As Transaminases AST ou TGO e ALT ou TGP

 

O exame mais solicitado aos portadores de hepatite C são as transaminases. Vamos tentar explicar, de forma simples algumas duvidas que a maioria dos portadores nos fazem chegar. O que são as Transaminases? Um passo inicial para detectar problemas no fígado é um exame de sangue para determinar a presença de certas enzimas no sangue, comumente chamadas de transaminases. Debaixo de circunstâncias normais, estas enzimas residem dentro das células do fígado. Mas quando o fígado está com problemas, estas enzimas são derramadas no fluxo de sangue. Entre as mais sensíveis destas enzimas é as mais representativas estão as transaminases. Elas incluem a aminotransferase de aspartate (AST ou SGOT ou TGO ou GOT) e a aminotransferase de alanine (ALT ou SGPT ou TGP ou GPT). Estas enzimas normalmente são contidas dentro das células do fígado. Se o fígado estiver com algum problema, as células derramam as enzimas na corrente sanguínea, elevando os níveis destas enzimas no sangue e sinalizando o problema que possa existir. As transaminases catalisam reações químicas nas células nas quais um grupo de amino é transferido de uma molécula doadora a uma molécula recipiente. Conseqüentemente, disto deriva o nome "transaminases". Normalmente, onde as transaminases são produzidas? TGO ( AST ou SGOT ou GOT) normalmente é encontrado em uma diversidade de tecidos inclusive o fígado, coração, músculos, rim, e cérebro. É liberado no sangue quando qualquer um destes tecidos estiver estragado. Por exemplo, seu nível no sangue sobe com ataques de coração e com desordens nos músculos. Não é então um indicador altamente específico de dano no fígado. TGP (ALT ou SGPT ou GPT) é encontrado em grande parte no fígado. Este não é produzido exclusivamente pelo fígado, porém é onde se encontra mais concentrado. É liberado na circulação sangüínea como o resultado de dano hepático. Serve então como um indicador bastante específico do estado do fígado. O que são níveis normais de TGO e TGP? A gama normal de valores para TGO é de 5 a 40 unidades por litro de soro (a parte líquida do sangue). A gama normal de valores para TGP é de 7 a 56 unidades por litro de soro. Estes valores dependem do fabricante do teste. É necessário sempre verificar quais são os valores de referencia para poder comparar os resultados. Tente, sempre que possível, fazer o exame no mesmo laboratório, assim poderá ser feita uma media comparativa dos resultados. O que significam ter resultados de TGO e TGP elevados? TGP e TGO são indicadores sensíveis de dano hepático em diferentes tipos de doenças. Mas deve ser enfatizado que ter níveis mais altos que o normal destas enzimas não indicam, necessariamente, uma doença hepática estabelecida. Eles podem indicar algum problema ou não. A interpretação dos níveis altos de TGO e TGP depende do quadro clínico em geral e assim é melhor que isto seja determinado por médicos experimentados em hepatologia. Os níveis destas enzimas não medem a extensão de dano no fígado ou mostram um prognostico da evolução futura. Assim, os níveis de TGO e TGP não podem ser usados para determinar o grau de dano hepático ou predizer o futuro. Em pacientes com hepatite A aguda, as TGO e TGP são muito altas (às vezes alcançam milhares de unidades), porém a maioria destes pacientes com hepatite A recupera completamente o fígado, não ficando nenhum dano. Na hepatite C só e observada uma pequena elevação nas TGO e TGP, sendo que alguns destes pacientes podem ter evoluído para uma doença crônica com fibroses ou cirroses. Que doenças causam níveis de transaminases anormais? São encontrados níveis mais altos de TGO e TGO em desordens que causam a morte de numerosas células (necrose hepática extensa). Isto acontece nas hepatites agudas A ou B, no dano pronunciado infligido por toxinas como o de uma overdose de acetaminofen (TYLENOL) ou quando o fígado é privado de sangue fresco que traz oxigênio e nutrientes. As transaminases nestas situações podem variar de dez vezes os limites superiores do normal para milhares de unidades por mililitro. Moderadas elevações das transaminases são comuns. Elas são encontradas freqüentemente em exames de sangue de rotina em indivíduos saudáveis. Os níveis das transaminases em tais casos normalmente se situam entre duas vezes os limites superiores do normal e várias centenas de unidades. É sempre importante se fazer a media dos últimos quatro resultados encontrados, para saber ao certo como estão as transaminases. A causa mais comum de moderadas elevações destas enzimas é o fígado gorduroso (esteatose). A causa mais freqüente de fígado gorduroso é o abuso de álcool. Outras causas de fígado gorduroso incluem a diabete e a obesidade. A hepatite C também está se tornando uma causa importante de elevações das transaminases. Que medicamentos causam níveis de