dR. s. TamILsELvAn

2012-01-27T02:51:00.000-08:00

2012-01-27T02:28:00.000-08:00

This new image of the Helix Nebula, the wreck of a star in its death-throes, has been captured in infrared light, revealing strands of cold gas that are usually invisible. It was taken by a telescope called VISTA that Skymania visited last year at the European Southern Observatory’s Paranal site in Chile.

2012-01-27T02:27:00.001-08:00

The most excellent view of the moon.

2012-01-27T02:24:00.000-08:00

Few interesting facts about our galaxy

The Universe contains over 100 billion galaxies.

Every hour the Universe expands by a billion miles in all directions.

Even traveling at the speed of light it would take 2 million years to reach the nearest large galaxy, Andromeda.

The Earth is 4.56 billion years old…the same age as the Moon and the Sun.

It takes 8 minutes 17 seconds for light to travel from the Sun’s surface to the Earth.

The Earth spins at 1,000 mph but it travels through space at an incredible 67,000 mph.

Every year, over one million earthquakes shake the Earth.

Every second around 100 lightning bolts strike the Earth.

Experts from the USGS claim that roughly 1,000 tons of space debris rains down on Earth every year.

2012-01-24T20:46:00.000-08:00

Lose weight by eating properly

Hi guys, this is to remind something useful to all of us how a good breakfast makes us to reduce our weight. Almost every day we read about articles or see advertisements on the TV, showing different types of breakfast cereals explaining the importance of a good breakfast. However, it seems that most of us don’t realize that having a nutritious and wholesome breakfast has reasons beyond the realm of eating low-calorie food or fruits. The following will help you understand why having a smartly chosen breakfast is vital for our overall health.

I have come across many of friends who assume that skipping breakfast or having a very light one makes them thin, but it is the biggest mistake you can make if you are trying to lose weight. In the absence of a fulfilling breakfast, we become more prone to snacking throughout the day. We can keep a better calorie check throughout the day if we have a good breakfast. Since, we would have accounted for a major portion of the day’s allocated calories as a part of breakfast; we precisely know how much more we can eat before going to bed. Skipping breakfast also pushes our body into a state of accumulating more fat or adipose tissue.

A healthy breakfast, i.e. packed with sufficient carbohydrate, proteins and fiber, is vital to reenergize our body and mind that become passive during the night. Breakfast kickstarts the body’s metabolic processes ensuring that the body is catalyzed into digesting, absorbing and distributing nutrients to various organs. This is like an energy booster that helps to get the day started with a refreshed feeling.

Breakfast is considered vital for appropriate functioning of the brain which needs a healthy morning meal to function properly. A nutritious breakfast helps to keep our mind sharper and alerter apart from improving our cognitive abilities. This is why children appearing in examinations and those working in stressful conditions are seriously recommended to have a proper breakfast. Blood sugar that is derived from carbohydrates is the energy source for the brain that needs nearly twice the energy needed by any other cell in the body. This also quashes health fads that insist upon a low-carbo and high-protein breakfast. An ideal breakfast meal should contain protein and carbohydrates in an equal ratio. So if you wanna look smarter, be smart to choose your smarter breakfast.

2012-01-18T00:41:00.000-08:00

Indian J Pharmacol. 2010 Jun;42(3):174-7.

Expression of TNF-α and RANTES in drug-induced human gingival overgrowth.

Subramani Tamilselvan, Dhanaraj L, Senthilkumar K, Periasamy S, Abraham G, Rao S.

Source

Department of Periodontics, Sri Ramachandra Dental College and Hospital, Porur, Chennai - 600 116, India.

Abstract

OBJECTIVES:

Regulated on activation, normal T cell expressed and secreted (RANTES) is a chemokine that is produced by fibroblasts, lymphoid and epithelial cells of the mucosa in response to various external stimuli. RANTES expression has been demonstrated in a variety of diseases characterized by inflammation, including asthma, transplantationassociated accelerated atherosclerosis, endometriosis and fibrosis. RANTES mRNA is quickly up-regulated by tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α stimulation. Cyclosporine A (CsA) is widely used in organ transplant patients, often causing various side-effects including gingival overgrowth, which is fibrotic in nature. This study was carried out to assess the mRNA expression of TNF-α and RANTES in healthy individual, chronic periodontitis and CsAinduced gingival overgrowth tissues.

MATERIALS AND METHODS:

Gingival tissue samples were collected from chronic periodontitis, CsAinduced gingival overgrowth patients and healthy individuals. Total RNA was isolated and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was performed for TNF-α and RANTES expression.

RESULTS:

The results suggest that CsAinduced gingival overgrowth tissues expressed significantly increased TNF-α and RANTES compared to control and chronic periodontitis.

CONCLUSION:

The findings of the present study suggest that CsA can modify the expression of TNF-α and RANTES in drug-induced human gingival overgrowth.

2012-01-18T00:40:00.000-08:00

Advanced Biotech 2009 (3); 21-22

Mini Review

Sophisticated Mechanism of Bacterial Communication in Oral Biofilm

Tamilselvan Subramani and Suresh Rao*

* Corresponding author

Department of Periodontics, Sri Ramachandra Dental College and Hospital, Sri Ramachandra Medical College and Research Institute, Deemed University, Porur, Chennai, Tamilnadu, India.

Abstract

It has become clear in recent years that periodontitis is an inflammatory disease initiated by oral microbial biofilm. Biofilms are composed of microcolonies of bacterial cells and matrix or glycocalyx. The high cell concentration in biofilm present an ideal situation for quorum sensing, is the mechanism whereby an individual bacterium in the biofilm produces small diffusible molecule that can be detected by surrounding organisms. Quorum sensing systems can be divided into Lux I / Lux R – type quorum sensing systems in gram-negative bacteria and oligopeptide / two component – type quorum sensing circuits in gram-positive bacteria. This article reviews the role of quorum sensing bacteria in oral biofilm and to provide evidence that there are alternatives to the traditional mode of fighting bacterial infection. The knowledge of the molecular resolution of quorum sensing in the context of periodontal disease and the potential for the modification of resolution pathways for the prevention and treatment of periodontal diseases.

Key words: Biofilm, quorum sensing, dental plaque, Lux-I/R, AHC.

2012-01-18T00:39:00.001-08:00

Clean Soil Air Water 2007, 35 (2), 167 – 171

Cryptosporidium Oocysts in Drinking Water Supply of Chennai City, Southern India

Muthukumar Anbazhagi¹, Dhanraj Loganathan¹, Subramani Tamilselvan², Raj Jayabalou¹, Senthilkumar Kamatchiammal¹, Rakesh Kumar¹

¹National Environmental Engineering Research Institute, Chennai Zonal Laboratory, Chennai, India.

²National Environmental Engineering Research Institute, Mumbai Zonal Laboratory, India.

