Industry not contributing financially to science, says CNR Rao

Bharat Ratna awardee and eminent scientist C N R Rao today said the financial contribution of industry towards the development of science in the country has not been on the levels of what has taken place in the Western countries.

"The industry has to support (science), which has not happened till now. Most of the science money has come from the government. In the US or Cambridge, about 40-45 per cent of the money comes from the industry.

"Here 90 per cent is supported by the government. So I think the entire society has to take interest in science," Rao said in a discussion at the NDTV Solutions summit here.

The noted scientist added that the position of science as a discipline in India is at the bottom of the value system in the society.

"Science is very down in the value system in India. How much does the Indian society respect science? Science comes at the bottom of the list... If science has to succeed they have to have a better support," he said.

To compete with the rest of the world, India has to create institutions where young people can work enthusiastically, he felt.

Nobel laureate and biologist Venkataraman Ramakrishnan said India must invest in molecular biology to take giant strides in progress and must focus on its own intellectual property.

Noted agriculture scientist MS Swaminathan expressed concern over the stagnation in agricultural research.

"Our country still has large untapped production reservoir and there is an urgent need to tap its potential to bring a second green revolution," Swaminathan, also know as the father of the green revolution in India, added.

Tata Consultancy Services CEO Natarajan Chandrasekaran emphasised that a majority of India's problems can be solved with technology.

"IT has a huge role to play, particularly in dealing with corruption. It will bring in transparency, everything will be real-time," he added.

On the need to develop teaching in the country, Rao said he has approached the Planning Commission to develop a programme of making teaching a national mission in the country for the next five years.

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SEBI may re-examine its order on Jet-Etihad: Sources

Market regulator SEBI may look to re-examine its order on Jet Airways and Abu Dhabi carrier Etihad deal. Sources told CNBC-TV18 SEBI is likely to approach the Competition Commission of India (CCI) seeking clarity on its order. The channel had earlier reported that the CCI has raised red flag over what appeared to be a prima facie case of violation of section 43 (a) by Jet-Etihad. The deal, involving Abu Dhabi carrier Etihad’s purchase of 24 per cent stake in Naresh Goyal-led Jet Airways , was approved last month by the Competition Commission of India (CCI). 

This clearance has been challenged in the Competition Appellate Tribunal (Compat) by national carrier Air India’s former Executive Director Jitendra Bhargava , while BJP leader Subramanian Swamy has written to the SEBI asking that Etihad be considered a ‘person acting in concert’ with Jet’s current promoters for this deal. CCI Chairman Ashok Chawla said that the two carriers have been issued show-cause notices on a separate issue relating to their certain commercial agreements. Sources say SEBI is likely to seek information from the CCI is to how Etihad may have joint control. 

However, they add that it is up to the government to take a final call on the much-talked about mega aviation deal. Jet Airways stock price On December 13, 2013, Jet Airways closed at Rs 272.75, down Rs 20.65, or 7.04 percent. The 52-week high of the share was Rs 688.60 and the 52-week low was Rs 270.20. The latest book value of the company is Rs -27.75 per share. At current value, the price-to-book value of the company was -9.83.

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Add nuts to your diet for sake of health, longevity

Nuts to you! No, that’s not an insult. It’s a recommendation to add nuts to your diet for the sake of health and longevity.

Consistent evidence for the health benefits of nuts has been accumulating since the early 1990s. Frequent nut consumption has been linked to a reduced risk of major chronic diseases, including heart and blood vessel disorders and Type 2 diabetes.

The newest and most convincing findings, reported last month in The New England Journal of Medicine, come from the Nurses’ Health Study and the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study, which together have followed nearly 119,000 women and men for decades. Both studies repeatedly recorded what the participants ate and analysed their diets in relation to the causes of death among the 27,429 people who died since the studies began.

The more often nuts were consumed, the less likely participants were to die of cancer, heart disease and respiratory disease, and not because nut eaters succumbed to other diseases. Their death rate from any cause was lower during the years they were followed. (The nuts in question were pistachios, almonds, Brazil nuts, cashews, hazelnuts, macadamias, pecans, pine nuts, peanuts and walnuts.)

I know what you’re thinking: Aren’t nuts fattening? Yes, an ounce of nuts has 160 to 200 calories, nearly 80 per cent from fat.

But in study after study, the more often people ate nuts, the leaner they tended to be.

For example, in a Mediterranean study that tracked the effect of nut consumption on weight gain over the course of 28 months, frequent nut consumers gained less weight than those who never ate nuts, and were 43 per cent less likely to become overweight or obese.

How is that possible? First, nuts may be taking the place of other high-calorie snacks, like chips, cookies and candy. And nut eaters may be less likely to snack, period; the fat, fiber and protein in nuts suppresses hunger between meals.

Second, the body may treat calories from nuts differently from those in other high-carbohydrate foods. Third, nut eaters may pursue a healthier lifestyle and burn more calories through exercise.

And not just tree nuts. The new study found that peanuts were also linked to a reduced death rate and lower risk of chronic disease.

Thus, all nuts are powerhouses of biologically active substances, most of which are known to protect and promote health. Penny M Kris-Etherton, a professor of nutrition at Penn State who has studied the effects of nuts on heart disease, describes them as “complex plant foods that are not only rich sources of unsaturated fat but also contain several nonfat constituents”, including protein, fibre, plant sterols that can lower cholesterol, and micronutrients like copper and magnesium.

Every one of these substances has been shown to ward off one disease or another. The fat content of nuts alone could account for their ability to support heart health. Nuts have less cholesterol-raising saturated fat than olive oil. On average, 62 per cent of the fat in nuts is monounsaturated, the kind that supports healthy levels of protective HDL cholesterol and does not raise blood levels of harmful LDL cholesterol.

Most nuts, and especially almonds, are good sources of vitamin E, an antioxidant. The nurses’ study has linked tree nuts to a reduced risk of pancreatic cancer. In both the nurses’ and health professionals’ studies, eating nuts more than five times a week was associated with a 25 per cent to 30 per cent lower risk of needing gallbladder surgery.

More: http://www.financialexpress.com/news/add-nuts-to-your-diet-for-sake-of-health-longevity/1207606/0