transaminases anormais? Alguns medicamentos podem elevar as transaminases, entre eles temos os que contem os seguintes principios ativos: Medicamentos para alívio da dor com aspirina, acetaminofen, ibuprofen, neproxen, diclofenac e feenybutazone. Medicamentos de antiataque apopléctico com fenytoin, ácido valproico, carbamazepine e fenobarbital. Antibióticos como as tetraciclinas, sulfonamides, isoniazid (INH), sulfametoxazole, trimetoprim, nitrofurantoin, etc. Drogas para o colesterol como o "statins" e niacina. Drogas cardiovasculares como amiodarone, hidralazine, quinidine, etc. Anti-depressivos do tipo de tricyclic. Com anormalidades das transaminases, originadas por medicamentos, os valores voltam ao normal semanas ou meses depois de parar com os medicamentos. Quais são as causas menos comuns de níveis de transaminases anormais? Causas menos comuns de transaminases anormais incluem a hepatite B crônica, a hemocromatosis, a doença de Wilson, e a hepatite autoinmune. Embora não tão comum quanto na hepatite C, a hepatite B pode ficar crônica com resultados anormais nas transaminases. Hemacromatose é uma desordem genética no qual há absorção excessiva de ferro ingerido na alimentação conduzindo a acumulação de ferro no fígado produzindo inflamação que pode levar a fibroses e cirroses. A doença de Wilson é uma desordem hereditária com acumulação excessiva de cobre em tecidos diversos inclusive o fígado e o cérebro. Cobre no fígado pode produzir inflamação, enquanto que o cobre no cérebro pode causar problemas psiquiátricos e perturbações motoras. A hepatite autoinmune e provocada pelos próprios anticorpos do corpo e sistemas de defesa que atacam o fígado. Raramente as transaminases anormais podem ser um sinal de câncer no fígado. Como as pessoas saudáveis, com transaminases anormais devem ser avaliadas? Avaliação de pacientes saudáveis com transaminases anormais devem ser feitas de forma individualizada. O médico pode pedir resultados de exame de sangue antigos para comparação. Se nenhum registro antigo estiver disponível, será necessário repetir os exames de sangue por semanas ou meses para ver se estas anormalidades persistem. O médico procurará fatores de risco para hepatites B e C que incluem múltiplos parceiros sexuais, história de transfusões de sangue, uso de drogas injetáveis ou aspiradas e exposição profissional. Uma história familiar de doenças pode indicar a possibilidade de doenças hereditárias como hemocromatosis ou a doença de Wilson, O padrão de anormalidades das transaminases pode prover pistas úteis da causa da doença. Por exemplo, a maioria de pacientes com doença de fígado alcoólica tem níveis de transaminases que não são tão altas quanto os níveis observados na hepatites viróticas agudas e o TGO tende a ficar maior que o TGP. Assim, em doença de fígado alcoólica, o TGO está normalmente debaixo de 300 unidades enquanto o TGP normalmente fica debaixo de 100 unidades. Se o álcool ou medicamentos são os responsáveis pelos níveis anormais das transaminases, ao eliminar o uso de álcool ou do medicamento os níveis deverão voltar ao normal em semanas ou meses. Se for suspeitada obesidade como a causa de fígado gorduroso, uma redução do peso de 5% a 10% também deveria trazer as transaminases a níveis normais ou próximos do normal. Se as transaminases anormais persistirem apesar de abstinência de álcool, redução de peso e com a eliminação das drogas suspeitas, deverão ser realizados exames de sangue para diagnosticar outras doenças no fígado. Deve-se testar a presença de hepatites B e C, o nível de ferro, e a ferritina, que e normalmente elevada em pacientes com hemocromatosis. Os níveis de certos anticorpos específicos podem estar elevados em pacientes com hepatite autoinmune. O ultra-som pode ser usado para excluir suspeitas de tumores que possam estar obstruindo os canais que conectam o fígado. A biópsia é um procedimento onde uma agulha é inserida pela pele em cima do abdômen superior para obter uma pequena quantidade de tecido hepático para ser examinado em um microscópio. Não todos os que têm transaminases anormais precisam de uma biópsia. O médico normalmente recomendará este procedimento se: 1) as informações obtidas da biópsia serão úteis para planejar o tratamento, 2) o médico precisa saber a extensão e a severidade do dano hepático, ou 3) avaliar a efetividade ou necessidade de tratamento. Existem outras enzimas? Alem da TGO e TGP, há outras enzimas que incluem a fosfatase alcalina e a gama glutamil transferese (GGT) as quais são testadas durante o tratamento da hepatite ou em pacientes com doenças mais avançadas. Neste artigo nós restringimos as AST ou TGO e ALT ou TGP porque elas são as mais úteis e importantes no controle da hepatite C. Carlos Varaldo www.hepato.com hepato@hepato.com http://hepato.com/p_transaminases/011_transamin_port.php