Cryptosporidium is an enteric parasitic protozoan capable of causing chronic diarrhea. One of the most common modes of transmission is through faeces-contaminated water. This study determines the distribution of Cryptosporidium oocysts for the first time in Chennai City’s drinking water supply. 199 drinking water samples were collected from ten zones of the city. In the water samples Cryptosporidium, a common pathogenic protozoan of the gastrointestinal tract, has been analyzed physico chemically as well as microbiologically for heterotrophic organisms and total coliforms (TC). The studies revealed that three zones of the city were highly contaminated with coliforms and parasitic protozoa. A statistical analysis was done to find any correlation between heterotrophic organisms, total coliforms, and oocysts. Even though a positive correlation exists between oocysts and bacteriological parameters, a regression equation shows that heterotrophic plate count (HPC) and total coliforms were only 20% responsible for the presence of oocysts. The level of Cryptosporidium oocysts isolated from the water samples may present a public health hazard although no major outbreaks have so far been reported in Chennai City. Routine surveillance of water quality throughout the city is needed to curb the pollutants.

Keywords: Cryptosporidium; Contamination; Drinking water; Protozoa; Water quality.

2012-01-18T00:37:00.000-08:00

J Periodontol. 2007 Feb;78(2):290-5.

Endothelin-1 and its receptors ET(A) and ET(B) in drug-induced gingival overgrowth.

Tamilselvan Subramani, Raju SN, Loganathan D, Kamatchiammal S, Abraham G, Suresh R.

Source

Department of Periodontics, Sri Ramachandra Dental College and Hospital, Sri Ramachandra Medical College and Research Institute, Deemed University, Porur, Chennai, Tamilnadu, India.

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

The purpose of this study was to study the expression of endothelin-1 (ET-1) and its receptors ETA and ETB in normal human gingiva and cyclosporin-induced gingival fibroblasts.

METHODS:

Gingival samples were collected from eight normal healthy individuals, eight patients with periodontitis, and eight patients with cyclosporin A (CsA)-induced gingival overgrowth. Total RNA was extracted from tissue samples, and reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction was performed for ET-1, ETA, and ETB. ET-1 protein was estimated from the tissues by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The expression of ET-1 and its receptors was also examined in gingival fibroblast cells treated with CsA.

RESULTS:

ET-1 mRNA expression was significantly higher in patients with CsA-induced gingival overgrowth (P <0.001) than in patients with periodontitis and the controls. ETA mRNA was expressed more than the ETB in all examined samples. In human gingival fibroblasts, ET-1 expression was increased with CsA incorporation compared to controls (P <0.001).

CONCLUSION:

These results suggest that CsA can modulate the expression of ET-1 in gingival fibroblasts and CsA-induced gingival overgrowth.

2012-01-17T23:56:00.001-08:00

Indian J Med Res. 2007 Jan;125(1):43-8.

Expression of insulin like growth factor binding protein-5 in drug induced human gingival overgrowth.

Subramani Tamilselvan, Sakkarai A, Senthilkumar K, Periasamy S, Abraham G, Rao S.

Source

Department of Periodontics, Sri Ramachandra Dental College & Hospital, Chennai, India.

Abstract

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE:

Insulin like growth factor binding proteins (IGFBPs) control the distribution, function and activity of insulin like growth factors (IGFs) in various cells, tissues and body fluids, thereby modulating their metabolic and mitogenic effects. IGFBP-5, the most conserved IGFBP, can function through IGF or directly play a role in fibrosis. Cyclosporine A (CsA) widely used in organ transplant patients, often causes various side effects including gingival fibrotic overgrowth. This study was carried out to assess the mRNA expression of IGFBP-5 in healthy human gingival, chronic periodontitis and CsA induced gingival overgrowth tissues.

METHODS:

Total RNA was isolated from gingival tissues collected from eight patients with chronic periodontitis, eight patients with CsA induced gingival outgrowth and an equal number of healthy individuals, and subjected to reverse transcription (RT)-PCR for IGFBP-5 gene expression.

RESULTS:

CsA induced gingival overgrowth tissues expressed increased IGFBP-5 mRNA compared to control and chronic periodontitis.

INTERPRETATION & CONCLUSION:

Increased mRNA expression of IGFBP-5 in CsA induced gingival outgrowth tissues may be associated with increased collagen synthesis, thereby promoting fibrogenesis.

2012-01-16T03:26:00.000-08:00

Indian J Dent Res. 2006 Jul-Sep;17(3):114-6.

Expression of Toll-like receptors 2 and 4 in gingivitis and chronic periodontitis.

Sarah SM, Tamilselvan Subramani, Kamatchiammal S, Suresh R

Source
Department of Periodontics, Sri Ramachandra Medical College & Research Institute, Porur, Chennai.

Abstract
Periodontal disease is the major cause of adult tooth loss and is commonly characterized by a chronic inflammation caused by infection by oral bacteria. Members of Toll-like receptor (TLR) family recognize conserved microbial structures, such as bacterial lipopolysaccharides, and activate signaling pathways that result in immune responses against microbial infections. The aim of the present study was to assess the mRNA expression of TLR-2 and TLR-4 in gingivitis and chronic periodontitis. Gingival tissue samples were collected from patients with chronic periodontitis, gingivitis, and healthy controls. Total RNA was extracted and RT-PCR was done for TLR-2 and TLR-4. The results showed that TLR-2 was significantly increased in gingivitis compared to TLR-4 expression and decreased in chronic periodontitis.

2010-04-09T18:35:00.000-07:00

BEWARE OF BEVERAGES - Soft drinks linked to cancer of the pancreas

People who drink two or more sweetened soft drinks a week have a much higher risk of pancreatic cancer , an unusual but deadly cancer , scientists said on Monday.
People who drank mostly fruit juice instead of sodas did not have the same risk, the study of 60,000 people in Singapore found. Sugar may be to blame but people who drink sweetened sodas regularly often have other poor health habits, said Mark Pereira of the University of Minnesota, who led the study.
The high levels of sugar in soft drinks may be increasing the level of insulin in the body, which we think contributes to pancreatic cancer cell growth, Pereira said.
Insulin, which helps the body metabolise sugar, is made in the pancreas. Writing in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, Pereira and colleagues said they followed 60,524 men and women in the Singapore Chinese Health Study for 14 years.
Over that time, 140 of the volunteers developed pancreatic cancer. Those who drank two or more soft drinks a week had an 87% higher risk of being among those who got pancreatic cancer . Pereira said he believed the findings would apply elsewhere.
Singapore is a wealthy country with excellent healthcare . Favorite pastimes are eating and shopping, so the findings should apply to western countries, he said.
But Susan Mayne of Yale University in Connecticut was cautious. The finding was based on a small number of cases and it remains unclear whether it is a causal link or not , said Mayne.

2010-04-09T18:31:00.001-07:00

MIRACLE DRUG - Eating soy may cut risk of lung cancer

Men who dont smoke and eat a lot of soy may have a lower risk of lung cancer , according to a new study.
Soy contains isoflavones, which act similarly to the hormone estrogen, and may have anti-cancer qualities in hormonerelated cancers of the breast and prostate.
Cells in the lung have properties that suggest they may also respond to isoflavones.
Dr Taichi Shimazu, of the National Cancer Centre in Tokyo, and colleagues studied more than 36,000 Japanese men and more than 40,000 Japanese women, between the ages of 45 to 74 years and free of cancer at the start of the study.
They followed the women for about 11 years, after surveying their food intake, smoking status, medical history, and other lifestyle factors between 1995 and 1999. Overall rates of lung cancer were small: 481 men and 178 women were diagnosed during the 11 years of the study.
Among the slightly more than 13,000 men who never smoked, there were 22 lung cancer cases among men who ate the least soy, and just 13 lung cancer cases among those who ate the most.

