Envían bombas de agua para sellar planta de Fukushima

EL UNIVERSAL
sábado 2 de abril de 2011 12:00 AM
Washington.- Dos de las tres mayores bombas de cemento del mundo, fabricadas por una firma alemana que ya intervino en Chernobyl, serán entregadas la semana próxima para emplearse en la accidentada central de Fukushima (Japón), dijo un vocero de la compañía.

La filial norteamericana de la empresa alemana Putzmeister enviará en un avión de carga Antonov dos máquinas que disponen de un brazo flexible capaz de elevarse 70 metros y arrojar agua o cemento sobre los reactores para enfriarlos, dijo Kelly Blickle, acotó AFP.

El operador japonés Tokyo Electric Power (Tepco) utilizará esos equipos para arrojar agua sobre los reactores, precisó la empresa.

Los responsables de Tepco "no dijeron por el momento si inyectarían cemento. Pero es una opción sin tener que agregar otros equipos", agregó.

Sólo existen tres artefactos con esta capacidad en el mundo. Dos clientes estadounidenses de Putzmeister -grandes constructoras propietarias de las máquinas- aceptaron ceder dos de ellas para ayudar a detener la catástrofe.

En Fukushima ya está en servicio una bomba de ese tipo con una capacidad de 58 m, y otras dos sirven para entrenamiento.

Otras dos máquinas de 62 m -una de las cuales ya llegó a Japón ayer- fueron enviadas directamente desde Alemania.

Con las dos bombas enviadas desde Estados Unidos, serán siete las máquinas de la empresa alemana, con sede en Aichtal, cerca de Stuttgart, que estarán operativas en Japón.

Estos brazos gigantescos equipados con bombas e instalados sobre camiones pesan 80 toneladas y se pueden operar por control remoto desde una distancia de 2 km, si bien es necesario un conductor para estacionarlos cerca del reactor.

Una bomba de cemento de este tipo se empleó durante la catástrofe de Chernobyl (Ucrania) en 1986 para restablecer la seguridad alrededor del reactor 4 de la central, dijo el grupo.

La crisis nuclear y humanitaria entró en su tercera semana, mientras miles de personas sin hogar tratan de reconstruir sus vidas, con poca esperanza de una rápida solución.

El Gobierno dijo que aún tenía que decidir cómo apoyar a Tepco, que está lidiando con la peor crisis nuclear desde Chernobyl y podría tener que abordar reclamaciones que superan los 130.000 millones de dólares, según un banco de inversión de Estados Unidos, citó Reuters.

En el devastado noreste del país, muchos japoneses sólo ven los restos desperdigados de sus casas y vidas tras un terremoto de 9,0 de magnitud y un posterior tsunami, que el 11 de marzo causaron unos 28.000 muertos o desaparecidos.

Más de 172.400 personas siguen viviendo en albergues en el noreste de Japón. Muchas zonas devastadas parecen un desguace lleno de basura, con carros que han quedado al lado de edificios derrumbados y barcos todavía sobre carreteras y zonas altas lejos de la costa.

NASA recibe señal que creía de extraterrestres/ NASA RECEIVED A SIGNAL THEY THINK MAY HAVE BEEN PROOF EXTRA TERRESTIAL BEINGS EXIST

IN SPANISH AND ENLISH

Jueves 10 de marzo de 2011 Andrés Eloy Martínez | El Universal

Aunque esta potente señal no fue identificada, los astrónomos detectaron características que la delatan como de origen terrestre

A principios de febrero, el gigantesco radiotelescopio de 305 metros de diámetro instalado en Arecibo Puerto Rico, realizaba su cotidiana labor de búsqueda de señales de radio de origen extraterrestre (Proyecto SETI), cuando se topó con una señal de intensidad inusual que la NASA consideró como un probable señal proveniente de alguna civilización extraterrestre, según dio a conocer la agencia espacial.

"Nadie conoce la causa de esta señal. Existe la posibilidad de que se haya originado en una inteligencia extraterrestre", señala un comunicado publicado en internet, que muestra una fotografía con la gráfica de la señal detectada.

Los colores brillantes sobre el azul de fondo de esta, indican que una señal anómala fue recibida en la Tierra por un radiotelescopio involucrado en el programa de Búsqueda de Inteligencia Extraterrestre (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence, SETI).

De acuerdo con la NASA, distintos grupos realizan la investigación de estas señales, incluyendo a miembros voluntarios de la Liga SETI, agrupación de entusiastas en la búsqueda de inteleigencia extraterrestre.

Aunque esta potente señal no fue identificada, los astrónomos identificaron características que la delatan como de origen terrestre. Si bien aun no se puede precisar el origen exacto de la señal, es factible que se haya originado en una modulación fortuita entre un satélite GPS y una fuente terrena no identificada.

