Parental genes do what's best for baby

A molecular 'battle of the sexes' long considered the major driving force in a baby's development is being challenged by a new genetic theory of parental teamwork.
Biologists at The University of Manchester say the prevailing view that maternal and paternal genes compete for supremacy in their unborn offspring fails to answer some important questions relating to child development.

In fact, rather than a parental power struggle, the researchers suggest that certain offspring characteristics can only be explained by their theory of genetic cooperation.

"When we are conceived we inherit two copies of every gene - one set from our mother and one from our father," explained Dr Jason Wolf, who led the research in Manchester's Faculty of Life Sciences.

"But some genes - through a process called genomic imprinting - only use one parent's copy; the spare copy from the other parent is silenced by a chemical stamp."

The concept of imprinting has long puzzled scientists as it appears to undermine the natural benefits organisms gain from inheriting two sets of genes.

If one copy of a gene is damaged, for instance, then the second copy can compensate; imprinted genes lose this safeguard and so are more susceptible to disease. Errors in imprinting have also been linked to cancer and other genetic disorders.

Scientists have argued that the reason some genes only use or 'express' one copy is due to a conflict between paternal and maternal interests.

In the natural world, for example, males would hope to produce large offspring to give them the best chance of survival and carry on their gene line. But large offspring require greater maternal investment, so females will try to impose their genetic stamp so that smaller young are born.

"The idea that imprinting evolves because of conflict between males and females over maternal investment in their offspring has become a generally accepted truth that has remained largely unchallenged," said Dr Wolf.

"But we have shown that selection for positive interactions between mothers and their offspring, rather than conflict, can produce the sorts of imprinting patterns we see for a lot of genes.

"For example, during placental development the maternal and offspring genomes have to work together to produce a functional placenta. By expressing the genes they get from their mothers, the offspring are more likely to show an adaptive fit with their mother's genes; they complement each other and so work better together to produce the placenta."

The findings - published in the world's leading biology journal PLoS Biology - are important because the conflict hypothesis is cited by people working in a diverse range of areas. This new theory is therefore likely to have implications across the biological sciences.

Malaysian visitors to enjoy VIP trip to Old Trafford

Two young Malaysians are flying over to watch Manchester United take on Chelsea this Sunday after winning a competition with The University of Manchester.Mooi Yen Nian, 25, a Senior Executive at Bank Negara, and 23-year-old management trainee Aileen Wang Jin Jen will enjoy box seats for the biggest game of the season so far as well as receiving signed United shirts. During their visit, the pair will also tour the University and the Manchester Museum. Manchester is one of the UK's most popular destinations for Malaysian students, with more than 450 students registered at the University of Manchester last year. To win this unforgettable trip, the pair entered a contest arranged by the University and the British Council during the Education UK Exhibition held in Malaysia earlier this year. Mooi said: "This is a dream come true for me; I was particularly interested in a postgraduate course at The University of Manchester but now this is a once in a lifetime experience I will never forget." Wang said: "I hadn't planned to enter a contest while at the exhibition as I was interested in learning more about further study in the UK, but I decided to give it a go." Mooi is a graduate of the London School of Economics while Wang earned a Business Computing degree from the University of Staffordshire at the Asia Pacific Institute of Information Technology (APIIT) in Malaysia. Both are considering a postgraduate course at Manchester. Professor Rod Coombs, Manchester's Vice President for Innovation and Economic Development, said: "We are delighted to host both Mooi and Wang in Manchester and provide them with all they want to know about our postgraduate courses." Dr Tim Westlake, Director of International Development, said: "Our winners will discover that they can receive a first class education at our campus, but also how living in Manchester is a stimulating, exciting experiencing thanks to its multicultural nature." The competition also saw consolation prizes awarded to Woon Da Qiang, 19, Hoo Long Pin, 21, and Darryl Connel Chew, 19, now a first year Law student at Manchester. The runners up receive exclusive Manchester United merchandise signed by the first team, courtesy of Manchester United Football Club.

