing DNA’s double helix structure. On a hard drive, these files are stored as a series of zeros and ones. The researchers worked out a system to translate the binary code into one with four characters instead: A, C, G and T. They used this genetic code to synthesize actual strands of DNA with the content embedded in its very structure.

Common vaccine for all flu

Universal Flu Vaccines Charge Ahead

Researchers and biotech companies are bringing a universal flu vaccine closer to reality.

http://www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/33933/title/Universal-Flu-Vaccines-Charge-Ahead/

It’s a frustrating fact of life that coming down with influenza one year doesn’t guarantee anyone a flu-free season the next year. Even the flu vaccine doesn’t provide full-proof protection, as it covers only a select few strains of the virus—a selection that’s based on the World Health Organization’s best bet as to which strains around the world will be most prevalent in the coming flu season.

Unfortunately, those predictions are proved wrong about one time out of 20, explained Sarah Gilbert, who leads the Human Influenza Vaccine Programme at the University of Oxford’s Jenner Institute.

However, some researchers are getting closer to creating the ever-elusive universal flu vaccine, which could protect against a number of influenza viruses at once, including pandemic strains. If successful, universal flu vaccines would take the guesswork out of vaccine planning, and only require booster shots every few years.

One antibody to bind them all

Influenza is an RNA virus that uses its hemagglutinin (HA) protein like a key to allow it to enter and infect target host cells. In response to infection, or to a typical flu vaccine, the body produces antibodies that bind the head of the HA molecule, preventing free-floating virus from entering and infecting cells. However, the head is also the part of the HA protein that the virus most frequently changes via mutation, making the antibodies produced against one strain ineffective against another.

Immunology Travel Grant Application

R&D Systems is offering travel grants to Immunology 2013™

To apply for one of ten $1,000 travel grants to attend the 100th meeting of the American Association of Immunologists, held in Honolulu, HI (May 3-7, 2013), simply fill out the application form below.*

^*Terms & Conditions

 

 

• The application submission deadline is February 28, 2013.
• Recipients will be determined via a random drawing by R&D Systems, Inc.
• Applicants must complete the application form in full.
• Recipients will be announced March 15, 2013.

Immunology 2013™ is a trademark of the American Association of Immunologists.

 

http://www.rndsystems.com/rnd_page_objectname_lp_immuno_travel_grants.aspx?utm_source=c4&utm_medium=goURL&utm_term=ImmunoTravel&utm_campaign=2013%20Immunology%20Travel%20Grants

NSF GRANT DEADLINE EXTENDED

* Deadline to reach applications at NSF is extended up to January 31st, 2013 **

National Science Foundation (NSF) promotes technology development and innovation for socio-economic development of Sri Lanka by building public-private, institution-industry partnerships.Accordingly, the NSF supports state, non-state sector organizations as well as individuals not belonging to any organization not only to develop new technologies, products and processes addressing technological solutions industry/ market needs but also to start up businesses based on new technologies. Thus, NSF is inviting applications for technology grants under the following two schemes.

1. 1. 1. 1. 1. Support for technology development (  to read more and download applications)
            2. Support for start up businesses based on novel technologies (  to read more and download applications)

Grants are open to all under three categories

Category 1 - Universities and R & D Institutions
Category 2* - Companies
Category 3* - Individuals

* For disbursement of funds stricter conditions apply. Grant amount will be limited to 50% - 70% of project cost.

Some important areas considered under the scheme “support for technology development” are ICT solutions to improve Health, Agriculture & Education sectors and prototype development focusing
electronic industry.

Maximum grant size will depend on proposed work and availability of funds. Only one grant is awarded to one principal applicant ( rst applicant). Completed applications in triplicate should be addressed to the Director, NSF. Please indicate the scheme applied for on the top left hand corner of the envelope. The applications must reach the NSF by January 15th, 2013

The following tax reliefs imposed by the government for research and technology will be applied for the scheme “Support for Technology Development”.

• • Reduction of personal income tax from 24-16% of all those who engaged in research and technology.
  • Reduction of income tax on all institutions engaged in research and technology to 20% and exemption from VAT.
  • Triple reduction of tax in relation to R&D expenditure undertaken by enterprises through government institutions.

Director 
National Science Foundation
Tel: 011-2696771-3

http://www.nsf.ac.lk/index.php/component/content/article/1-latest-news/369-grants-for-technology-development-a-start-up-businesses-calling-applications-for-2013

Last Updated ( Friday, 21 December 2012 14:31 ) 

Top Science Scandals of 2012 - The Scientist

Top Science Scandals of 2012

This year’s roundup of bad behavior in the life sciences and new initiatives to prevent misconduct

 

 

A widely discussed research study published this year showed that more than sloppy mistakes or accidental omissions, retracted papers are most likely to be withdrawn from publication because of scientific misconduct or knowlingly publishing false data. In fact, more than 65 percent of the 2,000 or so papers studied were retracted because of poor ethical judgment.  According to that report, high impact journals have been hardest hit by the increasing rate of retractions over the past decade.