Según la NASA ,muchas señales extrañas provenientes del espacio, todavía no han sido identificadas.

Hasta hoy, ninguna señal ha sido lo suficientemente potente o prolongada para para que se le identifique sin ambigüedad como originaria de una inteligencia extraterrestre.

El proyecto Argus de la liga SETI, ha dado seguimiento a las señales extrañas, desde la famosa "Wow" captada en 1977, muchas de ellas detectadas una sola vez y jamás vueltas a escuchar.

El entusiasmo de los científicos por encontrar inteligencias extraterrestres ha crecido en los últimos años, ante el hallazgo de exoplanetas, que podrían existir en un número alrededor de 50 mil millones, sólo en nuestra galaxia, de los cuales 500 mil podrían tener vida, que pudo evolucionar como en la Tierra, hacia inteligencias similares a la humana.

Para un gran número de científicos la pregunta no es si existen criaturas pensantes como nosotros, sino cuando haremos contacto con ellas.



IN ENGLISH

No one knows for sure what caused this signal. There is a slight possibility that it just might originate from an extraterrestrial intelligence. The bright colors on the blue background indicate that an anomalous signal was received here on Earth by a radio telescope involved in a Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI). A search for these signals is ongoing by several groups including volunteer members of the SETI League. Time labels the vertical axis of the above plot, and frequency marks the horizontal axis. Although this strong signal was never positively identified, astronomers have identified in it many attributes characteristic of a more mundane and ultimately terrestrial origin. In this case, a leading possibility is that the signal originates from an unusual modulation between a GPS satellite and an unidentified Earth-based source. Many unusual signals from space remain unidentified. No signal has yet been strong enough or run long enough to be unambiguously identified as originating from an extraterrestrial intelligence.

HAPPY INTERNATIONAL WOMEN´S DAY TO ALL THE LADIES IN THE WORLD

International Women's Day has been observed since in the early 1900's, a time of great expansion and turbulence in the industrialized world that saw booming population growth and the rise of radical ideologies.
1908
Great unrest and critical debate was occurring amongst women. Women's oppression and inequality was spurring women to become more vocal and active in campaigning for change. Then in 1908, 15,000 women marched through New York City demanding shorter hours, better pay and voting rights.
1909
In accordance with a declaration by the Socialist Party of America, the first National Woman's Day (NWD) was observed across the United States on 28 February. Women continued to celebrate NWD on the last Sunday of February until 1913.
1910
n 1910 a second International Conference of Working Women was held in Copenhagen. A woman named a Clara Zetkin (Leader of the 'Women's Office' for the Social Democratic Party in Germany) tabled the idea of an International Women's Day. She proposed that every year in every country there should be a celebration on the same day - a Women's Day - to press for their demands. The conference of over 100 women from 17 countries, representing unions, socialist parties, working women's clubs, and including the first three women elected to the Finnish parliament, greeted Zetkin's suggestion with unanimous approval and thus International Women's Day was the result.
1911
Following the decision agreed at Copenhagen in 1911, International Women's Day (IWD) was honoured the first time in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland on 19 March. More than one million women and men attended IWD rallies campaigning for women's rights to work, vote, be trained, to hold public office and end discrimination. However less than a week later on 25 March, the tragic 'Triangle Fire' in New York City took the lives of more than 140 working women, most of them Italian and Jewish immigrants. This disastrous event drew significant attention to working conditions and labour legislation in the United States that became a focus of subsequent International Women's Day events. 1911 also saw women's 'Bread and Roses' campaign.