Watching TV Can Improve Parenting And Child Behaviour

Watching television parenting programmes like ITV's Driving Mum and Dad Mad really can help improve parenting skills and modify children's behavioural problems, according to a study at The University of Manchester.Watching television parenting programmes like ITV's Driving Mum and Dad Mad really can help improve parenting skills and modify children's behavioural problems, according to a study at The University of Manchester. The six-part series followed the progress of five families whose children showed clear behavioural problems through Professor Matt Sanders' "Triple P-Positive Parenting Programme," which provides guidance on parenting skills which promote good behavioural and emotional adjustment. In "The Great Parenting Experiment: The role of the mass media in preventing anti-social behaviour in children," clinical psychologists Dr Rachel Calam and Professor Sanders himself studied a sample of the 4.2 million parents tuning into the first series in Spring 2005. Funded by the Home Office's Respect Task Force, the team assessed how much watching the programmes actually helped parents at home. Dr Calam said: "This is the first national experiment to monitor parents working alongside a "TV info-tainment" series and trying out the techniques shown. We wanted to assess whether, by adopting the ideas suggested, mums and dads were able to improve their children's behaviour and reduce their own stress levels. "465 parents completed an assessment of their children's behaviour, parenting practices, confidence as a parent, stress levels and family circumstances before the series, which was repeated 12 weeks after the series started and again six months later. Parents who just watched the series and those given additional "enhanced support" reported significantly fewer problems with both their children's conduct and their parenting practices after 12 weeks. "Over 40% of the children who had had severe behavioural problems at the beginning of the study showed clinically-reliable changes in behaviour, and moved into the "normal" range on measures of disruptive behaviour. "The parents also reported higher confidence in their ability to manage behavioural problems; 45% of them saying they were very much less likely to over-react to difficult behaviour." The parents receiving the enhanced support showed fewer problems at the 12-week point in terms of child behaviour problems, parenting practices, and parental conflict, but both levels of intervention proved effective at reducing levels of parental distress and conflict and modifying children's behaviour problems. Professor Sanders said: "Across the board, parents' sense of their own effectiveness significantly improved, with parents reporting clinically-significant increases in confidence in dealing with difficult behaviours and situations (like bedtimes and taking children to the supermarket). The level of improvement in children's behaviour was unrelated to the initial severity of the child's conduct problem, with children who had the most severe problems at the beginning doing just as well as other children with less severe problems. "The improvements associated with watching the series were maintained after six months, and it is extremely encouraging to see that so many parents benefited from it. Our findings indicate that the media can be used constructively to provide parenting information and advice in an entertaining way, and can bring real positive outcomes to both parents and children."  

Terrorist hotbeds 'a fantasy', says researcher

Research at The University of Manchester has found that Muslim terrorists are no more likely to come from towns and cities with large Muslim populations than anywhere else.Dr Ludi Simpson and Dr Nissa Finney from the Cathie Marsh Centre for Census and Survey Research analysed media reports to map the location of suspects charged under UK anti-terror laws. They found that against popular perception, the proportion of Muslims who have been charged under terrorism laws is no greater in areas with large Muslim populations - such as Newham or Bradford, than anywhere else. According to the research, the chance of a Muslim being charged with terrorism coming from an area like Bradford is 1 in 25,000. That, says Dr Simpson, is a similar figure to places with smaller Muslim populations such as Leeds and Bournemouth, where there is a 1 in 24,000 chance. Dr Simpson said: -We looked at the 75 cases of Muslims charged under anti-terrorist legislation outlined in the media from 2004 to the present day, where we know the place of residence. -Their location is spread pretty evenly across all the places Muslims live and it's not in any way restricted to areas where there are large Muslim populations. -The CrownProsecution Service were reluctant to provide a more comprehensive list - which is why we have used media reports in the Guardian and BBC Online. -But we've made an application under the Freedom of Information Act which will hopefully allow us to carry out this research in more detail. He added: -When politicians who want to tackle terrorism target ethnic minorities according to the area they live, it's a very destructive thing and not based on reality. -The authorities should focus on direct information about terrorist activities and not go by innuendo. 'Branding a particular area as a hotbed of terrorism is immensely damaging and creates prejudice and fear. It's just a fantasy.'

Manchester's virtual University opens - for primary school children

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THE CHILDREN'S University of Manchester is an exciting new website aimed at children aged seven to 11, combining learning with fun.

Linking the research and teaching of The University of Manchester to the Key Stage Two (KS2) national curriculum, the website gives pupils a fascinating insight into the background and work of leading academics.

Available online at www.manchester.ac.uk/childrensuniversity, the website officially launches on 20 November, when representatives from Greater Manchester primary schools and other delegates will meet academics involved in the development of the website and find out more about the project, at a lunchtime launch event at The University of Manchester's Whitworth Hall.