2008-09-24T07:45:00.000-07:00

A history of an elephant

Elephants are the largest land animals. The elephant's gestation period is 22 months, the longest of any land animal. At birth it is common for an elephant calf to weigh 120 kilograms. An elephant may live as long as 70 years, sometimes longer. Healthy adult elephants have no natural predators, although lions may take calves or weak individuals.
Elephants live in a structured social order. The social lives of male and female elephants are very different. The females spend their entire lives in tightly knit family groups made up of mothers, daughters, sisters, and aunts. These groups are led by the eldest female. Adult males live mostly solitary lives.
Most immediate family groups range from five to fifteen adults, as well as a number of immature males and females. When a group gets too big, a few of the elder daughters will break off and form their own small group.
The life of the adult male is very different. As he gets older, he begins to spend more time at the edge of the herd, gradually going off on his own for hours or days at a time. Eventually, days become weeks, and somewhere around the age of fourteen, the mature male, sets out from his natal group for good. While males do live primarily solitary lives, they will occasionally form loose associations with other males. These groups are called bachelor herds. The males spend much more time than the females fighting for dominance with each other. Only the most dominant males will be permitted to breed with cycling females. The less dominant ones must wait their turn. It is usually the older elephants, forty to fifty years old, that do most of the breeding.
The dominance battles between males can look very fierce, but typically they inflict very little injury. Most of the bouts are in the form of aggressive displays and bluffs. Ordinarily, the smaller, younger, and less confident animal will back off before any real damage can be done. However, during the breeding season, the battles can get extremely aggressive, and the occasional elephant is injured.
Males will sometime also engage in same-sex bonding and mounting. Such encounters are often associated with affectionate interactions, such as kissing, trunk intertwining, and placing trunks in each other's mouths. Unlike heterosexual relations however, which are always of a fleeting nature, those between males result in a "companionship", consisting of an older individual and one or two younger, attendant males.
With a mass just over 5 kg, elephant brains are larger than those of any other land animal. The largest areas in elephant brain are those responsible for hearing, smell and movement coordination, and a large portion of the brain has to do with trunk management and sensitivity
Most mammals have a set of baby teeth that eventually fall out and are replaced by adult teeth, which they keep for their entire lives. Elephants are different, however. They go through six sets of large, brick-like teeth that grow in at the back of their mouths and slowly move to the front as they are worn down. The teeth then fall out and are replaced by fresh ones.
Each set of elephant teeth that grows in is larger than the last. The final teeth are over eight inches long from front to back and weigh more than 4 kg.
When an elephant's final set of teeth falls out, the elephant slowly dies of malnutrition or starvation. This is a pretty poorly designed animal, if you ask me. Old elephants will seek out wet, marshy areas where the plants are softer, so they can more easily eat them. However, in the end, this doesn't really help and they die anyway, much to the amusement of vacationing dental hygienists.
In contrast to humans, elephants are lucky enough to undergo further dentition 6 times. Teeth are not, however, exchanged from the bottom to the top (vertically), as in humans and most mammals, but rather from the back to the front (horizontally). Elephant calves are born with approximately 2 small molar teeth, about the size of a thumbnail, in both the upper and the lower jaw. In the course of time the molar tooth next in size slowly moves from the back to the front and thus replaces the old tooth.
Elephants have well innervated trunks, and an exceptional sense of hearing and smell. The hearing receptors reside not only in ears, but also in trunks that are sensitive to vibrations, and most significantly feet, which have special receptors for low frequency sound and are exceptionally well innervated. Elephants communicate by sound over large distances of several kilometers partly through the ground, which is important for their social lives. Elephants are observed listening by putting trunks on the ground and carefully positioning their feet.
Their eyesight is relatively poor, and the eyes are aiming down the trunk. An elephant has to raise his head conspicuously to look out horizontally.
Elephant social life revolves around breeding and rising of the calves. A female will usually be ready to breed around the age of thirteen, at which time she will seek out the most attractive male to mate with. Females are generally attracted to bigger, stronger, and, most importantly, older males. Such a reproductive strategy tends to increase their offspring's chances of survival.
After a twenty-two-month pregnancy, the mother will give birth to a calf that will weigh about 113 kg (250 lb) and stand over 76 cm (2.5 ft) tall. Elephants have a very long childhood. They are born with fewer survival instincts than many other animals. Instead, they must rely on their elders to teach them the things they need to know. Today, however, the pressures humans have put on the wild elephant populations, from poaching to habitat destruction, mean that the elderly often die at a younger age, leaving fewer teachers for the young.
A new calf is usually the centre of attention for all herd members. All the adults and most of the other young will gather around the newborn, touching and caressing it with their trunks. The baby is born nearly blind and at first relies, almost completely, on its trunk to discover the world around it.

2008-09-04T09:33:00.000-07:00

Ganesh Chaturthi

This is one of the days that I celebrate with most delightful way. Ganesh Chaturthi also known as Vinayaka Chaturthi, and is the auspicious day when Elephant head Lord Ganesh was born. Lord Ganesha, the second son of Lord Shiva and Parvati, is perhaps the most worshiped god here in India.
According to legends, once Goddess Parvati, the consort of lord Shiva, created a child's statue out of clay. Enchanted by its beauty and overcome by motherly instincts, she gave life to it. Thus Ganesha was born.
Then she wanted to take bath and clean herself. Before going for bath she instructed Ganesha to guard the place and not to allow anyone inside. Soon lord Shiva returned home and the dutiful Ganesha, not knowing Shiva, blocked his path and refused to let him in. Lord Shiva, the supreme trinity who never had his path blocked by anyone, was furious and cut off the head of Ganesha and entered the house.
Needless to say that goddess Parvati made a scene! To pacify her Shiva wanted to bring Ganesha back to life. Unfortunately the chopped off head was nowhere to be seen. With the goddess making a racket behind him, lord Shiva asked his men to go in the northern direction and bring the head of the first living being the can find. They soon returned with the head of an elephant. Shiva attached the head to Ganesha's body and brought him back to life.
Ganesh Pooja can be a very exciting festival for children when celebrated collectively with their total participation. Generally every household they bring clay modeling of Ganesha form the market and they perform pooja with all fruits, sugarcane and other eatables loved by elephant. After three days the clay model is immersed in near by water bodies like well, lake, river or sea. People believe that Lord Ganesha takes all their worries with him and dissolve it.

2008-09-04T09:32:00.001-07:00

2008-09-04T08:45:00.000-07:00

2008-09-04T08:44:00.000-07:00

2008-09-04T08:42:00.000-07:00

2008-09-02T08:30:00.000-07:00

When my heart speaks with bold voice………..