 

Maxwell® 16 MDx Research System

Automated DNA and RNA Extraction for the Research Lab

Better Workflow

The Maxwell® 16 System makes nucleic acid extraction fast and simple. It allows you to extract DNA from up to 16 samples in 30 to 40 minutes. Automating your nucleic acid extraction decreases hands-on bench time spent manually extracting and reduces pipetting errors and repetitive motion injuries. The Maxwell® 16 System speeds front-end processing, enabling you to do more molecular tests for clinical research without adding personnel. It's automated extraction that works for you - so you can process more samples in less time.

No Detectable Cross-Contamination

The robust system design avoids common problems associated with other automated extraction systems, such as clogged tips and partial reagent transfers. In addition, the UV light aids in system cleaning and removal of potential contamination. Most importantly, there is no detectable cross-contamination between samples - no splashing, no aerosols and no drops from pipette tips.

Better Setup and Operation

The Maxwell® 16 MDx System for research provides everything you need for extraction, including pre-filled reagent cartridges, specialized disposable plastics and easy-to-understand instructions. No separate computers or specialized training are required. With the barcode reader and Sample Track software, track your workflow. And, the instrument is compact so it can fit into virtually any lab. You get reproducible yields at the push of a button from every operator and from every sample.

Consistent High Yield

The Maxwell® 16 System used a paramagnetic-particle handling system that processes samples using Maxwell reagent kits, providing consistent yield and purity. It automatically extracts DNA cleanly and consistently, giving you optimal samples for downstream applications. The Maxwell® 16 System provides high yield that allows you to run multiplex Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), Sequence Specific Primers (SSP), Sequence Based Typing (SBT) or other reactions and still have sufficient DNA available for retest or archiving. You no longer have to worry whether additional samples will be available.

Fast Purification/Extraction

The Maxwell® 16 extracts samples in 30–40 minutes, allowing you to focus on performing downstream applications.

New Year 2013 Wishes!

Wish you all a happy healthy and prosperous year 2013!

We wish this year be a remarkable milestone in the history of the future Avon Pharmo Chem and her dear customers. Basically with the innovative interactions scheduled and improvement of the product ranges including the world leading supplies to satisfy our mission

Avonpc Mission Statement

Avon Phrmo Chem strives to become a leader in supplying the needs of biological research laboratories and clinical diagnostics in Sri Lanka by providing qualified professional expertise and high quality products to meet the world class standard.

We have achieved a part of the above mission by the end oof 2012 at the testimonies of our dear clients in the laboratory market.

Best Wishes!
APC team

Barriers for scientists in the History - DNA Structure story

DNA pioneer James Watson reveals helix story was almost never told

The Double Helix's tale of DNA breakthrough became a big hit but had to overcome hostility from the Nobel winner's colleagues

 Extracted from
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2012/dec/09/dna-james-watson-helix-nobel-50?CMP=twt_fd

Consistently rated as one of the greatest books written about science in the past century, it has been hailed as a work that combines the plot line of a racy novel with deep insights about the nature of modern research.

But James Watson, author of The Double Helix, has revealed that his masterpiece came close to being suppressed. In an exclusive interview with the Observer, he admitted last week that his account of the discovery of the structure of DNA, when shown to friends and colleagues in the late 60s, triggered such hostility and outrage it seemed fated never to appear in print.

"You have grossly invaded my privacy," complained his close colleague, Francis Crick. Another collaborator, Maurice Wilkins, objected that the book presents "a distorted and unfavourable image of scientists". Given that Crick and Wilkins were the men with whom Watson had shared the Nobel prize for physiology in 1962 for their work on uncovering DNA's structure, the opposition of the two British researchers to the words of the young American scientist were worrying.

Many publishers were frightened off by threats of legal action from the manuscript's critics.

Drugs from Nature - Research paper

This paper is available at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3218439/

Natural products, such as plants extract, either as pure compounds or as standardized extracts, provide unlimited opportunities for new drug discoveries because of the unmatched availability of chemical diversity (Cos et al., 2006).
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 80% of the world's population relies on traditional medicine for their primary healthcare needs. The use of herbal medicines in Asia represents a long history of human interactions with the environment. Plants used for traditional medicine contain a wide range of substances that can be used to treat chronic as well as infectious diseases (Duraipandiyan et al., 2006).

 Due to the development of adverse effects and microbial resistance to the chemically synthesized drugs, men turned to ethnopharmacognosy. They found literally thousands of phytochemicals from plants as safe and broadly effective alternatives with less adverse effect. Many beneficial biological activity such as anticancer, antimicrobial, antioxidant, antidiarrheal, analgesic and wound healing activity were reported. In many cases the people claim the good benefit of certain natural or herbal products. However, clinical trials are necessary to demonstrate the effectiveness of a bioactive compound to verify this traditional claim. Clinical trials directed towards understanding the pharmacokinetics, bioavailability, efficacy, safety and drug interactions of newly developed bioactive compounds and their formulations (extracts) require a careful evaluation. Clinical trials are carefully planned to safeguard the health of the participants as well as answer specific research questions by evaluating for both immediate and long-term side effects and their outcomes are measured before the drug is widely applied to patients.