Researchers develop new energy-efficient technique to weld steel and aluminum

 

Cars could soon be lighter and stronger, thanks to vaporized foil actuator welding (Credit: Shutterstock) As manufacturers, particularly in the automobile industry, continue to work toward incorporating lighter metals like aluminum with heavier steel, the ongoing problem has been how to successfully weld them together. The problem is that the high heat created in the welding process actually weakens these lighter metals, creating a less than optimum weld. After 10 years of research, engineers at The Ohio State University have developed a new welding technique that may prove to solve this problem while also using 80 percent less energy and creating bonds that are 50 percent stronger. "With our method, materials are shaped and bonded together at the same time, and they actually get stronger," says Glenn Daehn, professor of materials science and engineering at Ohio State, who helped develop the new technique. The traditional technique, called spot resistant welding, works by passing an electrical current through pieces of metal using the natural electrical resistance within those metals. This generates heat that melts them together to form a weld. This process consumes a lot of energy, and the melted metals are left in a weaker state than they were before. What Daehn and his team have done is create a new welding method called vaporized foil actuator (VFA) using short high voltage electrical pulses (lasting millionths of a second) passed through an aluminum foil, and a burst of hot gas traveling at speeds approaching thousands of miles per hour, to bond the atoms of one metal to atoms on the other. Since the two different bonded metals don’t melt, neither metal is weakened and the resulting seam is stronger. The energy savings comes from the fact that the electrical pulse is so short and the required energy to vaporize the foil is less than is necessary to melt the parts together in a traditional process. Daehn and his team have already used the process to successfully bonded different combinations of copper, aluminum, magnesium, iron, nickel and titanium. They have created strong bonds between commercial steel and aluminum alloys – a feat which is impossible normally. VFA is evidently also able to shape metal parts during the welding process, which could save manufacturers an additional step. In 2012, Honda announced it had created a similar result, welding aluminum to steel using a variation of a process called friction stir welding (FSW). Rather than the high heat and gas applied to a third element like the aluminum foil used in the VFA process, FSW uses heat, friction and pressure with a third element to meld two metals together. Like VFA, it uses less energy and creates a bond that has been proven to be stronger than that created by a traditional welding process. Variations of FSW have since been used by Lincoln, Mazda and Audi. Source: The Ohio State University   http://www.gizmag.com/vaporized-foil-actuator-welding/40137/

3D printed teeth kill bacteria

 

Dental implants could soon have built-in antibacterial properties (Credit:Shutterstock) Creating replacement parts for various bits of the human body is one of the many areas in which 3D printing has huge potential. Dental implants are on that list, too, and if new research out of the University of Groningen in the Netherlands comes to fruition, 3D-printed replacement teeth could come with the added bonus of being able to destroy 99 percent of bacteria that they come into contact with. The research team, led by Andreas Hermann, has developed a process to manufacture 3D-printed teeth and braces capable of destroying bacteria using a special type of antimicrobial resin. To create the resin, the researchers combined antibacterial ammonium salts with standard dental resins. The resultant mixture was then hardened using ultraviolet light and put inside a 3D printer to print samples of replacement teeth. The positive charge on the ammonium salts gives the resin its bacteria-killing property, disrupting negatively charged bacterial membranes and causing them to burst and die. To test the antibacterial capacity of the resin the researchers applied a mixture of saliva and tooth decay-causing bacteria Streptococcus mutans on the samples of the replacement teeth and found that the material was effective in destroying 99 percent of the bacteria colonies on the sample. The material can kill bacteria on contact but is not harmful to human cells, Hermann told New Scientist. It's not all smiles though. In a review of the study Nicholas Staropoli, a research associate for the American Council on Science and Health, points out that while the teeth could prevent oral infections, such as endocarditis, and preserve dental implants, it could also wipe out helpful bacteria that help protect a person from harmful pathogens. As of now the material is still a prototype and according to the researchers further testing will be required before human trials can be conducted. In addition to inhibiting bacterial damage to teeth implants, the researchers believe the material may also be suitable for orthopaedic and non-medical applications, such as water purification, food packaging and children’s toys. The research paper entitled 3D-Printable Antimicrobial Composite Resins is published in the journal Advanced Functional Materials.   http://www.gizmag.com/3d-printer-teeth-kill-bacteria/40161/