I have come across with a peculiar problem this morning involving misbehavior of a student with his teacher. I wonder why there will be a problem if both of them behave as what they are, and understand who they are! I don’t know against whom I shall point out my finger, but I can’t blame students, after all they are learners.
Teaching is like no other profession. As a teacher, he should wear many hats. We can name it in different ways when he is carrying out his duties, be a communicator, a disciplinarian, a conveyor of information, an evaluator, a classroom manager, a counselor, a member of many teams and groups, a decision-maker and a role-model. So when a teacher realizes his duties, there will be no room for this sort of embracement and I would have never penned about this. I don’t know whether I should feel sad for the people involved or happy for this article!
Here, have a few tips to be a good teacher.
A good teacher encourages the students to take risk and always has a positive attitude. Good teachers understand that errors will be made but they try many different methods of teaching that encourage students and create in them a sense of accomplishment.
I think what makes a good teacher is to be alert to the necessities of your students and be able to give proper solution. It is also an effort to understand them in a personal level but without losing your place.
Good teacher also possess a deep knowledge of the subjects they teach and are able to manipulate. These teachers should have passion for the subject and they should be able to explain complicated and confusing information in a way that makes it understandable for the students.
One important quality for a good teacher to have is to simply love teaching. You must love what you are doing, in the first place we are here as a second parent to them, as we are here to educate them.
A good teacher should be able to sit patiently with a frustrated student and explain hot to come up with the solution to a difficult math problem or how to go about completing an assignment.
Patience and deep knowledge of the subject, as a teacher you have your knowledge; you have your own skills and your style of teaching. You need this quality to get your goal as a teacher. You need patience to motivate the student, to challenge them without pushing them beyond their comfort level.
And never humiliate a student in front of his or her peers but rather they will comfort their student privately. And of course having knowledge of the subject, students are dependent to us, they believe everything we say. Everything we write on the board must be facts and explain in every way for them to understand clearly.
Again, I can’t put all my shorts on teacher’s court. The students should also know their responsibilities and how to behave with their teachers. Basically, a good student possesses the ability and willingness to learn new subjects even the subjects are not interesting.
Acquiring academic skills is the most important quality of a good student. Ability to read comprehensively, to write effectively, to speak fluently, and to communicate clearly are the key areas in which a good student must be proficient. Having a good handle in all these areas will make a student to shine in a class.
A good student always perceives right meaning from conversations, but an average student often misunderstands the original thoughts of a speaker and derives a wrong conclusion.
Discipline in managing the time is an important factor that every good student must possess. Often times, delaying the tasks, such as writing assignments, reading text books, etc, may negatively impact the ability of a student. And I am very much sure I am not competing with all the good qualities of a teacher, but sure I am being a good student to learn how to become a good teacher.

2008-09-01T08:05:00.000-07:00

Why February has 28 days?

This was the question thrown to me last week; I was bit surprised and curious to find the exact answer. A widely believed, but possibly erroneous story has it that February is so short because the Romans borrowed a day from it to add to August. August was originally a 30-day month called Sextilis, but it was renamed to honor the emperor Augustus Caesar, just as July had earlier been renamed to honor Julius Caesar.
But some historians say this is bunk. They say February has always had 28 days, going back to the 8th century BC, when a Roman king by the name of Numa Pompilius established the basic Roman calendar. Before Numa was on the job the calendar covered only ten months, March through December. December, as you may know, roughly translates from Latin as "tenth." July was originally called Quintilis, "fifth," Sextilis was sixth, September was seventh, and so on.
Numa, however, was a real go-getter-type guy, and when he got to be in charge of things, he decided it was going to look pretty stupid if the Romans gave the world a calendar that somehow overlooked one-sixth of the year. So he decided that a year would have 355 days, still a bit off the mark, admittedly, but definitely a step in the right direction. Three hundred fifty five days was the approximate length of 12 lunar cycles, with lots of leap days thrown in to keep the calendar lined up with the seasons. Numa also added two new months, January and February, to the end of the year. Since the Romans thought even numbers were unlucky, he made seven of the months 29 days long, and four months 31 days long.
The total number of days was then 355, about the number in 12 lunar cycles, but still 10 to 11 days short of a solar year. King Numa decided to add another month, called Mercedinus, which would be added to February every other year.
King Numa’s calendar was getting closer, but it still wasn’t right. Julius Caesar decided to ignore the lunar cycle. He worked it out so that the number of days in 12 months added up to exactly 365 ¼. As a result, February ended up with 28 days plus a 29th every four years.Some say Julius Caesar made February 29 days long, 30 in leap year, and that Augustus Caesar later pilfered a day; others say Julius just kept it at 28. None of this changes the underlying truth: February is so short mainly because it was the month nobody liked much -a judgment with which I heartily concur.

2008-01-19T21:31:00.000-08:00

We made it in Perth

India cracked Australia by 72 runs on the fourth day of the third test match in Perth. India tasted the victory from Ricky's men who were attempting to win their 17th successive test for a world record. Interestingly, it was also India who broke Australia's previous record 16-Test winning streak when they notched up a memorable victory in Kolkata in 2001. The last time Australia had lost a Test at home was also to men in blue in Dec 2003 in Adelaide when Sourav was the captain. It was a remarkable show of character by the Indians who did not allow the acrimonious events of the Sydney Test to affect them as they went about plotting the demolition of the Ricky’s team so called world champions. It’s a great historical win in Perth compare to Kolkata in 2001, because we tasted this fruit after a series of crisis among our players. Sourav hammered on Steve Waugh’s dream, now its Kumble’s turn against Ricky. This victory is delighted, proud and a great gift to all Indians. The two teams will now travel to Adelaide for the fourth and final Test beginning from January 24 but the Australians have already ensured that the Gavaskar-Border Trophy remained with them by winning the first two Tests. Never mind, have some chips to chew: Australia ever beaten by any Asian team in Perth, India opened an account; Australia have not been beaten since losing to England at Trent Bridge in 2005, we showed them the other direction yesterday; they have not lost a home test since going down to us (India) in Adelaide in December 2003, we made it again in Perth.
Proud to be an Indian.

2008-01-17T07:03:00.000-08:00

Never give lift to pupil

It’s a usual site seeing on the road that pupil asking lift on two wheelers or four wheelers while they are going to school. We feel pity and we take them and drop in their destination in time. If you have done this previous, do you think you have helped him or her? You may say yes, but I don’t think so. In the grounds of helping tendency, it is humanity to do so, but indirectly it affects the pupil mentality very badly. They get the mind set that they can get a ride every day and the laziness develops, sits on the top of their heads and not allowing them either to start early at home in the morning or reach school in time. In a long practice, they take leave when they did not get lift by any vehicle on that day. So we are making them not to stand on their own, and disturb their punctuality by showing our kindness over them in this way. So allow them to carry over their work by their own. During unavoidable situations, let parents help them out to reach schools, and more over its safer too. By the way, this is my approach and opinion of the above issue, I agree, opinion differs, let it be.