1913-1914
On the eve of World War I campaigning for peace, Russian women observed their first International Women's Day on the last Sunday in February 1913. In 1913 following discussions, International Women's Day was transferred to 8 March and this day has remained the global date for International Wommen's Day ever since. In 1914 further women across Europe held rallies to campaign against the war and to express women's solidarity.
1917
On the last Sunday of February, Russian women began a strike for "bread and peace" in response to the death over 2 million Russian soldiers in war. Opposed by political leaders the women continued to strike until four days later the Czar was forced to abdicate and the provisional Government granted women the right to vote. The date the women's strike commenced was Sunday 23 February on the Julian calendar then in use in Russia. This day on the Gregorian calendar in use elsewhere was 8 March.
1918 - 1999
Since its birth in the socialist movement, International Women's Day has grown to become a global day of recognition and celebration across developed and developing countries alike. For decades, IWD has grown from strength to strength annually. For many years the United Nations has held an annual IWD conference to coordinate international efforts for women's rights and participation in social, political and economic processes. 1975 was designated as 'International Women's Year' by the United Nations. Women's organisations and governments around the world have also observed IWD annually on 8 March by holding large-scale events that honour women's advancement and while diligently reminding of the continued vigilance and action required to ensure that women's equality is gained and maintained in all aspects of life.
2000 and beyond
IWD is now an official holiday in Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, China (for women only), Cuba, Georgia, Guinea-Bissau, Eritrea, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Madagascar (for women only), Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Nepal (for women only), Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Vietnam and Zambia. The tradition sees men honouring their mothers, wives, girlfriends, colleagues, etc with flowers and small gifts. In some countries IWD has the equivalent status of Mother's Day where children give small presents to their mothers and grandmothers.
The new millennium has witnessed a significant change and attitudinal shift in both women's and society's thoughts about women's equality and emancipation. Many from a younger generation feel that 'all the battles have been won for women' while many feminists from the 1970's know only too well the longevity and ingrained complexity of patriarchy. With more women in the boardroom, greater equality in legislative rights, and an increased critical mass of women's visibility as impressive role models in every aspect of life, one could think that women have gained true equality. The unfortunate fact is that women are still not paid equally to that of their male counterparts, women still are not present in equal numbers in business or politics, and globally women's education, health and the violence against them is worse than that of men.
However, great improvements have been made. We do have female astronauts and prime ministers, school girls are welcomed into university, women can work and have a family, women have real choices. And so the tone and nature of IWD has, for the past few years, moved from being a reminder about the negatives to a celebration of the positives.
Annually on 8 March, thousands of events are held throughout the world to inspire women and celebrate achievements. A global web of rich and diverse local activity connects women from all around the world ranging from political rallies, business conferences, government activities and networking events through to local women's craft markets, theatric performances, fashion parades and more.
Many global corporations have also started to more actively support IWD by running their own internal events and through supporting external ones. For example, on 8 March search engine and media giant Google some years even changes its logo on its global search pages. Year on year IWD is certainly increasing in status. The United States even designates the whole month of March as 'Women's History Month'.
So make a difference, think globally and act locally !! Make everyday International Women's Day. Do your bit to ensure that the future for girls is bright, equal, safe and rewarding.

ORGAN TRANSPLANT UNDER REVIEW

Organ transplant program under review
WASHINGTON (UPI) -- The network that oversees organ transplant policy is considering a proposal that would give priority to younger, healthier kidney patients.

Currently patients who have been on a waiting list the longest and who are the sickest often get the best kidneys in a system that was last overhauled in 1986, The Washington Post reported.

"We're trying to best utilize the gift of the donated organ," said Kenneth Andreoni, an associate professor of surgery at Ohio State University and chairman of the committee reviewing the transplant system for the United Network for Organ Sharing.

UNOS is a private non-profit group contracted by the federal government to coordinate organ allocation.

Some 87,000 Americans are awaiting kidneys. The Post said 4,000 die each year awaiting kidney transplants while 17,000 operations are performed annually.

"It's an effort to get the most out of a scarce resource," Andreoni said.

Critics said the changes could result in age discrimination.

"The best kidneys are from young adults under age 35 years. Nobody over the age of 50 will ever see one of those," said Lainie Friedman Ross, a University of Chicago bioethicist and physician. "We're making it harder for them to get a kidney ... it's age discrimination."

The proposed change, which would put kidney allocation closer to the system used for livers, hearts and lungs, could have implications for how other medical resources are allocated.

"It's a big shift," said Arthur C. Caplan, a University of Pennsylvania bioethicist.

The public has until April 1 to comment.



Copyright 2011 by United Press International

NAUSEA MAY BE FLU, NOT MORNING SICKNESS

DALLAS (UPI) -- U.S. doctors warn nausea and vomiting, especially after the first trimester, may be signs of flu. Researchers at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas found nausea and vomiting -- usually signs of flu in children but not in adults -- were common in pregnant women with flu. "Both physicians and patients should be aware of these findings so treatment is not delayed," study lead author Dr. Vanessa Rogers said in a statement. "I think our findings should encourage people to be vigilant and to take symptoms seriously." Rogers and colleagues examined 107 pregnant women diagnosed with influenza at Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas during the 2003-2004 flu season. Ninety-three percent of the women had a cough and 89 percent had fever -- common signs of flu -- but 85 percent had a "profound" elevated heart rate and 60 percent had nausea and/or vomiting. Nearly two-thirds were sick enough to require hospitalization. The most common complication -- pneumonia -- occurred in 12 percent of the cases. The study, published in Obstetrics and Gynecology, found no significant difference in complications between women with flu and women without flu who gave birth at the hospital during flu season. After birth, the babies also showed no significant difference in complications. "Early diagnosis and treatment might be the reason our patients did so well," Rogers said.