Nancy Rothwell, Vice-President for Research at the University, who will open the event, said: "The Children's University is a fantastic project, and really important for the University as a whole. We have committed to engagement with our local community and with wider participation. These are not areas in which we pay lip service, but real goals with real commitments, because we see real benefits."

The website has been developed by staff across the University, including astronomers, linguists, dentists, textile historians, psychologists and KS2 specialists in the School of Education, as well as student volunteers. Pupils, teachers and parents at local primary schools, and ICT Co-ordinators at Manchester City Council's Children's Services department, have also provided valuable feedback and input.

Six subject modules have been created so far, with more planned for the future. Each is introduced by a member of University staff and contains interactive learning materials; educational games and quizzes; informative videos; useful links, and downloadable resources. The site can be used for whole class teaching with a whiteboard, or for group, individual or homework sessions.

The six modules are: 'The Earth & Beyond', with Dr Tim O'Brien, Jodrell Bank Observatory - School of Physics & Astronomy; 'Teeth & Eating', with Professor Liz Kay, School of Dentistry; 'Micro-organisms', with Dr David Moore, Faculty of Life Sciences; 'Talking Textiles', with Jennifer Harris and Andrew Vaughan of the University's Whitworth Art Gallery; 'Word Classes', with Professor Kersti Borjars, School of Languages, Linguistics & Cultures, and 'Brain Awareness', with Dr Ellen Poliakoff, School of Psychological Sciences.

Alan Cross, Lecturer in Education at The University of Manchester, uses the website when training teachers and teaching pupils. He said: "The reaction of teachers and pupils is always the same: they love the graphics, the quizzes and the input from academic researchers. Teachers immediately recognise The Children's University of Manchester as a very useful resource, which links well to the curriculum."

Sarah Grimwade, a teacher at Whitemoor Primary and Nursery School in Nottingham, said: "The Children's University is a fantastic site, with well thought out resources. I am really impressed! As an ex-research scientist, and now a primary teacher in Nottingham, I am pleased to see The University of Manchester really supporting us in getting children passionate about science."

While the website will benefit primary schools across the UK, the University is particularly keen to ensure that Greater Manchester schools use it. Teachers Jonathan King and Anna Morgan from Ravensbury Community School in Clayton, a deprived area of Manchester, have been extensively involved in the piloting and testing of The Children's University. Jonathan said: "The website is really interactive, great for the children to use, very visual and very child friendly. They were able to use it instantly."

The University's Manchester Leadership Programme, Careers & Employability Division is managing the development of The Children's University. Director of the division, Jane Ratchford, said: "We are very excited about the launch of this innovative website, which promises to be a fantastic, fun resource for children, teachers and parents across the country. It represents The University of Manchester's commitment to working with schools and communities in order to encourage greater public understanding of science, arts and humanities, and to increasing awareness of the benefits and opportunities that higher education can bring."

Available online, a touchscreen version of The Children's University has also been installed at the Jodrell Bank Observatory Visitor Centre.

 

Does missing gene point to nocturnal existence for early mammals?

A gene that makes cells in the eye receptive to light is missing in humans, researchers have discovered.They say that whereas some animals like birds, fish and amphibians have two versions of this photoreceptor, mammals, including humans, only have one. The findings - published in the Public Library of Science journal PLoS Biology - reveal how our experience of the light environment may be impoverished compared to other vertebrates and fits with the suggestion that early mammals were at one time wholly nocturnal creatures. "The classical view of how the eye sees is through photoreceptive cells in the retina called rods and cones," explained Dr Jim Bellingham, who led the research at The University of Manchester. "But, recently, a third photoreceptor was discovered that is activated by a gene called melanopsin. This melanopsin photoreceptor is not linked to sight but uses light for non-visual processes, such as regulating our day-night rhythms and pupil constriction." Although the melanopsin gene is present in all vertebrates, the version in mammals was unusually different to that found in fish, amphibians and birds. "At first, we put this genetic anomaly between mammals and other vertebrates down to evolutionary differences," said Dr Bellingham, who is based in the Faculty of Life Sciences. "But we have now learnt that other vertebrates have a second melanopsin gene - one that matches the one found earlier in mammals and humans. The first melanopsin gene found in the other classes of vertebrates does not exist in mammals." It is not yet clear how the functions of the two melanopsins differ but having different cone genes or 'opsins' allows vertebrates to detect different wavelengths of light and allows them to see colour. The Manchester team now hopes to find out whether the two melanopsin genes in non-mammals play similar or different roles in non-visual light detection and so provide clues as to the implications of only having one melanopsin gene. "The two genes and their associated proteins have been maintained in vertebrates for hundreds of millions of years, only for one of them to be lost in mammals. "We are keen to discover why this might have happened - perhaps the early mammals were at one stage nocturnal and had no need for the second gene, for instance. We also want to find out what losing one of these genes means for humans."