2008-01-04T08:42:00.000-08:00

Today is the first day of my college after winter vacation; I was late to the college by an hour. I can’t blame some one else for this, it’s my fault. It’s so pleasant to see the campus after a small break, being with my colleagues, pep chat, work tension, canteen food, college bus, etc………… wow. I am not saying that all the above mentioned are extraordinary, but still I am enjoying.

2008-01-03T23:36:00.000-08:00

This New Year has started as much as I expected, but not ended the way I wished. It’s very nice to start the first day of the year with oil bath, new shirt and a prayer; I did so, but sometimes waiting in a big unorganized crowd in the temple irritates me to the core. Thank God for not exposing me in that situation, but I struggled little bit to perceive him. No breakfast, but had a great lunch with my loved one, closest friends at an extraordinary restaurant. Spending time with people who loved you so much feels you heaven. To be loved is the great assert. I am proud that I am billionaire in that aspect. Thanks for those souls to make me happy and made the day so pleasant, true to my heart, without you dear my day never complete. Thanks for joining and made it perfect day…..

2007-12-28T08:50:00.000-08:00

Getting ready to welcome our new baby 2008

2007-05-08T07:13:00.000-07:00

India vs Bangladesh (Experiment vs Excellence)

We all know Ravi Shastri as a cricket commentator in TV. He has changed his cap now as a coach for Indian cricket team for Indian tour of Bangladesh 2007. Just after few days of world cup, Indian team is going to Bangladesh to play ODI and Test series. This is happening after a sudden exit from World Cup Cricket 2007. And the most interesting part is Bangladesh eliminated India by defeating them in the very first game of the world cup.

So the present situation makes the tour added important. Indian players and BCCI officials were busy to find out a strategy to face public anger. Now, the cricket fans have become calm as World Cup Cricket 2007 is over. But the thing is, this tour may be one of the common tour to Indian fans, but its very special as for as players concern. They know very well that Bangladesh can give any kind surprise on the field. It really doesn’t matter when India win over Bangladesh, but it really does matter when India give up. So Indian players are very specific and concern about this issue, and they never want to repeat the show where they done it in world cup 2007.
The Indian cricket team's new blood, manager Ravi Shastri and rest of the support staff will meet for the first time since the side's World Cup debacle and the subsequent exit of Greg Chappell. I am very much confident and sure about the talent and capability of the players, but they lack motivation. The team management should think about finding a way to boost the morale of the Indian players. India is surely not the hot favorite at least in the ODI series. Also, India’s performance abroad is not good either in the recent years. So, this is the right time to think hard and fill the gaps. The only thing now we can say to the team is best of luck rather than all the best.

2007-04-30T07:09:00.000-07:00

Expression of insulin like growth factor binding protein-5 in drug induced human gingival overgrowth

Tamilselvan Subramani, Anbazhagi Sakkarai*, Kamatchiammal Senthilkumar*, Soundararajan Periasamy** Georgie Abraham** & Suresh Rao.

Department of Periodontics, Sri Ramachandra Dental College & Hospital, *NEERI, Council of Scientific & Industrial Research, & **Department of Nephrology, Sri Ramachandra Medical College & Research Institute, Deemed University, Chennai, India.

Indian J Med Res 125, January 2007, pp 43-48

Background & objectives: Insulin like growth factor binding proteins (IGFBPs) control the distribution, function and activity of insulin like growth factors (IGFs) in various cells, tissues and body fluids, thereby modulating their metabolic and mitogenic effects. IGFBP-5, the most conserved IGFBP, can function through IGF or directly play a role in fibrosis. Cyclosporine A (CsA) widely used in organ transplant patients, often causes various side effects including gingival fibrotic overgrowth. This study was carried out to assess the mRNA expression of IGFBP-5 in healthy human gingival, chronic periodontitis and CsA induced gingival overgrowth tissues.
Methods: Total RNA was isolated from gingival tissues collected from eight patients with chronic periodontitis, eight patients with CsA induced gingival outgrowth and an equal number of healthy individuals, and subjected to reverse transcription (RT)-PCR for IGFBP-5 gene expression.
Results: CsA induced gingival overgrowth tissues expressed increased IGFBP-5 mRNA compared to control and chronic periodontitis.
Interpretation & conclusion: Increased mRNA expression of IGFBP-5 in CsA induced gingival outgrowth tissues may be associated with increased collagen synthesis, thereby promoting fibrogenesis.

Key words - Cyclosporine - IGFBP-5 - overgrowth - periodontitis.

2007-03-14T07:43:00.000-07:00

Endothelin-1 and Its Receptors ET(A) and ET(B) in Drug-Induced Gingival Overgrowth.

Tamilselvan S, Raju SN, Loganathan D, Kamatchiammal S, Abraham G, Suresh R.

* Department of Periodontics, Sri Ramachandra Dental College and Hospital, Sri Ramachandra Medical College and Research Institute, Deemed University, Porur, Chennai, Tamilnadu, India., dagger National Environmental Engineering Research Institute, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, Taramani, Chennai, Tamilnadu, India., double dagger Department of Nephrology, Sri Ramachandra Medical College and Research Institute, Deemed University.

J Periodontol. 2007 Feb;78(2):290-295

Background: The purpose of this study was to study the expression of endothelin-1 (ET-1) and its receptors ET(A) and ET(B) in normal human gingiva and cyclosporin-induced gingival fibroblasts.
Methods: Gingival samples were collected from eight normal healthy individuals, eight patients with periodontitis, and eight patients with cyclosporin A (CsA)-induced gingival overgrowth. Total RNA was extracted from tissue samples, and reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction was performed for ET-1, ET(A), and ET(B). ET-1 protein was estimated from the tissues by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The expression of ET-1 and its receptors was also examined in gingival fibroblast cells treated with CsA.
Results: ET-1 mRNA expression was significantly higher in patients with CsA-induced gingival overgrowth (P <0.001)>
Conclusion: These results suggest that CsA can modulate the expression of ET-1 in gingival fibroblasts and CsA-induced gingival overgrowth.

2006-11-13T04:45:00.000-08:00

Expression of Toll-Like Receptors 2 and 4 in Gingivitis and Chronic Periodontitis.

Sarah SM (1), Tamilselvan S (2), Kamatchiammal S (3), Suresh R (4).

1Post graduate student, 2Pre doctoral student, 4Professor and Head, Department of Periodontics, Sri Ramachandra Medical College & Research Institute (DU), Porur, Chennai, 600116, Tamilnadu, India. 3Scientist, NEERI, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, Taramani, Chennai, 600113, Tamilnadu, India.Ind J Dent Res 17(3): 114-116. 2006.

Ind J Dent Res 17(3): 114-116. 2006.

Periodontal disease is the major cause of adult tooth loss and is commonly characterized by a chronic inflammation caused by infection of oral bacteria. Members of Toll-like receptor (TLR) family recognize conserved microbial structures, such as bacterial lipopolysaccharides, and activate signaling pathways that result in immune responses against microbial infections. The aim of the present study was to assess the mRNA expression of TLR-2 and TLR-4 in gingivitis and chronic periodontitis. Gingival tissue samples were collected from patients with chronic periodontitis, gingivitis and healthy controls. Total RNA was extracted and RT-PCR was done for TLR-2 and TLR-4. The results showed that TLR-2 was significantly increased in gingivitis compared to TLR-4 expression and decreased in chronic periodontitis.