Lack of 'sleep' may zap cell growth, brain activity, study in plants suggests

 

Lack of adequate sleep can do more than just make you tired. It can short-circuit your system and interfere with a fundamental cellular process that drives physical growth, physiological adaptation and even brain activity, according to a new study from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Albrecht von Arnim, a molecular biologist based in the Department of Biochemistry and Cellular and Molecular Biology, studied plants but said the concepts may well translate to humans. His team examined how protein synthesis--the process that determines how organisms grow and how cells renew themselves--changes over the course of the daily day-night cycle. He also explored whether any such changes are controlled by the organism's internal time keeper, the circadian clock. Proteins are newly created in every cell by translating messages made from the cell's own DNA, the genome. Von Arnim's findings, published in the journal Plant Cell, show not only that protein synthesis activity changed over the course of the day, but also that it was under the influence of the circadian clock. "When we misalign our behavior with our circadian clock, for example by creating jet lag, or by working as a night owl, we do not only disrupt normal physiological processes such as cycles of appetite and body temperature," von Arnim said. "This work in plants suggests that we may also be interfering with a more fundamental cellular process, protein synthesis." Muscle action, brain activity, growth and development are functions all performed by proteins whose synthesis is carefully regulated, he said. "For example, when cells are stressed by high temperatures or from a virus infection, they drastically reduce their protein synthesis activity," von Arnim said. The findings could also have implications for agricultural production as farmers and companies seek to better cultivate land and maximize outputs from plants required to sustain human life. "Protein synthesis is part of the basis for crop yield," von Arnim said. Story Source: The above post is reprinted from materials provided by University of Tennessee at Knoxville. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. Journal Reference: Anamika Missra et al. The Circadian Clock Modulates Global Daily Cycles of mRNA Ribosome Loading. The Plant Cell, 2015 DOI:10.%u200B1105/%u200Btpc.%u200B15.%u200B00546 http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/10/151030153115.htm

Qualities admired in another from far away can be threatening as that person approaches

 

What people believe they want and what they might actually prefer are not always the same thing. And in the case of being outperformed as an element of romantic attraction, the difference between genuine affinity and apparent desirability becomes clearer as the distance between two people gets smaller. In matters of relative performance, distance influences attraction. For example, someone of greater intelligence seems attractive when they're distant or far away in your mind. But less so when that same person is right next to you, according to a new study by a University at Buffalo-led research team published in the latest edition of the journal Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin. "We found that men preferred women who are smarter than them in psychologically distant situations. Men rely on their ideal preferences when a woman is hypothetical or imagined," said Lora Park, associate professor in the UB Department of Psychology and the study's principal investigator. "But in live interaction, men distanced themselves and were less attracted to a woman who outperformed them in intelligence." Previous research has shown that similarities between individuals can affect attraction. This new set of studies suggests that psychological distance -- whether someone is construed as being near or far in relation to the self -- plays a key role in determining attraction. "It's the distinction between the abstract and the immediate," says Park. "There is a disconnect between what people appear to like in the abstract when someone is unknown and when that same person is with them in some immediate social context." Even though the research focus of the current study was on romantic attraction and, specifically, men's interest in women, Park says the result might potentially be a broader phenomenon, extending to other interpersonal situations. "That's a question for future research," she said. "But presumably, anyone who is outperformed by someone close to them might feel threatened themselves. We just happened to look at men in a romantic dating context." Park's team conducted six separate studies involving 650 young adult subjects. The studies ranged from presenting subjects with hypothetical women, to women they expected to meet, to actually engaging in an interpersonal interaction. "In each case, how much you like someone or how much you are attracted to them is affected by how intelligent that person is relative to you and how close that person is relative to you," said Park. But the area of performance has to be something important to the individual. "The domain matters," says Park. "If you don't care about the domain, you might not be threatened. Yet, if you care a lot about the domain, then you might prefer that quality in somebody who is distant, then feel threatened when that person gets close to you." Story Source: The above post is reprinted from materials provided by University at Buffalo. The original item was written by Bert Gambini. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/10/151030161339.htm

