alan

Air New Zealand flight from Wuhan touches down in Auckland

The flight touched down on Wednesday and passengers from New Zealand and the Pacific Islands were immediately taken to Whangaparaoa military base for a 14-day quarantine.




alan

Qantas CEO Alan Joyce defends laying off 20,000 staff and says COVID-19 worst crisis to hit industry

Qantas CEO Alan Joyce has defended the decision to stand down 20,000 staff in the face of the coronavirus outbreak which he described as the worst crisis to ever hit the airline industry.




alan

Virgin Australia accuses Qantas CEO Alan Joyce of 'spreading rumours' of collapse

Virgin Australia has complained to the competition regulator about Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce's suggestion it would be unfair for the government to prop up one airline.




alan

Alan Jones blasts Qantas and CEO Alan Joyce for not stopping the planes to China earlier

The 2GB morning show host slammed the airline boss as Qantas continues international flights before they're suspended next week, despite the outbreak growing to 2,675 cases in Australia and 11 deaths.




alan

Balan vs State Of Kerala on 30 April, 2020

2. According to the prosecution case, on 22.09.2004, the Excise Party attached to the Thirurangadi Excise Division had found the accused at a place called Nagaram near the Chiramangalam Thirichilangady Road by about 8.30 p.m, carrying a white jerry can having capacity of 25 litres. The accused was accosted and the contents of the jerry can examined, upon which it was found to contain 'wash' used for manufacturing arrack. Thereupon Crl.A.No.1750 of 2007 3 the accused was arrested, 500 ml of wash drawn as sample and the sample bottle sealed. Thereafter, the balance wash in the jerry can was destroyed by pouring it out. On chemical analysis, the sample was found to contain 2.27% by volume of ethyl alcohol.




alan

Gender balance seeps into BBC drama Normal People

I came to Normal People, the television drama everyone else seemed to be talking about, with low expectations.




alan

At least 2 died in separate avalanches in Italy

At least two people have died in separate avalanches in northern Italy on the first weekend Italians have been allowed to venture far afield after a two-month coronavirus lockdown. The Trento Alpine Rescue service said the body of one man was found late Saturday on the Folgaria plateau after an avalanche separated him from his dog. The pet was found unharmed. At the ski resort of Cortina, the body of a skier was found after a separate avalanche. His brother was rescued, the ANSA news agency said. Italian authorities closed ski lifts early on in Italy's lockdown and they remain closed, but skiers can still venture out on ungroomed, unmarked terrain.




alan

Seven markers for gender balance


The Centre for Women's Development Studies (CWDS) has developed long-overdue indicators to assess gender sensitivity in governance.




alan

ASEAN FTA - a hasty, unbalanced deal


Since Kerala and ASEAN countries both produce several similar items, competition from the latter is a cause of worry in the former. But the Centre has over-ridden the State's objections to the free trade agreement, writes Bhaskar Goswami.




alan

Punjab: Migrant workers walk several kms to reach Jalandhar railway station, social distancing goes for a toss

Even after special trains are being run to carry migrant labourers to their home states, desperation among them has not decreased. Several are walking long distances to reach Jalandhar railway station. E




alan

At Least Two Killed in Separate Avalanches in Northern Italy

At least two people have died in separate avalanches in northern Italy on the first weekend Italians have been allowed to venture far afield after a two-month coronavirus lockdown.




alan

Autobiographical and other writings / by Alan A. Campbell Swinton

Archives, Room Use Only - Q171.S95 1930




alan

Sehwag had a unique technique with great balance, says Latif




alan

Nagaland tests more suspected samples

Nagaland tests more suspected samples




alan

Punjab CM meets Behbal Kalan incident victims' kin, promises time-bound probe




alan

Will ensure delivery of essentials to people amid curfew, says Jalandhar DM




alan

Jalandhar cops celebrate 8-yr-old's birthday at mother's request




alan

Man drags policeman on car's bonnet in Jalandhar, amid COVID lockdown




alan

Jalandhar man drags police official on car's bonnet, arrested




alan

MiG 29 crashes near Jalandhar, pilot ejects safely




alan

At least 2 died in separate avalanches in Italy

The Trento Alpine Rescue service said the body of one man was found late Saturday on the Folgaria plateau after an avalanche separated him from his dog.




alan

SEQUENCE SLIDER: expanding polyalanine fragments for phasing with multiple side-chain hypotheses