Sebelum baca , sila bawa bersabar bebanyak di bulan puasa ni yer...

Orang bodoh = pakai credit card sampai maximum pas tu takleh bayar (berlagak macam org banyak duit!) Orang pandai = pakai credit card tapi orang lain bayarkan (pakai kad klon la tu!)

Orang bodoh = company dah sediakan nescafe, milo, biskut, bla bla bla tapi gi minum gak kat cafeteria kena bayar plak tu. Orang pandai = tak minum kat cafeteria tapi company punya nescafe, milo, biskut, bla bla bla angkut bawak balik!!!!

Orang bodoh = beli suratkhabar sebab nak tengok nombor ekor je pas tu buang. Orang pandai = orang yg tunggu org bodoh buang pas tu dia kutip...dapat baca semua sekali wo

Orang bodoh = kentut kuat-kuat kat office pas tu bangga ngan baunya. Orang pandai = kentut senyap sunyi (takde bunyi) baunya... boleh buat unta sakit perut! dhab pun koma sekejap! pas tu bermati-matian salahkan member sebelah (guess sapa member sebelah tu?....si bodoh yg kentut kuat tu la!)

Orang bodoh = ada masalah cerita kat orang pandai Orang pandai = dengar masalah orang bodoh pastu cerita kat orang bodoh yang lain, pas tu membodohkan orang bodoh tu...jadinya orang bodoh yang pertama tu jadi bodohs (plural)

 

Ada lagi... Orang bodoh = orang yg buang masa baca blog ni! Orang pandai = saper yang forward cerita ni...... aku la tu...jadi yang mana satu pilihan bijak pandainye kalau nak jd org yg pandai, cepat-cepat ler forwardkan  blog nih....... heheheheeeee..........

 

 

p/s: takkan nak kena sorang2 kan??? Kan?? Kan ..he..he he.. ????

 

Why Popeye only has eyes for spinach

Eating spinach could protect your eyes from the leading cause of blindness in western society, say experts at The University of Manchester.With the aid of a new eye instrument, they have launched a study to see if the vegetable that endows Popeye with his super-human strength could also explain why the 77-year-old sailor has no need for spectacles!Spinach and some other vegetables like sweetcorn, kale and broccoli are rich in a chemical called lutein, which, together with another carotenoid, zeaxanthin, form an oily, yellow substance at a central point of the retina known as the macula. This yellow oil, called macular pigment, is thought to protect the macula from age-related macular degeneration or AMD, a disease that studies in the UK have shown to affect up to 12% of men and 29% of women over the age of 75. "The macula is a small area of the retina responsible for seeing detail and colour in our central field of vision," said Dr Ian Murray, who is leading the research in Manchester's Faculty of Life Sciences. "Our work has already found strong evidence to suggest that macular pigment provides some protection against AMD but we want to discover whether eating vegetables rich in these chemicals will have a direct impact on the disease. "Since macular pigment is wholly derived from our diet we would expect that eating foods containing high levels of these compounds increases macular pigment and so helps slow the degenerative process. This latest study on volunteers with early-stage AMD will test that idea." Scientists do not yet understand why some people are susceptible to age-related macular degeneration but warn the incidence is likely to rise as the population ages. In collaboration with Tinsley Ophthalmic Instruments, Dr Murray's lab has developed a lightweight instrument that can measure the levels of lutein and zeaxanthin and provide an indication as to whether low levels of macular pigment may be linked with premature visual impairment. "If the instrument demonstrates that the patient has low levels of macular pigment then they can be advised to take a lutein or zeaxanthin supplement and encouraged to eat vegetables high in these carotenoids. "AMD is a devastating disease where sufferers slowly lose central vision making reading and most day-to-day activities virtually impossible. The main risk factors for the disease are age and heritance but it is also linked to controllable factors such as poor diet, smoking and obesity. "Having their macular pigment measured and learning about the health of their eyes might be the first step to a change in lifestyle for many people."