Key words: TLR-2, TLR-4, chronic periodontitis, gingiva.

2006-08-12T04:50:00.000-07:00

2006-08-12T04:46:00.000-07:00

2006-08-04T04:00:00.000-07:00

Manufacturing of cold drinks - “Meaningless maze”

The Indian parliament has banned the sale of Coke and Pepsi products in cafeteria. We should take the logical next step; we have to ban the sale of Coke and Pepsi products in the entire country. Now the present ban came as the result of tests, including those by the Indian government, which found high concentrations of pesticides and insecticides, including lindane, DDT, malathion and chlorpyrifos, in the colas, making them unfit for consumption. Some samples tested showed the presence of these toxins to be more than 30 times the standard allowed by the European Union.????

People, who are in and around Coca-Cola's bottling operations, are facing severe shortages of water as a result of the cola major sucking huge amounts of water from the common groundwater source. To add insult to injury, the scarce water that remains has been polluted by Coca-Cola as a result of its operations.

In a comprehensive study covering 12 states, Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) has found dangerous levels of pesticides in all samples of soft drinks tested. Three years ago, CSE found unsafe levels of pesticides in soft drinks. There are still no standards regulating the presence of pesticides, known toxins in soft drinks. If soft drinks contain a cocktail of pesticides above stipulated standard, they are unsafe. The companies say there are no stipulated standards. The reason is simple: they don’t allow standards to be formulated. The companies say milk and vegetables have more pesticides than colas. But milk and vegetables also have nutrition. They give us something in this poison-nutrition trade-off. We get nothing with dam colas, just pesticides.

2006-08-01T02:35:00.000-07:00

2006-07-28T04:51:00.000-07:00

Lizards
Why lizards prefer to be inside home? It has several reasons including the temperature inside is better than outside. Like all other reptiles, lizards are ectothermic, which means they can't regulate their body temperature. Very hot and very cold days are both tough for them, and they will seek relief in areas with better temperatures like inside a house or building. You're providing food for them, whether you know it or not. Many lizards eat a wide range of live insects and other invertebrates. If you are plagued by flies, roaches or other pests in your house, lizards can be much more effective than insecticides. The bad part is that insecticides will kill lizards and insecticides are often dangerous to us, too.
It's safer inside. Many animals prey on lizards, including other lizards, snakes, birds, and mammals. Sometimes the lizards are stunned rather than dead, though, and hide in safe areas of the house to recover. A lizard in your house won't hurt anything. If you don't like it, though, carefully catch it and release it outside. Some lizards can lose their tails when a predator grabs them. The nerves and muscles in the tail continue to operate, making in flop around so that the predator will think that there is another prey animal right there. This often gives the lizard a chance to escape. It's no fun for the lizard, though. Many will grow new tails, though these are never as long or perfect as the ones they lost. Never ever try to catch a lizard by the tail.
Generally lizards are not venomous, though lizards can and do bite when they are threatened. The exceptions are two closely related species. The bite is painful, and the venom is enough to make most people feel sick for a while. Never try to pick one up, as this is how most people get bitten. Lizards shed their skins, but not like snakes. Snakes shed their old skins all at once, neatly turning the old skin inside out like the finger of a glove. Lizards lose their old skins in patches and can look very raggedy for a few days. Both snakes and lizards grow a new skin under the old one first, so they are never skinless. A snakeskin or lizard-skin belt or hatband is always made by killing and skinning an animal, never from the shed skin.

2006-07-26T21:19:00.000-07:00

The ancient Egyptians suffered from tuberculosis - diagnosing disease in some very old "patients"
You're never too old; it seems, to benefit from molecular diagnosis. Over the past few years, some of the most modern techniques have been used to successfully diagnose diseases in the most ancient patients - mummies that are thousands of years old. The bones of these posthumous patients can now be analyzed by the tools of modern imaging, and DNA remaining in their tissues can be extracted and analyzed. Mummified remains can be probed by a CAT scan, and the scant remaining DNA of pathogens that once afflicted them can now be amplified by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and identified. Researchers found that a DNA fragment in the mummy's lung came from Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the organism that causes tuberculosis. In order to make the diagnosis, the team, who described their work in the British medical journal The Lancet, employed PCR to augment the small amount of M. tuberculosis DNA they extracted from the mummy's lung tissue. The authors note that this is the first report of such an analysis in an Egyptian mummy, and only the second time tuberculosis DNA has been extracted from any mummy.

2006-07-20T03:23:00.000-07:00

2006-07-20T03:22:00.000-07:00

2006-06-08T02:40:00.000-07:00

2006-06-08T02:31:00.000-07:00

Talking Bacteria
Until recently, bacteria were considered to be self-contained and self-sufficient individuals. These unicellular organisms were thought to lack the sophistication of plants and animals to organize into multi cellular groups. We also assumed that they lacked the ability to communicate, a crucial function for organizing group activities. Our view has changed. Bacteria can organize into groups; they can communicate with each other. Can you imagine how bacteria can communicate with each other within the species and between the species? The first hints that bacteria might produce species-specific signals for cell-to-cell communication emerged more than 30 years ago. After a grudging acceptance, communication was viewed as a curiosity, unique to a few special bacteria. Rather than being simple opportunistic organisms, bacteria are able to act in concert by utilizing chemical signal molecules. These diffuse freely into and out of bacteria. When the numbers of bacteria are low, there are few signal molecules; but as the numbers of bacteria increase, so does the concentration of signal molecules. Once a threshold concentration is reached, and they are present in every bacteria cell, the molecules switch-on genes in the whole population, this process that has become known as "quorum sensing". I call them as talking bacteria, I wonder when I came to know that they can live in groups, and helping each other, it’s really amazing! At a high population density, there are enough signals to instruct all of the individuals to do something they won't do at lower population densities. Quorum-sensing communication involves the release of small molecules that float among the bacteria and deliver a chemical message. They sense when the population has become so dense that they have to develop another way of life called a biofilm.
Biofilm development is nothing but like a development of a new city. It’s like formation of new buildings, water supplies, drainage system, communication systems, even resistance and safety system. These bugs in the biofilm, talk to each other and even they can differentiate their own species with others, and to the greater extent each bacteria know the number of individuals present in the biofilm community by counting own species and others in numbers! Within a biofilm they are protected from harsh changes in the environment. Once sheltered within a biofilm, bacteria are relatively immune to antibiotics and other drugs. Besides biofilm development, production of the proteins and toxins known as virulence factors, which enable bacteria to cause disease in their host, is also under quorum-sensing control. It is a way in which simple organisms can act like a multicellular organism.
Microminds: I am telling about the Minds of Microbes. On the low end of the living spectrum are the bacteria - headless, heartless, and brainless, with a primitive cell for an entire body, one DNA molecule for a chromosome and a life span measured in minutes. We all come across that microorganisms swim toward or away from substances such as chicken soup and mop-pail disinfectant. We call it chemical attraction or behavior or something else. If bacteria exposed to such kind of stimuli, bacteria had to analyze and compare stimuli and then make a positive choice about what to do. They had to make a decision. Decisions? Bacteria? After all! Scientists demonstrated the bacterial behavior and identified specific molecules that attract and repel the microbes, and found that an attractant isn't necessarily a food or a repellent a poison. These are genuine sensory stimuli calls the bacteria's "eyes and ears." In addition to the sensors, a dozen other proteins have been identified as the data processors - the thinking parts of the bacteria's molecular brain.
Microbial Memory: For those in search of the microbe's memory, there is a very interesting fact about the addition and removal of the methyls. For you or me, it might be the recollection that one of us had put some water on to boil. For a bacterium, it is the recollection of a recently sensed concentration. And bacteria seem to have long-term memory and other abilities of "thoughtful" creatures as well. If you wanna want to kill them do it properly, otherwise they will remember you and take revenge with their memory! Ha ha ha….
Personality Quirks: Despite identical genes, in spite of the same environment, an individual bacterium acquires individual quirks and continues to display them for the rest of their lives. Bacteria exhibit rudimentary personalities. It shows they themselves think, they are Sharuk Khan, Amir Khan, Rajinikanth and Kamal Hasan. They exhibit traits that are determined by neither heredity nor environment but by chance. A zone of uncertainty of individuality, if you will surrounds the neighborhood of intelligence in even the lowliest form. And when we start to talk of individuality, which brings a microbial mind very, very close to the realm of human experience!