Fragment-based molecular-replacement methods can solve a macromolecular structure quasi-ab initio. ARCIMBOLDO, using a common secondary-structure or tertiary-structure template or a library of folds, locates these with Phaser and reveals the rest of the structure by density modification and autotracing in SHELXE. The latter stage is challenging when dealing with diffraction data at lower resolution, low solvent content, high β-sheet composition or situations in which the initial fragments represent a low fraction of the total scattering or where their accuracy is low. SEQUENCE SLIDER aims to overcome these complications by extending the initial polyalanine fragment with side chains in a multisolution framework. Its use is illustrated on test cases and previously unknown structures. The selection and order of fragments to be extended follows the decrease in log-likelihood gain (LLG) calculated with Phaser upon the omission of each single fragment. When the starting substructure is derived from a remote homolog, sequence assignment to fragments is restricted by the original alignment. Otherwise, the secondary-structure prediction is matched to that found in fragments and traces. Sequence hypotheses are trialled in a brute-force approach through side-chain building and refinement. Scoring the refined models through their LLG in Phaser may allow discrimination of the correct sequence or filter the best partial structures for further density modification and autotracing. The default limits for the number of models to pursue are hardware dependent. In its most economic implementation, suitable for a single laptop, the main-chain trace is extended as polyserine rather than trialling models with different sequence assignments, which requires a grid or multicore machine. SEQUENCE SLIDER has been instrumental in solving two novel structures: that of MltC from 2.7 Å resolution data and that of a pneumococcal lipoprotein with 638 residues and 35% solvent content.




alan

New Zealand Embassy donates kiwi pair to National Zoo Breeding Science Center

Kiwis come to National Zoo. The Smithsonian’s National Zoo will be using a new kiwi pair donated by the New Zealand Embassy to establish a breeding science center. […]

The post New Zealand Embassy donates kiwi pair to National Zoo Breeding Science Center appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.




alan

DE-cadherin and Myosin II balance regulates furrow length for onset of polygon shape in syncytial Drosophila embryos [RESEARCH ARTICLE]

Bipasha Dey and Richa Rikhy

Cell shape morphogenesis from spherical to polygonal occurs in epithelial cell formation in metazoan embryogenesis. In syncytial Drosophila embryos, the plasma membrane incompletely surrounds each nucleus and is organized as a polygonal epithelial-like array. Each cortical syncytial division cycle shows circular to polygonal plasma membrane transition along with furrow extension between adjacent nuclei from interphase to metaphase. In this study, we assess the relative contribution of DE-cadherin and Myosin II at the furrow for polygonal shape transition. We show that polygonality initiates during each cortical syncytial division cycle when the furrow extends from 4.75 to 5.75 µm. Polygon plasma membrane organization correlates with increased junctional tension, increased DE-cadherin and decreased Myosin II mobility. DE-cadherin regulates furrow length and polygonality. Decreased Myosin II activity allows for polygonality to occur at a lower length than controls. Increased Myosin II activity leads to loss of lateral furrow formation and complete disruption of polygonal shape transition. Our studies show that DE-cadherin-Myosin II balance regulates an optimal lateral membrane length during each syncytial cycle for polygonal shape transition.




alan

Alan Alda: Relating Through Improvisation

As the host of PBS’s “Scientific American Frontiers,” Alan Alda has interviewed scientists, physicists, neuroscientists, and academics. Forging a connection with these guests through freewheeling […]

The post Alan Alda: Relating Through Improvisation appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.



  • History & Culture
  • Science & Nature
  • Video

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Coast around Alang-Sosiya shipbreaking yard in India ‘strongly polluted’ with heavy metals

The Alang-Sosiya shipbreaking yard in India is highly polluted with heavy metals, a study concludes. The researchers studied heavy metal contamination in sediments taken from the intertidal zone of the shipbreaking yard and compared them to a control site. The area was found to be ‘strongly polluted’ with copper, cobalt, manganese, lead and zinc.




alan

Putting a price on the Catalan coastal ecosystems

Ecosystems in the Catalan coastal system in Spain are worth €2,573 million per year to local citizens, according to new research. By placing a value on ecosystems the research has provided insight into integrated coastal zone management (ICZM) in the area.




alan

Air traffic management to balance CO2 emissions and noise pollution

Speed constraints for aircraft are put in place, at some airports, to minimise noise pollution in local areas, however, such practices can be very fuel-inefficient. New research has now shown that relaxing departure speed limits could substantially reduce CO2 emissions, while maintaining acceptable noise levels.




alan

Balancing fire risk precautions and income in forest management

Reducing forest fire risk within a tight budget can be successfully achieved, according to researchers. The study simulated the economic and fire risk effects of five management plans and found that a combination of removing low level trees and selective positioning of woodland produced the most economic and least destructive results




alan

Balancing bioenergy potential and carbon sink resources of forest

New research highlights that potential to use forest materials as bioenergy to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from fossil fuel use must be balanced against the role played by forest stocks as carbon storage facilities.