'Everything in moderation' diet advice may lead to poor metabolic health

 

Diet diversity, as defined by less similarity among the foods people eat, may be linked to lower diet quality and worse metabolic health, according to researchers at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) and the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University. The study was published today in PLOS ONE. "'Eat everything in moderation' has been a long-standing dietary recommendation, but without much empiric supporting evidence in populations. We wanted to characterize new metrics of diet diversity and evaluate their association with metabolic health," said Marcia C. de Oliveira Otto, Ph.D., first author and assistant professor in the Department of Epidemiology, Human Genetics and Environmental Sciences at UTHealth School of Public Health. Using data from 6,814 participants in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis, a study of whites, blacks, Hispanic-Americans and Chinese-Americans in the United States, the authors measured diet diversity through different measures. These included the total count (number of different foods eaten in a week), evenness (the distribution of calories across different foods consumed), and dissimilarity (the differences in food attributes relevant to metabolic health, such as fiber, sodium or trans-fat content). Researchers evaluated how diet diversity was associated with change in waist circumference five years after the beginning of the study and with onset of Type 2 diabetes 10 years later. Waist circumference is an important indicator of central fat and metabolic health. When evaluating both food count and evenness, no associations were seen with either increase in waist circumference or incidence of diabetes. In other words, more diversity in the diet was not linked to better outcomes. Participants who had the greatest food dissimilarity actually experienced more central weight gain, with a 120 percent greater increase in waist circumference than participants with the lowest food dissimilarity. To compare with the results seen for diet diversity, the researchers also examined how diet quality relates to metabolic health. Diet quality was measured using established scores such as the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) score and the Alternative Healthy Eating Index (AHEI) score. At five years, diet quality was not associated with change in waist circumference. At ten years, higher diet quality was associated with about a 25 percent lower risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. "An unexpected finding was that participants with greater diversity in their diets, as measured by dissimilarity, actually had worse diet quality. They were eating less healthy foods, such as fruits and vegetables, and more unhealthy foods, such as processed meats, desserts and soda," said Otto. "This may help explain the relationship between greater food dissimilarity and increased waist circumference." Dietary diversity as measured by food count and evenness was also associated with higher intakes of both healthy and unhealthy foods. "People in the US with the healthiest diets actually eat a relatively small range of healthy foods," said Dariush Mozaffarian, M.D., Dr.P.H., senior author and dean of the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University in Boston. "These results suggest that in modern diets, eating 'everything in moderation' is actually worse than eating a smaller number of healthy foods." Nikhil S. Padhye, Ph.D., from UTHeath School of Nursing, was a coauthor on the study. Funding came from a research supplement grant awarded to Otto by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health, as part of a larger research grant number R01HL085710, whose principal investigator is the senior author Mozaffarian.   Story Source: The above post is reprinted from materials provided by University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. Journal Reference: Marcia C. de Oliveira Otto, Nikhil S. Padhye, Alain G. Bertoni, David R. Jacobs, Dariush Mozaffarian. Everything in Moderation - Dietary Diversity and Quality, Central Obesity and Risk of Diabetes. PLOS ONE, 2015; 10 (10): e0141341 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0141341

The Ultra-Detailed Wood Carving of Dongyang

 

Posted: 31 Oct 2015 03:00 AM PDT

Trouvant ses origines dans la dynastie Tang (environ en -700 avant Jésus Christ), l’artisanat chinois du bois de la région de Dongyang présente des sculptures incroyables et hyper détaillées. Ces formes élégantes possèdent énormément de relief et mettent en scène des sortes de dioramas muraux. Cette discipline traditionnelle est encore pratiquée aujourd’hui dans cette région (où on trouve quelques workshops) et servent à décorer son intérieur ou ses meubles.

www.fubiz.net

To Photograph a Wind Farm You Must Learn to Survive at Sea

 

The prize was more than thirty miles off the German coast. Rising 300 feet from the surface of the North Sea was a forest of shimmering fiberglass-and-steel wind turbines. In his dreams, photographer Luca Locatelli stood atop a turbine with his camera to capture the essence of Germany’s massive push for offshore wind power.