Copyright 2010 by United Press International

LESS THAN SIX HOURS SLEEP CAN KILL YOU

WARWICK, England (UPI) -- People who sleep for less than 6 hours each night have an increased risk of dying prematurely, British and Italian researchers said. Researchers at the University of Warwick and the Federico II University Medical School in Naples, Italy, found that those who slept for less than 6 hours a night were 12 percent more likely to die prematurely than those who slept the recommended 6-8 hours a night. The study, published in the journal Sleep, also said sleeping more than 9 hours a night is not linked to premature death, but can indicate a serious or potentially fatal illness. The researchers reviewed 16 studies from Britain, the United States, Europe and East Asia that involved more than 1.3. million people with up to 25 years of follow-up. "Modern society has seen a gradual reduction in the average amount of sleep people take, and this pattern is more common amongst full-time workers, suggesting that it may be due to societal pressures for longer working hours and more shift-work," Francesco Cappuccio of the University of Warwick and physician at the University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust said in a statement. "Consistently sleeping 6 to 8 hours per night may be optimal for health."
Copyright 2010 by United Press International

IRRITABLE BOWEL LINKED TO BACTERIAL INFECTIONS

There is good news for the millions of suffering with irritable bowel syndrome. In a review published in the Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, researchers unearthed the possible link between irritable bowel and bacterial infections or alterations in the normal bacterial flora. This may explain the abdominal pain, excessive gas, diarrhea and/or constipation associated with the condition. More importantly, this exciting breakthrough may provide new and effective treatment options, improving the quality of life for adults throughout the country. The contents of your bowel, from the mouth to the rectum, are completely outside of the body encased in your digestive system. Throughout life, these contents contain a delicate and complex mix of bacteria, viruses and even some fungi. There are as many as 500 to 1,000 species of bugs in the bowel that are critically important to normal physiological function. These bacteria help destroy toxins in the bowel, produce vital nutrients, and assure that the bowel content appropriately forms fecal matter and that gas production is kept at a minimum. Anything that upsets this delicate balance -- such as replacing good bacteria with bad -- can lead to a dysfunctional bowel, the symptoms of irritable bowel and even nutritional deficiencies. Oftentimes, antibiotics that are prescribed for the treatment of infections, or even antibiotics in the meat we eat, can destroy normal bacteria. Killing off the good bacteria leaves a void that can be quickly filled with "bad bugs," which may irritate the bowel, cause increased production of gas, lead to alterations in the immune system and cause abdominal pain or alteration of bowel movements. Excessive antibiotic use can even lead to a medical condition called "small intestinal bacterial overgrowth" that has symptoms very similar to irritable bowel, but it can also cause malabsorption, weight loss and severe vitamin B-12 deficiency. Traditionally, irritable bowel has been associated with a variety of health concerns, including excess stress, depression, hormonal alterations and increased food sensitivities. However, there is now evidence indicating that the initial symptoms of irritable bowel frequently follow a case of gastroenteritis. After an episode of nausea and diarrhea that lasts longer than seven days, symptoms identical to those of irritable bowel may last for six months and sometimes indefinitely. In some cases, there is a continued presence of a parasite that may cause irritable bowel. The most common parasite that leads to irritable bowel symptoms is giardia, but another bacteria called Blastocystis hominis has been recently identified as a potential cause. Occasionally, irritable bowel can follow an episode of diarrhea that occurs abroad (traveler's diarrhea). Research now clearly shows that the mix of bacteria in the bowels of patients with irritable bowel is different from normal people. Patients with irritable bowel have bowels that contain fewer lactobacilli and other normal bacteria, which produce less gas. The lactobacilli are replaced by bugs that create more methane and greater amounts of hydrogen gas, which can in turn affect bowel motility. Any change in the mixture of bugs in the bowel can produce unusual molecules that affect the ability of the bowel to contract normally. In addition to excess gas production, these bugs are considered foreign to the body (unlike the normal bacteria flora). In an attempt to destroy the abnormal organisms, the intestinal immune system releases molecules called cytokines that cause the bowel to become hyperactive and inflamed, resulting in pain and further changes in bowel movements. There has been research conducted in Asia that examines the use of probiotics (good bugs) to aid in alleviating the symptoms of irritable bowel. When administered in adequate amounts, these probiotics (live bacteria) appear to be beneficial in reducing bloating, gas, abdominal pain and constipation. For someone with irritable bowel, it is important to consider the fact that excessive use of antibiotics can contribute to the problem. But in addition to examining any medical issues, you may want to consider a safe probiotic food to help maintain a normal bowel flora. This simple change in diet could relieve symptoms of irritable bowel. Clearly, this condition is more than a disease related to stress, depression, anxiety or hormonal alterations. While this research remains in its infancy, it seems likely that more and more attention will be focused on the link between irritable bowel and bacteria.

Dr. David Lipschitz is the author of the books, "Breaking the Rules of Aging" and "Dr. David's First Health Book of More Not Less." To find out more about Dr. David Lipschitz and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com. More information is available at www.DrDavidHealth.com.
Copyright 2010 Creators Syndicate Inc.