alan

Balanced Scorecard tool could support Integrated Coastal Zone Management

A strategic management tool used to monitor progress towards organisational goals can be adapted to Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM), according to a new study. The researchers adapted the Balanced Scorecard for the Mediterranean region, and suggest that such an approach could be applied to other marine regions.




alan

Perspectives on shipbreaking: economic, social and environmental impacts at Alang-Sosiya

The Alang-Sosiya shipbreaking yards in India highlight the inequalities and opportunities of global waste management. The yards, which recycle retired ships from more economically developed countries, have dramatically altered the ecosystems and social structures of the local area. A study looking at stakeholder perceptions analyses different positions on the social and environmental impacts of the yards.




alan

Balancing research, policy and practice could help agriculture meet Sustainable Development Goals

A study into how agriculture can help humanity meet the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals finds that research in Europe on agricultural land systems largely omits key priorities from policy and practice. The researchers identify 32 variables that researchers, policymakers and practitioners collectively prioritise when it comes to European agricultural systems, and suggest that future research includes these in order to more comprehensively analyse trade-offs and identify opportunities for sustainable progress.




alan

Balancing river ecosystem protection and human demand for water

A new method of determining water flow in complex river basins has been developed that balances ecosystem protection with the legal rights to use water by hydropower operators, farmers and municipalities. A recent study has applied this method to a new river basin management plan in Spain.




alan

91% Indian firms rebalancing their Cloud Strategy: Report

Realising that Public Cloud is not the single solution towards their digital journey, 91 per cent of Indian enterprises are already in the process of rebalancing their Cloud strategy, a new report said on Thursday.




alan

Balanced approach to restoring farmland biodiversity shares and separates land

It is possible to balance agricultural production with improved biodiversity on farmland, according to researchers. A new study suggests using a combination of land sharing techniques, which enhance biodiversity on existing farmland, with land separation techniques, which designate separate areas for conservation and farmland production.




alan

Balancing conflicting conservation goals takes time

Ecosystems are complex and managing them effectively can mean balancing conflicting conservation goals. In a recent US study in the San Francisco Bay area researchers examine the best strategies to eradicate an invasive plant while protecting an endangered bird that uses it for nesting habitat. They find that with a clear management plan both goals can be achieved, albeit over a longer timeframe.




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Counter to national trends, KC sees balanced urban and suburban growth

During the past 20 years or so, there has been a resurgence in downtowns in cities across the United States. Kansas City is no exception. Developments like the Sprint Center, Power and Light District, KC Streetcar and multiple housing structures have changed the fabric of downtown Kansas City, making urban living a more viable lifestyle […]




alan

The PR Week: 2.21.2020: Alan Kelly, Playmaker Systems

Playmaker Systems founder Alan Kelly joins The PR Week to discuss his influence strategies system and the latest industry news.




alan

Oil Up as Market Starts to Rebalance

Oil headed for its first back-to-back weekly gain since February.




alan

Paddles, the first cat of New Zealand, has died

Paddles the polydactyl cat took Twitter by storm after being elected into office with her mom, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.




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With new budget, New Zealand puts its money where its heart is

New Zealand's budget will make well-being and equality priorities over the economy.




alan

Climate 'refugee' seeks asylum in New Zealand

Could the plight of one Kiribati family foreshadow a future inundated with climate-change castaways?



  • Climate & Weather

alan

Hormones haywire? Balance them naturally!

Suffering from hot flashes, fatigue, insomnia or anxiety? Hormonal imbalance could be to blame — try these natural remedies to get things back on track.



  • Fitness & Well-Being

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New Zealand's '8th Wonder of the World' rediscovered

Lost to a violent volcanic eruption in 1886, the remains of the Pink and White Terraces may have been located again.



  • Wilderness & Resources

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New Zealand surfer survives tsunami by riding giant wave

A student and his fellow surfers used their skills to ride the giant waves to safety after a deadly tsunami struck Samoa.




alan

7 exercises to improve your balance

Balance is tied to both strength and overall physical health, here are some exercises for any fitness level.



  • Fitness & Well-Being

alan

Human-sized penguins once waddled around New Zealand

Ancient 5-foot 7 penguin weighed at least 220 pounds and speared fish with its sizable beak.




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Startlingly big sinkhole opens in New Zealand

A giant sinkhole, the length of two football fields and six stories deep, opened up in a New Zealand farm in Rotorua.



  • Wilderness & Resources

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Look out, rats. New Zealand is gunning for you

By 2050, New Zealand hopes to be rid of rats, possums, stoats and other invasive predators.