“To the eyes of a god, mankind must appear as a species of bacteria which multiply and become progressively virulent whenever they find themselves in a congenial culture, and whose activity diminishes until they disappear completely as soon as proper measures are taken to sterilize them” - Aleister Crowley

2006-05-26T01:46:00.000-07:00

Guinea “PIG”
A Guinea Pig is not a pig at all. It's a kind of rodent like a mouse, rat, or hamster. Fossil records of the existence of Guinea Pigs date back to the Miocene period over 18 million years ago. Guinea Pigs are known from ancient times. Guinea Pigs only lived in South America and the local people used them for food, yes they ate them... Traders visiting South America returned with them and they have since spread all over the world as pets. Guinea Pigs are very shy and will spend a lot of time hiding. In the wild they live in long grass or other animals abandoned burrows. Guinea Pigs make very good pets. There are many different kinds of Guinea Pig, Abyssinian, shaggy shelties, silky satins and wavy rexes to name just a few. Males are 900-1000 gram; females are 700-900 gram. The length varies from 8 to 14 inches. The life span of Guinea Pig is 3-6 years. If you really interested in Guinea Pig, what you need is a short haired Guinea Pig. They are easy to look after and just as pretty as their long haired cousins. Buy at least two Guinea Pigs. They get lonely on their own. You must get Guinea Pigs of the same sex (two boys or two girls) or you will very quickly have more Guinea Pigs than you can handle. The puppies (baby Guinea Pigs) have bright eyes and clear ears and nose, and have shiny, silky fur all over including under the bottom. Guinea Pigs are vegetarians. Fresh scraps from the kitchen are fine as are grass. They will also like celery, cucumber, maize, capsicum, pepper, carrots and fruits!

2006-05-23T22:43:00.000-07:00

2006-05-23T21:42:00.000-07:00

Desert Horse- Designed for Dust
Most of us little know about the desert horse also called as camel. We have the knowledge of camel to the primary school level ending up to “C” for camel; nothing else, it may be due to the big and ungainly look of camel. But camel is a super animal, can survive some of the hardest conditions on the planet. They thrive with little water; can eat what other animals won’t, deal with both burning hot and freezing cold temperatures and even they have learned to live with humans. Camels can go without drinking water longer than any other domestic animal. Camels go for 6 to 7 months without drinking water. This doesn’t mean they don’t need water; they get sufficient moisture from the plant material they eat. Camels handle dehydration well. A camel can lose up to 40% of its weight in water before it is in trouble. A human who loses 12% of his body weight in water is dead. And it is amazing that camel can drink 106 liters of water at one time. Camels have known to drink 170 liters in one 24 hours. That’s more than twice the liquid that a car gas tank holds. Desert camels are used to going high daytime temperatures above 38C to below freezing at night. A camel can tolerate a body temperature of 42C with no ill effects. A human will only live a short time when their body temperature reaches 39C. Camels can reach speeds of 64 kilometer per hour. Not only they are fast; camels are also good weight-lifters. Camels have good eyesight and can see well in the daytime and the night. This night vision is an important for an animal that might have to move at night. Even with their eyes closed, camels can see! The eyelid is translucent, which enables a camel to see well enough to keep walking in a sandstorm. Thick eyelashes also help keep blowing dust out of the camel’s eye. We could say that camels are designed for dust. The ears of camel are filled with hairs to keep out dust. If you are around camels, you will hear a squeaking sound. The squeaking comes from the camel grinding his teeth together. Our mother has told several occasions not to grind our teeth because it is bad for us and leads to reduce the tooth size. You might wonder how the camel gets away with this habit. It turns out that a camel’s teeth grow throughout their lifetime. Camels require constant grinding to keep their teeth a reasonable length. Camels, unlike horses, can also kick in all the directions-front, back, and sideways. So always be careful when being around the camel. Camels can eat plants that other animals won’t touch. I wonder camels can swim, even though camels can swim, that doesn’t mean they will. Some camels readily swim while others will balk and resist going across a two-inch deep stream. It all depends on the camel!

2006-05-22T20:24:00.000-07:00

Killer waves and the incidence of diabetes
I have come across the excellent article stated that people affected by natural calamity suffer from high intensity psychological stress leads to more incidence of diabetes. We all know that stress is one of the contributing factor for many diseases including cardiovascular diseases in people even in normal life. The article denoted that stress can play a bigger role when people go through a traumatic experience such as loss of people and properties due to natural calamity. The tsunami that stuck India and other countries on 26 December 2004 brought about large destruction of properties and human lives. A group has conducted a study on people who have suffered heavily by killer waves. They found that the people who suffered from tsunami did correlate with the increased incidence of undiagnosed diabetes. And of course women were found to undergo more stress than men. Interestingly, similar correlation was found in those affected by earthquake of Japan, Gujarat and Turkey. Stress is a precipitant and I dam sure that any form of stress is going to create problems. People should learn how to handle the tough situations and always be prepared to stress the stress before the stress stresses you. Never forget stress is not a primary risk factor; stress is a contributing factor.