Promega product workflow

PROMEGA has a lot for a life science research scientists.
Look at the below chart to see whether Promega covers your research area too

Go for standard products from Promega!!!

Contact AvonPC

Medicare 2012

We wish you all a Prosperous New Year

We are passing 2011 with pleasant memories of cordial relationships

Thank you all your support to Avon!!!

We wish a more successful relationship 

during the coming new year 2012

Thank you all and we'll meet you in 2012 with more than what we had in 2011

We wish you and your family a prosperous new year!!

Avon Pharmo Chem Team

More Corn For Biofuels Would Hurt Water, Study Shows

ScienceDaily (Sep. 28, 2009) — More of the fertilizers and pesticides used to grow corn would find their way into nearby water sources if ethanol demands lead to planting more acres in corn, according to a Purdue University study.

The study of Indiana water sources found that those near fields that practice continuous-corn rotations had higher levels of nitrogen, fungicides and phosphorus than corn-soybean rotations. Results of the study by Indrajeet Chaubey, an associate professor of agricultural and biological engineering, and Bernard Engel, a professor and head of agricultural and biological engineering, were published in the early online version of The Journal of Environmental Engineering.

"When you move from corn-soybean rotations to continuous corn, the sediment losses will be much greater," Chaubey said. "Increased sediment losses allow more fungicide and phosphorus to get into the water because they move with sediment."

Nitrogen and fungicides are more heavily used in corn crops than soybeans, increasing the amounts found in the soil of continuous-corn fields. Sediment losses become more prevalent because tilling is often required in continuous-corn fields, whereas corn-soybean rotations can more easily be no-till fields, Engel said.

"The common practice is there is a lot of tillage to put corn back on top of corn," Engel said. "Any time we see changes in the landscape, there is a potential to see changes in water quality."

Chaubey said there was no significant change in the amount of atrazine detected in water near fields that changed to continuous-corn rotations. The commonly used pesticide sticks to plant material and degrades in sunlight, keeping it from reaching water through runoff or sediment.

U.S. Department of Agriculture data has shown that corn acreage has increased with the demand for ethanol, with 93 million acres in 2007, an increase of 12.1 million acres that year.

"As we look forward here, if corn stover is going to be a preferred bio-feedstock, we would see more corn acreage being planted," Engel said. "We need to know how that will affect water quality."

The USDA and Purdue funded the study. Chaubey and Engel are expanding their research to Iowa, Tennessee and Arkansas. That three-year study will include impacts of various biofeedstock, such as switch grass, and developing management practices to reduce sediment, nutrient and pesticide losses.

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USE OF DNA TYPING FOR CRIMINAL CASEWORK IN SRI LANKA

USE OF DNA TYPING FOR CRIMINAL CASEWORK IN SRI LANKA
Nalin C.W. Goonesekere, Ph.D., Maya B. Gunasekera, Ph.D., and Neil Fernandopulle, B.Sc.
Department of Chemistry, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka.
        view online clearly

Sri Lanka is a small island of 17 million people, situated in the Indian Ocean.  It is a member of the
Commonwealth of Nations, and its system of justice has elements of both English Law as well as Roman
Dutch Law.  There has been no special legislation enacted specifically to deal with DNA evidence.  Under
the current laws of evidence, blood samples can be obtained from suspects for DNA typing, provided
prior consent is obtained.  However, it is possible to obtain a buccal swab, or hair samples, without
consent from the suspects.
We began our work on DNA typing in Sri Lanka in 1996, due to the considerable public interest in this
field.  The reason for this is that apart from its relevance to routine criminal investigations, DNA typing can
also be applied to identify victims in mass graves, and victims of bomb blasts.  We selected the short
tandem repeat (STR) method
1
 of DNA typing, because it has the twin advantages of high sensitivity, and
the easy assignment of alleles.  Further, this method does not require the use of radioactive chemicals,
and is also technically less demanding than methods based on minisatellites.
We began by establishing population databases for some selected STR markers through a research
grant from the National Science Foundation of Sri Lanka.  The STR markers we selected included the
CTT system, the FFv system and the Silver STR system (Promega Corporation, U.S.A.).  While we were
engaged in our research project, a particularly gruesome mass murder took place in Sri Lanka shocking
the entire nation.

Part time job from AvonPC - Earn as much as you can

The Medical Division of AvonPC is planning to have a special promotion period during next three months. This will allow outsiders earn through their good contacts with medical laboratories.

All what you have to do is;

• Contact your friends working in medical laboratories.

• Ask whether they use any of following products in their laboratory

Hematology analyzers, Chemistry analyzers, 

Urine test strips, Pregnancy test strips, 

Micropipette tips, micropipettes, centrifuge tubes, hemocytometers, pastuer pipettes

petri dishes, cover glasses, gloves, MC slides, urine containers, blood collecting tubes

• Make them contact us (make sure to mention blog or FB contact)
• If they purchase any of the above products and paid in full, you'll receive the due commission for your service. 
• The more they purchase, better your passive income!
•  
• For more information contact us: Praveenth (sales manager) 0718540735 or Prasanna 0715454369

Best sales!