But his dream would have to wait.

All wind-turbine workers must receive water-safety training before they can work offshore. Inside a German training pool of the Maritime Center of Competence Elsfleth (MARIKO), a student readies to flip a life raft as his instructors look on.
All Photographs by Luca Locatelli

 

Trainees in an emergency raft signal to a faux helicopter for rescue in a simulated nighttime thunderstorm, which includes waves more than six feet high, total darkness, deafening sound, and high winds inside the Elsfleth training center.

“I have to say that we have severe preconditions for everyone,” wrote an energy company executive. “The photographer needs to have all certificates … [which] include, among other training, the so called ‘survival at sea’ and HUET,” (which stands for Helicopter Underwater Escape Training).

An instructor, left, and a safety diver, right, watch an upside-down trainee try to safely escape from a capsized-helicopter simulator. Helicopter escape training is a prerequisite for working on offshore wind platforms.

 

Two trainees in red suits are surrounded by instructors and safety divers as the helicopter simulator descends into the wave pool.

Undaunted, Locatelli and his assistant, Sirio Magnabosco, enrolled in the grueling four-day training, which allowed them access to the offshore wind farms. Magnabosco made a video (at the top of this page) of Locatelli going through the course. The training included weathering a pool outfitted to create stormlike conditions at sea—six-foot waves, thunder and lightning, and wind and rain, all in total darkness.

“I can tell when it’s dark, when there is the wind, when there is the noise of the thunderstorm, somehow you don’t recognize very well that it’s a simulation,” Locatelli recalled. “You are just in trouble. The water is real. The waves are real. So you have to breathe, and you have to swim, otherwise you fail.”

A helicopter shuttling workers prepares to take off from the Regina Baltica, a boat that is used as a floating hotel, more than 30 miles off the coast of Germany. Nineteen wind farms have been built or are under construction in German waters of the North and Baltic Seas.

“Energy cowboys” wait for the ride out to the wind turbines to begin work in the morning aboard the Regina Baltica.

The wind farm that Locatelli was able to photograph, courtesy of DONG Energy, was the Borkum Riffgrund 1 wind farm that was inaugurated this month. The312-megawatt wind farm has 78 turbines producing enough power for 320,000 German households. Eighteen other wind farms have been built or are under construction in German waters of the North and Baltic Seas.

And, once Locatelli was finally allowed access to the turbines in the sea, he was finally able to make the images that he had envisioned all along.

Photographer Luca Locatelli is all geared up to photograph wind turbines in the North Sea.

 

A Siemens worker on an offshore wind turbine uses a crane to lower a wrench to workers below. The technicians were finishing work on the 78-turbine Borkum Riffgrund 1 wind farm off the coast of Germany in the North Sea.

A Siemens maintenance vessel floats among wind farms more than 30 miles from the German shoreline. The vessel can hold up to 40 technicians, has a workshop, holds small turbine parts, and can safely deliver workers to turbines in eight-foot swells.

 

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http://proof.nationalgeographic.com/2015/10/28/to-photograph-a-windfarm-you-must-learn-to-survive-at-sea/

China Ends 1-Child Birth Policy, but it May be Too Little, Too Late

 