2006-05-21T20:47:00.000-07:00

THREE DAYS WITH TIM

In my routine office life, for the first time I was assigned to interact with foreign delegate who has come from UK and going to stay in Chennai for three days. A fine day morning, I was waked up in the midnight 5.30 AM?! in my history of sleep, and make myself prepared to receive him from the hotel, where he has landed up a day before. I went to hotel around 8 AM and called him from the reception, I came to know that he woke up from the bed after hearing my voice. He told me that it will take at least two hours for him to get ready. I said thank you and come back to my office with empty hands. After killing two hours in the office, I went with my office colleagues to pick him up. During the journey, I was little tensed and worried about the next three days, kept myself engaged by chatting with my staff members to avoid the tension mounting in my mind. We went there at right time to the hotel. He was tall, fair enough, good looking typical British man, introduced himself as Mr. Tim. He was so friendly, humorous person and he can quite easily adapt to the situation. I was worried about the communication whether I can understand the British English slang? But I felt so comfortable after interacted with him. Unfortunately, during the interactions and several meetings, I couldn’t follow the speech of our colleague than Tim. The most interesting part was our first day lunch. We have taken Tim to the south Indian restaurant, where we ordered south Indian meals for him. He didn’t know how to mix the items and eat. At last we taught him to eat the south Indian food items like rice with dhal curry and vegetable gravy. He was so exited and interested on our food and took three rounds of rice to complete all the items. He was so happy with the hospitality that has provided by us during his visit to India. After completing our official programs, on the final he was interested to roam around the Chennai city, so we have taken him to marina beach and to some shopping malls. He went back to his country on the third day night, but he left lot of memories in our mind. I was admired by him to several extends, one of that was the way he respects others, the way he treats the people. I hope I have enjoyed and learnt a lot in all the aspects. Thanks Mr. Tim.

2006-05-21T20:43:00.000-07:00

One pleasant day, I was returning from college with carrying lot tiredness because I played restlessly for the whole day. The time when I reached my home, sun has finished his duty perfectly and went for bed. I had bath and completed my supper, it was a very humid day and atmosphere squeezing me and taking my sweat out. I was sitting near the fan, suddenly electric board done a great job to make my home dark. I was just frustrated. I got a spark to go to terrace, took my pillow and went. I was staying in seven stair building. When I reached the terrace I have seen the water tank above the terrace. I claimed it and stood on the water tank. I have seen the beauty of darkness. Breeze was making my respiratory tract freeze; I closed my eyes and slept on the water tank. My mind never remind about I was thirty meters away from the ground, my body never feel fear, still I was continuing to allow the breeze to steel my mind and soul.
Slowly I opened my eyes; I have seen so many beautiful white dots on the black sheet. Few were twinkling and few looking me constantly. Suddenly I was floated and slowly flying towards the sky. I was pissed off. I thought that would be the final day, I was leaving the earth. I closed my eyes so tightly and open after a long time, still I was moving, but nothing has happened to me, hopefully I was alive, I have overcome the gravitation force of earth and went into the atmosphere. I have turned and saw the earth; it was looking a ball painted with green, blue and white. I saw the moon simply rotating the earth without any hesitation. When I saw the earth now it was very small spherical in shape, earth, the third planet from the sun, takes 365.256 days to travel around the sun and 23.9345 hrs to make complete revolution its own. Earth is the only planet in the solar system known to harbor life.
In reality all of us are space travelers, our space ship is the planet earth, traveling at the speed of 10800 kilometers an hour. Earth has a cute moon which was smiling on me, and turned around, I was shocked. I have seen the planet Mercury, which is the closest planet to the sun, and second smallest planet in the solar system. It was remain colder than -161C. Poor Mercury does not contain any moon. Mercury was known to have a high density indicates that the planet is 70% weight metal and remaining 30% silicate. Mercury rotates one and half times during each orbit, so a day on Mercury is 176 earth days, I believe it’s a very long day never experienced before.
After some time traveling in the space, I have wondered by seeing the planet Venus, the jewel of the sky, also known as morning and evening star. Venus and earth are similar in size, mass, density and volume. The planet is surrounded by carbon dioxide in its atmosphere with no water vapor. Its clouds are composed of sulfuric acid droplets. Venus is scorched with a surface temperature of about 482C. I know it is very hot, but happily I was roaming there. Venus is hotter than Mercury. A Venusian day is 243 earth days, and is longer than its year of 225 days. Venusian surface was covered with volcanic rock, Hugh lava flows, extending for hundreds of kilometers. Very scary, I went out of that planet and moved away to the planet Mars. Mars is the forth planet from the sun and is commonly referred Red planet. Mars is self sterilizing planet. The combination of solar ultraviolet radiation that saturates the surface, the extreme dryness of the soil prevents the formation of living organisms. The atmosphere of Mars composed of carbon dioxide. Believe me, local patches of early morning fog can form in valleys. The average temperature is -63C with maximum temperature 20C and minimum -140C. I started to freeze so I decided to go from there and landed up in Jupiter.
Jupiter is the fifth planet from the sun and is the largest one in the solar system. If Jupiter were hollow, more than one thousand earths could fit inside. The atmosphere is very deep, and is somewhat like the sun. It is composed of hydrogen and helium. Jupiter has four moons. It is as hot as Venus. So I was not advisable to stay there longer and climbed again towards the beauty of the sky, Saturn. Saturn is the sixth planet from the sun and second largest in the solar system. Saturn visibly flattened at the poles, a result of very fast rotation. The day is 10 hrs and 39 min. Saturn takes 29.5 years to revolve about the sun. Saturn is the only planet less dense than water. The wind blows at high speed on Saturn about 1770 kilometers an hour. Saturn’s ring system makes the planet one of the most beautiful objects in the solar system. The ring composed of icebergs and snowballs. I have jumped from the ring of the Saturn and landed up in Uranus.
Uranus is the third largest in the solar system. Uranus orbits the sun every 84 years. It rotates about its axis once every 17 hrs and 14 min. Uranus has at least 22 moons. The atmosphere of Uranus composed of hydrogen, helium, methane. Methane absorbs red light, giving Uranus blue green colour. The wind blows in Uranus at 579 kilometers an hour. Somehow I have managed the wind and started from the planet, held up in Neptune. Neptune is the outmost planet of the gas giants. If Neptune were hollow, it could contain nearly 60 earths. Neptune orbits the sun every 165 years. It has eight moons. A day on Neptune is 16 hrs and 6 min. It is composed of mixture of molten rock, water, ammonia, and methane. Methane gives Neptune its blue colour. The strongest winds on any planet were measured on Neptune. Wind blow up to 2000 kilometers an hour! I can not explain the experience when I stand in the middle of the fast cold wind blowing at 2000 kilometers an hour. It was quite amazing. Then I was at the edge of our galaxy hanging on the planet called Pluto. Pluto was officially labeled ninth planet and was the only planet that has not been visited by a spacecraft. It completes orbit the sun every 249 years. Pluto is usually farther from the sun than any of the nine planets; however, due to the eccentricity of its orbit, it is closer than Neptune for 20 years out of its 249 year orbit. Pluto is 50% to 75% rock mixed with ices.
I started to comeback to earth. Earth is the youngest planet in the solar system. I was so worried because it is too young than others, so will it be vanish soon like the other planet did? Experts say some planets had water and of course life in the earlier and eradicated by their won nature, so will it happen to earth also? I was nearing the earth; I asked earth will u do the same thing like other planets done before? Will you destroy your beauty yourself? But earth was smiled on me negatively, I shouted loudly No……………….., Immediately I was slapped by a big hand, and heard my dad’s hard voice saying “Power has come go and sleep down”. I took my pillow and started towards my bedroom.