Critics say that change may be slow because large families are too pricey October 30, 2015 For illustration purposes only. NI QIN ©iStock.com By Megha Rajagopalan and Koh Gui Qing BEIJING (Reuters) - China will ease family planning restrictions to allow all couples to have two children after decades of a strict one-child policy, the ruling Communist Party said on Thursday, a move aimed at alleviating demographic strains on the economy. The policy is a major liberalization of the country's family planning restrictions, already eased in late 2013 when Beijing said it would allow more families to have two children when the parents met certain conditions. A growing number of scholars had urged the government to reform the rules, introduced in the late 1970s to prevent population growth spiraling out of control, but now regarded as outdated and responsible for shrinking China's labor pool. For the first time in decades the working age population fell in 2012, and China, the world's most populous nation, could be the first country in the world to get old before it gets rich. By around the middle of this century, one in every three Chinese is forecast to be over 60, with a dwindling proportion of working adults to support them. The announcement was made at the close of a key Party meeting focused on financial reforms and maintaining growth between 2016 and 2020 amid concerns over the country's slowing economy. China will "fully implement a policy of allowing each couple to have two children as an active response to an ageing population", the party said in a statement carried by the official Xinhua news agency. There were no immediate details on the new policy or a timeframe for implementation. Wang Feng, a leading expert on demographic and social change in China, called the change an "historic event" that would change the world but said the challenges of China's aging society would remain. "It's an event that we have been waiting  for a generation, but it is one we have had to wait much too long for," Wang said. "It won't have any impact on the issue of the aging society, but it will change the character of many young families," Wang said. Too little, too late? Under the 2013 reform, couples in which one parent is an only child were allowed to have a second child. Critics said the relaxation of rules was too little, too late to redress substantial negative effects of the one-child policy on the economy and society. Many couples who were allowed to have another child under the 2013 rules decided not to, especially in the cities, citing the cost of bringing up children in an increasingly expensive country. State media said in January that about 30,000 families in Beijing, just 6.7% of those eligible, applied to have a second child. The Beijing government had said last year that it expected an extra 54,200 births annually as a result of the change in rules. Chinese people took to microblogging site Weibo, China's answer to Twitter, to welcome the move, but many said they probably wouldn't opt for a second child. "I can't even afford to raise one, let alone two," wrote one user. Couples who flout family planning laws in China are, at minimum, fined, some lose their jobs, and in some cases mothers are forced to abort their babies or be sterilized. William Nee, a China researcher at human rights campaign group Amnesty International, welcomed the move, but urged China to go further. "China should immediately and completely end its control over people's decisions to have children. This would not only be good for improving human rights, but would also make sense given the stark demographic challenges that lie ahead," he said.   http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/china-ends-1-child-birth-policy-but-it-may-be-too-little-too-late/

Maple Sweet Potato Cake

 

Maple and Sweet Potato Cake.  Garrett McCord Whenever it starts getting a bit cool I roast sweet potatoes. They're an easy meal in themselves or perfectly fine for a side. Plus, roasting them is so easy. When I roast sweet potatoes I usually make a few extra than I need for that meal. The leftovers get mashed and then scuttled away in the freezer or fridge for future projects. Sometimes I use the mash for a sweet potato shepherd's pie topping, or swirl them into waffle or biscuit dough. However, one of my favorite uses is this crazy easy sweet potato cake. This cake take about 5 minutes of active work followed by 1 hour of baking. The result is a dense, sweet, earthy cake that easily beats out any pumpkin cake recipe you have. It's incredibly rich, and the maple and brown sugar give it a musky flavor. A pinch of cinnamon keeps it simple, but I've happily added ground mace, coriander, allspice, ginger, and even ground star anise for something truly elegant. Serve this plain as a snack or toast a slice before smearing it with butter. I've also used this cake in a trifle with pastry cream, bourbon, and candied cranberries. Lastly, I enjoy serving this with a little bit of black coffee or even a hot buttered rum. Related Sweet Potato Links: Perfect Roast Sweet Potatoes What's the Difference Between Yams and Sweet Potatoes? History of the Sweet Potato in China Are Sweet Potato Greens Poisonous? 7 Health Benefits of Sweet Potatoes Ingredients 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon of salt 1 teaspoon of baking soda 1/2 cup of sugar 1/2 cup of brown sugar 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1 cup of pureed sweet potatoes 1/2 cup of olive oil 2 eggs 1/4 cup of maple syrup (Grade B, preferably) 2 teaspoons vanilla extract Prep Time: 5 minutes Cook Time: 60 minutes Total Time: 65 minutes Yield: 1 loaf cake Preparation 1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Prepare a 9x5x3 inch loaf pan by spraying it with baking spray or lightly buttering and flouring it. 2. Sift together the flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon and sugars. Set aside. 3. Whisk together the sweet potato puree, olive oil, eggs, maple syrup, and vanilla extract until smooth. Mix in the flour mixture and stir together with a spoon until it just comes together. Pour into the prepared baking pan and bake for 60 minutes or until a cake tester comes out of the center clean. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before removing the cake from the pan to cool on a wire rack. Serve hot, warm, cool, or toasted.   http://produce.about.com/od/Fall-Produce/r/Maple-Sweet-Potato-Cake.htm